Regarding Two Hopes
Although we entered the cafeteria, there were hardly any students there. They probably all needed a bit more time to gather their thoughts.
After quite some time had passed and it was nearing 9 PM, everyone finally finished their preparations and gathered in the cafeteria.
"....."
The students' gazes were constantly fixed on us. I had originally tried not to pay attention to them, but receiving those piercing stares made my heart uneasy.
"...We'll eat separately over there."
Since I didn't want to maintain this uncomfortable situation any longer, we moved to the desk in a separate area and started eating.
The food was a lavish feast, but I had been so tense that I was shoving it into my mouth without tasting it, so Kirigiri quietly asked me a question.
"Are you nervous?"
"Yeah... it's a bit shaky..."
"Hah, when you were running around recklessly back then, you didn't care about your own life, but now?"
"Back then, it was only my life at stake... This vote has your life on the line too?"
"....."
At my words, Kirigiri lost her words, lowered her head, and focused on eating. Meanwhile, Namami, watching our scene from the side, sighed and started muttering to herself.
"Kei-kun is enviable... I can't play visual novels well..."
"Huh?"
"No, never mind... Let's eat."
".....?"
So, the three of us focused on eating in silence for a while.
After the meal, Togami began his speech.
"Everyone, you should have clearly decided on your positions. Today's vote is on whether you can trust these three."
"If Namami, Kirigiri, and Kei win the vote, the isolation on the three of them will be lifted. If they lose, the isolation period will be extended indefinitely."
Togami pulled out the pre-prepared papers and ballot box, declaring it with solemn gravity.
"Then... we will decide the answer to whether we should exclude a few to ensure safety or trust everyone even if it means taking some risk."
After Togami finished speaking, a long silence fell.
"Good, then..."
"Wait, Hinata? Hinata also needs to vote."
"Hinata-san... She briefly woke up this morning, but she complained of severe pain again, so I gave her the sleeping pills from the store. I wanted to wake her up properly, but... it seems best to let her rest for now."
"Hmm, then I suppose there's no choice. She probably hurts too much to wake her up forcibly. I should have asked her earlier which side she would vote for when she woke up in the morning..."
"...Good, no other questions? Then everyone, take this paper..."
"Wait! I have a question!"
"Another question... You... you...!"
Togami looked toward the source of the voice and tried to speak gruffly, but upon realizing who it was, he jumped in surprise and shouted.
"Uwaaah... I can't miss out on such a fun event...!"
"M-Mono... Monokuma...? Why are you here...?"
Somehow, Monokuma had appeared in the middle of the table, smiling as he asked Togami a question.
"Anyway, I have a question! The vote decides the treatment of those three, right? Then... there must be some element of coercion...?"
"It was a decision everyone agreed on. It has sufficient coercion..."
"No... in the end, it's just empty words, isn't it? What if someone betrays us and tricks the mastermind into letting them escape? Or what if those three secretly leave the mastermind's control and kill someone...?"
"...So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"How meaningless is a vote without any coercion? So... I'll add some coercion!"
- Giiiiiiiiing!
At those words, all the electronic student notebooks vibrated.
- Rule 12
On the day this rule is added, conduct a yes/no vote on 'Should we trust the traitors?' in the cafeteria before 10 PM. A yes vote means trusting the traitors, and a no vote means not trusting them.
- Rule 13
If the number of no votes in the vote of Rule 12 exceeds twice the number of yes votes, the traitors will be permanently confined to the mastermind's control.
The students, seeing the suddenly added rules on the electronic student notebooks, began murmuring in confusion.
"W-What... what kind of rule is this...! The rules about the number of yes and no votes were already decided by us...!"
"Two-thirds of the total votes... rounding decimals is annoying, right? So I specially remodeled the rules cleanly for you!"
"W-Who do you think you are...!"
When Togami protested, Monokuma scratched his head and said timidly.
"Uwaaah...? Whether it's your rules or my rules, nothing has changed, right?"
"True, among our thirteen, we need at least nine to ensure those three win, and that hasn't changed..."
"Exactly. Nothing has changed. Rather, I'm glad there's now some coercion. It means those guys won't have to worry about traitors anymore if they lose the vote?"
"With this, at least no one will protest the vote result..."
"Hmm, if that's how you all feel..."
Togami accepted the students' words with a somewhat uneasy expression and quietly took out the prepared papers and ballot box.
"Then... from now on, we will begin the vote."
"9 yes votes, 4 no votes. As expected."
The vote ended surprisingly quickly.
As predicted, all the neutral students became yes voters, and everyone except the four no voters cast yes votes.
It was a crucial vote that would decide everyone's fate, so despite the tension, it ended too easily, giving a strange feeling. But since we won, it was fine.
"Congratulations! Everyone, let's do well from now on!"
"Ibuki believed you would clear your names! Today, I will specially perform in the mastermind's control..."
"I almost threw a no vote but held it back and voted yes... so make sure to keep that promise from earlier, Kei?"
"Thank goodness... it was a close call..."
The students who voted yes smiled and congratulated us. I felt a bit teary-eyed, but Owari broke the mood with her declaration.
"I personally threw in a yes vote! Aren't you happy? As you said, even a man's tail rejoices when a man is happy... Uwaaah...!"
The reason Owari's question about the man's tail had become a problem was because I had explained that the man's tail is a bodily organ that rejoices when a man is happy.
I quickly covered Owari's mouth, but Kirigiri's gaze toward me was not kind.
...For a while, things would be tough.
"Tch..."
"....."
"Well, the result is out, so there's nothing we can do. We'll have to judge by our future actions..."
"If you say so, sister..."
The no-voting students looked quite dissatisfied, but since they knew the rules were unfavorable to us, they didn't complain.
"Then... we only have to worry about that crazy white-haired woman..."
"Yeah... that guy is worthless to trust..."
"Still, keeping them locked up like this is a bit..."
Togami, surveying the cafeteria now turned into a gossip spot for Komaeda, declared vigorously.
"Then, the vote is decided as a victory for Namami, Kirigiri, and Kei...!"
"That's wrong..."
But suddenly, a voice from the cafeteria entrance stopped Togami, and he looked shocked, as did the other students.
"K-Komaeda...!?"
"H-How did you get here...?"
"Ahahaha... As a mere nobody, I'm truly sorry for intruding on your vote..."
"I don't know how you escaped confinement, but coming here on your own is foolish. Men, help me restrain that guy again..."
"Wait, wait! Being tied up again is fine, but before that, I have something I want to do."
Komaeda quickly snatched a paper and pen from the table and wrote something, then placed the paper in the ballot box.
"W-What are you doing...?"
"I'm voting, of course."
"What...?"
"To be precise, I voted on the no side. That we cannot trust the traitors."
At Komaeda's words, everyone froze.
"It's too late to vote now... the counting is already over..."
"Uwaaah... The one who judges the end of the vote is not Togami but the rules I set...? The vote doesn't end until 10 PM! Therefore, the vote I just cast is valid!"
At Monokuma's words, the students began murmuring.
"T-Then, what happens to the vote...?"
"Until just now, it was 9 yes, 4 no... since the no votes didn't exceed twice the yes votes, but if Komaeda's vote is recognized, it's 9 yes, 5 no..."
"The no votes will exceed twice the yes votes..."
"Then, those three will be permanently confined to the mastermind's control...!?"
"T-This is illegal!!"
The students protested, but Monokuma smiled.
"Uwaaah... There is no violation of the rules anywhere...? Don't make things up!
As Monokuma said, there was no rule violation, but the students, angry at Komaeda's continuous trolling, turned their anger on him.
"Komaeda! How did you escape confinement!!"
"Monokuma kindly let me out... Well, I could have escaped alone anyway..."
"Why are you doing this...!"
"Not all of you, but... nine Super High School-level students are despairing? I'm quite looking forward to seeing what hope you will find in this despair..."
The students looked at Komaeda with disgusted expressions, but Komaeda simply gazed at them with a blissful look.
"Komaeda, the reason you do these things... is ultimately because of hope, right...?"
Breaking the long silence, Kirigiri spoke in a cold voice, and Komaeda answered with a smile.
"Yeah... ultimately, it's because of hope...?"
"Then, why are you helping the black villain who is the source of despair? If you really want to see everyone filled with hope, you should cooperate in defeating the black villain, not help them."
"Hahaha..."
"If you keep helping the black villain, despair might win..."
"No."
Komaeda stopped laughing and began to speak seriously.
"How can despair ever defeat hope? No matter how much despair flies and how insignificant hope may be like dust... in the end, hope always wins..."
"....."
"So... the more I help despair... the more hope that can break that despair at the end will grow stronger, right...? If that's the case... I can even team up with the black villain, and I can throw away my life at any time...!! So, does that answer your question...?"
Through Komaeda's insane hope theory, the spark of hope was driven to the brink of extinction...
"Well... it's almost 10 PM...! Then, traitors, hurry back to the mastermind's control..."
"Wait!!"
"Uwaaah...?"
At the two beings who kicked open the door,
"Monokuma! This time, it won't be as you wish! We still have voting rights for Hinata-kun!"
"Your words..."
Hope miraculously began to burn again.
"Prepare yourselves!!"
"I'll bear it!!"