Awakening

I sat down in the cafeteria, and it wasn't long before the others started filing in. The moment Naegi arrived last, Ishimaru called out with his usual boundless energy.

"Alright, everyone's here! Shall we get started on breakfast, then?"

I'd found that over-the-top enthusiasm hard to get used to at first. Now the room felt strangely hollow whenever that passionate voice wasn't ringing through it.

"Thank you all for gathering here of your own accord!"

"I turned you down. You dragged me here..."

Leon Kuwata muttered it under his breath, but Ishimaru's sheer force of personality drowned him out. The guy really did have passion to spare, I'd give him that.

"Then let breakfast commence...!"

We talked over the meal about whether anyone had turned up a clue. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Naturally, nobody had.

"I don't care if it's about the culprit or a way out of here — somebody say something!"

Mukuro Ikusaba snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

"You. Show weakness in front of others and... you'll die."

"...What?"

Celeste had picked a fight out of nowhere, and Mukuro was growling right back at her. We left the two of them to it and started discussing who could possibly have locked us in here.

The truth, of course, was that the culprit was sitting right there — that enlisted high school girl currently putting on a gyaru accent and bickering with Celeste — plus the despair-obsessed freak watching us from the CCTV room. Not that any of them had any way of knowing that.

"The culprit's obvious, right? Some weirdo. A total freak."

Asahina had gotten surprisingly close to the truth. Was there anyone on earth weirder or more freakish than Junko Enoshima?

"Um... well... if we're talking about a freaky culprit... maybe... could it be that serial killer?"

Ah. There was one, actually. The serial killer currently twisting herself into knots at a far-off table, sitting next to Togami.

Fujisaki floated the theory that Genocider Syo was the culprit, and the others started nodding along, discussing her criminal record like it actually made sense. Fukawa's face went deathly pale, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed.

"Still, don't worry too much! Rescue'll be here soon! The police have to be getting worried that they suddenly can't reach us..."

"Ahahahahahahahaha! What? Rescue~?"

The kids jumped as Monokuma popped out of nowhere. He told them there would be no rescue. And he was probably telling the truth. The world outside had almost certainly gone to hell.

The Future Foundation would send people to try and save us, sure — but the operation had failed in the original story, so I wasn't holding my breath.

"By the way, Kei barely even flinched when I popped out. What's up with that?"

Ah, crap. This was bad. If I started drawing suspicion this early, it was going to screw up everything I had planned.

"At this rate... I might... get disqualified as the killing game mascot...?"

I scrambled to throw together an excuse for the dejected-looking Monokuma — or rather, for Enoshima, who was surely watching me from the CCTV room.

"Well, I tend to overthink things, you know? Once I get lost in my own head, you could carry me off and I wouldn't even notice...? Hahaha..."

Even I could tell that was a pathetic excuse. There was no way that would throw off any suspicion...

"Huh... well... I guess that could be it...?"

Monokuma scratched his head, apparently buying it. I had no idea why, but I counted my blessings and changed the subject as fast as I could.

"So, why are you even here? Don't tell me you came to have breakfast with us."

Monokuma's grin turned ugly as he got to the point.

"Upupupu... Why I'm here? Obviously I came to give you all a little pep talk, since nobody's committed a murder yet!"

The kids' faces soured at that garbage excuse, but Monokuma didn't care in the slightest.

"A few days have passed since school life started, and not a single one of you has committed a murder!"

"O-of course we haven't! We would never—"

Naegi tried to protest, but he was talking to Monokuma. The bear ignored him completely and spoke as if something had just occurred to him.

"Ah, I get it! It just hit me! You've got the place, you've got the people, you've got the environment — so why hasn't anyone committed a murder...?"

"A motive..."

I muttered it without thinking, and Monokuma's eyes gleamed with a terrifying light.

"That's right...! You're missing a motive!"

And there it was. From this point on, Monokuma was going to start handing us reasons to kill each other. Motives ugly enough to actually make someone do it. And the first of those would be the Motive Video.

"What I want to show you is a short little video... of the world outside this school, no less!"

Here we go. I needed to stay sharp from this point on.

"A video of... the outside?"

"No spoilers! It's more fun if you see it for yourselves! Head to a certain location in this school and you'll find it!"

"Before that, I have a question."

Kirigiri, who had been watching the situation unfold, cut in. Hang in there...

"Who are you? Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?"

That bastard is Junko Enoshima, and she's a complete psycho who wants to broadcast our killing game to plunge the world into despair! I screamed it in my head.

I wondered if this was how that man had felt — the one who couldn't stop himself from shouting that the king had donkey ears.

"What I want from you...? Well..."

Monokuma drew it out, then smiled with wicked delight.

The kids fell silent, overwhelmed by the chill in Monokuma's voice. He cackled, urged us to go find that "certain location," and vanished.

"He's gone... And once again, we didn't learn a thing..."

"..."

If I remembered correctly, this was where Kirigiri was supposed to deliver a line — but she just stared at the spot where Monokuma had disappeared, lost in thought. Even Kirigiri lost in thought was beautiful, and I found myself watching her until Ogami spoke up.

"I wonder... what this video of the outside world could be... It bothers me..."

Come to think of it, Ogami was one of my highest-priority threats right now. She had a good heart, sure — but Monokuma already had the people from her dojo as hostages, and if no murder occurred, she was supposed to become a spy and commit one herself.

If Ogami turned on us completely, I honestly wasn't sure the rest of the Ultimates could take her even if they all teamed up. I really needed to reform Mukuro and bring her over to our side.

Mukuro might not be able to beat Ogami, but she could at least keep her in check. And given Ogami's upright nature, there was a real chance I could talk her around. I needed to start building a rapport with her sooner rather than later.

"Alright then, I suppose here we should..."

This was where Owada would ask Naegi to go look for that "certain location." And I'd jump in and say I was coming too...

"Oh, Kei! Go check it out for us!"

Wait, why me? Then again, I probably did look like the easiest person to dump a chore on. I'd been planning to go look anyway, so this actually worked out.

I wandered around the school just enough to look like I was searching, then stepped into the audiovisual room. A cardboard box sat on the desk. Inside were DVDs, each one labeled with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone's name.

I carried the box back to the cafeteria, and every pair of eyes locked onto it. I wasn't sure I could pull this off, honestly... but it was time to start a little campaign.

"I found these in the AV room. DVDs with each of our names on them."

I pulled out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the one with my name on it and held it up for them to see. The others started to stand, curiosity pulling them toward the box. Now.

A sharp, brittle crack split the air.

I snapped the DVD with my name on it cleanly in half, right in front of them.

"Kei... Kei? What the hell did you just do?"

The others cried out in shock. Good. That was exactly what I'd been going for. Sometimes a single action hit harder than a hundred words.

"Were you all seriously about to watch these just because Monokuma told you to? These things are packed with motives designed to make us kill each other, and you were just going to pop one in?"

"W-well..."

"Isn't it safer for everyone if we just swallow our curiosity and refuse to watch? Better that than risk a dangerous video none of us have seen putting motives in everyone's heads."

I poured everything I had into the speech, scraping the bottom of my already-shallow well of eloquence. The others started nodding, like they thought I had a point. Good. If I could just keep this going...

"Huh!? What are you talking about? I'm watching mine."

Just when I thought it was going smoothly, Mukuro cut in. Of course she did. She was the mastermind — of course she'd try to sabotage me at this stage.

"Did you not hear me...? These are motives...!"

"You think watching one little video is going to make someone commit murder? And what if there's a hint about our situation in there?"

"She has a point... I am curious about this 'video of the outside world' Monokuma mentioned..."

Damn it, now Ogami was chiming in too. She probably wanted to check on the people from her dojo. Shit. What now?

"E-even so... Monokuma is the one who locked us in here... Rather than blindly doing what he says... I am curious, but I think it would be better not to watch..."

Just as I was starting to panic, Fujisaki spoke up in a trembling voice. I hadn't expected the timid Fujisaki to back me up. That was a surprise.

"Yeah, I feel the same. Those sketchy DVDs give me a bad feeling."

"True... Who knows what's on a video handed out by the people who kidnapped us... I'm with you."

Leon Kuwata and Asahina piled on in agreement. I could have cried. The last few days of work hadn't been for nothing after all.

"If it is the word of my master, whose inner power even I cannot approach, then as a disciple it is only proper that I believe."

"My fortune-telling says those videos are suspicious too, y'know. I'm with you."

"Only a fool bets the pot when the odds are uncertain. That's how you lose everything."

"I agree with Kei as well! I shall smash every last one of those suspicious DVDs myself!"

Yamada, Hagakure, Celeste, and Ishimaru all came in on my side. Good. This was working. If I could keep this up, I could neutralize the first motive entirely.

"I'm with you too. If we just don't watch the Motive Videos, then nobody gets a motive to kill, right?"

"If that's what Naegi wants, then I agree as well."

Naegi and Maizono drove the final nail in, and the "don't watch the DVDs" camp locked in its position. Aside from Mukuro and Ogami, who both looked unhappy about it, nobody else seemed to have any complaints.

"Sounds like it's decided. We're not watching these DVDs. Now then..."

The broadcast ended. The others glanced at one another, then started grumbling their way toward the gymnasium.

I stopped the first motive, at least... but what the hell is she planning now?

This situation didn't exist in the original story, which was unnerving enough — but it had only happened because I'd blocked the motive, so it wasn't going to be anything good. First things first: get to the gym and figure out what we were dealing with.

"Even with your memories gone, you still end up standing at the center of everything."

Junko Enoshima murmured it to herself, eyes fixed on the monitor. She hadn't exactly failed to see this coming — but that boy never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stopped entertaining her.

"You never did know how to give up..."

She pictured the way he had stood against her to the very end. It had been a close thing — close enough that the entire plan she'd built could have crumbled into nothing. But even if it had failed, she suspected the despair of that collapse would have been more than satisfying. She smacked her lips at the thought.

"I wonder if you'll manage it this time, too."

Would the boy keep pushing forward the way he always had, even inside a despair he couldn't fight? Or would he snap without a sound? Curious, Junko Enoshima reached for the complicated device beside her and began to operate it.

We stepped into the gymnasium and found Monokuma standing there in a suit. When the hell had he prepared that?

"So? Why'd you call us here?"

"Upupupu... You've all been rather naughty, haven't you?"

"You think we'd actually watch a cursed video like that?!"

The students shouted, furious, but Monokuma just smiled, perfectly unbothered.

"Aaah, well, can't be helped. If you don't want to watch, you don't want to watch."

Thank god. Maybe he was actually giving up on the Motive Videos. They were a powerful enough motive to shake everyone to their core — I'd been sure he'd find some way to force us to watch them...

"So I prepared a substitute! I call it... the Heart-Pounding Murder Motive Premiere!"

Oh, fuck. Of course. Of course he'd pull something like this.

A low mechanical whine filled the gymnasium as an enormous screen descended from the ceiling. What the hell? That thing hadn't existed in the original. No — that wasn't what mattered right now. I had to stop them from seeing whatever was about to play, I had to—

But the video started before my exhausted brain could come up with a single countermeasure.

Ah. That.

Fuck.

No.

This isn't—

The screen cut to the orphanage. What was left of it. A ruin.

The sight of that devastation froze me in place. I couldn't even think about stopping the others from watching anymore.

"Kei, who enrolled at Hope's Peak Academy... and the children at the orphanage who cheered him on... But it seems something happened to those children, doesn't it?"

They were the only kids I'd truly grown attached to since falling into the world of Danganronpa. At first I'd only gone there to test my counseling skills — but their energy had been infectious, and I'd ended up spending a lot of time with them...

"And now for the quiz! What do you suppose happened to the children at the orphanage~?"

I stared at the screen for a long time, empty. When I finally managed to pull myself together and look around, most of the others were wearing the same stunned expression.

"As special punishment for daring to interfere with motive delivery, I screened Kei's video for everyone~! Now then — only the person I call stays behind. Everyone else, step outside and wait your turn!"

I clenched my fists. Fine. I had to admit it. I'd been far too naive.

Back in the real world, how much had it hurt to watch those kids die, one after another, every time I played Danganronpa?

You could argue it was inevitable — that students killing each other was the story, and of course they were going to die. But it had wrecked me every time. Watching characters with such vivid, wonderful designs suffer and perish inside that despair had been almost unbearable.

Maybe it was because I'd seen myself in them. Students dying in despair, having given up on ever getting better, dragging themselves through each hollow day — that had been me.

My real life had been miserable. But I'd wanted, at the very least, to see the kids inside the game living happily. After the ending, I'd take comfort in the bonus scenarios where everyone got to be okay.

And then — whether it was some god's idea of a joke, I still didn't know — I'd fallen into the world of Danganronpa. It had been bewildering, yes. But there had been joy in it too. Maybe, just maybe, I could be the one to give them all a happy ending.

And I had taken the situation too lightly. I'd told myself it was just a game world. That the knowledge I carried would be enough to beat anything it threw at me.

And now look.

I had spent two years failing to stop despair. I hadn't even been able to protect the children at the orphanage.

It was a thoroughly despairing situation. Honestly, I wanted to give up. Days of running myself into the ground had left both my body and my mind gutted. I just wanted to rest...

And as that despair slowly started to swallow me, a thought cut through it.

So what?

Was I going to collapse again? Give up on everything and go limp, the way I had for decades?

I had already lived that life to the point of nausea. I was sick to death of drifting through the days with no will of my own.

Somewhere inside me, my lazy will was whispering that I'd done enough. That I was allowed to stop now. The voice was so sweet I almost wanted to follow it.

But if I broke here, I wouldn't be able to look any of them in the eye. Not the Danganronpa students I loved. Not the orphanage kids I'd grown so close to. And above all — not myself.

I closed my eyes, drew a long breath, and drove that lazy will out of me. Then I pictured them. Kirigiri, the girl I loved. The Ultimates I'd grown surprisingly close to over the past few days. The orphanage kids, laughing as they pressed candy into my hands. And last of all — myself. Small, gloomy, and looking out at the world with eyes that refused to yield.

Somewhere in that breath, the despair had become anger. And the anger had become an unshakeable will.

Fine. I'll do it. From this moment on, I will smash this killing game to pieces — thoroughly, viciously, by any means necessary.

Enoshima's interference? Let her try. At this rate I was going to draw suspicion no matter what I did. If I was going to be suspected anyway, I might as well destroy everything she built.

I gathered the storm in my chest, turned my back on the worried faces watching me, and was the first one out of the gymnasium.

And Monokuma watched him go, smiling quietly to himself.