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Danganronpa Togami - Chapter 3

Part of my Danganronpa Togami fan translation | Masterpost 🔗

We were doomed to lose this battle from the get-go.

A defeatist would probably be enthralled writing an introduction like this. But we’ve never known defeat, we’re reckless, and we’ve never forgotten our all-or-nothing sense of adventure.

There were corpses and piles of guts, meat, and brains everywhere. Even with all of this flesh scattered across the floor, for Master Byakuya and I, there’s only one way forward.

It’s the same as how a fired bullet is only interested in what’s in front of it; it’s a fundamental matter of principle.

Sedlec Ossuary.

This strange building in the town of Kutná Hora is famous for storing the bones of approximately 40,000 people, with the bones of around 10,000 of those used to decorate the interior.

The altar, ceiling, monstrance, banisters, coat of arms, objects, everything is made from human bones. It’s been dubbed by many as the “Church of Bones.”

You may be wondering, “Why so many human bones?” Borges would answer this simple question eloquently, but this is no time for history lessons. The present is moving at breakneck speed.

The most spectacular decoration in the Bone Church is the giant chandelier made of human bones. It is said to have been pieced together with bones from each part of the body, and it shakes our views on life and death to a sickening extent. But now, beneath the chandelier, an even more vivid scene unfolds.

A scene from the infernos of hell.

Wet flesh was stuck to the walls, intestines were caught on the banisters of the staircase, and blood was splattered red on the floor. It would take a dozen hungry bears to create such a sight.

However, it was a human, not a bear, who accomplished this. I knew this, having fled from their attack.

“Tch. To be slaughtered in a place like this. In the end, their lives were as meaningless as a mere insect,” Master Byakuya said with a bored look on his face, as he sat on the windowsill, barely avoiding the bloody ravages. His black tuxedo stood out against the white of the bones and the red of the blood in a flaunting way.

“Phew. I’ve stomped on thousands of Goombas in my day, but this kind of crushing leaves me speechless,” said Hiroyuki, who was still not speechless as he lit a cigarette.

Yuika strolled inside the church. She didn’t seem too bothered by the blood at her feet, maybe because she was already wearing red shoes.

We somehow gave off the feeling of “the squad,” which was painful to think about.

It looks like I won’t be able to expect a romantic rendezvous with Master Byakuya for a while.

Anyways, back to work.

I placed my finger on my temple and activated Borges. Even without biometric data, it is possible to identify an individual from pieces of flesh, clothing, precious metals, skin color, etc. It’s basically the same as identifying bodies after a plane crash.

By combining the visual information like a 3D puzzle, we were able to confirm 83 bodies. Of these, we were able to identify 31 as belonging to members.

That’s thirty-one bodies. That matches the number of members of the council excluding Master Byakuya and Princess Sonia.

“Can you fill me in now?” Hiroyuki exhaled a smoke. “What’s this pool of flesh? Why were you all gathered at the Church of Bones?”

“Explain,” was all Master Byakuya said. Looks like this is my job now.

“The great Master Byakuya, the heir to the acclaimed Togami clan, is a member of the Council of World Controllers.”

“…Pst, m’lady, does that story involve the Freemasons or something?”

“If you want it to…”

“Woah…”

“You wanted to talk about underground corporations, didn’t you?”

“I’ll leave this alone. Please continue.”

“I haven’t been told how or when the Council of World Controllers was formed. Apparently it has existed for centuries as an organization that issues orders when a crisis strikes the world and secretly guides people to make choices to avoid it.”

“Oh, I see…” Hiroyuki trailed off. “By the way, are all of its members really just big-name politicians, aristocrats, or large corporations?”

“Of course.”

“Sorta like the Bilderberg Club.”

Borges = Search results #36695501 Category: Conspiracy theory Title: “Bilderberg Club”

A secret council founded in 1954 by Józef Retinger and others.

The meeting is attended by about 130 people, including big-name politicians, financial leaders, CEOs of major companies, monarchs of European countries, and bankers. Due to the contents of the meeting not being made public, conspiracy theories arose, such as “They are plotting to establish a unified government” and “They are discussing a depopulation plan to regulate the world’s total population.”

“This is the first meeting since Master Byakuya became a member. We flew to the Czech Republic for the weekend to go to the Church of Bones.”

“Do you always hold meetings here?”

“Supposedly, at least from what I’ve heard.”

“This here Kutná Hora was called the ‘Treasury of Czech Lands.’ You really get the vibe they're controlling the world from behind the scenes, huh.”

“That’s a strange way of looking at it.”

“Ieyasu found the phrases ‘May the state be peaceful and prosperous’ and ‘May noble lord and servants be rich and cheerful’ on the temple bell, and destroyed the Toyotomi clan as a result during the Siege of Osaka. Metaphors foster conspiracies and create destruction.” Hiroyuki had a pretty serious look on his face. “Anyway, now we know why you guys were in Prague. I never guessed a secret society would turn up, though.”

“How could you be here and meet us now when you didn’t know about the existence of the Council of World Controllers?”

“It’s a piece of cake for an underground corporation, am I right?”

“Are you saying you live in an unrealistic world too?”

“We live in the real world. Nothing too outlandish or unrealistic happens, so it’s impossible to become a world controller.”

“Is that so?”

“There are many organizations of many sizes in the world, and unpredictable events happen at every turn. How can you possibly control such a big crazy world with just one will? I like my fair share of conspiracy theories, but you’re seriously stupid if you truly believe them.”

I don’t necessarily disagree with Hiroyuki’s opinion. You can’t take on the world, it’s impossible to perfectly control schools, companies, and even the smallest organizations like families.

We’re not cogs in a machine or dolls to be played with. Just like how Louis XVI, who developed the guillotine, had his head chopped off by that same blade during the revolution, this world is full of miscalculations and ironies. It’s impossible to control the world.

“Unless you have a ‘poor cow.’” Hiroyuki smiled confidently and turned to Master Byakuya. “Spill the beans, kid. How did this organization called the ‘Council of World Controllers’ get so close to you Togamis?”

“What is this ‘poor cow’ thing you speak of, wannabe mogul?”

“Uh huh. Don’t play dumb with me, now tell me what reason they had to approach you Togamis.”

“Because we’re Togamis, enough said.”

“......”

“I was simply just asked to lead the world, I have no information regarding internal details.”

“It’s not like li’l boss to just run errands.”

“Small social interactions are an inevitable part of making a name for yourself.”

“Or maybe… The Council of World Controllers approached the Togamis to find the secret to their prosperity.”

“Like you did?”

“Kehehe… Say, what was the current crisis that’s threatening the world? A meteorite fall? An alien invasion? Global warming?”

“Isn't it obvious? It’s the Despair Novel that caused the despair disease.”

Borges = Search results #92778018 Category: Books Title: “Despair Novel (Restrictions apply, pending verification)”

A common name for the text that is believed to be the cause of the phenomenon that makes humanity despair, i.e. the onset of the Despair Disease. The official title has been confirmed, but it is not introduced on this level due to the possibility that it may cause the Despair Disease.

The original text is believed to be Japanese. It has been translated into 25 languages at present, and is still spreading around the world. It is 3,382 Japanese characters long (including punctuation). It’s classified as a short story and autobiographical novel. There are other parts that are known, but they will not be quoted or outlined on this level.

The Despair Novel, which is spreading rapidly around the world, is said to “make the reader fall to despair without fail,” and those who read it gain a condition called Despair Disease.

To date, there have been no reported cases of people who have not developed the disease or who have returned from the decision after reading it, and it is inevitable that the disease will be contracted once you read the Despair Novel even once.

Methods such as reading quickly, taking your time before reading, stopping halfway through, listening to it being read aloud, altering the text, and starting from the last page are being explored to read it without causing symptoms, but none have been proven safe.

Leaders of various countries have issued orders to burn books, and international organizations including the World Health Organization are also working to find a solution.

Borges = Search results #55091194 Category: Diseases Title: “Despair Disease (Pending verification)”

The colloquial name for the symptoms suffered by “readers” who finish the ever-growing Despair Novel (#92778018).

Whatever the language, those who read “Despair Novel” experience mental changes within 24 hours. Self-deprecating, self-abuse, discriminatory, humorous, aggressive, and violent aspects are particularly prominent, and many sufferers describe their state of mind as feeling “despair,” hence the name Despair Disease.

Victims become more open to their own impulses, band together with other “readers” to become violent, and there is a tendency to attack concepts that evoke hope (big companies, prestigious schools, celebrities, aristocrats, wealthy people, etc.).

Additionally, some anti-government activists and terrorists have taken advantage of the chaos caused by the infected and have been operating in secret, leading to civil wars in some countries.

The heads of countries have responded by isolating infected individuals and burning the copies of the Despair Novel, but the “readers” continue to spread like a virus, translating them, printing them, and posting the data on the internet, so the disease has not yet been eradicated.

Also, since reading Despair Novel always results in contracting the Despair Disease, the source, or even a cure, has not been identified. Theories include terrorist weapons, an unknown virus, Super High School Level talents being involved, and it just being mass hysteria.

As no fundamental solution has yet been found, some military analysts and think tanks are of the opinion that “if the phenomenon continues to spread, it could lead to the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history.”

Perhaps because Czech is a minor language, or because absurdist novels are not uncommon in the Czech Republic, there was currently no Czech translation of the Despair Novel available.

The original language of the Despair Novel is said to be Japanese, a language that is nowhere near as minor as Czech. However, there were no signs of the Despair Novel spreading in Japan. The incidence rate in the country has not been high, proving that in Japan, where everyone works hard, anime is aired all night, and 24-hour convenience stores abound, there is no time to read.

If I’m being honest, I’m not particularly interested in the Despair Novel. With the fake World Domination Declaration and Master Byakuya and the world in danger, it completely slipped my mind.

As a member of the Council of World Controllers, I’m sure I would have a vivid sense of conflict and epidemics that occur in faraway countries, but in the end, I only have the sensibilities of an ordinary person.

And so I was currently in a hidden room built into the basement of the Church of Bones. I had hoped to find survivors, but the place was deserted. It seemed no one had made it there. They probably didn’t have the time.

“The safe seems to be fine.” Master Byakuya seems to be satisfied as he sits on the skull object. “Quit sitting around and open it already.”

When I unlocked the safe embedded in the wall of the hidden room, I found a satellite phone, some rations, and a pile of gold bars.

“Wow, that’s quite a lot of gold bars!” Hiroyuki peeked his head out. “I wonder how much perica this will amount to.”

“Wannabe mogul, would you be willing to give up your life in exchange for this amount of gold bars?”

“I told you already. I have no issue resorting to ass-licking and prostrating diplomacy with any corporation of a higher rank. I'll serve you for free!”

“It seems I asked the wrong person.”

“Don’t look so down, li’l boss. There are very few people in this world you can have a proper conversation with. I can’t even talk to people who value cats more than humans, or people who laugh like ‘LOL XD.’ Oh well, my sister’s waiting.” Hiroyuki said his piece and left.

Finally, we were alone. Master Byakuya was looking at me.

“Oh, um, is something…?”

“Is there anyone who would risk their life for this amount of gold?”

“Oh, you mean…” I was disappointed. “Honestly, I can’t say. Are you saying you can’t imagine such a thing?”

“I suppose you are cold blooded.”

“Do you mean like… Capote?”

“You’ve never experienced hope or despair,” Master Byakuya said. “Even I, as I sail through the sea of life, encourage myself with the bait of hope and lash myself with the whip of despair. But you refuse to let hope, or even despair, into your life. That’s what they call being cold blooded.”

“I don’t really get what you’re saying, I’m not cold blooded.”

“Tell me then, what is your reason for being?”

“To complete your biography as the Super High School Level Secretary, Master Byakuya.”

“That’s right. You live to write Byakuyako. That’s the only thing you live for.”

Some would think I’d be saddened to hear such a thing, but that was far from the case. My supreme command is “Completing the biography is my foremost priority.”

“We read biographies and think we know about Helen Keller and Madame Curie,” Master Byakuya pushed up his glasses. “But how much fiction slipped into them?”

“Biographies are categorically non-fiction. Biographers are slaves to reality.”

“Hmph. That’s not the case. Traditional production, false anecdotes inflated from sources, virtue signaling… So many biographies are sprinkled with sweet sugars, dramatizing real events as if they’re taking advantage of a house fire to loot.”

“I would never do such a thing. Byakuyako is pure.”

“Do you know why biographers can’t follow such a simple rule?”

“No.”

“Because they’re human,” Master Byakuya exhaled briefly. “Can you tell me something from your position, Blue Ink? What do you think about each day as someone without hope or despair? Or do you believe in a concept bigger than hope and despair?”

“That is…”

“Desire.”

I heard Master Byakuya’s voice, however, Master Byakuya stood in front of me with his mouth shut.

“It’s desire. Desire that is far stronger than both hope and despair. That is because desire is the prototype, the origin, and original sin that birthed hope and despair. Desire is the intervening force behind every action.”

The voice was not only echoing from the hidden room. It was being sent out to the Church of Bones, to Prague, to the Czech Republic, and to the whole world.

“I found you, faker,” Master Byakuya smirked. “Show me your next move, try not to disappoint.”

The fake continued to speak, as if to say “of course.”

The both of them looked to be having fun.

Borges = View history #01106638 Title: “World Domination Declaration (Part 2)”

Desire.

It’s desire. Desire that is far stronger than both hope and despair. That is because desire is the prototype, the origin, and original sin that birthed hope and despair. Desire is the intervening force behind every action.

Tell me what it is you desire. Don’t be shy, go on.

I understand everything. It’s boring, isn’t it? You want adventure, don’t you?

I shall grant your desires. All you have to do is play my game. Participate in the World Domination Declaration. This is the world shattering event that will cure your boredom.

So allow me to give you a treat, dense bovines. I am currently in the Church of Bones.

Yes, I am in the Church of Bones all alone and unarmed.

Ripe… for slaughter. Go ahead, try and kill me. Now is the time to get serious. Try and kill the hope you oh so despise. Kill me, and I will be yours.

Or are you still just a whining maggot, even after all this has been set for you? I’ve provided the perfect opportunity for you, and yet you still make excuses to hide in your shell?

Oh well, I suppose it’s your life. Do as you like.

It’s okay to die as scum. It’s okay to die believing that you’re more than scum scum. It’s okay to become someone whose name will be engraved in the textbooks of history. Do what you want.

Effort can betray people, and there’s no guarantee that hard work will bear fruit. Still, without the desire to leave proof that you lived, you won’t be able to make a scratch on history. That is certain.

Oh well. I bid you adieu.

“It was a trap!” I cried. “W-what should we do? We made a huge mistake coming back to the Church of Bones…”

“It was our only option.”

“How are you being so nonchalant? We got tricked!”

“Think of it as a handicap. Something like a four-piece handicap in a game of shogi would be just right. And it’s not a particularly bad development. In a way, it’s a good thing that we came to the Church of Bones.”

Master Byakuya extended the antenna of the satellite phone he had taken out of the safe and began dialing a number without hesitation.

“Um, who exactly are you contacting?”

“It’s an order.”

“An order? Is it for a Visa?”

“It’s obviously an order for a hit. One from the former Super High School Level Hitman, Suzuhiko Otsuki.”

When I heard that name, my left eye…

…Almost like ink spilling over the edge of a bottle…

…Tears…

…Tears began to fall…

“It’s me, can you hear me?” Master Byakuya didn't notice anything strange about me as he held the satellite phone receiver to his ear.

“Dwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! May Buckingham always be in your heart! It is I, the true culprit in this magazine’s special edition… Allow me to shout to the crowd and let it be known, the iconic Suzuhiko Otsuki is here!”

A strange voice leaked from the speaker. It was the voice of a person who mocks the world and feasts on malice and vulgarity, the voice of a person who thinks that everyone other than himself is an idiot, without exception.

The voice of that man.

“Been a while, Byakuya. How’s it goin’? You givin’ world domination your best shot? Dyahahaha!”

“I’m not interested in idle musings. I’ll cut straight to the point, I’m making an order to kill someone.”

“Dyahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

“What’s so funny?”

“Is that even a question…? Dyahahahahahahahahahahaha! It’s obvious. It’s only natural to laugh after hearing somethin’ like that outta the little cute mouth of Byakuya, AKA the world’s most wanted.”

“The target on my head is my own business, not something you can laugh off.”

“Dyahahahaha! Good for you, bud. But I’m on a date right now.”

“You’re on a date?”

“I hope you realize I’m making this phone call in secret. Can’t let my darling honey know what I do for a living.”

“What are you on about?”

“Oh! This phone call reminded me, the other day I fought this clan of assassins. And their weapons were like scissors and bats, shit you’d see in the first half of a zombie flick. So I told ‘em, ‘I could beat you shits using a rice cooker!’ Dyahahahaha!”

“I don’t see what’s so funny about your story, nor do I see how it relates to this phone call.”

“S-seriously? Well then, anywho. I’ve already accepted a hit to kill this guy named Byakuya Togami.”

“Then there is nothing left to say.”

“Hey hey hey! Don’t hang up in such a hurry, Byakuya! You’re still as cold as ever, jeez. I haven’t even properly established my character yet.”

“That’s not my problem. I’m hanging up.”

“No need to be shy. We can talk about anything, anything’s ay-okay. Even Richard III.”

“Hmph, of course a hitman would bring up that name.”

“You’re the one who just tried ordering a hit, Byakuya. Just like how a bigshot places his hand on the Bible ‘fore a shootout, ya might as well place your hand on a copy of Richard III ‘fore requesting an assassination! Dyahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

Borges = Search results #11118905 Category: History, story Title: “Richard III”

The last king of England from the House of York, and the last king to die in battle.

In Shakespeare’s historical play ‘Richard III,’ he is portrayed as a man of terrible mind and body, twisted ambition, and a strangely captivating way of speaking. However Josephine Tey’s ‘The Daughters of Time’ argues that the negative portrayal associated with Richard III was unintentionally created by later generations.

There are many mysteries surrounding his life, and his true character has yet to be determined.

“Listen here, Otsuki. Do not forget that there is a world of difference between you and me,” Master Byakuya said, clutching the receiver tightly. “I give my stamp of approval to hitmen, then they fight their worthless consciences and destroy themselves.”

“Damn stupid. I cut ties with my conscience ages ago. It’s like, ‘Humans have lost their consciences and dance ‘til dawn.’ Consciences make people sick.”

“I already know you don’t have a shred of consciousness.”

“Dyahahaha! Thanks for the compliment. To thank you, I’ll kill you right~a~way~!”

“Try throwing me in a wine barrel.”

“You’re acting all tough, that’s not cute. Well then, Byakuya, keep yourself in one piece ‘til I get to ya. The second this call ends, you can’t turn your back on anyone. Dyahaha–”

“And so it is.” Before anyone could hear the unpleasant laughter, Master Byakuya hung up the satellite phone.

“Um, so whatever happened to your brilliant plan?”

“The world’s gotten so cheeky now that things just happen to not be going exactly according to my plan.”

“Master Byakuya, are you listening?”

“If the former Super High School Level Hitman is our enemy, then the situation has gotten gravely serious. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little shaken up.”

If Master Byakuya, the man who only thinks of other people as mere worms or shrimp, has said this much, then it’s clear that that man, Otsuki’s talent, was…

…Incredible.

I think the only student that could stand a chance against him would be Ikusaba.

Despite knowing that, I asked, “Perhaps we should get Enoshima and Fukawa to do something about it?”

“It’s too much for a gyaru and a writer to handle. You know very well that that’s beyond the world that they’re from. We have no choice but to deal with the impostor before Otsuki makes it to the Czech Republic.”

“That’s stupid, it’s impossible”

“What’s impossible is dealing with them both at once, and I request that you refrain from calling me stupid again.”

“…I have a suggestion.”

“Speak.”

“Let’s use ‘that.’”

That being his hidden move.

A finishing move that could change the world.

A word that would send the world into a frenzy.

However…

“I will walk my own path, using my own power.”

Dud.

Dududud.

Dududududududududud!

Suddenly, the sound of countless storming footsteps echoed. A thick atmosphere enveloped the Church of Bones.

It’s boring, isn’t it?

You want adventure, don’t you?

I shall grant your desires.

Perhaps Borges’ contact was poor, but the audio started playing automatically.

It’s true that I’m currently in the middle of an adventure, all thanks to the impostor.

The time was 10 PM. Four hours had already passed since the World Domination Declaration was issued.

There were many people under the still light-filled sky. Many faces expressed anger, passion, and even some anxiety. The Church of Bones was completely surrounded.

“It feels like the finale of the Yokohama Arena tour!” Hiroyuki and Yuika had climbed to the top of one of the Church of Bones’ three spires.

“What on earth is this?”

“Hey, young lady. Looks like we’ve got a few guests tryna kill you.”

The sight of the people looking up at me reminded me of a parade. It was exactly like the parade held by Hope’s Peak Reserve course. Its barrenness, its arrogance, its violence, its cowardice, its gaze, everything about it.

I have a headache. I need to take some aspirin. My head suddenly started to pound, and then… Yuika’s hand gently rested on my forehead.

“Pat pat.” Her sleepy voice and expression had a calming effect. Next, Yuika handed me a konpeito.

“Why are you giving me candy at a time like this?”

“It’s sweet.”

“I know that.”

“You knew that? Even though it’s so spiky?”

“S-sorry…”

“Thank you for your many great efforts.”

“Eh?”

“It’s babysitting.”

There was no time to ask her what she meant, we immediately spotted a fire rising from the Church of Bones.

They set it ablaze!

The people who set the fire were excited by the sight of the red-hot fire and let out cries of joy.

“Oh, it’s burning, it’s burning,” Hiroyuki said, looking down from the spire. “You know, I’m known as the ‘King of Flame Wars,’ online but it’s kinda shocking when one happens in real life.”

“Hey, this is no time for jokes.”

“I wonder if this is what Nobunaga felt while he was burning at that temple.”

“If you don’t have an escape plan, then be quiet.”

“Oh no, I’ve been scolded! Fine, if you say so, my lips are sealed nice and tight. Até breve, obrigado! See you next time!”

As our pointless conversation went on, the flames grew over the church walls. The old church was not fireproof, and if this continued, we would be reduced to ashes along with the skulls of about 40,000 people.

A low sound was faintly heard among the voices of the people, the sound of an engine.

The gates of the Church of Bones bursted open and it roared its giant tires as it charged into the grounds.

“Commoners, please stay away from the Church of Bones. We are from Hope’s Peak Academy!”

It was a decoration truck, commonly known as an art truck. It featured excessive LED lights, glittering aero parts, and brightly painted containers.

This uniquely Japanese culture has been receiving a lot of praise as art lately. These strange trucks, operated by delivery men, can even be seen on local highways and at parking areas.

But this is not Tochigi or Chiba, this is the Czech Republic, and when the occupant of the art truck is a student from Hope’s Peak Academy, things change.

The art truck that had parked on the grounds of the Church of Bones had the words “Luxury and Splendor” and “Royal Business” painted on the front, and a large illustration of Princess Sonia was painted on the container.

Beside the illustration were words that would lower your IQ just by reading them.

“Raised like a princess,

I cried at imperial school,

Hope’s flower shall bloom.

Let’s go, move beyond,

To the other side of time…

-Sonia Nevermind”

“Apologies for keeping you waiting, but we have arrived just in time.” The metallic driver’s door was opened, and Princess Sonia stepped out.

She was greeted with applause. The crowd, who had previously been hellbent on attacking us just a moment ago, were now in a frenzy at the arrival of the Super High School Level Princess.

No matter the generation, a young, beautiful woman is the perfect person to admonish and incite the people.

“To the people of the Czech Republic, I am truly sorry for the recent scandal that occurred at Hope’s Peak Academy.” Princess Sonia bowed her head gracefully. “I understand that you all want to destroy Byakuya Togami here and now. But I ask that you please entrust him to me. Would you people allow me to correct your misguided hopes?”

The power of envious influence. The contents of the speech were nothing special, but the atmosphere makes it hard to believe that, and the people are speechless.

“Miss Sonia! Miss Sonia! Wait for me!” Soda climbed over the gate that the decorated truck had destroyed.

I used Borges’s audio inspection function to concentrate on their conversation.

“Have no fear, Soda, chin up.”

“Haah... No, no, it’s not that, Miss Sonia. I’m not embarrassed, I’m just tired. I ran here at full speed after all.”

“You should have just gotten in the art truck. After all, you’re the one who made it for me, Soda.”

“Uh, I get motion sickness, remember?”

“That’s a complicated situation.”

“Don’t call it a situation!”

“So then how did you come from Japan all the way to the Czech Republic, Soda?”

“Did you forget that too? That girl said, ‘If you’re scared of flying, why don’t you just sleep?’ and then stabbed me with an injection! I practically fell into a coma thanks to that…”

“Just like King Kong. Rest in peace, just like the movie version that was a huge flop.”

“Jeez, that hurts more than you think, Miss Sonia.”

“Is the intel that Togami entered the Church of Bones reliable?”

“It was on the security camera. It seems that those two are still with him.”

“And how’s our ‘swindler’ doing?”

“Did you even hear that speech just now, Miss Sonia? He’s getting really caught up in the Byakuya Togami role. Though he seems to be trying out this ‘good guy’ thing compared to the real one.”

“Togami is the perfect example of a misunderstood bad boy. It’s easier to understand if you think of him like Xellos from Slayers or Howard from Uninhabited Planet Survive.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Aw shoot, ol’ Sonia’s gonna burst into tears.”

“Uh, ahem, a-anyways. The swindler guy is in top form. All we need to do now is to get the real Byakuya Togami out here and we’ll be done, so cheer up, Miss Sonia.”

“That’s right. It might not be in my best interest to organize a national assassination on you because we have different interests.”

“National power sure is scary.”

“It would be painless.”

“It would absolutely not be painless!”

Princess Sonia uttered a catchphrase that didn’t quite make sense, and pointed at us at the spire. There were a few words that caught my attention, but I’ll get back to them later.

Princess Sonia… Soda… The students of Hope’s Peak Academy have officially attacked.

We need to think of something. Think of a way to survive. Just like back then.

Looking around, it seemed Princess Sonia's charisma was dominating the scene. She exuded the energy of “leave the rest to Hope’s Peak Academy,” and everyone did.

“You’re welcome to start anytime, Miss Sonia! You won’t even get sick just by operating it!” Soda climbed into the driver’s seat of the art truck, and the container opened to reveal a crane for high-altitude work.

Princess Sonia climbed into the crane’s platform below. The people watched in awe as the crane extended with a revving sound, approaching the spire where we were.

“Now I finally understand how both the wrecking ball and Miley Cyrus felt all at once!”

So she meant she was just going to come up here directly? It’s simple, but that's why it’s a surefire way to capture us.

With no weapons to repel them, we could only stare as Princess Sonia approached, like children waiting for Santa Claus to arrive.

The optical rangefinder installed in Borges calmly displayed the information of Princess Sonia’s approach.

Twenty meters. Fourteen meters. A few meters…

“That’s enough, fools.”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t looked at Master Byakuya yet.

I found Master Byakuya on one of the three spires… He sat on the edge of the tower. His golden hair flowing in the wind in front of the people… In front of the enemy…

He was fair and honorable, smiling like a true overlord.

“There are those who treat life as a mere game. A life in which you aim for the best ending may indeed resemble a game. I can’t help but agree with this approach of treating school, work, relationships, and managing your life as if you were playing a game. Everything is a game of win or lose, after all. The winners get drunk on fine wine, and the losers taste the bitterness. That is the simplicity of the game of life.”

Silence. The people, Princess Sonia, and Soda all listen in silence to Master Byakuya’s words.

What is he saying? What is his goal? I can’t understand.

“Obviously there are lives where you become a winner and then fall off, or ones where you’re the only one who believes you’re a winner. In some lives, the loser makes an incredible comeback at the end, and some lives where you keep trying but never taste what it’s like to win. There is no optimal method to winning, and there is no secret button combo. The starting conditions and starting equipment are all different. Everyone has different amounts of money and time to invest. It’s an unkind, unequal game. That’s what makes it fun, but I can also understand the arguments of defeatists who say it makes them feel unmotivated.”

Master Byakuya took a deep breath, as if to confirm the effect of his words.

“Some of you are experiencing this as an event. Some of you are rejoicing that the time has finally come for excitement in your lives, which up until now has been nothing more than a shitty game. That’s right. This is a major event hosted by me, Byakuya Togami. A celebration, adventure, something extraordinary, a dramatic reversal. And now I grant you a brand new bonus stage. Pay attention.”

Then, Master Byakuya scattered the gold bars from the safe across the ground like a whim from the heavens.

“I declare the opening of the bonus stage. Whoever can rescue me from the flames of the Church of Bones before the people of Hope’s Peak Academy can catch me will receive these bars of gold.”

Master Byakuya then dropped another gold bar, as if to make his point clear.

The people below stared at the shining golden bar before realizing that it was the real deal. Watching from the top of the tower, you could see the ripple effect in their hearts. Faced with a brand new bonus stage, the people began to ponder their desires.

Why did they come to the Tower of Bones in the first place? Now that they’ve gotten this far, how much more would they be willing to embarrass themselves?

It took less than five minutes for their behavior to shift.

The people began scaling burning walls, attempting to put out the fires with mineral water and rushing towards Soda in the driver’s seat, trying to get to Master Byakuya at all costs.

“Hehehe… Look at them risking their lives for something pathetic like this,” Master Byakuya said smugly as he looked at the scene below.

I, too, was enamored with Master Byakuya’s divine nature. No, I was in pure and utter awe.

I wanted to write Byakuyako. I was consumed with the urge to write. Ahh, the desire to work…

I want to fulfill my purpose, my duty as Blue Ink. My hands, brain, and heart itched.

I am the act of writing itself. I am the very act and manifestation of writing. I am a writing puppet. That’s why…

Yes, that’s why… I could feel the blush on my face increase as thoughts came flooding in.

He lost everything, his name, his identity… And yet he’s fighting for his redemption, all while dressed in a beautiful tuxedo. Right beside me.

What does that mean? At this very moment, am I the only person in the whole world who believes in his existence? Do I have him to myself?

I came to this realization. So in the end, I’ll only tell the world how I felt.

I was on cloud nine.

Some of the people tried to take over the crane, thinking that it might be the quickest way to reach Master Byakuya.

“Halt commoners! It’s dangerous! Only parade-goers can do that, such as on Japan’s new year parades!”

Princess Sonia’s trivia was drowned out by a deafening sound. It was a high-pitched sound that seemed to destroy my eardrums… No, it might as well have destroyed my ears themself. I instinctively covered my ears, but the piercing pain made it impossible to think straight.

Next came a gust of wind strong enough to shake the spire.

“Thaaaaaaaaaaat’s iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”

Princess Sonia’s delicate body floated off of the gondola, then blew far away. If this were Team Rocket, she would have surely shouted, “Team Rocket’s blasting off again!”

What on earth was happening? Before I knew it, a huge cloud of dust had risen from the ground.

A new silhouette appeared in the dust. A huge, misshapen shadow.

Soon it appeared, and it was an incredibly bizarre vehicle. It had two jet engines resembling crab claws mounted on the front of the transport vehicle. I didn’t understand its purpose or its mechanics. It was incomplete, both as a weapon and as a vehicle, and it looked deformed.

But like any person in the modern era, when in need, I use the information at my fingertips.

Borges = Search results #41908870 Category: Weapons Title: “Uragan”

A minesweeping vehicle developed by the Czechoslovak People’s Army in the 1960s. It was developed to blow up mines underground with the use of jet exhaust. Since simply detonating the mines was easier and used less resources, it was retired.

While there have been plans to repurpose it, ultimately the amount of dust kicked up was extraordinary, and the efficiency was not much different from that of a human being, so those plans were put on hold.

Two people were on board this failed weapon, the Uragan, both wearing lab coats.

One was a redheaded man who was using an umbrella despite the fine weather. The other was a girl who was elementary school age at most, and she was the one operating the Uragan.

The Uragan with the two of them on board, with the sound of its jet engine revving, blasphemously rode up and over the gravestones and approached the Church of Bones.

“Mmmmmm… Mmmmmmm.!” Hiroyuki hummed his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Perhaps his lips were still sealed.

“That’s enough, speak.”

“Those guys are the Hasegawas!”

Borges = Search results #65926750 Category: Institutions Title: “Hasegawa Research Institute”

A research institute under the command of a man named Yoshinobu Hasegawa, which researches all academic subjects regardless of field. It is a highly confidential institution and does not report or announce any results.

The organization that runs it, MacGuffin Computers (USA), is a well-known company, but has consistently maintained a no-comment stance on the Hasegawa Research Institute.

Compared to the average person, I have deep ties to conglomerates and organizations. So even to me, the Hasegawa Research Institute was like an urban legend.

Everyone knows it exists, everyone knows the name and location. And yet no one actually works there.

There have been many rumors, such as a friend of a friend developing a new drug, or an acquaintance of an acquaintance working on human beauty treatments at a facility deep in the mountains, but no one truly knows anything about it.

“The Hasegawas? You mean from Hasegawa Research Institute?” He couldn’t help but ask the pointless question.

“The one and only,” Hiroyuki shrugged.

“Does the Hasegawa Research Institute also want Master Byakuya?”

“To be precise, what they want is the secret to the Togami clan’s prosperity. There’s countless people who want it. The Ketoin Corporation and the Hasegawa Research Institute are probably just the tip of the iceberg.”

I wanted to ask for more information, but the world wouldn’t let me. As soon as I heard that ear piercing high-pitched sound, the sound of a jet engine revving, the Uragan began its attack.

Kaboooooom!

The face of Princess Sonia painted on the container was deeply dented. Soda was stunned, panicking in the art truck, unable to move.

Princess Sonia’s voice could be heard, “Soda, take evasive action immediatelyyyyyyy…!” I could see Princess Sonia opening her parachute and fluttering in the wind.

But the art truck didn’t budge, meanwhile the Uragan began mercilessly shooting the pressure generated by its jet engine at the container.

Kaboooooom! Pow pow pow pow!

Some people got caught in the crossfire and got squashed like tomatoes. Perhaps realizing that the difficulty of the bonus stage was no longer worth it, the people fled the premises like a scattering of spiderlings.

“Hmph. What a bunch of useless idiots,” Master Byakuya snorted in dissatisfaction. “If you value your life, then don’t play the game in the first place.”

“Soda! Please get the art truck on the move!” Princess Sonia tossed her parachute aside and ran over to Soda.

“Even if that’s what you desire, Miss Sonia, I can’t do that!” Soda cried from the driver’s seat. "It’s straight up impossible! I get dizzy and vomit easily…”

Presumably deciding that there was no other way around it, Princess Sonia tossed Soda aside and started the art truck.

The two vehicles moved around, knocking down gravestones one after another in the not-so-large battleground. The giant tires dug into the soil and flowers, leaving tracks behind.

Princess Sonia’s driving skills were quite impressive, and she got behind the Uragan. The Uragan, which could only attack from the front, had no choice but to focus on evading.

“Hey! Heyyyy!” Soda was running around and away from the mass of iron that was swerving in all directions.

“Soda, what are you doing down there?”

“Didn’t you just throw me down here, Miss Sonia?”

“Hurry up and jump in the art truck!”

“That’s impossible in so many different ways! I’ll cry and vomit all over the place!”

“But I can’t combine by myself?”

“Say that again?”

“I want to combine with you, Soda.”

“Say that again!?”

“So I want to combine with you, Soda…”

“Miss Sonia, I’m going to record that in the highest quality audio ever now, so could you say that again?”

“Just hurry up!” Sonia scolded.

It was a display of superhuman strength in an emergency. Soda displayed incredible athletic ability, grabbing hold of the moving art truck and climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Jack oooooonnnnnnn!”

The moment Princess Sonia shouted loudly, the mechanical shifting began with a clanging sound. Arms stretched, legs came out, and finally…

“Face the overwhelming power of the Bogart Truck!”

It was a humanoid mech. It was a robot that was very passionately designed to look like some kind of delinquent, the kind you’d find guarding the halls at a high school in Hiroshima.

In the driver's seat, which also served as the robot’s chest, sat Princess Sonia with a big smile and Soda with a pale face. It would be rude to point out something like that, so everyone begrudgingly ignored it. The Bogart Truck spread its legs to cushion the impact and shouted “Back Button Blast!” as it fired its cannon.

The Uragan, which couldn’t possibly defend itself, made a jarring turn to avoid the cannon, but the Bogart Truck immediately took aim and fired the next shot, calling out “Bully Beam!” for some reason, I couldn’t tell you why. The Uragan’s current trajectory meant it couldn’t possibly dodge.

Bang!

…but the shot flew in the complete wrong direction and exploded in the air.

“Weak,” a voice murmured. “An assault without fists is too weak.”

A flesh-and-blood human was standing on the battlefield where the machines were clashing. The person stood tall and imposing on the battlefield, delivering a speech.

“The heavens are calling!

The earth is calling!

The people are calling!

All calling me to vanquish despair!

Listen here and listen well, despair!

I am a true warrior of hope, I am the Muscle Mask!”

No matter how you looked at it, it was obviously just Ogami wearing a mask…

Masks are an essential item at any Czech carnival, but they just hide your face, not your muscles.

Wearing a flashy mask, Muscle Mask aka Ogami closed the distance between her and the Bogart Truck in only a few steps.

“I grant you only three seconds.”

Her fists smashed down and Princess Sonia and Soda leaped out of the mech at the same time. The driver’s seat, decorated with vehicular parts, was crushed like paper mache.

The sound of a jet engine revving could be heard from behind the wrecked Bogart Truck. It was the Uragan, and it fired its air pressure and Ogami.

“Destroy!” A shout of determination drowned out the sound. The two weapons were rendered completely helpless.

This is it, this right here, this is the power of the Super High School Level Fighter.

“Togami, I heard the details from Enoshima,” Ogami looked up at the spire. “There’s something fishy about all of this. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“Hehehe. You’re impressive,” Master Byauya clapped his hands appraisingly. “As long as you function as an instrument of destruction, that’s enough for me. An instrument of destruction must act like an instrument of destruction and eliminate all destruction with destruction. Look, here comes the next attack.”

Danananana daaa daaa! Danananana daaa daaa naaa!

The famous riff from Lenny Kravitz’s hit song “Are You Gonna Go My Way” rang out.

What is this time?

“It’s me this time!” A figure appeared above the Uragan.

The one mastering the guitar is… Taeko?

Encouraging her, the Uragan began to blow fire from the ground, causing a cloud of dust to rise.

Taeko enters the stage, charging at Ogami.

Ogami caught the guitar that was swung down on her head just in time.

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Ngggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh!”

“Jimmy Page intentionally made the sound thinner by phasing his Les Paul!”

“Instruments are meant to be performed!” Ogami swept the guitar away, and Taeko quickly regained her balance in mid-air and landed as if nothing had happened.

“That girl’s from the Hasegawa Research Institute,” Hiroyuki said, revealing a shocking truth. “She’s apparently the one who's supposed to watch us.”

So that means…

1.) Hope’s Peak Academy (Princess Sonia and Soda)

2.) Hasegawa Research Institute (The two in white coats and Taeko)

3.) Master Byakuya’s Party (The Ketoin Corporation, Ogami, and us)

We were players in a triple threat match.

Ogami and Taeko have already clashed. Ogami seems to be more skilled, but the Uragan’s rear support is getting in the way so she can’t land a decisive blow.

Meanwhile, from what we can see, the Bogart Truck seems to have lost its primary control system. Princess Sonia crossed her arms in a sulky mood, and Soda was holding a bag of vomit.

“Ora ora ora ora ora ora ora!”

“With my still, calm, and clear mind, your attacks appear to be nothing but merely standing still.”

“Grah! The guitar attack isn’t working… is what I’d say if I was lying-kick!"

“You’re cunning, little girl.”

“Little girls are always cunning, y’know? You should really stop working out so much and enjoy your youth!”

“My muscles are my youth!”

“Poor youth.” Taeko shakes off her legs and resumes hitting with the guitar. “Youth is about breaking school windows at night and forming an impromptu band at the school festival!”

“Are you forcing your youth onto me?”

“You’re the one spending all your time working out instead of falling in love!”

“How dare you assume I’ve never fallen in love!” Ogami's elbow strikes Taeko squarely in the side.

Taeko is sent flying, but this time she can’t regain her balance causing her chest to bounce off the ground like rubber.

The Uragan uses air pressure to hold back Ogami as she tries to pursue Taeko. Taeko takes this opportunity to stand up and she spits out some blood. “You have some balls actually going against me, I’m the bullfighter here.”

“Up against you? You have a high opinion of yourself. You’re completely outmatched by me.”

“I refuse to give in. If I did, then it’d be over. Don’t you think it’s important to have the strength to not accept defeat?”

“Why are you so hung up on landing a one shot?”

“Cause it’s cool, duh. I’m not interested in winning by digits.”

“You really think that would work on me?”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Ngh…?” Ogami’s eyes widened.

“My attacks are indeed too big, but there’s a reason for that. My job is to stop you, not defeat you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I attack. You dodge. Then the Uragan gouges the ground and I perform my attack while scattering mines. And in the end, the Uragan covers it with dust again… Oops, you shouldn’t have moved carelessly. This is a high-density mine field now!”

Taeko lifts her skirt, and several mines fall down like a girl’s secret.

“I see.”

“Now I’ve sealed your movement. I don’t underestimate your jumping power, but I doubt you can break through here without making a single misstep.”

“And what about you guys?”

“What about us?”

“You guys can’t move either. Looking at that vehicle, it looks like it has a minesweeping function, but once we clear the battleground, you’ll be pursued.”

“I got that covered already.” From the back of Taeko… a balloon emerged, inflating. She floated up gently, like a character from a picture book.

The duo in lab coats aboard the Uragan also inflated a balloon from their backs and floated into the sky.

“This is everyone’s favorite Fulton Recovery System!” Taeko shouted. “We’ll get outta here without having to walk through the minefield!”

A shadow began to appear. I looked up and saw a transport plane flying low above the ground.

Fwoosh… Fwoooosh…

I heard a deflating sound, and it turned out that the balloon that had shot into Master Byakuya had inflated, sending him floating.

“Master Byakuya!” I reached out with my hand, but there was no way I could reach the spire on the other side. Like a balloon that a child has accidentally let go of, Master Byakuya rose into the sky in an instant. “Master Byakuya!”

No… No no no… This can’t be. I don’t want to be separated any more!

“Don’t make that face,” Master Byakuya said as he had his arms and legs crossed, looking calm even though he was floating high in the sky. It was like he was saying there was nothing to worry about, as if encouraging me not to give into this hell. “Hey, Blue Ink, tell me what your mission is.”

“...Completing the biography is my foremost priority.”

“Then observe. Observe this scene, this situation, this adversity, and write. Write like you’ve never written before.”

“Hey sis! Wahahahaha, sis!”

Yuika was far up in the sky. Now that I think about it, there were two shots fired, but of course I didn’t have time to worry about that.

“Can you hear me?”

“Y-yes!”

“I’m giving you an order, so listen carefully. Protect me, even if it;s you vs. the world.”

The transport plane collected all of the balloons and vanished. At that moment, the Church of Bones finally gave in and crumbled, burying both Hiroyuki and me.

#danganronpa #dr #dr togami #danganronpa togami

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togami-fan-translation · 10 months ago

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Danganronpa Togami - Chapter 2

Part of my Danganronpa Togami fan translation | Masterpost 🔗

McDonald’s. McDonald’s. Convenience store food. Cup noodles. Domino’s Pizza. KFC. Instant ramen. Instant. McDonald’s. McDonald’s. Domino’s Pizza. Convenience store food.

If I told you that this was my diet for a week, would you be worried?

Fast food is not a disease unique to modern society, that’s the only fact that saves me.

Apparently, ancient Roman apartments didn’t have kitchens, so people bought ready-made meals, and in 13th-century Paris, there were already restaurants serving food and cakes, and in the Edo period, food stall culture flourished.

The benefits of homemade food? The connections that are born around a dinner table? Those are just straight up lies.

I browse the internet while munching on leftover McDonald’s fries, reaffirming that everyone other than me has talent, and then go to bed when I’m tired. I don’t really know why I kept living like a mole, but one thing is clear: it’s because of something everyone likes to call hope.

I was crushed by this “hope,” and lived in a world without it. I never left my room and I chose to settle in a place where hope was invisible.

“Hehehe.”

“Y-you… Why are you laughing?”

“You’re still a newbie, mister. Didn’t you know? If you force yourself to laugh, it’ll calm your mind.”

“I guess that's how it is.”

“Why don't you try laughing? Come on, laugh with me! Hehehe... What’s this? It’s delicious. Try eating this! It’s super tasty!”

So then why am I out and connecting with someone over a meal?

A quick search reveals a plethora of talents: Super High School Level Traditional Dancer, Super High School Level Groomer, Super High School Level Female Bassist, Super High School Level Bear Hunter, Super High School Level Candle Maker, Super High School Level Charcoal Burner, and more. It’s almost as if they want to declare that talent itself has no value.

In short, I was damned from the start.

I was a mole sleeping alone, far away from civilization. In the soil, there are carbohydrates and internet access, so I won’t die or anything, but it makes me feel dead even though I’m alive.

That day, as I munched on some leftover fries, I was searching for information about the talents that were shining at this very moment.

There are many people in this world who find meaning in the sales of video games and those who get excited when their favorite baseball team wins. They directly link other people’s lives to their own. They just skim off parts of other’s lives to validate their own. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care about what to do with their stacks of bills or even how to use a ball.

I guess what I'm doing is close to that kind of stupid behavior.

Being a mole, I can’t help but sniff out the powers and abilities that sprout up like bamboo shoots in early spring, and sigh with relief, thinking, “Talent is pretty ordinary, not unique.”

I know it's futile. Of course I want to get outside.

But talentless people like me can’t go outside, and what hurt me even more was the fact that while I was suffering like this, so many people with zero talent were living outside.

Even if the bath was filled with shit, as long as the person soaking in it is satisfied and thinks, “This bath is nice,” then that counts as “outside” for them. There are also so many people who mistakenly think that just because they've started a family or gotten promoted, they’ve earned the right to live outside.

I would never do that.

I refuse to fall into the trap of self-satisfaction. I won't become an “evangelist” who only talks about misfortune. I won't become a “mom or dad” who protects a shitty house, or a “CEO” who laughs and cackles.

So now the most troubling question is, “What do I do?”

I never thought it would turn out like this. Honestly, I can't believe it. I believed that even if I had nothing, I had talent.

It’s not like I need to be able to run 100 meters in under three seconds, or be able to guess the brand of wine just by looking at its color, or levitate… but what about a talent for writing, for example?

I tried reading the novels written by Super High School Level Literary Girl and Super High School Level Light Novel Writer, but honestly they were so shitty that it moved me by just how shitty they were.

Damn it! What makes them so good and me so bad? Why are they outside and I’m a mole?!

Huh? I’ve been speaking for too long?

Maybe you’re right. A girl’s life advice is annoying, but an old man’s monologue is the worst.

I’ll close my eyes and go to sleep. I wish everyone’s dreams would die. I also wish everyone’s hopes would die. And those people who think their hopes and dreams will come true? Die some more.

Good night.

Of course I noticed something strange. Even someone fast asleep would notice the sound of a loud explosion.

At first, I thought that the despair disease had finally arrived in this remote countryside. But the presence I sensed from behind the curtains didn’t seem to be that. I saw a video on an underground file sharing site of a certain country where the majority of the population had contracted despair disease. The people seemed to be having lots of fun.

They piled despair on despair, multiplied negative on negative, and laughed out loud as if they had been filled with pure bliss. They were killing each other while laughing. Whether they were hitting someone else or being hit, stabbing someone else or being stabbed, they were all laughing happily at the attack. So in other words, everyone was a perpetrator and there were no victims.

But now, screams were coming from outside the apartment, and even I was woken up by the noise. There were only a few other things bothering me besides whether the door was locked or not. I had a headache, probably due to anxiety.

I went back to my room, washed my hands, and turned on the TV, but it didn't respond. The internet wouldn't work either.

Where’s the phone?

I felt kind of embarrassed since I didn’t have any friends or anything to call, so instead I tried calling the local weather forecast. It was out of service, of course.

The screams from outside were getting notably louder.

I checked the stock of instant noodles, walked around my room aimlessly like a tiger at the zoo, and then crawled back into bed.

There’s a psychological term called “normalcy bias.” When an accident or disaster occurs right in front of our eyes and our lives are put at risk, we are made to cling to our everyday lives, thinking, “Well, it’ll be okay. I won’t die.” It’s a system that removes ourselves from the story and helps us escape from the imminent death approaching. The scary thing is that even though I knew this, I still couldn’t get out of bed.

I stayed like that for about two hours. After that, there was no sound at all. Complete silence, you couldn’t even hear the wind. Silence. And it was beautiful. The silence was eerie, widespread, and beautiful. It was the first time in my life I had experienced such silence.

I got out of bed.

My body felt sluggish, the calluses on my feet were hard, and my stomach felt about 60% full just like it always does. But despite that, I felt different. I felt refreshed for some reason. It took me nearly a minute to realize the reason for this.

Ah, that’s it. It’s the world that’s different, not me.

The common sense of yesterday is gone, I can do whatever I want.

Hold it. I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to get carried away. Getting excited about the end of the world is what cowards do. Just like cults that are eagerly awaiting the end of the world. I’m a mole and maybe even a coward, but I’m not so low that I’d cling to a brand new god.

So what do I do? Nothing. I’ll just stay the same and feel the way I always do. Just blame talent, start in the usual mood, start from a negative point.

I just had to check something.

For the first time in ages, I’m setting out for a reason other than to get food.

For some reason, I imagined the town would be destroyed. I expected to see mountains of rubble, corpses scattered around, and the smell of death permeating the air but… my expectations were completely wrong.

There was no change in the convenience store, the residential area I could see from my apartment window, the quaint telephone poles, or even the mountains that surrounded the town. The dimly lit town had the same scenery as always.

Except for one thing: it was completely deserted.

“Is anyone here?” I wanted to call out, but I would be embarrassed if there really was someone there, and I would be worried if there really was no one there, so I just walked around in silence.

The lights still were on at the convenience store, and there were signs that McDonald’s had been open for business until just a moment ago. There were no unusual changes to the houses, and there were cars on the road with their engines still running.

The only thing missing is the people.

When I visited a certain Eskimo village, there was not a soul to be seen. Half-eaten meals and seal pelts for jackets were left behind in the huts. But I still have no clue where the villagers went or why they vanished.

It reminded me of those ghost towns from those horror stories I read as a kid. I thought I’d see a stereotypical apocalyptic story of people being killed and towns being destroyed, but what actually happened was surreal.

I never liked surreal things, and I don’t have the sense to understand them, so the sudden stress just made my stomach hurt. I feel like I’m going to throw up my hamburger and fries.

There’s nobody around, but the town is the same as always, and that unchanging feeling makes it even more creepy.

Before I knew it, I was running. I ran around and around, and when I got tired, I found myself on a big street.

“Come on!” My body, lacking exercise, screamed in pain, and my legs cramped. I couldn’t help but collapse on the spot. No matter how many times I rubbed my legs, they wouldn’t return to normal. I regretted not stretching before running… but I’ve already proven that stretching is useless. I’m just a loser.

It was pathetic. It was pathetic to think that while the world was in the midst of an unprecedented and abnormal situation, I was the man crying about leg cramps.

“Hey!”

Someone hit me, slamming something like a giant bag in my face. I rolled on the ground. My whole face was numb, I couldn’t feel a thing, and my vision was blurry. I touched the tip of my nose and it was stained with blood.

Damn it. This is it. So this is my role in the story. Even if the world changes, I won’t. It’s all because I have no talent, because I’m just a minor character.

Feeling pain, anger, and other emotions that I couldn’t quite grasp, I looked up, and something appeared in my shaky vision. Someone dragging what looked like a huge bag slowly approached.

Clatter, clatter, clatter! It made the sound of something heavy being dragged as it came close by.

In an almost blind rage, I kicked with my free leg.

“Fgush!”

With a strange shriek, the person was sent flying. Huh? What a surprise, the kick hit them.

And they were a beautiful girl.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” “S-sorry.”

“Apologizing like a newbie, hehehe. I don’t mind. I’m used to being stared at.”

“No no, I mean I’m sorry for kicking you.”

“You really are a newbie, huh. I was the one who attacked you, so which makes it self defense. So basically I won't sue you.”

“That’s a relief…”

“I should be saying the same thing, I’ve finally found my first villager.”

Let me repeat, she was beautiful. She had nicely trimmed bangs, long, slender limbs, big and slightly droopy eyes…

“Ehehe.”

…And her laugh. It felt like a refined but mischievous cat had become human. It may be immoral to think this way about a girl who is probably way younger than me, but my heart fluttered.

Serves you right! Not to anyone in particular though.

“My name is Satomi Aoba. Nice to meet you, Mr. First Villager.”

The beautiful girl introduced herself and bowed at a comfortable angle. Just like her name “Aoba,” her long hair swayed like fresh green leaves.

“This isn’t a village, it’s a town,” I corrected, making it an irrelevant point. “Um, what are you doing all the way to a town like this anyways?”

“I’m on a trip to heal my broken heart.”

The girl who called herself Aoba had a refined outfit and had a nice hairstyle, and the carry bag that had injured me looked heavy, so she certainly looked like a traveler from out of the country.

But this town was just home to the birthplace of a famous pianist, there’s nothing else worth seeing here. There’s just an overwhelming amount of nature.

I wonder if they’re on their way to some tourist spot… But how could even a beautiful girl like this have her heart broken? The outside is pretty scary, I thought.

“By the way, what happened to this town? It’s so empty,” Aoba asked, smiling like a female announcer.

“Well, actually, I don’t really know either.”

“You don’t know?”

“Because I was asleep.”

“Oh dear, why?”

“Because I was tired.” My response was typical of trash, but it’s been a while since he's had a proper conversation with a human, let alone a pretty girl, so it can't be helped… Let’s just accept that.

“Hehehe,” Aoba suddenly bursts out laughing. “I understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a total newbie, aren’t you?”

“At what?”

“At life.”

“Huh?”

“It looks like your life isn’t doing too well. It’s hard to go from newbie to pro without some success in your life.”

“........”

“Think of the horizontal bar or the guitar. If you stumble on your first step, you won’t be able to do a backflip or an arpeggio.”

“Don’t you think you're being a little harsh on someone you just met?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“I know you probably really want to lecture me right now, But before that, I want you to tell me what happened. I was, well, really asleep…”

“It was the work of Byakuya Togami.”

Byakuya Togami was famous, sure, but he wasn’t the type of person that young girls would know about, and it wasn’t the kind of name that would come up at a time like this.

“You’re telling me you didn’t know about the World Domination Declaration?”

I was confused, and Aoba tilted her head, looking even more confused than I did. That reaction was troubling. I’d never heard of a World Domination Declaration. I never thought I’d ever even hear such a stupid declaration.

And so after hearing everything, I was, well, how should I put it, exhausted.

Byakuya Togami declared world domination in Prague? We have to either kill him within 24 hours or find the “poor cow” (whatever that means) or otherwise then he��ll conquer the world? He dropped a satellite on an island in the Mediterranean to prove that his “declaration” was serious?

Are you kidding me?

I mean, why Prague? Did he use a private jet? That just pisses me off. I’ve never had my wallet stuffed with point cards like that guy.

“Byakuya Togami is an arrogant prick,” I said. He’s the Super High School Level Heir. He’s Japanese but has blonde hair and blue eyes and calls himself the Super High School Level Perfection. He made about 40 billion yen from day trading, wears sharp glasses…”

“Do you know him?”

“I could never.”

“You know a lot about him considering you don’t know him.”

Know a lot about him? Of course I do, right? My beloved Hope. My hated Hope.

I…

I’ve always…

“I’ve always wanted to get into Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Well,” Aoba chimed in. “One of my friends got into Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“Really?”

“So what kind of talent do you have, mister?”

I wondered which word hurt my feelings more, but I think it was both.

“I have no talent.”

But I have dreams.

When a boy watching a Major League Baseball broadcast has a vague dream of becoming a Major Leaguer, or when a girl who happens to pass by a flower shop has a small dream of becoming a florist, there is hardly anyone who calmly decides that they don't have the talent and gives up on their dream.

I had dreams. I had dreams because I read authors like Seiichi Kirima, Hiroto Shimabe, Kojo Sugita, Tatsumi Sekiguchi, Kyusaku Yumeno, Kilgore Trout, and Derek Hartfield.

The only thing they had that I didn’t was talent. But that didn’t matter now.

The two of us exchange information. When Togami Byakuya issued his World Domination Declaration in Prague, I was sleeping in my apartment and escaping reality, and the town was probably deserted during that time, and Aoba arrived after it was all over. Three questions came to mind.

Question number one: Why did they attack such a remote area? There are many cities out there that would be perfect for attacking as the first step in world domination. Sapporo, New York, Bologna, or Anqing would have been fine, so why did they target this place?

Question number two: Why did he eliminate the townsfolk? The best way to show off your power and instill fear is to kill. Making them vanish seems to miss the point a little. Or maybe there’s some other reason?

Question number three:

“Why did you hit me?”

“Well there was no guarantee that you were a townsfolk. So I thought I’d first make you lose your will to fight and then listen to what you had to say.”

“What kind of idea is that? Are you like a soldier?”

“Do soldiers do such horrible things?”

“I dunno, but…”

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle!

Aoba started to leave, pulling the carry bag that she’d attacked me with.

“Wait, wait. I apologize if I offended you.”

“Did I say anything about you offending me?” Aoba turned around. “Apologizing immediately is what a newbie would do. If you feel guilty, you’re the one who loses.”

“Sorry.” In the end, all I could think of was to apologize. “Hey, please wait. Where are you heading off to?”

“I’m just checking some stuff.”

“Checking what?”

“I’m checking where the townspeople have vanished to.”

“Do you have any idea where that could be?”

“Nope. I just have something in mind.”

“Something… in mind? Like where?”

“In their houses.”

If you want to hide a tree, you should hide it in the forest. Well, it’s not that easy, here it’s easier and more efficient to keep the townspeople in their homes than to kidnap them.

But why don’t they just come out of their homes? Is there something preventing them from getting out?

Unpleasant thoughts were beginning to take hold, so I decided to use my body instead of my head.

We set our sights on a large house with a red roof and a garden. The lights, though, were off.

Aoba pressed the intercom, but there was no response. She tried pressing again, but there was still nothing. Then Aoba turned the doorknob, but as expected, it’s locked.

“Let’s go around to the garden.”

However, the window facing the garden is also locked, as one would also expect.

“H-hey, let’s call it a day,” I said, feeling hesitant. “If it’s locked, there’s nothing we can do…”

“Move.” Aoba picked up her carrier bag and threw it at the window. A sound seven times louder than I’d imagined echoed through the deserted town. “Now we can go inside from here.” Dragging the carrier bag with the debris on it, Aoba entered the living room.

It was too late to run now so I followed her inside. I turn on the lights and search the first floor. I opened door after door, but I couldn't find anything unusual or out of the ordinary. The home had a typical layout and just the usual furniture. All that was left was to check the bedroom.

Aoba was already standing there by the door and she proceeded to turn the doorknob before I could say anything. Finally, the door was open.

Before us was… a middle school student... or a high school student? It didn’t really matter now though, he was already dead.

The boy was crucified on the wall of the room. Scissors were stuck deep into his hands, supporting his delicate body. There were several scissors stuck into his abdomen, and one or all of them must have been fatal wounds, as a large amount of blood was leaking out. And beside their corpse was the phrase “Bloodbath Fever,” written in presumably the victim’s own blood.

We immediately ran out of the house. The town was enveloped in silence, as if the carnage we had just witnessed had never even happened.

There was no wind, so the clouds didn’t move, there was no sound because there were no people, and the doors of the houses were closed, like a well-made replica.

We had two choices: Do we look or do we not?

“Let’s look.”

Right. I knew Aoba would say that, but I started to feel sick anyways. There was no point in being prepared or giving up here.

After a quick discussion, we decided to target a house on a back street. It was purely wishful thinking to think that a change in living area would change the chances of survival, but this kind of confirmation work would be impossible to do without some hope.

Just like before, we smashed the window and entered through the living room, just like before.

This time the body was in the shower room. It was a middle school student... a high school student? Well, it didn’t really matter, she was dead. The girl had been thrusted into the bathtub.

There was a knife stabbed in her neck. It was stuck so deep that it would have been extremely difficult to remove, but it glowed eerily in the dim bathtub. The body’s clothes were stained with blood, making their original color difficult to discern.

We ran outside again, and suddenly found ourselves standing on the street where we first met. How much time had passed? How long had we been in a daze, in silence? We looked at each other, breathing heavily, and just stood there.

Finally, Aoba spoke. “…The first body… Isn’t it the work of Genocider Syo?”

“Then the second body must be the work of Jack the Stabber.”

Genocider Syo, a serial killer who is making waves all over Japan.

They target men in their teens and early twenties, stabbing them to pieces with scissors, leaving behind the phrase “Bloodbath Fever” written in the blood of the victim at the scene of the crime, just like a dog marking its territory. It’s abnormal, cruel. And because of their strangely stylish methods and their ability to not leave any evidence behind, they’ve been dubbed an urban legend.

Jack the Stabber, the serial killer who specializes in young girls.

Their method of killing is simple: a single stab of a knife into the neck. To date, 77 girls have been murdered. Their elusive nature has even led to a three-minute program called “Today’s Jack the Stabber Forecast,” which has a pretty bad reputation among PTAs and human rights advocates but great ratings, with some sarcastically saying it could become a long-running TV show.

Both Genocider Syo and Jack the Stabber are Japan’s leading serial killers, and their true identities are shrouded in mystery. I’ve heard that not only the police, but even the detective library’s own zero rank detectives can’t find any clues about them.

There are rumors that they may or may not have asked the Japan Detectives’ Club to investigate. They may or may not have even asked the ER3 system Comprehensive Research Center to solve the case.

“But it’s most likely a copycat killer,” I quickly mentioned to avoid unneeded trouble. How strange is it that the two biggest killers in Japan just happened to come to the same town and murder people at the same time. It’s just too absurd.

Well, it’s also absurd to think that a copycat killer would ravage this town, but if Byakuya Togami was serious about planning something absurd, it could have happened.

But why the hell would he do that? World domination? Are you really serious about that? If so, I’m disappointed in you, Byakuya Togami.

Ugh, I reeeeeeally don’t give a damn about world domination. Even if I had the whole world in my hands, I’d just be doing the same thing but now as a landlord. Collecting rent, listening to complaints, and doing renovations. What’s fun about that?

Ruling the world is not the same as flying around it with your talents, Byakuya Togami of all people should know that much. Now I was curious about the details of that World Domination Declaration that he had made in Prague.

“Hey Mister, let’s check the other houses too.”

A parade of depressing words.

Wanting any information we could, we continued our tiresome search. The results: We searched fifteen homes and found fifteen bodies. One person was in a wedding dress, with all four limbs severed. Another person had their chest pierced deeply with a Japanese sword (specifically a dotanuki). Someone had their head thrust into a tank of goldfish swimming in it. Someone else was frozen in an industrial freezer. Some other person had a message written in their own blood.

You get the idea, we can omit the other ten bodies. They were dismembered, headless, and all sorts of bizarre stuff. Speaking of bizarre, all of the fifteen homes we checked were locked. It wasn’t just the front doors, but even stuff like small windows in the attic and the bathrooms were locked.

They were locked rooms, but it didn’t stop there.

There was a dead bird in a birdcage and a dead dog in a dog house, but the birdcage door had wire wrapped around it and the doghouse’s entrance was boarded up. Furthermore, chains were wrapped around a microwave containing the body of a baby, and duct tape had been stuck to the lid of the electric kettle with a kitten’s body inside.

Uh… Is it fair to conclude that every living thing in this town, except for me and Aoba, had been killed inside of some locked room? If so…

…The world is fucked.

When things get to this point, you might as well raid a store.

We snatched some food from the shelves of an abandoned supermarket. We made a makeshift table out of an upside-down vegetable case, and placed some sausages and zucchini on it all while I drank a can of beer. Normally I can’t stand nicotine or alcohol, but this was an emergency. The vague drunkenness felt good.

I haven’t felt my body craving alcohol since that despair inducing graduation ceremony. I drank a lot that time, and I was hit with a hangover… a three long day hangover. After drowning myself in alcohol until I was utterly wasted, I threw up like the protagonist from A Personal Matter, but the despair that had seeped inside me never went away.

The “Personal Despair” planted in me by hope tormented me, so I had no choice but to become a mole. I had no choice but to buy security and escape into a good night’s sleep.

I was crushed by hope, and lived in a world without hope. I didn’t leave my room, and burrowed into a place where there was no hope.

“Hehehe.”

“Y-you… Why are you laughing?”

“You’re still a newbie, mister. Didn’t you know? If you force yourself to laugh, it’ll calm your mind.”

“I guess that’s how it is.”

“Why don’t you try laughing? Come on, laugh with me! Hehehe... What’s this? It’s delicious. Try eating this! It’s super tasty!”

So then why am I out and connecting with someone over a meal?

The foreign gummy candy that Aoba handed me tasted like a bicycle tire. It’s been a while since I've eaten something that doesn’t suit my taste. Usually when I’m with other people, I'm forced to eat, read, and watch things I don’t like.

“Om nom.” As Aoba walks through the store eating her gummies, her eyes sparkle like a mischievous cat.

According to her own words, she had come here on a trip to get over a broken heart, and she looked exhausted when she saw a corpse. In that sense, she was probably a normal girl.

But… her resilience…

…It was extraordinary.

Despite having just been caught up in such a dreadful situation and seeing many corpses, she only seemed to recover. What kind of life did she live before now?

“Now what do we do?” Meanwhile, I was exhausted. “The last thing I want to do is look at more dead bodies.”

“Om nomph. It doesn’t look like we’ll get any more results this way, and I’m curious about other towns, so should we move?”

“I agree. I totally agree.”

“Do you have any friends or family?”

“No.”

“What about a girlfriend?”

“I- what? My parents don’t live here, and I don’t have any friends.”

“My condolences.”

“Eh?”

“My C-O-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E-S,” Aoba said, pausing. “I have a great idea. Why don’t we split up?”

“H-hold on, what do you mean?”

“What do you mean ‘what do I mean?’”

“What’s so great about that idea? Even if there are any survivors that got separated…”

“Hehehe. I don’t see any benefit in traveling with you.” Aoba said bluntly, smiling.

“Err, but, well,” I was deeply shocked, but I tried desperately to think things through. “You know, they say that even a brush with someone’s sleeve is a bond from a past life. Prince Naka No Oe and Nakatomi no Kamatari, who initiated the Taika Reforms, met through playing kemari.”

“Kemari?”

“Have you never heard of the Taika Reforms?”

“I probably learned about it through the Isshi Incident.”

This was no time to be upset by the generational gap. I pleaded desperately. I suggested that I knew the geography of the area well and that I could drive a car. I’d never tried to promote myself so much before.

In the end, Aoba reluctantly agreed to accompany me. We started moving before she could change her mind.

I left the supermarket with a beautiful girl next to me. This is the first time in my life that I’ve walked around with such a fine looking girl. But if I let my guard down even for a moment, Aoba will abandon me and head off. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be an issue, but this situation was far from normal.

No. Is it because this is an abnormal situation that I have to be strong? Being a man is tough. I mean, if you're not strong, you’re basically worthless.

“Soooo, where’s your car, Mister?”

“I don’t have one.”

“...............”

“Hey, uh, wait, hold on. Let’s take that one.”

I hurried over to an old Toyota Corolla parked on the side of the road. I took a wire I’d stolen from the supermarket and bent it like a fishing hook and (information redacted), and the driver’s door opened. Then I put my hands under the steering wheel and (information also redacted) until the engine started.

Aoba stared at me with a rather disgusted look on her face. “Where did you learn that trick, mister?”

“I looked it up on the internet a long time ago.”

“And why did you do that?”

“I dunno. I wanted to get stronger…”

“Go on.”

Ka-tunk.

I heard a noise. Aoba stared at me.

I… I… I pretended I didn’t hear that.

Aoba let out a short sigh, dragged her carry-on bag, and moved in the direction of the noise.

Ka-tunk!

The next sound was heavy, and reverberated in my stomach, like a bowling ball being dropped. To my dismay, it was loud enough to pinpoint the house.

Aagh! I chased after Aoba.

Aoba was already standing in front of the house which seemed to be the source of the sound.

“Why did you follow me?”

“Well, I was worried…”

“I can open it on my own.”

Aoba put her hand on the doorknob, and it opened easily even though all fifteen houses before this one that we had entered were locked.

We broke in. The living room had no abnormalities. Neither did the kitchen, and the shower room was clear as well.

As I walked up the stairs to the second floor and approached the door to what seemed to be a bedroom, a voice rang out from inside the room.

“Hey, president. What are we gonna do with this? You can’t cut it properly with a saw!”

“That’s what I said, vice-president. If you’re gonna dismember it, freeze the body first.”

“Kahaha! It’s frozen tuna! Exciting.”

“Look at it. All slimy with blood. So slimy!”

“I don’t have any sympathy for you. It’s your fault for not listening to my advice.”

“It’s too slimy! It looks like an eel! This will definitely traumatize me and I’ll develop a fetish for it!”

“Just shut up and cut it off!”

“Kahaha, okay! We’re amputating the limbs! So exciting!”

I was horrified. Those were the voices of children. It was changing with puberty, but it was still a high-pitched voice. Judging from the conversation that the kids were having, it seemed they were cutting up the body.

I remembered the “ka-tunk” sound I had heard earlier. Which parts had been cut off?

“We need to go.” I said. “We’ve reached our limit, we need to get out.”

“But…” “What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean ‘but?’ There’s nothing we can do…”

“That's right!” The door opened, and a boy in a school uniform appeared. “You can’t save the dead. All you have to do is look into the locked room.”

“In games, manga, and novels, you always see scenes where people talk in front of a corpse, but that’s not realistic. They disregard the corpse. Such a feat is impossible unless you’re a pro. So, we’re gonna talk about corpses in a place where there are none.”

We were in the living room on the first floor. There was a luxurious carpet, a vintage sofa, replicas of Mucha's paintings hanging on the walls, and antique teacups and sugar jars on the large table.

In this European looking room, a middle school boy who seemed to be the leader of the group was chatting away. His middle school uniform and cap passed the line of vintage and right into cosplay.

Sitting next to him was a large boy who was also dressed, but he was carrying a tin of cookies and munching on them, making him look like a mess like Gorilla-Imo from The Gutsy Frog.

The other kid was a girl in a sailor uniform, preparing tea. "Ehehe. Please, ladies and gentlemen. Have some Darjeeling tea! I think that’s what it is, at least!" The girl placed the tea in front of me.

“Beer.”

“Wha?”

“Shouldn’t there be some beer in the fridge?” I said as assertively as possible.

“Oh, right! You’re definitely not underage, so I’ll bring it right away! I love doing what people tell me!”

“A tomboy, huh? People these days, you’d think it would be hard being so overequipped.”

In this chaotic living room, Aoba drank the tea that had been served to her, her recovery was quick as hell as ever.

“By the way, I’m amazed you survived all that,” the boy said. “You don’t look like the ‘extraordinary’ person I was in contact with…”

I couldn’t respond, I’ve never been called “extraordinary” before.

“Say, have you ever heard the saying, ‘The world is made up of locked rooms?’”

I couldn’t respond to that either, because obviously the world isn’t made up of locked rooms.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, sir!”

The label on the bottle of beer the girl brought over said Pilsner Urquell. I wanted something like Sapporo or Kinmugi instead, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I gulped down the beer in one swig. Oh well, I’ll get through this with the power of drinking.

“Listen, I’m an adult. Uh, basically, I don't care to listen to the ramblings of a kid.”

“So you’re ashamed.”

“Would you guys happen to be working with Byakuya Togami?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Just a guess.”

“Of course,” the boy nodded. “Inference. Conjecture. Deduction. This isn’t a time that calls for synonyms of ‘surmising.’ Even a monkey could make guesses like that.”

“...........”

“Even so, I commend you for bringing up Byakuya Togami, in this atmosphere, at this time. We are, to be precise, students of Hope's Peak.”

What did he just say? Hope’s Peak?

“Woosh!” “Kaboom!” “Pow!” The three students jumped onto the sofa and struck some slightly old-fashioned poses.

“In the name of the moonlight and its message of undying love, I am the club president! Also known as the Super Junior High Level Mystory Maniac!”

“I’m not looking at spoilers for nothin’. I’m the vice-president of course! Also known as the Super Junior High Level Mystory Fan!”

“No way. I'm… well… I’m just an ordinary keeper who’s actually not that interested in mystories!”

“We three live for mystory!” “We’ll risk it all just to face it!” "That’s why we’re the–”

“–Hope’s Peak Junior Academy Mystory Research Club!”

Hmm, this is… very expected from liberal arts students. Everyone’s movements were a bit off, but they seemed proud, and were breaking out in a refreshing sweat. They were giving off a slightly youthful vibe.

I watched all of it.

“Bahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

And I bursted into laughter.

Hope’s Peak Academy.

This government-funded academy is only open to high school students with special talents, and relies entirely on scouting its students. While there are affiliate schools, none of them actually allow students to advance to higher education, and there is always the wall of scouting standing in the way.

Even so, if you do well at an affiliated school, you are more likely to catch the eye of a scout. The curriculum includes efficient ways to find and effectively bring out talents, and some students “awaken to their talents” through interactions with the main school.

But, most students don’t get into the main school. Most students just go to regular high schools after graduating from the affiliate school.

Similarly, Hope’s Peak Academy also has a system called the reserve course, which is separate from the affiliated school, but I’m not even going give it the respect of laughing at it. Everyone knows that place where you pay big money to get into with the Hope’s Peak Academy name tag is actually the “trash course.”

And to me, affiliate schools and the reserve course are basically the same. It’s not about talent. It never was about talent. They’re no different from moles like me.

That’s why I laughed it off. Don’t be arrogant and walk outside like you actually mean something.

The students from the affiliate school were confused by my laughter.

“Jeez, our customer has gone crazy~!” The girl who introduced herself as a keeper said.

“Do you think he’s laughing at us?”

“Yes, he is. And he’s laughing with passion and tenacity.”

“Bahahahahaha!” I laughed confidently, probably thanks to the alcohol. “I almost choked. What the hell are you on about with that ‘we are students of Hope’s Peak’ speech? It’s just an affiliate school. It’s no different from that reserve course.”

“I don’t believe it,” said the big kid who introduced himself as the vice-president. “Don’t group us with the trash course.”

“It’s the same either way. You yearn for hope, but you can’t become hope.”

“That may be true for the trash course, but…”

“Did you know that the number of affiliate school students who get into ordinary schools is greater than the number of students scouted by the main course?”

“Sure. but affiliated schools have a lot of people who are like Hope’s Peak Academy students. People like the Super Elementary School Homeroom or the Super Junior High Level Tea Ceremony Club Member…”

“That’s enough.” The boy who called himself the club president stopped him from making excuses. “Since we’re not students of the main course and we're just newbies from an affiliated school, whatever we say has zero persuasive power.”

“But it makes me angry! I hate having our talents dismissed by someone like that.”

“Vice-president, don’t forget that even without entering the main course, we’re still showing off our talents to the world!”

“What’s that?” I pursued, finding what the president said interesting. “So is this just a fit of despair because you realized they couldn’t get into the main course? You call that a talent?”

What a stupid thought. It’s the same as a self proclaimed artist smashing a Picasso painting and shouting, “I did it!” It’s no different from a dissatisfied person whose life sucks going out of their way to read the despair novel to get the despair disease before going wild.

“You’re very precise with your mean words. You must have been dominated by inferiority complexes for a long time,” the club president pointed out. “Can I ask you a question too?”

“What is it?”

“How old are you?”

“…I haven’t gone through three cycles of the zodiac yet.” I thought I'd come up with a clever response, but then I realized it wasn’t that great and now I feel embarrassed.

Stop it. Don’t talk about age. In the end, my attack was like a high school graduate who lost to society looking down on a prep school student… No, it was just looking down on someone from below and making fun of them. The moment I got serious, I became just another cranky old man. A mole who abandoned talent.

“Hehehe…” Laughter echoed through the living room. The beautiful girl quietly put down her teacup. “Shall we get back to the main topic?” Aoba said with a smile. “The students from the affiliate school are engaged in terrorist activities. Hope’s Peak didn’t send you, did they?”

“Of course they didn’t. Hope’s Peak Academy loves hope, so there’s no way they would encourage despair.”

“Then why are you doing this? Why divert down the wrong path?”

“I want you to call it a split. Factions are born everywhere. Factions are always radical and unpopular, but eventually they become the right path. Just like the history of mysteries.”

“What’s your relationship with Byakuya Togami?”

“He’s our senior and the one in charge. However, we’re not interested in that kind of world domination. Just like there are countless definitions of mystory, there're countless types of world domination. The contents and clothes of each person are different as they say. For us, the Mystory Research Club, if we can spread salvation to the whole world, then that’s enough for us.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not interested in the world’s understanding. I’m not interested in anything other than the path I believe in. This is also like the history of mysteries.”

“I’ve been wondering for a while now, what do you mean by mystory?’”

“Wha?” “The?” “Huh?” Everyone in the Mystory Research Club at Hope’s Peak Academy Junior High School was frozen in place.

“It’s about mystery novels,” I add. “I think the Mystory Research Club is a mystery novel club.”

“But why do they say ‘mystory’ instead of ‘mystery?’”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s an aesthetic thing?”

“That sounds like a lot of work.”

“Have you seen the corpses?” the president says in a low voice. “Have you seen the bodies we put our heart and soul into?”

“You say that like it’s rice you made. I saw.”

“Did you notice the similarities?”

“What similarities?”

The tired president sighed. “It’s a metaphor! A metaphor! Like a dry landscape garden that uses stones and sand to represent water. You must at least know about The Inugami Family.”

“Have you read it, mister?”

“I’ve read The Thibaults,” I answered. “That explanation gave me the general idea. The bodies were decorated to resemble the crimes of Genocider Syo and Jack the Stabber.”

“It’s not just real-life incidents we based our work on. Did you notice the likeness to mystery novels?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ll give you a special spoiler. The corpse with a Japanese sword stuck in its chest is a reference to the corpse from the murder at the Takeda Haunted Mansion. The corpse in the wedding dress with its limbs cut off is a reference to Subete ga F ni Naru…”

“Hmmm.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Didn’t they make an anime or a TV drama about that before?”

“Let’s change the topic.”

“Pretty sure Salinger never approved of his works being adapted,” I pointed out.

“Sorry!” The president held his head in his hands. “Oh my gosh, what a disaster! What a tragedy! How did it come to this…”

“President, hold on, hold on. It’s just winter.” The keeper seems to be having fun for some reason. “So, come with me and talk about love in this freezing cold season.”

“I think that mystory, once at the height of its glory, is now in the middle of an ice age.”

“Because it was an industry that wasn’t used to winning, it didn’t have the tech to sustain its dominance in the medium.”

“Keeper, whose side are you on?”

“I’m on your side, president! I’m gonna take off my sports bra now, so please forgive me. Mmmph!”

“I don’t think mystory lost or perished, but rather fulfilled its purpose. It spread like a seed and permeated every genre and every culture.”

“Well, president, thanks to that, people like me came about. I only read while playing games, but even so I was able to come into contact with mystories thanks to the nourishment of your beloved books. So come on, cheer up!”

“I’m grateful.”

“If you’re depressed, Operation Lock Up the World won’t move forward. Locking this boring world in a locked room and filling this meaningless world with meaningful deaths can’t continue without you!”

“Wait, so that’s your motive here?”

“That’s correct.” The president looked up, as if regaining his composure. “We’re killing people in order to fulfill Operation Lock Up the World and turn the world into one big locked room.”

I see, no wonder I didn’t understand. I was relieved to find out they didn’t make sense. It felt better knowing now that these kids and I were different.

“Of course, I don’t expect you to understand,” the president continued. “It’s not a very common sensibility to find beauty in the ritual of recreating every crime, every mystory, every locked room, and placing a corpse there.”

“Just in case, do you have any symptoms?”

“You’re a maniac only if you're aware of your own insanity.”

“All insane people are maniacs.”

“And all maniacs get excited when people call them insane.”

“Is Byakuya Togami also a mystory maniac?”

“Nope, Mr. Togami is just an investor. He provided us with enough funds and personnel to complete Operation Lock Up the World for his own world domination. And it’s not just in this town. By now Operation Lock Up the World is probably being carried out simultaneously all over the globe.”

It didn’t make sense, but that’s fine. Everyone can do what they want, with their own opinions and their own talents.

But there was just one thing I just couldn’t stand. Let me repeat: I reeeeeeally don’t give a damn about world domination. Even if Byakuya Togami were to try his hand at world domination as a result of fully demonstrating his talent as the Super High School Level Heir, I wouldn’t like it.

Because at the end of the day it’s a different direction. This isn’t the outside I want.

“You’re probably happy to have been at today’s pre-party,” the club president said. “Now, I think it’s time to add some color to your grey lives.”

“A-are you going to kill us?”

“What kind of locked room do you want to die in? Do you have a favorite trick?”

“Why would I have one…?”

“Don’t be angry. Have no fear. All I’m saying is that I'm going to replace a meaningless life where you just die with a meaningful death in a locked room. I’m happy to…”

“Ooooooooooh! I got it” The one who let out a roar was the vice-president, who hadn’t really said anything for a while. He spat out cookie crumbs from his mouth and pointed at Aoba with his fingers, which were also covered in cookie crumbs.

“Please be quiet, vice-president,” the president warned, of course, “I’ve been explaining this and that to you about the setup, and I’m now finally threatening you at the most critical moment.”

“No, that’s not important.”

“What are you calling not important?”

“I finally remembered.” The vice-president looked at Aoba. “Hey, are you Satomi Aoba?”

“How do you know her name?” I interrogated, surprised.

“Hey! What’s with that reaction? You’ve been with me all this time without knowing a thing?”

“A thing? What thing?”

“Satomi Aoba! She’s an idol!”

When the vice-president spoke, the name of an idol group that every Japanese person knows popped into my head. And the person at its center:

Sayaka Maizono.

The reason why I, a newbie at the world, know this person so well is not because of her beauty or fame, but because of her talent. Sayaka was the Super High School Level Idol and enrolled at Hope’s Peak Academy.

So does that mean… Aoba was a member of that group? Does this mean I’ve been walking with an idol this whole time? What kind of development is that…?

“Wooooow, amaaaaaaazing!” The vice-president seems impressed. “I mean, why is Satomi Aoba of all people here? Are you on location for some kind of shoot? Are you taking pictures for a promo? Can I get your autograph?”

“Hehehe.” Aoba just chuckled.

“Yippee Ki Yay!” The vice-president seemed to take that as a yes. “Hey, boss, give me some paper you don’t need. Can I tear up that book you always carry around?”

“Do you think that little of someone else’s rare book?”

“You’re so stingy. If there were no pages, it would be more mysterious and it would be way better.”

“Wow, what a real nice thing to say.”

“I like your position,” the vice-president said in a good mood. “The public is all about Sayaka Maizono, and the stans are rooting for Ayaka Haneyama, but they don’t get it like I do.”

“So you’re actually an idol fan?” The president was dumbfounded.

“With Sayaka Maizono in the center, the five of you appear on stage.” The vice-president didn’t stop. “Numbers 2 and 3 will be on either side of Sayaka Maizono. Ayaka Haneyama will stand on the far right, and Satomi Aoba on the far left. These are the usual positions, you get it? It’s actually a safe bet to root for Ayaka Haneyama, who is the least popular around here.”

“You’re way more passionate about this than mystory!”

“Hey, president, saying something like ‘I like Yutaka Maya’ instead of ‘I like Kotaro Isaka’ makes it sound more like you know more about mystories. Kids who pretend to love carrots because its in their curry are annoying, right?”

“I don’t really get the latter analogy.”

“People who support Ayaka Haneyama are promoting themselves as ‘I'm a huge fan of Ayakanegon, the ugly underdog, so I’m so cool!’ At the same time, they feel relieved by that stance.”

“Whatever, but don’t forget to follow Isaka. I don’t think it’s a joke…”

“Being a fan of Sayaka Maizono or Ayaka Haneyama is the same thing from my perspective. I think it’s important for the industry today to focus on Satomi Aoba, who is number 4, rather than number 1 or number 5. Even though she’s not bad looking or bad at singing, we never focus on Satomi Aoba, who is somehow number 4.”

Even though I have no knowledge of the idol group, his explanation was accurate enough for me to understand Aoba’s current situation. In other words, Aoba was hurt.

And yet her expression never changed, she kept smiling. Is it because she’s a professional? Is it pride? Is she just used to pigs shit talking about her?

If so, then she’s with me. We’re together on this.

I’ve been hurt by the swindlers that are rampant in this world, the fakes who act big on the outside even though they have no talent. Talentless hacks telling me, “You have no talent.”

Hell they’re organizing this “Operation Lock Up the World” thing which is exactly what a person with zero talent would do, and they’re desperately trying to stand out on the outside for some reason.

I can’t stand to have those swindlers speak more about talent.

Talent.

Fuck talent!

These affiliate school brats refuse to admit that they have no talent, and now they’re all paying attention to Aoba as if the mole didn’t matter.

I took a deep breath and secretly wiped the sweat from my palms. My fingers were trembling. I had a headache, probably due to the tension. My head had never experienced success, and images of failure and defeat ran through my mind. I didn’t feel like I could win. I didn’t feel like I could do well.

But I was going to do it, goddamn it.

I put my hand on the table and flipped it over in one go. Teacups, plates, spoons, and sugar bowls all flew into the air and pounced on the talentless middle schoolers.

Now!

I grabbed Aoba’s hand, it was cold but soft.

“Come on, we’re going. Together.”

With that, I gripped Aoba’s hand and broke through the glass of the living room window. I rushed outside, showered with glass, and passed through the garden and onto the street.

I got into the car and stomped on the accelerator, causing the car to accelerate in one go. We set off. We were able to escape.

The scenery flew by, passing the deserted town.

No, that wasn’t it… There are dead bodies in every house that can be seen from here, and people locked away in sealed rooms. All these people nonsensically had their lives taken away. But we just barely escaped that nonsense and survived.

“Hey mister,” Aoba finally spoke. “That was kinda cool of you.”

Yeah, I agree.

#danganronpa #dr #dr togami #danganronpa togami

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togami-fan-translation · 10 months ago

Text

Danganronpa Togami - Chapter 1

Part of my Danganronpa Togami fan translation | Masterpost 🔗

The following text was prepared with the following writing system:

k2k-system ver2.3

I can only marvel at the system's robustness and occasional earnestness, which I believe will hold up well in a world infested with imitations, fakes, and copies of manuscripts.

That is why my job is to make some corrections. I have no intention of joining the ranks of the monks and the copyists have turned old English poems into a complete mess.

All I wish is to maintain the original’s spirit. If only…

The story is a simple one. A young man went on a mission to dominate the world. After a series of extraordinary adventures and great risks, the young man gets what he wants and returns home. The real question is what led him there.

I was listening to the declaration of world domination coming from the Church of Bones in the back alley, munching on hard bread. The officers who munched on hard bread and listened to the blank shots from the black ships and the soldiers who listened to the radio waves of the falling black sea ships must have felt the same way during the Perry Expedition. The princess of some place would have probably elegantly shouted, “God damn it, you bastard!”

I had one job, to observe and describe someone. I was the act of writing itself. I am just the very act and manifestation of writing itself. I am a writing puppet, a writing machine, even if not literally.

Everything from his name, his identity, to even his clothes have been taken away. As if to make it worse, he was asleep beside me, as if he was just born.

In other words, am I the only person in the world who knows of his existence at this very moment? Do I have him all to myself? I am suddenly aware of this fact.

So instead, I’ll only tell the world the taste of the bread. It was awful.

Plane hijackings. Company hijackings. Recently there have been cases of families being hijacked, but what was hijacked from him was his identity.

Immediately after the World Domination Declaration ended, several helicopters took to the sky, flying around the city of a hundred towers like a metal beetle. Are they his minions? Are they the work of the Czech government? I could use Borges to identify the helicopters, but they're already being targeted by the entire world anyway.

The world is so big, yet we can only rely on each other.

“Master Byakuya.”

I’m aware it took a while for the main character to appear. I've kept you waiting, but I've finally said his name. But please understand.

“Super High School Level Heir,” “Heir to a Huge Conglomerate,” “The Sharpest Blade of the Togami Clan,” “A Man Worth 40 Billion Yen,” “Walking Prodigy,” “Walking Caesar,” “Walking Glasses.” I don't want to drag the man, after all he was stripped naked after his gold medal was stolen, out into the open.

When Master Byakuya woke up, he simply existed beautifully, despite my worries. Sitting on a wooden box, he shamelessly showed off his naked body, reminiscent of a Roman sculpture.

His hair was glossy. His skin was as smooth as porcelain. Even the fingers that touched his glasses were perfect. Byakuya Togami was a hundred percent perfect. Despite losing everything, he was overflowing with elegance.

“Master Byakuya, is everything alright?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Even his voice was beautiful. “Why was I sleeping naked? Explain.”

“The Church of Bones was under attack. Master Byakuya lost consciousness so I carried him on my back and we fled into an alleyway, which is where we are now. Here you go.”

“What is this?”

“It’s a towel.”

“You fool. I can see that by looking at it.”

“The towels and the bread I'm eating were kindly provided by the people of the town.”

“Find them.”

“Do you want to kill them?”

“I’ll give them a castle.” Master Byakuya wrapped a towel around his waist. “Has the attacker been identified?”

"They’re still unknown, but..."

“Don’t hesitate while speaking without my permission.”

“Apparently the attacker has replaced you, Master Byakuya.”

“Replaced? Replaced the one and only Byakuya Togami? You must be joking.” Master Byakuya pushed up the frames of his glasses with his fingers, just as he always does.

Oops, correction. Earlier I got excited and described him as “as if he was just born”, but his glasses were fine. Also, I'm correcting the nickname “walking glasses” because that’s not a compliment at all.

It seems I'm not in good shape either. I need to recover quickly. I have an important job to do. I have to write a biography that will stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of “Shincho Koki” and “Taikoki.” That is my reason for being.

The title of the biography is “Byakuyako,” it means both “Byakuya’s Journey” and “Journey Under the Midnight Sun.”

And it’s not a ripoff!

“Is it a funny joke or…? Yes, it has to be. It's just a funny joke.” Master Byakuya seems to be inspired by his own words, and nods repeatedly. “I'm sure it will be the biggest battle of my life. This incident will be extremely important in Byakuyako.”

Heh. Hehehe.

He's laughing. As if he's found a game. Like a child who has found a frog that has yet to be caught.

A beautiful scene. A divine sight.

Master Byakuya is a god.

Wanting to record this memory before I forgot it, I took out my favorite fountain pen and a book that I always carry with me.

This is Byakuyako.

As the blue-black ink soaks into the pure white paper, this magnificent record of Master Byakuya nears completion. I set my fountain pen running in a state of bliss.

“Hmmm. It looks like you've already started writing. Well done. Just as I expected from my property. Now that’s my ‘Blue Ink.’”

“I am very honored to receive such praise.”

“Try to write a clear sentence that is full of emotion, grandiose but not annoying, and without being sentimental. I will definitely solve this case, that I guarantee…

…by the dignity of the Togami name.”

Borges = View history #01102815 Title: “World Domination Declaration”

Good evening.

I have one question for all of you who have no money, no talent, and no time. What are you living for?

I am Byakuya Togami. That's right, the Super High School Level Heir. As the heir to the Togami family, I am the one who is expected to create a bright future. I have an overwhelming presence that is as far apart from you as the moon is to a gibbon.

I have one question for all you frustrated gibbons. What is so fun about life? I have no idea how you can live while knowing that your own value is zero, I’m sure it must be unbearable.

So you bully your classmates. You get jealous of your neighbor’s new car. You crush your talented subordinates. You kill children with promising futures. You get angry at the inequality of talent. And you destroy the world.

Have you ever thrown a tantrum because you couldn't figure out how to play the piano? Have you ever cried on your mother's chest because you couldn't become a member of the soccer team?

You haven't even taken a step from there. You're still a baby. Those long limbs are just for show. You have to grow.

Now let me ask you this. What is essential for one’s growth? An enemy is what. A powerful enemy that must be defeated and dominated.

So then I'll volunteer to become the enemy of the world.

I, Byakuya Togami, am going to become your enemy. Sob with happiness.

Now, onto the main topic. This is my World Domination Declaration. Either kill me within the next 24 hours, or find a "poor cow" somewhere in this world.

To anyone who can achieve even just one of these, I will hand over all of the rights of Byakuya Togami. You can live a life of debauchery. You can buy a nuke. You can create a utopia. You can use that power and wealth however you like.

However, if you fail to achieve either within the next 24 hours, I will truly consider your value to be zero, and I will dominate this world. I will conquer, violate, and crush you.

Now I will prove that I am completely serious. I swear by the dignity of the Togami name.

Well then, farewell.

“It’s the exact same.”

Not even I could distinguish the voice that was being played back.

“It's a beautiful voice, I can't help but fall in love with it,” I say without thinking. Master Byakuya remained completely serious.

“So this is the fake who stole everything from me and took my place. His impression is certainly impressive.”

“It’s not just an impressive impression, it's the same voice.”

“But the actual content of the speech was third-rate. It brings me utter despair to think that something like this could have been broadcast around the world as if it were my words.”

“Really? It felt just like Byakuya Togami.”

“Excuse me?”

“Eh?”

"What have you seen of me up until now? I can't have an incompetent fool with such limited observation skills write Byakuyako. You might as well give up the name Blue Ink. right now”

“I’m so sorry.”

It felt like I was being scolded.

“Declaring world domination is something that only people who have already been defeated by the world do. The more frustrated a person is, the more they want to take over the world.”

“Now that I think of it, it does seem like the kind of speech written to incite others.”

“When a scumbag sees someone scummier than himself, he gets incredibly excited.”

“What a horrible thing.”

“I can assume that my fake has a severe inferiority complex. He must have been ignored by the world and lived a hopeless life. That must be why he can make such a declaration only fitting of a loser.”

“You deny others as easily as you breathe. So, Master Byakuya, are you not going to conquer the world?”

“When you eat bread, do you say ‘I'm going to eat bread now’ every time? There's no need to declare something that you can just easily do whenever you want.”

“You’re a straightforward and twisted person, Master Byakuya.”

“Now what did he mean by a ‘pitiful cow?’”

“I don't know. But…”

“Don't hesitate while speaking without my permission.”

“I have an idea.”

“What a coincidence. I have one as well. Could it be he’s referring to ‘that?’”

“If that's the case, how could an impostor of Master Byakuya know about ‘that?’”

“Hmph. There's no need to speculate. We can simply just catch him and ask him directly. Don’t you agree?”

“You’re right.”

“When was this pointless speech broadcasted?”

“About an hour ago at exactly 6 PM. The deadline is tomorrow at 6 PM, so there's not much time…”

“That’s plenty of time.”

“It is?”

“The time difference between Japan and the Czech Republic is minus seven hours. I have plenty of time to expose the impostor, prove my innocence, and enjoy a nice cup of tea when I get back home. And then I'll be going to school on Monday.”

We came to Prague for the weekend. Even though he’s enrolled at the school, Master Byakuya is extremely busy and doesn’t need to attend school regularly. Despite that, he still goes to school every day anyway, saying, “It's only natural that I must not be late or absent. I swear by the dignity of the Togami name.”

“Master Byakuya, even if we can't make it in time on Monday, I'll still write the whole story in Byakuyako. I won't give you any freebies,” I said with the intention of igniting him, but instead he glared at me with irritated eyes.

“Are you mocking me? D tou seriously think I’ll have any trouble with a mere fake?”

“That wasn’t my intention…”

“I'll tell you this while I'm at it. Don’t think that you can be a little cheeky just because you're a bit older.”

A gust of wind. A lukewarm wind blows through the alleyway as I try to fix my messy bangs.

Then I heard a loud roar.

Heaven opened up from above us. The ground shook, causing Prague's famous cobblestones to rise and fall. Black smoke could be seen in the distant sky.

“Hmph. I don't often have a chance to look at my own abilities objectively, but that was enough to make me loathe myself.”

And thus began our hopeless 24 hours.

There was no time to despair. An armored vehicle crashed through the still shaking alley. I stood in front of it, blocking the alley and protecting Master Byakuya, who happened to be sitting comfortably on a wooden box.

I don't know if it was effective, but the armored vehicle came to a halt about five meters in front of me. A hatch on the roof opened and armed soldiers jumped out one after another like a bad clown car. The last one to emerge from the typical green armored vehicle was a girl who was too pretty to be there.

Her skin was so white you could see her veins. Her eyes were full of nobility and nobility. Her golden hair flowed gracefully even in the ominous wind. It was the princess of the Kingdom of Novoselic.

It was Sonia Nevermind, the Super High School Level Princess.

“Halt!” Princess Sonia stood elegantly on top of the armored vehicle and pointed at us. “I found you, Togami. Tying you up will be a piece of cake.”

“Hey, idiot princess. What was that shocking thing?”

“You gave the instructions yourself, and yet you have the nerve to ask. Woah! You look like you came out of the erotic manga, Harenchi Gakuen!” Princess Sonia hastily covered her eyes. “Togami, you may not have noticed, but you're only wearing your underwear.”

“It’s a towel, not underwear, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Hiding his crotch with a towel… You truly are a Japanese man. Just like the actor, Ken Takakura. It's raining heavily again today!”

“Answer me now.”

“We have received reports that a satellite owned by the Togami Corporation has crashed on an island somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.”

“What a pathetic choice of attack and target. If they wanted to target an island, they should have targeted England instead. At least then it would have been a chance to eradicate those jellied eels.”

“Sonia, this is, well, a misunderstanding,” I hastily explained.

“Well, good day to you, Blue Ink,” Princess Sonia smiled and called me by my code name, as usual. “Would you perhaps be an accomplice?”

“Please listen to me.”

“I want to say there's no room to discuss. But since you are a friend of mine, I have no objections. Please speak up.”

“It was a trap.”

“A trap? From who?”

“I still don't know, but Master Byakuya's name and power have all been completely taken away.”

“They must be quite the master thief. Was their jacket a red one or a green one?”

“The World Domination Declaration from earlier was the work of an impostor, and the one here is the real Master Byakuya. I mean, the glasses and towel are a bit of a perverted style, but…”

“Was what you just said right now necessary?”

“I don't want to doubt Blue Ink, but the voiceprint pattern of the ‘World Domination Declaration’ matched Togami himself. Or do you think there are multiple Jason Wishnovs?”

“Foolish princess, you were well prepared to confirm the voiceprint.”

“Well prepared?”

“Why didn't you come to the Church of Bones?”

“Huh?”

“Why didn't you attend the meeting for the Council of World Controllers?”

“That’s… That’s…” Princess Sonia, obviously disheveled, nervously ran her hand over the ribbon on her head.

“Since the attack was during a highly confidential meeting, the most likely culprit had to be an insider. In that case, you, the latecomer, are the most suspicious. Now, tell me. Where were you and what were you doing?”

“I-Is this Ace Attorney?”

“At least reference something with the correct publisher.”

“Um, well... Everyone, please defeat Togami!” Princess Sonia ran away.

Multiple guns were pointed at us. Murderous intent quickly filled the air so much that I could choke. This is a special setting for the Super High School Level Secretary and the Super High School Level Heir, but this wasn’t an action-packed story. The moment they pull the trigger, we’ll definitely be shot to pieces. Even if I tried to run away, there were soldiers and armored vehicles in front of us.

Behind us… Behind us…?

With a roaring engine, a black Mercedes Benz approached. The rear door of the Mercedes, which was moving at high speed, opened and a girl jumped out. The girl had distinctive red hair and large breasts.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeat…” Then, as she lowered her waist, she exclaimed, “...thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!”

She jumped over Master Byakuya and me and attacked the soldiers. Confused by the sudden attack, the soldiers still aimed to shoot, but the girl landed blows before them, taking them down one by one. Her weapon was an electric guitar. I placed my fingers on my temple out of habit, even though I didn't have time for that.

Borges = Search results #83302191 Category: Musical instrument Title: “Gibson Explorer (Elbow Cut)”

The guitar used by Eric Clapton. The body end of the Explorer released in 1958 was boldly cut, and its innovative look caused a stir. Currently, a limited edition model reproduced in a limited quantity by a custom shop was put on sale. The price is 657,000 yen.

Before we knew it, the Mercedes pulled up alongside us and rolled down their window.

“Hey kids! Wanna ride?”

I don't know why but the guy at the wheel looked like he was having a blast. We had no choice. As we jumped in, the Mercedes accelerated again and the soldiers were forced to move out of the lane. The Mercedes skimmed the side of the armored vehicle and drove through the narrow alley.

Over the sound of gunfire, we could hear Princess Sonia’s voice shouting, “Damn it! You damn bastard!”

“As an otaku, I've been using it for a while because everyone else uses it and there's really nothing else to replace it… but if I were to say it in the style of a Haruki Murakami character, it would be like, ‘yare yare.’ Ah, maybe Jojo would be accurate too.”

The man in the driver's seat kept yapping nonsensically. Meanwhile, the girl in the passenger seat had a face like a Noh mask and didn't respond at all. They both looked to be about the same age as us.

“That feels good. It's standard to drive a Mercedes in Prague. A black Mercedes is bad luck though, haha. The bumpy roads are fun. Ow, I bit my tongue. By the way, how ‘bout a drink? Let’s get to know each other. It ain’t drunk driving ‘til you're twenty.” The man turned around and took out a small bottle.

“Pilsner Urquell?” Master Byakuya reached for the bottle.

“Do you understand? The Fuhrer, who normally hates alcohol, drank it here in Prague. It was on the day he conquered Czechoslovakia . The commemorative beer was Pilsner Urquell.”

“If you think that's funny, I'll kill you.”

“Bah. I’ve decided to use ass-licking and prostrating diplomacy with any corporation of a higher rank.”

“Corporation?” I couldn't help but interject.

“If I mentioned the Ketoin Corporation... Would anything come to mind?”

“I've never heard of it before.”

“It's fine. From the perspective of the Togami Corporation, my company is no bigger than a bug cage. By the way, you're cute.” The man continues driving, facing away from the road. “I've always had an eye for cute girls. I like sticking bug pins in their arms and necks.”

“Um, drive properly.”

“This is a real collection weapon!”

“I want to die…”

“Miss, seeing how your pupils contract, I can sense the situation ahead. I could see and go all the way to Scandinavia just by staring into your eyes.”

“I have no intention of becoming a fjord lover,” I cut him off. It's been a while since I hated someone so quickly.

“Ketoin Corporation. I've heard it before,” Master Byakuya muttered.

“As expected of li'l boss! Let me carry your bag! Perhaps you’d like me to grab you your sandals and warm up some rice balls?”

“There are groups called ‘underground corporations’ that are different from ordinary ones, and the Ketoin Corporation is the most prominent of them. This is the first time I've met an underground corporation, surprising even for me.”

“Wow... Is my setting that cool? The vibe of an underground corporation is terrible. It's so ticklish that the plot twists can't be resolved. Hey, can you scratch my back?”

“Are you from the Ketoin Corporation?”

“Hey, master boy, how can you even talk that seriously while dressed like an ancient Roman.”

“When this is all over, I will personally drop a satellite on you.”

“I’d be honored. I'm Hiroyuki, the grandson of Hatakiyo Ketoin and the current head of the Ketoin Corporation. And this here is my twin sister.”

“My name is Yuika.” The girl in the passenger seat turned around at the speed of a sloth and greeted me in a voice quieter than the sound of a sparrow's wings. It was scary how beautiful she was, but she was still as expressionless as a Noh mask.

“Sister and brother. Ain't we a nice team?” The man who introduced himself as Hiroyuki was still driving, facing away. “Now that we've finished our introductions, let's get on with the story.”

“What do you mean ‘story?’”

“You did a good job with that World Domination Declaration. Even the final bosses of Dragon Quest aren’t so on the nose when they speak these days.”

“That ‘declaration’ wasn't me.”

“I know.” That reply was unexpected. “You got bamboozled, li'l boss. But y’know, I'm not interested in all that. What interests me is the cow.”

“What are you saying?”

“Y’know what I’m talking about, li’l boss. The ‘secret to the prosperity of the Togami clan?’”

In the next moment, The cap of the beer bottle Byakuya held came off and pierced the ceiling of the car.

“Even if I knew… Do you seriously think I would answer?” Byakuya laughed.

“Oh, so you can open the bottle with your fingers, li'l boss? That’ll be super helpful for the surprise party.” Hiroyuki smiled as well. “I doubt you'll answer, If things went that easily, there would be no Psycho or Pop. But, since I got you out of a tight spot, can you at least give me a teeny little hint? Stingy people don't get promoted. If you're that stingy, we can just hand you over to the crowd.”

“Is that all? That's hardly even a threat.”

“I’m not good at playing the villain.”

“How boring. You should follow the example of Goering and Ribbentrop, who knocked out President Hacha without killing him.”

“Nice one, li'l boss. A hilarious joke only found here in the Czech Republic. Even Krtek was surprised.”

“What?”

“Don't worry about it. It's a commoner thing.”

“You look like you're having fun.”

“You're the one who's in a good mood, aren't you, li'l boss? Come on, enjoy a Pilsner Urquell.”

“No matter what happens, I will never tell you the secret to the Togami clan's prosperity. Cheers in the name of the Togami.” Byakuya raised the small bottle of beer in his hand and poured it over Hiroyuki's head.

Hehe. Hahaha.

A cruel smile. Maybe the cow story had pissed him off a little.

“Consider it a toast.”

Hiroyuki had no way of steering now that he was covered in beer, and the Mercedes swerved violently several times. But suddenly in that moment… A figure appeared in front of the out-of-control Mercedes! The Mercedes lost control and crashed into the figure.

Crash! Crash… The crash… never came.

Like a girl being gently held in someone's arms, or an egg dropped onto a soft futon, there was no shock at all.

Why?

“It's not recommended to look away while driving. That car… was nearly smashed to pieces!”

The figure held the Mercedes with one hand. An unexpected presence reflected through the windshield. Only an extraordinary object could catch the car with ease.

The brown limbs that extended from her sailor uniform were endowed with perfect muscles. Her long white hair swayed with her aura, and her eyes show the composure of an apex predator. She was 192cm tall, her chest circumference was 130cm. She was the strongest member of the homo sapiens. It was Sakura Ogami, the Super High School Level Fighter.

“Hahaha, are you kidding me? I'm stepping on the accelerator, but it ain’t moving at all.” Hiroyuki wiped his beer-stained face. “These days it's common to think it’s a mystery when it’s actually science fiction. But what about this? Isn’t the perspective a bit strange? Isn't the animation just too messed up? Is she in the wrong series?”

“You're the one in the wrong series, you wannabe mogul.”

“Oh really? Guess I’ll just throw up my hands in a pose since people are just gonna catch a car with their bare hands now.”

“Good. Amateurs stay in bed.” Master Byakuya opened the back seat window and called out to his classmate. “Ogami, why are you in Prague right now?”

“I exist everywhere and nowhere all at once.”

“I never expected to hear an observation puzzle pop out of your mouth.”

“It’s shukuchi,” without a second thought, Oogami said something even crazier than the observation puzzle.

Borges = Search results #22109004 Category: Martial arts Title: "Shukuchi"

“Shukuchi” is the martial arts technique of instantly getting within range of your opponent. It’s named after the historical proverb "Shukuchi", which means “shrinking the Earth.” It is said that with the martial arts technique, you can instantly get within range of your opponent. Even if the distance between you and the opponent is approximately 500 km away, it will seem nonexistent.

In other words, Ogami can move anywhere regardless of distance. She can also destroy the timetable trick. I want Kyotaro Nishimura to apologize, his travel mysteries have nothing on this.

“I didn’t ask about your method of transportation, I asked about the reason you're in Prague.” Master Byakuya didn’t seem interested in shukuchi.

“Togami, was your earlier declaration of world domination true?”

“So what if it is?”

“I will capture you here.”

“I appreciate the magnitude of your goal, but it’s simply not possible, Ogami. Get out of the way before you get hurt. The fact that we have slightly similar surnames means you're already in my way.”

“If my words aren’t working, then I guess I have no choice but to use force.”

“Hmph. You have no other weapon than pure force. Has your brain finally turned into muscle? All that protein’s going to destroy you.”

“…I've been wondering for a while, but is there a reason for your inciting words?”

“Consider that a trade secret. Now, Ogami, this is my final question. Who is instigating you to do this?”

“What a stupid question. My heart is with Hope's Peak Academy.”

Hope's Peak Academy, a symbol of hope. It's said that if you graduate from the school, you're guaranteed to succeed in life. It’s a school of talent that brings together the “top talent” from all fields. All of us were students of this bizarre school.

“Since you asked for it, I must stop you by force.” Ogami’s two giant tree-like arms begin to rotate.

“Is this the Tenchi Jouge stance? Master Byakuya leaned back in his seat, as if to show how confident he was. “It’s a deadly stance said to have been invented by Masutatsu Oyama. If you’re fighting me, then I suppose it’s appropriate.”

“Umm, Master Byakuya…”

“Don't panic without my permission. If you’re really Blue Ink, then state your observation immediately.”

“Aren't we going to die?”

“Ogami's goal right now is to capture me. There will be an opening that we can exploit. Hey, wannabe mogul.”

“Wha? Oh. Oops, sorry. I fell asleep.” Hiroyuki looked up. “Is the battle of supers over?”

“We’re at the peak right now.”

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

“I'll reward you with a job. Get out of this predicament.”

“I get a reward?”

“Are you trying to get me captured?”

“Yare yare, now you’re just using me.” Contrary to his reluctant attitude, Hiroyuki quickly shifted gears and stepped on the accelerator.

“You make me laugh.” Ogami catches the car. However, this time she uses both hands, probably due to the way she's positioned.

“No matter what position you're in, it doesn't matter if you don't activate it, go sis!”

Click.

Then… the girl in the passenger seat that I had completely forgotten about... Yuika pressed the skull button next to the car navigation system. Such Showa-era style.

The sound of machinery operating could be heard from behind. A silver cylinder that looked like a jet engine appeared at the rear of the car.

“Don't underestimate German cars! Benz cooperated with the Nazis and produced a lot of weapons. Not just cars but also aircraft too.”

Wait, did they make jet engines?

As if to drown out my doubts, a high-frequency engine-like sound roared. Unable to withstand the increasing energy, the car shook and rattled. I could hear the creaking noises from the Mercedes, which was famously sturdy.

“Now then, do you think you can stop this jet engine with your bare hands, Miss Super High School Level?”

The Mercedes took off... no, it fired! But…

“You think you can match me with this amount of horsepower!”

It’s widely known throughout the school that Ogami is frequently called “the ogre.” True to her name, his arms were like those of a beast from a fairy tale, and her muscles bulged abnormally. What a surprise! Not only was Ogami unable to match the jet engine’s strength, she actually began to push the car backwards.

“Sis, initiate the second wave!”

Click.

Yuika pressed the skull button again, and a second engine appeared.

“Damn it! If pushing alone isn’t working, push harder! Let's gooooooooooo!”

The moment Hiroyuki stepped on the accelerator, the world reflected in the windshield turned completely white. The outlines of the road, sky, scenery, and Ogami all disappeared due to the tremendous acceleration, and they could no longer be grasped by my human vision.

I had forgotten to fasten my seatbelt. As my body banged against various things in the car, I realized that Master Byakuya and I were now wanted criminals, and I was very happy.

I was planning to explain the difference between Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, and between Budweiser and Budweiser Budvar, but I no longer had time for that. The atmosphere in Prague had completely changed.

“We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender! We will not surrender!”

About a hundred citizens gathered and shouted. The flag, which seemed to have been hastily made, had the word “World Domination” written in Czech with a big X on it.

“Is this a protest? It hasn't even been that long since the declaration. Guess the Czech people are sensitive to the smell of war.” Hiroyuki observed the people as he slowly drove his Mercedes.

I was feeling down, remembering the “parades” that were causing a stir across Japan, but I couldn’t help but notice a classmate in the crowd. His distinctive eyes with a white sclera, dyed pink hair, and teeth as sharp as fangs were there.

It was Kazuichi Soda, the Super High School Level Mechanic.

Rather than taking part in the protest, Soda lurked in it, which confused me. Master Byakuya and Princess Sonia had their own reasons for being in Prague, and while Princess Sonia and Soda are classmates, there’s no reason for him to accompany her to Prague.

“The foolish idiot princess stunk enough on her own.” Master Byakuya looked out the window at the small-scale protest.

“Hey, li'l boss, can you try to be a bit more sneaky? It would really suck if they found you.”

“The Togamis don't hide like losers.”

“You're running away with just a towel, yet you're acting all high and mighty. Where did you get all that confidence?”

“I only have one basis for my confidence, and that's being a Togami. There’s nothing more reliable than the Togami name.”

“Heard the Togami clan has a strange inheritance system, huh.”

Dead silence.

“What do you mean by that?”

“A helpless youngster worked so hard that he became the heir to the Togami clan. That’s pretty cool.”

“So what’s your point?”

“If he worked that hard to rise to that level, then surely his ultimate goal is to dominate the world, right?”

“Do you still have Pilsner Urquell?”

“Why?”

“I want to smash the bottle right into your foam head.” Byakuya scoffed in disgust. “Don’t lump me in with people who live a life without purpose. Don’t lump me in with the trash who dream of nothing. I’m not in that league.”

“I don't have a Pilsner Urquell, but how about a satellite phone instead? I can lend you one.”

Prague was isolated. Due to signal interference from the satellite's fall or some other action by the impostor, phones and the internet were useless. Still, if we had a satellite phone, we could communicate with Japan. I never thought the Ketoin Corporation would have one.

Oh, in that case.

“Sorry to interrupt,” I said. “If you don’t mind, could you please lend me some clothes for Master Byakuya?”

“Hey, don’t be so bold,” Master Byakuya scolded. “You’re Blue Ink, you should be writing. Like I said before, don’t think you can be a bit just because you're older than me…”

“I’ll give it to you,” Yuika muttered in a surprisingly small voice. She slowly opened the dashboard and took something out before emotionlessly saying, “Tadaaaa.”

It was a girl’s sailor uniform.

“Is your sister a moron?”

“No fair! I want your sailor uniform too!” Hiroyuki's anger seemed misplaced.

“There’s also this one,” the next thing Yuika pulls out is a black tuxedo, and an air of confusion spreads throughout the car.

But at that moment… A figure appeared in the mirror, it was a girl with an electric guitar on her shoulder. The Mercedes pulls up to the side of the road and there's a knock on the passenger window.

“Yuika, your dog’s back!” The girl stuck her head out of the open window, just like a dog. “Praise me. I danced like a quetzal and stung like a red-circle naginata sawfly!”

“Aren’t those all endangered species?”

“I wasn’t speaking to you.” The girl looked at Hiroyuki with a grim look. “Just letting you know, Sonia Nevermind's army has been defeated.” She then slid her gaze to us in the back seat and smiled. “Good day. I'm glad to hear you're all safe. I'm Taeko Kanai! I'm a cow killer!”

“Cow?”

“Have no fear, I'll eradicate the weak!”

“Ahh.”

“I'll make trash even trashier. Tissue even tissuer. I’m Taeko Kanai, the one who will bring doom to all the weak and hell to all the losers.” The girl who called herself Taeko tried to get into the car through the passenger window, but her breasts got in the way, causing her to make a noise like “Grk.”

“Enough bragging about your boobs,” Hiroyuki shrugged. “We're heading to the hideout now, what are you gonna do, little Taeko?”

“Are you not going to slaughter him?”

“It doesn't matter to me if li'l boss’ impostor shows up or if he takes over the world. I've got the most important person in the Togami clan right here, so I'm not going to take any chances.”

“I see. But it doesn't look like you're going to tell me the secret to the Togami clan’s prosperity… I mean, Y-y-y-yu…" Taeko suddenly became disheveled. “Yu-yu-yu-yu-yuika, that sailor uniform! This is a serious situation!”

“These are my clothes.”

“What are you planning? Why would you put such a fine item up for sale…? Are you putting it up for sale on eBay? Sailor Uniform all night long?! Uhyu, thank you God! Uhyu, uhyuhyuhyuhyu. Um, if that's the case, I'll buy it. If possible, vacuum pack it as is…”

“He didn’t have any clothes.” Yuika elegantly moved her hand to indicate Master Byakuya, who was wearing only a towel.

“What if I didn’t have any clothes? Then can I have your sailor uniform? Is that the rule? Thank you God! That means I’m eligible too. I just have to take them off, right? Take them off!” Taeko was thrashing about with her upper body still stuck inside the car.

Naturally, it was an eye-catching sight. The protesters noticed something was wrong, it wasn't long before everyone's eyes turned to Master Byakuya in the back seat.

He'd been found, and for possibly the worst possible reason.

Ringing chants, fluttering flags, and eyes everywhere. The voices of the approaching people. Voices. Voices. The protesters closed the distance, surrounding the Mercedes, and then, as if a taut string had snapped, they surged in all at once.

Hiroyuki suddenly sped off, and in the end, Taeko, who had been stuck in the window frame, slipped out. Taeko quickly leaped back up before being charged at the protesters.

The Mercedes would have just plowed through the historic city, but other cars and the more protesters blocked his way.

I tried to start Borges, but then I remembered that the connection was down. I can't determine the enemy's location. Since I rely so heavily on Borges, it feels like I’m being handicapped.

The Mercedes skillfully avoided the obstacles in the way and dodged past the protesters, but the complex roads made it difficult to speed up. It’s a town lined with cute stone houses. If you think about it, the image of Prague in my head is only what’s been created recently. It was a town with a long history as a walled city, a battle to prevent invaders.

There was a baby flying in the sky of Prague. A pitch black baby was flying, almost crawling through the air.

…You probably won't understand what I'm saying, but if I were to describe what I saw with my own eyes, it would be something like this. The flying baby had cracks running through it where the eyes and mouth should be, which was very eerie, and it was very weird.

Whenever I'm faced with something weird, I always turn to Borges. I'll just do a search using local data for now.

Borges = Search results #22785571 Category: Art Title: “The TV Tower Babies (nickname)”

The 216 meter long TV tower that stands in the Žižkov district of Prague 3 was built during the communist era. After the change of government, the tower was renovated to change its image, and giant babies resembling the search target were attached to the outside of the tower.

Additionally, the TV tower was ranked fourth in the "Ugliest Buildings in the World" list by the American television station CNN.

Armed with this knowledge and after regaining my composure, a theory popped into my head. If it was the work of Soda, the Super High School Level Mechanic, perhaps it would be possible to make the baby from the tower fly.

But why? Princess Sonia? Soda? What are everyone doing? Have they betrayed the school? Why didn't they say anything? Was it because they were planning to kill me?

The flying baby spun in the sky and plummeted down on Mercedes. Then its face split in two, and something long and thin emerged from inside.

“It’s a machine gun!” Hiroyuki shouted.

A machine gun?! I started to feel nauseous at the thought of such aggressive and murderous intent.

Ratatatatatatata. The bullets fired with a surprisingly light sound.

“What the hell, man?!” Hiroyuki leaned the car over and made an immediate U-turn. My stomach shook and the nausea intensified.

The Mercedes ignored the traffic lights and turned the corner into downtown, where the citizens of Prague were living their normal lives.

Slow shopping, relaxed dates, old men heading out to get a drink, couples walking hand in hand, mothers pushing strollers, citizens busy protesting…

The Mercedes speeding through the downtown area was an object of ire. It attracted the glare of many. That was, until the flying baby arrived. The citizens stared at it with a look between bewilderment and a wry smile as they watched their town’s famous landmark soar through the sky. With no sign of concern for the citizens, the flying baby fired another blast at the Mercedes. Ratatatatatata.

“Stop!” I cried out.

I didn’t think it would turn out like this. I had assumed without any real basis that they won't get innocent people involved and there must be some bare minimum rules. But that couldn't be the case. The world is full of murderous intent, the price of life is surprisingly low and the bodies quickly begin to pile up.

Every time the Mercedes dodged the bullets raining down, more blood rained down as well.

There was a bloody baby who would be in its stroller forever, children in shorts with more than half their faces missing, A dead student with a pizza in his mouth stained red, though it's unclear whether it’s blood or the sauce from the pizza…

Bit by bit, the everyday scene of Prague began to look more unusual than usual. The flying baby got closer and closer, all while creating more corpses. I can see the scene clearly through the mirror.

“Wannabe mogul,” Master Byakuya spoke up, “what happened to the jet engine?”

“Y’see, you can only use that once.”

“Don’t just show your trump card first. If you’re going to do that, then at least have another card deeper somewhere.”

“Sorry, sorry. Jeez. Are you trying to pincer me?”

An armored vehicle was approaching from ahead. It was moving at a speed that could kill passersby… no, it actually dragged several people down with it. I couldn’t help but feel that this was the start of many more deaths in this world.

“Wannabe mogul, is there anything we can do?”

“Well we already used our trump card. How about we just sneak past the side of the armored vehicle?”

“Of course. That's the third-rate kind of thinking I’d expect from a wannabe mogul. Get in the side street over there.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t care if the wannabe mogul gets into trouble.”

“Good grief! This whole time you’ve been calling me a wannabe mogul! A wannabe mogul is still a mogul, y’know!” Hiroyuki complained, but he still turned into the side road.

Every time we came to a fork in the road, Master Byakuya gave more instructions, and before we knew it, we had escaped pursuit. There was no sign of the dreaded flying baby or the merciless armored vehicle anymore.

“How?” I muttered unconsciously.

“It's because I led the way, obviously.” As Master Byakuya spoke, I noticed his glasses had disappeared from his face.

“Um, Master Byakuya… where are your glasses?”

“You mean the pair of glasses with a transmitter attached? I threw them away.”

“Eh?”

“Hand me a replacement.”

“R-right away,” I quickly took out a replacement pair of glasses.

“Hmph. They're probably attacking the glasses right now.”

“A transmitter…”

“Think about it. Why would the people who stole my shoes and underwear leave my glasses alone? It was probably for insurance. They thought about what would happen if I had escaped.”

“Permission to ask something?”

“Permission granted.”

“Why did Byakuya leave the transmitter there even though he knew about it?”

“If I wore the transmitter, the enemy would definitely show themself before me. Assuming I got the chance, I could hit them and get information out of them. I'm not just interested in playing defense.”

But the soft part inside me protests. If he had just thrown away those damn glasses, wouldn't those people in the town have lived? Of course, hindsight is 20/20. It's just a hypothetical after it’s already happened, like saying “I should have done this then” or “There was no need to do that.”

Besides, we who experienced the Greatest and Most Horrifying Incident of the Togami Clan know that in order to live and get to the top, it is necessary to build a mountain of corpses. We will do what we must. If we are trapped in a cage with a spoon, we will use it to dig a hole. Even if we’re held at gunpoint, we will keep smiling until the moment the bullet shatters my brain.

This is just the way of life for me and Master Byakuya.

A “midnight sun” in a nightless summer. It was past 8:30 PM and it was only now starting to get a little dark, but the darkness was still far away.

Plzen.

Even as we entered the town close to the German border, the sky was still bright, and I was almost losing track of time due to fatigue and a slight drowsiness caused by jet lag. In Plzen, there was a Skoda factory, a general machinery group that is not very well known in Japan.

“Even wannabe moguls have their partners, you know,” Hiroyuki drove into the Skoda Auto factory as an underground passage appeared. I remembered that the largest underground passage in Europe stretches under the town of Plzen.

In Plzen, there was a factory owned by Skoda, a general machinery group that is not very well known in Japan.

After getting out of the car and walking through the long underground passage, we arrived at a space the size of a gymnasium. Fluorescent lights hung from the exposed ceiling, and in one corner there was a bedroom separated by a screen from a desk, and a simple shower.

“So this is my hideout,” Hiroyuki’s voice echoed. “When the Skoda Works fell apart, a part of it got in touch with the Ketoin Corporation, and we've been pals ever since. We got this hideout, and we even got a share of an old tank. What was it called again? It was one that the German army confiscated and used a lot.”

“LT-35,” I replied. “In the German military, it’s called the LTz(t)35.”

“Woah missy, didn’t take you for a military nerd. You the type to go crazy when someone shows you their silly military knowledge?”

“The source of my knowledge isn’t from my head, it’s from here.” I flicked the surface of my right eye with my fingernail. “It’s a prosthetic eye.”

“My, well what a beautiful eye you have.”

“Which one?”

“Both. I’m a little curious to know if the Togami corporation developed it.”

“The Information Search Library… I call it Borges, and it’s basically an encyclopedia that's updated in real time. It has dictionaries, news, topics, and maps.”

“No offense, but can’t you just search that stuff on your phone now? Also I thought it was called ‘the Library of Babel.’”

“The data is displayed directly to the eye, so it works perfectly as augmented reality, it also acts as a universal pair of goggles. Anyways, it’s called Borges because in the story, he began to live in pitch darkness due to losing his eyesight while he was a resident of the library.”

“Wow, now that's a real first-rate artistic naming sense full of wit!” Hiroyuki shouted, might as well look him up while we’re at it. Beep beep boop bop. (Note: no sound is actually made.)

Borges = Search results #87654321 Category: Corporation Title “Ketoin Corporation”

A corporation founded by the first Saimon Ketoin and completed by the second Saimon. It is not considered one of the general eight major corporations, but rather it’s the top of the other underground corporations similar to it, like Irikiin, Daiguuji, Sakura, and Ozawa, but the exact details are unknown. This is all the information I could obtain offline, there was more information about the Skoda tank.

Hiroyuki, the heir to such a minor corporation, was carrying cigarettes and beer without even realizing it.

“Drinking and smoking by minors is prohibited by law, you know.” I figured I’d just warn him anyway.

“When it’s made into an anime, they’ll just change the cigarettes to Chupa Chups, so it’s fine,” Hiroyuki exhaled a smoke. “I can put up with original characters being made, and I won't get even upset if they cram too much into one season.”

“What are you talking about?”

“These days, it seems like there are more restrictions on games than there are on manga and anime. Those people at the CERO can’t even take a joke. The hell are they thinking, putting 18+ ratings on home video games?”

“Do you need me to search it up?”

“Is it really okay to use your Borges like you’re grabbing a midnight snack, like surfing the net and stuff… Ah!”

“What?”

“You don't happen to spend every night on Borges, looking up dirty words, do you? Like clitoris!”

“..........”

“Or maybe like Bartholin's gland!”

“I wish you'd die…”

“By the way, which one excites you more, the word ‘lewd’ or the word ‘ecchi?’”

“I'll search for ways to shut you up."

“Impossible! Whether it be CERO or NEVA or even the ESRB, no one can censor what I say or do! There are a lot of people who think it’s taboo just by expressing the littlest bit of child abuse, neglect, or sexual abuse, but we’ve been doing this whole thing for over ten years…”

“Hey, wannabe mogul, hurry up and get the satellite phone ready.” Master Byakuya had taken up his desk before I knew it, and was dressed in a black tuxedo. He looked charming with a rose pinned on his chest. The way he sat on his chair with his legs crossed and his glasses pushed up was also very charming.

Yuika was asleep in the bed next to the desk, wearing a nightcap. It seemed like the girl was taking a break. Isn't this just a bit too boring?

Hiroyuki set up the laptop-style satellite phone and said, “Do whatever you want,” before disappearing into the shower room, filling the room with the sound of running water. He was covered in beer after all.

It was just the two of us.

Feeling a bit awkward, I tried to call the Togami family, but a stern voice stopped me, saying, “Wait.”

“Master Byakuya… do you think that the impostor has already infiltrated the Togami family?”

“I doubt it, that impostor is a first-rate “long lost son” scam. But we need to be careful.”

“What about Pennyworth? He wouldn't mistake an impostor for Master Byakuya.”

“If I were my enemy, I would target him first.”

Borges = Search results #00481837 Category: Important people Title: “Aloysius Pennyworth (Information Disclosure Lv.2)”

A butler who once served the Togami family. A survivor of the Greatest and Most Horrifying Incident of the Togami Clan. He was one of the few people that Byakuya Togami could open up to, and in that sense he was indispensable to the Togami family, but he has now retired from the front lines and runs a members-only butler bar.

In a way, Pennyworth was Master Byakuya's Achilles heel. If the fake had gotten the first move, he would have let the others know how weak he was, saying "I'm so lonely, wahahahaha," and since Pennyworth has left the Togami family, we can't expect him to be able to assist us.

If manga and TV dramas taught us anything, it was where to turn for help when we can't rely on home. Our friends.

I called up the address from Borges and contacted Byakuya's classmates... the 78th class via satellite phone.

“Hello?”

There was no audio or reaction to be seen or heard. The time difference is seven hours in Japan, so it's 3:30 AM there. There's no way that adolescent high school students wouldn’t be sleeping early on a midsummer Saturday morning. Of course no one answered the phone.

Does this mean Master Byakuya’s class hates him?

Sure he certainly has a few flaws, and maybe he seems to have taken on all the bad aspects of a generic rich character, but I was sure he must at least have a few friends. This must be what a mother who just found out for the first time at a parent-teacher conference that her child was unpopular thinks. The future of the Togami clan is bleak…

I called one person after another, but there was still no response. Names kept getting dropped one by one. The next row was the “N” section.

N…

This one! Naegi!

“That's enough,” Master Byakuya interrupted, probably a little hurt. “Call Hope’s Peak Academy.”

That was a good idea. I connected the satellite phone to Hope's Peak Academy's hotline.

“Hello? Is anyone there? Please answer! Hey, is someone there?”

“I'm… trying to…” a woman’s voice said. “What if… what if… that’s too much trouble…”

“Hello? Is someone on the phone?”

The screen was covered in static, it looked like a blizzard.

“Tch. Cheap, third-rate garbage. As expected from a wannabe mogul.” Master Byakuya clicked his tongue.

Suddenly, Yuika, who was in bed, sat up like Linda Blair from The Exorcist. She wore a nightcap with a little pompom on top and eyes that look as if they are about to close. Her small nose twitches as she gives a refined “choo” sneeze, before falling back asleep.

Now that I’m paying attention, I noticed that the satellite phone is ringing clearly. Um, what’s that?

“Heyyy, yahalloooo!” I hear the other person’s voice. “Heyyy, can you hear me? If you can, answer already! Say yes or no, okay?”

“Yes, I can hear you. This is Hope's Peak Academy, right? Where are the teachers? Is everyone okay?”

“Ugh, stop asking so many questions! I'm really shy, y’know!”

A girl was on the screen of the satellite phone. Her brightly colored hair was tied on both sides, and her red painted nails stood out. Her chest was wide open, and an indescribable suction force was emanating from it. Attention is given to the eyes, mouth, nose, ears and even to every eyelash.

An entity appeared on the screen as if its sole desire was to be showy and captivating, its sole goal, and I was left dizzy. She was the girl from fashion magazines, the goal of many young girls’ hopes and dreams.

She was the Super High School Level Gyaru, Junko Enoshima.

When the reason for being scouted is “she pulls off the gyaru style really well,” some are bound to question Hope’s Peak Academy’s decision. It’s easy to misunderstand what Hope's Peak Academy wants when they say “top-notch talent.”

To put it in simple terms, all Hope’s Peak Academy is looking for is a special talent. It didn't matter if they were a Super High School Level Gyaru or a Super High School Level Shut-in, all that matters is that they have a unique quirk that sets them apart. (Though the shut-in would probably be expelled the moment they arrived at school.)

“Oh, it's senpaiiiii!” It seems Enoshima could see us, too. "Heyy! Could you get me some pocky?”

“Pocky?”

“I’m sooo glad I was able to get in touch with you. I feel so relieved and safe! Senpai, listen to me. It’s reeeeally bad here. Get over here and help me!”

“Enoshima, I’ll forgive you for talking to your senior in a casual manner, but please listen to me. I'm in the Czech Republic right now.”

“Hey, do they sell Pocky in the Czech Republic?”

“Do they?”

“The Czech Republic’s in Europe, right?” “Right.”

“What’s the capital of Europe again?”

“If I had to guess, I'd say it's Bali. Well, that’s why I can’t help you. Is there a teacher out there? I can't get in touch with anyone, are they okay? Why are you at school at a time like this?”

“Woah woah woah! That’s a lot of questions, senpai.”

“It’s only three questions.”

“Only three? Is that all it is to you, senpai?”

“I'm in a pinch here.”

“Weeeellll, I haven’t seen any teachers. Maybe the reason the phone wasn’t working was because of radio waves or something. And we’re here because it’s safe. Wow, I answered all three questions! Hurray for the cute and smart Junko-chan!”

“‘We?’ Is there someone else besides Enoshima? I'm with Master Byakuya now…”

“B-b-b-b-b–b-b–b-b–b-b-b–b-b–b-b–b-bya-bya-Master Byakuya??” Just when I thought Enoshima had been blown away, a gloomy face filled the screen. They had round glasses that look like they'd be worn by Kenzaburo Oe or John Lennon. Their skin was clearly an unhealthy color and they had long, snake-like braids.

It was none other than Toko Fukawa, the Super High School Level Literary Girl.

“H-h-hold a second, w-why are y-you here…?” Her voice seemed to condense all the gloom in the world. “Y-you're not p-planning on having a r-rendezvous with Master Byakuya, are you? I-I can't forgive you... I can't forgive you getting excited between your c-calmness and your p-p-passion!”

“Fukawa, please calm down. I'll forgive you for talking to your senior in a casual manner, so calm down.”

“You homewrecker! Y-you succubus! You p-perverted student! Begone evil spirits!”

“I was just accompanying him to write Byakuyako…”

“W-w-what the hell do you mean B-byakuyako? L-like meaning “Journey Under the Midnight Sun?” Kodansha should sue you already!” “I didn't copy it! And Journey Under the Midnight Sun is published by Shueisha!”

“S-so you really d-did copy it!”

“Um, please say something, Master Byakuya…”

Huh?

He's not there. When I looked, I saw that Master Byakuya had moved to the edge of the hideout with his chair.

“Fufufufufufufu. No matter how far away we are, it’s pointless, Master Byakuya,” Fukawa's smile fills the screen. “I’m normally extremely nearsighted, but when I search for Master Byakuya, my eyesight becomes 18/2!”

That surpasses even that of the Maasai people.

“Huh?” Fukawa's snake-like eyes widened. "B-b-b-b-b–b-bya-bya-Master Byakuya! W-what's with that outfit? A tuxedo… D-d-don’t tell me you're doing a r-rehearsal for your w-wedding with me? I-is that why you went to Prague? Um, Master Byakuya, how about we also have a rehearsal for the c-consummation? I-I’m at my best for conceiving today…”

“I have two orders for you, Fukawa,” Master Byakuya called from far away. “First, never speak to me about your ovulation. Second, if you are the Super High School Level Literary Girl then explain the situation in 200 characters or less.

“1 AM in Japan. Riots broke out after the declaration in Prague. Suspicious, I ran to Hope’s Peak and met Enoshima, but no one else. With phone lines down due to traffic, I used the satellite phone.”

“What riots are you talking about?”

“I-I would have liked to have explained that point clearly, i-if possible, so that Master Byakuya would have b-been pleasured.”

“Don’t mistake ‘pleased’ for ‘pleasured.’”

“I wish I could make you happy, but I i-immediately fled to the academy, so I don't know… I-I'm so sorry! I'm r-ready to be tied to a toilet or a spanish donkey at any time!”

“Are the people the ones causing the riot?”

“Well, I-I'm not sure about that either, but…

…I did hear some of the people talking about ‘locked rooms.’”

Locked rooms? What are they talking about?

“Out of the way, you stinky fujoshi!” Enoshima kicked Fukawa away and returned to the screen. “Sorry to keep you waaaaaiting! Let the viewers know that pretty Junko-chan is back to relieve their excitement☆!” “O-ow, hey! W-what are you doing?! That hurt…”

“I’m supposed to say that. Your hair’s all messed up. Unlike your cheap braids, my hair’s super well-kept!”

“Y-you g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-gyaru girls are so noisy… Y-your hair looks soft like a spring cloud!”

“Hehe, Thanks for the compliment, Fukawa!”

“I-I-I'm not c-complimenting you!”

“Yeah yeah. I guess your literary talent just happened to slip out then, huh?”

“C-compliments from you aren’t going to make me happy!”

Ah, I’m relieved to see that they seem to get along.

“Is this charade over yet?” Master Byakuya interjects. “Enoshima, there's something I want to ask you.”

“Ah~? Sorry! The secret to my makeup is top secret!”

“Where’s your pathetic sister?”

“Don’t call my sister pathetic! Sure it’s true that she’s pathetic, but it would be cruel to call her pathetic just because she’s pathetic.”

“You’re the one who keeps saying it.”

“Oh? I have an idea, maybe I just haven’t seen her. I don’t really pay much attention because she’s always so unnoticeable, eugh... but... Ah. Ah! I remember! A note!”

“A note?”

“It was on the table. It read, ‘I want to protect this planet.’ Eighth-grader syndrome, am I right?”

“Did she disguise herself as a militiaman again and go to end some conflict somewhere?”

“Because she loooooves protecting planets and chastity. So, Togami, you're worried about us? Did you think about having your sister escort you?”

“Hmph. Say what you want.”

By the way, Enoshima’s sister is Mukuro Ikusaba. She’s the Super Pathetic Level, wait no, I mean she’s the Super High School Level Soldier.

“Well, I heard all about your World Domination Declaration.” Enoshima said with a grin. “The Togami do some really cool stuff. I bet the teachers are suuuper excited about it! Junko is shocked to find such a bad boy hiding among the damn serious 78th Cadet Corps! It’s like he just revealed his true self!”

“Enoshima, are you planning on helping me with my plan?”

“Yep! What do you need my services for?”

“Wait inside of the school until the situation is safe.”

“Whaaat? But waiting is so boooooring… I have no interest in waiting for a whole waiting list.”

“I’m not telling you to sit on your ass. There are two things I need you to do at school.”

“Just two things? I suppose my gyaru brain can handle that.”

“You have a pathetic brain. I should introduce you to a doctor.”

“I already have a buddy who's a neurologist. So, what do I do?”

“First thing, if you find a teacher, tell them I’m innocent.” “That's surprisingly simple…”

“Second thing, investigate the school.”

“Huh? Why?” Enoshima tilts her head.

I suppose I have no choice but to explain the situation. “You see, Enoshima, I can’t say for sure yet, but there’s a possibility that my year is involved in this incident.”

“Seriously like Majisuka Gakuen?! Hmm, then why doesn't Senpai know? Were you left out?”

“Because before all, I'm Master Byakuya's property.”

“Ah, I see how it is~. That’s kinda lewd. A statement that makes you really feel the sexiness of an older woman…” As Enoshima squirmed, I could hear Fukawa's insults from afar.

“A-anyways, they might be involved,” I said quickly. “Proof of that is that Sonia and Soda are here in Prague.”

“Seriously like Majisuka Gakuen 2?! Oh well, didn’t know either of them anyways.”

“Both of them killed someone.”

“Hold on a sec… killed? That’s really terrifying.” Even through the heavy makeup, you could see how pale she was.

But that’s the truth. To borrow Enoshima's words, it’s really terrifying.

This is probably the biggest scandal Hope’s Peak Academy has ever faced, even worse than the “parades” that were making the world go crazy, and Master Byakuya has somehow ended up getting caught up in the middle of it.

“Okay. I gotcha,” Enoshima nodded after a moment. “I’ll do everything I can. So, what are you guys going to do?”

“We’ll…”

“I’ll take up the challenge. That’s all.” Master Byakuya said. “I’ll defeat my impostor, return to Japan by Monday, and go to school as usual. All in the name of the Togami.”

“Wow! That’s awesome!” Enoshima clapped.

I was completely moved by Master Byakuya's declaration, and felt grateful to my fate that led me to write Byakuyako.

That's right, there’s no way we can lose. Absolutely not. In principle. He won then, he’ll win this time, and he will always win and win and win because Master Byakuya is a god.

I noticed that the ceiling of the hideout was shaking slightly. Now that I think about it, above here is the Skoda Auto factory. I wonder if they’re still running the production lines on Saturdays. They're very diligent even despite the declaration.

Skoda? That reminds me. Many Czech surnames have specific meanings, like how “Mitarai” in Japan means “a place for a purification.” Or for example, Smetana, famous for being the composer of “Die Moldau,” has a name that, although it sounds like a joke, means “sour cream.” Skoda is a fairly popular surname in the Czech Republic, so of course it also has a meaning too.

It means “pathetic.”

#danganronpa #dr #dr togami #danganronpa togami

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