The Butterfly Effect

"Traitors hiding among you, pretending to be your friends... isn't that just terrifying...? People like that deserve to get murdered... Upupupu...!"

"....."

Monokuma's back-to-back bombshells left the kids standing there in a daze, too stunned to form words.

I was just about ready to lose my mind myself. The difficulty had spiked through the roof. How massive a butterfly would have to flap its wings to whip up a storm like this?

"Um... is it true that there are... traitors?"

"Who is it?! Get out here! If you come out now, I'll go easy on you!"

"...Cut it out. There's no way something like a traitor exists."

The mood turned ugly for a moment, but the self-appointed team leader stepped in and talked everyone down.

"Hey, Monomi. You should be able to answer this."

"Hwet...!"

"The amnesia, the traitors — is any of what that thing said actually true?"

"Th-that's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why... what you all need is the future... so... you shouldn't look back at things like the past..."

Monomi stammered through her answer, sneaking a glance in my direction. I wanted to help her somehow, but if I admitted right here that I was a traitor...

Wait. What if I just come out and say it?

In the original story, Nanami had never been able to tell the others she was a Future Foundation observer — that was baked into her AI settings.

Which meant Kirigiri and I could tell them whenever we wanted. We could just say we were Future Foundation observers.

The original Monokuma had used Nanami's inability to speak the truth as a weak point, spreading the rumor that a traitor existed and sowing distrust among the kids. But if we — who could reveal ourselves at any time — just came clean right now and explained the situation...

"Alright then, I'm adding a new school rule! Check your e-Handbooks!"

Every e-Handbook in the room, mine included, buzzed at once. I pulled mine out and checked the rules. A new one had been added.

"...Judging by the fact that a new rule got added, it really does look like there are traitors, huh?"

"Th-there really were some...?"

"Hieeeek! That's terrifying! Totally terrifying!!!"

"Everyone, calm down! This is just Monokuma trying to throw us into chaos—"

"Hey, you. Every time the traitor thing comes up, you start changing the subject... You know you look pretty damn suspicious right now, right...?"

"What...?"

Togami did everything he could to settle the group, but the moment Kuzuryu started implying Togami himself was the traitor, the situation began to spiral even faster.

Damn it... what do I do...?

The kids' distrust was climbing through the ceiling. Should I just come clean right here, before this got any worse?

After a moment of agonizing, I made up my mind. I would tell them the truth and stop this from tearing them apart. I opened my mouth — and my e-Handbook buzzed again.

Wondering what now, I looked down. Another rule had been added.

Fuck.

I snapped the e-Handbook shut and carefully scanned the room. Kirigiri glanced at hers, immediately powered it off, and looked straight at me. She'd gotten the same rule.

Enoshima had become Alter Ego, and somehow she'd gotten even cheaper. At this point, maybe we should stop calling her the Ultimate Despair and start calling her the Ultimate Cheapskate. Anyway, what was I supposed to do now...

"...Huh?"

I turned toward the sound beside me. Nanami was staring at her e-Handbook with a startled expression, then hurriedly snapped it shut. So the rule had gone to her too — even without her memories.

Fortunately, the others were too busy tearing into each other over the traitor's identity to notice Nanami and me acting weird.

Still, I hadn't expected the rule to hit a Nanami with no memories. She had to be completely lost right now. Which meant I needed to make contact with her as soon as possible.

"...Everyone. Fighting like this isn't going to solve anything. Get a good night's sleep, settle your heads, and we'll think this through tomorrow."

"That's enough of your orders—!"

"That's an order from your leader. Forget everything you heard from Monokuma today. After tomorrow morning's broadcast, we assemble in the cafeteria."

"....."

Kuzuryu and a few of the others looked sour about it, but in the end everyone followed Togami's word and scattered off to bed.

I got up to the sound of a broadcast I'd already heard more times than I ever wanted to.

"Monokuma, you son of a bitch."

The curse came out the second I was on my feet. I genuinely hadn't expected him to play this dirty. As if figuring out how to stop a murder wasn't already enough of a headache — now I had one more thing to worry about.

"Upupupu? Were you just cursing at me...?"

"Yeah, you damn stuffed-bear bastard... wait...?"

I turned my head. Monokuma was tilting his own at me. A full-body shiver ran down my spine.

"Whoa! What the hell!"

"Upupupu... throwing pillows again... Last time you flattened Monomi with one too... Did you pick up some kind of pillow martial art or something...?"

"Wh-why are you here...? No, more importantly — how much do you know about what happened yesterday morning?"

"Upupupu... I know Monomi went flying after she got hit with a pillow! After that, though, she used what little authority she has left to cover it up, so I don't know a thing!"

Oh. So Monomi could use a concealment function. Finally, a use for her. I'd honestly written her off as completely useless, so even if she only worked as a totem, I'd take it.

"Well... anyway. Did you like my little present yesterday? Upupupupu..."

"I... I saw it, but... what the hell was that supposed to mean...? Me, an observer...? What even is an observer...?"

"Don't tell me... you're playing dumb...? Upupupupu... Kei, you're adorable...! Upupupupupu!!"

Monokuma slapped his belly and roared with laughter, then looked at me and started talking.

"You already know, don't you? That you're an observer working for the Future Foundation..."

"I... I don't have my memories..."

"Then how did you know the second you woke up that this place was a virtual reality, and that a killing game was about to start?"

"...What?"

"Last time, you took one look at Kirigiri on the beach and started bawling your eyes out, and then once you pulled yourself together you said all those things, didn't you? You should've been more careful about eavesdroppers... or rather, eaves-bears... Upupupu...!"

Damn it. I'd been way too careless. I'd been so shaken at the time that it hadn't even occurred to me Monokuma might already have seized the system.

"....."

"Just what kind of trick did you pull to keep your memories even after taking my virus...? You did the same thing in the last killing game, and now you're doing it again... Well, that just makes it more fun for me! Upupupupu...!"

So he thought I'd kept my memories because I'd prepared some kind of countermeasure. Fair enough — even Alter Ego wouldn't know I'd come from another world.

"So... when are you going to use that one-time escape code?"

"...What?"

"The one-time escape code! If you've got your memories, you should be able to walk out of here whenever you want, right...?"

"....."

"Don't tell me you're thinking something sappy like, 'Only an observer can use the escape code, so I can't leave until I've saved every last member of the 77th Class!'?"

I had no idea what to say, so I just stood there sweating. Monokuma grinned at the sight of me.

"Or maybe... you only managed to keep some of your memories, so you don't actually know the escape code...?"

I flinched at the words don't know the escape code, and Monokuma burst into another round of belly laughter.

"Upupupupupu...! I knew it! Your memories are incomplete right now, aren't they? What's it like, having incomplete memories? Hm? I'm curious!"

I clenched my teeth and swallowed the urge to clock this bear for confidently barking up every wrong tree in existence. I started for the door — then Monokuma's next words, delivered with that loaded little lilt, stopped me cold.

"Well... if you're so sure you can stop even a single murder from happening, go ahead and struggle all you want in that incomplete state!"

"...What?"

"I've been embedded in the Neo World Program since the earliest stages of development, so I've had plenty of time to tinker... For instance, I set it so that any kid who dies here immediately gets Enoshima Alter Ego's personality overlaid on them and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gets released into the real world... Upupupupu...!"

Shit. The thing I'd been afraid of had just become real.

In the original, Alter Ego's plan had been to kill the kids first, then — if the survivors chose to graduate — overwrite the dead kids' personalities with Enoshima Alter Ego and turn them loose on the world.

But the story had twisted so far off course that now, even without anyone graduating, the moment a kid died they would instantly become Enoshima Mk. II and get dumped into the real world.

Which meant the original possibility — that the kids could die and still be brought back — was gone completely.

I'd already scrapped the plan of sacrificing a few of them to save only Hinata; the risk had been way too high. But I'd been holding onto it as a last resort for if we ever hit a truly hopeless situation. And now even that was sealed off.

"Upupupu...! Are you in despair? Is that despair I see? What's with that face...? Upupupupupupu...!"

I couldn't stand looking at Monokuma's face for another second. I kicked the door open and walked out.

"Upupupu... That's it... just keep despairing like that..."

After Kei left the room, Monokuma held his laughter in for a long time. Then, abruptly, he began to mutter to himself.

When I walked into the cafeteria, everyone else was already there.

"Haa... You. Why are you so late? Everyone's been waiting for you."

Koizumi glared at me, her voice sharp with irritation. I didn't know what I'd done, but I had clearly ended up on her shit list.

"Ah... s-sorry. I overslept..."

"Don't give me that excuse...!"

"He's here now, so what does it matter? Stop picking fights and let's discuss what we're going to do going forward."

"B-but..."

"Am I wrong?"

"....."

Koizumi wilted under Kirigiri's ice-cold tone, shut her mouth, and started grumbling under her breath. Nngh... Kirigiri...

"By the way, where's Kuzuryu?"

"Kuzuryu said... he wasn't in the mood today, so he'd be skipping the meeting..."

"Not in the mood, my ass! He's just going on about that traitor crap again..."

Soda, with his usual complete lack of tact, brought up the traitor, and every face in the room darkened. Nanami in particular looked like she was about two seconds from crying. She must have had a rough night.

"Come on, everyone. Cheer up. I've got good news."

"Good news...?"

"That's right. Feel free to be happy about it... Tonight, we're throwing a party."

Togami's announcement set the kids buzzing. At the same time, my own pulse kicked into overdrive — because in the game, the first murder happened at tonight's party.

Togami would throw the party to strengthen everyone's bonds and keep an eye on them. Midway through, Hanamura — half out of his mind after overhearing Komaeda's murder plot — would try to kill Komaeda, and Togami would die trying to stop him.

So how was I supposed to keep Togami from dying? The answer was not to blindly trust the game's knowledge — but to use it properly.

Yes, the story had twisted a lot. But Hanamura's motive hadn't changed, and there was zero chance Komaeda wasn't still a hope freak. If a party happened, there was a strong chance things would unfold the same way they had in the game.

Check the situation from every angle. Separate the parts that would play out like the game from the parts that wouldn't. Then adapt. That was the play.

"I'll authorize the use of the old building! I'll do anything I can to help you all grow closer!"

"Good. Then we'll hold the party in the old building..."

"But wasn't that place left abandoned because it was slated for renovation? It's gonna be filthy... Anyone wanna clean...?"

Which meant what I needed to do right now was make sure Komaeda didn't end up on cleaning duty. He'd go in there and start his trolling in earnest.

"To think I might be permitted to perform such a filthy act as cleaning... how thrilling!"

"No way! I can't let you get your princess hands dirty!"

"I don't wanna! I'm not doing it!"

Sonia's eyes sparkled. Soda tried to talk her out of it. Saionji refused in the rudest voice she could muster. And in the middle of all that, Komaeda was already fishing a lottery tube out of his pocket. Now.

"What, so nobody's gonna do it...?"

"Haha, I figured as much, so I brought a lottery—"

"I'll do it!"

The moment I volunteered, every eye in the room locked onto me.

"Whoa! You're gonna do it all by yourself? That's so nice of you! That's amazing!"

"Kei's such a good guy... hahaha..."

"W-wait... can you really clean that whole huge place by yourself...?"

"Hmph... I don't know if I trust this..."

Koizumi muttered it while giving me the side-eye. I opened my mouth to protest the injustice of it all — and Kirigiri cut in.

"I'll go with him."

She shot Koizumi a look, then shot me one, and stepped up beside me.

"Hmm. Ahem. Well, if it's two people..."

"Those two... it's like that, right...?"

"Yeah... it's like that. I'm so jealous..."

"Are you two going to be okay on your own...? If it's alright, I could help too...?"

From among the whispering kids, Nanami asked us. This was our chance to make contact with her.

"Th-that would actually be a huge help..."

"Please do."

"...Okay! Then I'll help you guys too!"

Things were falling into place so smoothly it made me vaguely uneasy, but I shoved the feeling aside for now. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left with Kirigiri and Nanami to go clean the old building.

"...Haha."

And Komaeda watched us go, smiling the whole time.