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Finale | The End

Yoichi and Hitomi exchange glances once more, this time offering one another small smiles. You can see their shared sense of relief. Almost immediately, they turn to you again. Now that they’re done explaining, you can see they’re anxious to get going.

“We’ll talk more when we’re gone. We need to leave before those despair creeps decide to crash the after party.”

Yoichi nods in agreement, and motions for you to quickly make your way inside the two helicopters; four of you with him, and the other four with Hitomi. Once you’re all sitting safe and secured, he gestures at the pilots of his and Hitomi’s helicopters. Soon enough, you’ve lifted off the ground and are flying over the carnival – and towards your new lives.

Someone once said that where there’s life, there’s hope. You have no quarrel with that, but the reverse is also true.

There is hope, so you will continue to live.

The end. Thank you for playing!

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

For A Better Tomorrow || Goro || Endgame || The Answer is...

It had been over a month since Goro Nakada woke up on the cold ground outside Zetsubou Carnival. Over that period of time, he watched eleven people die; ten of which were classmates that he had once been friends with and had forgotten. The other was the only teacher who ever believed in him.

…Five brutal murders

…Five deadly class trials

…Five sadistic executions.

It was all a flurry of emotions condensed into a short period of time. Love, loss, acceptance and denial; many experiences that Goro had hoped he would never have to come across. Yet, here he was, standing outside the once pastel colored prison that he had been trapped in all of this time. 

And he wasn’t alone. He stood with seven other impressive people who proved themselves to be more than just a talent or a title. Sure, there had been many bumps in the road, things happening that may be unforgivable. However, at the end of the day, these were Goro’s classmates and in what appeared to be a world filled with chaos and despair; they were the closest thing he had to a group of friends.

It was difficult to be standing before two people who had once been his teachers, one of which had recently lost a spouse. Despite this they both stood there with a front of strength, offering to help them get out of here. 

And now they were presented with a choice. Do they return to their families who may not even be guaranteed to be safe?

Or do they help Yoichi Okamoto and Hitomi Hattori put a stop to the Super High School Level Despair once and for all?

Faced with these options, Goro took that moment to step forward, looking down at the ground slightly and pushing his hands into his pockets. He spoke to the teachers directly.

“So things are really messed up huh? Gh… Damn it… I hate the fact that these jerks used us as a way to cause so much damage. And… you’re saying that there is no way to assure that our friends and family are safe?”

Goro’s lip began to tremble and his voice wavered as he thought about the well being of his mother. Dark thoughts worked their way into his head- what if Takumi and Izumi had been put into one of these copycat killing games? He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. He pulled one hand out of his pocket and balled it into a fist. This wasn’t the time to be wallowing in self pity and doubt. These people needed help! He had to stay positive!

…

Goro finally opened his eyes, meeting the gaze of Yoichi and Hitomi. He couldn’t make the decision for anyone else, but he knew exactly what he was going to say. For the first time in a while, a genuine smile made it’s way onto the Sumo’s face.

“Look, I’m not gonna lie and say that what happened here at the Carnival hasn’t left me feeling doubtful, or hopeless. After all, we saw so much death and suffering… Everyone who died here, I’m never gonna forget them, ever. After all, at one point in my life, they were my friends.”

He paused, looking back at his fellow survivors.

“Even though it seems like the world has gone to shit, I wasn’t raised to be a quitter. I’m not gonna give up on my mom, Takumi-chan or Izumi-chan! And I definitely ain’t gonna give up on anyone who needs help out there. I may not be the smartest, or the most tactful person ever, but if there’s something I can do to help I’m gonna do it. That’s why I’ve decided to help you guys fight against the Super High School Level Despair.”

With one of his hands still in his pocket, Goro felt the cold plastic of something that he had forgotten for what felt like forever. A coy grin slipped onto his face as for the first time since his first week at the carnival, Goro pulled out his sunglasses with one fluid motion and pushed them onto his face.

“So uh… I guess we got a world to save, huh teach?”

Goro was uncertain whether he would be heading on this adventure with any of the other survivors. After all, it was up to them to make their own decision. However, Goro’s was set in stone with one sole reason for staying positive…

… For a better tomorrow.

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A Whole New World | Endgame

“…Just after your class went missing, a terrorist group called Super High School Level Despair mounted an attack against the Japanese government. They were… successful. The Prime Minister has gone into hiding, and the rest of the government is in shambles. They’ve imposed a system of anarchy. In order to keep the people from banding together against them, they broadcast the Zetsubou Carnival Mutual Killing Game. Seeing the children who were supposed to be the hopes for their nation’s future killing each other… it was supposed to break morale. And it worked, somewhat.”

“Your game was the first to start, but after it did, messier copycat versions started popping up both nationally and even internationally. They haven’t received the same kind of attention as yours, but… It’s been enough to screw everything up even worse.”

“After the country effectively went to shit, Hope’s Peak was shut down. The staff, alumni, and students who chose to remain began working with what little remained of the government to stop the mutual killings. Believe it or not, yours comes the closest to a happy ending in comparison to the rest.”

“Right now, hope is our greatest weapon. When you convinced Seiichi Shimizu not to blow up the carnival, you proved to the world that Super High School Level Despair can be beaten. We’ve already received reports of protests being organized around Japan, all because of you.”

“Unfortunately, just walking out of here alive isn’t really enough. If we’re going to shut these assholes up for real, then we’re going to need your help doing it… But that’s a lot to ask after everything you’ve been through. If you don’t think you can handle it, then we’ll try to locate your families and get you back to them… Not that I can make any promises about how they’re doing right now. Whether or not you help us is up to you. For what it’s worth, we’ve made arrangements to keep any of you from being legally held accountable for what happened here.”

A lot has been said, and it’s hard to take it all in – but the decision you’ve each been given to make is clear.

> Will you help them?

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

The Situation at Hand | Endgame

Two people step from the helicopters, once they’ve landed. While you’ve never met him before, one of them is immediately recognizable to you.

After all, your homeroom teacher died with a photo of him in his hands.

“You’re all here, thank God. Are you okay? You don’t have to worry anymore, we’re teachers at Hope’s Peak.”

Once he begins to speak, you can’t help but feel like his voice is familiar somehow. Only when his colleague speaks up, does it hit you. Yoichi Okamoto and Hitomi Hattori were the people you heard on the intercepted communication disc Seiichi had kept in the Control Room; the people who had been searching for you.

“Given what we saw while you were trying to figure out who put you in this pastel hellscape, I figure you already know we were looking for you. We’re just sorry it took us this long.”

The two teachers exchange a quick glance, and then focus their attention on you once again. After a brief hesitation, Yoichi addresses you once again.

“Hattori-san and I are here to rescue you, but… we’ve got a lot of explaining to do first. A lot’s changed since you disappeared.”

…And judging by his grave expression, that doesn’t mean anything good.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

Hope Springs Eternal | Endgame

Everything ended with a bang after all. Maybe not five hundred kilos worth of plastic explosive, but just enough to kill the mastermind behind the Mutual Killing Game.

Seiichi’s death hadn’t freed you from the carnival, though. You would have to do that yourselves.

After leaving the courtroom, the eight of you remaining made your way to the room that once belonged to the Shimizu twins. Set into the wall behind Seiichi’s dresser was a keypad. He hadn’t been lying about that.

For the briefest of seconds after inputting the code, nothing changed. But that illusion was broken as a rumbling like distant thunder reached your ears. There was only one thing that could make that sound.

You arrived at the entry to the carnival just as the heavy metal shutter blocking the entrance finished sliding open, providing you with your first glimpse outside the carnival. Outside is an abandoned parking lot, overgrown and choked with weeds. Further out, you can see trees.

You stumble out onto the asphalt with unsteady legs, unused to the freedom after all these weeks of confinement. You have but a moment to enjoy yourselves –

Almost immediately, your thoughts are drowned out by an impossibly loud, pulsing chopping noise. The wind picks up around you, kicking dirt and dust into your eyes. But still, you see them; two helicopters, rising over the treetops.

And it looks like they’re about to land in the parking lot in front of you.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

> …

> …

> … ＣＯＮＴＩＮＵＥ !

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The End of Zetsubou Carnival...? || Goro || Chapter 6 || Execution Reaction

So this was it…?

As the Class Trial finally settled to a close, Goro could only stand and watch in solemn silence as the eight of them finally pushed Seiichi into a corner. The discussion was over, the arguments finalised; Seiichi Shimizu was the mastermind of the mutual killing game.

At long last… they had finally won. 

The victory, however, was bittersweet. Things weren’t what they seemed all along. The killings had been broadcasted; orchestrated by a sinister organisation called the Super High School Level Despair. Not only that, all eighteen of them had known each other and attended school before coming to the carnival. There was something about knowing that they had essentially been killing their classroom friends after forgetting all of the memories they made together, that made Goro feel sick.

The Sumo bit his lip, breathing slowly as he looked over at Seiichi. Even as all of his plans came crumbling down, the mastermind gave them the means of escape. Goro didn’t know how to feel. A flurry of emotions cascaded through his body, but none of them were sympathy.

Anger… Frustration…

But mostly pity. He didn’t at all feel bad for Seiichi. After all, the kid had brought this on himself. Maybe, just maybe, there was an ounce of the Sumo that could relate to the Cake Decorator. After all, Goro had dealt with an abusive family member once before as well. Even so, the entire concept of forcing your class into a scenario where they must kill each other to escape, was way too unforgivable.

…

Goro had been caught up in his own train of thought that he had been blankly staring at Seiichi as he hugged Bijou close to his chest. It was only when it was too late, that Goro finally realised what he was doing.

He was executing himself.

In the blink of an eye, the floor beneath Seiichi fell through, taking the mastermind with it. A few moments later, the floor rattled, and the smell of smoke began to sift through the floor. Goro was stunned, staring down at the panel beneath the boys podium for a few minutes.

As things settled down, he took a deep breath and cast his hand across his chest. Opening his eyes, Goro looked at every one of his classmates.

“It’s over… We’re done. Let’s get out of here…”

Goro closed his eyes again, a smile crept onto his face. It wasn’t a smile of joy or happiness; but one of weary exhaustion. It was finally over. 

“I-I’m ready to go home.”

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

Nine Point Eight | Chapter Six

…In the end, none of it mattered. No matter how angry he was, how miserable, nothing he did would change anything. Blowing up the carnival wouldn’t bring Hisashi back; it would only complete Their mission.

(And it was Their game that had taken everything from him.)

He placed the detonator on the podium in front of him, and then hugged Bijou tight against his chest.

“There’s a keypad in our room… behind my dresser. The code is 0419. That will open the gates.”

There is no beauty in death, no restitution. But Seiichi had passed the point at which he was beyond redemption long ago.

And he couldn’t live with what he had done. Because no matter how he looked at it, he was the one who killed Hisashi. He had let Them lead him blindly, and it had cost him the only thing that had ever mattered to him.

Keep reading

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zetsubou-carnival:

After pressing down that vote button, nothing could have prepared Goro for what was about to happen. As he stood there, heart in his throat and looking around the courtroom frantically for the appearance of the mastermind; his attention was soon snapped to the same panel that they had entered. As it swung open, he could barely make out the shining pair of blue eyes that cut through the darkness.

At long last, the person behind this awful killing game had shown their face. As they slowly lumbered over to the podium where they had stood over a month ago and finally congratulated them; Goro could only stand in shock.

Seiichi Shimizu, The Super High School Level Cake Decorator…

… Was the Mastermind of Zetsubou Carnival.

“Wh-What the hell?!”

Goro felt his hands shaking, overwhelmed with a rush of emotion as the events of each previous killing swamped his mind. Everyone who died, everyone who killed; this was all because of… Seiichi? But that didn’t make sense! Why would Seiichi risk Hisashi’s life like that? Goro’s eyes darted around the room, first to Kazuo, then Kiyoko, Yuuya, Haruka, Viktor, Kasumi and finally Kohaku. He was trying his best to see if anyone else was making as much sense of this as he was. After a few moments, the Sumo settled his gaze on Seiichi.

“You gotta be kidding right? After all this time?” Goro shook his head in disbelief. “But you were executed right in front of our eyes! Was all that fake?”

Goro grit his teeth and clenched his fists, near enough growling at the Mastermind.

“You did all this and to your own twin as well? What the hell were you thinking you- you bastard!”

Climax Return || Chapter 6.4 Trial || Goro || RE : Mastermind Reveal ATTN : Seiichi

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Revelations | Chapter Six

In the moments after the final vote is cast, everything is still. No one speaks as the seconds pass, some of you hardly dare to breathe. For once, there’s no Bijou to tell you whether your vote was cast correctly, and so you can only trust in yourself, your classmates, and the conclusions you’ve drawn together.

A metallic squeal cuts through the silence, snapping your attention to the hidden hatch in the wall. Only seconds ago, the hatch had been closed, but now it’s hanging open, the access tunnels behind it cast in shadows.

Keep reading

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There’s No Moving On | Chapter Six

You’ve all come so far. You’ve spent the past few hours wandering the carnival, seeking the truth.

And it’s finally within your grasp.

The speakers squeal to life with a deafening screech and a shrill voice you thought you would never hear again echoes across the deserted amusement park. It’s Bijou – but how?

“I’ve been waiting long enough, assholes. It’s trial time. If you don’t know who I am by now, you’ll never get it. So fucking hurry up and figure it out.”

With the only above-ground entryway to the trial room still locked, you and your classmates are forced to continue your slog through the trash-filled access tunnels Kazuo discovered. You’re walking in the mastermind’s footsteps, as you head in the general direction of the trial room.

Finally, you make your way up and out of the dark, and into the sun; stumbling out of a panel in the trial room wall which you had never noticed before. As you take your places at your respective podiums, you have to wonder – was the mastermind telling the truth, did you really have enough evidence to figure them out? Could you win?

Either way, it would all end soon.

Mastermind trial start.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

Silence | Chapter Six

The time at which Bijou contacts you all each week, presenting you with a motive has come and gone. The carnival is silent. For once, there is no motive.

Maybe she was telling the truth about the game coming to an end. There’s only one way to find out.

Mastermind investigation start.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

One Last Time | Chapter Six

Bijou doesn’t give you much time to process Hatsuna’s execution, waving her arms around to get your attention almost the moment the LED monitors surrounding the trial room shut off.

“Hey! Hey! Look over here, I have something important to tell you–!”

“I unlocked the last area. It’s my personal favorite, uhuhu~! Let’s see if you guys can solve the carnival’s last puzzle!”

The plush hamster laughs to herself, before exiting the courtroom and disappearing.

Chapter six start.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

Silence of the Lambs | Chapter Five

After giving Yuuya and the other students a weak smile as his lips trembled, Hatsuna simply closed his eyes and held himself. A part of him still didn’t want to die, even though he felt truly alone beyond any point of salvation. And on top of all that, knowing what would soon await him filled the young shepherd with a deep sense of dread. How desperately he wished things could’ve been different. But before he could spend more time thinking about it, the floor beneath him opened up. Hatsuna fell with a shocked yelp, his hand outstretched at the others in one final attempt at holding on. It was only moments after, that the LED monitors around the students sprung to life once more. As the screens showed only darkness, a silent dread filled the room. What horrible images awaited them this time?

Keep reading

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Error | Chapter Five

Bijou opens her mouth to say something, the moment the bullets rip through her metal body, exposing the wiring within. Her body twitches before tipping over onto the ground, where it stays.

It’s not until Hatsuna is done with his speech that another Bijou appears, looking as angry as her robotic features allowed.

“Hey asshole–! What did you expect to accomplish? Did you think I don’t have, like, a million Bijou’s lying around? God, you’re even stupider than I thought!”

It’s Bijou’s voice speaking, but somehow it feels like it’s the mastermind speaking through the plush hamster, to Hatsuna now. The impression fades quickly, though, as Bijou returns to her usual chipper self.

“You’re lucky you’re getting executed anyways! Violence against your chaperone is punishable by death!”

She claps her hands.

It’s time for the execution to begin.

[the-shogun-sumo-blog]

Bijou Theater | Chapter 5

“Hey, hey! You did it~! That must be relieving after the giant embarrassment your last trial was, huh? Hanasaki-chan made it easy on purpose, though, so don’t feel too proud of yourselves, huhu!”

“As for the motive… Hitsukawa-chan didn’t get away with the murder, but he still killed somebody! That means he gets to ask 3 yes or no questions about the mastermind before being brutally and mercilessly executed right in front of your very eyes! Excited~?”

“I am, but our ratings would totally drop if I didn’t give you some time to think about things! Hitsukawa-chan, you can take a few minutes to discuss the questions you want to ask with your classmates… Or not! I don’t really care!”

“Besides… While everyone’s here, some of you might have some other juicy things to talk about~! Who knows?”