In Front of the Main Entrance. Mukuro continued moving forward, and was fortunate enough to not encounter Sakura or Mondo

Mukuro continued moving forward, and was fortunate enough to not encounter Sakura or Mondo. With no interference from anyone, she made her way to a hall as large as the gym, and stood before the sealed main entrance. Suddenly, Monokuma popped out from the shadows to block her path.

Within this hall that resembled a nuclear bomb shelter, replete with all manner of heavy weaponry, Monokuma’s silhouette was conspicuously out of place here.

His laughter rang throughout the room as he wiggled his body from side to side.

“Puhuhuhuhu… What were you doing at the Nurse’s Office? Did you eliminate your rival for Makoto’s affections? Or did you help play matchmaker instead? Either way, don’t you think it’s kind of adorable to put Makoto and Kyoko in this kind of situation together? If this were a suspense film, those two would be the last couple standing!”

“...”

“But if this was a horror film, they’d just die anyway! The killer was alive all along! SPLAT goes the blood! PLOP goes the meat! I’m huge fan of endings where the characters think they’re gonna live, but they’re really headed to a Final Death-tination! Wait, what the hell is a ‘tination!’? What does that even mean!?”

Despite Monokuma’s angry complaints, Mukuro remained unperturbed. She continued to stare icy daggers at Monokuma, as if she was waiting for him to finish speaking.

“Puhuhuhu… Well anyway, I’m just so sad right now. A regulation-breaking delinquent is disrupting the harmony of this peaceful academy… I can’t even keep one of my students from running wild. Time to say goodbye to your incompetent headmaster. I’m gonna use Monokuma-Evolution to become a big magnum headmaster and mold you into a decent student!”

As soon as he said that, Monokuma extended his claws and waddled toward Mukuro.

“So if I’m gonna mold you, then I gotta kill you first!”

Right as he finished speaking, Monokuma suddenly charged at Mukuro like a spiked volleyball. But Mukuro was faster, and dodged Monokuma’s attack.

She jumped back, keeping her distance from Monokuma just in case his claws could extend even longer. Just then, a shadowy figure appeared next to her.

“!”

Mukuro twisted her body to its limits and just narrowly evaded the figure’s attack.

When she landed on the floor, she immediately saw…

““Puhuhuhuhu… So what does the immortal killer want, anyway? Are you gonna tell the others the truth and escape with them? Even though you know what the outside world is like right now?””

Two Monokumas were speaking to Mukuro in unison.

““Honestly, I don’t mind if you do that. I can just imagine the look on everyone’s face when they discover the truth! It fills me with such heart-throbbing excitement!””

The two Monokumas continued to speak in stereo sound.

““You said you’d destroy my plans, but there’s no happy ending waiting for you, no matter which route you take. And you only have yourself to blame for that.””

“...”

““Don’t tell me you thought they’d be grateful to you. Even if you guys escape here, do you think they’ll still forgive you when they get a whiff of that nasty air outside? Some of them might prefer to stay in the school, and some of them might resent you for being ‘kind’ and showing them the truth. But then again, this is all your fault anyway so it doesn’t really matter what they think of you. Monokuma made a little mistake!””

Despite facing down two Monokuma’s, Mukuro’s expression didn’t waver. She understood that controlling two Monokumas simultaneously was a piece of cake for Junko.

Mukuro drew an arm-length metal bar from seemingly nowhere, and readied herself. It was the remains of the IV stand from the Nurse’s Office, sharpened into a pointed weapon. With her weapon in hand, Mukuro responded in a cold, mechanical tone.

“That’s fine. I’m already used to that…”

None of the fear she felt when Monokuma suggested that Makoto would blame her appeared on her face. Her path was clear to her now, and she calmly issued her demand to Monokuma.

“Junko, open the gates.”

“...”

The shock of such straightforward demand left both Monokumas momentarily speechless, but soon they replied:

““Huh? Why?””

“So we can call leave together.”

Another straightforward answer. Both Monokumas faced each other and began gesturing as if they were whispering to one another. Mukuro knew their movements were intended to mock her. Unmoved, she continued to speak to Junko directly.

“I think they’ll understand if I show them the outside world. And then they’ll stop doubting Makoto.”

““You always find new ways to disappoint me, Mukuro. Did you forget why the school has an air filtration system?””

“It’s true that the air outside is polluted, but I don’t think it’ll kill us immediately. Besides… it’s better than being trapped in the school and forced to kill each other.”

““How can you be sure the others will go along with you? You know what I mean, right? Before the former headmaster got turned into space dust, he interviewed the others and they all agreed that they wanted to stay in the school. That was *before* their memories had even been erased. Do you really want to betray their wishes?””

Mukuro blinked, and slowly stepped forward.

“I don’t… really care about their feelings.”

““Huh?””

“You’re all I need, Junko. So don’t worry. I’m always watching out for you… I’m going to make sure you feel despair, and I’m going to make Makoto… and the others…...happy. If you want to revel in your own despair that badly… Then I’ll trust the hope Makoto gave me, and take my chances with them instead of you …”

Mukuro’s brief but powerful words caused the Monokumas to turn and talk to each other again.

“Ohhh my, this doesn’t look good at all, Monokuma A. This child doesn’t realize her own hypocrisy.”

“She’s so disappointing that she’s starting to reach critical mass, right Monokuma B?”

The two Monokumas looked at Mukuro, who seemed ready to destroy them, and said:

““What do you think, Monokuma C?””

“...?”

Mukuro was taken aback by their question… But her instincts suddenly kicked in and she immediately dodged away.

At that moment, a third Monokuma, claws extended, passed by where her head been previously. This new Monokuma unit landed with several spins and faced Mukuro, who had clung to the remains of a surveillance camera still attached to the ceiling.

“I agree with you both, A and B.”

The three Monokumas lined themselves up. To the students locked inside the academy, this sight would have been akin to a nightmare.

“““Right on! Puhuhuhuhu…”””

The three units began speaking in perfect harmony as their six eyes looked up at Mukuro.

Suddenly, they each jumped away in three separate directions and kicked off one of the walls. The path of each unit’s triangular attack all converged on a single point: Mukuro, who was still clinging to ceiling. She was surrounded by razor sharp flaws coming at her from different directions.

But this situation wasn’t even a nightmare to Mukuro. Compared to the time she fended off three assassins who had invaded her camp one night back when she was still a member of Fenrir, this was nothing.

This thought crossed Mukuro’s mind as she dangled from the ceiling with one hand and thrashed her limbs around like a tornado. INtercepted by this move, the Monokumas fell to the floor with a loud crash. Mukuro landed on the ground and chased after one of them, brandishing her metal bar.

Suddenly, she stopped moving and took a huge leap back. One of the Monokumas exploded with a deafening roar. He had detonated the bomb inside of himself in an attempt to take Mukuro down with him. But thanks to her honed battlefield instincts, Mukuro managed to avoid the explosion.

She looked toward the hallway, expecting the explosion to have attracted the attention of Sakura and others. But she didn’t hear any footsteps approaching. Monokuma’s voice rang from within the dense smoke.

““Oh, you don’t have to worry. I already told the other students to assemble in the cafeteria. They were eager to follow my orders after I told them I’d disarmed the poison gas, and that a special police unit was coming to get them. I’m pretty sure Kyoko and others are all in the cafeteria by now. I’m sure Makoto is with them, too!””

“!”

“““I doubt Sakura will get too rough with him, but I’m sure Byakuya will torture Makoto once he wakes up. I can just imagine him rubbing salt or pouring soy sauce into his open wounds… Man, I’m getting all hot and bothered right now! Bwah-hahahahaha…”””

As she listened to Monokuma’s overlapping voices, Mukuro tilted her head slightly and asked:

“...I’m pretty sure they’re going to find out that you lied about that special police unit. Are really okay with that?”

““““No worries! Once I’ve dealt with you, I don’t care at all if they find out I was lying. Puhuhuhuhu…””””

“...?”

“““““You still don’t get it? You’re such a disappointment!”””””

It suddenly dawned on Mukuro. Not the reason why Monokuma didn’t care if the students found out he lied…

But rather, that the voices of the Monokumas in the smoke were gradually increasing in number.

““““““““““Puhuhuhuhu… Puhuhuhuhu…””””””””””

At the smoke started to clear, the shadows of three Monokumas appeared. The one that exploded couldn’t have revived, so a new one must have come to take its place. But there’s no way Mukuro only heard three Monokumas talking just now.

As if to prove her hearing had been accurate, the Monokumas suddenly made their move. The three Monokumas bent over and began twirling their upper bodies.

From behind them, new monokumas emerged, like afterimages brought to life. This second row of Monokumas mimicked the earlier ones with only one frame of delay, revealing even more Monokumas behind them…

Eventually, Mukuro realized that there were three rows containing ten Monokumas each.

{“Puhuhu… Did you know this is called a Circle Dance?”}

Monokuma’s thirty voices spoke in perfect harmony as they divulged information that had nothing to do with the current situation. Mukuro already knew that multiple Monokumas were positioned throughout the academy.

But only Junko knew how many Monokumas actually existed. Mukuro had no way of knowing if these 30 Monokumas were part of a larger contingent.

The flock of two-toned teddy bears continued to twirl around. Mukuro felt like she was being bombarded with hypnotic images.

But faced with this abnormal sight, the Ultimate Soldier remained calm and maintained her focus. She was nothing like the girl who had panicked earlier in the gym when Makoto was impaled.

As she stood before 30 emissaries of despair, she slowed her breathing and allowed her heart rate to accelerate.

It was instinct, not fear or panic, that sent her blood racing throughout her body, speeding up the reaction time of her cells.

As her senses sharpened, the Monokumas began speaking to her again.

{“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Makoto doesn’t die.”}

“...?”

{“As long as everyone lives, I can reset their memories as many times as I want.”}

“...!”

{“Puhuhuhu… That’s right. All your effort, hope, dreams, and determination are going right in the garbage heap!”}

The Monokumas took turns speaking in groups of ten. As if the mastermind controlling the MOnokumas wanted to show off her ability to manipulate them.

However, the Ultimate Soldier knew what the true purpose behind all this was. She strained her ears to their limit and noticed a certain sound hidden among the Monokumas’ voices.

“...”

Mukuro’s face remained perfectly still as she kicked off the floor. The moment she moved to the side, a roaring sound shook the entrance hall. The ceiling-mounted turrets in front of the gate started raining bullets down on Mukuro.

The Monokumas were just mastermind’s decoy while she tried to blow her away. As if further trapping her, the Monokumas charged at Mukuro through the storm of bullets.

Mukuro guessed that the mastermind programmed their movements in advance so they wouldn’t get hit by a single bullet.

She ran for the gates, evading waves of bullets and claws every step of the way. Programming 30 Monokumas and two turrets, while also predicting Mukuro’s escape route… This would be considered impossible for anyone, but Mukuro knew it was possible for Junko.

As Ultimate Despair, she possessed despair-inducing abilities that surpass the capabilities if any normal human. Her display of power was only for filling Mukuro with despair.

Despair.

The scene playing out in front of Mukuro was brimming with despair.

The adorably deadly Monokumas laughed and danced like reapers as bullets whizzed through the air. It was despair to the point of absurdity, and it was all for Mukuro.

But in the presence of such despair… Mukuro felt a strange serenity.

(...For me?)

(...Junko’s doing all this… for me…?)

(Junko… Are you watching me right now?)

In the end, perhaps Mukuro really was a disappointment.

She clenched her fists.

“Junko… Thank you.”

The sound of gunfire overshadowed her whisper, and Mukuro fell completely silent.

As a member of Ultimate Despair, Mukuro’s heart was filled with joy… Though she was filled with emotion, her eyes had lost their sparkle.

Silence filled the air. Even the gunfire from the turrets seemed to stop for a moment. But that was only an illusion to the one controlling Monokuma.

Something strong enough to silence the gunfire and avoid being picked up by the sensors spread through the school, with Mukuro at the center.

(I’ll… make sure I do this right.)

With that final thought, she closed her mouth and turned off her emotions.

As she ran through the waves of scorching bullets, the air around her began to grow colder.

As this coolness spread into her heart, it began to beat in mechanical fashion.

Several seconds later.

Mukuro’s body and mind melded together and became one with her surroundings… Her “temperature” now dominated the battlefield.

Despair, bullets, and Monokumas filled the area. Mukuro predicted their movements and jumped into the air without any hesitation. One of the Monokumas jumped at her, but she avoided his attack, kicked his body, and launched herself in midair.

Bullets pierced through the space Mukuro was previously occupying, striking the falling Monokuma right through its internal bomb. The impact of the bullet caused it explode, sending fiery Monokuma parts everywhere. As she rode the blast wave, Mukuro balanced herself in midair as she kicked away two, three Monokumas that leapt after her. She moved so gracefully she was practically flying.

In contrast, the Monokumas threw themselves into the path of oncoming bullets, exploding one after the other. Some of them exploded near the main entrance, but their blasts didn’t even leave a scratch.

With full control over the entrance hall, Mukuro evaded bullets and confirmed that the bombs inside Monokuma weren’t enough to destroy the door.

But refused to stop. Mukuro needed to get information on what she must do to escape the academy.

She had no desire to kill Junko.

Mukuro wanted to fill Junko with despair by instilling hope into the future of Makoto and the other students.

That was Mukuro’s ultimate goal.

Get information.

In contrast to her determination, her mouth stayed shut. But this did not mean Mukuro was not currently speaking to Junko.

This situation… This battle of death and destruction was a conversation of sorts for Mukuro.

All she knew how to do was fight.

She thought she wasn’t interested in anything else.

She thought she didn’t need anything else.

All Mukuro needed to be was a sword to fulfill her sister’s desire of despair. That purpose alone was the crux of her existence, and she lived her entire life convincing herself that she couldn’t do anything else. That’s why power was like a language to Mukuro.

A battle to the death revealed more about her heart than mere words ever could. Her words were in the wind of savagery that blows across the battlefield, uprooting others who also speak the language of violence.

This was true even against her sister.

When Junko would berate her sister, Mukuro couldn’t talk back. All she could do was cower and apologize profusely.

But it’s different now.

For the first time, Junko was using a language her sister actually recognized. The child of despair who tore the world apart was speaking to her sister with the language of power.

Mukuro’s heart filled with joy.

For that reason, she strengthened her focus on her “conversation” with Junko, and that emotion began to gradually disappear.

On this frigid battlefield, Mukuro continued her heated conversation.

Endless rounds of despair fired from the school’s turrets.

But Mukuro’s words intercepted every last violent shot that threatened to shatter her body and mind in half.

She quickly realized that the Monokumas hadn’t decreased in number at all, no matter how many she kept destroying. Not only that, she noticed that more Monokumas had been joining the fray until there were nearly 50 of them for Mukuro to fight.

But Mukuro’s resolve wouldn’t break so easily.

As she continued to wield her power, her heart began to fill with something that was neither hope nor despair. She learned hope from her acts of violence. For Mukuro, who had no interest in this world, this small space in front of the gate was a reflection of her life. A representation of her perfect world.

This disappointing girl, filled with endless disappointment, who knew of no other way to live, continued her lonely dance. She surrendered herself to the rhythm of despair which accompanies the music of hope.

Computer Room’s innermost area – Monokuma Room

How much time had passed?

The surveillance cameras at the gates were capturing footage of countless Monokumas falling at the hands of a child who fought like a raging demon.

The Monokumas bolstered their number, and now 100 of them were trying to sink their claws into Mukuro. Most of them were running on autopilot, reacting to her movements based on prior information they had received in advance…

But despite standing before hundreds of mechanical adversaries, Mukuro’s face showed no fear.

She hadn’t sustained a single injury, giving her a presence that was nearly divine to behold.

Though Sakura Ogami was powerful enough to injure her arm… Mukuro in her current state could potentially fight Sakura to a draw now, without relying on firearms.

She took complete control of the battlefield, taking in her surroundings as if they were a part of herself.

She dodged attack from the rear as though she had eyes on the back of her head, and stabbed through Monokuma’s weak points with her metal bar. No matter where the attacks came from, Mukuro deflected them all as if her skin were covered in eyes.

Describing her as “Ultimate” no longer did her justice. Mukuro had transcended the boundaries of humanity and becoming a pure killing machine.

But despite that...

Even though she understood the ludicrous power her sister possessed, Junko was not afraid.

She felt not one iota of fear.

After all, all Junko can feel is despair.

She even started to admire her sister’s attempt to fill her with despair. But that sentiment quickly filled Junko with an orgiastic ecstasy of despair.

Junko knew.

She knew that Mukuro was neither hope nor despair.

She was just a phenomenon.

A disappointing girl who no longer understood herself, who only knew how to be violent because it was all she could believe in anymore.

Mukuro had become an avatar of destruction beyond that of any military force. She couldn’t even be considered a soldier anymore.

She was a natural disaster, like a typhoon or a tornado. Or perhaps, like gravity, she was now a fundamental force of the universe that only existed to bring despair to Junko.

The mastermind enjoyed watching her sister go all-out. If Mukuro destroyed everything and ruined her life, Junko would still be comforted by the despair. She could just go right ahead and overpower her. Junko considered this for a few seconds until…

A familiar, hopeless habit reared its head.

Her habit of getting so bored that it made her sick. The girl who had been grinning as she watched the screen now bore a look of calm stoicism, and she reached for the microphone connected to Monokuma’s speakers.

Mukuro was no longer human anymore.

But Junko knew how to bring her back.

It was a simple feeling, really… And with that hopeless feeling for Mukuro in mind, the mastermind said just one word:

“Mukuro…”

“Mukuro…”

That voice.

It was calling her name.

Instead of using Monokuma’s voice filter, Junko’s natural voice was coming out of Monokuma unit.

“...!”

That’s all it took.

With one word, Mukuro Ikusaba stopped being a force of nature and became a person again.

Monokuma would not miss this opportunity.

As if moving to the beat of Mukuro’s shaking heart, a torrent of claws leapt to attack her. But Mukuro trusted her instincts, and twisted her entire body to fend off the attacks, leaving her with only a few scrapes here and there.

“Mukuro, watch out!”

“...Huh?”

As soon as Mukuro heard that voice, her mind went completely blank. There was mistaking it. That was Makoto’s scream. The scream that saved her from the Spears of Gungnir and changed her destiny.

(...No, that’s wrong.)

It took her a tenth of a second to realize that voice was just a sound clip that Junko had replayed. But it was more than enough time to drag Mukuro, who had regained her humanity, into despair.

Right when she recovered from her moment of shock, Monokuma appeared behind her and roundhouse kicked her in the temple.

She twisted her head to roll with the blow, but at that moment, a different Monokuma attacked her from the opposite side with a headbutt.

And as soon as Mukuro dodged that attack, three Monokuma launched simultaneous dropkicks and knocked her to the ground.

“Ugh…”

The fact that they weren’t using their claws meant they weren’t trying to kill Mukuro right away. Before she could regain stand up again, dozens of Monokumas waiting for her on the floor climbed on top of Mukuro and pinned her limbs

One of the Monokumas waddled over to Mukuro as she lay face-down on the floor… and laughed.

“Puhuhuhuhu… A pretty girl getting pinned by all these “me’s”. I wonder if I should feel more excited about this?”

“...”

“Don’t make that face. If I wanted to kill you, I’d just pump you full of bullets right now. But I don’t think the audience watching this on TV would like that ending very much. I need to make sure I do it the right way this time.”

What are you planning to do to me…?”

Mukuro asked in her emotionless voice.

Monokuma guffawed and answered.

“Nothing. I’m just gonna stick to the original plan and make you play the killing game at this school. I’ll erase everyone’s memories again, and I’ll just make them redo the introduction and the entrance ceremony again.”

In typical Monokuma fashion, he leaned his face toward Mukuro.

“But it’d be boring if we had to redo everything. Maybe this time, I’ll have you participate as Mukuro Ikusaba!”

“...?”

“I’ll take away even more of your memories like I did to that irritating detective girl. You’ll just be a poor little girl with no memory at all.”

As Monokuma talked and wiggled his body from side to side, the other Monokumas danced and twirled around. Amid this fantastical scene, Monokuma continued to describe his hopeless plan in a nonchalant manner.

“At first, you’ll be the girl with amnesia, and everyone will feel so sorry for you… But as they unravel the mystery of this academy, they’ll find out who you really are… It’s exciting to think how they’ll treat you when that happens! Knowing you, you’ll probably kill someone purely on instinct. Maybe I should rethink my rules about self-defense. Puhuhuhu…”

“You can’t…”

Her memories would be erased.

There was nothing she could do about her classmates hating her, but losing even her childhood memories would mean her connection to Junko would be severed as well. Even if Mukuro had no interest in the world, that was unbearable even for her.

“I’ve heard of ‘New Game Plus’ before, but this is the first time I’ll get to see a ‘New Game Minus’! Ahhhhh… Should I tie you up for fun? Or maybe we should make this game even more masochistic? Forget Hard Mode, Very Hard Mode, and Inferno Mode! Wanna just skip ahead to Impossible Mode?”

“..?”

“After everyone reintroduces themselves, they’ll walk around the school grounds and eventually find a flat-chested girl with amnesia, covered in bandages with Fenrir’s tattoo in her right hand. I’d bet a certain fanbase might get off on that! If this were a game, that would increase sales by 500 percent!”

Though Monokuma sounded like he was joking, everything he said was deadly serious.

And evidence, Mukuro heard a rumbling sound off in the distance.

“Now then, Your sweet ride is on its way!”

Based on the engine’s noise, Mukuro surmised that it was the large motorcycle that was supposed to be used for one of the executions.

“I took the time to bring this all the way from the punishment room, so you better be grateful!”

The sound of the roaring engine grew louder and louder, like the approaching footsteps of death.

Mukuro wondered how Monokuma would drive it with such tiny arms and legs, but then she remembered she was dealing with an Ultimate Despair. Junko would make the impossible possible just to bring about despair.

A despair that went hand-in-hand with Mukuro’s fate.

(Did… I fail?)

(I couldn’t… fill Junko with despair?)

(I… couldn’t save Makoto and the others?)

Questions raced through Mukuro’s mind.

But she wasn’t able to answer them.

There’s no way she could’ve answered them so easily. After all, she was still alive.

The sound of the motorcycle grew closer and closer, as if it was threatening to break Mukuro’s spirit…

“...?”

Suddenly, Monokuma stopped moving.

The other Monokumas continued doing their automatic movements.

As this strange event unfolded, Mukuro noticed something.

The motorcycle had suddenly gone quiet. After a few seconds, the engine exploded to life and began to approach even faster than before. Only a few seconds later, what appeared in front of the main entrance was…

An enormous motorcycle that plowed through groups of Monokumas like a predator hunting its prey. The rider of this motorcycle was none other than… Mondo Owada.

“...!?”

“!”

Mukuro and Monokuma were both visibly shocked by this turn of events. Instead of addressing them, Mondo accelerated the motorcycle he stole from Monokuma directly toward Mukuro.

Just before his front tire touched Mukuro, he popped a reverse wheelie and turned the entire motorcycle around.

The back wheel swept over Mukuro’s back, knocking away all the Monokumas that were pinning her.

“Hey… can you stand?”

Mondo asked, and begrudgingly offered his hand to Mukuro.

“...?”

Confused, Mukuro took his hand and stood up.

“What are you doing, Mondo!? I was so close!”

One of the Monokumas protested. Not in his normal voice, but as the hacker, Besshiki Madarai.

“Oh yeah. You’re Besshiki or whatever, right?”

“That’s right! Why are you helping a terrorist!”

“I… ain’t braggin’ about this or anything, but I have no clue if you or this girl is lyin’.”

The veins in his temple began to bulge, and his cheeks flushed with anger as Mondo said:

“But still… I ain’t the type to just stand around while some idiot gangs up on a girl…”

“What are you saying!? Get ahold of yourself! You must be experiencing Stockholm Syndrome! YOu’ve deluded yourself into thinking you’re friends with the criminal who’s taken you hostage…”

Monokuma tried to explain to Mondo, But he ignored him, took Mukuro’s hand, and pulled her onto the back of the motorcycle.

“Oh, shut the fuck up! I dunno nothin’ about stock homes or sin drones, but don’t go actin’ like you can boss me around!”

As Mondo shouted, he revved the motorcycle as if he was using it to punctuate his words. The ceiling-mounted turrets began moving, but the two disappeared before the turrets could take aim at the motorcycle.

As they zoomed through the hallway, countless Monokumas chased after them, waving their claws wildly through the air.

“Why…?” asked Mukuro.

“HUH!?” shouted Mondo.

His voice was even louder than the sound of the engine.

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I don’t trust you at all!”

His lowered his voice slightly, as if he were whispering to himself.

“But still… I dunno why but I felt like I could trust what he said.”

“...He?” inquired Mukuro.

But there was no time for questions.

The unit leading the Monokumas chasing after the motorcycle had almost caught up to them. And then, like the enormous maw of some fearsome creature, they brandished their claws in perfect unison.

At that moment…

The motorcycle zoomed by a certain girl.

A girl whose fighting ability surpasses that of any normal human. The strongest girl on earth.

“...”

With a fighting spirit that defied comprehension, the Ultimate Martial Artist kicked off the floor. A sound even louder than the motorcycle’s engine filled the room.

When Mukuro looked back, she saw… Sakura landing on the floor, sending the pack of Monokumas flying several meters away.

“Sakura…?”

If she heard Mukuro mumble her name, Sakura didn’t acknowledge it…

Like a statue of fearsome god king, she calmed her breathing as she stood before the pack of Monokumas, ready for battle.

“Your pursuit methods seem unbecoming for one who claims to be the Ultimate Hacker.”

An overpowering aura seeped from her skin, and her skin shimmered as an intense heat began to fill the hallway.

Unlike the power of Mukuro’s sheer violence, this was the power of martial arts.

Hifumi and Chihiro were cautiously peeking from behind the door leading to the dorms, while Aoi and Taka kept watch from inside the building. After passing them by, Mondo slowed down the motorcycle as he reached the front of the cafeteria and turned in to a complete stop. The other students looked warily at Mukuro.

But among these students, Mukuro noticed two people who weren’t regarding her with suspicion.

One was Kyoko, who seemed to be studying the situation. The other one… was a skinny boy who was leaning against Kyoko’s shoulder.

“Makoto…?”

Mukuro’s lips began to tremble as she sat on the back of the motorcycle.

Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, Makoto smiled at Mukuro and repeated what he said to her earlier.

“I’m glad… I’m glad you’re safe, Mukuro…”

Unfortunately…

Mukuro was unable to realize her hope of filling her little sister with despair…

Instead, she had successfully planted the seeds of hope into her fellow students.

Makoto had barely regained consciousness while Mukuro was fighting the horde of Monokumas at the main entrance.

When he woke up, he did something extremely simple.

He talked about his memories.

Most of the students were still skeptical even after listening to Mukuro’s recorded confession on Chihiro’s laptop.

Obviously, they were still not entirely convinced at first when Makoto woke up, but…

After Sakura asked him a certain question, the ambience completely changed.

“Hm… Then beyond the walls of this school, the world is completely destroyed…? You’re saying there’s no one else alive…?”

Makoto slowly sat up to answer Sakura’s meek question.

“...Don’t worry. I’m sure Kenichiro … is still safe… I’m sure… he’ll still keep his promise to you…”

Sakura gasped.

Kenichiro was the only man she couldn’t defeat. A man who had promised her a rematch, and made her one other promise as well.

“How… do you know that name…? How do you know about that promise…?”

“Because… you told me… No…”

Makoto slowly corrected himself.

“You told… all of us…”

“...”

Sakura was silent after hearing those words… But she then faced the other students and spoke in a loud, clear voice.

“I’m going to trust Makoto…”

“S-Sakura!?”

Though Aoi was shocked, Sakura continued to speak with determination.

“What Makoto just said… is something I kept locked away inside my memories. In fact… I was planning to keep that a secret until the day I died… But if I shared that secret, that means there was once a strong bond between Makoto, myself, and with my fellow students as well…”

“Wh-Why do you know about the story I’m planning to write!? A-Are you a Specialist nen user who can predict the future…!?”

“You… already finished that story, Hifumi… You had me… help you… with inking…”

“Whaaaaa!? W-Wait a sec! How do you know I extorted money from that girl related to Kuzuryu Clan!?”

“Because… you even tried… to sell my organs to them…”

His wounds were excruciating.

But even so, Makoto kept smiling and talking about their lives together.

As if it was his duty to do so now that he had regained his memories.

As the other students listened to him, they slowly began to realize something.

The vivid accounts he was providing couldn’t be explained as just passing knowledge. Clearly, some kind of bond between them all had been erased.

Only Byakuya remained cynical:

“There’s no way I would’ve grown closer to any of you. It’s likely that you’re all secretly working together.”

Though Byakuya was still hostile toward Makoto’s recollection of their memories, for the time being, he determined that Makoto wasn’t actually a terrorist.

Mukuro had bought enough time for Makoto to wake up and share his memories with the others. Even if she hadn’t intended to do that… It was still a small sliver of hope that she grasped tightly.

And now…

As she looked at the boy who had smiled at her, Mukuro didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t think of anything to say at all.

The battle was over, and Mukuro was now back to being a disappointing girl. She turned away from everyone’s faces and apologetically climbed off the back of the motorcycle.

But Makoto saw her and slowly opened his mouth to say:

“Thank you Mukuro… You saved my life.”

“...!”

Makoto gave her words of sincere gratitude between his weak breaths. Mukuro couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she mumbled to herself.

“Why…?”

“Huh?”

“If Kyoko told you… Then you already know what I did, right…?”

After regaining his memories and learning the truth, Mukuro should have been nothing but a hated traitor to him.

Why would he smile at someone like her?

Mukuro kept her head down. Makoto smiled, as if he was unsure how to respond, and said:

“Well, I guess you’re right… But… you also saved my life many times during these past two years… and…”

Makoto took a deep, quiet breath and smiled at Mukuro again.

“You’re my friend… We all spent time with each other… It would be great if you could look for a different path… not despair… And if there’s any way I can help you, I will…”

“Do you really think I can walk another path at this point…?”

“I don’t know what you can do… or even what I can do… But I think it’s more important to look for that path instead of actually finding it.”

Was this intentional or a coincidence?

Just before he regained his memories, Makoto had said something similar to Mukuro when she spoke to him in the Nurse’s Office as Junko.

Regardless of whether he lost his memories or regained them, those words revealed Makoto’s true character.

As Mukuro confirmed that to herself, Makoto blurted out something that was almost too trusting.

“And it’s not just you. Even Junko can …”

But he was immediately interrupted.

“Puhuhuhuhuhu… Puhuhuhuhuhu…”

Monokuma’s face appeared on every monitor in the academy, and his laughter seemed to be coming out of every speaker.

“I could’ve kept pretending to be that Ultimate Hacker, but it’s boring to impersonate someone who doesn’t even exist. If this keeps up, I’ll lose my identity and turn into Con-okuma!”

Kyoko looked up at a surveillance camera and addressed Monokuma directly.

“...You seem to give up pretty easily.”

“There isn’t a bear anywhere that gives up as easily as I do. Regardless, I’m pretty sure Chihiro has figured out the secret of my control program by now.”

“So just as I thought, you included that program on purpose.”

Kyoko realized something when Mukuro told her about Junko. There were two reasons such a hateful person would intentionally leave an obvious clue inside the Monokuma units.

Either Junko wanted the students to learn the truth about the outside world and themselves on their own, and turn their hopes into despair.

Or she was looking forward to that clue resulting in her own plan being undone, which would allow her to feel despair toward herself.

She was an angel of everlasting darkness, delighting in her own despair, and using it to spread despair and destruction to those around her.

Why would someone like that continue to play the role of Monokuma?

“Actually, I set that program for Chihiro to discover if she happened to be one of the final five survivors. I feel so sad and empty that my preparation was a waste, but I’m going to think about positively. The word ‘retreat’ doesn’t exist in Monokuma’s dictionary.”

Nervousness began to grip the students as Monokuma continued talking in his relaxing, uplifting voice.

“Now then, it looks like everyone’s here, including Toko who’s still tied up in her room… So let’s start the heart-throbbing, exciting, special graduation exam!”

“Huh…?”

The students broke out in noisy confusion, but Monokuma ignored them and kept talking.

“Don’t think about it too hard. Relax, relax. Change ‘-elax’ to ‘-upert’ for all I care, I’ll still be the most adorable bear here!”

Byakuya, visibly annoyed with Monokuma’s nonsensical ramblings, shouted:

“I already know it’s you, Junko. Stop this stupid game and show yourself.”

“Oh my, don’t ya know? If you wanna lure the mastermind out of her Heavenly Hidey-Hole, you need to bring a worthy sacrifice. You’re not worthy enough at all. Do you really think the mastermind would show herself for your pathetic hope and despair? Bwah-hahahahahaha…”

He roared manically, then began to explain the special graduation exam.

“If you pass my exam, everyone will graduate… but if you fail, you’ll be held back for a whole year! I’ll reset your memories, give you a fresh new lease on life, and you’ll reintroduce yourselves at the start of the school year again. They say people’s lives don’t come with reset buttons, but I’m not a people. Whether it’s soft resets or hard resets, I can do as I please.”

Yasuhiro seemed confused, but the other students knew what Monokuma meant by “reset”. He was going to force them to relive their school lives once again. As Yasuhiro struggled to understand, Taka pointed as nearby monitor and shouted:

“Stop this already! No matter what you do to us, we’ll never commit murder! These past few days should’ve already made that clear to you!”

“What was that!?” jumped Monokuma. “Are you serious?”

“Of course! No one here would ever take another human being’s life for any reason!”

As Taka shouted, one of the students – a pale-faced girl standing apart from the others – looked away. It was Sayaka.

As she trembled, a voice popped up from behind her.

“What do you think, Sayaka?”

“!?”

She couldn’t even turn around from sheer terror, but Sayaka knew.

She knew Monokuma was standing right behind her.

“Do you really think none of you will become a killer?”

Monokuma leaned toward Sayaka and asked her a question only she could hear.

“By the way, Sayaka… Why did you go to Makoto’s room when nothing strange had happened yet?”

“...!”

“Did you two have an inappropriate relationship? What would your fans think if they found out you made a move on a boy by sneaking into his room? Or were you there for some other reason?”

“I-I…”

She could barely make a sound, much less scream, as her trembling worsened. Monokuma had nothing to gain by cornering Sayaka and toying with her emotions like this. He simply wanted to see the young singer fall into despair over her true character. And for that reason, Monokuma did not relent.

“Hey, hey. What were you trying to do to your close friend you’ve known for the past two years?”

“Ah… ah…”

Her determination from last night blended with the memories Makoto had recounted, and ate away at Sayaka’s mind like a disease. As her mind began to rip itself apart, she fell to her knees…

A clear ball, flying at just under 105 miles per hour, struck Monokuma in the mouth with enough force to sink into his face.

The speaker in Monokuma’s mouth was immediately destroyed as his body rolled into a wall and stopped moving.

Sayaka came to her senses and looked where the ball came flying from…

She saw Leon, breathing heavily as he stared intensely at Monokuma.

Yasuhiro grabbed him and yelled:

“Arrrgh! Dude! Why did you do that, Leon!? That crystal ball is really valuable!”

Leon had stolen Yasuhiro’s crystal ball and thrown it at Monokuma.

“That Monokuma bastard was trying to take Sayaka hostage! What was I supposed to do!?”

“Dude, that crystal ball cost me two trillion dollars! Two trillion! They don’t even print that much money anymore!”

“Oh bullshit! Besides, if the world is all screwed up, what the hell are you gonna need money for anyway? But if it’s safe out there, I’ll just join the major leagues or whatever and pay you back!...Uh, well, I could pay you back doing something else besides baseball…”

As those two argued, Sayaka fell to her knees.

“H-Hey!” shouted Leon, running toward her. “Sayaka, are you okay!?”

She looked at him and stared blankly.

“Leon…”

She had made up her mind, and she raised her head as she said:

“Um… There’s something I need to confess to you later…”

“Whaaat!? seriously!?”

Sayaka was staring at Leon so intensely that he briefly forgot about the current situation.

“Not just to you… But to Makoto… and the others, too…”

Sayaka had made up her mind to confess the sin that was weighing heavily on her heart, but Leon seemed not to hear the latter half of her remark.

He ran back to the others, slapped Hifumi and Yasuhiro on their backs, and shouted:

“All right everyone! Let’s ace this exam or whatever and get outta here already! There’s no way I’m gonna let my happy memories of this place get taken away!”

The Monokuma inside the monitor responded:

“Fine, fine. Now that things are finally coming to a boil, let’s start the graduation exam.”

Sakura, who had been outside the dormitory, suddenly appeared with some information.

“The Monokumas in the hallway are acting peculiar…”

The students all moved to the main building to see what Sakura was talking about.

There they saw fifty Monokumas standing in two rows along the walls of the hallway, and one standing at the very end of the hall.

There was something strange on top of this Monokuma’s head.

An enlarged version of the Escape Button that Makoto had obtained from the MonoMono Machine. An each student look in this sight, an announcement rang throughout the school.

“The me at the end of the hall has a button on top of his head that’ll open the main entrance. You’ll have fifteen seconds to get that button and if you do, I’ll let you have it in place of a diploma.”

The students seemed surprised by the straightforward explanation.

Only Celeste remained calm, and she asked Monokuma with a bored look on her face:

“...Of course, it is not as simple as running up and taking it, is it?”

“Oh-hohohoho! How mean! Do I look the kind of headmaster that would interfere with his students’ graduation? Forget the gunfire salutes! I’m gonna send my graduates off with some fireworks! One hundred fireworks, to be exact. Enough for twenty seconds of hardcore partying!”

The more perceptive students immediately realized what he was talking about.

The bombs installed inside each Monokuma. They would explode one after the other. filling the hallway with fire as soon as time started.

“After fifteen seconds, the me standing at the back of the hall is gonna sacrifice himself to you guys one final firework. By the way, this probably isn’t important, but that button isn’t very durable. Puhuhuhu…”

This “graduation exam” was Monokuma’s way of saying that he had no intention of letting anyone leave. It was clear from the explosion the students saw during the entrance exam that the halls of Hope’s Peak Academy would be bathed in fire.

Even if someone was lucky enough to survive the explosions, the burns on their body alone would enough to send them into a fatal shock. Their lungs might be completely incinerated by the scorched air before that.

Even if they sacrificed one student to run through, the odds were low that they would even succeed. But there was no reason for every student to run in at once either, and a shadow of despair fell upon their faces.

“Nice. Very nice. I almost want to take a picture so I have those faces as a souvenir.”

As Monokuma laughed from behind the monitor, Sakura stepped forward.

“...I’ll do it. I have only seen the explosion once, but I believe I’m capable of withstanding its power.”

“No!” shouted Aoi.” You can’t! Even you couldn’t handle a hundred of those explosions..”

Sakura shook her head.

“I’m the only one who even has a chance…”

Suddenly, Mondo remembered the motorcycle he parked inside the dormitory and said:

“Hold up. That motorcycle might be fast enough to go through those explosions....I’ll do it.”

“Don’t be hasty,” urged Sakura. “Even if the motorcycle is unharmed by the explosions, that doesn’t mean its rider will be.”

As Sakura and others continued their debate… One person stepped toward the hallway lined with Monokumas.

“I’ll do it…”

“M-Mukuro!” screamed Makoto weakly.

Mukuro, with her back facing Makoto, turned her head to the side slightly… and gave him a small nod.

She knew it would come to this.

She skew why Monokuma would pose such an impossible exam.

(Junko is already looking forward to the next despair game. She’s going to erase everyone’s memories, including mine… She just wants to torment us and fill us with despair before that happens.)

But Mukuro knew her sister’s personality all too well, and that’s why she was confident.

She knew that the Escape Button was real.

Whenever Junko brought despair to others, she always made sure there was a possibility that despair would befall her instead.

If the students won this gamble and made it through this horrible situation, they would finally escape to the outside world.

That outcome would obviously fill Junko with immense despair.

In the same way she left a clue in Monokuma’s control program, Junko could not be satisfied unless she took pains to assure her own destruction. It was this quality that made Junko the Ultimate Despair. That’s why Mukuro was determined to do it. She knew she was the only person who stood a chance of making that outcome possible. Even if she had to risk her life.

But…

Right now, Mukuro wanted to live more than anything. She wanted to hold on to this world, a world she had no interest in previously.

She didn’t even know if this hesitation she felt was disappointing or not.

But she wanted to live and continue searching for a new path. A path where she could abandon her submission to despair. Where she could accept the sins of the past and continue to live.

Mukuro, who was known as a war machine, found her heart beset by overwhelming fear and anxiety. Until now, it had never occurred to her that determination was necessary to live.

As if she was brushing that fear aside, she quietly said:

“Um… Thank you, Makoto.”

Unfortunately, the words she said to the boy who showed her new possibilities never reached his ears. Sakura, however, heard her, and frowned as she said:

“If you’re planning to sacrifice yourself as an act of penance, I’ll stop you with all my power.”

Though her words were firm, there was unmistakable affection hiding in them.

Both girls had dedicated their lives to battle, and yet Mukuro felt a twinge of jealousy toward Sakura for possessing something she lacked…

Mukuro leaned toward Sakura and whispered in her ear.

“...”

“What…? Are you serious?”

As Sakura’s frown intensified, Monokuma’s voice blared throughout the halls.

“All right, I’m gonna start the exam now! Ready-set-go!”

There was no time for questions or objections. the frontmost Monokuma exploded, sending a roaring wave of heat through the hall.

But Mukuro didn’t look away… She began moving, powered by resolute determination.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29