Hello readers and welcome to my new chapter. So, first off, I'm happy that my previous chapter was so well-received. While I am confident with what I've written, there's always a small nugget of worry in the back of my head, especially when I'm doing something off-script. Always glad to see that worry was unfounded.

I have two questions for you guys. First, as I asked previously, what would a fanfic writer/writer in general do with a twitter account? No concrete plans of getting one as of right now, just a burning feeling of curiosity.

Second, what would be the best way to go about getting into original writing and growing a fanbase? While I plan to stick with fanfic writing (don't worry) I do want to make my own original stuff. And while I am working on my own book, I'm still uncertain as to the best way to go about getting it out there (or anything else I come up with). So, if you have any suggestions, I'm willing to hear them.

Well, that's all I have for right now. Here, we'll be ending the fourth chapter break. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danganronpa.

Chapter 88: Break 4 Part 3

As soon as Sayaka headed towards where Makoto and Celeste were sitting, Kyoko quickly slipped back to her room to gather her findings. She would've done so immediately, but the idol was insistent on discussing her digging into Hifumi's pants. Now that she was distracted by jealousy, the detective can go and figure out the mysteries of the future.

This time, the gain was somewhat more substantial. With the information Alter Ego has given them, the theory that had been growing in her mind had become even stronger.

'So, something really did happen in the outside world. Something catastrophic enough to be known as, The Tragedy,' Kyoko mused with a frown, 'And because of that Tragedy, Hope's Peak was forced to shut down. Then it was reshaped to hold us in and have us live the rest of our lives there.'

This would imply that, rather than a prison, Hope's Peak was meant to be… a shelter. A place to shield the class from the rest of the world. It would also mean that the mastermind somehow hijacked the plan… and reshaped the shelter into the prison they now saw. Into the killing game they're witnessing.

'But in order to manage it, it would likely have to be an inside job,' Kyoko continued theorizing, looking at the notes she jotted down, 'Right now, doing so by force is doubtful. Unmitigated time is needed to set up Hope's Peak the way it is in the future, and openly taking over Hope's Peak would draw too much immediate attention. So, the mastermind must've been hiding within the administration. Or the staff. Possibly even the student body.'

And considering the mastermind's involvement in hijacking Hope's Peak communal life plan… yeah, there's no way that the mastermind wasn't involved with the Tragedy in some capacity. There's too much of a connection for it to be coincidence.

As for who exactly the mastermind would be… the name drop at the end of the fourth chapter warrants suspicion towards certain classmates of hers.

In the beginning of this watching, Kyoko had considered Mukuro's actions odd. Disguising herself as her sister, as well as provoking Monokuma into killing her, were things the detective couldn't add up. However, with the idea of her being the mastermind's spy now in mind, those actions start to make more sense, and cast an even more suspicious eye on Junko.

Disguising Mukuro Ikusaba as Junko Enoshima and making it as though Mukuro was the mystery sixteenth student would hide the fact that Junko was alive. And the only reason to hide such a fact… is if the girl was involved in the killing game herself…

But, can she really make such a conclusion? After all, this is all just suppositions based on the things that were given to them. Suppositions that are stronger with each chapter, but suppositions nonetheless. Can she really conclude that her classmate is the mastermind based on the surrounding oddities of Mukuro, and her absence in the killing game?

'Great, I really am becoming soft…'Kyoko thought wryly, leaning back on her bed. Makoto's influence really has affected her.

But, more than that, could someone like Junko pull something like this off? While she has no doubt about the intellectual side hidden within the girl, and she holds a high level of influence as the Ultimate Fashionista, are those two really enough for her to take over the school and set it up into her personal game-board?

That's not to mention the possibility of being involved with the events of the Tragedy itself…

Could one girl really pull off the things that they are currently witnessing?

(With Makoto)

It took a bit before Makoto could shake off the emotions that had flared up, brought out by Junko's words. Honestly, while he doesn't believe in holding grudges, the stuff his classmates have done to him did hurt. It was something he couldn't deny, even if he wanted to.

And then there was how he ended up involved with each murder. Chapter one, he tried to convince Sayaka not to do anything drastic, yet failed; chapter two, he inadvertently led Chihiro to his demise; in three, he caused Taka to become rather… fixated with Alter Ego, resulting in a rivalry between him and Hifumi; and in the last chapter, he had a chance to talk to Sakura about her being a spy, yet failed to do so in time.

He'd either had a chance to stop something happening and failed in it, or he'd led the victims to their demise without knowing it. It wasn't a thought he could just set aside.

Still, he pushed those thoughts away. This was not a time for him to wallow in self-pity; he needed to be there for his friends, for whatever help he could provide. Especially when several of them likely feel worse than he does.

So, he headed up the second floor, with the plan to talk to those who have yet to come to the rec room for food…

Which was what led to him seeing Sakura sitting seiza style, at the door of his room. "Sakura?" he called tentatively.

"Makoto…" Immediately, the martial artist's eyes were set towards the lucky student. "I ask for your assistance."

Any look of surprise was replaced with an immediate look of understanding. "Hina isn't doing well, is she…?"

Sakura looked down slightly, a grimace forming across her face. "I tried to speak to her myself, but… she pushed me away. Insisted that she was fine. But I can tell. She isn't."

Makoto sighed. "Considering what we saw, I'm not surprised. Your death alone is devastating enough…"

"That's why I ask for your help," Sakura stated, "To comfort her, to make sure she doesn't hold her feelings within, and not take any blame for what happened. It's something I would like to do myself, but…"

"Hina would just push you away again, right…?" Makoto concluded. Sakura nodded. "You don't need to convince me, Sakura. I'll do what I can to help her." Even if Sakura felt up to comforting Hina, the lucky student still would've done his part in raising the girl's spirit back up. Even if it's just checking on her.

Relief encompassed Sakura's face. "Thank you." She then performed a small bow towards him, from her sitting position. "I'm grateful for your friendship with both myself and Hina…"

"Y-You don't need to bow like that!" Makoto replied, flustered and waving his hands around. "Like you said, Hina's my friend also! I would've checked on her anyways!"

"Regardless, that still gives me cause to give thanks." Sakura raised up her head before moving to get back up on her feet. "You've been a good friend, Makoto; even when some of us give you cause not to be. I feel that needs to be appreciated."

The luckster couldn't help but blush at the praise given to him. Again, he can't help but wonder if it was warranted. All he was doing was trying to be a good friend to his classmates and being his usual optimistic self. Is it really that big of a deal?

He stubbornly ignored the "give you cause not to be" part of Sakura's statement that was refusing to leave his head…

"I'll leave Hina to you then." Sakura then proceeded to head to the direction of her room. "I trust that you'll be able to bring her spirits back up…"

Just as the martial artist got a few feet away, Makoto quickly called out to her. "Hey, Sakura!" The girl stopped, turning towards the direction of the lucky student. "What about you? Are you… doing okay?"

For a moment, Sakura was silent, simply pondering Makoto's question. "I am at peace with what we have witnessed, Makoto," she finally stated reassuringly, "The actions my future self has taken were regrettable, but the steps to amend that mistake make up for it. I feel no regret for the things I could've done."

It was clear to Makoto that she meant it. He saw no regrets, no guilt or shame in her eyes nor her posture, just someone who's at peace with what could've been, with her will being as unwavering as ever.

So, the lucky student couldn't help but give a relieved smile. "I'm glad to hear…" he said earnestly, "You're really such a strong person, Sakura."

That earned him a small smile from Sakura. "It honors me to hear such praise from you."

(With Hina)

Honestly, the lucky student wasn't sure what he could do to help Hina. If the swimmer was pushing away Sakura, how would he be able to get her to open up? It's likely that she would do the same thing to him.

However, despite the uncertainty, he refused to abandon his friend. Whether she wants it or not, he's gonna help her get past this. Which led him to face the red, puffy-eyed swimmer at her door.

"M-Makoto…"

"Hey Hina…" Makoto greeted softly, giving her a small smile, "Do you mind if we talk for a bit?"

As he partially expected, the girl put on a forced smile. "I-If you're here to check on me, don't worry. I-I'm okay. Just need to get some rest, and-"

"Hina…" the lucky student interjected, a frown across his face, "We both know that you're not that good at lying…"

The girl flinched at that, not expecting to be called out so bluntly. "W-What do you mean? Why would I lie?"

"It's something I want to ask myself," Makoto responded in kind, though his tone remained soft, "Why insist to Sakura that you're fine, when it's clear that you're not? When Sakura's worried about you?"

Once again, Hina flinched, her head lowering sadly. For once, she wished she was good at lying like Celeste was. Then she wouldn't have to make Sakura worry, or have Makoto visiting her like he did others in the class.

Why should she receive comfort from one of her closest friends when she was the one trying to kill everyone else? Why should she get comfort when her future self is still walking, still able to act normally with the others?

Not wanting anyone else to see her like this, especially Sakura, Hina quickly pulled the lucky student inside her room. Once the door was closed, she turned away from him, attempting to hide her shaky expression. "I-I'll be okay, Makoto. Really. Things are looking up. Thanks to Sakura, our future selves are gonna work together and-"

"That doesn't change that you saw your best friend die," Makoto interjected once again, "That you saw yourself at your lowest, thanks to that fake suicide note. Just because things ended well, doesn't mean you shouldn't feel devastated."

Hina clenched her fist. "...What right do I have to feel devastated?" she asked in retort. She kept her eyes firmly closed shut, in order to hold back any more tears. "Because of me, Sakura's sacrifice was almost for nothing! She killed herself so we don't end up murdering each other, so we could work together! She wanted to save us because she saw everyone as her friend! AND I SPAT ON THAT SACRIFICE!"

"You were tricked by Monokuma!" Makoto argued, "He led you believe that Sakura died in desperation, not-"

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT I FELL FOR IT LIKE AN IDIOT!" This time, Hina was the one to interrupt. "It was one note, one single, damn note, that led me to believe that Sakura was at all weak, that she died hating us! How could I have believed that when everything about her says otherwise?! I DIDN'T HAVE A DAMN CLUE AS TO WHAT HER TRUE THOUGHTS WERE!"

A silence immediately fell between them, with Hina letting out heavy breaths. The swimmer worked desperately to wrestle back her emotions, to not let Makoto see anymore of her emotional side.

She couldn't stop the few tears that slipped through though. 'I'm pathetic…' She couldn't help but think to herself, 'Can't even hold it together when being questioned like this. Get it together, Hina; don't let Makoto waste any more time than he already did.'

"...Please, just go, Makoto. I'll be- WHA?!" Just as Hina requested the lucky student to leave, she suddenly found herself being pulled from behind.

Next thing she knew, she was on her bed, Makoto's arms wrapped around her, her head placed on his chest, and their legs intertwined together. Despite the sorrow she was feeling, a heavy blush formed across her face. "Wha-Wha-Wha-?!"

"Sorry…" Makoto apologized, red tinting his own cheeks as well, "You can hit me later if you want. Just… it's something I do with Komaru. Whenever she gets upset, and she has a hard time talking about it, I comfort her like this. Hug her until she lets out all her feelings."

For a moment, Hina had trouble saying anything, embarrassment fueling her momentarily. Since when has Makoto done something this bold? This is the same guy who would turn red at simple hand-holding (not that she's any better, mind you).

The lucky student himself was surprised by his own actions. However, there weren't any regrets or second thoughts. He could see that his words alone weren't going do anything. Hina was racked with guilt, and stubbornly clinging onto it. Because she doesn't want to burden anyone with those feelings, Sakura especially, she's attempting to keep them to herself.

So, he did the only thing he could think of: comfort her the way he would comfort his little sister.

"S-Seriously Makoto, you don't need to do this," Hina replied, more flustered than guilt-ridden at the moment, "I'll be fine. Just let me go."

"No," Makoto refused, shaking his head, "I'm not gonna let you go. I'm gonna hug you till you let out all your feelings."

Hina couldn't help but giggle a little. "What kind of threat is that? Hugging me until I confess?"

"You'd be surprised how effective that threat can be," Makoto joked back, smiling a little, "You can ask Komaru if you want proof."

"What, do you threaten her with a hugging session whenever she comes home moody?" Hina continued playing along.

"Sometimes pats and kisses on the head whenever she's really defiant," Makoto answered, his smile turning playfully evil, "She breaks within the first few minutes."

That caused the swimmer to giggle even more, a genuine smile now on her lips. Seeing that lifted the lucky student's spirit up, seeing that she's not completely closed off.

But he knew he couldn't continue like this forever. So, with a more somber smile, he continued. "You don't have to hide your sorrow. Your guilt," Makoto told her, "You have a right to feel devastated, to cry until you feel better, just like everyone else here. But we want to help you. Give you that shoulder to cry on."

His words wiped the smile from Hina's face. However, she didn't say anything this time, merely snuggling further into Makoto.

"And I understand why you feel guilt, why you feel like such a fool," Makoto continued soothingly, "But Sakura doesn't blame you for what happened. Neither do I."

"...Maybe you should," Hina finally replied, her voice barely audible. She clung tightly to Makoto as she spoke. "Makoto, I… I tried to kill you. Kill everyone for revenge, revenge that Sakura didn't even want. How could… how could you forgive me for that? For blaming you when you did nothing to Sakura?"

In response, Makoto's grip tightened slightly, echoes of Junko's words hitting his head. He ignored them as best he could as he addressed Hina, "None of this has happened yet; it won't happen ever if we have a say," he said softly, "And both you and your future self feel clear regret for what happened. How can I hold a grudge when you feel guilty enough as it is?"

Hina let out a whimper, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "I'm such an idiot…" she sobbed out, "Falling for that note… falling for Celeste's scheme… thinking you were the killer… I'm such a big idiot…"

"You're a normal girl pushed into a stressful situation…" Makoto countered firmly, yet softly, "Someone who saw our classmates die again, and again, and again. Most people would not be able to think rationally…"

"You were able to…" Hina argued tearfully, "Kyoko was able to… heck, even Byakuya had more sense than I did…!"

"Hiro didn't. Toko didn't," the lucky student pointed out, "Their reactions were probably even worse than yours. And Byakuya, smart as he is… he was also fueling the killing game as much as half of our classmates…"

"...Am I really any better than them?" Hina finally asked, "I called Byakuya a monster, when he said that he would be okay with Sakura dying… but if he's a monster… what does that make me?"

Hearing that caused Makoto to lift Hina's head up, meeting her tear-filled eyes with a firm glare. "You're a girl who saw her best friend die!" Makoto repeated his earlier words, "Someone who saw over half her classmates die! Who was tricked by a mad-man at her most vulnerable! Of course you reacted the way you did; you were pushed into that despair!"

His passionate words stunned the Ultimate Swimmer. All she could was stare as her mind processed what he had said.

Makoto smiled at her sadly. "I'm not justifying what you did, nor condoning it," he told her, "But you're not a monster for acting out of grief. After all… what monster would cry about what she'd done, what she'd almost done?"

For a moment, Hina continued to just stare at him. Then, a new wave of tears started streaming from her eyes, as sobs left her lips. The Ultimate Swimmer ended up slamming her face into his chest as she cried her heart out.

"I'm sorry…!" she bawled out, "I'm so sorry…!"

"There's nothing to apologize for…" Makoto said soothingly, patting the girl's head.

Yet the girl continued to give apology after apology, all while letting out her buckets worth of tears. The lucky student could only continue to hug her, providing as much comfort as he could.

(Later)

Eventually, Hina ended up crying herself to sleep; by that time, it was close to nighttime. Once he saw that the girl was asleep, Makoto saw himself out of her room to let her rest.

'I hope that helped Hina enough…' Makoto sighed, leaning on the wall beside Hina's door, 'She really did have it rough these past couple of viewings…'

While it's not like everyone else isn't going through it, he knows that Hina is especially affected. Comes with the territory of wearing your heart on your sleeve, something that the lucky student himself can attest to.

'I should probably go to sleep soon…' Makoto mused as he checked the time, 'Don't want to end up half-tired like yesterday…'

However, just as he was about to head to his room, he spotted someone from the corner of his eyes. Turning his head, he saw that it was the Ultimate Affluent Progeny. "Byakuya…"

The Togami heir faced him at the call of his name. "Makoto…" he greeted him neutrally.

"Did you just come from the rec room?" the lucky student asked curiously.

Byakuya nodded. "I decided to get a small meal before it got too late," he stated, before redirecting the conversation, "I assume you were with Hina?"

"Yeah…" Makoto turned towards Hina's door slightly, a sad smile across his face. "She hasn't taken the whole thing well…"

"Obviously," Byakuya remarked, arms crossing, "Seeing yourself at your very worst tends not to bring out positive feelings."

"...Yeah," was all Makoto could say, a frown across his face. "Byakuya… do you hold a grudge against our classmates?"

That resulted in a tense silence between the two, with Byakuya giving an unreadable stare towards the lucky student. Makoto, in response, felt himself needing to shift under the stare, but he stayed firm, wanting to talk this out with Byakuya.

"We both know our classmates' thoughts on my future self's actions and words," the Togami heir finally spoke, "Those thoughts went to the point of holding resentment for me. They judged, held hatred, even attempted to attack me for things I myself haven't done. Would it not be strange to hold resentment for such treatment?"

"...It wouldn't, no," Makoto conceded. While he understood why several of his friends reacted the way they did, in the end, the Byakuya with them wasn't responsible for those actions or words. However, before he could say anything else in response…

"However… it would be a waste of time to hold such resentment," Byakuya huffed, acting as though this was all beneath him, "Their anger is nothing new. Why bother holding a grudge for their childish antics?"

"Byakuya…" At this, Makoto let out a relieved sigh, a bright smile now forming across his face. "I'm glad…"

"Don't start thinking that I'm doing this for their sake, or your request," Byakuya warned him, "I'm simply avoiding needless drama, as well as keeping from falling to their childish levels."

"Right…" The lucky student could only chuckle awkwardly, quite used to the heir's antics.

"If that's all you want to say, I'll be heading to my room now." With that, Byakuya headed into his room, with no fanfare whatsoever.

Despite the brisk conversation, Makoto felt content with the results. He knew Byakuya well enough to see that it was his way of showing he's alright. So, there's no need for any other words.

With that, he finally headed to his room, feeling lighter than he had these past few days.

The seed of doubt planted in him was forgotten about for the time being…

(Morning)

It took little time for the students to gather together for the next viewing. Because the last chapter ended on a somewhat more hopeful note (even if it also left quite a few questions), many of them were able to get enough sleep. The previous chapter had also resulted in a warmer atmosphere; while they weren't exactly cheerful, there was less trepidation and gloom within the class.

However, tension still remained between certain students. Tension that needed to be solved.

"I'm sorry!"

The first step for that to happen was taken by none other than Hiro, who was in dogeza form in front of Sakura, who took her place in her usual seat. The martial artist raised an eyebrow at this, but stayed silent, waiting to see if Hiro would explain himself.

"Future me… and even me, me, screwed up!" Hiro continued, keeping his head bowed, "You were trying to help us, make up with us… and I treated you like an enemy, ended up trying to kill you for it! But even after that, future you sacrificed herself for us! So… I'm sorry!"

That took the other students by surprise. While they wouldn't call Hiro someone that wouldn't apologize, the fortune teller has a very hard time recognizing when he's in the wrong (be it due to stupidity or selfishness was anyone's guess). So, seeing him earnestly apologize like this… it was a surprise, at the very least.

"I-I'm… sorry, too." Eyes now shifted towards Toko, who was curled up in her seat. The writer kept her eyes away from everyone. "I-I… acted horribly. B-Been acting h-horribly. You wanted to be my f-friend… c-considered me one… yet I didn't do the same. M-My future self d-distrusted you, was afraid of y-you, d-did horrible things because of it. A-And I-I… stood by those feelings. That same d-distrust that I've always felt. T-That's why… I'm sorry."

And once again, the class felt themselves shocked. First Hiro, now Toko? Was Byakuya gonna make any apologies next? A few of them even turned their eyes towards the heir in question.

The result was a scoff from the Togami heir. "Don't expect me to grovel like those two," Byakuya said dryly, "I stand by my statement that I'm not responsible for any actions I've yet to take. And, unlike those fools, I didn't share nor spoke of the same sentiment as my future self."

Said fools flinched at the direct jabs given to them, yet said nothing.

Meanwhile, Sakura remained silent, waiting to see if any more would be said from either of them. When it was clear that they had said all that they wanted, she spoke. "There's no need to apologize for the actions of your future counterparts," she told both of them, "As Byakuya has stated, you are not responsible for any actions you have yet to take. It would be unfair of me to hold such actions against you, especially when my counterpart also did regretful things."

"As for the distrust you held yourselves… I will not hold that against you either," she continued, "I do not blame you for holding such distrust, nor begrudge you for it. I only ask that both of you aim to be better, and to not repeat the same mistakes."

At her words, Hiro finally raised his head up. "I'll… I'll try my best," he promised, getting up from the floor.

"M-Me too…" Toko also promised. The guilt wasn't completely gone from those two, far from it. But they both felt significantly lighter compared to last time.

Meanwhile, Leon leaned towards Makoto, to whisper, "I'm guessing you had something with the two apologizing?"

"A part in it, at least…" Makoto admitted with a nod. He'd talked with Hiro in the rec room, then with Toko at the door of her room (right before talking with Hina).

In truth, he hadn't needed to say much to them. Both recognized how wrong their future selves were, and both started recognizing their own flaws. All he needed to do was push for them to make amends and improve themselves.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you were able to convince them to own up to their actions…" Sayaka muttered.

Makoto sweatdropped at that. "They aren't completely heartless, Sayaka," he chided his idol friend, "They're both able to recognize when they did something wrong… just… have a hard time doing so."

That earned a snort from Leon. "Pretty much have to slap reality in their faces…"

"Leon, come on…" the lucky student found himself sighing.

"Hey everyone…"

Eyes turned towards the direction of the stairs, where the weak greeting was heard. The source was none other than Hina, one of the two students who have yet to come downstairs. The other student was Mukuro.

"Hina…" Concern was clear across Sakura's face, the moment her eyes were set on her friend. "Are you… alright?"

In response, the swimmer gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Yeah… yeah, I am. Feeling better than yesterday, at least. Sorry for making you worry yesterday."

The smile was small, rather weak as well when compared to its usual brightness. But it was sincere enough to ease a lot of Sakura's worries, with the martial artist giving Makoto a grateful look. The lucky student gave a bashful one in response, rubbing the back of his head.

The bashful look turned into an alarmed one, however, when he saw Sayaka stand up from her seat. The idol then walked over towards the swimmer, a neutral look set across her face. This was met with a more nervous look from Hina.

"S-Sayaka…" Hina stuttered, uncertain of what she should say, "Is… are you-"

She found herself being cut off, when the Ultimate Pop Sensation moved forward… and wrapped her in a hug. The move startled the swimmer, having not seen that coming. "Sayaka…?"

"I'm still a bit angry with you…" Sayaka admitted, "There's a lot of things I want to say. But, just… don't ever think such stupid thoughts. Understand?"

Her words struck Hina like a break; and once again, the girl finding herself tearing up. "You… would have to be more specific…" she joked back hesitantly, returning the hug, "I had a lot of stupid thoughts…"

That got a giggle from the idol. Right as she disengaged from the hug, she said in a serious tone, "Don't repeat your future self's mistakes. Don't ever put blame on anyone that didn't deserve it. That includes yourself."

Was she being a hypocrite? Maybe. The guilt over what she did, at being the first domino to fall, still gnaws at her. But that's exactly why she told Hina this; she knows what that guilt feels like. She doesn't want her friend to carry that same weight.

A few tears slipped from Hina's eyes. "I-I'll do my best…" she swore, pumping her fists up for good measure, "I promise."

Giving a soft smile in return, Sayaka went back to her seat. As she sat down, the idol was met with a proud smile from her favorite fan. The smile caused her to blush, ducking her head down. A snicker came from her other side, causing her to jab the amused baseball star with her elbow.

Hina, meanwhile, quickly went to sit with Sakura once again, grabbing more than a few donuts in the process. As she got onto her seat, she quickly latched onto her friend's hand. The martial artist paid it no mind, squeezing her hand reassuringly in return.

Finally, Mukuro came down the stairs. There were two main reactions from her appearance: One portion of students regarded her with some level of awkwardness, uncertain of how to act around her or if they should say anything at all. The other portion held suspicious looks, not hiding their current distrust. It's clear that the last part of yesterday's viewing was still on everyone's mind.

Makoto was one of the few who didn't look at her with either awkwardness or suspicion; rather, he held a worried look. The soldier's posture was stiffer than usual, and she seemed to be actively keeping from looking at anyone. Has the reveal from before, and their classmates' reaction to it, affected her this much? Or was it something else…?

"So, everyone is now gathered. Ready to begin the next chapter?" The voice of their host, Spirit, brought Makoto out of his concerned musing. He looked up to see the African man holding up the remote towards the TV.

This time, the question was not met with a foreboding or fearful silence. Instead, grim determination fueled the group, with many of them holding firm looks or composed demeanors.

"We've come this far already!" Taka stated with his usual passion, "I see no reason for us not to finish this!"

"Damn straight," Mondo nodded in agreement with his brother, "If we stop now, what would be the point of going through all that shit?"

"If we do not finish this, we won't have a good chance to stop what's coming," Celeste spoke, her accent back in full, "We have no choice but to continue, if any of us want to survive."

"Indeed. To grow our chance in our survival, we must know all that can be given to us," Sakura stated strongly, "We can't allow ourselves to merely settle."

"Yeah… I don't want any of this to happen," Hina said, gripping her friend's hand tightly, "I don't want to be in a future where Sakura would die. Where any of my friends would die! So, we need to do this!"

One by one, the students expressed their desire to continue this, to figure out all the mysteries surrounding the future. All the while, Junko had to hold back from showing a growing annoyance.

'That last portion of the future really seemed to raise their spirits up…' Junko thought with annoyance, 'That stupid meat-head! Gorilla girl! Ogre! You're making things boring!'

However, though she was extremely annoyed with the growing hope that's spreading with her classmates… there was also that excitement of having everything be revealed. It's so close to the end now. So, the thought, the very idea that she's gonna be exposed very soon, that her very plans will be unraveled for her classmates, her friends, to see…!

Now the fashionista had to keep herself from openly drooling.

"I think it's to say that we're all ready, Spirit…" In the end, Makoto ended up the spokesperson for the class, the lucky student giving their host a resolute gaze. "So, let's continue."

In response, Spirit nodded, a ghost of a smile cracking his features for a moment. "Alright." The host then played the TV. "Let's begin the fifth chapter."

And that's the end. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Apologies if any of you were looking forward to Makoto conversing with Hiro or Toko, but I felt as though I didn't need to make any interactions with them. Of course, Makoto would check on them, but the two recognize their wrong-doings (And in Toko's case at least, realize how horrible she was in general); so there's no need for any big talks with those two (Same with Sakura and Byakuya, which is why their talks were kept short).

Next up, we'll be finally getting into Chapter 5. I'm hoping that with all the complicated stuff settled for the time being, the reactions will be easier. We shall see. Anyways, let me know what you think of the chapter, what a fanfic writer can do with a twitter account, and what I should do to dip into original writing (Right now, I'm looking at a site called Royal Road). Review, favorite, and follow and I will see you guys later.