Despair

Kirigiri and I came down to the first floor to find the others already gathered in front of the red door.

"...They're not even trying to hide the PDA anymore..."

"It's not like this is the first time. Just let it go..."

We joined them to the sound of voices that had long since transcended any capacity for surprise, and struck up a conversation before heading inside.

"But seriously... what was that photo...? I'll be honest, the first time I saw it, I got chills..."

"Same here. A picture of every single one of us except the person who received it... We've never even taken a photo in this place..."

"I-it's just a composite, right...?"

"That's not all. The contents of that DVD Monokuma suddenly handed out — the one labeled 78th Class Emergency Counseling Session — are just as suspicious. Does anyone here actually remember filming that?"

"Uh... no... but that could be a composite too..."

"A photograph, maybe. You cannot fabricate a video that vivid. The people on that DVD are, without question, us."

"Come to think of it... the belongings in that locker room were strange too. Everything in there was connected to one of us..."

"Hah... maybe the mastermind planted all that just to mess with our heads...?"

"That would be a lot more convincing if my locker hadn't contained a notebook full of personal information and knowledge that only I would know. Wasn't it the same for the rest of you?"

"I thought it was weird... there was this exhaustive analysis of the character settings and worldbuilding for Heretic Angel☆Squishy Princess, and I was so happy, thinking there was another person in the world on my level..."

"And... that blood-soaked room on the fifth floor... what even was that..."

"...Standing here talking in circles isn't going to uncover anything. We'll drag every last truth into the light ourselves — at the Class Trial."

"Hahh... yeah. That's the only way, isn't it...?"

The others steeled themselves, and together we opened the red door.

A long silence filled the elevator as it carried us down. But it was a different kind of silence from last time.

The last one had been born of shapeless fear and anxiety. This one was the silence of people who had already made their peace with the battle ahead — the kind that needs no words.

I glanced at Ikusaba. When I'd come down holding Kirigiri's hand, she had looked at me with an expression of quiet resignation. There was so much I wanted to say to her. I decided it could wait until after we won the Class Trial.

A heavy thud announced our arrival. The elevator doors opened onto the trial grounds.

".....Everyone. Let's go. We're ending this killing game — with our own hands."

We stepped into the courtroom wearing the same resolute faces.

"Upupupupu...! So? Since this is the final Class Trial, I went the extra mile...! It's quite a bit different from usua— ah, wait, this is only the second one, isn't it..."

Monokuma was winding up for another round of pointless banter when Kirigiri cut him off.

"Stop stalling and start the Class Trial. We'll finish you there, Enoshima."

"Upupupupu... Impatient, aren't we... Then again, I suppose that's how you managed to steal the one I'd already called dibs on...?"

".....Start."

"Upupu! Well then... even if it is only the second one, this is the grand final boss fight, so as a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠show of participation, I'll be taking the empty seventeenth seat...!"

"In that doll? Why don't you just show yourself already, Enoshima?"

"Upupupupu... Coming out at the start would kill the drama, wouldn't it? Saving the appearance for the climax is what makes a final Class Trial really shine."

".....Hah."

"Alright then... let's begin!!"

With that, Monokuma hopped down from the judge's seat and waddled over to the empty seventeenth podium.

"Upupu... First, let's get the rules crystal clear...? If you identify the body and the culprit from the previous incident, and uncover this academy's secret... you win! But if you fail... it's an all-out execution...! Upupupu..."

"And if you lose, you're the one who gets executed. Correct?"

"Well... of course...! Gotta give you kids some motivation, right...?"

"I have no more patience for wasted time. All of you... have you identified the body and the culprit?"

"Um... well..."

I glanced at Kirigiri. I was ready to explain it myself if the words were too hard for her to say — but she drew a slow breath and told them the truth.

Shock rippled through the others. Some stared at Kirigiri in alarm, others with open concern. She accepted every one of those looks in silence, then continued.

"In other words, Enoshima fabricated the entire previous murder just to eliminate Kei — and tried to have an innocent man executed."

"Upupu...? Got any proof of that...?"

".....Are you seriously playing dumb? After you so generously left a confession and an execution video sitting in the headmaster's office?"

"Upupu... That wasn't me! It was an impersonator! The video's fake! I refuse to acknowledge it!"

Monokuma launched into a sudden tantrum, and the others fixed him with stares cold enough to freeze blood. He mopped at imaginary sweat under that collective glare, then spoke again.

"Upupu... What's with this feeling of being publicly dragged... Fine!! I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠admit it, okay!! Yes, you got it! The entire previous incident was a trap I orchestrated from start to finish! I killed Jin Kirigiri with my own two hands!! Wow, that feels so much better... Upupu!!!"

The sudden, cheerful confession left nothing but bewilderment in everyone's eyes. I looked at Monokuma and spoke quietly.

"Enoshima... what are you thinking...?"

"Upupu...?"

"Why would you admit to all of that so easily? This is fatal information for you, isn't it...? The outside—"

"NG! That's an NG word!! Say another syllable and you'll get yourself executed after coming all this way — and wouldn't that be a pathetic way to go...?"

".....Those school regulations still apply? Even now?"

"Well, discovering a secret through your own effort is what makes it thrilling, right? When you're on a treasure hunt, is it fun if someone just tells you where everything is...? Upupupu..."

I listened to Monokuma's nonsense and sank into thought. Something felt off. Of course, the opponent was Junko Enoshima — thinking inside ordinary parameters was a mistake to begin with — but the Monokuma in front of us was operating on a completely different wavelength from before.

Spoon-feeding us the identity of the body. Confessing without even a proper debate. It was as if the current Enoshima no longer cared how this trial turned out.

I locked eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with Monokuma, unease coiling in my gut. He looked away and started whistling. Yeah. There was something else going on here.

"Uh... so... now we just gotta figure out the academy's secret, right...?"

"Well... even if you say 'the academy's secret'..."

"The academy's secret is simple enough."

Togami addressed the group in a tone that brooked no argument.

"We have lost our memories."

"W-what...? Memory loss...?"

Confusion swept the room. Beside him, Celestia smiled faintly.

"A photograph none of us remember taking. A DVD none ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of us remember filming. Personal belongings in a locker room, all intimately connected to us... If we lost our memories, doesn't that explain everything?"

".....!"

At last, the others understood the true shape of the dissonance they had been feeling all this time.

"Th-that's right... When we first stepped through the academy's front entrance, we all felt something strange, and the next thing we knew we were in a classroom, didn't we...?"

"Yeah... so much happened after that, I completely forgot... Then does that mean everything from that moment onward was wiped...?"

"So we've already... lived our school lives here at Hope's Peak Academy...?"

"Enoshima!! Then you erased the memories of students who had lived and suffered together — and tried to make them kill each other!! Unforgivable!!"

"You... you bastard..."

"Every secret is out now...! You've lost, Enoshima!"

The others turned on Monokuma in fury, but he just scratched his head.

"Hey, I love a fiery atmosphere as much as the next bear... but the Class Trial isn't over yet, you know...?"

"What are you talking about!? You just admitted you erased our memories—"

"No... you got the memory-wipe part right... but you still don't know why you were locked in here with your memories gone and forced to play a killing game, do you...?"

"Because you're a psychopath who kidnapped us, made us kill each other, and gets off on watching it...!"

"Upupu... and that's the 'truth,' is it? You're fine settling for that...?"

"Everyone, stay calm. Enoshima is the one in a corner here — not us."

"....Kh."

Now only the final truth stood between the students and Monokuma. A brief silence settled over the courtroom — until Maizono broke it.

"Wh-what...!?"

"You can tell just from watching the video, can't you? We chose this. We chose to be sealed in here."

"B-but why...?"

"I don't know why. But if it's true that I walked away from my idol career — from everything that mattered most to me, from my fans — and chose to lock myself in this academy forever... then something enormous must have happened, don't you think?"

"Something enormous...? But the outside world is perfectly—"

"If we lost our memories at the point of enrollment, then a considerable amount of time has passed since then. Naturally, something happened to the world during that blank period."

"I don't know what it was, but if it was enough to make me give up my dream of living as a castle lord with a retinue of servants, it had to have been something extraordinary."

"Hrm..."

The others sank into deep thought. After a long stretch of silence, Togami spoke under his breath.

"Most likely... the end of the world, or something to that effect..."

"Th-the end of the world...? Isn't that a little extreme...?"

"And yet a kidnapping of this scale has been unfolding in a prestigious academy in the middle of the city, and not a single soul has come to help us. Even the most capable butler of the Togami family — the shadows behind the world, who should have moved heaven and earth to rescue their sole heir — was taken out."

Togami's gaze bored into Monokuma as he went on.

"And during that video call... my butler said he had failed to protect the Togami family. For one of the shadows of the world to fall... nothing short of a catastrophe on the scale of the world's end would explain it."

"Ah... even so... the end of the world... I just can't bring myself to believe it..."

"M-Master Byakuya is right...! I-I can't be of any help right now, but... that other one could...!"

The others still looked unconvinced. Fukawa, who had been watching in silence, set her jaw with sudden resolve, pulled a pepper shaker from her pocket, and dumped it onto her nose.

"AH-CHOOOOOOOO!! Sniff...! Hmm... what's this place? Don't tell me they found out I'm a serial killer and dragged me into court? Kyahahahahaha!!"

Togami watched this display with a look of profound exasperation — then something clicked, and he issued an order to Genocider Syo.

"Genocider Syo. Name the single largest incident to have occurred in the world recently."

"That would be... a few days ago, when Master Byakuya's embarrassing secret came out, that until he was nine he still believed in gho—"

"This is not the time for jokes. Answer properly."

"Yeeees!! Master Togami's favorite gifts are civet coffee and a Millennium—"

"One more word of nonsense and I will sew that mouth shut permanently."

"Hnnnnnnngh... then I suppose you mean The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History...?"

Togami's eyes went wide. He pressed her, and Genocider Syo launched into an excited explanation.

"That incident was... so terrifying even I went pale... less a 'man-made disaster' than an act of God...! Because of that utterly despairing event... the world, in an instant... um... what happened again?"

"I-it didn't actually end, right...?"

"Yeeeeeesss!! Correct!! It went down in flames!! Kyahahahaha!!"

Genocider Syo's words hit the courtroom like a physical blow. Every face in the room went slack with shock.

"W-wait... how does Genocider Syo even know that...?"

"She has a split personality... perhaps only Fukawa's memories were erased, and Genocider Syo's were left intact...?"

".....That settles it. The world outside... has been destroyed. And that is why we sealed ourselves in here."

With everything confirmed, an uneasy silence settled over the students.

"Upupu...! Now that you've finally arrived at the truth, may I have everyone's attention!! Please watch this video!!"

Every eye turned to the screen descending into the courtroom. And then the footage began to play.

"Upupu...! Just as you guessed, the world is finished! My true identity is Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair! I'm the one who drove the world to this!"

Watching those horrors unfold, I felt a headache building behind my eyes. The people on the screen were screaming. The blood pouring across the footage flooded the display in red. The entire screen went red. Red. There was nothing left but red, drowning every inch of the picture. I stared at it, unblinking.

"Anyway, I was all set to plunge the entire world into despair and have myself a despairingly wonderful time — but then this disgustingly cool brand of hope kept getting in the way of my plans... and before I knew it, way too many remnants of hope were still crawling around out there. So I thought it over and came up with a new plan...!"

The footage shifted. A live feed of the outside world filled the screen. An enormous crowd stood packed before a giant monitor — and on that monitor, our Class Trial was being broadcast in real time.

"I figured if I wiped the memories of Hope's Peak Academy's 78th Class — the ones they call hope itself — and made them kill each other on a worldwide broadcast, I could crush whatever hope was left... but it didn't really work out, you know?"

On the screen, people were watching our trial with their hands clasped in desperate prayer. They came in every shape and size, but every last face wore the same nauseating expression of hope. It was enough to make me sick.

"Still... maybe winning at the very end is all that matters...? Honestly, I've gotten bored of hope and despair. This Class Trial included. So I figured I'd just wrap things up. I already spilled every last one of my secrets, didn't I? All the conditions for ending the Class Trial have been met! Congratulations!"

Smoke billowed up without warning. When it cleared, Monokuma was gone — and Enoshima stood in the courtroom.

Just looking at her sent a wave of rapture crashing through me. My body trembled. The others were already gazing at her with the same enraptured eyes. Of course they were. She was someone who deserved to be worshipped.

"Honestly... I didn't really want to use another brainwashing video... but if I let this play out, you'd all just start spouting some pathetic theory about hope and overcome despair again, wouldn't you? I may be bored of everything, but I still can't stand the thought of hope winning."

Enoshima's face went blank. She continued in a quiet murmur.

"The people outside can watch this and feel hope or despair, whatever they want... I'm tired. I want to end everything. I want to die too..."

Then her expression shifted again, and she spoke to a room full of eager, shining eyes.

"Yes. We understand."

"What good listeners! Then it's voting time!! Everyone, vote for yourselves! I'll be doing it too, of course... we're all going to die here together...!"

...I should obey her command. Right now.