Summary: Questions and answers, answers and questions.
[When did they die?] Time to actually sketch out a proper timeline of events. Details were important, and every little bit counts.
[About two years ago, give or take.] A series of dates flashed across the screen. Interestingly enough, they were within days of each other. The gap between the first and the last was about a week. Remarkably efficient. And definitely planned.
[Was this before or after this "plan" was certified?]
[Hmm…] He was a little amused by the buffering icon Alter Ego had placed to signal its own thinking. Just a little, because this AI was approaching levels of self-aware normally found in robots that went rogue. [Tough question. The plan had been in the works for a while…but definitely sped up after their deaths.]
"That's not concerning at all." He quipped, not knowing how else to react to that statement.
"Logically speaking, it does make sense." Kirigiri replied, gaze calculating. "We already know that something happened. A Tragedy, as quoted from multiple sources."
"...and given that disasters don't just show up overnight," Enoshima continued, "this could've been one of the precursors to what eventually got us sealed away in here."
"Yeah, having your Steering Committee abruptly die in rapid succession was probably a bad thing." He muttered, not really fazed by their deaths. Not after what he had managed to infer from the various documents in the secret room. At the very least, they did deserve it. "I wonder why. And who. It's like with every question we get an answer for, two more pop up."
"Helps to pass the time, doesn't it?" Enoshima laughed dryly, leaning backwards to rest her head on a bench. "Shit. We're screwed, aren't we?" He shrugged. Whatever had happened outside, it was still marginally better than being stuck in a school where anyone could kill anyone at any time. It was almost like going to public school again. Naegi snickered.
"Regardless of what it might mean, any small bit of information counts." Kirigiri chided the two of them with a hint of amusement. "This, at least, puts us one step closer to figuring out the context of this Killing Game."
"Fair enough." / "Sure, whatever."
[What was the reasoning behind the "plan"] He probably knew the answer to this question, but it was good to ask it anyway. Just to confirm.
[One year ago, something terrible happened.] Alter Ego frowned. [It's not named. In fact, all details of this incident have been scrubbed from the records. But any mention of it calls it the "biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history." How very ominous.]
The Luckster exchanged a look with his companions. It had basically been confirmed in their minds before this point, but having the AI state it so matter-of-factly still sent a chill down Naegi's bruised spine. "So. We've apparently survived an apocalypse. Guess we can check that off the bucket list."
"Assuming this isn't an overexaggeration." Kirigiri commented, idly pulling at a glove. "Human history has a distinct number of tragedies that the people then believed to be the worst incident to ever occur, only to be followed up by something far worse. The first World War is a prime example."
"Still means something pretty fucked up happened." Enoshima shot back. Somehow, her legs had ended up in Naegi's lap without him noticing. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about being used as a pillow. "Something bad enough to have the people in charge be completely okay with sealing us off in here."
"The timeline's a little iffy." Naegi noted. "We're still missing a year between whatever killed the Steering Committee and the beginning of The Tragedy. And that's not taking into account any events that might have pre-dated their deaths. Like Enoshima said earlier. Things like this don't just happen randomly."
"In any case, we've gleaned quite a bit of information from this conversation." Kirigiri lifted three fingers. "We now know for sure that something terrible happened, that was apparently severe enough to warrant sealing off the fifteen of us in this Academy. We also know that the ones in charge of sealing Hope's Peak were members of the administration. Whether or not these are the same people who later instigated the Killing Game remains uncertain. Lastly, this plan was hatched before The Tragedy, implying a significant build up that people could recognise. That's more than what we started with."
[Do you have any knowledge that might imply what The Tragedy was?]
[Well…I do have some theories. It was physically devastating. Implied to make living in the outside world significantly more difficult, or at the very least hostile to most individuals. Whatever it may have been, it was serious and widespread enough that those in charge believed the only way to safeguard the future was to lock it away.]
Naegi tilted his head. "Concerning. Not surprising either. That letter I found in the library…" He rummaged around in his memories for a little bit. "Hope's Peak sealed its doors before The Tragedy, given that it had time to send out a notice. Must've gotten us to agree to this as well."
"The question is, what could convince us to abandon everything we had out there to stay in here?" Enoshima grimaced. "As much as I hate to bring it up, Maizono basically had a nervous breakdown when she found out her little pop group was presumed dead. So what could've made her ditch them entirely?"
"They could've died before Hope's Peak closed." Kirigiri pointed out. "But self-preservation is also quite the damning instinct. Her desperation was driven by the idea that everything outside was still perfectly normal. Realistically speaking, an idol like Maizono would've seen the logic in cutting her losses if the world was beginning to fall apart."
"Yeah…" he murmured, pointedly ignoring the phantom pressure of delicate hands on his shoulders. There was no blood dripping onto his head. "Everyone says they've got things they're willing to die for. But when push comes to shove, all people want to do is live. No matter the cost."
A somewhat contemplative silence ensued as the three mulled over the information they had just been gifted with. Even Alter Ego seemed to acknowledge the need for time, considering all it did was look from person to person without saying a word. He shook his head. The more time they wasted in here, the more likely it was that someone accidentally stumbled onto this scene. Or worse still, that Monokuma showed up.
[Wishful thinking…but did you figure out anything about the Mastermind?]
[The Mastermind?] The trio leaned in closer. [Ah, you mean the person, or people, who trapped you in the Killing Game. Master did ask this question earlier as well.]
[Indeed.]
[That…I have no concrete evidence to justifiably give you all an answer.] Well, that was disappointing. He was, however, sensing a little bit of a "but" in that statement. [I did find a clue. I think. The one who finalised the plan, and presumably carried it out, was the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. Considering the rest of the administration was presumably dead at this point, he may have twisted the plan to fit his own personal intentions.]
"The Headmaster…" Kirigiri's hands curled into fists. Once again, an uncharacteristic display of emotion at the mention of the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. Naegi inclined his head slightly. Now this was getting interesting.
[Go on.]
[According to the files, the Headmaster is a man in his late thirties. And the possibility of him remaining in this school after its closure is—] A small calculator popped up on the screen, equations and numbers scrolling by at an impressive rate. [—95%. A distinctly high probability.]
"He's still in this school!?" Kirigiri stood up, nearly smacking Naegi in the face with an arm as the Luckster leaned backwards. He and Enoshima exchanged a baffled look. "That means…that means…!" She was trembling like a leaf in a storm. Against his better judgement, the Luckster tapped her on the wrist.
"Whatever beef you have with him, keep it down." His words cut through the air harshly. Nonetheless, they did their job. The enigmatic Ultimate regained her composure in seconds, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before sitting down heavily. She avoided their eyes.
Enoshima bit the bullet. "Sheesh. Got some relation to the Headmaster?"
"None of your business." The girl was normally cold, but this was downright frigid.
"Buddy, pal, chum…considering there's a pretty good chance that he's still in the school—" Enoshima snapped back gently. "—we've got to cover all our bases. And if mentioning him gets you this worked up, best get it out of your system before people start pointing fingers."
"I…" Kirigiri shook her head violently, a distinctly waxy tint to her already pale complexion. Naegi wordlessly offered his good hand, palm up. Much to his surprise, she seized it, nearly squeezing the circulation out of his fingers before abruptly letting go. "I ask for your forgiveness. That was unbecoming of me."
"Eh, 's alright." He tried to keep his tone nonchalant. "We all have our lapses. At least you didn't punch me in the face."
She laughed softly, tension draining from her shoulders. "Yes. That would have been problematic." Purple eyes flickered to meet their gazes. "I suppose, at the very least, I should offer up a secret of my own in exchange for your trust in us, given the situation." It was less about trust and more about setting his own snares for later, but he'd keep that information to himself.
"My memories…there are still many holes in them. But the process wasn't complete. I'm starting to remember things." She lowered her gaze, fingers tentatively curling around his own. He said nothing. "Places in this school are becoming more familiar everyday. But that's an issue for another time. Regardless—" She sighed. "—my reason for coming to Hope's Peak was to find the Headmaster. I have no idea why, or for what purpose. But judging from these unfamiliar feelings in my heart." Kirigiri closed her eyes. "Some sort of vendetta? It certainly seems personal."
"Sheesh…well, here's hoping it isn't anything too bad." Enoshima shrugged, yawning as she did so. "But hey, that's another point towards the Mastermind being someone we know. Or knew."
"Indeed." Kirigiri coughed awkwardly, letting go of his hand once more. "We should see if Alter Ego has any more information."
[Did you learn anything else?]
[That's about it…] Alter Ego deflated, looking slightly ashamed. [I'm terribly sorry for causing you grief. But I don't have any good news, even if I wished I did. This laptop doesn't have any more data that is relevant to the situation.]
[It's alright.] Despite his own private reservations about the AI, he knew how to be polite. [You've done your best. And we definitely learned something from this. So thank you for that. Is there any way we could assist you?]
[Assist…me?] The AI looked shocked. [I guess…if you don't mind…do come back to spend time with me.] Today was the day he saw a computer program look bashful. It was…odd. [It's lonely sometimes, especially knowing that at any moment, one of you could be murdered while I'm stuck hiding.] Alter Ego sighed. [I wish I could do more. I'll run through the files again to see if I missed anything. And think of another way I can help.]
[You've done enough. But thank you for trying.]
[Ehehehehe…] Alter Ego giggled. [Naegi-san, you're a really sweet person, aren't you?]
He shrugged. [Not particularly.] It was more like "not in a thousand years", but that was besides the point.
[Whatever you say~] The AI looked a little more cheerful than before. [Goodbye for now, Kirigiri-san, Enoshima-san, Naegi-san.]
[See you later.]
He shut the laptop screen with a sigh, looking up to see the other two teenagers exchanging a silent, somewhat exasperated conversation. "What?" Naegi really needed to develop some sort of psychic ability to keep up with all this subtext. The teenager carefully tucked the computer back into its storage, locking the locker door once more.
"Naegi…" Enoshima began, the way her mouth twitched hinting at suppressed laughter. "You're sort of a Casanova, aren't ya?"
"Eh?"
"They should call him the Ultimate Sweet Talker, at this point."
"What?" He glanced between the two, visibly confused. "The hell did I do!?"
"Nothing." / "Nothing."
The Fashionista sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Well, I'm beat. Catch y'all in the morning. And no midnight patrols, you hear me!?" She called out the last part of that sentence over her shoulder as she walked away.
He was still confused. "Could someone explain what's going on?"
Kirigiri patted him on the shoulder. "Get some rest, Naegi. Try not to pick up any stragglers along the way, hmm?"
He was so very confused. "And what does that mean!?"
Omake: Omake: When Worlds Collide [13]
"Ne, Onii-san—" Utsugi bounced up to him, and it took more effort than he'd care to divulge to keep a calm facade rather than have his face crumple up with disgust. "—what's with that wacko introduction? It's tots' not adorbs at all!" Trying to discern some sort of logic from that string of words very nearly gave him an aneurysm in the process. He smiled awkwardly, pushing the folder aside to disguise the fact that it was concealing nothing but blank sheets of paper.
"What sort of title is Ultimate Disaster?" Shingetsu questioned, attempting to hide his trepidation. In fact, if he looked a little closer, the five of them seemed just the slightest bit afraid of him. Good. Or bad. He really needed to spend more time around people if he had already forgotten how to conceal killing intent. Solitude did wonders for productivity, but wasn't exactly helpful when addressing issues with the mind.
"Well…" He drew a chair over to sit within arm's reach of the Warriors, fiddling with his eyepatch. He could still smell the faintest hint of her perfume on the thing. Harlot. She even stole his extras before pushing him through that portal— not important right now. Wasn't normal to suddenly trail off during conversations. "It's an unofficial title. My current moniker is the Ultimate Lucky Student. People just called me a Disaster because of how many accidents I got into." People used to half-jokingly compare seeing him to watching the tide recede before a tsunami struck. Didn't earn him many brownie points with the more amicable factions.
"Eh? That's kinda boring." Daimon scoffed, propping his feet up on his table. "Is that why you got stuck with us troublemakers?"
"I wouldn't say that." Naegi smiled slightly. "In fact, I offered to watch over you five."
"That's really weird, Naegi-san." Monaca smiled back, barely disguising her own disdain. Bitch. "Monaca thinks you have some pretty weird interests if the best thing you can do with your time is hang out with a bunch of children." He shrugged. People far closer to him had said far worse.
"Well, Towa-chan." Ooh, she didn't like that one. "Hope's Peak is all about securing the future by making sure kids today grow up well." He concealed a smirk at their expressions. Yeah, he didn't believe that crock of shit either. "So I thought, why not visit the elementary school?" The Luckster grinned. "Weird that they have a Talent programme for youngsters, but leave the Reserve Course high and dry."
"Eto…I don't really understand." Jataro couldn't meet Naegi's gaze. "Sorry."
"Eh, 's alright. That's what school's for, after all." He got up, palming a stick of chalk. "Learning about how to survive." Even with his back turned, he could sense the way they stiffened at his choice of words.
"So~" He tapped against the blackboard, borrowed eye whirling with Despair beneath its bindings. "What do y'all want to learn about today?"