Bzzzzzt!!
"Ugh... my head..."
"This is... the trial grounds from before...?'"
"Looks like we've been brought back."
Light flashed across the trial grounds, and then the students of Class 77 appeared all at once.
"Well, damn... it's been a while, everyone..."
"How many years has it been since [Hope's Peak Academy's Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event]? Of course, I mean seeing each other while we're actually sane."
"Mitarai, you're alive?"
"K oppa!!! Kyoko Kirigiri unni!!! I missed you!!! Back then, I was so sorry, and so grateful. This is all I can say right now, but once we get outside, I'll pay you back. I swear!!"
Class 77 spotted Class 78 waiting for them and greeted them with bright, relieved smiles.
"...Togami, how much of Future Foundation's budget got burned up capturing Class 77?"
"...Even if we sold off Jabberwock Island in its entirety, it wouldn't cover it."
"That's not even the worst part... do you have any idea how much time and money went into the Neo World Program...? A project I worked on from planning to completion is now... completely shattered..."
"Haaah... and once this is over, I've gotta write an incident report... then sit through that damned meeting and slog through days of pointless arguments, then get tossed onto the post-incident cleanup team and worked to the bone all over again... At this rate, my body's not gonna survive..."
"Makoto, and Mr. Togami. About disobeying orders and heading to Jabberwock Island. Once we get out of here, a hearing concerning the two of you is scheduled to be held soon."
"S-Sayaka... what do you mean by that...?"
"What do you think? It means you'll have to invent another excuse that won't work. And this time, I won't help you. Consider it punishment, so brace yourselves."
"N-No way..."
"How dreadful."
"B-Byakuyaaa-sama!!! I can fabricate as many excuses as you need with my other personality's 'literary girl' talent..."
"...Silence."
But Class 78 had already been marinated in the bitter aftertaste of adult society, so they couldn't quite return those greetings with the same warmth.
"Uh, hey... guys...?"
"Mm. I did swear to work for the sake of the world, but I guess I definitely shouldn't get a job there. We've got our own path to walk."
"So this is what he meant when he told us to be careful of Future Foundation..."
When Owari muttered that under her breath, Naegi, who looked like he was on the verge of tears, asked her:
"Hm? Be careful of Future Foundation?"
"Ah, uh...?"
"Future Foundation is a pretty brutal place, sure... but it's still a place that fights for hope! So please, come work for us and help with the manpower shortage..."
"The 14th Division!! Come to the 14th Division!! Just don't go to any other division!!!"
"Come to the 10th Division too... I feel like I'm gonna die from overwork these days..."
"I-I haven't gotten all my memories back, but... I think our 13th Division was pretty understaffed too... Could you maybe come to our division...?"
Before long, Class 78, along with Mitarai and Nanami, had launched into an all-out recruitment offensive, and Class 77 began whispering among themselves.
"...Looks like they didn't hear Kamukura's final words to us, huh?"
"Seems that way. That's probably why they're reacting like this."
"Weird. If I remember right, Future Foundation was supposed to be the greatest enemy of despair... so why would he leave us with words like that?"
"Hmm... is there any way to figure it out...? Ah! Hinata's here!"
"That's right! If it's Mr. Hinata, with his memories restored, he'll know why!"
"Hinata, so? Do you know anything?"
When the others cautiously asked him, Hinata scratched his head and answered.
"Sorry... my abilities and memories disappeared together with Kamukura Izuru earlier. I think it'll be the same even after we get outside."
"I see... that's a shame..."
"Well, we'll just confirm it ourselves in the future that's waiting for us!"
"Right. No matter what kind of place Future Foundation is... we'll see it with our own eyes."
"Still, we can trust K, Kyoko Kirigiri, and Nanami, right? Then that's enough for me."
Having settled their stance, Class 77 shouted with renewed force.
"Alright then, let's finish everything!"
"I'm sick of this place... I wanna get out of here this instant!!"
"Hey!! Enoshima!! We're leaving, so enjoy rotting here!!"
"Upupupu... why are you all acting so smug, like you've already won...?"
At those words, Enoshima, who had been silent as a corpse until now, finally began to speak in a voice so bitter it was almost nauseating.
"No point hiding it anymore. If you press [Graduation], every last one of you will have the personality of [Enoshima's Alter Ego] overlaid onto you... and the moment you press [forced shutdown], you'll all become vegetables... because I've already erased the memory database."
"....."
"So really, the best option left for you would be [repeat year]... but come to think of it, you don't even have the right to choose!!! Because the ones making the choice are Class 78!!! And those idiots don't have even the slightest intention of staying here forever... so they'll press [forced shutdown]!!"
[Enoshima's Alter Ego] shouted that with a face warped by lunacy.
"There is no dazzling future...!!! Your ending was decided from the start—you'll be sacrificed for the sake of the world!!! Well? Isn't it despair-inducing? It is, right? Right? Upupupu!! Upupupupupupupupupu...!!!!!"
"Then wouldn't it be fine to press the [Graduation] button and the [forced shutdown] button at the same time?"
"Upupupupu!!! Upupupu! Upupu... u... what did you just say...?"
[Enoshima's Alter Ego], who had been cackling with manic despair, abruptly stopped when Sonia tilted her head and asked that question, then stared back in flustered disbelief.
"...I don't know, the thought just came to me all of a sudden. I'm not sure why... but isn't it worth trying?"
"T-That... that's... Upupu... upupupu..."
When [Enoshima's Alter Ego] was struck speechless, K let out a short laugh.
"Heh. No matter how much changes, some things really never do."
"...K, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing. Anyway, just like Sonia said, why don't we all press the [Graduation] button and the [forced shutdown] button at the same time?"
At K's words, Class 78, Nanami, and Mitarai all wore doubtful expressions for a moment. But then they looked at K's utterly confident smile, found themselves smiling too, and placed their hands over the buttons.
"Well... if that guy's saying it with that much confidence... then that's probably the answer..."
"Yeah. I've never regretted listening to K before..."
"Sometimes I seriously wonder if his real talent is actually [Ultimate Counselor]. Doesn't he have some kind of prophecy power or something?"
"...There's already an [Ultimate Clairvoyant], so why not a prophet too?"
"My fortune-telling ain't that kind of occult nonsense!! Don't lump me in with that stuff!!!"
Watching them, Junko Enoshima went deathly pale and hurriedly opened her mouth, but—
"W-Wait..."
Beep!
The students pressed the buttons without mercy.
Bzzzzzt!!!
"Wh-What...? What's happening this time...?"
"Th-That's... no way..."
"Hehe. Before we came in here, I made a few little modifications to the [forced shutdown] button."
"F-Fuwawa... it's been a while..."
The entire Class Trial chamber trembled, and as a [Magical Stick] began to materialize in midair, Usami—who had been quietly watching everything until now—suddenly lit up.
"Usami, show [Enoshima's Alter Ego] what you've got."
"Yeees! Got it!!"
At Fujisaki's command, Usami snapped a salute, then shot through the air at high speed toward the floating [Magical Stick].
"H-Hey... where do you think you're—ugh!!"
"Heheheh, finally a real fight!! Better brace yourself!!!"
"The bigger the target, the more places there are to cut."
"Akane!! We just need to buy time!! Don't overdo it and get out!!"
"Perfect timing. I was getting sick of paperwork anyway. Seems it's time to stretch my muscles for once."
"Sorry, little sister... you've never been beaten up by your big sister before, have you?"
[Enoshima's Alter Ego], who had recoiled in horror and tried to stop Usami, staggered as the combat-oriented students barged in and let Usami slip right past.
"Y-You...! You little gnats!!!"
"I got it!! I've got the [Magical Stick]!! Everyone, fall back!!!"
At Usami's cry, the others hurriedly leapt away from [Enoshima's Alter Ego], and then Usami charged forward with the [Magical Stick] in hand.
"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"
"Just disappear alreadyyy!!!"
As the students watched with deep satisfaction while [Enoshima's Alter Ego] writhed under Usami's assault, they soon noticed their own bodies beginning to fade. One by one, they started speaking in voices strangely light and free.
"We don't know what hardships and ordeals await us from here on. But if we join forces with all of you—with the precious bonds we've built together... I'm sure we'll overcome them."
"Y-You'll stay with me too... Sonia?"
"...You'll stay with me too?"
"Of course, Mr. Tanaka!!"
"S-Sonia!!! What about meee?!"
Sonia, Tanaka, and Souda bickered like always, then vanished in a bright flare of light.
"H-Hey... Nekomaru... i-if I don't say this now, I feel like I'll never be able to say it..."
"...What is it?"
"I love you."
".....!"
After saying that, Owari threw herself at Nidai and kissed him. And just like that, the two of them dissolved into light with their lips still locked together.
"P-Peko... I mean..."
"F-Fuyuhiko..."
Meanwhile, Kuzuryu and Pekoyama, who had been watching that scene with flushed faces, swallowed hard, shut their eyes, and leaned in to kiss each other—but just before their lips could meet, they turned into light and vanished.
"Haaah... I was gonna build gravestones for the two of them once we got outside... but making gravestones for people who're still alive feels weird... so what, should I build statues instead?"
"Ahaha... if you're doing that, could you make one of me too...? My dream is actually to have a statue built to commemorate my achievements...!!"
"Ugh, gross!! Get away from me!!!"
Saionji awkwardly muttered that while glancing at K and Kyoko Kirigiri, only for Komaeda to suddenly light up and rush over. The two of them squabbled all the way into oblivion as they vanished into light.
"...K-K... K... I feel like if I don't say this now, I'll never be able to say it either..."
"....."
"And what exactly are you supposed to be...?"
"N-Nothing at all..."
Koizumi hesitantly tried to say something to K, cheeks burning red, but when Kyoko Kirigiri—and another woman who somehow looked weirdly similar to her—glared at her like they wanted her dead, she trailed off and vanished into light.
"My bestie Mikan!! Looks like we're disappearing at exactly the same speed!!"
"B-Bestie..."
"What's wrong? Didn't we just become besties a second ago? Besties are supposed to stick together in moments like this!!!"
"Heh... hehe... friend... bestie... hehehe..."
Tsumiki looked at Mioda, who was holding her hand and chattering away with infectious cheer, and smiled more happily than she ever had before. Then the two of them vanished together in light.
"What, you got counseling from K in the dining hall too? I got counseling from him in the dining hall myself, you know..."
"...Indeed. Bonds truly are mysterious things."
"Ah, right. So, Mr. Pig's Feet, do you prefer meat more? Or fish?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Oh, because once we get outside, I want to serve the kids special party food tailored to their tastes."
"No. That was not a question. If it's you, then you understand what I mean."
"Huh...?"
Hanamura thought it over for a moment, then smiled.
"...Right, you're telling me to prepare every single item on the menu without leaving out a thing? Got it!"
"...Excellent."
With that, the two of them exchanged deeply satisfied smiles and disappeared into light.
"Hinata-kun, in the end, a radiant, dazzling future really was waiting for us after all. Wasn't it?"
"...Yeah. K, Kyoko Kirigiri, and you... you were right."
"And what about when I said we were able to move toward the future because we were together?"
"Yeah."
"Then... what about when I said we should stay together for the future ahead of us too...?"
At that, Hinata pulled Nanami into his arms, kissed her, and answered:
"Of course."
The two of them kissed, then vanished in the most brilliant, dazzling light of all.
"...Of all things, I never predicted I'd have to watch this kind of lovey-dovey nonsense here too."
"...Back when I was a swimmer... I was popular toooo..."
"...Enoshima really is an idiot. I said this before, but if she'd just kept showing us scenes like that, we'd have fallen into despair on our own... Ah, wait, most of Class 77 are couples, aren't they? Hahaha... hahahaha... I'm tired. So tired..."
"...I should acquire some useful slaves soon."
"...I have... Buko-chan..."
"...If one strives hard enough, love too may perhaps be seized. Probably."
"...I quit cross-dressing ages ago, and I've still been confessed to by guys three times already... why the hell..."
The single members of Class 78 stared blankly at the scene, then they too faded into light.
"...It was pretty fun returning to my old body for the first time in a while. Though my combat ability hasn't really changed much, then or now."
"K, this is the fifty-third time I'm asking... why exactly was my name the escape code...?"
"Come to think of it, when you set that code, you looked at me with a very meaningful expression, didn't you?"
"...What?"
"Sayaka, what do you mean by that? K, now I'm curious too... what exactly was the meaning of that...?"
"...Why am I automatically being treated like that stalker's lover?"
"Byakuyaaa-sama... isn't it time you admitted it alreadyyy..."
The couples of Class 78 chattered noisily among themselves, then disappeared as well.
"...Kyoko, it's really over now."
"And it's also a new beginning. Though it looks like our bodies are starting to fade too."
"T-Then before we disappear from here, maybe we should also..."
"We've already done everything there is to do, both outside and inside here... so is there really any need...?"
"...Ah."
"Hehe, I'm joking."
Kyoko Kirigiri smiled at K's awkward expression, then suddenly stole a kiss from him. With the sight of [Enoshima's Alter Ego], now split clean in half by Monomi in the distance, as their backdrop, the two of them tangled tongues for a while before finally dissolving into light.
And so, the [New World Project Incident], which had thrown Future Foundation into chaos for so long, came to an end with the miraculous conclusion that everyone survived.
"Upupu... upu... a future that's neither hope... nor despair... that's absurd... I won't accept it... I..."
In the middle of the trial grounds, shattered nearly to the point of total erasure by the aftereffects of [forced shutdown], lay the smartphone that had been embedded there earlier by the giant [Enoshima's Alter Ego].
"A conclusion like this... I won't... accept... haaah..."
Inside it, Enoshima muttered in a hollow voice, sensing her approaching end. She closed her eyes and waited to be erased, but then—
"...Matsuda. As planned, we've secured [Enoshima's Alter Ego]."
"Upupu?"
"Everything... for the sake of the 'new leader'..."
"U-Upu... upupupu..."
Staring at Ryota Mitarai, who was looking down at her with eyes filled with something that was neither quite despair nor quite hope, and using top-level administrator authority to transfer her somewhere else, she suddenly burst into laughter loud enough to shake the entire chamber.
"Upupupupupupupupupu!! Upupupupupupupupupupupupupupupu!!!"
And the moment the transfer completed, darkness swallowed the world.
And so, some time after the [New World Project Incident] had ended...
"...Phew. Finally quitting this godforsaken job."
Inside the office of Future Foundation's 14th Division, one man was packing up his belongings with a look of immense relief.
"...You're really leaving Future Foundation, K?"
"Ah, Kyoko."
K, who had been taking a short break in his chair after getting tired from packing, smiled when Kyoko Kirigiri opened the door and walked in.
"You were offered dozens of titles. And one of them was even Vice Chairman of Future Foundation. Are you really giving all that up and leaving?"
"Ha. If I took that job, I'd go insane from the workload. Munakata can only do that because he's Munakata... no, wait, was that bastard trying to dump a bomb like that on me...?!"
"Enough joking. You know as well as I do that Future Foundation has..."
Kyoko Kirigiri trailed off, glanced at the camera for a moment, then smoothly changed the subject.
"Never mind. If our illustrious counselor is doing it, then I'm sure you have your reasons."
"...Uh, probably?"
"....."
Kyoko Kirigiri gave K a deeply unconvinced look, then handed him the document she had been carrying.
"...What's this?"
"The top-secret documents you asked for regarding the [Hope's Peak Academy Reconstruction Project]. Under normal regulations, you don't have clearance to read them, but I'll use my authority to grant you special access."
"....."
"Come to think of it, it isn't [Hope's Peak Academy] anymore, is it? The academy's new name is in the file, so check it yourse—"
"I already know."
"...What?"
"I've known what the new academy's name would be for a long time."
"...How would you know that? You filed for suspension from duty months ago, so you shouldn't have had access to classified information... no, more importantly, this was only decided today."
Kyoko Kirigiri asked that with a puzzled expression, but instead of answering, K merely curled his lips into a faint smile and began reading.
[Top Secret - Level 1]
Project Name: [Hope's Peak Academy Reconstruction Project]
Since the end of Class 78's killing game, despair has begun to decline at a rapid pace, and we are now entering the most stable period we have seen in years. The core executives of the Remnants of Despair all joined the side of hope after the [New World Project Incident], and the world is being rebuilt at remarkable speed.
However, we need new blood. Future Foundation is an organization formed by the graduates of [Hope's Peak Academy], and if students with [Ultimate] talents stop appearing, it will inevitably lose its power.
Therefore, we have voted to establish a new [Hope's Peak Academy] with our own hands. Of course, the mistakes of the past must never be repeated. [The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History] was, after all, a calamity born from talents that could no longer be controlled.
Thus, we have decided that the founding principle of this institution will be to 'confine' talent until it has fully matured and can contribute to the world, so that talent may never again set the world ablaze. This is our promise to the world—and our act of atonement—that we will not forget the catastrophe that occurred, and that we will never allow such a thing to happen again.
Signed, Makoto Naegi, Headmaster of the newly established [Saishu Academy].
- List of the first incoming class of [Saishu Academy], selected under the Gifteds System for students who fought against [The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History]
[A girl who traveled through the ruined world holding free piano recitals for children who had fallen into despair, healing people's hearts...]
[A rising young detective whose name was most recently added to the 'Detective Library,' drawing public attention while cooperating with Future Foundation to pursue the mastermind behind despair-inducing incidents...]
[A decisive anti-Monokuma weapon developed by Dr. Iidabashi of Future Foundation's engineering department, but due to the doctor's own strong insistence and the rapidly shrinking forces of despair, mass production was abandoned and it was instead sent to [Saishu Academy] as a single sentient being...]
[A maid whose name had already been renowned before the despair incident, and who afterward assisted the Japanese government and did everything in her power to minimize the damage before the governmental system collapsed entirely...]
[A former elite tennis player who, after losing a lover in the despair incident, massacred the side of despair through 'murder tennis,' and who agreed with the ideology of confining talent and chose to attend [Saishu Academy]...]
[The leader of an assassination group that attacked Class 77 during transport, but after being captured by Future Foundation, it was discovered that she had secretly been protecting children in multiple orphanages, and in light of the strong insistence of K, former vice branch chief of the 14th Division, she was selected for [Saishu Academy] to test the founding principle of confining talent...]
[A student who took the lead with comrades in stopping the despair faction's rocket-launch terror plot against Future Foundation, and who had originally been scheduled to go to space as an astronaut before the incident...]
[A magician already famous before the incident, who afterward held free magic shows to heal the hearts of people drowning in despair...]
[A member of the civilian resistance against the despair faction, known for relentlessly targeting only the male Remnants of Despair...]
[A student who contributed to restoring cultural heritage sites lost across the world after the incident, while suffering from delusions that he was a serial killer after losing his older sister during the despair incident...]
[An artist who healed people's hearts through works of art during the height of the despair incident, but who also built and operated a rather large cult and was captured by Future Foundation after being mistaken for a Remnant of Despair...]
[The leader of DICE, an organization that committed flamboyant crimes targeting only the despair faction, and who, for some reason, contacted us before we even reached out...]
[A student raised alongside wolves in childhood, who minimized the terrorist acts of Tanaka Gundham, once an executive on the side of despair...]
[A student already famous before the incident for creating bizarre inventions, and who afterward 'helped' the side of hope—more or less—with bizarre inventions aimed at the despair faction...]
[A student who led rescue efforts while exploring all over the world, and whom people called the Hand of Survival...]
[The person in charge of a cosplay feature issue at the magazine company where Junko Enoshima had worked, and the first to report her abnormality to the headmaster of [Hope's Peak Academy]...]
[Homeroom Teacher - Kirigiri K]
"Figures. Must be an old habit from your detective days—you just can't help getting curious. But why? Why give up everything and choose to become the homeroom teacher of [Saishu Academy]'s first class of students, of all things?"
"As I thought..."
Having finished the file, K tossed it onto the desk with a refreshed expression, then muttered under his breath while listening to Kyoko Kirigiri continue questioning him with unabated curiosity.
"...There's no way this is fiction."
"Yeah, that useful girl I mentioned before... preparations are finally complete! Yeah, yeah... I told you, I'm totally confident I won't get caught. My alibi is perfect!"
In a dark room somewhere underground, someone was speaking excitedly over the phone.
"Me? Nah... my face is already too well-known, and honestly, I'm exhausted by both hope and despair, so that's not happening. No, the one who fits the role of 'new leader' best is definitely the girl Big Sis Enoshima treasured!!"
"...Monaca, do you really think someone as plain and unremarkable as me can do this?"
The blue-haired woman sitting beside her asked timidly. Monaca paused the call for a moment, turned to look at her, and spoke.
"...Of course. You're the true successor to Big Sis Enoshima, aren't you?"
"....."
"So do your best..."
Monaca's eyes gleamed as she finished her sentence, staring at the woman who still sat there frozen in nervous silence.
"...Shirogane Tsumugi."
- End of Part 2 -