Chapter 35: Hope
16 students stood before the switch in front of them, their faces completely expressionless.
Just moments ago, they had been lively, furious at the mastermind, and full of trust in one another. Now, nothing remained of them. Only empty shells overflowing with nothing but despair stood there.
“Alright… voting for yourself with the switch in front of you. How’s that? Easy, right?”
““Yes.””
Countless hardships and obstacles had been overcome by these reversal heroes. Yet, upon watching a certain video, they suddenly all fell under brainwashing and prepared to commit suicide, the scene broadcast across the entire world. What must the people watching this scene be feeling right now?
Would the one branded as ‘Ultimate Despair’ feel hope upon seeing themselves die? Or would the 16 who had fought despair until now feel nothing but despair at the sight of their own deaths?
Or perhaps, like the current me who had grown tired of both hoping and despairing, they would simply give up on everything?
No matter what happened, it would no longer concern me. At this very moment, everyone here—including myself—would be ending their lives.
Finally, I looked at the boy with a soul-less expression, quietly staring at the switch. Had I finally given up on him too? A faint smile crossed my lips.
For the past few years, it had at least been somewhat enjoyable. From the moment I noticed the meaningful look he gave me on the day of my admission, he had always satisfied me.
That satisfaction continued until he was defeated and pulled into the killing game, but he over-satisfied Enoshima. In other words, he made her too despairing.
Just as despair blooms from extreme hope, hope blooms from extreme despair. Enoshima had fallen into despair over her own hope of wanting to keep watching him forever.
And when that feeling combined with her chaotic mental state, it pushed her to the point where even Enoshima could no longer endure it.
So, Enoshima had decided to end everything.
Still, it would be slightly fun to die together with him, so as I pressed the switch with a faint smile, a voice suddenly rang out from ahead.
“W-wait… everyone… snap out of it…!”
It was Naegi Makoto.
……
……
……
……
……
Thinking back, my life had truly been wretched. My parents’ business failure, the resulting family discord, and being raised without love.
With a timid and introverted personality, I became a loner at school. Eventually, I endured bullying and isolation, closing my heart even further until I was completely alone in a sad and pathetic existence.
To someone like me living such a life…
“Snap… out of it…!”
After all, it was better than…
“Please… snap out of it… Kei… hold onto hope…!”
Despair was…
“Please snap out of it! Kei, don’t lose hope!!!”
In that desperate voice, I suddenly came to my senses. Naegi was shouting at me in a strained voice.
“You can’t fall into despair…! I don’t know what kind of trick Enoshima used… but the feelings you’re feeling right now are fake…! They’re not your real heart…!”
I looked down and saw my hand was about to move the switch to vote for myself.
“W-what!? Crazy…! Since when…?”
“Kei! You’ve come back to your senses…!”
Enoshima, watching the scene, shouted in complete panic.
“W-what…? You resisted the brainwashing video…? Why why why!?”
Right after those words, the brainwashing video crackled and the familiar face appeared.
“Everyone! I’m sorry I’m late…!”
As the Alter Ego planted by Fujisaki appeared on the screen, the students who had been about to manipulate the switch began to falter.
“Despair… only despair… the world… huh? Eh…?”
“It’s all unnecessary… this ends it…?”
“……What is this feeling…?”
Enoshima, watching the scene, said in a cold voice.
“You little data fragments… trying to ruin my plan? No matter how hard you struggle, since you haven’t completely taken over the system… you can’t stop the brainwashing video…!”
Enoshima shouted at the confused students standing there.
“Vote right now! Vote for yourselves!!!”
With Enoshima behind me, Fujisaki’s Alter Ego began speaking urgently to us.
“Ugh… Naegi! Kei! I tried to take over the information processing room and broadcast interference waves to undo everyone’s brainwashing, but Enoshima’s Alter Ego’s resistance is too strong… I can only send out waves to block your two brainwashes right now!
Fujisaki’s Alter Ego’s figure began to fade, and the AI strained to deliver its final words.
If my calculations are correct… if it’s the two of you… I might be able to persuade everyone… So please… give hope to everyone…!
After those words, Fujisaki’s Alter Ego disappeared and the brainwashing video began playing again.
The students’ eyes cleared up and they began looking at the switch. In that urgent moment, Naegi urgently pleaded with me.
“Kei! Use the power of your ‘Ultimate Counselor’! Persuade the students with me and regain hope! I can’t do it alone, but if it’s just the two of us, I feel like we can somehow do it!”
“……Since it’s come to this, it’s all or nothing… I understand…!”
“No matter who says what…! No matter how tired I am of everything, I can’t accept that ugly ending where hope ultimately loses in the end! At the very least, everyone must die in despair…!!!”
Thus, the true final showdown with Enoshima began.
“Togami Byakuya, your family is already disintegrated in the air! That means the ‘Ultimate Heir’ you worked so hard to obtain has lost its meaning…! You’re nothing but an ‘ordinary Ultimate’ right now! Fuhuhu…! Fuhuh…!”
“That’s wrong! Even if your family has fallen, your abilities remain the same, Togami! You just need to revive your family…!”
“Yes, Naegi is right. And if you despair here, you won’t be able to face the ‘she’ who sacrificed her life for you, will you?”
Togami frowned slightly at the word ‘she’. However, his lips seemed to curve into a smile for some reason.
“Genocider Syo… or should I say Fukawa? It doesn’t really matter anyway! You’re just a serial killer who killed innocent people, right…? Do you really think you deserve to have hope…?”
“That’s wrong! Even though the fact that you’re a serial killer can never change, you can become a better person! Actually, you haven’t killed anyone so far, have you? For someone like you… you have more than enough qualifications to have hope…!”
“……Yeah, that’s right. People can actually be changed. And whether you can hear it or not, Fukawa. If Togami falls into despair, you should prepare yourself, right?”
When I mentioned Togami, Genocider Syo flinched and let out a gloomy laugh. Whether I knew what it meant or not, it seemed like a positive reaction.
“Asahina Aoi, always pretending to be energetic… but actually, there’s a burden of being Ultimate and guilt that your brother’s talent isn’t shining because of you… Burn that heart with despair…!”
“That’s wrong! Even if your cheerfulness is just hiding your burden and guilt, we’ve always been happy looking at you! So now, we’ll all share your burden and guilt with you!”
“Hmm… if I leave here, how about I watch my brother’s swimming skills…? With that sister and brother, maybe I can discover some amazing talent? What do you think?”
Asahina stiffened at our words, then soon showed a determined expression.
“Hagakure Yasuhiro, you don’t have a single pathetic spot from beginning to end! You’re not even good at fortune-telling and scam people every day, how can you be an ‘Ultimate Clairvoyant’? You’re just an ‘Ultimate Fool’…!”
“That’s wrong! Even though you’re a bit eccentric and strange, you still have real talent! All the important situations you’ve mentioned so far have come true, right? You can trust in your own abilities…!”
“Yeah, fortune-telling with a 30% accuracy rate is enough! If it’s higher than that, is it really fortune-telling? It’s a superpower! By the way, you’re not leaving here, are you? If you’re not leaving, is that contract invalid?”
Hagakure, hearing about the contract, snapped back to his senses and showed a serious expression. As always, a consistent guy from beginning to end.
“Maizono Sayaka, the despicable and selfish murderer who attempted murder first. Even the way you approached Naegi on the first day with calculation… even now, you probably don’t even spare a glance at Naegi when you’re tired of using him! With that image already broadcast worldwide… is there even a ‘fan’ who still believes in you…!!! Hahahahaha!!”
“That’s wrong! No matter what kind of heart you had toward me, I don’t care! I only love you as you are now! And no matter what happens… I’ll remain your fan… and your lover until the end…! So, have hope!”
“……I’m still your fan. I have to keep that signature promise from last time, right?”
Maizono looked at Naegi with tears in her eyes, then soon smiled brightly and nodded.
“Kuwata Leon, someone who has a talent others work their whole lives to obtain but hates it… you’ve brought disappointment and despair to those who work hard to get that talent… Do you really deserve to have hope?
“That’s wrong! Even if you have Ultimate talent, you don’t have to bet your life on it! You have the right to live the life you want instead of being dragged along by Ultimate talent and living a miserable life!!”
“Yeah, come to think of it… you confessed to your cousin last time, right? After tormenting her for so long and finally gathering the courage to confess, you can’t just give up here. You should leave here and settle things with her!”
When Kuwata Leon heard about his cousin, he showed a completely different serious expression from his usual lazy demeanor and clenched his fist.
“Fujisaki Chihiro, no matter how much you pretend to be strong, your heart can never become strong… Just looking at you, you’ll soon be sniffling and trailing off with negative words while pretending to be a woman…! It suits your despair…!”
“That’s wrong! Fujisaki, you’re the one who grew the most among all the kids I’ve seen! You boldly exposed your weakness, always tried to become stronger, and created Alter Ego for everyone! Thanks to that, you can now counterattack Enoshima! You’re a strong person!”
“……Last time you asked me how to become a man, right? And before I could answer, you already found the answer yourself. So, in this situation, the answer to what to do can be found by you, the strong one.”
Fujisaki no longer sniffled, twisted his body, or showed an anxious expression. He stood straight and glared at Enoshima.
“Owada Mondo, you sacrificed your brother and hid the truth to become the organization’s leader. You’re truly the worst in many ways! You always shout aggressively and make a fierce face to hide your weakness inside, so despair suits you better than hope!!”
“That’s wrong! Owada, you’re already strong enough! The way you protected Kei at the restaurant, always stepping up when there was trouble, and the way you rushed the principal’s office to unite the students… those are all strong images!
“Look, I said if you just leave it alone, you’ll naturally become strong. You just needed some time. Now, it’s time to show everyone your strong side.”
Owada gave his usual bad-boy smile and showed a thumbs-up.
“Ishimaru Kiyotaka, the poor guy who believed only effort was the truth of the world because of the family’s downfall… But the world doesn’t flow only from effort. Actually, you know that too, right? So… how about trying to despair while working hard…?”
“That’s wrong! Of course, it’s true that the world can’t be changed only by effort, but you can still try ‘effort’ to make it that way, right? If you keep working hard like that, you can spread the power of effort to quite a few places, not just the whole world!
“……Your effort has a contagious power. No matter how powerless you feel, the moment you give your usual pep talk beside me, you’ll give it your all. So, don’t give up here and move forward, Ishimaru.”
Ishimaru straightened his rumpled clothes with precise movements, then stood tall and glared at Enoshima.
“Yamada Hifumi, just seeing you gives off a bad smell… Your creepy, spine-chilling works are the same… You’re… nothing but despair itself, without a single cool spot…!!”
“That’s wrong! Yamada, you already trusted me and Kei once. That was really cool of you! And your works aren’t creepy at all! It’s because there are so many people who enjoy and cheer for your works that you could become Ultimate! You have to keep going for those people!”
“Last time you said you wanted to make original works besides doujinshi… With such a strange life, there must be a mountain of material, so you should leave here quickly, right? Yamada?”
Yamada suddenly put his hand on his glasses and gave a meaningful smile while muttering. At least he had escaped the brainwashing, so I’d let it slide.
“Celestia Ludenberg, or rather Yasuhiro Taeko. Always maintaining a poker face and acting like a queen, but deep inside there’s a deep grudge against herself for the awkward times when she was poor with nothing… So… how about sublimating that grudge and resentment into despair…?”
“That’s wrong! You’re hard to read and hard to match steps with, but last class trial, when you had no choice but to vote for me, you clearly felt huge guilt! That means you’re one of our comrades who cares about friends! Your inner self isn’t awkward, it’s beautiful!”
“You couldn’t admit the wish you wrote last time… right? Yeah, then I’ll make a wish again. Overcome despair and continue your hope for your dreams. Celestia.”
Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, then returned to her usual poker face and looked down on me arrogantly.
“Ogami Sakura, in the end you couldn’t protect the dojo people, you couldn’t win the one thing you loved, and you couldn’t protect Kenichiro either…! Right now, aren’t you probably dying while spitting blood…? Then, how about dying together here and meeting in the sky? Fuhuhu… fuhuh…!”
“That’s wrong! He entrusted Ogami to you during the video call! Worrying about him would be an insult to him and Ogami! And that guy who could fight Ogami couldn’t possibly lose to a mere illness! After everything ends, he’ll definitely overcome the illness and meet you again!”
“I’m only telling you this… but our precious people who were kidnapped are probably fighting fiercely with the mastermind right now. So, you should leave here quickly and help them!”
Ogami took a deep breath, opened her eyes wide, and let out a battle cry. It felt like a declaration that she would never waver no matter what happened.
“Ikusaba Mukuro, you’ve lived a machine-like life following others’ orders because you can’t choose anything alone…! This time too, you’re just following orders, so you just need to carry them out! This is the perfect ending for you…!
“That’s wrong! Ikusaba, I don’t know much about you yet, but when you saved Kei, you were sincere! You’re not a machine-like being that moves on orders, but a being that can make the right choice on its own!!”
“……At that time, I was grateful, Ikusaba. Even though I can only say this much now… I’ll remember your help in saving my life for the rest of my life.”
Ikusaba flinched at my thanks, then began looking at the switch with a calm expression.
“Kirigiri Kyoko, as an Ultimate Detective who should maintain objectivity and coldness, you’re an unreasonable girl swayed by subjectivity and emotions. You came to the academy to make up with your father, but you couldn’t push him away, and as a Kirigiri, you broke several family rules… In the end, you abandoned your family… You’re cold on the surface but ultimately indecisive itself! You definitely won’t be able to choose until the end of this vote!! Fuhuhuhuhuh…!!”
“……Kei, I’ll leave it to you.”
“That’s wrong! What if you’re swayed by subjectivity and emotions? It’s natural for people to be swayed by subjectivity and emotions! Of course, it’s right to maintain coldness and objectivity when doing detective work. But if you keep doing that all the time, your heart will rot and crumble!”
“……”
“And you’re not indecisive! You just made the right choice! Reconciling with your father wasn’t compromising with reality, but understanding each other’s circumstances and resolving misunderstandings, and breaking the Kirigiri family rules wasn’t failing to uphold detective beliefs, but work for a bigger picture! In the end, you… were always right…!”
“……!”
“So, right now too… you should make the right choice…?”
“……Kei, you’re arrogant.”
Kirigiri looked at me and laughed.
“Despair tomorrow… despair in the unknown… despair in memories…!!! Everyone, vote for yourselves right now!!!”
“We’re no longer despairing!! The answer is already out!!”
“Despair is just fertilizer to grow greater hope, everyone! Show us the hope you’ve grown!”
After those words, Naegi and I finished voting.
“Yeah… the Togami family still has me left… Then, I’ll just rebuild the family with my own strength.”
“B-Byakuya… to rebuild the family… you’d have to marry a wife… so, are you saying… me…?”
“No matter who says what, I’ve already decided!! After leaving here, I’ll make my brother’s talent bloom!! Everyone! Let’s finish voting!!”
“Yeah… I’m tired of living a pathetic life scamming people… For the people who believe in my fortune-telling… I’ll research fortune-telling more to raise the accuracy! And I just looked at the fortune-telling, and now no one will die.”
Togami, Genocider Syo, Asahina, and Hagakure each gave their realizations and finished voting.
“No matter who says what, I believe in Naegi, believe in Kei, and believe in fans around the world. If the fans are disappointed in me, I just need to work harder to satisfy them again! Everyone, let’s finish voting and leave here!”
“……Yeah, if I give up here, it’ll be too pathetic… If I leave here, I’ll stop chasing after girls’ butts and seriously think about what to do next…”
The two who were supposed to kill each other no longer existed. The two heading toward a hopeful future manipulated the switch in front of them and finished voting.
“……I won’t cry anymore, won’t become timid, and won’t use girly speech! I promised everyone I’d become strong!
“Yeah! I wanted that strong heart…! It’s still lacking, but… I guess I’ve caught up to some extent…!”
The two who faced destruction because of their inner strength and weakness no longer existed. The two who finally obtained the strength they had longed for boldly finished voting.
“……Yeah, the world doesn’t change right away just because you work hard! But if that’s the case, you just need to work even harder, again and again! If you keep working like that, you can lay the foundation to change the world!! Everyone, finish voting!!”
“Naegi Makoto’s and Master’s words… moved my heart…! Yeah, for the countless readers who like my works… I absolutely have to live through this!! Voting for yourself is ridiculous!!”
“Oh my, what a brazen person. But the wish you wrote is already written, right? Well, I can let you in as a B-rank slave candidate once or twice, but…”
The terrifying serial killing that arose from not trusting each other and being blinded by desire no longer existed. The three, hoping for the dreams they would achieve outside, finished voting.
“……My heart doesn’t change. After leaving here, I’ll personally save all the precious people including Kenichiro with my own hands.”
The saint who was supposed to sacrifice herself for everyone smiled while looking at the children who had grown strong enough that she didn’t need to sacrifice herself, then finished voting.
“Enoshima… you never knew why I betrayed you… Want me to tell you why…? The answer is simple. At that time, I understood what hope was. Yeah, that ‘hope’ you hated so much and could never understand. You… are truly a disappointing sister.”
The girl who lived as someone’s long-term hostage for her whole life but was betrayed and killed because she seemed useless no longer existed. Filled with hope that her brother hated so much, she finished voting after saying the words she wanted to say to her brother.
“I still can’t remember clearly… I don’t know my father’s heart well… But… when I combined the rare memories that surfaced, I don’t think he wanted me to vote for myself and die like a fool… I don’t know why… but when I look at you, I feel strangely certain.”
“Kirigiri…”
“Naegi, and Kei. One came to the academy by luck, and the other because of outstanding talent… but I think there was another reason you two came to the academy…”
Kirigiri continued with a brighter smile than ever.
“Kei, who always led the way to crush Ultimate Despair, and Naegi, who helped that Kei unite the students and bring their minds together… You two, who didn’t give up even in the final moment when everyone was defeated and faced ‘despair’… wouldn’t you be called ‘Ultimate Hope’?”
“No.”
“……Eh?”
“‘Ultimate Hope’ isn’t just us… While enduring this despair-filled school life and never yielding to despair, instead using despair as fertilizer to grow the seeds of hope, and growing those seeds into the most beautiful tree of hope… wouldn’t all of us be called ‘Ultimate Hope’…?”
“……As expected, you’re arrogant.”
After those words, Kirigiri pressed the switch, and the voting was completely over.
“W-what…?”
While watching the hope of the children who had grown so beautifully,
“You… you all…!!”
Enoshima finally…
“What the hell is this…!!!”
Completely despairing.