#I'M COMING FOR YOU NEXT PEKO!!

[3456boidone]

I told you...

You weren't safe... @oh-gh0st

[a-star-that-burns-brightly]

CH2-13 Thoughts + CH2-14 Predictions

Hello DRDT Fandom! CH2-13 came out about four or so days ago as I'm posting this, and I finally mustered up the energy and mental strength to write down my overall thoughts, and also general predictions for what I think is to come in the next episode. A lot happened in this episode and we have a lot to cover, so let's get started! Before we do though, I think I should give us a reminder of where we currently are in terms of the swear chart and the bingo card, as of CH2-12 Swear Statistics

Bingo Card

Just like the last post, I'll be separating my talking points into character categories, so let's jump straight in with the big man himself...

Levi

Quick Disclaimer: I myself am still trying to unlearn the mindset that having low or no empathy is in any way a moral failing. If I say anything wrong or rude, please politely correct me. Remember kids: Your feelings, thoughts, and emotions, what you feel and how you feel them if you do at all, do not have any moral weight, they are simply aspects of your brain and you cannot control your brain. The only thing that has moral weight is your actions.

So as we learned in the previous episode, Levi has the murderer secret! And as we learn in this episode, he apparently killed four people, one of which being his father. DRDT continues to take Danganronpa's standard tropes and incorporating them in unique ways, in this case Levi represents the trope of the Chapter 2 Serial Killer reveal (Genocide Jack, Peko, Maki). I love that DRDT keeps doing this and I hope it keeps it up You know what else is staying consistent, though?

(x) Levi: That incident happened when I was in my junior year of high school. Levi: My junior year was also the year that Hope's Peak scouted me as the Ultimate Personal Stylist. Levi: To my understanding, it would've reflected poorly on Hope's Peak to recruit a murderer, so they pressured the court into not pressing charges.

US-HPA being morally corrupt as all fuck, that's what! Like no, seriously, it makes more and more sense as for why Xander David and Mai were most likely forming a revolution against this damn place, cause wow. The choice to scout out Levi during his Junior Year, when he was still in high school, is...interesting. Given that this Hope's Peak takes in College-aged students, why not just wait until Levi has graduated high school? In fact, that probably would've been even better because by then Levi definitely would've perfected his skills in styling by then, and thus would further justify him being enrolled in the academy. We don't know whether or not Levi was scouted before or after his incident, but given how Levi explains the events, I'm willing to bet this was after. Which...makes thing especially strange. But I'm sure it's no big deal. I mean, it's not like we have any evidence of US-HPA preying on vulnerable childre--

(x) Min: The Ultimate Contest for Eminent Students was made for a very specific target audience. Min: Those children who had no talents, who would consider spending their entire lives preparing for one single test for even a chance to become an Ultimate...

Oh. Well isn't that funny, huh?

Part of Hope's Peak's branding in general is the promise of a better future, which is something that Levi clearly wants. So I can most definitely see why the idea of being enrolled in the academy appealed to him. Levi being a delinquent in his teenage years definitely tracks, given how we know that his family was full of bad influences (including himself more than likely). And I am absolutely not surprised that Levi ended up killing his father. I think a lot of us theorized for a while that the person he killed was linked to his family.

I'd absolutely adore to learn more about Levi's family situation and what exactly their relationship with each other was, because "We were bad influences on each other" can mean a lot of things. Given the fact that not even the police cared about the death of Levi's father, I'd be pretty willing to believe that Mr. Fontana is a wanted man who has done a lot of criminal harm to others. That might even be where Levi formed the mindset that people are defined by their actions. Maybe, that's my best guess and it doesn't even include his mother and brothers, lmao. Anyway, that's enough of Murder, Corruption, and Daddy Issues. Let's talk about the other thing that was revealed about Levi this episode, or more-so put into words. His low, if zero empathy. Firstly, those who are headcannoning Levi is ASPD, I see you and I love you. So much. But I would be lying if I didn't admit that my first thought upon watching this scene was "Levi is so Autismcoded" lmao But in all seriousness, I absolutely adore this side of his character. In general something I've always loved about Levi is the fact that he, to put it bluntly, does not know how to act. He's constantly seeing what others do and copying them, and asking them for guidance when he doesn't know what to do. His first appearance shows him using Xander and Teruko's appearances to wager what kind of person they are, which is more than likely how he got into styling in the first place. He's basically masking and trying to appear as what he views as normal because he's aware that his lack of empathy is not something most humans possess. And his actions reflect that of what he thinks a good person would do in these scenarios, whether that be your friends not inviting you to an event, or someone profusely bleeding from their neck. To put it in simple terms: He's masking. I love that. It really reminds me of the experiences had by my neurodivergent friends, and even though Levi is not canonically neurodivergent, the fact that so many people headcannon him with ASPD or Autism really goes to show how DT-Dev nailed that kind of experience, and how well they wrote Levi's low empathy in general. Well-done, DT-Dev :D ...Also I think it's safe to say that Accomplice!Levi is not happening. Damn it, I really liked that theory lmao.

Ace

[not even three minutes later]

...See, this is why I always believed Ace was telling the truth about David and Arei's conversation, because wow this man is competing with the former in the Shitty Liar Olympics.

If Ace's sense of security around Levi wasn't already shattered, it sure as hell is now. Which is very upsetting to see, but also very entertaining to me as an aficionado of toxic yaoi. I was never really an Acevi girl, it was just never something I was attracted to (probably because for a majority of CH2 Part 1's airing I really didn't like Ace lmao), but this combined with the Other Thing I'll talk about later has definitely sold me on it. I hope they get worse.

I can't remember what post it was, but I remember seeing someone talk about Ace very much projecting a friendship onto Levi that was never really there between them, and looking back, I absolutely agree. I mean, where the two of them really friends? I do think that Levi does, or did, genuinely like Ace. I don't think he would've been hanging around him in Chapter 1 if he didn't. But it was simply just that, he liked Ace. Ace loved Levi, and saw him as his lifeboat in the midst of this scary unfamiliar situation. Even if everyone else either was annoyed by or straight-up disliked Ace, even if he could die at any moment, he could still rely on Levi as a presence of safety and security, but that all came crumbling down.

ace can you please change your sprite

The fact that Ace, the man famous for jumping to conclusions, not thinking anything through or in depth, and switching his opinions on others on a dime, is even asking for Levi's defense at all, is proof enough to me that even after everything Ace still wanted to cling onto the fantasy of their friendship he had built up in his mind. But upon hearing that Levi never cared about what happened to him, he can no longer do so. ...And why do I think Ace got attached to Levi so quickly?

(x) Ace: I was totally right all along to burn our friendship--No, I can't even call it it "Friendship." Ace: There's only one person in my whole life who I've ever been able to call my friend. That I ever thought, even for just a short time, that you and I were "friends" is an insult to his memory.

Yeah it's time to talk about this.

So for those who are not in the know, DT-Dev confirmed in a now-deleted ask that this friend of Ace's is named Taylor Riley.

(thank you to @/nicohakobyan / weightedblankett on twitter for providing this screenshot)

We know very little about this man other than his name, his gender, the fact that he was Ace's friend, and that he's dead. We don't actually know that fourth one, but I think "insult to his memory" speaks for itself lmao. As such, we do not know the details of his relationship with Ace... But I've made more out of less before, so let's get to talking. Here's what I think:

I think that Taylor was a presence in Ace's life much similar to how Levi was to him in Chapter 1: A strong protective figure that helped to make the scared-of-everything Ace feel a sense of safety. And then some form of incident happened that resulted in Taylor's death, leaving Ace alone, heartbroken, bitter, and terrified. That sense of security he once had was ripped away from him, and without Taylor, he doesn't know what to do with himself anymore.

And then in the killing game, he meets Levi, who provides him with a similar feeling of safety. Immediately he begins to project the memory of Taylor onto Levi and as such becomes attached, quickly considering Levi a friend because of it. And I'm not entirely pulling this idea that Ace was projecting Taylor onto Levi out of my ass, either.

Ace: dark blue/purple (reasoning: refuses to provide reasoning)

When we first got this answer, most people assumed this was referring to Levi, but I honestly think it is more likely that this is referring to Taylor. But those colors are still part of Levi's design, which automatically sets up a parallel between both Levi and Taylor Ace projected his relationship and the memory of Taylor onto a man he barely knew, and when that man lost his patience with him, his fantasy was swiftly kicked with the steel-toed shoe of reality. Hell, Ace's reaction after Levi snapped at him may had been due to his illusion of safety crumbling beneath him, but going down the road of this theory, Levi snapping at him might've been the first time Ace truly saw Levi and not Taylor. He had been giving this man a script and a role to play, and Levi responded by tearing up the paper and telling him to fuck off. In a sense, you could say that in that moment, Ace lost Taylor a second time.

Since I don't think Ace is going to be the killer as he was knocked out and thus did not have any knowledge of the murder mechanism (at least not including the theory that he tried to kill himself, which... Is a possibility, but I don't think that's the case). And if he does live past his chapter, I honestly think Chapter 3 will mark his breaking point. Any fantasy of Levi that he was clinging onto with his pinky has now shattered into pieces ten times over, the person who tried to kill him is still alive and for all he knows, could do it again whenever the hell they want to and people will take their side over his own. Next to no one in the cast likes him and they make that explicitly clear, and worse of all, he will still be trapped in this godforsaken...whatever facility this place is meant to be. So to cap off this section that got way too long, Ace Trauma Dump is on my Chapter 3 bingo card, and if we get to see Taylor and his design includes dark blue and purple I will actually become spaghettified. Please survive Ace, you are finally starting to become not C-Tier

Hu and Veronika

Lumping these two together because I have about the same amount to say about both of them and their secrets were revealed together. Hu's secret is the Hopeless Child one, and Veronika's is the Self Harm one. I think after CH2 Part 1 most of us predicted as such, but it's still very satisfying to be right. What I'm more interested is this supposed pact that they made off-screen. I have to assume that Veronika went to Hu pretty quickly to reveal her secret to her given her general disinterest in topics of suicide and self harm. So I'd wager this pact was probably made at around CH2-5. Not that that really tells us much about the actual conversation, but it's nice to have a time-frame for reference.

I don't expect the actual conversation to be shown because from what we currently have it doesn't really add much of anything, but it would definitely be cool.

(x) Hu: I've been quite selfish this whole time, keeping my secret because I didn't want you all to think less of me...

I've said this before in this post, but I absolutely believe that David eventually coaxed and pressured Hu into revealing her secret to him, as well as why she kept it for so long. And I also think David implanted, or I guess more accurately watered the seed in Hu's head that she was inherently selfish for not sharing her secret. That, I think we would benefit from a flashback, but maybe I'm just biased because I desperately want Hu lore. Please DT-Dev, I'm on my knees Hmm... what else?

(x) Veronika: After all, my own so-called secret isn't even the worst thing I've done. Isn't that so utterly disappointing for this motive?

Oh yeah there's that. What the fuck, Veronika? Like, I feel like this is something I should've expected this, but for some reason I didn't. I'll be honest here, I really have nothing right now. But whatever Veronika is referring to here, I feel like it has something to do with her 'dearest friend' mentioned in the CH2 Q&A (who's name is Alyssa Belyaeva.) What Veronika actually did? I do not have the slightest clue, you can never know with this girl. But no matter what she did, I will probably love her even more for it. Glad that DT-Dev seems to agree with the precedence of supporting women's wrongs.

Teruko

...So I'm glad to see we're all in agreement that that is not her fucking secret. I mean, I'm sure it applies to her. She is an orphan, her parents are out of the picture, and though we don't know the whereabouts of her brother and neither does she, she most likely assumes he's dead as well. But honestly, given the fact that again this is not her fucking secret, I'm starting to wonder if that's really the case... Can Teacher Tawaki theory still live on? I'll save that for another post.

Anyway what was I talking about? Oh yeah, that is not her fucking secret.

And this little bitch knows that for a fact.

I won't go too deep into this because there have already been people discussing it better than I could, but this silent agreement the two of them have to not share Teruko's true secret is so palpable and interesting to me. David knows that Teruko's secret isn't that, but for whatever reason, he is keeping his mouth shut. And he just gives Teruko that shit-eating smirk. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Teruvid? I fucking love Teruvid. But yeah, I still think 100% that Teruko's secret is that the killing game is all her fault. It just does not make sense for Xander and Min's secrets to belong to anyone other than each other as they are dead. And in general it just makes sense for Teruko's character and her role in the story. And I can't help but feel like Teruko's actual secret will be revealed at the end of the Chapter.

Eden

... I mean. Do I really need to say more? I swear I made this exact joke in the previous thoughts post, but I can't help it. It applies perfectly to this CG. When this CG, this fucking JUMPSCARE of a CG, popped up on my screen, I'm pretty sure I ran around in a circle screaming in my room for a total of ten minutes. The first of two times I would do that during this masterfully crafted scene. I want to think of some kind of insightful analysis, but the truth is basically in your face. Eden was the one who gouged out Xander's eye. Why did she do it? Where does this fit into the overall lore? I DON'T FUCKING KNOW What the fuck am I supposed to say? This CG is basically all we have, and we'll definitely have to wait for more information. Especially since Eden is totally the culprit, but we'll get to that in the predictions section. (yeah if you can't tell my writing juice is starting to run out, but if I get this out any later than today I will kill myself)

David

(...for a scumbag, he's kinda cute.) So first of all, David is slowly becoming the funniest character in the cast in my opinion, which is a huge achievement in a cast full of very funny characters. And in general I think as a character he perfectly captures DRDT's general tone of half-and-half both silliness and angst, like yin and yang. Secondly though, the big thing that David did in this chapter (besides keeping Teruko's secret and being funny) is lying to Eden about the rest of the conversation he had with Arei. Ultimately, I think David himself saw that action as a good deed.

Think of it from his perspective: This is a man who has had hope and change presented to him on a silver platter multiple times, and then had it violently ripped away from him. And the most recent example of that, Arei, presented him with a better future and the possibility of change only to be killed upon trying to act on said change. If he told Eden that Arei still had hope, that she still wanted to change, it would aspire Eden with that same hope that in his eyes is destined to crash down on her. So instead of inflicting that same pain onto her, he instead chose to say nothing at all Maybe I'm giving David too much credit, what he did was still at the end of the day, incredibly dickish. But that interpretation is what makes the most sense to me personally. That's all I really have to say in regards to David... So, let's move onto what was, in my opinion, the star of this week's episode.

Arei

Arei Nageishi.... Ohhhh save me Arei Nageishi.... Arei was already one of my favorite characters in the cast due to her personality, design, voice acting, and most of all the character development she had throughout the course of Chapter 2. But this episode, this scene... It cemented her a well-earned spot in my top four, sitting only behind Whit, Teruko, and David.

The flashback scene of Arei and David in this episode is honestly up there with some of the best scenes in the whole show to me, almost solely because of how it caps off Arei as a character postmortem, and the story that she, along with Chapter 2 as a whole, is meant to tell. This whole chapter has been themed around the idea of what classifies a good person, and this flashback scene provides such a great payoff to that theme and it is everything I could've ever wished for. The message I got from Arei's story is that, ultimately, the idea of a "Good Person" and a "Bad Person" are nothing more than just that. Ideas. And in being ideas, they are above anything else, arbitrary, subjective, and at the end of the day, incredibly meaningless when it comes to discussing actual human beings. Insistence on categorizing yourself and the people around you into boxes of "pure saint that can do no wrong" and "irredeemable demon who will burn in the pits of hell" is a fast track to viewing a complicated, colorful world into a few shades of black and white. That's how David views the world, and has viewed the world probably for years. And I'm going to be honest and say that I think before being confronted with the truth of David's actions, Arei was heading right down the same path that he had headed.

(x) Arei: Of course I wanted to change myself. Who wants to be a grab-bag of negative personality traits? There's not even anything positive you could say about me. Arei: Still, for the longest time, I thought it was stupid to even try. I'm rotten to the core, and I might as well be a different species from saints like Eden and you. Arei: A pig never hopes to grow up into a human, because it knows that such a metamorphosis is impossible.

And this is the line that really, really makes me think that. She calls David and Eden saints because (up until this moment) she viewed both of them as the ideal of what makes a good person, similar to how David views Xander. And on the contrast, claims herself to be rotten to the core, ontologically evil with no redemption in sight. She's even performing David's habit of self-dehumanization, likening herself to a pig in the same way David likens himself to a cat in the LGI video, which goes to show how this mindset of black-and-white is, above all else, a dehumanizing view on the human race that relegates people into cardboard boxes with the flaps taped shut. If she didn't find out the truth of David's actions, I am confident that she would've done down the same path that he did, becoming convinced that she will be a terrible person until the day she dies because she cannot reach this worthless standard of a good person that she has set up in her head. But we know that's not how it goes. Arei does realize that the man she once thought of as a saint might be, in his words, a lying manipulative scumbaggy piece of shit. And upon realizing that, the second half of the message unlocks itself. There is no such thing as irredeemability.

Change is a part of being human. Humans are not built to run in a hamster wheel for the rest of their days, reliving their mistakes over and over again wallowing in their self-hatred and guilt. Eventually, they have to get off the wheel and start taking the steps necessary to grow, change, develop and flourish to properly better themselves. (This applies to yourself just as much as it applies to the worst, most depraved individual you know by the way) The alternative is living in a four-by-four black box of self-loathing and relentless stagnancy, which is not productive for the person or the people they've hurt. It is only when you reject these black-and-white categories of "Good Person" and "Bad Person" and accept that no matter what you've done, you're capable of becoming better, that you can achieve true growth and change. The way this message was executed, especially through a character that dies before the halfway point of the story, is something that I marvel at as an aspiring storyteller. DRDT's beating heart will always be its character writing, and this scene is one of the primary examples of that. Thank you, DT-Dev, for making Arei Nageishi and the rest of your amazing cast of characters. :D

Extra Thoughts !!! - FURUYA FANDOM (me) THE TRACK PLAYED LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO!!! - I am very excited to find out more about Nico's attempted murder given all of the questions surrounding it. If the method of murder really was replicated, and Nico wasn't the culprit themself, you guys should take a wild guess who that implicates. (this is probably obvious by this point, but I really don't believe in the theories that suggest that someone other than Nico was responsible for Ace's attempted demise, be it Hu or Ace himself. I feel like it doesn't line up with the current narrative direction that Nico seems to be going in, the physical evidence of them stealing the turpentine, and...I'm gonna be honest, I just don't like it lmao. I'm sure DT-Dev would do it well, but just as a premise I do not favor it. Nico's attempted murder + subsequent regret from it felt like such a big moment in the chapter's narrative in relation to the themes of All That Glitters and the cast revealing sides to themself that weren't as prevalent before, as well as the themes of change and moving on from the past littered all throughout the chapter. I think if Nico's attempted murder was responsible by anyone but Nico, it would just dampen the impact of their overall story for me. That's just me though.) - WE FINALLY GOT ANOTHER NONSTOP DEBATE LETS GO BOYS!!! Nonstop debates I MISSED you - "Hey why does Whit know so much about hangi--" Look. This man is so unbelievably suspicious in every single way that for the sake of my sanity, I'm just gonna assume DT-Dev chose a random character to give the hanging explanation. It is the only way I will survive this chapter - But hey, at least we got this

- As always, I adore the new sprites we got this episode, especially Ace's new ones. It's probably the first sprite of his that actually appears emotionally vulnerable when he's not bleeding profusely from the neck. And of course, I loved David's shit-eating grin towards Teruko, I hope he never changes. - Speaking of Teruko, us getting Tutor Teruko was lovely. She is perfect, she is a little bit of everything all of the time.

(x) Whit: If you're so inclined to complain, Sir Light Pollution, why don't you try and think of some good evidence? Charles: Light pollution? Whit: You know… Cuz he had stars, and now he doesn't, and light pollution makes stars disappear… or… or… something….. Charles: I am truly impressed…by how bad that was.

- I love these dorks so much. I can tell DT-Dev has a lot of fun writing them.

- Teronika Consent animation! I guess after Acevi's Soap Opera, DT-Dev decided to feed the yuri crowd as well. Love it when we get to see those little sprite animations, too.

Predictions for CH2-14 - The episode is 40 minutes long, the longest episode we have had so far. (40 minutes of DRDT content... I'm excited just thinking about it!) Because of that, I think I will just start with my biggest prediction: I think we're getting the culprit reveal this chapter. I don't think that just because of the length either. When you really look at it, we have basically used every piece of evidence at least once with the exception of three: - The conditions of the gym (which I assume will be discussed next) - The scuffs on the ground - The ball of starchy clothes All three of those pieces of evidence I think can definitely be cleared up in the span of 40 minutes, especially since full focus is now on the murder case. I don't necessarily think the trial will end in this episode, but I think we have at least one more trial episode to go before the post-trial + execution + ending of the chapter. - And as the culprit reveal is approaching, I have formulated a tier list of who I think is least - most likely to be Arei's culprit. I will provide my reasoning for each.

No. 17/16 - Xander Matthews + Min Jeung I mean, what it says on the tin. They're dead, and thus couldn't had committed the murder. No. 15/14 - MonoTV + Arei Nageishi There are explicit rules against them being the culprit. Rule 8 and Rule 11 in particular. No. 13 - Teruko Tawaki She is the protagonist. Didn't stop Kaede, but I highly doubt that's where DT-Dev is going. No. 12 - David Chiem Other than the previous five who I've all disqualified from being the culprit, David is probably the character I suspect the least. He has an alibi for the time of the murder, getting breakfast with J and Veronika, and thematically...well, he's basically being set up as the antagonist. I don't think we'll be rid of him this early lmao. No. 11 - Charles Cuevas Charles has a fear of blood and dead bodies, and though I wouldn't say that completely disqualifies him from becoming a culprit in the future, in a case like this with such a complicated mechanism like this where he'd have to be in very close proximity with the body at all times? I highly doubt it. He also has an alibi for the fish (He was with Whit). No. 10 - J Rosales J both has an alibi for the fish (Arturo following her around), and an alibi for the morning (getting breakfast with David and Veronika), and both of those alibis can be confirmed. I don't think she did this. No. 9 - Veronika Grebenshchikova I'll be honest, I really don't see Veronika committing a murder at all. She clearly wants to see this through to the end, and killing someone would come with the risk of her being executed, which I don't think she would see as a satisfying conclusion to her story. That, combined with the fact that she has an alibi for the fish (bothering Teruko) and an alibi for the murder (getting breakfast with David and J) makes me think she didn't do this. No. 8 - Nico Hakobyan You might think it's weird to place Nico this low on the overall tier-list despite them not having an alibi for the fishes, and their morning alibi being...somewhat flimsy but I'll get to that with Hu, but here's my logic. Nico was driven to attempt murder from very specific circumstances. That being, Ace's relentless bullying and abuse towards them. Nico has said before that they'd understand murder if the perpetrator didn't like the victim, and while I don't think they exactly liked Arei, I do not think they harbor the same animosity towards her as they did towards Ace. I truly believe that Nico would only ever resort to murder if they truly despised the person in question and saw no other solution. So that is why I feel comfortable placing Nico at eighth. No. 7 - Hu Jing Hu is also another character that I think some will be surprised to see so low, but I don't think this was her doing. She has an alibi for the fish (cleaning up with Eden), and though again her alibi in the morning is very flimsy (having tea with Nico in the morning,) I do believe she is telling the truth because if she was lying about her alibi, I think the brutally blunt Nico would call her out for it. I'm sorry, I just simply cannot imagine Nico letting that shit slide regardless of how many theories I read. Not to mention I can't really think of a motive for why she would kill Arei specifically when, if she really did want to kill someone, Ace is right there. No. 6 - Whit Young Whit is supremely fucking suspicious and a lot of his behavior in the trial is literal shenanigans, even more so given the fact that he doesn't have an alibi for the actual murder. But he does have an alibi for the fish (again, he was with Charles) which is the main sticking point of Whit!Culprit. His other sticking point is his lack of motive, both in terms of the secrets and Arei specifically. I don't know like- just look at this man, do you think he did this? /joke

No. 5 - Levi Fontana The number one suspect in the fandom for a while, and he's only at number five. He ultimately lacks an alibi for the morning, and his alibi for the fish was that he was doing his laundry... With no one else around. Shady as fuck. But I think given his principles discussed in this episode ("it is a good thing to make sure someone else doesn't die"), and the genuine desire to be helpful he has expressed throughout this trial, I think him being the culprit is unlikely. That's why I was adamant on him being an accomplice for a while because I still thought he had some role in the case, but oh well. No. 4 - Rose Lacroix I'll be honest, Rose is only this high because her alibi situation is worse than Whit's and Levi's combined. Both of her alibis are that she was sleeping in her room, which cannot be proven and can be very easily lied about. But other than that, I don't think she is the culprit. I think this case requires too many physical maneuvers for someone as lethargic as Rose to pull off successfully, and if she were the culprit I don't think she'd bring attention to the missing grippy tape at all. No. 3 - Arturo Giles Arturo does have an alibi for the fish (following J), but does not have an alibi for the morning. Unlike basically every other character here, something else that puts Arturo above them is that he was capable of overhearing Eden and Arei's conversation and forging the note. But there is also a discrepancy present that is also present with every character here, and that is the fact that Arturo did not witness Nico's attempted murder or the condition of Ace's body and the gym, so there was no way he could've replicated the murder method used for Ace on Arei. So though logistically he is a more likely possibility, I don't think it was him. No. 2 - Ace Markey Ace, to me anyway, is the second most likely candidate to being Arei's killer. He does not have an alibi for the fish and could've very easily grabbed them after David and Arei left the Relaxation Room, and he doesn't have an alibi for the morning either. He has a very clear motivation for taking a chance at killing someone, of "someone literally sliced my neck open not two days ago and I know I am not safe here I need to get the fuck out." If you choose to factor in strength, Ace is one of the strongest members of the cast and would be more than capable of the physical maneuvers made to kill Arei. Though I personally don't believe in this theory, if you think Ace attempted suicide instead of Nico trying to kill him, he has the murder method down lock too because he tried to commit it onto himself. He has been shown to be nosy, so it is not improbable that he listened in on Arei and Eden's conversation. And lastly, he is one of the only two suspects who was capable of stealing the grippy tape that was used in the murder. All of the evidence is practically stacked against him... But there are a couple of problems. One, if you believe that Nico did try to kill Ace, than the point about Ace knowing the exact method of death goes out the window. He was knocked out by the turpentine, and woke up in extreme pain in a blinding fury of rage and bloodlust, I don't think his surroundings would be the first thing on his mind. But a much bigger issue we have is the question of... Why would Ace take the tape? Following this theory, his murder plan wouldn't had started until the day after Nico's attempt on his life, it would make no sense for him to take the tape then. These two sticking points are why, though a likely candidate, I do not think Ace is the culprit. That award of main suspect goes to...

No. 1 - Eden Tobisa Yeah, if you've spent any time on this account you probably know I'm an Eden!Culprit truther. There are many well-written posts about this theory that I'm sure you've seen so I'll try to keep this short, but though the theory does have a few flaws to it, the big one being Eden's alibi for the fish that she was cleaning up with Hu, I think Eden being the culprit makes the most sense from an evidence, thematic, and motive standpoint. I know some people have dropped the theory upon the fork reveal, but DRDT is not unbeknownst to killing off characters with certain mysteries left unanswered. That is basically all for my predictions related to the culprit, but I still have some predictions for the overall episode. - Nico's gonna get placed in the hot-seat, obviously, which will definitely cause a reaction out of both Hu and Ace. And I honestly feel like the two of them are going to keep interrupting Nico until they eventually snap. And I hope that happens honestly because unless you count the "I'll kill you" line, we have yet to see or hear Nico when they're actually angry angry. Nico obviously doesn't like conflict, but they might have to get over that if they actually want to defend themself knowing the other two. - I'm still holding out hope we'll get a Random Guess segment lmao - And lastly: I need Whit to break the forth wall at least once I didn't put that on the bingo card for fucking NOTHING

Conclusion I'm gonna be completely honest, I do not have the energy to write anymore and I just want this out lmao. But overall, this was one of my favorite episodes in the whole series. I loved the Levi and Ace stuff, I like that we now have all the secrets, and like I said, the scene with Arei is probably one of my favorite scenes in the show. CH2-14 is going to be a wild ride I can already tell, and if we do find out who the killer is, you will see me screaming. Regardless of if it's Eden lmao.

UPDATED SWEAR STATISTICS CH2-13

UPDATED BINGO CARD

[nerd-cat-rambles]

Danganronpa Characters Watching a Move (at the cinema)

Eats all their food before the movie starts:

Akane - Foodie

Aoi - No self control when it comes to food

Hiro - Somehow accidentally eats it all

Kaito - Trips while walking up the stairs and spills it everywhere.

Nagito - Eats it during the trailers

Cries when the supporting character/animal dies:

Chihiro - Cries when the dog dies

Gundham - Also cries when the dog dies

Himiko - ALSO cries when the dog dies

Kaede - "They were such a supportive character *sniff, sob*"

Mikan - (She cried because the opening was too loud)

Peko - She cried when the dogs were separated in the street

Sakura - "What a loyal character"

Sonia - Cries when the dog dies

Monomi/Usami - "They didn't deserve that" <- Animal and Character

Nekomaru - "They took one for the team... that's loyalty... *sniffling*"

Throws Popcorn/Food at People:

Fuyuhiko - He hits the couple infront of him while they're kissing

Hiyoko - She dumps it on the people being too loud and laughs at them

Kokichi - Throws from far away, Kaito gets blamed and escorted out

Leon - Incredible accuracy, hits the screen when the characters talk, often lands "in their mouths"

Mondo - Throwing popcorn with Leon, missing most of the time, but still having fun.

Monotaro - Dumps it all on his siblings

Gets kicked out of the cinema:

Junko - Already got a permanent ban from it, escorted out on sight.

Kazuichi - Somehow accidentally does something really bad and has to be escorted out, he leaves with Kaito.

Mukuro - Saw the prices of her favourite slushie go up by 50c and threatened the cashier with a hunting knife.

Teruteru - He was innapropriate to the female worker/s.

Monokuma - Escorted out on sight, left right after sneaking in with Junko.

Talking the Whole Time (mostly gets popcorn thrown at them):

Angie - I don't know why, but I think she would.

Ibuki - Extremely loud and constantly gets "shushed"

Hifumi - Rambles about the actors and their voice overs in different anime.

Sayaka - Accidentally unaware, always notices easter eggs

Kiyotaka - Unaware socially and doesn't realise it's wrong

Tenko - Screams at the screen whenever a male comes on, gets shushed constantly and is escorted out to the lobby to wait for the movie to finish.

Monokid - He's just really loud.

Watching the Movie in Peace:

Imposter/Twogami - He's chill about the movie, eats his food quickly and constantly gets up to get more.

Chiaki - Relaxing, fell asleep after the first song/instrumental

Kirumi - Picking up rubbish/popcorn from the floor to help the workers. Stays late to assist with cleanup.

Korekiyo - Occasionally comments, but enjoys the movie nevertheless.

Kyoko - Still and silent, making sligh "huh" "ohhh" noises when she realises plot twists are coming up.

Monodam - Tells everybody to get along, sits with Monomi/Usami and tells the people around him to shush.

Shuichi - Done with everybodies shit by the end, but tolerates it for the other viewers sakes'.

Rantaro - He got no development, I didn't know where to put him.

Ryoma - Sits at the front because he can't see over the seats, quiet and isn't bothered by the others.

Spoils it on Accident:

Keebo - "I read an online forum" and then spoils the majority of the movie.

Mahiru - Searched all the actors on IMDB, watched trailers, found many full movie essay reviews on the movie before buying tickets, went on rotten tomatos for reviews. She wanted to get her moneys worth!

Makoto - Already seen it before because it was trending a week prior, accidentally spoils it but the people next to him don't mind.

Tsumugi - Got spoilers by Mahiru, was already in the fandom, came in cosplay and spoiled a bunch of it while rambling.

Gonta - "Gonta heard (spoils entire plot, then starts talking about the bee movie)"

Monophanie - "Hm I watched a movie like this... (<- It was the movie they were watching and she spoiled it all.)

Hajime - "Oh no... I'm a failure!" "Yes Hajime, a reserve course student hanging out with the Ultimates... you should be a stepping stone!" (<- He then gets mad at Nagito and spoils it to him purposefully, others hear though.)

Spoils it on Purpose:

Byakuya - Ruins the fun for his own enjoyment

Monosuke - Just wants to be annoying

Celestia - Somebody annoyed her because they took too long to order tickets, she got mad and spoiled it for the rest of the cinema loudly when she walked out of the movie.

Miu - Does it for shits and giggles

Toko - Depending on her mood. She gets mad at somebody next to her and yells at them.

Maki - Was in a bad mood when she walked in, only spoiled it because Kaito was escorted out due to Kokichis bad behaviour.

I LOVE MAKING THESE TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS BELOW!

[rantaroamamifuturegf]

Hello, wonderful person on the internet!

Can I ask for a fic with Fem! Reader who is unusually tall and kabedons Fuyuhiko while being super smug about it?

(If you don't know what kabedon is, below is an example)

Thank you for your time

Loving on you

A/N: This is my first time writing a one-shot!!Well a short one-shot but I'll still writing one, so I hope you enjoy!! Sorry it too so long to get out, I've gotten back into classes and got somewhat busy but I'm still making time to write. Anyways I do hope you enjoy sorry it does suck I tried my best! Reader is a bit feisty and sassy bc I don't like Y/Ns who don't have no back bone and as usual spelling errors. Reader is the same height as Akane, 5'7.

Plot: Hanging out with your short boyfriend during a free period and you both got into a small disagreement and he decides to lighten up the mood a bit.

!!Female Reader!!

Character(s) being used: Fuyuhiko

You and Fuyuhiko have been dating for a while now and you both attend Hopes peak together. But due to your height some people find it funny how Fuyuhiko looks more shorter than he usual does when he stand next to you but he always shuts up the person before they can even finish their sentence about the height difference between the both of you.

Personally Fuyuhiko doesn't really mind the height difference but it is a bit embarrassing whenever your both kissing and he's the one having to look up as you while you look down at him, but of course he has his moments where you're the one flustered instead of him. He gets flustered at times as well but always tries to avoiding bring up those moments

Anyways everyone was pretty aware of both of you guys relationship and Peko swore to protect you as much as she protects Fuyuhiko, but he sometimes buts in and says that she doesn't to protect you when he's going to be the one doing it.

there were a couple of times when you shut him down and told him you can protect yourself but he reminds you that he's a yakuza so dating him can be slightly dangerous for you but you stood ground and brushed off his words. Regardless both you and Fuyuhiko were a good couple lol

But as for right now, it was a free period and the both of you were in an empty classroom talking. Unfornately you both were in a small argument about how Fuyuhiko almost got both him and Peko in danger when he was trying to get rid of one of his family's gang rivals the other night.

"(Name) I'm telling you it's no big deal alright? Both me and Peko are okay and my dad said he will dea-" Before he can finish his sentence you cut him off "It's not about who will deal with the situation or not, it's about how reckless you were being! Like did you ever stop and think 'Hey maybe I should just let my old man deal with this because IM JUST A HIGH SCHOOLER' that is exactly what you should have thought before acting!" You said frowning slightly as your boyfriend took a seat on one of the empty desk in the classroom.

"Listen I get what you're saying but they were on my back alright? I care for both me and Peko's life but they were getting to annoying and they had it coming.." He sighed and looked to the ground and crossed his arms, he did feel slightly guilty for almost putting himself and Peko into danger and making you worry wasn't making feel any less guilty but he would be lying if you lecturing him like a child didn't annoy him, but to avoiding getting the argument even worse he kept his mouth shut.

"Well next time can you try to hold back and think before you act? Jeezs I almost feel bad for Peko for having to deal with you at times." You wanted to face palm at his actions but seeing how he actually did feel guilty over his action, you decided to let him off the hook "But I guess for this time, I'll look past it but don't do it again alright?" You crossed your arms and lean against the wall behind you.

He looked up at you then smiled "Yeah yeah I get your words, just stop lecturing me as if I'm your damn kid" He stood up and walked over to you chuckling lightly "Then stop acting like one-" Before you can even finish your sentence, Fuyuhiko then slammed his hand on the wall behind you and grinned "I said stop trying like one alright? I'm your boyfriend (Name), not a kid".

You didn't know how to respond back as you were caught off guard and flustered by his actions as Fuyuhiko stood his ground, despite the obvious height difference knowing that he was able to still make you flustered and embarrassed did make him feel smug.

"Fuyuhiko.." You paused and looked as your smug looking boyfriend as he grin grew slightly as he waited for you to continue "You're just so cute at times" You smiled and hugged him as it was now his turn to be flustered as he blushed slightly then hugged you back "Seriously, You can't just say shit like that out of nowhere...it's ridiculous" "Then don't act all big like that out of nowhere" You giggled as he just scoffed at your words and enjoyed this small moment between the both of you.

The bell did ring signaling that the free period was over, you better not go trying anyone about the cute moment you just spent with your boyfriend or else he'll seriously be even more embarrassed and slightly annoyed.

Hope you enjoy - Manji

[causeitsagame]

UNTITLED ANGSTPROMPT THE FOURTH (OF FOUR)

(At some point, I will find a real title and put it up on AO3. Watch this space!)

My thought when posting the previous chapter: "I don't want to draw out a resolution too far, so I'll promise that there is only one more chapter to go." Me, finishing this chapter while upholding that intention and seeing it brush the 9k word mark: "Well,"

-----

Hajime didn't know what to do.

That wasn't supposed to be possible. He'd been warped and molded and repurposed into the world's Ultimate Goddamn Hope, and that Hope was supposed to have all the answers. But he didn't. He hadn't been able to stop the assault on Jabberwock, and the desperate sacrifice play there had been made by someone else.

Plus, he hadn't even known that particular sacrifice could happen. Talents could only be studied if they were demonstrated, and this wasn't the sort of thing that got shown off to Hope's Peak. And so now, Fuyuhiko was bruised and beaten and hollowed out, and Peko didn't know anything more about how those memories were lost, and Hajime didn't know what to do.

He leaned against the ship's railing and studied the water, unsure of what he was looking for.

Eventually, a voice spoke up. "Hajime?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Ryota. "Yeah?"

Ryota pointed to an insulated travel mug. "It's time for this, again. Do you want to…?" He was the one on the ship who wasn't taken much aback by Fuyuhiko not recognizing him, and he'd made fully half of the infirmary visits so far.

Hajime shook his head. Inside that mug was broth from a pot that Teruteru kept simmering. The calories were important; the warmth, more so. Due to injuries, malnutrition, and low weight, Mikan had diagnosed poikilothermia, or an inability to regulate body temperature. She planned to be in the infirmary constantly until it resolved, and that was a good enough excuse not to be there himself. "No. Thanks."

It probably made him a despicable coward, but he couldn't see Fuyuhiko's condition and know that he was responsible for it. He couldn't watch Fuyuhiko look at him like a total stranger and know that it was because Fuyuhiko had cared more about Hajime than about himself. If Hajime had an idea of what to do next, he'd face down all of that in service of getting it fixed… but he didn't know what to do.

Hajime shook his head again, and Ryota silently walked away.

Memories had been burnt away in torture's incinerator and he was the motivation behind it all. How was he supposed to handle that? Seriously, how in the hell was he supposed to manage his thoughts, his emotions? The gutpunch of nausea that gripped him every time his imagination wandered to the infirmary?

Memory loss aside, this wasn't like Izuru. Fuyuhiko hadn't been scoured away and turned into someone else. Logically, that was a huge relief; emotionally, it somehow made it worse. He was still totally him, voice and expressions and powerful personality. There wasn't anyone to identify and retrieve. He was Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the same as ever… but he just had absolutely no idea who Hajime was.

There were always more tasks to handle on the ship, but no one bothered Hajime as he looked over the edge. He stayed there staring over the water as the sun's reflections moved overhead, and then toward the west.

"Hajime?"

The voice behind him sent a spike of adrenaline rushing. "Is everything okay?"

Mikan nodded, seemingly without any emergency coming along with her. "He's doing better today, I think. But I just… I'm sorry, but I've been with him for twenty-two hours, now. Could you maybe—"

"Oh, God, sorry," Hajime interrupted as he caught up. Now that he bothered to pay attention to anything besides his own misery, he could notice the dark circles under Mikan's eyes and the way her fingertips trembled from exhaustion. He hadn't set foot in the infirmary since the last time she'd taken a sleeping break, and so he hadn't realized how long that'd been.

"No, I'm sorry!" she instantly countered, and held up one of her shaking hands. "I shouldn't need to sleep, but I just nearly dropped a—"

"I've got him," Hajime promised Mikan, and clutched that hand. "Go rest."

She nodded. "I'm only doing a few hours at a time, so I'll be back soon!"

"That's…" Sighing, Hajime let her go. It was probably no use ordering her to look after herself with more than a nap here and there. Well. Time to check on Fuyuhiko.

Peko was waiting outside the infirmary door, and looked as tired as Mikan but far more composed. "You did come," she said with mild surprise.

That hadn't been judgment, but it sure felt like it. "Yeah. Sorry." Hajime ran a hand across his face. "It's just been hard."

"I can only imagine," Peko agreed, with what sounded like real sympathy.

"You look like you could use some sleep, too. I'll be here, if you want to go."

Peko hesitated, but nodded gratefully and stepped away. She turned to look over her shoulder as she left, like she was verifying that Hajime would actually manage to set foot inside the infirmary.

He did so before he could lose his nerve, and was relieved to see Fuyuhiko sleeping. Good. No conversation, no lack of recognition.

First, Hajime reached for a thermometer and aimed it at Fuyuhiko's forehead. Cooler than he should be, so it was no wonder his fists were clenched around a blanket that couldn't keep him warm enough. Hajime reached over and tapped a message window, calling for more hot broth from the galley.

Fuyuhiko was watching him when he turned back.

Hajime jolted, and took a step away before he could help himself.

"So," Fuyuhiko said wryly, and tilted his head toward where his chart hung on the wall. "The guy responsible for all of that." To Mikan's dismay, she'd run out of room when she started listing his injuries. She'd needed to add multiple pages.

Swallowing, Hajime said in a thick, heavy voice, "Yeah. Guess so."

"You never told me why I apparently gave so much of a shit about you. And neither will anyone else." What good humor was in Fuyuhiko's expression flattened into nothing. "You'd think I could get a simple question answered, after everything."

"We…" Hajime looked away. "I'm your best friend." That was the simplest answer.

"Bullshit. I don't have friends."

"Yeah. That's what you told me." It was easier to talk if he didn't meet Fuyuhiko's gaze, and so Hajime kept his attention on the wild landscape beyond the portholes. "But after everything, we were friends. And you realized Peko was actually your friend, too, outside of the clan. And there are other friends here, too. We all care about you."

"'After everything?' After what 'everything?'" Annoyed, Fuyuhiko snapped, "Mind looking at me when I'm talking to you?"

Miserable, Hajime turned back toward Fuyuhiko and the nearly countless injuries he'd taken for Hajime's sake. "After getting away from the… the bad things that you remember. We're all together after that, and we're your friends."

"And you're my 'best friend.'"

"Yeah."

"Who I did this for." Fuyuhiko lifted a forearm, showing off what remained of intricate tattoos. They were marred by a twisted burn scar and jagged, mismatched lines where some deep cuts hadn't healed together in proper alignment.

Hajime closed his eyes and inhaled a shaky breath. "I tried to stop you. You wouldn't listen to me."

"Must've been a reason for it, beyond you being my 'best friend.'" The words came out twisted, mocking. "Why'd I do it?"

"You shouldn't have," Hajime said morosely. "I'm not worth what you went through."

"Not worth it? What, I acted like an idiot when I signed up for this? You're saying that I fucked up?"

Hajime clenched his jaw and didn't respond. He didn't know what to say and every word was just making things worse. The two of them had talked so easily to each other that he didn't know how to handle this reset.

"So," Fuyuhiko said, still with the mocking tone he'd used on Hajime. He looked expectantly toward the new arrival waiting with his latest broth delivery. "Are you one of my best friends, too?"

Hajime turned to the door and winced. Of all people to have gotten that message he'd sent.

Mahiru paused, then said in measured tones, "I wouldn't use that term, no." She stepped into the infirmary and presented Fuyuhiko with his latest meal.

He didn't take the offered mug. "Huh. You're the first person who's had any sort of problem with me," Fuyuhiko noted with genuine curiosity. "Everyone's just been shoveling bullshit to keep me happy. So, what's your deal? What'd you do?"

"What did I do?" Mahiru repeated, uncertain.

"When we were all… y'know."

"Ah. Right." Mahiru set the mug down next to him when he refused to take it. "Propaganda, basically."

"Makes sense. You're…" Fuyuhiko squinted at her, then looked abruptly pleased as his scrambled mind put something into order. "Photography, right? Koizumi?"

She brightened. "Oh! You do remember things. It sounded like you'd forgotten everything, but I guess not. That's great!"

Hajime looked miserably at the floor and said nothing.

"Great?" Fuyuhiko echoed. "I thought you didn't give a shit."

Mahiru perched on the edge of a nearby counter. "We… didn't get along for a long time, but by now, we do. We'll never be each other's first choice to spend time with, but we're honestly fine."

"Fair enough." Fuyuhiko considered her, then asked with a wicked grin, "What happened? You sound like you're dancing around land mines."

Uneasy, Mahiru darted her gaze toward Hajime. "Does he know?" she asked in a strained whisper.

"No, I don't think so," Hajime whispered back. "Probably needed to forget about the whole process."

"What are you two whispering about?" Fuyuhiko demanded.

Mahiru inhaled. "Okay. You're going to find this out, so let me just tell you. To stop being those awful people, we went through a virtual reality simulation. But it went wrong and people started killing each other."

"Virtual," Fuyuhiko repeated without any gravity, clearly picturing some sort of small-scale experience. "So, what, you killed me?"

Mahiru blinked at him hard, then scowled.

Unconcerned, Fuyuhiko corrected to, "Or I killed you?"

"You were going to," Mahiru admitted. "But Peko stepped in."

"Well. Makes sense." Fuyuhiko grinned more broadly and honestly than a face that injured should be able to. "Guess that explains why we're not each other's favorite people, huh?"

Mahiru couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Well, obviously. Anyway, drink your broth. You're supposed to have it while it's hot."

Still smirking at her, Fuyuhiko reached for the insulated mug and lifted it like he was making a toast, then took a drink. She apparently took that as both thanks and farewell, and left the infirmary with light steps.

Hajime stared after her. Fuyuhiko was getting along better with Mahiru than him? Mahiru?! What the hell was going on?

"I'll get some more sleep," Fuyuhiko announced when he'd finished. "So you can stop looking ready to shit yourself."

Hajime could argue with that assessment, but he wouldn't make a very good job of it. With fresh sighs, he stared out the porthole until Fuyuhiko had fallen asleep, then waited aimlessly for Mikan's return.

Days passed like that.

Fuyuhiko's purple bruises faded to green and yellow. Thinner cuts disappeared into barely-there scars, while deeper gouges healed under Mikan's stitches. The hollows under his eyes and cheekbones didn't look quite as cavernous, and he finally managed to sleep through the night without waking up shivering. But he never recognized Hajime.

Hajime Hinata did have a talent that Hope's Peak had never cared about, and that was caring about people. But he wasn't allowed to use it, now. Izuru Kamukura had every talent on the planet. But none of them were any good, here.

He couldn't take this any more, Hajime told himself as he stared at nothing. Fuyuhiko had graduated to actual food, but with the scope of his lingering injuries, he still stayed in the infirmary. That meant that he yet needed to be brought his meals, and once Mahiru had held a successful conversation with him, everyone else was willing to try.

"You lied to me!" Kazuichi insisted. He was next to Fuyuhiko while Hajime stood just outside the door, but voices carried.

Fuyuhiko shrugged and slid a spoon into the thick, hearty stew he'd been handed. "Probably, yeah."

Kazuichi gasped, betrayed.

"You're easy to fool and you panic in a crisis," Fuyuhiko continued. "I remember that much. And you want to believe in people."

Though Kazuichi's offense deepened with the first two additions, the last one softened his outrage. "Well, yeah. I didn't know how you were going to get out of it, but when you said you had a plan to save everyone, I believed you. One hundred percent."

Fuyuhiko smirked. "As expected."

"Jerk," Kazuichi snorted, but the easy back-and-forth had him happier than he'd been ever since they saw the invading forces on the radar. "Hey, so, what else do you remember about me?"

Fuyuhiko made Kazuichi wait until he'd chewed and swallowed a mouthful. "That's a pretty damn big ask. Narrow the scope a little."

"Okay." Kazuichi screwed up his face in thought. "What's the first thing you remember about me after we woke up?"

"Woke up?" Fuyuhiko echoed.

"On the island."

He shrugged. "I got rid of all of that. People have told me there was a program, but I must've thought it was too risky to know about."

"Oh." Dismayed, Kazuichi considered, then tried again. "Uh, okay… what about when I showed up to class in a suit?"

Staring at him for a long, considering moment, Fuyuhiko abruptly laughed. "Fuck, you looked ridiculous. To 'impress Miss Sonia,' right?"

Kazuichi grinned, delighted. "I saw you go off to handle some family business, and you looked a lot cooler than in your uniform. I thought maybe it'd work for me, too."

"It didn't," Fuyuhiko said, then rolled his gaze thoughtfully upward. "Heh. Guess there's more in there than I thought. Even if it's nothing that really matters."

"No, this matters. It matters like you wouldn't believe!" Cheerfully, Kazuichi clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll let you eat, all right?"

"Finally," Fuyuhiko agreed, but with no real rancor.

Still in bright spirits, Kazuichi moved for the door, only to process that Hajime had been listening in with an increasingly gutted expression. "Uh. Sorry, man," he whispered, and hurried down the corridor.

Well. The good news was that Fuyuhiko was feeling better. His pain tolerance was beyond description, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. Now that he was on the mend, and his pain steadily ebbed and his body again functioned like it should, his overall mood had followed suit. That'd opened him up to bits of nostalgic connection with the people brave enough to try it.

The bad news, Hajime thought as stepped away to let Fuyuhiko eat in privacy, was exactly the same as ever. To Fuyuhiko, Hajime was still as much of a blank void as what he'd been turned into during the Kamukura Project.

Had Mahiru really been the one to set this off? She'd practically skipped into the mess hall and announced that Fuyuhiko had remembered specifics about her, and that sent a jolt of optimism across the entire group. Which made sense. It was logical. But it still just seemed so odd that she—of all people—had been the first ray of real hope for Fuyuhiko.

Of course, Fuyuhiko had clearly appreciated that Mahiru had been the first 'stranger' to be honest with him about any darker topics. Maybe there was a lesson in that. Hajime waited, and considered, and eventually decided. He steeled his nerves and walked into the infirmary. Without preamble, he asked, "So. You really want to know why you did this for me?"

Fuyuhiko blinked. "Obviously," he said and set aside his empty bowl. Finally, he looked interested in something that Hajime had to say.

How to approach this? "When we were at Hope's Peak," Hajime slowly began, and took a chair near Fuyuhiko, "I got experimented on."

"Experimented?" Fuyuhiko repeated. His brow furrowed. "How?"

"They wanted me to be able to do more things," Hajime summarized, neither wanting to get bogged down in the details nor to relive his own horrors by doing so. "It involved a lot of surgery and some… other stuff."

Fuyuhiko's gaze grew increasingly curious as he studied the scars running across Hajime's forehead. "'Do more things?' What can you do, then?"

"Anything." Fuyuhiko's curiosity and good mood vanished at the seemingly flippant reply, and Hajime insisted, "Seriously, anything. That was the point of the project. Medicine, combat, languages… anything. And they did some physical development work to support all of those talents, too."

Fuyuhiko waited with obvious incredulity, but did look impressed when Hajime reached for a small dentist's mirror and bent its metal handle as easily as if it'd been a plastic straw. "Well, shit. Looks handy."

"Yeah. In theory, I could even try to fix your memories." Fuyuhiko also looked interested in that, but Hajime shook his head. He'd seen an answer to that question very quickly, but it had come with the simultaneous, gutting realization that there was no possible way to get access to what he'd need. And so, it hadn't really been an answer at all. "I can't actually do that," he clarified. "Ten different navies would be on us before we docked the ship."

Disappointed, but not surprised, Fuyuhiko shrugged. I knew what I was in for, the gesture seemed to say.

Hajime hesitated before continuing, trying to straighten out the mirror's handle as he did. His voice was quiet when he did speak. "There were side effects, too. Some… some really bad ones. But the school didn't care what happened. I was just their lab rat."

Silence answered him, hanging painfully heavy. A good ten seconds ticked by on the infirmary's clock. After that pause, Fuyuhiko concluded, "And they probably want their lab rat back."

Hajime looked at the floor and nodded.

"So… this isn't a one-time thing, then," Fuyuhiko slowly continued. "They'll always want to get ahold of you."

Hajime hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah."

"Then I'm going to have to do this again."

The words stabbed terror through his heart. "Never," Hajime instantly spat. After a deep breath, he strove for humor, but only sounded agonized as he forced words through his tight throat. "I mean, you don't care about me, right? No need to do anything for me again."

Fuyuhiko's gaze darkened. "If I think something's worth doing, I stick to it. Even if I don't remember why now, I must have had my reasons then."

Fuck it all, why was he so kneejerk stubborn? "They are never, ever getting their hands on you again. I won't let it happen."

"You won't let? I don't take orders from you." Dark memory filled Fuyuhiko's gaze, and he muttered, "I remember being in charge. I was giving the orders. If this is what I decided I need to do…"

The thought of Fuyuhiko getting captured again filled Hajime with panic; the thought of him willingly walking back into hell had him practically delirious with it. "Well, you're not getting past every single person on this ship. We're not letting you throw yourself away again!" By the end, Hajime stood and was nearly shouting.

Instantly obstinate, Fuyuhiko leaned forward, uncaring of the fragile figure he still struck in the hospital bed. "I'd like to see them try and stop me."

A disbelieving laugh broke free. "Oh yeah? Look at you!" Hajime cried before he could help it, and gestured to the mess two months of torture had made of Fuyuhiko. "Say you could actually get past us. You think you could really head back for more?" Even as he said the words, he knew they were a critically wrong move.

Fury sparked behind Fuyuhiko's eye. "What, you think I can't take it?"

"Will you just—"

"Fuck off! From what I've heard from everyone, I'm who saved their asses last time, not you! Me, not some superpowered lab rat!"

Electricity seemed to run down his spine, and words poured out of Hajime before he could stop them. "You know what, Fuyuhiko? No. No, you can't take another round of this. You barely survived this one."

"Don't tell me what I can't do."

"Lose even another couple of kilos again, and you will fall back into poikilothermia and die in a torture chamber. It's not a question." Hajime leaned forward and propped his weight on the side of Fuyuhiko's bed. "You are not taking the bullet for me again. Because—listen carefully—you. Can't. Do. This."

As expected, nothing filled Fuyuhiko with fury like the implication of weakness. This was far from weakness, but was the simple limit of how much any human could take. Even so, it landed as terribly as he knew it would, but Hajime just hadn't been able to stop the words from pouring out. Spending this long mired in misery and guilt had worn away his defenses; hearing that Fuyuhiko was already planning for more torture and certain death lit a fuse.

"Get out," Fuyuhiko spat, looking ready to lunge out of his hospital bed with his hands aimed for Hajime's throat. "And don't let me see your face again."

"Heard that one before," Hajime said tiredly, and walked for the door. Once there, he turned. "You're not going to throw your life away for someone you clearly don't give one single shit about."

"This has nothing to do with you. This is about me and what I decided to do. Now: get out."

Hajime managed to round two corners before the first ragged sob ripped free. He leaned against a wall and wiped away hot, angry tears with a rough swipe of his wrist. Shit. Goddammit.

Trying to be honest with Fuyuhiko had been one bad fucking move.

Soon, he found himself doing engine repairs three months ahead of schedule, just so he'd have something to focus on. His hands stayed busy, his mind stayed quiet, and his heart hid in a corner and didn't dare to speak up. It worked for hours of distraction, but eventually, the dinner chime sounded. He didn't want people to come looking for him, and so Hajime tiredly headed to the mess hall. He'd sit by himself.

Everyone was there, save Fuyuhiko. Nearly all of the people who made up Hajime's world were right here in this one room. It was a dozen different shades of 'loud,' from laughter to arguments to excitement. Looking at them, no one would think the group had been chased from their home mere months earlier.

They probably want their lab rat back.

But they had been chased off Jabberwock, and they'd barely made it out alive. Because Hajime hadn't kept any of these people safe, despite being the military's biggest target.

They probably want their lab rat back.

He'd let that happen to Fuyuhiko.

They probably want their lab rat back.

The soldiers were going to keep coming.

Through dull eyes, Hajime looked around the room and imagined bullets ripping through skulls. The men targeting them planned to kill everyone besides himself, Sonia, and Fuyuhiko, right? And the other two would face torture until their knowledge was wrung dry. (…More torture.)

And what did they have to face those entire military fleets when they did inevitably come? Not a full island chain with its own defensive capabilities, like they'd used last time. No: now they had a ship, singular, and one helicopter. They'd failed before, and now their situation was even worse.

Hajime was pretty sure that he could single-handedly take over another vessel, if it came to that. But he'd need the opportunity to do so. If a battleship or submarine sent a torpedo at them from a kilometer away, he'd never get that chance.

If soldiers came for him again, all of these people would die or end up in torture chambers. Hajime wouldn't be able to stop it. And so, once again, he didn't know what to do.

At the end of his fatalistic survey across the room, Hajime's attention lingered on someone. Memories whispered, almost too softly to hear at first, until he really listened to what they said. His expression shifted slowly, from misery to uncertainty to realization.

Oh. Oh. Of course. He should have seen this sooner.

Nagito only looked up after the lightbulb had gone off. He blinked in confusion over Hajime blatantly staring at him, and gestured to himself like he expected a question to be asked. Hajime shook his head once. No need to ask a question; Nagito had already given him an answer.

Yes. Right.

That had been the answer, all along.

He just hadn't wanted to admit what was being asked of him.

At the end of his brief dinner, Hajime stood and walked over to another table. "I'm taking the chopper," he whispered to the Imposter. "I'll be back later."

That earned a confused blink. "What's happening? Do you need a co-pilot?"

"No. It'll be quick, I'll be back by morning. I just didn't want you to wonder where it was."

"All right." The answer was uncertain, but Hajime didn't bother offering reassurance or clarification as he walked off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nagito hurry over to talk to the Imposter. "The helicopter?" Nagito repeated with surprise, and Hajime sped his pace. He didn't want to deal with any sort of explanation.

Soon, the helicopter lifted smoothly off its landing pad under his controls. He tilted it toward the southeast, and as he circled around, noticed that he was being observed by a white head of hair dyed the colors of sunset. Hajime returned his attention to the sky and flew onward.

Two hours later, he descended toward a pitch-black expanse carved out of another forest. There were many such abandoned military bases around the world, and with a global power shortage, they weren't bothering to keep the lights on. Many of the supplies here had been carried off, but not all; they'd gotten the helicopter he was flying from this same base, along with enough replacement parts to last them a decade.

Using only moonlight and starlight, Hajime located a runway and used it as a landing pad. As he hopped out of the craft and to the ground, he hoped that the Canadian forces hadn't carried off what he needed as they pulled back to defend Vancouver.

Cracks ran across the tarmac, and weeds pushed through. Once, this had been a world-class facility for world-class soldiers, but so much had been abandoned when half the world fell. Those soldiers were now after him, Hajime reminded himself. They were after his friends. And they had hurt one friend in ways that he couldn't even describe.

Steeling his resolve, Hajime hurried through the crisp, chill darkness in search of a way to stop all of those soldiers from ever getting a second chance. His light, precise footsteps echoed across the sprawling pavement and between the concrete buildings. Only the soft cries of nearby owls interrupted him. This once-bustling base was silent, now, and the natural world was beginning to reclaim what humanity had abandoned.

Aha, Hajime saw as he trailed heavy cables across the ground and found the control box that collected them. It was attached to a concrete block of a building, unlabeled and unremarkable. Here it was. Not bothering with niceties, he kicked at the door like he was trying to drive in someone's chest, and proceeded inside when it wrenched off its hinges.

Relief soon swept him. Yes. They'd left behind exactly what he needed.

With the assistance of a few spare duffel bags, Hajime began scooping up every piece of abandoned telecommunications equipment left in this control room. Their group had been using that slow, secretive frequency, but it was time to take a different approach. Trying to duck down and hide in the shadows, as they'd been doing, could only protect them for so long. Hajime refused to be the prey again, left to be tracked and discovered.

As he exited the building, a gust of wind whipped past and caught a tattered flag left on its pole. Red and white. For a moment, Hajime was back walking through the ruins of military bases with a red sun flying over them, rather than a maple leaf. Those were the soldiers most desperate to find him. Although they had allies around the world who also sought the Remnants, it was Japanese forces who'd led the assault on Jabberwock and captured Fuyuhiko.

They'd regret that.

Confident that he'd found all that he needed, Hajime loaded the duffel bags into the helicopter, refueled, and set back off for their hiding place near the Alaskan Panhandle. There were still hours of darkness left when he landed. He should sleep, first, to make sure he had a clear head. He was trying to change the world, after all.

Well into morning, his efforts were going well. Hajime had taken over the control cabin of the ship, as he needed access to some of its systems. His in-progress work with the military electronics he'd raided already covered half the room.

"Hajime?" Nagito asked as he stepped into the control room.

He didn't look up from his work. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

Still studying the electronics in front of him, Hajime smiled. It might be a dark, unbalanced expression. Nagito's behavior inside the simulation had served as his inspiration, after all. "You'd probably say something about 'creating hope.'"

Silence. Then, "Whose hope?"

That earned another smile. "Good question." Nagito didn't say anything else, but neither did he leave. Eventually, Hajime continued, "Nagito. I want to ask you something. About the Funhouse. When you learned the truth about us, what ran through your head?"

Those soldiers on Jabberwock had come hunting for Hajime, and they didn't care who they'd hurt in the process. No, that wasn't right: they'd come hunting for Hajime, and they would gleefully slaughter most of his friends if they got the chance. Those who they didn't slaughter, they'd torture.

And not just torture, Hajime knew as he thought about what was left of Fuyuhiko, but destroy. Utterly. The so-called good guys would rip out everything that made up the people he cared about. Those men who'd come for Hajime and the men who'd done this to Fuyuhiko could make zero claim at being on the side of good, despite all claims to the contrary.

Nagito's concern deepened at the seeming non sequitur, but he still didn't try to pull Hajime away from whatever he was working on. After that long pause, he answered, "I had to stop everyone. Before you hurt anyone else."

"Right. Exactly." Hajime reached for a wire and stripped its coating. "You asked whose hope I'm creating, so: our hope. I apparently have to pick, and so I pick our hope." He'd might have been created as the world's hope, but his world had been reduced to the people on this ship.

There was another long pause from the man at the door. Hajime wondered if Nagito would demand to know exactly what he was planning, or would spout off more speeches about how the entire world's hope rested in his hands. But no. After that aching pause, Nagito simply murmured, "I understand" and turned, closing the door behind him.

Hajime nodded and leaned back in to his work.

It took him eight days, and he barely left the room until he was done. Fuyuhiko was probably relieved about that.

At the end of those eight days, when Hajime was sure that his plan would work, he walked to the infirmary and was surprised to find it empty. A quick check of the roster told him that Fuyuhiko had moved to a normal room, right next to Peko's, and Hajime headed there with purpose. Even if Fuyuhiko connected with every other person on this ship better than with Hajime, it was doubtful he'd willingly spend much time socializing.

As expected, the door opened, and the face behind it wasn't happy. "Well," Fuyuhiko said shortly, and studied him. He looked much healthier than before; once he'd made it through the worst stretch, he'd apparently improved rapidly. A thick sweater appeared to be enough to keep him warm. "You listened to me for a week, at least."

Right. Fuyuhiko didn't want to see his face again. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing something for you on deck as soon as it gets dark," Hajime levelly said. "You don't have to come. But if you look through the porthole and wonder what you're seeing, you'll know what's up."

Fuyuhiko blinked. "Huh? The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't worry about it."

"If you're doing something for me," Fuyuhiko snapped, "without my permission, then I'm gonna fuckin' worry!"

"So, we're talking about asking the other person's permission, now?" Hajime said, and didn't try to soften how pointed the words were. "Anyway. You can come if you want, or not." He turned and left without further explanation, leaving Fuyuhiko blinking behind him.

Even if Fuyuhiko hated him, and even if he never wanted to see Hajime again, Hajime was his best friend. He was going to take care of Fuyuhiko and stop what had happened from ever, ever repeating.

Whether Fuyuhiko wanted him to or not.

And he was going to protect everyone else, too, Hajime calmly told himself as they joined him on the deck. Those soldiers never should have been able to sneak up on them, and the local radar never should had been the first warning sign they had. If he'd protected his friends to begin with, none of this would have happened.

Confusion ran wild. All everyone knew was that Hajime was working on something supposedly important, with components taken from a military base, but there were no weapons to be seen. He didn't look aggressive, either; if anything, he looked eerily calm as he stared up at the sky.

"Mind clueing us in?" Akane demanded, hugging herself tightly. She treated the cold as an opponent, and she always hated to admit defeat. At least she'd relented into putting on a pair of sweatpants, but she still refused to wear a coat.

Hajime smiled slightly at the sight, and of everything he knew of her. He'd protect her, too, like he'd failed to do on Jabberwock.

"Seriously," Hiyoko complained. She too had resisted dressing for the increasingly cold weather, but she'd finally given in at the first dusting of snow. As Mahiru leaned over to pull her in to a warmth-sharing hug, Hiyoko wondered, "What have you even been doing, anyway? Did your big fight with Fuyuhiko make you turn tail and hide for that long?"

It probably wasn't a surprise that secrets spread quickly within tight quarters. "Simple," Hajime said, and looked back up at the night sky. "I'm doing what I should have done before all of this happened in the first place: protecting everyone."

"How?" Kazuichi asked, audibly nervous. "Didn't you go to, uh…"

"A military base?" Nagito concluded. He wasn't outright nervous like Kazuichi, of course, but even he sounded at least apprehensive about Hajime's uncharacteristic behavior and whatever he'd left him to do in that room. Nagito sounding even mildly concerned about something managed to unnerve Ryota and Teruteru, too.

"Yes."

Hajime's blunt answer did nothing to soothe their nerves, and the group looked between themselves.

Sonia gathered her courage and stepped forward. "Hajime, when the five of us chose to shut down the program, we did so for the safety of the world. You musn't—" Her voice faltered when his attention turned toward her.

Hajime could only imagine what his expression looked like, right now. Those soldiers had come in search of Izuru Kamukura. After what they'd done to the people he cared about, they'd found him.

She collected her courage and tried again. "You mustn't hurt anyone, Hajime."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," he said like it was self-evident. That lack of trust should have hurt, but he distantly realized that his voice had indeed gone flat, all its emotional affectation falling away. It had been a very, very long stretch of months. Feelings had failed him over and over again as they went on, and now, he just needed to fix these problems before they could happen again.

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

The voice sliced through Hajime's disaffected thoughts, and he blinked with surprise. Fuyuhiko stood near the stairs, ready to return below deck in an instant, but he was there.

"Sorry, Fuyuhiko," Hajime said as all of those squelched emotions rushed back into him like surging floodwaters, and he flexed his hand around the small controller it held. "I know you said you didn't want me making this decision for you. Well. I'm gonna."

"Huh?" Fuyuhiko asked, too confused to be angry.

Turning back to the sky, Hajime inhaled.

He was about to end the world.

Again.

Before he could talk himself out of this, his thumb clicked the button to confirm the algorithm he'd spent a week building. Humanity's greatest genius had used a modified satellite phone taken from the Canadian base to hack into every government and military system left in this broken world, and slithered into their cracks and shadows. After that, he'd started calculating angles and vectors and control mechanisms. And now, he'd just put all of those controls into effect.

There was a full minute of wary silence as they waited for anything to happen, finally broken by Nagito wondering, "Hajime… what did you do?"

"I'm not hurting anyone," he calmly repeated. "I'm just going to stop them before they hurt anyone else."

Nagito still looked unsettled, especially at the echo of his own words, but said nothing more.

As Hajime looked up at the sky and waited, his breath suddenly caught as he realized Fuyuhiko had walked up next to him. Though his tight expression demanded answers, Hajime could only say, "I owe you this."

"Owe me what, exact… ly…" Fuyuhiko's question trailed off into nothing as a spectacular streak of light burned across the sky.

A few people gasped. Realizing what they must be thinking, Hajime said, "It's not a missile. Don't worry. But keep watching."

Another streak of light blazed overhead, then a third. And then, suddenly, it became a waterfall of shining, gleaming color tearing apart the night sky. A meteor shower like the Perseids might see a hundred so-called falling stars in an hour. This was thousands of points of light, in minutes.

It was beautiful. Even though he'd known what was about to happen, Hajime couldn't help but stare up in awe at the choir of light singing an intricate melody overhead. Runs, chords, arpeggios; the glimmering lines wrote out a song that had never been seen in the history of the world, and would never be seen again.

"What did you do?" Fuyuhiko asked in an amazed whisper as he stared up at the glorious show above.

"I owe you this," Hajime repeated, also in a whisper, then stayed silent until calm, dark night finally returned.

A few final streaks of light followed their brethren down to earth. Only when they were sure that no more would follow did everyone turn to Hajime. Every last face demanded answers.

For it, he held up his hand to show off the small controller held in his palm.

"They had… that at the military base?" Kazuichi asked weakly.

"No." Hajime smiled as genuine relief swept him, like he hadn't felt for a very long time. "It just set off my algorithm."

"Which did what?" Peko prompted.

"Directed ninety-three percent of all functioning satellites out of orbit. And I now control the other seven percent."

That took a moment to sink in, then earned a collective gasp. "Those were satellites?" Mahiru demanded. "Like, television and internet and phone satellites?"

Hajime looked back up at a now-empty sky. "Like spy satellites. Like military targeting and attack satellites. They're never going to find any of you again. And with the ones I kept, I'll know if they even make an attempt. It'll be impossible to take us by surprise, ever again."

Overwhelmed, Sonia clutched her forehead. "Every telecommunications network around the world just collapsed." Gundham stared at Hajime like he'd wielded some dark magical powers to put on that spectacular display.

"Not every one," Hajime calmly countered. "Land-based towers will still work fine, and there are plenty of those. And I spent the last four days making sure that no satellites would angle toward populated areas, just in case they didn't burn up. No one was hurt. Which is a lot more than those soldiers can say.

"I didn't hurt anyone," he repeated in the silence. "But… I realized that I had to decide who I'm protecting, actively. And I picked you."

Aware of the stunned figure still standing at his side, Hajime quietly repeated, "I picked you. You won't have to do it again. And I'll stop talking to you, now."

Fuyuhiko's eye opened as wide as Hajime had ever seen it, and he looked up to stare again at the heavens that had been ripped down to keep him safe.

"All right. That's it." Hajime smiled. "Show's over. If we want, we could set sail tomorrow. They're never going to find us again."

He didn't know whether to expect it or not, but a knock came on his cabin door an hour later. When Hajime opened it, Fuyuhiko met his gaze for only a couple of seconds before studying the floor between them. "What in the hell was… I didn't ask for that."

"I know. But I owed you that much, Fuyuhiko. If I had done what I was capable of early enough, then you wouldn't have been forced into doing what you were capable of. I screwed up, so now I fixed it."

"When they figure out what happened, you're just going to be even more of a target," Fuyuhiko muttered. "Biggest bad guy on the planet."

He shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. "Already am, right?"

Fuyuhiko snorted slightly, but admitted, "Who… made his project take twice as long, so that he wouldn't hurt people. I would've just figured that everything would burn up."

"None of us want to hurt people," Hajime agreed, and instinctively raised his hand toward the fresh, deeper scar that had been carved across Fuyuhiko's bad eye. He caught himself halfway there and lowered his hand. "But the 'good guys' apparently can't say the same. So I picked us. And I don't regret it. They won't be able to see or hear us well enough to find us, any more, and so you'll never have to do that again."

For once, the silence between them seemed comfortable, like it had been before, when they could sit in each other's presence and not feel the immediate need to fill the quiet. In that quiet, Hajime was finally able to think of the right thing to say. "Don't think of this as coming from a friend. We apparently can't be that, any more. But I owed you a debt, and I needed to repay it."

Fuyuhiko studied him, clearly aware that Hajime had deliberately chosen language from Fuyuhiko's world, and seemed to consider him anew. Maybe, just maybe, they did understand each other, despite all this time seeming to say otherwise. "Hey. Lab rat."

"Don't call me that," Hajime instantly countered.

Not bothering to apologize, Fuyuhiko continued, "So, you just took out every way for militaries to track us, right? Plan offensive maneuvers? Organize their fleets?" After getting a nod at each question, he slowly finished, "Then… didn't you say you'd thought of something that might fix my memories, if only you could get past the military?"

Everything went still, and Hajime's eyes opened wide as he realized what he'd accidentally done as part of his plan.

"I just…" Troubled, Fuyuhiko tried a few times to finish his thoughts. "What you did up there tonight, I…" He shifted his weight. "I guess you finally made me curious about caring that damn much."

Hajime gripped his hand before he could help it. "Okay. Before we sail back there, I need to know if they would have gone back to look inside a specific building. I don't think you do, but do you know anything about something called the Neo World Program? Anything at all?"

Fuyuhiko blinked back at him with a total lack of recognition. "That's a dumbass name."

With a crow of delighted laughter over the confirmation that Fuyuhiko had never told them a thing, Hajime unthinkingly drew him into a hug.

"Get off me!" Fuyuhiko spat, his good mood gone.

"Sorry," Hajime chuckled, and stepped away. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"If you try to act like a friend who hugs me," Fuyuhiko muttered, "I'm gonna change my mind about this."

Hajime held up his hands. "Right. No hugs. Sorry."

"Okay. Glad we've gotten that straightened out." Fuyuhiko cleared his throat. "We're not friends. You've just got me curious. That's it."

"Absolutely," Hajime agreed. "That's it."

"Well. Okay. Right." Fuyuhiko hesitated a moment longer, then turned and walked off without a good-bye.

Hajime watched him leave, then turned and flat-out ran the other direction, toward the stairs. It was time to weigh anchor, and he'd figure out the safest path back toward Jabberwock once they were in motion. That would be easy enough; they still had access to all remaining navigational and spy satellites, after all, while every single one of their enemies had just been thrown back into navigating by compass and map.

Eighteen days later, they were back.

Everyone looked wistfully at the familiar beaches and palm trees. Even if they'd blinded the world's militaries, it was too dangerous to stay permanently in this known location. They could make return trips to strip the islands of what supplies they had to offer, but this wasn't home, any more.

"Come on," Hajime said, and gestured to the dock. "In there."

Fuyuhiko looked warily toward the central administration building; familiar to Hajime, but an unknown location to him. "What are we doing, exactly? You said this is where that virtual game thing happened, but I'm not doing that again, am I?"

He shook his head as they set into motion. "No. In a worst-case scenario, I can look for the same memory files that were generated when the simulation ran before. That wouldn't be… ideal, since it'd have some holes and nothing past when we woke up, but it'd be better than now." And Fuyuhiko would be balanced on the edge of Ultimate Despair, again, but they could all pull him off the ledge in the right direction.

"Okay," Fuyuhiko said, clearly troubled, but making the active decision to trust Hajime. "What's the best-case scenario, then? How would you get the memories back, otherwise?"

"I don't think they're actually gone," Hajime theorized.

That earned a dark look. "I'm pretty damn sure I knew what I was doing, there."

"You absolutely cannot reach those memories," Hajime quickly agreed. "Which kept those guys from being able to, either. But, it's like… imagine two buildings with a road between them. When you told me about what you did, I realized that I don't think you blew up the buildings. They're still there. I think you just blew up the road, so there's no way to access them."

"Okay," Fuyuhiko said uncertainly. "What's the difference, then, in fixing them?"

"Cognitive psychology studies retrieval methods for information that has been stored in long-term memory." The formal explanation quickly earned annoyance, and Hajime changed to, "You changed your associations with them, so you can't pull your memories out. You blew up the road, in other words. But there are pods—" Please, let the pods still be there. "That are specifically designed to deal with memories. I'm positive I can tweak them to zero in on fixing your retrieval processes. I won't need to actually rebuild any memories. I'll just need to fix the roads."

"Makes sense," Fuyuhiko said, but sounded even more uncertain as the details poured in. "So, I'm going to get into a weird memory pod that was used to lock me into a killing game, and you're gonna fuck with my brain. Like the pod already did, once."

"That's." Hajime paused, then held back a grimace. "Yeah. I wouldn't use those words, but… that's technically accurate, yeah."

Fuyuhiko looked to the side, and Hajime realized someone had followed them to the building. "What do you think?"

"It's as I've been telling you, all this time." Peko nodded. "You can trust Hajime."

Fuyuhiko stared at the building looming overhead, then sighed. "Fuck it." He pushed his way inside, not waiting for them to follow.

When Hajime moved to do so, a hand caught his wrist. "Thank you," Peko whispered, with a rare smile.

He smiled, too. "You got him out."

"And you'll get him back." She stepped back, releasing his wrist. "I won't keep you. But truly: thank you."

Nodding, Hajime reached over and squeezed her wrist before he followed Fuyuhiko inside. He found Fuyuhiko in the lobby, looking critically at the looming statue representing the five islands; he hadn't known which hallway to use after entering. Hajime led him down a path that they'd walked countless times while working on their sleeping friends, and kept glancing at him to see if any recognition flickered.

None did, but that might also have been because of how focused he was on assessing the space around them. "No signs of forced entry anywhere," Fuyuhiko mused. "And there's dust."

"It doesn't look like anyone's been down here," Hajime agreed, but his pulse sped as they approached the final corridor. He took and held a deep breath as he pushed open the door in question.

The pods were still there.

His lungs emptied, and Hajime's heart lurched back into regular motion. "Okay," he said, and tried to not let on how worried he'd been that they might come all this way only to find that the military had carried off the island's heart. "Pick a pod."

Fuyuhiko eyed him oddly—Hajime's nerves had clearly come through—but he shrugged and walked over to the pod nearest to the main control panel. "So, I just…?"

"You just get in," Hajime confirmed, and tapped the pod's panel to open it.

Needing another few contemplative moments, Fuyuhiko let out a whooshing breath, nodded, and climbed into the empty pod. "Don't fuck up, lab rat."

"Don't call me that," Hajime reminded him, hopefully for the last time, and tapped the controls to close the pod. Inside, Fuyuhiko watched him through its fogged glass, then abruptly dropped into unconsciousness as its effects took hold.

Okay. Time to be someone's Ultimate Hope, again.

Hajime's fingers flew across the controls as he worked on repurposing the intricate code of the Neo World Program. Software code and neurological structures both reshaped under his expert hands, but it wasn't a quick process. He'd reprogrammed the world's satellites, but reprogramming Fuyuhiko's brain felt infinitely more consequential.

Eventually, he had to activate the program and turn it over to the machine. It was out of his hands, now, and he could only wait, watch, and hope. Eighty-seven anxious minutes later, a light turned from green to white. The program had ended.

Fear and anticipation filled him in equal measure. He was almost sure this would work, but if it didn't, Hajime didn't have another plan. It would work, right? It would work. It would work. It had to work, he told himself as he reached for the pod's controls and tapped OPEN. It had to work.

The pod door slowly opened, and Fuyuhiko's eyelid followed.

Hajime leaned over him, realizing his own hands were shaking. "H-hey." He swallowed, feeling suddenly weighed down by the gravity of this moment. Either he was about to get Fuyuhiko back, or it would prove impossible. "How'd it go?"

Fuyuhiko blinked at him once. Twice.

Hajime looked down, and again swallowed hard.

Abruptly, Fuyuhiko lunged halfway out of the pod and grabbed Hajime by his shirt collar. "You asshole! I told you not to bother!"

"You told me?" Hajime repeated with a tremulous, hopeful voice.

"All of those fucking satellites? They're gonna know it was you!"

He swallowed. "And who am I?"

Fuyuhiko's lower lip quivered. "Hajime Hinata. The world's biggest idiot."

Delirious joy overtook Hajime, and he leaned in for a hug that lifted Fuyuhiko the rest of the way out of his pod. One arm wrapped around the other man's back, holding him close, while his other hand rested along the curve of Fuyuhiko's head. "You're the idiot," Hajime laughed, and rested his face against Fuyuhiko's.

"Fuck you," Fuyuhiko snorted, and wrapped his arms around Hajime in return, allowing himself to be held like he seldom did. "My plan worked great."

"Well, so did mine." Hajime's grip tightened, though he remembered in time that Fuyuhiko still had deep injuries lurking inside. "I picked you. Just like you picked me."

Fuyuhiko tried to say something, but failed.

"Thank you," Hajime whispered. Now that sun had returned to his world, he could admit to what fate Fuyuhiko had saved him from. "God, thank you. Never do that again. Never."

"That's the plan," Fuyuhiko whispered, and laughed once. It faded into a soft, twisted noise. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"And you do. You see me. Right?"

"Yeah." Fuyuhiko nodded against him. "I do."

Ultimate Hope felt like a worthwhile title, suddenly. "Come on," Hajime eventually said. He didn't let go of Fuyuhiko, though, and Fuyuhiko didn't step away. "Let's figure out what home's going to be, now."

[haunted-xander]

The survivors of the Killing School Trip didn't all wake up immediately. Their minds had to reconnect to their bodies properly and accomodate for the new memories they gained during the program. They all woke up slowly, and each in their own degrees of distress.

The day after the program's shut-down, Sonia woke up. Her eyes were glazed over as Chiaki helped her out of the pod, barely comprehending the world around her. By the time she'd been carried out of the pod room and into the open world, Sonia had finally collected herself enough to speak,

"...Nanami-san... It is you... is it not? The real you... the one I attended classes with, the one who... did everything for us. Our class rep. That is you, correct? I... am so very sorry for everything. I- no, we have caused so much trouble for you, and yet you stay here and assist us, saved us. I do not have the words to express my gratitude in full. ...Thank you so very, very much." Sonia's voice cracked as she could no longer keep her tears from running down her face, feeling the despair and hope all at once.

Chiaki patted her back comfortingly as she let Sonia cry it out. "...It's alright. I'm just happy to see you back to being yourself again. I missed you all so much, I would do anything to bring you back. ...And I did. You're back. And the others will come back too, eventually. I'm sure of it." Chiaki felt tears welling up in her own eyes as well.

Happy tears, for the first time in a long, long while.

Two days after, Fuyuhiko woke up. Unlike Sonia, who woke up as composed as she could be, he woke up screaming. The moment he was out of the pod and had regained the ability to move, he clutched at his lost eye and rushed over to stand by Peko's pod. He immediately leaned over it and cried as he looked at her unconscious face. "Peko... I'm so sorry, I never should've let it go this far. I-I couldn't stop it and I... I almost gave up. You gave your life for me and I almost threw it away like it was some fucking broken toy. I'm sorry, Peko, I'm so, so sorry..."

They weren't able to move him for hours.

It took three more days for anyone else to wake up, but when the day came, Kazuichi and Akane woke up at the same time. Kazuichi broke out into loud cries the moment he was out of the pod, having a hard time dealing with the weight of his actions as a Remnant and the still fresh memories of the Killing School Trip.

Akane on the other hand, woke up completely silent. Chiaki had expected her to start yelling and run around aggressively upon waking up, but instead she calmly walked over to Nekomaru's pod and stared blankly at his sleeping face.

She didn't make so much as a sound until the next day's breakfast.

After five more days, Izuru -or Hajime, whichever it would be- still had yet to wake up.

As much as she hated to admit it, a part of Chiaki was beginning to loose hope. She started to spend more and more time hovering over his pod, each passing day making the helpless feeling in her chest grow stronger.

At this rate, she would start to despair.

"...Nanami-san, Monaca-san. I have brought you some food. As you both skipped breakfast, I believe it would be best for you to eat now. Komaeda-san and... Hinata-san would want to see you in proper health." Sonia, sweet, caring Sonia, had made it a habit of bringing them food whenever they skipped meals to sit in the pod room. Even if Chiaki was hardly in the right mindset to appreciate it fully, she was truly grateful for the kindness.

"...Thank you, Sonia-san. I'll make sure to eat it. ...Sorry for skipping so many meals."

"No no, it is quite alright. I understand what you are feeling. ...Part of me wishes to watch over Tanaka-san as well, but... he would not be happy to see me in such a state. I am sure he would wish for me to take care of myself while he is... absent. ...I believe that Kuzuryu-san and Owari-san are of a similar mindset. They wish for those dear to them to wake up and see them thrive, to see them overcome the grief over losing them." The princess' words were solid, steady. She had absolute confidence in her statements. Chiaki was a bit jealous of that confidence.

Not long after Sonia had left and Chiaki had finished eating did she heard the soft hiss of a pod opening.

Izuru -or Hajime, she still had no idea which it'd be- was finally awake.

She jumped up and immediately rushed to the pod's side, eagerly awaiting the moment the man opened his eyes and looked at her. The man seemed to take a moment to gather himself, as he grumbled and squirmed before finally opening his eyes and revealed a mismatch of red and golden-green.

His eyes immediately glanced over to Chiaki, and a relieved yet tired smile showed on his face. "Nanami, it's you... you're really here. I missed you so, so much." He barely got to sit up before Chiaki launched her upper body at him and hugged him tightly around the neck. "Hinata-kun, you're finally awake...! I've been waiting so, so long for you! I missed you so much, Hinata-kun! I-I was almost beginnign to lose hope of you ever waking up, but here you are...! You're... finally here..."

Her voice trailed off as her eyes welled with overjoyed tears, the heavy feeling in her chest dissipating immediately.

"W-woah, Nanami...! I didn't know you could squeeze that hard! I-I missed you a lot too!" After a while of flailing his arms about, he finally hugged her back and held her so tightly she almost felt like her bones would break.

She didn't mind one bit.

It took a good long while for the tears to stop, but they still held each other close. The newfound silence didn't last long, as Hajime quickly spoke up again, "...Man, I need a haircut. How the hell did I deal with all this hair for so long!? I know Izuru Kamukura doesn't have feelings or whatever, but surely even someone like that would get annoyed by all this damn hair dragging about!"

Chiaki couldn't help but giggle at his frustration, finding the hair the least troublesome change he went through. "It's alright. I'll help you cut it. I'm not a hairdresser though, so I can't promise it'll be perfect. ...Or maybe you can do it yourself? You should still have all those talents... probably. There's probably an Ultimate Hairdresser up there somewhere."

"Yeah, I think so... But I don't really like dealing with my hair myself, so I'd much rather you do it. I don't care if it's perfect, I just want it short again. Ugh, even as Kamukura I hated dealing with my hair myself, it was always you or Komaeda that brushed and washed it. Stupid hair. Brushing it is so-" Hajime suddenly went quiet, not wanting to say the last word.

'Izuru' isn't completely gone it seems. Although the old personality of 'Hajime' was more prominent, traits of 'Izuru's' personality shined through.

Such as the problem with boredom.

It didn't matter, thought. Chiaki loved both 'Izuru' and 'Hajime' all the same, so it made her happy to know that 'Izuru' still lives on as a part of Hajime now.

[unluckyservice4]

Out of curiosity, what are the other remnants of despair like in your universe?

Oh, uh. Hmm...good question. I don't....really socialize with most of them these days for reasons, but uh...

Sonia's in Novaselic committing global domination and colonialism. She's one of the Big Three. The remnants who hoard power over the entire globe, minus Junko herself. Gundam's usually with her, or at least aligned with her. Last I heard he was in the Americas stampeding and ruining their cities. They don't really need the help tbh after the cults took over.

Imposter's in the states too, they're considered one of the other Big Three, they're impersonating some important governmental figure, though I'm not sure who. They're a big reason why the cults got out of hand and run a huge faction in that area, at least that's what I last heard. I dunno the state of that location so they might've moved on.

Fuyuhiko's got most of southeast asia, pretty much this whole place is his Territory, though Towa's a provence under it's own power. That's part of the deal Towa made with the Remnants after all. He also doesn't have much control over where sections like the Future Foundation and other such corperations have settled. FF's got it's tendrils riddling all throughout everyone's territories, so far they've set up a kind of hit and run strategy of coming to a place, outfitting people with supplies and weapons and then dipping, when they aren't trying to go into all out mini wars with one of us. They've mostly been Fuyuhiko's headache since the lions share of their force is in Japan, though Sonia and Imposter have to deal with their own headaches, especially Imposter. The next Hope's Peak building was meant to be in the states but now that means Munataka's got connections over there. I hear there's an underground rebellion in New York or something.

Next is the smaller forces, most of us are still in Japan physically but the influence can still reach global. Mahiru's got a radio station, it's surprisingly practical past the propaganda, gives you updates on what we're doing or any public plans and about famous killers-there's like a top ten serial killer hitlist it's...uh. Graphic. Ibuki and Hyoko are doing their concerts, which end in death or brainwashing or spreading more propaganda. Oh, Peko's still with Fuyuhiko, though I hear she might branch out now and again. She's a trained hitman so personally I am......not eager to look too deeply into her exploits.

Akane is........I honestly don't know where she is. She spent some time with Nekomaru's training area-he runs a training area, but it's extremely dangerous and unhealthy. Steroids, extremely dangerous diets and workout routines, he's got a whole subset of cult members who're like, super beefed up and probably ready to burst a blood vessal at any moment. It's.......It's honestly horrifying. Anyway, Akane spent a while with him and then she came out extremely weak and malnourished and yet somehow still a terrifying powerhouse. She wanders around leveling buildings for fun, I think. I think it's for fun. It's...um....it's like getting hit with a natural disaster honestly.

And Teru-ah....Teruteru's in the party business. And by party I mean sex party. And by sex party I mean you get a full course meal that makes you high and then you end up either dying in very horrificly gruesome ways or you end up going crazy and tear each other apart. um. Sometimes in even more disturbing ways than I just described. Don't go to his parties.

OH I almost forgot Souda. Probably because he doesn't actually do much himself, but he's got his machines set up everywhere and if you try to tamper with any of them you're probably going to set off a trap. That's all he does though, his machines are awful, the entire reason the sky's scorched is because of him, but beyond his machines he's actually harmless. All he wants is to bury his head in a project, it's kinda...kinda sad.

I think that's everyone....?

[theamityelf]

Much like Sakura, I feel like a lot of people would have it bad for Akane. It's honestly wild that she didn't have a Kazuichi or Tenko equivalent, because people would simp so hard for her. Like, she is what "Not to be a lesbian but oh my god" was made for. The parkour, the casual disposition, the gleefully clueless behavior? Get outta here. She goes through life with such an air of confidence, she completely lacks self-consciousness when she admits she doesn't understand something, she has a cute smile, come on. This girl has Undyne energy.

In fact, here's me lowballing a list of characters I think had a crush on Akane when they were attending Hope's Peak:

Chihiro. Absolutely. Akane is strong in so many ways that Chihiro would appreciate. I can just see Chihiro in the library working on some new project (maybe white hat hacking the school) and Akane parkours past a window and Chihiro just runs up to the window and stares out, admiring. Chihiro blushing when Akane walks past. Chihiro smiling shyly when Akane calls her by the misremembered name she never corrected. (Might be "Cheerio" or "Fuji Apples".) One day Chihiro and Chiaki are hanging out, and Chihiro mentions having a crush on Akane (which, to a lot of people, would be like playing a Tomb Raider game and saying, "Wait a minute, is Lara Croft kind of hot?"), and Chiaki just goes, "Of course. She's the Undyne to your Alphys." And it changes Chihiro's life.

Mahiru. She swears she usually likes people she considers "reliable", but Akane's free spirit nature just really speaks to her. (Not to give credence to Freud, but I do think the experience of her mother often being out of reach was a formative one, and Akane being someone who will be having a conversation with you one minute, fighting coach the next, and climbing the school the next, would maybe invoke a lot of those feelings for Mahiru.) And she starts to notice that Akane has some depth to her that others don't care to notice, and that drives her crazy. Someone talks crap about Akane, and Mahiru lambastes them to the moon and back. Hiyoko would hate it. Like, it would be just the hugest force of humbling for Hiyoko. I like Hiyoko, by the by; it's just deeply funny how much of her classism would get challenged over this.

Gundham. I kind of addressed this in my Soniakanedam posts, but yeah, I feel like Gundham could easily have a crush on both Akane and Sonia for very different reasons. He has two subtly different energies that he likes to embody, and Akane matches one and Sonia matches the other, and it blends so well. And not for nothing, he would be such a gentleman about it.

Mikan. Easy. Akane is just walking around slightly injured all the time, and she's there insisting Akane sits down so she can at least bandage her, and also cautioning that Akane should really wear a helmet when she does dangerous things, and generally fretting over her in a way she doesn't get a lot. And Akane defends her to other people in a way she doesn't get a lot. It's easy.

Teruteru, but that's almost a free space.

Leon, but with a vibe comparable to Teruteru, in that I'm not serious about it.

Makoto could have a small crush on her, probably in passing. I'm hearing "big-boobed supermodel" and I'm thinking he would at least notice her as an older student who is pretty and cooler than him.

Potentially Nekomaru, but I think it would take him a while to recognize his feelings for what they are. And also I'm kind of partial to them being the way they are but it's completely platonic. But romantically, it's a nice ship that I do like.

(Okay so I have thought about a throuple with Akane, Fuyuhiko, and Peko for a while now, but I'll save that for some other time. It might just be that I want to ship Akane with Peko. It's kind of a Celeste/Hina situation, in that I think Peko would not want to have a crush on Akane but would be unable to help it. Any potential for romance between Fuyuhiko and Akane I mostly see in the post-SDR2 space.)

The only reason I'm not listing Sonia is because I see it less as a crush than a casually flirty friendship with the potential to become more.

[jillian-is-worth-it]

It's the same anon again i have another request for headcanons 😸😸 can you write Shuichi, Rantaro, Peko with a ultimate scientist reader, but the reader is like super stoic until they're in their lab being like a super mad scientist and act really erratic and crazy? male reader again, but it can be fem reader or peko since you want wlw reqs too ALR TAKE CARE

HELLO ANON COMING IN CLUTCH??? <3

bye cus this is literally me 😭😭

but I'll literally do whatever you want, is my writing low-key dead? yea, buy still I'ma try my best, and sorry if it's not really focused on gender, I automatically write gn unless it's lime or smut 😭

AND THANK YOU GOR HEADCANONS!!!

shuichi, rantaro, and peko with ultimate scientist!reader

rantaro amami

his main reason in befriending you is because he saw you in your ultimate lab acting crazy and laughing and he basically was like

"ohh! mine now ^^"

he'd def know stuff Abt science, so you would probably have a good friend to talk to

you wouldn't realize until one day he's just next to you and he mumbles

"that won't make the right chemical compound.."

you were shocked

"..I'm sorry, what?"

yea.. he's just goofy like that

nine times out of ten, in your lab, it's gonna be the most chaotic thing ever, like giggling all the time

overall 10/10 hes amazing<3

shuichi saihara

quite the opposite of rantaro

he literally has no clue about science

like seriously

be patient with him 😭

hey he's really sweet though

he would definitely try to be friends with you, but still a little weary with how stoic you seem

he's completely shocked to hear you burst out laughing randomly one

yea

y'all are rlly close after that!!

10/10 again, absolute sweetie

peko pekoyama

(I love peko sm)

initially, she didn't give you a second thought, she was slightly intrigued by your stoicism

she would def be curious, and once you guys got closer, she would be so confused to see you acting crazy

like she would genuinely be so confused

is the look on her face priceless? absolutely

she definitely tolerates you really well, she's pretty patient, so she would just watch with a smile, seeing your antics

and that is all!! sorry it took forever, I got busy!!

[sparkymalone]

Remember how it was Peko's birthday at the end of June? Well, guess who just finished her birthday drabble~? This guy!

A Pekobuki Birthday Special!

Rating: PG, Peko is a classy lady

Word Count: 2347

Peko would've been fine not doing anything for her birthday. She kept it pretty quiet, figuring it would just be easier if no one else knew. Natsumi and Fuyuhiko knew, of course, but they respected her desire to not tell anyone.

Mostly.

Unsurprisingly, one of them let the information slip to Hajime. That was probably fine, Peko thought. Hajime knew when to exercise discretion.

Except apparently he didn't, because he immediately went and told Chiaki, who had inevitably gotten the whole class involved.

And so, Peko found herself sitting in the food court at the mall, quietly observing her friends celebrating her birthday. She wasn't mad, per se, but she did occasionally glare at Hajime to let him know that she blamed him. The reserve course student cowered behind his boyfriend, who honestly found the whole thing hilarious.

“Oh no,” Fuyuhiko had teased her. “You might actually have to acknowledge that people give a shit about you.”

Peko had pointedly mentioned how hard the blonde had tried to keep his own birthday a secret. He scowled in response and dropped the subject.

Honestly, though, the day wasn't turning out as badly as Peko had feared. She had to admit that she was actually sort of enjoying herself. The mall still seemed like an odd choice, but Chiaki had insisted that the girls wanted to take her shopping after lunch. Peko still wasn't sure how she felt about that.

She also wasn't sure how she felt about what Ibuki was doing. The musician had decided to sit right next to Peko, and kept trying to get her to join the conversation. The silver-haired girl responded to anyone who addressed her directly, but didn't get too involved beyond that. Still, Ibuki kept trying.

“What stores do you want to go to, Peko-Peko?” Ibuki asked cheerfully, leaning way too far into Peko's personal space.

The swordswoman didn't let her discomfort show as she answered. “I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever actually been to this mall.”

Ibuki’s eyebrows shot up. “Whaaat? Really?” When Peko nodded, she crossed her arms. “Hmm, well, what kinda stores do you like?”

Starting to feel a little embarrassed, Peko glanced away. “I'm… not sure. I don't do much shopping.” It was true, Peko didn't go to stores very often. She didn't have a lot of decorations or knick knacks, and most of her clothes had been bought for her by Natsumi, who loved shopping. Even Fuyuhiko picked things out for her sometimes, so she hadn't really felt the need to shop for herself.

Ibuki hummed thoughtfully. “I see, I see. Peko isn't really the girly type, after all, so it makes sense that you don't like shopping.” The musician smiled at her. “But Ibuki thinks you're gonna have a good time, anyway!”

Peko felt a strange warmth in her chest as she looked at Ibuki. “...I certainly hope so,” she mumbled.

After lunch, Mahiru shooed the boys away so that the girls could take Peko shopping. Hajime tried to offer one last apology, which Peko acknowledged neutrally before the brunette got dragged away by his boyfriend.

The girls quickly made a game plan (with very little input from Peko, who was clearly out of her depth) and set off into the mall.

They stopped at several stores, most of which appealed more to the other girls’ interests than Peko's. Chiaki obviously wanted to stop in the game store, Ibuki wanted to stop at the music store, Sonia wanted to stop at the weird occult store, and so on. None of it really caught Peko's interest, but she was still happy to be included.

They also visited a few clothing stores, but again, nothing really jumped out at Peko. By the end of their second hour of shopping, pretty much all of the girls had found something for themselves, but nothing for the birthday girl. Some of them were getting a little frustrated.

“Why did we even bother coming to the mall?” Hiyoko complained. “Not like there's a stupid sword store.”

“Hiyoko!” Mahiru scolded her with her hands on her hips. “Peko obviously has more interests than just swords.”

Hiyoko glared back at her girlfriend. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

Mahiru faltered slightly. “W-Well…”

The dancer faked a gasp. “Oh, I know! Maybe we can find a personality store somewhere!”

Peko clenched her jaw, determined not to make a scene at the mall. Dealing with Fuyuhiko her whole life, she had obviously learned to let insults go, but somehow Hiyoko’s words still hurt. She couldn't really blame her, though. It wasn't like Peko ever talked about herself.

“Stop it!” Surprisingly, Ibuki stepped forward. “If you don't want to be here, then leave! Don't talk like that about Peko on her birthday. She's our friend, y'know?”

Again, Peko felt that strange, warm feeling in her chest.

“Ibuki is right,” Chiaki chimed in, gently placing a hand on the swordswoman’s shoulder. “This trip is supposed to be for Peko. If you aren't having a good time, you should just go.”

Hiyoko scoffed, cheeks turning pink. “Ugh… Why is everyone ganging up on me? Now I feel like a jerk.”

Peko sighed softly, relaxing slightly. “It's fine. If everyone is done shopping, we can leave. I don't mind.”

Ibuki frowned at her. “But we haven't found anything for Peko-Peko!”

The silver-haired girl gazed calmly back at her. “It's fine. I really don't need anything.”

“That's not the point though,” Ibuki muttered. She took Peko's hands in hers. “We want to do something nice for you... Ibuki wants to do something nice.”

Peko felt her face getting hot and she wasn't sure why. “Oh… Th-Thank you…?”

Sonia, who had been watching the two of them with stars in her eyes, grabbed Chiaki’s arm. “Well! Perhaps we should leave it to Ibuki, then?”

Chiaki gave her a questioning look, but when the princess smiled back at her, she seemed to realize where she was going with this. “Oh… Yeah, maybe we should.”

As the other girls agreed, Ibuki seemed confused, but excited. She saluted with a smile. “You can count on me! Ibuki will make Peko's birthday the best one ever!”

Peko wasn't sure how to feel about this turn of events, but as the others bid their farewells, she didn't stop them. She turned to Ibuki, suddenly finding herself alone with the musician.

Ibuki smiled and grabbed her hand. “Come on! We're gonna find something you like!” And with that, she dragged Peko towards the next store.

They visited a few more shops, seemingly at random, but there still wasn't anything that caught Peko's attention. Honestly, Peko wasn't even sure what she would like. She hadn't had a lot of time for hobbies over the years, after all.

Ibuki was incredibly patient with her. As they exhausted each store with no luck finding anything, Ibuki cheerfully pulled Peko on to the next one. She constantly reassured the swordswoman that they were sure to find something eventually.

And, eventually, they did.

They entered a clothing store that specialized in cutesy designs. Peko had been too embarrassed to go there with all of the other girls, but Ibuki was more than happy to lead her inside. The two of them looked around for only a few minutes before Peko saw it.

Hanging on one of the racks was a sweater made out of fluffy white fabric. It had a hood with adorable cat ears and a paw print pattern around the bottom. Peko thought it was the cutest sweater she had ever seen. She also thought she could never pull off a look like that.

But Ibuki clearly understood the look of longing on her face. “Wow, Peko! Ibuki never expected you to like something like this!” She sounded surprised, but thankfully not judgemental.

Peko still found herself blushing and averting her eyes. “I… enjoy fluffy things,” she confessed quietly.

The musician’s eyes widened and an earnest smile split her face. “That's so cute! You have to try it on!”

“Wh- Try it on?” Peko asked in alarm. “N-No, I can't.”

Ibuki tilted her head curiously. “Why not?”

The question gave Peko pause. Why couldn't she? Surely trying the sweater on couldn't hurt. She didn't have to buy it, after all.

She eyed the sweater again, and Ibuki helpfully grabbed the garment and held it out to her. “Here, let's go find a fitting room.”

Once she found herself in the privacy of a fitting room, Peko was able to relax a bit. Trying the cute sweater on didn't feel so intimidating without the risk of someone seeing her.

Taking a deep breath, Peko took the sweater off of its hanger and pulled it on. Slowly, she turned to look at herself in the mirror, cheeks burning.

She regarded her reflection with mixed emotions. The sweater looked super cute, sure, but Peko couldn't help but feel ridiculous. She was a swordswoman, a bodyguard, a fucking yakuza, and here she was trying on a fluffy, girly top. She looked stupid, out-of-place, wrong-

Her inner turmoil was cut short by a knock on the fitting room door. “Peko-Peko!” Ibuki's voice carried through the door. “How does it look?”

Peko hesitated. On the one hand, she absolutely hated how she looked in the sweater. The fluffy white hood really contrasted with her naturally intimidating demeanor, and she wasn't sure she wanted Ibuki to see that. But, on the other hand…

Who's to say Ibuki wouldn't like it?

It took the silver-haired girl another long moment to decide what she wanted to do, but eventually, she opened the door. Ibuki was standing just on the other side, and as the door opened, her face lit up.

“OMG, Peko!” the musician gasped. “You look sooo cute!”

Peko felt her face heat up. “I… I do?”

Ibuki nodded emphatically. “Totally! That sweater looks so cute on you! How does it make you feel?”

The swordswoman had to pause. Only moments before, she had been certain that the sweater wasn't for her. She had felt silly and dumb. But now, with Ibuki telling her that she looked good…

Peko turned to look in the mirror again, seeing herself in a new light. “...You really think I look… cute?” she asked quietly.

Ibuki stepped into the fitting room, surprising Peko, and rested her chin on her shoulder. “Definitely. Ibuki thinks you look amazing.”

Blushing, Peko met Ibuki's gaze in the mirror. The two of them locked eyes, staring each other down for a long moment.

Finally, Peko swallowed hard. “...I've never felt… cute before.”

Ibuki's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't seem overly surprised. “Well, how do you like it?”

The silver-haired girl thought about it for just a moment before answering. “It's nice,” she murmured, embarrassed by her own honesty.

Grinning, Ibuki wrapped her arms around Peko. “Great! Let's get it!”

Peko wanted to protest, but being enveloped in ibuki's arms was so distracting that she didn't respond. The dark-haired girl gave her a quick squeeze before releasing her and stepping back, and Peko didn't know what to make of the sudden disappointment she felt.

She took the sweater off and followed Ibuki out to the register. She still felt silly buying the cutesy garment, but she didn't get a chance to object. Ibuki grabbed the sweater out of her hands and paid for it before the swordswoman could react.

They left the store shortly after. As they walked, Peko considered what to say. “Thank you,” she said finally. “For the sweater, and for not giving up on me.”

Ibuki grinned at her. “Of course, Peko! That's what friends are for!”

Peko gazed back at her, a soft smile making its way onto her face.

The musician blinked, cheeks slowly turning red. “Wow… You're even cuter when you smile,” she blurted without thinking.

The silver-haired girl’s eyes widened. “O-Oh…”

Ibuki laughed awkwardly and looked away. “Yeah, uh… Man, if this was a song, I'd call it ‘Awkwardly Flirting With Your Coolest Friend… and Probably Ruining Everything,’” she muttered.

A warm feeling settled in Peko’s chest, and she wasn't sure how to react at first. She stopped walking abruptly, causing Ibuki to do the same, and the two girls stared at each other for a moment. Swallowing hard, Peko finally asked, “F-Flirting?”

“Yeah,” Ibuki confirmed quietly.

There was another pause. Peko nervously furrowed her brow. “...I don't know anything about flirting,” she began slowly, “but… I know that you haven't ruined anything. Honestly, this has probably been the most enjoyable birthday I've ever had.” She blushed.

Ibuki fiddled with her hands. “It is?” When Peko nodded, the musician decided to go all out. “...Then can we hang out like this again? Just the two of us?”

Slowly, Peko nodded again. “I would like that.”

Feeling a surge of confidence, Ibuki reached out and took Peko's hands in her own. “Maybe next time we could have dinner together? Or see a movie?” She smiled hopefully at the other girl.

Peko's face felt hot, but a smile tugged at her lips. “...Are you asking me on a date?”

“Only if you're going to say yes,” Ibuki replied with a giggle.

The swordswoman squeezed Ibuki's hand. “Then… yes.”

Ibuki's face lit up and she hopped up and down excitedly. “Great! Ibuki can't wait!”

The musician cheerfully talked about their date the whole way out of the mall. Peko listened contentedly, feeling strangely excited. Dating wasn't something she had thought she was particularly interested in, but then, she also hadn't thought she'd be interested in a fluffy cat sweater, either.

Just before they parted ways, Ibuki hugged Peko tightly. As she pulled away, she smiled warmly at the other girl. “Happy birthday, Peko-Peko,” she told her quietly.

Peko flushed and smiled back, feeling happier than she had in years. “Thank you.”

She watched Ibuki go, ignoring the way her stomach fluttered. As she began walking home, her thoughts were a whirlwind. She would have to talk to Fuyuhiko when she got home. She had no idea how to act on a date, after all.

There! It's finished! And now I have like five days to crank out a birthday fic for Fuyuhiko hyfvioushzfz

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1193: More Rest and Snuggles (Danganronpa 2)

8:22 a.m. at Jabberwalk Island: Hajime x Ibuki's Cabin........

'Alarm Beeping'

Hajime: (Wakes Himself Up as He Stops the Alarm Beeping Off From his Phone Before Stretching his Arms Up and Yawning) Okay! Let's see what we got in store for today.....(Checks Out the Schedule Planned and Typed Out on his Phone's List App) Paperwork......Island Meeting.......Video Call Metting involving New Hope's Peak.......Band Practice.........Even more Paperwork........Hm. Seems a lot busier then it was yesterday, but I'm sure I can managed someh-

?????: HAJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!~

Hajime: (Turns to See his Girlfriend, Ibuki Mioda, Laying Next to Him on her Side of his Bed with a Small Smile) Oh, Morning, Ibuki. Never really took you for the early bird.

Ibuki: Uh nooo. Ibuki is a late bird. The latest of all birds and mammals.

Hajime: Pretty sure birds doesn't fit in the mammals category-

Ibuki: Upupup! Ibuki doesn't need to hear any lecture in animal studies right now. (Points at her Boyfriend) And YOU, my darling Hajime, don't need to be up this early in the morning either!

Hajime: ('Sigh') Come on, Ibuki. 8'o clock isn't nearly thar early. (Rubs the Back of hos Head Back and Forth) At.....least depending on which time zone we're currently on.

Ibuki: (Rolls his Eyes) Time Zone, Lime Snoze.

Hajime: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) Is "Snoze" even a real wor-

Ibuki: (Extends her Arms Up in the Air) Doesn't matter!! What does, however, is.....(Points at Hajime Again) YOU, mister, are need of a long dseeved and appointed a day off! Especially after all the work you've been doing as of late.

Hajime: (Crosses his Arms) Well, you're definitely not wrong on that front to say the least.....But are you sure I should be taking that day off right now? (Went Back on his Phone) The schedule I listed out here does looks pretty-

Ibuki: Long? Yeah, yeah, I noticed. (Forms a Bright Smile on her Face) Luckily for you, my dear, Ibuki has taken the liberties of convincing our wonderful group of friends/family to do them all for you in your humble place.

Hajime: Is that right?

Ibuki: Yep-Yep-Yep!~ in fact, I've arranged a few buddy systems to help get everything done in a much quicker. I have Fuyu and Peko work on the paperwork......

Jabberwalk Main Office Facility

Fuyuhiko: (Sighs While Pushing Aside a Stack of Filled Out Forms to the Other Side of the Desk He's Sitting At) That's one set down....(Turn Towards a Much Larger Stacks of Unsigned Paperwork on the Other Side of the Desk) A few more to get done, but it's fine. Just gotta keep working om a pace and-

Peko: (Walks By and Places More Paperwork Down on Top of the Unfinished Section) More paperwork is sent.

Fuyuhiko: (Eyes Widened in Shock) Are you fucking-(Pinches the Bridge of his Nose While Groaning in Irritation) I swear, if i didn't know any better, it almost feels like that stupid foundation is trying to kill us all over again.....

Peko: (Giggles a Bit) Perhaps. (Places her Hands onto Both of her Boyfriend's Shoulders and Gently Massages Them a Bit) But just continue to stay calm and remember who we're doing this for.

Fuyuhiko: (Takes a Deep Breath) Right. This is for Hajime.

Peko: (Happily Nodded) Correct. Stay strong, my dear (Gives Fuyuhiko a Kiss on the Cheek) I believe in you.

Fuyuhiko: (Starts Blushing a Bit While Grinning at his Girlfriend) ('Heh') Right back at you. (Gets Himself Up and Gives Peko a Peck on the Lips) Hon~ (Winks a Peko)

Peko: (Genuinely Surprised by the Sudden Kiss Before Turning Away, Blushing, and Smiling a Little) Y-You're too kind~

Hiyoko: (Inthe Background L Ugh! Get a room already!!

.......................................................................................

Ibuki: Sonia and Akane host the Island Gathering..........

Jabberwalk Beach

Sonia: (Happily Hosts the Beach Gathering Meeting as She Uses her Pointer to Tap on a Pie Chart Picture Akane Showing Off to Everyone Else Present) And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why it is very important for each of us to continue to keep this lovely beach in top-tip sha-

'THUD'

The suddenly loud thudding sound was more than enough to cause the Ultimate Princess to shriek in terror while jumping onto Akane's arms, causing her drop the pictures she was holding in her hands.

Akane: (Equally Surprised) What the heck!?

???????: GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! SPENDID!!!

The ladies and the audience turns to see their Ultimate Manager, Nekomaru Nidia, laying down on a crated ground, laughing wholeheartedly.

Nekomaru: Ahh man! Been a long while since I've felt THIS much adrenaline smacking me so hard across tye face! You weren't kidding when you said weren't gonna hold any punches, huh Gundham?

Gundham: ('Heh') (Walks Over to the Crate he Created) Of course. There's never been a time of day where someone as powerful as I, Gundham Tanaka, has ever hold back from a challenge, much less from someone as fairly formidable as you I suppose.

Nekomaru: (Chuckles Lightly) D'aww thanks, man! You flatter me. (Puts on a Determined Grin on his Face) But don't think for a second I'm throwing in the towel just-

?????: BOYS!

The duo turns to see their respective girlfriends, Sonia and Akane, glaring at the both of them.

Nekomaru: Oh uhhhh....(Chuckles Awkwardly) Heh-Hey there, ladies!

Gundham: (Turns Away While Covering his Mouth Up with the Scarf He's Wearing) I take it you're....('Clears Throat') N-Not too.....Happy with us, aren't you?

Sonia: (Crosses her Arms) There is not a single smile appear on either of our faces now, is there?

Akane: Yeah! How are you guys having yourselves an intense bout in the middle of the beach and not invite ME along for the chaos! Like, come on!

Sonia: (Turns to Akane with a Pout While Making Angry Princess Noises)

Akane: What? You know how pumped I get when it comes to sparring matches. (Raises an Eyebrow at the Boys) You guys WERE having friendly sparring match, right?

Nekomaru: Yeah.

Gundham: Why wouldn't we be?

Akane: (Smiles Brightly) Yep! Friendly Sparring Match.

Sonia: (Softly Facepalms Herself While Sighing)

............................................................................................

Ibuki: Then, Ibuki let Teruteru handle breakfast, lunch, and dinner like he always do since, you know, he's the Ultimate Cook-

Hajime: Chief, Ibuki.

Ibuki: Cook, Chief, Tomatoes, Tamotoes, same thing! Ooh! And lastly, Ibuki has Nagito and Sodaman handle the video chat meeting with Naegi and Co!

Hajime: (Eyes Widened at What his Girlfriend Just Said) I'm sorry, you assigned NAGITO, of all people, to participate in the same meeting Makoto is apart of?

Ibuki: (Gently Rubs Hajime's Arm) Relax, Haji-Bear. I already said Sodaman is taking part of the meeting too remember? I'm sure it'll go along just fiiine.

Jabberwalk Meeting Office Room

Naegi: (Speaking on Soda's Tablet) So, in conclusion, with our separate ideas, cooperation, and hardwork intertwine, I believe they would all be more than enough to rebuild a much better version of Hope Peak's Academy than it ever was before. Do we have any questions before we continue?

Nagito: (Raises his Hand Up) Excuse me, Naegi-san.

Soda: (Starts Sweating Bullets) (Pleasedon'taskaboutanythingHoperelated Pleasedon'taskabiutanythingHoperelated Pleeeease don't ask about anything Hope-related!)

Nagito: I would like to ask you about classes you will include in the academy

Soda: ('Sighs in Pure Relief') (Ohhh thank god...)

Nagito: (Smiles Brightly) As well as how much Hope you are willing to provide for each one!~

Soda: (DAMN IT!)

.........................................................................................

Hajime: ..........You know, maybe I should check up on those two. (Gets Himself Up From the Bed) See how they're doing and what-Woah! (Gets Pulled Back Down on the Bed by Ibuki)

Ibuki: (Comically Glares at Hajime) Not on my watch, mister! You need R&R and you're gonna get it!!

Hajime: Ibuki, I'm only gonna check up on them for a few minutes or so and I'll come back here before you know it, I promise!

Ibuki: (Starts Whining and Singing at the Same Time) Noooooooooooo!~

Hajime: (Sighs While Trying his Hardest Not to Snicker at Ibuki's Cute and Scratchy Vocals) Come on, Ibuki, you gotta trust me on this.

Ibuki: (Gives Hajime a Serious Look on her Face) Do you trust our friends, Hajime? Do you trust me even?

Hajime: (Taken Aback by Ibuki's More Serious Look) What? Ibuki, of course I trust you guys, you're practically family to me. Nagito too, even if I am still iffy on him half the time.

Ibuki: ('Sigh') Yeah, Ibuki always get weird vibes from that guy since day one......(Softens her Serious Demeanor a Bit) It really means a lot that you think so highly of us, Haji. (Rapidly Poking her Boyfriend's Chest) But you need to put more faith in us than that, you big, cute dumb-dumb!!~

Hajime: Will you ease up on the poking already!? ('Sighs in Defeat and Understanding') But you're right. We have been through far too many hells and back to get to where we are right now together. And it's high time that we set aside our doubts and continue to build our trust and bond for a brighter future going forward.

Ibuki: (Nodded in Agreement With a Proud Grin on her Face) ('Hmph') That's right!~ But you wanna know what else you need, Haji?

Hajime: Hm?

Ibuki: (Happily Hugs Her Boyfriend) A nice, relaxing Cuddling Session!~ (Starts Snuggling onto Hajime) Starring your cute, rock n' roll girlfriend who wants to hug and kiss you all day long~ (Starts Puckering Up her Lips)

Hajime: (Chuckles Lightly) Alright, come here you~

Hajime leans over to give his girlfriend the make out session she very much deserves.

Ibuki: Oh Hajime~ ('Mmwah') Ibuki loves you ('Mwah') Ohh so much!~ ('Mmmwah')

Hajime: I know~ I love you too, Ibuki. Thank you for convincing me to do this and for....(Smiles Sheepishly While Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) Putting up with a workaholic like myself for so long~

Ibuki: (Giggles Softly) Don't worry about it!~ You know Ibuki always got your back. (Continues Kissing Hajime) Ibuki~ ('Mwah') will never. EVER. Leave your side~ Ever!~ ('Mmwah')

Hajime: Likewise. (Eye's Widened a Bit) But wait, what about our band practice? Didn't you say you have new song you've been working on?

Ibuki: Yeah, but we can postpone our Jam Session for today, I don't mind. Now, give me some more loving!~

Hajime: (Chuckles Lightly) Yes, ma'am~

The lovers lay back down on their bed as their relaxing Cuddle Session has now finally begun.

@on-2

@ma-lemons

@albion-93

@bestpony666

[komaedailoveyou]

Florist!Nagito x reader , Like a flower craves for the light of the sun

#. — an unfinished fanfic so far, more chapters tba in the future!

#. contents! — f!reader , slight komahina, slight chiakixreader, angst with a happy ending, alternate universe, no deaths or violence, depictions of BPD, smut, but, a LOT further into the fic, slowburn, nagito is a florist, reader is socially inept.

#. word count! — 3.7k .

#. > . . .<

" Again, I'm terribly sorry for just-"

" Don't worry Peko...t's fine. "

You cut your assistant worker off as she started to apologise, you knew that it wasn't here fault that you hadn't been given the correct itinerary of fabrics needed, and you could have checked a little more thoroughly, being honest, but a part of you just wanted to get on with the work.

Peko was standing near your desk, where you were sat, a lamp next to you as you fiddled with your sewing machine, you had fabric draped over your furnishings, the floor, everywhere you can name it, because you knew you'd pick it all up, so the little mess was just convenient for the now. She wove a hand through one of her braids, twirling them around as she watched you work. " I can try to get you a later deadline, if that would be better? " she suggested to you, which you immediately shook your head to, the hum of the machine made her jump a little, as you hadn't warned her you were about to start, she was cute, you'd thought, you were lucky you'd been given such a nice assistant, even though you had insisted that you did not need, nor want one.

" Nah, I'll be fine Peko, seriously. " Your voice had quietened as you were now beginning to get focused, your hands carefully guiding the dress. " You should go home, I'm sure your boyfriend misses you. " You said with a hint of teasing in your tone.

Peko sighed, " You'll be staying up through morning, no? I'll stay to make sure you don't end up collapsing. " She replied seriously, she knew you wouldn't just decide to take a break on something so important to you, so, she had already planned to stay, she had called Fuyuhiko before this to let him know of your new arrangements, which, she had decided, but knew you wouldn't argue against them.

" Fine, Fine, but if you get bored, you can always leave. " You had wanted to thank Peko, but the words " Thank you " just didn't end up coming from your lips, you really were awkward at this, you weren't sure why you had even been given the ability to speak, since you couldn't even convey your thoughts properly. You hoped that she knew you were grateful, but, it was rare for her cover to slip too, although, maybe that's why the two of you got along so well.

Peko just nodded in reply, before wandering off into your kitchen, she knew you hadn't ate anything yet, and she didn't want you to end up dying of starvation, so she decided whilst you worked she was going to cook you something, so you would take at least a minimal break before sewing your fingers together. She rummaged around in your kitchen, and settled on making you linguini. You had quite a lot of pasta in, as in your words " It's quick and easy, why wouldn't I have so much of it? " It's not that she disagreed, she just wished you would eat more than just pasta, and the occasional snack.

She set a pan up on the stove, and turned the oven on, she looked back at you, you were completely focused on your work, yet, your eyes were clouded over with something that Peko couldn't quite figure out, maybe something good had happened to you today? She hoped so, you deserved more nice things than the mediocrity you normally received. She filled the pan with pasta, and sprinkled a bit of salt into it, She was making enough for the both of you, because she didn't want you to start nagging at her to eat as well, she knew you'd feel odd if she just sat and watched you do so.

She would often cook for you, and you never seemed to argue, she had came to her own conclusion that you weren't very well versed when it came to cooking, she would offer to teach you, but a part of her wasn't sure if the two of you were actually friends, or if you only let her do this because it was a work relationship, and if that were all. Peko had thought you disliked her at first, saying she really didn't need to help you, and things along those lines, she wasn't sure if just the thought of her existence was a bother to her, which, she hadn't minded, the opinions of others never really plagued her, she knew who she was, but, if she was going to work for you, a selfish part of her wanted for you to like her, even just a little bit.

She finished preparing the food, and she watched you a little longer, also leaving it time to cool down, and for her to get you forks to eat with, she knew you didn't like it when your food was too hurt, as you frequently burnt your tongue, it was quite unlucky, she thought, but she knew you didn't like to be told such things, so she'd keep them to herself.

When you'd gotten to a point where you turned off the machine to change where you were sewing, Peko coughed, walking over to your couch. " I made us a meal, do join me, please. "

You placed the dress down, before standing up from your desk, and you walked over to where Peko was, sitting down next to her, it was a little cosy, but you hadn't ever had people over, so you didn't think you needed a bigger one, so there you and your assistant were, sitting weirdly close to each other, as she handed you your plate. You begun to eat without a word, damn, Peko was still as good at cooking as ever, you were so lucky to have somebody so good at just...everything by your side, the you who was only just good at one thing in this life. You had been getting pretty hungry too, so you were lucky she had decided to cook, as you definitely weren't going to that night, or, well that morning. It was just gone 12, and you were pumped with so much adrenaline to do your work that you couldn't even spare a thought to think about sleeping.

You glanced over to her, she was eating her share too, and you couldn't help but notice she'd given you more than herself. She was always very kind, you'd thought to yourself, you weren't quite sure which god you had appeased to in your past life to be deserving of such a person.

She glanced back at you, with a soft smile.

" I appreciate you...cooking this for me, " you mumbled, looking at her face, but not directly making eye contact, that was too much for you. " and for staying up with me, you're a good assistant, Peko. " you continued to eat after you let a crack of honesty slip through, you weren't a very fast eater, because you felt sick too easily if you ate too much in a short period of time, so you just sat there listening to the lack of noise around you, after-all, everybody living around you was probably asleep by now, you were just weird.

You chuckled to yourself, and Peko tilted her head, not sure what you were reacting too, but she didn't ask.

" Of course, It is my job, Afterall. "

" I don't think your job contracts you to stay in my home all night and cook for me, does it? " You'd said that as a joke, before quickly realising that you could have sounded rude, so, you stumbled over your words. " but--! It can just be a verbal contract between us, then. "

Peko smiled at you, she knew you hadn't any ill intent the first time, but, she couldn't deny it was a little funny to watch you cover it up. " That sounds good to me. " she replied, her tone being more warm than motherly right now and your conversation came to a natural end, and the two of you sat and ate in silence now, a little closer together than before.

You finished, and waited until Peko's plate was empty, before you took it from her hands, wordlessly walking over to your sink, and placing them on the side next to it, before you began to fill it with water, you then moved to get the other kitchen utensils Peko had used , and put them near the plates too. You grabbed the washing up liquid, and squirted it inside of the water in the sink, and waited for it to create bubbles.

Peko was a little surprised at your sudden movement, and she followed quickly behind you. " I have all morning Peko, I can spare ten minutes or so to clean up the dishes. " You tried your best to give her a reason to let you do it, as she seemed adamant on doing tasks in your house, you were worried she thought of you as some child she had to babysit instead of an adult, well, that did explain why she was insistent on staying with you, it's not like you were strict and told her not to do anything, even if you tried, you weren't completely sure if she would listen to you.

" I made the mess, though. " She argued with you, she already had a cloth in hand, stupid Peko and her stupid shoes that always let her be one step ahead of you... You thought to yourself, you bit the inside of your cheek, and walked over to grab a towel. " Fine...I'll dry." was your reply to her, and as a response she start to wash the dishes, with you at her side, it was often the two of you would just be doing your household chores together instead of you actually being able to focus on your work, however, you were certain if not for Peko, you would live an extremely lonely life, so, even if this was all you managed to do, you weren't complaining about that fact.

She handed you the dishes after she'd washed them, and you carefully dried them off with your towel, before putting them back in the cupboard which they had came from originally, and with her cleaning skills, you were done relatively quickly, yet it felt like you hadn't worked in hours. Spending time with your assistant, sure could be fun.

You yawned a little, and Peko noted that soon she should make you some coffee, to help keep you awake, since it was your decision to be up, she couldn't change your mind, yet she could aid you at least. " Time to get back to work, " You returned back to your desk after the kitchen was all nice and clean now, Peko was emptying the remaining water from the sink. You were pretty sure you could finish at least a half of your work tonight, now that you were all invigorated.

" We've got a long morning ahead of us, feel free to go to sleep if you get tired, Peko. " you hummed, before you got started on the dress again, Peko nodded in response, although, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be going to sleep, she had stayed up many nights at your side already, never from you asking, it would always just be on her own decision.

and with that, you returned to completely, well almost, focused. Then, Peko remembered, she had completely forgot to ask what it was earlier that you were thinking about, it was too late now, she guessed she would never know.

It was around 7AM when you'd finally clocked it, you had only taken one other break the entire morning, which was to go to the bathroom, and that was only quick. It always shocked Peko how you could just sit and work for so many hours straight, she really admired that about you.

You had already turned the sewing machine off, as you could tell you were close to passing out, yet you hadn't managed to make it to your bed, instead, you were uncomfortably slumped over your desk. Peko sighed, walking over to you, and with ease, she managed to pick you up, she frequented the gym, so she was very strong, but, you were never awake to know that she would often carry you, she wasn't sure what type of reaction you'd end up having to her.

She carefully carried you over to your bedroom, and when she got there, she temporarily held you with old hand so she could pull the duvet up, and then she placed you down onto your mattress, then pulling the duvet back up, she was just making sure you wouldn't be too cold. You stirred a little in your sleep, but she knew you wouldn't wake up soon, as you'd only just gone to sleep.

She moved a stray strand of hair out of your face, and she moved to leave, walking to your bedroom door. " Sleep tight. " she whispered, before shutting it behind her. She had a key to where you lived, so, when left left through the living room, she locked the door behind her, she couldn't wait to finally go home, and rest herself, but it was worth it to stay up with you, even if you didn't say it, she knew that you needed somebody there with you.

She walked down the hallway, and up to the elevator, where she would normally leave from, yet, when she got there, there was a big " OUT OF ORDER " Sign on the front of it, which she looked at, quizzically, in the three years which she'd been coming over, the elevator had never even broken one time, this was strange.

Peko never normally saw anybody when she was leaving your apartment, so naturally, she jumped when she heard a voice coming from behind her. " Ah, you have to take the stairs, it broke yesterday. " she turned around, and saw a man, taller than her, with white hair, she had never seen him before, she was sure of it. She just nodded, and started to walk down the stairs next to the elevator, and she heard footsteps behind her, so, she presumed whoever that guy was also needed to come downstairs.

" It broke the day I moved her, I must be awfully unlucky, right? " He laughed to himself as he walked down a few steps behind her, well, he seemed friendly enough for Peko to reply, with.

" I guess this floor is full of unlucky souls, then " She said fondly, thinking about you.

" What are you talking about? " He asked her, confused, that's how Peko knew for sure he was new there, if he hadn't met the hermit herself. " Ah, it doesn't matter. ", was all she could reply, she knew you wouldn't be happy if she went around making friends for you.

It had been a while since Nagito had taken the train, normally, He'd just be driven where he wanted to go, but he didn't know how to drive himself, so he didn't really have a choice.

He walked to the station as fast as he could, it was colder in the mornings, so he didn't like to be out in them, so he'd rather be inside, his hair was blowing softly in the wind, he had to keep moving it, out of his face, it was times like these that made him consider cutting it off, however, he liked it just a bit too much to do that, and his friends told him, it was one of his " charm points " , he didn't see it, but, he guessed he thought his hair at least did look nice.

Whenever he needed to cross the road, the lights would turn from green to red, so he would have to stop and press one of the buttons on the traffic lights, he didn't mind waiting too much, since he knew he wasn't going to somehow miss the train, since he had made sure he would be early.

He was a little confused how quiet it was here at this time, back where he used to live, there would most definitely be traffic, but, that's the joy of small towns, he supposed, he was worried about something, though. He was worried he stood out, living there, as if he was too different, the stranger he'd ran into yesterday, she seemed to stare at him, and Nagito hadn't been sure what to make of it, did he look weird? Should he have not moved here to begin with, was it really that bad of an idea?

He didn't want to even be acknowledged when he was outside in public, so maybe he should make an effort to not stand out.

He laughed to himself about how pathetic he sounded, and cleared his head of those thoughts, he grabbed his earphones from his pocket, and plugged them into his phone, before deciding to play music the rest of the way, he would rather be listening to somebody else than be forced to listen to the voice inside of his head, Nagito heard it all the time, he deserved a break from it, he thought.

It was almost empty when he'd reached the train station, there were a few scattered around, but that was it, He looked up, and saw he had ten minutes to wait before it got here, at least he was lucky enough for it to not be rescheduled without warning, he would definitely be able to go and open his shop in time, that was good. He smiled to himself, he just listened to his tunes and waited until the train arrived, he sat in the third carriage, and he was on there for around twenty minutes, before hopping off.

Nagito hadn't actually been from the train station to his shop, but, he was certain that it wouldn't be too much of a difficult task for him to carry out, he would definitely be able to find his way.

Or, he thought so, until he ended up being fifteen minutes late as he'd made a wrong turn walking there.

He had sped up his pace as he had been walking, so, now he was a little out of breath, being a florist and all didn't require for him to really exercise too much, he just didn't see how it could help, unless the flowers all ended up becoming sentient and declared war against the human race, Nagito never ruled that possibility out, however, he would probably not be the person to fight them, he may even decide to join them, if that were the case.

He was thinking about that as he hastily unlocked the door to his shop, flicking the ceiling lamps on, and adjusting the room temperature as he walked inside, the smell of flowers hit his nose as he did, he was rather fond of it.

He flipped the sign on the front of the door, so that it read " Open" , and he tied his hair up into another ponytail, so that it didn't get in his face when he was working, he supposed when he did, he sort of looked like the typical guy to be working in a florist shop, he couldn't even remember what sparked his interests in flowers, maybe it was the garden which grandma had? Or maybe it was the garden at school where he would always sit alone at, he just knew that for all of his life, flowers had been there for him, and even though there were so many, he thought each and every one was a spectacle, he hoped that the rest of the world felt the same as him.

He wouldn't expect so many customers at an early time of the day, he just liked to be there, just in-case, you never know when a flower related emergency will happen, like somebody needs to desperately apologise to a lover, or a friend, or if flowers for a venue such as a wedding, or a funeral have been ruined last minute, and they're in need of a replacement, if Nagito couldn't even be there in times like that, he thought he would be a very lousy shop owner, he'd even go as far to say worthless.

He loved to research the meanings behind flowers, he had dedicated so much of his life to that craft, he had to feel like he as good enough at something, anything to feel like he was needed in this world, and so he read, and read, and read, until he had memorised as many flowers as he could, at least half of the thoughts he ever had would end up being anything floral. He felt as if that was a little strange sometimes, but, it wasn't that huge of a deal, not really.

He walked around his shop, re-arranging and taking apart displays of flowers, making sure his carefully crafted bouquets still looked as good as new was a major priority for him, he couldn't allow for anything to be less than perfect in there, or he'd have to close the shop down as a whole. He was adding to some peonys, when the phone rang, he rushed over, with a " Hello, How may I help you? "

His shift was beginning earlier than he had thought it would today, maybe, that was a good thing.

Nagito worked alone, which, he somewhat liked, it meant that he could display everything as he wanted to, and that he could open and close at times he chose, but, it made the whole aspect of working, a lot more stressful, everything was on him. He had to talk to every customer, convince them what to buy, he had to be expert, and, as much as he was awkward in the social aspect, he wanted to change that, if it were possible. Maybe he could start looking for somebody to work with him, but, he wasn't sure if anyone would even be interesting, it's not as if there aren't funner jobs out there, Nagito, just liked his little flower shop.

He'd have to think it over, f he wanted to start looking or not, that was a big decision, and it being up to him, honestly was stressing him out.

After a long day, it reached 5PM, meaning, he could start closing the shop down.

In the end, Nagito had decided to pick up some Hibiscus flowers, to put in his apartment.

[moongeonight]

You need to laugh more!

Summary: Ibuki discovers a secret of Ryota and for nothing in the world she will ignore it.

Characters: ler! Ibuki, Lee ryota.

(i was checking and i think there is no tickle content for ryota so i said "fine i Will do it myself" but seriously my boy needs to laugh)

this takes place after danganronpa 3

---------------

They had finally reached the island after everything happened.

"Finally... We arrived" that's what Ryota thought, who was getting off the ship along with the rest of the class 77.

Although... Ibuki was following him around a lot, mostly because she wanted him to eat the "delicious" Food because according to her, he looked too skinny.

"COME OOON ibuki thinks you should eat more than 1000 plates of food!" Ibuki said rubbing a plate of freshly cooked food in his face.

While Ryota appreciated the kindness a lot... He wasn't really hungry.

"Um... no thanks ibuki I'm fine don't worry" Ryota said smiling nervously at her.

"oooh nonono you won't escape from ibuki!" Ibuki said before jumping on him, throwing the plate to the ground, but not before grabbing some of the food and forcibly putting it into his mouth.

"blgh! Ibuki wait-" too late, ibuki had already put the food in and he forced himself to swallow it, after that he started coughing hard.

"aaaaand.. did you like it?" Ibuki said with a smile, though she still didn't let him go of his grasp.

"well.. it was very...AgH" ryota had let out a shriek, almost screaming unexpectedly.

"huh? I'm sorry, I hurt you?" Ibuki got worried, she thought she had tightened him too much until... She saw that Ryota had a smile on his face and she realized where his hands were...

"egh.. noho don't worry ibuki now please let me go..." But ryota couldn't finish his sentence before ikuki knew what was happening.

"ohoho nooo ryota why didn't you tell me you were ticklish!" After hearing this, Ryota blushed more than he already was.

"Ehh?! No no I'm not... Just let me go!" But ibuki was known to be the most dangerous tickle monster, plus she had never heard ryota's laugh.

"Nope! get ready to meet the tickle monster!" with that ibuki went straight for his ribs.

"AGH! nohohoho waihihihit!" he tried to suppress his laughter as much as he could but some giggles came out, he honestly didn't remember the last time he was tickled or... The last time he laughed, so this was something new for him.

"hahaha! I see that you need help to get out that laugh!, don't worry, Ibuki will help you!" Ibuki tickled him faster and harder this time.

"PFF- HAHAHAHA NOOHOHO IBUHUHKIHI NOHOHO "This time Ryota broke down and laughed out loud feeling the fingers on every part of him ribs turning him crazy.

"IBUKI YES!" Now Ibuki got excited i finally heard him laugh she thought.

And for Ryota, he was going to die, but for the embarrassment, he hasn't heard his laugh in a long time and hearing it now really strange for him, not to mention that Ibuki was showing no mercy to him.

"NOHOHO IBUKI PLEHEHEHEASE STOHOHOP HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" ryota yelled when ibuki also passed to his neck, soon tears start showing up in his eyes.

"Hahaha! Ibuki thinks you've had enough" with that ibuki released him and ryota huddled on the floor gasping for air and still giggling.

"hehe.. You're bad..." Ryota said tiredly, praying for no one else would have seen that...

"haha that was quite a show" fuyuhiko said along with peko and hajime.

"what...? Did you see it?" Ryota was red as a tomato and wishing the earth would swallow him.

"Yes haha ​​I'm sorry ryota, ibuki has destroyed us too, although you should really laugh more" hajime said knowing that ryota was very embarrassed trying to make him feel better.

"Umm.. Okay" Ryota said in a whisper, too embarrassed to say anything else.

"mmm well, I will be more rude the next time!" Ibuki said walking away to be with the others.

"for the next time...?" Wow these guys are crazy but... They are his friends after all right?

[despair-to-future-arcs]

I’m happy for you, Hiyoko! At least in the regards to the you having more freedom thing… My condolences for the loss of your teeth, boobs, and the use of your legs.

Yeah, honestly hearing my clan was disbanded was honestly the only good thing to come from all, everything else sucks...

So do you want to ask me about my memory?

Yes, mostly to see who you remember, now then...

NAGI: Do you recognize this place?

Yeah, that's Hope's Peak Academy - I was going to attend as apart of Class 77...

I remember my grandma was against it but then mom and daddy say she change her mind, not sure what happen.

Alright, next question...

NAGI: What about these 2…?

Yeah, it's that useless rabbit Usami and that bear that force us into a killing game.

I remember asking that rabbit if she can give me normal clothes but say that due to her not having her magic stick or whatever; she couldn't - I mean she could turn a chicken into a cow, that makes no sense!

Well you have to remember that Monokuma took her power over the simulation so she was powerless.

Anyway, next question...do you remember these 2?

—————————————————————–

—————————————————————–

...

...No, sorry I don't think so; I don't remember them...

Okay now last question...

NAGI: Aside from yourself, can you remember these people…?

Oooh, fresh meat! Can I give them some funny insults?

...Proper names, I'm sure that's easy to remember.

...Okay okay, got it.

Sonia Nevermind, Byakuya Togami, Ibuki Mioda, Chiaki Nanami, Gundham Tanaka, Kazuichi Souda, Mahiru Koizumi, Fuyuhiko Kuzuruyu...

Pig Barf.

*hits upside the head* OW!

Say their names proper or I'll hit you again!

Fiiine, Mikan Tsumiki, Akane Owari, Nagito Komaeda, Teruteru Hanamura, Peko Pekoyama and Nekomaru Nidai.

Okay so I'm done now, right? Can I sleep now?

*grabs her laptop as she gets up* Don't worry, you will; I just need to get the others and will do a check up then I'll let you sleep.

Thanks, see ya then.

*Nagi walks out as she closes the door...*

[more-than-a-princess]

🛒 What's on the list? Any plots or ideas? Something you wanna write?

RP preferences meme - Accepting!

Things generally come to me when I get engrossed in some new piece of media and then it becomes "Oh, that could be a cool plot idea or a new chapter in a longer storyline!"

I can say these days it's harder to be inspired by memes, especially quote memes where it wouldn't make sense for most muses to say a quote line by line, doubly so with lyrics quotes. And situations can be iffy: I like slightly longer prompts with more of a scene set up in it versus a simple gesture prompt most of the time.

That said, I'm really hoping with the popularity of shows like Bridgerton and next year's release of the new Rose of Versailles movie that there will be an even larger interest in historical fiction, alternate history, and historical romance! I've written once with a Lady Oscar and once with a Charles-Henri Sanson from Innocent and, while done in contemporary settings, they were a lot of fun to indulge in. And I've done a few alternate history threads with Code: Realize crossovers, and even tried one with a Hakuoki muse, putting Sonia in that mid-19th Century Japanese storyline the otome game covers while trying to add real life historical elements as to why a European would be present. I love being able to use historical details and inspiration from both real life and historical fiction in RP, but it's not too popular in the Danganronpa fandom or other fandoms that tend to visit my blog.

tl;dr: Give me your historical muses from around 1750 to 1940s.

And while I've tiptoed around this sort of thread, I've never really gotten to do a long-term storyline in a non-despair verse of Danganronpa muses attending a school reunion, seeing what their lives have turned into after high school. Usually when muns have DR muses, I find they tend to want a high school storyline in non-despair or a post-SDR2 storyline. It's actually one of the reasons I love writing with OCs, particularly those not affiliated with Danganronpa: it gives me a chance to explore Sonia's life outside of the school, the killing games, and the canon in general. I enjoy writing how her experiences as a student shaped her as an adult (and not always with the crippling angst the canon provides).

Finally, I'd love to write with Danganronpa muses I don't usually see on tumblr! There's a handful that I tend to see often, on single or multimuse blogs, and while I don't mind writing with them I'd love a bit more variety: DR has such a large cast and so many muses go unrepresented (but this is 2024 and a lot of DR writers have moved on).

Specifically, I'd be thrilled if a mun is a multi-para writer, interested in building a long-term storyline, and writes somewhat consistently for:

Akane Owari*

Peko Pekoyama*

Celestia Ludenberg*

Kyoko Kirigiri*

Byakuya Togami*

Ibuki Mioda

Nekomaru Nidai

Sakura Ogami

Mondo Owada

Sayaka Maizono

Mukuro Ikusaba

Gonta Gokuhara

Kirumi Tojo

Ryoma Hoshi

Tsumugi Shirogane (purely to have cosplay-focused threads, because I'm biased)

The stars indicate my ship preferences because I'll be shameless like that

And while these characters are slightly more common, I've yet to have much experience writing with them:

Rantaro Amami

Kaede Akamatsu

I would add Maki Harukawa here but I have a feeling all I need to do is cut back on some threads and say the word and Bryn could be convinced to provide her girl.

In short, this fandom has such a broad cast of characters and yet hardly anyone writes for at least half of them. It's sad. :(

Anything else though, I generally just wait to be inspired by something or have a mun suggest "hey, what if our muses got into this?" That's how some of my favorite interactions have unfolded.

[hypercaffeinatedquery]

THROWING THE DANGANRONPA SURVIVORS INTO THE HUNGER GAMES SIMULATOR

YOOOOO so I just put ALL of the survivors of DR into the hunger games simulator (YES, AGAIN, THESE POOR DUMBASSES HAVE TO PLAY ANOTHER KILLING GAME, I'M SORRY, IT WAS FUN) and THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED I TELL YOU YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT OKAY TRUST ME

I have narrated the entire thing w/ screenshots below, check this shit out

Day 1: Komaru is too much of a ditz so she accidentally steps off too soon and dies.

Everyone else has already been traumatized by the killing games, so other than Komaru being an idiot (affectionately), and Himiko (also a lil dumb) trying to escape, there are no deaths. Several people got into altercations, but they resolved everything peacefully & avoided violence.

Night 1: Again, some tense moments, but everyone avoids violence again. They've seen too much shit.

Teruteru & Shuichi cry themselves to sleep.

Day 2:

In an INCREDIBLY IN-CHARACTER MOMENT, Nagito kicks off the killing game for us ONCE AGAIN by FORCING another student to kill someone! Instead of Teruteru, this time we have Makoto, and he actually gets to CHOOSE (wow) between Ibuki and TeruTeru. He chooses Ibuki!

Night 2: Toko dies from an infection! Oof.

Day 3: Byakuya follows right behind her! Very romantic & poetic of him! Do I hear some angsty inspo for the ByakuyaxToko shippers??

Meanwhile Makoto is having a horrible string of events. After Nagito made him kill Ibuki, he couldn't get his fire started last night & slept cold, and now today he got his camp raided.

Night 3: MAKOTO PASSES OUT FROM EXHAUSTION, THIS PRECIOUS BOI CAN'T CATCH A BREAK

Mitarai steps on a landmine. The kills are mostly coming very slowly from this group. Even after three whole days, almost every single one has been due to something other than violence.

Day 4: We finally have our second act of violence (I think?). Hiyoko sets off a landmine, killing Kazuichi. Intentional? An accident? It's unclear.

Night 4: IN AN UNEXPECTED TWIST, Shuichi shoots Kyoko with a poinson dart!! All the despair and stress must have finally gotten to him...

In much better news, Gundham and Sonia cuddle <3

Day 5: WOW OUR THIRD MURDER. Mikan gets Fuyuhiko!! I can't say I'm surprised, she was always very close to despair. I'm honestly surprised it took her this long.

Meanwhile Akane dies from infection. A blessing to the other tributes, she's a force to be reckoned with.

Night 5: A calm night (relatively speaking). Several people try to sing themselves to sleep.

Day 6: OH MY GOD

IN THE MOST VIOLENT AND GRAPHIC AND HORRIBLE MOMENT YET

HAJIME SETS SONIA ON FIRE WITH A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL

I think I need to emotionally recover from this one, holy shit

Jesus

Night 6: WOAH

This is BY FAR the most eventful night of the ENTIRE SIMULATION, we are losing HALF OF OUR REMAINING SURVIVORS

FOUR PEOPLE have decided that they are so fucking sick of being put into another killing game, that rather than being forced to watch their friends die a second time around, they would rather kill themselves than have to participate in that again.

We've lost Gundham, Mahiru, Peko, and Hiyoko (all SDR2 cast), to suicide.

And if that weren't enough for one night, there's also a fight between Maki, Teruteru, and Mikan.

Maki kills them both.

We are down 6 people in one night. Wow.

Day 7: Sadly everyone did not live long enough to see the feast the next morning...

Everyone is so traumatized by all the violence last night, they all keep to themselves...

... until afterwards, where Nekomaru takes out Hajime, Nagito takes out Imposter, and Shuichi bleeds to death all on his own.

We are now down to only 3 survivors: an incredibly ripped athletic team manager, and 2 scrawny lucky boys.

Today was a very eventful day.

With only 3 people left, it gets quiet.

Night 8: Apparently, they all just... hang out together. ... .. ....... . . ...

Day 9: Nagito has now made MULTIPLE slingshots... what is he going to do with them all? ... one for each person...?

Night 9: OH. IT'S OFFICIAL PEOPLE. WE ARE NOW DOWN TO TWO ULTIMATE LUCKY STUDENTS. THEIR UNORTHODOX TALENTS HAVE PULLED THEM THROUGH ONCE AGAIN.

Day 10: THAT'S IT, FOLKS. MAKOTO NAEGI!

THE ORIGINAL PROTAGONIST!

THE ORIGINAL ULTIMATE LUCKY STUDENT!

THE ORIGINAL ULTIMATE HOPE!

HE'S DONE IT AGAIN!

MAKOOOTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

This has been the wildest fucking ride, guys. We just experienced the most (relatively speaking) peaceful, non-violent hunger games imaginable, had a huge suicide pact, and made it to the end not with our assassins, athletes, and swordswomen, but with our stupid beloved dumbass fucking lucky boys.

This has been a very Danganronpa Hunger Games.

Apologies to all survivors for putting them through that again.

See below for a breakdown of the final stats & a summary of the game!

And cheers for district 9!

Thx for watchin' the games!