The Perfect Minus and the Ultimate Despair

by Anonymous

Summary:

Kumagawa Misogi transfers to Hope’s Peak Academy with the intention of destroying it, only to find it’s in the middle of its destruction. There he meets Enoshima Junko the self proclaimed queen of despair, and as king of the minus from the moment they meet they begin a rivalry between their two differing definitions of despair.

Chapter 1: There is No Evil in Those With a Natural Hair Antennae

Notes:

Title card Art by Oakyvii on Tumblr!

 

 

 

This is a negative story, one that begins and ends in despair. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re a villain or even a demon. As long as you’re also human, you’ll be accepted by someone, somewhere. Even if you have no memories of being loved, for as long as you have memories of loving someone you can continue to live. There was but one exception to this rule… The man’s name was Kumagawa, and he was neither a demon nor a villain. He was as pure as a clear river. However, he possessed every negative human quality.

Negative…

He could never win against anyone, a born loser. He lost so much that his entire life was a joke. That was why he was stronger than anyone else. Hurting people with every breath, and wreaking havoc for breakfast, like a demon, he seriously contemplated killing the entire human race, including himself. A life of absolute failure, culminating in ridiculous destruction.

While Kumagawa attacked everything around him, to incredible effect, there was somebody who tried to reach out to him. She tried to sympathize with him, to love him like any other human.

In the end, she used force to expel him from the school. He continued to remain unaccepted by humanity.

Outcast.

When he was chased away from that school life, and those friends, and those human beings, he transferred from school to school. He would only spend a short time there causing trouble, and like any villain when he was inevitably foiled he would mumble『I could not win again.』and continue moving forward rubbing his head, and keeping his eyes fixed on the floor.  

He would disappear without a trace. Inevitably he would find a new place, and inevitably again he would destroy that place too.

I called him the embodiment of all negativity, but truth be told he did have one positive quality. He never ran away. He was always facing forward. Even when there was only loss, even if all he did was hurt others, he would continue to move forward.

Not even when Kumagawa drove a screw through the skull of someone he loved, not even when he ripped the face off of someone he loved, not even when he soiled the heart, in every sense of the word of someone he loved.

Now that I think about it.

Now that I think hard about it.

He never once turned away from that, did he? He never once stopped.

Of course while he was rejected by all of humanity, and could easily be called a devil, a villain or even a snake, he was only human in the end. As he continued to stumble forward it was inevitable that inflicting all that pain on himself and others he would become twisted.

Inevitability.

Twist, twist. 

Kumagawa was born under such a star.

There was nothing else waiting for him, but a lonely life and a miserable death.
But, he laughed.

He didn’t know why, or rather he always knew.
He would just keep turning and twisting forward, even if it meant contorting his entire body. His self, his emotions, his heart, his love, they all became twisted and warped beyond recognition

He’d keep twisting forward, and digging his path out, like a dull screw trying and failing to carve its way through the hard rock. A river that keeps flowing without caring for what direction it leads must eventually be able to carve out great canyons and scar the whole earth, right? He must have thought something like that, some excuse to move forward.  

If you still don’t understand there’s not much I can do. That’s the best way I can explain him, impartially, anyway.

Of course I could continue to talk about the intricacies of his character all day, but we really should tell his story. The story of Medaka-chan’s next inevitable enemy, Kumagawa Misogi.

A minus among minuses, a Kafka among Kafkas. This is the story of Kumagawa Misogi, a man capable of ruining everything with a mix of good and evil.

Ah, wait…

At last moment his final destination changed. The script, the scene, the scenario, all thrown out the window with one small decision. Well, they do say that where you choose to go to school can impact you for the rest of your life.

Kumagawa decided not to transfer to Medaka’s school after all.

Speaking with hope, let’s say that Medaka’s fight with him is postponed to continue at a later date giving her more time to prepare while she waits for season three of the anime.

Speaking with despair, let’s say that a new fight has only just begun.

Either way works for me, as it means that I’ll be revealing myself later rather than sooner. Okay, forget about Medaka-chan that’s a story for another time.

This story takes place before Kumagawa MIsogi ran into Medaka-chan. He avoided her, as if picking a fight with inevitability he would eventually lose, like a river that branched off into many different small streams, that would all eventually end up in the ocean anyway. After three years of wandering, his final destination was not Sandbox Academy, no, purely on a whim he transferred elsewhere.

His new school was famous. The so called “School of Hope.” Presumptuous, huh? Perhaps it was that arrogant title that spurred his whim and attracted him there. In chemistry, a positive and a negative attract one another. In math though, a positive multiplied by a negative always turns out negative. Who knows with that guy though, he was the type to fail every subject in school so he didn’t often abide by either science or math.

The minus that crawls from the chaos, Misogi Kumagawa. Nothing went as he liked, and he never went as others would have liked.

This is the story of how he became the first ever transfer student to Hope’s Peak Academy. Hopefully, what would come from this unexpected interaction was an explosively reaction in which nobody could predict.

If I must say something more… when watching Kumgawa-kun, keep your future bright and distance yourself from reality.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The boy wondered rather fruitlessly whether it was good luck or bad luck that had led him to this situation. He had managed to sneak past the mob in a modest pair of red sneakers, only for a few students to break off and follow him.

When he saw them out of the corner of his eyes, he did not bother to hide anymore and broke out into a run. He was spared the mob, but not the danger it seemed. While running for his life, the boy quickly corrected himself that he should be referring to it as “the parade” not the mob. That’s what the school wanted him to do anyway, and he usually wasn’t the type to go against the flow.

Hope’s Peak Academy recruited two kinds of students. There were those of Super High School Level, who possessed talents of renown and merit that were scouted out from various high schools in japan and recruited to the school.

None of the parade chasing him at the moment were students of talent or prestige. They were the reserve course, a newly opened program where after taking a standardized test those who passed were given admittance to an education program that promised to bring out latent talent and give an opportunity to transfer into the main course. Though, not one single person had ever transferred from the reserve course, and besides the branding the reserve course came to resemble the kind of curriculum that was taught at pretty much any school, albeit at ten times the tuition.

Schools were often a microcosm of the real world. Once again, the masses were being pushed down all at once, just to make the few standing above them stand out even more, and shine all the brighter. Humans beings could only take so much though, eventually their frustrations would come out in one way or another.

They had boiled over and poured out, and through the cracks in the school that they had originally fallen through, flowed upwards hundreds of dissatisfied children all acting in a mob. The faceless, washed out, talentless, were the ones chasing him.

However, he tried not to hate them because he knew they were human beings too. He just wished he could escape from them. However, his legs already felt like they were on fire. Perhaps if he had been the Super Highschool Level marathon runner he would have been able to get out of this situation easily.

However, Makoto Naegi was just like the completely average people that were chasing him in all qualities except one. He had Super Highschool Level Good Luck, well apparently he did. Every year one member of a class was chosen by lottery from the japanese high school registry in an attempt to observe and quantify luck as a talent. Hope’s Peak did not just foster and grow talent, the school also studied it for its own purposes.

Makoto did not know if his luck was good or bad though, not really. He had been invited to this school and lived a hopeful and peaceful year with his classmates, only to see it all fall apart by the end of the year. Did he appreciate the happy times, or were they just a herald for the end?

At this moment, his strange luck seemed to act again. As in the campus as empty as a ghost town except for the rioting (parading) students, Makoto saw another student walking by him. Help! That could be good luck! He could be saved! He thought all at once, until he plowed straight into the student who was reading a manga while he walked and did not even seem to notice the outside world around him at all.

Makoto’s world did flips and so did his stomach for a moment, before he felt himself landing on something. No, wait this was bad luck. He had just tripped and knocked over the both of them to be at the mercy of the three reserve course students following him.

Makoto slammed his arms down and tried to pick himself up as fast as possible. The student he had run into was not wearing the black tie suit uniform of the reserve course, instead he wore a pitch black uniform with a round collar. His hair was a messy black that seemed uneven, his bangs longer on one side than the other. He looked up at Makoto with wide blue eyes, there was something childish about his expression.

Even though he had just been knocked down he was smiling. Makoto did not know this was because the stranger he had just met was somebody who was used to being knocked down, and even kicked down by complete strangers.

『Ah, what is this? The new transfer student while walking along suddenly has a fateful encounter when he runs headfirst into another student and they topple all over and land on top of each other.』

The boy spoke quickly and in a strange manner, but Makoto even terrified for his life listened to all of it. It took him a moment to realize he was still on top of that boy, and the moment he did he felt embarrassed and immediately pushed himself off and rolled away.

“S-sorry, I’m so sorry.”

『It’s not your fault, well- it’s not my fault either. You don’t need to apologize. What’s your name anyway, you have the hairstyle of somebody significant.』The boy with black hair said as he sat up and pointed to the hair antannae sticking upwards as a part of Makoto’s own, boyishly messy hair. The antannae seemed to twitch as if it knew it was being singled out, but that really was just Makoto’s head shaking in worry.

The both of them had completely average appearances. Makoto’s hair was brown instead of black, and he wore a sweratshirt under his school blazer, but there was something about the other boy he did not understand at all. “W-what does my hair have to do with this? Uhm, nevermind we have to go. I’m so sorry for dragging you into this but there are some guys chasing me.”

『My school life is turning out to be so adventurous already. Hey, don’t worry though. If they’re people just like us, I’m sure we’ll be able to reason with them without resorting to violence.』Makoto for a moment felt a spark of something in his chest. Until the three reserve course students finally caught up to him. That spark died.

However, the boy was looking at his manga volume which had fallen out of his hands and was thrown a few feet way during his fall. One of the reserve course students stepped on it while running towards them, and kicked it into a puddle.

Something in the strange new student’s eyes seemed to die as well. 『Hey.』He stood up suddenly crossing his arms at his sides. Makoto’s eyes widened in even greater shock and fear as suddenly two large screws the side of his forearm appeared in his held open hands. He quickly caught them and held them like they were weapons.

In the next moment both of those screws were stabbed into the shoulders of the one reserve course student who had kicked his manga volume into the mud. The other two stopped for a moment and looked with their jaws held open.

“Wh-what?

“What happened?”

Makoto had no idea what kind of talent this student in the pitch black uniform possessed.

“Who are you? Who do you think you are carrying screws around like that, the Super Highschool Level Screw Guy?” Apparently both mob mentality, and fear had severely limited the insults that one of the reserve course students could come up with.

『Jeez shut up. Look, this is because you guys are so disruptive. This week’s issue of shonen jump…!』

He had already drawn two more screws and this time he threw the screws at the two other reserve course students. They spiraled as they traveled through the air, and then the reserve course students were dragged backwards and nailed to the wall.『Mondays are special because Shonen Jump only published once a week! It’s all ruined because of you! It’s your fault!』

At that moment, the sight of that boy made Makoto think one thing. That guy is too crazy to be an Ultimate, but too strong to be anything else.

“You didn’t have to hurt them!” Makoto said immediately scrambling to his feet as well as he saw the student in black begin to walk away. He wanted to know more about his would be rescuer, so he went after him and grabbed him by the arm. “They’re students just like us, and they have proper reason to be angry.”

『Of course they do, everybody was looking down on them. I didn’t hurt them though, look see, they’re fine.』

Makoto looked back and saw three unconscious students in reserve course uniforms. They were completely unharmed even though a moment ago he had just seen screws driven into them. Makoto blinked and doubted the reality in front of him. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was saved thanks to this person.

He had no idea though, if running into them, being saved by them, was a stroke of good or bad luck. “Thank you.” He said finally. “I think you just saved my life there.”

『You don’t have to thank me. What I did is only natural. It’s only a monday morning right? You probably didn’t have enough time to buy shonen jump from the corner store. Do you know what the worst thing about dying is? You won’t be able to read the next chapter in your favorite manga. So there’s no way I could let you die!』His wide blue eyes suddenly blinked. 『Wait. What’s even happening here?』

Does this guy even notice what’s going on? Makoto immediately thought, but he dubbed it to rude to say. Explaining all of the events which led to this situation would be impossible, so Makoto decided to start with the most important thing. “Two of our classmates are missing. Nobody can find Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba so I went looking for them on my own.”

『Why would you do that though? You’re so weak and insignificant looking. You should be more careful from now on, people like you are usually the first to die to establish tension in horror movies.』The boy tilted his head, and put a finger on his chin as if he were genuinely confused.

Makoto did not know if he was being insulted, or if the stranger was merely expressing concern. He also remembered that the stranger had said his hair was significant looking a moment ago, he must have been the type of person to change his mind fast. “You should find somewhere safe, I’ve got to-”

Before Makoto could even take another step though, the stranger stepped in front of him holding an arm out. 『No, tell me what those two girls are like. I’ll search for you.』

“Why? We’ve just met, and I’m not even sure you go to this school from the way you’re acting.” Makoto said, his fear somehow being replaced entirely with exasperation.

The strange boy smiled at him. 『There’s no evil in those with a natural hair antannae. That’s why I know I can trust you.』

Literally, nothing about that sentence made sense to Makoto. Yet he found himself being swept up in the moment anyway. “Well one’s kind of plain looking but she has freckles around her nose and if you look directly at her she’ll avert her gaze. The others the opposite she’s really easy to spot because she has blonde hair and pigtails.”

『Good, then I’ll execute them.』The boy nodded.

“No you’re supposed to evacuate them!” Makoto shouted suddenly.

『Right, I’ll evacuate them.』Casually, as if he were taking a stroll he put his hands in his pockets he turned around and began to walk away.

Makoto called after him one final time. “Wait! Let me know your name so I can properly thank you!”

『It’s rude to ask for a name without giving one first.』The boy said, stopping suddenly and turning his head around and only his head craning his neck all the way around to look back over his shoulder at an odd angle.

“Makoto Naegi!” Makoto said, in a rush since he had already decided to trust this stranger and did not have time for any more of their back and forth conversation.

Makoto Naegi
78th Class
Bloodtype: A
Ultimate Lucky Student

 

『What a good name, I’ll be sure to remember that. My name is….』He raised his hand up suddenly as if he were about to do something, and then decided against it and looked forward once more. He finally spoke his name in a low whisper so that Makoto could barely hear,『 』The second he hared the name though he found it near impossible to remember.

 

Kumagawa Misogi
??? Class
Bloodtype: AB
Ultimate ????

Makoto had no idea how he could walk with such a peaceful stride. What he did not know was that everything that the academy had become full of, all of the tainted things mixed into the broth until the soup boiled over, was what that boy walked with every day of his life.

『Irrationality』『Lack of Reason 』『Corruption 』『Congestion 』『False Accusations 』 『Stray Shot 』『Disgrace』 『Shame』 『Jealousy』『Difference 』『Betrayal』『Ill Treatment 』 『Rumors 』 『Tip Offs』 『Misfortune 』 『Inconvenience』 『Hypocrisy 』『Dyspheism』 『Crocodile Tears』 『Excuses』 『Getting involved』『Each Other’s Damage 』 『Unreliability』 『Dishonesty 』

He was always walking alongside such things, playing it cool with his hands in his pockets. The chorus of screams of students as they went mad, were the perfect background for him.

He was used to such a life, there was only one constant for him. No matter where he was, what he did, or what others did to him, he would always smile.

He kept smiling as he walked along, the academy tearing itself apart in both the background and the foreground.

As soon as he left Makoto he began to partially fade from the boy’s memory. He could only barely recall the faintest details of the face of the person he had just met. There was only one feature he remembered clearly.

His eyes were bright blue, the same color of the sky and just as vast and wide. Yet, they were completely empty. Makoto saw nothing at all in them. He had never seen such strange eyes before.

Some part of his mind instinctually begged Makoto to forget, but he no longer could.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 Oh.

In this twisted story, there’s one more twist to introduce. If Kumagawa Misogi is best described as an existence who always loses, than she is someone who always wins.

Ensohima Junko despaired. Anything and everything ended up the way she wanted. Everything concluded just as she had hoped, and so she despaired.
Why does it always run so smoothly?

A hot magma boiled up from the pit of her stomach and exploded as it reached her chest. It spread through her heart and flowed through every muscle in her body. Water was slowly growing around her feet, she could hear a splashing sound as droplets danced around her. She was nothing like a river, but water had splashed around her anyway.

The droplets falling off of her turned bright red. She took a step and sunk further into the bright red water. Her clothing was dyed with blood, her hair was dyed with blood, her face was dyed with blood.

But the girl didn’t care. She was intent on just trampling the ground. Then, with her entire being, with everything she could muster, with her whole body and soul she stomped her foot. She slammed her foot to the ground as if she were a demonic beast on a rampage… and then she yelled what was a curse only to herself.

“This isn’t it!”

Her screams echoed around her, as if the entire world was empty except for her. Even though there was someone standing right behind her she didn’t notice. A quiet observer who was always near her, but because of that fact Junko Enoshima may as well have been alone.

But still she continued, “More! More!” She screamed. “More! I want a more despair inducing despair!” She stopped mid-sentence suddenly.

A spark of an idea interrupted her tirade. Her surprised expression remained on her face, her entire body was dyed red stood motionless and still. “....That’s right,” She whispered to herself. There was a tap inside her skull, like someone pressed a switch and slowly her entire brain lit up with the notion. Several faces appeared. Of course, they were the faces she knew… they were the faces of her Hope’s Peak Academy classmates.

“.....Upupu.”

A tremble shook through her body and her lips curved into a smile. If somebody was unfortanate enough to know Kumagawa Misogi, and this girl at the same time they would have recognized that smile. She smashed her foot to the earth once again as she cackled and shook.

“Upu… upupupupupupupupupupupu.”

Her frenzied stomping became like a dance. Joy and excitement radiated through her as she danced and she found that she couldn’t stop herself.

“Amazing how incredibly amazing!”

Remembering the faces of the people who would bring her such despair, she felt something that was similar to a person in love, and she danced alone to the rhythmn of despair.

“This is it! This is a fantastic despair!”

Super High School Level Despair,  Enoshima Junko reveled in despair, smiling and dancing like a madman. This is where it was going to begin. She stopped and cried out to her sister next to her, arms spread wide.

“Alright! Just one more stage to clear and let’s go enjoy our school life to it’s fullest.”

After all that was her true motive.

Then suddenly, as if the natural course of action she settled down. An almost audible click could be heard only by her, as things began to fall into place. Things were falling into place. Enoshima Junko’s plans to obtain that which she desired were falling into place. She settled dancing from dancing about, and she too started to slide into place, she climbed to the edge of the building, and threw her legs off, clutching her chest as if she was cold.

Thus, the keywords were set.

The flag was raised.

Mutual Killing, Ex-School Building, Brainwashed Preperatory Department, Super High School Level Hope, Class 78, Hope’s Peak Academy’s Committee Board, Principle, Memory Manipulation, Mukuro Ikusaba’s Disguise, Monokuma.

The plan to create the strongest despair all starts from here, the point of no return.
Predicting what will occur is simple. But not doing so would be more interesting. A stronger taste of despair will come on that way. But can I hold on for that long? Aaah, what should I do?

Just picturing that despair caused Enoshima’s heart to jump. She no longer noticed the academy tearing itself apart underneath her. Her eyes had already become affixed to the future, almost to the point of blindness.

Theoretically, if there existed a skill that could latch onto others vision like a parasite, the user could have seen it play out in Junko’s mind to such precise detail, that they might have mistaken her for some kind of clairvoyant. The bloody future she imagined brought a small, but toothy smile to the girl’s blood soaked face.

Because Super High School Level Junko Enoshima, wishes for despair above anything else.

Finds hope within despair more than anyone else.

Finds hope?

“What the hell? ME finding hope?”

Realizing she had been embracing hope, she fell into despair.

She gazed onto the scene of an academy tearing itself apart below her, as she sat on the rooftop legs idly kicking, her sister behind her fretting nervously and holding her hands to her chest.

In her chest a coin was flipped, as it spun through the air it revealed both of its sides, hope and despair, two sides of the same coin as if whatever it landed on was arbitrary due solely to luck. More than anybody else in the whole world, she was intent on watching which way the coin landed.

Just as it was flipping through the air though, the hand of a stranger came and snatched it away before either side could land.

As an impartial being myself though, I can’t help but find that to be the proper result.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Mukuro, move your fat ass! We have places to be!” Junko said, before sweeping her leg underneath her standing sister to trip her. Even though her sister landed face first into concrete she sprung up just as fast. It was almost mechanical, she was so used to this treatment already.

Walking from a few steps behind her sister, once again, as always, Mukuro peered over Junko’s shoulders and watched as her sister pulled out a phone and began to tap at it so quickly, she could barely see her sister’s fingers work, only hear the occasional sound of her sharp and pointed nails against the plastic of the phone.

“Well, I think they’ve done more than enough don’t you? Way to go thank you-”  Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just let them join us.”

“Say what? Because pug ugly they have too much in common with you, they’re all stupid. Even if I could somehow reprogram their basic IQ the overall specs would be nowhere near mine.”

“Oh, that makes-Junko.”

“What? It’s hard to text with these nails, don’t distract me.”

“Junko!”

“Is that the only word you know how to say? I guess I can’t blame your last brain cell on giving up trying to string words together, considering everything that comes out of your mouth is stupid anyway.”

“Junko look up.”

“What could it possibly-” When she finally looked up from her phone, Junko stopped halfway through her text message and dropped her phone on the ground.

The hallway they were walking down to reach a more scenic spot on the roof had become drenched in blood. That was not the surprise, but rather it was whose blood in belonged to. Enoshima Junko saw the sixteen ultimate despairs she had worked one by one to cultivate into her ultimate servants, all screwed to the both walls, and the floor they were about to step into.

No wait, Kamakura had left them already. There should only be fourteen despairs. Junko spotted Chisa Yukizome, that was fifteen. No… how could there be sixteen. Her eyes landed on the odd one out.

She had killed that girl and buried the body. Grave robbery? No, she should focus on the more important matter at hand somebody had just defeated in one fell swoop every single ultimate despair and she had not even anticipated it. Her brain cycled through possibilities atomatically, while her eyes widened taking in every detail.

“What… the hell is this? They didn’t get all juiced up on despair and decide to fight each other and end up in a double knockout did they?”

She heard steps coming from down the corridor, and saw a shadow walking towards her. A faceless boy with a strange manner of speaking began to lecture her on the details of the scene. 『No. A double  knock out wouldn’t look like this. All 16 people here are stabbed the exact same way with the same weapon. No matter what kind of special ability you have, there’s no way you could end up stabbing yourself. This is definitely the work of a 3rd party, I have no idea what their goal was in producing this half-assed scene here, but…』

They must have realized the moment they saw each other. That long before they ever met, that destiny awaited them. They were not like ships passing in the night. They understood each other better than anyone else, and each was focused solely on the other- Just kidding.

No destined locking of eyes, and no instant understanding took place. Each was completely incomprehensible to the other, even as the smiling boy’s face came into view.

“Who the hell are you?” Junko spat at him.

A single blood covered hand raised itself in the air. 『Hey now! Don’t jump to conclusions, please, they all looked like this when I got here… so, this isn’t my fault!』Kumagawa Misogi stood in front of her, covered in blood just like Junko was. His face was splattered in it, and it dripped from both of his hands. One of his hands held tightly to a large screw, which blood also dripped from. He said this all without breaking his smile, even as he stepped over the bodies who had been driven into the floor with screws.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to other people’s toys? Apologize right now!” Junko as usual had an astonishing lack of priorities about the situation. Her mind perceived everything perfectly, and in her mind everything was still going according to plan. The ultimate despairs were ultimately disposable. If they were injured here they would probably just sink further into instanity. More than that, Junko had always had a strong sense of intuition when hope or despair might suddenly flip sides but, she detected nothing at all in the smiling boy in front of her.

『I’m not sorry because it’s not my fault!』Kumagawa said a second time, before realizing he was still holding a screw in his hand, and then hastily dropping it as if somehow that made his story more believable.

In that moment though Junko noticed something strange. It’s not that she didn’t detect anything within him, it’s that she couldn’t read him. What was in front of her was not a human with a face. She saw a shadow without any details. She could not read his face, because there was no face to read. Even worse than the inky blue she usually saw uggo normies in. Suddenly though, the nondescript shadow peeled it’s lips apart, and she saw a smile form on his face. Then, the smile became all she could see.

Junko looked down at her hand. Her fingers were long, and her nails even longer, both her nails, and the caked blood on her hand were still a bright red. However, she paid attention not to the color but to the motion. Her hand was shaking. She felt no fear at all, she felt nothing as usual, not even despair at this sudden upset of her plans, and yet her body decided to shake out of her control.

In the next moment Kumagawa had crossed the distance between them and was an inch away from her face. 『I’m curious about your conversation. Why did you think you had to kill all of those useless and weak reserve course students who had been so helpful to you so far?』

“Dude take a breath mint.” Junko said, not at all phased by his sudden closeness. She wondered if he had any concept at all of personal space, and filed it away to insult him with next right before she rebuffed his question. “Those people are useless to despair. There’s no way somebody without my specs or talent can ever despair like me. How did you even get here, Rando?”

『I took the stairs.』Kumagawa said.

“No, I mean, ugh Mukuro my cell phone!” Junko screeched deciding she would just deal with this no talent loser who had somehow lucked out in a victory against her ultimate despairs the same way she dealt with the rest of them, and worry about the rest later. She took a step back as Mukuro dived for her cellphone, picked it up and then handed it to Junko obediently on her knees. “Well, I’m proud of you for having managed to get this far. He’s your reward.”

A sick and twisted song started to play, and Mukuro quickly covered her ears, Junko doing so as well after dropping the phone in Kumagawa’s hands. Kumagawa stared for a moment, seeing a bear sitting on the screen, one half of it was black the other white.

I want to die. His mind suddenly screamed. Every single neuron fired at once in a horrible chorus. I want to die. All I’m doing is prolonging a life of suffering. Yes, living itself is a sin.”

However, those thoughts ran through Kumagawa’s mind at every moment. He had lived his entire life with such thoughts, aware of such things, he had already lived a life of constant loss, and lost what he could not fathom to lose. Even living the worst life imaginable he did not hear those words 'I want to die.'

So all he did when presented with the video of despair, was blink. 『Is this one of those chain email things? That’s really annoying you know, I hate having to respond to those. Oh, wait, I get is a girl going to crawl out of my tv in three days and try to kill me? I hope it’s a cute girl.』

Three what the hells already seemed sufficient, so Junko simply bit her lip at her video not working. Before she could move next though, she saw her phone disappear from her hand.

『Anyway, mind control is kind of a lame plot device. If something or someone lamer shows up to foil it, then it’s just too bad right?』

“Give me my phone back!” Junko usually had a better comeback than this, and she hated herself for a moment for sounding like the teenager girl she was. It had only just now occured to her that she might not in fact know what was going on.

Kumagawa walked past her, and held both of his hands up, empty. The phone was not in either hand. Junko looked back to her own hand and saw the phone she had tried to snatch back was not there either, but she was holding a much smaller screw. Did he pull some sleight of hand trick on her?

Kumagawa leaned forward and poked her on the chest. 『You should take better care of your uniform, where’s your pride in your school? Walking around covered in blood, that’s just the worst.』He said, even though he himself was also covered in blood. Before she could even point that fact out though, she saw that her uniform was now entirely clean of blood. Her hands were clean of blood. Her hair was clean of blood.

Kumagawa Misogi was also clean of blood, even though the ultimate despairs remained screwed to the walls. No… everything until now had been within the bounds of reality though incredibly unlikely, but this was impossible.

Her brain felt like a supercomputer being sabotaged by a single grain of sand. What s that.

Really, what is that.

What is that. Really, what is that. What is that. Really, what is that. What is that. Really, what is that. What is that. Really, what is that. Really, what is that. What is that. Really, what is that. What is that. Really, what is that. What is that. What the hell is that???

Junko heard the sound of screws turning, metal grinding against concrete.

『I knew it. I hate the elites. Therefore, I can’t get along with you. Still, I wish you hadn’t gone and tried to kill all those weak and miserable people. Their despair would have been prolonged if you kept them alive , you know? You looked down on all of those talentless nobodies. So, it’s your fault if now, a talentless nobody comes to defeat you from out of nowhere』Kumagawa smiled again, his wide eyes sharpening. 『It’s not my fault. It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault.It’s your fault. It feels great when it’s your fault.』

Just like that, Enoshima Junko’s seemingly endless despair was swallowed up by an even greater despair. It was like two infinities being larger than one infinity. She was somebody who could understand everything in reality, but everything she had just been shown was unreal. An abhorrent being that was an aberration on this world.

The last thing she could remember was the sound of somebody’s voice crying out in pain. “You… big… liar.” Oh, that was her own voice.

『That’s right. All fiction. Please remember that, it’ll likely be the only thing you can remember.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Junko woke up peacefully in a hospital bedroom. Then, immediately, she despaired. She felt the tug of memories that were not hers. For a moment she accepted them. It seemed perfectly natural she would end up in this hospital bed again, staring at the same unfamiliar white ceiling.

Then her own brain whether she wanted to or not, kicked into gear. She remembered the impossible series of events that had led to where she was now. Thinking was always second nature to Junko, but as she tried to remember it was almost physically painful, like she was defying something and being punished for remembering these details.

“Junko, Junko what’s wrong?” Mukuro said suddenly, waking up from where she had nodded off on a stool by her bedside. “Oh shit, you’re not in a coma. Junko, stop it.”

Junko froze all at once. She patched her memories together she remembered, a boy, screws, then tearing through flesh, turning. She immediately lifted her shirt but saw there was no visible wound on her body. She looked at her arms too, then to Mukuro. Neither of them were injured at all.

The wounds disappeared, just like her phone, just like the blood. This was… this this… this was definitely some anime bullshit going on right here. She called out to Mukuro, ordering her again. “Mukuro, what happened, report!”

“Oh right, you’ve been asleep the whole week you wouldn’t know. They found the injured student council, and they proved the killing game video to be a hoax and ever since then the parade finally calmed down. We were lucky that nobody died.”

“Lucky that nobody died. Mukuro, we were trying to kill people! You know, like murderers?!” Junko shouted, even though it was probably a bad idea to do that in a public place. At worst they would probably just assume she took another hit on the head.

“Junko, what are you talking about? You mean the plan… you told me we weren’t going to do that until next year.”

Mukuro’s memories rewritten? That was within the realm of possibility, but mind wiping the entire school body with the technology she stole from Yasuke the Super Highschool Level Neurologist within a week was completely impossible again. Junko decided for the moment to try to see if she could get a neuron to fire off in one of her sister’s two last remaining braincells. “Mukuro, doesn’t anything feel strange about this?”

Mukuro was confused by Junko’s question, worded so loosely and not even an insult in sight. She stopped to think for a moment before answering. “I guess… everything’s been kind of weird since that new transfer student showed up.”

“Transfer student? Hope’s peak doesn’t accept transfer students.”

“Yeah, not normally but they needed a new student council president after the old one was injured and hospitalized in that accident.”

Junko stopped for a moment and blinked. Before her brain could short circuit again, she decided to just follow the only logical path. The despair that she had been so excited to feel, taken away from her, reduced to nothing, the day saved by some cosmic retcon that she did not account for.

She wouldn’t have it. Everything was arranged. Everything was arranged by Junko Enoshima, that was the only reality she had ever known, and the only one she understood. She jumped out of the bed and went looking for her clothes. A moment later, she was pulling on her boots and stringing them up.

“Junko, you can’t. They’re afraid you had a relapse because of the stress of the parade.”

“Mukuro shut up, I gotta figure this out before my head explodes. You wouldn’t get it because you never think, so go back to not thinking as usual.” Mukuro calmed down somewhat now that Junko was back to insulting her, even if she was acting weird even by Junko standards.

After tearing across campus at high speed, which was no easy feet in high heels, she immediately kicked the door down to the super high school level student council’s office.

Whatever she was expecting to see, it was not Kumagawa Misogi calmly reading a volume of manga. 『First period on mondays is shonen jump time. Please come some other time. 』

Junko walked over and leaned over the desk catching his eye. She growled another angry question at him. “What did you do to the school? Whole damn place was a powderkeg ready to blow five minutes ago, and then suddenly you walk in and everything’s fixed. I call bullshit.”

『I didn’t do anything, or rather there wasn’t anything that needed to be done. All of the things that upset the reserve course were fake, hoaxes, fiction, they never happened.』

“I remember them happening, though.”

『You still remember? Strange, did the memory wipe not take? I guess there’s nothing to be done.』Kumagawa shrugged.

Then, the next moment after it seemed he had given up he suddenly had a screw in his hand, and tossed it at her. Even though she was only a short distance away she saw exactly when and where it was coming and moved her head out of the way dodging it perfectly.

『I see. So you’re the kind of person when they get hit by an attack once they’re never caught off guard by it again.』

“Unfortunately.” Junko grumbled, in a rare moment of sincerity. “What was that a magic trick?”

『Oh. You got it right how observant. The screws they’re a half assed magic trick basically, it’s not even worth explaining. In shonen jump there are scenes where characters who are just introduced sit there and explain their powers, but that’s because shonen jump is written to be easily understood by children. There’s no need to do something like that in real life.』

“Please, can you tell me?” Junko asked, her voice suddenly switching tones into something much sweeter.

『Well I suppose it can’t be helped.』

That was way too easy, Junko thought.

『This is all a dream.』

“No way!”

『This is a computer simulation and I’m the administrator.』

“We don’t have time for that yet.”

『You’re the only person who truly exists so you can casually rewrite reality as you see fit.』

“God, I wish. Other people are so annoying, but no.”

『I already told you, I made all of the events that you remember as if they never happened. That’s my ability. All of the damage you did to this school, I made it so it never occured. I imagined it, and then it became like that.』

“There’s no way that’s it. Even if you could do something like that, how would you know everything I’ve done to this school? Maybe you could see the video and know about the ultimate despairs but I’ve done much more…”

Kumagawaa suddenly put down on the table the manga he was reading. It read, Manga for Morons the Biggest, Most Tragic Event in Human History. 『I’m not a strategic genius, but it doesn’t seem like a good idea to leave a manga explaining every detail of your plan lying around.』

Junko bit her lip again. “You shouldn’t criticize me for being an artist, that’s against the spirit of this school, senpai.”

『Ah, I’m sorry about that.』He said as if he were totally sincere.

“So you just imagined it, and then it was gone?”

『It’s not that imprecise. You know when you get hurt and you think, ‘I just wish this had never happened’. Maybe you endure the worst pain of all and a manga you like ends in a way that’s not satisfying. There’s not much you can do right? You look like a total tool if you harass the author for not liking the ending. However, I’ve always thought if you don’t like the pages that end a manga you can just tear them out, and shut your eyes like it never happened.』Kumagawa did exactly that, pulling out the pages of her carefully constructed plan.

One by one, like it was nothing he had undid them. Monokuma. Mukuro Ikusaba’s disguise. Memory manipulate. Principal. Hope’s Peak Academy’s Comittee Board. Class 78. Super Highschool Level Hope. Brainwashed Preperatory Department. Ex-School Building. Mutual Killing.

All of them became undone before her eyes, like they had never existed in the first place.

『This is my power, all fiction. I can make anything I don’t like imaginary, it becomes fiction. As a power don’t you think it’s despairingly perfect? I can hurt as many people as I want and undo the damage, I can keep doing whatever I want forever and leave no trace behind.』

Junko’s eyebrow twitched. It was like a nerve had been touched in her. “That’s not despair.” She said softly. “Despair is unpredictable, exciting, it destroys everything with no hope of recovery. It ends in a bang, not a whisper.”

『Despair isn’t about a few moments high. It’s about suffering, again, and again, and again, and again, and again, until you can’t take it anymore, and then again. Of course you wouldn’t understand this, trying to find hope in despair, that’s the perspective of an elite.』

Hope in despair?
Yes, that was what she wanted, but Junko had never once allowed herself even to think about this for more than a split second.

『Look, I transferred in here to destroy this annoying school. When I saw you were already doing it, I was perfectly happy to kick back and let the elite be slaughtered, but then you had to take out the weak and useless reserve course. Their despair is worthwhile too you know..』

“So… you just stopped me, not for the sake of hope, but because you disagree with my specific definition of despair?”

『Yep. I like to think of myself as an idealist. Despair belongs to everyone. We shouldn’t be fighting we should share in our despair.』

“What are you saying? Quit rambling about nonsense in your weirdo voice and just explain it to me.” Junko said, partially because she was the only one who wanted and liked to make long rambling speeches of despair. Series that had two of the same character archetype tended to feel crowded anyway.

『I’m saying even if we don’t agree let’s get along. What we both want ultimately is despair right? Maybe we can find some compromise.』Kumagawa stood up at his desk suddenly and raised his hand. From a moment ago his tone had completely changed, but Junko realized that’s the kind of person he was. He was always changing at every moment like moving water, nothing stuck to him.

He held a hand out to her.

Junko moved her hand towards his slowly. Then suddenly swiped at him with her fake nails. She moved fast enough to draw blood.

Kumagawa did not even recoil. He merely looked down at his hand which now was stained red with her claw marks. 『Ow. What are you, a cat?』

“No, I’m a bear.” Junko immediately retored with. It took her a few seconds to realize that that response had sounded much cooler in her head than it ever would in reality.

Ψ(`_´ #  )↝

Elsewhere in a school named sandbox academy, a great battle had come to an end, and an adventuring party was traveling home by taking an elevator.

One of the members winked at the blonde haired boy at the center of them all. “What’s wrong, Zenkichi-kun? You’ve been off to yourself for awhile now, are you satisfied with how this all ended?”

Hitoyoshi Zenkcihi responded with a smile that was probably just him trying to look cool as usual. “Dissatisfied? Get serious. I’m hungry and I was thinking of what’s on the school’s menu.” That could have easily been a bluff, but he suddenly became surprisingly sincere in his thoughts. That’s right, I should invite Shiranui and go get some barbecue or something. I kind of feel like I haven’t seen her for awhile. Maybe I’m overthinking.”

Maguro who had asked Zenkichi this simply looked on fondly.

“Before I forget senior Miyako-noujo, I’m going to need you to use your weighted words once more.”  Medaka, the other center of the group asked.

“Hm?” The gold haired man with striking eyebrows and a frayed colllar lfited his head in attention.

“To gain control of the fighting that’s going on the first floor as I’m sure you already know, Junior Unzen isn’t the type to stop fighting halfway through.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that. We also need to stop the plus six. Fine, I’ll do as you wish-”

“Yeah, please do.”

With no interruption at all, they calmed the fighting of the thirteen outside. There was no horrific scene they stumbled upon, and nobody was sent to the hospital.

As he finally walked out of the tower, Zenkichi stretched and looked up at the sun. “Hmm…” He felt as if something was missing. The peaceful ending did not sit well with him at all. “No, nevermind a barbecue is a bad idea. Maybe I should invite her to a ramen stand or something.”

Blissfully, he decided not to think too hard about it.

Chapter 2: A Tender Stab of Friendship

Notes:

This chapter references Durarara!! with a quote.

She had been told quite often that she could never understand people’s feelings, and also that they could never tell what she was thinking.

She had to agree with them.

Perhaps because of an older sister who was too emotional and too overbearing, with too much personality, she lacked some key things that a human should have.

That’s why she decided to become like her sister, so in some way she could at least share in her sister’s despair.

For her sister who was too beautiful, too outgoing, and too warm, she became plain, withdrawn and cold. Perhaps, perhaps that was the reason why she would tell herself when she stared in the mirror and saw nothing more than a two bit background character looking back at her. The kind of character who the animators would probably skip on even drawing the face on if they were pressed for time.

This was a story she remembered with particular clarity even though at the time, and still perhaps to this day she had not reacted to it like it was a big deal.

When they were four years old, like any sister might Mukuro took the last cup of ice cream from the fridge. When she saw that Junko’s name was written on the lid in pen, she ignored it and tossed the lid away.

Her sister responded to this by attempting to gauge Mukuro’s eyes out with the same spoon Mukuro used to eat the stolen ice cream. Even though it was rather extreme, and should have been eye opening, Mukuro responded as she usually did.

Ah, Junko cares so much about me. That’s why she’s so upset. I’m the only one who is close enough to even upset her, not mother or father, not any friends, me.

Of course, Mukuro did not let Junko gauge her eyes out. She was the older sister, the stronger one, and she couldn’t be strong if she was blind.

Another story she remembered quite well. When she saw Junko again after running away for three years to join an elite mercenary group, Junko admonished her in a way nobody else in the world could.

“What are you some kind of idiot? What if you’d died someplace where I couldn’t even see you, how am I supposed to enjoy that? Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, did you inhale too much gas? Were you trying to kill off all your remaining brain cells until the ones only good for fighting remained.”

Mukuro responded as she always had. Ah, Junko missed me. Nobody else in the world, not my mother, not my father, not the school teachers, not the police, even looked for me when I disappeared. When I die, Junko’s the only one in the whole world who will see, and the only one in the whole world who will mourn me.

“Junko is the only one who loves me.” It was mindset common of most abuse victims. If an outsider were to look into their relationship and try to intervene with it, that’s the conclusion they would come up with. They wouldn’t be wrong either, but…

But…

That small but was what Mukuro hung onto with her entire being.

Mukuro remembered this image clearer than anything else. The image of a small girl in pigtails, building a sand castle alone.

Everybody else watched her from a distance like she was a spectacle, and they were her audience, but no child once stopped to play with her.

She was entirely alone.

Nobody saw the world the way she did, nobody could step into her shoes, nobody could look through her eyes. The entire rest of the world may as well have been a void. Even her own twin sister who had been born at the same time as her, didn’t share those thoughts.

She could try though.

If Junko was the only one that would mourn her death, than Mukuro was the only one who could understand Junko. The only one. The only…
It was only them.

As long as the world consisted of just the two of them, she was happy, because that way they were equals.

Use me, and I’ll use you. We’ll both use each other, we’ll both inflict despair on each other. It wasn’t a mutually beneficial relationship but it was close enough. Nobody would really be close enough to understand the difference, and nobody needed to understand anyway.

A world consisting of only her sister. That was the world seen through the eyes of Mukuro Ikusaba. Of course, nobody would ever see that, not unless they could latch onto her vision like some kind of parasite.

Mukuro found that lately a parasite had begun to cling off of her beloved sister. She found ticks to be especially annoying, they were hard to remove, and even harder to squash. The only way to get rid of them was to burn them entirely.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“You didn’t just erase the destruction of the academy that happened on the day we first met though, practically everything I’ve done since I came to this academy a year ago is like it’s never happened. I don’t get how that works. Junko Enoshima, despite refusing Kumagawa’s offer for an alliance had come to his office again one day later to further interrogate him about the nature of his ability that did not abide by the laws of the world she had previously known. She sat on a pulled up chair, rather rudely leaning back on only one of the legs while her feet were kicked up and resting on his desk.

Kumagawa was accustomed to such rudeness though, and he simply sat normally and kept his hands folded on the desk while he continued to talk in his strange, insincere tone.  『I’m not the new villain in Jojo’s Bizzarre adventure you know, you won’t defeat me just by figuring out my stand ability. 』Kumagawa sounded like he was reluctant to explain again, but suddenly again, he changed tones.  『The order the events took place in doesn't matter, because my ability plucks events out of causality.』

“Causality?” A smaller voice piped up from behind Junko. Mukuro had not been told to sit down, so she was still standing like a lamp in the corner.

『Why is she here? Two students in my office now instead of one, is this a dedicated harassment campaign? I suppose that’s to be expected considering who I am.』

“Oi, don’t get off topic. She’s just here to ask dumb questions so the audience will be able to understand what we’re talking about. Even empty headed numbskulls can be useful sometimes.”

『There’s… just three of us here.』Kumagawa paused for a moment as Junko’s style of speaking suddenly became familiar to him, of a certain charming middle school girl he once knew. He stopped though and shook his head, dismising the thought.

“I said don’t get off topic. So cauality like, things happening after other things, a change in the sequence of events regardless of the time, so, so, so like a time travel ability? You have a time traveling stand? That’s how you be me, you used the world!”

『Now who's getting off topic? It’s not a stand ability that was a metaphor.』

“Hey, hey, what does your stand aura guy look like? Is he a huge muscular man with bolts in his neck? Is he more muscly like the part three stand designs, or did he slim down like with all of the stands after part four. Maybe you’re more like hermit purple where those screws you create are the only physical manifestation of your stand.”

『Enoshima-san, I just said it’s not a stand, and I think you’re just having a conversation with yourself at this point.』

“Can you blame me? They call me the queen of chatting you know, and look what I have to work with here, there’s Mukuro and then there’s you. ” She added a particular note of disgust to the word you which made Kumagawa shiver instinctively. “You’re not even worthy of a stand battle right now.”

『It’s not like The World because I don’t stop time, and it’s like Bites the Dust because I don’t loop through time infinitely either. I just erase the parts I don’t like. 』

“So time erasure, oh, oh, so it’s like King crimson then!”

『Uh-』Kumagawa stuttered, before tilting his head in defeat.  『I don’t really understand how king crimson works.』

“God, that’s like so easy! Can you believe this guy Mukuro? He had the nerve to call himself a JoJo fan when he’s obviously not even thoroughly read part 5.”

“I… I don’t even know what you two are talking about.” Mukuro said weakly as she looked away.

Junko clicked her teeth so hard it made Mukuro flinch, but she decided to deal with that later and turn to the more important matter at hand. “King Crimson is a stand that rather than stopping time, erases the perception of time for everybody except Diavolo. As the ten seconds pass everybody else moves exactly as they would unaware, whereas Diavolo has free range of movement and can interact with objects. He uses it to position himself into an advantageous person, while his opponent keeps moving forward without realizing it, kind of like a bullet that’s already been shot from a gun, it can’t correct its course but he can.”

『I’m glad you’re using your analysis skill at something as petty and unimportant as manga.』

“Shut up.”

『Huh? I didn’t mean it as an insult, I was just saying. Anyway, as I said it’s not like any of those abilities even if it does erase. It makes the lie that it never happened into reality, that’s the best explanation I can give. All of those people who closed their eyes and covered their ears, wishing that the destruction would go away and their normal school life would resume, their wishes became reality. 』

“Wow, you’ve disappointed me again, and my expectations were already set so low. What about everybody’s memories then? If you erased what happened over the past year then how is everybody not walking around with missing memories? Even my empty headed sister somehow still remembers some version of events.”

『I just plucked out one event in causality. There were still thousands of others bouncing around, they’d just find some new way to ricochet off one another.』

“So liiiiiiiiiiiiike, you moved us to another world line?”

『I don’t know what you’re referencing since I only read manga from shonen jump. I told you it has nothing to do with time travel though, do you ever listen to anybody but yourself?』

Junko giggled to herself at that. Her voice became much more serious for a moment dropping the lilting tones. “There’s nobody else in the whole world that’s worth talking to, really.” She blinked and in a moment again she was talking in the same old empty voice as ever. “Hey, Senpai, how much can you erase anyway? King Crimson can only erase time for ten seconds, but you’ve already gone back a whole year. Don’t you think that’s kind of broken, like, nobody likes it when you introduce a new antagonist and try to make them cool just by giving them an overpowered ability.”

『Shonen serial escalation is a serious issue, you shouldn’t joke about it. Authors need to meet the ever growing expectations of the readers, and anyway-.』 Suddenly, without even indicating so on his face his change Kumagawa became violent again striking forward with his hand. He was throwing a screw. Junko realized and jerked her head to the side again, not fast enough to stop it from scratching her cheek. Kumagawa smiled again.  『Just like the one you gave me yesterday, now we match.』

“Junko, get down!” Mukuro said as she reacted immediately moving in front of her sister and pushing her back causing the chair to land on all four feet, as Mukuro stepped in between them. She held out a hand on her sister’s shoulder as if ready to pick her up and drag her away from the scene if necessary.

Junko’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance at this. “Umm, Mukuro dear?” Mukuro flinched as she knew Junko would never call out to her in affection. “Who exactly gave you permission to touch me?”

Before the weight that sentence carried could slam down on Mukuro, Kumagawa interrupted. 『That blood on your cheek, what color is it?』

“Umm… red? What are you trying to do make some kind of poetic point, because ugh… over it already.”

『You seem to get over a lot of things quickly, why don’t you check for yourself instead of making assumptions.』

Junko reached up to the side of her face, a cut located on her cheeks just underneath one of her eyes. She smeared blood on her fingers and moved them in front of her face slowly. She could have just brought out a compact mirror and checked it that way, but this was more dramatic at least. She stared at it blankly for a moment, already bored with this cliche kind of scene, before what she was looking at registered in her mind. Then it was like the world played out in slow motion for a second, and the soundtrack playing in the back of her head blared its horns loudly. Blood, she was looking at blood, blood that was a bright pink.

『The concept that blood is red, I made it become nothing. I guess blood is pink now, how pretty.』

Junko, not believing her eyes for the second time in two days quickly snapped at Mukuro in front of her. “Mukuro, what color is blood?”

“Um… it’s pink.”

“No, it’s red.”

“Junko, did he really erase it? I remember it from my time abroad, when people died or exploded in showers of blood, even when I got coated in it, it was always pink.”

『Oh, did she study abroad?』 Kumagawa interrupted their conversation again.

“Don’t ask us questions like that, we’re not friends, Senpai. If by study abroad you mean she totally ditched me for three years to play war games with all her new friends then yes, she studied abroad.”

Mukuro looked back to Junko again. “W-what… I wasn’t ditching you...I…” but by the time she had managed to get those few words out, Junko stopped listening to her entirely. Mukuro noticed it, Junko’s eyes which looked at the whole world with disdain and boredom, were oddly focused on the student council president who looked faceless to her right now.

“Why’d you go so far though, are you just trying to show off in front of a pretty girl?”

『What? I would never show off. That’s pointless for a loser like me.』Kumagawa said, ignoring the fact that he was near constantly speaking in this strange style in order to show off. 『I just thought I should censor it. I really hate seinen manga, how about you?』

“Some of the best tragedies are written in seinen manga you know.”

『Reading tragedy after tragedy can get tiresome, though.』He suddenly snapped his fingers as if coming up with an idea. 『I know, let’s become a slice of life manga from now on. You’ll destroy the school and I’ll erase it again, and week to week everything will stay happy with no permanent consequences or continuity.』

Junko’s face, which had remained neutral for most of the conversation except when she animated herself to talk about manga, became twisted suddenly in disgust. “That sounds boring.”

Kumagawa brought his hand up to his cheek, and smiled even wider.『That’s good. Get bored until your brain rots out and leaks through your ears, and you become stupid just like me, oh talented elite.』

Junko noticed something right then. She ignored all of the words that were clearly meant to incite her and instead her eyes locked onto the hand he had brought to his face. There were still three scratches on his hand, the scabbed over parts of them now a bright pink rather than red. “Why didn’t you make that injury go away?” She asked, feeling a small curiousity for the unexpected.

『Hmm? Well, because I just like it. Don’t you think scars and scratches are more beautiful than unbroken skin?』

“Are you saying you’re some kind of masochist, because one, ewe gross. Two, you’re a terrible senpai for talking like that in front of- god, I can’t even get to two I’m already dwelling on how gross it is. My brain really is awful, I wish I wouldn’t have to think about every possibility, especially in situations like this, considering that hypothetical is already making me want to lobotomize myself again.”

Kumagawa merely sighed. It had become apparent even to him who did not understand other human beings at all, that he was not going to get her to understand any part of him. Ah, well she did understand. She understood his every movement and fidget, perhaps too well, but that was different. It was like the difference between knowing and comprehending. 『I see. Well, my time for dealing with bottle blondes today has run out sadly. I have to execute the student council. Did you know that the entirety of class 77-B was attacked by some kind of screw wielding maniac, and hospitalized. I need to investigate on my own. 』

Casually, oh so casually with his hands in his pockets and an innocent expression on his face he left the two alone there. Of course he did not even turn his head to check on them, the two who had destroyed Hope’s Peak Academy. That power must have made him confident that even if they did destroy something while his head was turned, he could simply undo it.

Left alone, Mukuro finally found the confidence to speak up again. “Junko... “ Almost as if saying the name took all of her energy, she paused for a few moments to carefully choose her next words. “You shouldn’t talk to that guy so much, I’ve got a bad feeling about him.” It was odd to her. Most people were nothing but automaton dolls in Junko’s eyes. She put up a fake performance of a talkative bubbly girl when necessary, but she almost never held extended conversations unless she wanted something out of it. Mukuro told herself that perhaps it was just the details of that stranger’s even stranger ability she was trying to figure out.

“Oh, big sis, after seventeen years it seems like we finally agree on something.” She reached out and grabbed onto her sister’s arm. Usually such a gesture would be one of affection, but Junko started to manhandle her sister pulling her forward. “This is a bonding moment, we should totes like… do something to celebrate! I know….” Intentionally for the dramatic effect her voice suddenly dropped an octave into a low and hushed pitch, “Let’s kill someone.”

“You don’t have to whisper Junko, we’re the only two people here.”

“God, Mukuro way to ruin the moment!”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Mukuro trusted her sister so much, that she immediately took her words as truth even over her own memories. All last night, Junko had been angrily pacing back and forth, ranting and venting in her frustration at her scheme being foiled by something so incomprehensible. Mukuro barely understood how something impossible like a power to undo things that had already been done could happen, but if Junko said it was possible than it was possible.

Even though Junko was overcome with frustration, Mukuro surprisingly felt nothing at all. She was happy on two accounts, that she could spend all night talking to her sister, and that their time pretending to be students was delayed just a little bit longer.

The second part was not something she quite understood yet, or perhaps she had come to understand it but she would not admit it. The first and second parts conflicted one another. Time spent with Junko was time she could not spend with her classmates, in fact it was time actively working towards destroying her classmates. However, any time spent with her classmates could conflict her loyalty to Junko.

If you were distant enough to have a neutral point of view, perhaps you could see that they were one in the same. Mukuro Ikusaba simply sought the bonds of others. A human desire in an otherwise inhuman war machine. However, Mukuro lacked the benefit of impartiality, she was too close to things.

She once again tried to mend these things which seemed too far apart to mend. If she was indecisive, than Junko would decide for her. If she didn’t know how she felt than Junko would feel for her.

However, the frustration at being unable to choose… she couldn’t take out her frustration on Junko, it wasn’t Junko’s fault… no the fault lied on the tick who had come out of nowhere and interfered with things when everything was going perfectly to Junko’s scenario.

For even suggesting that Junko’s plans could be thrown off track, for making her believe in and remember an alternate world in which she simply lived at this academy for one year without killing anybody, Mukuro felt offended. It was because she had been living all of this time telling herself that there was no helping it, everything was fixed because her sister made it so.

He was messing with things, messing with the scenario, no he was messing with her world itself. That’s why when Junko gave the simple order to kill him, instead of reacting mechanically as she normally did, Mukuro smiled.

Junko gave her no specific instructions. Mukuro only stopped to question her that one time, and when she did Junko scowled. “That kind of guy isn’t even worth planning some elaborate death for, just kill him like you do all of the other faceless extras and nobodies I point you at.”

“But what about his ability? There were people you said were dead walking around on campus today. He must be able to bring back the dead, too.”

“He can bring back other people from the dead, but logically he has to be conscious and aware to do that. He’s the one who decides who to undo, he thinks, therefore it is.” Junko explained, intuitively understanding his ability from his own bizarre explanations.

“Wow Junko, you’ve figured all of that out even though we’ve never dealt with something like this before.” Mukuro said immediately flattering her.

“It’s easy, if you want to kill a snake cut off the head. If we kill him before he thinks ‘I want to undo my own death’ then the death should stick, as simple as that, got it. This should be easy, so easy that someone like you couldn’t even screw it up.” Junko said, sounding confident for a moment before becoming detached. “It’s too bad, if an enemy was going to rise up out of nowhere to stop me I was hoping they’d at least be a little bit more interesting.”

Mukuro felt somewhat like she was being ordered by a snake to kill another snake, but she would never say that out loud. When she felt the inevitable pull of her sister’s boredom, she became even more determined.

It didn’t even take her that long to gather the weapons that she needed, just a trip back to her dorimtory. As the ultimate soldier, the school gave her way too much freedom to pursue her talents and interests. She supposed in a way that’s what Junko was doing as well. She was just living true to her desires, that’s why Mukuro respected her, she wanted to see those desires come true.

The tick that stood in the way of her sister’s desires, he really was strange even by Mukuro’s standards, the standards of somebody who had walked alongside the hopelessly despairful Junko Enoshima for all of her life. Everybody else seemed to notice he was a tick as well, because he naturally repelled people.

Even Mukuro herself the moment she started to look away from his face, her mind instinctively wanted to reject the memory of what that face even looked like. She wanted to forget him right away.

Well, in a way killing him would make her forget about him quickly, so she was following that desire as well. Other people though walked straight by him, some even bumping into him and getting mad, before he said something she could not quite understand and they ran away terrified.

It was inevitable that somebody like that would end up alone, as they walked and tried to fit in among the beautiful and talented people of Hope’s Peak Academy. Even Mukuro when she was around him for an extended period of time, found herself starting to shake. She who would faced countless battlefields without hesitating once, she who could easily stare death in the face, she was shaking around this person.

There was only one other person who could provoke that reaction from her, but the moment the thought came she immediately wanted to forget about that too. The tick and her sister were nothing alike.

In that moment she became especially motivated to crush him, and since he was all alone anyway and had been for some time, she burst out of her place hiding in the bushes striking forth with a combat knife straight in his back in order to stab him.

『Oh. 』 Kumagawa did not cry out in pain or in terror. He merely turned his head around, craning his neck at a terribly uncomfortable angle to look back at her. 『Mukuro-chan, what is this? Oh. I see. A tender stab of friendship. 』

“What?” Mukuro who did not especially understand others, found herself especially confused by that remark. “I’m trying to kill you, idiot.” She said before ripping the knife out of his flesh leaving a messy arc of pink splattered through the air before she brought it down on him again.

This time though she was stopped by a hand gripping her blade. Kumagawa the talentless hack, the tick, had caught her knife with his bare hand and stopped it without even damaging his hand. Mukuro struggled against him, not saying anything in shock for a moment.

『 If I hated everybody who tried to kill me, then I wouldn’t have any friends at all. Anyway, it’s not nice to mess up the student council president’s uniform so I’ve confiscated your knife.』He released his fingers and Mukuro saw that the blade  of her knife had become incredibly dull. She doubted it would cut anything. 『I took away the sharp edge of your knife. Feel free to keep playing soldier if you want to though, it’s none of my business. 』

Kumagawa shrugged then, and put his hands in his pockets and walked off. The uniform that she had stabbed and darkened with the color of his own blood, was perfectly intact now and the blood missing as if it had never happened.

Ticks were particularly hard to squash she remembered, she needed to burn them, or blow them up. She sat there in stunned silence, but the next time she decided she would definitely catch him off guard.

She waited until he was alone again. It was easy enough, he was always alone. This time when she approached she did not hesitate and went for the instant kill, she placed the barrel of a gun on the back of his head and then pulled the trigger. He raised a hand up to stop her, touching the barrel, but it was already too late.

『Hmm, Mukuro-chan, again?』Kumagawa said. It took Mukuro a moment to realize the reason he was able to still talk was that nothing had happened when she pulled the trigger.

“Why…”

『The bullets from your gun, I made them nothing.』He said this time not even looking back as he started to walk away.

Mukuro quickly pulled out the magazine of her gun to find it empty. She went for one of the spares she kept in her flack jacket, only to find the entire pocket empty. In her frantic searching of her pockets though, she found something he had forgotten to erase. WIthout thinking, she drew it out and threw it straight at him, a small object shaped like an egg.

When Kumagawa caught it in his hand, he saw that it was a grenade. As usual he did not react with any shock at all. He simply threw it back at her. Mukuro jumped out of the way, only to see it land and do nothing.

Only then did Kumagawa turn to face her. 『Mukuro-chan...』he said slowly, before suddenly his face burst into tears, streaming down from both eyes.

“Why…” It was the only word she seemed capable of thinking around this boy.

『I’m sorry, I’ve never had a girl so desperate to get attention before. I don’t know what to do with myself.』He said, as he wiped his face on his sleeve, before turning away to walk off again.

Mukuro’s stomach instinctively curled at the implications of his words. Until she realized, those were just crocodile tears. Nobody’s sensibility could be that skewed that they really believed violence was affection… not unless they thought like a certain demonic younger sister. She shook her head again, dismissing the thought. They were nothing alike.

Mukuro knew crocodile tears though, because her sister could make them easily, changing her entire personality like the flip of a switch. Once when they were both still young, her parents gave Mukuro a doll for their birthday. It was the first time that Mukuro had been given a gift all to herself, as being twins they had shared gifts up until that point. The normally apathetic and distant Junko, cried for an entire day until Mukuro handed the doll over to her.

Mukuro complied with her sister’s unreasonable demand even though she knew the tears were fake. That’s simply how it always had been. She needed Junko for most things anyway, it was a bad idea to displease her.

However, killing was something she could do entirely on her own, perhaps the only thing. THe only time she lived apart from Junko for three years of her life, she had existed in that mercenary group Fenrir, solely to learn how to kill.

An idea clicked in her mind from her two failed previous attempts. Every single time he had undone something, Kumagawa had touched the weapon in question. She preferred to straightforwardly kill, but if the situation called for it, even somebody like Mukuro could come up with a trap like complex execution.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

『Ah, Mukuro-chan! Nice day, isn’t it-』Kumagawa greeted her with the same fake pleasantries as always, but she interrupted him before he could finish by wrapping a garrot wire around his neck.

He immediately began to choke and struggle against her, but despite being svelte and below average size for a female in most areas (something her sister reminded her of frequently) she was much stronger than him.

The reaction of most people when they were being strangled was to reach for their neck instead of trying to shake off their attacker, which of course according to her training was the wrong reaction. However, for Kumagawa Misogi who did everything wrong, this was the only course of action. He reached up and grabbed onto the wire around his neck finally after thrashing about, and the moment his hands touched onto it, it disappeared.

Which is what Mukuro had anticipated exactly. She grabbed onto both of his wrists in the moment the opening gave her and wrenched them both behind his back, before handcuffing him. All she needed to do was contain his hands to stop him from using his power, that was the deduction she had come to.

“You’ve made every weapon I used against you disappear, but I myself am a weapon.” She said, as she watched him stagger backwards in silent shock. Slowly and deliberately, she peeled off the leather gloves that were always covering her hand. On one hand, marked, there was a circular tattoo with the wolf head in the center.

In the next moment she plunged the fist that hand made straight into the side of Kumagawa’s face. The strength difference between them was so immense that Kumagawa immediately fell backwards as if his body were made out of straw and there was nothing to hold it up. Mukuro did not relent, she pounced on him and with her hands hit him again, and again, and again.

His face lost the childish innocence to it as she covered it in blunt bruises, but even so Kumagawa’s expression did not change. She hesitated for a moment, her fist stopping just short of his already broken nose. “Hey, do you have something to say?”

Mukuro thought he was just acting tough, but suddenly Kumagawa exploded again tears running out of his eyes like they were pressurized fountain water. HIs motionless face started to twitch, his lip quiver, he looked just like anybody who was in pain but for some reason Mukuro could not shake the feeling that it was fake.『Mukuro-chan? Why…I give up, I don’t want to fight you please, it hurts… I’ll apologize, I’ll surrender to Junko if you want please just stop.』

“You’re a cowardly ass, you know that?” Mukuro said as she picked up his head by the forehead, getting off of him and standing up on her own once more easily lifting him like he was dead weight, before smashing his entire head back on the ground. “It’s so funny, that even I want to laugh about it.”

『You’re right.』Kumagawa said, as if he were talking with the last of his strength. 『But, I like that quality of mine. The cowardly me is going to outwit the brave and strong you.』

“Oh, how exactly are you going to do that while beaten to a pulp. All you can do right now is crawl around like a worm.” Mukuro was usually not this talkative, but it was rare she met somebody who could take such a beating. Her blood was starting to pump hard and she ould hear it in her ears.

『It’s too bad talking it out only works in shonen manga, now I’m going to have to reveal your secret.』Kumagawa said, as he really did crawl around like a worm trying to stand up again. He had his arms tied behind his back and his whole body was bruised, Mukuro had felt herself break a few bones, even so, Kumagawa managed to struggle to stand up just enough that he could lock eyes with Mukuro.

“What are you even talking about? All you ever do is spout nonsense. Without that power of yours you didn’t even put up a fight, what’s a weakling like you going to know?”

『You’re right, I’m weak. I’m the weakest person ever. In comparison to somebody like you who's probably never even let their opponent hit them, who can perfectly win a fight without a scratch getting on them, I’m always going to come up short, always going to lose. However, it’s because I’ve been beaten up this badly before, because I’ve been choked, because I’ve been lit on fire, because I’ve been shot, because I’ve been stabbed, because I’ve been kicked down again and again that I know what weakness looks like. There’s no strength without weakness, and even somebody like you has one.』

Mukuro just listened to his whole speech and wrote it off as more of his nonsense. She brought up her fist again and struck him straight in the face as hard as she could. This time though, Kumagawa did not go down. He met her fist head on, and stayed standing, taking the punch but refusing to move even a centimeter.

『How rude I was still talking. Your weakness is….』He whispered it so quietly that only the two of them would ever hear it. 『--』

Mukuro’s eyes widened at what she heard. Immediately the pulsing in her ears became so loud it drowned out her thoughts. “Shut up.” She said. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.” She felt it with all of her being and immediately her fists dug into Kumagawa once again. She wanted to tear him apart, to hollow him out, to utterly destroy the existence in front of her and undo what had just been said.

Mukuro had utterly snapped and her next few hits were so savage that any more would have killed a person. There was no stopping her.

Then suddenly, she stopped.

Mukuro’s eyes widened and she looked down. She felt a wetness in her stomach. Not just there, her entire body was suddenly cold, and wet. She had been stabbed, she realized. She had been stabbed all over.

From the ground screws had grown up and stabbed straight through her from almost every angle. “Huh? This is weird… Why am I…”

『I called upon the spears of Gugnir to defend me.』Kumagawa said, but he had probably only read about that name in some kind of manga.

“Your hands, I sealed your hands…”

『Yeah? Oh, even if you stop my hands I can still use “All Fiction”. Using my hands is uh, well it just looks cooler, you know? Did you ever make up your own silly rules like “don’t step off the white line when you cross the road”? GOku can use the Kamehameha with his foot, right? 』

Even with his face smashed, even coated in his own blood and now hers, he was just uselessly chatting away like normal. It was like nothing could change or phase this guy, he was as pure as a river.

Mukuro’s eyes felt heavy. In that moment she remembered that he had made the bullets in her jacket disappear without even touching her. It seemed like she was an idiot after all, useless without Junko. Now she was going to die without her, having failed her.

Her consciousness drifted for a second as if accepting it. Then suddenly the screws supporting her vanished and she fell to the ground. All of the wounds, all of the pain that made her body numb disappeared as if they had never happened, and suddenly she could feel everything.

In order to free the hands cuffed behind his back, he easily dislocated both of his shoulders and rotated his arms all the way around over the top of his head. Mukuro was just conscious enough that she could hear the sound of tendons tearing as Kumagawa forced them to move in spite of the pain. As if he were a magician, he uncrossed his arms and the handcuffs fell off. Kumagawa dusted off his uniform. The action was pointless though, because in the next moment he made it so all of the damage his body received became nothing as well.

『Hey, Mukuro. Can I borrow it, your cell phone?』He said, extending his hand out to her who was still laying on the ground in shock.

“No…” Some dogs bit into their prey and refused to let go even as their bodies were broken in the struggle. Mukuro called up her last ounces of stubbornness to resist him.

『You know I can break you and fix you as much as I want. I really love it, this power of mine. I’m used to the pain but how about you, can a soldier whose never once been hit handle that much?』

“Go… ahead, it’s better than disappointing Junko…”

Ah.

Kumagawa realized it in a moment. He shook his head. 『I’m sorry I was wrong. Junko must be rough on her toys, huh?』Even though she hda heard him faking apologies before, somehow this one felt genuine. Not that Mukuro cared. He knelt down in front of her and tenderly picked up her hand in both of his. The one marked with a wolf, the sign of Fenrir. 『Hey, hey, how about I make this disappear. It’s the only mark of individuality you have from your sister. Then you can be her flawless, blemish-less doll for real?』

Mukuro’s face which was usually, entirely blank, became twisted up in an emotion she did not recognize. She ripped her hand away from Kumagawa, and reached into the pocket of her flack jacket, drawing out her phone.

Kumagawa quickly snatched it from her, and dialed the only number that was in the address book. 『Yo! Enoshima-san! I see you sent your sister to play with me, how considerate of you.』

“What do you want?” Came a dry voice on the other end of the phone.

『Awe, you’re really different when you’re talking over the phone you know. Well, whatever, I don’t really care. I’m calling to tell you that you’re joining my student council from now on. How does that sound, let’s become great friends!』

“Why would I want to do that?” She asked again, the dry tones of her voice not changing at all.

『I’m going to kill Mukuro if you don’t.』

Junko laughed into the other end of the receiver, giving no other response. However, Kumagawa’s expression did not change.  

『Perhaps I should clarify, since it’s so hard for others to understand me. You’re watching from somewhere, right? I’m not going to kill her right where you can see. I’m going to disappear where you’ll never find her, then kill her. She’ll die in circumstances you have absolutely no control over. It’ll be just like the three years she was away from you and in the middle of a warzone.』

Junko’s laughing stopped abruptly. “Fine.” She said, one word.

『Huh? What is it that you said? I can’t hear you. That’s not good enough for me. Hey, how about you beg me? Say “Please Senpai, let me be on your student council.” Do it quickly, I’m already getting bored of the idea of killing Mukuro. How about instead I make it so she never even was born. I’ll undo her entire existence. You won’t be able to even mourn or feel despair for a sister who never existed!』Kumagawa’s normally pleasant exterior grew increasingly manic, as he shouted into the phone.

Mukuro could tell, because she was so used to being around Junko, that Kumagawa was quickly losing himself to despair.

“Please, let me be on your student council, seeeeeenpaaaaaaai.” The voice came out of the phone, Mukuro saw that her sister’s cuter personality was talking now.

『That’s not enough, more, more, mo-』Suddenly, Mukuro grabbed his sleeve cutting off his words. The dark expression on his face vanished in an instant, and Kumagawa looked down at Mukuro hanging off of his sleeves with blank eyes. 『Fine then. I’ve lost to you two, welcome to my student council.』

Kumagawa turned off the phone.

Mukuro whose body was still in shock could not walk far on her own, so Kumagawa offered to carry her on his back.

This too, made Mukuro think of her sister. Once, she had gotten in a fight defending Junko from a group of children that Junko herself had pissed off with one of her pranks. Junko was entirely in the wrong, and probably deserved what the kids were going to do to her, but Mukuro interfered anyway. She was the older sister, it was her job to protect her younger sister. Even though her intentions were good though, at the time all she really managed to do was let herself get beaten up while Junko ran away. Afterwards, Junko called her an idiot for interfering. Even though she seemed to have no sympathy at all though, just that one time, Junko carried her older sister home on her back.

While she held onto this boy’s back, she hated that he had made her think of that memory. An existence that reminded her of Junko. Somebody who despaired like Junko. She didn’t want to acknowledge it. “I failed Junko again. Why… is it always like this… it’s so frustrating… is it because I’m good for nothing, because I’m only good at killing?”

『I don’t know.』

A moment too late, Mukuro realized she had asked all of that to the wrong person.

『But you know, Mukuro. Even if you’re only good at one thing, that’s still better than me who is  genuinely good for nothing.』

“What does it matter, I still lost to you.”

『You didn’t lose, Mukuro. The weak me lost to your strength, I was never going to overcome the strong love you have for your sister.』

Mukuro felt like those words were more genuine, even if he spoke them in the same insincere tone as always. It didn’t matter to her though, she thought as she bobbed up and down clinging to his back as he walked both of them out of sight.

She decided that his attempt to comfort her, only made her hate him even more.

『Anyway, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kumagawa Misogi.』

“Ikusaba, Mukuro.”

Ikusaba Mukuro
Class: 78
Blood Type: A
Ultimate Soldier

“Did you really erase everybody’s memories?” She asked him sometime later in their walk.

『Everybody in the whole school, well maybe I forgot one but they probably don’t matter.』

That’s fine… She thought. I guess I can stay in this world and Junko’s world a little longer, before it inevitably tears me apart.

She would still die before admitting her happiness at that thought, because that happiness felt like a betrayal to Junko who only lived for the sake of despair.

In the distance though, a confused person watched as Kumagawa carried Mukuro on his back towards the student council building. He was plain looking except for the hoodie he wore under his uniform. The wind blew the antannae sticking out of the top of his hair, as if to emotionally express his confusion.

“Kumagawa and Ikusaba are in that sort of relationship?” Makoto Naegi asked aloud, even though there was nobody else around to hear him. He had not seen the fight at all, he had been lucky to avoid it, only stumbling upon the end where Kumagawa carried her away.

When Kumagawa mentioned that he might have carelessly forgotten to erase one person’s memories, that careless mistake turned out to be Makoto. Who had woken up to this world as if what had happened suddenly to destroy the school was a nightmare. Even though all the damage was gone though, Makoto could remember it in his head as clear as day. He had no idea what was going on, and had told nobody about it, but he was beginning to get suspicious.  

“Maybe Kumagawa kept his promise and helped Ikusaba and Enoshima after all… I should ask Ikusaba about it later.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Junko drummed her fake nails on the student council president’s desk. “I can’t believe I had to join the stupid student council, and beg the stupid student council president to do it, this is all stupid Mukuro’s fault.”

『It’s your own fault. If you wanted to kill me you should have done it in person, sending somebody else to do it is so cold, don’t you think?』Kumagawa said, sitting at the other side of the desk once again unfazed entirely by her insults.

“You’re not even worth killing with my own hands at all. I’d swat away a bug before I’d swat away you.”

『How mean!』Kumagawa said back, but he said it with a smile so it was difficult to tell if he was actually insulting or just continuing their banter. He stood up and pulled one of the five student council armbands he was keeping on his arm. He was the only member right now after all.

He pulled out the lowest one, general affairs manager, and offered it to Junko.

“Really? The general affairs manager? You could at least make me vice president.”

『So you want to be the closest position in the student council to me? Oooh., how sweet, I didn’t know you liked me that much.』

Junko’s expression immediately turned sour. She gestured hurriedly with her fingers. “Nevermind, c’mon, c’mon, give it here already. You and Mukuro are both just lucky I haven’t changed my mind yet.”

Kumagawa handed it over to her grabby hands. She quickly pulled it up one one of her sleeves, though even in a school uniform her look was already quite asyymetical, especially the her pig tails, one tied with a ribbon and the other with a rabbit. For some reason Kumagawa got the feeling that a rabbit didn’t quite suit her.

『Yes, you seem to do that a lot. Well, it’s not like I can judge you. I’m just curious why you haven’t decided to change your mind yet.』

“I’m curious too,” Junko said, leaning back in her chair once more and putting her feet up on Kumagawa’s desk. “I mean, my sister is stupid after all but I thought for sure you were even dumber. I can’t figure it out, how you managed to outwit her.”

『I didn’t outwit her, I outwitted you, Enoshima-san.』

“Me? There’s no way you could outcaculate me. That’s not even me bragging I just know it’s impossible. Hmmm, I’m curious again though, were you really going to kill or erase Mukuro, or was that all just a calculated bluff?”

『Hmm, was I? I don’t know. I don’t really ever calculate anything. In the moment I really felt like I would, but I might not have later. I was just… going by my gut, I guess?』

Junko’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance. This wasn’t it, this wasn’t the kind of defeat she was looking for. She didn’t even feel like she had lost really, even if she was currently doing something she did not want to do. “Ewe, gross gross. There’s no way I got beaten by your icky guts.”

『You didn’t lose. At the same time though, you’re more transparent than you think you are. Maybe you are smarter than everyone in the whole world, but that doesn’t make you hard to predict. If I were to shake up a wasp’s nest and throw it into a crowd of people, it’s not that hard to guess what would happen next, even if I can’t foresee the individual movement of every single one of the hundreds of wasps.』

That kind of scenario made Junko’s head hurt to imagine, because she knew even if somebody were to throw something as random as a nest filled with wasps, her eyes would be able to track the movement of every single one, and she would predict with perfect accuracy who would get stung and who wouldn’t. It wasn’t an enjoyable despair at all. “I’m known for being real, you know, you should check my magazine interviews. That’s not so surprising to hear, I’m just always trying to be true to myself.” She blew off his anaylsis as usual, running a hand through her hair as if it was nothing. “So, what did you see?”

『I saw, your care for your sister. Being bad with the ones you like, corrupting your loved ones, choosing destruction for your favorite ones. That’s your naive camraderie. I'm an expert at spotting weakness, even in a person like you that's Enoshima-San's weakness number one.』

“Ooooh, senpai, is that your indirect way of saying you want to be friends?” Junko said with a smile. “You didn’t need to go through all of that trouble. Especially because I hate your guts. You could have just asked one of your other friends to serve on the student council with you."

『Do I really look like the kind of person who has friends?』Kumagawa asked her, not smiling for once.

“Oh…” Junko’s head sunk, and her personality seemed to shift into something more gloomy. “Even though I hate you, that thought fills me with a little bit of despair.

『Just kidding! I do have one friend.』Kumagawa said, returning to his smiling personality once more.

In the doorway, Mukuro Ikusaba watching both of them sighed to herself. She didn’t want to possibly think of what kind of person would ever call Kumagawa Misogi a friend.

Ψ(`_´ #  )↝

“I can’t believe you brought candy to a ramen stand, Shiranui. You know the stand owner might consider that rude if they see you.” Hitoyoshi Zenkichi complained. He also wanted to complain about the pile of bowls stacked up in front of Shiranui, but since he had offered to treat her to them he did not want to make her feel guilty for emptying his wallet out that much.

Shiranui Hansode bit into the lollipop she was carrying gluttonously, leaving a mark in the shape of her teeth as she pulled it out again to talk to him. “You’re way too straight laced, Zenkichi. You’ve got to learn to be a little bit different from Medaka, otherwise she might start to find you boring.” It sounded like she was teasing him, she always tended to hide genuine advice in the middle of such taunts.

“I’m not that straight laced, I’ve got a wild side just like a devil.” Zenkichi had known her long enough to know too, not to fall for her teasing so easily. He took a deep breath to calm down. “Well, as long as you don’t get tired of my taste, then I won’t feel like I’m doing anything wrong.”

Shiranui laughed at such a simple answer. She took another bite of her large lollipop, too impatient to even eat it the normal way. “That’s right, there’s no way I could ever get tired of sweet things, like candy and you.”

“That’s a nice thing to say. How rare, an actual compliment from Shiranui. Maybe I should start writing these down to memorialize them.” Zenkichi continued with the friendly banter. “Wait, is that like you’re saying you want to eat me? Is that really a compliment in that case?”

Shiranui decided to just let him babble because the truth was a little bit embarrassing to admit. She was glad then, when her phone suddenly went off interrupting their conversation. “Oh, somebody’s calling me.”

“Who is it?” Zenkichi asked, immediately curious though only in a friendly way.

“Hmm, I dunno. Maybe it’s my boyfriend.”

“WAAAAAAAAAAIT REALLY?” Zenkichi overreacted. It was like the two of them were playing a comedy bit, really it was so natural.

Things had been peaceful and natural ever since the flask plan was foiled without any further event by the student council. To Shinraui though, it had been almost unsettling. “No, that was obviously a lie. You’re so bad at detecting lies, Zenkichi.”

Shiranui said as she jumped out of her seat. It was the flaw of being straightforward, you were easily misdirected by liars like herself. “I’m going to take this alone, I’ll be back in a minute.”  Only when she had wandered far enough that she was sure Zenkichi could not overhear her did she finally answer the phone.

“Yo, Kumagawa. How’s it been at that school with the pretentious name, transfer student?”

Chapter 3: The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Day in Junko's Life

Notes:

This chapter references Tokyo Ghoul and Durarara! with a Furuta Nimura and Izaya Orihana quote. Characters who are both clowns like Kumagawa and Junko.

“I mean totes if you want me to prioritize going to class I can blow him off. He probably doesn’t even need my help after all.” Junko had come to the principal’s office for one reason, to try to find some way to wiggle out of the commitment she had just made to Kumagawa Misogi.

“No, actually you volunteering is a great help you should prioritize it over your classes. You’re well liked among the student body, but for some reason I never saw you doing something like this, Miss Enoshima. I’m proud of you.” Jin Kirigiri said with a warmness to his voice that made Junko want to tell him all of her true intentions on the spot, including eventually launching him into space and leaving his skeleton in a box for his daughter to find, just so she could escape such stupidly annoying sincerity.

Of course she didn’t. She merely put on the fake smile that she always wore and played the part of her likeable student self who got along well with others. “Yeah, I guess like this whole situation is kind of weird, right? I’ve never even heard of Hope’s Peak having a transfer student.”

“It certainly is unprecedented, but a lot of things about this situation are. I suppose the steering committee rushed that student council president’s admittance a month ago so there would at least be a student council.”

“So are you saying the president is just there to fill the seat? That’s a little bit mean…” Junko tilted her head to the side with a girlish innocence. Still, Kumagawa had been here for a month. New information.

“No, he was scouted like anybody else. He was the student council president of Fish Tank academy before this. I just think the steering committee is taking advantage of the fact that Fish Tank closed a month ago to rush his admittance.”

“He really had it that rough, huh?”

“His school closed down and he’s been here a month but you’re the first person he opened up to. That’s why I think it’s good for you to help him, actually can I ask you one more thing?”

“Of course.” Junko said with a smile. The thought of doing any kind of favor for Kirigiri, or his spawn made her skin crawl, so she comforted herself by imagining the beads of sweat that would roll down his forehead and the kind of face he would make while being carted off to his own execution.

“There’s actually another student here who was recruited from Fish Tank a year ago. Ezumachi Fude, the ultimate artist. You should tell Kumagawa-san about him, maybe they can reconnect.”

Junko had a hunch the reason Kumagawa’s old school shut down under mysterious circumstances was entirely due to Kumagawa himself, and filed that information away for later.

As Junko left the room, Jin called in the next two names into his office. She didn’t pay enough attention to hear. They belonged to a guy and a girl. The guy walked past her and she felt nothing at all.

For the brief instant the girl walked past her though, Junko who had the capacity to sense hope, despair, and talent in individuals because of her own observation skills suddenly tensed all three at once. She swung her head around fast enough that both of her pigtails snapped.

Only to see nobody at all standing behind her and the door to the principal’s office closing shut. Junko who had heard alarm bells in her ear a moment ago, forgot even why she was looking back. She shrugged and walked outside to find Mukuro waiting for her.

“Junko, is there something wrong?” Mukuro asked trailing a few steps behind her.

“Nothing, it’s… nevermind. I just get the feeling that tomorrow’s going to be a pain since I start filling in for student council duties and all. Thanks again for that, Mukuro!”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Just as always, Junko’s prediction came true. She woke up, and realized she had woken up much later than she usually did. She remembered punching her alarm clock off her bed a few days ago and thought maybe sometimes she was too hasty in destroying things. Junko contemplated that lesson extremely briefly as when she zombie walked to the mirror she noticed something so horrifying that it made her immediately forget about everything else. Her roots were starting to show.

Nobody needed to see the bright red natural color of her hair. She decided right then to spend the rest of her morning re-dying her hair, and then show up beautiful, gorgeous and fashionably late. Junko picked up the dye she usually used without even looking and started to get to work.

“I’m late!” Junko cried out like the airhead she pretended to be. Inside her head as she ran she even made a fun narration. My name is Ensohima Junko, a seventeen year old Hope’s Peak Acadmey student. Once, I was a completely ordinary high school student… then I decided to end the world! Lol! “On, no! I won’t make it in time!” Just then she kicked open the door and dramatically tumbled into the classroom. Her hand immediately shot up even when her body was still on the floor. “Safe, with a headfirst slide into first base!”

The teacher who was halfway through calling out her name stopped and stared.

“Huh? What’s wrong everyone? I’m safe, right?”

Kyoko Kirgiri was the first to speak up. “No, Enoshima-san. Your hair is way out of the safe zone. You’re out.”

“Kiri, that’s not very nice.” The student sitting next to her, Makoto Naegi whined.

Her hair?
Junko had dyed her hair plenty of times, she had super highschool levels of talent at being fashionable and dying her hair. Kirigiri had no idea what she was talking about as usual.

However Junko’s eyes dared to look, and she saw the reflection of herself in the window. Her hair dyed not blonde, not even a strawberry blonde, not even red, but a brightass pink.

“What!?” Junko Enoshima cried out, and then fell into despair.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Senpai, senpai, senpai!” Junko kicked down the door to the student council’s office, looking for a certain root of all of her problems recently inside. “It’s the biggest, most awful, most tragic thing to happen ever. Look at my hair!”

Kumagawa sighed. 『I’m never going to get time to read this week’s shonen jump, am I? Also, isn’t that a bit redundant.』

“Your entire existence is redundant!”

『What is it, Enoshima-san? Your hair is such a problem that you’d halt my reading of friendship, effort and victory? 』He finally turned his head around to see Junko standing there with a head that looked like cotton candy. Kumagawa smiled at this. 『Oh, your hair is very colorful now. Don’t worry. I won’t fire you over it.』

“I’d never dye my hair this awful color on purpose. Something like that isn’t worth it, even for the sake of despair. You’re the one who begged me for my help, anyway.”

『How does the ultimate fashionista accidentally dye her hair the wrong color, then? I thought you elites weren’t supposed to screw up those sort of things like us normals.』

“God! It was so obviously an act of sabotage. They’re trying to hurt my most precious and important thing, me!” She stomped her boot on the ground for emphasis. “Well, I won’t have it. Undo this mess, Senpai.”

『No.』

“W-what?” Junko stuttered, as if she had never heard that word once in her life.

『I thought you hated when I undid things. You called it a boring kind of despair. 』

“It is boring. It’s like what happened to your old school. Who cares if it just collapses in on itself and fades away, the destruction’s never going to spread out in waves if you don’t start with a big enough bang.”

『Oh, did you hear about my old school Fish Tank Academy? Where’d you hear that? You must have read about it in a spinoff magazine of Weekly Shonen Jump.』When Junko did not laugh at his joke, Kumagawa folded the magazine and put it down. 『Why do you think your despair is so much better anyway?』

“It’s because unless you push everything to it’s absolute breaking point, you’ve got to push further, and further, until you can feel your heart pounding.” Junko said, walking towards him until their toes were touching, and then leaning over him.

『Enoshima-san, I’m not going to undo what happened to your hair no matter how close you put your breasts to me.』

“Oh come on, you could at least look at them.” She said, calling out to him in a teasing voice. Kumagawa’s eyes had already gone back to his manga though, causing Junko to groan. “Please tell me that you’re not one of those nerds who prefers 2D over 3D, because I don’t think my opinion of you could sink any lower.”

『No, I just noticed something. This magazine is entirely in color.』He stood up, awkwardly backing away from Junko for a moment before picking up the  magazine once more and holding it open for her to see. 『Besides, I like real girls just fine I just don’t like exhibitionists.』

Junko’s arms immediately crossed over her chest on instinct. “I am not-! Huh-what?” She looked at what Kumagawa was pointing out to her. “A full-color weekly shonen jump?”

『I assume it’s meant as a greeting to me, the new student council president, and your hair was also meant as a greeting. We’re both being targeted by the same man.』

“Then this is your fault for roping me in with you.” She immediately snaked her hands out and grabbed both of his round cheeks with her sharpened fake nails, and wrenched both sides of his face. “Apologize! Apologize for the sake of my hair!”

『Ack! Ah! Isn’t it better to figure out who did this first and punish him rather than me.』He struggled against her rather weakly. Junko was all brain because she didn’t want to ruin her body like Mukuro but she got the sense she could overpower Kumagawa easily if need be.

She let go, and thought about it for a second. A second was all she needed to figure it out. “Oh, the ultimate artist. Ezumachi Fude, he was recruited here from Fish Tank. You must have done something to piss him off.”

『What? I don’t know what I could possibly have done. I would never act in a way that’s against the core values of weekly shonen jump. 』That was a lie if Junko had ever heard one. 『Let’s go meet him then, this color man.』

“We’ll threaten him until he admits what he did to my hair, and then instant execution!”

『Nobody cares about your hair, Enoshima-san. We’re going to educate him. In Jump, the only color comes from popular or new series, and from the recycled paper itself.』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Scratch, scratch.
Scratch, scratch.
His brush dragged across canvas, scratching the paint and from the scratches it bled many beautiful colors.

“Since we’re from the same school, I meant it as a bit of a bribe.” He spoke clearly, even when gripping two other paintbrushes through gritted teeth. His hair too was styled like a paintbrush, with an undercut and head of hair that spilled out to one of the sides of his head that was dyed a colorful pink. The exact same pink Junko’s head had been unwilling turned to.

Ezumachi Fude
Student: 77th Class A
Blood Type: AB
Ultimate Artist

“But it would seem that you didn’t like it.” He grabbed both brushes out of his mouth, and moved it to his hands with a third he was holding, and gestured to the side with all three. As he did he moved out of the way of his painting and revealed what he was working on, a still life portrait of a beautiful blonde woman in a green uniform. “Hello, Student Council President Kumagawa. Nice to meet you. I am Ezumachi Fude, a loner.”

『Hello, Ezumachi-kun. Who is that?』

“The previous student council president of our shared former school, who you destroyed, Jakago Aki.”

Junko leaned in closely putting a hand on his shoulder to lean on him and whisper. “Did you really destroy their student council president?”

Kumagawa turned to her, adjusting his body to her eight. Both of his eyebrows raised as his head turned, and his eyes widened making hie expression even more innocent. 『I destroyed her?』

“Don’t tell me you erased your own memory of it,  that’s why you shouldn’t use that boring erasing power.” Junko tightened her grip on his shoulder slightly so that her nails started to dig into the fabric.

『Oh...』He broke their whispering. 『That means she probably suffered a great deal.』

Junko pushed him away and went back to looking at the picture. She called out in her fake voice, “Yoooo, if you were going to a school with such a hottie, why’d you ever leave “Ezumachi-kun? Was it for the sake of hope?”

“I was scouted, but I myself chose to leave. It was for her sake, because I didn’t wish to interfere with her work,” even though the two others in the room were complete strangers he didn’t miss a beat or seem to have an ounce of shame “because I loved her.”

『Oh, how lovely. A touching story… but If memory serves me, I screwed her good.』Junko heard the sound of metal scraping through something. She turned just in time to see a smirk crawl it’s way onto Kumagawa’s face.  『Just like so.』

A screw was driven straight through the image of Jakago’s chest. Ezumachi turned his head, and tried to cut through Kumagawa with his sharp gaze alone.

“Oi, Oi, Kumagawa. Inuendo at inappropro times is only funny when I do it! Stop trying to steal my things!” Junko said, immediately getting in Kumagawa’s face again, so annoyed for the moment that she did not even realize Ezumachi was present to see this facet of her true personality.

『Oi, Oi, Enoshima-san. He ruined your hair, which is also my hair. The whole student body weeps for you, including me.』

“My hair isn’t yours!” She snapped back at him. “As if any part of me would belong to a loser like-” before she could even get into the momentum of her tirade she heard the sound of tearing behind her, Kumagawa did too and they both looked at the same time.

With his palete knife, Ezumachi had carved an x straight through the face of his beautiful painting. “This is art.” He spoke with conviction. “Do you understand? Burns, lacerations, even blood can be used for the sake of art. You may have damaged my painting, but I damaged her. ” Junko saw what was coming next as his steadily rising voice made his intentions clear. He was going to attack them. She didn’t need to do anything though.

Kumagawa stepped right in front of her, just as he threw several palette knives at the both of them. How predictable. A loser like him trying to look cool. Palleted knives seemed to stab into his body from every angle and he was thrown backwards as Junko casually stepped out of the way.

Junko wondered if a fake scream was even worth wasting on two such minor characters. Before she could even decide though, Kumagawa predictably rose up again like he was possessed, back creaking at a terrible looking angle. Junko figured this would happen, Kumagawa was such a failure he couldn’t even die properly most of the time, she learned quickly and she learned that by now.

『Now, that isn’t going to work. You can’t just stab me at random. 』The only thing visible on Kumagawa’s face was his smile. Even Junko found how disgustingly his body moved to be slightly unnerving.  『You have to properly aim...』He pulled out a bloodied palette from his chest, and drove it straight into his eye. As he heard the sound of metal sliding into flesh, Kumagawa’s only reaction was to widen his smile more.  『Aim for a vital spot.』

Then in a moment it was all undone. The damage to the painting and the damage to Kumagawa’s body. Junko as usual was unimpressed. “What was that all about Senpai, are you really a mascochist? Or are you just trying to show off because there’s a pretty girl here.”

『What pretty girl, you mean Jakago-san?』

Ezumachi turned around in shock to see the damage to his painting wiped away like it was nothing. “So that is all fiction, the skill that destroyed Jakago-san. The  skill that can uncdo everything. Yes, that is very artistic, but it’s nothing to fear. Not in that color.”

Ezumachi picked up a bucket of paint and splashed it in Kumagawa’s direction. Junko saw it coming and merely stepped out of the way. Kumagawa had not however, and in the next moment his entire body was a splash of pink.

“There, now the two of you match."

『I get it, an attack to reduce my dignity.』

“You had some dignity to begin with? Whoops, said that out loud. Lol.”

『However, it won’t work if I remove my clothes. Silly.』He grabbed the collar of his uniform and threw the jacket off, revealing a pure white shirt underneath. Kumagawa suddenly had two screws in his hand, that he dexterously threw in the air and caught them again before charging forward.

Junko had covered her eyes the moment he mentioned taking off his clothes. “Nobody wants to see that. I guard my virtue, y’know.”

“I’ll spare you the red, Kumagawa-kun.” Without even being phased by the charging Kumagawa, Ezumachi stomped his foot hard on the ground. Again, and again, until the whole room began to shake and from the ceiling Junko looked up and saw several paint cans already suspended by him. It must have been a trap set up earlier, like when somebody in a cartoon hangs an anvil up to fall and flatted on another character.

They all fell at once, cans of blue paint crashed into Kumagawa’s head unexpectedly and he lost consciousness in an instant. His body was twisted around, and his skin painted an awful color of blue.

Ezumachi Fude’s eyes narrowed, “Kumagawa Misogi, you were a bigger loser than I thought.”

“Senpai lost…” Junko thought as she knelt down to his unconscious form. Her voice almost seemed to be hiding a note of sympathy, that is before she screamed out, “Just like usual!” How predictable. How dull. She could not even enjoy watching Kumagawa’s demise. There was something different about him, talented people were fun to ruin, and untalented people she could use and throw out, but from Kumagawa she felt neither, she felt almost nothing at all from him. Junko suddenly got a feeling that somehow this day was going to get even worse for her.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Every time Kumagawa died, he saw the same thing. Except this time, he did not die he was merely knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. Well, it’s all the same. To die, to sleep - to sleep perchance to dream - there’s the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come.

Ah, perhaps I should stick to making manga references from now on.

Anshinin. 3-C. Those were the first words he saw as his eyes peeled open slowly, and slowly her entire body came into frame. She had dark hair, and red eyes. Her long hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon, and she wore a cute red uniform with long, black nylons that went all the way to her shoes. It’s probably a waste, indulging on this much description on such an indifferent being, but it was important to Kumagawa because she looked exactly how he remembered her in middle school.

The two of them were together in a classroom. Kumagawa woke up alone in this classroom, raising his head from his desk to meet her. She sat watching him from te teacher’s desk, her legs crossed and her chin resting in one of her hands. A small and playful smile on her face.

“Hello, Kumagawa-kun. How did you lose this time? At this rate I’ll be waiting a very long time. When will you find a skill holder whose capable of defeating me? You have a long road ahead of you. Keep at it.”

As he blinked and his eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him, Kumagawa said nothing. He merely stood up and began to walk away.

“Wait, aren’t you being a little cold? Don’t ignore me.” She called after him, her eyes lazily trailing him as he reached the door. “Or does that boy, Ezumachi-kun, have such a skill? Is that why you’re in a hurry to return?”

『He doesn’t even have a magic trick like all fiction. It’s strange, did you do something?』

“I have ‘Life Zero’, the skill that nullifies skills.”

『You sounded so encouraging a moment ago, are you trying to make my life harder?.』

“No, if anything I’m trying to make it easier. I haven’t done something as silly as erase all the skills in the world. However, there were certain skills that were a little ridiculous don’t you think? Like reading minds, or shooting lightning, or controlling fire and ice. I wanted you to get along well with the new friends you made so I decided to do a little bit of game balancing.”

『But you kept my skill exactly the same?』

“That skill is part of your trademark. Where would Goku be without the kamehameha, Luffy without the Gum Gum Fruit, Jotaro without Star Platinum, Ichigo without Zangetsu, Naruto without his Shadow clones.”

『I get it, but still, it seems like you’re looking down on me.』

“You sound mad, are you mad, Kumagawa-kun?” She asked, her voice sympathetic with a softness that seemed like it could embrace anyone.

『No. I don’t care. I already told you before, I’m not going to try to defeat you anymore, I’m running away, both from Medaka and from you. Sorry to tell you that, but I’m far beneath you.』

She kicked her way off the desk, and landed on the floor softly, her hair trailing behind her. “You shouldn’t give up so easily. You have that girl with you now, don’t you? Hey, don’t you think she’s special?”

Kumagawa went back to his silence.

“Don’t be like that. You know it reminds me of something, at your last school didn’t you become the president and make someone your general affairs manager too? Are you sure it’s not going to end exactly as last time.”

『Junko is nothing like Saki-chan. Saki-chan was vibrant and alive, Enoshima’s eyes are… 』

“Like mine, right? So you’re not trying to replace Saki-chan, you’re trying to replace me instead.”

Kumagawa shook his head.

『Nothing could replace either of you, Vice President Ajimu. It’s like I said, she’s just a distraction and I’m just running away, maybe in the future I’ll get bored of running away and challenge you again. Is that why you’re badgering me about that girl, did you influence my acceptance here at this school so I could meet her?』

“Nope. I had nothing to do with any of that.” She was an impartial being after all. Casually she turned around, crossing her hands behind her back. “I guess now that you mention it, there is a certain boy I want you to play with though. He’s a being much like myself.  I’ll be looking forward to seeing your true strength, Kumagawa-kun.”

She paused, swinging her arms for a moment. Then she turned around again to face him, bringing two fingers up in a V. “Also, since we’re acquianted, call me Anshinin-san.”

Kumagawa’s eyes suddenly opened in reality.

Yes, all of that was just a dream that took place in Kumagawa’s heart. I know you might find it doubtful that he even had a heart, but even a minus like him had something like that.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“You look relaxed, Senpai. School’s already over. My reputation is going to be ruined if it gets out that I skipped a whole day of class to spend time with you.”

Kumagawa blinked, and pulled himself off the couch sitting up. His office looked the same as usual, half of it the quality and luxury that was expected from Hope’s Peak Academy and the other half destroyed by the screws he had screwed into parts of the wall and the floor. From one such protrusion of screws, his pink stained uniform jacket was hanging off of a coat hangar.

His eyes went to the window for a moment and he saw his own face staring back, vandalized too with plenty of colors. Somebody doodled on it crudely with Kanji『I’m surprised you didn’t kill me in my sleep. 』

Scritch, scratch.

Scratch, scritch.

Enoshima Junko casually filed her fake red nails, sharpening them into points. “I already told you, you’re not even worth the effort it would take to lift a finger to kill you sleeping. I couldn’t find Mukuro anywhere so I just decided to let you be.” Kumagawa was sure the fingers she was talking about were her own with the bright red nails that looked sharp enough to tear flesh at the moment.

『So, what happened after that. Did you draw on my face?』

“What a terrible thing to accuse a good girl like me of. After I dragged your body back to this office and was so kind as to not slit your throat in my sleep this is how you thank me?” Junko gestured dramatically in the air with her hands for a second, before calming down and going back to filing her nails. “S’ides, it’s obviously Ezumachi-kun who drew on you. It’s kind of his thing.”

『So he wrote ‘Enoshima Junko-chan Rules! Kumagawa sucks! Despair Rules!’ On my face?』

“Yep, he must have been inspired by the sight of the beautiful me.”

Kumagawa wiped a hand over his face, and undid the marker. He stood up fully now, picking up his uniform jacket by the hangar. The paint that stained his uniform was undone as well and it was a perfect pitch black again.

Junko idled between watching him and staring at her nails. “Hey, what was up with your nap back there? You were making a serious wrinkly dog face.”

『I hate sleeping. Every time I dream, I see someone I dislike.』

“Were you dreaming of me?”

Kumagawa paused, genuinely stunned for a moment.『You’re a little bit vain, aren’t you?』

Junko’s eyebrow twitched, but she kept smiling and said nothing in response to that. With a pleasant expression she said without hesitation, “You should just give up against that guy, Senpai. It’s like you said, the talented beat the talentless. I’ll deal with him, and go back to destroying this school on my own. You’re just an unnecessary addition in this scenario.”

『If his talent makes him the supreme authority of color then he could, tell a girl to change the color of her panties to whatever color he likes the most. I cannot allow that. Panties are attractive because girls choose the colors for themselves. I cannot allow that guy  to force his preferences on others. I don’t know much about justice, morals, righteousness or compassion, but when it comes to the color of the panties of the world. No, one person should make all the decisions. So I shall act. I will execute the student council.』When he had finished with his speech Kumagawa had already pulled his jacket back on and buttoned it up.

“That’s not what all this is about at all.” Junko said flatly, before crossing her legs.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

He started out the door and Junko followed after him walking a few steps behind. As the two of them walked down the hallway and out to the campus, there was a large fuss being made over several graffiti decorations to the school. Technically, students were in their rights to express their talents on campus, so nobody could quite complain about vandalism.

It was easy enough to find Ezumachi again after the trail he left behind. In the middle of one of the field’s usually reserved for those with sports related talents, he was painting again boldly, all by himself.

A school without you has no meaning, it’s like a world without color. He thought, rather impetuously. Then when he saw that strange duo approach him again from the other side of his canvas, he smirked.

“Didn’t you two learn your lesson?”

“Well, you know peace and hope and all that jazz, that’s definitely something I’m fighting for.” Junko resisted a strong urge to roll her eyes.

『I’m the student council president. I can’t stand by and watch the school be defaced, by color or by despair. Ezumachi-kun, technically you are an ultimate. You have a right to express your talent and develop it freely.  』Kumagawa narrowed his wide eyes and took a step closer. He held an empty hand out towards the other. 『So I’m willing to negotiate. I won’t mind if you avenge Jakago-san, or if you hate me, it’s irrelevant after the chromatic terrorism you’ve engaged in for your own recreation. This isn’t art or talent. This is a prank.』

Ezumachi’s eyes twitched, then sharpened again in annoyance.

『So, Ezumachi-kun...If you tell me what color Enoshima-san’s panties are since you broke into her room to interfere with her hair dye after all,  as student council president, I’ll allow you to paint the school as you please.』

“You shut up right now, I didn’t consent to being part of a comedy duo with you.” Junko said, swatting with her claws at the empty air around his head as Kumagawa absent mindedly dodged her.

『Says the person performing Tsukkomi right now. Ah..』

He noticed Ezumachi throwing another one of his palette knives, and pushed Junko out of the way once more. Though the gesture itself was unnecessary as Junko had already saw it coming long before him. Kumagawa reached to pull the knife from his chest, and when he was distracted Ezumachi already had another can of paint. “Once you die, I’ll paint your body blue so nobody can see your ugly pink blood.” He was about to throw the paint directly at Kumagawa again when he hesitated.

『Blue? Unfortunately you’ve run out of that color.』

The paint in his can was completely colorless, a dull gray. Even though he was sure earlier he had picked up the blue paint. Before he could even figure it out, a screw was driven straight into his shoulder and he saw Kumagawa finishing the momentum of his throw. “What? Why? Where did the blue go?”

『Look up at the sky, Ezumachi-kun.』

Holding his shoulder which still had a twisted up wound even though the screw itself disappeared, he looked up to see a completely red sky. “What?” His eyes widened as he realized the color around him had become reds and greens with no blue. “Impossible.”

『It was the only way. Blue no longer exists, so the sky became red. All fiction. I removed the color blue from this world. No more blue skies, or blue seas. No one will ever feel blue again. 』

“You removed the color blue from the entire world just to protect yourself from being splattered with paint?” Ezumachi’s voice grew increasingly panicked. “Do you realize how evil that is?”

Kumagawa stood there with an innocent smile on his face, and his hand casually in one of his pockets. 『Evil? It’s not my fault. And I’m not stopping with blue.』His eyes narrowed even further. 『Meaning that red never existed either.』

Ezumachi quickly looked over to the red cans of paint, and spraypaint he had been carrying with him to see that they were colorless now too. He threw his arms up in the air. “Red is… red is gone? What color will mean stop, now?”

『Now this is art, Ezumachi-kun. So how did you plan to use red as a part of your revenge, were you going to mix my blood in with the paint?』The paint itself from his can, and even from his pallete disappeared slowly replaced with screws. 『I’m dying with curiousity.』

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Ezumachi’s own body became a marionette to his panic, as he gripped his head and thrashed about in the air. “Please stop! Stop taking color away from the world! Don’t remove color’s existence from the world.”

『Come on, Ezumachi-kun wait a second.』Kumagawa picked a screw up and drove it straight into the earth. 『I never planned to go that far. I was only going to remove the twelve basic colors. But if you expect me to go all the way I must comply.』 Kumagawa stepped onto the screw just as it started to spin as if drilled by some imaginary force. Casually he stood there resting his elbow on it as Ezumachi lost himself to his screaming.

“Stooooooop!”

『All fiction.』 He slammed his foot down hard, and the screw itself drove into the threth and to the three there the earth itself seemed to spin for a moment. Then, just as suddenly it stopped.

『No color exists anymore. Since color no longer exists, your talent for making colors into art no longer exists either, but don’t worry. While no color may remain, the colors of the world’s panties are eternal. 』

Junko crossed her legs again.

『Just as I thought. You disappoint me. I was hoping you’d put up more of a fight so I could distract myself a little longer and keep running away from her.』

“Who is her? You want to escape that person so much you would remove color from the world?” Ezumachi in his building rage, produced one more palette knife from his sleeve and started to run forward.

『Yes. I would even be willing to change my eye color.』

“That’s bull! What meaning is there in a world without color!” He sunk his knife straight into Kumagawa’s eye, but before he could push it any deeper or take one more step, suddenly from the earth sprung long thin screws that seemed to stab him in every direction. He was lifted up into the air by these screws as they kept traveling skyward.

『There was never any meaning. Color changes nothing. THe world is meaningless. Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing. Because this world is pointless, and our lives are aimless.』Kumagawa calmly lectured him with his hands in his pockets, even as something cold and wet dripped out of his eyesockets. A similiar liquid bubbled up and poured out of the side of Ezumachi’s lip.『There’s no meaning in this fight either, Jakago-san wasn’t even the real ruler of Fish Tank, she was just a puppet. Both of us were equally irrelevant to her..』 Ezumachi smirked with the last of his strength.

『Good job, Ezumachi-kun. You hit a vital spot this time.』 His hand let go, and Kumagawa turned his head around as blood dripped onto the grass in front of him. Ezumachi fell on the ground, the screws that had impaled him disappearing entirely. Kumagawa went through the care of plucking the palette knife from his chest.

Behind him Junko crooned. “Oh, if it isn’t a cute little baby nihilist! You’re so pwecious.”

Kumagawa turned his head, the palette knife still sticking out from his eye, with half of his face covered pink from his own blood. 『Aren’t you a fellow nihilist, Enoshima-san?』

“No way, we’re talking about two different kinds of nihilism. Yours is the boring kind, and mine is the fun kind, you know the kind with sunglasses.” She casually walked up to the unconscious Ezumachi on the ground and poked at the pody with the toe of her boot. “I’m confused, can’t you chalk this one up as a win?”

『While I did finally reform Ezumachi-kun’s heart, if you were to draw a line with chalk on the board, with no color white would become indistinguishable from white. No matter how you look at it, I lose again.』

Junko shrugged. “That’s what I’m confused about though, I can see color just fine. Also, reform, all you did was stab him a bunch of times.”

『Maybe stabbing each other was the true friendship we were seeking all along, and ah. I forgot to explain, the only color I made disappear was Ezumachi’s ability to see color.』

“Wow, petty. Aren’t you just trying to destroy his talent because you’re jealous for not having one? The same reason you’re trying to dull the brilliant and shining me by chaining me up to a loser like yourself.”

『No, he can still be an artist. He’ll just have to use black and white. Weekly shonen jump is always making new manga. Besides, I only took it from him because I knew he’d assume if he couldn’t see color, than that must mean all color disappeared from the world. Talented people always assume the world revolves around them.』

“Oh.” Junko pointed a single finger at her chin. “Is that another dig at me?”

『You’re different. You’re somebody who isn’t satisfied unless the entire world is in your palm. That’s why you don’t get along with people who are similar to you, because you can’t stand the thought of the world being in somebody else’s hands.』

“No, the reason we don’t get along is because ya boring!” Junko said, the finger now directy in Kumagawa’s face. “Anyway, undo my hair already now that we’ve finished this dumb adventure.”

『Is that really the only reason you were following me around and helping me out?』

“Uh, yeah!”

『Junko’s weakness number 2, she’s a little bit prideful. Well I won’t undo it. That would be, by your own words, too boring.』

Junko immediately pounced forward and grabbed his at his face again. In the middle of broad daylight, rather petty, she twisted at his cheeks and scratched at him to take out her frustration. “Change it back already, be useful at something for once in your life!”

From the distance Mukuro Ikusaba who had been absent from her sister’s side the whole day, watched their spat. Those two are getting along rather well, how unnerving. Mukuro thought, before remembering she had something important to tell Junko and rushing to catch up between the two of them.

“Junko it’s an emergency at the teddy bear factory!”

『Teddy bear factory?』

“Uhh… yeah… you know… for charity…and the smiles of children.” Junko was so annoyed by Kumagawa’s presence she couldn’t even come up with a good lie in the moment. Well, he probably already knew exactly what she was talking about and was merely playing dumb.

『Yeah, seems likely. Well, whatever I need to drag Ezumachi-kun to the infirmary anyway. You two sisters play nice.』

“Thank you so much, Mukuro!” Junko said, genuinely for a moment. “God, having to follow Senpai around all day really opened my eyes. Is this what my life has become? Am I going to follow him dealing with troublemakers with one gimmick once a week in monster of the week style slice of life adventures!” She started to rush away noticing that Mukuro was lagging behind. “Umm, Mukuro?”

Mukuro stopped, staring forward. “That’s the first time you’ve said thank you to me in five years.”

“Would you get a move on already!” Junko snapped. A shiver went straight through Mukuro’s spine and she doubled her pace in order to catch up with her sister.

 

Ψ(`_´ #  )↝

Mukuro explained on the way that she had left school early when an alarm went off at the factory to investigate. Apparently even though Kumagawa wiped everything she had done to the school, her efforts to create a hidden Monokuma factory below school grounds had gone unnoticed. Either he didn’t know about it, or the more likely answer he was too lazy to erase it himself.

Mukuro thought it was just a malfunction until she saw three people wearing school uniforms investigating it, at which point she doubled back to report it all to Junko. When they arrived the two of them split up, Junko to get to the control room and Mukuro to serve as the distraction.

It was only a few moments after Mukuro split from her sister that suddenly she was asaulted on both sides by two boys in uniform. Both of them were blonde, but one had rough spiky hair, and the other had long and smooth looking hair. They both attacked her with their feet from either side, but Mukuro caught both of the blows with the knives she drew up, one combat knife and one kukri.

“Yo, Zenkichi looks like this girl is serious. Don’t hold me back or anything.” Akune said, though Mukuro did not know his name or face and merely saw him as one of the many faceless enemies she had fought for Junko’s sake before.

“Whatever, Judo prince. Don’t- uh, hey I’m too busy paying attention to the fight to think of cool insults okay.” Zenkichi said, struggling after Akune. Mukuro pushed the both of them back to give herself some strength.

The boys had absolutely terrible teamwork. They rushed at the same time and smacked into one another rather than her. She threw a throwing knife at them from one of her pockets to get them to separate. After that they came at her one at a time.

Akune rushed first, aiming a low kick at her legs. Effortless, Mukuro jumped over him. She noticed Zenkichi was following up immediately afterwards with a high kick in the air where she was heading so she spun her body around at an impossibly looking angle and met his kick with one of her own. Their blows glanced off of each other, like they were fencing opponents sizing each other up.

“I see, japanese style Judo, and french style savate.” Mukuro smirked. A few seconds was all she needed to recognize each fighting style. After yesterday’s humiliating defeat she didn’t think she would find herself feeling so useful again so soon. “This place was constructed for the sake of her fun but… I can have a little fun of my own too, right?”

Junko had already reached the control room, and relaxed in the chair as she checked on each of the security cameras. Mukuro already seemed to be engaged. Her eyes quickly followed the movements. One of the boy’s definitely possessed super high school levels worth of talent in fighting, the other was a normal just struggling to keep up. If Mukuro was smart she would kill him first in order to send the friend he was fighting with into despair, but then again this was Mukuro so she would probably just try to take both at once because her brain only cared about fighting.

Junko rolled her eyes and scanned until she found the third student. Oh. The central conveyor belt and the machines attached to it were almost completely destroyed at this point, but not due to any explosives, but rather one single high school girl disassembling them at ferocious speed. Junko immediately remembered that massive martial arts Ogre from her own 78th class, but whoever this girl was she seemed stronger.

Junko drummed her nails on the keyboard in excitement, her interest peaked. “I was going to be patient and wait a whole year to try out the controls on these things, but since it’s been a bad hair day, I think I’m just going to have fun and play with you until you break.” She said to nobody in particular as she started to manipulate the controls with lightning speed.

Teddy bears that were tossed aside and forgotten, quickly picked themselves up from the ground one by one. The girl with two armbands around her arm, and a uniform that exposed her breasts, with long hair and a hair antannae that bounced around as she moved immediately noticed and turned around. When Junko made one of the bears lunge at her, that girl immediately dodged out of the way. That was fine Junko thought, as she commanded three more to do the same.

Two more bears drew out their claws and attacked her that way. This time Junko managed a hit, drawing blood with one of their claws and tearing her uniform. Junko looked towards the others and commanded them to start moving forward, and the fight itself became an all out meelee.

The girl moved not like a human being but a tornado, dodging every single bear that moved at her and throwing them into each other. Even in the maelstorm though, every single movement was precise she only struck to dig into the bear and pull it’s guts out.

Junko commanded one of them to self destruct, and the girl knowing as if on instinct, grabbed it and threw it far away to a pile of its own. Junko smiled from the sheer attention this was drawing out of her. “How is she even managing that?”

“If this really were an army of bears, I would have a tougher time, but these are all being controlled by one predictable person. I know you’re out there, come and face me directly.” That beast like girl called out of nowhere, and Junko heard as it echoed through the security system sound feed.

Junko’s smile showed all of her teeth. What kind of person had she just stumbled upon? Junko decided to test it, and commanded every single bear to move forward at the same time all converging on her.

What Junko saw next defied description even from her super high school levels of anaylsis. The girl seemed to move so fast, that she was in several places at once. Junko blinked in amazement, but just for a moment.

Then she smacked the screen of one of the security cameras. “Ah, I see. She’s moving too fast now for the cameras to pick her up.” Her mind instantly came up with a plan B, and Junko pulled out a portable laptop from one of the drawers and quickly changed it’s information from the terminal, so she could control everything on this one laptop.

Then she ran out of the control room, through the shadowed halls of the factory and to find a corner to watch it all from. When she did, she saw the girl again and confirmed exactly as she thought. She wasn’t several places at once, it was merely a trick. A trick that her eyes would never be fooled by.

She lipped the laptop open and started to manipulate the controls again, fingers flying even faster than before. This time the bears moved with much more precision giving the one woman army difficulty, even landing a few more hits. Junko thought that it might be spectacular if she could have them all tear her apart, or end the fight in one dramatic hit, but her mind told her the best strategy in this scenario was to simply use numbers in her favor and slowly chip away at her defenses.

Really, that intelligence of hers always needed to ruin everything. Sometimes it took an idiot to do cool things. Just when Junko had regained control of the fight though, that girl disappeared with great speed once again.

It took even Junko a moment to track where she had gone, and when she had she realized a moment too late that the girl was now standing right in front of her. “What is this, shadow clone Jutsu?” Junko asked aloud.

“No, it’s the Kurokami Phantom.” Medaka Kurokami said, before her fist slammed right into Junko’s face.

Junko had saw the hit coming of course, but her mind told her there was no other option than to take that hit. Thanks brain, very useful. She thought, right before flying backwards and landing in a pile of the discarded, stuffed Monokuma’s.

Junko was hit like a truck, and her small body snapped. She lost consciousness just for a moment. In her brief moment of unconsciousness, she didn’t dream, or even wake up in a classroom to have a friendly chat with a likeable former classmate.

Instead all she heard was the faint voice of a memory. Man… “what’s the purpose? These grown-ups are missing the point. Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing. Wouldn’t you agree?  

Uh…. I don’t remember… Sorry… I don’t know why I’m here in this lab, I’m scared…

I’m sure you were brought here after ruining many lives, the same as me. There’s nothing wrong with that. You and I are allowed to do whatever we want. Because this world is pointless, and our lives are aimless. It has nothing to do with you.

“Want to hear kind of a bad story? I’m sure you were brave and true at one point, but you fell into despair and now you’re nothing more than a coward.” Junko awoke and saw the girl now standing directly over her.

Junko looked up, clutching her eye as pain shot through her entire body. “Oh, I’m a coward? I fell into despair? Well, I rather like that qualities of mine.” Junko smiled again, even though she was in pain. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt… so… much! Not even when Kamakura was about to stomp her skull into pulp did she feel this much of a threat from another living being.

“Who are you anyway? Destroying everything in one hit like that, you’re like that character from that manga… you know the one… One Punch Woman!”

Junko laughed. Mostly to herself and at her own joke. As she heard the sound of her own laughter echoing back at her in the narrow corridor she realized something. I might die here. For some reason, that only made her laugh harder. Just as Medaka raised her fist again.

Then suddenly from the ground itself and every angle around her, screws began to dig through and up. They made a wall separating the two of them perfectly. Junko heard slow footsteps echoing through the hallway.

『Thank you for filling out the request I had Shiranui put in your box, Medaka-chan. I wanted to get rid of this place, but destroying entire buildings is more suited to rampaging beasts.』He stopped in front of Junko, looking at her and keeping his head turned away from the wall of screws.

“That voice! What are you doing here? Why?”

『You got rough with my Kouhai though, so whatever gratitude I had for you has turned to hatred. Just kidding, I would have hated you anyway.』

The sound of fists bashing against metal could be heard. Junko wondered for a moment if a human being was even capable of producing that noise. “Come out from behind there and face me!” Medaka cried out.

『Nope. I won’t. I’ll keep running away from you, because I hate you.』Kumagawa finally turned around only to kneel down in front of Junko. He looked back at her over his shoulder. 『Being saved by a person like me? This really must be the biggest, most awful, most tragic day in Junko’s life.』

Junko might have responded with some clever remark, but she was too out of it at the moment, pain throbbing in her eye, and at the same time endorphins firing in her brain from the beatdown she had just received. She grabbed onto Kumagawa’s back with the last of her strength, and hoisted herself up.

“You have to have a reason for doing all of this.” Medaka yelled one more time.

『Hmmm, nope! I’m just doing what I want. People who need reasons like I want to make every hopeful, and I want to throw everyone into despair, in order to keep on living are trash.』

With that pleasant goodbye, the two of them disappeared from Medaka’s sight entirely together. They regrouped with Mukuro who was standing over the body’s of two broken boys, and Mukuro before finishing them off nodded and agreed that it was better to flee for now. So she simply left them there.

It was only after the three of them split up, and Mukuro went back to her dorm that Junko finally spoke up again. “Who was she?”

『Wow. I was starting to get worried, I’d never seen you that quiet for that long. You don’t need to know about her though, she’s nobody.』

Junko immediately grabbed at his ear, and the side of his face with her nails and started to twist again.

『Ow! Ow! Ow! You really are like a cat, stop mauling my face! Fine, she’s an abnormal existence like me. It’s not like I know her too well personally or anything. If I had to describe her I’d say, she’s somebody who analyzes everything, and then perfects it. As opposed to you who analyzes everything perfectly.』Apparently there was a distniction, Junko listened on quietly for a little longer. 『The both of you are bored with the entirety of humanity, but you want to tear them all down, and she wants to raise them to her level. She chose to obsess over hope rather than despair.』

That was.

So.

Funny.

It made her lifetime choice to pursue despair seem arbitrary in comparison. Junko shook with small giggles as she clung to Kumagawa’s back. When they finally reached her dorm, Kumagawa set her down on the couch and then reached forward and brushed the hair that had fallen in front of her eyelid behind her ear.

Suddenly, both the pain in her eye, and the strange color she could see in the hair at her shoulders disappeared together. She was back to being blonde, and her black eye disappeared. 『You know in the end we both want despair, so let’s try to get along better tomorrow..』Kumagawa said in a soft voice, before turning around and sticking his hands in his pockets before leaving.

Now alone, Junko could finally process what had happened. She thought everything was ruined when Kumagawa came in and ruined her plans out of nowhere. What she wanted was for a great hope to rise up and challenge her so she could corrupt it.

Just now when she saw that girl, talented, beautiful, full to the brim with hope for all of humanity Junko knew the person she had been waiting for had finally come. She was connected to Kumagawa too. Inevitably, his presence would likely draw her here.

Junko put her finger in her mouth and bit down on it, but that did little to stop her from drooling. “I want to throw her into despair.” She said out loud. Then she stood up as if none of the tire or wear from the day had ever affected her. Her worst day, had suddenly become her greatest. “I want more, more, more, more, a more despairful despair!”

Junko kicked her foot and danced around, again. She danced all by herself. Throwing herself into mad circles, and whipping her head around. She too, was like a puppet whose strings were being thrown about wildly, threatening to dance until something tore in her.

The feeling she felt right now, as she pictured that impossibly righteous girl falling into despair, being torn apart by the same human qualities she claimed to love so much, hatred, jealousy, wrath, when Junko imagined it she felt a feeling akin to love.

It was when she was dancing all by herself, and humming that suddenly the door swung open once more『Junko, I forgot to give you your hairbands back-』Junko froze instantly, striking a strange pose. Kumagawa had already seen her dance around though. His response was to hold a hand over his mouth. 『Pfffft.』

“You are the last person on earth qualified to laugh at me!”

Chapter 4: I've Waited My Entire Life to Meet You

Makoto was neither a plus nor a minus. He was ordinary, except for one quality, his luck. If you were to ask him though, he would say his luck was not anything special, a fluke after one particularly long and bad day and he had wound up with an invitation to the prestigious Hope’s Peak Academy. If you were to press him, he would admit that sometimes he felt like he had Super High School Level Bad Luck.

From a certain point of view though, both good luck and bad luck are indistinguishable from one another. Let’s entertain a possible future where Junko’s plans went exactly as she had envisioned, and Makoto was the last lucky student to be admitted to Hope’s Peak. Would his luck have been bad luck then? As he was destined for tragedy the moment he entered Hope’s Peak? Or would it have been good luck, because it was his admittance to Hope’s Peak that allowed him to survive this great tragedy and overcome it.

From the perspective of hope one could say Makoto needed to endure such tragedy to reach his full untapped potential. From the perspective of despair, one could say that Makoto would spend the rest of his life mourning and making up for his losses.

From my perspective though, the perspective of somebody impartial it doesn't really matter whether Makoto had good or bad luck. He was an existence which improbable events happened to congregate around.

If an enemy attacked him, it would miss a vital area. If he was running late to school he would bump into a girl around the corner. On a peaceful day, he might get caught up in a murder. He was the kind of person who would get spared by the whim of an enemy. He might be complimented for having the luck of the devil. His younger sister may by coincidence come into contact with his enemy. He might by chance come across his rival in a pinch and use that to befriend them. If he went on vacation, he might coincidentally see his friends at the same place. When all is lost, he was exactly the kind of person to come up with a strategy to turn the tables.

Despite being this kind of existence though, Makoto’s ordinariness attribute was so high it was painful to him. He did not want to look at it at all. He dismissed himself and looked to others, and because of that, not only extraordinary coincidences gathered around him, but extraordinary people as well.

Looking away from himself still, he didn’t see this quality about himself either. Always, always, looking away he tended to stumble blindly through things. He was somebody who had all of the merits of a main character, but in this story he did not become one. Those with will are the ones who act, right? At the moment Kumagawa simple wish 『I can play the leading role just fine!』surpassed the wish of a boy who did not even know he wanted to wish for something.

Perhaps I’ve gone on too long though, it was a topic that interests someone like myself greatly. Rewinding a bit from where we left off last time, a beaten Enoshima Junko was being carried home by Kumagawa Misogi. It was not like he had saved her or anything, it was more like a loser consoling a loser.

At the same time, another loser was heading directly in their pathway. Makoto Naegi had not had plans for world domination foiled or anything that bold though, he simply had lost a game of rock paper scissors among the boys who shared the same floor of his dormitory. He felt especially grumbly about this particular loss because he was used to winning Rock Paper Scissors. In fact, with the exception of a few occasions, he almost always won at the game. It was too bad that “Ultimate Janken Artist” was not considered a valid title at this school, he had joked once.

Since he lost rock paper scissors so rarely, he came to consider the loss an omen for poor things to come. Cleaning and dragging out the trash for a whole floor of teenage boys was enough hard and gross work to already put him in a bad mood. It was late at night when Makoto had finished dragging the last bag to the shared trash processing center between the boy’s and girl’s dormitory. It had been a long night but Makoto was relieved, because other than finding out a few terrible secrets that his dorm mates threw away nothing bad in particular happened that night.

The moment Makoto let himself feel that relief though, he saw it. The scene which ruined his entire night, the cashing in on the foreshadowing of his ominous foreboding. He jumped behind the dumpster and watched, as Kumagawa Misogi the transfer student that he had met by coincidence a week ago walking out of the dormitory of Enoshima Junko late at night.

Makoto immediately realized what was afoot.

“Kumagawa-kun is two timing Mukuro and Junko!”

Ah, nevermind. Makoto immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion instead.

It had taken Makoto a week after seeing that to summon up all of the conviction he had in his short and insignificant self and tried to walk straight to the girl’s dormitory to talk to Mukuro right in the morning before classes started and tell her the bad news.

However, in the middle of his determined march he had become overcome by thoughts such as What if people think I’m creepy for hanging around the girl’s dorm? What if Mukuro doesn’t believe me and hates me for trash talking her boyfriend? Such what ifs caused him to stop dead in his tracks as a few students passed by him not noticing him.

When he saw a sleepy Mukuro wandering outside still dressed in her pajamas, Makoto panicked and immediately dived behind a bush. He realized a second too late that if he jumped out from his hiding spot now and tried to talk to Mukuro he would look like even more of a stalker.

As he sat in the bushes agonizingly going back and forth inside his own mind, and trying not to make his presence known, Mukuro of course noticed him immediately. On the other hand though she considered him irrelevant to her current mission objective, so she pretended he was not there.

She walked to the communal mailboxes, and dug into her pajama pants to find the key to her own box. When she finally opened it, Mukuro’s usually hard eyes softened as she found the package waiting for her. It was a model gun, and one she had picked out from a magazine a few weeks ago.

Mukuro had never expected to see it’s delivery as Junko reached the final stages of her plan, but now since life had been softly reset back to their normal everyday existences it seemed alright for her to enjoy such a treat.

Mukuro walked back to finish the rest of her morning. Later, she walked outside wearing her school uniform and noticed something strange. Makoto in an hour had not moved from that spot. She decided not to think about it too hard and continue walking the long and winding path to the main school building.

It was after she had gotten some distance between her and the dorms, that her trained eyes looked back sharply and she noticed something again. Makoto was not just standing still in that spot, he had started to move in secret when she moved, and stopped when she stopped. He was following her, which meant he had been waiting for her outside the dorms.
b  
The uneasy peace of Mukuro’s existence had been interrupted again. I’m being tailed, he must know something. Her military instincts told her immediately, jumping to a different wrong conclusion than the one Makoto had jumped to.

She immediately let those instincts take over and veered away from the path to school. If an unknown enemy is tailing you, then isolate them and find out what they know. She wandered apparently without direction until she found a clearing in a wooded area and heard the snapping of twigs behind her.

Mukuro immediately turned around and tackled her pursuer. As she pushed him back on the ground and landed on top of him, she immediately grabbed both of his hands and pushed them down behind his back. It was a hold she had learned that was common in many police forwards. Makoto his hands behind his back looked up to see Mukuro staring down at him from a close distance. He felt the weight of her sitting on his pelvis.

Just like a main character, his misunderstanding had spiraled into this insane situation. He realized he had been caught and that this would be his only chance to explain himself so he needed to speak clearly. Makoto opened his mouth and tried to do just that, but this is what came out instead, “I’M NOT A PERVERT!” Makoto shouted it with conviction right in her face.

Mukuro blinked, as she had been expecting to hear accusations about her and Junko’s treachery. “What.” She replied, her voice somehow even flatter than usual.

“I just… I wanted to talk but I didn’t know how to start and then you were already there so I hid, but I knew I needed to talk so I kept following you but after I started following you I thought you might think I was stalking you so I… just… kept following you…” Makoto’s panicked explanation given while the heat rose rapidly to his cheeks did little to clarify the situation, and none of it got through Mukuro’s impenetrable walls of suspicion.

Sorry, Time’s up. She thought with a twinge of regret. If anybody else had been following her, she would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were an enemy of Junko’s and killed them on the spot. She was unaware even herself, of the small exception she was making for Makoto. Now even that small fondness was being crushed between her own hands, like every other emotion she had killed. Her one free hand reached for his neck and tightened around it.

“Wait… Mukuro I’m sorry…. I just wanted to help with Kumagawa….” Makoto’s voice cracked. He had thought he had used all of his strength, but just like that even being strangled he was somehow able to speak a full sentence.

“You’re lying, your face is all red and you’re flustered.” Mukuro said, but she lessened her grip at the mention of Kumagawa’s name. This isn’t about Junko at all, just that annoying tick?

Makoto exhaled. He felt like he was letting all of the air out in his body at once. “Cut me some slack, Ikusaba. Anybody would turn this red if a cute girl was on top of them.”

Cute. A word that Mukuro had heard used to describe Junko countless time, but never once directed at herself. Suddenly her mind went blank again, entirely shutting off. Her entire being became emptied by one word. “What.” She said again, quiet, softer, even her voice shrinking away.

Mukuro let instinct take control. She rolled off of him, and stood up once more. Her movements were almost entirely robotic, if that robot had not had its joints greased in 100 years. She stared down at Makoto, wondering how he would react now that he had seen her so violent so close.

Makoto did the unexpected again and laughed. “Ahahaha, sorry Ikusaba. I made an idiot of myself, didn’t I?” She saw it again, that smile. Right now, since they were isolated in the forest and alone, in this small garden, she was the only other one in the world that smile was directed at.

“I didn’t think you were any more or less idiotic than usual.” Came her automatic response.

“Haha, I can’t tell if you’re insulting me or not.”

She knelt down and offered him a hand to get up. “I can take you to Kumagawa if you want.”

“Wait, I might need a minute,” He said, sitting up then but crossing his legs.

“For what?” Mukuro asked.

“Nothing!” Makoto responded far too quickly.

Makoto Naegi was an ordinary individual, perhaps even the most pathetically ordinary individual of all but he lived an eventful life nonetheless. On the flip side of the coin there was in this same academy an extraordinary individual, perhaps the most overwhelmingly extraordinary individual of all, but he lived a life that was completely uneventful.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

People without talent are like ticks.
Fattening themselves on the blood of the talented, they are ticks capable of only reproducing.
Finally, those people attempted to create hope.
Loading every talent they could into one talentless person, he would serve as the super level highschool level hope, and the ticks would be parasites on that hope.

He understood well enough how his existence had come to be. Even when he woke up completely blank, his masters filled him in on every detail without discretion. He felt nothing towards them at all, but he acknowledged that they had taught him well.

Waking up was only the first task, then he had awareness, and then slowly but surely trial after trial. He would learn immediately what skill they were presenting him with, and then he would leave that room forever and move onto the next one. There was no struggle, no difficulty, and of course no praise for doing exactly what was expected from him.

The talentless ones who created him often whispered of their envy, or spoke highly of him in comparison to themselves. He was so lucky to be like this, to learn so quickly, to be truly capable of anything.

The trials were so long and arduous, and yet even now with perfect memory he did not bother to recall the details of most of them. Only one stuck out to him as peculiar. The scientists told him they were going to test his luck. That seemed unreasonable to him, attempting to quantify luck was like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. Of course a moment later he realized that he was that captured lightning, a living breathing circuit breaker. He had no further questions and merely went along with what they said.

The test was a simple one, there were five buttons to press and one of them would shock him. Every time he went a button pressing round without being shocked, they would increase it so one more button would shock him. At first he was shocked every time, and slowly but surely he reached levels where he would get two or three button presses in a row without being shocked. It was the only skill that did not surrender itself to him immediately. He was almost curious. The shocks were painful, but no more painful than the multiple surgeries he had already endured. He started to anticipate them, a corporal punishment, the first and only time he had ever tasted any kind of failure.

Eventually though, the scientists seemed to figure out some way for him to sharpen his luck even further. They would not be satisfied until he was never shocked at all. Today for the first time ever you are going to meet another student, they told him. He’s been sworn to secrecy and won’t interfere any further than outside this test, consider him just a control subject.

Just like that, he met with another human being his own age for the first time. The test subject had dark hair, messy and combed more to one side than the other, and he wore a pitch black uniform with a high collar. Even with perfect memory though, he could no longer recall the name of that individual.

Unlike himself, every single time that the boy tried to press a button he was shocked. He thought perhaps the scientists rigged the machine, but it turned out there was only ever one button rigged for the boy’s set up. He could not escape a single round of testing without being shocked. He failed every single time. Even when they set the machine so no buttons were rigged to shock, the machine malfunctioned and he shocked himself twice as hard.

In watching that faceless boy though, he suddenly learned how to avoid being shocked. He made it to four button presses, and then on the fifth button press the machine broke and he was not shocked at all.

He understood once it was all over what the scientist’s intention was. Their previous model encountered cycles of good and bad luck. All they wanted was the good luck, so they had brought a negative example to rid him of bad luck. Even luck now, had become quantifiable to him and he had lost interest in it.

The scientists made one small mistake in their fastidious research. As they went to process the data they left him alone for just a moment in the room with the faceless boy. At the time Kamakura merely sat where he was told to, and waited as he was told. He felt nothing at all towards the scientists, but he obeyed them for one small reason. While the doctors couldn’t possibly have had the answer if he didn’t, the prospect of someone telling him why he had been brought into this world, excited him just a little bit.

But…

『Man.』
『If we can control talent, then we can control hope.』
『Those grown-ups are missing the point.』
『Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing.』
『Talent changes nothing.』
『Wouldn’t you agree?』
『Izuru-chan?』
『You have all the talent in the world, but all you’re doing is sitting there frowning.』
『It’s because you’ve already realized haven’t you?』
『Your actions are completely meaningless.』

He forgot the name of that boy, and he never saw him again after that, but the boy was wrong. He had not realized until right at that moment. He continued to stay with the scientists, his teachers who raised and taught him everything, but he realized it was no use.

Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing. The world is pointless, and our lives are aimless. He couldn’t imagine anyone offering a more accurate answer.

It wasn’t his fault that the others surrounding him lacked talent, it wasn’t his fault for being born with too much talent. Once he accepted this, his heart calmed, and he felt a weight lift from his chest.

The entire world continued to turn around him while he remained entirely motionless, and suddenly he realized. He was bored. It’s boring to do what you know you can do. A world that only consisted of himself, and the scientists who worshipped him was even more boring.

For him, a world where he was too gifted was the worst hell of them all.

The moment he realized he was in hell, the devil appeared before him. Instead of cloven hooves she had heels, and bright red fake nails rather than claws. She called out to him in a sweet voice, then screamed in ecstasy in front of him and promised he could feel the same if he just followed her.

He knew what he was getting into. Deals with the devil never worked out in the fiction that he read, as his only window to the outside world.

Still he didn’t care. Even failure would mean feeling something, an escape from this empty room where the world’s apparent hope simply sat on his hands and contemplated his own existence. Even his untimely death between her claws would mean something. It was better to be dead than not living.

So he followed her every order, the same way he had followed the careful instruction of the scientists. He defiled others, and then the ones he admired, the one he loved, and finally ripped out his own memories and then… nothing.

It was not that the devil had reneged on her deal, but rather all of his efforts became nothing. Just as he was walking away from a burning academy, he lost consciousness and saw his whole world fade to black.

He woke up again in that same room, his memories intact, but everything else the reality he saw in front of him did not align with his memories. The guards the devil had killed, the scientists who had been caught in the crossfire, all walking around still alive.

He had no idea what to make of this new reality, it made no logical sense based upon everything he had observed before. More than that, he had no idea what to do now at all. So he did nothing.

He looked in on himself, and went back to sitting on the bed pondering his own existence. Even when the scientists started to whisper amongst themselves about a flask plan, and another test subject, he no longer paid them any attention at all.

If he was doing nothing all this time, then why bring up his story, you might ask?

I just thought it was an interesting contrast. The most untalented boy in the world, he constantly looked away from himself and found himself looking towards others.

The most talented boy in the world, even before he became talented all he could look at was himself, he ignored the whole world in favor self consciously looking at himself, and saw that he was entirely alone.

He felt neither hope nor despair at this realization.

Even an existence like Kumagawa had a heart still, but Kamakura Izuru had no heart at all. There was nothing inside of him, no matter how hard he looked. So, no matter how curious I was about his existence, I could not go visit him inside of his dreams.

That’s why I decided to rely on an old friend to play with him in my stead.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kamakura Izuru looked at himself, Makoto Naegi looked only to others, but right now Enoshima Junko and Kumagawa Misogi only had eyes looking at each other.

“Of course Dio Brando is the best JoJo villain, he’s iconic. You know a villain is good when no matter how badly they’re defeated, even if they’re killed, they’re pretty much guaranteed to always come back in some form for the sequel.” Junko said while sitting on his desk, idly kicking her legs. She had skipped school today with the principal’s permission to once again ‘help’ Kumagawa, but both of them had chatted the day away going back and forth between debating despair and their own manga preferences and neither of them had actually gotten work done.

『Enoshima-san, shouldn’t we get started on that paperwork eventually? A floor of our school building was raided last week you know, who knows who possibly could have done that and what they could possibly want. 』Kumagawa Misogi said, fully aware that both of them in the room both knew why the hidden Monokuma factory had been discovered and destroyed, and who had done it.

Kumagawa rarely regretted his actions, but he almost regretted it now because of the mountain of paperwork he was being assigned so he could allocate resources to clean up and repair the damage. This was totally unfair, he thought, his actions weren’t supposed to have consequences.

“Hey, don’t avoid the subject! I’m not going to give up until you admit it, admit that Dio is way better and then fall into despair over your shit taste in anime!” Just as she had been getting into the habit of doing lately, she reached for his face with her claws.

『Ah! Stop scratching at my face!』Kumagawa whined like a child that was being bullied.

“Don’t try to escape me! It’s useless! Useless! Useless!” Junko said, before throwing her head back in a cackle. Kumagawa struggled against her and she finally let go, only for Kumagawa to snap forwardd suddenly and hit his head on the desk. Right where he had piled up most of the paperwork they had been avoiding. He knocked most of it into the air, and it fluttered around the cackling Junko, making a backdrop to her laughing self.

As Kumagawa sat up again and observed both of these things, he merely blinked. She’s enjoying herself much more today, Kumagawa thought, that’s strange what put her in such a good mood.

『Fine. I’ll do the paperwork. You can just sit there and look pretty, as usual.』

“Please, I do so much more than that.”

『Oh, I’m sorry. You can sit there and look so gorgeous, so beautiful, so radiant in front of a plain nobody like me, that your mere existence throws me into despair knowing that nobody has ever been as beautiful as you are right now, and nobody ever will be again.』

Junko crossed her arms and smirked, “Finally, I’m getting the credit that I deserve.”’

They had settled into this kind of tempo quite naturally. Kumagawa went to pick up the paper that had been thrown about while they messed around with each other, slowly one by one. Of course, Junko immediately forgot about her exuberance from a moment ago and became bored again as she often did. A moment after being bored she was curious, and she remembered the strange existence from last night.

“Hey, senpai?” Junko asked, kicking her legs with anticipation while still sitting on his desk. “Can I ask you something, pretty, pretty please.”

『Enoshima-san’s being polite, why do I feel like something horrible is about to happen.』

“Let me ask the damn question first, senpai.” Junko said with a small and cute smile. “When you’re talking about a minus what exactly do you mean by that, and Medaka, how exactly is she a plus?”

『I already told you, the minus always lose, and the plus always win. The plus beat the minus it’s the way of the-』

She jumped off the table to make it to his side, and then immediately clamped two of her claws over his lips to cut him off. “Yeah, yeah, I get that, poetic. Whatever. Moving on. What I mean to say is, if Medaka was a nen user, how exactly would you classify her?”

She let go and Kumagawa stared up at her. Apparently he disliked being ordered around like that, she decided to make note of that for later so she could enjoy seeing him uncomfortable.

『The kind of abilities that Medaka and I have are determined by personality, but it’s actually a much simpler category set than Nen. Medaka’s an abnormal, just like you.』

Junko immediately pointed a red fingernail at herself. “You calling me a weirdo?”

『No. Abnormal as in not normal. There’s a research facility at Sandbox academy, the school Medaka is from that classifies all human beings into three categories. There are normals who lack any special ability. Then there are specials, who excel in one specific area. They would consider the bulk of the ultimate talents here at this school to be special. Finally, there are abnormals, who possess such overwhelming capabilities that the individual is unable to control that aspect of themselves and inherently seek to master their Abnormality. Thus, you. 』

Junko stood up once more and started to stretch, faking a yawn. “Woooow, that was such a long and boring explanation I think I fell asleep three times while you were giving it.”

『Then why did you ask?』

Junko ignored Kumagawa’s small protest and put her hands behind her head. “That’s totally wrong though. There’s nothing wrong with or uncontrollable about me, it’s just the whole world’s boring ya know?”

Kumagawa suddenly stopped even trying to pick up the mess they had made, and dropped the last few pieces of paper on the ground.  『If you don’t believe me then I can show you. A test.』He went to the drawer and dug out a wine glass, and a bag of dice. 『A nen test.』Kumagawa said with a smile.

Junko poked a finger at her chin and considered it for a moment. “Hmmmmmm, alright, I’ll bite.” She flashed her teeth in a smile to make Kumagawa fear she might be being literal for a second.

He filled the cup with water from the office bathroom, and then returned dropping the dice in the middle of it. 『I myself am a special mentality of abnormals called a minus.』He threw the glass carelessly to the side splashing water everywhere. Dice fell on the desk, falling into disorder, but every single one landed on a “1”. 『Our lives are constant chaos, and our abilities come from the deterioration of our minds after we give into despair from constant hardship and trauma. So we learn to thrive on despair itself.』

Junko’s normally dull eyes suddenly came alive with electricity at his words. She quickly moved past him and elbowed him out of the way. She quickly picked up the dice for herself, and got some more water in order to try again. When she threw the glass exactly as he did though, the dice did not fall into disorder. Rather, they fell into a perfect pile, all of them forming a square structure as they stacked on top of one another. Even the glass she had tried to splash, not a single drop of water fell from it.

“What.” Junko said, staring at the odd result, and unconsciously mimicking her often dumbfounded older sister.

『I told you, even if you seek despair like a minus does at heart you’re a plus. Everything around you will fall into order whether you want it to or not.』

“No… that’s not true, I was born because there was too much hope in the world and the world was craving despair.”

Kumagawa sighed, averting his gaze for a moment. 『I guess that’s the difference between us, never once have I thought that there was too much hope in the world, though the world never showed me any reason to hope anyway.』

Junko’s face cycled through emotions, as if she was trying to hand pick which mask from a set would suit her best for that moment. She finally decided to be petty, as she threw the water of the glass straight in Kumagawa’s face. Then picked up the glass to shatter it. “That’s not it, this test is just boring!”

Before she could throw it though, Kumagawa hand wrapped himself around her arm trying to grab at the glass. 『Enoshima-san stop it, you can’t just break all your toys. That’s my only wine glass, I wanted to look cool sipping from it while I sit at the president’s desk.』

“Well then that shouldn’t be a problem as under no circumstances will you ever look cool in your entire life, it’s utterly hopeless, so just give up!”

『This isn’t hope or despair, you’re just throwing a tantrum.』

“Stop putting your hands all over me, Senpai. You’re going to get me all wet!”

That time, Junko had not even meant the inuendo. She was too fixated on trying to destroy the glass that had slighted her. At that exact moment she had screeched that though, a boy with odd luck, and a girl who recognized when her sister was in a bad mood.

“Makoto maybe we shouldn’t…”

It was too late though, Makoto was already opening the door.

On the other side, Junko and Kumagawa struggled over the wine glass. Until Kumagawa’s foot slipped on a paper left on the ground, and he dragged the both of them down. Makoto and Mukuro walked in on a room where Junko had fallen on top of Kumagawa into a pose that suggested something far more adult than two children squabbling.

Makoto’s heart was immediately filled with regret. “Ikusaba-san I’m so sorry. This is the last thing I wanted you to see. You two should be ashamed of yourselves for doing something that indecent together."

Mukuro’s expression remained flat. “What are you talking about? They just tripped and fell.”

Junko got up on her own, and grabbed Kumagawa by the collar of his uniform, yanking him up as well. “You’ve got a really dirty mind, don’t you Makoto-kun?” She immediately covered her face as if she was embarrassed. “A model like me wouldn’t do anything to tarnish her reputation. If you’re having those kinds of thoughts then please don’t buy my magazines from now on.”

“Wait no, I didn’t mean it like that… I just thought... “ Makoto did a double take, from Mukuro, to Junko, and then to the still stunned looking Kumagawa. He took a deep breath, and then explained finally the small bits of the events of the past two days he had saw. Kumagawa walking home with Mukuro, and then doing the same with Junko one night later.

At which point Junko giggled, her mood instantly improving again. “Snepai was just pestering both of us to help him with the student council, he’s kind of hopeless on his own. You’re so cute when you get worried about others like that, Naegi-kun.” Junko said it with a pleasant and affectionate looking smile, but inside her head she was thinking about how that was exactly the kind of quality that would lead him towards despair.

『Makoto-chan, it’s nice to see you again. My childhood friend since four years old, I’m glad we got to reunite at this academy.』

“Huh?” Makoto was pretty sure he was the first person Kumagawa met on this campus, and the two of them seemed to be the only ones that remembered the nightmare like riots, but he was completely sure he had never seen Kumagawa before that point.

“Oh, he’s just being cheeky again.” Junko explained, reaching out to pinch his cheek. “He thinks he’s sho cute.”

『Enoshima-san, do you think those two would be interested in taking the nen test?』

“A… nen test?” Makoto tilted his head.

“You should quit making references to manga that I don’t understand, Senpai.” Junko said, playing innocent from the crime of having been an anime fan.

『What are you talking about? You argued with me for an hour earlier about who was hotter, Hisoka or Chrollo.』

“Whoa, I never knew you liked manga, Enoshima-san. Did your publicists say you couldn’t talk about that in any of your interviews?”

“Ehahaha, Naegi-kun he’s just kidding around again. So the test, do you wanna take the test? It’s like a personality test, you know the kind that you’d find in a magazine. The test, it’ll be like so fun.” She grabbed him by the shoulder and hurried him forward, quickly changing the subject.

Kumagawa stopped for a moment for a moment and watched the two of them. Junko filled the wine glass up, and then dropped the dice in. Makoto picked it up in his own hand and then threw it on the table, just as instructed. The dice fell out of the glass, falling in every direction to reveal… 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s… exactly the kind of result one would expect from throwing a bunch of dice all at once.

“Hey, senpai, like, what does this one mean? Give him his horoscope already or whatever.”

『That’s just the result any normal would have.』Kumagawa walked up next to him and clasped a hand on his shoulder. 『Be proud, Makoto-chan. There’s absolutely nothing majorly wrong with you and you have no severe deficits in your personality.』

“Umm, thanks.” Makoto said, before handing off the glass to Mukuro.

She did exactly as Makoto did, flicking the dice with her wrist and throwing the glass on the table. Mukuro however produced another odd result, half of the dice landed at 1s, and the other half at 6s.

“Yo senpai, read her tarot or whatever.”

Kumagawa blinked, equally as confused by the result as everyone else. 『Mukuro-chan’s probably just a special, because she takes a special interest in military related things.』

“You shouldn’t call her a military otaku, senpai. That’s really mean.”

『What? I didn’t… anyway,  she might have an abnormality hidden within her in addition to her talent.』

“What do you think about Ikusaba-san, hey, do you think she has a hidden dark side?” Junko said teasingly as she elbowed Makoto in the ribs.

Makoto realizing he was being joshed, decided to simply play along. “I don’t think that at all. I think she’s nice, even if she’s a bit quiet. She’s always watching her classmates from afar, so she must think about us a lot right?”

Junko giggled in a girly way, and then looked at Mukuro. “Did you hear that Ikusaba? It seems like somebody had their eye on you while you were watching everyone else.”

Mukuro immediately looked away, finding the moment too bright, almost blinding to her. “I don’t know what either of you are talking about.”

The four of them for a brief moment seemed to be nothing more than four high school students playing around. The fact that the academy had almost been destroyed, a fact that was known by all four of them, had been made as if it never happened.

Then suddenly, Makoto’s phone started to ring. “Oh, no that’s Kiri. I promised to help her out with something. Sorry guys!”

『I can walk you to the door.』Kumagawa offered. 『Knowing somebody like you if I leave you alone for too long you’ll just stumble into another fatefully despairful encounter around the corner.』

“You always talk so weird man.” Makoto said, squinting at Kumagawa’s entire existence for a second, before he shrugged. “But alright, thanks I guess.”

As the two of them walked, it was Makoto of course who made conversation. He talked idly about things until they reached the door and he realized what he wanted to say. “You know, we’ve been here for a whole year and I think I’ve learned about everybody in this class except those two. Enoshima’s really popular around the campus, and Ikusaba doesn’t seem to mind being alone at all, but I think it’s nice they’ve finally found somebody to hang out with.”

『Ah, is that what you think? You’re really naive, Makoto-chan』He leaned in closely, a bit too close, and Makoto got the impression that Kumagawa likely didn’t socialize with other people much. Kumagawa however, closed one eye to wink, and gave him a bright smile 『But that naivete, I don’t hate it!』

That seemed to be Kumagawa’s way of saying goodbye, as he suddenly backed off, spun on his heel to turn around and shoved both of his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants. When he made it back to office, he saw that Junko had already ordered Mukuro to clean up the papers off the ground.

『Hey, Enoshima-san. How come you were acting so strange around Makoto-chan?』Kumagawa asked, as he leaned back against his own desk while standing up, hands still in his pockets.

“What do you mean strange?” Junko asked, hands on her own hips.

『Let me rephrase that, why weren’t you being your usual unlikeable self? You weren’t even laughing like you usually do.』

“Well we can’t all walk around all the time all doom and gloom acting like some twelve year old’s definition of edgy, senpai. Some of us try suppressing the nasty parts of our personality for the sake of getting along with others.”

『Sounds fake, but okay.』Kumagawa shrugged, 『Maybe I should invite Makoto-chan around more often so Junko bullies me less.』

“Ugh don’t. This whole year of getting along with my classmates has been so full of peace, so full of hope, so full of boring.” Junko stuck her tongue out as if her gag reflex had activated.

『Well, I suppose if I won’t be able to talk about shonen jump with you anymore, than it’s not worth it.』Kumagawa offered Junko a small smile, but that only made Junko gag even more.

He ignored her and went to go help Mukuro with cleaning up. Junko watched them for a moment, before she got bored again and asked another question. “So, are there other minuses like you?”

『Of course.』

“Are you going to introduce me or what? I’m sure they’ll think you’re cooler if they find out you’re hanging out with somebody like me.”

『Since they’re minuses, it’d be better if they thought I was lame. I tried to get them to transfer in to join my student council, but they’re only in the reserve course right now. Who knows, we might run  into them if we get unlucky enough.』

Suddenly, as if on a whim, Junko had another idea. “Hey Senpai, I just thought of something.” Of course it was not a whim she had been thinking about it all day since being exposed to Medaka Kurokami who was loved by talent. Everything from her appearance, to the beatdown she had served Junko reminded her on another individual. “There’s actually another friend I think you should meet. I think we should explain to him our relationship, I would hate it if he got the wrong idea and got jealous.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“I feel kind of unnecessary in this.” Mukuro Ikusaba said as she watched Kumagawa screw another guard to the wall by his clothes. He lost consciousness a moment later at the snap of Kumagawa’s fingers.

『You don’t just have to kill people, Mukuro-chan. I mean technically since you’ve come back to japan you haven’t killed anybody because I undid all of those deaths.』Kumagawa walked casually with his hands in his pockets as usual, discussing such heavy topics with a smile.

『You can keep killing people all you want I guess, but if you do I’ll just undo all the deaths. I love stuff like wasted efforts.』

Mukuro grit her teeth and said nothing. She didn’t care that much truly, whether people lived or died around her, she had just done so following Junko’s orders.

Behind her Junko was walking with her hands behind her head. “You shouldn’t take that away from her Senpai, then she’ll have nothing left. She’ll just be a normal every day loser, instead of a loser whose only good for killing.”

『That’s not true, no matter how much she loses, Mukuro-chan will always have you, Enoshima-san.』

Both sisters glanced awkwardly away from each other as they turned the corner. Mukuro stopped remembering the final door. “Wait a moment Junko, that’s the one that won’t open with a keycard, remember?”

“Shit, anybody got an old dude to torture and then pull an oedipus on just lying around here somewhere?”

Suddenly, Kumagawa drew his hand out of his pocket, and did a throwing motion with his arm. Three screws appeared and skewered the device locking the door, causing the door to pop open easily.

“Or we can just do that.” Junko said, unimpressed.

Junko suddenly ran ahead of Kumagawa, sliding the last few meters on the heels of her boots stopping just short of the man with the long hair, sitting on the bed and staring at the floor. She smiled and called out in an affection voice. “Hoooooooooney, I’m hoooooome!”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kamakura Izuru heard that woman’s voice calling out to him again from the shadows, and lifted his head once more. Through the doorway he saw a familiar, unfamiliar sight as Kumagawa Misogi approached him.

Before he could even comment though, Junko appeared in his periphery again and began to dance around him. “Hey everybody, this is my boyfriend!”

『You’re her boyfriend!』Kumagawa was the only one present to cry out in shock, and he looked a bit more shocked than he should have been.

Kamakura said nothing in response.

“Kamakuuuuuraaaa, I’ve got a favor to ask.” She threw an arm around his shoulder, and drew circles into his chest with one of her pointed fingers. “Recently, I’ve been trying my best to raise up some despair all on my own… you see… but I’m still stuck in this rut, y’know?  It seems everything I do lately just disappears. Can I rest my head in your lap until I feel better?”

“Hmmm….” Kamakura made the first noise the entire conversation.

Junko squeed in affection. “Gosh it’s so cool how you just act like you’re above absolutely everything. I just get super turned on when guys act indifferent to my very existence. Alright I’ll tell you the truth, there’s this guy that’s been harassing me lately. Can you take care of him for me? You should fight for the sake of our mutual love!”

“Hmmm…” Kamakura said again.

“Our mutual love of despair that is!” Junko shouted, before breaking out into laughter. Apparently she thought that was hiliarious.

Kamakura had been observing Kumagawa standing there in shock the entire time, and though he had no memory of his face, a wire finally crossed in his brain and he understood everything about the situation he needed to. “I don’t exactly understand how yet since it follows no rules of logic, but he’s the one isn’t he? He’s the one who stopped you.”

『It wasn’t my fault.』Kumagawa said with a smile.

“Fine, I’ll remove the interfering element. This time keep your promise, though.” Kamakura said as he finally stood up from the bed.

Kumagawa was the first to take a step though, he walked forward and held out an open hand. 『Izuru-chan stop, there’s no need for us to fight at all.』

“What do you mean?” Kamakura questioned, his curiousity winning out over his inherent sense of danger.

『I’ve already erased it. Your reason to fight!』Kamakura felt something in his pocket, and immediately reached in to pull out what he was hiding inside. He saw the hairpin that once belonged to Chiaki in the palm of his hand. Then it disappeared, replaced with a screw.

He tried to hold onto the sentiment that was tied to that pin, but he felt it a sensation like screws being driven into his skull. He felt this the last time the scientists had scooped out his brain to make room for something else.

The sentiment, the small emotion he was able to feel for the first time, his reason for feeling, all of it disappeared in an instant.

Kamakura’s eyes looked at Kumagawa, entirely blank.

『See, there’s no reason to fight so let’s become good friends.』

In the next moment he punched Kumagawa straight through a wall. Junko blinked and leaned over watching what had just happened. “Whoa, you literally made a Senpai shaped hole in the wall? I thought that kind of thing only happened in cartoons.”

Kamakura no longer heard her though. He was too busy trying to deal with the existence right in front of him. Kumagawa flew down the hall, only to be caught by Kamakura and slammed into the floor. Both Mukuro and Junko along with most opponents he was able tof inish in one hit, but he laid extra, lifting Kumagawa against a wall and hitting him with a barrage of blows, before kicking him through one more wall destroying the entire wall this time with his finishing punch.

Kumagawa flew back, until a chalk board broke his momentum. WHen his back collided with it, a crack was sent down both ends of the black board. “Oops, I didn’t mean to hit you that seriously, but to think a person capable of stopping Junko Enoshima was down after only eight punches.”

Kumagawa leaned against the wall, bloodied and beaten. He said nothing at all, merely looked up and noticed the sign for this classroom said (2-A) and somebody had drawn a strange looking one eyed bear on the chalk board.

“You won’t get out of this situation by playing dead. I have the talent of the ultimate nurse, I can perfectly assess your health and condition at a glance. Why aren’t you saying anything? Did you realize this was meaningless?”

『Don’t you mean, useless, useless, useless?』

“No. Why would I say that?”

『Awe. You’re no fun.』Kumagawa whose body looked like a puppet with its strings cut and its joints broken a moment ago, stood up on his own, using only the tray of the chalkboard for support. He held open his hands gripping onto two screws out of nowhere and charged at Kamakura.

Only to be knocked down in one blow. Kamakura heard a crack and was certain that he’d broken a bone this time. Only to see Kumagawa stand up once again. He had hit Kumagawa harder than the ultimate soldier, and yet Kumagawa was still getting up.

Their fight, if it could be called that persisted. As Kumagawa stood up, only to have Kamakura break something with even more recklessness and throw him to the ground once more. His uniform because torn up, his face bloodied, and bruises blossomed all over his body. Yet, like a demon, or perhaps a zombie, he stood up again and again no matter how many times he was beaten down.

“Why do you keep standing up even though your loss was determined from the start.”  Kamakura said, pausing just once before striking down a freshly standing up Kumagawa.

『Aren’t you jealous of me? You’re never going to feel this, the exhilaration of clashing against an impossible enemy over and over again. Of failing this much.』

Kamakura sighed. “That’s a lie. Nobody enjoys failure. You can’t make something out of nothing, no matter how much you struggle.” He looked to the screws scattered across the floor. “You can undo events correct? Why are you avoiding using that ability? Is it because you know once I see it I’ll figure out the weakness. My ability makes it so I always get favorable results.”

『Well you’re not wrong. Still, my ability is different from yours, I only end up with unfavorable results. I can’t make something from nothing, but I can turn something to nothing.』Kumagawa even standing unevenly as he did, was able to pick up two more large screws and hold them up into the air.

Kamakura noticed something incredibly odd. Logically, things like aura, or precognitive senses did not exist, but he felt something like an evil aura emitting from Kumagawa. The entire room seemed to twist out of shape around him. Instinctively, he jumped back. Interesting, it seemed like even he was capable of a basic fight or flight response.

Before Kumagawa could do anything though, suddenly the roof above him collapsed and two students landed on top of him, slamming into him and grabbing his arms. Kumagawa broke their fall by landing face first into the ground.

“Would you please spare us the trouble of getting serious on only the second month of being in this school? Are you trying to destroy the world? Well, you are but…” The proper looking student wearing a monocle said.

Chougasaki Kagamura
Reserve Course Second Year
Bloodtype AB
Minus: Encounter (Nerfed)

“You promised to give me all the physical battles, don’t go back on your word so easily, leader, or I’ll kill you.” A blonde girl wearing her uniform improperly called out in a crude voice.

Shibushi Shibuki
Reserve Course First Year
Bloodtype AB
Minus:Scardead (Nerfed)

Kagamaru stood up dusting off his jacket. “You’re the ultimate hope, right? I saw you a few times since we’ve been experimented on by the same groups of people. In fact we were arguing with the old men upstairs when we heard this fight. Quite the cocidnece huh? I wonder what’s influencing this, Kumagawa’s bad luck, or your good luck. Anyway, where on earth do you get off attacking a good transfer student like this? I don’t know what kind of hope you’re supposed to be, but this will be brought to the proper authorities.”

“Hmm… You don’t talk as strange as he does. However, if I remember correctly he  sent the entirety of class 77-B to the hospital, so logically he can’t be called a good transfer student.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know about that forgive me. Who wouldn’t guessed that something like that could actually happen. Well, since they went around cockily calling themselves ultimates it’s not a surprise something happened to them.”

『Hey, hey, Kagamaru-chan. You shouldn’t be talking to an upperclassmen like that. But I should thank you for covering for me, and thnak you for breaking my arms. I was about to destroy everything here.』

What kind of loser… Kamakura thought, almost genuinely stunned for a moment. I guess that’s how they are. Once he reset his expectations though his surprise dulled, and went back to neutral.

『And for the final thanks, thanks for helping me out back there. I’m supposed to be the leader and you guys saw as I was getting my ass handed to me.』

Shibushi stood over him with her hands on her hips, but she leaned down to offer him a hand. “Keh! Like I’ll fall for that false humbleness act. There’s no one in minus thirteen calss who thinks that getting their ass handed to them is a bad thing. We’re all used to being on the losing end anyway.”

The three of them stood together, Kumagawa being supported by the other two.

Kamakura tilted his head the tiniest angle. “I never expected somebody would come to help you. You’re just like that woman, it seems unexpected things happens around you as well.”

『Of course they’d come to help me. After all we all subscribe to weekly shonen jump. Fragile relationships, useless work, and empty victories, that’s the motto of the untalented that you think you’re so above.』 Kumagawa smiled. 『Now then, Izuru-chan, ti’s become a 3 vs 1 match, do you want to continue?』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Mukuro, hurry your fat ass up! I don’t want to miss the fight!” Junko said running down the hallway with her sister. Everyday was a good day to wear heels, but today she regretted it just a little bit as she was missing most of the action. It was Kamakura’s fault for being so over dramatic, and punching him so far. Who did he think he was, the guy who always picked up vending machines and threw them in that one anime?

She slid to a stop excitedly when she reached the classroom the two had stopped to fight in, only to stop her excitement once she peered through the open door. “You’re kidding me! Senpai lost already!”

Not only Kumagawa, bbut the two newcomers into the fight were laying on the ground completely beaten, broken, and bruised. Almost all of the desks in the room had been torn apart, and there were several scars on the walls and several screws driven into the wall and floor.

However, Kamakura himself was completely untouched. It did not even look like he had broken a sweat over such a fight. Kumagawa was leaning again back up against the same broken chalkboard. “This is boring. Have you realized it yet how below me you are, or do you really believe yourself special and unique for wanting to challenge the talented? You’re more transparent than you think you are. All the untalented blame the talented around them for their inferiorities, and attack them like locusts to oppress them..”

Kamakura stopped when Kumagawa suddenly lifted his head and had tears falling down from both eyes.『Don’t get the wrong idea, Izuru-chan. I’m not crying because your hits hurt, or because I’ve fallen into despair. These are tears of joy. I was so happy when Anshinin told me all about you!』Kumagawa stood up once more, but rather than try to fight again he held both of his hands open.  『I’ve waited my entire life to meet you! For someone like you who was even more of a minus then me! The reason those two follow me, is because they were happy to find somebody more pathetic than they were. I was looking for that too, looking for somebody minuser so I could be relieved of being the worst, most pathetic, most awful person in all of existence.』

“More nonsense.”

『No it’s not! Don’t be cruel Izuru-chan. These are words from the heart from somebody whose fallen for you! I really did think my life was the worst, I was untalented, and had no friends, and couldn’t work hard. But you know, even somebody like me was able to keep living as myself, as insecure and fragile as an existence as I was.』

“...”

Kumagawa was getting closer to him, Kamakura noticed but didn’t do anything.

『However, I didn’t feel so bad about myself, that I agreed to change my whole personality in order to become somebody better. I didn’t hate myself so much that I would do literally anything to be somebody else.  I never once thought I should stop being myself, but you did! You’re so pathetic and weak, you put all that talent on to cover up your insecure self, but I know better than anybody that insecurities don’t go away no matter how many band aids you put on them.』

Kumagawa fell on his knees right in front of Kamakura. He crawled the last few steps on them, before bowing at his feet.  『I’m so happy to meet you, I can barely keep it in. Thanks to you I can finally feel good about myself in comparison! Thank you! I’m so grateful! I’ll do anything for you! I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth! I’ll lick your boots, please, just let me serve under you. You’re a minus among minuses! You failed completely even at being an untalented normal person, what made you think you’d be able to stand among the talented? You belong with us, Izuru-chan! You can be the king of the minuses!』

For the first time in his life, Izuru Kamakura was completely overcome with an emotion. He felt nothing but disgust and repulsion for all of Kumagawa’s existence. He remembered now why he had forgotten the face of that boy. It was because his own brain had rejected the memory, as if he wanted to forget.

He looked down at his own hands to see them shaking. Kumagawa was a sickness, if he stayed any longer he would be infected by it too. So, just like that, he turned around and left.

He walked straight past Junko Enoshima, who turned her head and called after him. “Wait, what are you doing? You're supposed to fight. Fight for your love! Fight for despair! Fight because I told you to? Hey, hey!” She paused for a moment, leaning all the way down to watch him leave. "Well I hate to see him go but I love to watch him leave."

Mukuro worried behind her. “Maybe we should leave, we broke like… half of the floor.”

『I thought I was out of apologies, but it looks like I’ll have to apologize again. Don’t worry, I’ll make your bruises and lacerations become nothing. 』Kumagawa said as he tried to pick up one of the screws he had left on the ground.

Kagamaru shook his head. “Kumagawa, these lacerations are beautiful right? It’s okay, please don’t mind it. This was an unexpected accident after all.”

“I’ve always loved picking at my scars as they heal.” Shibushi said behind him.

Even though they both could barely move off the ground, they both smiled up at him at the same time.

Kumagawa stared blankly at both of them for a moment, before he slapped his own cheeks, and forced himself to smile as well.『Ah, that’s right, what was I thinking. I should leave you two in pain, so you can suffer and become even more minus-er the next time we meet.』

“What are you idiots getting all smiley emoji about? You just got your asses kicked.” Junko said, stomping her boot and losing her patience. “God you minuses screw up at everything, you don’t even know how to despair correctly.”

Kumagawa wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, and smiled at her then.  『What are you talking about, Enoshima-san? Nothing happened here.』He staggered forward, taking a step with his broken and beaten up body.  『Nothing at all.』

One step was all Kumagawa managed before he started to fall forward. He expected to fall face flat into the ground once more, only to be caught by Junko’s red hand. “You liar.” She said with a roll of her eyes. “Quit trying to act cool. It doesn’t suit a loser like you at all.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kumagawa undid the damage that had been done due to their fight, but as a permanent consequence that he could not undo, Kamakura did not return to his room again. He walked on his own leaning against the wall until they made it back outside, until they split up so Mukuro could return the two injured minuses to the infirmary.

Outside, there was nothing for Kumagawa to support himself on. Junko thought about it for a moment before offering her shoulder. KUmagawa whistled and looked away like he did not see it, which annoyed Junko.

As they stood leaning against the side of the old building, Junko suddenly became curious again. It was a habit of hers. “Hey, how did you know that you could talk Kamakura down?”

『If he really was somebody like Medaka-chan with no weaknesses at all then I would have been screwed. I figured since he was listening to you, Kamakura’s weakness number one was that he was easily swayed by words.』Kumagawa tried to stretch, but instead his back made a terrible noise that sounded more like a snap than a crack. 『Ahhhh, I haven’t been beaten this badly since Medaka-chan did it in middle school, how refreshing.』

“There you are pretending again.” Junko resisted the urge to roll her eyes this time. “I think I’ve spotted Kumagawa’s weakness number one, he’s way too prideful.”

『Hey, that’s my gimmick you know.』

“Well it’s cooler when I do it.” She said, before uncrossing her arms and offering her shoulder one more time. “Come on, this is the only time a girl is ever going to let you willingly touch her.”

Kumagawa sighed.『I guess I can’t resist being thrown around by your selfish whims after all.』He said before finally giving into her, and leaning on her.『 Hey Junko, did you set this all up knowing my friends would interfere and get beaten up? That's okay if you did, I was thinking lately I could find some new minuses to play with among your ultimate despairs.』

Elsewhere, unlike the incredibly weak Kumagawa who was being supported, the incredibly strong Kamakura was walking all on his own, as he dealt with this strange feeling that overtook his entire being.

He realized he was acting illogical right now. Kumagawa had not even tried to pursue him, and yet he was still running… where… to what desintation? Everything had seemed so clear when he just let Junko plan things out for him, and he could sit back and be an observer.

He just didn’t want to sit in that room anymore. He was afraid if he closed his eyes again, and let it that he would just wake up in that same bed. No, he’d keep running until he got somewhere else.

Of course even a demi-god was part human, and Kamakura possessed a human body. Eventually he gave into exhaustion and collapsed in the middle of the pathway he ahd been following for who knows how long.

He was however, somebody who was loved by luck. There was another person just like him who was loved by luck as well. He had white hair, that seemed to spiral in every direction. Even though all of his classmates had been injured and sent to the hospital, his injuries were the least severe, by a stroke of luck they missed every single vital region.

He was dismissed just today, and walking back to the academy with an umbrella to block the sun from his pale skin when he had gotten lost. He decided to just keep wandering around until he found something familiar.

Suddenly, a person who was both familiar and unfamiliar collapsed in front of him. He held out his umbrella over them, to shade them partially.

“Oh, this must be my lucky day.” Komaeda Nagito said with a smile. "Or maybe it's unlucky, I don't know why but suddenly my heart's throbbing when I see you mister, are you dangerous?"

Chapter 5: If it Weren't for Bad Luck, I Wouldn't Have Any Luck at All

Summary:

Minor animal death: (TW) because the chapter discusses some events from Komaeda's backstory.

Notes:

Let's play the reference game.
Chapter contains a reference to Ishida Sui's poetry (I want to Disappear).

I am luck.
He reminded himself.
A long time ago…
When I was still in elementary school, the plane my family and I rode at the san cristobal airport got hijacked.
I was simply “unlucky” that time, but due to the “impossible” chance of a meteorite falling, the culprits died and I was saved!
This is what you call “good luck”, right?

He thought, almost to reassure himself.
Although the meteorite saved me, it had also taken away my parents’ life. This was another form of “bad luck.” But with my parents’ death I obtained “good luck” in the form of a large inheritance and freedom.
In my opinion the bad luck that happens first, and the good lcuk that comes after are largely proportionate.
It had always been like that, the cycles were the only consistency he could hold onto.
He could not fathom a world that did not follow those neat and distinct rules.

He remembered it clearly like a metronome swinging back and forth. A kind and soft dog who had white fluffy hair just like him. One his parents had given him as a gift, one of their rare acts of kindness. An animal that was always his companion even when his parents were gone.

The dog died hit by a truck that was supposed to hit Komaeda. Bad luck, he saw its copse caught up in the wheels of a truck. It seemed like the road was cluttered with spam. A cord that resembled a yellow spaghetti popped from its cross-section.

He watched as its internal organs bloomed into foul and grotesque flowers. There was nothing left of his dog, there was no way a soul would dwell in such a hideous thing. Yet, he walked over and clutched the remains and cried anyway. He mourned on what little pieces there were left. He held onto it, even though he hated ugly things.

The metronome ticked back, and his good luck, he was still alive. The price for that good luck was his dog’s beautiful life.

His parents’… heads each smashed… no, no he already went through that memory a moment ago there was no need to repeat it again. He didn’t need to imagine their brains seeping out of crushed skulls in a substance whose texture was like honey.

Where did he leave off? Good fortune he was all alone and free. The metronome swung, and he had that freedom taken from him. A sack was thrown over his head and he didn’t resist. He saw himself as the hanged man, perfectly serene as he marched off to the gallows. From the muffled sounds outside, he surmised that a murderer had taken him. He didn’t know for what reason, or where he would end up but he didn’t particularly care either. Not because he wanted to die no, no, no, no, no. it was simply that he knew his luck would take care of it for him.

He didn’t cry in despair, he simply waited it out. Then the killer walked away and when he was tied up and alone to the point of starvation the police finally came for him. When they pulled him out he realized what had surrounded him. He had been left in a garbage bag to die, among the trash.

He really hated ugly places, as well as ugly things. His stomach was about to turn, but then he saw a piece of paper fluttering in the air around him like a butterfly. He snatched it between his fingers and grabbed it before it could escape. A lottery ticket. More money piled onto him. The metronome swung back to good luck. His middle school years still were lived out in the comfort of a large house and a secure fortune.

When he returned from an attempted murder smiling and jovially recounting what had happened to him in front of others who wished to be spared the gory details, nobody could stand to be around him from then on. Those people only ever talked about him in whispers, but that was fine by him.

These meaningless things will be easily destroyed, they’re nothing more than weak and useless hope. The “true hope” won’t be easily destroyed because of the influence of some trash like me.

 He no longer felt guilt for the corpses he had to walk over, simply to keep living. At least that was the lie he told himself. A minus is somebody who loses what is impossible for them to lose, and then continues to move forward, telling themself any lie in order to do so.

The king of the minus, or perhaps their king of fools Kumagawa Misogi embodied this philosophy as everything he did became just as meaningless as lies themselves. It was just another coincidence then, another stroke of improbability, that these two beings Kumagawa and Komaeda had developed independently, in entirely independent circumstances, yet each had become so alike.

Convergent evolution was the term for independent evolution of similar species of different lines. An archetype was the term pioneered by Jung to describe the tendency of different cultures with no discernable connection to one another somehow coming up with myths and characters that fall into similar patterns, like the tendency of a trickster character to arise in various pantheons for instance.

Those two had never met, in fact there were scenarios where they would in fact never meet and simply pass by each other like two stray ships in the night. It’s probably more interesting if they do, right?

Just like Kumagawa, Komaeda was somebody who saw no merit to his own victories. He was a worthless existence, lacking in anything like talent that could inspire others. Even if he would win, he would play down his own role in things. If he was a weak and meager existence who had no power to affect the things around him, then he could say that it wasn’t his fault. He threw away his victories, so he could accept his losses without thinking about them.

That too, did not last him. Komaeda was different from Kumagawa in one aspect, he was even a failure at being a minus. Just as he was beginning to get by, all on his own, with only those lies to cling to, the metronome swung again into bad luck. There was nobody around him, so the luck came for him at last.

He did not remember this one as clearly as all the others. A dark room, a man with a blank face explaining in dull tones his diagnosis.

It was at that point Komaeda realized he was going to die alone. His entire life he had worked so hard to minimize the damage of his luck, he had avoided so much, and navigated himself so carefully, and this was the result of all of that. All of his suffering had become nothing, as if having no one around to see them made them disappear.

That’s when he changed his mind, just a little bit. He could no longer afford to play as if he was uninvolved in these things. The metronome ticked back into good luck, and a message appeared in his hand.

This year we decided to accept one student chosen by lottery from among each and every one of the country’s regular highschool students. As a result we invite you to attend our school as a person possessing “SHSL Luck.”

And just like that I entered a special government school that accepts only the top students with unusual talents, known as Hope’s Peak Academy. For me to enroll so easily while everyone else had secretly dreamed to enter this “elite class” school, there could be nothing luckier than this.

Or so he thought, but…

The moment he took his first step, a witch dug her long fingers tipped with fake red claws straight into his heel and ensnared him.

Suddenly, his thoughts were broken by the sound of a teapot whistling. He looked down, exiting the scape of his own mind and viewing reality once more. His short term memories were much sharper, he remembered quite clearly dragging the long haired stranger back to his dorm and settling him into a bed before going to make tea for the both of them.

Is he a stranger? When I’m around him my heart beats like I’m familiar with his presence. Lately, ever since his recent hospitalization Komaeda Nagito had started to doubt his own memories. Perhaps it was the fact that he had seen the impossible recently, or perhaps it was because he feared the progression of his own disease.

Ah, briefly for a moment to clarify. The impossible that Komaeda had witnessed was not the magic trick known as all fiction, or the many times that he and his classmates while fighting Kumagawa Misogi had inflicted injuries on him only for those injuries to disappear and for him to stand up again. The impossibility he witnessed was Kumagawa Misogi himself, somebody he sensed no talent in at all managing to defeat on his own fifteen people who possessed super high school levels of talent, and one teacher who had graduated from this school.

Ever since then he possessed two minds about what he witnessed, as if he was recollecting from two different sets of memories. That was why he had decided to try and think on his past again in order to reorder himself and his memories. He would have continued as soon as he finished taking the teapot off the stove, but he heard footsteps in the other room and knew that his guest had finished resting.

Komaeda poured two cups, and put them on a tray. Before lifting the tray up and walking them over. He greeted the stranger who might not be a stranger with a pleasant smile. “It’s good to see you awake.” A simple pleasantry, even one someone devoid of social skills like him could manage.

“It’s neither good nor bad, it’s obvious I would recover from something as simple as exhaustion. One doesn’t even need to possess super high school level medical knowledge to arrive to that conclusion.”

“Haha, I guess. Are you always this talkative?” Komaeda said, his smile not breaking. He set down a cup for Kamakura, and then one for himself, then sat cross legged on the floor across from him.

“No.” Kamakura looked at the tea that had been set down in front of him, as if the decision to accept the small gesture was one that held life and death consequences.

“I thought it was good luck that I found you on the side of the road, but perhaps it was bad luck for you because you were found by someone as worthless as me.” Casually, he degraded himself while still keeping his smile up and the tone of the conversation light.

“Your apology is unnecessary. I don’t see it as good or bad luck. In fact your interference was unnecessary, as I possess the talents of the ultimate survivalist, and the ultimate navigator even lost and alone I eventually would have found my way on my own. Pursuing the line of thought on whether our encounter was good or bad luck is entirely boring to me.”

“Well, at least we both agree on that. I don’t feel like there’s anything a weak existence like me could give to you, but still…” His heart started to pound, not just because of the stranger’s presence, but at the idea that he might leave him so easily. A hand… my hand, reaching out to him… even as his image fades, even as my own body feels heavy and weighed down by it’s own uselessness, I still reach out. I reach out knowing I won’t ever grasp it. He rocked forward for a moment propelled by the force of his sudden recollection. A memory. His memory? “Can’t we talk just a little bit? If only to pass the time.” His request suddenly sounded desperate, even to him.

“Do as you wish.” The stranger who wasn’t a stranger, reached out for his tea finally and sipped it slowly. “This tastes terrible.”

“Haha, it’s harder than it looks alright.” Komaeda said, as he sipped his drink without complaint as he was used to tasting terrible things.

“We didn’t have enough time for introductions last time. I’m Kamakura Izuru.”

“Komaeda Nagito, wait…last time?”

“Don’t pretend to be surprised, it’s pointless. Your pulse is heightened and your eyes haven’t left me once since we started talking, it’s obvious from your biological signs that you recognize me even if the consciousness you’re aware of doesn’t.”

“I’m a little slow though, and things have been a bit foggy for me lately, so do you mind explaining it for me? I’m sure when someone of your radiant talent lays it all out for me, I’ll see it clear as day.”

Kamakura considered that request in silence for a long time. Even thinking of the face of Kumagawa made him shiver, though he did not recognize the emotion… Disgust? Repulsion? He would never admit it, because that emotion did not belong to him but rather to his other self, a hatred of being observed by others, of being seen… he was afraid.

The rules of this world causality, physics, had been violated again and again by that individual. The reality he was now a part of was not despair, or even unpredictable, it was simply nonsense. It was pointless and would all be washed away eventually. He did not know what to do, so he simply wanted to not act… but that wouldn’t work he knew.

Perhaps he should indulge a little bit in the pointlessness. “Fine. I was going to erase them, both your memories and my own, but my reasons for doing so at this point have become nothing.” Kamakura reached out and brushed the black hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear so both of his bright red eyes became clear. “We only met once, it was brief and intense with a strange rhythm, it was like a dance. Just like a dance too, my interest ended when the music stopped playing.”

Kamakura described the scene perfectly to him, he must have had the talent of ultimate storyteller as well. However, soon Kamakura’s words caused him to drift away, and he found himself losing touch of reality once more. Though his eyes, he could see the memory in perfect recollection, spurred on by Kamakura’s descriptions. Words melted, and became images. They were colors and lights, mixed in with sounds.

“I pray you can avoid my beating you, so you become a despair that makes all of them shine..” He said, unaware of what Junko Enoshima was smirking about. Then suddenly he felt it, a presence that seemed to have everything within them.

Badump.

His heart beat increased like electricity had run through him, reviving him. Immediately he turned around leveling the gun at the newcomer. It was like a reflex, of the pulse that had been sent through him.

He pulled the trigger without thinking, and a moment later heard an unsatisfying click. “Ah…” He doubled over to investigate the barrel of the gun. “It’s jammed…”

Before he could even figure out the cause, he felt the wind move next to him. Kamakura who was in front of him was now at his side, he could only turn his head just in time to see. At that time Kamakura whispered into his ear, as if it was an intimate secret between the two of them. “If it’s good luck, I have that, too.”

Kamakura pulled the gun away so easily that it was like Komaeda had given it to him as an offering. Colors, colors all around him, they blended into the sounds and became indistinguishable from one another. He felt something brush against his hip. For however briefly he was being held.

It really was like a dance.

Then just as he finished turning around, he saw the image of Kamakura fully in front of him like a still frame of a painting. Then, he heard the click of a trigger, and his heart stopped.

Komaeda gripped his forehead with both hands now, as he tried to drag himself back to reality. The taste of bitter tea in his mouth, the sounds of students going about their days outside as morning broke, and the breathing of Kamakura, calm and steadying right in front of him. Such an even rhythm.

He opened his eyes again, and nodded along. “I know… everything your telling me is true.”

“You already know, don’t you?” Kamakura reached that conclusion.

Komaeda took his hands off of his face, and folded them politely underneath the table as he thought through. “I remember, two sets of memories. The first in which I happily gazed at the feast of talent, that was collected and served in front of me. I enjoyed myself with my classmates and slowly began to open up to them. As we went to festivals, played games, and bonded together their hope became my hope. All of us working together we survived through what could have been a great tragedy on the school… but that, that’s not really what happened isn’t it? Those memories are way too happy for someone like me, they’re like a happy dream, the more I think about them the more they fade away from me.”

Kamakura watched him without changing his expression. “The first time you met Enoshima Junko you tried to kill her. The details of how that situation arised or how even someone like you was able to corner her don’t matter to me. Afterwards though when you realized your hope was too weak to stop her, you knelt in front of her and offered to help her despair instead, even if it was just as a nameless servant. After that, one by one, every single member of your class was convinced to the side of despair through various means. You were unfazed by this, calling them false talents or fake hopes. While you all worked behind the scenes, what happened next must have outstripped your expectations.”

Komaeda rocked forward again, this time he did not reach for his head even though he was in obvious pain. “The worst most despair inducing incident in the history of mankind. The students of the preparatory school destroyed hope’s peak academy. No, that’s a joke right? Lies. Even if it’s a prank it’s not something one should joke about. Are you the ultimate prankster as well?”

“...” Kamakura merely stared into the ripples his tea was making.

“They’re different from the true ‘super high school levels’ those are just people with no talent who couldn’t be accepted through normal ways…. They were just second class students, right? Even with Enoshima controlling them. “Normal people with no talent” should never have been able to revolt against the embodiments of hope. No matter how you look at it, it’s just a farce.”

“It’s not a farce, but it was made into one.”

Komaeda’s head was facing down, but he could still hear the sounds coming from the outside world. He turned his head around and looked out the window. Students passed him by going about their days. There were no flames, no blood like he remembered, no students falling from the rooftops, no slaughter of the talented, no path of corpses for him to walk along as he escaped the destruction once again. “That’s right… Hope’s peak academy isn’t destroyed. Then, did a great hope come to save everyone?”

Kamakura shook his head. “Nothing came to save you. It just all went away, that was the real prank. There’s a student named Kumagawa Misogi, I don’t think despair and hope matter to him that much at all despite what he claims. He made it so everything he touched became nothing.”

“It just.. Went away? That’s impossible.”

“How possible is your luck within the realm of reality? Everything is impossible, until we see it, then we adjust our expectations again. It all falls into order eventually.”

He’s right... Komaeda thought, even the seeming disorder of his luck always fell into distinct categories of good and bad. “No, but… only somebody with great hope could have stopped all of this. No other ending is an acceptable result. It’s not true.”

“Search your feelings you know it to be true.”

“Did you just quote something?”

Kamakura sipped his drink casually once more. “No.”

“Ah… but… no you see, it’s… that’s not how it… what happened is… hope, hope, where can I find hope in this situation?” Komaeda’s hands unconsciously traveled to his face again as he searched for it.

There was nothing though, nothing at all to find. It had all become nothing, because of the whims of a single faceless boy who he could only barely remember despite fighting him like mad with his other classmates a few weeks ago.

He tried to picture it now, but he could only remember one detail of his face. His smile. All the rest of it disappeared and became invisible, except for that sole remaining smile laughing at him.

Laughing.

Ah, that’s right this was laughable.
Komaeda realized that the sound of laughter he was hearing did not belong to Kumagawa Misogi, but rather his own.
The moment he realized that, he threw his head back and embraced it.
Laugh!
His laughter was discord, it wildly jerked up and down with no rhythm at all, because the metronome in his head which had always so delicately dictated for him the swings between hope and despair, good luck and bad luck, had broken.

Kamakura simply kept on sipping his tea as if he wasn’t hearing anything at all.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

『Enoshima-san, stop laughing. I don’t get what’s so funny.』Kumagawa said as he leaned back on the president’s chair.

He could not rest on the president’s desk, because Junko was sprawled out on top of it, laying there like a lazy cat. “Hahahaha, it’s just, Hahahahauuhuhuhuhu, it’s amazing you expected me to do any work for you, upupupupu. You know who I am, right?” As she finished her bout of laughter, she kicked the heels of her black boots into the air without a care in the world.

They were once again swamped with paperwork, this time from the disturbance at the old school building. The monokuma factory in a floor of the old school building, the escape of Kamakura, incidents were now piling up faster than Kumagawa could erase them. As a result it seemed like he was going to have to actually do his job rather than spend the rest of the evening reading manga like he wanted.

Technically there was another member of his student council, but she was an existence dedicated to throwing monkey wrenches in the workings of things. That used to be his job!

『So lazy. It’s just like the elite to rest on their laurels, how did you even almost destroy this school in the first place?』

“I didn’t have to do anything. Everybody did everything else for me, everybody moved exactly as I thought they would. Your insecurities are right Senpai, I am better than you without even trying.”

『I dunno you seem to be trying way too hard when you dance around like that all by yourself.』Kumagawa said, smirking and choking back laughter again just at the memory.

“We agreed never to speak of that.” Junko said, immediately sitting up in reaction to his teasing.

『No, you just told me not to talk about it.』

“Yes, and you should start doing what I tell you to do. I obviously know best, I mean, look at me, and look at you in comparison. I'm the one everybody wants to be."

 『When has that ever worked out well for anyone, general affairs manager?』Kumagawa said, before pausing a bit thinking on their latest bout of banter.『Nobody needs to be in charge though. The ideal student council is one that works together for a shared dream. Let’s just work together to turn this school into a paradise where the talented get slaughtered for the despair of all, it’s the dream we share right? 』

“Hmm, I seem to remember I was 99% finished on executing my plan when somebody with a stupid face got in the way? Do you remember who that is?”

『I have no idea who this mysterious and charming individual could possibly be. I just know your plan was worthless because you were looking down on the untalented. The only people you ever rely on or even acknowledge are the talented, you treat the rest like fodder.  What point is there to tearing down hope’s peak if you’re just going to act exactly like them?』

“Why don’t you come up with your own plan before you criticize my plan.” Their bantre seemed to be quickly turning into a heated argument as Junko moved into Kumagawa’s face, taking up the entirety of his view.

Of course even though Junko was at least bratty enough to genuinely argue, Kumagawa was unfazed, and continued with his act.『I have a plan.』He said in his patently insincere voice.

“Oh really, what exactly is it?”

『I have one percent of a plan.』Kumagawa unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and put it right in front of her face. It was only then Junko noticed how close she had gotten and decided to back off in order to read it. Of course, glancing at the paper once all of its contents were effectively memorized.

“A schedule? What is that for?”

『The principal asked me to start monitoring the campus, because of the two unexplained incidents. It’s basically a patrol, and you’re coming with.』

“Why would I do that?”

『I guess if you want you can go back to your classmates and spend your days creating hope filled memories with them.』

“Ugh, fine, but do you know what a pain it’s going to be walking around campus all day in heels? It’s total murder on my feet, and not the fun kind.”

『Then just wear normal shoes?』Kumagawa said, once again confused as his experience with girls in the past was incredibly minimal.

“Look, I’m all for insanity usually, but let’s not get crazy here.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Komaeda had no idea how to act around company. He had skipped class to spend the day with Kamakura, but besides his occasional attempts at probing conversation Kamakura spent the entire day in silence. At one point halfway through the day his head turned and he started to stare out a window.

Eventually, Komaeda gathered the courage to ask him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m watching the shadows move across the ground as time passes.”

“Is that fun?”

“No.”

That was the longest conversation they had managed to have all day past their initial one. Komaeda could not figure out why. Perhaps Kamakura found it disturbing when he suddenly burst into laughter, but then again… Kamakura didn’t seem like the type of person to be bothered by that sort of thing.

When night had already fallen, Kamakura finally spoke up on his own. Komaeda had just finished coming back from the convenience store a block away from the campus with food for both of them. “It’s unnecessary for you to shelter me here. Even if there were others looking for me they could not find me, I have the talents of the ultimate spy to disappear from their midst, and several combat related talents to stop any pursuers.”

“Haha, well that’s me unnecessary. You don’t have to go though, I mean it’s probably better to sleep with a warm bed somewhere you’re familiar with right?”

“It makes no difference to me.”

“What about Junko… she’s still around isn’t she? You can’t go too far if you still want to cooperate with her.” Komaeda himself did not know what had happened next, or even if he still wanted to cooperate with Junko, he had just reached for whatever could come to mind.

“Junko has that parasite clinging to her right now. As long as he’s still alive nothing will change. He’s…” Komaeda noticed Kamakura’s face suddenly become overcome with emotion as he scowled. Before he could even ask though, suddenly his door flew open.

“Hey, were you two talking about me behind my back?” Speak of the devil could sometimes be applied quite literally. Enoshima Junko stepped through their doorway, immediately standing between the two of them. She smiled at KOmaeda, “Oh, Komaeda, you didn’t die. Too bad.”

“Wh-what are you doing?” Komaeda said as his eyes uneasily followed her around the apartment.

“Oh, you two can keep gossiping don’t mind me.” Junko snickered to herself as she went looking around the apartment immediately. “Going around a boy’s dorm at night, I’ll get quite the reputation if anybody found out about this.”

Kamakura said nothing in response. Yet despite his indifference, his eyes were trained on her too, watching as she danced around seemingly at random with no purpose. Junko finally stopped in front of a cabinet and pulled it open. “Just came to borrow a bag of chips. You don’t mind right?”

“There’s no way…”

Junko stopped with a finger on her lips. “We-ell, I guess I came to ask for a favor too.” She pulled out a piece of paper with a printed schedule on it and dropped it in Komaeda’s lap. “I was thinking of playing hooky tomorrow, would you cover for me, Senpai?”

“Student council president Kumagawa’s schedule… how did that guy become student council president? Are you working with him? I don’t want anything to do with any of you, I just want hope to strike down the despair that both of you represent. I was trying to-” Before Komaeda could even get midway into his speech though, Junko had already turned around and was halfway out the door.

She stopped only for a moment, but didn’t even look behind her as she spook. “Whatever, hun. You were the one who walked up to me. I didn’t do a thing. So do it or do not, there’s no try, and I don’t care if there is.”

Suddenly cutting Junko off in the middle of her speech, her phone buzzed. She picked it up and angrily stared at the screen.

“Was she quoting something…” Komaeda quietly wondered aloud.

“Stop texting me back when I text you insults you loser. Angry emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji. And why are you using those brackets around your words anyway?” Junko said, voicing what she was writing on the phone out loud rather obnoxiously.

“Kakko Tsukeru,” Kamakura spoke up.

“What?” Junko looked up from her phone.

“There are two different ways to write Kakko tsukeru, the first means ‘to put brackets on a sentence’ the second means ‘to show off’. It’s a really easy gag to figure out. When he speaks with brackets, he is trying to be cool.”

Junko blinked. Then immediately turned her attention back to her phone as she walked back out. Under her breath, she started to giggle. “That’s kind of funny. That dork.” She said only to herself.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The next day, Kumagawa Misogi waited up early in the morning at the door to his office for Junko to arrive. Only to see a boy with white hair that seemed to go in every direction, walk up to meet him an hour late past their agreed upon meeting time.

If Kumagawa was a considerate person, he would notice that Komaeda was one of the sixteen he fought against and then screwed to the wall the day that he erased the fall of Hope’s Peak.  

『Who are you?』An inconsiderate person. He was definitely an inconsiderate person!

“Komaeda Nagito. Junko told me she couldn’t make it today and asked me to go in her place.”

『Really that girl, always pulling everyone along with her selfish whims.』Kumagawa sighed, for a moment it seemed like he was complaining about any other teenager, and not the girl who had tried to orchestrate the apocalypse.

『Well if you don’t mind spending the whole day with someone like-』
“I know someone like me is an improper substitute but-”

The two of them immediately tried to depreciate themselves, only to talk over one another. They both stopped at the same time and stared awkwardly for a moment. It was Kumagawa who turned away suddenly and just decided to flee the awkwardness.

While he was running away, Komaeda decided to follow staying a few paces behind him. He gripped the inside of his uniform pockets for the change he had stuffed into one, and the bouncy balls he had stuffed into the other.

As they walked around the school campus checking on the various student run groups that the student council was put in charge of. Komaeda once again made idle conversation. “Hey, I’m not sure if this is something to ask a stranger, but what do you think your ideal world would be if you could create it? For example. My world would be one where people were allowed freely to use their talents to better society in whatever way they wanted. If the whole world were like this school I think it would be a better place.”

『Hmm, creating is kind of a pain don’t you think? It’s inefficient because it is easier to destroy something than create it. In other words, it’s fine to destroy everyone in the elite. Doing so would make the world equal and peaceful. Erase everything they created, that should be fine, right? After that it’s a world only with capable fools. It would probably be the best. After all, fools can’t think of anything. No worries, no troubles! If the elite disappears no one will be driven by jealousy either, eeeeeryone will be happy just by eating and sleeping. A world without talent, don’t you think that’s better?』

Komaeda’s hands tightened in his pockets. At first he had only seen this person as an annoying obstacle standing in the way of the clash between Enoshima’s despair, and whatever hope would arise to vanquish her, but he had in one conversation become much worse than that. Enoshima Junko wanted to spread despair, Kumagawa wanted to erase hope itself as far as Komaeda understood him.

“You’re a little weird you know that.” Komaeda said, and considering his own standards that was saying something. He would not let himself get unnerved though, he had all night to prepare whereas Kumagawa looked entirely oblivious to his situation. He kept trying to greet other students, who would just walk faster to avoid him. At that moment, Komaeda steeled his resolve and dug further into his pocket, to hit the detonation trigger he had hidden underneath all of the bouncy balls.

He had already justified it to himself, a few dominoes being knocked down were nothing if they created a chain reaction that led to hope. Yards away from them, the storage shed for one of the many athletic based talent clubs exploded when no one was around. A few students went to investigate, and Kumagawa too rushed in.

A few minutes later he walked back to Komaeda’s side looking slightly depressed. 『Those meanies, just because I’m the student council president I suddenly have to be responsible and buy them new equipment.』

“What a stroke of bad luck. I don’t mind a detour, I can stay with you and help you carry the supplies home.”

『You’re so nice Komaeda, well maybe you just don’t have any other friends to spend time with but either way!』Komaeda suddenly regretted not detonating the explosives when Kumagawa was closer to the shed. Without breaking his smile, Kumagawa turned around and took the detour just as Komaeda had planned.

From that point on his plan was simple. He didn’t need to do anything really, just continue to walk by Kumagawa’s side. As they were making their way to a supply’s store a few blocks from the academy, Komaeda noticed the first obstacle on his pre-chosen route. If this were a video game, an exclamation mark would have shot up on the screen to announce the encounter. This was the real world though and Kumagawa remained blissfully unaware.

“Hey, are you thirsty? I brought some spare change and there’s a vending machine right there on the side of the road.”

Kumagawa nodded, and waited as Komaeda went ahead to buy drinks for the both of them. Just as he had expected the machine ate whatever money he put in without giving him any drinks. He pressed the button again and again, as if he were struggling with the machine.

The next moment a truck came down the road and wildly lost control of itself, plowing straight into Kumagawa and then the vending machine sending them both flying in opposite directions. As Komaeda had already knew the truck was going to come he had side stepped it ahead of time. He threw his hands on his face in false concern and rushed to Kumagawa’s side. “Are you alright? What terrible luck, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today or something, Kumagawa-kun?”

Before Komaeda could even reach him though, Kumagawa was already struggling to his feet on his own. He had been thrown several feet by the sudden collision and crashed hard on the ground, but he stood up and was already dusting himself off as if nothing had happened. 『Oh it’s fine. There’s no need to worry, for somebody like me this is nothing.』

“Oh, I’m so happy you’re not hurt then.” Komaeda said, putting on a fake smile as he clicked his teeth together. It was fine though, he already knew about Kumagawa’s strange ability he had more planned than just this.

When they finally reached the store, the moment Komaeda opened the door an alarm went off declaring him the 1,000th customer. He was quickly grabbed by an employee and shuffled away to be given a prize.

As he was being pulled away though Komaeda let one of his bouncy balls fall to the ground. A passing by employee stepped over it and tripped, falling into Kumagawa and pushing him forward. Kumagawa himself was pushed into a shelf hard enough to cause the shelf to fall forward, making all the other shelves in the aisle fall into each other in a domino effect.

In one minute half of the store had been destroyed, and it looked to be all Kumagawa’s fault. He laughed awkwardly picking himself up from the ground as several angry employees surrounded him.

Hours later, Komaeda was waiting outside when Kumagawa was finally let go. 『Those dang adults are always so mean to me...』Kumagawa whined, complaining about the fact that he had been forced to clean up the whole store before he found Komaeda waiting for him. 『Ah, thanks for waiting for me. I hope I didn’t ruin your day.』

“Don’t be silly. It’s only one bad day.”

『One...』Kumagawa said with an empty chuckle, before looking elsewhere.

Komaeda suddenly stood up again with a forced cheerfulness. “Don’t make that face! Come on I know something that will improve your day, let’s play Gachapon! I’ll let you in on a secret, I’m super highschool level lucky so whatever you want to win I can probably win it for you.”

Kumagawa immediately improved, like a child that was being distracted with an offer of candy. 『Wow, I’ve never gotten what I wanted at Gachapon before.』The two of them walked until they found a collection of machines. Kumagawa closely surveyed the prize list on each one until he zeroed in on one in particular. 『There, that phone strap, that black bear looks cute. It reminds me of something.』

Komaeda was reminded of something too, but for him the association was much more unpleasant. He picked up a coin from his pocket and flipped it towards Kumagawa who caught it in the air. “There, go ahead and try that one. It’s my lucky 100 yen coin.”

Kumagawa knelt in front of the machine and slowly slid it in. He turned the knob and waited. When the plastic ball came up, hurriedly he opened it, to see exactly what he wanted. A small black bear on a phone strap. He genuinely smiled, and his eyes started to water.

Just then a mission conducted by a private company to launch a satellite into space failed, as its engine experienced an unexpected malfunction. The rocket combusted in the skies over japan, and the satellite itself fell down. Komaeda had already backed far away, but the satellite plummeted a few feet away from where Kumagawa was standing, causing an explosion that sent him rocketing backwards.

For a moment, Komaeda was reminded of the past and horrified at his own actions. He always knew his luck would come but never what form it would take… he opened and closed his hands trying to shut the memories of his parents crushed heads out of his mind.

Then he saw Kumagawa was completely fine, with the exception of being covered in a layer of dust and ash and having taken a nasty headwound as he fell, and he once again felt a strange hatred for the existence of the boy in front of him.

Kumagawa struggled to his feet alone once more, and opened up his hand to see the phone strap he had been holding was completely unarmed. Kumagawa smiled triumphantly and stuffed it into his pocket. 『What a good day! Thank you Nagito-chan, all of this would have been impossible without you.』

“Me? What are you stupid?” Komaeda finally asked, his pleasant face immediately turning sour and his brow twisting up in the feelings he had been holding back all day. “Are you really such a loser that your sensibilities are twisted up and you don’t know good from bad? I’ve obviously been messing with you this whole day. I followed you knowing you’d get caught up in the radius of my bad luck.”

『Huh? Bad luck? I didn’t really notice...』

“Wow. You really are stupid. What fluke made a talentless nobody like you able to beat Junko Enoshima? I don’t even doubt that you didn’t notice what I was trying to do to you, all you worthless people can ever do is stare at your own feet when you’re in the presence of your betters.”

『I didn’t notice because I was used to it. To me one day where I lose everything I try, where I’m hated by everyone around me, is indistinguishable from the other.』Kumagawa said, lifting his head up his eyes suddenly shining a bright blue. Komaeda knew what was coming next though, he had already fought him once before. He jumped out of the way as a screw was thrown in his direction.

“Wow, I never thought I’d find an ability more worthless than my luck. You impress me, Kumagawa-kun. Have they given you a title yet? How about super highschool level loser.”

He picked up three of his bouncy balls and threw them on the ground. They ricocheted perfectly off of the nearby buildings that were surrounding them on both sides, and nailed Kumagawa right in the center of his chest pushing him backwards. Komaeda walked over  to him and fished his hand in his pocket. “Guess you lost again.” He said as he took the gachapon that Kumagawa had won.

He pushed down hard with a foot on Kumagawa’s chest and loomed over him scowling. “Alright, meet me in the construction site a block from here whenever you can pick yourself up, and I’ll give this guy back. Or don’t bother trying to stand up again, maybe another truck will run you over and do us all the favor of ridding the world of your existence. It’ll be the first stroke of good luck you had all day.”

With that, Komaeda turned and left. He failed to notice again until a few seconds later, when he heard the sounds echoing back at him, that he had begun to laugh.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Despite the state he had left Kumagawa in, Kumagawa walked up casually with his hands in his pockets, his uniform fixed, and all of the injuries he had suffered over the day. 『Nagito-chan if you want your friends to give you gifts there are better ways to go about it.』He said with a pleasant smile, before tightening his lips. 『Give that back it wasn’t meant for you.』

“Haha nope. Now let’s talk. As you probably have guessed I’m super highschool level lucky, but that’s not my own ability. My entire life my luck has followed cycles of good and bad luck. Usually though, I’m spared the bad luck because everyone around me acts like a shield.”

『Ah, how reckless.』

“It’s not my fault.” Komaeda smiled and held out both of his hands. “If they were destroyed by something as simple and callous as luck, they were too weak to keep on living in the first place. The world has no need for such weak hopes. Anyway, you’re the weakest person I’ve ever seen so I thought I’d pity you and give you a chance. Leave the school now, or else I won’t leave your side for a moment. You’ll be subject to my bad luck all the time.”

『Are you going to start stalking me? I didn’t know you were that desperate for friends, Nagito-chan.』Kumagawa put a hand on his chin and smiled even wider. 『No wait, if I remember correctly you did have friends. You had fourteen other friends that I screwed to the wall while you screamed and begged me to stop.』

Komaeda’s eyes widened. So he had known all this time. He tried not to fall for what was obviously bait. “You’re not answering my question. Decide now, leave or have your life become a hell just like mine.”

Kumagawa tilted his head. 『I don't get it? What are you threatening me with exactly. Nagito-chan, you like hope a lot right? Well, the only reason you understand what hope is because you’ve experienced it before. You think things will work out alright, that good and bad will equivocate because you’ve been allowed to taste happiness. For me though, it doesn’t work that way. I don’t really care about bad luck, because if it weren’t for bad luck I wouldn’t have any luck at all.』Kumagawa took a step closer to Komaeda, which Komaeda took a step back to be away from him in revulsion. 『It’s no wonder your thoughts align so much with the elite and talented people, you’ve been spoiled just like them.』

Because you’ve been allowed to taste happiness. A nerve connected in Komaeda’s head, and he felt electricity jolt through him. He remembered the loving dog, the wealthy home, the time he was invited to hope’s peak academy. All sweet tasting things, but there was nothing but bitterness in his mouth in the aftermath. He decided right then to stop bargaining. “Are you sure about that? It won’t just be you Kumagawa, those other people you care about, and that student council of yours. The bad luck will spread to all of them too.”

『Then I’ll just erase it, that luck of yours.』A screw appeared in his hand.

Before he could even more to throw it Komaeda already had a counter. “You’re going to erase the concept of luck? How exactly can you do that? Luck doesn’t even really exist, it’s merely a human concept applied to probability.”

『Clever. You figured out a weakness of all fiction.』

“I wouldn’t waste your time complimenting me. I’m pretty sure any idiot could have figured that out.” Komaeda took a step forward again. “Apparently you’re not just any idiot though because you’re too stupid to grasp what I mean, so how about I show you.” He picked up the balls from his pocket and threw them all at once.

They all bounced around Kumagawa, hitting critical points in the supports. Komaeda had mixed in several metal balls so that the hits could gain energy and do more damage. Over Kumagawa’s head there was a crane carrying steal beams. A few balls climbed all the way to that height and slammed into it a few times, until one reached the controls and flipped a lever. The crane dumped it’s load, right over Kumagawa and Komaeda’s head causing several steal beams to fall on top of them. They all missed Komaeda, but several stabbed straight through Kumagawa’s body. Komaeda saw pink blood splash in every direction, but unlike Kumagawa he did not smile.

『Ah.』Kumagawa said, barely reacting.

“What are you doing idiot? Undo that injury like you always do.”

『I get it. I’m sorry I was wrong. I thought you were delusional for believing that good luck could always perfectly follow bad luck, but then I realized. That’s just the lie you tell yourself when you end up hurting others.』Kumagawa gave a pained smile. 『You have a horrible uncontrollable power that should be a plus, but you’ve spent your whole life coping with it and it’s twisted your personality around it. You’re not a plus you’re a minus, I can sympathize with you after all.』Komaeda saw one of Kumagawa’s screws on the ground. It was all twisted up, just like Kumagawa himself.

Then the beams that were piercing straight through Kumagawa disappeared. “You can’t sympathize with me, you’re below me.” Komaeda let the rest of the bouncy balls out of his hands and rushed forward, with his own two hands striking forward. He punched Kumagawa square across the jaw but the other barely moved.

『You must not have been in a lot of fights, that barely hurt, or maybe you’re more used to being hit rather than hitting others.』

“Quit analyzing me!” He tackled the other down and continued to strike at him. “Even a worthless talent like luck is better than no talent at all. What do you have! Nothing! What’s even the point of you still being alive!”

『I guess there is no point, but I’m not like you and Junko. You and her, underneath your skin I can smell it. A foul and offensive odor like that of putrid slime. It’s a smell that belongs to those who are already finished. You ask me what can the untalented accomplish, but what about you? What can the dead accomplish.』Kumagawa smiled, no matter how many times he was struck on the face. 『I’m going to live, I’m going to live until I’m happy, I’ll see the day that I win.』

Komaeda hesitated for a moment. He realized, he had been wrong. He thought there was nothing at all inside of Kumagawa Misogi but instead there was one small spark of hope. It was the kind of spark that could start a wildfire. Yet, out of a petty and stupid emotion that somebody like this could possess hope, Komaeda instantly wanted to smother it. His hands went for Kumagawa’s neck, and he tightened his fingers around the other.

Kumagawa was silent, he didn’t even struggle when he tightened his grip. Eventually though, with the last of his strength he spoke up.『Hey… why don’t we stop?』

“Why?”

『Because… I was wrong again, and you’re crying aren’t you...』

In an instant, Komaeda let go to touch the side of his face. Unconsciously, one of his eyes had begun to cry as he forced himself into doing something awful.

『You don’t really enjoy hurting others do you? You don’t actually see it as justified. I’m sorry, I was wrong when I called you a minus, you’re a minus who fails at even being a minus.』

Just then, the balls bouncing around that both Kumagawa and Komaeda had forgotten about came into play once more. Kumagawa was the first one who spotted them. Then suddenly with strength that Komaeda had no idea from where it originated, he sat up, pushed Komaeda off of him and threw it away.

This time Kumagawa looked completely crushed under the mass of falling I-beams. Komeada cried out, the tears returning to him. “N-no! Why, why did you do that? This is all my fault.”

Kumagawa appeared behind him completely unharmed. 『It’s alright, don’t worry about it! Everybody makes mistakes.』He reached out and grabbed Komaeda’s trembling hand, pushing it up against his own face.『I think it’s cruel, people avoiding taking your hand just because they were afraid of getting caught up in your luck. It’s alright! No matter how terrible your luck becomes, no matter what it destroys, I’ll make it like nothing for you! You won’t be able to hurt other anymore.』

Komaeda lost the last of his strength, and collapsed into tears, hanging onto Kumagawa’s uniform for support. He hated himself for hurting this person, and he hated himself more for holding onto this person.

『Alright, alright, don’t cry! Nagito-chan you’re kind of cute. Let’s forget about our fight, it was not my fault, but it was my fault because I didn’t understand you. Nagito-chan is cute after all. Let’s make up, if you give me that phone strap back I’ll give you a seat on my student council. 』

Komaeda was so drained from the fight, that he couldn’t do anything more than nod yes. He didn’t think it would come, but it finally had. A situation which he could not simply laugh off. No, at the moment all he could do was continue to cry those pathetic tears.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ) 

“Really, Senpai? This is your pick for vice president? You chose him over somebody perfect like me?” Junko complained, looking up from where she was filing her nails sitting at her own desk.

Between the two of them Komaeda was sitting politely with his hands in his lap. On one of his arms was a sash for vice president wrapped around it. ‘Super Highschool Level Vice President’ he read. Komaeda could not help but smile, even though he knew the term was temporary and he was merely filling the seat.

『I think it’s best to have somebody who disagrees with you filling the seat. Our taste in manga is far too similar.』

“What does that have to do with anything?”

『Nagito-chan doesn’t skip official student council duties with me either.』

“Oh my god, are you not over that yet? I’m sooo over that already, it was like yesterday. That’s twenty four whole hours. Do you know how long that is.”

『Considering you have an attention span of five seconds, I assume relative to the normal person it’s a millenia for you.』Kumagawa said, standing up once more. 『Look see, Komaede what are your favorite things? 』

“Beautiful places and beautiful people.”

『I love noisy places and ugly people, see we’re like hatred soulmates. I couldn’t think of a better vice president.』Just then an alarm on his phone went off and he looked at the time. Kumagawa put his phone away, but dug around in his pocket for a second and drew out the phone strap only to quickly hide it behind his back. 『Anyway, enough useless chatter it’s time to go on patrol. No skipping this time Junko.』

“Well fine, but only because I’m too lazy to try to think of a new way to kill you today.” Junko said, before throwing the nail file she was using straight at his head. Kumagawa made no attempt to dodge, and it flew past him and embedded itself in the wall.

『Awe. Junko isn’t seriously trying to kill me herself yet, I feel so rejected.』He whined, before turning to leave outside the door. The second Junko caught up, she started to walk ahead of him.

Komaeda was the only one who noticed that Kumagawa was still hiding that strap behind his back. What a coward. Komaeda thought, before looking at all of the work the other two had left behind for him.

He supposed as the only other member of the student council he should try to make himself useful. He stared at the papers for a second before he remembered something.

“Oh wait, I’m terrible at paperwork.”

Chapter 6: This Week's Episode of the Kirigiri Kyouko Investigations

Summary:

A nice relaxing chapter. Even shonen manga occasionally takes a break from fighting week to week.

Notes:

Chapter contains references to: Tokyo Ghoul (Roma), Ishida Sui's Poetry, Durarara! (Kasane Kujiragi)

“Really fast food? You’re such a terrible friend, Kumagawa-senpai.” Shiranui bit into one of the ten burgers she had just ordered all spread out on her plate. On the other side of the table, Kumagawa was picking his burger apart with his bare hands so he could remove the lettuce and tomatoes. He left it on the plate and pushed the plate away from himself.

『Thank you.』Kumagawa said as he bit into his burger as if Shiranui had just complimented him.

“This kind of cheap food is never filling. If I get hungry again I’ll have to devour you afterwards.” She said before half of a burger disappeared into her mouth in one bite.

『I would have taken you to playland before this, but I don’t have that much money. You’re paying for your half right?』

Almost as if avoiding the question, Shiranui changed the subject. “How is that favor I asked of you coming along?”

『A favor? It’s more like a job don’t you think. I’m giving it my best effort, just like the characters in weekly shonen jump.』

“So you’re half assing it then?” Shiranui said, talking still while chewing and with a raise of her eyebrows.

『Thank you, but no. I seriously thought about what you told me.』He picked up a black bear accessory from his pocket and put it in the middle of the table. Then from his other pocket he brought out two small animal charms, a wolf and a hedgehog and placed them on either side.

『He who who wants to hit the general, must first hit the horse. That’s what you told me, right? Even after managing to sneak into this school it was hard for me to become close to Junko who has a strong defense. That’s why I used these two to create an opportunity, Mukuro-chan and Yasuke-chan the only two people Junko loves enough she’d kill them with her own hands rather than manipulate somebody else into doing it.』

“Did you buy those for yourself?  They’re kind of cute.” Shiranui said, as if she wasn’t paying attention.

『Well one of them’s a gift but...』Kumagawa quickly put his hand over the bear, and shoved it back into his pocket before any further questions could be asked. 『This isn’t about my job though, didn’t you say you didn’t care what happened to her as long as the world didn’t end? You called me and said a friend of yours was going to be attending this school soon.』

“Well, this school just needed a place holder for student council president. It’s not like a loser like you isn’t used to just warming the seat for someone else, but yeah…” Shiranui had already finished most of her drink, but obnoxiously she made a loud fuss trying to sip the last of it through a straw and getting mostly air. “The semester’s almost over isn’t it? The 78th class will become second years, and you the 77th class will become third years. In the 79th class there will be a friend of mine hidden among them, well it’s probably better to say they’re an existence like myself.”

『You’re always so vague. I’m pretty dumb you know, that’s why you should explain things clearly. This is why I hate liars.』Kumagawa groused.

“This place is like Sandbox Academy, maybe it doesn’t make much of a difference that you transferred here instead of there. There are a lot of problem children here too, and a concerned father working behind the scenes.” It seemed that was the best explanation that he was going to get. She jumped out of her chair then with a surprising amount of energy considering that all the burgers stacked up in front of her were now gone, and started to walk away. “Do your best, loser-senpai.”

『Wait, where are you going? Isn’t there something you’re forgetting.』

Shiranui stopped and turned around to wink at him. “Being friends with you is not so bad.” Then she turned around and left again with double speed.

『No! Pay me back for this food!』Kumagawa said, before sighing and letting his head fall forward on the table. Minus were unconcerned with losses, but Kumagawa was childish and liked to pout.

Sneaking into places was easy enough when you were small. Shiranui was able to sneak out just as easily without alerting that no fun grump in charge of security Sakakura. As she turned her back on the whole academy and began to walk away, Shiranui thought to herself. “Enonshima Junko, huh? What a pain, it’s like dealing with a second princess.” She chewed on her nails, because there was no other food in front of her to eat and suddenly she felt hungry again out of annoyance. “Still, who would have thought there was someone who would make Kumagawa-senpai look human by comparison?”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“The investigation request on Kamakura Izuru is reopening.”

Kyouko had been called into the office of the man who ran Hope’s Peak Academy as its principal. The man who was also her father.

“Eh?” Kyouko rose up from her seat at the sudden report. “...Why all of a sudden?” She remembered quite clearly the investigation that she had followed all by herself at her father’s request.

The Kamakura Izuru project, the Madarai brothers, and Yasuke Matsuda. A case with a few seemingly unconnected incidents that had all stoked a panic in the academy. The first and most widely known incident was the sudden disappearance of the student council. Before that though, Kyouko was tipped off by her father about the disappearance of a student known as “Kamakura Izuru” being covered up by the Hope’s Peak Academy steering board. After the disappearance of the student council a video circulated among the reserve course students claiming to be a killing game video of Kamakura Izuru killing the entire student council, as well as revealing the Izuru Kamakura project an effort to create one person with every talent using the reserve course’s money. However, the missing student council was found injured but alive, and testimony from the hospitalized student council members all agreed that no such person Izuru Kamakura existed and they were not attacked by anybody else. The incident itself while mysterious was called a mass hysteria incident, rising tension and stress from within the school had caused the student council to attack each other. There have been incidents like this in the past, collective illusions of threats whether real or imaginary that caused spontaneous manifestation of the same or similiar hysterical physical symptoms by more than one preson.

Kyouko remembered this clearly, following this line of investigation with dedication only for it to come up empty. These seemingly connected events in the end had no mastermind, no technician orchestrating them. Instead they had all happened, caused a stir, and then faded away like they were just mere pranks. She even remembered the day the parade hit it’s boiling point, when the reserve course students suddenly charged Hope’s Peak academy and began to riot on the main campus.

Only for them to all suddenly stop and go home as if they had forgotten what they were doing. The next day when the video was revealed as a hoax, the parade ended and life returned to normal. Her peaceful days at the academy were back but Kyouko could not help but feel uneasy at this peace.

She wondered again and again if this was her detective’s intuition, disappointment at being unable to solve the case, or something else. Her father calling her to his office again, confirmed that suspicion for her. “I thought the mass text revealing the Kamakura Project turned out to be a hoax.”

“That in part was a story I told to calm down the students. I was afraid they might go after Kamakura and blame him for the panic that happened in his wake. He never did anything until now though, he was a victim of the steering committee’s ambitions. I had hoped that eventually I could readmit him as a special case student and permit him to move about the campus but then…”

“Another incident occurred?” Kyouko interrupted her father. If they had been father and daughter perhaps all their lives, she might not have done something so bratty, but one did not need detective’s intuition to guess what might come next.

“You know the only victims of the riot were class 77-B. However, they were found assaulted in such a strange way, screwed to the wall. It was presumed that the riot was attacking talented students to set an example. However, while hospitalized it seems the trauma from their incident hasn’t settled in their minds yet. For all of them except for one student, if they’re not restrained they’ll start harming themselves there’s been another nurse attacked.”

“Another case of mass hysteria with a whole class? The same happened to the student council.”

“That’s not all. 77-A class member Ezumachi Fude was diagnosed with a nervous breakdown and hospitalized. Then, a week later two reserve course students were found beaten half to death in the basement of the old school building, but they refused to testify as to what happened to them.”

“So, even though the parade has calmed down and the video that stirred up trouble was confirmed to be a hoax, these strange incidents are continuing with the wool over everyone’s eyes while they go about their peaceful daily lives?”

“Wool over their eyes? That’s such an old fashioned phrase, how Noire of you.”

“Father.”

“Anyway, continuing. I thought these incidents were unconnected but a week ago Kamakura Izuru fled from his dormitory. He hasn’t been seen once, since.”

“Do you think he was behind those? Wait… would that make him behind the explosion in the old school building two weeks ago, too?”

“Oh. That was me.” Her father averted his eyes slightly. The serious gaze of a principal behind folded hands was undercut by the sudden awkwardness of his voice.

“Is this a confession?”  Kyouko said. Even a person with a continually cold demeanor like her had her moments of being stunned. She took a step back in case she needed to make a quick escape, apparently her faith in her father was that little.

“No. I received a tip from Sandbox academy that the Towa Production company, a recent acquisition of the Kurokami mega-conglomerate was doing secret construction on school grounds. In order to shut off access while the construction was dismantled, I faked the explosion.”

“I see.” Detectives lived lives dictated by logic, but lately Kyouko’s life had become entirely illogical. Perhaps not even lately, ever since she had come to this school.

“So I’m reopening a formal request, for you to find Kamakura and prove his innocence, so he can return to attending this school like any normal student.” Once again her father’s good intentions shone through his words. There was an unconditional warmth to them.

Kyouko tilted her head. “You know detectives usually prove people’s innocence rather than their guilt.” Her response was quite cold. “Wait, you’re filing this request? What about the steering committee?”

“There is no steering committee anymore. The members that went missing were found all assaulted but still alive. The members who had replaced them, suddenly resigned all at once.” Jin Kirigiri acting out of consideration as a father, but as a poor detective did not tell his daughter that the steering committee members had been found screwed to the wall the same way Class 77-B had been. He wanted to spare her the gory image, and had already concluded on his own they were victims of the mob just like 77-B had been. “There’s been nobody to replace them, everybody’s too scared to take the seats now, so temporarily autonomous power has been given to me.”

“Well, be careful. With great power comes great responsibility you know.”

Jin Kirigiri smiled behind his folded hands. “I’m the one who's supposed to be saying that kind of line, you know?”

Kyouko tucked a loose hair behind her ear and made to turn around. Before she could even take a step though, her father cleared out his throat and she froze. It seemed that part of a father daughter relationship still existed between the two of them.

“I wasn’t quite done yet. I’m allowing you to continue the inquiry into Izuru Kamakura on one condition. You’ll do it supervised.”

Kyouko’s brow knitted in annoyance. “You’re giving me a babysitter?”

“No, well since you’re older it’s more like you’ll be the babysitter. Think of it like those stories that start out with a newbie getting partnered up with a veteran on the job.”

“I don’t have time to waste on somebody who will hold me back. Do you trust my investigation skills or not?” The scene between the two of them had become rather serious.

Which made the other boy wearing the hat who had just walked in even more nervous than he was just a moment ago. He pulled the hat over his face to obscure one of his eyes to look away. “Umm.. this is kind of awkward. If I’m getting in the way of something I can just leave.”

Kyouko immediately stepped back, startled. She had no idea at all how this stranger had walked into the office without her senses being alerted.

Jin spoke up in a soft voice. “No, stay you’re not causing any trouble. It’s good timing I wanted to introduce the two of you. This is one of the scouted ultimates that will be joining us next semester when the new school year starts as a member of the 79th class.”

The 79th class… the words seemed strange to Kyouko. Why exactly did she think for a moment that Hope’s Peak was going to end on 78 classes? Before she could follow that line of thought the boy spoke up.

He pulled his hat up slightly to introduce himself, but still refused to make eye contact with her. “I’m… Saihara Shuichi. They call me the Ultimate Detective, but…”

Kyouko blinked. Her intuition was so strong, that shock was not an emotion she felt often, and she did not really have any idea how to display it at the moment. She usually kept her thoughts to herself, but she spoke this time without thinking. “Am I being replaced?”

“What? There’s no way somebody like me could replace you?”

“There’s no rule that says two students in two different years can’t possess the same talent, we scout a lucky student every year after all. He’s a big fan of yours Kyouko, so try to get along well.”

Kyouko looked back at the pencil thin looking detective wearing an all pin stripe uniform from his old highschool still. She recognized the symbol of Spring Field Academy on his chest. She was good at reading people at a glance, like most detectives were and she didn't’ see anything impressive at all in this person.

Shuichi bowed his head to her, his fingers finding his hat once more. “I’m more of a detective-in-training than an ultimate detective, so please take care of me, Kirigiri-san.”

Perhaps Kizakura was right and scouting really was becoming more difficult nowadays, and he had very slim pickings for next year’s crop of talented people.

Kirigi once again found herself unable to understand her father’s decision, as her eyebrow twitched in annoyance looking at this person. She was a growing girl though, one in adolescence, perhaps not being able to understand her father was more normal of her than she thought.

Of course with the informal and formal way he talked to her, her confusion was easy to understand. At that moment he seemed more like a police commissioner giving a job to a trusted detective rather than a father interacting with his daughter.

The traditional image of a detective is mostly fictional, but it persists to this day even in shonen manga like the adventures of Conan. A lone wolf trying to find the truth in a world of adversity. The world’s painted by the Noire landscape were, just like the word itself, devoid of color, cold and unfeeling.

It was just a fantasy though, the same way stories filled with people with super powers were a fantasy. Yet, human beings often got attached to fantasy images. Kyouko was raised by her grandfather and constantly compared to that classic image of a detective. Even when she knew logically it was impossible to make that ideal into reality, she still pursued it anyway.

Perhaps she didn’t see herself as a human being at all then, but a character in a classic detective novella. That’s why she was so bothered by another ultimate detective standing right in front of her, showing such obvious human weakness.  

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Were you briefed on all the details of the case?” Kyouko said already leaving the principal’s office. It was saturday and classes had come to an end, which meant she had all of their free day tomorrow to resume her investigation. That time was precious, and she did not want to waste any of it playing catch up.

She had not even looked back to see if Shuichi would follow her. He did, however, and walked trailing a few steps behind her his eyes on the floor rather than on her. “Umm, yeah they sent it to my uncle beforehand, and I read through it.”

“Then, do you have any thoughts already?” She reached up and pulled her gloves tighter over both of her hands. A common gesture of hers when she wanted to get right down to business.

“Ah well, I did but… I don’t even know the guy so I felt kind of bad.” Kyouko could hear the shuffling of his feet behind her as he slowed down.

She stopped to stare directly at him. He immediately, tried to shirk her gaze away from him. “What kind of detective doubts their own deductions that quickly?”

“I already told you I’m not much of a detective. Fine, I was thinking all of these strange incidents started immediately before or after Kumagawa Misogi transferred in, right? Isn’t it weird for Hope’s Peak to suddenly accept a transfer student?  He hasn’t done anything wrong yet though… so I thought it might be unfair to be suspicious of him.”

“Who cares about fairness or how he feels? A detective’s job is to pursue the truth no matter what, Shuuichi. I see…” She put her hand on the side of her face for a moment. “It’s not that your incompetent it’s just that you doubt yourself. You and I reached the same conclusion, so I’ll stop thinking of you as a fake ultimate detective.”

“Umm… thank you?” Shuichi did not know whether he was being insulted or not, and the lack of emotion in Kirigiri’s voice gave him no clue one way or the other.

“You seem to have good deduction skills, however they’re completely useless to me if you keep them to yourself. If you think of something, then speak up. Otherwise I’m just going to ignore you and regard you as another obstacle on this case.” She turned around again and briskly walked away expecting him to follow.

Wordlessly he did so once again. After walking in silence following the winding road of the rather large campus, Shuichi finally spoke up again on his own. “I want you to trust in me, so I’ll try my best. For now… we need to trust each other and start a serious investigation. So… if you trust in my deductions, even if I don’t trust in them myself I’ll speak up.”

Kyouko glanced back for a second again. Immediately she thought this person relied far too much on others. He would never have passed her grandfather’s standards for being a detective. Then, she remembered the face of another boy who was always putting his trust in her. There was something similar about the demeanors of both of them. She decided to let it go for now and focus on the case ahead.

Even if the case ahead of her was absurd. Even if she currently found herself in the middle of the pages of a mystery novel authored by Kafka rather than Christie, she would attack the Kafkaesque labyrinth in front of her and continue to navigate it as she always did. That was the unfaltering determination of the ultimate detective. “So then, we both agree that Kumagawa Misogi is a person of interest. Let’s set up a stakeout tonight, and then tail him tomorrow.”

“Wait, so we’ll be staying up all night?” Shuichi’s voice cracked again as his nerves returned to him.

“Of course, a detective never stops to sleep or even eat until they find the truth.” She doubled her speed wanting to reach the destination without wasting anymore time.

“Eh! What kind of detective are you describing? They don’t even sound like a human being!” Shuichi called after her, and so their tailing of Kumagawa Misogi begun.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The only conclusion that they reached from their stakeout was that Kumagawa Misogi had an unhealthy sleep schedule. Just watching him from his dorm window, all they saw was him laying in his bed all night with the light left on reading shonen manga.

“Hey, you know there haven’t been any good manga about detectives in shonen jump lately. Isn’t that a shame?”

“Do I look like the kind of person who wastes time talking about manga in the middle of doing something important?”

“Sorry, no.” Shuichi apologized and the night went on.

Just before the sun began to rise, Kumagawa went on the move. They too, immediately moved to follow him. It was already suspicious that he did not sleep but him getting up to do something before most of the academy woke up was doubly so. Kumagawa looked like the exact opposite of a morning person also, with his dark demeanor and pitch black uniform, but that was more of a personal judgement on Kyouko’s part.

When Kumagawa’s path led them to the girl’s dorimtory, Kyouko immediately got more suspicious. Not really of anything related to the case, she just doubted Kumagawa’s character. Then, while they were watching him from a hidden spot yards away they saw somebody approach him.

Kyouko recognized one her classmates, Mukuro Ikusaba. She did not know the girl well at all though, and had no idea why she might be meeting another boy this early in the morning. Despite the fact that she was a teenage girl, she did not even come to the conclusion her friend Makoto Naegi immediately jumped to.

She observed that Mukuro Ikusaba was not wearing the uniform she normally did, but rather she was dressed in sweats just like Kumagawa. A moment later, Kumagawa spoke up. 『So, are you ready to go running again, Mukuro-chan? Thanks for agreeing to train together with me, I feel like a main character going through a training ac in shonen jump.』

“Fine, but you have to wear heavy duty boots and run for four miles just like how the Navy SEALs do it.” Mukuro dropped a pair of boots she was holding onto the ground for him. On her feet were another pair of boots that did not match at all with the rest of her casual sweats.

『Oooh, sounds like I’ll suffer a lot, how fun!』Kumagawa said, as he stepped into them.

“This time if you collapse before we even finish the first mile, I’m abandoning you, alright? Don’t get in my way more than you usually do.” She said coldly, as she began to run ahead of him.

Kumagawa smiled. 『Of course, it’s only natural a loser like me gets left behind.』He ran after her, though much slower and clearly struggling with the weight of his new boots.

Kyouko and Shuichi watched their route from afar with a pair of binoculars. Only changing locations when they got just out of sight. Just as Mukuro said would happen, Kumagawa collapsed just before reaching the first mile mark.

However, Mukuro did not follow through on her promise to drop him like dead weight. Instead she turned around and picked him up over her shoulder, carrying him the rest of the way on her run like he was a fallen soldier.

She tossed him on the ground when they finally completed their run. Kumagawa got up immediately, and started to stretch. 『Man, what a tough run. I bet my speed stat raised by five whole points.』

“Why are you complaining? I was the only one running.” Mukuro responded flatly, not quite understanding that he was just joking around with her.

After they finished stretching, Mukuro immediately wrapped her arm around his waist and then threw him behind her and slammed him into the ground in a classic suplex move.

『Ah!』Despite the blow looking like it hurt, Kumagawa’s pained response mostly sounded fake. He did not stop smiling either, even as Mukuro twisted his body into another shape for the next combat move she was practicing.

“You can fight back you know. Otherwise how are you supposed to learn anything from this combat practice?”

『Don’t you think I make a better punching bag then a sparring partner, though?』

“I don’t know… it’s strange. It feels like you’re taking hits on purpose.”

Kyouko and Shuichi were hiding together behind a tree, but Kyoko heard a voice nearby in the bushes. “Why are her hands all over him like that? They’re dating, they’re definitely dating, right?”

“She’s obviously just doing combat practice with him, wait-Makoto?” Kirigiri called out in a harsh whisper. She hadn’t expected an ameteur to be tailing Kumagawa as well. Nor did she want him to blow her cover. She grabbed him by the hood of his own sweater, and then yanked him behind the tree.

“Ow! Kiri what are you doing?”

“I could ask the same of you. You seem to be obsessing over whether or not Ikusaba is dating another boy. Have you decided to finally acquire a talent of your own and become the ultimate stalker?”

“I’m not a stalker!” Makoto shouted, which caused Kirigi to immediately slap a hand over his mouth and pull him even closer.

“Your speaking privileges are revoked from this point forward.”

“Uhh, don’t you think that’s a little harsh.” Shuichi said, weakly trying to defend him.

“Be careful or you’re next.” She snapped at him her voice barely rising above a whisper. She loosened her grip on Makoto after a few minutes passed. “I was just teasing you, you know. I know you must think you’re trying to help because you’re like this with all of our classmates.”

“Makoto is the kind of guy who takes an interest in everybody to a fault, huh? I know someone like that.” Shuichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Can you two stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Makoto said as he grabbed Kirigiri’s gloved hand and peeled it off of his own mouth. “Mukuro finally made a friend, I want to be happy for her even if it’s not one of our classmates.”

“Then why are you stalking her? Are you jealous that you weren’t the first person to get through to her?” Kirigiri said.

“You’re merciless, Kiri.”

“I was just joking. Still, if you’re so concerned for her, did something change between you and Mukuro lately?”

“I can’t tell because you say everything in the exact same tone of voice, and Uh...” Makoto’s face reddened. “It was nothing.”

Kirigiri decided to ignore Makoto now and think through what she had just witnessed. Technically nothing suspicious had happened. Kumagawa just seemed to be hanging out with Mukuro, and nothing Mukuro did was out of the bounds of expectations of the hobbies of an Ultimate Soldier.

Still, what she had just said struck her as strange. Makoto was friends with everybody in their class except for two individuals who kept to themselves. Mukuro Ikusaba the ultimate soldier, and Junko Enoshima the Ultimate Fahsionista. Junko’s case was at least understandable, she had many fans around campus and tended to keep her public persona up and never show her private persona. Mukuro herself was more withdrawn, perhaps she was just more used to the battlefield than the school field.

Suddenly though, Ikusaba who never made contact with anybody was getting along with a transfer student. Sadly, Kyouko Kirgiri did not watch any anime so she did not know that in high school shows it was common for transfer students to run into cold and distant girls on the first day of school and become their first friends.

Just as she was thinking though, another voice interrupted her train of thought. “Why are you losers making so much noise outside of my window?” Junko Enoshima walked outside still in her pajamas, her hair up in curlers and her face mask only halfway peeled off.

Most people would react to seeing a beauty queen in such a state, but Kumagawa did not even blink and immediately picked up on the conversation. 『I’m sorry if my screams of pain were disturbing your beauty sleep, Enoshima-san. I’ll try to have my suffering inconvenience you less from now on.』

“See, I don’t ask for much.” She smirked, then paused for a moment. Her eyes immediately went to the tree where Kirigiri and her two boys were hiding behind. She only glanced at them for a moment, not even long enough for Kirigiri to suspect she had been spotted. Afterwards though there was a subtle change in her demeanor. “It’s your day off Senpai, shouldn’t you give us time to hang out with our other friends?” She called out in a much sweeter voice.

『I didn’t know you had friends, Enoshima-san.』

Junko smiled sweetly. “I have lots of friends. Every single one of my fans is my friend.”

『Is it really friendship if they worship you? That's not normal.』

“It's perfectly normal to worship me. I’m me, after all.” Then she giggled as if it were just a joke.

Still, Kyouko noticed something. Even when Junko was acting like her normal approachable self, the one that appeared on TV interviews and in magazines, she was a bit overly familiar with Kumagawa Misogi. The two of them were bantering with such a fast rhythm, it was like they were completely used to being around each other.

“Junko!” Mukuro finally spoke up, letting Kumagawa out of the knot his body was being held in and letting him collapse on the ground. Mukuro immediately stood up to get her attention. “Junko, since we have the day off do you want to help me build that model I got in the mail, you promised me that we could.”

Junko sighed. “Mukuro, have I literally ever kept a promise to you?”

“No.”

“Then you should really stop believing me so easily. That’s not even boring, it’s just disappointing.”Junko suddenly clapped both her hands. “Well, would you look at that. The time I have allotted to grace you two unworthy people with my presence just ran out, so goodbye.” Cheerfully, she waved goodbye before going back to her room.

Before Kirigiri could come to any conclusions about what she had just saw, Kumagawa spoke up from where he was lying on the ground. 『Mukuro-chan, if you want, I can help you build your model.』  

“Why would I want that? You’ll probably just make things way more difficult as usual.”

『Enoshima-san acts like she doesn’t care, but I bet if you spent that time with somebody else she’d get really annoyed. I think it’s fun to annoy her, so I’ll help you.』

Mukuro seemed to seriously think about it, then reluctantly agreed giving him a hand to pull him up. They went back to her dorm together, which caused Makoto to make several worried noises from where they were hiding.

Of course once they were inside her dorm nothing suspicious happened either. The gun they were building was obviously made of plastic. Not only that but Kumagawa Misogi seemed to have no idea how to assemble a gun. He assembled it into the wrong shape almost baffling Kirgiri with how exactly he managed to fail in that particular way. When they disassembled it and tried again, he lost a few key parts causing the two of them to have to spend time cleaning her room to look for them. All in all it probably took three times as longer with Kumagawa as it would have alone.

Even the normally withdrawn Mukuro was visibly annoyed. By the end of it when he was finally preparing to leave, she waved him off and said. “Later loser.”

『How nice. Mukuro-chan is finally acknowledging me.』Kumagawa seemed to take it as a compliment though. He walked away with his hands behind his head, and with a bright smile.

Kyouko felt Mukuro’s frustration with Kumagawa Misogi, but for an entirely different reason. They had been following him and watching him for all this time, but they learned absolutely nothing about him. For all the suspicious circumstances surrounding him, he seemed like your average everyday loser.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“The day’s almost over, I doubt we’re going to learn anything more from following him any further. Let’s go back to my dorm.” Kirigiri stood up suddenly when she saw Kumagawa had walked far enough away she was sure he would not notice them.

Shuichi stuttered at her sudden invitation. “M-me? I’m not sure if I’m prepared to go to a girl’s room all by myself.”

“Hmm? What difference does that make? I just wanted to review my case notes together.” Kirgiri found herself confused at the faces that both Makoto and Shuichi were making at her. She shrugged and started to walk forward, expecting Shuichi to obediently follow again.

Makoto sighed in relief when they left, glad to finally be alone again. There was a question at the back of his mind that he needed to confirm between him and Mukuro, but he had been too afraid to ask and once again stalled all day because of his nerves.

Just as he was starting to psyche himself up though, a voice called out from behind him giving a heart attack. 『Oh, it’s you Makoto-chan. Did you come here to hit on girls?』

“Why do all of you have such a poor image of me!” Makoto cried out, before turning around to see it was just Kumagawa standing behind him. “Oh, it’s just you Senpai. I only came here to talk to Mukuro again, but I got nervous.”

『You just need a reason to start a conversation, here.』Kumagawa dug into his pocket and tossed a cell phone strap to Makoto. 『Give this to her. Nagito-chan and I were playing Gacha again yesterday and I saw this and it reminded me of her. She’ll probably appreciate it more as a gift if it comes from you rather than someone like me.』

The cellphone strap was a small cartoon wolf. Makoto stared at it, before wrapping his hand around it. “Wow, you’re a really nice guy you know that?”

A tear ran from one of Kumagawa’s eyes, down the side of his face. 『I think you’re the first person ever to say that..』

He was nice, but he sure was weird thought Makoto, but he tried not to let it show on his face. He and Kumagawa exchanged pleasant goodbyes, and then Makoto tightened his hands around the charm. He just needed to be brave and approach her. Or so he thought. A moment later out of fear he dove behind the bush again.

Time passed. Suddenly, Mukuro came outside to take care of the trash in her dorm. As she was walking back she casually looked at the bush. “Hi Naegi. Why are you following me around this time?” She asked.

Makoto jumped out of the bush. “How long have you known!”

“Pretty much the whole time.” Mukuro responded in a flat voice. “You’re not that threatening so I don’t really care if you follow me around.”

Mukuro’s a good person after all! Makoto said, immediately jumping to the wrong conclusion again. Perhaps he had neither good luck, nor bad luck, he just had bad taste in people. I need to stop hiding and ask her directly. “The reason you’re so close with Kumagawa is it because….” You’re dating? “Because he helped Enoshima-san and you the day that the riots were happening?”

He remembered it clearly. The promise Kumagawa had made to him to save the both of them.

“Umm… I mean, was it that big of a deal? A couple of people got injured but nobody died that day. I don’t think he saved us or anything.” Mukuro tried to act as if she didn’t know anything, but she was a terrible actor.

“Mukuro don’t you remember? People were dying, they were trying to kill all the talented students and then suddenly-”

“You remember too!” Mukuro said in shock, and then realized a moment too late what she had accidentally revealed.

“So you do remember? That’s what I thought. It’s a relief I really thought I was going crazy all on my own.”

Mukuro looked at Makoto’s innocent smile. He seemed so full of instant trust for her. Her hands were behind her back, and she had pulled out one of the knives she hid in a pouch attached to her leg underneath her skirt. If he knew more than he was supposed to, all she needed was one second and she could cut him down.

One second, then another passed, and Mukuro realized she was hesitating. While she hesitated, Makoto dug into one of his pockets. “Hey, I’m sorry for following you around all day, and being creepy and weird but, I’m really happy now that I talked to you.” He smiled at her and held out the wolf cell phone strap Kumagawa had given to him. “Here take this as an apology. Let’s meet later and talk about what we remember, I’m sure between the two of us we’ll be able to figure it out together.”

Makoto was smiling at her. Why was he smiling at her? She was considering killing him. She reached out with her free hand, the one not holding the knife and wrapped her fingers around the charm. “Umm… I don’t know what to say. I’ve never gotten a present before.”

“You could start by smiling.” Makoto said, his own smile widening.

Mukuro tried to do as he asked and smile. Muscles that had not been in use for years, creaked, and shook off cobwebs as they tried to change the expression on her face. The smile that resulted was unnerving. It was not the cute kind of first time smile that a shy girl would give in a manga. It looked like the kind of smile that would appear on horror movie posters, an uncanny valley of smiles.  “Like this?” She asked.

Makoto however did not even seem to notice how strange her face looked. He laughed under his breath.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just that you’re always scowling, so who would have known you had such a nice smile! It’s nice is all.”  Makoto said, confirming that he just really did have no taste at all when it came to people.

At that small exchange, in this small moment shared between the two of them, Mukuro’s expression relaxed and she finally gave a real smile, albeit a small one.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

To say that Kyoko’s dormitory was a mess was putting it lightly. Everywhere there seemed to be discarded old notebooks, or photoes put up on the wall with strings running between them.

“Wow, it looks like a movie set in here.” Shuichi commented, as he hovered but tried not to touch anything the fear of being in a girl’s room still present in him. “You’re really committed to that messy detective noire aesthetic, huh?”

“What are you talking about? This is all perfectly organized.” Kirigiri said as he kicked to the side one pile of mess and pulled a binder off of the floor. “Here’s what I was looking for. These were all of my notes on the Kamakura investigation. Did you notice something weird in the briefings.”

“Ah, yes! All of the attacks so far leave absolutely no evidence behind. The attacker leaves such a small trace it’s like he’s a ghost or something….” He lost confidence after a few seconds though, “Did I get that right?”

“Well he’s probably not a ghost that would be illogical. Rule out the supernatural or those things that cannot be disproven logically.” Kyoko Kirigiri said. If she were in that kind of story, the kind of detective novel she thought she was in then she would be right. However, she had just made an entirely incorrect statement by saying nothing supernatural was at play here. She pulled open her binder as she spoke. “However, the person who committed the first incidents left evidence behind. There was a trail I was following it’s all compiled-”

She froze and saw it. The careful and meticulous notes she had kept were entirely blank. She flipped through the pages in the binder to see that those were blank as well. Kyoko rushed to find a notepad she kept quicker notes on, and found all the pages to be blank. She tore them out in frustration creating even more of a mess.

“Somebody must have broken in and stolen my notes, but how. There’s no sign of a break in.”

“Did they trash your apartment while they were at it?”

“What are you talking about?” Kyouko put a hand on her forehead. Her frustration building the entire day was giving her a tension headache. To be truthful she didn’t actually suspect Kumagawa Misogi of much. He was just the only lead she could find, in all of the disconnected strange incidents. “I don’t get it. How can a bunch of people who were dead suddenly turn up alive and unharmed? How did that video that looked so real turn into a fake? Why did all the protesters suddenly go away like they had forgotten what they were protesting. None of this makes any sense at all. Where did my notes go?”

It was clear Kyouko was just venting to herself, but Shuichi decided to speak up anyway. “When I was learning under my Uncle he let me go through his old case files. It wasn’t the files themselves though, reading them just helped me improve my own thinking. Who cares if your notes disappeared, what’s most important to a detective is the deductions inside their own head right? Nobody can make those disappear.”

Kyouko stopped for a moment. She wondered where this sudden confidence had come from. A moment later though, Shuichi deflated again. “I mean… that’s just what I think. Even if I’m not a real detective myself I’ve always been a fan of detectives.”

“No, I understand.” Kyoko softened just a little bit. She thought of the last lead she remembered following before the case closed, Yasuke Matsuda. He had gone missing after that investigation, but then again every other person who had gone missing just turned up injured. She suddenly had a hunch. “Shuichi, stay behind. This might get dangerous the last time I followed this person I was attacked.”

“Even if I’m a no good detective I can’t just leave you behind.”

“You’re not leaving me behind.” She reached a hand out and put it on his shoulder. “As your Senpai, I want you to trust me, okay?”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Perhaps it was better that Kyouko and Shuichi gave up tailing him, because Kumagawa did nothing of interest for the rest of the day. He simply went to a flower shop and bought flowers to bring his friends in the hospital on his visit to them. For a minus like himself, it was almost disgustingly normal of him.

Kumagawa finished putting dead flowers in a vase. 『These were alive when I bought them.』he whined pathetically under his breath. Both of the other minus in the room told Kumagawa that there weren’t any better flowers they could ask for.

『Alright you two, make sure to make the nurses hate you even more.』Kumagawa finished his visit and bid them goodbye closing the door. As he walked down the hall he heard nurses complain about how much the two strange reserve course students caused problems, including threatening nurses, picking their own scabs, and damaging nearby furniture. Kumagawa imagined Shibushi and Kagamaru causing all of this chaos and a bright smile spread across his face.

Instead of leaving the hospital right away though, he instead went to a different floor entirely. From the outside the room look abandoned and there was no name plate at the door identifying anybody inside, but the moment Kumagawa crossed the threshold he saw a large empty room with a bed just parallel to the window. The window itself shone light on the room, making both the room’s only other occupant and the bed sheets that draped off his bed look all the paler.

『Yo, Yasuke-chan! I brought you jump square just like you asked.』He set the bag containing the monthly shonen magazine at the bedside table. In the bag were a few other tankobon volumes that Kumagawa had thrown in out of his own personal recommendation. He pulled them out one by one, and left them in a pile. On top of the pile, he left a small phone charm with a hedgehog on it.

Despite hearing his name called and knowing who was suddenly talking to him, Yasuke barely made any move to acknowledge him. Yasuke Matsuda was the worst kind of manga reader. The kind that read impassively, watching the world go by as pages turned faster than he could keep up with.

Yasuke Matsuda was found unconscious by this person in the basement of the old school building. A Super Highschool Level Neurologist could not be fooled by the likes of a magic trick like all fiction, or so Kumagawa Misogi explained to him, so even with the event undone he remembered in excruciating detail the feeling of wetness, the sound of his own blood falling onto the floor and splashing like spilled water, the sight of pink everywhere, and most of all the tender whispers of “Are you fucking kidding me? Don’t get so ahead of yourself! There’s no way in hell I’d go through this pain in the ass mess just to bring you into despair! What the hell are you thinking?”

Even after they were gone, it was hard to forget the voice of your most beloved person. Yasuke still heard it ringing in his ears when he got especially bad. Perhaps that was why he did not respond to Kumagawa Misogi. Though, it was more likely that he just did not like him, much.

Yasuke Matsuda’s first word upon waking up from the dead, as if it were just a particularly bad nightmare who the memories of remained fresh was her name.. “Junko… where is she?”

Kumagawa opened his mouth, 『--』but he did not hear the words that came out. There was a blank space, as if somebody had forgotten to write something there.

“I’m sorry? Can you please repeat that?”

『Enoshima Junko is dead.』

There was suddenly weight in his hand. Kumagawa placed a phone there, and slowly Yasuke looked to see what was onscreen. Pink, pink everywhere, and Enoshima Junko stabbed straight through the back with a large screw.

『I killed her.』

Junko...
The memory of you has been erased again. 
Forgotten.
And this time it's for good. 

Not by Junko’s will, not by his own, but rather this stranger who had thrown a screw in things. That wasn’t a proper structure to tragedy , Junko might say. Long gone are the ages of the greeks where you would believe that things went to shit because of the whims of the gods. In the modern day the only tragedies that audiences will believe are human ones, brought about by human flaws. He had no idea why she was so interested in that particular topic on that day, but he always listened to her, always listened so closely even though he never understood her.

Enoshima Junko is dead.
He couldn’t hear the words.
His brain had grown numb, unable to write anything more, filling the blank space with thoughts and self mutilation. He scraped away letters and sound. He wanted to tear his neurons out with his fingers to prevent them from firing.

His memory was near perfect. The memory of someone who had mastered neuroscience before even reaching a legal adult age.
Kumagawa Misogi had not used all fiction on him.
Still, he didn’t remember clearly what happened after that.
He didn’t remember how he had gotten to this hospital room.
He didn’t remember who it was that was caring for him.
He did not know how much time went by after that single moment, the moment he refused to hear.

『You look like a living corpse.』In the present, Kumagawa Misogi’s voice cut through his memory filled haze. Finally, his eyes turned and acknowledged the other in the room.

It had been quite awhile since Kumagawa entered. To pass the time, he pulled a chair and sat on it backwards in silence. When he saw Yasuke finally turn his whole head Kumagawa waved. 『Hi. It’s been about a month, hasn’t it? I’m sure next month I can bring you another issue of Jump Square too.』

“Just one single month…?” Matsuda’s hair had grown out to fall in front of his face, and even his hair antenna drooped.

『You did everything I told you to do, and made arrangements to be cared for in this hospital room after I told you that, on that day. Do you remember? I was so disappointed, I thought you would have attacked me, or called me a liar and demanded that I let you see her. 』

“This school is still around, which means somebody stopped her. She needed to be stopped that’s all there was to it.”

『You’re a really pure guy, you know that?』Kumagawa smirked, his fingers tightening around the wrinkles of his uniform where he had crossed his arms over the chair. 『The fact that she had killed you, washed straight through you, but the idea that she’s dead has you all twisted up. Ah, I don’t get it weren’t you just about to kill her?』

Yasuke said nothing, his eyes drifting away from Kumagawa once again as the boy continued to ramble insensitively.

『Oh no, you were going to kill Ryouko right? That’s different.』

They had only met a few times before Kumagawa like a thief, stole both his reason for dying, and his reason for living away. Kumagawa Misogi out of nowhere had transferred into his second year class, 77-a. It was because of his connections to the research side of Hope’s Peak Academy that Yasuke was summoned and asked to give him a tour the first day he arrived.

At first he suspected it was another plan of Junko’s. Enoshima Junko and her sister had only been accepted because the steering committee fast tracked their application, though Yasuke was not sure Junko was entirely to blame for that or it was the committee’s hubris. Hope’s Peak was a rigid institution though with high standards exceptions were rarely made. There had never been a transfer student before, and not one for an already established and scouted class. Even if Junko had nothing to do with it though, the reason he gave for his transferring, the deaths of all the student council members were on Junko’s hands. Despite the strange tension he felt around the other boy, Yasuke remembered no particular detail about that day. Just the name Kumagawa Misogi of a transfer student in an all black uniform, but even his near flawless memory for some reason could not put a face to that name the moment they had parted.

He frequented the same research building that Yasuke did. Yasuke made an educated guess that the reason he had even been allowed to transfer was because they desperately wanted to research something about him. He did not know what though, as he had not even learned the boy’s talent in the one day they spent together.

A few times they passed each other by without even looking at one another.

Then, Junko was called into interrogation. Then, he erased her memory.
Then one day by coincidence Ryoko had wandered off on her own again and missed their appointment, and when he went to find her she was sitting on the same bench as Kumagawa.

『Man… what’s the purpose? These grown ups are missing the point. Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason and die for nothing. Wouldn’t you agree?』

“Uh… I don’t remember, Sorry. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing here either, I’m scared.”

『This place? I’m sure you were brought here after ruining many lives, the same as me. There’s nothing wrong with that. You and I are allowed to do whatever we want. Because this world is pointless, and our lives are aimless. You don’t have to do anything, because it has nothing to do with you.』

Despite the fact that it looked like Kumagawa was just harassing the memory-less Ryouko, Yasuke recognized it for what it was in an instant. He was trying to comfort her. The words he was trying to comfort her with, were words of despair, exactly the same Junko Enoshima might use.

The next time he was sure they were alone, he grabbed Kumagawa by the collar and slammed him against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing, shitty-gawa.”

『It wasn’t my fault.』Kuamgawa said in reflex, before his smile paused. 『Wait, what are we talking about?』

“You’ve been following Ryouko around. You’re one of Junko’s accomplices aren’t you? What are you planning to do in the name of despair?”

『In the name of despair? That’s dramatic. I was asked to follow Junko around, but it was by a friend of mine not hers. Oh, I was following Ryouko… wait aren’t they the same person? I’m sorry I’m a slow reader so I don’t really guess these kinds of twists until the end.』

“God, how many empty headed idiots should I be expected to deal with on a daily basis?”

『I’m following her because I was asked to, but I’m not reporting on anyone and I’m not affiliated with anyone. Besides, there’s nothing I could do to change the results of a scheme planned by the ultimate neurologist, right?』

“You’re not associated with despair?”

『No, I’m just one of the untalented masses. There’s another faceless guy that’s been watching you lately too, you should be careful of him.』

“I thought you said you were uninvolved. Tell me how much you know?”

『Why are you being so forceful? Are you really that afraid that your peaceful days with Ryouko are coming to an end? Shouldn’t you be happy? 』

“What the fuck are you even blabbing about?”

『Well, when she’s like Ryouko, she’s going all ‘yay’ or ‘ooh’. When she’s all happy like that, doesn’t that piss you off? Enoshima Junko was beautiful even when drowning in a deluge of her own despair. Without Despair, Enoshima Junko doesn’t exist.  The person you love is Junko, not Ryouko. What you’re thinking right now, even as you hold her in your arms and feel her heart beat in affection for you iis wouldn’t it be great if Ryouko died? 』

Junko at least had the kindness to only passive agressively hint at such a thing. To hear it laid bare, Yasuke’s eyes went white again. He thought about how easy it would be to crush this person’s windpipe. If it had been a little bit later in the tragedy, he might have already done so.

『I’m sorry, was what I said rude? I’m not good at talking to people.』Kumagawa wrapped a hand around the scalpel around his neck, not caring for the cut it left in his hand. He didn’t even seem to flinch at the pain as he ripped it out of Yasuke’s hand and threw it aside. 『Look, I won’t interfere at all with this. I already said, I’m just here to watch, and I’m really shiftless so I’ll probably give up on that soon. If I promise will you let me go?』

Yasuke wanted Kumagawa out of his sight as soon as possible, so he decided to agree to such a flimsy promise. Kumagawa kept his words however, and everything else proceeded exactly as it was meant to from Junko’s plan. Yasuke died without ever knowing the truth, or ever understanding why.

Then he was revived, but he still did not understand.
A strange existence known as Kumagawa Misogi who claimed he could reverse the consequences of actions that had already been done on a whim, and make it so that they never happened.

It was entirely illogical. However, Yasuke could say nothing at all to disprove him considering he remembered dying perfectly well, and he was not dead at the moment. In fact the wound in his side was not healed, it was just completely gone as if he had never been sliced there.

He owed that person his life. He owed him more than that, as Kumagawa had gone out of his way to undo the people that Yasuke killed in the name of Junko Enoshima. When Yasuke could listen and heard words without the letters scrambling up and becoming lost again, Kumagawa had explained it clearly to him.

That Soushun Murasme was merely assaulted rather than injured. That the student council video was a fake, that the student council was found missing and later their bodies were recovered injured, but not dead.

『I undid his death but you still assaulted him, the evidence should be gone but if they figure it out anyway you should lay low until you recover...』

In the present day, Kumagawa snapped his fingers to draw Yasuke’s attention back. 『You know you still haven’t thanked me.』

“For what?”

『You know, reviving you from the dead. What was being dead like anyway?』

“Thanks for saving my life, shitty-gawa. Nothing I just had a weird dream I barely remember.”

『Yasuke-chan you know, you don’t have to stay in this room all the time. You should be recovered by now, right?』

“There’s no point. I don’t know where I would want to go. All I’ve ever done before this point was be pulled along by the whims of that selfish girl.”

『Do you hate me?』Kumagawa said, standing up from his chair.

Yasuke did not move, but his eyes followed him across the room. “I think you’re a dumbass but no, I don’t think I could hate you. You didn’t do anything, it was all her.”

『It’s because all of your love and hatred belonged to Junko, right? I might have hated you once, because you had talent, and your relationship to your childhood friend reminded me of a guy I disliked but... I can’t bring myself to hate a loser.』Kumagawa drew up the curtains, causing the room to darken finally. In the shadows, Kumagawa smiled. His smile was the only bright thing remaining in the room. 『You might think it’s the worst thing ever, to lose what you couldn’t stand to lose. It’s okay though, keep living. You’ll find there’s more and more to lose than you ever thought possible. Eventually you really will have lost everything. Then you’ll become unconcerned with the losses. That’s the minus way. I think the shade suits you quite nicely, Yasuke-chan.』

“God. Everything you say sounds so annoying. I'm tired already.” His eyes slipped, and he too slipped quicker into a sleep. While he slept he dreamt of a classroom. For a student it was a mundane dream.

Kumagawa got up to leave. It was only at the doorway he stopped. 『We always talk about such heavy subjects. Next time let’s just chat pleasantly about manga.』

As he closed the door he found somebody had been waiting for him outside. Before he could even ask who they were, they spoke up. “Don’t you think that’s a little cruel? Not telling him that Junko’s still alive.”

『If Junko and him knew about each other, they would just try to kill one another again. Those two are like that phrase, you know, I cannot live with you, nor without you.』

The person waiting for Kumagawa touched the brim of his hat and pulled it over his face. “Did you steal that from a manga?”

『I would never reference anything manga related in the middle of a serious conversation.』 Kumagawa said, pretending to be aghast at the accusation.

“How are you keeping him from Junko, then?”

『I erased the memory of the time I came across her by accident as Ryouko. So, as far as she knows I never even knew about what she did to Yasuke, and I couldn’t undo a death I didn’t know about.』

“Hah. That almost sounds like you’ve set up the perfect crime dude. I’m getting a little bit excited.”

『Are you Shiranui’s friend?』Kumagawa asked.

The stranger smiled. “Yeah, something like that. She was right though, you’re a funny guy. I wanted to see so for myself.” He readjusted his hat again. “Hey, hey, are you sure you really needed to tell him that lie? I feel like you just said it to throw him into despair.”

『He’s not in despair. Because, without hope… there is no despair. If I knew a better way I would have done it, but all I can do is erase things, make tricks and tell lies. I couldn’t end his despair, so I took away his hope instead, or at least I made it seem that way.』

“So cool. I really like characters like you. Well, I gotta go. Next time you see me pretend you didn’t.”

With that the stranger walked away and Kumagawa Misogi was left alone in the hallway. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the black bear charm. As he walked out of the hospital, he stared at it contemplating, not really looking where he was going.

『Cannot live with or without you, huh?』He covered the charm up with his fingers, balling his hand up.『I hope you don’t turn out like that when Medaka leaves you behind, Zenkichi-chan.』Was that really the comparison he should have been making, though?

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The moment he walked out of the hospital doors, there was already somebody waiting for him. She was a tall girl wearing boots and an outfit that complimented the color of her hair. She reached out to him with gloved hands, and grabbed him by the wrist.

『What is this? A girl is taking my hands for the first time.』Kumagawa already started to tear up.

“I’m just checking your hands for blood. In case you went to finish off Yasuke Matsuda.” Kumagawa’s eyes widened slightly. He was sure that he was the only one who knew where Yasuke had been hospitalized. If this girl knew, then perhaps Junko could find out too and that would be a complication.

『I just brought him manga as a gift. Do you accuse all of the boys you know of murder? No wonder Makoto-chan’s losing interest.』He smiled at her accusation. 『There’s a receipt in my pocket, for a flower store and a bookstore that sells manga. Now I have a question, why were you following me around all day, Kirigiri-san. Could it be… do you...』He wrapped his hands around hers, intertwining their fingers.『Do you love me so much that you want to be around me all the time? That’s just stalking though, sorry I can’t return your love there’s somebody else.』

Kyouko felt a chill run through her. She felt like she was dealing with something supernatural, but that couldn’t be it. The villains in detective stories always came down to being human beings, filled with human vices. She just did not know that the person standing in front of her, was filled with every single human vice imaginable. She kept her calm, and grew even colder to shut out the chills. “Soushun Murasme wasn’t like the rest of the student council. He was found assaulted. All of the evidence pointed to Yasuke as the perpetrator, but I wondered. Isn’t it convenient that you became president right after to replace Soushun, it’s almost like you were put there to cover something up.”

『You’re completely right. I orchestrated everything, I strangled Soushun because I wanted to become student council president of my favorite academy and walk among the talented people I love so much.』Kumagawa admitted to the crime with a wide smile on his face.

“You’re lying.”

『How would you know?』

“It feels like, everything you say is a lie. You’re just lying compulsively.”

『That’s true I guess. It’s too bad, if I could tell artful lies then that could be considered a talent. Nothing can be gained from worthless and empty lies though.』He hung his head for a moment. Then in a sudden movement he pulled his hands back, grabbing onto the end of her gloves and peeling them off. He hadn’t been hitting on her, the intent from the start was to pull off her gloves.『Those are such pretty burns,, why do you hide them? You got them because you screwed up big time right, I’d be proud of such a loss. Anyway, I’m rather serious about protecting Yasuke-chan. Don’t pursue this line of investigation any further, or I’ll make these burns disappear. 』

“What? That’s not possible.”

『If it was though, I wonder what would you lose? The human side of you that screwed up to earn these burns, or the detective side of you that you were training at the time. Which one would you rather lose? Your humanity right? You’ll throw it away easily, but oh. Then you wouldn’t be able to hang out with Makoto-chan anymore.』

“What does he have to do with this?”

『Oh, so you haven’t figured it out. Ironic for a detective.』He let go of her hands just then. It was only after he let go that Kyouko realized she was shaking. Shaking for what? Out of fear that her burns might disappear? There was no way he could do that, and even if he did why would she care?

“Why are you going so far as to threaten me to protect Matsuda Yasuke? What are you hiding?”

『He’s the one I’m hiding. If somebody were to find out his location, he’d die. Detectives are meant to stop murders not cause them don’t you think?』He raised a finger iin front of his lip, making a soft sshing now. 『So keep this secret for me please.』

“What are you, even?” She asked. Only a moment later did she realize how illogical a question it was, her fear had spoken for her when she asked it.

『I’m unable to give an answer that would satisfy the laws of physics, or even logic. However, I can offer you a clear-cut answer in metaphor, if this were a manga,  I am what the casual reader would call, a villain. There's a girl who was a natural born hero of justice and she'll come to reform me. It's inevitable that I'll lose, but I am doing my best to keep having fun as long as I can until then.』He smiled and started to walk away, waving to her in a friendly manner. 『You’re a completely different person from me. You have talents, and friends. You’re filled with so many admirable qualities. Rather than conversing in the shadows with a villain like myself you should be out in the sun.』

With those words he left her. Yasuke Matsuda will die, his clear cut warning. It didn’t sound like a threat. It truly sounded from the bottom of his heart that Kumagawa was concerned for his life and wanted to protect him, in his own twisted way. As she thought about what had happened all day long, Kyouko Kirigiri had only one impression of Kumagawa Misogi.

What a weirdo.

“This week’s episode of the Kirigiri Kyouko investigations made no sense at all.” She muttered to herself, as she pulled back on the gloves that Kumagawa had dropped into her hand.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Early monday morning, rather than report to his office Kumagawa went straight to the rooftop of the building and saw Komaeda sitting at the edge of it. He approached, setting down a can of coffee right next to the other.

『Here’s your payment. Thank you for giving me that information on Kyouko Kirigiri.』

“Getting tailed by the Ultimate Detective, you must feel honored. It’s no trouble at all, it’s my hobby as the Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic.” Komaeda said, but he accepted the coffee anyway. He sipped it slowly, and made a face because Kumagawa had chosen the bitter kind of coffee again.

『Why did I have a feeling you would be up here?』Kumagawa asked.

“I like it up here. I can see all of the talented people going about their days, expressing themselves, and from this far away my luck can’t possibly reach them.”

『It sounds like you’re looking down on them.』

Komaeda shook his head. “No, I really do love them. Even if it’s just a one sided love.” Idly, like a child, he kicked the feet that were hanging off the side of the building. He felt awkwad and he was not good at conversation so he went quiet again.

It was Kumagawa who spoke up a second time. He was no good at conversation either, but he didn’t really care about making things awkward. 『Your hair was it always white?』

“No, it was red when I was younger. It just eventually turned that color over time.”

『Oh, same for me. When I was four years old I had already endured enough stress to turn my hair white. In middle school though I met someone, and she helped me calm down enough that it turned black again. I started brushing it too.』

Komaeda tilted his head. Several of his locks of hair moved with the motion. “What are you talking about? This is what my hair looks like after I brush it.” He narrowed his eyes. “Hey, that person you’re talking about. Were they to you, what Kamakura is to me right now? I’ve never met anyone like him, I’m amazed he can stand to be in my presence but I’m afraid he’ll get bored and wander off soon.”

『Yeah, it was a little bit like that. Nagito-chan, the second you start thinking I can’t lose this person, you’ve already lost them. That’s how it is to be a minus.』While he spoke, unconsciously, Kumagawa had reached into his pocket and gripped the bear charm between his fingers.

“You should just give that to her already. It’s just a stupid little phone charm, you coward.”

Kumagawa smiled. 『I know I’m being a coward but, I rather like that quality of mine.』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Monday mornings first period was shonen jump time. Kumagawa sat on a cushioned bench in front of the window, to catch the window’s light for his reading. It was a peaceful start to the student council’s day. That was until Enoshima Junko got bored, and decided to bother him.

She yawned standing right in front of him. “Aaaaaah, why do I get the feeling that you and Mukuro did a whole bunch of interesting things and I barely did anything this weekend.”

『I suppose that’s what happens when you stay up all night watching anime like a HikkiNeet.』

“I’m not a NEET. It’s just the whole world is boring so I have no reason at all to leave the comfort of my dorm.” Junko immediately sat next to him, with no regards for personal space bumping him with her hip to get him to scoot over. “Hey, hey, what you reading?”

『The depressed Negakura-kun. It’s my favorite shonen jump manga running currently.』

“Isn’t that the one that’s always last in the rankings?”

『Did you ask what I was reading just so you could insult my taste in manga?』

“Yeah, pretty much.” She leaned over his shoulder to watch what he was reading, and then went “Hmm.”

『What is that supposed to mean?』

“It doesn’t mean anything, I just went hmm.”

『You intoned meaning into your hmmm.』

“Well gosh, if you want my input that badly that you’re practically begging for it, Senpai. I just think reading manga from week to week is kind of pointless. It’s always so predictable what’s going to happen next.”

As Kumagawa read along, Junko spoiled for him with her super highschool level analysis abilities what was going to happen in every single chapter of manga running in Weekly Shonen Jump. She was super highschool level petty.

『You know just because something’s boring for you doesn’t mean you have to ruin it for everybody else.』Kumagawa said, snapping the book shut suddenly.

“Pfffft, have you not been paying attention? That’s kind of my whole reason for existing.”

『What a sad existence.』

“I’m just being true to myself. Isn’t that what they always tell you to do when you’re young.”

『Well, I like that you’re true to your desires, but you could have more conventional desires.』

“You could have a more conventionally attractive face, but I was too nice to mention it until now.”

『You mean everything up until now was you being nice, I’m getting a little bit scared now.』

“Good, you should be.” Junko stuck out her tongue and rested her head on his shoulder. A moment later, he felt her body weight shift to lean on him. Kumagawa was going to move away when he noticed she was already asleep.

He wanted to yell something to wake her up, but all that came out of his mouth was a yawn. Then he too, drifted asleep.

When his eyes opened next, he looked around to see an empty classroom. On the chalkboard, a teddy bear with one eye was drawn out in chalk. There was somebody waiting for him sitting on the teacher’s desk. She smiled at him when their eyes met.

“You’re so cruel you know, staying awake just to avoid me.”

『Since when did you start being able to appear in my dreams? I thought I only had to deal with you when I died.』

She kicked her legs idly. “The seals you placed on the other me, are twisted tight because of your twisted up personality. Every time you’re miserable, the screws dig in deeper. However, when you’re enjoying yourself they loosen and I can slip part of myself outside of the cracks.” A wide smile spread across her face as she held a hand out to him. “You’re really the only person who could enjoy himself in a student council filled with people who hate him. You really are pathetic, Kumagawa-kun.”

Kumagawa said nothing at all. As he was sitting in a desk, he looked down at his hands in his lap.

“Why aren’t you looking me in the eyes? Is it you feel guilty? Is it because you told such a mean lie again today?”

『I wasn’t telling it to be cruel. I had to protect him.』His hands tightened around the fabric of his pants.

“You’re protecting your rival? How noble of you.”

Kumagawa finally looked up. 『My rival?』

“Your rival in love. This is your heart after all, you don’t think I’d notice after spending all this time in here. As long as you keep them away from each other, even a loser like you will have a shot won’t you?”

Kumagawa shook his head. 『N-no that’s not it.』

“It’s not the student council you’re enjoying spending time with is it? You’ve got a crush, don’t you?”

He thought about that girl. He thought about her eyes that looked on everything with disinterest. He thought about how fragile she looked, like she wanted to die any moment just to escape her boredom. 『No. That would be pointless. What’s there to be gained in loving somebody who's given up on the whole world?』Kumagawa brushed a hand through his hair, pulling it back to show his forehead. 『Besides, if I were to win her love because I got rid of her rival. That would be cheating. It wouldn’t be a real victory in the end either way.』

“I suppose that makes sense by your own twisted logic, but isn’t there some better response than just lying to them both?”

『I’m not capable of anything more… lies were all I really ever had. Maybe if somebody like Medaka-chan comes, she’ll be able to reform their hearts and save them. She’d do something annoying like that.』

“You don’t have to do anything though. You could just do nothing, and let them sort it out. Yasuke doesn’t even look like he wants to live anyway.”

Kumagawa suddenly stood up. He raised his voice raised in anger. 『Even if there’s no reason to live, what does he gain by dying?』He stomped all the way to the teacher’s desk, getting in Ajimu’s face. 『If he dies, he’ll lose all of his chances to be happy. What then? Tell me Vice president Ajimu!』

Ajimu Najimi reached out to put a hand on his face. “It’s rare that you get so worked up. You should relax, and I told you to call to me with affection Anshinin.”

“Disgusting.” An outside voice that belonged to neither of them called out.

Kumagawa’s eyes flew open once more. He saw that Mukuro had walked in on them in the waking world, and witnessed the scene of them resting on the window. He smiled and waved to her, before holding a finger in front of his mouth to shh her gently.

He looked to his side to see Junko still leaning on him. As he looked at her though, he remembered Ajimu’s taunts. The pleasant sensation of having her soft body against his, he tried to forget about it as he scooted out from underneath her. As he stood up the sleeping Junko readjusted herself, so she leaned against the back wall instead.

Kumagawa Misogi unbuttoned his black jacket, and dropped it over her body as a makeshift blanket to keep her warm. 『I should have never accepted this job, you’re far more trouble than you’ll ever be worth.』He said softly to her. However, as he walked away with his head turned from the rest of the world, and from the light of the window, he concealed a smile on his face. 『Well, it's my style to fight losing battles anyway.』

Chapter 7: I'm Used to It

Notes:

This chapter makes reference to: Tokyo Ghoul (Seidou Takizawa), Pandora Hearts (Oz and Alice).

“I don’t know! I don’t know you!”

Thud

Red hair, covering her eyes so he couldn’t make them out anymore. That was what the face of the woman who just struck him looked like. That was the face of his own mother.
Mother.
“Don’t come any closer! Get out of this house?”

Mother.
My mother?
Blood trickled down the side of his face from the force of the hit but he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t feel it, the cool sensation on his cheek, the dull throbbing of his skull, no nothing. He shut it all out like he was used to doing. Like the adults encouraged him to do, with soft words of It’s not her fault you know. She’d never do this if she was aware. You have to think about her condition. Think about how hard it is for her.
“Who are you?” His mother shouted again.
Why are you doing this to me?
I don’t understand?
Why me?
Me? I… Who am I? What good was a son who couldn’t be recognized by his own mother. As good as a mother who couldn’t recognize her own son, he supposed. How can you say you’re any better than her you’ve forgotten too, who are you even, dumbass? Come on answer her.
But he said nothing.
He kept his mouth shut.
Inside his head though, he pleaded. To the doctor who told him there was nothing that could be done. To the adults that told him to be strong and that it would be alright.
No! Help me! Somebody….
Then one day a door swung open. He was strong, just like they said. He pretended to be somebody else’s son. Every day was like walking on egg shells. He had no idea what would set her off, he needed to be perfect and precise in his every action, even the things most people didn’t think much about like cleaning or putting things away.
He did it all alone. He came home from school, and spent all of his time in his own house, hiding, or pretending to be someone else. Until he too started to forget, what the outside world looked like, the voice of that girl in red pig tails who always bothered him, what life was even like. Was he alive even before his mother’s sickness started? Did he ever have a normal mother who welcomed him home after school and made food they could eat together? Even if he had such happy memories, the had long since faded and become nothing.
This was his life now. Just as he tried to force himself to become used to it a door swung open. He came home from school just like always, he didn’t do anything wrong that day, but as the door swung open he saw her.

Her feet weren’t touching the ground.
SOMEBODYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Suddenly, the one standing there, the one who had discovered the body was not his chilhood self but rather him as an adult, hair unruly touching the bottom of his neck, uniform unbuttoned, tie hanging loose.

No. He’d grown up since then. He wasn’t stuck in that moment. He had found a new important thing. From now on, I’ll be what’s important to you. She was always going along on her own selfish whims, but because she had pulled him along with her he was no longer rooted in that one spot. When being carelessly tossed about by her selfishness, he was prevented from being all alone, so he thought he didn’t mind it too much.

The next images he saw were a spiky haired boy, falling on top of an alien girl and touching her body on accident. Then she called him an idiot.

A moment later he realized it was nothing more than a manga over his eyes, and lifted up the volume from his face. “Tch, dreaming about useless things again, huh?” His eyes rolled to the corner of his socket as he tried to figure out his cause for waking up. Softly pressed up against him, sleeping with an expression on her face like she didn’t have a care in the world, there was that girl. He looked at drool coming out of the corner of her mouth and thought speaking of useless things.

Her body was soft and warm against his, his had always been cold and mechanical. Every part of him simply wanted to lie there amongst that warmth. Which is exactly why he chopped her head with the manga volume in the next moment to wake her up. “Hey. Get up, fatass. You’re heavy.”

“Funyaa.” Perhaps that noise was her trying to be cute, but to him it just sounded like an airhead letting the air escape from her head.

“Ah! Sorry, you were already asleep so I without thinking… umm… good mowning.”

“It’s fine so go away.”

She paused. “You’re not angry at me?”

“Obviously not.” He ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back so the mess it became while he slept didn’t fall into his eyes. “Waking up because of you is the worst but…”

“Huh?” Suddenly, she interrupted him. “Did you happen to have an unpleasant dream again?” In an instant, her red eyes sharpened on him like he was being caught in a crosshair, and her entire manner of being seemed to change, even her posture was different, her shoulders wider, more proud.

His eyes froze, and he couldn’t bear to see her looking at him like that. He immediately pushed her down on the bed. His hands went to restrain her, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “How could you.. You… was it a memory?”

That girl would have made a noise when she fell, or reacted somehow like the ditz she was.. Maybe she would make some kind of perverted remark because she had no filter. However, she just stared up at him. “What is it?”

Her red hair was a mess, it had fallen everywhere all around them and it even covered their eyes so he couldn’t tell for sure. Then, she slipped out of his grip far too easily and placed a hand on his face. “Something about Matsuda-kun? Or perhaps something about me?” Her hand slid down easily, as his entire body was ice, frozen,  down the side of his cheek, grazing his neck, and then softly to his collarbone slipping under his shirt. Even though his body was ice he could feel beads of sweat rolling down his cheek. He melted so easily because of her. “Won’t you make sure? What’s thaaaaaaaat. What an odd face.”

She rolled her head back to reveal her eyes. He was the only thing reflected in them. Immediately, his expression fell. “So, what about it?”

There was no response.

“Hey.”

Whateve flash had just happened had died away, that girl’s eyes were closed again and a line of drool fell from the corner of her mouth.

“Did you really just fall asleep?” He called out exasperated, and of course received no reply again.

His hand returned to his hair, as he sat up on the bed leaving her alone. “...Shit. I’m just being strung along by this one.” Behind him, she slept peacefully a snot bubble growing from her nose. “But...without this one, I…”

The time she wrapped her arms around him so he could hide his face while he cried. She was just an idiotic little girl in red twin tails, but he held onto her like she was everything.

I didn’t want to lose the important thing I had.
Even if ‘that thing’ was a lie.

That time she drove a knife into his side. He saw his own blood tripping off. It fell out of his mouth carelessly, like the drool from hers when she fell asleep. The girl that watched him now smiled in a cutesy way, with her hands behind her back. As she turned around her hair flowed with her.

Her face was splattered with blood, his blood, but he couldn’t see her eyes at all. She had just stabbed him, but she wouldn’t even look at him.

He reached out to her still. Not for his precious thing, just for her. “Say, what about it, Enoshima Junko?”

Even if it’s a lie.
Yes, then it’s true to me.

The images all blended together, and became lost in a world of red. It occurred to him that he had been dreaming again, otherwise time would not pass so quickly. A dream within a dream, a neurologist was well aware of that common phenomenon.

Confusing a lie for the truth though, he really was an idiot.
What an idiotic dream, really, he thought to himself.
A voice spoke back to him that did not belong to that girl, and did not belong to him either. “I agree you are an idiot.”
His memories had bled away, and there was no form. He couldn’t even speak back, there was only that voice speaking to him.

“Ah, sorry sorry, it wasn’t my intention to be rude. That’s just the observation of an objective person like myself. You were always completely selfless in regards to Junko. However, the same cannot be said for her. In fact, Junko always sided with ‘despair’ taking your selflessness and loyalty for granted. It would be too simple to categorize that as mere trust in you. Truth be told, Junko never even needed and existence such as yourself. I may not know for certain, If Junko really was born into this world to spread despair like she claims, but I do know that you were not born to serve Junko.”

This person really likes to hear herself talk, he thought. It was rather rude of him, and good that he could not speak at the moment.

“To enjoy being strung along by a girl’s selfishness. ‘As long as she’s smiling, I’m happy.’ No. Those kind of ideals only exist in the manga you’re so fond of.”

He saw manga right in front of his eyes again. This time the boy with spiky hair and the love interest got caught in the rain, and because of the water he could see through her shirt.

Kumagawa Misogi plucked the manga volume he had fallen asleep reading up off of his face.
『What’s up Yasuke-chan? Were you having perverted dreams.』

The moment he woke up he knew it was for real this time, because nothing could provoke so much annoyance from inside of him besides Kumagawa Misogi real and in the flesh. He was so annoyed, he had forgotten all about what that voice was saying to him a moment ago, or even that he had heard it in the first place.

“No, it was just a nightmare, but I’d rather go back to looking at that then your stupid face, shitty-gawa.” Kumagawa put the manga volume he had picked off his face, down on the bedside table and sat down in a chair he pulled up himself again. He was impudent, pulling pu a chair. Yasuke had not even asked him to stay.

When Yasuke looked over, he saw another new bag of freshly bought manga. Yasuke had not even asked him to buy some more. That was just more of Kumagawa’s impudence.

『You said you didn’t hate me, Yasuke-chan, so why are you always insulting me?』He put a finger on his chin in a familiar way, and tilted his head. 『Are you a tsundere? Just like in that manga you were reading? Tsunderes don’t try to kill their love interests though, what about yandere? Yanderes don’t call people idiots though.』Kumagawa was so casual, as if both crimes had an equal weight in his mind. 『Tsun-yan, Tsunya-n. Tsu-nyan. Ah, I like that. It sounds like a cat.』

“Did you want something? Or were you just going to sit over there making annoying noises.”

『Since you were having perverted dreams I wanted to ask you something. I’ve never read shoujo manga, so I don’t really know anything about love. That was a harem manga you were reading, right? So that should be close enough.』

“I said stop rambling I don’t want to waste a headache on your nonsense.”

『Okay. What’s being loved like?』

“Uh…” Yasuke felt caught off guard by the sincerity. Only one image came to mind, no matter how desperately he wanted to shut away the image of that girl. “It’s cruel, yet beautiful. The world I mean, it’s cruel, no matter what you do, or how you try to protect someone you’ll lose them eventually and all your efforts will become nothing. Yet, suddenly it becomes beautiful.”

『I guess that’s the difference between us. I’ve only ever known the world to be cruel, yet ugly. Well, even if all your efforts amounted to nothing you can keep living, because that’s how I’ve been living all this time.』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Komaeda Nagito made it all the way to the hospital without incident. That only made him more worried though, because he felt his luck was simply being delayed in this occasion.

This place was a hospital, that brought about even more risk. Yet, he had wandered off on his own again, deciding to take that risk on his own. Kumagawa Misogi kept his promises so far, the construction site, the explosion he caused, and after that when they were getting more gachapon prizes together the traffic pileup that was caused when after getting no good prizes from the machine, a shipping truck which happened to be delivering boxes full of the same gachapons crashed and spilled its contents on the side of the road, were all reduced to nothing by him.

Kumagawa even honestly asked him with concern about all of his classmates. 『I erased all of their memories of Junko, so why are you the only one whose come back to school?』

As forward, and dependable as Kumagawa tried to be, it only spurred Komaeda to act on his own. There was a metronome in his head, and it was currently deciding. His classmates because they were his friends did he want to save them? Or were weak talents, fake ‘so called ultimates’ who had fallen into despair even worth reform? It swung back and forth in his head and he was currently undecided, but still he wanted to check on them.

The place they were being kept was a hospital off campus. When he regained consciousness, Komaeda remembered seeing them through a window in a far room. They were all restrained to their beds. They didn’t even look like humans anymore.

Well that’s fine. Those who fall off the path of hope don’t deserve to be treated as humans anyway.
One side of his brain said.
Then the other side countered.
Well, shouldn’t the same be applied for you?
Then, the metronome swung back.
I already knew I couldn’t be saved.
Tick, tick, it kept swinging.
Then why are you playing along with Kumagawa’s desire to save you.

As usual though, his brain remained completely undecided when he arrived at the front desk. He told them honestly he wanted to see his classmates, and they said he would only be allowed to visit one of them. In the month since he had left the hospital, only her mental condition improved when the doctors and nursing staff paid attention to her.

“I really hate it here Komaeda,” Mikan Tsumiki said to him as he sat next to her bedside. She wasn’t restrained, and she still had food waiting for her to eat it but besides that and the dull noise of the tv in the background the entire room was empty. Komaeda wondered if anybody besides him had paid a visit. That’s probably a no. He thought, and then felt a little bad for thinking so rudely.

“Really? I think the ultimate nurse would have a lot to do staying in a hospital. Don’t you think you can study the environment around you to improve your talent?” He spoke up suddenly. He didn’t really know how to comfort somebody who was lonely. Perhaps because he had never been comforted. I know I’m supposed to be watching him but I can’t stand being around him anymore. His parents were dead at his feet, and when a rescue crew came for them he just looked up at them with a smile and said how lucky he was they found him. She had talent at least though, right, and talent sparked hope.

“You don’t get it. I want to be taking care of people, I don’t want to be taken care of.” Even though she was not restrained like all the rest, something looked like it was tying her down. “When I’m like this, I’m helpless.”

Komaeda’s eyes fell to his feet. He really didn’t know what to say. Most people would have the good sense to not say anything then, but not him. “At least there’s somebody to take care of you right? Isn’t it nice, being cared for?”

Suddenly, a smile spread across the forlorn Mikan’s face. He would have noticed, if his head were not looking at the ground. Her entire character seemed to change in an instant. Unlike the rest of the Ultimate Despairs, Mikan had been playing the role of a good subservient girl her entire life. She knew she could feign control and be patient to wait for a greater despair, and she had found it.

Komaeda felt a sharp jab into his arm. The look on his face when he raised his head and realized he had been stabbed with a syringe was pure betrayal. “Who knew an ugly and unloveable guy like you could make a cute face like that?” Mikan said.

“So there’s where the bad luck went.” Komaeda thought back on his peaceful walk here. Ah, I’m so happy. It only affected me this time. He meant to say it but his mouth had already grown too heavy, and then he fell off his chair unconscious.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

『Is Komaeda acting weird?』Kumagawa asked, looking up from the manga he was reading from behind his desk as president instead of the paperwork he was supposed to be doing.

“Does the sun rise in the morning?” Junko did not look up from the laptop that her fingernails and the keys were clacking away at at rapid speeds. Whatever she was doing, it was probably not what Kumagawa had asked her to.

“I don’t have a fever! I feel extremely great today!” The red faced Komaeda said, as he stood behind Kumagawa a few inches from his face.

『I think he has a fever.』Kumagawa said, putting his manga down, and placing a hand on his forehead to feel the warmth of Komaeda’s skin.

“He just said he didn’t have a fever, god do you even listen!” Junko said refusing to look up from her computer.

『Enoshima-san, you might want to pay attention to another human being besides yourself for once in your life.』Kumagawa said as he watched Komaeda wander away from him, and start to move towards Junko.

“Unless you’re hiding a second me somewhere, I don’t think there’s anybody interesting enough to be worth paying attention to.” Suddenly, from behind Komaeda grabbed her and lifted her up. “Hey, hands off! I don’t want to catch loser-itis.”

『Is that really the best you could come up with?』

“Get him off of me!” Junko said, screaming hard and shrilly enough to remind everyone present that she was a teenage girl after all.

“Don’t listen to her Kumagawa-kun. This Enoshima is an imposter. I know, the real Enoshima is already dead. That’s why this is probably… Enoshima’s clone!”

『That can’t be it. Who would possibly want two Enoshima-san’s around?』Kumagawa said as he casually stood up and walked over to Komaeda and put a hand on his shoulder. Only for Komaeda to turn around suddenly, and put Kumagawa in the exact same hold letting go of Junko and lifting him off the ground. It was in that moment Kumagawa realized he was kind of short compared to Komaeda, and felt like he had lost again.

“This is it. Enoshima-san, I’ve found the real traitor. He transferred into our school but really he’s a member of a terrorist organization. The reason he’s always reading manga is because they send him coded messages through weekly shonen jump.”

“Wow, I can’t believe Senpai was such a suspicious person all along.” Junko said, returning to sit back on the desk and watch the two boys wrestle in front of her with a pointed smile.

『Enoshima-san! Help me out, I helped you out. Enoshima-san! Enoshima-san! 』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

After a troublesome battle, during which Junko provided him no assistance at all but took plenty of embarrassing pictures of him being beaten up by Komeada with her cellphone, the two of them dragged the sickly Komaeda to the school infirmary.

Only for both of them to suddenly be quarantined for showing the same feverish symptoms a moment later. Even the ultimate doctor present examining them however, did not have the omniscience of a narrator so rather than reporting his somewhat confused explanation I’ll explain it instead.

Mikan injected Komaeda with an unknown virus which laid dormant after the doctors investigated both him and the syringe to see if he had been poisoned, or otherwise harmed from the stabbing. That virus did not awaken until the next day in the middle of their usual student council work (more like procrastinating work but digressing).

Mikan Tsumiki, the ultimate nurse manipulated to let her desires run wild with despair infected Komaeda with a disease that manipulates the hormones in the brain, causing a person to become fevrish and display despairful personality traits. Any normal person would have reacted like Komaeda, lying, becoming cowardly, becoming violent.

However, for Kumagawa and Junko who were the only two exposed, their brains were already wired towards despair. Kumagawa may have been exaggerating slightly, but he claimed to have never experienced happiness. Junko claimed she’s never felt hope in her life only despair. Komaeda's brain was halfway between hope and despair, so he was something like halfway affected. In fact his extreme symptoms were already starting to disappear, but when he claimed he felt better the doctors thought he was lying. 

Rather than the despair sickness, they developed symptoms that manifested indistinguishable from a normal cold. Well, it’s to be expected out of an experimental virus, designed by a girl whose only the ultimate nurse, not the ultimate virologist or anything. Perhaps if they were all in a computer game the plan would have worked more effectively.

However, the doctor did not know any of this as he was not an impartial narrator, so unable to diagnose what they were infected with and fearful their mild symptoms would become more severe he quarantined both of them as well as Komaeda in a second separate room as his symptoms were furthest progressed.

Kumagawa at the moment felt especially tense, as Junko was now in the same building where he was hiding Yasuke Matsuda. Under normal circumstances she never would have set foot into the infirmary willingly, because in her own words “Ewe sick people, it’s just like, get healthy already.”

“Ugh, these hospital gowns aren’t flattering at all.” Junko said, drawing up her knees to her chest and hiding a sour expression behind them. “I can’t believe I’m locked up in a room with Senpai, what did I even do to deserve it?”

『You tried to destroy the school? 』

“I mean recently!” She whined, before falling back in the bed and rolling over. She looked more like a child being sent to their room, or denied a favorite toy rather than somebody who was sick with an unknown illness. She picked up one of her pillows and squeezed it to her chest. “Ugh, this is all your fault, Senpai!”

『You were the one who was screwing around when I asked you to help me. Besides, I think it’s Komaeda’s fault for getting us sick.』

“No, I was talking about in general! Everything was going perfectly according to plan, and then you showed up out of nowhere and screwed everything up. Now everything’s so boring.”

『I get beat up by your friends at least once a week I wouldn’t call that boring.』

“So, you don’t even have the decency to die or get permanently injured. Why are you doing all this anyway?”

Kumagawa turned and smiled at the pouting and childish Junko. 『Ruining things for other people is what I’m best at. I don’t need another reason.』

“Well, you’re not accomplishing anything so good luck with that.”

『Am I annoying you? 』

“Yes.”

『Then I’ve accomplished something!』Kumagawa wondered why Junko was whining so much. It wasn’t like her - well no, it was exactly like her- but he also knew her capabilities and if she really wanted to pick him apart for motivation she could find it in an instant.

“From a logical standpoint, if you were trying to stop me from destroying hope’s peak it would make more sense to kill me. You don’t look like you have any qualms about doing that, anyway. If you wanted to force me to work with you, you could have used that ability of yours to erase my memories entirely and manipulate me from there. So why bother with the act of pretending to be normal students, walking side by side going throughout their daily life?”

Ah, right. She couldn’t comprehend him, because she was logical to a fault and he was entirely illogical to the core of his existence. He was her antithesis. It’s probably just because they were alone right now that she was asking these questions. He thought about her question, and his uniform jacket hanging on the wall a small and incosequential black bear keychain hiding within one of the pockets. 『Why, indeed.』

Annoyed by his answer, Junko spent the rest of the night ignoring him in favor of her phone. Kumagawa thought that was that, but as usual he was wrong.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Enoshima Junko had a dream.
In that dream she was sitting alone in a classroom, with Monokuma sitting on the desk in front of her. She raised her head having forgotten how she ended up in this classroom in the first place. She had just woken up in here, and was sitting in one of the desks like a student.

“If fate does exist.. does that mean your future is decided the moment you’re born? If all your yesterdays pile up and create your tomorrow… is your future as final as your past? I just don’t know. That’s why I’m still alive- because I don’t know. That’s why I desperately cling to life!”

Junko put two fingers on her forehead to think. She wondered why now of all times she would be running through Monokuma lines in her own head. She had already thought about all the script and lines she would need to plan out when she decided on the plan for the final killing game.

The final killing game, that’s right. Did she still see that destination as a part of the immutable future? Her petty squabbles with Kumagawa in the present, they were getting in the way of her ultimate plan, the biggest despair she would ever feel in her life.

Even if she would feel despair from that, it would be minor. A mere distraction. Kumagawa might be a river that with persistance could even carve through rock and leave a mark, but she was an ocean of despair.

“Every day is peaceful. Every day is joyful. Happy days from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. Wishing for those unchanging, unending happy days, days of boredom repeating forever and ever. No abnormalities as far as the eyes can see. Life without the tiniest speck of abnormality.”

“Yo, Monokuma. You’re a cutie but why am I even dreaming about you anyway? Am I running out of new material or something?”

“I’d say so. Don’t you think the despair schtick is getting a little bit stale.” A voice sounded from behind her, which did not belong to either Monokuma or her own. Junko felt… something. It was hard to describe.

Medaka was somebody who she could tell in an instant was swelling with an excess of hope. She had noticed the despair within Komaeda’s heart the first day she met him, even though all he did was talk excessively of hope. There was only one person who tricked her intuition, Kumagawa, who she sensed nothing in all. This feeling was the same as when she first met Kumagawa but… an even greater nothingness.

Junko didn't read classic literature so Junji Ito came to mind rather than Lovecraft as she tried to comprehend the horror she felt. I consider the comparison to be a little rude, albeit accurate. That same voice, feeling a little playful, blew a chilling puff of air down Junko’s neck.

She woke up the next instant in a cold sweat. She tried to remember the contents of her strange dream but the memories eluded her the moment she reached for them. Normally, she would be happy to have a despair inducing nightmare, but at the moment she felt more annoyed from her fear than she did despair. It’s probably that weirdo’s fault.

Even the supernatural and the extraordinary could become ordinary quick, that was how her mind had always worked. Kumagawa might have been seen as an abomination to some, but to her he was just… weird… In the next moment Junko did something unexpected and crawled out of her bed and stood over Kumagawa’s own hospital bed watching him for a moment.

She could have easily killed him in his sleep. She did not even know if his ability which reversed death could bring himself back from the dead, and sooner or later she would need to test that if she wanted to be rid of him. If she wanted but… rather than try to kill him she simply flopped down next to him in an empty space in the bed. Of course, hospital cots were only meant for one patient so the space between the two of them suddenly became cramped.

『Enoshima-san I don’t want to share a bed with you.』

“Why, isn’t your virgin heart going all doki doki right now?”

『It’s because you snore in your sleep, and drool, also I saw a bubble of snot rise up out of your nose once.』

“How do you even know that! Have you been stalking me?”

『You fall asleep in the student council office all the time. Especially when I tell you to get some work done.』

“I know you’re just putting up a shield like always. Hey, what are you thinking about being this close to a girl for once, is your dangly ronpa all-”

『Alright then. Let’s have sex.』

“Ewe! Gross, no! That’s not what I meant. I know I dress like this, but I guard my virtue you know!”

『So you’re a virgin too, then?』

“I never said that!” For that, Junko reached across the bed and kicked Kumagawa in the shins. Kumagawa only laughed because he had successfully provoked a reaction. “Shut up, this is Junko time from now on.”

Kumagawa didn’t say anything, exactly as told. “Y’know I’ve been thinking about it, and there’s really no reason to stick around you. Sure you’ve got a super power but every power has it’s weaknesses that’s basic game balacning. Besides you lose everything, so if there was a way to defeat you I probably would have figured out by now. Lately though, I’ve been feeling differently about you.”

『Enoshima-san if you’re just going to confess to manipulate me I’m not falling for it.』

“I said it’s me time!”

『Every time is you time.』

“Yeah so? What’s wrong with that! Nobody else is worth my time. Anyway that wasn’t what I was going to say, like I’d need to degrade myself like that to manipulate you. I just mean I think I figured it out, why I even bother hanging out with your loser self. You’re kind of… hard to figure out. Everybody I’ve ever met, even tall, dark and mysterious studs like Kamakura I’ve figured out in a few minutes max. Everybody always moves the way I want them too.”

『So you’re spending time with me because I won’t move the way you want me too? That’s just selfish.』

“No it’s more like… I think the reason I don’t understand you is that we’re so different. You always lose, and I always win.” She moved a little closer to him. Kumagawa could feel her pressing up against his back. “Maybe I was born to meet you.”

『Are you quoting anime at me? If you’re going to manipulate me at least come up with original material.』

“No! Maybe… shut up!”

『Enoshima-san, maybe the reason you can’t understand me is that we’re so similiar, and you just lack self awareness.』

“You always say that but I don’t want us to be similiar. If you were too much like me, then you’d just be boring.” Kumagawa paused for a moment, it sounded like she was calling herself boring. He could probably call her on it if he wanted to, but he decided to let the moment pass.

『Then maybe you’re just too self involved to understand others.』

“It’s not like you make it yourself easy to understand. You’re always looking away from me, and sulking on your own like some gloomy anti-hero. You don’t even let me see what your face looks like all twisted up in despair, you’re the selfish one.”

Quietly, and without looking at her, choosing to look around the room instead and ignore the soft and warm feeling of being next to her. 『Ensohima-san, you asked about what I want, but what about you? Do you really think that achieving your plan of the killing game is what you want?』

“Of course, it’s what I want. It’s the greatest most despairful thing I’ll ever accomplish.”

『It sounds dangerous though. If you fail at all you’ll die for sure.』

“Yeah, so what?”

『Well, if you die will that really make you be happy?』

“...”

Before either of them could continue either conversation, a surge of electricity rushed through the infirmary and the lights that were left off in their room suddenly turned on again, only to explode causing the bulbs to shatter. The TV turned on and then off again as well.

In the hallways, panic had already begun to emerge. Rather selfishly, Kumagawa was grateful for it because he was not sure particularly he wanted to hear Junko’s answer for that. He jumped out of the bed and made for the door. His heart was pounding too, and he was terrified that Junko might hear. At least he could blame the warmness of his face on his fever.『Hmm, we’re getting attacked. Who wants to bet it’s one of you ultimate despair friends?』

“Uuggh, since when did my life become so formulaic.” She groaned, rolling to the side and only reluctantly getting up.

Kumagawa realized something. 『Nagito-chan’s in a room all alone, whoever’s attacking might target him first.』

“Good.” Enoshima Junko said. “It’s what he deserves for getting me sick.”

『That’s not even for the sake of despair, that’s just being petty.』Kumagawa said before grabbing her by the hand and forcefully yanking her forward. 『Come on, this is an order as your student council president.』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Komaeda awoke from his slumber to feel something cold and sharp pressing against his throat. He looked up to see Mikan again, and put two and two together. She had escaped from the hospital at some point and come after him to see if the virus she infected him with worked, and now she was trying to kill him in her sleep. This was two seconds after waking up, for all he put himself down he could be quite sharp when he wanted to. However, the threat of having his throat slit did not even occur to him. I’m sure somebody will barge into this room and intervene at just the right time.

Just as he thought at that moment the door flew open, and Kumagawa charged in, dragging along Junko. Three screws flew through the air at her, forcing Mikan to jump back. 『Somebody was about to kill you wearing a sexy nurse outfit, lucky that’s one of my fetishes.』

“Oh, it’s Tsumiki! This should be fun then. Come on hun, be a dear and kill them please.” Junko said, her voice suddenly becoming much sweeter.

『Enoshima-san, umm...』Just then, Mikan reached into the pockets of her outfit and pulled out several scalpels. She threw them all forward at once right where Junko was standing. Junko was not expecting it because she regarded all the ultimate despairs as nothing more than puppets who worshipped her, and because of that she did not move to step out of the way.

Kumagawa jumped in front of her and was skewered several times in the back as he held his arms out.

“The hell are you doing Tsumiki! Bad dog!”

『I erased all of the ultimate despair’s memories of you, to try and break them out of their despair.』

“Well, that seemed to work so well. Now she’s just attacking both of us. Good job, you just made things worse as usual.” Junko did not even seem to notice the blood pooling out on the floor coming from Kumagawa’s back and the hit he had just taken from her.

Komaeda had stopped lazing around in bed, and had already in his feverish state jumped off of the bed and moved to Kumagawa’s side. A half night’s rest had at least relieved him of his lying habit. “Kumagawa-kun what should we do, she’s an ultimate despair and none of us are even in the shape to deal with her right now.”

『It’s still three vs one, isn’t that right Enoshima-san?』The moment he asked it, he received no reply except for the echo of his own voice in an empty hallway. 『She ditched us didn’t she.』Kumagawa did not even want to turn his head around to confirm what he knew to be true.

『Well it’s fine, let’s just fight together. It’ll be a bad luck good luck combination.』

Komaeda sighed. “I’m grateful that you thought of an insignificant person like me but, isn’t it fine if we both die here? If Tsumiki kills us then at least the despair it causes will summon-” Before he could even finish, Kumagawa swept his legs out from under him and Komaeda fell to the ground. “Huh?”

『Idiot.』It was Kumagawa’s turn to put on a smug face. Komaeda saw his usually cheerful disposition twist into a scowl.『You won’t accomplish anything at all, there’s nothing that will be gained from your death. So just stand back, I’ll fight for you.』Kumagawa drew two screws up from nowhere and caught them in his hands. He rushed towards Mikan.

Staring at his back, Komaeda almost wanted to believe in his words. The wounds he had taken for Junko earlier had already disappeared. Kumagwa told him too, and he almost wanted to put his faith in a power like all fiction. Jumping forward like that and charging his classmate, he almost looked cool.

Then Mikan easily dodged his blow, and with one of her remaining scalpels sliced straight under his shoulder. “There’s a major artery right there that drains in seconds. Good luck using that All Fiction of yours when you can’t think because of blood loss.” She said as she wanted him crumple onto the ground in an instant, putting a hand over the area where blood gushed out. It didn’t look real to Komaeda, it looked like a special effects show in a cheesey b grade horror movie.

『Nagito-chan...it’s fine… just leave me be… you don’t want to fight your friend right just… distract Enoshima-san...please...』Kumagawa asked with the last of his willpower before he collapsed. Just like that he lost, just like he always did.

Komaeda felt something crash in his chest when he saw Kumagawa hurt like that. He thought about seriously trying to defend the person who had made him vice president, the person who was trying so desperately to connect.. But he couldn’t. Trying to fight was too painful for him. Reaching out to another would be like digging  straight through a pile of glass in the vain hope that something worth it would be at the bottom.

Hope.

No. Hope wasn’t a painful thing. It was soft and warm and comforting. Everything he did was for the sake of hope. Even a person like him could have hope, and even a person like Kumagawa too. So he decided right then to have faith in Kumagawa’s words. For the sake of hope, right? He wasn’t running, he thought as he ran away. He just had to accomplish these things in his own way.  

“Oh, too bad. Looks like you won’t be saved. Nobody even cares enough to try. I guess I can understand that feeling though.” Mikan knelt in front of him and grabbed him by his messy black hair.  She dragged the bloody mess of his body forward through the hallway.

From the moment she began acting normal again to pacify her doctors she had been planning this, a special counter to all fiction she came up with all on her own. Hopefully that person would be watching her. Hopefully they   would be impressed.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

She was a child whose parents only left her with scars. In order to survive, and because nobody else would she patched herself up on her own time. She learned a lot. Sometimes, just because she liked it she would peel off her own scabs and watch the wound heel, or the blood coming out from the wound.

She was so used to being covered in wounds. That’s why sometimes she fell on purpose in order to make a good cut. By the time she was three years old, she had mastered both falling on purpose, and creating wounds where people would see them.

Her parents said it was gross, and hit her. Of course she listened to her parents at that time. She decided she needed to make it less obvious, because she didn’t want to be caught, because she didn’t want to be hit again, and because sometimes she wanted to be caught and looked at she practiced making it look like it was a total accident.

Despite her family, and the others around her she grew up to be talented because of efforts she made all on her own. People still hit her, stomped on her, but she had learned to like the scabs it left behind a long time ago.

She thought she was okay with the equilibrium but she noticed something. She was not the only one who got injured. She thought she was the whole world’s punching bag, and that was true to an extent, but there were others around her getting hurt as well. It first happened when she needed to walk a girl who had been picking on her to the nurse’s office collapsed, and she passed out on their way there. Mikan was no longer throwing herself under her foot in order to be stepped on, no this girl was relying on her to live.

For the first time in her life she felt a taste of power that did not come along with learning to like her injuries, or throwing herself down in front of others so they could walk over her. She felt a strange sort of power, on a sick person who depended on her entirely to live, and that nurtured her talent further.

Still, she had no connection to others. Even when she was admitted to a school for talented people, nobody in the class wanted anything to do with her. She was either mocked and ridiculed, or she was pitied from afar because they did not want to be near her only offered her weak kindness.

It wasn’t her fault though. It was the fault of the people who hit her. The fault of the parents who deprived her of so much attention, even when she started hurting herself on purpose so they would notice.

Even if she told herself it wasn’t her fault though, that didn’t make the loneliness go away. Her only real connections came in the scars left behind on those who beat her, or the wounds she healed on others. This indirect contacts became the only proof of her existence. Her whole life she had never been embraced once.

Then that person. That person was the only one… the only one who never hated me. They forgave me who can only go through life being hurt and hurt by others. They were so beautiful I forgot the cruelty of this world. I could live in a world consisting of only me and them.

She thought.

However.

That person, when she tried to remember their face they no longer came to mind. The memories had been stolen away by an errant thief. It scared her, that this man might have taken that person from her permanently. If so, she wanted to disappear like they did. 

That's fine, she told herself because her connection with that person was something that surpassed memory, something that surpassed even life and death. For the sake of that person she would make the thief suffer, and the scars she inflicted on him and then herself would become yet another connection to that person.

Even if her memories were completely empty, even if her life was nothing but suffering, she could continue on as long as she had that person in mind. When she thought about it like that, it wasn’t that big of a deal whether she remember their  face or not.

Kumagawa regained consciousness strapped to an operating table. “That’s good, you’re awake. I would hate if you slept through this.” She said in a sweet voice. Kumagawa saw the glint of metal in her hand. “I’m not a trained anesthesiologist, so we’ll be operating on you while you’re still awake.”

Over the next few minutes, the pain Kumagawa went through was so graphic that even an impartial being like me does not feel like describing it.

So instead, for a moment let’s cut away. Komaeda Nagito was running down the hallway. Because he was the Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic, knew his classmates by their talents at least, had helped throw them into despair and was sharper than he would ever give himself credit for he already had a half idea of what Mikan was planning to do.

He made it to the room of the infirmary  where the central hub of the hospital speaker system was kept. The power surge must have fried them, but perhaps he could come up with some way to reroute the wiring. He ran forward to try, and just as he did he tripped on the first cord that was in his way and fell into the center of a mess of cords pulling a few of them out at random.

Suddenly, the speaker system went online.

Komaeda thought his plan would probably fail. Kumagawa was the kind of person who bragged about how well he could endure pain after all.

The next moment, screams filled the hallways of the infirmary.

『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SOMEBODY PLEEASSSSEEE STOOOOOP! SOMEBODY HEEEEELP ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAA! JUNKO KOMAEDA PLEASE. AREN’T WE FRIENDS?!  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!』

Kumagawa’s voice, crying and screaming through the speakers. Aren’t we friends? Komaeda did not know if they were or not, but he did know he had already turned his back on Kumagawa, and on his classmate as well.

In the hallways, Junko Enoshima was just about to stumble upon something interesting when she heard the sounds of despair filled screams filling the halls. A smile spread across her face, and she walked closer to one of the speakers, like somebody was filling the air with pleasant sounding music.

The door she had almost stumbled across flew open. However, Junko had already wandered away so the person in the isolated room with no name plate at the end of the hallway did not see her. Instead he walked out of the room on his own, scratching his head. He was sleeping by some luck and only heard the last part the question of if they were friends. “God, that noise is annoying.” He complained.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kumagawa saw rain trickle down outside the window. There was no light outside, and now to make things worse it was raining. For a gloomy guy, it was almost out of character but he hated the rain. It was raining that day too, huh?

Then, his world went dark and he could no longer even stare outside the window to avoid his pain. Mikan held up the last remaining eyeball she had snatched away from him up in the air.  She tossed it up and down, catching it like it were a rubber ball. “I figured out all ficiton’s weakness. I don’t have to kill you, if I drive you insane then you won’t even be able to use it.”

He didn’t say anything in return. His throat felt like fire. Oh, that’s right, he had been screaming. That would explain it.

“Nobody will come to help you, nobody likes you that much, but you’re cute. I sympathize with you.” She walked over to his stretcher and then sat on the edge of it. Rather than pluck any more body parts out she put a hand on his cheek to caress it. “It’s not your fault really that nobody cares about you. That’s just how this place is. Whether you’re talented or not, they are just going to use you as you see fit, and end up throwing you away like trash.”

Even though his hair was matted with blood, she carefully brushed it out of his face. “I know what it’s like… you and I, all we are are scars. We’re like those trash cans we’re hollowed out and the only thing people can fill us up with is trash. We’re completely empty inside. People without reasons to exist… so, at least give me a reason. Give me a reason to die and be with them.”

Kumagawa Misogi was in too much pain to even properly convey his own thoughts anymore, so allow me to convey them for him.
He had met one person just like Mikan in the past.
When in middle school, Akune Kouki was a thug. Whether it was a person, place or thing. He’d destroy them without thinking twice. There wasn’t a person in the area who didn’t know about Akune. He was the type that neither teachers nor police wanted anything to have to do with.

However it’s not like he wanted to destroy anything that came across his path. In truth he was manipulated by a certain guy. Whenever he was told to destroy, he would.

“Kouki-chan. Do you know of this cutey that just started coming here to school? Her name is Kurokami Medaka. Tomboys like that… are not necessary in our little paradise, don’t you think?”

It was strange that the student council president would call this school a paradise, considering there was a rabid dog destroyer running wild with only him holding the leash, and because of that everybody hated both him, and the student council president. He had a zero percent approval rating.

For the first time in his life though, he thought he was happy. He had met somebody who wanted to destroy everything around him just like him. For the first time, a strange girl with a charming personality and a kind smile had taken an interest in his life.

He had only known a life of pain up until that point. He was entirely cold and numb to the world.

That’s why he was afraid, when this person full of warmth showed up. That’s why he tried to destroy her right away. Because he knew it deep in his heart, that this person was better than him. Surrounded by friends, loved by talent, and kind to all she met no matter what suffering she endured.

He was afraid she would destroy him, and this small little paradise he had carved out for himself after all this time. It was a selfish thought, he was simply lashing out due to inferiority like always. That wasn’t the final straw though.

He watched it through the window. The day that Akune Aoki was converted.
“Sorry to inform you… but I truly have nothing. So please… would you become my something?”

His relationship with Kouki, the person he thought who could finally understand him and his urge to destroy everything around him disappeared in an instant.

It was exactly as he had feared. Nobody needed somebody like him, when there was a good and virtuous person like her around. There was nothing to be gained from losing all the time. There was no pride in being a loser. It was just all he had to cling onto. He was a shadow that would be obscured the second a bright light started to shine on him.

It was just as Akune said, there was nothing inside of him as well. So, he tore up the president’s office. He threw a childish tantrum, all while the vice president watched him as impassive as always.

“Why… why do they always leave me? Why do I always lose to somebody more talented? Why am I never good enough? I tried but I can’t… I can’t turn all this pain into something better like others can.”

She held her hands out for him.

“Kumagawa-kun, you’re worked up again. Come, lay your head in my lap I’ll relieve you.” He did just as he was told, he always did as he was told because he was terrified what might happen otherwise. “Even if Akune and Maguro both turn on you, I’ll always be with you.”

“I just… wanted to be friends with Akune-chan. I thought since we were both like this, I could finally have a friend. I guess I’ll always lose to someone like her though.”

“Well, if losing again and again becomes too much for you, then you can always just die.”

“I don’t want to do that either. Some kind of friend you are telling me to kill myself.”

“It was just a suggestion. It might bring you peace.”

“No it wouldn’t. If I died, nobody would care. That’s reason enough to keep living. My death isn’t going to be the punchline on my own long drawn out gag of a life.”

He couldn’t say pretty words that won over people’s hearts. He could barely speak anymore, he broke down crying in that girl’s lap as she tried to relieve him of his worries.

Of course eventually he lost that girl too. Not by Medaka’s hand, but entirely his own. In a classroom with just the two of them. On a rainy day. On an otherwise peaceful morning. He destroyed her, the only good thing in his life by his own will. So this is nothing more than a pointless flashback of a boy drowning in self pity. That happiness that he had thought he gained for himself, turned out to be nothing more than his own delusion. Just like always with Kumagawa, it became nothing in the end. A pointless struggle with nothing gained. All he had to show from it was the blood dripping down from both of his hands.

The shock of remembering that sight, a beautiful girl without a face, the hole that was left behind, he saw the image perfectly clearly even though he had no eyeballs left, and woke up again.

She brought her bone saw in the air as if to finish him off. Suddenly just then, a scalplel was thrown with precision knocking her hand away and then embedding itself in the wall. She stumbled backwards, blood trickling down from where it had been cut. “You’re not the only person with unlimited access to medical equipment due to your talent.” Yasuke Matsuda said, before drawing out another scalpel and cutting him free from the bonds strapping him to the table.

Kumagawa Misogi stood up. In the next moment a screw shot right through Mikan’s waist, pushing her back and nailing her to the wall just like he had in his first fight. Mikan’s expression looked gleeful though. “Do you think this will stop me? Pain doesn’t matter me to at all. I’m used to it!”

She was preparing to pull herself off of the screw, when suddenly it disappeared entirely. Kumagawa had a tendency to act in unexpected ways, but what he did next made no sense at all. He rushed forward and threw his arms around her. 『You’re right. I’m useless, so please, let me become your reason.』

“Wha…”

『You can hurt me all you want, so please, stop hurting others and stop hurting yourself.』 Her beloved had encouraged her to hurt others for the first time. 『We can never leave each other’s side if you want, I’ll call you Mikan-chan and you can call me Misogi if you want. All of the pain you inflict, all of the pain you endure, I’ll make it become nothing.』

“Why? Why are you offering that for someone like me?”

『I was really happy when you called me cute, nobody has ever...You didn’t really think you could beat all fiction did you? You were just hurting me a lot to try to provoke me into killing you so you could escape the pain and be with your beloved? I’m sorry but I have to disagree with you. Even if living is nothing but painful, I think you should keep living. If you need a reason for that, I’ll become your reason.』

That is what Medaka-chan did that time anyway. I can’t win against her so I might as well cheat and copy her. He repeated it again but stronger this time. Mikan looked at the bloodied mess of scabs and scars that was now embracing her. It made no sense, all she had done was hurt him, but he desperately wanted her to care about him.

Then, she realized.
Oh. So he’s like me.
So he must have lived a life like I have.
So he’s used to pain, too.
Then, she felt a little less alone. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. She had a well developed body, and she liked to fall into sexual poses for attention sometimes, but the way she held onto him right then was completely platonic.
It felt like one sibling reidscovering another after a long time, maybe even separation at birth.
There’s someone like me.
Even if I hurt them, even if I’m strange, they want to become close to me.
It was a first time feeling.

As he watched all of this, Matsuda Yasuke groaned. “I’m going back to my room.” He said, before stomping off to do just that.

By another stroke of luck, him and Junko Enoshima did not cross paths in the hallway once again.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Even after undoing most of the damage, and most of what she had removed Kumagawa Misogi was still coated in a fresh paint of his own blood.

Junko Enoshima let him know when she had finally caught up with him with a quick. “Ewe.”

『I thought you liked blood?』

“Not your blood, it’s tainted. If I touch it I’ll probably catch loser-itis.”

『You really couldn’t come up with anything better, huh?』Kumagawa said, and then he held out his arms. 『Do you want a hug, Enoshima-san?』

“Ewe gross no! Keep your blood inside your body where it’s supposed to be.”

Just like that, the two chased each other around like they were children. Right in front of a slightly confused and pacified Mikan, until Komaeda arrived to pick her up and take her back to the hospital for another mental examination.

Junko and Kumagawa were left alone. Because Junko now was covered in blood too, the two of them were sitting outside the infirmary, in the rain, hoping it would wash off.

Kumagawa sat in silence though. His memories of Medaka awoken, he thought about how pathetic and misguided his middle school self had been. He was overcome by the feeling that he had not grown at all since then.

In the middle of his sulking, Junko suddenly showed up right in his face. “Hey you, stop being so quiet! You’re boring when you sulk, I want to fight and argue like we usually do. It’s not unboring, but it’s like… slightly less boring do you get it?”

『Bossy, bossy.』Kumagawa sighed.『Let’s continue our conversation from earlier. There’s nothing in particular to figure out about me, there’s no secret. I’m just an annoyance, a bug you’ll eventually step on and forget about before you spread greater despair.』

“Ugh, you don’t get it at all. Let me explain something right.” She sat down next to him without being invited to. Then, without him asking she started to tell her story. “When I was young I spent a whole month building a sand castle. It was a replica of the Sagarada Familia.”

『I don’t know what that is.』

“God you’re dumb. It’s like a big fancy castle, the best of the castles. Anyway continuing with the flashback.”

『This is a flashback? I thought it was a story.』

“You’re supposed to be imagining my cute childhood self! Stop interrupting me! Anyway, it took a whole month to build. I built it all by myself, using techniques that I figured out on my own. Eventually people would come and stop to look at me and watch me build, but they only ever did it from afar. I was still building it mostly on my own. It was a pain, you know? Everybody thought I was so talented they never even came close to me. They assumed that I could do it all on my own. They didn’t even understand my reason for building it.”

『Why’d you build it?』

“Well, I had a friend at the time who I wanted to come out and play with me. I wanted him to build it with me, but he never even came outside. In the end it was just me. All alone in that sandbox, because everybody just assumed that I was so talented I didn’t want any help. In the end since there was nobody to share it with me, I destroyed it with my own hands so I could at least feel despair at all my hard work being destroyed. Do you get what I mean?”

『Are you complaining about how hard it is being too talented, in front of a talentless person like me? That’s a little insensitive.』

“You’re right, it is hard being this smart, this beautiful, and this loved by everyone, but somehow I manage the crushing burden it is to be me.” Junko said, before breaking out into a bout of laughter. “Upupupupupupupupuuuu.” She didn’t even try to disguise it this time, this strange laugh of hers. “You’re so stupid! You’re so stupid it’s funny! You know, Senapi. Since you're a first class loser, and you lack self awareness, I'll take pity on you this once and tell you. I'm spending time with you right now, because I know for sure I'd feel despair if you died."

Ah.
I’m not the boy she’s trying to gain the attention of.
I’m just the sand castle that she’s wasting time on only to destroy later.
That’s why it’s stupid to let my heart race like this just because she said that.

『Was that supposed to mean something to me? I have no interest in your death obsession. If you want to die so badly to escape your boring life, than just hang yourself alone in your room. Stop trying to drag others into it. I want to live no matter what so-』

Suddenly, Junko who had told him he wasn’t even worth wasting the effort of raising her own hands against him, pushed him over suddenly. It was not a calculated move like she usually took, or even an attempt to bully him, just done suddenly out of her own frustration. She looked at her hands afterwards, as if she was surprised by what she had just done. The moment of surprise was over quickly though, and Junko stood up and started to laugh.

“Upupupupu! You’re such a funny guy! Even when I was straightforward you didn’t get it.” Junko moved away from him, and spun around, She stepped out in the rain. The water washed over her, mixing with the blood and dragging it down her body. Laughing like that, she began to dance around making exaggerated motions.

『What don’t I get?』

“Well now I’m not going to tell you anymore. You don’t deserve it, you big dummy! Upupupupu! I’ve decided it’s much more fun trying to watch an idiot like you struggle to come to the conclusion on his own and inevitably fail.” She spun around once more before stopping.

“Oh, but I will correct you because it annoys me when people think the wrong things about me. You’re wrong as usual. I’m not doing this to die. I don’t want to feel like I’m dead, day in and day out. Despair makes me feel alive! When I heard you scream out my name in agony, I was really so happy. Usually you’re so distant, you impudently call everybody by their first names except me,it’s super annoying! But then you did it.”

She spun around once again to imitate him. “You called out, Junko! Junko! You’re really impetuous, using my first name like that, but I kind of liked hearing it. Call out to me more, show more of your pain, and maybe I’ll finally start to understand you!”

Then, like a happy fool Junko continued to dance around. Kumagawa watched her, a smile slowly creeping up on his face. Ah. I was wrong once again. I know I’m slow, but I get to these conclusions eventually. The sand castle story, you trying to convince me I wasn’t a waste of your time… it wasn’t about me it was about you.
Everything you do is about yourself, because you only have yourself.
Even though you’re talented you spent your whole life struggling.
It’s not about despair for it’s own sake, you never do anything without a purpose it’s unlike you, what’s truly despair inducing is your struggle to live.
Even if it’s pointless, you’ll keep struggling to feel things right until the very end.
No matter what you have to lose.
No matter who you step on.

Because he was twisted just like her he could feel it. He could finally feel Junko’s will to live. He looked at her face as she enjoyed herself, celebrating the despair she had just witnessed. I never thought that the misery queen would show me such a happy expression.

『You’re just going to get even more sick if you keep playing in the rain like that.』

“This rain is just right! Besides, there’s some annoying person’s blood on me. It’ll be washed away by the rain water!”

Yes, I finally realized it, Junko is... really alive.  He reached a hand out to feel for the rain. Rain. I don't like water or falling things, and I don't like how things wash away so easily. The day I met her it was raining like this...  He watched the drops pass through his fingers. Illogically though, I don’t feel cold. Somehow, my chest is warm. That’s right. It’s because Junko is here.

He looked up finally from his feet and saw the whole world expand out before him. The only thing he saw though, was Junko dancing alone in the rain. Is it it Junko’s presence that makes this scenery so beautiful?

『Hey, Enoshima-san… is it hard? Always dancing to despair alone?』

She stopped suddenly in front of him and held out a hand. “If that’s what you think, then you should come with me.”

『No thanks, I don’t want to look like a dork.』

Then suddenly, against his will he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled along with her.  The same way he had grabbed her without thinking earlier. Since when have we become this comfortable with each other? It was his last fleeting thought, before he stopped thinking and just let the moment and Junko carry him. What happened next could hardly be considered a dance. It wasn’t artful at all, they were just swinging each other around and laughing. However, because for the first time neither of them was alone, they found it enjoyable.

Afterwards, Mikan was sent back for mental health reevaluation. A week later she would, on her best behavior, be sent back to join Kumagawa’s student council. The memories of the trouble that Mikan caused seemed to disappear entirely, hastening her release.

However, these details were a blur to Kumagawa. As for a long while after that, he could only keep thinking of that image of Junko dancing in the rain.

Chapter 8: My Younger Sister, Enoshima Junko

Mukuro Ikusaba fought for the sake of her world. As long as the stakes on her shoulder were that large, she could fight without hesitation. Her world was not especially large though, in fact it only consisted of one person, Enoshima Junko. Her world was her younger sister.

Mukuro Ikusaba did not even consider herself a part of that world. She was on the outisde, in some nothing place in the middle as her world orbited around her. Occasionally, she caught a passing glance of her sister’s smile as she rotated around her, and that was enough to satisfy her.

However, another planet had entered her orbit. She did not mean for it to happen. Her sister told her one day as she stepped off an airplane, that the two of them were going to an academy to the talented to burn it all to the ground. She had no interest in such a place at first. Even now, she wished her sister had just attacked from the front and destroyed it immediately, instead of making them pretend to be students for a year.

Mukuro assumed that year would pass by as uneventfully as all the others. She spent three years away from her sister training with a mercenary group Fenrir, but her world did not change at all. Even when she was shot at, even when parachuting, even when witnessing explosions, her world did not even experience the slightest tremor.

However, one full year with her classmates and an entirely new world had formed. One for the Mukuro who simply went about her daily life, surrounded by fifteen other students including her sister. She did not approach any of them, she never showed her true face and yet somehow, their existence was an essential part of her world. She had become used to them.

She was not even aware of this gowing feeling. Until one day, while the teacher was away her class was talking about something in the background. She had gotten good at ignoring the cacophony of fifteen different voices usually talking at once and over each other by this point. If her sister did speak up she could hear her in an instant because she was important but… one voice spoke up over the crowd.

“Okay, I’ll take the picture if nobody else wants to.” Makoto Naegi said moving up from his desk. Oh, apparently they had been arguing over who was going to take a class photo with all of them. It would be the last photo for the year and probably submitted to the yearbook soon. Nobody wanted to be left out of the photo, so they all argued over who should be the one to take it.

Even though it had been Makoto Naegi’s idea in the first place. “Guys, today I realized I wanted these days to last forever.” At which several people laughed at him for being corny. “No, I’m serious! I was so nervous about going to a class filled with all of these amazing people, I thought I’d be left behind, but you guys are kids just like me. This is maybe the only class I’ve ever really felt I belonged and I… even if I want it to I know that feeling won’t last forever so I thought we should take a picture so we could remember it at least. Remember the days of our youth where we smiled so carelessly.”

Makoto was prone to making hope filled speeches like that. Most people in the class had a habit of tuning him out, but they were all drawn in and agreed to the idea. They seemed like a unified front for a moment. Until they started arguing about who should take the picture. Mukuro tuned that out, because in her mind she didn’t care about the picture, and these days were better off forgotten if they were going to be destroyed so soon.

We smiled so carelessly. Those words echoed around in her head drowning out what she could hear in the outside world. She wanted her sister to smile but, Mukuro herself never really had reason to smile. Her sister never smiled at her, or even specifically for her either. That was fine, because for Mukuro just being able to be next to that smile was enough. Then there was that boy Makoto, in her mind he was the embodiment of those words. He was the one who smiled so carelessly. When they first met, Makoto introduced himself and smiled. When they were passing each other in the hall, Makoto called out her name and smiled. He knew nothing about her, she did nothing for him, yet he smiled at her for no reason at all.

He was the first one, no, he was the only one who ever smiled at her. Not her sister, not the fellow members of Fenrir who she fought with for three years, but a boy of no talent and little consequence.

Now he stepped up in front of the class to take a picture. Mukuro had no plan to even turn her head forward, she had been staring out the window the entire time as she usually did. “Okay, 3, 2, 1…” Mukuro glanced over and saw Makoto smiling again. Even though he was being left out of the picture, he still smiled. “Smile everybody!”

Mukuro knew she could not smile so easily on command, even if she wanted to. So she turned her head and looked at the camera face on, no, she looked at Makoto hoping that would be enough to return the smiles he offered her so easily.

Unbeknownst to her, Enoshima Junko her sister sitting close to her who she assumed never watched her was paying close enough attention to notice the small change in Mukuro’s behavior. She thought something along the lines of. God Mukuro, do you have to be so obvious? You might as well just walk up to him and shove your tongue down his throat. My apologies for the vulgar interruption to this scene.

Mukuro herself forgot about the picture, and even what she was thinking about on that day. All the way upuntil right before the final and greatest riot of the parade. When her and her sister were packing together the last things she would need for the utlimate killing game before they entered the shelter. She picked up the photo from a box where it had been stuffed to and forgotten about after being developed. “Ah…” was all she said as the memory of that day came flooding back to her. When Enoshima Junko often talked about destroying the world, Mukuro did not really comprehend what that meant. The whole rest of the world could disappear and Mukuro would not bat an eye as long as Enoshima Junko remained intact. However, she finally understood what it meant to destroy a world. By agreeing to help Junko kill all of her classmates, she would be destroying the small world she had finally built up for herself after seventeen years. She couldn’t blame despair, or even Junko for leading her to this point, it would be her own hands doing it.

Behind her again Junko noticed her sister staring at the picture for far too long. “Hey, give that here it’ll make a good piece of evidence in the third or fourth round. If we even get that far before they all go mad and start hacking each other to pieces like the student council did.” Demanding as ever, she held her hand out and gestured for Mukuro to give it over.

Mukuro surrendered it, she surrendered the photo and the proof of her world over to Junko without a second thought. It was as if all the troubled thoughts in her head disappeared. It was fine anyway, they would all forget about her and the year they spent together. ...They're gone. ...Junko will be the only one who knows about me now. That's it. ...But that's no problem. It's just like old times. ...Things will never go back to how they used to be, but that's fine. This...should be fine. The only person who knew the importance of her world was Mukuro in the end.

She was used to that. She was not a part of either world. She stood in the middle. Those two worlds continued to rotate around her, and all she was capable of was impassively observing them. But, she was used to that.

Just as she was about to accept things the way they were, that man appeared. He smiled carelessly too, his eyes were wide and brimming with hope, his entire being blackened by despair, but he did not belong seem to belong to any world at all.

At least that was what Mukuro thought. She had been reminiscing about all of this when her sister called and woke her up in the middle of the night to tell her she needed a change of clothes, and something to do at the infirmary. “You’re at the infirmary?!” Mukuro asked, her voice cracking with worry. God Mukuro do you even fucking listen that was what I just said, her sister said back and then hung up before Mukuro could even ask her what was wrong.

She was used to that, too. Her sister was prideful so the only person that really worried about her well being was Mukuro herself. She decided the best thing to do was simply do follow Junko’s orders, this is also what she usually decided was the best thing to do.

She gathered everything Junko asked for her in a bag and went to find the infirmary in the middle of the night. The entire time she had been staring at her feet and not paying attention to her surroundings as she usually did. Junko said she didn’t think about anything besides killing, but that wasn’t true at all. Rather, Mukuro in pondering the past like this was always trying to distance herself from her own thoughts so they would not get in the way of what Junko wanted.

Even when it started to rain, Mukuro did not hesitate to make her way to the infirmary. There was only one thing that stopped her. She heard her sister’s laugh break through the silence of the night like a witch’s cackle. Then she finally rose up her eyes and saw it.

Junko and Kumagawa dancing around in the rain together, screaming and laughing at the same time. Any normal person would think they were either mad, or just two kids fooling around. Mukuro recognized what this was in an instant though. Her sister was enjoying herself.

Mukruo thought her sister’s smile was something that she could only view passively, something she needed to earn with all of her effort. For this one boy though, Junko was smiling easily as if she was just any other girl.

Junko was enjoying herself without her. A dark feeling formed in the pit of Mukuro’s stomach. She needs me. I’m the only one who can understand her. No, that wasn’t the case. Junko’s all alone without me. She’s the only one who exists in her world. That wasn’t true at all, because that man who she thought didn’t belong to any world at all was now standing easily in Junko’s world. The place that not even her own twin sister who had been together with her from birth could reach.

Mukuro dropped the bag of Junko’s things right where she was standing, and took off running in the opposite direction. Junko was too busy enjoying herself, dancing  to despair, not alone for once, that even with super highschool levels of analysis she did not even notice her sister had come and gone.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Mukuro turned a page in the magazine she was reading. Rather than a fashion, or popular culture magazine, she was reading an official catalogue sent out by a weapon’s manufacturer previewing new models for this season. One of her articles was being featured in the exact same magazine, but she skipped over it because she did not consider her work worth much. She had been reading military magazines like this since elementary school and writing for them just as long, but it was just an unimportant hobby of hers.

She had not spent time reading these magazines in front of Junko since middle school. When they were just in elementary school, sometimes she would wear the hard hats that soldiers wore, and draw camo on her face and tape sticks to her hat while he was escorting her sister to school. That was just a childish game though. Now that they were in high school, she only displayed her talents when her sister called upon her to kill people. Then she would walk by her sister’s side, wearing a flak jacket, and carrying a combat knife.

Her talent existed for her sister’s sake, that was what she always told herself. So she rarely enjoyed it as a hobby, even on her own time. However, right now she was in such a mood that even though her sister had called her into the student council office ot help with paperwork she sat reading a magazine instead.

“Mukuro! Hey, I didn't call you here to hang out. You can’t just blow everybody off and read a magazine looking cool and aloof, that’s my job while I’m here! How am I supposed to slack off while you do all the work if you’re slacking off too? Did you forget about our dynamic entirely?” Her sister ranted a few inches from her ear. Junko had been trying to break her sister’s silence for the past hour to no avail at all. The only time she even moved was when she wanted to turn the page in her magazine. One time she stood up, but that was just to pick up another from the ones she had left in a pile on the table.

Enoshima Junko took it for granted that people always moved to her will. Her sister especially, had done practically everything she told her with little to no hesitation or resistance her entire life. Mukuro was the person she could always count on to do anything to make her happy, or always protect her with all her strength. Which is why even though she was a master of reading people, she simply did not comprehend that Mukuro could just ignore her.

She leaned in even closer and raised her voice. “What? Did you suddenly go deaf? Are you too stupid to comprehend human language now? I told you that if you spent all day breathing in gunpowder that the last good brain cell you had that was only good for killing was going to die off too.”

Junko’s hurl of insults however, had no effect. Usually Mukuro would crumple right away like a dejected puppy, but she just kept staring at her magazine. Junko did not seem to realize that some point after being insulted by her sister her entire life, she might in fact get used to those insults.

Junko did something she never did, and gave up first. She stomped over to the president’s desk where Kumagawa Misogi was sitting, each stomp like the stomp of a teenager who wanted to let her parents know she was upset. When she saw Kumagawa was casually reading manga too, even though she had spent the last hour filling the office with her shouting (Komaeda and Mikan had made excuses and  left early because they were too weak to endure it) she smacked the tankobon volume out of his hand.

『Ah, Enoshima-san has come to bully me now that she’s bored with her sister. I’m so happy.』Kumagawa said, with his usual insincerity.

“Don’t give me that. Just tell me what you did to Mukuro to make her act like… like that?!” Junko said, gesturing in an upset manner at her sister who was doing nothing more than quietly reading a magazine behind one of the desks for student council members.

『I believe that is called the silent treatment.』Kumagawa looked over past where Junko was standing in front of him and caught Mukuro’s eye for a moment, before she looked away on purpose with a soft ‘hmmph.’  『I can’t believe it’s working this well. What are you, five?』

“I’m a master manipulator and interrogator who doesn’t need to resort to dealing with such childish behavior.”

『You’re a master manipulator and interrogator even though you’re only five years old? You really are a prodigy.』

In the background, Mukuro chuckled softly at Kumagawa’s banter. Junko’s expression which to this point had only shown her annoyance, suddenly turned incredibly hostile like a switch had been flipped within her. Kumagawa saw the change immediately and knew what it meant. When Junko raised her hand in the air and started to move to turn around and strike her sister, Kumagawa moved first and grabbed her by the wrist.

『No, no, that’s no good. If you hit somebody besides me in my office, as somebody with super highschool levels of masochism then I’ll get jealous.』Kumagawa attempted to laugh it off as usual. Junko’s witchy fingernails flexed as her arm was being held, and her eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t otherwise react.

It was Mukuro who reacted first. “Pervert.” She said under her breath, before turning another page in her magazine.

Junko snaked her way out of Kumagawa’s grip but turned her attention back to him. “What the hell did you do to my sister? Now she’s acting all weird, like she’s broken or something.” She said, standing right in front of where Kumagawa was sitting with both hands on her hips forcing Kumagawa to turn his chair around to face her.

『She’s right there, you can ask her yourself.』Kumagawa said, to which Junko’s response was only to cross her arms. Oh, she’s pouting now, Kumagawa thought.  『Anyway, I didn’t do anything.』

“You probably did do something, you just don’t know because you’re an idiot who lacks self awareness.” Junko said, but that particular insult was probably just her blowing off steam as she walked away and went back to her desk. She kicked her legs up on the desk, and started to file her red fake nails into sharpened points.

Perhaps she was attempting her own version of the silent treatment, or she was just trying to cool off. Kumagawa who knew Enoshima Junko’s nature, knew that wouldn’t last though. So this time he spoke up all on his own. 『The one who probably did something was you, Enoshima-san.』

Junko’s annoyance reached a childish pique, and without thinking, and because she was used to doing so to Mukuro anyway she threw her metal nail file forward like it was a throwing knife.

Kumagawa merely smiled. 『You should stop flirting with the idea of my death if you’re not going to aim ser-』He was cut off in the middle of his smug sentence as the nail file dug straight into his eye. He was so convinced a moment ago that Junko would not aim anywhere near his head that he did not even flinch or try to defend himself. Blood seeped out of the corner of his eye, and then fell off of his face like tears, and pooled onto the desk below him. KUmagawa however, did not react at all as he was used to being stabbed like this.

When he finally did react, as he usually did he reacted in a strange way. 『So the other day when you told me you would despair at my death, you were serious after all.』His hand covered his face, as if he were a shy teenager hiding a blush.

“N-no, that’s not it! I just, my hand slipped that’s all! I did it without thinking! Shut up, it doesn’t mean anything, idiot.” Junko’s reaction could even be described as a classic, tsuntsun reaction.

Neither of them seemed to notice there was still a chunk of metal sticking out of one of Kumagawa’s eye sockets. Mukuro finally reacted at as well, slamming her magazine down onto the table. “This is annoying.” She said, before moving immediately to walk out the door.

Kumagawa pulled the nail file out of his own eye and held it out to offer it back to Junko. In a moment all the damage she had done was undone, his eye was normal and there was no blood to be seen. 『I told you it was probably you who did something.』

Junko did not even seem to be listening to him. She stared at the empty space where her sister had been a moment ago. “Whoa like… she was totes mad right now. I’ve never seen her that mad before.”

『What are you talking about? She wasn’t acting any different from her usual cold self.』Kumagawa paused too, genuinely confused.

“Are you kidding? God you don’t just lack self awareness you don’t have awareness for people in general-”

『Yes Enoshima-san, I’m a loser I’m well aware of this can you skip the insults for once and get to the point.』

“Ugh fine. Mukuro made this face.” Her expression suddenly changed into a perfect imitation of her sister’s expression. For a moment Kumagawa saw Mukuro’s distant and empty looking eyes staring back at him. Then Junko’s lips turned into a scowl and he saw her usual bratty expression. “She only makes that face when she’s like super angry. I only saw it once, when some randos in an airsoft gun club were holding their guns wrong.”

『Hey, if you pay such close attention to your sister then why are you always acting like she means nothing to you?』Kumagawa asked, rather thoughtlessly as usual.

Junko’s demeanor shifted again. She made an L with her inex and middle, and her thumb, and then put her hand over her face as if it were a mask. Her eyes suddenly became dull and she looked at Kumagawa as if he were nothing. “You couldn’t possibly understand, my reasons for doing so run as deep as the ocean.”

『Dio Brando?』Kumagawa interrupted her.

Junko immediately removed her hand from her face and shifted back to her normal self. “Stop that! You’re not supposed to get my references! The point of making references is the smug sense of superiority you feel when nobody else understand them, anyway!” She didn’t want to lose the rhythm of her gag because of Kumagawa’s interruption, and knocked herself on the side of her head like a ditz might. “Just kidding! It’s because Mukuro’s real boring you know? No matter what I do to her she’s always so loyal and kind to me. When I think about it though, I just get all fed up and wonder what I would really have to do to break that loyalty to me.”

『Hmm?』

Enoshima Junko shrugged carelessly. “I mean, she’s supposed to be my sister you know? So what good is a whimpering bitch who only ever follows orders.”

Kumagawa tilted his head. 『I don’t think I understood a single thing you just said.』His smile remained on his face despite the harsh turn Junko’s words had taken, he looked almost oblivious. Why can’t you ever say anything in a straight forward way, Enoshima-san?』

Junko sighed. Her demeanor changed again and her voice became more despondent. With her fingers she played with the ends of one of her pigtails that fell on her shoulder. “Yeah, it’s hard to understand I guess… it’s sad not being understood but whatever… but it doesn’t really matter if you understand. That’s just how we are ya know. Big sis and I have always understood each other. Despair sisters don’t need to get along like normal sisters, we inflict despair on each other.”

『I was just kidding, I understand perfectly.』Kumagawa folded his hands in front of his face.

『It has nothing to do with being despair sisters or whatever that means, you’re just like every other spoiled brat who plays too rough with their toys until they break.』

Junko started to sniffle. If any tears did come out they would be crocodile tears like the ones Kumagawa always shed. She drew out a tissue and dotted her eyes. “That’s mean, Senpai. You can’t talk to your cute underclassman like that.”

『Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean it in a mean way.』He was just talking thoughtlessly as usual. He wondered what he had been trying to say a moment ago. Enoshima-san said this was just how despair sisters acted but… it looks like a normal fight between siblings to me. Of course he was aware his senses were schewed, but he didn’t know how to put his question into words for Junko. Are you really acting as an agent of despair, or just a normal teenage girl? Because he could not decide how to phrase it, he picked up his manga again and stared at it instead to procrastinate.

The subject was dropped, and Junko went back to filing her nails. Kumagawa had developed a terrible habit recently though. Every so often he would look up from his manga and glance back at her, assuming she didn’t notice he was looking at her. This time while observing Junko, he thought about it idly. I’m sure Mukuro understands you, but I’m not sure if you understand her. In other words, you’re being presumptuous as always. He wanted to call her out for such a behavior, but he could not find the words. As if I should be talking, I’m the one whose charmed by such a presumptuous person after all. He decided all on his own that getting answers out of Junko would be all but impossible, so he should try asking Mukuro instead. He hoped that she would be a little more reasonable.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Mukuro’s fist collided with Kumagawa’s face, sending him flying several meters back. His body was so light and weak that he was tossed about carelessly and looked like a cartoon character as he flew through the air, before landing. Mukuro wondered for a moment if a guy like him obeyed the laws of physics at all, and then decided it was not worth worrying about.

This was not the start of a serious shonen fighting sequence however. The two of them were just sparring as they did every early morning that Kumagawa came to bother her, and follow her on her four mile run in Navy Seal boots. She found his appearance tiresome, but usually she held back when sparring.

Today though while they were running he asked her a stupid question. 『Hey, Mukuro haven’t you had that talk with Makoto yet? Have you decided what you’re going to tell him, about those awful things he remembered?』

She remembered her promise to Makoto to talk about it later, and the fact that she had been avoiding him since then. What she did not remember was ever discussing this with Kumagawa. “What are you a stalker?” She said, before picking up the pace of her run hoping to avoid him.

She was so annoyed that right from the start of their spar, she had punched him with full force. “Oops, sorry.” She said in a dry voice as Kumagawa tried to pick himself up off the ground.

『Is something wrong, Mukuro-chan?』He stood up clutching his eye where Mukuro had struck him.

“Yes… you…”

『I’m wrong? Well I suppose that’s true my very existence is wrong but still-』

“No! Don’t shrug it off like you usually do. You’re what’s wrong. Your presence is bothering me. It’s unnecessary. Stop bothering me on my daily runs, and stop sparring with me when you don’t even take it seriously.”

『It’s not my fault.』Kumagawa said on reflex more than anything else. 『I was just trying to get to know you, Mukuro-chan.』

“No you weren’t,” She spoke direct and straight to the point unlike her sister. “My younger sister, Enoshima Junko. That’s the person you want to know better. You’re only spending time with me as a way to get to her, when people find out our connection that’s the only reason they ever spend time with me, the older and duller sister.”

Kumagawa’s expression was as innocent as ever. He smiled widely. 『You’ve got me wrong. There’s no way I’d be clever enough to manipulate someone like that.』

Mukuro shook her head. “I’m useless and I don’t understand other people but, I know my sister, and I know violence.” She moved forward so fast she seemed to disappear, and then appeared right in front of Kumagawa and slammed her fist just as hard into his face. “I know you’re violent just like my sister, and you lash out at everyone around you to make them suffer the same way you do. Yet, except for that time I was trying to kill you you’ve never once raised a hand against me. You even went out of your way to try to protect me from Junko, today.” Mukuro was only able to keep talking like this because Kumagawa had taken her hit without moving a centimeter. Suddenly it felt like she was punching a brick wall, when a moment ago he had been so weak.

『Mukuro-chan, are you saying you wanted to get smacked around by your sister? If you say that I’ll have to take that very seriously, because there can only be one super highschool level masochist and it’s me.』He smiled, even as she twisted her fist to dig further into his face.

“God you even make the same perverted jokes she does. Shut up, pervert! I won’t be looked down upon by someone like you. I’m not made of glass, I don’t need to be protected.”

Kumagawa was slow, so he only realized just then what Mukuro was talking about. His entire demeanor changed in a moment. 『I-I’m sorry, I was just trying to help.』

“You’re just getting in the way. You’re getting in between Junko and me.”
『M-mukuro-chan. What your sister is doing to you isn’t despair, or even love, it’s just abuse. There’s no way I could just stand by and watch, even if it means having you hate me.』He really was a good actor, as good of an actor as her sister.

She knew the concern he was speaking with was fake. It still bothered her. She grit her teeth, and stopped pushing into his face, grabbing him by the collar instead and pulling him close. “I’m not an idiot! I know how she treats me! I know that we’re sisters, and being connected by blood, all of that means nothing to her. I know all that girl looks for is despair, other people’s despair, her own despair, that’s all that exists. I know no matter how much I endure her abuse she’s not looking at me. She’s the lowest, worst sister ever but… that’s why I can’t leave her alone. That’s why I have to help her. After all, I’m the only one who can understand her! I don’t know if she is attracting despair, or despair is attracting her but… she’s lived her whole life with despair by her side. Since I was the only one whose been beside her her whole life, I’m the only one who can understand it. Me, me, not you! You’re just some presumptuous person who transferred in a few months ago!"

Kumagawa listened to all of that with a blank unchanging expression on his face. Mukuro’s true feelings being screamed at him from a few centimeters away. Finally, his eyes sharpened and he stopped smiling.『What exactly does all of that make you then, Mukuro-chan?』

She thought of the wolf tattoo on her hand. The one that was too precious for her to let Kumagawa erase. “I’m Junko’s wolf who sinks her fangs into whatever she tells me to.”

『What a pathetic answer!』Kumagawa’s smile returned. 『You’re right, I was looking down on you. The truth is I don’t even need to bother fighting back against you because you’ll never hit as hard as Medaka-chan. If violence is all you’re good for then that’s sad because you’re not even that good at violence.』

Mukuro liked to pretend that she had never met Kumagawa before in her life or even heard of him. The truth was though, she had been fighting her whole life to get strong for the sake of Junko. So in her middle school years there was no way she could avoid learning about other violent thugs just like her who fought for dominance. There was an indviidual known as the destroyer Akune Aoki who was particularly famous during his middle school years.

One day while Junko and her were walking to class together, Mukuro walking by her side with her face still painted up in camo from last night when she was pretending to be a soldier in their back yard, she saw it. In the middle of the road there were two middle schoolers fighting like demons.

A truck hit one of them and sent her flying. The other a boy with black hair in a dark black uniform laughed at this. “I thought you were supposed to be an unparalleled genius, so why do you keep falling for the same trick with the truck again and again, Medaka-chan?”

The fact that she was hit by a truck was not really the amazing part. The amazing part was when she stood up, and then continued to chase after the middle schooler with the strange laugh. He quickly turned coward and ran away as one of the truck’s tires that had fallen off in the crash was thrown in the air at him.

Junko wanted to follow the chaos, but Mukuro grabbed her by the arm and dragged her somewhere safe. She had a feeling that if she faced either of those extraordinary middle schoolers she would lose and her sister might be hurt. As Junko had a short attention span she quickly forgot about the amazing event and got distracted by something else.

Mukuro always remembered though. The rumors of a demon from Ark middle school who would always stand up no matter how many times he was beaten down to the ground by much stronger opponents.

『Oh? Do you know about her? That girl really made my middle school years hell, but I guess I should thank her because all of those losses made me into even more of a minus. Why aren’t you talking? Is it because you know, if somebody like Medaka-chan comes her you won’t be able to stop her from hurting Junko.』

Mukuro knew he was just saying those things to hurt her the same way Junko did. It didn’t really even matter if they were true or not. However, it worked. So she decided she was going to hurt him too, to pay him back. She drew out from its holster underneath her skirt a combat knife. “It doesn’t matter if my fists are useless, a soldier never fights with just her fists.” In the next moment again she moved with incredible speed and swept Kumagawa’s legs out from under him.

She moved on top of him and held out her knife, digging it straight into the side of his rib and then twisting it. Kumagawa gave no reaction at all.『Really? Isn’t this just the exact same thing you did last time? You’re really stubborn you know- fine, I’ll just do what I did last time and reveal your secret again to win.』

“I’m not listening.” She said, before pulling the blade out and stabbing him again.

『Your secret is, your obsession with your sister is a total minus! You’ve been telling yourself everything is for your sister your whole life to do terrible things, and at the end of it you’ll just kill your sister to throw yourself into despair. You two are a couple of minus sisters! Haha, just kidding! That’s what you wanted me to say, right?』Mukuro froze when she realized what Kumagawa might say next. 『Your secret is, you just want to love Enoshima-san normally, don’t you?』

It wasn’t as dirty as a secret as Kumagawa implied earlier. In fact it seemed very mundane. However, the look in Mukuro’s eyes shifted to one of pure fear. She hesitated for a moment, whole body frozen, unsure of what to do. 『But, Mukuor-chan! Junko’s not the emobdiment of despair, she’s not the world destroyer, she’s just a normal teenage girl. It’s okay if it took you a while to realize it, because I didn’t realize it until a little bit ago myself, until I saw her smiling in the face of despair and trying to enjoy herself. She just wants to feel happiness and enjoy her life like everybody else, right? She’s just a little bit twisted is all.』Kumagawa exhaled painfully. He was talking in such a cheerful manner, and it was difficult when there was still a knife sticking out of his torso. 『You shouldn’t call yourself inferior to Enoshima-san. You’re both just normal teenage girls. You’re a lot alike really! Moreso than you think! You’re both stubborn, you’re both distant, you don’t make friends with others easily at all, you can’t communciate well… You two really are a pair of hopeless sisters!』He tried to reach upto touch her. 『I think, even if things are complicated between you two right now it doesn’t have to be that way forever.』

The mere idea that her relationship with Junko might change. Junko who was her everything, who was all she needed, was a spark of hope that was too much for Mukuro’s heart. “You… you… you… you don’t know anything so don’t go talking like you understand either of us! You’re nothing!” She ripped her knife out and stabbed it into him again, pulling it down his throat. Anything he tried to say gurgled in his mouth as blood poured out from his lips. She stabbed into him again and again. “Do you want to know how I really feel? I’m the only one whose supposed to understand Junko, she’s all I need and I’m all she needs. I’m her only sister!  Sure, there were other guys like Matsuda but he’s dead just like everyone else. I’ll probably die too, so why not you? Why won’t you just fucking die already?”

His body gave no response to her words. He did not even try to scream out in pain. He just continued staring up at her with empty eyes. “You’re nothing, you know that. I infiltrated this school, I killed all those guards around Kamakura’s place, I killed the steering committee, the Maradari brothers, I shot one of the student council members and gave them all weapons to kill each other, I did all of that for the purpose of destroying this school! I was even going to capture my beloved classmates in that old school building instead of letting them live peacefully in a shelter, and then watch them slaughter each other, or slaughter them all myself if I had to. You can’t make all of that become nothing!” She finally grew tired of stabbing him, and looked at Kumagawa in front of her covered in holes. She saw is eyes twitch and look behind her and noticed he was still alive. “Why aren’t you fighting back at all like last time?”

Kumagawa moved his hand with the last of his strength. He made no attempt to defend himself, he merely pointed behind her. Mukuro turned her head around, to see Makoto staring at the both of them. He had just happened to walk by at the wrong time, another stroke of his famous bad luck.

For the second time in two days, Mukuro was so overwhelmed with an emotion she did not recognize she dropped what she was holding and ran away in the opposite direction.

Makoto watched Mukuro’s silhouette disappear, and looked torn for a moment. If he did not still have the memories of the destruction of Hope’s Peak in his head he might not have even believed that kind of scene could take place in reality.

His heart was swayed by Kumagawa’s bloodied body, and he immediately moved to his side.

『It’s fine, I can get up on my own.』Kumagawa said, the gash on his neck disappearing so he could speak. Before Makoto could even offer him up a hand he stood up, many of the puncture wounds in his body still remaining, and drops of blood seeping from them and collecting in the grass underneath.

“Dude, are you okay?” Makoto asked, even though the answer seemed obvious.

『Hmm. I’m fine, these are just papercuts.』Kumagawa smiled, not looking affected by the pain at all.

“That’s kind of cool.”

『I think you’ve got the wrong image of me, Makoto-chan. Eventually you’re going to be disappointed when you see me for the loser I am.』

“I don’t think so at all. I mean, you’re a little hard to understand but… aren’t you always trying to help people in your own weird way?”

『That’s enough talking about me. Shouldn’t you go after Mukuro. If you want I can explain what happened for yo-』

Before he could even finish, Makoto put a hand in Kumagawa’s face interrupting him. “No, it’s fine. I want to hear the explanation from Ikusaba herself.” He thought about the charm, and Kumagawa’s words to him earlier. “You’ve been trying to help me so far, right? I’m really grateful but, even though there’s nothing at all extraordinary about me. I don’t want to just get along on the help of others forever. As a normal teenage guy, I want to learn how to talk to girls by myself okay?”

Kumagawa nodded.

He waited until after Makoto had run off in the same direction that Mukuro did to speak up again. 『Now you’re the one who looks cool, Makoto-chan.』He turned around and put his hands in his pocket, walking away even in his cut up and bloodied uniform. 『Even to an average guy like you… once again I’ve lost.』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Just when Makoto had finally caught up to Mukuro and saw her crouched down and holding her hands over her head to shut the rest of the world out, he tried to reach out for her only to feel his legs sweep out from under him. His whole world spin and he saw Mukuro at the center of it, moving fast enough that she was now standing over him.

Then, Mukuro was on top of him again. This time it was different though because he felt the edge of a knife toying with his neck, pressing against it but not yet cutting it. “I told you to stop following me. Now that you’ve found everything out I have no choice but to kill you so you won’t become an obstacle to them.”

“Uh…” Makoto exhaled nervously. “That’s a pretty funny way to say hello, Ikusaba.” He made a lame joke to try to ride himself of his nerves. Of course it didn’t work at all. “We’ve got to stop running into each other like this, I don’t think I can take much more of you sitting on top of me like this.”

“What are you talking about?” Mukuro asked, not at all getting it. “This won’t be like last time. Do you understand? I really will kill you.”

“I know.” Makoto said, and then he smiled. The same kind of smile that he was giving away for free like always. It looked just as warm as the first time Mukuro had seen that smile.

“No you don’t! You obviously don’t know! I’m going to kill you, I’m a terrorist, a bad guy, I’ll slit your throat without any regrets and move on to the next target. What about you? Are you an idiot? Why are you smiling like an idiot?  If you die here won’t you have any regrets?”

“Of course, I’ll have a ton of regrets. I’m kind of irresponsible, and I leave a lot of things half finished, but…” Makoto looked up at her right then, meeting her eyes. “If I die right now, my biggest regret will be there was a girl right in front of me who looked like she was about to cry and I didn’t do anything about it. If I let that just happen, then I’ll be the lowest kind of scum.”

“You… you really are an idiot.” The knife slipped its way out of Mukuro’s fingers, and fell harmlessly into the grass. “I… I’m an idiot too, for letting a line like that work on me.” Then from her eyes the tears started to slip. Mukuro howled like the wolf she called herself, and drug her face into Makoto’s chest. Hurriedly, several more painful admissions slipped out. “I was happy, because for the first time I had classmates who looked at me...and saw me...and remembered my name and existence. They were all precious to me but... I’d slaughter them in a second if that person told me to. It’s all true, you didn’t mishear. I’m Enoshima’s sister, and I’m also a terrorist who tried to destroy this school.” These all came right after one another, with tearful gasps and sobs mixed in between.

Makoto was not that smart to begin with, so almost none of what he heard in Mukuro’s tear stained mess of a confession made sense ot him. He looked at her, clutching onto his school uniform, buring her face in his sweater. Her entire body was so strong looking uusally, but now it was weakly curled up on top of him. Her shoulders looked like they were shaking and threatening to fall apart. He considered for a moment if this was the kind of scene where the male main character was supposed to wrap their arms around this person to comfort them. He was far too chicken to do something bold like that though. So he reached up with one hand, and tried to gently touch her shoulder.

“Ehh… I didn’t get any of that.”

Mukuro sniffled. “I can give you a more concise explanation if you need it.”

“Umm.. let’s talk about it later. You’re Enoshima’s sister huh? Even though you have different last names? Do you have to pretend to not be related at school because of her modeling career? Sounds rough.”

Mukuro wondered what kind of conclusion Makoto was jumping to. “I… yeah, I’m her sister. I was infiltrating this school so I couldn’t really be close to anybody.”

“Oh. You said you didn’t get close to anybody, but I think you got it wrong. Do you remember the class picture we took? I never thought you were going to pay attention, but when I said I’d be the one to take it you turned your head. I was really happy you were finally getting along with the rest of the group. It’s kind of arrogant but… I thought I was the reason you turned your head, I was the one who got through to you.” Makoto smiled at her again. “I guess you are kind of stupid if you didn’t realize we all thought you were a part of the class too, but it’s okay. We’re both stupid. Being stupid is part of being a teenager, I think.”

Mukuro froze when he brought up the memory of the class picture. Makoto noticed? He was thinking about it too? That seemed impossible to her. However, the warmth of his smile melted her and she raised her head again. Her cheeks were red and her eyes looked swollen, but Makoto smiled at her still.

“It’s nice to meet you for the first time, Mukuro Ikusaba. I’m happy to be your classmate.”

“Uh… it’s nice to meet you..Makoto Naegi. M-me too.”

Finally, she crawled off of him causing Makoto to exhale and let all the tension that rocked his body from a girl being so close to him escape at once and let himself deflate. He sat up though, so he and Mukuro could sit together in the grass.

“Do you mind if I ask a few questions?”

“I can explain it all again if you want, from the beginning.”

“No uh… I mean, if we’re going to be friends you don’t have to tell me your whole life story in one sitting. Let’s just get know each other slowly like normal friends.” Makoto said, and then thought of his first question. “So Enoshima, was she involved in the tragedy too?”

Mukuro did not say anything at all.

“Can you not talk about it?”

“It’s complicated.” Mukuro answered him quickly.

“I guess I can understand a little. I have a younger sister whose really annoying too, but even though she gets on my nerves I’d do absolutely anything to protect her.” He leaned forward, until there were only a few centimeters between each of their faces catching Mukuro’s eyes again. “Is that why then? You tried to do all of that because you wanted to protect your sister?”

Mukuro paused, remembering how Kumagawa said they were just a normal pair of siblings. It was natural for the older sibling to want to protect the younger, it was the reason they were born first. She wondered how long ago, had she forgot something so simple. “Yes, I wanted to protect her more than anything else.”

Makoto laughed, scratching at the back of his head. “I guess you would know. Younger sisters are really a pain, huh?”

They forgot about going to class and simply sat there talking. Not about the tragedy, not about who Mukuro really was, but about the annoying things their sisters did. Mukuro had quite a long list of habits of Junko she had never told anybody else about. As they were talking, Mukuro could not help but think that if the tragedy had occured, if Kumagawa had not itnerfered, then she could have never had a normal conversation like this with Makoto. That thought made her feel incredibly empty inside for some reason. If Mukuro were in touch more with her emotions, she would have recognized that feeling as sadness. For her the greatest tragedy in the world was not the thought of losing Hope’s Peak, but the thought of losing this time with Makoto.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The next day in the president’s office, Junko and Kumagawa were bickering as they normally did.

“Hey, so like…. what happened?”

『Oh, is Ensohima-san concerned for me? Or is she just jealous because she wasn’t the one who covered me in such wonderful injuries.』

“Just answer the question and be grateful someone like me is wasting one iota of her brainpower worrying about your pathetic existence.”

『Enoshima-san is insulting me faster than usual, she really must be concerned.』Kumagwa said. The reason she had asked about him was because his entire torso was wrapped in bandages.

“Tell me in 10, 9, 8-Nevermind, don’t care anymore.” She crossed her arms and went back to her seat. She was annoyed moreso with herself for even bothering to show concern for a guy like that. He was wrong though, it wasn’t actual concern, just curiousity, at least that was what she told herself.

『It’s fine if you don’t care, because it’s nothing at all. I just let Mikan-chan patch me up a little bit after I got a papercut. Being covered in bandages like this makes me look like a character from a shonen manga though, right?』

“I doubt anybody would read a manga that you’re from. If there was a popularity poll you’d score dead last.” Junko wasn’t really paying attention to him, but she didn’t need to either. After a few months of this student council stuff insulting Kumagawa had pretty much become a reflex to her. She was sure that she could do it in her sleep if she wanted to. Not that she wanted to be anywhere near him when she was sleeping.

It was not Kumagawa who spoke next, but rather Mukuro Ikusaba who walked straight through the door holding a bag at her side and said to Kumagawa immediately. “Take your shirt off.”

『What?』
“What?”

Junko and Kumagwa said at the exact same time. However, Junko immediately went to hide her reaction, covering her mouth with one clawed hand.

“How am I supposed to change your bandages with your shirt on?” The bag she was holding was a medical bag. “I’m trained in applying field medicine too. Let me do this, since your wounds are my fault.”

“Hey, what do you think you were doing with senpai behind my back?” Enoshima Junko was not jealous. She saw no reason to envy anybody else when she could easily have what she wanted and get her way with most people. However, she did get particularly annoyed when people touched with her toys without permission, especially because they were her toys.

As Kumagawa listened to Mukuro and started to unbutton his shirt she immediately looked away and buried her face in a fashion magazine that had herself on the cover. She didn’t want to see something like that, or at least that was what she told herself.

Mukuro started to unwind the bandages on his bare torso, starting with his arm. “You could have just made it so these wounds disappeared, you know.”

『Hmm? Why would I do that? I like it. Fighting and getting all torn apart like this.  Ahh, so warm. I feel so alive. If I let these wounds filled with your feelings towards me disappear, than I wouldn’t be able to keep my title as the ultimate masochist.』

“Pervert.” Mukuro said as she reached towards where Kumagawa’s jacket and shirt was left on the desk after he took them off. She pulled one of the bands away from around his arm, and then looked at it for a moment. “Hey, Misogi-chan. Let me join your student council, I need to protect my sister from a pervert like yourself.”

Junko had been trying her best to give them both the silent treatment, but she was terrible at it. She had listened in right at that moment and finally snapped. “Since when were you two losers on a first name basis!”

Kumagawa merely smiled at her outburst. 『That's right, Mukuro-chan is a loser just like me. That's why she belongs on this student council.』

Mukuro felt acknowledged for the first time in a long while. Though, she wished Kumagawa hadn't called her a loser while doing so. 

Chapter 9: Take a picture, it Will Last Longer

Notes:

This chapter makes reference to.
Tokyo Ghoul (Sasaki Haise)
Noragami (Yato and Hiyori).

“Die!”
“Trash!”
“Scum!”

Kumagawa was used to walking amongst the crowds of Hope’s Peak completely unnoticed. As technically he had no talent to speak of, he was merely an imposter who had snuck in and filled the president’s chair. The talented did not understand the feelings of the weak and powerless. That was the philosophy he had lived his entire life believing.

That was why when a small group had come to harass him on his walk to his office in the morning Kumagawa met them with a smile『I’m finally being recognized for all my hard work!』He said, right as trash was thrown at his head.

“Hey Senpai, I know you’re trash but aren’t you being a bit too literal today?” Junko asked the moment he stepped into the office.

Kumagawa raised his eyebrow, eyes blinking innocently. He genuinely looked as if he did not know what she was talking about for a moment. Then he followed her as she gestured with her eyes, and reached up for his head where he was wearing ramen noodle cup had landed upside down as a hat. Quickly, he knocked it off of his head and into a trash can.

Then, as if nothing had happened at all he went back to his work. Apparently there was a power outage at the hospital the other day he needed to investigate. At this point though they actually had a secretary so they might finally be able to diligently get work done, or Mukuro might. Finding his reaction boring however, Junko left her laptop behind and walked up to his desk standing up behind it. “Really? All those people harassing you, looking down on you and you aren’t going to do anything at all? Can’t you at least show me an interesting face when you realize everyone hates you.”

『Hmm? Do they? I didn’t notice. That kind of harassment I’m used to it anyway, so nothing needs to be done.』Kumagawa raised his head and stuck his tongue out at Junko, a few centimeters away from her own face.  『How about if I show you this kind of face instead?』

Junko’s brow wrinkled. If she were perhaps slightly more mature she would not have fallen for such a dumb taunt. She took a step back, as Kumagawa had no sense of personal space or really no idea how to interact with another human being in general. Before she could say anything the door opened, with Mukuro carrying a heavy looking bag. She threw the bag straight onto Kumagawa’s desk, spilling its contents out for all to see. The bag was filled with mail, hate mail to be precise. Lots of die, scum, trash, kill yourself, and a few ‘you don’t deserve her’ messages . “These were all addressed to you, I picked them up this morning when I was getting some more forms from the principal’s office. Is something going on, Misogi-chan?”

Kumagawa tilted his head.  『Now that you mention it. I was late today because I had to get my shoes from the fountain, somebody stole my gym clothes and wrote ‘die loser’ on them in red… oh cool this message is a death threat written in blood. The paper’s soaking wet. I wonder why people are paying so much attention to me lately?』

“He doesn’t even realize he’s being bullied.”
“He doesn’t even realize he’s being bullied.”

Junko and Mukuro said at the exact same time, and then looked at each other for a moment.

“Nice.”
“Nice.”

It was rare they were ever that in sync, and most likely they would be out of sync in the next few moments.

From her seat, Mikan said in a dreamy voice. “Kumagawa-kun is really so lucky to have everybody paying attention to him like that. I’m so jealous.” Her hands were on her face, fingers pulling down at her cheeks.

『See, Mikan understands me.』Kumagawa said, gesturing towards her and not realizing what was off about her behavior at all.

“Those two can’t be trusted, they’re so desperate for any kind of feeling they confuse negative attention for acceptable attention.” Junko said, without a speck of self awareness. “I mean Senpai is the worst, but he hasn’t been more the worst than usual lately. Seeing the sudden influx of Senpai hate is a little weird, is it a new fad or something?”

“It’s only natural.” Komaeda said speaking up. “The untalented can only serve as stepping stones for the talented. By venting their frustrations on Kumagawa-kun, the chosen elite of this school are finally making him a useful step as they ascend to hope without anything holding him back. Kumagawa-kun should be honored that they found a use for trash like him.”

『How nice, my student council is finally getting along and insulting me all together.』Kumagawa said and then he smiled like he wasn’t taking it offensively.

In fact Mukuro seemed to be the only one taking it seriously. As she was attempting to read through some of the letters that had been scattered on Kumagawa’s desk.

“Seriously what did you do so wrong this time? Besides existing I mean?” Junko asked Kumagawa  one more time.

『It wasn’t my fault.』Kumagawa said on reflex again with a bright smile.

『Besides if this is part of some conspiracy against me you’re more likely to be behind it then I am.』

Junko snorted. “Please, why would I waste my time with you?”

『You waste your time with me all the time, Enoshima-san. What do you call right now?』Kumagawa countered her as usual without missing a beat.

“This? You’re just less boring to spend my time with than the rest of the school by the slimmest of margins.”

『That’s high praise coming from a self centered elite like you-』

Before they could get too far into their usual two person routine though, Mukuro suddenly stood up between them holding a letter. “Wait, it is your fault Junko!”

“I can’t believe you sided with this guy over your own sister? Do you want him to be your brother now? Is that why you’re calling each other by your first names, well fine you two deserve each other I’m gonna-”

Mukuro just stuck the letter straight in Junko’s face to prevent her tirade from going any further. “N-no, Umm…Junko just read this please.”

Junko stopped and shifted to a quieter self, as she snatched the paper away from Mukuro forcefully with her clawed fingers, and then pulled a pair of glasses from her skirt pocket to read the message. “You’ve been found guilty for the crime of stealing the heart of our beloved Enoshima Junko, your punishment will be death.” She paused, tilting her head. “Well I like the motife they chose to use for their message- eh.” She tilted her head again, and then another time as if something had broke within her. “What exactly do they mean, stealing my heart?”

『Maybe it’s a persona five reference. You look like one of the main characters of that game-』

Junko suddenly stomped her feet and snapped. “This is no time for playfully bantering about pop culture, this might actually affect my reputation so something is actually on the line for once!” She immediately grabbed her laptop and closed out of whatever she was working on. Kumagawa who had followed her and looked over her shoulder wondered what it was for a moment, it looked like a complicated piece of code. He forgot it however when he saw what resulted from Junko googling herself to find out the latest news pertaining to herself.

Enoshima Junko dating somebody in secret?????? The clickbait title read.

Both Kumagawa Misogi and Ensohima Junko read the headline at the same time, and saw the photoes being displayed in the article. It was just normal photoes of the walks around campus they took every day. However, since Junko tended to manhandle Kumagawa as a part of her usual bossy and controlling personality, a few of the photos looked like she had her hands all over him out of context.

Each of them realized what had happened at the same time. Each of them had a completely different reaction. Kumagawa merely froze in place and began muttering to himself. 『It’s not my- It’s not my- It’s not my』

“I think he’s skipping.” Mukuro said, with slight concern.

Junko immediately let her mouth fall open, and moved into a dramatic pose of shock, holding her arms in the air in front of her face as if she was defending herself from the sight and everything. “Waaaaahhh!”

“The famous chatterbox is beyond words.” Mukuro at this point felt like she was just acting in a role of background commentary. She hoped Junko would be proud of her for playing her role well at least.

Junko immediately grabbed the laptop and moved to the microwave, pulling it open and shoving it inside. She was only stopped by Mukuro suddenly reacting and moving from her background role to grab her sister’s hand and hold her back. “Junko, no we can’t do that. The principal already got mad at us for having to replace our laptops so many times.” Apparently she made this a habit. “Just destroying the laptop won’t make the rumor go away.”

“Yeah, but it’ll make me feel better. I’m all about destroying things to vent my emotions in the short term. Come on Senpai, help me out here at least we agree on this one thing.” Junko argued back as she struggled against her sister.

Kumagawa would have helped were he not currently frozen in spot due to the shock still muttering to himself. Junko walked over to him and grabbed him by the hand, yanking him over with the exact same kind of manhandling that had gotten them into this predicament. “Why are you acting like you’re shocked? You should be fucking honored that somebody thought you were even remotely worth of dating someone like me, I’m the one whose insulted here.”

“Wait, where are you two going?” Mukuro asked as Junko had started dragging off Kumagawa into a random direction.

“If I can’t fix this by destroying my computer then I’m going to destroy the person who did this.”  Junko announced.
“Oh my, Enoshima-san is going to use her talent to be helpful for once. I’m blessed with seeing such a rare turn of events.” Komaeda said watching the both of them, but not moving up to help.

Mikan looked towards both Junko and Kumagawa nervously in this situation, unaware of what she should do. Something came to mind, but before she could speak up it became caught in her throat.

Kumagawa merely let himself be dragged along. 『It’s not my- It’s not my- It’s not my』repeating like a chant at this point.

Junko shook him, causing his whole body to shake along like he really was a ragdoll. “Come on, have your mental breakdown later when I can enjoy it. It’s useless to me right now.”

Kumagawa stopped for a moment, if only to stop his world from shaking any further than he was already imagining it. 『Ah right um...』He tried to reach for it but no witty remark for Junko’s typical caustic attitude came to mind, which meant he could not deflect her either. There’s no way she can know right? No, nobody can know. They don’t know. He really hated it. Happiness, it was exactly like glass. If you looked at it head on it was invisible and impossible to see. The only time you noticed it was when you looked at it from the side, or somebody else’s light reflected off of it. Kumagawa’s reaction had nothing to do with confused teenage feelings of romance, or Junko’s own obliviousness to the matter.

He had just realized recently, that being around Junko made him happy. He didn’t notice until he glanced at her smile from the side. Now that he had become aware of this happiness though, he had also become aware of the fact that he could lose it. Happiness was like glass, the moment you noticed it was there, you realize how quickly it could shatter.

What scared Kumagawa was that his days passing carelessly just walking next to Junko and playing games with her on campus, had led to this negative result. The moment he realized his happiness, it immediately became threatened.

All Kumagawa could think of was his existence as a minus, his curse to never truly be satisfied with the way things were, with any victory he could gain. He knew immediately that this happened because he spent time with Junko. He was the cause. Simply by walking next to her, he was causing her trouble. They can’t know how happy this makes me, it’s a feeling I keep all to myself. So why is the outside world trying to ruin it? He told himself over and over again it wasn’t his fault for merely trying to be happy, but he already knew otherwise.

He just needed to do as he always did. He hated happiness. He hated clear cut and beautiful things like glass. He only knew his own form within dirty mud. He swiped a hand over his face and his breakdown disappeared in an instant.『This really is your fault Enoshima-san. If you weren’t such a bully people wouldn’t mistake your harassment for such a classic tsundere archetype. 』He put on a smile, and spoke with his usual insincerity. 『Well I suppose since I’m the student council president, I’ll take responsibility for your carelessness again. Let’s investigate, and execute the student council.』

“Yes, finally you’re on the same page as me! Let’s go plan an execution.”

『I mean execute as in carry out, we’re not going to kill anybody.』

“YOU ALWAYS SHOOT DOWN MY IDEAS AND YOU NEVER LET ME HAVE ANY FUN AND I CAN’T PRODUCE ANYTHING IN THIS CRITICAL ATMOSPHERE-”

Kumagawa decided to just let himself be dragged along, and listen to Junko’s outburst for the moment. His moment of saving face ruined by their need to bicker. Well, it wouldn’t be like him if he were allowed to have a moment of looking cool without something ruining it.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Enoshima-san, you can let go now. I can walk on my own.』Kumagawa said as they were now both outside.

She immediately dug her claws out of his hand, and went to shaking her hand in the air as if it were dirty. “Good, because your hands are way too sweaty."

Kumagawa who could weather just about any insult, suddenly felt as if those words had been an arrow aimed and piercing straight through him. 『My hands...』Kumagawa brought them up in front of his face, shaken by this minor criticism. Well, it’s not like my hands were good for anything anyway , he thought rather dramatically.

Before he could be self conscious for too long however, he looked at Junko from in between the spaces of his fingers. 『Wait, I don’t get it. Why are so upset by a rumor that we might be-』

“Don’t say it.”

『UH… friends?』

“Ewe, even that’s way too close.”

『Thanks that’s great for my self esteem. Can you answer the question though, remember I’m dumb I won’t understand it on my own.』

Junko grabbed him by the wrists once more and pushed them down just enough so she could make direct eye contact. “Put the hands down you’re not a joestar.” Then after that small moment of bossiness was over. “Well, it’s because I’m a model ya’know.”

『You’re a model?』Kumagawa asked, his eyes wide and blank as usual. Even with super highschool levels of analysis Junko could not tell if he was playing dumb or just geniunely did not know.

“Yeah, why exactly do you think I’m here.”

『You have a mind that can analyze any situation perfectly just like Medaka’s can.』

“Well yeah but that’s not why I’m here. They invited me in as the utlimate fashionista. It’s pretty easy to predict fashion trends when you can predict everything, human beings especially in large group move in predictable ways.” She looked away from him now and turned around casually, swinging her arms behind her back and them joining them together as they did. The place they were standing together was one tiny corner, of a large campus filled with teenagers just like them, well probably not just like them they were significantly less twisted. “So, say my picture appears everywhere on every magazine. People might read interviews of me, and think I’m real, or that I’m a likeable person just because the answers line up with what they think. Then they start viewing me as a commodity that belongs to them. So if I act as a person, and say love someone who is not them they feel like the feelings they projected at me are betrayed.”

Junko looked genuinely disgusted and bothered for a moment. Kumagawa wanted to say something, or even reach out to her, but he found himself staring at his useless hands again.

“Upupupupu, I love it! Humans have such potential for wretchedness. Even a so called good emotion like love, can easily give birth to possessiveness, jealousy and then despair.”

『Making themselves miserable is a talent that all humans possess.』Kumagawa commented from behind her. It was too bad that none of the things he was good at, like misery, losing, and enduring both of those were considered worthwhile traits.

“Hey wait, how did you not know I’m a model!” Junko’s mood changed again, her ego taking precedence over her need to philosophize. “Are you saying that from the moment you first saw me, you didn’t see my gorgeous face and blonde hair, and recognize me as the model you fell in love with that’s on all of the magazine covers?”

『Umm...』There she was being presumptuous again. Her hair was red when he first met her, but he couldn’t tell her that. 『I only read shonen jump. I’m sure if you’d appeared on that cover I would have recognized you but… I just thought you were yet another blonde chick trying to destroy the world.』

“Only magazines like young jump put girls on the cover, but I’d never want to do a shoot like that. I protect my virtue you know.”

『Hmmm well… then I’m glad I got to meet the unlikeable you first.』He said with a smile, before leaning in closer curious again. 『Is that the real you then?』

“All mes are the real me.” She said briskly.

『I don’t get it.』

“God you’re no fun to talk philosophy with at all. I miss Kamakura, he understood everything without me having to waste precious Junko time explaining it.”

Kumagawa tilted his head. 『If you’re not having fun, then why are you smiling?』

Junko stopped for a moment as if she had smiled without even realizing it. She put a hand over her mouth and thought, inscrutable things which Kumagawa could not read on her face. Then, she removed her hand and a smile crawled up her face showing all of her teeth. “I got bored so I started picturing what I’m going to do to the person who spread that rumor. Now come on, no more wasting time chatting, we can have a saiyan battle with words later.”

So she said but, they continued to chat like that. Their investigation quickly lost as both of them got bored and gave up, and started to wander without any destination in mind. It was only when they got into a secluded area, one with plenty of trees nearby as their campus was partially wooded that Kumagawa finally made a move.

Suddenly, he grabbed onto Junko by the hand and threw her back against the wall of a nearby building. The two of them were alone, behind a building, and both teenagers. It looked like a classic scene from the rose colored days of youth. When Junko reacted in shock for a moment, Kumagawa confidently put an arm over her shoulder and then leaned in to whisper. 『We’re being watched, where are they?』

Junko’s expression changed in a moment, from surprised, to annoyed, and then the blank eyes she wore when she was analyzing and taking everything in dominated her expression. Kumagawa watched her eyes go cross for a moment and made a note to take a picture of that to embarrass her with later. Then in a fraction of a second she whispered their exact location.

Kumagawa turned around and threw a screw, which flew straight through the trees. They both heard a tearing sound, and tried to see if they had caught anything. Junko, impatient tried to just run straight through Kumagawa and conked her head against his. They stared at each other confused for a moment rubbing their heads and not sure where to orient their bodies, before they remembered what they were supposed to be doing and ran off together.

By the time they arrived though, the screw was dug into the tree and rather than a person only a uniform jacket hung from it. “Wow, Senpai failed again, and the sky continues to be blue.”

『You’re so hard to please, Ensohima-san. I could make the sky a different color if you want.』Kumagawa said as he made the screw disappear and then caught the uniform jacket. It was a piece of evidence at least, even if they had lost their target.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon going through the hate mail that had been sent to Kumagawa from Junko’s ‘fans’ around the campus, and found nothing. The next day started the same as the last, though this time Kumagawa walked in with ‘LOSER’, ‘SCUM’, and other such insults spray painted over his uniform jacket.

This time Mukuro came in with only one letter. Rather than to the student council it was directly addressed to Kumagawa himself. 『Hmmmm, admit what you did to Sato or I’ll leak this picture… I see...』Then he tilted his head. 『I have no idea who Sato is. Mukuro-chan, who did Enoshima-san have you kill this time?』

Mukuro blinked, looking just as confused for a second. “I don’t know anybody named Sato.”

Junko leaning on a desk next to her sister, had her expression immediately sorrow. “What that? I didn’t even have anything to do with that? What a boring and petty reason for revenge, that’s it if they’re not going to play fair then I won’t even play along anymore.”

『Well there went Enoshima-san’s brief window of being helpful. It was fun while it lasted.』Kumagawa shrugged and then looked at the letter once more. The picture was the one most recently taking of him and Junko, pressed against a wall behind a school building.

Mukuro glanced over his shoulder for a moment. “What exactly were you doing with my sister you pervert?”

『Trying to lay a trap, but it failed. As usual I only made things worse.』He sighed, before grabbing both the letter and the picture and tearing them in half. 『This is my loss.』

Kumagawa walked over to Junko and held out his hand. She blinked confused for a moment, before her expression downturned. “You give up way too easily, even if you despair from the loss it’s a boring kind of despair to fizzle out like that.”

『I know, but I don’t want to cause you trouble so. Just give me your arm band, I’ll erase all the memories on campus that we were ever seen together and those pictures should disappear as well. I was only making you a general affairs manager as a joke anyway, all jokes need an ending comedic timing and what not.』

“I…” Junko listened to him rant on for a moment losing track of what exactly she wanted to say. Kumagawa thought he saw a bit of reluctance in her eyes, but he figured he must be imagining that for his own sake.

Just then Mikan stood up and raised her voice between the two of them. “Ummm….” She swung her arms around wildly like a child trying and failing to keep a secret. “I… I know who took those pictures. I didn’t want you to hurt them because they were nice to me once, but I don’t want them to break up our council either.”

『I won’t hurt them.』Kumagawa Misogi, said.
“I’m going to kill them.” Enoshima Junko, said.

The two glared at each other, and then jumped in front of Junko cutting her off before she could reach Mikan. He grabbed her hands, entwining their fingers together. One of her hands was covered with fresh bandages. 『I know you feel like you’re betraying your friend, but that’s how we minus are. We show our affection through betrayal. I’m sure if they hate you after this they’ll still direct your hatred towards you.』

It was a twisted thing to say, but since they were on the same wavelength, Mikan only smiled. “You’re right Kumagawa-kun, I was stupid for worrying. Maybe they’ll feel so betrayed they’ll smash their camera over my head and I’ll receive a fresh wound.” Mikan’s happy demeanor changed in a moment. “Oh but, Komaeda-kun knew about it too. He wasn’t trying to protect anybody he was just trying to sabotage you as usual.”

『Well that’s okay too, that’s his job as my vice president. As a minus instead of having my back I’d prefer if he stabbed me in the back.』Kumagawa smiled the same as ever as he turned to Komaeda who was picking up the picture he tore up on the floor.

“It’s a shame even if it was for black mail it was a lovely photograph.” Komaeda mused for a moment. “This is the work of the ultimate photopgrapher Mahiru Koizumi. I recognized her work right away, but there’s no way I could help somebody talentless like you overcome her talent.”

Kumagawa nodded along as if he understood that twisted logic as well. 『You two come on then, let’s go meet your friend and congratulate her from getting out of the hospital. Mukuro-chan stay back and make sure Enoshima-san doesn’t get bored and burn this place down.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

What was talent? To some it was hope? To others it was something to envy? To others still something to aspire towards?

For her, talent was a connection. She grew up barely getting to see her mother’s face. Only in brief goodbyes where she was handed off to yet another babysitter. Even if her mother’s face was something that disappeared quickly, she left behind permanent things.
Those were the pictures that were all over, in every house she lived in. Not only on the walls, in frames, but some were just tacked there,  others in albums, and all over in magazines that she left opened to where the pictures were featured. The pictures were what her mother left behind. If she were older she would realize that those pictures were for the whole world, but her younger self thought those pictures belonged only to her.

She was too young, she could never go with to the dangerous places her mother went to snap photographs. So instead, she took those pictures to show her daughter. Looking at those photographs, she saw the world as her mother saw it. Those pictures were always there for her, even when her mother was gone.

Her mother took many award winning photoes, but the ones she loved the most were not the ones that depicted serious matters, but the ones of people, even complete strangers, smiling at her. This must be my mother smiling at me. She thought, and now that she tried to recall she could not think of any particular time her mother had smiled just at her.

That was fine though, such things were unnecessary as long as she had her pictures. She grew up her mother’s biggest fan, and then slowly wanting to emulate her she began to take pictures on her own. People praised the quality of her pictures, but to Mahiru it did not feel the same. She was not seeing the world her mother saw when she took her own pictures, just her own lesser perspective.

Yet, she continued to take photos. It kept her busy those long times her mother was gone. For her, talent was a connection.

She thought so, at least.

In middle school she made her first friend. The reserved children of famous people often did not get along well with others, and Mahiru had not talked to many people besides her baby sitters before starting school. However, thanks to that friend Mahiru went from a quiet girl whose only interest was taking photoes, to a person who could speak optimistically and smile for herself.

Still, the most beautiful smile of all was the pictures she took of her friend smiling. It was the first time she ever took a picture and felt satisfied with it. Perhaps it was just a childish dream, I want to take pictures of people’s smiles, and spread their joy. It sounded like an aspiration you could build a shonen manga around.

However, she truly believed in it with all of her heart and continued to pursue her talent. She was welcomed into this school of hope and made new friends because of it.

However, for the first time her talent was not a connection. She wanted to turn down the invite if she could not bring her first friend along with her, but that friend told her with another of her smiles that it would be fine. They’d always be together, they’d find a way. The smile she gave then, was choking back sadness, and Mahiru realized for the first time not all smiles are beautiful.

For awhile she lost interest in taking pictures, even of beautiful things. Then, as if fate wanted to punish her for neglecting her talent, the next thing she needed to take a picture of was a corpse.

That same friend, in order to protect her had killed another classmate one who was threatening to take her seat at the school of talent. Sato explained this all to her, smiling from ear to ear. Mahiru’s stomach turned at the sight of it. She had never seen such an awful smile before.

Her talent was a connection, or so she thought. She used her talent to cover up the crime of her friend, wanting to protect her. In the end though, she became responsible for the deaths of two people. One girl killed to protect her, and Sato killed when Mahiru failed to protect her friend.

Her talent had failed to connect to anybody, her mother, her friend, even her other classmates avoided her as if they had known what she had done. She stopped caring about taking pictures of smiling faces, and soon afterwards that girl who looked like she stepped out of a magazine appeared in front of her.

Mahiru felt a strange premonition about her. It took her a moment to realize what it was. That girl smiled the exact same way Sato had back then. Rather than be terrified however, this time she simply raised her camera and took a picture. The faces people made smiling in the middle of despair, she decided that was a worthy subject matter too.

On this day too, she was approached by a boy in a pitch black uniform who smiled the exact same way. This time when she raised her camera to calmly take a picture of him, the polaroid fell out completely blank. She shook it just once to see if it would change, but it did not.

“Hey, straighten up a little more! Shouldn’t a man like you be embarrassed to walk like that?”

Kumagawa had been walking with his hands in his pockets as usual, but he stopped and pulled his hands out just as she asked. 『So demanding, well I guess you are blackmailing me.』He pulled out a balled uniform jacket from his pocket, and tossed it to her.

Mahiru realized a moment too late who she was dealing with. “Sorry to disappoint you but there’s no way an unreliable guy like you can intimidate me, so goodbye.” She turned around and left only for the two others he had brought with her to block her path.

Komaeda smiled. “There’s no way somebody like me could stop you, so feel free to step one me.”

“Phrasing, Komaeda-kun.” Mikan said, once again with little self awareness. When she saw Mahiru’s fierce gaze though, she immediately shrunk away. Before Mahiru could even say anything she covered her face and said. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

『It’s too bad you didn’t have a talent useful for fighting. We can’t have a proper shonen battle if your only weapon is a camera.』Kumagawa shrugged. Just then Mahiru turned the flash all the way up, and clicked the shutter a few centimeters away from the heads of the two that were blocking her path.

While they were stunned, she grabbed the strap she used to carry her camera and then swung it around like a bludgeoning weapon hitting both of them in the head. In the space she created for herself, Mahiru made a break for it. Kumagawa stood watching for a moemnt, wondering why some cosmic force in the universe needed to prove him wrong every time he opened his mouth.

He was a slow runner, there was no way he could keep up with her when she had a head start. Instead he walked over casually to pick up the camera that she dropped. Then, he snapped his fingers.

Mahiru who had just escaped his sight, suddenly was right in front of us. “Huh???”

『I erased the time it would take for me to catch up to you and now.』He swung with his arm in the air. This time several screws appeared and nailed her straight to the tree, missing her body and only going by her clothing. A moment after pinning her down though, he made the damage done to her camera become undone, holding it now as if it were completely new. 『It’s rude to run away you know. You shouldn’t send me love letters, if you have feelings for me you should just tell me directly. I’ll make Komaeda and Mikan go away if you’re too embarrassed. 』

“I hate you…” Mahiru said, as she struggled against the screws. He had screwed more than just her jacket this time though. It might be embarrassing for her to escape in those conditions.

『I didn’t do anything.』Kumagawa proclaimed his innocence on reflex once again.

“That’s exactly it. You undid all the damage to the school. You erased that girl from all of our memories, but even so Sato’s still dead. Why would you bring everybody back but her?”

Kumagawa thought about it for a moment. There were only a few people whose deaths he went out of his way to undo, Yasuke, and Chiaki for one. The rest he simply undid by thinking he wanted to undo the damage Enoshima Junko did to this school. Then he remembered what Junko said earlier, Oh, so she’s capable of being honest. 『I only undid the destruction that ultimate despair brought to this school. This school had shadows even before that person came here though, there’s nothing I can do about that.』

“Yes you can! I saw you! When we were fighting against you, no matter how many times Nekomaru, Fuyuhiko and Akane beat you down, all of your injuries disappeared. I was sure they killed you a few times too. You can bring back the dead, so why can’t you bring back her?”

Kumagawa stared once more at his own useless hands. 『My power isn’t something so positive as healing injuries, or reviving the dead. When I undo things, it never has a positive effect it just makes them into nothing. Even the people I brought back, are still miserable, and my power to heal myself only prolongs my miserable life and guarantees more pain down the road.』Kumagawa’s twisted up smile, untwisted itself just for a moment. He let Mahiru see the sorrowful smile he would wear more often if he was actually an honest person. 『These hands can’t protect anything, or save anything. I’m sure if they tried to bring back your friend, they’d twist and curl up like monkey’s paws.』

Mahiru had been willing to destroy this man’s entire life simply for the slim chance that something as absurd as reviving the dead could happen. Now though, at the sight of such a sad, sad smile she hesitated.

『I could do something for you. I could make you forget, then all of the pain associated with your friend would disappear.』He held out a hand, and with a single index finger touched the center of her forehead. He traced a spiral around as he waited for her to decide.

Mahiru felt something horrible form that soft touch, like something was drilling straight through her temples. “I…” She thought of all of the pictures of Sato that were left behind. Pictures had always made her happy, a reminder that her mother would soon return to her, a connection while she was gone. However, no matter how many pictures she stared at of her old friend Sato would never return. Perhaps she should just forget about her entirely and destroy those pictures. “I don’t want to forget! Even if she’s dead, I won’t let Sato become nothing.”

She stopped for a moment, shocked at her own words. Kumagawa removed his hand. In an instant the screws holding her to the three disappeared. She slumped forward, and Kumagawa put his hands back in his pocket. 『That’s the right choice. It seems like I’ve lost to your affection for your friend.』

“I knew it. From the second I saw you I pegged you as an unreliable guy.” Mahiru said, this time she was the one choking back tears. She didn’t even need pictures, the moment she had threatened to forget about them, her mind flooded with images of Sato.

『Why were you in such a hurry though that you needed to blackmail me?』Kumagwa asked, once again not understanding well the person in front of him.

“I… Last year we made a promise to go to the festival before summer together and see the fireworks. When I woke up at the hospital, I remembered that, and I thought if I could keep that promise I could start to hope again.”

『Then, let’s keep that promise.』Kumagawa took her hands without asking. He said something incredibly presumptuous. 『Let’s all go to the festival together then! After all, we’re all minuses who lost what couldn’t be lost. Even if we can’t regain those friends back, we can at least lick our wounds together.』

Mikan jumped on Kumagawa’s back right then wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “I think so too, Mikan. I’m sorry we stopped talking after what happened to Sato. Do you want to me to lick your boots in apology?” She said, before draggging her tongue down the side of Kumagawa’s face. It was weird, but Kumagawa seemed to shrug it off like he did everything else.

“Uh… I think he was talking metaphorically… if I went alone it would probably hurt more, so I guess I can tolerate going with you guys.”

“Yay we’re tolerable!” Mikan said, swinging Kumagawa around in celebration.

Behind the three of them, Komaeda looked to the side nervously. “I uh… I dunno me going to a festival with fireworks sounds like a bad combination. Besides, why would you guys want to bring along somebody like me I’ll only make things worse.”

『We need somebody to win us the carnival games.』Kumagawa said, not even hiding his intentions to take advantage of Komaeda’s luck.

“Come on! Do it for hope!” Mikan cheered. Her voice dropped for a moment. “Besides, you’re right nobody else would want you around logically so you should consider yourself lucky that we even invited you.”

Komaeda laughed, though it sounded a bit forced and empty. “Haha, can’t argue with that I guess.” In fact there was somebody he could think of that he wanted to go to the festival with together, but he already knew without asking that person would never agree to go.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

When Kumagawa went back with Mahiru in tow, the explained what had happened and Kumagawa was easily able to erase the memories of the pictures Mahiru had uploaded online. Trying to keep Junko from clawing Mahiru’s eyes out for messing with her was slightly more difficult and required both Kumagawa and Mukuro holding her back, but they managed.

By the end of it everybody agreed to go to the festival except for Junko. “Today’s already boring enough, I mean what fun are these little misadventures if Senpai doesn’t even have the decency to get stabbed a little bit. I don’t like festivals either, you hold them every year to celebrate that nothing has changed from the last year, no thanks I don’t need to celebrate the status queue.”

She walked out right then. She only hesitated when Kumagawa said he was just going to wear his uniform (the one still covered in grafitti of various insults) and Mikan grabbed his arm, and begged him to wear a Yukata because he’d look so cute in one. She stood at the door glaring daggers at both of them, before she caught herself and turned away heading outside.

Mukuro agreed to go along though, as Junko never said that she could not.  She only went in her school uniform though because she didn’t won anything like a Yukata, and both Mahiru and Mikan especially were the wrong size.

Mikan dragged Kumagawa asking around if they could borrow one. Until they finally found Makoto, the only other person outside of the student council who would willingly associate with Kumagawa, and they borrowed one of his. This is also how Makoto ended up being invited along with them.

Kumagawa finally was fitted for a Yukata, but borrowing one of Makoto’s it was far too short on him and as he walked his legs felt cold. Still, it was a strange new feeling, Kumagawa had never even been to one of these festivals before. He never thought he’d attend it with a group of people who wanted him there.

In a moment he was caught in the daze of the lights. He had never imagined a world could be so bright. Then, Mikan noticed next to him the sad look on Mahiru’s face and pulled at his sleeves. “Come on, let’s go try to win Mahiru something. If we lose you can punish us Mahiru.” Tsumiki said as she grabbed onto Kumagawa’s arm and led on.

Of course when Kumagawa emptied his wallet, buying over one hundred throws at one game hoping to stack the odds for himself. All that he managed was missing one hundred times in new and creative ways. After the last try when the ball bounced off of the corner of the stall table and then hit the stall manager right in the eye, Kumagawa was banned from the game.

As he fell back dejected, Mikan caught his arm and let him lean against her. Komaeda paid for one throw, and then turned around and without looking tossed the ball in a random direction. It bounced off of the table as well, and then several times around the stall before it perfectly knocked over all three stacks of bottles. The booth manager then said Komaeda could have whatever he wanted as long as he never came back. Rather than a large stuffed prize, he picked a small charm with a fluffy sheep on it. The same kind of charms Kumagawa had asked him to get earlier. He walked away from Mikan, Mahiru and that other guy not wanting to impede the rest of their night. He was sure since he used good luck to win that prize bad luck would follow him eventually. The least he could do was make sure he was alone when that happened.

Kumagawa was dragged to another booth by Mahiru and Mikan, who were starting to get into it. Both of them noticed by this point also, how light and easy it was to drag Kumagawa around.

Kumagawa looked for where Mukuro and Makoto went, but after realizing they had broken off from the rest of the group, decided to leave them alone.

“An unreliable guy to the end, really. You could at least show a bit of spine. If you’re like this you’re gonna end up under some girl’s thumb.” Mahiru told him.

Kumagawa merely smiled. 『As long as it’s a pretty girl’s thumb then I don’t mind.』He stopped for a moment and pointed at his face.『Should we take a picture all three of us? I know I don’t look like much but I’ve got a cute smile at least.』

“Ehhhhhh…” Mahiru immediately became reluctant. “I don’t like taking pictures of guys so, why don’t you just take a picture of the two of us.” She shoved the camera straight into Kumagawa’s chest. He complied, because like she said he didn’t have enough of a spine to stand up for himself.

Mikan feeling bad for letting Kumagawa be left out, immediately jumped onto his arm once again wrapping herself around it this time. “Thank you, Kumagawa-kun. I’ll take a picture with you in one of the photo booths so we can remember this date!” Since Kumagawa was so spineless after all, he merely went along with it, just like he always let Mikan cling to him, and do whatever she wanted around him after joining the student council.

However, it turned out his spinelessness could be a bad thing. At that exact moment Enoshima Junko. Who had gone home alone, and then halfway through the night changed her mind as usual and decided she wanted to go to the festival, got herself dressed up and used her observation skills to find them in the middle of the crowd. Only to walk in on them just as Mikan had her hands all over Kumagawa and called this a date.

It seemed Komaeda’s power of bad luck had affected them after all, causing this concidence. Junko stared at them as they failed to notice her for a second. Then she bit her lip, and stomped one of her feet into the ground.

Kumagawa simply turned around and smiled.『Enoshima-san, did you decide to-?』

“No, I’m leaving.” She turned around on one foot and made to leave. Just as usual, Junko decided not only to change her mind again, but to be difficult.

She broke into a run leaving Kumagawa in her wake, staring in shock at the place she was a moment ago. Kumagawa looked at the othe two girls, and shook his head muttering some kind of excuse before running off after her.

The moment Junko thought she had lost him, something tugged on her sleeve, and she was pulled back and saw Kumagawa’s face looking at her. “Gah, don’t get so clingy. What is it?” She said to him, her voice in a harsh whisper as there was still a crowd all around them.

The words that had been caught in Kumagawa’s throat from the moment he looked at her, came spilling out carelessly, “You’re beautiful.” He said, his voice cracking and becoming completely sincere.

Of course, none of that seemed to reach Junko. She tilted her head the same way she always did when she was confused. “No duh?” Then a smirk crawled it’s way upon her lips. “Quit staring, Senpai. Take a picture it will last longer.”

『No thank you, I don’t even like beautiful things.』His insincerity returned the same way it always did. 『You like explosions though. I know this day hasn’t gone at all the way you’d like it too, but let’s end it watching fireworks together. Since you’re already here and everything.』

“No, I already told you. Fireworks are boring.” As Junko Enoshima was an incredibly cold person that usually would be enough to shake someone off. People always did as she said, and went the ways she wanted.

However, Kumagawa was somebody who was entirely used to both hatred and rejection. Not letting go of her hand, he fell on his back, took a deep breath and screamed with everything he had. Immediately he had already begun to cry crocodile tears. 『NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I WOOOOONNN'T LOSE TO YOU YEEEEEEEEEEEEET! WE'RE GOING TO GO SEE THE FIREWORKS TOGETHER!』

Raising his voice immediately drew the attention of everyone around them. A few concerned voices in the crowd began to mutter amongst themselves. Junko suddenly felt every pair of eye on her. “Let go of me! What are you doing?”

『How often are we going to get to go to a festival together like this? I haven’t even been to one before this is my first time do you want it to end without me even seeing fire works? You spoiled brat, you can't tell me they're boring when you've gotten to go like festivals like this before! You've seen plenty of beautiful sites but I've never seen them once!』

“Th-that’s not it, just go watch it alone, okay?!”

『Nooooo! If I went to watch them alone, nobody wants me around! Nobody's going to go see the fireworks with me! I'd just be a third wheel between Marhiru and Mikan!』

“What? How is that my fault, have you tried being less of the worst person ever?” Junko tried to tug against him, usually Kumagawa was easy to pull around but she felt suddenly rooted to the spot and overwhelmed by his strength.

『How could you insult me like that so easily? Was all the time we spent together for nothing!』

“Yes, obviously! What makes me you think I’d do something as stupid as come all the way to the festival just for your sake? Just let me go already and stop deluding yourself.” 

In the background the whispers increased in salaciousness. Junko heard ‘ Some guys just don’t know how to handle the breakup.” and immediately wanted to commit murder. They had spent all day long trying to stop such rumors in the first place. The fact that anybody could see them as any kind of couple was disgusting on some other level. 

Suddenly, Kumagawa stood up again and his face was a centimeter away from hers. She could see the flecks of spit coming out of his mouth, and the tears falling from his eyes in slow motion as well as nostril running from his nose. 『I’M NEVERRRR LETTTING GOOO NOT UNTIL I SEE THE FIREEEWOOOOORKKKKSSSSSSSSS WITH YOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUU. IT'S MY DREEAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda Nagito had wandered away from the festival grounds. Of course in a stroke of bad luck he had gotten lost and instead of exiting the festival the place he wound up was where they were storing the fireworks before they would be used in the big show.

The moment he realized where he was he became filled with an intense panic. He turned around to leave, only to trip on one of the wires running across the ground. It tore through and spilled powder everywhere. He saw the metal wire dragging across the ground generating a spark.

“No, no, no…” He muttered. He knew his power was a terrible thing to have around fireworks. This is exactly the kind of thing he wanted to avoid. Just then though, a shadow appeared behind him. Water splashed and smothered the spark before it could become anything.

Kamakura Izuru looked at Komaeda on the ground in front of him. “Luck really is a hopeless talent.”

“Haha, you’re definitely right. There’s no way you came here for me though, so did you want to watch the fireworks?” He said, smiling up at the other.

“You damaged them a little bit, but I have the skills of the ultimate fireworks technician. I can fix them.”

He did just that, while Komaeda sat politely with his knees drawn up to his chest, not touching anything in the meanwhile. When he was finished, Kamakura offered his back to Komaeda. “I’m just making the two of us even.” He quickly excused himself. Komaeda decided that was a good enough reason, even if all he was doing was clinging to the back of someone more talented.

As he was carried away on Kamakura’s back, Komaeda muttered to him that they should go somewhere to watch the fireworks. Somewhere far away just in case. When Kamakura reminded him that it meant he wouldn’t be able to be with his friends, Komaeda said something idiotic. Even he thought so the moment after the words left his lips.

“That’s okay, you’re the only friend I need.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“So, you didn’t have a Yukata? That’s kind of a bummer.” Makoto said, walking by Mukuro’s side. He hoped he wouldn’t trip over his own Yukata, or bump into anyone or anything because he wanted to keep sneaking glances at her instead of looking ahead.

“Why? It’s not necessary. My mobility is much more free when I just wear my school uniform.” Mukuro once again, was oblivious to what a normal teenage boy might be thinking. Makoto was not sure if he was thankful for that, or he wished she would notice.

“Well, I mean it would be cute to see you in one.” Makoto spoke up, and then regretted he had said something bold a moment after he said it.

“You don’t have to lie. I already know I’m not cute.” Mukuro responded in the same flat voice as ever.

However, hearing her admit to that immediately made Makoto double down on his resolve. “What? You’d look super cute in a Yukata! I mean, you even look cute right now okay! Don’t say you’re not because it’s not true.”

Mukuro tilted her head. The exact same way her sister did when confused. She thought of her sister who would have been dressed up and gorgeous had she come here, and for a half a second felt grateful that she stayed home. “I… if I’m cute like this then why do you want to see me in a Yukata so badly?”

“Next year!” Makoto quickly changed the subject. He pointed dramatically off into the horizon as he had a habit of doing. “I want to see you at this festival again next year, and next year you can wear a Yukata. That’s why okay?”

Mukuro tried to smile for him again. The muscles of her face all still felt rusty, but Makoto smiled back at her so it must have worked. “I… I’d like to still see you again a year from now.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Junko leaned against the railing of the raised area they were standing on. Her condition after surrendering to Kumagawa’s desperation was that they would watch the fireeworks with absoluetly nobody else around. Which led them to this isolated corner. She stared on, her eyes completely dead. The entire time there she had resisted him by being dead weight on his arm just to be petty.

However, in a contrast to the misery queen  Kumagawa was smiling brightly the same as ever.

『Hey! Look at that they’re all blowing up, just like the kind of despair you like! It’s really memorable and loud, you can’t say this isn’t beautiful. I’ve always wanted to watch fireworks like this you know… Recently I’ve been thinking I wanted to watch them with you… Enoshima-san』He turned his head then and noticed, Junko was not even looking at the fireworks at this point. Her eyes were somewhere entirely else. It was the same expression that she looked at everything with, eyes completely vacant, that saw nothing in the world at all.

『Hey.. What’s wrong? 』He said, leaning over the rail right next to her so his face could appear in her peripheral vision.

“I don’t want to go to festivals and stuff… I already told you… cuz it’s boring.” She muttered like a teenager pouting. Her voice changed though, and the emotion drained out of it. “I don’t feel anything at all, or rather I can’t. I can’t look at the happy looks on other people’s faces, I can’t see other people enjoying themselves normally, carelessly, while I feel nothing.” Junko reached out and held a hand out to the sky. “I’m like those fireworks, but not the exciting part. Nothing I feel ever lasts, it fizzles out and then nothing…”

Kumagawa hung his head for a moment, and then turned around, resting his elbows on the rail.『I got so used to your presence, that I ended up doing whatever I pleased. It was my fault. Let’s leave now okay. Come to think of it, you were never going to enjoy yourself around a guy like me to begin with.』He reached out a hand for her, but he felt if he touched her in this moment he would cut himself on glass. (I’m socially dead. I’m harassing Junko, just like all those fans of her accused me of), he thought, and that thought sunk into the pit of his stomach.

He tried to just walk away hoping that would be enough to make up for forcing her to play along with him. As soon as he took a single step though, claws dug themselves into his arm, and Junko pulled him back. He looked at her, eyes completely blank, not understanding as usual.

“To tell you the truth, I wanted to come here with you. I wish I could enjoy these things normally with you… but I… um… I… I’m a selfish and empty girl. That’s all I am, so, can you stay with me a little more? You are.. Slightly more interesting than fireworks.”

He looked at the red fingernials that were digging into the fabric so hard he felt them in his skin. Kumagawa immediately grabbed both of he hands, wrapping his own around them. Even if his hands were useless, even if hers were sharp and could cut him, they felt warm when he held onto them so close to himself. 『Everything you say, you contradict yourself a moment later., Enoshima I’m always happy inside when I’m by your side but… how much truth do your words hold… just where is the real you? I want to see her!』

Junko’s vulnerability from a moment ago, disappeared as fast as all her other moods did. She noticed how close their faces were. She moved so that they were even closer, only stopping when their toes were touching. “You’re way too close. You really do have no idea how to act around other people.”

『I’m sorry.』He said, weak and soft.

“It’s not your fault,” She repeated his own line back at him. “So, don’t move, okay?” On her own, Enoshima Junko moved to close the last remaining distance between the two of them. Her lips touched together as if preparing for something. They were close enough he could see the shade of lipstick she was wearing, the same color as blood., as well as every detail of her face. He liked the sight of it, but he wondered why she was getting so close.

 

Before he could find out, they heard a flash going off behind them. Junko’s neck quickly snapped around, and she saw Mahiru holding a camera. “Oh, you are so dead now.” She said, right before chasing Mahiru in a circle around Kumagawa who stood as still as a post.

All he could think of was what happened a moment ago. He played it again and again in his head trying to understand it. There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right? There’s no way right?

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Did you settle things with the ultimate photographer.” Kamakura did not even look back around. He knew he was being followed, and he did not particularly care either. He had already settled things with the strange boy who had the boring talent of luck.

Now, the girl who promised to show him despair had come to settle things with him too it seemed. He had been waiting so long, he had almost lost faith in her. The idea of somebody like her being made useless by a no talent cheater like Kumagawa made him feel something akin to annoyance, if he had such an emotion.

“Yeah, in return for her life I had her do a little favor for me. Even if they don’t remember me anymore, those ultimate despairs really are too easy to move on the board. No wonder I get so bored of them quick.” She picked out of her pocket the favor she had procured, and tossed it at the back of Kamakura’s head.

He caught it easily, and saw it was nothing more than paper. Of course, she was just being dramatic as usual with her way of handing it to him. It was a photograph, he could tell it was taken with a lot of skill, and most likely from a place of hiding. “The person in that photograph. I want you to kill her. The moment you do it’ll set off a chain of events that will knock Kumagawa off of his loser throne and set the queen free.”

“Oh, so you haven’t given up on that. If you had said something like ‘I’ve changed after being by his side for so long’ then I’d be disappointed.”

“Please, I’m Enoshima Fucking Junko. I cried out of despair from the moment I was born. ‘I just need this one person to understand me, I always want to be by their side’, those kinds of tropes are lame unless they’re the set up for a murderous plot twist.”

Kamakura let her rant on as she usually did around him. He thought of the sheep charm sitting in his pocket, and what that boy with the boring talent of Luck had said to him earlier. He decided it was a worthless subject to continue thinking on, and dropped it. “This girl… what’s her name? Tell me the name of the person you want me to kill and I’ll do it if it rids me of that tick.”

Enoshima Junko smiled as she pictured the despair that was going to follow such a happy event as a summer festival where they all went together as friends for the first time. Friendships, people, even somebody like Kumagawa Misogi who she tried so hard to understand and he tried to understand her in return they were all investments for the sake of despair. 

Which is why the name of the person who would crush him, rolled off her tongue so easily,“Kurokami Medaka.”

Chapter 10: I Am the Student Council President

“Do you have the three of spades?”

“Go fish.”

“Go die.”

“Come on man, we’ve been over this.”

Zenkichi Hitoyoshi was rather nonplussed that the man across from the table had drawn a butterfly knife from his pocket and reached across the table to threaten his neck with it over a simple game of cards. When you were the childhood friend of Medaka Kurokami who constantly threw herself into the worst kind of danger to protect everyone from the best and worst of humanity, and you were her self appointed guard dog, you became used to threats on your life.

Besides the man threatening him was Kei Munakata, his friend. Zenkichi was the one who called him here, and asked him to play cards alone with him in the student council office while everybody else was out. Casually, he reached out and grabbed the hand of the other and pushed it back gently.

Kei Munakata seemed to get the point, and went to pick his cards back up again. Kei Munakata was an abnormal, a being one step of insanity above even those with ultimate talents. He was born with a talent that warped his entire being around it. Of course unlike Medaka who was born with a positive talent who could help others, he was born with nothing more than the urge to kill and a talent in finding ways to kill. That's just how the dice fell sometimes. He had sought friends among abnormals, but instead now he was casually chatting away with a normal. “Why’d they leave you alone here anyway? Is it just because you’re the general affairs manager?”

“The General Affairs manager is an important job you know! Without me who would uh… ya’know, manage the general affairs?”

“I see your point.” Kei replied quite seriously.

“Exactly.” Zenkichi stared at his cards. He thought being Medaka’s childhood friend since they were two years old, and the first person she asked to join her student council would net him vice president at least, but he couldn’t claim to understand how that girl thought. “They needed somebody to stay behind and water the flowers today. I volunteered because I needed some time on my own to think.”

“Then you invited me because you’re useless on your own?” Kei said, seriously again.

“Hey man!” Zenkichi wondered briefly if any of these abnormals could show a shred of normal social skills, but maybe that was too much to ask for so he decided to let it go. “Usually when I have a problem with Medaka, I go to Shiranui for advice. When I have a problem with Shiranui, I go to Medaka for advice. Now I’m worried about them both though…”

“Alright, I’ll listen. I’m your friend so- Let’s kill your problem together.”

“I hope you’re speaking metaphorically dude.” Zenkichi said, tensing up for a second before he sighed. “You know the other day where Akune got beaten, and I put up a valiant fight against some girl we didn’t recognize? That all started because Kumagawa somehow slipped a request in our request box. I know I’ve been feeling weird lately because things worked out a little too well with the flask plan. Everything just resolved, and we all went home peacefully. It’s never like that usually there’s always an enemy waiting just around the corner.”

“Even the fight against the plus six ended peacefully. Nobody even died.”

“Y-yeah. Anyway. I think it’s got Medaka all ansty. It’s like the guy whose been her arch nemesis since middle school doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore, she’s always been weird with her enemies.” Zenkichi sometimes thought she cared about them more than her friends, but he’d hate to say that aloud. “Usually Shiranui helps when Medaka starts going stir crazy, but she’s been blowing me off lately to go get food after school with someone else. I’m worried that maybe…”

“She’s plotting something against you?”

“No! That she has a boyfriend and didn’t tell me about it!” Zenkichi Hitoyoshi slammed his cards down on the table for dramatic effect. It seemed even in other schools there was no shortage of idiotic average boys jumping to the wrong conclusions for themselves.

“I have no experience with that sort of thing but…” Before he could say anything else, the two of them heard a knocking at the door.

Zenkichi himself was surprised at the politeness of whoever it was, because usually people just burst straight in here. He suddenly had a good feeling about this person, and told them to let themselves in. However, the moment they appeared in the doorway his good feeling vanished. The man who stood in front of him had glowing red eyes that shone behind locks of brown hair that fell everywhere, over his own face, over his shoulders and just barely stopping from touching the ground. He was well dressed at least, but Zenkichi did not look at the rest of him his gaze lingered on the stranger’s eyes. He recognized that look, the look of somebody standing above everything, it was the same eyes Medaka had looked at him with all of his life.

Izuru Kamakura summed up their entire existences in one glance. The first boy possessed a talent that gave him a predisposition towards murder like the talent hidden within the ultime serial murderer, the second possessed no noteworthy talent at all. Briefly he wondered how Zenkichi had survived so long then in Munakata’s presence, but he decided he did not care. Instead he reached into his pocket and held out a folded up piece of paper. “I have a request for your student council president.”

Zenkichi wondered why he tensed up so much. He pointed back to the request box. “You can just leave it there.”

Kamakura shook his head. “I need it to be read in person.”

“Well, I’m her general affair’s manager, which means I’m basically her ringer. Everything goes through me alright?” Zenkichi wondered where this confidence was coming from. He stood up and grabbed the paper from the boy’s hand and unfolded it. The request was worded rather politely at least. It said, “Please die.”

Immediately Zenkichi threw his whole body around in a roundhouse kick at the stranger’s head. Unlike the last fight he had been in, he was motivated to finish it immediately lest Medaka fall into danger. He threw everything he had into one kick.

“Savate, huh? Surprising, but I have that too.” The other muttered, and then moved faster than Zenkichi could track with his eyes, bringing his elbow down and knee up at the same time to catch Zenkichi’s ankle, crushing the joint and stopping his momentum dead. Zenkichi had to use the last of his strength just to dislodge himself. “I’m only here for the student council president. No matter what you do, neither of you two will defeat me. Therefore, there is no need for us to fight.”

Zenkichi would have normally thought a person talking in such a way was nothing more than a cocky bastard. However, there did not seem to be an ounce of misplaced confidence in Kamakura’s voice. He was merely remarking on an objective reality in  front of him. Kei stood up then, looking with concern at his friend who was only standing on one foot. “He’s right, there’s no reason for us to fight.” Kamakura did not let his eyes leave, Kei. “That’s why, I’ll kill you.”

Suddenly the other boy sprung forward, kicking the table in front of him as a distraction. Kamakura hit the table at its weak point cracking it in half. What was unexpected was Kei suddenly had a sword in his hands, and its blade appeared right between Kamakura’s two eyes. “A second talent for concealed weaponry.” Kamakura commented, but clapped his hands on their side of the sword, catching the blade in between where his two hands met to stop its swing. “It’s dull if you’re not going to wield the blade with any skill at all.” He used the talent of the ultimate disarming artist to wrench the sword out of Kei’s hands and throw it across the floor.

“See, it’s pointless.”

Kamakura’s attempts to dissuade them had no effect at all. Zenkichi rolled his dislocated ankle around before stomping the floor hard to pop the joint back into place. Kei already drew out two more knives from somewhere hidden within his clothes.

“That’s what youth is all about, doing pointless stuff…” Zenkichi led in.
“And killing time.” Kei Munakata followed after him.

This time, they both attacked at once.

They hit the ground at the same time too. Kamakura had no particular affection for long drawn out battles, or shows of determination. He had no inclination towards bloodshed either, but he decided it would be useful in this case.

He grabbed one in each hand, and then with impunity, bashed them against the chalkboard behind him, the desk, and then threw them back onto the floor. It might have looked like the atinos of a berserker moving through this room, if he was not so methodical about it.

Just when they lay at his feet, and their blood and settled splattered all around him, the door finally opened for a second time.

“Who are you?” Kamakura asked.

“I am the student council president,” Kurokami Medaka responded, before she laid her eyes on the scene in front of her. There were many colors painted on this scene, a stranger of black and white, Zenkichi and Kei covered in pink, but before she could process any of them the entire world went red.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

If Kamakura Izuru was a man made hope, than Kurokami Medaka was a natural born one.

To bring Kamakura Izuru in the world, the person he previously was『SPOILERS』needed to die. 15 years ago, when Kurokami Medaka was born, her mother died.

It was not because of a difficult birth, or even tragically circumstances, it was a perfectly normal healthy delivery. After hearing the first cry of her baby, she died. This is what she thought, even now. “This woman was brought into the world for the sole purpose of giving birth to me, and now that her role is complete, she died.”

Survivor’s guilt was a common complex of those who survived tough situations when others did not, due to the unfairness and arbitrary nature of the world. Medaka felt something like that since the day she was born. She had killed someone with her first breath, she was guilty for being born, in order for her to come into the world a previous world needed to die.

Afterwards she was taken to the Kurokami household. She thought the father she met for the first time, the legal mother, and the older siblings were all nice people, but… wasn’t it just the same as before? The household had the scent of death about it, it sickened her. It was restrictive. This is a nice coffin that’s prepared for me, I can either break free from it, or lie here until I die. That was what she thought.

Really it was quite presumptive but, I moreso than anyone else can understand the perpsective of somebody who can only look down from above on others.

There was no such thing as infancy for her, by the time she was six months old she was already bigger than her brother and sister. Her mind matured even faster. The kurokami mansion had a library to rival alexandria (I would know) and she finished every book inside in three months. Her entire world became the information she learned from those books, all filed away into her head.

At first the adults were quite interested in her, but then they started to feel inferior and they left in droves. There was a time a mathematician friend of her father asked her to solve a problem for him, but in return for her help he turned his resignation. First with her mother, the mathematician, she destroyed all of their lives recklessly, their diligence and desperation made futile after meeting her. She stepped over all of them in order to continue living. The only thing she regretted, was how little she felt about it. As she continued to walk forward, and people fell at her feet, she started to wonder… why was she ever born?

She met two boys when she was two years old, who gave her two different answers.

“People are born for no purpose, live for no reason and die for nothing. Because the world is pointless and our lives are aimless.” One boy said, and though she could tell he was trying to be kind his smiling face only filled her with endless worry. She forgot soon afterwards what his face even looked like.

“I’m sure you were born to make the people around you happy.” Another boy said, and his smiling face filled her with warm feelings. For the first time in her life, she experienced the emotion she only recognized in her books known as love. Ever since then she made sure, that the smiling face of that boy was always around her, even if he was following just behind her.

Now, catching up to the present day that boy she always wanted to see smile was lying on the ground in front of her bleeding from his head.

“Yo, Hyuuga what’s wrong?”
“I think I heard something that sounded like glass shattering in that direction.”
“That direction… you mean from where the student council is?”
“If that’s the case it must be something the president did again.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right! That’s where the student council is.”
“That’s right! There’s no reason whatsoever to be surprised.”
“You know the saying. Same shit, different day.”

It took Kamakura a moment to notice he was flying through the air. Once he did though he understood everything perfectly. The second she entered the room, rather than going for a direct strike she instead went for a throw and grab, and threw him out of the window with tremendous force.

That was fine though, his good luck prevented any of the glass shards from cutting anything besides his uniform and he had the skills of the ultimate stuntman to land perfectly from such a height. He did so, and then straightened up. He had never planned to fight in such a confined space to begin with, though he wondered why her opening move was that. Then, he watched with her eyes as she darted through the school with tremendous speed. It was the Kurokami Phantom, though he did not know the name quite yet, nor was Kamakura the type to name his attacks.

He was kind of no fun like that.

“You brought your friends to the infirmary with the time you bought from me, but it seems you’ve incurred damages to your body.” He surmised, when she was standing in front of him again. The payoff for the Kurokami phantom, was that the human body was not meant to move at such speeds, he saw tears in both her clothing and her skin already forming and the fight had barely begun.  

“Shut up!”

“...”

“I’m sure you were once a good student who looked up to others with hope in his heart and tried to walk down the right path so you could belong with them. I can’t imagine what happened to you that made you end up like this, however! Even if that’s the case! You are going to pay for this.” Medaka looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. Kamakura suddenly felt a doubt that what he was facing was a human being after all, he saw fangs hidden in her smile… No a trick of the mind, that line of thinking was ridiculous so he quashed it.

She’s definitely the undisputed number one. A small girl eating candy had told him when he walked in on this campus and asked about her. She was number one in the country in the national exams! She scored an unheard of record of deviation score of 90! She’s got innumerable trophies and awards. Even in sports she takes any records she attempts! ANd it’s practically a joke as to how rich her family is, they’re said to be one of the two families holding up the economy. For the sum length of 263.0 meters, she can fly at 60,000 feet at the speed of mach two, she’s got built in intel processing… At that point Kamakura stopped believing in the candy eating girl’s descriptions of that woman.

He realized though, what bothered him was not her sudden beast like aura but rather the words she had said. Once a good student who looked up to others with hope in his heart... he had no idea if he could refute her.

Elsewhere, watching from the trees, the moment that girl unleashed her fierce glare Enoshima Junko smiled. She kept one of her eyes on the fight through the lens of a camera, while she sat leisurely on the branch kicking her legs. “Seriously, what’s up with this girl? I thought she was about to go super saiyan for a second there.”

Sadly, due to the interference of a third party in the name of game balance Medaka lost the form that made her hair glow red and allowed her to power up just like an angered saiyan. However, to be fair, even if Junko Enoshima had witnessed such a spectacle and enjoyed it, a few seconds later she would become bored of that too.

Medaka walked towards him slowly, the earth itself seeming to shake with every step. “Why? Why did you come here? For what reason?”

Kamakura realized that because that witch asked me to, would not be a sufficient enough reason to satisfy her. He thought on it for a moment then came up with the perfect answer. “It’s because we’re alike. I want to fight you so I can find-”

The slowness in her steps disappeared and suddenly Medaka charged at him. Even without Mars Mode, she still had her anger fueling her. Her first punch carried incredibly brute strength, (Ultimate Reflexes) (Ultimate Martial Artist) (Ultimate Bodybuilder) however, Kamakura combined his talents to cross his arms in front of his chest in a block strong enough to hold her blow. “Nevermind, I don’t care!”

He knew the follow up blow would be stronger, so he decided to dodge. (Ultimate Gymnast) (Ultimate Contortionist) (Ultimate Acrobat), he combined those skills in order t o throw his body almost completely parallel with the ground when Medaka aimed a roudnhouse kick at his head just like Zenkichi had. He threw his body up once more, but rather than fight her directly (Ultimate Sprint Runner) he took off running away from her, leading her back towards the school building.

She was like a dog who had already caught the scent of his blood though, she followed after him to finish sinking her teeth into him. He decided to take a short cut and cut through an area with several animal cages. As he ran past them, he in an instant unlocked each one he touched (Ultimate Locksmith) and threw the doors open. The moment Medaka caught up to him, all of the animals froze terrified for a moment. “I see, your aura is intimidating them. The instincts of most humans are dulled by their empty, vapid existences, but not these animals.” Kamakura experienced the same thing in the early trials as he was being taught skills by his teachers. He brought his fingers to his lips and whistled. Since then he had learned several skills to pacify animals (Ultimate Zoologist) (Ultimate Animal Tamer) (Ultimate Dog Whisperer). Every single animal he had freed at once, snakes, dogs, cats, even usually harmless rabbits, all charged Medaka at once.

Medaka froze from her anger for just a moment. “Oh wait no, not the puppies!” The puppy she was referring to was a half wolf that was about half of her size currently charging her with a snarling mouth that was starting to foam. Extremely reluctantly, Medaka caught its fangs with both of her hands and held its mouth open with her strength.

Kamakura did not see what happened next as he had already turned to run, and disappeared inside the school building. From the trees though, Junko laughed and recalled a memory from her own youth where a cat that Mukuro was trying to pet suddenly grew hostile and ran away the moment Junko approached it. At the time all she thought was that the animal must have recognized its better.

Inside the school hallway Kamakura saw Medaka appear behind him in the doorway. The next moment he jerked his head to the side and the locker next to him became dented with Medaka’s fist (Ultimate Fortune Teller). He could have predicted a move like that without relying on such a stupid skill, but beforehand he had been given a warning by the witch whose claws were currently in his back.

“Heeeeey, Kamakura darling since you’re going to fight seriously for our love and all I thought I’d give you a tip. Don’t use analysis on her no matter how bad the situation gets. It’ll get boring right, if you rely on a stupid skill like that that to win?”

Analysis was the skill both he and Enoshima shared, and likely the only reason she had been invited to Hope’s Peak in the first place was to pass it on to him. She phrased her request about boredom, but he knew the reason underneath her words. Just as he knew he was not really here to kill Kurokami Medaka. Junko was a transparent person to him, he always knew her intentions.

He went along with them anyway though, he wondered if that made him even more transparent. Knowing Junko, this girl had an ability similar to his where she could easily learn new talents. Junko’s line of thought was probably having yet another person with analysis would probably make the whole idea seem stale and lame, right?

A flurry of blows was sent his way, but he relied on relex and his knowledge of martial arts in order to dodge them. He only raised his hands up at critical points to redirect the blows. Every single time Medaka’s fists connected with a wall, a piece of floor, a support beam, they were shattered entirely.

Without analysis he was not thinking how to counter, or even twelve steps ahead in this situation. His mind was only focused on survival. It was a strange feeling, in fact he had never even felt in danger before. I can’t dodge this. He realized, as a first appeared in his face. He threw two hands in front of his face to catch it, but it still slammed into him like concrete even after he redicted most of the energy of the blow. Medaka removed her fist, and Kamakura tasted something like iron in his mouth. Blood. Something wet and sticky fell down from his forehead, and over one of his eyes, gushing out and falling into the floor. My blood. This is the first time since the surgeries that I’ve seen my own blood.

“You should have been able to dodge that hit. Are you holding back something from me?” Medaka asked him. He raised his vision and caught her eyes just then. Even in the midst of her anger, even when she had just drawn blood, Kurokami Medaka was smiling. Kamakura Izuru recognized that smile in an instant. You’re a god among ants Kamakura, no wonder you’re bored. It was the same smile the witch had worn, the smile that seduced him. “I thought you wanted to see if we were alike? How the hell am I supposed to see you if you’re holding back part of yourself.”

“I am…boring. You however…” Kamakura did not finish his statement. He looked down and saw the ground he was standing on had been cracked by the redirected force of Medaka’s blow.  Then, he turned around and ran once more. As he reached the stairs he jumped into the air suddenly and contorted his body around, pushing off a nearby wall and bouncing down the steps in a combination jump (Ultimate Track and Field Specialist) (Ultimate Parkour Artist) (Ultimate High Jumper), he landed at the bottom seeing Medaka left a hole in the wall.

He went down the hallway and immediately threw open the door to the boiler room. What’s the difference between us? He wondered idly as Medaka’s fist sailed past him once more, and completely destroyed an iron pipe. She dealt with those animals by copying my animal handling skills in an instant. That’s how the scientists taught me, all I needed was to see a skill demonstrated once and I could replicate it. This time when she threw a kick, Kamakura grabbed it with both of his hands, lifting Medaka off the ground with the momentum and throwing her straight into the metal boiler, denting the metal with the force. She wasn’t created in a lab though, she was a naturally born girl. I don’t get it, if I’m hope in a bottle, then what is she?

As she stood up once more he noticed a few of her bones were broken but she was standing up anyway. Hmm, to test something he suddenly rushed forward and threw a punch the first blow he had thronw the entire match instead of simply reacting. She reacted this time and met the punch with one of her own. They stood at a complete standstill for a second, the ground cracking beneath them. Then, Kamakura decided to drop his force and duck to the side and he saw Medaka shoot past him. She’s using 120% of her muscles, and I’m only using 100%. There was a difference. He wondered if the natural born was better than a copy. That didn’t matter much to him though, he had known from the start how artificial the hope was inside of him.

When the boiler room was smashed, he turned tail and ran again. This time he went outside running along the side of the building. Every few steps she would stop, and he saw her move in front of him and had to quickly parkour off of the wall to avoid being hit again. She would break the wall in her wake as she always did. Suddenly, an old story occurred to him. Sometimes in science, discoveries occur completely by accident, with no meaning at all behind them. I get it now, you’re penicillin. You’re an accident that’s meant to save the world.

He wondered what that made him. Probably a virus made in a lab that was originally meant to be a vaccine but had become mishandled. If he had emotions he was sure that revelation would sadden him. “You and I have been observing each other the entire time. Every move we make we learn something, startlingly fast. We’re not going to gain an edge over one another like this. Yet, you keep fighting and you’re enjoying yourself. You really are the natural born ultimate hope, huh?”

He said, as the brawl had moved outside and into the open once more. Now it was just a meaningless trade off of blows, as fists and legs blew into the air and they both ducked and weaved. It was a war of attrition, each of them simply wanted to be the first one to connect to the other.

“I think I understand now.” Kurokami Medaka finally spoke up. “You’re right, the two of us are alike. I’m just like you in the fact that, I need to learn constantly. I don’t know anything in fact, I never have. Was there a better way? Did I really do anything to help them? Did I really think of every possibility? Did I belittle someone’s suffering? Did I simply step over something I didn’t notice? Has helping people become a simple routine? I’m filled with such questions, because I don’t know myself. I, just like you am completely empty on the inside of what’s supposed to make a human being. I’m constantly trying to fill myself up with information, but it’s never enough.”

Kamakura scowled. Even after he had angered her, even after he had led her around the school pointlessly chasing him, she was still speaking that way. “If you’re empty inside, then how can you possibly care about others?” His simple question. He didn’t understand it. Junko might have forced herself to pretend to be in despair, if she lost somebody in front of her, but in the end neither Junko nor himself would bat an eye.

Yet he had heard her howl out at true emotion, for the sake of a boy with a sick talent, and a boy with no talent at all. How is she feeling those emotions? How has she not gotten tired of those people yet if she’s just like me? The cackle of the witch played in his head again. You’re a god among insects Kamakura.

“I am never satisfied, but, I actually try to be!”

“You don’t make any sense.” Kamakura finally punched seriously, catching her straight in the face. If it were a matter as simple as trying, neither himself nor Junko Enoshima would have degraded to this pathetic state where any stimulation would do for them. Medaka did not even block this time, she caught it right with her face. At that instant he realized who Medaka was reminding him of. Not Junko, not the witch, but rather the tick that was currently clinging to her back. In the smiling face that met his fist he felt like he was punching a brick wall, and immediately recalled Kumagawa Misogi who would not go down no matter how many times he hit his weak points with the perfect take down. He saw the image of Kumagawa Misogi, smiling at him.

“You just don’t understand. I’m not some strong unwavering hope like you’re making me out to be. At the very least, I don’t have hope in anything that would put my friends in danger.”

Kamakura did not react to that, but somebody inside of him did. Suddenly he saw a flash of memories. There were several students walking by him getting along, an ultimate gamer, an ultimate animal tamer who acted like a chuunibiyou, an ultimate mechanic who was a little girl crazy. They were all smiling and laughing, their expressions filled with hope. I wanted to be strong enough to walk among them. They all disappeared, and became pawns on a game board. I don’t have hope in anything that would put my friends in danger. The words rattled around in his being.

Kamakura lowered  his hands and suddenly lost all motivation to fight. “That will be sufficient.”

From the tree that both of them were standing under, Junko called out to both of them. “Uuuhhh, like, the school’s still standing? Did she hit your head one too many times hunkalicious?”

“Is it?” Kamakura said, straightening out his posture and beginning to casually check his limbs or any broken bones he might have sustained (Ultimate Nurse) (Ultimate Physician) (Ultimate Orthopaedist).

Junko replayed what she observed of the fight in her head. It was like mentally pushing the fast forward button on her own abilities. She recalled each strike that Medaka had missed with, hit a part of the school building and shattered it like a small bomb going off. Then she remembered that Kamakura had specifically led her to the boiler room. The moment she realized, Junko broke into another uninterrupted peal of laughter.

“She looks familiar. Do I know her?” Medaka asked. She remembered facing a girl who had a similar weird laugh, but her hair was pink instead of blonde. Apparently, a super genius had yet to put that connection together. “Wait, what do you mean it’s over? Neither of us have finished yet.”

“No, you’re done. Rather, look what you’ve done.” Kamakura said pointing at the school behind her. Medaka turned her head and at that instance the heavily damaged boiler exploded, setting off a crack that traveled through all of the support systems in the school that Kamakura had been guiding Medaka to damage. It was like pushing over one domino, the rest fell and Sandobx academy’s main school building crumpled in an instant.

The two of them stood in wreckage and dust. Several confused students started to grouse and complain amongst themselves. “Why?” Medaka asked, her anger disappearing in an instance, replaced with sadness for the destruction of his beloved school.

“Kumagawa Misogi sends his regards. He asked me to politely invite you to his new school Hope’s Peak Academy to settle things between the two of you. I interpreted this as an order to do something which would give you no place to retreat to.”

Medaka fell to her knees. She knew this was her fault, she should have known something was up the moment her last fight ended so peacefully. That was supposed to be her life after all, continually fighting and struggling to make up for the sin of being born who she was. She was hercules, but instead of just 11 labors, she needed to labor to earn the love of all of humanity.

“My message delivered, this is goodbye then.”

Just as Kamakura turned around, he saw it out of the corner of his eye a small flash of white, it was nothing more than a child, but he knew not to underestimate children.

Unzen appeared suddenly, and threw several balls around him. “What the hell are you doing Medaka? Do you think I’ll let somebody who defeated me quit without even getting the last hit in.”

Kamakura watched the balls bounce about. If he could use analysis he’d predict every single one of them, but neither him nor Junko could when they were both in the sight of Medaka. He saw one fly in Junko’s direction and knew he had to intercept it. He moved and jumped into the air grabbing for it.

Only for another ball to strike it and redirect it. Kamakura looked down and saw there just happened to be a piece of rubble it bounced off. He has good luck too, I see. Survive it witch, otherwise you’re no good for me.

Junko realized at that exact same instance the ball was coming for her. If she had analysis she could have known in time to dodge it, but instead it rocketed straight through the lens of her camera and hit her in the eye Medaka had punched her in a few months ago. Enoshima Junko enjoyed this unexpected turn so much, she fell out of the tree laughing. Then, she hit her head and lost consciousness.

It was not really up to her usual standard of gracefulness. Kamakura sighed. “Great, now I’ll have to deal with two annoying things in one day.”

He walked over to Junko, and picked her up by the collar  of her shirt and lifted her into the air. There was no tenderness in the way he dragged her unconscious body along, it was like he was lifting up a particularly bratty child that he had lost patience for. Then, just as suddenly as he appeared he disappeared with her.

“Unzen… thank you…” Medaka said, struggling for words for once. She wasn’t sure what this was, a win or a loss.

“It’s just an opening battle. Haven’t you heard the phrase lost the battle but won the war, princess?” Shiranui said appearing out of nowhere. “So that guy’s from Hope’s Peak Academy? Did you see the uniform he was wearing, that place must be pretty fancy even in comparison to here.”

Medaka blinked. “What is Hope’s Peak? Is it near a mountain somewhere.”

“It’s the academy of hope. Seriously, you haven’t heard of it? It’s like all over the news.” It occured to Shiranui that Medaka probably was not the type of person who watched television or even read magazines casually. “You’re kind of oblivious aren’t you, princess?”

“Stop calling me that and just explain what it is, I’m not in the mood.” Medaka ordered her.

Normally Shiranui would want to immediately defy such an order, but she decided since the school just had collapsed she would cut her some slack. “It’s an academy sponsored by the government that exists to nurture and further talent. Students can’t apply and they don’t let normals in like this school usually, when they do they’re second class students, all of their main priorities go to the talents that they scout from other highschools and give titles like ‘Ultimate Fashionista’ or ‘Ultimate Soldier.’ They’re number one when it comes to talent, our academy is more like a sandbox in comparison we have normals, specials and abnormals all sorts of toys but they’re only interested in talent.”

Medaka grit her teeth annoyed, showing annoyance. Not at Shiranui anymore, but rather that place Hope’s Peak. “I remember now, before I came to this school there was an annoying man in a hat who tried to persuade me to join a different one. He kept talking on and on about talent.”

Medaka Kurokami was perhaps the most talented being ever born, however, to her the concept of talent never existed. If anybody called her an ultimate anything, if they put her one more step above her beloved humans, she might hate them.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Enoshima Junko had lost consciousness.
Her mind drifted elsewhere, into the hands of someone else, and she dreamed again.
She raised her head and saw a familiar classroom, with a stuffed toy bear talking to her again. For a moment her mind was completely blank as to how she had gotten here.

“As long as you’re human, there will always come a point where you wish you could do things differently. Even a baseball player in the major leagues… Even a soccer player touring Europe… Even a famous singer who started her career as a backup dancer on a sketch comedy show… She makes a brilliant debut, but instead of going for more, she marries some third-rate actor and retires. Every human has regrets, has things they’d like to go back and change. But I don’t! Cuz I’m a bear.”

“Man this really is good stuff, I should write it down. When I’m broadcasting my death game, people are going to need something to do when the kiddos are sleeping and nobody’s trying to kill each other that night. I might as well share some of my wisdom.”

Junko said, smiling at Monokuma who had been talking at her. Every single night she had had one of these dreams. Monokuma lecturing her on something in his charming and funny voice. This must have been her mind coming up with this material, she thought, nobody but her could puppeteer Monokuma so well.

However, the moment she relaxed a voice whispered behind her again. “You’ve locked yourself into the bad ending of this route. You’re going to lose everything you’ve gained over the past few months, are you sure you won’t regret that?” She asked.

Junko tried to turn around and see who was talking to her, but the moment she did her eyes opened in the real world. What are you talking about, what have I gained? She thought sleepily, and then she forgot what she was even thinking about a moment ago. The world bobbed up and down in front of her, she still felt the weight of a camera in her left hand, but her right hand was wrapped around somebody’s neck and shoulders for support.

“Oh my, Squee! Are you carrying me on your back, Kamakura? I knew you really cared after all.” She immediately dug her hand straight between his collar and under his shirt, feeling the warmth of his chest. All to mess with him.

『Ah-A-Ah! Ensohima-san, what are you doing?』Kumagawa’s voice gasped in surprise, as his face turned red in an instant from the sensation of Enoshima’s sharp fingernails dragging against his bare chest. Junko realized an instant too late, the warm sensation she felt, the strong shoulders that she was holding onto, the back she leaned against, all of them belonged to Kumagawa Misogi not Kamakura Izuru. She had absolutely nothing to say to this, she simply removed her hand and covered her face.

『Uh-um right, Izuru-chan said you fell out of a tree while causing trouble for others, and he asked me to take you back to campus so here I am.』

“F-fine, just this once I’ll give you permission to carry me.” Enoshima Junko did not want to think any more of it. The last time she had been carried like this, it was only because she was too rattled from her fight with Medaka and needed to. She thought nothing at all, it was like when she ordered the reserve course students to escort her, and carry umbrellas for her.

Yet, something had changed since then. Now she was actually holding onto Kumagawa’s back, and now she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, able to relax her body against him. Something I gained... the echo of the notion was still there even if she had forgotten the dream.

She was so warm, and so comfortable, and her head still throbbed from he fall so she let her eyelids fall downwards, and pull her down her into a heavy sleep once more.

Her eyes opened once more, and she raised her head from the desk. She saw Monokuma in front of her, and as he started to move around like somebody was puppeteering him, Junko immediately stood up and walked over to him. She grabbed the bear and hugged it close to her chest, squeeing with happy sounds for just a moment. Then, she ripped the bears head off with no regrets.

“So, who are you exactly? I admit it’s a pretty good imitation, but Monokuma is my original character do not steal.” She asked the empty classroom, as she tossed the torn apart sides of Monokuma away.

She received no answer at all. Which caused Junko to stomp her feet on the ground in impatience. “Come out already!”

“I can’t.” Finally the whisper behind her ear spoke up again.

Junko resisted the urge to wake up. She tried to see what was behind her, but could only catch it’s shadow. “Why not? Don’t tell me you’re my conscience or something because I’ve gotta tell you, it’s a little late for that.”

“This place isn’t a dream, it’s your heart. I can’t appear as something that doesn’t exist within your heart.”

Monkuma reformed itself in an instant. Junko thought that was probably air game since this was a dream and all, but it still kind of felt like cheating. Monokuma danced around for a moment, and then spun around and became something else.

Yasuke Matsuda was standing in front of her.
Enoshima Junko’s eyes widened, her heart pounded.

“I can talk to you in this form, if you want.”

“Die.” Junko said in a flat voice.

Casually, Yasuke Matsuda spun on his heel and moved back to the desk. Even though it looked and sounded exactly like Yasuke, it did not move like him at all. The way it held itself, the way its hips swayed, the cute way they hopped up and then landed on the teacher’s desk it was too girlish for Yasuke.

Then in an instant the being sitting on the desk was not Yasuke, but Mukuro Ikusaba. “How about this one. That’s far less intimidating to you, right?”

“Ewe gross. If Mukuro appears in one of my dreams, I’m going to wake up all nauseous.”

The being laughed, it was also, far too girlish a laugh for someone like Mukuro. Junko could not even remember the last time she heard her sister laugh.

The being crossed its legs and shifted again. This time it was Kumagawa Misogi who looked back at her. However, unlike the previous two the mannerisms and being of that person was copied perfectly. Enoshima Junko’s heart pounded, as a familiar smile crept up Kumagawa Misogi’s face.

『I just wanted to clarify something. You’ll destroy every single one of these people, until all that’s left is yourself. Yet, you wouldn’t feel any regrets, right?』

Enoshima Junko found herself too stunned by Kumagawa Misogi’s likeness for her usual sass. She stared at it unbelieving. Only can take the form of people in my heart? No, that flowery bullshit couldn’t be it. She wondered if this was a side effect of Kumagawa’s abilities that already seemed to bend reality. No, he didn’t seem like he was lying when he described the full capabilities of all fiction. “No, I won’t.”

『In comparison, this person I am right now will lose everything and regret every loss. He’ll live an entirely regrettable life. Do you know what the difference is?』

“What?”

『He’ll be alive.』

“Who are you? Listen, I’m the only storyteller here so I don’t really care much for the vague foreshadowing bullshit unless I’m applying it to other people.”

『Well, I guess I can show you my face.』

Hoewever, what she saw next was not a face, but rather the absence of a face. She saw the hole, the flesh left behind, the feeling of emptiness as she stared into it knowing something was missing.

Enoshima Junko who had walked this far over corpses much more mutilated than this, suddenly felt such a revulsion that her eyes flew awake and she woke up as if waking up from a nightmare.

The image stayed with her for a moment afterwards, and then she immediately forgot what she was dreaming about. In the place of that memory though, her head began to throb as if there was something missing. The same way a person who had been overdosing on caffeine and tried to quit cold turkey would get a headache from the withdrawal. In Junko’s case though, the withdrawal she felt was from the emotion. That was the first time she had felt fear in so long, and then suddenly it was gone.

She saw a familiar back, a boy with a pitch black uniform. Without thinking, she reached out to him. She grasped onto the blurry image of his uniform and tugged him with the smallest of gestures.

『Ah, are you awake? This is why you shouldn’t fall out of trees, dummy.』

“I don’t want to hear that from the super highschool level dummy.” Junko said, feeling her banter was a bit immature today but whatever she had a headache.

When she sat up, she saw that her shirt had been torn by the branches she had fallen through and immediately groaned like she was in tremendous pain. “I can take a brain injury, but pleeeeeeaaaaaaase anything but my clothes.”

Kumagawa held his hand out.  『Take your shirt off and give it here.』

“Are you going to try to become the super highschool level louse now too?” Junko said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Kumagawa held his hands up in innocence, and then walked over to the desk and sat on the other side. Without turning his head he held his hand out,  『I won’t look back. All I want to do is sew it up for you. That’s your favorite outfit right, there’s no need to throw it away.』

Junko considered for a moment, and then started to unbutton her shirt. She sat on the opposite side of the desk, facing the opposite way and leaned her back against Kumagawa to let him know she was there. Then, she handed it over to him. “Where did you learn to sew anyway? I thought your thing was being the worst at everything. God, you can’t even be the best at being the worst huh, then what are you good for?”

『Hey, unfair. It’s not like I can get through life on my cute smile alone. When I was younger than this, I had no parents, and I scared off the only doctor who wanted to take care of me, so I had to patch up my own wounds. My only friend at the time was a stuffed rabbit, but he got cut up and lost his stuffing a lot due to the fact he was around me, so I learned to sew his wounds shut too.』She looked over his shoulder to see his hands working. He was clusmy as usual, but he never gave up until he was finished and pulled the stitches tight. Well, it was at least a little fun to watch him struggle like that.  『Nothing came out of it though, eventually I lost that rabbit and… it’s not like bandaging myself gave me a talent like Mikan’s.』

“You helped me fix my shirt though. So like, thanks or whatever.”

『I didn’t know you could say the word thanks without starting to melt like the wicked witch in that one movie.』

“Just give it back to me already, you shitty senpai!”

『Alright, you shitty Kouhai.』He said, handing it back to her. He looked at the pink thread he had used to sew up the holes in her shirt. It was entirely the wrong color choice, but she guessed if it was the color of blood it wasn’t that bad. She pulled it back over her head, and then buttoned it up, but only halfway like usual leaving enough to show her chest.

That wasn’t bad as it could have been, she thought. “Okay Senpai, you can go back to staring at my chest as usual.”

『I do not!』Kumagawa said, turning around in anger, and then immediately averting his eyes.

“Upupupupupu! Upupupupupu! You’re so funny senpai, you’re so fun to mess with!” She said as she casually strolled back to where she had been laying a moment ago and sat there. As she was laughing and enjoying herself however, soemthing pierced straight through her laughter. Are you sure you won’t regret it? A voice asked her again. Her headache doubled, and suddenly she was gripping her forehead.

『Enoshima-san? What’s wrong, you’re not cackling evilly like usual. I’m worried.』He said moving over closer to her in concern.

As he reached a hand forward, she slapped it away and the air around him in general. “Nothing just… a headache. I get these a lot. Superhighschool level analysis and all, a girl can only be so smart for so long before her brain starts punishing her for it.” She looked up at him, still squinting in pain. “Hey Senpai, do you want to be a not so shitty senpai for once?”

『Sure.』

“Sit next to me. I’ll let you this time without clawing or biting you.”

『Okay.』He moved to sit next to her, stiffly, almost robotically. Then, suddenly without explanation Junko Enoshima laid down and stretched her whole body out over the couch, resting her head in his lap.

“Put your hand on my head.” She requested, but it sounded more like an order.

Kumagawa Misogi obeyed anyway. She felt his hand, covered in cuts and way rougher than any hand belonging to a boy his age ought to be. His skin was so tough it felt like she was being scraped, but for some reason she didn’t mind the sensation that should have been unpleasant. It was Kumagawa Misogi’s hands after all, they still felt warm to the touch.

She reached up and pulled out the hairbands for both of her pigtails and threw them aside. “I’ll let you stroke my hair. Just pretend that you’re petting a big beautiful grizzly bear.”

『What is it with you and bears?』

“Just shut up for once please.”

Kumagawa did, the air between them became an atmosphere that did not need any words at all and she felt his touch again and tried to focus only on that. Of course because this was her brain she was able to also focus on several other things at once. For example the fact that Medaka would likely transfer soon, and the question that had been posited to her. Will you regret this.

Regret destroying this small peace of mind she had found, inside of an academy she only came here to destroy. This strange and twisted bond with somebody who might actually be able to understand her.

There was no way she would regret it. The feeling of Kumagawa dragging his hands through his hair, the change of making such a jagged individual so soft when touching her, the fact that he only became soft around her. That knowledge that was becoming increasingly more precious to her.

She wouldn’t regret losing all of that, because destroying those precious things was going to be so much fun. In the end she might be the last one, but she'd be the last one laughing. 

Chapter 11: Let's Be Friends, Everyone

Summary:

The kids aren't alright.

 『Enoshima-san this is way too much body glitter. 』

“Look if we’re ever going to fool the judges into thinking you’re beautiful, then I’m probably going to need to blind them with the light reflecting off of your makeup.”

 『I don’t want to sparkle this much, I’m a fan of Shounen manga, not Shoujo manga.』

 Mukuro heard two familiar voices bickering as she opened the door. However, the moment she walked into the student council office she did not recognize one of them. Junko stood fussing over a black haired student, with a childish face who was sitting in the president’s chair. His hair was slicked back, and dark liner around his eyes sharpened the features of his usually round and childish eyes. The black fishtank academy uniform he always wore was also nowhere to be found. Instead he was wearing a suit and tie that showed off the tight angles of his hips. Mukuro recognized the black and white tie he wore, it was the design Junko wore when in her despair persona.

“Misogi-chan is that you?” Mukuro asked, unable to recognize the moe-fied Kumagawa Misogi.

『Ah! I’m going to disappear under all this makeup! Even my beloved Mukuro-chan can’t recognize me. 』

“What’d you say about my sister? And, good! The less people remember your boring face after I she’s all that you, the better.”

“Umm…” Mukuro did not quite understand what was going on, but she sympathized with Kumagawa as she remembered the many times in the past her sister forcefully applied makeup to her to cover her freckles. Even recently her sister had made her cover her her face entirely and dress up as Junko as a part of the trial run of her plans. She could never dislike her sister for doing those things, but she did dislike makeup.

Just then Mikan too appeared behind her and looked over Mukuro’s shoulder. “What are you doing Enoshima-san? You should be careful with Kumagawa-kun, I only like him because he’s entirely plain faced and forgettable just like me.”

“Allow me to explain…” Junko said letting go of Kumagawa Misogi, allowing him to finally relax and breathe as he had been tensed up from Junko’s hands being all over him a moment ago. When he looked back at her, Junko’s pigtails had become one pony tail and she was wearing a pair of glasses. “In one week we’ll be taking our end of the year exams to demonstrate our talents. Officially I have the title of the ultimate fashionista, and while it would be easy to just model my own self as usual using my analysis to predict what trends the judges would like to see represented in fashion that would be boring, so to maximize my interest synergy I decided instead to challenge myself and bring the entirely unremarkable Kumagawa Misogi up to a level of passably attractive and make him model in front of the judges for me.”

『Y-you think I’m attractive, Enoshima-san? 』Kumagawa reacted, clearly only wanting to hear what he wanted to hear.

Enoshima’s glasses fell off, and her normal abrasive personality reasserted itself. “Oi, were you listening to any of that superhighschool level dummy? You’re just a dummy, or rather a doll I’m playing dress up with don’t get ahead of yourself.”  She grabbed the sides of his cheeks with her nails, and started to play with his face as had become her bad habit lately to remind him of this.

“Oh, I understand. Misogi-chan volunteered to help me demonstrate army combat techniques in front of the judges as well as a training dummy,”  Mukuro said the surprise gone from her voice.

Mikan popped up from behind Mukuro too. “Oh, yes, yes! Kumagawa-kun is going to be my medical dummy for my final exam too! I’m going to show off all of his beautiful scars that I healed up to the judges!”

『Am I just a dummy to all three of you?』Kumagawa protested, pulling away from Junko for a moment.

“Yes.” Mukuro.
“Yes.” Mikan.

“It’s your own fault. If you had just let me destroy the school we wouldn’t even have to be taking final exams. You’ve just made things worse as usual.”

『I only made things worse? 』Kumagawa seemed to tear up at this, but really who knew if he was genuinely tearing up or merely just joking around and playing to the comedy beat of the moment.

However, it was Mikan who spoke up, pushing herself past Mukuro. “I don’t think so, Misogi-chan! Things have been really peaceful lately, it’s all because of you right? I want these peaceful days to last forever, that way nobody in the student council can leave me!”

Kumagawa Misogi changed his expression in an instant as usual. He smiled softly, standing up and holding out a hand.『Mikan-chan...』

Whatever he was about to say next was interrupted by a girl bursting through the window, shattering it, sending glass flying everywhere and grabbing Kumawa Misogi by the head. Before anybody could react, she lept like a gymnast and dragged him out of the broken window running down the side of the building.

Junko was the first to react. “Hey! Get back here with my dummy!” She yelled, before running out the door as her analysis had already told her an alternate way to intercept them.

“Junko, don’t go running off on your own! It could be dangerous!” Mukuro said following her sister. She lacked analysis abilities, but she was good at keeping up with Junko at least.

Mikan looked at the empty office and blinked, still caught entirely by surprise. On her own she decided it was best for her to just clean up the office, maybe she could cut herself on the glass shards that were everywhere. She idly wondered where Komaeda had gone too today, but she didn’t care enough to finish that thought.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Wow, you’ve got a pretty face dude. I hope I don’t screw it up too bad,” She said as she dragged him down the side of the building she ran, dragging his face along the bricks. The moment she hit the ground she did not let up, she grabbed him by the hair to pull him along, letting his body get dragged along on concrete. It felt like those scenes in western movies where a cowboy falls off a horse and gets pulled along the dirt. “Quit lagging behind and hurry up, we gotta meet up with the coach.”

“Yo, Akane. You’re late for practice!” He yelled at her when they finally got their.

Nidai Nekomaru
Blood Type: A
Class 77-B
Ultimate Team Manager

“Sorry coach Nekomaru, I had to drag this lazy bum with me. Can you believe he was trying to skip out? Even perpetual benchwarmers like him still gotta show up.”

Owari Akane
Blood Type: B
Class 77-B
Ultimate Gymnast

『...』Akane lifted up Kumagawa’s head, but his eyes had already rolled back and his face was torn apart leaving streaks of blood around like red stripes. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a small gurgle from the back of his throat.

“Akane, do a backflip right now!” Nekomaru instructed, and Akane obeyed his order without flaw. As she tumbled through the air, the space where she was a moment ago became filled with three screws jutting out from the ground.

She let go of Kumagawa Misogi, and always despite the tremendous damage that had been dealt to his body stood up on his own. As he dusted his shoulder off, all the blood and marks on his face disappeared. 『I sure do know what you two are talking about, because I know things about sports.』He in fact did not know things about sports, except for what he had read in sports manga running in shonen jump. 『Two on one though, that’s not very much in the spirit of fair play.』

“A cheater like yourself who makes all of his wounds disappear can’t possibly understand fairness.” Nekomaru said, crossing his arms and feeling righteous. Kumagawa tilted his head and wondered what was with these guys, if they were in despair why exactly were they ranting about fairness.

Before he could get his answer Nekomaru charged him untying the chain around his neck to slam down as a weapon. At the same time Akane approached, her hands looking like claws as they reached out to him.

Before Kumagawa even moved something jumped in front of him inhumanly fast, Nekomaru’s chain was caught on two knives. “If this is a team battle, then let’s make it two on two.” Mukuro Ikusaba said as she managed to hold back the blow of a man that looked colossal in comparison to her small and thin body.

『Or perhaps three on one.』Kumagawa said as he suddenly held two screws in his hand, lashing forward with them at Akane and forcing her to jump back.

Junko who had just arrived, a little slower than her sister because she was running in heels stopped and leaned against a nearby tree. “Nah. There’s no point in helping you two losers, even my brain couldn’t unloserify you. I’ll have fun watching you get thrashed though.”

“Junko, you could at least have a little confidence in us.” Mukuro protested softly as she was in the middle of a contest of strength with Nidai. She noticed Nidai winning, and quickly dropped the knives she was holding and jumped back landing back to back with Kumagawa.

“Go Nidai, Go Owari! Go despair senpais!” Junko cheered in a voice much cuter, and more upbeat than her usual self around Mukuro and Kumagawa.

『Well she’s cheering for them to beat us into bloody pulps, that’s about what I expected. I’ll take Owari-san, and you take Nidai-kun.』

“You don’t tell me what to do, but fine.” Mukuro said, reaching underneath her skirt to draw out two more knives. She couldn’t afford to lose any more she thought, as she saw Nekomaru walk over to one of the campus lamp posts, twist it and snap it from the ground and then hold it like it were a bat.

With no communication between them besides that, they both charged forward to attack the pair at the same time. Kumagawa threw his screws, only to see Nekomaru shout a direction each and every time he threw one, or grew one fromt he earth and Akane elegantly dodge them contorting her body around in the air as the ultimate gymnast should.

Nekomaru’s massive presence, and the lamp post made it difficult for Mukuro to get close. He swung it around her legs forcing her to jump into the air to dodge it. While she was free in the air, she threw a knife straight at his face, only to watch him bite down hard into it and shatter the blade.

“Oh,” Mukuro said as she landed now clutching onto only one knife. She jumped out of the way just as Nekomaru crushed the spot she was a second ago with the lamp post.

“I think we should switch.”
『Don’t tell me what to do, but fine.』

However, when both Kumagawa and Mukuro moved to change instead of smoothly switching who they were fighting against, they ran face first into each other smacking their heads hard. For a moment they dizzily stumbled around each other.

“Oh emm geee, I’m totally ell o elling out loud right now, upupupu!” Junko shouted from the tree she was leaning against.

“Terrible teamwork. You two are never going to make it to nationals for doubles at this rate.”

『Ah yes, sports...』Kumagawa said, still knowing nothing about sports. 『What’s your talent anyway? Is it the ultimate… sports… baller...』

“Me, I’m worthless on my own. I’m not even the least bit strong.” Kumagawa doubted that because the man had just ripped an iron pole apart on his own, but the talented always tended to be oblivious like that. “However, my strength comes in bringing the best in others. Unlike you, who only brings out the worst in others.”

Kumagawa realized Nekomaru was going to charge them and jumped back in time. However, Mukuro did not and stood in place. In the next moment Nekomaru brought his lamp post up. Rather than slam it down on her, he merely dropped it. A feint. “If Mukuro Ikusaba was fighting alone she easily would have beaten both of us, having to fight with you made her weak.” At that moment Nekomaru  grabbed her by both of the shoulders and twisted his hands around her. She felt a feeling similar to the time Kamakura had taken her out in one blow. Her muscles twisted up and all of the feeling in her body drained.

Nekomaru stepped away, and she tried to take a step only to go limp and drop her last remaining knife on the ground. “Junko… help…” She pleaded in a much softer voice.
“What am I supposed to do, sis? We’ve already talked about this you’re the fighter and I’m the everything else. You want me to be the fighter now too, god how lazy can you get.”

“Use your analysis… he must have a version of it, that’s how he keeps telling Akane to dodge, and got in my blindspot.”

“Hmmm… nope. What did I tell you at the start of the fight? I already used my analysis. There’s no way a couple of losers like you could win that’s what it told me. Seriously though, sis I’m disappointed. You’re supposed to be the other ringleader, and you’re losing to a couple of disposable tools like that? Maybe I should ask Nekomaru to be the other half of the despair sisters instead.”

“Junko wait… don’t stop…being my sister.”

While the two sisters argued, Kumagawa was attempting to hold off both at once. Though, it quickly turned to him getting wailed on from two sides. Neither of them let up, or if one of them did to take a break, the other would double their output to cover. It really was perfect teamwork, in comparison to the imperfect and incomplete teamwork that a minus could only display.

However, before Junko could put the final nail in the coffin for her own amusement a voice suddenly spoke behind her. “Oh, is analysis what you need? I have that too.”

Junko’s senses immediately flared like an alarm going off in her head, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Nobody snuck up on her, the fact someone had made her analysis flip into overdrive to comprehend the whole situation. She lashed out at the hand on her shoulder, and saw the figure step back.

It was a male who looked around the age of a third year. He had long purple hair with two antenna sticking out from where it was parted, and his bangs hung over in distinct shapes to frame his face. He wore expensive looking clothing, a sleek tight shirt, jeans with a designer belt, and as he moved back the cross necklace around his neck moved with him. Junko blinked and looked him over a second time. Those clothes were all designer brands. Not only that they were ones she predicted would come into style soon. Normally she would discount that as coincidence, especially since there was no way a weirdo like this could be fashionable but he had just said a moment ago he had analysis too. 

She bit one of her fake nails, but before she could put her thumb on the feeling this guy gave her, he spoke up again. “You there, Nidai-kun is it? From one pervert to another it’s not good to touch a girl without their permission.”

“It was a massage.”

“Oh, is that what the kids call it these days?”

“Something about you really pisses me off.”

“That’s fine, because I don’t really care about the opinion of anybody outside of my sisters.” His eyes glanced aside, Junko recognized that look it was the same one she gave when taking in all of the elements of an unfamiliar situation. From his outfit to the fact that he was entirely unfamiliar to her, she knew he didn’t belong in hope’s peak. What did that make him? A transfer student like Kumagawa? As far as she knew though Kumagawa was the only one and there was only a week left of school.

Her plan had been to force Medaka to transfer yes, but she didn’t really care about her bringing her strange friends with her.

Akane stopped, and Nidai at the same time, leaving a brutally beaten Kumagawa with a twisted up body to fall backwards onto the ground. Maguro did not seem to react at all to Kumagawa, his attention focusing on Nidai.

“Who is this guy?” Akane asked, pointing to the stranger. “Why do people gotta keep interfering, I wanna finish this fight already and eat meat, meat, meat. I don’t care if it’s human or animal, the bloodier the better.”

“My name is Kurokami Maguro! People once called me ‘Checkmate Magician’.” Maguro said, as he suddenly threw his hands up and assumed an action pose, causing his cross necklace, and hair to swing around with him.

Kurokami Maguro
Class Transfer 13
Blood Type: AB
Ultimate Manager

“I don’t think I want to call you that,” Mukuro said drily still on the ground.

“Is he dabbing? Oh my god I hate him already.” Junko hissed from where she was watching.

“Hmmph. ‘Checkmate magician’ you say? Can you really hope to win against the dream team machine.” Nekomaru said, assuming a similiar pose.

“God I can’t believe you played along with his lame joke. Why did I make you two lamoes super despairs in the first place?”

Neither of them responded to her question because their memories of Junko Enoshima had been wiped, and only their despair remained. To them she was just one random blonde chick who kept shouting things and unnecessarily injecting herself from the sidelines.

“Well this is unexpected, thanks for a self introduction! I want to say hello to you two girls, but first… since we’ve introduced ourselves shonen jump logic tells us we should be fighting already! I’m coming forward, with no- regret!” He rushed forward suddenly and kicked out at the air. However, he made no contact and only his shoes came flying at Akane.

“Akane!” Nekomaru roared, but before either of them could react Maguro appeared from behind her. “Behind you!” Nekomaru was the first to notice, but even he failed to see the deception. Akane struck out with her claws only to grab onto the clothes that Maguro was wearing without anything inside of them.

“Yes, I’m behind you.” Maguro said, appearing on her other side now and slightly chopping the back of her shoulder. “If I was a fight, and not a magician than that chop would have taken you down in one hit, Owari-san.” Maguro said, now standing there in his purple boxers with only his cross necklace left on the upper part of his body.

“Hey, perv! You didn’t have to take your pants off too!” Junko yelled from the sidelines. He was more of a trickster, than a magician really.

Akane tilted her head. “I don’t get it, how is any of that perverted. He only took his clothes off as a feint to get behind me. In fact he’ll probably fight better the less he’s wearing.”

Nekomaru ignored the side banter and looked directly at Maguro. It stunned him to see that his teamwork and strategy was seen through so easily, and not only that but if Maguro had been fighting seriously Akane would be down right now. He took the blame again for his insufficiency as a coach. “It seems we have the same talent, fine then I’ll acknowledge your skill Join in the fight.”

“Hmm? No we’re not anything alike. The reason you raise up your players, is because you believe in values like friendship, hard work, and victory. For me though, the three pillars that hold up my mentality are my sister! My sister! My sister! Everthing for my sister! Whatever the situation, that’s the only thing that drives me! I was born to be adored by my little sister!” As he stood up then and posed once more, the scars across his body became noticeable, cross sitches down his chest, on both sides of his ribs, over his stomach. They were absolutely grotesque, but he was smiling same as always. “That’s why I thought I should intervene in this fight. It wouldn’t do any good if my sister’s ultimate enemy was destroyed by the likes of you.”

Kumagawa Misogi stood up once more his bones creaking with the effort. Then, all the damage done to him became undone and even his suit and makeup looked untouched. He unbuttoned his jacket though, and tossed it to Maguro. 『Maguro-chan, long time no see. What’s with all those scars, did you come to compete for the ultimate masochist title with me?』

Enoshima and Mukuro, both thoroughly confused by this stranger and Kumagawa familiarity with him, both immediately looked at him. Junko whispered to him. “What is this guy’s deal anyway? He’s weird even in comparison to you, the king of the weirdoes.”

『Didn’t he just explain himself? Uhhh… well I guess he’s kind of like Mukuro a little bit.』

Even on the ground Mukuro was offended, stomping one of her combat boots. “Don’t compare me with a guy like him!”

As Maguro finished rebuttoning the jacket that Kumagawa lent him, he stood up straight once more. “I get that you’re into sports Nidai-kun, but how about we play this like a video game. I’ll send my pokemon forward against yours, and we can see who brought them up to the highest level.”

He walked over to Kumagawa, placing a hand on his shoulder again and pulling him in close. “I know you like to show off how much hits you can take because there are girls present, but you might want to take this a little bit seriously.”

Kumagawa smiled at him.『Have you forgotten about me that much, Maguro-chan? I’ll die before I take anything seriously.』

Nida chuckled, it was a deep laugh that shook his whole body. “You want to try to bring up a worthless guy like that?”

“I feel like the old you would have seen his potential, but that’s fine it’s easier for me if you don’t. It’s true that Kumagawa is worthless and weak, but even he has his strong points.” Maguro pushed him forward with a gentle tap on his shoulder. “His first and greatest strength, just like my sister, he never truly gives up.”

Just like that Kumagawa rushed into the fray against Akane once more. This time not with his screws, but rather just his bare hands he met her claws. He lost, and his body got covered in scratches but he did not give up the meelee.

“Never giving up only works in manga. The difference between their talents is clear.” Nidai said, not even feeling the need to interfere with the fight this time.

Maguro merely held up two fingers. “Here is Kumagawa’s second strength, oh but it’s also his weakness so be careful. His will to fight comes entirely from those cute girls watching him so… I’m sure if you killed one of them he’d stop healing himself like that.”

Kumagawa froze in an instant as he realized Maguro’s attention. Apparently Nekomaru realized it too because suddenly he appeared over Junko Enoshima bringing his fists in the air over her. “Oh, somebody’s been drinking their milk.” She commented as she realized his size.

Nekomaru froze mid-swing. Suddenly out from behind him there was a screw sticking from his chest. Kumagawa was standing there, holding the screw in and spinning it to tighten it through his back, a look of pure rage on his face for a moment. Enoshima Junko felt her heart skip a beat at such a twisted expression on his face.

Maguro kept smiling bringing his hand to his hip.  “That’s checkmate. Kumagawa-kun likes to pretend he’s a weakling, but he’s actually quite the demon.”

Nekomaru collapsed onto his knees and fell forward. He looked behind him and saw that Akane had been pinned by several screws to one of the nearby trees in an instant. Then he saw Kumagawa’s face, almost entirely framed in shadow, all he could see were glowing eyes and a smile.

Then Kumagawa’s hand brushed over his face and it became quite normal again innocent eyes and a fake smile as he stepped over Nekomaru’s body. 『You don’t have to look at me like that, I didn’t hurt you at all. I healed you. That heart condition that motivated you to raise up others instead of yourself, I made it nothing.』

Nekomaru’s eyes became entirely empty, and he lost consciousness a moment later from shock alone. Kumagawa turned around and made his way to Akane. He snapped his fingers and undid the screws that were holding her there causing her to fall down. 『Nagito-chan told me about you too. I know you’ve had a rough and empty life up until this point. You must hate the world that’s only ever shown you unpleasant and ugly things, but I can help you. I’ll make all of your bad memories disappear?』

Akane scratched her head. “Umm… are they really bad? Like I saw corpses on the way to school a lot, and we didn’t get a lot of food but like… that seems kind of normal right? Everybody dies and there’s not that much food to go around in the world anyway. So thanks but no thanks man.” 

Kumagawa looked stunned for a second. Everything she described was horrible, but rather than facing it with a smile she just… didn’t seem to realize. He stared at the empty hand he was offering her. 『You might be too stupid to become a minus.』

“Oh god, is this going to involve math? Nidai, let’s scram before he quizzes us.”

Kumagawa simply turned his back around and turned on his heel to walk back the way he came. He rejoined the three of them, holding a hand out to help Mukuro up, and she quickly started to lean on his shoulder for support.

Junko tapped her heel, looking at the two of them her displeasure increasing. “Can you put your pants back on already?” She snapped finally at Maguro, who nodded and obeyed.

He walked by Kumagawa who stopped and looked at him. 『Maguro-chan, let me thank you for your help by erasing those scars.』

“Actually I’m quite proud of…”

『Don’t care already did it!』Kumagawa announced happily, before walking by him to join up with Junko. The moment they were standing next to each other, Junko’s hand found his body as she grabbed him by the tie and jerked him down so he was below her eyelevel and she could glare at him.

“Alright Senpai, fight’s over so now we’re in exposition time again. Explain. Who this guy is.”  

『Ah well, that’s Maguro-chan. We went to Ark Middle School together. I’m not sure what else to explain.』

Suddenly just then by chance another classmate of Junko’s was walking by. Akane had already grabbed Nidai and dragged him off, and Maguro was wearing his clothes once more with Kumagawa’s jacket now being a fashionable accessory he wore over his long sleeved shirt.

Which meant that by luck, the scene Togami stumbled upon was completely normal. Otherwise he might have been too annoyed to notice and recognize the new person standing amongst his familiar classmates. “Oh, Enoshima-san are you skipping class again to hang out with your boyfriend?”

“Not my boyfriend.” Junko said on reflex. She would have said something nastier, but she had to keep up appearances in front of members of her own class.

“Then why is he dressed up like he’s about to take you to dinner? Nice effort by the way, but  all the makeup in the world could not hide his lower class nature.” Togami readjusted his glasses and then finally noticed the second man stranding in between the two sisters. “Kurokami Ma-GURO?” The normally stoic Togami’s voice swelled in excitement.

Junko found herself asking for the third time. “Yeah, whoddat?”

“He’s the top advisor of the Kurokami Conglomerate. When he was thirteen his family was just another old money family of little prominence and importance except for their name, but in a few short years he rose them up from clinging onto former glory to being an international powerhouse that could compete with the Togamis.” Togami held his hands to his chest talking with genuine enthusiasm for one. “They approached him two years ago to become the ultimate affluent prodigy, but he turned them down. He’s the only person I’ve ever considered worthy to be my friend.”

“You want to be his friend?” Junko said in shock. She gestured to all of Maguro. “This guy?”

“Oh, if it isn’t Byakuya-kun!” Maguro said, with a happy smile before waving to Tougami.

“Byakuya-kun?” Junko repeated again.

Kumagawa stepped out and grabbed both of the despair sisters by the shoulder. 『Perhaps we should give these two some alone time. There’s something I want to investigate anyway, if Maguro-chan showed up here.』With that he pulled the both of them away, slipping from the conversation entirely.

“Bye bye you two. Let’s talk again Enoshima-san. You remind me a little bit of my sister!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Watching Togami and interact from a safe stocking distance, one of Toko’s long braids swung back and forth as she swayed in sudden emotion. Jealousy. She was jealous. She’d never seen Byakuya Togami smile in such a friendly way when looking at another human being. That smile was wasted on the purple haired pervert.

Her head slumped forward and she leaned against the wall almost as if falling asleep when she hit the peak of her emotional fit. Then, her eyes shot open suddenly and a tongue rolled out of her mouth. “Is that master? Master’s in the middle of a total doki doki moment. I don’t care if it’s a bromance, or romance though master only belongs to me.”

She reached under her skirt, feeling a set of tally mark scars on her thighs and then found the scissors holsters she always carried on her. She raised her scissors and snipped at the air to make a metallic sound just once as she plotted in her head killing the purple man in order to vent her frustration. At least he was handsome enough for her high standards of targets. She started to rush forward planning to stalk him for the rest of the day when suddenly a voice called out to her catching her dead in her tracks.

“Hey, you should be careful. It’s not safe to run with scissors.” A cold and emotionless voice called out. She turned around to see a stranger wearing a white uniform, with prominent bangs and his hair done back in a short pony tail. Everybody about him seemed calm and collected.

“Damn. The steering committee was pretty clear nobody’s supposed to see me they’re only supposed to see miss priss.” Touko turned around her, her tongue lolling around outside her mouth. Except it was not Touko speaking at all but rather the second person inside her Genocide Jack. “I guess I’ll kill you instead, I can go for the stoic prettyboy type too.” She spun her scissors around in her fingers and approached him.

“Killing people is wrong.” Kei Munakata said clearly, not at all phased by her threat.

“Do I look like I-”

Before she could even finish she saw a glint of bright metal and went from the offensive to the defensive. She caught a sword coming at her throat with her two scissors just in time. “I hate killing, that’s why I’ll kill you.”

Munakata Kei
Transfer Class 13
Blood Type: AB
Ultimate Murderous Fiend

“Wha?” It was strange for Genocide Jack to find somebody who weirded her out, her standards were very schewed, but she did not get this guy at all. “Where the hell did you get a sword from? Did you pull it out of your ass?”

“I’m trained in concealed weaponry, but that’s not my talent. I’m the ultimate murderous fiend. Unlike you I wouldn’t kill anybody without a good reason. Because I’m busy, I’ll kill you. I don’t have time to deal with you, so I’ll kill you. I don’t want to stand in your way, so I’ll kill you. Because I hate fighting, so I’ll kill you. I don’t want to cause trouble on my first day, so I’ll kill you.”

“Oh, what a coinkydink! I’m the ultimate murderous fiend too. You kind of suck at holding that sword though.” She quickly maneuvered herself and dismarted him with a twist of her arms, and then throwing one of her scissors in the air easily cartwheeled back on one hand, and then caught the scissor again as she stood up. Disarming him did not matter, as from his sleeve he already drew out a jagged and serrated looking knife. “You’re not a specialist huh? You just think any weapon will do? I’m a girl with high standards, there’s no way I could lose to a guy like you who kills willy nilly.”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Yeah, I got the gist of that whole speech you made.”

Just as they were about to face off again though, suddenly Munakata found his movements restricted. He looked all around himself and found that there were razor wires that had become tied around different parts of his body. When he tried to move they cut at his skin. “Unzen. Thank you for stopping me from killing her. I’m so grateful that I’ll kill you for it.”

“Will you shut up already! What’s with you abnomals already causing trouble on the first day of school? I’m going to punish all of you.”

Jack raised her eyebrow, as a small child with white hair and a twisted grin on his face in spite of how angry he sounded walked up from behind Munkata. She saw a few rubber balls bounce at her feet as if they had finished a great richocet.

Before she could react to either of the presence though, suddenly somebody from behind threw his arms around her. “Touko! What’s wrong with you, you’re not the type to get into fights at all? These are transfer students, we have to think of the greater public need and welcome them on our first day of school.”

Unzen Myouri looked at the other in a pure white uniform much like his own. “Oh, finally, someone with common sense.”

Kiyotaka Ishimaru straightened up at the sight in front of him. There was a boy who could not be any taller than ten years old, standing in the middle of two students who were about to fight. He immediately decided he needed to get the child out of danger. “I’m not sure how you wandered onto campus, but come here! I’ll devote the rest of my day to helping you find your parents you strange lost child!”

Whatever momentary relief of finding another public morals committee member in this strange school he had just transferred to disappeared off of Unzen’s face. “Huuuuuuuuuuhhhh?”

Unzen Myouri
Transfer Class 13
Bloodtype: AB
Ultimate Public Morals Committee Member

“Anyway, you shouldn’t be looking down on me. You’re the one who can’t keep his own classmates in control. If she’s waving scissors around at people then you should punish her a little bit.”

“I’ll be sure to lecture her later about the safety concerns of-”

“No I mean.” Unzen threw another one of his bouncy balls. The moment it bounced off the ground though it exploded at Kiyotaka’s feet. Touko fainted in an instant, and Kiyotaka was left supporting her all on his own.

“Wait, that’s not the right way to deal with troublemakers!” Kiyotaka said, tugging Toko’s unconscious body so she was behind him.

“Who cares about what’s right? This is just.” Unzen Myouri smiled.

Ishimaru Kiyotaka was already thinking of the ways he would need to form this lost child, but right now escaping took precedent. He threw Toko’s body under his shoulder turned the other direction and started to run.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

All over the campus as the new transfer students from Sandbox Academy were going through their first day of school, fights were breaking out as one band of eccentrics rubbed heads against another group of eccentrics.

It might have been an enertaining sight to see for the blonde girl with SHSL boredom, at least for little while, but at the moment she was missing most of it and found herself following Kumagawa through the cafeteria with her sister in tow.

『Shiranui. You here, Shiranui?』Kumagawa said, stopping with his hands on his hips as he looked around at all the invidual food stalls that made up their massve cafeteria.

Suddenly, a small and cute girl lept in the air, surprising him and throwing her arms around him. “Kumagawa-senpai!” She called out out, as Kumagawa reacted and opened his arms up for her and the two spun around with each other for a moment. It looked exactly like a romantic reunion scene that would appear in a movie. Kumagawa even started to laugh without a care in the world.

Behind him, Enoshima Junko’s eyebrows twitched. While Ikusaba Mukuro watched on completely oblivious. She leaned forward to notice that her sister was biting her lip. Something must be annoying her if she was willing to risk ruining her lipgloss.

『It’s been so long!』

“I know, I missed you Kumakuma!”

“Who is she?” Junko asked.

『I missed you too!』
“No.. there’s no way…” Junko muttered to herself.

Kumagawa lifted Shiranui up on his shoulders, after spinning he around in a gleeful embrace. The two of them posed together.『Yes! This is Shiranui… my friend!』

“I’m his friend, Shinraui! Nice to meet you?"

“Bastard! I'm her only friend!" The sound of footsteps filled the cafeteria, and then suddenly Zenkichi Hityoshi appeared and hit Kumagawa with a flying kick right in the back.

Shiranui landed easily despite Kumagawa who she was standing on kicked out from under her. 

“Oh my! It seems I've become the center of a love triangle? Have I finally become a main character in my own right? Hey, hey, Zenkichi and Kumagawa-senpai when are you two gonna kiss and make up already?” Shiranui faked a swoon. Then, she laughed to herself. "I guess we can't be friends anymore, Kumagawa-senpai too bad. You'll have to go back down to having zero friends." However, she noticed before anybody else did, the appearance of another person. The holder of Zenkichi’s leash.

“Zenkichi what are you doing?” Kurokami Medaka called out, snapping the leash back. Zenkichi let go of Kumagawa’s collar allowing him to fall back on the ground, and jogged over to Medaka’s side.

“Oh great. The princess is here to ruin my fun.” Shiranui yawned, and the playful side of her personality seemed to disappear.

Enoshima Junko stepped over to Kumagawa’s side. Rather than offering him a hand up, she manhandled him as she usually did sinking her claws into him and dragging him up. “What was this about a girlfriend?” She asked, her priorities apparently in order.

『Hmm, that? I was just screwing around. You know like you do when you’re with Izuru-chan.』

“Hey, that joke is only funny when I do it! W-who would believe anybody would be dating you anyway?”

『Is something wrong Enoshima-san? You seem a little angry, why is your face all red?』

“Shut it! No reason at all I’m just allergic to losers!”

Kurokami Medaka cleared her throat. Junko and Kumagawa quit their bickering to look at her. Kumagawa realized he was staring his arch nemesis in the face looking way less cool than he wanted to be. 『Awe. I had a really cool entrance planned, but then I wasted it on somebody like Enoshima-san.』

“Hey, don’t make me sound lesser in comparison to her.”

“Umm, Junko. There’s something dangerous about that girl.” Mukuro said, coming up in between the two of them. Just like how dogs avoided Kurokami Medaka, Mukuro was suddenly filled with an instinctual fear of her. She had not felt this way since they saw Izuru Kamakura for the first time.

『You two, stand behind me.』Kumagawa stepped in front of both of them easily holding his arm out in front of Junko in particular. 『Medaka-chan. My cute Kouhai don’t have anything at all to do with our grudge.』

“There’s something off about you.” Medaka’s eyes narrowed. “Have you changed, Kumagawa?”

『Of course I have. I’ve had three years, so my hatred for your has grown by three ocean’s worth.』

“I regret expecting anything out of someone like you.”

The two of them were about to square off, before suddenly an adult was standing in between them. Jin Kirigiri looked awfully annoyed, almost as if he had been dealing with fighting children all day long. “MY OFFICE! NOW!”

All five of them groaned and followed him to his office. The tension dissolving between them in an instant. Shiranui had somehow pulled a disappearing act and managed to stay out of trouble.

When they reached the office, they saw ten other students from Sandbox academy, as well as Ultimates who had been roped into fights with them. Toko, Togami, Kiyotaka were among them. Aoi Asahina and Mogana seemed to be glaring at each other with a particular dislike.

The principal slammed his hand down on his desk to gather their attention. “Kizuhara. You said you vetted these thirteen students.”

“I did, boss.” The man in the hat said, pulling the hat sheepishly over his eyes.

“Hmm, then why on the first day. Did only eleven of them show up, and somehow, all eleven of them got into fights?”

“Apparently the culture of Sandbox Academy is different from our school boss. The former headmaster warned you they might need some time to adjust.” He scratched his head, tipping his hat back a little to do it. “As for the two who didn’t show up at all, apparently something’s delaying them. Maybe they can’t get their paperwork in order yet or something.”

“I suppose we’ll have to deal with that later, as for you students.” Jin Kirigiri turned his eyes on them. “I don’t know what kind of school you were in before, but I took you in because your headmaster specially requested it of me. I expect you all to act with the consideration that you are guests here in this academy. As for you ultimates, you’re supposed to be serving as an example for the whole country not joining in on this.”

They all sunk their heads in agreement, yes sirs, sorry sirs, and our bads filled the crowd. All except for Kumagawa, Mukuro, and Junko who simply waited in silence. Kumagawa had the same smile on his face as ever.

“As student council president, I’ll take full responsibility for them so they won’t cause any more trouble.” Medaka finally spoke up for the group.

『Hmm… but I’m student council president.』Kumagawa’s smile faded, and he tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes, I was going to talk to you about that later Kumagawa, but since you’re already here. The academy thanks you for filling in the position in our time of need, but next week you’ll be relieved of duty as we’ve finally scouted a replacement. Over the summer term, and for the next school year while their school is being rebuild our Hope’s Peak Academy will host this transfer class 13 with Medaka Kurokami taking the lead of a new student council.”

Kumagawa merely smiled at this news as he always did. 『I see. Well. Let’s be friends, everyone.』

Somehow for Kurokami Medaka, that pleasant greeting and normal reaction filled her with much more fear than the Kumagawa Misogi who had been squaring up to fight her a few minutes ago. Kumagawa held out his hand for her, but Medaka found herself unable to take it.

After they were all let out of the office, Enoshima Junko stretched her hands behind her head. She was in a good mood for the first time in awhile. “Sucks that your time as student council president is coming to an end, Senpai. I guess life can’t be a slice of life manga where nothing ever changes after all.”

『I’m sure you had nothing to do with it.』Kumagawa smiled at Junko, sounding as fake as usual. 『That’s fine though, instead of a slice of life manga I think next week we should become a shonen battle manga.』 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda had not gone to school at all since Kamakura showed up on his doorstep again, covered in blood and with a few broken bones. “If you listen closely to all of my instructions these injuries will be no big deal. I’ll tell how you to set them, and close up and bandage the open wounds.”  He had told him in a calm voice, even when Komaeda’s heart was racing from the sight of such an utlimate talent being injured.

If there’s someone that can do this to Kamakura then… is he really somebody capable of withstanding my luck? Komaeda asked himself. Then he felt selfish for only considering how Kamakura’s injuries would impact him, instead of doing everything he could to help support Kamakura and his talent.

He had nursed him for a few days. Though, Kamakura showed none of the signs of an injured person in need of care. He stayed quiet and still the same as always. If any noise filled the air, it was Komaeda trying to generate conversation between the two of them though he usually only ended up talking to himself.

The day that Medaka transferred in though, Komaeda had left to find Mikan and ask her where to find more medical supplies. After he found her in the student council office and helped her clean he came back home to find Kamakura already awake. “Oh, that’s good I didn’t want to wake you but I had something to tell you. An amazing thing happened on my way home. I felt a tremendous hope in one of the girls that transferred here.”

“Is that so?” Kamakura spoke up, joining in on the conversation for once.

“Yes! I can tell for sure, she came her to crush the great despair that Kumagawa-kun represents.” Kumagawa had been acting like a friend to him for several months now. He had undone almost all of the damage that his luck did to the campus on a daily basis. They were almost always by each other’s side, and Kumagawa even tried getting him to hang out after class.

They were almost friends, and now, Komaeda was smiling at the thought that this strange girl filled to the brim with talent and hope was going to kill him and rid the world of his presence. Kumagawa should be happy at that fate. He was going to become a great obstacle that was overcome and converted into a great stepping stone for hope.

“That girl… yeah… I’ve heard of her.”

“You have?” Komaeda said, instantly curious.

Kamakura’s lip twitched. Komaeda knew that was the closest thing to a smile he could manage. “I was hoping to become friends with her.”

Chapter 12: I'm Medaka-Chan's Ex Boyfriend

Summary:

Kumagawa tells a big fat lie.

『Hey you shouldn’t sit in this bed forever. I want to buy some porn magazines on the way home. Chisa-sensei do you want to come with me? 』Kumagawa said, as he opened the door to a hospital room a certain teacher who taught a certain despair filled class.

Rather than an answer to his question, he received a glare from a certain former student council president who was currently taking a break from his overseas expansion to visit Hope’s Peak academy. His matching silver eyes and silver hair made Munakata Kyosuke’s gaze especially cold. “Do you really think that’s a proper way to speak with your superiors? If that’s the case, I’m disappointed in my successor.”

Kumagawa tilted his head. 『Ah, awkward.』

“It’s okay Munakata, Kumagawa-kun just likes to joke around. He’s the only one whose come to visit me besides you and Juzo anyway.” Chisa Yuzkizome said sitting up from her bed to put a hand on the aggravated Munakata. Her hair was not tied up like usual, and seemed an almost darker color, it fell everywhere on the bed. In spite of such a sickly looking appearance, she was smiling.

Munakata’s gaze went from aggravated to worry again. His cold eyes looked like they were about to melt as they looked at Chisa. “Your students haven’t come to visit at all? Even the ones that were cleared for release from the hospital?”

“Haha! It’s not a big deal, nobody wants to hang out with their teacher after hours. We’ll see each other again once 77-B is reinstated all together.” Technically, students like Komaeda, Mikan and Mahiru who were cleared for release were temporarily being considered a part of class 77-A which Kumagawa had transferred into. Kumagawa did not learn this until after the fact, but Nidai and Akane had not been cleared at all but rather had broken out of the hospital with pure brute strength and were still missing. There was one student Chiaki Nanami who showed no symptoms of despair at all, but was completely comatose. All others were still not allowed outside the hospital due to their tendency to harm themselves and others, which was diagnosed as a result of the trauma of their attack.

Kyosuke Munakata had other suspicions though. He had been investigating a lead himself when the academy shut down. The student council attacking itself, the hoax video, the attack on 77-B he believed it was all the work of despair. “I’ll find the person responsible for what happened to your class and I’ll bring them to swift justice, this I promise. Once I crush despair things will go back to the way they were.” He turned his attention back to Kumagawa. Kumagawa saw him gripping a katana at his side, which he lifted with him as he stood up. Kumagawa briefly wondered why they let him bring a katana in this place, but forgot about it. “You, you’re the student council president now. It’s your job to protect this academy too.”

『Sorry to disappoint you but I’m only the temporary student council president. You might want to ask Medaka-chan about that instead she’ll be taking over soon.』

Kumagawa shivered as suddenly Munakata closed the distance between them and put a hand on his shoulder. “Even if it’s for a week or only a day, you should fight until the bitter end. I have no patience for those who can only spout empty words.”

With that he left, the door swinging shut dramatically behind him. Kumagawa waited a little while until he heard the sound of his footsteps disappear and then leaned in towards Chisa pointing a finger towards his own chest.  『You didn’t tell him that I was the one who screwed your precious class to the wall one by one? You’re quite the two faced one, Chisa-sensei.』A smile crept up Kumagawa MIsogi’s darkened face. It seemed all light drained from the hospital room the moment Munakata left.  『Did Enoshima-san make you that way, or were you always like that?』

Unlike all of the ultimate despairs, Yukizome was a unique case. She was not manipulated into a state of total despair by Enoshima Junko but rather shaped into a sleeper agent. Kumagawa did not know the exact method, but once all of her precious class had been converted into despair Enoshima Junko convinced Chisa to side with them and still watch over them even if it meant betraying everyone else and the whole world. To erase her despair Kumagawa would not only have to erase her memories of Junko, but also of her class and all the time she spent at Hope’s Peak. So he decided, arbitrarily as always to keep both of those in tact. Which is why Chisa was able to smile at him so easily and communicate with him like she already knew him. “You’re never going to charm a girl if you talk to them like that, Kumagawa-kun. Now come on, did you bring me presents again?”

『These are from Mahiru-chan. You should just cut me out of the ones I’m in, I look terrible in every one of them.』He pulled out a bundle of photos from his uniform pocket and dropped it on her bed, the string becoming undone and the photos spilling out everywhere. They were photos of his student council, Mikan, Komaeda, himself all fooling around. The time at the festival, and a few more times in the months this story had skipped past because I lack the time to tell you every detail. The time they went to the festival and watched fireworks (you read about this), the time they had a swimming competition, the time they went to a concert together, the time they competed in this year’s relay race against all the other clubs, the time they ate outside together, the time they spent a rainy day together. In the background of those photoes as well was Junko and Mukuro looking distant as always.

There was only one photo where Junko was in the foreground. The one Mahiru snapped of him and Junko together at the festival with their faces close. When Chisa came upon that one, she tossed it away only for Kumagawa to catch it.  『I know I look really ugly in that one don’t I?』

“Why do you insist on trying to protect those girls? I can see the good sides in most people even someone like you, but those two can’t be saved.”

『That’s an amazing hope you have, Chisa-sensei. It’s no wonder that Munakata-kun admires you so much. It’s too bad you have an equal amount of despair, so the two of you can’t ever get close.』Kumagawa smiled again, but Chisa could tell he was being defensive. He only started to talk nice like that when he was getting serious. He put his free hand in his pocket, and felt the charm that he still kept there. 『I don’t have any interest in saving those two at all. Actually, it’s fine if they feel nothing but despair for the rest of their lives. There’s no hope without despair to contrast it, right? Besides those two...』He relaxed his grip, then folded the photograph so the crease would come between him and Junko and put it back in his pocket.  『They’re just normal girls.』

“I don’t really want to hear about what’s normal from you considering how skewed your sensibilities are.” Chisa said, crossing her arms and looking away from him. “Hey why did you come to visit anyway? Don’t tell me you really were trying to ask me on a date. You shouldn’t mock this old woman, Kumagawa-kun.”

『No, that was just a joke. I’m not interested in dating anybody but...』suddenly Kumagawa put his hand in his hair, and brushed it, pulling his uneven part away from his face.  『Yeah, like I said it’s awkward I’ll just tell you I guess. I’m going to give up on converting Class 77-B back from despair for now. I knew from the start I’d give up when it got too difficult but… yeah...』

“Kumagawa-kun you can’t. They’re my precious students!”

『Is it just because they’re your students? I mean, you taught at the reserve course for six months too but do you even remember any of their faces? Well whatever the talented only care about the talented it’s the same as always.』Kumagawa put his hands in his pockets and started to turn around. Chisa couldn’t understand the shifts in his behavior at all.

She technically wasn’t his teacher he was 77-A but she still felt something was off, at least more off than usual. “Kumagawa-kun is something wrong?”

『Hmmm? I’m not really an ultimate student council president you know, I’m just a placeholder. Once Medaka-chan takes my place I’ll be transferred down into the reserve course, so you have no reason to care about me either.』One of his hands snaked out of  his pockets again and grabbed onto a piece of his bangs, pulling his hair over one of his eyes. 『Well whatever, if you want to save them you should just get up yourself and do it. There’s nothing wrong with your body I erased all your injuries. Oh, but if you did that Munakata-kun would probably go back overseas and would stop pitying you enough to visit you so much so I get it. Goodbye Chisa-sensei, I’ll just go buy porn by myself.』

With that he disappeared out of the hospital room. Kumagawa walked across the hall to the unmarked room and opened the door to check on Yasuke Matsuda. Just like the last two times he had come to visit though, Yasuke was already asleep. Kumagawa dropped a few more manga volumes at the foot of his bed in a pile that had been stacking up and left mostly untouched. Yasuke-chan sure is sleeping a lot lately , Kumagawa thought with absolutely no premonition about what was to come.

Finally he went to the ward where Chougasaki Gagamaru, and Shibushi Shibuki were being kept and roomed together. The moment he appeared in the doorway, Shibuki smiled. “You didn’t bring us any flowers this time, I’ll kill you Kumagawa-senpai.”

『It wasn’t my fault.』Kumagawa said, holding his hands up in the air in innocence. There were several vases filled with dead flowers around in the past few months of their recovery, all because Kumagawa had brought them there. He was the only one who wanted to visit a couple of dysfunctional reserve course students anyway.  『Because, you two no longer have any reason to be in this hospital. Let’s reopen those wounds already.』

Even though the both of them were not fully recovered, they smiled at Kumagawa’s declaration. He waited outside for them to change their clothes and check out. While he did so, he noticed something moving in the bushes.

『Mikan-chan is that you?』He asked, before he heard a whine back in response.

“I wanted to see why you’re always visiting the hospital alone.” 

『That’s fine. You might need to watch over these two as they’re finishing their recovery outside of the hospital.』

Just as Shibuki and Gagamaru were leaving the hospital from the back entrance, Mikan stood up out of the bush. She took one step and immediately tripped. Without thinking, Shibuki reached out for her. If she had been thinking, she probably would have just laughed at the girl falling or kicked her while she was down.

Instead, she held out a hand and grabbed onto Mikan. “Yo, nice to meet you it’s me Shibuki. Here, can you stand up?” She asked, then noticed Mikan was just holding onto her hand. “Hey, you! Why are you just sitting there doing nothing?” Shibuki snapped.

Somebody. Somebody offered me there hand for the first time! Mikan mentally screamed. Right… Kumagawa-kun said I should get along with this person since they’re a fellow minus. If so… I must try my best.  “I… I’m Tsumiki MIkan. How…” She wanted to think of a normal thing to ask. “How many children do you want to have?” 

Shibuki merely stared at her.

“I want to have three children, two girls and one boy Shikbuki-chan. You can name them because I don’t have a good naming sense. Ehehe, who do you think they will look more like? I think they should look more like so they can end up cute. Then we will live in a white house with a garden and keep a big doggy. At least let me decide on the doggy’s name, Shibuki-chan. Do you like cats or dogs? I love dogs but if you insist we can keep a cat instead. I love dogs! But if it’s an animal then I’ll love it regardless because after all I love Shibuki-chan best. I hope Shibuki-chan loves me best, too. Oh, what kind of food do you like? Why did I ask you this question. Oh come on, Shibuki-chan, because I’ll be the one cooking your lunch for you starting tomorrow morning right? Speaking of which, starting from tomorrow (till death) everything you eat will be cooked by me so, I must know your taste. Being picky isn’t good, but I want to cook for you all your favorite foods from the beginning. You don’t need to be appreciative because it’s obvious trash like me needs to cook in order to keep you around. But promise me one thing, I’ve always wanted to try saying “aaah” while feeding someone, so during tomorrow’s lunch let me say “aaah”, okay? Please don’t be shy and run away, if you do so I will feel depressed. Seriously, I might end up killing Shibuki-chan. Just kidding. And Shibuki-chan please don’t be mad. I’ve fallen for a girl before you. No, of course I’m not going to cheat on your, cause there is no other girl I could love like Shibuki-chan. I just want to tell you that before you guys meet each other, so you know that there was nothing between us, now that I think about it, my precious one was just a jerk. I haven’t talked with her and I really feel glad that I didn’t. But I thought I should talk about it from the beginning in order to prevent any misunderstandings right? Misunderstandings are very sorrowful, right? Two people might love each other but have if they have misunderstandings, and then a quarrel and then part ways then it’d be just like a TV Drama. Hear breaking enough, right. Shibuki-chan and I can definitely make up afterward, right. Ah, then… Till now have you loved anybody else? What’s the deal with you and the monocle guy you’re always together. There’s no way you could love anybody else, right? But there must’ve at least been one girl or guy that you were interested in right. Don’t worry I won’t blame you for that. Actually I won’t really like it, but I will endure it ‘cause that was from before we met each other, right? Now that Shibuki-chan met me, for you other girls and guys are just akin to ricks, right? I feel sorry for them that I’m taking Shibuki-chan for myself but there is no choice. Love is like that, it’s destiny that Shibuki-chan chose me over them. I must become happy in their stead as well. But once in awhile, you can go play with them because I’ll be sorry if I’m the only one who is happy. You think so too, don’t you?”

“I haven’t thought about kids, I don’t really want to live in a house, I’m fine with eating cupped ramen everyday because it’s what I’m used to, I don’t really care if you have a precious person besides me that’s only natural that I’d lose, Gagamaru and I have been together for tean years but we’re not dating it’s just if we separate one of us is going to kill the other.” Shibushi Shibuki replied to her rant normally, as that insanity was something a minus was completely used to. She decided to just hoist Mikan up on her own since Mikan was not standing up at the moment. When she was on her feet, Shibuki lingered on her hand for a moment undoing the bandages that led up to her fingers. “Wow, these are really neat scabs. You shouldn’t cover them up with bandages. Just pick them.”

“Gross.” Enoshima Junko commented, rising up from the bushes as well.

『Enoshima-san, what are you doing here?』

“Whoa I’ve never been replaced before. This is a weird feeling.” Junko said. She was also curious as to why Kumagawa seemed to spend so much time at the hospital and she had the faintest inclination he was hiding something from her, but the insane scene in front of her had distracted her.

『Apparently blonde girls with bad personalities are a dime a dozen.』

“Do you wanna die, Senpai?”

『No thank you, I much prefer living. Don’t worry Enoshima-san I’ll always be there for you.』

“That’s a terrible consolation prize.”

As they walked they continued to talk nonsense like that, the reunited student council went off to complete their last week together.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Dude, stop getting in my way. I need to get to Medaka-chan’s side.” Zenkichi said as he was stopped at the gate.

“I’m not gonna lie. This is what I hate about you normals the most. Just a little bit of attention from your betters and you cling onto them like a leech.” Sakakura Juzo stood in front of him. He felt there was something familiar about this scene but could not even begin to remember what exactly.

The reason he was stopping Zenkichi was two reasons, one that Zenkichi was not an ultimate talent and was not allowed to walk on the main campus only the reserve course campus. He had been given a scholarship for the reserve course out of special consideration, but Kizakura was not able to find a single talent within him. He was a normal, through and through.

However, Zenkichi was not fazed by this in the slightest. When he was told that the reserve course was allowed to theoretically work their way into being recognized as a talent, he was thankful for the opportunity. That was the kind of guy he was.

The second reason Zenkichi was stopped was because security had been increased by Kirigiri Jin after yesterday’s series of incidents, and in addition to that Munakata had ordered him to investigate all on his own now that Yukizome was in the hospital. He knew the academy had a dark side that had somehow gone on undisturbed, but all he could do for the brat in front of him was push him away with his usual tough attitude.

“You’re wrong.”

“What. Go on. I can read you like a book. Just because you hung out with an elite like that girl now you’re all uppity.”

“You’re wrong about Medaka-chan and me. I never thought I was the kind of person who deserved to be by her side, that’s why I worked so hard.” Zenkichi rushed forward then, punching with his arm without thinking.

Juzo caught his hand easily, and started to twist it around. “Wow, you almost looked cool for a second there. Did it feel good, biting against the hand that feeds you?”

Before he could finish, Zenkichi was already on to his next move. He twisted his body around and brought his leg up into Juzo’s side. “No, you’re wrong. I’m way cooler with my feet than my hands.”

Juzo was not expecting much at all but suddenly it felt like a truck hit his side. He had not tried kick boxing for awhile so his guard was down. He wouldn’t make that same mistake twice he thought as he threw Zenkichi’s hand away and backed up. “Lucky shot, you little punk.” He rushed forward with both hands punching at Zenkichi.

Zenkichi received his blows not with his hands, but with his feet. He kept the distance between them, only kicking to divert Juzo’s shots. Even though Zenkichi was keeping him at bay, every hit he took felt like a punishment. He was reminded of the time that he fought with Medaka-2 in the basement of Sandbox academy, at that time too he felt the only reason he was able to keep afloat was because somewhere in there Medaka really didn’t want to fight him. The two of them were just trading blows aimlessly. Zenkichi spoke up again, “There’s not much of a difference between Medaka and I, or even you and I. We all have our troubles, you know.”

“There is a difference. What are you fighting with, Savate? I bet you’ve been practicing for a long time. A lot of people dedicate their lives to fighting like this though, you can’t say the only difference between all of them is the effort they put in. There’s a sixteen year old who worked an equal amount of time as you but kicks way harder than this, that’s talent.”

“Then I’ll just work twice the amount of time.”

“God you’re bad at math too. Are all you sandbox academy kids only good for fighting? No wonder you’re already causing so much trouble. Hey, why are you even kicking me anyway, you know this is a boxing match right?”

At that point Zenkichi put all of his force in a roundhouse kick going the opposite direction that he had been facing a moment ago. Juzo knew he could only block this one, so he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I fight with my feet to keep my opponents away, because I don’t really want to fight. It’s the same for you, isn’t it?”

Juzo’s eyes widened. The kid was right he didn’t actually want to fight some reserve course kid, he was just trying to scare him away. Before he could say anything though, suddenly he saw Zenkichi leap into the air and land on where he was guarding. In the next moment he jumped off of him and cleared the closed Hope’s Peak Academy gate. “Thanks for the fight anyway though Mister, it was fun. I’ll train harder so I can put up a decent enough match to shut you up next time.” Zenkichi called out to him as he disappeared over the gate.

Juzo should have chased after him immediately, but something felt off about that kid. Even though he looked down on him the whole time, Zenkichi was barely phased. It was like there wasn’t a single bitter bone in that kid’s body.

However, as cool as his takeoff had been his landing on the other side of the gate was pretty lame. Makoto Naegi who just happened to be walking by at the time, served to break his fall and the two boys landed in a pile on top of each other.

“Wow, what a lucky day I didn’t know how I was going to land a fall that large.” Zenkichi said with his usual optimism.

Makoto Naegi who was on the bottom of the pile groaned with discomfort. “Really, just my luck.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Well then, I’m sure interesting things are happening elsewhere too but since we’re all here shall we continue our homeroom? From now on, it’s the executives meeting.』

The desks that were usually separate in the student council classroom had all been pulled together. Kumagawa even left the president’s chair aside and sat in a normal one. It looked like he tried to prepare a banquet for them all, but piled up on the tables was nothing more than vending machine snacks.

“Interesting things, right? It’s like the chairman said a week from now we’re completely irrelevant. We’ll just go back to being minor characters in the reserve course, it’s natural after all.” Chougasaki said, reaching for a potato chip and putting it in his mouth, only after he finished talking though.

To contrast him Shibuki stuck pocky in her mouth and continued to talk. She picked up a few more with her bandaged hands. “It’s no big deal if they’re trying to replace you, Kumagawa-senpai. If they do, we just need to beat them all. Let me do it! I’ll ground them into dust in less than five seconds.”

“Oh, oh, if you do then I’ll be sure to nurse them back to health too!” Mikan volunteered in. “I’ll make sure they never heal so I can nurse them forever!”

Kumagawa pulled apart Takoyaki in front of him with his bare hands as if he had no idea how to eat it. It splattered all over his plate. He just dipped his fingers in it and licked it up. 『Come on, Shibuki-chan. Don’t say violent things like that. Countering violence with violence. If we do something like that we’ll be just like them! I really hate violence!』Kumagawa said with a smile on his face, though really all he had done since becoming president was get into fights with the ultimate despairs that Junko sent his way. 『Let’s talk with them about our real reasons for entering this academy. I’m sure they want to know how marvelous our elite eliminating plan is.』

Enoshima Junko casually brought her own lunch (prepared for her by Mukuro of course) and took the seat next to Kumagawa. She saw the spectacle of his eating for a second and complained as usual. “Wow, you even suck at eating. I’m almost impressed at the number of things you fail at.”

『Enoshima-san...』

Before Kumagawa could finish suddenly Shibushi stood up and aimed a kick at her head with all of her force. It was so strong the the desk that ENoshima Junko was sitting at shattered and sent chunks flying in the air.

Chougasaki, the much more reasonable one was the only one to react. “Wait… what’re you doing, Shibuki-san?”

“Eh? Come on, she’s the one responsible for calling Medaka here right? Then she has the gall to talk big, it was irritating. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again please forgive me!”

“I understand how you feel, but shibuki-san. I’m with you.” He brought his foot hard down at the exact same spot Junko had been sitting, shattering the desks even further. This time he kicked har enough that the floor itself cracked even though it was concrete. “Those who talk big, can’t complain about what happens to them, right?”

“Yo can we get on with it? Nobody likes these long drawn out exposition scenes. We get it, you’re violent and unstable, that’s not as uncommon here as you guys seem to think.” Junko said, casually putting an octopus ball in her mouth while sitting on the other side of Kumagawa. The rest of the desks pushed together really had been shattered, but Junko was completely untouched.

『Hey, you two cut it out! You’re interfering with Enoshima-san’s meal.』Kumagawa said, frowning slightly as he crossed his arms looking at them.

Both of them stared in disbelief for why neither of their blows had connected. It was Komaeda who spoke up over them. “It’s obvious why you couldn’t reach her. The untalented can never reach the talented. In fact why are two reserve course flunkees here they don’t even have official council positions.” He raised his hand politely before speaking up again on his own. “As long as we’re talking about what we should do, I’m also on the side of fighting. Kurokami-san deserves the title of president much more than you, Kumagawa-kun but still you should put up a great resistance before you’re defeated so your hope can shine even brighter.”

『I’m sure Medaka-chan is going to call on all of her allies at once, so I thought we should invite all of our friends too.』

“Since when were we friends?” Junko asked, an octopus ball half chewed in her mouth. “You know I’m rooting for you to lose, so I can finally get you out of my hair, right?”

Kumagawa ignored her and continued on. 『I’d rather it not come down to a fight anyway.  Let’s say something as ridiculous as student council vs student council brawl broke out. Officially, that would mean you couldn’t fight since you’re not on the council, so it would be Nagito-chan, Mikan-chan, Enoshima-san, Mukuro-chan and me. Out of those only two of us, Mukuro-chan and me are fighting types.』

He gestured to Mukuro who had been staring out a window the whole time only barely paying attention to the meeting. It was obvious that she was only here because Junko was her, so even that was questionable how hard she’d fight for their side. Of course, Kumagawa was entirely used to fragile relationships so this did not bother him in the slightest.

“The hell are we supposed to do if we can’t fight?” Shibushi whined, kicking her feet up in protest as she leaned back on her chair. Gagamaru simply adjusted his monocle to express his annoyance.

“I’m sure you guys can fight if you want.” Enoshima said looking up from her food at the two of them. “I mean it will be more fun for me to watch you get beaten down by your betters anyway, like Komaeda said. Ewe, I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Komaeda.”

“No, we’ll do as Kumagawa-san says.” Shibushi said. This guy’s minus is different. How shameful of me to think I was the weakest person until I met him.

“Yes, I understand let’s do so. However we can be useful.” Although as a famous minus I don’t think I’ll win against the next person.

“What the hell do you guys see in him anyway?” Enoshima said, raising her eyebrow. Quickly she gestured to all of Kumagawa. The loyalty of theirs did not quite compute to her, even though her brain was a supercomputer that could theoretically understand everything. After all she had gone to such great lengths to convince the ultimate despairs to worship her. She was beautiful, charming, talented. Kumagawa was the opposite, he didn’t have a drop of what she had and yet, he had somehow drawn all of these people to him.

Even me, in a way. I’m sitting right next to him aren’t I? She thought, and immediately afterwards she hated herself for thinking of it. Think of something else. Happy place happy place. Stabbing Mukuro with the spear Gugnir. Executing Kirigiri Jin by shooting him off to space and then leaving his skull and bones for his daughter to find. All you have to do is wait patiently for this annoyance to be cleared up, then you can execute the funnest most despairful ending to this scenario possible. She got annoyed just looking at Kumagawa’s face no matter how much she tried to distract herself, so she leaned forward and picked up a handkerchief from her pocket and started to wipe his face off for him. “Try to look like less of a mess in front of a beautiful girl like me, idiot.” She said, frowning.

All of the other student council members present besides Junko and Mukuro though had already made up their minds about why they liked him. To have a person “minus-er” than myself here…. There’s nothing that could make me feel more at ease than this. From the bottom of my heart I know I have to follow this guy. 『Huh, what? What are you guys staring at did I say something good? Eh-eh-Enoshima-san stop, why are you always touching my face.』

“Flirting with another girl, Kumagawa-senpai. I’m glad I came when I did.” Shiranui said, giving a slight awe of disappointment when she saw that all of the snacks Kumagawa had bought for her were now lying on the ground.

『Shiranui-chan! You came!』Kumagawa said with a smile, and then suddenly all of the desks were fixed. Shirnaui grabbed the pile of snack foods, and then moved the whole pile over to her seat at the table. Nervously, another girl Mahiru Koizumi had walked in behind her. The moment that Shiranui opened her mouth to eat, she looked so cute and happy that Mahiru snapped a picture.

Junko bit her lip in annoyance and let go of Kumagawa’s face. She didn’t quite like the way Shiranui watched her. She decided her octopus balls were much more interesting, and stabbed one with an ice pick violently before eating it.

“Well since you’re so useless on your own, I thought I’d tell you a good plan.”

『I was hoping Enoshima-san might help us plan since she’s the smartest one here.』

“Pffffffft.” Junko snorted, spitting octopus chunks in Kumagawa’s face. It made her look super attractive and not at all like a mess. “Me, helping somebody for the first time ever and it’s you of all people? Good luck with that.”

『I was hoping after all this time we could finally work together...』It was what Kumagawa had approached her and asked her to do from the start. He looked at her quietly for a moment trailing off. Kumagawa never made eye contact with anybody. It was a habit of his that Enoshima Junko noticed. However, she noticed that she was the exception to that everybody too. He was constantly looking to catch her gaze with those huge and innocent looking eys of his.

She didn’t quite know what she thought of that. So she just responded as she always did. “Well there’s your first mistake, hope.”

However, Kumagawa Misogi was entirely used to rejection so he too responded as he always did. His quiet moment over, he went back to smiling carelessly.『That’s fine then. Shiranui-chan, what was your plan?』

“Did you look over the folder I gave you the last time we met?” Shiranui asked him.

Kumagawa looked away, guilty. 『I’m terrible at remembering to do homework, sorry.』He picked up the folder from the inside of his jacket and threw it over the table. Shiranui looked back to Mahiru and she complied, throwing out photoes she had taken over the past two days. There were eleven photos of eleven transfer students there all collected together and spread out for them to see.

“That’s fine then, just listen for now. I know everything about Sanbox Academy. We need to plan to counter Transfer Class 13. Only 13 students were allowed to transfer into the main course at Hope’s Peak Academy, the rest were divided amongst other schools. Even Zenkichi was made to go attend the reserve course instead, haha sucks to be him. Anyway, all 13 were allowed because they were scouted and found to have ultimate talents. The first Kurokami Medaka could really have been anything but they scouted her as Ultimate Student Council president as the school needs her strength to return to normal. Akune Aoki has been scouted as the ultimate Judeau Specialist. Mogana Kikaijima the Ultimate Swimming Pro.”

『Whoa, she’s cute.』

“What does that have to do with anything. Quit interrupting the exposition dump.” Junko said, slamming her hand on the table. She just wanted to learn about the situation there was no other reason she was getting mad.

Shiranui continued on. “Myouri Unzen was recruited as Ultimate Disciplinary Committee Member. Tokemichi Choujabaru was committed as Ultimate Election Official, but only after his club president turned down the offer so he was more of a second choice. Kei Munkata was recruited as the Ultimate Serial Murderer as a special case because a school of our resources is needed to contain his killing impulse. Itami Koga was recruited as the ultimate cyborg.”

This time Junko interrupted. “Wait, things like cyborgs exist? That’s so cool.”

『Weren’t you going to take over the world with an army of robot teddy bears? How is a cyborg so far off from that?』

“Oh yeah you’re right. Nevermind I’m bored of the idea already.”

Shiranui continued again. “Youka Naze was invited as the ultimate Surgeon. Maguro Kurokami is the ultimate team manager, though his true skill is analysis and he could even pass as Ultimate Affluent Prodigy if he wanted. Nekomi Nabeshima is the Ultimate Cheater I’m not even sure how that’s a talent…”

Realizing she had made her way down the listed, Junko pointed a pointy finger nail at Shiranui. “How about you short stack? What exactly is your talent.”

“I’m the ultimate speed eater of course.” As Shiranui said that, Junko looked over and all of the snack food she had stolen was already gone by now. Junko blinked, but something about that talent did not sit right with her.

She tilted her head as she often did when she was confused. “Are you sure? You don’t give me that kind of vibe. Actually… you remind me of one of those losers… the guy who looks like Togami sometimes and other times like Mitarai… what was his name again…”

As she tried to remember, Shiranui changed the subject. “Well the cute little me doesn’t really matter anyway because I’m on your side. I can’t officially be a part of your council but consider me a double agent. The last two names don’t matter either, they haven’t even shown up yet.”

Kumagawa yawned.『Ah, right the delayed two. We should just finish this up before they get here.』

“Well we should plan countermeasures to deal with all of them, but if you’re really a coward who doesn’t want to face them then in the meantime I’ve got a different plan.” She threw a book on the table. It was a bound rulebook.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Thanks for showing me around!” Zenkichi said, happy that he was only somewhat late to the meeting that Medaka called him to, thanks to the lucky student he had met to show him the way.

“Oh, it’s no problem!” Even though their meeting was not at all pleasant for Makoto and his back was still a little sore, he wasn’t the type of person who could say no to a stranger in need.

“This place seems a little strange about reserve course students. I’m glad you weren’t so uptight about it like that guy at the front gate.” Zenkichi commented, running his hand thought his hair.

“Well, it’s not like I can look down on reserve course students. I didn’t do any work to get here, I’m just someone who got lucky is all.” Makoto spoke with his normal humbelness. Though, his statement was definitely accurate.

However, while most people found Makoto’s attitude charming, Zenkichi who had been smiling and talking energetically the whole way suddenly frowned. “You didn’t do any work huh? Then why exactly do you think you can stand among them?”

“Huh?”

Zenkichi went back to smiling again almost immediately. “Sorry, it must be a difference in school cultures. Hope’s Peak is a place that looks down on the untalented. Sandbox is a place that looks down on the unmotivated.” He put a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “Thanks for showing me the way though. You seem like a helpful guy, I’m sure there’s more to you than just luck.”

As Zenkichi left him behind Makoto was left thinking of the strange feeling meeting Zenkichi had felt him with. It was the exact same feeling he had every single time he interacted with Kumagawa since he first met him. That Zenkichi guy… is really weird. Maybe Sanbox Academy is a school filled with weirdoes. Coming from Hope’s Peak though, he really should not have been talking.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Medaka-chan.” Zenkichi said as he kicked the door open. Kicking the door open was entirely unnecessary but he was dramatic like that.

“Five hundred laps around the school as punishment.” Medaka said from behind her fan.

“Yeah, that sounds fair.”

“I would have given you a thousand laps but we were also waiting on a second person and he’s not here yet.” Medaka said.

Zenkichi looked out at the room in front of him. Gathered together for the first time since their school had been demolished was Aoki Akune, Itami Koga, Kurokami Maguro, Kikaijima Mogana, and Naze Youka. Naze was of course sitting the furthest away from the group, scowling with her face covered in the usual bandages that tufts of her hair stuck out between.

“I’m glad you were all waiting for me. Actually wait were you waiting for him instead and I was just incidental? Nevermind, I don’t care it’s okay if we meet him right. Where is that, Senpai?”

A man with silver hair and silver eyes appeared behind Zenkichi. His arms were crossed and he held a sheathed katana in one arm.  He looked at all of them with discerning eyes. Maguro passed. Zenkichi failed. Akune failed. Mogana failed. Koga just barely passed but she looked unusable. “Well, it’s not like I hoped for much from the next generation, but this is a much more horrible situation than I thought. I’m not your senpai anymore I graduated four years ago, but I was once the ultimate student council president too.” Awkwardly, he scratched at the back of his head. His silver hair which usually sat completely still became a bit messy. “I can say this, Kurokami. I value power more than anything else. So I respect your resolve to confront the shadow of Hope’s Peak head on right from the beginning but… with what you have gathered here trying to crush despair with these members will definitely be a suicide tour.”

Kurokami looked at him quite seriously, but said nothing. Munakata took that as permission to continue. He pulled a chair up. “On my own I’ve been trying to root out this problem for some time with no success. You saw what happened to the previous student council, they’re covering it up mass panic but they’ve obviously become infected with despair. It’s not a matter of talent, despair corrupts both the talented and untalented alike. It’s just mentality and having three members underqualified is quite the problem.”

Akune and Zenkichi stood up at the exact same time.”Hold up, Munakata-senpai! Underqualified? We can’t accept being told that!”

Akune butted Zenkichi out of the way with his shoulder to get more room. “Yeah right! We don’t sit next to Medaka-chan for decoration. I believe I can fight, despair or not, minus or not.”

Maguro shrugged behind him. “I’m not sure I understand either. I’m not a fighting type at all. FOr someone as weak as me to be qualified, yet for Zenkichi-kun and Akune-kun to be underqualified is so…”

“It’s not physical strength, Maguro-kun. It’s mental strength. Platitudes of fighting together with your friends or trusting one another won’t stand up to despair, it’s exactly the kind of thing despair devours. The biggest problem with the despairs is not their skills, but their character, or rather their hearts and personality.”

Naze finally leaned into the conversation. She stared with her empty looking eye, that seemed to have a slight spiral pattern in the iris. “Gosh, an actual good analysis for once. Here I thought this school was full of naive idiots who talked about hope all day long. I must agree with that. Our school had a “13 party” of abnormal kids whose personalities went way beyond the talented. They were however, different from the despairs that exist in your school. Let’s call them “plus.” Their talents are abnormal but moreover, it’s more like their personalities are the problem. They weren’t strong or weak, you just didn’t want to get involved with them.”

“Exactly, it’s not about talent at all. Once you become infected with despair, you fall to a level of subhuman. You can only be satisfied with inflicting more despair on yourself and others. That’s why most humans will have their hearts broken just by meeting those like that.” Munakata looked up at Naze. “Oh, by the way. It’s because of that ‘13 party’ that you have a tolerance, right? You also barely passed.”  He pointed then suddenly at both Akune and Zenkichi. “But Hitoyoshi, Akune, you’ve suffered some trauma from Kumagawa in the past haven’t you? Your hearts are already beginning to break that’s why you two are underqualified.”

Both of them quietly looked at him in shock. The self serious Munakata smiled for a moment. “You think I don’t do my homework? I’ve already read up on Kumagawa’s past, three years of transferring between different schools followed by incidents at every single school he transferred into. It all started in middle school with Ark Middleschool the same oen you three attended. There’s no question he’s an agent of despair. The people he surrounded himself with, his two direct subordinates Gagamaru and Shibushi have similiar terrible records as him. I have no idea how they entered this school at all, I blame the hubris of that damn steering committee thinking they can control him. Every student he chose so far, Komaeda, Mikan, Mukuro all have similar suspect records. He most likely infected the entirety of 77-B with despair. Enoshima Junko is his only associate with a clear record but I also once suspected her of something in the past so-”

Munakata was interrupted with a slap to the face by Kikaijima Mogana. He did not even see her approach. “Don’t talk bad about my friends!”

Hey Kikaijima-san. Please read the mood. Zenkichi and Akune thought mortified at the same time.

“I don’t know anything about Kumagawa, but I do know these two. They’re not people whose hearts could easily be broken or swayed.”

Munakata stood up smirking. He wiped the side of his face not feeling anything at all, and recrossed his arms again. “ I didn’t intend to say anything negative, in fact being underqualified is the best praise.” In the next moments he had jumped on top of the desks. All of the others around him looked stunned.

This guy can’t read the mood at all either.

“Being able to deal with those who can calmly and methodically spread despair, is nothing to be proud of. Being used to terrible things isn’t an enviable position. Evil is something you have to become evil to crush, it requires sacrifices and victims.” He walked along the desks before finally pointing his katana sheath straight at the silent girl watching their entire meeting with a hand on her hip. “By the way, Kurokami! You haven’t said anything for awhile. If you have a complaint or a slap, or if you think my ways are wrong you should say it to me now.”

“I shut up so that my opinion wouldn’t influence your decision to help us or not.” Se walked over and then politely bowed her head underneath the man pointing a sword at her. “I understood from the very beginning that with our strength right now we can’t defeat minuses, or overcome despair. So I called you, please do something.”

“You asked for me right away? That’s how you and I are different. When I was president, I’d never rely on a stranger like that.” Well. I only have two people in this world to rely on anyway. Kirigiri Jin and the rest of this whole school are… He closed his eyes for a moment. “Fine, it was my goal before all of this started to make my own academy anyway. An ‘evilize training camp should we try it? Originally this school was a cram school that dealt in mental training from generation to generation. It’s like a double edged sword that may make dealing with Minus and Despair even easier. That’s the only choice we can have, do it or not. You have until tomorrow.”

He did not even half to wait until tomorrow though. Everyone present nodded their head along.
“I’ll do it.” Medaka. “Me too.” Zenkichi. “Me too.” Mogana. Munakata smirked, digging into the dark side of hope’s peak had made him sick lately. These Sandbox kids were a breath of fresh air.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

After the minus student council had finished their meeting, Kumagawa convinced most of them to go to the bookstore with him. The last lingering one was Shiranui eating a full tub of popcorn. She called out to Enoshima. “Yo, since you don’t like hanging out with others, why don’t we talk a little bit?”

Enoshima paused, rolling her ankle around on her heels for a moment as she considered it. She looked by at Shiranui, her eyes looking particularly empty. “Sure, whatever. Just make it interesting.”

“Let’s have a talk between girls then. You’re the first person to notice on sight what I am. Kumagawa-kun knows too of course but that’s only because I told him.” What Shiranui was was of course, not something I can spoil in prose narration. In the meantime just picture Shiranui sitting on top of Kumagawa’s desk, kicking her legs, and shoving popcorn into her cute little mouth in order to distract yourself from the two characters being vague in their exchanges on purpose.

“Well, I’m not an idiot like Senpai for one. For two, I learn everything around me whether I want to or not. It’s not so bad though, usually that kind of information ends up benefitting me later.”

“That’s why I wanted to talk! <3” Shiranui said, flashing her a smile that showed off two red patches on her cheeks like somebody had attached blush stickers to her face. “I never expected it from a girl like you whose just hopelessly enjoying her youth. You’re not as serious and job focused as I am, but I feel like you being who you are will inevitably use that information against me later so I thought I should stop it for now.”

“Hmm… Well, you might be the first of Senpai’s so called minus whose not as dumb as they look. What are you proposing?” Junko crossed her arms and leaned back against one of the desks, smirking slightly and suddenly feeling quite serious.

“Let’s keep each other’s secrets! If you don’t tell anyone about me, not the spying on the student council stuff I don’t care if they know that I’m already princess’s enemy number one, but if you don’t tell them about my real talent then I won’t tell anyone that you love Kumagawa-senpai.”

Junko immediately fell backwards on her heels. Even though she was somebody who could anticipate anything she had not quite seen that coming. “What are you stupid? I thought we were going to do a serious information trade don’t screw around.”

“I’m always serious. I told you I take my job very seriously unlike you.” Shiranui said, but she said it with the same insincere smile that Kumagawa always wore. “I didn’t mean romantic love there’s no reason to freak out. I mean the same love you feel for your sister, your friend, and your classmates. You like despair don’t you, because it doesn’t follow any of the rules unlike hope?” Shiranui picked up the rule book and causally jumped off of the desk landing on her feet. “I think the same way, unlike justice which is bound by the rules, love follows no rules. Even an omnicidal maniac of a girl like you can have love. Isn’t that fun?”

Shiranui offered Junko a hand, but Junko slapped it away. Shiranui was a minus through and through though, so this rejection only made her laugh.

“Don’t you have a friend on the student council? I don't think he’ll love you much after this is all over.” She said, just to be petty.

“Yes, I do.” Shiranui took a handful of popcorn at took one large bite out of it before she turned to leave. “That’s why I’ll make this a test. How long will he stay as my friend?”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The minus student council, and the evilize training, those were all udner the surface activities. Of course the daily works of the students and the student council must be done. Everybody took their end of the year exams. Kumagawa was used as a dummy in at least three of them but that’s a story for another time.

Seven days and nights from that night, the end of the semester was reached at Hope’s Peak Academy and much to Enoshima Junko’s despair nobody had died yet. Starting from tomorrow it would be a holiday, the students believed they could let loose a little bit. A relaxing summer vacation would hardly make for a good plot event in a fast paced action manga however, so suddenly the hidden agenda surfaced.

“That’s all I have to say as your new student council president who will be taking over starting now and continuing into the next two semesters. Then, let this holiday- Fefin.” Suddenly from behind Medaka, Kumagawa appeared grabbing her cheeks and pulling them into a smile. Nobody had seen him approach, and the entirety of Medaka’s student council reacted with shock at once. Medaka herself quickly pulled her head away and turned it around, gritting her teeth. Her reaction was much more one of annoyance, “.....Tsk.”

『Ya-hoo! Hello everyone of hope’s peak academy nice to meet you! I’m Kumagawa Misogi! Medaka-chan’s ex-boyfriend!』

Everyone in the assembled student body of ultimates reacted with shock at once. Really this guy? Isn’t that the guy that was hanging around with Junko how does he score girls like that? I’m going to kill him!  Junko herself knew he was only joking, but that didn’t stop her from stomping her boot in annoyance from where she was hiding. If she ended up wrecking one her heels because of Kumagawa she resolved to kill him for sure.

『...Of course that was just a joke. Wow! How many fools just believed me.』Junko stomped her boot, harder this time.

“Stop these freaking jokes, Kumagawa. I was this close to fainting. What are you doing here? Only members of the student council can stand here. You’ve been retired.”

『...』Kumagawa smirked. 『Members of the student council. Right! Oh no no, I don’t intend to interfere or make you faint. I just have something I need to talk to you about here.』He drew from his pockets several pieces of paper covered in writing. They fluttered in the air as he insisted on doing a cool pose as he revealed it.

Medaka’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that? Signatures?”

『Right signatures. From 1,000 of the human beings you love so much. From the regulations of Hope’s Peak Academy, Article 45, Clause 3, Student body president Kurokami Medaka, on your first day I ask for your impeachment.』

Zenkichi and Akune standing in the background once again reacted together first. “Akune-senpai what the hell is that article 45 clause 3?”

“Article 45 is about the removal of the council. Clause 3 makes it more detailed. If the council shows a lack of ability the council will be immediately removed if over half of the student’s signatures are gathered from that day. Sandbox has a similar rule, funny enough.”

“It ain’t funny, and what the hell are we lacking!”

『Hey, hey, stop playing dumb, Zenkichi-chan. Anyone can obviously see this. In hope’s peak there are 13 members technically but the extras are just class representatives and representatives from certain clubs. The main five members, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and general affairs manager all need to be filled.  You lack a vice preisdent. This violates clause 2.』Kumagawa gestured at Medaka, who still had two armbands on her arm.

Akune moved first while Medaka stood in shock. He reached for and ripped the papers out of Kumagawa’s hand. “There shouldn’t be that many people who agree to remove medaka for that stupid reason! Give me that! I doubt this thing is even real…” He stopped for a moment and saw the number count. 999 signatures. “Who the hell signed this?" 

『All the reserve course did! All except for one, Zenkichi-chan. They’re all tired of being under the thumb of the talented, they’d rather support an untalented guy like me.』

“So you got a majority of the forgotten reserve course to agree with you. Quite an impressive show of everyboy.” Medaka said, stepping in front of AKune in between him and Kumagawa.

『Hey, hey! Even if they’re second class students they were marketed as being real students of Hope’s Peak. Don’t discriminate against us. By the way if the president is out, the rest of the members are as well. Article 45 class 1! Thanks for your hard work up till now, all eight hours of it.』

Medaka snarled, gritting her teeth and holding herself back as she stood out on stage in front of the whole academy. “Article 45 has other rules as well, right? Kumagawa. So the removal doesn’t interfere with the duties of the president, the one who demanded the removal must work as the president until the next is scouted.”

“Eh, that means!” Zenkichi rushed next to Medaka’s side catching on fast.

『Right. That means even someone with no talent like me could become the presidnet through that short cut.』Kumagawa sunk away from the stage and into the shadows. Every feature of his face seemed to disappear as he slunk inhumnaly toward Medaka. He held a hand out towards her, and even the details of that hand seemed to disappear in the shadow. 『Now, Medaka-chan. That arm bad doens’t suit you. Take it off and give it back to me!』

“Kumagawa! You! You’re such a minus!” Medaka grit her teeth until she grinded them, and sweat ran down her face, but it was all she could do to hold back from attacking Kumagawa on the spot. The incident of last time she attacked a minus in anger was still fresh in her mind, as well as the perpetually bored something Kamakura who didn’t seem to be present.

『Of course you guys must hand over your armbands bands as well. Unlike the talented who are content to rest on their laurels I’ve already chosen my other members.』Finally from behind the curtain they stepped out. Enoshima Junko, Mukuro Ikusaba, Komaeda Nagito and Mikan Tsumiki. All talented people Kumagawa had recruited from within the school.

In the audience, Makoto’s jaw dropped. “Ikusaba… why…”

Kumagawa stepped up to the podium once more, his entire demeanor changing once again as he addressed the school.『Alright allow me to explain fully, because you all might have noticed a series of unconnected incidents. The first thing I did upon transferring here was beat up the entire student council so I’d have a free spot. Then afterwards I used footage from my beating them up to spread a rumor that they had been killed in order to get the reserve course on my side. I knew I’d need talented people to back up my cause, so I converted 77-B to my side. Well the ones that didn’t support me I just screwed to the wall. The same for that troublesome steering committee. All so I could infiltrate Hope’s Peak and become it’s student council president. That’s the truth of the matter, I was the mastermind all along.』Kumagawa Misogi told a big fat lie, but since it sounded as insincere as everything else he said everybody instantly believed him. 『There’s nothing you can do about it either. The president of Hope’s Peak wields infinite power as long as they stay within school grounds, that’s what you get for being a bunch of talent obsessed bastards. 』He gestured to the student council behind him. 『These are all my accomplices who helped me execute my plan in 77-B. Oh, except for Mukuro Ikusaba. I blackmailed her by kidnapping and threatening her sister Enoshima Junko.』

Kumagawa smiled again just as fake as always. 『Enoshima Junko is just an innocent victim in all of this, but I won’t let her go either until my plan is complete.』The rest of his speech he had practiced for months beforehand in prepartion for this day, but that part he had just thrown in on a whim in order to annoy Junko. When he looked back and saw Junko biting her own lip hard to stop herself from saying anything he was satisfied.

All of the students fell into a stunned silence at once. The strange events that had been happening on campus ever since Kumagawa rrived, all connected in their minds The only person who was calm was Medaka, who took a deep breath. “Kurobako Cram school reuglation clause 159 about removing the chief from duty.”

『Kurobaku cram school?』

“Originally Hope’s Peak and Sandbox existed as one academy that studied talent. However, Izuru Kamakura the founder of Hope’s Peak, and Ajimu Najimi the founder of Sandbox had a disagreement on how they should conduct their studies of talent and left to create two separate schools. However, since they were once the same school their regulations are similiar. In this regulation, when someone demands the chief in other words the president stepd own from duty there will be a duel between the chief and the claimant to decide the next chief. In those times, they just stole each other’s positions with just a japanese sword. SO, if you want to force us out, it will become like that simple battle.” Medaka stood up to Kumagawa face to face. Her angry expression, met with his sly one. “If you use the rules to strike us, then we’ll use the rules to counter, Kumagawa Misogi.”

『You know I was just joking about having a shonen manga battle arc, but it seems like a beast girl like you won’t be satisfied with anything besides violence.』Casually he leaned against the podium looking back to his own gathered student council. He let out a puff of air as he saw the pelased expression Enoshima Junko was making, probably imagining his own demise.

“No objections right? THen from now on let the duel between the two councils be set. It’ll be an election no…”

『Did we fail… or was it as expected? Shiranui-chan?』

Zenkichi looked to the crowd where he saw Shinraui smiling, not at him but Kumagawa. He wondered if it was exactly as he feared and Shinraui had been going behind his back to meet with Kumagawa all along.

He couldn’t say anything though as Medaka finished her speech and carrying the moomentu of the moment all four of them present, Akune, Zenkichi, Medaka and Mogana, locked eyes with the ones gathered behind Kumagwa, Mukuro, Komaeda, Mikan and Junko.

“A student council battle!”

Notes:

Spoiler warning next week Kumagawa dies. The story is only halfway through, but I'm sure it will stick.

Chapter 13: Embrace Despair Like Embracing Your Lover

Summary:

Kumagawa dies in this one.

Notes:

Reference made to Levi of Pandora Hearts.

“It was me! It was all me! I’m the one who plotted to ruin this school and you couldn’t find me out because I had your two little minions wrapped around my pinky finger! You’re no match for me, Munakata!”

Junko kept quiet as everybody shuffled out of the assembly. She held it in all this time, ducking away to avoid people shouting questions at her about whether she was okay and what Kumagawa had done to her. When she finally ducked away to the student council office alone, she let it all out.

“Upupupu, it was me, memememememe upupupupupu!” She started to stomp the ground with her heels and lost herself in her laughter throwing her hands in the air and swinging them about in the rhythm of her stomping. Even though she was forcing herself to laugh all she could feel was frustration.

Then suddenly, all that was cut short when the door swung open. “What are you doing?” Mukuro asked in a concerned voice. Apparently her sister had followed her.

“Look, my villain monologuing instincts needed and outlet,” Junko dropped the overdramatic act immediately and crossed her arms as she glared back at Mukuro.

Mukuro bristled remembering what happened the last time she interrupted one of Junko’s villain monologues, and then just closed the door silently. Junko heard her sister’s footsteps down the hallway. When she was sure she was gone again she threw herself into it again wildly. “I’m the one who made the student council kill each other, Kirgiri! I remodeled your old school building under your nose the entire time, because all you paid attention to was talent! You’re an idiot who barely knows what’s going on at his own school, and I barely needed to do anything they all invited me here and the cracks were already there before I set foot in the gate. You all got too happy and complacent on hope, I am your reckoning, I was born to spread despair in a world with too much hope!”

Junko stomped the ground once more, and then spun around on one of her heels throwing her arms wide to balance her. She fell back into the student council president’s chair, and then since it was a chair on wheels pushed herself back and spun around on it too. “Upupupupupu. This’ll be fun, this’ll be fun, this will go in a direction that I don’t know anything about I’m sure, I’ll drown in despair, it’s an endless sea of enertainment, this is why I love despair! I love it! I love it so much! And that is why-” She kicked herself off the chair and stood up once more, “Those within despair should love and adore me too….” She trailed off only because she saw the door was open again and noticed Kumagawa standing in the middle of it ths time.

『Ah. Mukuro asked me to check and see if you were okay-』Realizing the situation he had walked into though, he tried to close the door only to have an ice pick be thrown his way and lodge itself in the door an centimeter to the left of his head. Junko crossed the gap between them before he could react any further, sweeping the toe of her boots underneath his legs and tripping him forward.

He crawled forward for a moment before turning around on his back. Junko already loomed over him.  She slammed the heel of her boot on his chest before he could vocalize anything. He choked on his words in his throat, as she turned her heel into one of his ribs. He finally forced a smile in reaction to this sudden turn of events.  『Enoshima-san. Oh, you’re so forceful. What, what, is my presence too noisy for you? A-are you angry? I didn’t know you felt such emotions, or perhaps you’re forcing yourself to feel something-oof.』

She stopped with the stomping and sat straight on his chest, knocking the rest of the air out of him. At least Mukuro sometimes reacted when she tossed her around, she felt like no matter what she did nothing could break that smile on his face. Junko knew that her own emotions had dulled to the point where she didn’t feel anything, but Kumagawa was worse than dull he seemed entirely empty of any emotion at all. His words always sounded insincere because everything he said or did was just an act. She wondered if she peeled off his dumb looking smiling face what she would find underneath, probably nothing at all. Her fingers hovered at the edge of his face. “As if! The only thing worthy of defeating me is a great hope. I wouldn’t feel hatred for something like you.”

『Oh, so you don’t hate me then. I’m glad.』He batted his eyes as if he were truly touched. Perhaps his skewed sensibilities really had read that as a compliment though Junko did not know.

“I feel nothing but annoyance for you. A thorn in my side that’s particularly hard to remove. It doesn’t matter how long you latch onto me though, I’m not going to suddenly grow fond of you. This isn’t that kind of story.”

『Of course not, this is a story of despair after all. Well, I don’t expect someone like you to even look at me, so the fact that you’re thinking of me at all still makes me happy.』

Junko abandoned his face and with for his collar instead, using it to shake him. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you tell I’m lying? You could believe my words and fall into despair, or you could challenge them and try to change my mind but all you do is passively accept everything with a smile.”

『Is something bothering you ? Is it because I stole all the credit for your hard work?』

She pulled at his collar again, pulling him up off the ground. “Everything was going perfectly, so despairingly perfect then you showed up. You didn’t even defeat me you just derailed everything.”

『It wasn’t my fault.』

“Do you know how frustrating you are.”

『I don’t really know. I can’t understand how others feel about me.』

“No, you’re the one whose impossible to understand. You never move the way I want you to, even when I put you in a corner you pull something like that- it’s not even hope overcoming despair though it’s just BULLSHIT! YOU JUST BULLSHIT YOUR WAY THROUGH EVERYTHING!”

『 I know all I’m doing is forcing myself in and getting in the way of things, but I can’t stop even if you want me too.』

“Why not?”

『If I stopped, if I ever moved the way you wanted me too, you’d lose what little interest you have in me. You’d find me boring. That’s why I can’t ever stop. Even if I’m annoying. Even if it eventually makes you hate me.』

Junko pulled at his collar enough to wrinkle his whole jacket, twisting it up and digging her nails into the fabric. However, her outburst calmed and when she next spoke it was in a low voice. “I don’t get you.”

『I don’t really get me either.』

“Don’t get so uppity and assume you’re somebody who can play games with me. I’m the despair queen, and since you’re so useless you don’t even qualify as a pawn.”

『Hmmm? Who died and made you queen.』

“The whole world.”

『As of now though they’re still alive.』

“That’s only because you cheated!” Her emotions rose again. It wasn’t an enjoyable kind of despair or frustration she was feeling though. The frustration that Kumagawa felt, the despair at being unable to move anything, the boring kind of despair that saw all of your actions become nothing. Not explosive like wow! Just sort of, fading away slowly. “What’s your game anyway? Just tell me straightforwardly for once what you want.”

『You’re the one not being straightforward. Calling yourself the despair queen, saying you were born to spread despair. Enoshima-san, you weren’t born for any reason at all.』Kumagawa Misogi smiled at her.『You’re just a normal girl trying to enjoy yourself, aren’t you?』

Before Junko could respond to any of that, Kumagawa Misogi suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around her. What she had been feeling a moment ago… was it frustration? Was it anger? She didn’t even know what it was, but whatever it was the tightness in her chest suddenly released with that small gesture. She didn’t feel anything of course. It’s not like something as simple as a hug could get through to her. She would not be Enoshima Junko if something like affection was all she needed to rid her synapses of the ennui caused rust. Still, all of that being said she was close enough that with SHSL analysis she could hear Kumagawa Misogi’s heart beat, and then note that both his and her own were beating extremely fast. It’s just annoyance, I can’t believe he’s touching me. She thought again.

『I’m sorry Enoshima-san. I’m trying to enjoy myself too, and this is the only way I know how. You’re right I’ll probably lose in the end, and you’ll probably win, and nothing at all will be accomplished. Even if there’s no inherent meaning in our actions though, can’t we just have a little fun in the meantime?』

Normal? It was only because his sensibilities were skewed that he found her normal, or even himself normal. Yet, it had been the first time anybody had called her that. Even her own sister made her out to be some figment of despair that only she could possibly understand. Enoshima Junko grid her teeth, and refused to return the hug, but she let it persist a few more seconds longer than she really needed to. Then finally in a voice that sounded grumpy more than anything else, she muttered. “Who exactly gave you permission to touch me?”

Kumagawa let his hands slide off of her and fell back.『You’re the one who sat on me, Enoshima-san』

“Well, I’m allowed to touch you obviously. You’re my toy. That’s what you meant when you said you wanted to have fun together, right?” Junko sat up, whatever that moment was it resolved itself in her mind already as she stood up off of him. Before she could even offer him a hand up, Kumagawa stood up on his own. “Why are you still here anyway? Did you find some other way to annoy me?”

『No. I was going to ask you something.』He dug his hand into his pocket for a moment.  『Do you want to switch places? It’s always been my dream to be a general affairs manager.』

“What, do you think I’m going to throw the match. Don’t worry, I won’t stack the deck. Unlike you I play fair I don’t need to cheat in order to win.”

『Of course Ensohima-san. I’m in awe of your genius and talent as always.』Kumagawa said, closing his eyes to smile at her.

She leaned forward, and poked at his chest with one of her pointed fingers. “What does it matter anyway? Even if I did lose my match all you need to do is win three times. You can lose twice and still win, It’s not that big of a deal.”

『Yeah, that’s how I would think about it usually too, but this time it feels different.』His hand tightened on whatever he was holding in his pocket.  『I’ll probably give up halfway through, and this resolve is just as shaky as all my other ones but… I feel like this time I can’t lose not even once.』

Enoshima Junko finally smiled. The grin that showed all of her teeth, almost like a plotting cartoon character. A grin of really enjoying herself. As she figured out at that instant one small detail about Kumagawa. The pices clicking in her head was not what made her smile though, as she never drew satisfaction from figuring things out it was always too easy for her. Rather, it was imagining what would happen far down the line as she realized even for someone like Kumagawa there was an unacceptable loss. “Oh, I see. You act like you’re cool with losing, but this time you really don’t want to lose something, huh? You especially don’t want to lose it to Medaka. Fine, I’ll take the president’s battle because you’re such a coward that can’t face Medaka directly.”

『Thank you, Enoshima-san. You’re so kind.』Kumagawa smiled at the insult as usual.『I won’t even let it get to the president’s battle, I’ll win in three.』

“Sure, and I’ll start singing the praises of hope if that happens and convert to the side of love and peace for all.” Junko said, still smiling but her voice highly sarcastic.

『You’re right, I’ll probably lose. In fact, even though Zenkichi-chan is the weakest opponent on that side I might even die by him before I even have the chance to face Medaka-chan.』

Junko’s smile softened for a moment. She moved closer to Kumagawa then either of them seemed prepared for and looked at him quite seriously with both eyes, meeting his. He blinked in confusion, but did not look away. “Senpai, if you were to die…” She put a hand on his chest for a moment, only to push him away. “I’d seriously laugh! Upupupu!”  With that she cracked up so hard she fell forward and needed to hold onto Kumagawa’s uniform for support.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

A week later and most of the students had left campus for summer break. Those that remained either had no place to go back to, or because of a lingering curiousity at the fight that seemed to break out between two student councils. The eerie peace of the academy seemed to have gotten to them, and Kumagawa’s ridiculous claims in front of the all student assembly made them believe that this was like watching a manga where heroes clashed against villains.

Neither hero nor villain, Shiranui Hansode had drawn a crowd in the middle of the cafeteria jsut rom how much she was eating. Bowls were stacked up in front of her in multiple piles. She took a bite from a drum stick and ripped the meat off with her teeth alone like she was a wild animal. Makoto Naegi who happened to be walking by at the time was caught up in the spectacle too of this strange sight. She’s the ultimate eater, right? But she’s so small, even I couldn’t eat that much and I’m a growing boy. People with talent sure are weird. He thought. Makoto was merely passively observing though. He felt somebody pushed past him forcefully as well as the rest of the crowd. He caught their face and recognized it, Zenkichi HItoyoshi the boy he had run into by coincidence a week ago. The smile from his face had faded though, and he looked overworked, his face covered in sweat and he held his jacket over his shoulder.

Shiranui seemed to recognize him too, and called out to him before he was even in front of her. “Yahoo! Hitoyoshi! What’s up? It looks you just ran all the way here! ☆ You been working hard or something?”  She smiled, food still covering her face.

“Shiranui… you… Why?” Zenkichi grit his teeth in anger the exact same way Medaka had on stage in front of everybody. Makoto wondered how much he was holding back talking through gritted teeth like that.

None of that anger even seemed to register with Shiranui. “Sit down first? How about having a meal with me? We’re friends, right?”

Zenkichi slammed his hand on the table, causing the towers of used plates to shake but not fall over. “Why did you help Kumagawa? You’re the one who gave him that plan right? You’ve been meeting with him in secret all along? There’s a reason right? Did they threaten you to make you work for them or something?”

“Ahya! Hya ☆ ! You just wanted to say that? You’re so predictably dull as usual. I came to them on my own, of course. Did you forget it? That’s how I’ve always been, I exist to cause the princess trouble.” She met his anger and confusion with a smile, like a true minus would.

“Then, the reason you’re with the minus student coucil, is of your own free will?”

Shirnaui closed her eyes. “Of course. What of it?”

All of the anger seemed to evaporate within Zenkichi in an instant, and his whole body relaxed. He let out a puff of air and then smiled at her. The same smile he had shown Makoto. “I see. Then it’s fine.”

This time Shiranui did not smile back at him and act like nothing he said affected her. Her eyebrows raised, and she looked at him with big empty eyes. “H-hey, wait! It’s not that simple!” She finally snapped slamming her hands down on the table next.

Before she could finish though, Zenkichi grabbed a broken piece of bread and shoved it in her mouth. “If you did it on your own, then you’re obviously planning to swallow something up right? I like that part of you after all, so I won’t ask you anything but just remember this. Even if you’re my enemy, you’re still my friend. Let’s go eat Yakiniku and enjoy ourselves when it’s over.”  He threw his coat again over his shoulder, and walked away calmly.

Shiranui simply let the bread hang out of her mouth, saying nothing. Slowly, she reached up for it, no longer feeling hungry. “Oh my, do try and do something about that part of you that won’t abandon hope no matter what. Hitoyoshi, you’re more naive than someone else. Swallow someone? Ahya-hya ☆ ! But I can’t swallow someone like you.”   There’s no way I can stomach something so sweet.

Makoto watched the whole interaction, and Shiranui’s playful face suddenly melt away to reveal her blush. The whole week he had been waffling with what he saw at the student council assembly. In a moment though, seeing Zenkichi’s resolve made him strengthen his own.   That Hitoyoshi, he’s a normal guy just like me right? Then why am I hesitating?

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Kumagawa-kun.” Makoto called out as Kumagawa walked alone with his hands in his pockets. People had been avoiding him like the plague ever since he interrupted the class assembly, so it was easy to find him alone like this.

『Hmm, it’s Makoto-chan. What is it? Did you come to bother to chatterbox king? Do you want to have a conversational saiyan battle.』

“What? No dude. Stop saying weird shit. What exactly were you doing in front of the student council? Why’d you just go ahead and do that all on your own.”

『That? That was like a week ago Makoto-chan. If you wanted to confront me about that shouldn’t you have done it right away?』

“I was… ever since I saw you stand up there and claim to want to destroy the whole school I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t make sense at all with what I knew of you. This entire week I’ve been going back and forth trying to understand if it was true or not, and I couldn’t find my resolve until…”

『So you just waited until your resolve dropped out of the sky? You confronted me when it was convenient for you? That’s not very heroic, Makoto-chan.』

“Who cares about heroics? I didn’t want to hate you right away even when you were acting so evil in front of everybody because… because you were my friend.” Makoto shouted it out for all to hear, even though it was just the two of them standing alone. He felt like the moment he did, all of his confusion about Kumagawa vanished. “That’s why… it’s a lie right. There’s no way you could actually want to destroy the school. I want to have faith in you.”

Kumagawa heard his kind words. However, as a minus they seemed much more absurd to him than the way somebody like Junko would express herself only through insults and negativity. He tilted his head in confusion.『We’re friends? Since when? It’s not like we hang out or anything. Well, I’m just going to blindly believe in you because you’re my friend and hope things work out for the best is something that only works out in shonen manga.』

“It’s not blind! I’ve been watching you since you came here. You’ve always helped me out with Mukuro, and… and…There’s no way I can believe you’d be the one blackmailing her." 

『So this isn’t about me, it’s about Mukuro-chan? Since when have you two become so close? Do you love her, is that it?』

Makoto’s face turned red, and he looked down at his shoes. “I… I…” He scratched at the back of his head suddenly, messing up his hair even further.

『Actually, I doubt that. Loving somebody would require trying. You’ve never needed to do that. Because all of the kids in your class are weirdoes who are starved for affection, all you’ve needed to do was show up at a few key times, and listen, and they’ll mistake your normal self for something special. Hey, I bet Mukuro-chan isn’t the only one you’ve had romantic moments with. What about Sakura-chan and Kiyoko-chan? Are you close to all three of them? Are you trying to build yourself a harem?』

“N-no. There’s no way those girls could be interested in someone like me.”

『Yeah. That’s exactly it. It’s easier for you to go through life stumbling blind because things usually work out for you. You downplay yourself so you don’t have to try to be anything else. It’s easier to be a harem protagonist who everybody loves just for being an average guy, rather than a romance protagonist who has to try, right?』

“Wh-why are you talking about this kind of thing right now? It’s way too embarrassing and… I thought you said this wasn’t a manga. Just please tell me why you’re causing all this trouble, Kumagawa-kun.” 

『It’s because I want to enjoy my highschool days, the same as everybody else. 』Kumagawwa said, finally turning to face Makoto with a smile. Makoto saw nothing at all in that smile though. It was nothing like the warm smile that Zenkichi gave, it was absolutely frigid. Makoto felt his hands started to shiver with the cold.

“Y-you’re so selfish. You’re just screwing around with everybody to get your kicks then!” 

『That’s right, and here you are, incapable of opposing that selfishness. I left your memories of Hope’s Peak destruction in tact and what did you do with it? You didn’t even do a single thing to try to prevent it from being destroyed a second time around. Now and then, you try to let others open up to you, but you don’t assert yourself, you don’t actively pursue them you let them come to you. Don’t you think it’s about time you make up your mind, about what it is you want? Or are you satisfied with being an onlooker. 』He put his pockets and turned away once more. 『Well, I guess that’s an option. If you really wanted to save Mukuro-chan you could challenge me, but even a loser like me wouldn’t lose to a half ass like you.』

Kumagawa walked off and Makoto could not think of anything more to say. He saw Kumagawa’s image disappear all alone and raised his hand up to reach for the disappearing silhouette but could not bring himself to pursue him. What’s the difference? What’s the difference between Zenkichi-chan and I? How does he keep smiling so confidently. Unfortanately, that was an answer Makoto could not find sulking all on his own, but that was all he could summon the willpower to do.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The day had arrived, but the minus class was late at usual while they waited at the appointed meeting place. Not only that, but Zenkichi was late as well. Munakata, gripping his katana finally spoke up something that had been on his mind. “Kurokami, it’s been one week but we haven’t thought of a better plan. Our only option is to sacrifice the General Affair’s Manager battle and Zenkichi. I don’t want to temper that hope of yours but… sacrifices are necessary things. All we need to do is worry about the war, not every single battle.”

Medaka stayed silent as she thought it over. Just then, Zenkichi burst in through the door. “You shouldn’t even need to ask a question like that. Even if it would spare my life there’s no way I could run away from a fight for Medaka-chan’s sake. Even if it’s just a sacrifice, or a hopeless fight, struggle to the end so you can win the war. That’s hope, right?”

Munakata looked up, his chilled gaze acknowledging Zenkichi. This time though it was Medaka to speak. “Hmmph. It’s been a long time since you last got serious like this, Zenkichi. There’s no way we can think of this in terms of it’s acceptable to lose one or two fights. We need to win it in three. Therefore, you’ll bring us the first battle’s victory.” She took a step towards him, they faced each other each stranding strong and tall. “Do your best. Make people realize that I wasn’t wrong in make you my general affair’s manager.”

Zenkichi smiled at her. “I will. I’ll make you realize that I’m the only one who can be your general affairs manager.”

Like a raincloud that existed exactly to fall on that moment, Kumagawa Misogi finally walked in to the mostly empty hall. He saw Zenkichi, Medaka, Naze and Koga were already gathered, all wearing red. Munakata looked at Kumagawa, who immediately averted his eyes.

“I see.” He dropped his katana sheathe to his side and walked out of the room, not even ackonwledging Kumagawa as he passed by. “I’m off then.”

『Did I make him mad? I’m sorry for being late, Medaka-chan.』The only reason Kumagawa found this place was because they had emptied ohung a piece of printer paper with ‘Student Council Election Hall’ on classroom 2-B in the old school building. That was not the only reason he was late though, as he had been walking his nose was buried in a volume of manga, specifically the fourth volume of ‘The Depressed Negakura-kun’『Oh, you guys are wearing red I’m sure that will look great in color if you make it to the cover of shonen jump.』

As he walked past them slowly and then lazily took a seat on the opposite side of the room, Medaka watched him closely her eyes following him with every step. “Kumagawa… you… you’re here alone?”

『That’s right. I sure am unpopular, aren’t I? The other Minus-es and despairs are all bathing at the beach and stuff to enjoy the summer holiday. They pushed off all the work on me just because I’m the untalented one.』

“That’s not fair, Senpai. I’m here too.” Junko said, suddenly sitting next to Kumagawa. There were seats all across the table enough to fit both parties, but she had chosen the seat next to him. “Did you forget about me? You’re being a shitty senpai as usual.”

Medaka blinked. Enoshima Junko had entered the room without her even noticing it. At the assembly Kumagawa claimed she was an innocent but everything Kumagawa said was a lie. She didn’t seem like a girl who others could force to do something she didn’t want to do either. “You. Are you really Kumagawa’s hostage? Why are you getting close to a guy like him.”

『Why does Zenkichi spend all his time following around a beast like you? We’re opposite souls, Medaka-chan.』

“What does that mean?”

『I’m an M and she’s an S. So we just happen to work well together.』

Enoshima Junko suddenly grabbed his cheek between her two pointed fingernails and pulled hard on the side of his face, reducing Kumagawa to a few ‘Ow, Ow, Ouches’ and cries of ‘My face’. “This guy doesn’t speak for me. This old grudge of yours… doesn’t have anything to do with me. Just consider me a watcher.”

“Wait a sec, Kumagawa. Stop looking at that girl and turn your face this way. Is the reason you and her came, is because you’re participating in the general affairs manager instead of her by any chance?”

『It’s not by any chance because I planned to do it from the get go, Medaka-chan. I have dreamed of becoming a manager of general affairs a long time ago. I always hoped you would acknowledge me as one and invite you on your student council one day.』Kumagawa said, turning his head and smiling towards her just like she asked him to. His words and smile were so horrifying in combination with his uara that she quickly regretted asking. 『So, today I’ll be in your cafe Zenkichi-chan! Let’s have a serious and fair battle!』

In a moment she cleared the distance between them. Her hands balled up his uniform and lifted him from his seat. Her face was centimeters away from him, holding back anger, but all he did was keep smiling like he was oblivious to it. “Someone like you… how could it turn out to be like this? Ku! Ma! Ga! Wa!”

『I don’t understand people, but I understand beasts even less. Why are you angry, Medaka-chan? Is it because you can’t fight anymore? Or is it because Zenkichi is now in a pinch? You had such confidence a moment ago.』

“Those reasons included… but I was also referring to everything!!! Everything about you is irritating! I can’t understand even a single bit of what goes on in your head!! Killing all the elites? Destroying Sandbox? The School of hope? What are you going to accomplish with those things?”

Kumagawa merely smiled., the same as he always did. It was getting a bit redundant to describe at this point.『Sorry, Medaka-chan. I don’t care if you understand me or not. I don’t want to be one of your beloved humans.』

“I don’t want to believe in what Munakata said. That despair infects people and makes them sub human. Whether elite, abnormal or in despair, they’re all humans just like us? They all feel happy and sad. There’s no way anybody could fall that far.”

『Is that so? Then, I’ll be happy to show you how far I can fall. I don’t want you to fight me, because I hate you, so if you’re going to keep trying to understand me. Stand there and watch me pin Zenkichi-chan to the floor, closely and carefully.』He finally dislodged himself from Medaka’s hands quite easily, and slid a hand into one of his pockets. 『Besides, I’m sure the readers want to see Enoshima-san and you fight much more than you and I. They’ll all be looking forward to is, so let’s just get this battle between useless people out of the way already.』

“Ku! Ma! Ga! Wa!”

Enoshima Junko was the only one to notice it. She felt a little bit disappointed that Medaka was always riled up so easily and caught off guard at times like this. Suddenly in between the two of them a white haired man, with a thick forelock bang and a blindfold covering his eyes appeared between the two of them holding out two hands. She recognized the picture of Choujabaru Tokemichi that she had seen a week ago at their meeting. “It’s time now, so let us begin. First, I deeply appreciate you for coming all the way here in spite of your business. PLease allow me to introduce myself. I’ll be in charge of the student council this time. I’m the ultimate election official, Choujabaaru Tokemichi. I’m glad to work with both sides even for just this one summer.”

“It has been a long time, 2nd year Choujabaru. I’m surprised you followed us to this school.”

“It was unexpected, I didn’t think my president would pass over the oppurtunity. Moreover, I didn’t think I could be in charge of your election for a second time like this.” He took a bow in front of her. “Even if our school is currently dissolved and only eleven of us are here, I swear upon the pride of a member of the election management division I’ll give you a fair judgement.”

Enoshima Junko looked back at Kumagawa for a moment. “Aren’t you going to throw a screw at this guy or something?”

『You can’t just randomly attack people with screws, that would be rude Enoshima-san. I’d never do something like that.』

Junko raised her hand politely, then just said whatever she wanted to say as usual. “Hey, question for somebody who isn’t really used to your weirdo abnormal logic. Why exactly is this guy the judge?”

Naze, the professional on abnormals spoke up crossing her arms. “Well, Choujabaru-kun is really the only one suited for it. He’s just like his name, a strict person like that is rare nowadays. No pressure can affect his judgeent. It’ll be perfectly fair. Impossibly impartial! That’s his abnomality, he’s abnormally straight laced.”

Ensohima Junko sighed. “Really, how boring. I was hoping he’d have manga like powers like, Senpai.”

Zenkichi who had been silent the entire time finally spoke up. “Whatever. We’re wasting too much time talking. It’ll be easier for me if Kumagawa is my opponent! Much easier than having to deal with somebody I don’t know. So medaka-chan you can just stay impossibly cocky and soldily calm as usual.”

“Zenkichi…” medaka said, her eyes snapping back to him and his voice softening.

“Hey Kumagawa, you’re right. I don’t know, or want to know why you’re doing this, or why you became this way. You also don’t think that people will understand you if you stay cheeky like that. That’s why we’re perfect for each other, let’s just fight. I’ll crush you so you can lose and be kicked out of this school.”

Kumagawa smiled, at the exact same time Zenkichi scowled at him.

“Then, let’s start the first battle of the student council election. The manager of general affairs battle. By the way please keep in ind that this election is based on Kurobako Cram School’s rules. It’s just that using Edo Period’s regulation as it was is rather impossible, so I’ll arrange the rules with my own judgement to adapt to this academy. Kurokami-sama, Kumagawa-sama do you have any objections.”

“No objection.”

『No objection.』

“Excellent! Furthermore, in case there be injury or death. All will be dealt as accidents, do you have any objection?”

『No objection.』

“... No objection.”

“Wait is this like a death game we’re getting into with the school’s approval? Is it really that easy?” Enoshima Junko asked, but everybody ignored her too caught up in the moment.

“Excellent! Then first Kumagawa-sama who is the challenger please choose the form of the battle. There are 13 forms of battle for the election this time, based on Kurobako’s rules. Kumagawa-sama please choose one of the cards you’d like.”

He threw the cards he drew out of his pocket onto the table, and they landed in perfect rows and columns three by four with one card on the top. The cards read in order, Person, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, SHeep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar.

Casually with his hands still in his pockets, Kumagawa chose without thinking about it at all. 『Then I choose “Mi.” Let’s go with the snake which deceived mankind.』

“I understand. As expected from Kumagawa-sama. Only you would choose this card from the very beginning. THe manager of general affairs battle mode will be viper’s den.” He turned the card around, ‘Snake’s Lair’ was written on the back of the card. “This is the most cruel mode of battle we have prepared this time.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

All of them moved to the basement. The old school building was much bigger than any of the sandbox kids, or even Kumagawa had expected it to be. Junko walked over to the edge of a square pit ten, by ten, by ten meters and saw that the bottom was filled with snakes. “Oh, you guys found the snake pit. I’m sure whoever built the snake pit will want you to take care of it, because they put a lot of effort into making a snake pit behind the principal’s back in case they wanted to use it later for reasons.”

Suddenly behind her, and looking over her shoulder Kumagawa spoke up.『Enoshima-san, aren’t you usually a little more subtle than this.』Junko did not even bother to banter back with him this time, she just elbowed ta him to get him to back off.

Zenkichi and Kumagawa had already walked onto the netting, as Choujabaru explained the rules of the viper’s den. As the vipers would not discriminate between plus or minus, hope or despair, Kumagawa or Zenkichi were not allowed to use any of the supernatural abilities called skills. Kumagawa clarified that he could throw his screws around, but not make them appear anywhere but his hands so they’d be nothing more than normal weapons. Struggle and struggle but only fall down further on a net that was not fixed to the poles. Struggle until you fall to the bottom, and then get eaten by the snakes underneath as a reward for your pointless struggles. Kumagawa had drawn a fitting card indeed.

The winning condition for Kumagawa was stealing the armband and for Zenkichi it was making Kuamgawa say ‘I give up.’ Before they separated on the netting, Kumagawa suddenly threw an arm around Zenkichi and whispered something that only they could hear. 『Hey, I changed my mind. I want to be understood by someone like you after all, Zenkichi-chan. You were talking so big, but if you just turn a blind eye to despair you’ll never defeat it.』He let go of Zenkichi and spun away, turning his feet with confidence. 『There’s no defeating despair at all, actually. Your only choice is to embrace it. Embrace despair like embracing your lover.』

As he said that, Enoshima Junko felt a chill go through her, but crossed her arms to ignore it. She watched the back of Kumagawa as he stepped away with a strange and twisted confidence to walk to the opposite side of the netting and turn and face Zenkichi again. 『If you do that, then you can finally understand a guy like me.』

“Zenkichi-chan’s facing him down rather confidently. I wonder why he’s drenched in sweat it’s like he’s been training to the bone all the way up ot the last minute. I wonder whose been teaching him for this last week-” Naze Youka began.

Before she could finish though Enoshima Junko interrupted. “Was it you? Ugh, we’re not going to do that thing where people just sit on the sidelines and talk the whole time. I don’t really care about what training Zen-whoever went through, can’t you just let the fighting speak for itself.”

“You’re no fun.” Naze Youka said, pouting suddenly. She hid behind Itami Koga so Junko would not see how much her interruption had affected her.

『She’s right, I’d hate to bore Enoshima-san so let’s being already shall we? Although, just taking the armband is no fun. I guess I’ll play around with Zenkichi-chan a little first.』Kumagwaa picked up two screws from thin air, then suddenly lept forward faster than Junko had ever seen him move.

Beofre he could even reach Znekichi though, Zenkichi raised his foot up and slammed down hard onto Kumagawa’s shoulder. His momentum was canceled at once, and Kumagwawa fell forward dropping the screws from his hand. The imapct rattled the whole cage, and they fell five centimeters down.

“Hey, what? Hitoyoshi is fighting normally isn’t he?”

“I said no side chatter. I’m trying to watch. I don’t care what bit you two have prepared.” Enoshima Junko spoke up a second time.

This time it was Koga who was intimidated and hid behind Naze.

Kumagawa stood up on his own looking like a man possessed. His bones popped and creaked under the strain of trying to stand up as his back twisted and then righted itself again, and one of his hands pushed up from the netted floor. 『I wonder if my collarbone is broken and went into my lungs, this will cause after effects for the rest of my life. If only I could make this wound disappear right? Oh well. It’s more fun to wildly thrash about in pain.』He grabbed his shoulder and forcibly popped it back into place. The noise was so loud it made the spectators wince, all except Enoshima who merely smirked a little.

With his one remaining hand, he picked up a screw and charged forward again. This time rather than his shoulder, it was his face that was caught by Zenkichi’s shoe. All of his momentum reflected backwards in an instant, and he fell back. The cage rattled again, and fell down five centimeters more.

“C-can I please explain what’s going on?” Naze asked nervously.

“Why, I already figured it out.” Enoshima Junko kept her eyes on Kumagwa the entire time, not even turning around to notice the rest of them.

“What about for everybody else?”

“Fine, twenty words or less.”

She has the exact same type of strong personality as sister. Naze Youka thought, and then looked to all the other Sandbox kids she had brought with them. She carefully thought of the quickest explanation possible, a little sad she didn’t get to have her big moment because of this stranger present. “I taught him how to blind fight so instead of having to clear his trauma, Zenkichi could just block out-”

“That’s all twenty words explanation over!”

Koga, feeling bad for Naze, wrapped her arms around her best friend. Enoshima was not paying attention though as she had already noticed a long time ago before anybody else. Zenkichi while kicking Kumagawa about wildly, had been fighting with closed eyes the entire time.

Kumagawa’s body went limp, and he endured a four kick combo from Zenkichi. This time however, when he flew backwards instead of being thrown like a ragdoll he landed in a courched position, still on his feet.

“Do you understand now, Kumagawa-senpai? It’s not about embracing you or not, from the start the likes of despair wasn’t even in my sight.”

『...My, my how cruel of you to ignore me, who’s standing in front of you. If this is running in Weely Shonen Jump, than this one sided bullying scene should be regulated.』 His uniform was already starting to look beaten and worn. He was smiling, but from the sides of his mouth trails of blood were leaking out. As alwys though when he was beaten like this, he just kept charging ahead forward. He stood up, even though both of his elbow joints looked like they had been stretched past the limit and forced to become double jointed from trauma. The screws he was trying to hold up swung about in unnatural ways. 『I already told you, you can’t turn a blind eye towards despair, because even if you can’t see my horrifying appearance, you can still hear my horrifying voice, right?』

As he rushed forward though, once again before he could even make contact a kick swiped him out of the air and sent him backwards. Through gritted teeth and closed eyes, Zenkichi faced him. “Yeah, of course I can kumagawa. Your voice reveals your location, it’s perfect for me.”

Blood falling out of the side of his mouth as he fell backwards, Kumagawa quickly slammed his feet down to steady himself. He grit his teeth to keep his mouth shut. Even so, the moment he let up Zenkichi came after him with another kick.

“Even if I can’t hear or see you, I can still feel your disgusting existence through my skin! Kumagagawaaaa!” Four more kicks in combination, he Kumagawa felt them hit his shoulders, and then his lower ribs.

Broken bones dug deeper itno his lungs, he coughed up blood and then suppressed the cough. The will to stand up in his body drained, and he felt light headed suddenly and fell backwards. Zenkichi did not even let up then, crashing his foot right in the middle of his chest and standing over him. “Right, I need to make Kumagawa surrender. You can’t use your minus to make those injuries go away, and I’ve sealed all your movements. There’s no way you can win.”

『This is the part where I surrender like always, right?』Kumagawa closed his eyes as if he were giving up. In the next moment, he picked up and threw a screw that drove itself straight into Zenkichi’s shoulder, and propelled him backwards. 『Sorry but, if I always do the same thing over and over again I’ll get boring.』

Even beaten up with his uniform torn in pieces, he stood up on his own once more. Zenkichi staggered back and felt the screw in his skin, reaching up for it and trying to remove it. It occurred to him in a moment that something was different. It was Kumagawa’s tendency to let himself get beaten up and suddenly change the mood but something felt off.

『Even though we’re former friends from the same middle school, you sided with a guy like Munakata over me? That hurts just a little bit, Zenkichi-chan. I can’t agree with that guy at all. Despair isn’t so bad you know. It’s like, without despair to compare it too there wouldn’t be any hope.』

“I already told you to shut up!” Zenkichi said, kicking forward like he had all the previous times.

However, even with his body in its broken state Kumagawa began to move his way in between the wild kicks easily. A foot flew by his face and he merely smirked. He saw Zenkichi’s leg moved in wide arcs in the air, and then ducked and weaved his way through it, until suddenly he stood behind Zenkichi. 『Since you’re being no fun, I’m not going to play with you anymore. Actually, from the start I was hoping for a battle where I couldn’t use my all fiction. Getting injured this badly, dulls my pain for what’s to come next.』

“Wh-what are you talking about? You were just screwing around like you always do.” he threw his fist around to meet Kumagawa’s face behind him, only for Kumagawa to side step again and for Zenkichi to carry too much momentum with that blow causing him to trip over his own feet and fall face first.

『Aha, that’s right. I am just having fun. The weak feeble useless Zenkichi-chan, licking the floor suits you well.』He drew his hands out of his pockets and held them up in the air. 『If you won’t let me have fun, then as revenge I’m going to steal your moment. This time, I’ll look like the cool main character struggling to win against all odds and you’ll be the loser.』

“What are you talking about?”

『It’s like you said, you don’t need to understand because I’m not even talking to you.』Kumagawa suddenly straightened up and raised his voice. Zenkichi cracked open his eyes to see that Kumagawa was yelling to the single person watching him on the opposite side of the pit. That strange girl in the pigtails that seemed a lot like Medaka. 『Enoshima-san! I had lots of fun! At first I thought you were a spoiled brat that was nothing but trouble. I was right, you’re so much trouble I’ve barely had time to breathe since meeting you. It’s been nothing but awful times, Komaeda dropped steel beams on me, Mikan cut me up real good with a scalpel, Mukuro shot me full of lead, at first it was nothing but despair, but…enduring that despair, something unexpected happened. It’s because of the troublesome you that I was able to make precious memories for the first time. 』

“Huh?” Enoshima Junko tilted her head. “What kind of scene is this? It’s almost like you’re-”

『I was really happy when you told me my death would make you feel despair. Until then I thought nobody would care if I died. I love you, Junko-chan.』

She remembered their conversation from a week ago when Kumagawa casually joked about his own death. How long… how long was he planning to die? Why didn’t she see this scene coming.

Before she could say or do anything else, Kumagawa Misogi jumped wildly up and down in the air like a child throwing a tantrum. Zenkichi scrambled to his feet but the meshed cage floor was already sinking.

『From the start of the fight I’ve been thinking. If you’re surrounded by snakes, and shot up with painful venom than you won’t be able to track my movements.』Kumagawa crouched down ready to move once the cage hit the floor. 『This is the only match I could ever win against someone like you, Zenkichi-chan. Let’s make it a test of enduring pain.』

Then the cage hit the bottom. Immediately disturbed the vipres all swelled up through the holes in the netting at once. They wrapped around Zenkichi and Kumagawa, but Kumagawa anticipating it rushed forward. He felt the snakes biting into his skin, it was like tens fo tiny needles piercing him at once from every angle.

Ignore it. You’ve been hurt worse before. He tried to rush forward with all the determination in his body, reaching for the arm band around Zenkichi’s arm. His fingers wrapped around it, and for a second he thought he had it, until suddenly two hands reached out to grab his wrists. “Haha! To think that a guy like you was able to try something cool like this. It’s not that much, but it’s enough.”

『Get out of my way. I… I... 』Kumagawa started to tug visiously hoping to tear the fabric.

Zenkichi finally opened his eyes and looked at Kumagawa for the first time. “I could never understand a guy like you, but at least we can die together. I’m a little impressed, I won’t mind going to see hell together, Kumagawa-senpai.”

Zenkichi died right there with a smile on his face.

Kumagawa reached forward with the last of his strength to give the armband a final tug. He heard the fabric ripping finally, but before he could tear it away entirely his fingers suddenly went cold and then the rest of him.

Kumagawa collapsed, still reaching forward. 『N… no… No I’m going to win. Not even once… I won’t lose.. I won’t let you take away… from me...this place... won't go back...not even a single centimeter. I will...』Scowling, Kumagwa Misogi died right after him. His fingers fell away uselessly having grabbed onto nothing.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kumagawa’s eyes opened and he saw a classroom in front of him. A cute girl watched him sitting on the teacher’s desk, chin in her hand, she smiled, smugly. "Looks like you lost again, Kumagawa-kun.”

Kumagawa immediately stood up and kicked over the desk he was sitting on. Silently he walked forward and bashed his fist against the chalkboard hard enough to send a crack that ran all the way through it.

“That’s no good you know. Are you going to throw a temper like your in middle school days? This isn’t just some useless stock classroom. This is your heart, if you break things in here you’ll just come out more twisted.”

Kumagawa ignored her, resting both of his hands against the wall and then bashing his head. He left a sizeable dent in the chalkboard, and his blood erased the cute cartoon bear that had been drawn on it.

“Do you want to relax and lay down in my lap? I’ll comfort you just like old times.”  Kumagawa ignored her, moving already towards the door. “You’re being stingy. If you ignore me, I’m going to play around behind your back just to get your attention again.”

Kumagawa stopped just short of the door. 『What are you talking about? You can’t do something like that. Nobody else remembers you but me.』

“It’s not fair though. You’re playing around on me. I mean look at you, you’re laying down in another girl’s lap right in front of me. How shameless are you?”

Kumagawa blinked, not understanding a little more than usual.『What?』

“You looked so confused. You really don’t understand other people’s feelings at all. That’s why you made that cute girl cry.”  

She reached up and touched his face. Kumagawa flinched away at first, but realized that she was wiping something away. He felt something cool on his face. It felt like it was raining. He reached his own hand up to feel it.

Before he could, Ajimu poked playfully at his nose. “You tried to act cool, but all you did was thrash about uselessly and accomplish nothing like you normally do. That’s why this time when you go back, however the student council battle turns out just don’t make Junko-chan cry anymore.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Oi, Senpai. Just get up like you normally do. You weren’t supposed to die this early on.” Enoshima shook Kumagawa Misogi’s corpse. It had been fished out of the snake pit as an emergency measure and brought to her. Unlike Zenkichi whose heart merely stopped and was in a state of shock, Kumagawa had already died.

She didn’t need super highschool analysis to tell, his body was colder than usual. In the background that beast like girl was screaming but she had blocked it all out. Suddenly the world only consisted of Kumagawa and her.

She had promised she would laugh right? This scene was exactly like that scene alone in the old school building where she stomped and stomped until she became covered in blood. She couldn’t joke about that scene either.

“How am I supposed to feel despair, if you just die suddenly out of nowhere? You're not allowed to kill yourself... Come on, get up again… Get up…” She shook his body, and it became a testament to how lifeless it was that there was no resistance at all. She pulled his head up and let it rest on her lap. “Come on Senpai, you’re not supposed to lose to a lame guy like that. You were supposed to be crushed by Medaka at the climax of an arc. I’m not going to feel anything if you give me some half assed speech and then kill yourself… I’m not going to…” Suddenly, she felt something wet drip uncontrollably from one of her eyes. Carelessly, tears spilled forward onto his face. Kumagawa gave no reaction at all. A time longer than words could describe passed in complete silence, at least to Junko. Rain continued to fall on Kumagawa without disturbing him. On a whim she could not describe with words she leaned in close to his face. Then.

『If you don’t want me to die so badly, then why don’t you just collect the dragon balls and revive me?』Kumagawa Misogi asked her suddenly. His eyes were already open, and he looked up to see her crying face, and then looked down to see that his head was in her lap.『Ah wait, did I not revive myself right? There’s no way Ensohima-san could be crying over someone like me, or letting me sit in her lap.』

Junko’s face froze. Tears continued to fall, even with Kumagawa suddenly waking up and saying stupid banter like he normally did.

『Still, complaining because my death didn’t cause you enough despair. How selfish can you get?』

Suddenly she threw her arms around him. For a moment, it looked like a hug, and then she started to shake him about. “You! Big! Liar! What the hell was all of that for?”

『Ahhhh! I never told you that killing me would neutralize all fiction, you just assumed that on your own. I was planning to prank you on that one of these days. Well, how about it did you laugh?』

“Obviously not.”

『You didn’t have any fun at all? Come on just give this battle a rating between one and ten.』

“Square root of negative one.”

『That’s no good Enoshima-san. You know I’m not good at math.』He pouted and leaned his head back down on her lap without invitation. Usually that would be an invitation for snapping his neck, but there was soemthing on her mind so she let it go.

“So was all that stuff you said beforehand just a joke?”

『Uhhhh--』Before he could answer, he heard the roar of a beast in the background.

“Zenkichiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

『Awe man. Medaka-chan can’t read the atmosphere as usual.』He sat up again, looking at Tokemichi just barely able to hold the rampaging Medaka back. If it had not been for the game balancing of a diligent narrator, she might have accessed mars mode and gone berserk on everybody present.  Kumagawa sat up finally on his own, but did not move from Enoshima’s side. 『She always overreacts like this when you kill one or two of her little friends.』

Junko leaned her head on his shoulder. “Really, I didn’t think she would be one of those over sensitive types. What a drama queen.”

『Well, there’s no helping it. I’ll just bring Zenkichi back so she doesn’t kill all of us here there’s no dealing with a beast like-』Before he could even use all fiction. Suddenly, Zenkichi sat up on his own as well.

“Hitoyoshi!” Medaka changed in an instant and dove towards hugging him.

“Huh? I’m still alive! Medaka-chan!”

“Yeah, you’re alive Zenkichi!”

“Way to ruin the despair.” Junko complained and then puffed out her cheeks to pout. Before anything else could be said though, Kumagawa’s face suddenly twisted up in a sour expression. Everybody present found their eyes drawn to him. The always smiling seemingly emotinoless man, being overcome with emotion for the first time.

『It wasn’t me...』He muttered in a low voice. Then he remembered what was said to him in his dying dream.『Oh, it was her work. Right? I see.』Even Junko had turned to watch his angered face, watching closely with curiosity. Her anticipation was cut off though, when he reached his hand over his face and wiped away the scowl returning to his usual smiling face. 『Welcome back, Zenkichi-chan. How was it? Meeting your girlfriend after such a long time?』

“What? Girlfriend? What are you talking about?”

『It’s fine if you don’t understand. I don’t really care about this battle anymore. My job’s done.』Kumagawa merely sat their on the ground, Enoshima leaning against him. She looked confused for a moment, but then as usual she figured it out on her own and just decided to watch things play out.  

In the same way, Medaka and Zenkichi were leaning against one another. Both looking entirely exhausted, Zenkichi with most of his torso covered in bandages from the rushed medical treatment. Zenkichi finally sighed, the tension draining from his body and giving way to more exhaustion. “I don’t think either of us won.”

Behind him, Tokemichi crossed his arms. “Neither player surrendered, but the stage was destroyed. By technicality it’s a double knockout.”

『See, even if I fight seriously there’s no way I can win. That’s what it’s like to be a minus, maybe I should just give up now and be comforted by Enoshima-san.』

“If you do something like that I’ll get bored of you quick, senpai.” Junko said, playing along. “Since you don’t seem to be good at this whole mastermind thing let me give you a tip. This is the part where you explain your plan in monologue form.”

『Is that what I’m supposed to do? I’ll do my best. If the battles continue like this we’ll definitely lose to Kouki-chan and Kikaijima-san. That’s why we decided, to have them withdraw. Kouki-chan and Kikajima-san are in the middle of a training camp right? In the old gym, following the orders of Maguro-chan and Munataka-kun? You call it devilize training, right? But, you guys really are interesting. To think that we’d sit and watch our enemy get stronger? Training right? It sounds good. Just like in weekly shonen jump, but reality is different from manga. Let’s just hope there’ll be no pitiful accident during their training. 』

Naze and Medaka seemed to reach their conclusion at the same time. Kumagawa did not understand their haste, he just kept sitting on the ground because he was comfortable.

“You, could it be… you planned everything right from the beginning…”  Naze said.

“You! When I finally thought you were taking this seriously! It was a lie that all the other minus went to the beach!!”

『No that wasn’t a lie. They could be swimming right now. Now stop yelling I want to enjoy my youth a little longer.』Kumagawa closed his eyes, and had an entirely peaceful expression. He didn’t look like he had a care in the world.

Elsewhere, Shibushi, Gagamaru, Mikan and Mukuro walked into the old school gym. Shibushi taking the lead, licked blood off her hands. “Hey, by the way you three.  If you had a holiday would you go to the sea? Or the mountains? I’ll definitely choose the sea of blood.”

Chapter 14: The Continuing Adventures of Kirigiri Kyoko

Summary:

Makoto is an idiot but Kyoko likes him anyway.

Notes:

The climbing over the table scene is a reference to Kokoro Connect.
Some Shinra Kishitani lines were referenced when Kumagawa was describing the nature of his love.

“Hey, by the way. If you had a holdiay would you go to the sea? Or mountains? I would definitely choose the sea of blood.” Shibushi asked standing in the middle of the gym in front of the three other minus who had been sent there.

Gagamaru and Mikan flanked her at either side. Gagamaru look preoccupied though, as he had taken off his monocle to polish it. “You don’t need to ask twice, Shibushi-san. We’ve been biking in the mountains for the past ten summers.”

“I prefer the mountains as well, because if I swim I’ll definitely drown.” Mikan said, moving close to her side to rest her head on Shibushi’s shoulder.

Mukuro Ikusaba standing behind all of them, because Junko had ordered her merely to stand by and watch whatever it was Kumagawa was planning for the first bout, glanced to the side. “I mean to be honest it depends on the situation, right? It’s like even in a battlefield in a mountain range you can find one lone flower, or you almost step on one but pull back at the last second… actually I’m not sure what I’m talking about.”

“Eh? All of you guys prefer the mountains? You should’ve told me sooner! Sorry! I chose the sea of blood all by myself! Then, wait a second. I’ll build you a mountain of corpses right away!”

Munakata stood in front of Aoki, Maguro and Mogana watching the human beings he saw as infested with despair, casually chat about such macabre topics. He slid the katana he had been carrying around ever since Chisa’s injury as a habit out of its sheath. “You think that this plan is going to work? All the chaos you’ve caused so far! The teachers and the chairman won’t be quiet about it! Do you want to make the whole school your enemy?”

Shibushi paused for a moment, scratching her cheek with one of her sharpened nails. “The whole school… our enemy, you say?” Then suddenly both of her eyes opened as if she had hit some revelation. “It’s always been like that.” Mikan and Gagamaru immediately agreed with her, Gagamaru placing his his monocle back on and Mikan leaning further onto her. “You… do you know the taste of the gas that your parent makes you swallow? How about the taste of licking a perverted teacher’s shoe? The taste of sand that your classmates make you swallow? At the least you know the taste of a newspaper that was the only food you could obtain? Of course you don’t know, because you guys are the happy ones. That’s why you can fight for hope so righteously and look down upon despair.”

Shibushi wrapped her arm around both Gagamaru and Mikan’s shoulders, pulling them both close. “But those kinds of tastes are just how it is for us. We have experienced the worst, that’s why we can do the worst.”

Munakata’s fingers tightened around the handle of his sword. He had been trying to keep calm in the face of despair as he insisted the student council should. After all he was the one staring into the shadows of Hope’s Peak all along. He could only hold back for so long though, he considered the fact that things had fallen this far to be his fault for waiting. He rushed forward slashing through the air aiming for the weakest one. “No way you can! You’re nothing, you’re just despair!”

Shibushi saw that Munakata was deliberately aiming for Mikan because she was the only non-fighter present. When she noticed Mikan leaning into the injury rather than away from it, a smile of fondness spread across her face. That was what minus were like after all, they could only smile when pain was imminent. She grabbed Mikan by the shoulder and pushed her out of the way. “...Move.”

In the next moment Munakata’s blade tore across her shoulder and into her neck. Only jumping back at last moment and landing on her heels caused her to avoid a beheading. It seemed Munkata was quite serious about destroying them, but that thought made Shibushi smile as well.

“Why…” Mikan muttered from where she had been pushed away, not understanding.

“It’s no big deal, you can sew this lovely scab up when this fight is over with. In fact, I’ll cover them all with scars for you to patch up.” She wiped the side of her neck with her fingers, but only succeeded in making more of a bloody mess. “As for you. Despair? We don’t associate with such a tepid group. We’re minus, but-” Shibushi suddenly jumped backwards and wrapped her arm around Mukuro’s neck.

“If you want to fight an ultimate despair so badly, you can have this one.”

“I told you I’m not going to-”

“You’re a weapon. What good is a weapon that won’t fight?” Then, Shibushi leaned in close and whispered into Mukuro’s ear. If she had retained her original minus the full powered scardead the fight would already have been over. However, keeping such a powerful ability against Munakata and the rest of Hope’s Peak who for the most part lacked supernatural abilities except for luck would have been cheating. As a mindful narrator, I adjusted her power. Scardead still focused on opening old wounds, but Shibushi instead was given a sharp eye for weak points. She could spot where Munakata had been injured and healed in the past in an instant, there was several spots on his ribs most likely from boxing with Juzo Sakakura, and he leaned more on one foot than another which suggested a childhood injury. However, most importantly she could still spot mental trauma in an instant.

Which allowed her to whisper into Mukuro’s ear, the exact thing she needed to say to provoke Mukuro who had been suppressing seventeen years worth of trauma dealt to her by her sister. “Let’s show them your hidden abnormality dear…” Shibushi said, letting go just as Mukuro’s eyes went blank.

Mukuro Ikusaba saw nothing at all in front of her. Ah, she’s right. I am nothing more than a weapon. She thought, and then her mind accepted it all too easily. At first she saw nothing, then she saw nothing but pink.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

She had no idea how much time passed. Her body worked automatically. She was more like a storm than a human being. The only thing that cut through her trance, was Munakata’s pained shout. “DESPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIRRRRRRRRRRRR.”

Shibushi standing back, brushed her hand through her hair not getting why he was so upset. His feelings did not reach her at all. “My, my, he’s still calling us despair instead of minus how rude. It really is the worst getting looked down upon by the talented.”

Munakata was the only one left standing. Behind him, the wall was torn up with bullet holes and slash marks. Akune, Mogana and Maguro lay in pools of their own blood. Munakata only stood from stubbornness alone, he had stabbed his katana into the ground to support him. Shibushi continued to casually stand back and watch, not believing his cries would reach anybody.

However, by coincidence a nervous Makoto had come to the old school building that day to try to investigate on his own what exactly was happening in the mysterious student council election. Just as he was inside the hallways of the school following the paper signs that had been taped to doors, he heard Munakata crying out.  

At the exact moment that Makoto threw open the door, Mukuro turned her head looking for a new enemy now that she had finished the four right in front of her. He stumbled in, the world moving in slow motion. If his vision were a camera in a movie, it would have zoomed in, and then expanded out all at once to make the audience feel his sudden anxiety. He saw pink everywhere, and people he had seen alive and healthy the other day laying on the ground motionless. He did not even have time to react properly to that though, because suddenly Mukuro appeared in his vision.

What’s wrong with her eyes? They’re so dull, can she even see me? Makoto did not even notice that Mukuro was brandishing a knife at him. His first thought was to worry for her state of being. I have to help her. There’s no way Mukuro would really want to hurt me. “MUKURO IKUSABA!” He called out, believing that his words alone would bring her back to her senses.

“M-Makoto?” He was right. Mukuro’s dull eyes instantly widened and reopened.

Makoto smiled, “Ah, you called me by my first name.” For a moment all of his anxiety, all of his feelings of powerlessness disappeared. Then he looked down and saw that he had been a moment too late. His luck that usually saved him from terrible consequences seemed to hvae turned against him. There was already a knife sunk deep into his side. “It’s fine...It’s not your fault…” Makoto reassured her as he fell forward.

Maybe she’ll stop now, maybe she won’t kill anybody else. He hoped his worthless life could at least accomplish that. He fell forward onto Mukuro’s body, and then Mukuro in shock at how limp Makoto felt sidestepped out of the way in fear and let him crash into the ground. His body landed in a twisted way and with one of his eyes still open he could see the scene in front of him.

However, all he saw was that even his own last desperate wish was not going to come true. Now conscious once more Mukuro turned her knife on Shibushi. “This… this is your fault. I’ll kill you, just like you made me kill them. I don’t care about my life, just spare Makoto in exchange.”

Shibushi merely laughed at this. “Life? Are you stupid? We’re peaceful high school students, understand? Mountain of corpses or whatever was obviously a metaphor I won’t kill anyone. Because if I kill people underaged. I’d feel disgusted because my sin would be lighter.” Mukuro and Shibushi squared off.

Before Mukuro could even move though, Shibushi was already behind her. She struck at exactly the same area that Nidai had earlier. Mukuro’s entire body went limp, and Shibushi merely picked caught her as she fell. She picked her up and lifted her over her shoulder. “It’s about time we leave. Mikan, you stay behind and tend to all those lovely wounds I left for you and, pretend like you just stumbled upon them injured. Oh, right! We’re going to meet up with Kumagawa-san for some karaoke! We’ll invite Shiraishi too because she gave us such good information about this training camp. Would you like to come with us?”

Munakata said nothing at all. He just collapsed forward leaving his sword sticking out of the ground like a gravestone for him. Mikan smiled and immediately went to look at all the lovely lacerations that had been left on Munakata, her fingers trembling as she touched them.

Makoto realized the only reason they were being spared was because of a whim. There was nothing hopeful at all about this. He had failed again to get through to Mukuro. Shibushi looked down at him, “That Munakata guy is so stingy. How about you, you like this girl right? You can come along.”

Makoto smiled, with only one eye open. “Next time.”

Shibushi returned her smile, and then waved to him turning around and leaving with Gagamaru, Mukuro still carried over her shoulder. “Okay, that’s a promise! Then say hi to Kurokami for me!” He tried to remember that, as he lost consciousness due to blood loss.

The next time he woke up he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. As he turned his head around, a familiar face came into view. “You’re an idiot.” Kirigiri Kyoko said.

Naegi Makoto smiled. He did not know what else to feel, so all he could do at the moment was smile. “Aha! Tell me something I don’t know, Kiri!”

When Medaka’s group got there after the battle with Kumagawa, the minus had already left. All traces of their attack were gone too erased. Only Akune, Mogana, Munakata and Maguro, left with injuries far worse than anything Zenkichi endured. The only reason they were alive was because Mikan nursed them on the spot and treated their wounds, claiming she had only stumbled upon them. What kind of scary training were they going through? She said in a voice filled with fake fear. Yet, there was no evidence to dispute her claims, and she had saved their lives.

Mikan stayed by them for awhile, and then they were sent to the infirmary. With Munakata and Maguro absent, the training could not be continued. Akune and Mogana were withdrawn from the election battle as well. They had gained nothing, not even a victory just a tie, but had lost four precious people.

No one said anything in that despairing atmosphere. The student council tried to regroup themselves, but they had in official members been narrowed down to Zenkichi and Medaka and now were three people short. The attack just went on as another of the mystery incidents in Hope’s Peak Academy. After it happened, because of the influence of Kumagawa’s Minus everybody except those directly involved seemed to forget about it. Just three more students and one advisor found injured, the incident sank into the academy’s shadows where nobody would have to confront it.

Daily life continued. However, there was one lone girl facing all of those shadows, staring straight into them to investigate them on their own. Kyoko Kirigiri left the hospital room narrating all of this recap of events to herself in her head, the way a lone wolf noire detective would.

Only when she passed Saihara Shuichi waiting for her in the hallway did she come back to reality. “Is your friend okay?” He asked, holding the brim of his hat.

“I think he’s hiding testimony. He wouldn’t tell me about how all the evidence of the attack seemed to disappear, and I think there was one more person involved besides those two reserve course students who follow Kumagawa around and Tsumiki. He also said he remembers being stabbed but there was no wound on him, the doctors diagnosed him with a stress related breakdown and are keeping him for monitoring.”  She delivered every detail cold and precise as normal.

“No, I mean… like… is he feeling alright?” Shuichi asked a second time. It seemed he had not gotten used to Kyoko’s cold nature at all despite following her all this time.

“Hmm? What does that matter? He’ll be fine, Makoto would never let himself get crushed by despair. That’s the kind of man he is.”

“Oh, I see. Haha, I really envy the faith you have in your friends Kirigiri-san. You must feel really strongly about him.”

“What are you talking about, that’s just my logical assessment after knowing him for a full year.”

“Umm.. yeah. Of course. So shall we go? I looked into that name Makoto told you about. Shiranui seems like an elusive person, but it turns out she’s easier to find than you think.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Yohoho ☆! Somebody left Takoyaki on the table unattended. This looks like time for the great food thief Shiranui to strike!” Shiranui sat down and picked up one of the octopus balls with a tootpick, only to see Shuichi and Kyoko suddenly sitting on either side of her. “Ack, no! It’s the coppers! Whatever am I going to do?”

“You’re under arrest,” Kirigiri said in a cold voice.

“Ah! Wait! We don’t have the authority to do that, Kirigiri-san. Remember we came here to hear her out!” Shuichi spoke up nervously. To which, Kirigiri’s only response was to pout. Shuichi wondered if she wanted to execute justice that badly, or if she was just frustrated at her own lack of progress in the case.

They sat up together and moved to the opposite side of the table. Kirigiri caught Shiranui’s eyes and then pulled an envelope out of her jacket and threw it across the table. “Here’s everything I dug up about the Kamakura project so far. So, let’s trade information broker.”

“Wait, is she really an information broker? That sounds like the kind of thing that would only show up in a novel.”

Kyoko looked back at Shuichi again, wondering why he always insisted on interrupting her moments with his normalcy. “No, she’s not but that was the line that seemed appropriate for that scene.”

Shiranui opened the folder, and turned it over letting a bunch of blank papers spill out. “There’s nothing in here, you know. Are you trying to pull a fast one on me, copper?” She said with a wink.

“No, that’s precisely what I wanted to show you. All of the information I dug up on the Kamakura project disappeared, as if somebody's trying to hide its existence. That’s why, if you’re the person who knows everything about Sandbox academy, I want you to tell me about the flask plan.”

“Ooh, you found out about that all on your own,’ Shiranui smirked.

“Mostly on my own.” Kyoko said.

“Hey!” Shuichi interjected awkwardly behind her.

“You’re a sharp one. You know what, I might seem mysterious to you but we’re actually more alike than we are different. My gramps is the principal of Sandbox and your dad runs this joint, and we both can’t really help the families we were born into.” Shiranui’s expression became serious for a moment. Kyoko wondered exactly what that meant, she found nothing at all on the name ‘Shiranui’ she didn’t even think it was a family name with any prominence at all unlike her Kirigiri. “Oh, but we’re opposite too. I’d say if you’re Zenigata then I was born to inherit the Lupin name, like Lupin the Third.”

“I’m sorry I don’t really watch anime so I won’t get your references. Can we just continue on?” Kyoko coldly cut her off.

“Yeah, sorry I was just sort of talking to myself. Alright, alright! The flask plan! My gramp’s pet project. In Sandbox Academy, all of the students were considered experimental material with one goal in mind to create the perfect human being.” She picked up a Takoyaki ball for a moment, and then stared at it rather than eating it right away. “At the center of it was the princess who can learn from others and imitate their skills perfectly. While, at your school there was a project called the Kamakura Project which hoped to unite all of the talents collected and studied in that school to create the ultimate hope in one person, the Izuru Kamakura it centered around.”

“So… just by coincidence these two schools were conducting human experiments with the exact same goals in mind?” Kyoko found it far fetched, and probably would not have believed it if she had not witnessed the strange events recently.

“I wouldn’t say they had the same goal in mind. Talent brings about hope, that’s the philosophy of the Academy of Hope right? I don’t think the flask plan had any intention to create hope though right from the start. Mmm.. it’s more like, they were dissecting geniuses. They wanted to know… what’s the difference between a genius and a human being? Whoever created that plan doesn’t care about hope at all. They probably don’t even understand humans at all either, just like the princess.”

Kyoko listened silently for a moment, surprised to hear such deep things coming from a person who presented herself in such a silly way. She claimed that they were alike but… there was no way the small and cute Shiranui who allowed herself to laugh freely could be anything like her. “Okay, thank you that’ll be enough for now. I’ll have to verify what you said for myself of course, but there’s one more thing I want to ask. You’re acquainted with Kumagawa-kun, correct?”

“Ahyahya ☆! Yep! Why did you want to ask if he was single?”

“I don’t doubt that you’re allies you both have the same terrible sense of humor.” Kyoko said drily, before folding her hands in front of her face. “Even though he admitted that he’s responsible for all of the unconnected incidents at Hope’s Peak I can’t believe him. A trusted witness told me that Kumagawa was lying, and not only that but no matter how many times I go over it in my head I can’t find one solid logical path that could link all of those events together through Kumagawa.”

“Then what’s your conclusion, copper?” Shiranui asked, leaning in with interest. It was fun to her to watch others struggle with answers that she already knew but withheld. One of the only fun things about the role she was meant to play.

“He couldn’t have done it alone. That’s why I wanted to ask you, what’s the relationship between Kumagawa Misogi and Enoshima Junko?”

Shiranui stuck her tongue out at that. “So you were asking if he was single? Well, either way I can’t tell. I promised not too.” She stood up and picked up the Takoyaki balls. “Thanks for the Takoyaki though!”

“Why didn’t you eat any?” Kirigiri asked, finding it a bit strange as she had seen the so called Ultimate Speed Eater devour an entire tower of bowl’s worth of ramen before.

“They were no good, I wasn’t going to tell you because I was raised by my family as a polite girl but…” She immediately threw all of them away at once. “These are no good at all.” With that, Shiranui skipped away as carelessly as she always did. Only Shuichi and Kyoko were left staring at her in her wake.

As usual with these kind of mystery stories they were left with more questions than answers. h if only the world was more straightforward like it’s supposed to be in a detective novel, Kyoko Kirigiri lamented once more.  Their biggest unanswered question however, What is the relationship between Kumagawa Misogi and Enoshima Junko? Is a question that even Kumagawa and Junko themselves could not provide a clear answer.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Yahoooooo! It’s not nice to skip class three days in a row, Junko-chan.”

Enoshima Junko raised her head to see what the voice was calling out to her. She found herself alone sitting in a desk in an empty classroom without even the faintest idea of how she had gotten there. However, the fog cleared from her mind a moment later and she was instantly annoyed. Another of those damn dreams, she thought. They had been especially persistent lately and Junko had tried staying up for three days and nights in order to avoid them.

Here she was though back in the same classroom again. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for where the voice was coming from. “Weren’t you doing that extremely basic and lame tactic of turning into people I love in order to mess with me? What’s the deal did you realize it wasn’t going to work?”

“Hmm, no I just thought I’d turn into the person you loved the most.” Suddenly the room filled with smoke, and she appeared sitting on the teacher’s desk. She was not wearing her usual form as Ajimu Najimi though, but rather the significantly less cute Junko Enoshima appeared in front of the original one. “Junko Enoshima is… Junko Enoshima is… Right the fuck here!” As the smoke cleared and she sat on the desk she crossed  her arms over her chest and made hand horns with both of her hands, her tongue falling out of her mouth. “Puuhuhuh! Sorry to keep you waiting. Even if nobody was waiting, even if it makes you go, ‘What, again?’ The diva of the despair takes the stage once more! Junko Enoshima the 3rd!” She jumped off the desk and stood proudly with her hands on her hips.

“Huh?” The original Junko merely tilted her head in confusion. “Is there some kind of thematic point to this? Because really, I’m not impressed. You do a worse imitation than my sister and that’s saying something.”

“Does it annoy you?” Ajimu asked.

“Yes.”

“Then there is a point! Puhuhu!”

The laugh grated on Junko, but she did not want to show her annoyance. Ajimu seemed to notice that, as her expression suddenly softened again. “So anyway, let’s talk. A lot has happened in the past few days hasn’t it? Don’t worry even if you’re bad at sharing your feelings you can be honest here, this is your heart after all.”

“Nah. It’s not like I’m some emotionally stunted tsundere or something. Talking about feelings is just for people who actually can experience emotions normally. I think I’ll just shut you out until I wake up, because having conversations in my head with brain ghost Junko contributes nothing worthwhile to despair.” Junko said, with a bored sigh, and then just rested her head on her desk as if she was napping in class.

“Hey, why didn’t you go to karaoke with Kumagawa-kun and the others the other day? He even tried to invite you and you turned him down. Do you really hate everyone on that minus student council so much?”

“...” Junko kept her head down and said nothing.

“Well it’s not that you hate them. You’d probably feel happier if you hated them because you’d be able to feel that emotion. No it’s more like, you didn’t go because Karaoke is something you do with friends and you don’t have any friends, do you?”

“...”

“Awe man, I was hoping I could provoke you. I guess there really is no outside force that can reach you. That’s fine, then I’ll just have to monologue this one.” Ajimu Najimi smiled. Junko peeked out of her arms and say such a pleasant smile on her face, and felt again like she was looking into the uncanny valley. “Have you ever had a friend in your entire life? Even your childhood friend since you were two years old couldn’t understand you. Why is that exactly, is it because you pull everyone around you into despair? But why do you do that? Personal enjoyment? Desperation to feel something?”

“...”

“I’m just kidding of course, I already know why. Let’s analyze your actions one by one. First, you made your childhood friend erase your memories so that you could be like everybody else, a carefree student at Hope’s Peak, but that didn’t work. Even lobotomized some part of yourself remained and you reasserted yourself in the end. Then afterwards your next action was to make your sister dress up like you, and memorize the perfect way to act like you. However, that still wasn’t good enough. After that you took sixteen upperclassman and did everything you could to one by one convert them into people who like you, had fallen so deeply into despair that they could only dig themselves further and feel more despair. However, they all worshipped you and your conversion of them worked too well, so you got bored of them too and made them simple pawns. Then there’s that secret backup plan you had in case your first killing game ended-”

“How do you know about that?”

“This is your heart I already told you, I can see everything you see. If you want a more specific answer I’d say… we have the same eyes.” Ajimu placed two fingers underneath her eyes, but Junko noticed that they were not the blue eyes she used contacts to color her eyes, but rather the natural red color of her own eyes. “Which means I also know how far you’ve planned this out into the future. It’s a little scary like whoa, do you have ESP or something?”

“...” Junko went back to not responding.

“Your plan to upload a version of yourself into every human being into the future foundation in order to make a “Junko-land” where everybody despairs as they want. Now, what do all of these sequences of events have in common? You can’t help but push your identity onto others.”

“...”

“You couldn’t make yourself like them, so you started to try to make other people more like you. Hey, you’re really lonely aren’t you? These aren’t the actions of a mastermind, they’re the actions of a girl desperate to have somebody, anybody, see the world like she can so she can escape the confines of her own head.” Junko lifted her head finally and saw that Ajimu was standing over her, no, looming, so that she was the only thing that encompassed her vision. She must have gotten closer so she could deliver her final line with more emphasis. “So, tell me again. Why do you pursue despair, Enoshima Junko-chan?”

“That’s a ridiculous oversimplification,” Junko said, raising her head finally. Her voice was entirely vacant and she gave no reaction to the other Junko’s supposed monologue. “Look narrating other people’s feelings to them to break them is my bit, you’re never going to pull it off as well.”

“Yes, aversion to simplicity sure is a trait we share,” Ajimu smiled in a way that Junko never would and turned on the heels of her boots. “Oh, but there is someone who despairs exactly the same way you do. Wasn’t that nice, to finally meet someone like that?”

“How do you even know about him?” Junko said, resting her hand on her chin.

“It’s because I’m in his heart too. I’ve been in his heart far longer than anybody else.”

“What!” Junko finally stood up, reacting with anger.

At this, Ajimu Najimi smiled as relaxed as she always did. “Hey, there’s no need to get jealous right? In fact I’m the one who should be jealous. He said he loved you didn’t he? Hmm, but he used generalized love 「好き」(suki), not unambiguous love 「愛している」(aishiteiru). So I might still have a chance.”

Junko crossed her arms and looked out the window. “If you really are in his heart then you should already know, you’re just pretending not to in front of me to manipulate me.”

“I could tell you, but that’d be no fun so why don’t you just find out for yourself!” She said with an energetic smile. Even though Junko was turned away she felt arms wrap around her back. Usually she hated gestures of friendship because of how empty they felt to her, but this one was especially  empty, an emptiness so great she found herself shaking at the thought of it. “Hey, don’t be mad at me please. I’ll apologize. I’ll answer any question you want.”

“Who are you to, Senpai?” Junko suddenly asked without thinking. The moment she realized, she cupped her hand over her mouth. “Nevermind, don’t answer that.”

“Well, he always used to call to me with affection. Anshinin-san.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko woke up, and noticed right away there was something warm on her shoulders. She looked to her side and saw that somebody had draped a black uniform jacket over her shoulders while she slept. Another one of that terrible boy’s bad habits. She looked forward and saw that she had fallen asleep working on her laptop in the middle of the student council room. Finally, she looked to see Kumagawa’s back turned away from her casually reading a manga as usual, only wearing the undershirt to his uniform. Once she fully assessed the situation, she thought back to her dream. All she could remember though was one line, as infuriatingly the rest of it fell out of her grasp once again.

She looked to Kumagawa’s back again. Why don’t you just find out for yourself. Her brow wrinkled in annoyance.『I know I’m cute but stop staring at me so intensely, Enoshima-san. I’m pretty convinced your looks can kill.』

“Then you should try to tone down your annoying presence so I can get work done in peace.” Junko said, countering his banter flawlessly as usual. She looked up to her laptop and saw that the intense and complicated lines of code she was working on was still running from where she left off.

『What’s so annoying about my presence?』

“The way you breathe through your mouth, you always turn the pages really loudly, you laugh to yourself under your breath when you read a punchline in that manga. I don’t think you’re totally evil as a person, but you entirely lack redeeming qualities. To sum you up in one word, it’d be repulsive.” Junko said, summarizing and dismissing his entire existence easily as her fingers returned to flying over the keyboard.

『All of those are minor things! You’re just noticing them because of your analysis power that’s not really my fault.』

“Yeah, but it’s annoying to deal with whether it’s your fault or not. It makes me want to take out my frustration on whoever happens to be around, I'm that kind of girl. Break a nail and it's the world's fault better destroy it.” Junko smirked, looking up at Kumagawa from behind her laptop. Taking out her frustration really did just mean a bout of their usual banter. She looked to the side, and her demeanor changed in an instant. “Oh, Takoyaki! Who brought these?”

『You shouldn’t eat that. I don’t know where it came from it was here when I walked in.』

“Shut up nerd! Don’t tell me what to do, Senpai!” Junko said, and immediately shoved one of the balls into her mouth out of spite the greatest of all motivators.

『Anyway, what's the point in continuing to live life in such a petty way?』Kumagawa said, wanting to continue obviously. He really was so needy for her conversation, she might have found it cute if he was literally anybody else.

“I'm not petty, it's just everybody else on this earth obviously exists for the purpose of making me feel better.”

『For a cute girl you’ve got a real nasty streak, you know.』Kumagawa said, as if this was somehow new information.

“Life is just an accumulation of small despairs, I love things like that. Even the smallest complaints can give you despair. I'm just spreading the despair around on others to relieve my own stress.”

At the word relief, Kumagawa’s eyebrow twitched but he continued to talk as usual.  『Wow, and when you take it out on me, my own stress doesn’t really increase all that much. I guess I’m just used to toxicity, yours included.』Kumagawa waited a moment as Junko fell silent. He called out to her a second time having sat down on the opposite end of the table just to talk with her.  『Hey, Enoshima-san I called you toxic this is the point where you’re supposed to insult me back. If it’s just me one sidedly bullying a cute girl then I’ll feel bad.』

Enoshima Junko suddenly stood up. It was only then that Kumagawa noticed, her face had gone red. He had never seen such obivous emotion painted across that girl’s face. He straightened up in his chair and looked at her.  『What’s wrong, Enoshima-san?』

Enoshima Junko silently grabbed the uniform jacket that was draped over her, and dropped it off of her shoulders and onto the floor. Kumagawa stared, as he heard the sound of cloth rustling as it hit the floor. Next, she unbuttoned the tan jacket she wore as a part of Hope’s Peak’s falluniform, and pulled it slowly over her head.

『Enoshima-san?』Kumagawa repeated, not quite getting this scene. To be fair though he didn’t have experience with this sort of thing, this kind of scene would never happen in his beloved shonen manga. Perhaps in Seinen it would.

“Hmmm?” Junko hummed, as her fingers went to her collar and she untied the black and white tie she wore loosely draped around her neck. She pulled it apart slowly, then pulled it around her collar and all the way off tossing it to the side. Her shirt was buttoned up all the way for once, so she unbuttoned down slowly until her black bra was showing, and then farther than usual. Her shirt hung halfway open.

Kumagawa’s own face had become hot as he watched, still not understanding. 『Wait… What are you doing? Is the summer heat getting to you or something?』

She picked up the laptop, and tossed it out of the way carelessly. As if she had entirely forgot what she was working on a moment ago. Then her hand traced over the table in between them, and pushed up as she brought her knee up as well. On all fours she crawled over the table to close the distance between her and Kumagawa. Before she could reach him though, Kumagawa already had his hands up.

『W-what kind of scene is this? What’s going on?』He leaned back as far in his chair as he possibly could.

It made no difference because Enoshima Junko was already in the center of his view, and moved to lean over him with only a few centimeters between them. “Let’s take our clothes off!” She said in a voice that Kumagawa did not recognize. She seemed happy, her face completely red and flushed with emotion.

『D-don’t sound so carefree saying that. Wh-why should I take off my clothes?』

“We have to take our clothes off to do it, duh!”

『To do what? I know! You’re just treating me like a toy to relieve stress as usual! There’s no way you could be serio-』

Junko grabbed onto Misogi’s wrist quite forcefully as she always did when manhandling him, and then jerked his hand forward towards her chest. At that exact moment though Kumagawa reacted on reflex pulling back. Because he had already leaned as far away as possible on the last two legs of his chair, he tumbled backwards pulling Junko who held onto him with him. He felt his back hit the ground, and then something soft land on top of him. The entire world spun for a moment, and even when it stopped and he looked at Junko’s body over his, his head had not stopped spinning at all.

『Ow… 』He noticed Junko was laying on top of him, and grabbed her pushing her up and trying to push her off. He noticed a moment too late one of the areas he had grabbed her was her chest.

If this were a harem manga, she would blush and call him an idiot. However, Enoshima Junko simply stared down at him with a completely empty expression watching his reaction. Kumagawa could not react though, as he did not understand what was happening at all. Poor Kumagawa, this was the first time in his life he had ever touched a boob, but this could hardly be called a romantic moment at all.

Why don’t you just find out for yourself?

Before either of them could say anything, the door swung open. Another instance of Kumagawa’s bad luck. If Makoto Naegi was somebody who would always show up at the right time, and have the right moment to advance a relationship, Kumagawa Misogi was somebody who would always be interrupted at the wrong time and only cause his relatinoship to stagnate.

Mukuro Ikusaba had after recovering from having her trauma stepped on, went looking for Kumagawa to thank him for undoing Makoto’s injuries. However, the scene she stumbled upon immediately replaced all the feelings of grattitude in her heart with seething range. “What do you think you’re doing? Ku! Ma! Ga! Wa!” Mukuro said, before bringing her fist down on their meeting table and breaking it in half in an isntant.

『Mukuro-chan, you’ve got it all wrong. I don’t even know what’s… why do people have to keep breaking our meeting table, that’s our only one?』

Before he could say anything else though, Junko stepped off of him on her own. Kumagawa immediately got to his feet and looked at her back. 『Enoshima-san?』

Junko said nothing in reply. Her eyes were entirely hidden, as she buttoned her shirt back up. She walked over to where her laptop had landed and picked it up, folding it underneath her arm. Without looking at either one of them, Junko Enoshima muttered something like “This is boring… I’m going home…” And left.

Kumagawa blinked. He still did not understand, but that was obvious by now. He looked to Mukuro instead and saw her hand was bleeding. He walked over to her and lifted up that same hand.『You should be careful, you’re going to give yourself a splinter.』

Mukuro looked at Kumagawa with softness for a moment over his concern, before jerking his hand away. “It’s fine… It’s my wound I’ll deal with it.” Silently, she left too.

Kumagawa was left standing alone in the room, for the first time having no idea what exactly he had done wrong.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Are you sure putting up one poster is going to help in attracting people?” Zenkichi asked as he trailed behind Medaka. They had spent all day looking for the perfect place to put up the one solo recruitment poster she had drawn up in marker.

“If we put up more than one we’re going to look desperate, Zenkichi.” Medaka stood firm as ever walking in front of him. She did not even turn her head to continue their conversation.

Zenkichi trailed a few steps behind her. He pushed his hand through his unruly blonde hair and then groused. “Maybe some of us actually are desperate, Medaka-chan.” Not that he expected her to understand the feelings of the desperate at all.

Just as they arrived at the student council doors though, there were already two people waiting for them. Kirigiri Kyoko sitting against the wall with her arms crossed looked up to greet them. “Hello.”

“See, Zenkichi. Our poster idea worked. There’s already two hopeful members of this academy of hope come to join us.”

Kyoko tilted her head. “Ah, sorry. I work alone.”

Medaka pointed to the boy who was standing nervously a few feet from her. “What about him then?”

“Saihara-san is my Watson, that’s different. I can’t lend him to you.”

“Hey! I’m a detective too, you know.” Shuichi immediately protested. Then a moment later his nerves took him over again. “At least other people call me that, maybe a detective in training is more suited for someone like me.”

“You two should be fine though. I know there’s somebody who can’t possibly turn his back on people in need in this academy. He’ll come for sure.” Kyoko smiled softly as she thought of Makoto. When she heard footsteps in the distance rushing towards them, she knew for sure who they belonged to, looking behind both Medaka and Zenkichi.

Only to see Togami Byakuya rushing towards them. “I’ve just heard the news! I’ve come to join your student council to avenge Kurokami Maguro!”

“Is this the brave friend you were talking about?” Kurokami Medaka said turning her head to acknowledge him. “Oh, you’re one of the Togamis. I haven’t seen any of you since I left my house around middle school.”

“Kurokami Medaka we’re not acquianted as well, but as a member of the Togami bloodline, Togami Byakuya, I respect you as one of my peers.”

“You’re Maguro’s friend then?”

Togami made a soft noise of excitement at that. Then quickly covered it up by pushing his glasses over his nose so the glare would cover up his eyes.

“Well, avenging a friend is a good enough reason to join us. Consider yourself our new treasurer!”

Zenkichi immediately stomped his foot in protest. “You’re seriously not going to vet this guy at all? We don’t even know who he is.”

“He just told us he’s Togami Byakuya.” Medaka said, looking at Zenkichi blankly not quite getting it. One of her terrible habits was showing now, her ability to completely trust in anyone for the flimsiest of reasons.

Before Zenkichi could say anything else, somebody else popped up from the bushes. It was a girl in a long skirted uniform that went to her ankles. She had her hair in twin tailed braids that went just as long. Her appearance immediately told Zenkichi gloomy bookworm. “I want to join too, if master is going to join!”

“Oh, is this girl your friend?” Medaka asked. Once again not quite understanding.

“No.” Togami immediately rejected her. “She’s just my stalker.”

“I’m always following Togami around to show my devotion.”

“Amazing it’s just like Zenkichi and I.” Medaka said, not getting it at all.

“It’s nothing like that! Don’t compare me to that person!” Zenkichi said, throwing a fit because loyalty was what he considered to be at the very center of his being. He didn’t want to think too hard about the implications of his desire to always be around Medaka.

“Haha, I told you Zenkichi this poster plan would work. We already have two new recruits. What a wonderful academy this is brimming with hope. You, is your handwriting good?”

Toko nodded, and before she could even understand how she had gotten herself into this situation, all of them were sitting in the student council office. Kyoko Kirgiri sat on the edge of the scene with Shuichi still following in her shadow.

“Anyway, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything, but I came here to ask for your cooperation in my investigation. I’m starting to believe there’s a reason you were invited to our school and Hope’s Peak suddenly began accepting transfer students this year.”

Medaka was preoccupied looking at a plate of Takoyaki that somebody had left on their table. She picked it up and put one of the octopus balls straight into Zenkichi’s mouth without asking him. “Sure, if you have a request of the student council we’ll answer it. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year. Just fill out your request in paper form and put it in our box.” She looked to Kyoko, completely forgetting about what she was doing with Zenkichi.

“Hey, Medaka-chan MFFFF.” Zenkichi suddenly had octopus in his mouth. He chewed it and swallowed, not quite understanding what was going on. Then, in the next moment his expression became completely blank. His entire face turned red. Then, he shouted with his gut. “Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” And immediately brought his food around in a roundhouse kick at Byakuya Togami.

“What the hell are you doing? Why are you touching me?” Byakuya asked, as suddenly he was put into a headlock.

Medaka finally looked back at Zenkichi. “Oh, sorry I was testing something out. It seems like it’s true. These Takoyaki balls are filled with a steroid, and they’ve made Zenkichi rather hotblooded. Play with him for a little while please.”

Togami made an inhuman noise as he was suddenly pulled into a suplex. Toko, watching the two boys fight made noises of excitement in the background. However, Medaka had already gone back to ignoring them.

“Miss detective, is what you’re investigating a string of poisoning related incidents on the campus? Because it seems somebody has been handed out Takoyaki poisoned with different chemicals.”

Kyoko remembered in an instant, that Shiranui had refused to eat the Takoyaki earlier. “Really, a case of serial poisonings. This is exactly the kind of case that needs a detective to solve it.” She felt herself gaining confidence suddenly, after spending all of that time chasing after leads that completely disappeared in front of her with no logical explanation.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did you want to solve it, because I already figured out who was behind it.”

“What.”

“I’m going to go stop them now. Please watch over Zenkichi in the meantime.” Medaka said, before the door swung open and she just left Kyoko standing there. The plcae she was going was to punch a certain Ultimate Chef in the face, but as this is currently Kyoko’s story that is a story for another time.

Kyoko stared at her own gloves while Shuichi fretted behind her. “Since when.. Since when has my life become this absurd?”

Behind her, Zenkichi suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked called out to her. “Kirigir-san! Don’t take it personally it’s always like that with Medaka-chan. If you’re the ultimate detective 100% she’ll be the ultimate detective 120%. It’s fine though, nothing she does invalidates how strong you are or how hard you’ve worked if you don’t let it.” Then he changed his judeau hold on Togami a moment after saying something so heartwarming. “Come on, you’re way worse at this then Prince Akune! Even though you’re just a prettyboy just like him. Show me your grit.”

“Get your filthy hands off of me!” Togami commanded with righteous fury, but sadly no one was listening. 

Before Kyoko could say anything else about the scene in front of her, she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Ah, sorry Kirigiri-san. I don’t really know what to say at times like these, but I think that aggressive guy is right. At times like this it’s best to just trust your detective instincts inside yourself even if the whole outside world feels insane. That’s what real detectives do, right?”

Kirigiri nodded to him. She knew there was something that she could do, even if it wasn’t as a detective. She picked up the plate containing Takoyaki stacked high on it, and walked out of the room.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda casually munched on a Takoyaki ball as he sat in front of a vending machine. As he enjoyed his snack and tried to put a quarter into the machine, nothing at all happened. In the next moment though, it suddenly started to rain on an otherwise completely sunny and clear skied day.

Not only that but the rain immediately jumped into a thunderstorm, as lightning struck the vending machine overloading it’s circuits and causing it to pour out all of the soda inside of the machine. “Well, I was only going to buy a can for everybody at the council, but I shouldn’t let good luck go to waste.” He said as he picked up as many as his arms could carry and started walking along.

As he continued to walk though, he saw something strange. A woman with white hair was appearing in relfective surfaces of the puddles that formed from the rainwater as he walked along. She appeared and turned her head as he walked. It was almost like he was being watched. “I’m seeing a girl where there shouldn’t be one, how strange. Is this the bad luck, did I eat a hallucinogen in my takoyaki by accident?”

Ajimu Najimi did not even notice that she had been noticed while watching him. Of course, she reacted to this unexpected development with a pleased smile. “Actually, all of the Takoyaki balls were tainted with hallucinogen, except for the one you ate. What you’re seeing is reality but…” She paused for a moment. As he walked back the windows of a store she appeared in that as well following him. “People only see me if they’re dead or dreaming. If you’re seeing me right now while you’re awake, then life must be like a nightmare for you, or maybe you’re like the walking dead.”

Komaeda smiled at this. “Haha! Maybe something like that. I dunno for sure. If you’re watching me though, I would insist you watch somebody else. You’re not going to see anything interesting at all from lowly scum like me.”

Ajimu Najimi smiled, “You remind me of that boy, Kumagawa. I’m sure he’d say something like that in this situation too.” A few moments later her image disappeared from him entirely but unlike everybody else, Komaeda was unable to forget about her when he disappeared.

Which is why after laying the cans of soda on the table for their student council meeting and looking around at everybody who had gathered, Junko, Mikan, Gagamaru, Shibushi, Kumagawa and himself, he immediately asked. “Do you know a white haired girl with red eyes, Kumagawa-kun? She was stalking me earlier and she seemed to know you.”

『You mean Anshinin-san? Is she causing trouble again, how annoying.』Kumagawa said, his mouth twisting into a scowl.

“Wait. Anshinin-san, you saw her too!” Junko said, immediately standing up when a moment ago she had been looking at all of them with disinterest and staring at her phone instead. “Hey, Senpai tell me what’s the deal with her? She’s been doing nothing but harassing me lately. I know I’m a famous model, but I hate stalkers the same as everyone else.”

『Oh, is she talking to you too? If she is just ignore everything she says.』He tilted his head.『How to explain it… She’s somebody I knew in middle school, but she died three years ago. Ever since then though she refuses to go away and just hangs around as a ghost. I see her every time I die, that’s part of the reason I hate dying so much.』His scowl disappeared and was replaced by his usual fake smile.『Now it seems she can go into other people’s dreams too, hah she really is annoying! Some people can’t take a hint.』

“She keeps telling me to do weird stuff.” Enoshima Junko yawned. “She’s so unpleasant I’ve been cutting out my beauty sleep lately to avoid her.”

Kumagawa’s eyes suddenly brightened as he came to a realization. 『Oh, Anshinin-san is messing with your head. So that’s why Enoshima-san made a move on me.』In his head he thought he finally understood, of course he came to the wrong conclusion.

A moment later Kumagawa was doubled over in pain, as Junko had suddenly in a one two combo, elbowed him, and then slammed her heel straight into the toes of his shoes. “STOP TALKING. DO YOU HAVE A SCREW LOOSE OR SOMETHING. DO NOT MENTION HOW I DISGRACED MYSELF.”

Everybody else present blinked in unison. They did not understand it any better than Kumagawa did.

Junko loomed over him. Her eyes so sharp in their glare that she looked like she could cut him in half with a look alone. “Do you want me to erase all your memories so we can forget it ever happened?”

“What happened?” Mikan finally asked. The only one with the bravery in the room to do so.

“See! Look what happened! Idiot. Moron. Dumbass.” Just to add more injury to the insult, she grabbed his ear and twisted it as well.

Kumagawa looked up at her with apologetic eyes. 『I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.』For once it looked like he actually meant it.

Enoshima Junko relaxed and leaned against the desk putting her hand on it. “I kind of put some moves on Senpai, but don’t get the wrong idea! I was just messing with him to see what he’d do! I-I don’t know how far I would have gone… but it probably wouldn’tve been too far. I think. Since I have no experience.” Suddenly she slammed her hand down, spreading her fingers out so all five pointed red nails could be see. “Moving on! It was your fault anyway since you told me to eat those gross Takoyaki balls they were probably drugged or something." 

『No I didn't. I told you not to eat them. Then you said, 'Shut up nerd, don't tell me what to do, Senpai.' And then you ate them.』He threw his voice in a high pitched impression of Enoshima's voice, before shifintg into an entirely different sort of mood. Kumagawa straightened up once more, wanting more than anything else to forget the teenage confusion that was currently swirling around in his head. 『That’s right, I called you here to plan our strategy for the next fight. Since we’re all such weak losers though, there’s another strong member I want to bring in.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Mukuro Ikusaba was not present at the meeting Kumagawa had called because instead she chose to visit Makoto alone in his hospital room. She was hoping to catch him while he slept, since he had been sleeping off a case of exhaustion all day long. However, due to a stroke of luck when she walked into the room he just so happened to be awake.

However, he hid this fact at first closing his eyes because he was curious what she had to say. Silently Mukuro walked to his beside and stood next to it. She stared at him for the longest time trying to find the words to say. In the end she said nothing at all and tried to leave. The moment she turned around though, his hand shot out and caught her by the sleeve.

“Hey. Don’t go back to Kumagawa-kun, just stay here. I’m sure if you explain everything honestly we can figure out some way to get out of this.” He pleaded in a soft voice.

Mukuro looked back at him. For once her eyes were soft rather than the hardened ones he was used to seeing her distantly glare out the window at. “I can’t… I can’t stop what I’m doing… because I’m the only one.” She looked at the sleeve that was holding onto him, and then tore herself away almost violently. “I’m the only one who can protect both you and Junko.”

She walked out of the room after that. She saw Kyoko Kirgiri, and the boy in the striped uniform who always followed her around these days, but said nothing to them. She simply walked past them muttering, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Ikusaba-san.” Kyoko said at the other as she left. She looked at Makoto, sitting in his bed looking like he might drown in a pool of self pity at any time.

“Is it wrong that I wanted to be the one to protect her?” He asked Kyoko all the way out in the hallway.

Kyoko walked up to his beside carrying a plate of octopus balls. “Yes, it’s wrong. I think you’re much more suited to getting protected.” She was as brutally honest as ever. Before Makoto could say anything else she picked up an octopus ball and shoved it in his mouth.

“Kiri that’s a little bit-MMFF.” He swallowed it, because he had not eaten anything all day. A moment later, Makoto’s face turned red and his entire body felt like it was on fire as he jumped out of his bed.

He ran all the way until by coincidence again, he just so happened to cross paths with Zenkichi who was holding several folders intent on delivering them. Makoto knocked the folders out of his hand and stared right at Zenkichi, locking eyes at him. If this were pokemon, they would have had to begun a pokemon battle. That’s the kind of intensity with which their gazes met.

“Hey! I want to join your student council! If I beat you in a fight, give me a seat!” Makoto said, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically hot blooded.

“Huh?” Zenkichi’s earlier attack of hot bloodedness had calmed down by now. Apparently the drugs effects were only temporary. However, he was so used to this kind of scene that all the sudden challenge did was make him smile. “Good! Let’s go then. If I win, you have to join the student council!”

“Wait, isn’t that the same thing?” Makoto said, right before Zenkichi kicked him in the gut and sent him flying.

Just like that, the members of Medaka’s student council all had been replaced. Kyoko in the distance watched her good friend get kicked around like ragdoll. “Boys are so illogical.” She sighed. “Oh well, I suppose that closes another episode of the continuing adventures of Kirigiri Kyoko.”

"Hey, how come it's only your name in the title?" Shuichi said, suddenly feeling insecure as usual.

Chapter 15: My Older Sister, Ikusaba Mukuro

Summary:

This fight ends in a disappointing way.

Fraternal twins invariably at odds, one rough hue military minded, the other cunning, cunning and compulsively attractive. Two sides of the same coin, twisted sisters united in darkness and their commitment to despair.

That’s enough about them though, Enoshima Junko already thinks the whole world revolves around her the narrator doesn’t need to reinforce that fact. There’s another set of siblings in this story with an interesting dynamic. You could say rather than siblings of despair, they were siblings born for hope… but that wouldn’t quite be right.

Even in the past, everybody knew about the Kurokami children especially since their family was widely known throughout japan. Of course everyone knew of Kurokami Medaka who showed her genius at a young age, and Kurokami Maguro who awakened his analysis abilities for the sake of his sister.

However, there was another child between the two siblings. She was caught in between hope and despair at the same time, an older sister and a younger sister at the same time. Kurokami grou’s second child, Kurokami Kujira.

Unlike Ikusaba Mukuro whose own personality was drowned out by her louder younger sister, who was blinded by her sister’s radiance, the reason that Kujira was well known had nothing to do with her beaming brother in sister. In fact, she made herself that way. She locked herself away in a lab, when it comes to biology she stands head and shoulders above Medaka. She surpassed her sister in other ways too, one could say she was even further from humanity than the paragon that was Medaka.

The reason is because Kujra barely lived what anyone would consider a normal childhood. She didn’t go to school. She didn’t go out to play. She didn’t go outside for anything, she stayed behind her desk day after day, working.

If Enoshima Junko’s abnormality is her inability to feel emotions because her genius makes everything predictable to her, an unwitting side effect of being born with a brain much smarter than any human mentality can bear the strain of. Then Kurokami Kujira’s greatest abnormality would be her stoicism too, but hers was entirely of her own choice. She had no interest in achieving happiness or having fun, she strictly tended to her studies. Fun and pleasure seemed to back away from her.

Having fun is a nice way of saying “I’m being negligent…” Enjoying something is a nice way of saying, “I’m being lazy.” Laughing simply means you’re not serious about what you’re doing. Kurokami Kujira seriously believed those harsh sentiments from the bottom of her heart. They became chains around her that kept her to her desk. Enoshima Junko could not enjoy anything whether she wanted to or not, Kuorkami Kuira would not allow herself to enjoy anything as a point of philosophy.

She lived a life that could barely be called human. She would eat only enough to survive, she wouldn’t drink anything besides water, she would never touch anything that resembled a toy, whenever she was awake she would bury her nose in books, she would sleep for only 3 hours a day, her everyday life was what anyone would call torture. She lived in the bars of a cage of her own making, treating herself far worse than any animal.

All for the sake of her favorite saying, something amazing can only be made after seeing hell. A minus is a mentality that develops to cope with a life that shows you nothing but misery. Kumagawa Misogi says “nothing bad happened to me, it wasn’t my fault” and continues on with a smile on his face. Komaeda Nagito says “those who become victims of my luck, just weren’t strong enough in the first place” and looks away from corpses left behind from weak hope. Shibushi Shibuki says “These scabs left on me are beautiful,’ and Mikan Tsumiki says “I’ll feel strong tending to the wounds of the weak and forget about my own wounds.”

“Something amazing can only be born after seeing hell.” Kurokami Kujira was a minus through and through, but unlike all of those listed above she coped with a life not from too much misery but too much happiness.

“I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth!! Born with good looks! Borth with exceeding talents! Born in favorable circumstances! And they can all eat shit! This blessed life is turning me into shit! Nothing comes from happiness! I need more adversity! I need to be pushed further to the edge! Deeper into the depths of hell!”

At the time she shouted this, her two loving siblings watched her from the door. Even though Kurokami Kujira was nothing more than a spoiled brat lamenting how spoiled she had become, destroying the books, and her own materials in a fit of childish pique her two siblings rushed in to comfort her. Medaka looked up to her sister for her stoicism, and Maguro loved both of his sisters equally.

However, that familial love was nothing more than baggage. She threw both of them away. Experiencing the loss that a minus would. On her 11th birthday, Kurokami Kujira ran away from home and never returned. A single tarnished note was left behind like a suicide message. If I’m only going to be happy then I’m better off dead.

That should have been the end of that story, but in a different story Kurokami Medaka believed in her sister more than she ever deserved to believe in, and Kurokami Maguro gave up everything and spent six years looking for his sister. The baggage she had thrown away, the people she had lost, somehow returned to her.

She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. That was how she was in this current situation, watching through black and white eyes as an atmosphere that she had become familiar and friendly with played out in front of her. This was a happy scene between friends and all she did was watch it passively.

“Y-you really expect us to fight? Th-those guys are completely insane! Fighting them or talking to them isn’t going to accomplish anything! They don’t even care that much about life and death anymore… They’re beyond sanity entirely.” Toko Fukawa said, touching the tips of her fingers together nervously.

“Is there a way to deal with her, she’s really bringing down the atmosphere,” Zenkichi Hitoyoshi said. He stared at the seats that Akune and Kikaijima once filled. Even with two people in them, a blonde prince that looked like Akune, and a gloomy girl in glasses who reeked of desperation that reminded him of Mogana he could feel nothing but emptiness in those seats.

“Fine, Toko stop breathing.” Togami said, not looking up from the books he was currently going over. Before starting anything else with the student council he was taking his job as treasurer seriously.

Toko immediately obeyed him, closing her mouth. Zenkichi and Medaka at first, thought it was a joke but as they saw Toko turn a shade of blue they quickly grew worried. Medaka stood up grabbing Togami by the shoulder and shaking him. “Hey, hey you, you can’t exercise control of a person like that.”

“Toko’s not a person she’s an annoyance,” Togami clarified. Normally he would have reminded the person touching him without permission not to touch his betters, but he couldn’t really say that in the case of a Kurokami.

“If you see everyone around you as inhuman, then you yourself will cease to feel human as well,” Medaka responded with her usual preeching.

None of it got through to Togami, but he decided it would be better to act like it had gotten through to him rather than fall out of Medaka’s favor. “Fine then, Toko please breathe. You’re more useful alive than dead, though by a slim margin.”

Toko immediately gasped for air. Behind the two of them, Makoto scratched his hair. There were still bandages around his forehead from his fight with Zenkichi, which despite his sudden flair of passion had ended in a total loss. “I’m sorry about those two. They don’t really know how to be normal, but… in this case it’s probably good.”

“I’m considered the paragon of high society normalcy is just mediocrity from that standpoint,” Togami quickly snapped back at him. Toko was still too busy gasping for air.

“I mean, this is a fight right? A fight against an insane enemy we can’t understand. In the face of them, a normal guy like me is pretty weak. I’m sure I’ll lose my battle but I’m okay just being a stand in for the vice president spot. Toko and Togami are my friends I know who will win for sure, and as long as Medaka wins that will be three victories. So see, there’s nothing to worry about.” Makoto as always, tried to grasp for hope in this situation. For a moment everybody semed to believe him.

Then Toko cut in again with her gloominess. “R-rather than teaming up with someone like you, someon who always has an excuse. A coward. Using that word “normal” as an excuse… I think I’m better off just suffocating like I was a moment ago.”

Then Makoto’s head fell down.

Medaka too crossed sat back down and folded her hands up underneath her chin as if she was wringing them out. They had returned to classroom 2-A in the old school building. The last time they were here though, Munakata, Maguro, Naze, Koga, Zenkichi, Akune, Kikaijma, herself, the room seemed much more filled with life even if they were in an equally hoeless situation.

“Hey! Quit making that face. You’re not the sister whose supposed to give into depression, it doens’t help anything right? We’ve already placed Kouki-kun and Kikaijima with others, everything is on track.”

“Maybe there wasn’t anyone to replace them. Maybe it was a mistake, dragging outsiders into this situation.”

“It definitely was, I d-don’t want to die for beautiful and well liked people like you,” Toko spoke up again out of turn.

“Makoto was the closest to the truth, we can still get two more wins in the upcoming battle and clinch it with the president’s battle. We haven’t even lost once yet, there’s still hope, right?” However, when she said the word hope it sounded even less convincing then when it had a moment ago.

The room fell entirely silent.

Behind bandages her face twisted up into an even worse scowl than usual. “You’re all just indulging yourselves pointlessly when there’s work to be done…” Who cares about protecting things? Who cares about hope? It’s all just baggage. They should just do what needs to be done. “I can’t believe I lowered myself trying to appeal to you. Let’s go Koga.”

Her friend lifted her head to look back at her. “Eh? Where?”

“Now that Aniki can’t be here, there's no reason for us to stay, right? We’re not student council members, and I can’t tag along with people who can’t produce anything worthwhile from this despair. I can’t think of her as my little sister or the student council president when she’s acting desperate like that.”

Medaka barely looked up from the three hope’s peak members she had been staring at, worriedly. However she said no words. It was only Koga who went after her. “Hey! Wait, Naze-chan!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko carelessly put her arms behind her head. “Bringing in a strong member? Isn’t that against your whole loser philosophy, not that I was paying attention in the first place.”

『Of course! She is not like us, but she is also like us. If only you weren’t so self absorbed during the manager of general affairs battle, you might have noticed it. Being able to give Zenkichi-chan accurate advice, a strong mind that’s not afraid of my minus, above all, the eyes of a corpse watching a corpse are the best!』Kumagawa said, raising his gaze to look into Junko’s eyes  as well. 『Naze Youka, I want you to observe her closely this time okay?』

They were already walking together side by side in the hallway to find her, when they came across by a stroke of bad luck on Naze’s part, Naze running away from that distasteful atmosphere and Koga following her and unsuccessfully trying to persuade her to go back. If they were main characters, this might be what is referred to as a lowest point.

“Naze-chan, he…” Koga stumbled backwards in fear and shock, at the sudden appearance of Kumagawa. She thought maybe for a second Naze could be right after all, she was somebody who misfortune chased her to an abnormal extent.

“Koga-chan, I’m sorry but could you go spend time somewhere else? It seems this senpai and that one girl who is always following him around has something to talk with me about.”

Kumagawa merely stood there in the center of the hallway with a hand on his hip. Enoshima Junko poked her head out from behind his shoulder. “Wait, how am I the one who is following him around? It’s obvious he’s following me around because he’s obsessed with me.”

『Enoshima-san you’re kind of ruining the moment.』

“Well, if the moment is not about me then it deserves to be ruined.” Of course as usual her excessive self esteem was nothing more than an act, as she glanced back and looked at Naze. Tufts of black hair, and one single eye peeked out from a bandaged face which was tied back by a knife stabbed into her forehead. She definitely looked like despair, but she wondered why Kumagawa asked her to look closely. He should have already known that people that just mindlessly chased despair like the ultimate despairs did little to satiate her hunger either.

They walked alone. Naze behind the two of them, silent the entire time. She watched the two bicker back and forth with one another as they walked, and could not shake off the familiar feeling it gave her. She didn’t join in though, that kind of conversation was useless to her. She walked into the student council office that the minus refused to give up, and saw half the room was torn apart and vandalized with Kumagawa’s screws and the other filled with more useless junk, like bandages, soda cans, gachapon prizes, Junko’s outfits hanging off the walls, weapons and a few photoes of useless adventures together that would only show up in filler episodes of the anime pinned to the wall with much smaller screws. More junko, more baggage.

As she settled down kicking up her feet on one of the desks,  at least Kumagawa was straight to the point.『Let me keep it short. Naze-san. Would you like to become my friend?』

“Okay!” She said immediately while striking a pose to make the moment even more dramatic. Then she rolled her one visible eye. “You think I’d say something like that? Quit joking, you imperfect trash. Why would I join the likes of you? What’s the merit of doing so?”

『................』

“Hey Senpai, I’ve learned a lot already. This one has a really good eye after all,” Junko said, snorting and leaning on his shoulder as he stayed quiet for a moment.

『Hey eyes are similiar to yours, Enoshima-san. Both black and white, swirling around.』Kumagawa decided not to give Junko anymore attention though and stood up, pushing her off his shoulder.  『Wonderful things only come from experiencing hell, that’s what you believe in, right? Then you should’ve become our comrade sooner.』Kumagawa smiled at her closing his eyes, he looked like a cat who caught the canary. No, he was much worse, he didn’t even try to hide his deceit.  『Of course, I know why you’re tied with the student council. That girl… you’re indebted to Maguro-chan for saving her, right? That’s why I went out of the way to beat Maguro-chan up so you could be the one saving him this time, because of me that debt has become nothing. Friends give each other gifts, right?』

Naze sat up finally and leaned in with interest. Even somebody as stoic and removed as her, could figure out what Kumagawa was implying. He had gone out of his way most likely through Shiranui to set up these circumstances. “.... It seems that you’ve done quite a bit of research on me.”

『Haha no way! I never do my homework, and I don’t really understand other people. I just understand despair, that’s why I get along so well with Enoshima-san.』

“If this is what you call getting along well, then I’m actually legit sad to think about how other people might treat you,” Junko interjected again.

『Forget about the student council election, the elite massacre plan, the fall of hope’s peak...』

Junko elbowed him, “I dunno senpai, those things seem very important to certain people.”

『I don’t want your strength or your abnormality, I want you, I want your minus by my side. You ran away from a perfectly happy life, and even erased all the memories of the two siblings who loved you and accepted the unpleasant you as you were, right? You could never be satisfied with a happy and peaceful life to you it was stagnation. It doesn’t matter if you threw those things away yourself, or they were taken, a loss is still a loss.』

“...” She watched with one discerning eye.

Junko fell quiet too, even though she did think of a thousand or so responses and ways she could continue to jab into Kumagawa’s speech and make fun of him if she really wanted to.

『Of course I won’t say what you’ll gain from this, but that’s how you’ve been living all this time right? I’ll just propose to you with this instead, with me you’ll become the most misfortunate person in the world.』

Finally Naze raised her head again. She smiled in a way that showed all of her teeth. Her black and white eye, brightened up. “Nice!”

Enoshima Junko still did not quite understand what she was supposed to be seeing here. However, in the hallway Komaeda Nagito, Mikan Tsumiki and Ikusaba Mukuro who all sat guarding the door all reacted in their own way.

“Junko, that’s definitely Junko.” Mikan said, reacting like a scared cat that had been doused with a bucket of water.
“Only someone with a warped mind like Junko would believe anything beautiful like hope or genius could come from despair,” Komaeda said, looking down at his empty palm.

Mukuro bristled at this. She had been sitting on the ground with her knees drawn up staring out the window and ignoring most of the present situation, but she could not ignore it when she heard her sister’s name. “What are you talking about? That person is nothing like Junko.” That was because to Mukuro there was nobody like Junko in the whole world. She only had one sister, Enoshima Junko.

“Hey, Chougasaki-san. Do you really think that person will accept Misogi-chan’s offer?” Mukuro asked, resting her head on her gloved hand as she looked back finally with the smallest amount of interest.

“Of course she will, that person only cares about inflicting despair on herself. Though, like Kumagawa-senpai said. It’s strange that such a potential minus like her didn’t join us before now.” He stood tall with his hands behind his back, as composed as always. “I’ve heard a lot about her, a failing genius scientist chasing misforutne for happiness. They called her “Naze with nothing” back then, betrayal was her only way of living. Then, suddenly I didn’t hear about her anymore. To think the reason why is because she suddenly decided to live peacefully in this school.”

Mukuro had already moved and leaned on the door so she could open it a crack and hear what went on with in. As she heard the words erased your memories of the two siblings that loved you, her eyes sharpened like they were a crosshairs focusing on a target.

Shibushi leaned casually on Gagamaru’s shoulders. “Chasing misfortune for happiness, right? She doesn’t belong with us anymore than that peppy Ensohima does. Inflicting despair on yourself to enjoy it, that’s the idea of a happy human.”

Mukuro bristled once more. If Mikan was a cat dunked in water and surprised, then she was the dog growling because it did not want to be touched at the moment. “That’s not true at all, Junko’s never happy.” It was a sad fact that she had accepted along with her life goal of making her sister happy.

“Proposal? Why are you giving this rando a proposal? What’s so special about her?” Junko asked, poking one of her pointy fingernails into the round sides of Kumagawa’s cheek.

『This person’s much more committed to despair than even you are, Enoshima-san. She even erased her memories of her family, and hid away her beautiful face. Even you’re not willing to do something like that, your pride gets in the way.』

“There’s no way I’d debase myself so I could reach your astronomically low standards, senpai.”

『Well, enjoy being above everything like usual. I hope it doesn’t get lonely up there. Unexpected things are born from despair, Brilliant things come from misery, isn’t that the same philosophy?』

“No, it’s not the same at all. I get it though, you can’t get enough of me so you’re settling for a second rate substitute, it’s so regrettable that there’s not enough Enoshima Junko in the world.” Even on the other side of the door, the two sisters agreed with one another. It was because there was only one Enoshima Junko in the world, they had both built up the idea of Enoshima Junko in her head that they could not accept the comparison.

『Hmm, Enoshima-san there’s no need to get jealous. There’s no way I could forget about you considering how loud and belligerent you are!』”Jealous! Sure, I could feel despair from jealousy, but on you it’d be a total waste!”  『So your saying all feelings you have for me would become nothing? That your feelings for me are all fiction.』”This isn’t the time for puns! The only acceptable kind of puns are bear puns, and the only acceptable time is immediately after a teenager has been murdered.”  『What about my name… isn’t it Kuma- Gawa』”You don’t deserve to have ‘Kuma’ in your name.” The two started up again and their sentences ran into one another.

Naze Youka did not mind though. It gave her time to finish unbandaging her face, and slap a fresh band aid over the gash left behind from removing the knife from her forehead. In fact she kind of liked watching it, the chaotic scene of Enoshima and Kumagawa bickering back and forth. It was familiar to her, or rather it was something she had grown accustomed to watching.  “Haha! It’s like you said. I’ve just lost track of the person I really was. Now I’ve remembered it. Okay, I’ll take your offer Kumagawa-senpai. I’ll join you. From now on, I’ll be Naze Youka of the Minus Student Council. Let’s crush this school together.”

Kumagawa pushed Junko away from him, and leaned forward interlocking his fingers together and smirking. His eyes were covered in shadow, and good too because he did not want anybody noticing that he was not looking at Naze at all but rather the cracked open door where Mukuro was listening in behind them.

『You’re welcome, Naze-san. I respect that betraying side of you. I’ll prepare the president position for you, since you can replace Enoshima-san we don’t need her anymore.』

“Hey, that’s my seat.”

『But you don’t even want to help us win.』

“Well still, mine. Not hers, mine.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind being a secretary or something. Just hand over the information already, on 77-B, or the transfer students. I don’t care I’ll remodel em all.”

Kumagawa tossed forward the folder Shiranui had given him, causing photoes to fall out. However, at the bottom of the list she recognized the two names that the others had glossed over. “... You have a ridiculous trump card here, don’t you? You demon.”

『Yeah (but I’m not a bad guy).』Kumagawa muttered something under his breath, then put on an especially fake smile at the mention of the delayed two.  『But that child can’t make it in time for the election, and I have doubts whether that child can transfer here properly.』

Junko blinked. She was sure she looked over the list properly. What exactly was Naze seeing that she had missed? The only thing she really lacked experience in was dealing with supernatural entities like Kumagawa, but he had slowly become familiar to her as well.

『So, we still need you. There’s the possibility that you’ll have to participate in the election. You don’t mind fighting old comrades do you? Like… let’s say if this school became one of mutual killing?』

Junko bit the inside of her lip but stopped herself from interrupting this time.

“Haha! I simply got involved with them, because of circumstance. Time spent together doesn’t mean anything to a person like me. The truth is I really hate people like that. Aniki is obviously a pevert, though I do appreciate that he has been desperately searching for me for six years. Kouki-kun and Kikaijima are just too chummy. Well, they acted like friends to a warped person like me, that was really a big favor. Hitoyoshi was nothing moe than a test subject for me, he took my training without a single complaint. I like his nature. An Kurokami, Kurokami… Kurokami is so…”

Even though she was the older sister, the one who her sister once looked up to all she could do was summon the image of her sister’s back. She smiled and casually leaned back to forget about that image. Then suddenly while her hand was in the air to wave it off, she looked at her empty hand instead. “Eh? I can’t. I love them too much.”

Kumagawa merely smiled in reaction.

Kurokami Kujira immediately stood up to leave. “In the end, I’m just an idiot. I couldn’t have realized my own feelings if I hadn’t betrayed them once like this. Sorry, Kumagawa-senpai, forget about our whole discussion.” She was already almost out the door, she was so quick. “Even if I can betray my comrades I still can’t betray my own feelings.”

Kumagawa tilted his head.

Kujira stopped right in the doorway and looked at him. “I finally realized what’s bothering me. This place too, arguing uselessly, playing games with one another, you have that kind of friendly atmosphere here too just like at that place” She looked back to Kumagawa, and Junko who was standing over him with a hand on his shoulder and her clawed fake nails twisting into the folds of his uniform.

『I guess I was wrong again, she really is nothing like you, Enoshima-san.』

Mukuro stood in the doorway blocking her. She had moved on her own, without even Junko prompting her.

“What’s your business? Move. I have to get back and watch some Tv.”

“There’s no way I can move, if you’re not on Junko’s side then you’re just an enemy.”

『It’s okay Mukuro-chan, just let her go. There’s no way we could win against an older sibling’s pure love for her younger sister.』Junko finally realized, as she often did what Kumagawa was getting at. Of course what he had told her from the beginning was just another one his lies. A smile crawled across her face as she watched the scene unfold.

“I can’t obey that order, Misogi-chan. She’s seen a part of Junko’s secrets, and… this woman irritates me. Seeking hell, or misfortune or something nice! But in the end, you’re just someone seeking happiness, that’s not despair.”

“I won’t deny that. The truth is I was nearly moved by your persuasion. I forgot that so many people truly care for me, it was like my mind blanked out for that time. Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone about what I saw here, so just let me pass. Koga-chan, Sister they’re…”

『Hey, Mukuro-chan is this person’s half assed definition of despair really what’s bothering you? Or is it the way she takes her siblings for granted. After all she was just about to betray them a second ago, she threw away all of her memories of them, and now she can just waltz back like nothing happened… what has she done to earn their love? 』

Mukuro immediately looked back to Kumagawa. “Koga-chan. Koga-chan, right? Misogi-chan, order me and I’ll kidnap Koga-chan to blackmail this person into joining our side. I’ve done it for Junko before countless times.” Ikusaba Mukuro told herself she only followed orders from Junko even on this council. Yet suddenly in the moment she had called out to Kumagawa.

“Stop! Stop please, this has nothing to do with Koga-chan! Koga-chan is more important than despair, she’s more important than my policy.”

Kumagawa looked at the begging Kujira Kurokami and held up his hands.  『It wasn’t my fault, or rather I haven’t done anything. Mukuro-chan we don’t need to do something so drastic to force Kujira-chan to our side, we already have enough friends.』

“But you said!”

『I wasn’t really serious about inviting her to begin with. I just wanted to make her realize how half assed her dedication to despair really was. It’s just a prank, okay?』

“Then, I’ll just do it myself. I’ll tear those precious things she doesn’t even deserve away from her like I’ve always done in the past…” Mukuro’s gaze turned cold, as Kujira realized the real purpose she had been invited here. Kumagawa Misogi had made her an enemy of Ikusaba Mukuro without even trying.

『Mukuro-chan that’s no good! I never thought you’d react like this we were all upposed to become friends! Please don’t bully others too much!』He said, his concern as fake as every other expression on his face.

“This isn’t the time to be worrying about others, Kumagawa-senpai. If you threaten them I won’t forgive you. Ever since I was born, this is the first time I really wanted to obliderate someone.”

Kumagawa brought his hand to his chin, her anger not even reaching him.  『Won’t forgive me? What will you do? Fight with me here?』

“No, my little sister will take care of you.” Kujira turned her thumb and her black and white eye back at Mukuro. “I’ll make do with that woman. I’ll set an example for Kurokami, by crushing that 1st year woman.”

“Then participate in the secretary battle, Naze-senpai. I’ll teach you what real despair is.” Mukuro smiled all on her own, for the first time ever she derived a small amount of satisfaction from the thought of destroying the person in front of her. It was the first time she could enjoy destruction just like Junko did.

『See, we never needed you to begin with, Naze-san. Mukuro-chan’s strength is all we needed.』

“Pffffffffft-” the suddenly tense scene did not seem to reach Junko at all, even though her sister was in the middle of it. “Relying on somebody like my sister, no wonder you always lose, Senpai.”

『You’re kind of ruining the moment, again.』

“Ruining things is kind of my specialty, kay? How have you not gotten that my now, Senpai? Were you too distracted staring at my boobs the whole time, or just charmed by my wonderful personality?”

『Mukuro-chan is strong, Enoshima-san. I know that she is because she’s been dealing with your awful personality for seventeen years, that makes her stronger than any of us. No despair that Naze could ever inflict on herself could match that.』

A battle between sisters, the older sister of a demon, and the older sister of an angel begun in that moment.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“I still don’t see why you didn’t just  kill her,” Junko asked him as she walked together again with Kumagawa.

『Are we having this same discussion again between our differing definitions of despair? You’d think we would have resolved this by now. Well I guess since Ensohima-san is exceptionally rational whether she wants to be or not, a plus among minuses I should explain it to you in order to prevent any misunderstandings. Do you know tetris, Enoshima-san?』

“Uh… yeah?”

『Right, the blocks keep falling from the top and a full row will make blocks disappear. I love making four lines disappear at the same time. More precisely, I don’t want to do anything except that, I can’t stand letting lines disappear one by one, losing things one by one.』He turned back towards her and smiled. It was the first time Junko thought his smile looked handsome, but only because he was describing despair she told herself.  『My heart is stolen when thinking of that moment, the moment all the messy fragments disappear.』

“I can’t think of anybody who would want to steal your heart.”

『What if I said it already belongs to you?』

“In that case you can keep it.”

『You’re right, if we were to kill her we may have gained many advantages, but I don’t like that kind of play. So, taking the battery out to reset and play again from the start is more my style. That’s why I want to make Mukuro-chan forget everything she’s learned on the student council and remember that she’s a despair sister.』Kumagawa put his hands in his pockets and continued forward.  『Don’t worry, Enoshima-san. You don’t understand it because you don’t understand your sister, but I’ll show you how interesting Mukuro-chan can be.』

A week had already passed. They arrived together late, because Junko insisted that she needed an extra hour to finish her hair and forced Kumagawa to wait with her. By the time they were arrived both sides had already gathered. Komaeda, Mikan, Gagamaru, Shibushi, and the substitute student council, Medaka, Kujira, Koga, Zenkichi, and Togami. The only one who had not shown up was Makoto, but Kumagawa already had a feeling why that was.

Toko was huddled in the corner. “I can’t fight… blood, there’ll be blood. I’m not risking my precious life for these people.”

Medaka crossed her arms. “Ah, it’s probably a good thing that you substituted in Kuji-nee. She probably needs another week or so to overcome such weakness.”

“Your faith in humanity leaves much to be desired.” Togami said, under his breath though as he did not want to piss off a Kurokami.

The moment they all arrived though, Tokemichi already called them to attention. August 1st, the 2nd battle of the student council election. “Like the previous time, first we must decide the form of the battle. By the way, leaders Kurokami-sama and Kumagawa-sama please step forward.”

The moment they did though, they were both handcuffed together several times over. So fast that neither of them could react to it.

Kurokami’s usually stern face reacted in shock. “Wait a sec… is this some kind of joke?”

“No there’s a real threat that you two will act violently and cause harm to the execution of the election like last time. So we’ll have you two seal each other. Those handcuffs were the newest models of the enforcers.”

Kumagawa let out a puff of air to relieve the sudden tension he felt. 『Could you stop this, Choujabaru-kun?  Being tied to me like this is too pitiful for Medaka-chan』

Medaka replied politely. “Please don’t mind me, it suits me just fine to watch your folly or foolishness.”

Medaka-chan who wants to make everyone happy, and Kumagawa-kun who wants to make everyone miserable. In the way they are the same. Enoshima Junko realized that at that moment, a plus minus zero, as she watched the two of them stand so close something pricked her heart, like the spindle of a spinning wheel. It was easier for her to feel things like jealousy and possessiveness than realize what people meant to her, when her heart was surrounded by a maze of thorns as it was.

“Also, Naze-sama. You’re participating as a substitute, but a substitute is just a substitute. You won’t gain the position if you win.”

“It’s fine. If I can crush that bitch that only knows how to follow orders, there’ll be nothing left for me to complain about.”

“Shut up, you ungrateful spoiled brat,’ Mukuro said, allowing her usually blank face to twist in anger.

“Then, we have no time to spare so let’s decide the battle stipulations right away. Shibushi-sama of the new student council please choose the card you like among these thirteen!” He gestured once more to the cards he had already placed on the table.

“I’ll choose Hound,” Mukuro said, pulling off her glove to reveal the Fenrir tattoo hidden underneath.

“The card hound, I understand. I can only display my respect for your courage. The form the secretary battle will take is escape and pursuit!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

They traveled to the basement of the old school building. The challenge was laid out as such, Mukuro and Naze would be guided blindfolded into the middle of a booby trap laiden maze. There were two winning conditions, escape which was exiting the maze unharmed, or pursuit which meant finding and fighting your opponent until they were knocked unconscious.

What made the maze especially deadly was Enoshima Junko had designed this maze herself for an execution, which meant it carried all of her sadism with it. However, that execution had been erased from the school’s memory and undone by Kumagawa Misogi’s minus.

While Mukuro and Naze were still sitting blindfolded in the middle of the maze, they were all gathered in a center room watching it through TV screens that had already been set up to view.  『When exactly did you have the time to build all this?』Kumagawa asked, dragging Medaka along to move towards Junko.

“It’s not nice to throw accusations around like that Senpai. I don’t know who possibly could have been beautiful, cunning and creative enough to design a maze like this.”

『What does beauty have to do it with?』Kumagawa asked.

“Well, you know, sometimes things that all, like rain or spilled blood can be beautiful… oh wait why did I say something like that, teehee! It doesn’t fit my image at all, I’m such a ditz.” She knocked her hand against her head.

Kumagawa was jerked back from Junko by Medaka who was paying close attention to the screen. First blood had already landed, as the moment Mukuro stood up and took he blindfold off several knives were already dug into Naze’s body. Mukuro had not even waited for Naze to take her own blindfold off. “Ah, ah… I’ll die, I’ll die, I’ll die… that’s what I’m supposed to say right?” She suddenly rushed forward and kneed Mukuro straight in the face. The knives fell from her clothes, leaving tear in her initial uniform but not even piercing underneath. The one that had scratched her head got mixed up in her bandages, so she pulled them all off at once revealing her face “Bring that kind of surprise attack to play with honest ones like Hitoyoshi or Kurokami. I’m Naze Youka, the most frivolous student in Hakoniwa academy.”

Mukuro recovered quickly straightening up. Even though she had taken the hit the attack barely bruised her forehead. She knew right away she was not dealing with a fighting type. He pushed her hand back in her bangs. “Misogi-chan is right, taking a hit from time to time is exhilirating. I can’t believe I wasted three years never getting hit once on the battlefield.” Mukuro smiled again, in a sickly way. “This is the first time I’ve hated a person this much. I’ll kill and kill, until you’ve fallen into despair.”

However, at that declaration Kujira simply turned and ran in the opposite direction, forcing Mukuro to give chase. Several traps went off as Mukuro ran forward with the speed of a hound in pursuit, but several of the traps that went off she dodged them far beforehand as if she knew about them with some psychic power. Of course part of it was helping design this place, but the other half was her knowledge of her sister. She understood Junko best, and she knew exactly where she would put traps to cause such misery.

Eventually as they chased each other around, Naze felt her back hit against a wall. Mukuro smiled and then time rushed forward and stabbed directly with a combat knife drawn from its holster around her leg. She saw in an instant though, her blade did not cut any of the black suit she was wearing underneath her clothes. “You should stop using knives. I asked Munakata-senpai to make these blade proof tights, and now, since you were so nice as to get close. By the way young lady, did you get your shots when you spent three years abroad?”

Mukuro felt herself being stabbed from almost every angle. Suddenly an unfamiliar coldness like snakes blood creeping in her veins spread through her. From the center room, Zenkichi cheered out. “Here comes a full energy bar knockout combo! Chaotic intravenous injections!”

At Zenkichi’s overexcitement and the blow that had been dealt to Mukuro, Kumagawa merely smirked. In a way that Medaka did not detect, but Junko did.

“You won’t say you hate it, right? You’re already a high school girl. You can take all this abuse with a smile on your face like yo always have.” Naze said as Mukuro collapsed forward in front of her. “You’re going to kill me right? Is that all your good for? What was your plan exactly? You really are useless if nobody tells you what to do. I learned from the previous battle that you’re using Kurokbako cram school rules, and I researched every little thing about the rules and made countermeasures. I’m well prepared for this battle… Wel, in fact I have countermeasures for nearly 40 kinds of rules just in case.”

Kumagawa called out from the audience, as Mukuro was currently spitting up in reaction to what she had been injected with.  『Oh, but what about Mukuro-chan? Do you have a countermeasure for her, you don’t even know if she’s an abnormal, or minus.』

“No, I’m not worrying at all, because of that unknown past of hers will be sealed away by this liquid. It’s not even normalize medicine, because somebody who only thinks about their sister depends too much on their reason for being. It really is just run of the mill medicine, amnesia medicine, the same procedure I used to erase my memories of six years spent with my family.”

Mukuro’s eyes went totally blank. She wiped her mouth, and then looked around. There was no recognition in her eyes no matter what she looked at. “I won’t lose to somebody who only follows orders. So, I erased the memories of that sister you’re fighting for. Let’s see you use any ability without your reason for being.”

Kumagawa smirked at this. Just as Kujira seemed to be moving in slowly for the kill at a completely confused looking Mukuro, the image of Mukuro faded. She moved quickly enough from her position on the floor that she was easily able to sneak behind Kujira. In the next moment with something as simple as a kick Kujira was sent flying.

“What the hell did she move like that, it was faster than the Kurokami Phantom?” Zenkichi was the first to react. Medaka grew silent, tugging on the chains that connected her and Kumagawa.

『This is what you get for being a workaholic. I hate doing my homework, because I’m always afraid I’ll study the wrong thing. It’s better to guessed. All this time, I guessed that Naze-san and Mukuro-chan would be natural enemies, I guessed that Naze-san would assume she knew Mukuro-chan’s abnormality and try to seal it. I guessed you would assume that it was her affection for her sister.』Kumagawa brought his hand to his chin. 『But I knew this all along, Mukuro-chan’s just a normal girl. Her love for her sister is normal and sweet. So I thought, if you took it away from her what exactly would she become?』

Suddenly her style of movement changed entirely. Mukuro’s mind too, was somewhere else besides her body. Filth like her… how dare she get in Junko’s wait… Junko… My sister… my pride… My light… Mine….

Ah? Who was I talking about again? W-who is she? No, who am I? “I don’t want to hear that from flat chested nerds who are only good at killing people!” Who… Who said that. I… I… Me? That’s me they’re talking about…

That’s right…

“I’m only good for killing, right?” Mukuro asked, her voice sounding entirely empty. As she picked up Kujira by the head disappearing and reappearing again with amazing speed before dashing the head against the wall hard enough to shatter the bricks that were built to make this room into an rpg dungeon. “So, that should be fine, right?”

The geniuses forehead was cracked open and rather than her thoughts, it was her survival instincts that saved her. She wrenched herself away from Mukuro and went running. The mukuro that followed was not the hound dog dedicated in its pursuit, but rather a storm. The instant any of the maze’s traps sprung on her, Mukuro countered them in an instant without even looking. When a spear shot from the wall at her, she sidestepped it, and held a hand out to catch barehanded. She spun it around to test it’s weight, then having acquired a spear began to disarm traps by smashing them at the weak points.

The only thing that gave Naze a slight lead on her was the fact that Mukuro seemed dedicated to crushing absolutely everything in her path. “It’s fine, It’s fine, It’s alright…” Mukuro chanted like a mantra. Her voice was no longer that of the bloodthirsty despair sister, she sounded like a wolf with a broken leg, whining and snarling at everything that came near it in order to cover her pain.

She had ceased to be human entirely. Junko, looking at this unforeseen side of her sister kept quiet the whole time and stared at the fight playing out with interest. Just then, Naze in her panic to escape failed to notice a trap that she activated, and was speared straight through the shoulder.

“Aaaaaaaah! Naze screamed out as she floundered.

“Kumagawa, let me borrow your head for a moment.” Medaka said.

『?』

Before Kumagawa could even respond, he felt Medaka’s hand in his hair, and around the back of his head. The next moment he was slammed straight into one of the computer screens, causing it to shatter and spark.

“Hey, be careful with other people’s things when you’re borrowing them.” Junko called out, before turning back to the fight itself.

Medaka called out with a voice that would intimidate a lion. “Can you hear me, big sis? I see that you are being cornered by the enemy’s unreasonable dedication. Your preparation s all backfired, and there’s nothing you can do now. But I won’t be anxious about it. Because you are! My older sister, Kurokami Kujira, someone who shines the most under adversity! That’s why I won’t be anxious, and will put my trust in your survival like a fool.”

Perhaps if it were not for game balance, at this moment Kujira could use her surgery skills to give herself an unreasonable power that might appear in some manga. However, with the exception of Kumagawa those kinds of abilities did not exist in this world anymore.

Mukuro loomed over the corner, following the scent of her blood alone. She had ceased to become human and was violence personified. The literal definition of violence. Kujira was not a fighter, and she had provoked this person into that state. Spare me Kurokami-san. Maybe because I’m about to die, I finally remember that she’s always been a little sister like that. She always followed me around and had high hopes of me. That kind of memory how can I forget about that…

Kujira realized that even though what she wanted to do more than anything else was see Kurokami again, not just hear her voice, not just receive her praise. Even if she was looked down upon and disappointed her sister, even if she failed to turn around an impossible situation like she usually did that would be okay. “Damn, I wanted to look cool. I guess I have no choice, I really am a minus.” She put all of her thinking ability into one last desperate move. She bashed her hands against the wall again and again, then her head until she made a sizable dent. Then ripped out the wires within to cause a blackout within the whole facility.

Then, like a mad dog she rushed for the only place that looked like an exit. As long as she made it out of this place she would live.

Before she could even cross the threshold of that door though, Mukuro appeared in the room in front of her. Ah, I’m dead. Kujira said, the aura around Mukuro had become so intense that she accepted it just like that.

Junko had been watching the whole time. She even started to admire her sister’s transformation. Watching her sister disappear into that, filled Junko with an ecstasy of despair. Junko knew. She knew that Mukuro was neither hope nor despair, neither plus nor minus. She had become just an abnormality.

A disappointing girl who no longer understood herself, who only knew how to be violent because it was all she could believe in anymore. She couldn’t even be called a soldier anymore. She watched her sister go all out. Even if Mukuro destroyed everything around her and everyone present unable to control herself afterwards, Junko would still be comforted by the despair. She could just go right ahead and win through overpowering her opponent… Junko considered this for a few seconds until…

A familiar, hopeless habit reared its head. Her habit of getting so bored that it made her sick. She almost felt bad for the boy who had tried so hard to impress her, Junko’s life was filled with a lot of the word almost... 

She could do nothing and watch Naze almost reach victory only to see her brought to a tragic death. That too, in a way would be despair. She'd see the despair inflicted on Medaka who believed so whole heartedly in her sister, and Naze who wanted to see her sister again. She knew too, that Kumagawa was unlikely to undo such a death despite what he said about being fair. However, she did not care at all about Medaka and Naze right in this moment.

She had watched with her focus the entire time on Mukuro. No, she had watched Mukuro her entire life. Because she cared, that was why she could inflict despair. She knew there was still despair that Kumagawa's minus could not erase. Just as effectively as fists, guns and abnormalities, she could kill with something as simple as a word. 

The grin she had been watching the screen with, faded and she had a look a calm stoicism before crying out. Mukuro was no longer human anymore, but Junko knew how to bring her back.  It was a simple feeling , really, and with that hopeless feeling for Mukuro in mind she said just one sentence “My older sister, Ikusaba Mukuro!” Just as Medaka had beforehand.

That voice. It was calling her name.
“...!”

That was all it took, and with that one word, Mukuro Ikusaba stopped being an abnormality and became a person again. Just as she hesitated she looked down upon where she was standing on, and even having just recovered all of her memories and the natural confused state that would leave one in, she knew what was coming next.

Spears rose up from the ground and pierced through her at every angle. The same trap that had killed Chiaki Nanami. The same trap she had helped organize. The spears receded and Mukuro fell to the ground.

Kujira simply walked over her body, no longer caring for victory or defeat and walked out of the labyrinth. An empty victory, where all that was won was surviving to the next day. That was just like a minus.

In the observation room, Kumagawa Misogi did not feel one drop of excitement from the despair of the sudden turn around. After all, he admired Enoshima Junko in almost every way except one, he hated to lose, and most of all he hated losing people.

He quickly twisted his arm around popping it out of the sockets and making an ungodly noise with it so he could slip out of the hand cuffs. As he rushed forward, all fiction activated erasing the time between when he started running and when he arrived at Mukuro’s side.

 

He picked up the back of her neck in one arm, and then wiped a hand over her face with the other removing all of the marks the spears had punctured her, and the blood that had spread all over her body as if he was wiping it away. 『You fought well, Mukuro-chan. You may have lost, but Junko was watching you the whole time.』He had no idea what to say, so he tried to say what he thought would comfort her.

“Sheesh. What is with that guy?” Kujira said, before suddenly Medaka appeared behind her moving almost as fast as Kumagawa had. She saw her sister, and immediately looked down at the bloody mess her body had been left. “Sorry, it wasn’t a cool victory at all.”

Medaka merely smiled. “You lived…” As if that was all she had to do. “You’re my sister, so please can I give you some words of praise for once.”

“I haven’t earned them…”

“Who cares about that kind of thing.”

Kujira was on her last leg. She could not even reach out for the hand that Medaka was holding out for her. She stumbled forward, only to be caught immediately by her sister and held there for a moment. A warm embrace in an otherwise dark and grimy dungeon.

Koga was the third to make it down. “Hey, Kujira was right. Isn’t he acting a little weird? I thought you said this guy was evil incarnate or something, that you couldn’t understand him. Wasn’t he worried about his comrade just like anybody else?” The moment she spoke up though, she immediately stopped. “Oh my, I’m sorry for saying such things. Forget it.”

“No… I want to hear your opinion.”

“It’s not something as big as having an opinion, but aren’t you forgetting something important? They’ve always been living as they have been until now but… they seem a little different. Why is that? Instead of crushing them and destroying them shouldn’t we try to understand him?”

Kujira crossed her arms as she always did. “He’s different lately. He’s trying to win more straightforwardly, like he’s trying to impress that strange girl or something.” She remembered the scene before, with those two casually always next to each other, always joking around. “If you were to give it a shallow summary, it would be a parasitic existence, but to me it seems to be more symbiotic.”

 

Before she could complete her analysis, Medaka shouted at Kumagawa who still held onto Mukuro closely. “Kumagawa! I don’t care about crushing you or your despair anymore. Earn two more wins, and continue the election. Through my fight, I’ll reform you and make you happy this time for sure.”

 

『What a pity. If you had listened to Munakata-kun you could have become a normal student though, hating someone, defeating enemies. Someone normal like that.』

Just as they finished their conversation, that weird girl that both Medaka and Kujira could not account for finally showed up. Running in heels was hard after all, especially when you were not a cyborg or a model human being like Medaka.

“Junko…” Mukuro called out again softly. She had already been awake, and watched the scene of Medaka and Kujira’s simple affection for one another completely confused. Fear of the unknown was common in human beings. She had attacked Kujira this entire time, fearful of what it looked like to have a normal sibling relationship. To not have the lowest, most worst sister of all time, but to have a sister who occasionally smiled at you.

Junko Enoshima approached her sister, and smiled at her. However, that expression only made her heart halt. “Hey Mukuro!”

“J-Junko.”

“I’m grateful to you, Mukuro. I mean it.” Junko’s voice sounded very gentle and kind.

“...Junko?”

“I’m really sorry. I said so many mean things to you. I even tried to sabotage you right now when you were trying your best to win for my sake. I’m even making you fight against this school even though I know about your feelings for Makoto.”

“I don’t…”

“You don’t have to force yourself. Even if you didn’t notice it, it was totally obvious to anyone looking at you. Even that idiot behind you caught on. You never cared about class photos, but when Makoto said he was going to take one, you made sure you were facing the camera.” She flashed a smile. A pure, sweet smile. She looked like a normal high school girl teasing her older sister. Even more natural than both Medaka and Kujira. “Shittygawa assumes I don’t understand you, but I’m the one who is always watching you. I always thought you shoudl’ve tried hard to take pictures with Makoto… but I guess that’s what makes you so disappointing.”

Even at such sweet words though, Mukuro could not help but feel a wave of anxiety wash over her. Kumagawa who was still holding tight to her noticed to. It had most likely been Junko's plan since the start for Kumagawa to make those injuries disappear. She had no intention of injuring her sister at all. She was going to kill with words. Betrayal, a word that Kumagawa could not make disappear so simply. 

“...”
『...』

“Still, even though you’re disappointing and annoying, I still love you.” Using the happiness that Mukuro saw in Medaka and Kujira's relationship, reflecting it back, making it so she never wanted to hear them, to make her hate herself for wanting even a little bit more, for envying. Those were the words Junko wanted to kill her with. That was the despair she wanted to both inflict and feel.

Mukuro trembled upon hearing those words. I love you. THat’s all she ever wanted to hear her sister say. Mukuro believed. No matter what Junko said,  she believed she really loved her. She believed she was the only one who could truly understand the despair known as Enoshima Junko.

She was naive.
As soon as she heard Junko say, “I love you”... Mukuro realized she never completely understood her sister.
It was only at this moment that Mukuro finally understood her sister’s feelings. Junko’s words right now were kind. Perhaps that kindness was completely honest. The words, “I love you,” might have been true as well.

However… For Enoshima Junko, this was her way of saying goodbye. She was severing the ties between them. It was painfully clear to Mukuro. Before she could say anything Junko said one more remark as soft as wool, that cut her down to the bone. “I’m sure someday you’ll make your dreams come true.”

Ultimate despairs never talked to each other like this.
A simple truth stabbed into Mukuro’s heart:
Junko had no further use for her.
Her own sister was parting ways with her.

Ten years of her life to the cause of Ultimate Despair, and at this moent it all counted for nothing. Whateve scheme Junko would come up with next she would no longer be a part of it. Why? Was it because she had lost? Was it because Kumagawa had come? Was she releasing her to his care? To Makoto’s?

Mukuro hoped Junko would say something. “Yeah right! Did you really think I’d say something that nice? You’re so annoying Can’t you just hurry up and disappear already?” She hoped she’d start verbalyl abusing her again, or call her useless or incompetent. She was no masochist, unlike Kumagawa, but she’d prefer to be stabbed again all throughout her body like the wounds Kumagawa made disappear rather than endure this kind of emotional pain.

“I love you Mukuro, so bye-”

Before Mukuro and Junko could do anything to react, Kumagawa was already standing. To give himself the element of surprise, he merely erased the time it took for him to gently put Mukuro down and walk the few steps in order to close the distance between him and Junko.

Junko saw that he was in front of her, and close enough to see every detail of his face. Rather than his usual smile, or even the twisted up agony he had shown her at the general mangers battle, his look bore a face of completely empty stoicism. The same face that she always wore when she was bored.

In the next moment before she even saw it coming he brought his hand across her face and slapped her. She couldn’t even finish what she was saying. The entire right side of her face had become reddened with pain.

 

『Enoshima-san. Your despair is really boring to me, right now.』He said in a voice empty of all emotion.

 

Then, before Junko could react, he was by Mukuro’s side again. He picked her up in his arms softly, bridal style, and started to walk out alone. 『It’s okay Mukuro-chan. Don’t listen to her. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. It's mine. It's mine so... So... Uh... I know! Let’s live a long time, and continue to disappoint your dumb sister together. She’ll just have to deal with it.』

 

He carried her off to the hospital, smiling and chatting uselessly the whole way there. Kurokami Medaka and Kurokami Kujiragi were so confused by the scene all they could do was stare at his back.

Enoshima Junko stared at his back too, equally unaware of what to feel even with super high school level analysis she did not even know her eyes were beginning to water.

Notes:

Next week, Kumagawa tells a story.

Chapter 16: A Story From the Past

Summary:

Junko does not have a nice time of things.

Notes:

Ajimu and Kumagawa's relationship is a reference to Jack and Lacie of Pandora Hearts!
Kumagawa and Jack are characters I find to be very similiar. Some lines were used from the chapter "Jack!"

Why...why
Even though I’m so strong.
It’s all for her sake so…
Why am I always… the second priority… the second despair sister… the ugly one… I can’t put it into words.
Unfair.
Even though I’m the only one who understands her.
I am.
Why is she?
Junko?
Why just me.
Look…
I wanted to be…
I am.
I am the one who understands her.
So why…
What’s the word.
Frustrating?
I’m always left behind.
No it’s so… Disappointing.

“I did everything for Junko, she was everything to me, so why can she always try to get rid of me so easily? I-I’m doing…” Mukuro’s eyes peeled open and she saw herself on a hospital bed. She wondered if she was really sleeping or just lost in her thoughts, and if so, for how long. “Why is my everything so boring to her?”

She had curled up  in her bed, hands around her face which twisted in emotions the usually blank faced girl never showed in front of others. The corners of her eyes glistened with held back tears. She did not know though, if she was crying for herself, or rather for Junko the sister she could do nothing to please.

When she looked back and finally noticed, a boy in a black uniform watching her in her hospital bed still that emptiness inside of her once again was replaced with violence. As violence was all she had besides Junko. “I hate you. I hate you for saving my life, Junko would have been happier with me if I died. I  hate… everyone… everyone whose not Junko, they can all die too for all I care.”

Just as always though, in response to the hatred that was thrown at him, Kumagawa smiled. He stood up from his chair and leaned over her bed reaching for her hand and pulling it away from her face. He sat back down in his chair, holding onto the same hand.『I don’t know about the  rest of the world but you have such a soft hand, Mukuro-chan』Kumagawa closed his eyes and smiled, Mukuro realized such a kind smile was meant for her. 『That’s how I know I’m not wrong. I don’t think you should die.』

“But… what should I do? I don’t think I can keep up with her anymore. I thought I understood Junko but, it feels like something is off. I didn’t want something like this. I didn’t want to choose between Junko and my friends. I was trying not to think about it, but then you showed up and interrupted things and now that the plan keeps getting delayed there’s nothing but time to think.  I don’t understand how you can take this fight so well, or how Junko would rather see Naze-san win then me, no matter how you look at it nothing normal has happened recently. I… between my classmates and Junko… I don’t know anymore. I always choose Junko but, she says that makes me disappointing and boring. I can’t choose between them! Misogi-chan! What am I supposed to do?”

『...』Kumagawa brought his free hand to his chin.  『I don’t know.』

“I chose the wrong person to consult,” Mukuro said, her voice going flat with disappointment.

『You’re right, you are weaker and more stupid than Ensohima-san. To be honest, I never wanted to take sides between the two of you so I let her bullying go on for far too long. But if you want me to, I can join your side and make this fight between sisters meaningless.』

“...Why? Why would anybody choose Junko over me.”

『It’s simple, I don’t really want to choose sides between hope and despair. I just want to be the ally of the weak. I guess I talk about despair a lot too, but it’s just because the weak and worthless tend to be in despair.』

“I don’t understand you at all. Your whole life is despair like Junko, you hurt people just as easily as her, but you can say such nice things too. Junko is only nice if it leads to more despair. I… I understand her despair but not yours.”

『I don’t understand myself either.』

Mukuro narrowed her eyes. “How can you go back and forth being being helpful, and no help at all.”

Kumagawa continued to hold Mukuro’s hand as it fell off the side of the bed. He brushed a thumb over it as he thought.  『You always compare me to Enoshima-san, but I think we’re alike too, Mukuro-chan. After all I’m a disappointing existence too. I guess I can try to tell you… a story from the past.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『This is a story that begins and ends in despair.』

『I’ve lived a life of constant loss.』

『My first loss was that of my parents.』

『Even now I can’t remember their faces.』

『From what I can gather they were perfectly normal people who just happened to have an unpleasant child, the first misfortune I ever inflicted in the world was my birth to them.』

『I assume they were unable to handle me… being the person I am… and if they were just normal it was only natural they abandoned me.』

『I only have scattered fragments of memories of that time.』

『I assume it was so unpleasant that my mind shut it all out.』

『I have vague memories of living on the streets and searching garbage for old books.』

『I couldn’t understand the words so I’d pick up manga instead and stare at the pictures.』

『I assume my parents must have given me manga to read at some point in time, though I can’t say for sure.』

『I just remember that reading them alone filled me up with pleasant feelings that I didn’t otherwise know.』

『I didn’t know why I was born, or who I was born for, and because of that I lived a life of little consequence that is until I met her...』

Kumagawa Misogi believed that he had to keep living on no matter what despite all of the losses. Even if he lived the most irredeemable and repugnant life possible, he would keep living. However, there was a time where he was close to giving up.

At the point of starvation and after losing his only remaining friend, a stuffed rabbit that he had been sewing together for years upon years, he sat in an alleyway alone waiting out the rain with only a stolen blanket covering him. The rain weighed down heavy on him and made his body feel cold but he no longer cared about trying to grasp for warmth.

“Hey, you… You’ll catch a cold if you try to fall asleep in the rain.”

『She suddenly appeared before me.』

A voice called out to him and he opened one eye. Suddenly, the empty alleyway was filled with her presence. Just by looking up and reacting to the noise, just by chance he had met eyes with this girl.

『Red hair, and red eyes… her name was Ajimu. It was obvious that… she did not belong to this world.』

He didn’t hear her at first, so it took him a moment to realize, why she was looking at him so intently. Oh, she had asked for his name. He tried to think back on it because it was the long time since he had addressed another human being.

“I am… Kumagawa…”

Then, standing there with her arms behind her back, looking at his pathetic self covered in dirt and grime, she smiled at him her cheeks blushing red with life looking as if she did not have a care in the world. “Really? What a dull name!”

In the next moment she sat down against the opposite wall, drawing her knees to her chest. Immediately, without asking she started to launch into an explanation about her own life, as if she assumed Kumagawa passively laying there was interested.

『Those eyes...』

‘You see… usually I’ve had a traveling companion but he really annoyed me this time. He never even talks to me.”

『What is she looking at?』

“What do you think, Kumagawa-kun? I’m right, aren’t I? He’s just being unbelievably dull.”

『Me?』

“Please don't look at me. All of that stuff doesn't matter."  Kumagawa said, his head sinking into the blankets he kept wrapped around him like a cocoon. She should have been able to tell, from his long overgrown and unkempt hair, from the bruises on his face, that he was lost and waiting to die. She should hvae overlooked him and went on with whatever her life was, just like everybody else did.

However, instead her cheeks puffed up immaturely in annoyance. She closed the idstance between them in an instant, grabbing his blanket and tearing it away from him, forcing them to fight over it. “Why? Why did you say that? When you meet a mysterious girl by chance you’re supposed to ask them a ton of questions! Aren't you trope aware? Don't you think I'm being weird?"

Kumagawa did think she was weird. She was wearing old fashioned white robes. Her robes were almost soaked through the same as his blanket. He wondered if she worked in a temple somewhere, or if she came from a traditional family. Either way, as nice as her clothes looked, wearing such thin intricate clothing in the rain like that was not doing her any good.

“It’s so cold I’m going to get sick too!” She stopped tugging his blanket away from him, and on a whim instead sat down wrapping the part she was holding onto around her. “Nevermind, make room for me!  We can just be sick together!”

The moment she tried to touch him, Kumagawa thrashed away from her. He tried to reject her touch, the fact that she was sitting next to him, no her entire existence. “Get away! What’s wrong with you?!” He barked like a threatened alley dog.

However, her only response was to lean against him, and softly rub her cheek up and down. “Ah… so warm…”

“How can you possibly think I’m warm… I’m just… a corpse.”

“Oh, did you remember how to talk like a human being after all?” At that moment she met his eyes again. She moved so their faces were centimeters apart, and stared at him without flinching away.

『Her eyes pulled me in.』
『I had been looked at before.』
『There was a well intentioned psychosomatic surgeon who looked down at me with pity.』
『There was a two year old girl who saw me and promptly forgot my name.』
『However, that was the first time I'd ever felt seen.』

Just like that, without understanding who she was, or what she wanted, he was pulled into her life. They spent the rest of the day together, eating food which Ajimu stole. Kumagawa still barely had the will to move on his own.

When they needed to move out of the rain to find somewhere to sleep, she grabbed him by the hand forcefully and dragged him. He felt like a child that couldn’t walk on their own, holding the hand and walking alongside another for support. Technically he was still a child at the time but he had never experienced anything like youth before, due to always surviving on his own before this point.

She asked him a few times why he was sitting alone in the rain waiting to die, but he could not make that memory connect in his head either. Whatever happened to him to make him forget must have been as bad as the time with his parents. An unsustainable loss that was better off forgotten.

While he gave no details about his own life, she would ramble on about hers, filling up the empty alleyways that they traveled in together with her words, her noises, her presence. Apparently she didn’t bother to go to school either or even have a home, but she had a traveling companion before this. She got annoyed with him from time to time though and ran away because of how passive he was. He bored her easily, even though they had been together for so long.

She asked him if he wanted to become her new traveling companion, but Kumagawa thought she was only joking so he didn’t answer her. One day suddenly she snipped a pair of scissors right in front of his face.

“Your hair is a mess. How do you expect people to want you… looking like that?” She said with a smile the same as always.

Kumagawa thought he was being insulted, but didn’t say anything either. He just let her do what she wanted to his hair. He felt her cut close, cutting the sides off and leaving most of the back of his head bare. He kept his head forward, unable to look at her for too long. Or rather, he didn’t want to see her discerning eyes looking at him.

“Kumagawa? Hey… are you.. An abnormal?”

“Why?” Somehow even though he kept his distance the entire time, she had come to realize it on her own. He tried to look back suddenly, only to have her hands on the side of his head, fixing his head so he could not move it. “Hey! Face forward!”

Clip. Clip. She kept casually cutting his hair even though she knew what he was. “Wh-why? How do you know?”

“Well, at first I thought the reason everybody avoided you was because you’re ugly and have an unpleasant attitude, but that shouldn’t really account for everybody, there’s no accounting for taste after all.” She leaned in close, he could feel her breath at his ear. “When I was walking with you the past few days though, I noticed only the normal people avert their eyes. Normals can’t deal with the existence of abnormals, it’s like oil and water.”

“I already know that. That’s why I’m alone right now, I’ll only hurt anybody whose around me.”

“Isn’t it your family’s job to take care of you even when you hurt them?”

“...”

“Are you lonely?"

"I wouldn't know. People only feel loneliness when they have somebody to miss being apart from. I just have myself."

Just then, she swung wildly with her scissors and left a gash at the back of his ear. He felt something wet trickle down the side of his face. A moment later, she leaned close and licked his  wound. It felt like sandpaper, like the tongue of a cat licking you. He was immediately repulsed. Kumagawa who had grown numb due to excessive cold and rainy days, felt pain strong enough to wake him from his stupor, he touched his ear and tried to get away from her, but before he even could she had already grabbed him.

“There, see, I thought you were ugly at first but even your face can be cute when it’s all twisted with pain.”

Kumagawa had no idea what to think of this, so he just blushed and looked at her. The expression that she gave him at that moment, looked completely satsified. It was the opposite of her normal restless looking eyes.

“It’s not true that you’ve lost everything, it’s just that… you’ve lost the will to win. You shouldn't sulk alone just because you've given up. If people turn away from you, just hurt them to make them notice.”

“That’s…”

“So what if it’s wrong? What’s most important is you keep living right? No matter who you have to step over to achieve it. Isn’t that a good enough reason?  I hate good and evil, heroes and villains, hope and despair, wins and losses. What’s more important the the words themselves, are the reasons behind them.”

He didn’t know, when they had started talking, or when he had started walking alongside her rather than being dragged along. It started to rain too, and for the first time he didn’t even care. “I’ve seen the world through every pair of eyes, that’s how I can know. That’s how I can remain impartial. It’s cruel, and it’s beautiful. Those who squabble over whether it's one of the other are just fools.”

Just then in the rain, she pulled him along into a dance. Kumagawa had never danced before but he tried just to keep up with her. No matter how knowledgeable and confident she seemed he had a hard time believing in her words. His world was one that only ever knew sadness, but… since she said she liked the world, and laughed...

『I...I….』

 

『It was then that I realized why I couldn’t look away from Ajimu’s eyes.』

『She had red eyes, that looked down on absolutely everything around her.』
『People were nothing more than walking corpses to her.』
『At the same time though, I realized I wanted to be more to her.』
『It was just then that I noticed I never wanted to leave her side.』
『I knew I was just a distraction to her.』
『She had been living like this all along, occasionally finding humans that she thought might peak her interest and observing them.』
『She got tired of them quickly though, and disappeared.』
『In the end she never had expectations for anybody, she was entirely neutral.』
『That was how she was able to love everybody, and make them all like her.』
『I stayed by her side longer than most though.』
『For two years, I did whatever she said in order to keep her around.』
『When she told me to only let her cut my hair from now on.』
『When she told me to learn to read and write.』
『When she told me to go to middle school.』
『When she told me to become student council president.』
『When she told me to play with Medaka-chan.』
『I obeyed her every order.』
『As long as I was around her, even a minus like myself could feel normal.』
『However, in the end it was my dedication to her that disappointed her.』
『Only ever following her orders made me boring to her.』

『I was happy that she had expectations for me in the first place, but… it was worthless because I disappointed them.』
『I thought that if she looked at me...』
『That.. She might have smiled at… even someone… like me...』

『In the end I was wrong but… what happened next wasn’t my fault.』

He could not tell her of the middle part. Of the door swinging open, of him losing control, of the flesh left behind from what he tore off. He could not even tell her the sounds of somebody running frantically up the stairs, and Medaka appearing in  the doorway at the worst time while he with his head turned to her, brought his blood covered hands together.

So he told her of the despair filled ending of his middle school days. Medaka on top of him, bashing her fists into him over and over again. As he pathetically cried out she hesitated for just a moment.

『It’s my fault.』
『Forgive me for my loss, Medaka-chan.』

Her eyes widened, filling with hesitation. Around him the earth had been cracked with the force of her blows. Every inch of his face seemed to be scuffed and beaten. From the corner of his eyes, tears were welling up, but it was impossible to tell if they were tears of pain, tears of remorse, or just another act.

This was not the first time during their fight he had begged for his life.

『I apologize for everything up till now, so please forgive me.』
『I don’t want to die yet.』
『Please, just don’t punch me anymore.』

She grabbed him by the shoulder, and raised her hand again. However, her curled up fist shook in the air. Even her angry expression seemed to be shaking. There was nothing sure about this, she couldn’t tell anything at all about his existence. It was like talking to someone who wasn’t really there.

『I swear I won’t wund people’s hearts anymore.』
『I’ll even leave this school.』
『I won’t show myself before you guys ever again.』
『I’m very sorry about what I’ve done.』
『I beg you give me a chance.』

“Is it true? This time. This time. This time. THis time. This time. This time. This time. This time… Is true, right?”

『Yes..』
『Only Medaka-chan will trust me, right?』

“Alright. I trust you. I forgive you.”

Kumagawa smiled at that. In the present, he smiled too at the despair of such a memory.

“You’re… kind of messed up,” Mukuro finally said after listening to all of it.

『That’s so mean, after I opened up to you about my past and everything.』

“Yeah, but it seems like all you ever do is tell lies.”

『You’re right. Telling myself that I needed to be by Ajimu’s side in order to live, that was a lie. She’s dead now and I’m still alive so it obviously wasn’t true. Telling Medaka-chan that I’d never bother her and her friends again was also a lie, as we’re fighting right now. At the time though, when it seemed like I was about to die, I told myself whatever lie I needed to keep on living.』

“That… but what do you get out of that?”

『Nothing, but, as long as you keep living I think that’s fine.』He stood up again and let go of Mukuro’s hand finally, laying it back on the bed with her. 『Anshinin-san was my whole world, my reason for living, but as I lived without her for three years wandering around I learned that there’s more than one world, and there’s more than one reason to live. In fact there are as many worlds as there are people, and as many reasons to live as there are people. There’s so many it’s meaningless, that’s why… 』

Mukuro realized that Kumagawa was just spinning his wheels at this point. She sat up in the bed on her own. Really, there was no reason for her to even be in the hospital. She was not injured at all, he had made those injuries disappear. She reached out towards him. She wanted t touch him gently, but she didn’t really know how, so she settled for just poking him on the cheek.

“I still don’t understand why you’re always so nice to me.”

『Well, I thought if I could get both twins to fall for me, it would be kind of hot.』

“Oh, in that case I hate you,” Mukuro replied in a dry voice.

『That’s fine. You’re supposed to hate your siblings a little bit.』Before Kumagawa or Mukuro could even process what he had just said without thinking, Kumagawa stood up suddenly and went to the door. He opened it, and then looked to the right of the doorway to see Junko standing there leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. The moment they locked eyes, she looked spooked and turned around and went in the other direction.

“I wasn’t-I mean I wouldn’t-not for you losers.”

『Ensohima-san, I could hear your heels clacking as you paced up and down the hallway the entire time.』

“I can’t believe the day my good fashion sense betrayed me has finally come.” Junko got in one final remark before she disappeared out of Kumagawa’s sight.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Ow!』

Kumagawa picked up his finger and placed it in his mouth, sucking on his wound to stop it from bleeding. He had cut his fingers again, trying such a simple task. It was a good thing he was in a hospital room, as he needed to add yet another bandage to his fingers.

When he finished he put the plate in front of Mukuro. She looked at it for a moment, and then back to him. “What are these supposed to be?”

Kumagawa had tried to cut up apple slices for he in the shape of rabbit ears, though the result left much to be desired. They had been cut into unrecognizable shapes, and his blood had spilled all over the apple slices.

『Rabbits! Aren’t they cute?』

“I don’t think this is safe to eat,” Mukuro observed drily.

『I thought you liked blood, Mukuro-chan.』

At that moment he heard a knock at the door. Kumagawa knew it would not be Junko again, because she would never be so polite as to knock. He walked over, and the moment he turned his back Mukuro picked the paper plate up and dropped it in the trash.

As he opened the door standing in the doorway was Makoto Naegi. The moment he saw Kumagawa he must have remembered their past conversation, because he instantly averted his eyes. This did not bother Kumagawa though as he had long ago grown used to people looking away from him.

『...?』Kumagawa tilted his head, and put a hand on his chin as he sat there waiting.

Makoto Naegi tightened his hands into fist. He looked like he might just start a fight with the other boy standing in the doorway blocking him. Instead, he summoned his courage to shout out loud. “I’m really great at making apple slices into bunnies! So… Let me try, okay?”

Kumagawa nodded and stepped out of his way.

“Makoto…” Mukuro said softly, but simply watched his back as he picked up another apple from the pile that Kumagawa had brought. This time the apple slices did not look nearly as terrible, though the ears were uneven, and they were a bit inconsistent in length. “H-here! I hope you enjoy them!” Makoto said, basically shoving the plate in Mukuro’s lap, overcome by nerves.

“Ah well, they’re not covered in blood so they’re pretty good,” Mukuro said, once again her voice neutral.

Kumagawa put his hands in his pockets and started to walk towards the door. 『Once again I’ve lost.』He stopped in the doorway and looked back. 『Mukuro-chan lost so she doesn’t need to fight with us anymore, she’s worthless to me so why don’t you look after her for awhile Makoto-chan?』

Kumagawa thought it was better that way, anyway. He needed to go looking for Junko to make sure she did not cause any more trouble.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

 Several hours earlier that day. 

Enoshima Junko felt pain strike her face in an instant. Then, she felt so much more. A shock that ran through her entire body. She was surprised everybody around her was so quiet. It was like a shot heard round the world to her. The noise was still ringing in her ears in the aftermath.

All in all it was only about a second and a half of emotion. However, it was the most she had felt in weeks. Laughing, dancing about, arguing, getting angry, calling Kumagawa an idiot, those were actions she did yes, and she did them exaggerating her own actions constantly expecting to feel something but no…

The person dancing around, the person constantly making funny quips, the person smiling and laughing was not Junko. It was her body yes, it was her actions, but she felt as much from it as making a game character move on screen.

If you thought about it nothing really was surprising in a video game. If there was a plot twist that caught you off guard, or a certain character died, the designers thought about it long before you ever played the game. The only reason you did not see it coming was because you were an idiot for thinking everything would remain the same and go smoothly. Even in open world games where interactions could happen that were not a part of the main plot, those had to be thought of by the developers ahead of time and programmed in. Everything was conceived of beforehand and constructed, there only existed the illusion of free will and everything else was a distraction to stop you from noticing that.

For those who did not get distracted, what then? Did game designers really enjoy the game they made and knew every single detail about? In shonen jump fights seemed exciting because reading from week to week you never knew what happened next. However, if you think about it objectively except for a few certain cases the main character always has to win. There are expectations the readers have due to genre that the author has to cater too. It’s not that exciting, when you think that the main character will always win in the end so their struggle, too, is just another illusion of free will.

Enoshima Junko did not seriously think the world was a manga though, that would be ridiculous. Those were just metaphors she used to relate her experience. They weren’t entirely correct though, it wasn’t enough to say that she felt nothing. Her emotions were in fact pretty normal. When something good happened she wanted to smile. When something bad happened she wanted to cry.

However, even in experiencing those emotions she was hit by the same question that always haunted her. Isn’t this just too predictable? Everything went as she liked, and other people around her always went as she liked as well. It’s not like her life was perfect, she had been homeless before, her sister ran away for three years, her parents barely cared when that happened, but none of that impacted her in the slight. She always knew exactly what to do, how to move so nothing would reach her. Everything, absolutely everything went her way.

She stopped participating in it, and simply observed the world passively. Whether she lifted a finger or not, everything would still go her way regardless. In a manga, when a hero defeats a villain the audience swells with emotional catharsis from overcoming a great difficulty. However, she had never faced that once in her life.

She had never experienced the feeling of getting to know somebody who was distant to her at first and did not want to become friends, because she could read people that easily and predict all of their behaviors. She knew in an isntant how to get close to somebody, or to push thme away, and both were equally easy to her.

She could feel emotions, but not catharsis, not payoff because there never was any buildup. She could feel emotions, she could get close to people, she could be kind, she could be helpful but what would it ever lead to?

Nothing.

So, it was much simple to say Enoshima Junko felt nothing. Doing things you know already how to do was no fun at all, and a world where you knew everything that would happen far before it happened was not even fun to watch.

Perhaps it wasn’t all her life like she claimed, but ten or so years ago she had a realization.

She was afraid. She was just a girl you know, normal in all aspects except for a supercomputer brain she never asked for.
Not knowing how to feel things, not knowing whether or not she could really feel things at all made her unspeakably afraid.

So she started to hate. She hated being born. She cursed the fact her parents raised her. She despised her sister who always loved her no matter what abuse she hurled her way, she spited the boy who only ever wanted to be by her side and protect her, but…

When she let herself hate like that. Her face changed, the look of stoicism disappeared, and the hatred painted on her face was real. She could feel it. The unexpected negativity made her feel alive.

People were like marionettes, the only way to get them to move unpredictably was to shake them until they broke the strings. She just wanted to shake things up enough to get them a little bit off the rails. To see the world the same way everybody else did. People always talked about bad things happening like they were the product of bad luck alone anyway.

So in this moment, when she felt absolutely miserable with regret for what she had done in pushing Kumagawa and Mukuro away, she felt absolutely alive at the same time. Not only that, but she was rejected at an unexpected time. She had made Kumagawa who did not seem to care at all about hurting other people around him, stand up and defend somebody unexpectedly. She got to see another side of him that she had never seen before.

Suddenly, she wanted more. One second and a half wouldn’t be enough emotion for anybody and it was certainly not enough for her. She put her hand on the side of her face, and at the same time that her eyes watered she started to salivate. She wanted more. This wasn’t the first time that Kumagawa acted against her predictions. He seemed to have many unexpected faces, the moment she saw one she wanted to see all of them. Just imagining Kumagawa’s face suddenly took up her entire thoughts.

She felt another emotion, a slight anticipation. Her heart quickened and her toes curled up. Oh, oh, she was getting giddy now too. Then what… Oh, her eyes were tearing up. That was kind of embarrassing right? You’re not supposed to slap people. She was just a normal girl after all, he told her that. He believed that. Then why did he slap her? He was the one who said he wanted to understand her, but a slap was a rejection. He called her boring too, that’s rude, rude, so rude. Nobody liked to be insulted by somebody they were.. A boy they… anyway! Moving on!

She realized she was mad at Kumagawa just for a second, and then her heart quickened even more. That too, was an emotion she could feel. She could actually feel angry at what he had done, indignant, and a little worried that he might hate her now. Her giddiness only increased and a smile spread across her face.

All of this was a minute max, just enough for Kumagawa’s back to disappear from the horizon. Junko herself probably took longer processing the emotion on purpose to make her feel more. It worked, her mind was filled with thoughts of Kumagawa, the faces he might make, how he might surprise her next, and her heart raced with an emotion akin to love. She wanted to hold him, no she wanted to hold onto him, she wanted to hold him in her arms, no she just didn’t want to let go of this person who could make her feel things.

Then, suddenly all of that ended as she was slammed against a wall. Sadly that was not unexpected because she had just committed a terrible betrayal in front of a pair of violent sisters. She blinked and saw Naze, rather than Medaka was the one holding her to the wall by her neck.

“What the hell did you just do? You think I’m going to stand by and witness such a fucked up scene?” Naze said, Junko looked down and saw that Naze's finger few centimeters from the corner of her eye waiting to gauge it out. Oooh, how scary.

“You already did stand by and witness that scene? Like uhhh… what’s your point here.” Junko said, pretending to be airheaded as usual.

“It’s because I didn’t understand what was going on. You sounded so nice, but your sister was terrified of you.”

“Yeah, that seems to be a problem with people around me in general. It’s like whoa, everybody else must be experiencing major brain lag.”

“What the hell is the point of that? What do you gain by making your sister lose like that, just when she was about to win too? Wasn’t she fighting for your sake?” Naze’s hands shook as one of them kept her pinned to the wall by wrapping around Junko’s neck. Junko looked past her and saw Medaka.

It was pretty easy to figure out what Naze was feeling. Kumagawa had already drawn the comparison between them. Junko and Naze both inflicted despair on their younger sisters. She was just projecting… typical human behavior. What she really felt was guilt at what she had done to her sister in the past, and an inability to make up for it now by showing her an amazing fight. She was merely taking it out on Junko because she was the one who reminded her.

“What does it matter what’s borne out of my actions? I’m not trying to create anything… just uh… shake things up a bit I guess?” She was in no danger in this situation, she knew Medaka would not hurt her and she could get Naze to back down with words. “Let’s just philosophize at each other for a moment because apparently that’s a thing you guys do now between all the fighting. I like that, very deconstructionalist, very avante garde. Your policy is that the more you suffer, the better something will be created from it right?”

“Yeah. Is that what you wanted? You wanted to inflict suffering on your sister so she’d shine all the brighter when she overcame it? Do you want to win like Kumagawa-senpai?”

“God no, I don’t want to be anything like that guy. Suffering isn’t despair. Despair isn’t for creating things anyway, it’s for making things fall apart so they move a little less predictably. Any despair that wouldn’t create something unpredictable isn’t worth my time.” She reached forward and touched Naze on the cheek. “You always hide that beautiful face of yours, but that’d be worthless to me. It’s slightly more fun to watch people despair at how much prettier and more perfect I am then them. It’s fun to imagine what their jealousy might drive them too.”

Naze’s black and white eyes blinked in confusion. She had studied so many abnormals, and even herself was like a minus, but never before encountered a girl like this. Yet at the same time as she was strange, she was also familiar. She saw it in her eyes, the same eyes that her younger sister looked at her with.

Junko put a finger to her lips as she thought for a moment. “Hmmm, actually though. If you make yourself a faceless target for everybody to pile hate on, and I make myself an empty persona like a model for everybody to adore, then that’s kind of the same. We’re both making ourselves inhuman for the despair and isolation  it brings. Ah, but you were just doing that to make yourself feel more special when you created something, I only care if something interesting happens as a result of my actions.”

Medaka finally spoke up. She looked over her sister’s shoulder, looking at Junko for a moment. “Big sis, maybe we shouldn’t get in between them.”

“Kurokami, how can you of all people stand there and watch how this person treats her sister?”

At this, Junko smiled. It was easy to think she was merely abusing Mukuro for her own amusement, or that she hated her. Neither of those were true. Just as Mukuro always assumed, she really did feel like her sister was her other half. The sister who always kept loving her no matter how much abuse Junko piled on her.

However, that love too became predictable. She could not make her sister hate her. She could not make her sister think for herself. She felt… disappointed constantly. Disappointment was not despair. It was what she expected. Other humans weren’t her after all, they fell short all the time. It was common for people to fall short of her perfectly calculated expectations, the unexpected was for them to exceed them.

She couldn’t feel anything from that love. Her sister loved her so much, but she couldn’t offer the slightest drop of emotion in return. That was how empty she was. The only thing she could do, was one expected moment of betrayal. To push away the sister she really did love despite everything… it would mean she felt something instead of nothing.

At least she would finally be able to say she felt something for her sister. That was not the explanation she gave to Kujira though. “Your sister doesn’t want to get in the way, because isn’t that what she’s always doing for others? Mukuro takes what I do to her, because she believes that I love her, and only hurt her to bring despair. Isn’t Kurokami-san the same, she lets humans beat her up, and trash her because she believes deep down underneath that all humans are good and worthy of love?”

At that instant, Kujira let go. She could not insult her sister’s philosophy not in front of Medaka. Not when her sister had always forgiven her and admired her for fulfilling her own life policy. Junko sighed, rubbing her neck for a moment.

She wanted to go find Kumagawa again. Maybe if he pinned her against a wall and threatened her she might feel something.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

She lingered outside the hospital room, unsure of what to do. If she walked in and confronted what she had done to her sister would she feel more despair, or was it better to be unable even to look at her sister anymore. To be held back by the shame and disgust at herself and unable to move while drowning in her own self pity.

As she debated this with herself, she paced back and forth down the hallway. She listened to Kumagawa’s story too. It was almost cute, how he fumbled to try to comfort her sister. When she finally thought she decided on what she wanted to do, unexpectedly Kumagawa opened the door and she stared at his face.

Just looking at him, her heartbeat increased in anticipation. No, no, too soon. If she got addicted to this feeling it would get dull eventually, so she fled. She hung around the hospital for awhile, pacing back and forth as she tried to figure out what she should do with Mukuro again. Then, she got bored of thinking about her boring sister.

So, she decided to find Kumagawa again. It didn’t take that long for her to locate him. He had gone to rest in a breakroom. Apparently even though he said he was going to look for her, he had failed and then given up far too early. That was just like him. The hospital had normal floors, but the rest room had tatami mats probably to give a break from the rest of the hospital.

Kumagawa had not even bothered to find a bed, he simply spread out on the floor. He looked a little cute, like a dog who slept without a care in the world. Junko stepped out of her heels, and walked silently without making a noise. When she got close to him, she got down to move on all fours. He was laying one way, so she laid herself down so her feet went the opposite way but her head was still next to him.

She was close enough that she could hear his every breath. His breathing was completely unsteady, like he was asthamatic or something, and broken up by strange mutterings. She wondered if he was having a nightmare, if so, she was a little envious at the despair he felt right now. She listened to his unpredictable breathing for awhile, like it was the only noise in the world. Then slowly, her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep.

“Yahoo! It’s nice to see you again, Junko-chan!”

The moment she started to dream though she saw something annoying. That girl who wore her face, Anshinin. Apparently, the same one from Kumagawa’s story. The girl who three years after dying still haunted his heart.

“What’s with that face you’re making? Is something bothering you?” Ajimu clapped Junko’s hands together, or rather while her body looked like Junko she clapped her own hands together. “Let’s just talk about it. It’s best to talk things out between friends, here let me relieve you.”

“No thanks.” Enoshima had lately, been trying to engage this dream as little as possible, hoping she could just wait it out.

“Do you want to play a game instead? How about shiratori?”

“No, I would just win.”

Ajimu kicked her own feet on the desk she was sitting on, and puffed her lips, pouting. “You’re no fun, Junko-chan. I know, let’s play a word association game. If you don’t play, I won’t let you wake up. You’ll be sleeping forever, isn’t that boring?”

Junko gritted her teeth. Supernatural things were supposed to be fun and unexpected. This wasn’t despair though, this was just annoying. Annoying wasn’t despair because there was nothing exciting from being annoyed. It was just being grated on by a repeated behavior. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s see what kind of deep revelation you’re going to try to force unsuccesfully on me this time.”

“Awe, see it’s much nicer when we get along.” Ajimu brought her hands together before her face. “Tree.”

“Bear.”

“Despair.”

“Bear.”

“Hope.”

“Bear.”

“Island.”

“Bear.”

“Loneliness.”

“Bear.”

“Shield.”

“Bear.”

“Classmates.”

“Bear.”

“You really like bears, huh?” Ajimu said, smiling behind her folded hands.

“I’m not going to say despair, or any kind of reaction to this dumb game that’s what you want. At least I can deny you what you want, that’s a little bit despairful.” Junko shrugged. These kinds of dreams were pointless toher anyway.

“Kumagawa.”

“You know what that doesn’t even deserve bear, loser.”

“Makoto.”

“Grizzly bear.”

“Kamakura.”

“Panda bear.”

“Black..”

“Wuvable mascot bear.”

“White.”

“Incredibly marketable mascot bear.”

“What’s with the new bears?”

“I got tired of just saying bear, so I’m changing it up.”

“I see. I see.” Ajimu nodded her head along. Just like Kumagawa she didn’t seem fazed at all by anything, even when things did not go her way. “Slap.”

“Kumagawa,” Junko said without thinking. Then immediately went to cover her mouth with her hand.

“Heartbeat.”

“Kumagawa.”

“Unpredictable.”

“Kumagawa.” It was like she was stuck, like a broken record. She hated that this dumb game somehow worked. Anshinin said she already knew about her since she was in her heart, so why did she go to the pointless effort of drawing this all out of her.

“What’s with all of this sudden Kumagawa-mania? Have you become a fan of his? You have bad taste.” She said with a pleasant smile as she leaned back on the desk. In a moment Junko was not staring at her but rather another Kumagawa. 『Do you want to talk to this person instead? Will you be less cold if I look like this.』

“I don’t care what you look like, all you do is annoy me.”

『Really, then why are you smiling?』

Junko slapped her hand over her mouth again. She decided it was best to keep it covered even if it smeared her lipstick. “Fine, let’s talk about Dork-umagawa. If it will make me wake up sooner.”

『You were thinking about him earlier, right? Ahhh, Enoshima-san I’m so happy to be thought of by a person like you.』

“I was just thinking about how weird he is. I mean he’s the one who set up that entire situation and stepped on Mukuro’s trauma just to piss her off. Then, his face twisted up so pitifully when he saw her get hurt. It’s like he exists to just throw himself into despair it’s so…”

『Interesting?』

“No! His kind of despair is totally boring to me. I don’t want to just make things disappear and forget about them where’s the pizzazz in that?”

『You don’t spend time on things that don’t interest you though, so why do you spend so much time with him?』

Junko grinded her teeth at that. She was a fair sport she didn’t like to deny things when she was cornered like this. “Maybe, he’s a little bit interesting. That’s only because his brain is so addled by despair though it makes him act interesting.”

『Is it just despair? I mean, you plunged class 77-B into despair, but it didn’t make them any more interesting to you.』

“Well, it does to some people. Most people are just so boring that a little interesting doesn’t do anything.”

『Is it really just despair?』

“What are you trying to say?”

『Is it really just despair that made him that way?』

Junko realized Ajimu was suddenly close to her. Her annoyance reached a peak, and she pushed her away in anger. As she stood up, the desk chair fell behind her. “You would know, wouldn’t you? You’re the one he-”

『That’s right, the person who plunged Kumagawa Misogi into despair was me. I was at the center of the worst moment of his life three years ago. The one he won’t even tell Mukuro about. Not you. Hey, are you jealous? No matter what you do you’ll never push him that far. You’ll never break him more than he’s already broken.』Even though Junko had pushed her away, Ajimu already was behind her. 『If you want to get close to him you’ll have to use something other than despair.』She whispered, and she felt Kumagawa’s breath against her neck, and Kumagawa’s voice talking of despair and because that her heart raced.

“Why don’t you just show me your own face, you coward.”

『It’s because I don’t have one.』

Enoshima Junko woke up.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Ah, Enoshima-san woke up. What are you going to do now, stab me with spears?』

Junko blew a loose hair out of her face. She hated having her hair down like this, she resolved to put it up again soon. “God, you’re still not over that? It’s been like hours since then. Move on and stopped being so obsessed with me.

Kumagawa did not even respond to her obvious barb. He simply sighed and looked away. She wondered if he was doing the silent treatment. Even if he was there was no way it would work, a guy as needy as him could not shut her out. Sheput her hair back up in pigtails and then brought her hands to her face. “Besides, you’re sooooo mean, slapping a cute girl like me in the face! It huwt my feelings you know. I thought you wanted to talk things out because I’m one of your pwecious friends.”

Kumagawa noticed the shift in her personality and looked back.  『If we talk are you going to stab me with spears at the end of our conversation?』

Junko suddenly hand her eyes water. She sat up and drew up her knees, her entire face becoming gloomy as she grabbed her hair in her hand and brushed through it. “I knew it. You were never going to forgive me. It’s so hopeless. This is why somebody like me can’t get close to other people.”

『Enoshima-san I’m mad, but I can be mad at you without wanting to stop talking to you all together. Why are you always so quick to end things?』

Junko crossed her arms making horn signs on each hand. “That’s because finales are always the most exciting part yeahhh!!!! It’s like bang! You should know, people hate losing things most of all. That’s why you’re so fucking despairful!”

『Yeah, I lose things but I don’t want to kill them.』

Junko put her hands on her hips. “That’s because you’re despair is that of a commoner. The inferior despair. If you really want to experience despair, if you want to win, you should bow down before the queen already.”

『No thank you.』

Junko noticed something odd. Normally when she shifted around personalities like this, people had a tough time keeping up. Even Yasuke quickly got annoyed with her, but when she did it around Kumagawa he just kept talking like normal, like he didn’t notice it. Or maybe it was because he was the same as her, always changing emotoins on a dime.

Kumagawa spoke up before she could finish that line of thought. 『Why do you think my despair is worse than yours? I think we have an equal amount of despair right… sorry can you explain this again I don’t really understand the difference.』

Junko drew a pair of glasses and adjusted them, changing he r hair to one pony tail instead. She accomplished this transformation in half of a second. “To put it lightly since we’ve been over this before, your despair is a coping mechanism for countless losses in life. You only want to make the effects disappear. It’s nihilism yes, but the kind that amounts to nothing. The kind of despair I hope to create will produce a ripple effect, it’s the kind that will infect and spread to others.” She tossed her glasses to the side, and went back to two pigtails. She put twwo fingers on her forehead, and then her thumb in an L shape covering her mouth.“Despair spreads like a virus. That is to say, geometrically. In this scenario it’s the prime mover that can make people act outside of their expectations, and more importantly outside of mine pushing them to do things that they would never do.”

『Enoshima-san.』

“Hope and harmony are just  order and status queue. People think they just want the comfort and security of doing the same thing day in and day out but-”

『Junko-chan!』Kumagawa raised his voice finally.

Junko’s eyes went blank and she dropped her hand from her face. “Uhhhh… what? You know you’re supposed to like debate your points. You gotta give me the time to make my argument.”

『I don’t care about that right now. Are you alright?』

“What kind of question is that? I’m me. I’m always fine. Both definitoins of the word of course.”

『Well I just know, you only ever shift your personality around like than when you’re feeling unstable. Did something happen? I mean besides stabbing your sister with spears?』

Junko remembered the dream. She remembered beforehand, the way she felt in the aftermath of Kumagawa surprising her. She wanted to feel that again. She was right next to him. Her heart was pounding. Oh, was she going crazy for him or something? Lol, that was so funny. “You’re always thinking about me, but you’re always so distant at the same time. You don’t make any sense at all.”

They were both sitting on the floor still. Junko moved towards him, crawling on all fours as she had before. She didn’t stop when she was next to him though, she crawled until she was on top of him, and then rested when she was on his lap. He gasped, but the didn’t resist her at all. He was so skinny and stalky, even to the point of being emaciated. His straight lines however, seemed to match her curves well enough.

As she leaned towards him, he did not turn red at all. In fact his face did not react. He looked distant, and a bit confused. His complete inability to read social signals, yet another strange thing about Kumagawa. It made sense if his brain was blocking out most of his childhood though she guessed.

“Hey, are your fingers okay?” She said picking up his hand where he was covered in bandages. In his sleep, one of the bandages had fallen off and reopened his cut.

『It’s fine, this is nothing.』

“It’s not nothing. Were they painful? I bet your face twisted all up in pain. I’d like to see that.” She said with a smile, and then casually she laced her fingers between his like she was playing around. When she got bored of that, she brought  his bloody finger to her mouth, licking it. It tasted like iron.

Quickly, he drew his hand away. 『What are you doing, weirdo? Scardead isn’t even your minus.』

She reached up her pointed fingernails and touched the sides of his face. “You’re so cold, not showing me any face at all.” Junko smiled. “You’ve shown me so many interesting faces. I want to see more and more okay? I want to see every face you can possibly make.”

『What?』He said, the words itself empty of understanding.

“Gosh, you’re so silly. That’s my way of saying I want to stay by your side.” She started to lean in closer. Their faces were centimeters apart again. “I want to see your emotions, I want to see how you feel about things, because maybe then I’ll feel them too. The thing I want to see more than anything else in the world right now, is the face you’ll make when I do this.”

Junko moved her head forward to close the space between their faces. Kumagawa did not move his head back at all, he simply let her. Their lips met. This time, the door stayed closed behind them. A kiss. A kiss in which both of the twisted parties seemed to get tangled in, forgetting for a moment who they were, where they were. Entanglement, perhaps that was the only word that would ever properly give justice to their relationship, no other words twisted so well. 

Kumagawa did not close his eyes. He looked at her, then at the ceiling, and then forced himself to avert his eyes. Then suddenly, Junko felt a pain as sharp as the time she had gotten slapped. She drew back out of reflex alone, and felt something wet. She looked down and saw pink on her fingertips.

Kumagawa quickly wiped his own lips, and spat in the air a few times. 『Poisoned lipstick, right? That’s a little bit of a cliche.』Kumagawa said, before falling back down on the ground.

Junko crawled off of him, like a child that had been caught red handed. She looked at her own blood covered hands. Then, at the blood dripping from his front teeth. He bit her to break the kiss, how rude. He really had no idea how to treat a girl at all. Suddenly though he said something that threw her off even worse.

『You shouldn’t kiss me, because Matsuda-kun is still alive. I undid his death.』

“What?”

『You shouldn’t kiss someone whose not your most precious person, right? I told him that you were dead so he wouldn’t go looking for you, and I let you believe that he was still dead so you wouldn’t try to kill him again.』

“Well that’s kind of mean,” Junko said, because she did not know how to react. All she could do was stare at the pink on her fingers.

『I wish I could have done something more. I’ve always, always, wanted to feel more than just fear towards others.』He brought his hand up to his face, and messing with his hair covered both of his eyes with it. 『I’m in love with you, Junko-chan.』

This isn’t…
This isn’t what I expected.

He sat up to look at her directly. 『I love, your always sharp nails. Your hair, when it's up or down. Your laugh that only belongs to you. Your faces, all of them. Your smile that covers your whole face when you’re interested in something... I want to love everything about you』Kumagawa closed his eyes, just to avoid looking at hers. 『But… Your red eyes, that look down on everyone and everything. Eyes that look like they’re bored with the entire world, I hate them. I don’t care about poisoned lipstick, or Matsuda, I just couldn’t stand to be kissing somebody looking at me with those eyes.』

As Kumagawa got up, she said something that surprised him. Every part of her being was so sharp. The angles of her hips, the pointed ends of her finger nails, the way her eyes looked at others. She looked like the kind of person who could cut through you easily, touching her was like touching glass. Yet, she spoke in such a soft voice in that moment. Kumagawa could not even hear what she said, he was too surprised, by the unexpectedly soft Junko. 

As he turned to face her, the serious and pained expression on Kumagawa’s face. The one that looked like he was holding back an ocean’s worth of despair, suddenly changed into his usual smile. 『Ahhhhhh! You might think it’s pointless but I’m glad we talked like this. I’ve found my resolve finally. If you want to keep spreading despair Enoshima-san, you do you. You can do whatever you want, but I’m going to make all the despair you cause disappear. I’ll show you how meaningless despair is.』

Kumagwa left her alone.
Junko was left alone, staring at the pink on her fingers, still muttering over and over again soft words that nobody but her could hear.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Mukuro Ikusaba had already fallen asleep. Makoto was left alone in the room, wondering if it was awkward to watch her sleep, or if it would be ruder to leave without telling her so she would be alone when she woke up.

As he sat in the dark quietly contemplating these things, suddenly the door threw itself open. Kumagawa appeared in the doorway, and without even looking at him quickly rushed past him to the other side of the room. He pulled the curtain that was left for a room divider if they had not been alone over to hide where he was standing.

Makoto remembered the cruel things Kumagawa said the last time he spoke. Then he remembered how Kumagawa tried so hard to make rabbits for Mukuro that he cut his fingers up, and then pretended like he didn’t care about her. Makoto decided to at least check him out. Even if he did not understand the guy, he was worthless if he just left a perosn in need alone.

When he drew back the curtain though, he saw Kumagawa on the other side of it, doubled over with his hands over his face. From the short sounds of sniffling, and sobs, it was obvious he was crying. Makoto thought about saying something, but he felt like there was nothing at all he could say to bring happiness to this kind of person.

So, he just sat there and watched so Kumagawa at least would not be alone.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

All of the information she had learned in that strange confrontation lit Junko’s senses up. No, she didn’t feel rejected, this was… this was the despair comforting her even when Kumagawa pushed her away.

More, she wanted to feel more. More of this feeling, and more of the unpredictable Kumagawa who never seemed to move the way she wanted him to, or even he himself wanted to. She thought about it hard. It only took her a few minutes of thinking to consider all of the possibilities.

What she needed to do was push Kumagawa deeper into despair. That was what his despair was based around after all, or at least she thought so. Naze said despair created something brilliant. She wanted despair to create something unexpected. Maybe just this once the results could be one in the same.

A plan came to mind, and she smiled. Her heart started to race again. She salivated. The feeling she felt, at the prospect of pushing Kumagawa so deep into the swamp of despair that he would become unable to move his arms or his legs, utterly hopeless on advancing filled her with an emotion akin to love.

She needed to make things harder for him. This stupid little tournament arc she had taken a backseat to watching might get interesting if she stacked the entire deck against him. Just like that, Enoshima Junko stood up and recovered in an instant. She was not breaking down, rather, she had resolved to break things apart. At least that was what she told herself.

It did not take her long to find the target that she had decided upon. The moment she crossed Mikan in the hallway and the other greeted her with a soft voice, Junko immediately closed the distance between them and swiped her legs out from under her. She stood over her, hands on her hips, the smile not having left her face at all.

“Hey, Mikan sweetie. Since you’ve forgotten how about I give you a reminder, about how much you love despair?”

The treasurer’s battle was next week. Junko smiled, thinking about how much fun she could possibly have in seven days.

Chapter 17: Double the Trouble / I Hate You for Making That Pun

Summary:

Toko doesn't have a healthy view of love.

Notes:

Some references were made to Durarara's Mika Harima because I find her and Toko to be incredibly similiar characters.

『Are you mad, Enoshima-san? Please don’t be mad, because it wasn’t my fault after all.』An insincere voice came through the speaker of her phone. Only a loser like that wouldn’t be able to take a hint as to why she had been avoiding him all week.

She wasn’t actually mad, or rather she didn’t feel the emotion of anger or more than a few seconds. Kumagawa really had no idea how to deal with girls at all. Apparently trying to kill each other was an acceptable method of flirting for Kamakura and Komaeda but not her. She didn’t think too much of it though. The same way that minuses were so used to rejection, Enoshima Junko was so used to things always panning out for her that she did not yet comprehend the idea that she had been rejected.

It was probably for the best anyway, the distance between them sharpened her focus like a knife. She needed to stack the deck against Kumagawa as much as possible. That had always been her philosophy, unexpected things happen when you push people past their limits. To her, Kumagawa was somebody who did fun things even when she didn’t push him. He did them on his own. He always went against her wishes. He was the one person who was not controlled by her.

However, that only made her want to push at him more. She blamed his spontaneity on the near constant state of misery he was in. If she pushed him even further, then he would become even more interesting. That was the path Junko had been following her entire life, and no matter how much her chest tightened or her heartbeat increased when she thought of Kumagawa now she had no intention of straying from it.

These doubts that despair might not be the only way to reach him, those to were a form of despair. Junko just let Kumagawa’s voice play out on the other end without responding, a smile growing on her face as he grew increasingly more desperate before giving up.

“Good morning, Madam!”

Her phone call was interrupted, by female maid standing next to the wall. It really was a girl, but that girl’s face was hidden behind a mask. The mask in question was an eerie bear mask.

The right half was a white, cute bear.
The left half was a black, evil bear.

Wearing such a strange outfit, she faced Junko and spoke in a happy tone. “Good morning, Madam! I have prepared some tea for you for your morning routine!”

Her maid outfit was a near perfect cosplay, except for bandages which extended halfway down her arm and reached the palm of her hand all the way up to her fingertips. In that hand she held a silver tray which she shoved forward towards Junko. On top of the tray was a teacup with a floral pattern on it. Steam rose from the teacup and disappeared into the air.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Junko said, in a voice that was so gentle and polite that anybody who knew her, even the fake her who did interviews in magazines would doubt that it belonged to her. She picked up the cup and brought it to her lips, sipping it slowly. Then suddenly, her entire demeanor seemed to change. “Too cold! Too disgusting! Too weak! Amazing, you’ve made three times loser tea. I guess this is all a loser like you is capable of, Tsumiki-senpai.”

Junko picked up the rest of the cup and flippantly dumped it on the floor in front of her. Before Mikan could react to wipe it up, she dropped the cup as well and stomped on it. She made a game of stomping on it into as brittle and tiny pieces as she could laughing madly as she did. Then, she got bored of her game and her laughing mad face carried an incredibly empty and bored expression.

“Clean that up, hun! Don’t use a broom for all the broken pieces though, you should be able to pick them up just fine with your bare hands. You said you liked lacerations now, didn’t you? Ah, I’m so considerate.”

Mikan dropped to her knees instantly. However, she did not immediately move. Her entire body seemed sluggish. “I’m tired… can I sleep yet?”

Junko turned back. “God, you’re so lazy. It’s not like I was torturing you or anything, all I’ve done is make you clean up all week. You know like in karate kid where the master tricks the guy into learning kung fu by making him clean his car. Hey, hey, did you like that reference I just made. Did you think it was clever and meta?”

“I need to sleep. Can I sleep please?”

“Ugh, I swear all my best material is wasted on you losers. You can’t sleep, we have the treasurer’s battle later today. You want to win for your precious Kumagawa-kun, isn’t it? Or is it your precious Shibushi-san now? Or did you remember the face of your beloved yet? Well it doens’t matter it can be anybody right? You should just win this battle for sure, to prove that every single person who stepped on you and thought you were irrelevant was wrong about you. Win, and let Kumagawa-kun triumph for once and protect his precious place of belonging because that’s what I expect.”

Then, after ranting like that all alone to a sleepy girl who was not listening Junko started to laugh again. She laughed, laughed, and laughed to forget how lonely a week without Kumagawa was making her feel. Then, she got bored of that, too.

When she saw the sleeping Mikan on the ground, she poked at her side with the toe of her boot. “Hey, my speech was really interesting and gave deep insights into your character, you’re not allowed to fall asleep like it was boring.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Toko!” Togami said, causing a rustling in the bushes nearby. “We’re heading to the same location, you tailing me from afar is completely unnecessary. You can just walk beside me you know, you have my permission.”

“M-master!” She said, a happy expression spreading across her face that made Togami instantly groan.

“Nevermind, get lost, fall in a sewer and die please,” He quickened his pace as a way of rescinding his offer.

However, by that point Toko who was actually much faster and more athletic than him had already closed the gap between them. Such a gloomy girl smiled like an idiot without a care in the world, and kept sneaking obvious glances at his face to check what expression he was making. “If it meant you would come to my funeral and mourn me, then I’d be happy to do it.”

“Nevermind then, I don’t want to take important time out of my day to go to some gloomy girl’s funeral.”

“Awe, why not?”

“Well, time is money you know. For a Togami that phrase has a literal application as I’m constantly forced to watch how my assets grow and maintain them.”

“You couldn’t even take a minute to go see my funeral? Just to stop by and say hi, or goodbye rather?”

“A minute can be worth 1,000,000 depending on how I play my cards.”

“Then, how much would you be willing to lose for me?”

He thought about it genuinely for a moment. “Point seven.”

“Not even a whole unit of currency? Just seven tenths of one? How much will that buy me?”

“Not even a single second.”

“I see…” Toko’s expression sunk for a moment, and Togami thought he might have finally gotten through to that girl. She sprung up just as quickly, “But the fact that aster was able to assign value to me means I’m leagues above everybody else, because everybody else is worthless in master’s eyes.”

Togami sighed. “You can just call me by name, Toko. If you’re going to insist on bothering me with your presence anyway.”

“Byakuya-sama,” the name she was used to calling him. If she added anything less than -sama he usually snapped at her. The two of them were walking together to the student council meeting. Togami had only gone for the sake of forging a connection with the Kurokami family, the only other family other than the Togami conglomerate that held the nation’s economy up.

He had several questions on how the youngest child Medaka and designated heir chose to spend her time, but he supposed philanthropic efforts were common among the wealthy. Perhaps one day when he took his seat at the top he’d have time to waste on such things too. Now, the only time he really wasted time was walking with Toko like this, talking uselessly. He did not even really pay much attention to their banter, it was background noises like all of the other people were. He was someone who had to devote one hundred percent of his existence and efforts towards his family.

Yet on occasion since Toko’s noises were usually so insistent, they managed to get through. “Toko, I have a question for you.” He asked, feeling a bit curious.

“Anything for you, Byakuya-sama.”

“What exactly do you love so much about me?” He asked, not because he wanted to understand her feelings but rather love was a curiosity for him. An unnecessary thing, as Togamis only took spouses for the sake of breeding, and had family ties for the sake of competition and weeding out the weak, but it was natural to be curious about something you had never personally experienced.

“Everything about you, Byakuya-sama.”

“Yes, but what specifically.”

“Well umm… you know…” She put the tips of her fingers together nervously and played with them for a moment, “it’s because you’re you, right! You’re so you, and that’s the person I love.”

Togami rolled his eyes at such an illogical answer. He knew it was a useless thing to ask, this is what he got for indulging in his curiosity. Just as he was about to speak again though, he noticed that just by coincidence, Medaka, Zenkichi, and Makoto, Kirigiri were walking by them in two pairs and had witnessed the entire scene.

“A ha ha ha! Young love is good, isn’t it? You two make sure to create a happy family!” Medaka Kurokami immediately got the worst idea possible, and started to make a uselessly happy expression while laughing with her hands on her hips.

“No, you don’t understand. As one of my peers you should know I could never-” Togami did not want to say something too rude to a Kurokami, so for once he struggled with words. He had gotten used to being in the presence of his inferiors who he thought he could say whatever he wanted.

While she fanned herself, it was Zenkichi who had a better reading of the mood and approached from behind. “Medaka-chan, I don’t think it’s that kind of thing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, isn’t it rude to comment on the relationships of others?”

“You’re right, it’s their business not mine.”

Togami had disliked Zenkichi earlier, but he felt a bit relieved. He wondered what those two were to each other, perhaps Zenkichi was her professional secretary the same way he had tried to hire Makoto as one once. Just as he was wondering what his salary was, Makoto spoke up next and reminded Togami of his insignificant existence.

“W-what did I miss? Since when were you two on a first name basis?”

“It’s a celebration of our one year anniversary!” Toko said, popping up from behind Togami’s shoulder.

“Don’t say things that will intentionally create a misunderstanding.”

It was once again, the other party Kyoko who seemed more capable of reading the room. She reached out a gloved hand to his shoulder and pulled his attention back. “Perhaps it’s better not to assume things without evidence…” She spoke like a true detective.

Togami saw Naze Yoka, and her companion as well arrive and knew they were all present finally. Kyoko technically was not a member of this student council, but after hearing about the snake pit, and the video game dungeon she had come to watch what other modifications were present in the old school building.

Togami adjusted his glasses. “Anyway, moving onto the next order of business. Since we’re all here anyway, I need to ask Kurokami-san have you been working with Toko’s personality?”

“Yes, why do you ask?” Medaka tilted her head with her arms still crossed.

“As you can see most of her personality is still in tact. Don’t you think you should just erase her entire personality and replace it with something better through whatever means necessary?”

“Her flaws are what make her human, Togami! I couldn’t possibly erase that part of her. She’s lovable just for being a human being.”

Togami sighed. “I suppose that’s more of that humanitarian side of you, Kurokami-san. If that’s your choice then as your peer I have to respect it.” He sat down crossing his legs as he did, for no particular reason other than to make his next statement sound more dramatic and therefore more authoritative. “Which is why I hope you’ll respect my choice to sit out for the treasurer’s match. This school isn’t worth the life of a Togami, in fact even if this were a battle for the fate of the world it wouldn’t be worth a Togami.”

“So you’re just going to do nothing?” Zenkichi spoke up first. Even though he knew Togami was a weak fighter, he thought at least he had enough guts to join this student council on his own.

“Of course not. I’m rich. When I can’t do something on my own I just send somebody else in my place,” He gestured behind him where Toko was standing. “Toko will be my substitute. She skipped her battle last week anyway so consider this repaying your sister a debt for taking her place.”

“Won’t you just have a debt then for having to use a substitute?” Zenkichi asked.

“Of course, but I can afford to just write a check.”

Medaka crossed her arms, thinking it over. She glanced back and saw that of all the people in the room it was her sister Naze who was looking at Toko. Naze was a person preoccupied with abnormalities, she had been overlooking most of the specials in this school who had for the most part incredible talent, but also incredibly normal talents. “Are you sure about yourself as a man? Making this gloomy girl fight in your place?”

“Hey… I’m not that gloomy you know… I’m sorry I can’t have the confidence of big breasted goddesses like you and Enoshima,” Toko groused in the background but nobody heard her.

“Hmm? Who cares about that man and woman stuff. I’m just trying my best to be respectful of your policy of having faith in other human beings, Kurokami-san. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

“Byakuya-sama finally acknowledged me as a human being,” Toko swooned in the background.

Medaka looked perplexed for a moment, and then made up her mind her hands returning to her hips. “Well, that’s fine, that’s fine right! If you have confidence in her then I will as well.”

In the background, Kyoko and Makoto were watching their classmates interact with the transfer students. Makoto brought a hand to his cheek. “I feel like Togami’s finally opening up to other people.”

Kyoko sighed softly. “No, Makoto. Remember what he said on the first day of class. He told us from the start the only people he respects are the rich. This is just him being regular Togami.”

“Still, it’s nice he has friends.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Mikan picked up the card that was offered to her on the table. “A rabbit reminds me of Kumagawa-kun, so I’ll pick that. If you cut up the corpse of a rabbit it’s supposed to be good luck, right?”

Kumagawa who usually did not even notice such strange behavior as his standards for normaly were so skewed, tilted his head and brought a hand to his face.

The time had passed on the final day and they were already beginning the next match. August 8th, the Treasurer’s battle day. At the old school building, on the fourth floor specifically. Each side had gathered, Kumagawa, Komaeda, Junko, Shibushi and Gagamaru with the exception of Mukuro who was still hospitalized. Medaka, Zenkichi, Togami, Naze, Koga, as Kyoko refused to join the student council once more she was left behind.

Toko and Mikan stood in the front of the two collected groups. “Ladies and gentleman now that we have all arrived here, and Tsuiki-sama chose the card “rabbit” let me explain the rules for “Troublesome Rabbit.”

While Tokemichi was talking, Kumagawa scooted towards Junko.『Are you still mad about something? Is that why you were late?』

“Senpai you matter so little to me that I don’t even have the capacity to be mad at you. A piece of gum on my shoe bothers me more than you ever could.”

『Are you sure about that, because you sound a little bit mad. What have you been doing all week then if you weren’t avoiding me?』

“I have other friends besides you, you know. It’s n-not like I was avoiding you or anything, idiot!” Junko’s personality shifted. “I should be mad though, I want to be angry. Hey, why aren’t you looking at the ridiculously adorable face of one Enoshima Junko like a lust driven demon? Why is it? Why aren’t you horny?” Junko noticed in that moment that Kumagawa really was avoiding making eye contact with her. What was it he said, he hated her eyes. That’s not the kind of thing you should say to a girl, her feelings might get hurt if she even had any.

『Oh, that’s right I forgot. You don’t have any other you have such a bad personality.』Kumagawa said, and then looked away from her yet again and looked forward like he was giving up.  He sighed.『Still it’s not good to avoid your only friends, don’t disappear again like that.』

Junko said something soft again but Kumagawa did not hear her the same way he did not last time. He finally decided to pay attention to the rules that were being laid out. “You two, put on this bracelet. In short it’s a bomb. There is a time bomb inside the bracelet, it will explode exactly one hour after being activated.”

“A bomb, you’re joking! What’s the point of doing something so ridiculously dangerous?” The cyborg Koga said, acting a little bit out of character.

“Yes, so the goal is to hurry up and remove it. That’s the idea of the treasurer’s battle. Both Fukawa-sama and Tsumiki-sama will have keyes on them for the opposite player’s bracelet. The two will be allowed to fight in the entire fourth floor to steal the keys off one another. Using any method even lethal ones are okay, just steal the key off and save yourself. The one who saves themselves first will be the winner. Please take good care of the key, throwing away, hiding them, or destroying them is forbidden.”

“Wait, can we make it a rule that they can’t touch the air purifier in the biology lab? That might come in handy later, I mean who knows when you’re going to need an air purifier,” Junko spoke up, but most others ignored her.

Kumagawa noticed something strange about the rules, but just as he opened his mouth Medaka spoke first. “Wait there, Choujabaru, then eventually one side will die by the explosion, right? This isn’t just fighting! We can’t participate in a game where someone will die for sure.”

“Hey now, speak for yourself!” Enoshima Junko called out.

“Don’t worry Kurokami-sama, from the moment one bracelet is removed the battle will end. The other bracelet’s countdown clock will automatically stop as well.”

“It’s still the same! No, maybe even two people will die after this! Kumagawa even you can’t accept this kind of rule, right!”

『She’s right.』Kumagawa said, speaking up and stunning everybody in the whole room. He paused tilting his head. 『Why are you all looking at me like that?』Everybody in the room, except for Junko who was looking away bored had hasped in shock and stared at him.  『If those are the rules then, we should just surrender from the start. Medaka-chan making me happy gives me nightmares anyway, I’d rather lose and stay miserable my committment to despair isn’t so weak.』

It was Mikan who suddenly turned around and grabbed Kumagawa by the arm. “No, wait, please let me do this for you, Kumagawa-kun! Don’t think of it like I’ll die, all of this pressure is just an opportunity to become even more minus right?”

Kumagawa blinked. When Junko saw how Mikan’s chest was pressing against his arm, she snapped her neck hard enough to make her pig tails swish behind her and looked away even further.『Fine, but in order for you to get fired up for this battle I want you to make a promise.』

Mikan smiled. “Alright, alright! If I win against Fukawa-san, then just answer one questions for me honestly.”

『Awe man, but then I can’t do my insincerity gimmick. I’ll have to talk in a normal voice just like the rest of you plebeians. Fine, fine, in exchange if you lose, please have a date with me right after this battle, about clothing huh… mourning colors are fine.』He reached up and patted her on the head.

You’re getting cocky aren't you, Kumagawa-senpai. You’re too good at pressuring others. Naze observed with no other emotions.

However, the rest all thought at once. This guy’s really scum, huh? Now I really want Mikan to win. Even Toko thought that with a bit of pity. Junko thought something different and twinged with jealousy but let’s ignore her for now. Kumagawa oblivious to all of them kept on smiling.

As they both affixed the bracelets to their hand, it was Choujabaru who called  out. “The treasurer’s battle, troublesome rabbit! Start!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『This time we won’t use any cheap tricks. Fight with all of your strength and make it a clean win, because that’s what I’ve resolved.』Kumagawa said, watching from a room with several monitors as he sat next to Junko. Apparently it was a security room where all the security cameras that were all over the floor was gathered. They were also not supposed to touch anything here, once again according to Junko.  

Sitting on the other side of the room  Medaka and Zenkichi both looked at each other at the same time. Medaka looked to her sister sitting behind her. “It’s like we were talking about, there’s something up with him besides a simple desire to win.”

They could not chat amongst themselves though as suddenly both Mikan and Toko began their fight and… immediately began running in opposite directions. Both groups looked at each other, and concluded this is probably what they should have expected from forcing two non fighter types to fight each other.

“I’m too wrapped up enjoying life’s vicissitudes with Byakuya-sama to die here!” Toko said, as she ran. She paused for a moment, before sitting to hide behind the piano. “Wait! Would some anime obsessed girl even know what vicissitudes means? She dresses up in a nurse’s outfit all the time after all. There’s no way she reads anything other than that stupid manga for the illiterate.”

『Pssst, Enoshima-san. What does vicissitudes mean?』

“God, on top of being an idiot you’re just generally dim witted too, aren’t you? You’re just the whole package how aren’t girls laying themselves at your feet.”

『Hmm? What does that have to do with anything, I already know I’ll be hated by most girls. There’s only one girl that I don’t want to hate me.』

“Maybe she’s right, maybe shonen jump is an inferior form of literature after all. Reading nothing but manga has clearly rotted your brains.” Enoshima Junko said this, because she knew it would inflict despair on Kumagawa, even if it was a petty one.

『There’s nothing wrong with only reading Shonen Jump! I need to read manga anyway because they have helpful pronunciation guides when I get confused on the kanji..』

At that moment, Mikan kicked the door open. Apparently she had retrieved whatever it was she meant to retrieve instead of going to run and hide like Toko. She drew it out in ront of her, a bone saw. Her eyes twisted into spirals of white and black, black despair and white hope seemed to swirl around in an unidentifiable storm.

“Come out now. Technically you’re nothing more than a gloomy girl, but since we’re fighting and all how about you be my rival? Once I defeat you, I’ll get the happy ending I deserve with my beloved.” She spoke such nonsense while she started to look around the music room.

Kumagawa looked stunned for a moment. 『Whoa, what’s up with her eyes? That… That....』He immediately clapped his hands together, and smiled with a squee of delight.  『That’s so cool how did she do that? Enoshima-san, Enoshima-san am I doing it?』Kumagwa squinted his eyes, and then opened them wide focusing so intensely they looked like they might burst out of his skull, however they looked as wide and bright blue as ever.

“Pfffft. There’s no way you could manage to do something cool, Senpai.” She said, before turning her attention back to the screen.

The keys on the piano clanged all at once, as Mikan threw open the cover and struck at the keys with her bone saw to let Toko know she had been found. Toko quickly scampered away and tried to make a break for the door. However, Mikan appeared in front of her moving much faster than a girl who sat inside reading all day. “I’m a nurse, not a surgeon so I’m sorry since this is out of my field of expertise it might hurt a lot.”

She raised the bone saw. Rather than swing it at Toko though, Mikan immediately pointed it at her own neck.

“W-what” Toko said, which was all she managed to get out before Mikan cut her off.

“There are two common arteries located on each side of the neck that divide into the internal and external carotid arteries. THe external artery provides blood suppply to the scalp face, and neck, while the internal carotid artery supplies blood to the brain. So, this is going to be fun!” She said as she dragged the bone saw across her own neck. An ungodly crunch, and tearing was heard as she sawed away until blood started to gush out.

“N-not. Not blood, I can’t stand blood.” Toko said, before gasping desperately for air on the onset of an anxiety attack and immediately passing out.

“I know, or at least that’s what I observed,” Mikan said, as she grabbed the unconscious Toko by the shoe and began to drag her away. She threw the bone saw aside leaving it in a bloody mess on the floor. Her shoulder continued to leak, but she didn’t seem to notice for now.

“You seriously let a girl who can’t stand blood fight for you?” Zenkichi said, standing up to accost Togami.

Togami remained unfazed, watching with his arms crossed. “Of course. That’s why Toko is perfect for this fight. Your expectations are very realistic if you can’t have faith in a gloomy girl like her, but you should be able to have faith in me instead, and trust me. I’m the one who knows Toko best.’

After a moment he sighed. “Unfortunately.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Fukawa Toko was in love with love. She had never been loved before, and she could not really say she was in love if her love had never been returned, but still she found the concept fascinating.

No, not just fascinating all engrossing. She filled the pages of novel after novel on what she imagined love to be like.

She wanted to live in love.
And what she loved most of all about love, was the concept of herself being in love. So, eventually after rejection and rejection, her partner’s feelings stopped mattering so much.
Even somebody who had never once been loved, could still love others right?

That’s why she didn’t think twice, about constantly following her partner around, because when she was around them she was able to experience by proximity the feeling of being in love.
Even if Togami fell in love with another woman, she wouldn’t hate him for it. Just the woman.
Even if Togami only could hurl venomous names at her, she just needed to adjust to breathing in poison.
She would still love him, because love triumphed over all right? That was the sort of idea she read in story books that saved her when she was much younger. So, she would continue to love Togami Byakuya- from the bottom of her empty heart.

Once, when she had confessed feelings for her, he replied honestly. “I can’t love you, because as a representative of the Togami Household I’m not allowed to take suitors or marry until I’m the official family head.”

Toko so thoroughly used to being rejected in the harshest of ways did not understand he was merely being polite. “So, is that a maybe? There’s still hope for the future, right?”

“I suppose a girl of ultimate talent does show some promise for the kind of children she would have.” Togami thought, thinking only of the brutal ritual he had just endured a year ago. However, for some reason a pang of guilt shot through him for thinking so coldly and so automatically about sharing his family traditions with an outsider and turned away. “Never you mind that, just forget this conversation ever happened.”

There ended the confession scene between Togami Byakuya and Fukawa Toko. However, unlike all the other times where she only felt disappoointment, her heart swelled. This isn’t having my love letter pinned to a bulletin board and mocked by everybody. This isn’t spending three nights planning a date, only to find out I was only asked out because I lost a bet. This this… This is hope…

So filled, with the delusional love she had mistaken for hope, Toko started to follow him around on campus. She tried to find any excuse she could to spend more time around him. Just like the time when pushing her emotions into writing and books was not enough though, she found the constraint of only being able to interact with him during school hours was not enough either. She simply had too much, too much love, too much lack of regard, so she started to follow him during off campus hours.

Togami Byakuya tried to be reasonable about this. Not because he cared much for Toko as a person and wanted to let her down gently, but rather because he was acting as a member of the Togami family and could not ever appear unreasonable.

Until one day in his dorm room he heard the sound of someone breaking in. After weeks of enduring this harassment by keeping his head high, he had reached a breaking point. He was confused though, utterly confused when he opened the door only to see somebody else wearing a mask attempting to pick his lock, and Toko who he had expected to confront lying down on the floor.

“You bastard, you’ll pay for stealing my girl.”

“Who are you? Why do you think it’s okay to talk to me?” Togami asked. Of course considering his appearance, fame and interest he often received love letters and one sided confessions, but he always replied the same way saying he was not allowed to even consider suitors until he took his place as head. This man’s girlfriend had dumped him claiming that she had fallen in love with Togami instead, but Togami did not know this, nor would he care in the slightest even if he had known.

He saw a fraction of a second too late, the glint of light that reflected off of the knife. If this were an existentialist novel, Togami perhaps might have shot the man. This was reality though, so Togami merely was stabbed, his ego doing nothing at all to protect him. In a moment that seemed to last forever, it all seemed to mean nothing. His struggles to get to this point, his name, the fact that he had thrown away everything it meant to be human even love in order to become a Togami, all of those details blurred and then faded away as he bled out on the floor. He was going to die the victim of this man’s jealous delusions, just like any other person.

“T… Toko… get up and do something… I gotta… I…” His arm struggled against the floor, but his face was kicked one more time and his glasses flew off, landing in a pool of his own blood.

Just as he was about to bring the knife down a second time, suddenly the assailant heard a clang of metal. The girl that he had managed to knock out in one blow, suddenly stood up again and blocked his knife with a pair of scissors.

He called me by my name.
Toko thought it, but the one who woke up was Jack. She decided right then, she didn’t care if the boy in front of her was handsome or not, she was going to cut him up, until every drop of blood was gone.
For the sake of Togami.
He might be furious.
He might call her a monster.
He might call the police.
He might even kill her.

Jack understood that. However, in the force of her emotions those details were flooded out and became blurred. She didn’t care about the details. She simply wanted to feel it. This emotion which she felt overwhelmed her to the point of insanity. That too,was love.

When Togami woke up, it was Jack who spilled her secret. She told him she had been following him around all that time not to stalk him, but to protect him from somebody she saw stalking him. Toko knew because as was their policy. Jack communicated that detail to her in a note. Alter personalities couldn’t exactly talk to each other, or even communicate in their own heads like some kind of mindreading power, whoever thought that clearly watched too many insensitive portrayals of her condition in movies.

The note told her that Togami promised to keep her secret under two conditions. One, that she would never kill another person again, and two that she would become his asset and protect him from now on.

Toko saved that note and held it to her chest. This was acceptance. Even if it was only as a tool or a burden, her strange and distorted existence had finally been accepted by another.

Togami did not love her, perhaps he would never love her, but could be a receptacle to her love.  She just felt too much of it, it needed somewhere to be directed at. The same way her pain had become words once. Then, someone else. Overflowing again with those feelings, her tongue rolled lazily out of her mouth, and as Toko went to sleep Jack finally woke up.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Aaaahh… whuhh? Whazzup? Whazz happening?” She said, shaking her head back and letting her tongue loll the same way, looking a bit like a wild dog. She quickly checked to see she had been restrained to a medical table. WIth no idea how much time had passed since the last time she woke up, or even what situation she was in Jack continued to talk uselessly. “Oh, I get it are we doing bondage? I hope the master’s watching, this is so kinky.”

Elsewhere where she could not even hear him, Togami made a noise that sounded like he was dying.

Suddenly before any of Jack’s questions could be answered, Mikan appeared in front of him. “Sorry, he’s not here. You’ll have to settle for the disappointing me instead.”

“Are you going to torture me? At least let master see it so he can see how sexy I react to pain.”

Mikan kept smiling somehow despite being exposed to that unbearable personality. “What? No, I’m a professionally trained nurse. I’d never do anything averse to your health.” In the time since Toko had lost consciousness she had redone the bandages on her shoulder to stop the bleeding of her self inflicted wound. Tsumiki bit on the end of the bandages covering her bandaged hand, causing it to come loose and exposing scab, after scrape, after laceration, after scar, as they slowly became unwound. “I let others hurt me all the time but I never hurt them. That’s why I’m such a good and useful person.”

Jack watched black and white spin in Mikan’s eyes and blinked with confusion. “Wait, how are you doing that eye spinny thingy? Well, I guess my eyes turn red for no good reason so I shouldn’t complain.” That person didn’t seem to sense the danger she was in at all.

Then suddenly, Mikan drew up two syringes holding them between her knuckles. “Now, now, it’s time to begin your treatment. This is bleach, it should kill all the bacteria in your blood. That’s helpful, right?”

“That doesn’t sound like a legitimate medical fact,” Jack complained. Just as she leaned in to inject her though, Jack suddenly finished cutting apart her bindings. She sprung forward with the force of surprise, jumping on Mikan and knocking them both over. She quickly stamped hard on the syringes so they would be useless.

Most importantly though, she spun around the scissors that were in her hand, and cut open her long skirt for mobility. When Mikan stood up again, she threw the scissors as if they were throwing knives, nailing her one on each shoulder with both pairs of scissors.

Those watching with the exception of Togami who already knew, and Junko who knew because she already knew everything, nobody knew what to make of Toko’s sudden transformation.

“When did she suddenly become so coordinated? In two weeks of being around her I’ve never seen her move like that,” Medaka said, lacking the power of analysis Junko or her brother might have.

However, for Kumagawa Misogi who knew minuses better than anyone he understood immediately. 『That’s not Toko, those who live especially difficult lives can sometimes develop alternate personalities as their minds fracture underneath tremendous pressure, to help them carry the burden of it. This girl is definitely..』

“If you make that pun, I’ll hate you,” Junko warned.

『Double the trouble!』

“I hate you for making that pun,” Junko said drily.

『Ahh, wait. Please don’t hate me Enoshima-san.』

“What’s the matter with you, I thought you were used to being hated.”

『Er well… look at the fight, blood, you like blood don’t you?』

Toko turned to face the camera, while Mikan writhed in pain and tried to dig the scissors out of her shoulder. “For those of you who don’t get it, it’s me! I’m the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocide Jack! Not Toko! That’s a loser name! What you’re seeing here is a classic literary twist, a textbook split personality! So what if one of them happens to be a serial killer!? You should turn a blind eye to one’s faults! Kyeehahahaha!”

“That kind of person was on our side all along?” Medaka said, grimacing at the screens in front of her.

Togami merely put his hand in his face. “You weren’t supposed to tell everybody our secret, Toko.” The more people that knew, the less of a valuable asset she was, that was all. “This is what I get for having expectations of the lower class.”

“Awwwee where are all the cheers? Are you not excited to see me or something.” She said looking directly into the security camera as if she did not know they were somewhere else far away watching her. “Sure, I’m a bloodthirsty maniac but that’s no reason to get all judgy or anything. Life is pain, right? To live is to hurt other people. It’s a necessary evil if you want to survive. The act of living itself causes pain for everyone…! Nah, just kidding I don’t care about deep thoughts like that! Kyeehahahahaha!”

“H-how awful,” Medaka said, shaken by the sudden appearance of this person.

『What a wonderful minus attitude』Kumagawa said, with a sob and a proud smile. 

Jack was done grandstanding for now though. She saw Mikan had pulled the metal out of her shoulders and decided to follow up. “You’re not a fighting type but I am, let’s go girly!” She rushed forward and cut her in the back as she turned to run away. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do, so I’ll just make you a pin cushion until you squawk and tell me how to win.”

MIkan running at full speed managed to pull slightly ahead, but when Jack threw her scissors again and they pierced straight through her back, she stopped to cry in pain. Jack did not give her another moment’s chance to escape, quickly sliding forward and tripping her legs out from under her. She quickly sat on top of her waist and brought a scissors to her chin. She snipped the empty air near her neck to make her point about what might happen next.

“Now, now, now, tell me all you know. Girls aren’t really my type, but maybe master will be pleased by watching this kind of action. I’m talking about killing you know! Kyehahahaha! Isn’t it funny when I make innuendos and then laugh with my totally unique laugh?”

“That’s only funny when I do it…” Junko pouted elsewhere.

“Vicissitudes. It means a sudden change, alternating between opposite and contrasting things, like a change in fortune, or a change of personalities.”

“Whaaaa…?”

“Earlier, you said I didn’t know what that means because you thought I was stupid. Well, I am both stupid and useless, but even someone like me is good at watching others. I’ve been observing others for a long time after all. I’m constantly terrified that they’ll hurt me, or even worse look away, so I’m watching them to learn how to please them, or if I’ve upset them. So, if you want to ask me what I know it’s a lot. For example, the reason for Kumagawa Misogi’s change in personality is entirely because of Enoshima Junko. I’m sure if you ask him he’ll give some complicated reason but I think he just wants to win and look cool in front of her, oh and he’s afraid of losing her too. Then there’s Komaeda Nagito he doesn’t think anybody knows but he’s harboring a fugitive in his house, every single day he’s been buying twice the amount of food he used to, and he has bandages on his fingers because he’s practiced trying to learn to cook. Zenkichi and Medaka have a kind of relationship that’s so close it’s hard to describe with words, but it’s also probably too close.They’ll never become lovers or anything because they’re just both so selfless. You know love is supposed to be selfish right? Well, you seem to know that actually I think we have that in common.”

“Ehh, what are you even blabbing about?”

“Nothing really. The way you win this match is by stealing the key off your opponent until the time goes out. Didn’t you think it was weird that I didn’t try to look for the key on your body the entire time you were unconscious? In fact do you know how long you’ve been unconscious. It’s been fifty nine minutes since the start of the match, I knew if I knocked you out you’d lose track of time. Now all I needed to do was keep talking while the timer ran out.”

Jack did not even respond to that. She looked at the band around her wrist that did in fact have a timer, which was now counting down from one minute. That wouldn’t even be enough time to kill the girl in front of her.

She was still frustrated though, so she started to cut up that girl. Mikan merely laughed. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, you know. I feel it, we’re connected through these cuts. You and I are the same, we only wanted to live for the person we loved. That’s why, I decided we should die together for the person we loved too. At least we have somebody to love, having no one to love is worse than death.”

15
14
13
12
11
10

“There you go, Senpai. There’s the despair you said you would make nothing,” Junko wrapped her arm around Kumagawa’s shoulder to pull him close as if the two of them were intimate with one another, and whispered that into his ear in an intimate voice.

She looked to see what kind of face he would be making at this, and then for the first time all day since Kumagawa had been avoiding her eyes before this point their gazes met. Now, he gazed right into Junko’s eyes. He was meeting Junko’s eyes right now, without showing the smallest sign of despair. Ah, what terribly gentle eyes. He always shows off but when it comes down to it, he’s got the eyes of a pushover. His life is a living hell, but somehow he has brighter and kinder eyes than anyone.

For the first time those eyes struck Junko as unbearably beautiful. Junko’s own eyes were like mirrors that trapped all light inside themselves, scribing every detail of the outside world while betraying nothing of her within, but this guy’s seemed to hold a quiet ocean. I hate to admit it, but his eyes are drawing me in.

Then the moment ended, and the connection between them that had formed vanished as Kumagawa shouldered her off of him, and moved forward in an instant to grab Choujabaru. Junko felt a little lonely, being left behind like that. Then, another second passed and she got bored and forgot that feeling.

『I surrender, stop the match.』
9.
8.

“Kumagawa-sama if you-”

『I don’t care if I have to pull out of the whole student council battle just stop it.』

7.

6.

Medaka watched, wondering how of all people Kumagawa had moved to stop this before she did.

5.

『Please, I’ll even lick your boots.』

4.
3.
2.
“Very well!”

As if there was some universal rule for these kind of zero time dilemnas, just as the digital readout was about to turn from one, the entire bomb was remotely neutralized by a button that had been held in Tokemichi’s hand.

“Kumagawa-sama forefeits the third match. Which means the current score is two wins for the original student council, two losses for the minus student council and one tie. However, since there's a chance for a tie if they win the next two consecutive matches the battle will continue."

It was the kind of situation that meant the minuses who always lost, who always messed up, the embodiments of flawed existences would have to perform perfectly in the next two battles. 

Junko knew that Kumagawa as much as he pretended to be indifferent hated losing. She had set things up so that it would end in a tie, and Kumagawa would not interfere because a tie was better than a loss, especially a loss that put them in a situation where they could no longer lose.

The only time he ever could grasp for victory is when he found a way to somehow achieve something even when he lost, that was the twisted logic he followed.

So, she did not expect at all that Kumagawa would willingly lose in order to save his comrade. She thought all he was capable of doing was erasing the fact that Toko and Mikan had died, he would just claim that would be wiping away the despair of her deaths.

Once again, he did the unexpected. He smiled back at her. 『What are you making that face for? I told you I was going to try to win seriously without relying on a trick like all fiction.』

She watched his back as he burst out of the room and went looking for the two again, running as fast as he had when Mukuro had been injured. As she watched his back, that strong looking back, her cheeks reddened with a flush of excitement.

A moment later, Togami had gotten up too. She never expected the rich pretty boy to actually run and break a sweat, but she did not care about Togami so that was less exciting.

“Fight’s over, Jack.” Togami ordered her, the moment he appeared in the hallway.

“Awe, no way. I still gotta cut this girl up good. Who knows what a perverted nurse like her did to my sleeping body.”

Togami sighed and then turned around. “If you go back to being Toko and end the fight, I’ll carry you back on my back.”

Immediately, without hesitation Jack walked over and bashed her head against the wall until she lost consciousness. Togami realized that he probably needed a more efficient way to switch them over in the future, but decided to table that issue for now. Since Toko and Jack had separate memories technically he did not need to keep his promise, but she had won the fight even if it was on a surrender.

He picked her up, using Kumagawa for help to wrap her arms around his neck, then lifted her up on his back. As they started to walk back, Toko slowly regained consciousness. Her voice sounded sleepy as if still speaking from a dream. “Ah, Byakuya-sama. Did I win?”

“Only by technicality so I won’t praise you.”

“Awe man.” She said, sounding like a normal girl who was disappointed, rather than a gloomy literary snob who was sometimes a serial killer. “You’re so stingy.”

“Yet, somehow you love me anyway. What is it about me exactly?” The question he asked before.

“I’ll tell you if you decide to love Fukawa Toko.”

“Then I’m fine without knowing.”

Fukawa Toko did not actually expect him to ever love her back. She was content enough, finally having someone to love. She was also not stupid. She had been watching him this whole time after all. The same way that Toko was in love with love, Togami Byakuya was in love with himself. In a sense of self righteousness and egotism yes, but also because the only person he had ever had was himself.

That necessarily was not true anymore though, there was at least one person clinging to his back, whether he wanted them there or not. For now that was enough, perhaps they’d both devour each other one day but until that day their abnormal relationship would continue.

Being in love with love, and in love with one self, it seemed like a miscommunication, a misdirected love. However, being in love with the same thing did not always make things easier.

After all, Kumagawa Misogi and Enoshima Junko were both in love with despair, and had hearts full to bursting with that emotion and yet they were still not able to see eye to eye.

Kumagawa watched Mikan who had deflated in disappointment, and looked like she was waiting to die. If they were in the desert he was sure buzzards would be circling over her. “Why did you do that? Isn’t losing the worst thing to you?”

『No, no, no, you’re wrong.』Kumagawa said, shaking his head. 『It’s true even if you did die, my all fiction could easily just undo your death from explosion and bring you back to life, but even so it’s still not okay for you to die. I hate dying. Dying is the only thing I really hate. Even if I die I still don’t want to die. Because. I’ll have to meet a person I dislike after I die. 』

“That’s a pretty lame reason.”

『Any reason is a good reason to keep on living, even if it comes from a lame person like me.』Kumagawa said with a smile. He reached out and held a hand to her. 『Come on now, since you lost you owe me a date.』

That gross guy is still going on about that? Everybody who was watching though, except for Junko who thought something so much more worse and twisted I don’t feel comfortable sharing it with you all.

Mikan reached up an uneasy hand, and locking hands with Kumagawa was pulled along by him too.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kumagawa led her out of the biology room, and down several flights of stairs to the nurses office. He closed the door behind him, and said without a hint of hesitation or shame『Take off your shirt.』

MIkan because she lacked any kind of shame a normal human being would have, immediately obeyed him turning away and doing so. Rather than looking at what was underneath her shirt though, Kumagawa merely looked at the torn apart flesh that she herself had sawed away at.  『Just stand still, I’ll make your damage become nothing.』

“I like these injuries though. You said they’re beautiful right?” She said, remembering the first day they met.

『That’s wrong. They’re just injuries. Lacerations. Contusions. 』

“Even so, they’re mine.”

Kumagawa grit his teeth for a moment, and then moved on as if nothing had happened. He reached for the cabinet and saw it was strangely freshly stocked, as if somebody was planning on living here at some point. He used his own sewing kit,『I’m used to sewing up my own injuries too, even if I was never recognized as talented for it. Well, I guess even good for nothings need to be good for at least one thing, Nagito-chan can clean after all.』 he started to unwrap the bandages around her shoulders.

“What are you doing, Kumagawa-kun?” Mikan said, not understanding what this feeling was. If he was tending to her wounds, did that mean he was looking down upon her? She started to shake with that emotion.

However, she felt the warmth of Kumagawa’s touch. 『You should let others heal you sometimes, instead of only letting them hurt you.』He said as he finished sewing them up.

『You shouldn’t conceal them either, if you’re in pain. I think they’re beautiful.』

Nobody had ever called Mikan beautiful before in her life, nor any part of her. Unaware of how to react, her face merely flushed with emotion. Soon, the week of stress that drove her to this despair induced state seemed to become nothing in comparison to the gentleness of Kumagawa’s touch, and the world stopped spinning just like her eyes.

The door opened a crack, and a witch’s pointed red fingers reached through in order to prop it open. From the sliver of light, one of Junko’s red eyes watched the two. She felt another emotion, but this one was far from pleasant. She didn’t know how to deal with it, an unpleasant despair that made her feel cold and lonely rather than excited.

A jealousy stemming from more than just possessiveness.

She remembered what she had overheard Medaka and Naze discussing behind her back before she left to go find Kumagawa. “I don’t quite understand this scene. Giving up is his style, but begging like that and making that messed up face in front of all of us is not like Kumagawa-senpai at all.”

“Sister, you asked me earlier why I didn’t stop first year Enoshima, even though she clearly has something to do with this all.”

“...?”

“That Kumagawa, is someone who cares for his comrades.”

“Care…? What’s that? That kind of characterization doesn’t suit him at all.”

“No, it suits him. That’s what I wanted to say, that girl Enoshima she acts like a witch who doesn’t think of humans as humans. I really do believe she only cares about despair, watching it, inflicting it. There’s no way I could hold a grudge against her. She’s not a human after all.” Medaka crossed her arms, her gaze intensifying. “However, I probably wouldn’t have such a grudge with him if Kumagawa cted like that. The reason I got in a fight with him in middle school was because I reformed his comrade, secretary Akune."

She wasn’t human in the eyes of that saint love girl who professed her love to all humans, yet Kumagawa saw her as a normal girl? How mad, how despairingly mad. Enoshima Junko had no idea what to think of this.

She merely sat watching the two of them, as her chest boiled with more intensity. The question driving her despairfully mad. Hey Kumagawa, if you care for your comrades then what about me? Do you care about me, too? How do you feel about me? Hey, hey? Why won’t you look at me?

She wanted to be reflected in them, those beautiful eyes the same color and depth of the ocean.

Really, though, me, me, me. That’s how it always was with her. What a selfish and empty girl. No, even worse than empty, like a sieve or a bottomless glass. It was no wonder there was absolutely nothing that would fill her up. 

Chapter 18: With or Without You

Summary:

Oh boy we're at the halfway point. This is named after the U2 Song btw.

Notes:

Mawaru Penguindrum (Sanetoshi Watase and Himari)
Tokyo Ghoul (Uta and Renji).
Mostly just the phrase "I cannot live with you, or without you."

“Oh good you came!” Zenkichi, with his hands on his hips gave his usual smile.

“What’s wrong, Hitoyoshi? Why did you call me out here all of a sudden?” Makoto smiled back, but it was a little awkward considering how early in the morning it had been for him. The last time he had been up this early was because he lost a game of rock paper scissors and got stuck with all the trash, it was strange he was doing this willingly now.

“See, ever since I was two years old I’ve trained every day, but… I haven’t done any training in this academy at all I’ve been so busy with worrying about that dumb tournament. At this rate, I’ll get all weak, so…Join me, Naegi!”

“What? Why me?”

“Doesn’t matter let’s get started. Take off your coat!”

“Wait, why-”

“Instead of complaining just do 50 push ups.”

He didn’t know how it happened, but before he knew it. He was doing push-ups with Zenkichi in the middle of the academy courtyard at four in the morning.

“Are you telling me you can’t even reach 50?”

“I’ve *rrrk* only ever been able to do the average amount to pass physical exams *Hrrrrg*.”

“How come you didn’t try to do more than that?”

“I didn’t have any talent in it, I guess…”

Zanekichi stopped suddenly, because he had already completed his set. Makoto started wavering upon collapse at only 25. He stood up and walked to Makoto, and then put a foot on his back. “Hey, Naegi, do you know what talent is?”

Makoto considered the philosophy of this academy that talent sprung hope, and the extraordinary qualities of all those around him. However, he did not yet know how to put into words those feelings, he had not yet been put through the misery that would make his true nature sign. So as usual, he fumbled and came up with a half thought out response,”I guess it’s like, being really good at a thing?”

“Good answer!” Zenkichi said with a smile, as he was the exact same kind of naive that Makoto was. If only a bit more seasoned due to following that beast like girl for all of these years. “I don’t get really why this school has such a complicated view of talent. Isn’t Talent just practicing at something until you’re good at it? So who cares about hope. Who cares about luck. Who cares about average. Who cares about weakness. Just keep doing push ups.”

Despite the speech that Zenkichi gave, Makoto struggled to push himself up for a 26th time, only to collapse. Underneath Zenkichi’s foot, he felt nothing but a reminder of his own weakness. The time which he failed to say anything convincing to Kumagawa. The time which he failed to stop Mukuro from hurting anybody. He was sure there was countless times like that before, like when he was dragged along by a jewel thief, all he shrugged off with the excuse of “I’m just a normal guy having an unlucky day.”

The reminder Zenkichi gave him that he could have been working hard all along to develop into somebody, or something, only made him feel more like a nobody, or nothing. He thought of Kumagawa crying alone, and remembered at the time feeling an unbelievably crushing frustration surrounding that weird guy. Is this what he felt? Is this the feeling that corrupted him into his current state of being?

Before Makoto could go too far down into his own reflections, a hand appeared in his field of vision. “Oh, sorry dude did I push you too far? I thought if I increased the pressure you’d be able to do at least one more.”

Makoto gave him a weak smile. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. It’s like I said I’ve only ever been able to do 25.”

“Then next time, we’ll do 26.”

“What if I can’t do 26 next time?”

“Then the time after that.”

“What if I can never do 26?”

“Then you’ll have spent your whole life struggling to do more than you could, but at least until the very end you died trying.”

Makoto stared up at Zenkichi for a moment, seeing the offered hand still there. It was strange, Makoto had never in his life met someone with the same optimism. He was used to being the optimistic one in regards to others. “What the… that logic makes no sense.” He complained, but he reached up and took Zenkichi’s hand anyway.

“Well, that’s enough for now we’ll pick back up tomorrow.”

“We’re doing this again, tomorrow.”

“Huh? Well yeah. You gotta do daily training every day, right?”

“But… why do I “gotta” do this, Hitoyoshi? Is it about the vice president’s match next week, I’m pretty sure if I was going to train to fight somebody I should have started earlier than just a week beforehand we can just use another substitute right… somebody like Sakura would win for sure instead of the unreliable…”

“Because this training’s for you! It’s not for the student council battle, it’s just for you.”

“For me?”

“I get mad every time I look at you. I keep thinking, is this the guy that wants to save that poor plain looking girl that Kumagawa has under his thumb? Does he think he can do that when he’s really this weak?”

“You mean, Mukuro?”

“You’ve been hesitating this whole time… haven’t you? Do you think Mukuro’s following Kumagawa because you couldn’t get through to her? Do you think if she betrays the class it’s your fault for not reaching out to her soon enough?”

“Yeah… I should have noticed there was something off about her from the start, that there was a reason she was always staring out the window and keeping her distance from everybody. Even then… even then she… she still thought I was somebody special to her when all I did was just treat her the same way as everyone else. I don’t deserve her affection for doing the bare minimum.”

Zenkichi pulled Makoto up until he was sitting, and then sat on the ground next to him. Neither of them were doing training anymore, but he supposed that this conversation could be a kind of mental training. The body and mind were linked after all. Perhaps he should have asked Naze to train Makoto, instead of a good natured idiot like himself. Still, he couldn’t leave him alone. “Then, why don’t you just try to work harder to catch up to her and make up for lost time?”

Makoto froze for a moment. He wondered if anything could break Zenkichi. HIs eyes were colorless, they seemed to reflect back more details than they took in but… I hate to admit it. But his eyes are much stronger than mine. They’re the eyes of some hero straight out of a story. The eyes of a hero who slays monsters. I want to believe in hope and all more than anything else, but if I take in a hope this strong, my eyes might burst and vanish. It was strange because they had the same color eyes, but perhaps his were a paler grey, a less extraordinary one. Staring in those eyes he couldn’t help but be honest. “If… If I honestly give it my best, and people still die, then all the people I failed to save will be my fault too. I’ll carry that guilt with me for the rest of my life.”

“So what you’re just going to stay on the borderline of things…”

“Listen, I’m not you. I can’t see somebody extraordinary as Medaka-chan, and then spend my whole life trying to keep up with her and actually succeeding because of how hard I try.” Makoto finally admitted it, his head sinking. At this point in time he was somebody who had yet to be called the ultimate hope, he was just like the ultimate despair, and the perfect minus, just a normal boy.

“Hey! Don’t put me up on some pedestal just to make yourself look bad listen-” Suddenly Zenkichi had grabbed Makoto’s collar without thinking. “I’m not somebody who has kept up with Medaka. I’m not a special existence. I’ve failed and fallen behind her more times than you can count. There was a time in middle school all we did was fight because she didn’t like my chuunibiyou stage. Obviously my efforts haven’t been repaid yet, because if I were her equal she would have made me vice president, and I’d be in this school rather than the reserve course.” His always optimistic expression saddened for a moment. “I just want to make Medaka-chan smile, I’ve devoted my whole life to that you know, but it seems like all I ever do is make her cry when she sees how much I hurt myself trying to reach her level.”

Makoto had not been present at the general affairs manager’s battle, but Zenkichi remembered, both the image of a distraught Medaka crying and screaming his name and agony and also the words Don’t make Medaka-chan cry next time! Though, he did not remember who told him that. Makoto saw in that moment that it was not that Zenkichi always remained smiling when others would give up, but rather, he smiled specifically because he was sad.

“Then… how do you keep going?”

“I don’t want to leave Medaka-chan alone. That’s all.”

“That’s a terrible reason. I thought you were going to say something deep but you told me to just do it for some girl.” Makoto flopped back down on the ground suddenly. He did not know what drained him more, the work out or such an emotional conversation. Zenkichi was… ah… is this why other people got so annoyed at his optimism? It was a taste of his own medicine and a bitter one at that. He closed his eyes. “Well, even if I’m weak and unreliable I don’t want to leave Mukuro alone either.”

He still felt the idea of being with her would only lead to him failing her. Makoto existed on the borderline of things right now, hope and despair, talent and untalented, strength and weakness. He had lived his whole life so far being a non-committing existence right in the middle. It was thought beforehand that only a great despair could have pushed him in one way or the other. It was more comfortable being in the middle, living with Mukuro meant enduring the pain that he would fail her and it would be his fault, living without her meant watching her disappear. A tough decision he thought he never could make and yet… there was somebody gently pulling him along just with an encouraging smile.

“At least you know you’re weak, as long as you admit that then you’ll be okay! You just gotta train and get stronger!” Zenkichi said, flopping on the ground right next to him. He looked like he genuinely believed it was something that simple too, or he was forcing himself into believing. “Besides, I think you’re a pretty cool guy. I mean, the way you wear your jersey underneath your jacket like that? So cool. I can’t believe we have the same sense of devil cool style.”

I can’t leave her alone.
Is it something like that… or is it just I can’t live without her?
Makoto and Zenkichi both thought that at the same time. They were not too different after all.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kamakura finished removing the bandages that had been wrapped around his arm. Even if he won against Medaka and achieved exactly what he wanted, the time it took him to heal from his broken bones put him out of the picture for the majority of this tourmanet.

I for one think he should not be complaining, because at least he was not sealed away in some alternate dimension by a bunch of screws but… to each their own. He stared out the window as he always did, eyes passively watching the people who went by starting out their days. On the table in front of him was a plate with half eaten food. On the ground unwound bandages. Otherwise his half of the dorm room was entirely empty, he had pushed all traces of living onto Komaeda’s side just by existing there.

He saw a blonde girl and a black haired boy in a black uniform that did not belong to this school walking side by side. He saw a brown haired boy, and a plain looking dark haired girl walking side by side. He saw a rich looking boy and a gloomy looking girl walking side by side. He saw a beast of a woman, and a blonde haired boy walking side by side. When the blonde haired boy tripped looking exhausted, the girl offered her hand and they walked hand in hand for awhile.

“How boring.” He said aloud, just as Komaeda came into the room.

“What is? Maybe I can help, I mean it’s most likely I’m in no help to you at all considering how inferior I am to you, but I can still try to help. Unless my efforts are annoying to you then-”

“They’re not.” Kamakura cut him off once again.

Komaeda sat down on the floor opposite to him. He leaned against the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest and crossing his arms around them. For a boy that was almost two meters tall and with hair that had already thoroughly grayed, he looked quite precocious in that moment.

He didn’t mind being cut off like that. He knew sometimes when he started talking, he should stop, but he couldn’t quite get it in his brain to connect how. In fact, he was happy that Kamakura was so decisive as to tell him when to stop for him. At the same time, he felt a bit envious of being able to speak with such confidence. He wondered if talent is what made the little brain gremlins that made him ramble by jumping up and down on his neurons and messing up the inner workings, go away.
“Hmm, yeah I’ve decided. I want to ask you a question about love.”

Komaeda’s colorless as the dead face, suddenly turned red. He tilted his head in the same manner that Enoshima and Kumagawa did when he was confused. Immediately, he thought of colors, of a dance, of a bullet in his chest that was his first contact in a long time even if it was painful. “Uhhhh… w-wouldn’t you know more about that then me.”

“I have the talents of the super highschool level escort but-”

“They let you do that kind of thing in highschool!” Komaeda said at a volume louder than he had meant to. Suddenly his heart was pounding in his ears and nobody had even pointed a gun at him, how strange.

“I have the talents but no personal experience myself.”

“Is there a difference?” Komaeda thought talent should trump everything, that should make him the authority.

“It’s like music.” The moment he said that, Komaeda realized what the colors he saw were. Musical notes, like, synthesia. The noises of his footsteps, the soft humm of his always mellow voice as he approached. He supposed that made sense he experienced that, it was just another case of wires crossing in his brain. Somebody like him would not experience a fairy tale reality like love at first sight, like dancing once upon a dream. “I can play music perfectly, but it’s not the same as when the ultimate pianist would play it for example. Music is riddled with imperfection, and there are genres of music that take advantage of that like Jazz. The missteps define music as much as the steps, so… just like romance, which is defined by its flaws I can’t really recreate it perfectly.”

He did not quite understand. So, he did as he always did and laughed while placing his hand in the curled tresses of his hair. “Haha, then why are you asking a guy like me? I don’t have any experience being loved either.”

“Yet still, you try to love others right? Even if it’s a one sided love?” Kamakura said, and then when Komaeda immediately averted his eyes he sighed. He had no idea why one boy could be so perceptive and so oblivious at the same time. “Fine, if you’re not confident talking then just listen. For me, love is entirely predictable. If you chase, it’ll run. If you run, you’ll be chased. Things were going well, and then they end. So then, what will you do?”

“Haha, it’s kind of like you’re asking me to solve a paradox right?” His hand had moved rom his hair, to the side of his cheek. To Kamakura, Komaeda was a walking paradox. That wasn’t any special quality though, if Komaeda thought that made him special he was wrong. Most humans built themselves upon paradoxes, hope and despair, pursuing love and fleeing from it. “If it were me, I wouldn’t chase. I’m content just loving others from afar.”

“Why not?”

“If I chased I’d get tired. I’m not really somebody who can strive for things on my own, but if I can believe in somebody else and help them, I’m at least aking use of this pathetic life right?”

“So, it remains one sided because you’re incapable of overextending yourself. Some people think that way. So, you’re declaring you’ll only be on the running side?”

“Uh… what? I’m believing in others, I’m not trying to run away from them.” He remembered, the bodies falling at his side as he walked along. That was just an image he conjured though, a representation of the guilt as he saw people fall victim to his luck, and before that the loneliness when people left him. There’s something not right about that child? How can he smile right after his parents died. Maybe it’s best to leave him all alone in that mansion. “If anything they’re running away from me… but you know that’s fair.”

“Then fine, both sides are running. If both sides are running, that’s the same as saying “I can’t live with you.’ Say for instance, a bear were to chase a rabbit. Even if they loved one another, the bear will inevitably eat the rabbit because it’s weaker. If the bear wanted to spare the rabbit, they’d have to run the opposite direction. It’s only natural too, that the rabbit will run away from the start. They have no reason to get close to a bear, if they do they’ll get eaten.”

“So… are we talking about nature now?” He stopped scratching at himself and wrapped his hand back around his knees. “Oh, I get it you’re using a metaphor to explain it to the dim witted me. You’re so courteous, Kamakura-kun.”

“Perhaps I should just say it directly. It means your love won’t come to fruition.”

“That’s fine, I won’t fall in love.” He leaned forward, he had already resolved to that a long time ago.

Then something strange happened. Kamakura stopped leaning back and gazing out the window, and instead leaned forward to face him. “Oh? Then what about your one sided love?”

“That’s… just curiosity.”

“Hmmm.” Every time Kamakura got wordy to elaborate on his thoughts, it was usually followed by a period of silence. Push and pull, chase and pursuit, just like Kamakura had been talking about earlier, that was how Komaeda would describe their relationship. Kamakura was using it as a metaphor for love though… and Komaeda quickly thought about something else before he could make that connection.

“Are you saying I should chase then? Would that make love a reality?” One sided love was… a pleasant dream but just that, a comforting fantasy. He already knew, he already knew.

“Sometimes it will, I suppose.”

“If we’re using your metaphor though, wouldn’t the other side run away?”

“Of course, that’s a sharp observation. Just because you chase it, just because you can’t live without something doesn’t mean they’ll feel the same way about you. In fact it’s more likely they’ll never give you what you want, do you know why?”

“Uhh… I don’t think I’m sharp enough to figure it out, if I understood a little it’s just because I got lucky.”

Kamakura sighed again, deciding to just keep talking. “If you can’t live without somebody, but they give you what you want it negates the first condition. The simple game will end. It’s better to string them along with dependence forever in that case. To make them so they really can’t live without you, so they’ll pursue you forever.” Kamakura thought once again of the metaphor with cartoonish animals he thought of before. “Bears are omnivores you know. Let’s say the bear has something the rabbit needs, to give the rabbit reason to chase them. For the simple reason that they enjoy the rabbits company they’ll withhold that thing forever then. Even if it won’t truly be standing on equal ground, they won’t relinquish that control they have, because the rabbit might wander away otherwise.”

“That’s so mean.” Komaeda’s eyes fell.

“Really? I think it’s better. It’s more fun to play games forever, or at least that’s what I’ve been told.” When Komaeda looked up again, Kamakura had crawled on the floor to cover the distance between them and now took up all of his vision, propping himself up with an arm against the same wall Komaeda leaned against. “You’re different from me though, you could distract yourself. If you want to forget about a love that will never come true, why don’t you just try a kiss?”

“Kisses don’t last. They fade away as easily as people do. No, they’ll be eaten up. If I just sought simple pleasures, if I kissed without love, I’ll end up empty.”

“What’s wrong with being empty?” Kamakura’s voice fell into a soft whisper.

“People who are empty can’t continue to live on. They’re too weak, they’ll disappear and die.”

“Who cares if you get thrown away? You can feel it, every kiss before you disappear. You can kiss one hundred times without getting bored of it.”

“I can’t. It’s impossible. My body is already frail, I’d shatter like glass if I tried to handle it. I can barely handle being unloved, I can barely handle doing nothing with myself, any small sign of love would overwhelm me.”

“Then, kiss over and over, until just before you break.” From leaning over him, the black locks of Kamakura’s hair had fallen wildly in his face.

“If I cling to something like that, people will look down on me like I’m pathetic.”

“Aren’t you already pathetic? Don’t you call yourself that constantly? You’re way too prideful, for somebody that’s pathetic.” Their faces drifted together. Komaeda decided to accept whatever would happen next, just like he always did. Which is why he accepted it too, when instead of moving forward, just at the point of contact Kamakura drew back again and sat backwards fulling, breaking their closeness and propping his elbow up on one knee. “Who cares if you’re pathetic? You’ll at least have kissed.  Where’s the fun if you just sit still and wait to die without doing anything. If you sit until your muscles atrophy. If you just wait until entropy takes you. Even if it’s depraved, even if it’s pathetic, doing something is better than doing nothing. Perhaps there’s no such thing as love, only-”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know what you’re talking about or what to do about this kind of thing!” Komaeda raised his voice finally. He had no idea why, or rather he told himself he had no idea why because it was an unacceptable reality to him that Kamakura would flirt with him in this roundabout way. It was too much, it was too much, he was going to shatter just like he said. He could only function as a windsock with no end, accepting everything that had been dealt him. If he had to confront something whether a positive or negative emotion he knew he couldn’t handle it. After all he’d done nothing to this point, he’d only lived on the whims of his luck. It was pathetic to barely be able to handle doing nothing, but he knew if he tried to confront something he would shatter. There was no use, no hope could be gained from shattering here so he needed to wait a bit longer. That’s what he always said at least. “I don’t think love isn’t real. It is real, or at least it has to be…”

Kamakura simply watched him, the heat of his face rising, his breathing going ragged. He wondered if he had done something wrong, setting off this boy with a simple conversation. “Forget about what I said, I was merely talking to myself. I wasn’t really factoring you into the conversation at all.”

Komaeda smiled again, if a bit forced. “Of course. I’m not even background noise to you people of talent.”

“I had another question though. Perhaps you will provide better insight on this one. A long time ago Enoshima broke into my cage and told me this, that despair is the unpredictable and hope is the status queue. That’s the only reason I’ve chased despair for so long, the promise of something I haven’t seen before and yet…” He averted his gaze to the window once more thinking of the past. “Logically there should be a case to be made for hope. Yet, when I fought that girl Medaka that you call the embodiment of hope. She couldn’t explain it to me well. So, how about you. What is hope?”

Komaeda’s troubled expression changed, as he tilted his head, and then rocked forward with excitement. He had a smile that took over his entire face. It almost looked manic. “Hope? It’s transcendent. Even the weakest and most insignificant human beings can have hope! That’s why even a weak person like me can carry it in my heart. The reason that people are able to move forward, can be explained by the intrinsic quality of hope they carry. Everything is powered by hope, it intrinsically links everything like clockwork, it’s what gives an otherwise chaotic and heartless world order. It’s a reason to continue in the face of meaninglessness, or rather, it’s the reason the world continues to spin.”

Kamakura thought about it fo a moment. He wondered what could make such an insecure and inconsistent being suddenly so confident. He wondered, was that hope? “Then, do you think that hope drives talent?”

“Talent is the embodiment of hope. They’re the guideposts that save the world from despair, like a light in the darkness. If everybody could see through their talents to the greatest extent, if Hanamaru could reform the cooking world, Souda the world of machinery, Gundam the world of animal breeding, Mikan the world of nursing, Sonia to rule her country peacefully, if they all lived up to their talents they would produce a better and less chaotic world.”

You don’t care about it for the sake of all people though, you just want a safer world for yourself. A softer one. The talentless were parasites, ticks on the backs of the talented. Just like Kumagawa who was clinging so desperately to Junko right now. He wanted to cut through that statement like he always did, he could break the person in front of him easily but he… stopped himself. He did not want to hurt something so fragile. THere was no logic behind it. “I see,” was all he said. “Then talent is a sense of security?”

“If I had a less pathetic talent then luck, I’m sure that my weak and passive self would disappear. Oh, well it’s not all bad though it’s because I’m like this that I can at least support the talents of others.”

Oh. That is what Komaeda had been doing with him all along. He had been supporting him. Kamakura put a hand on the ground and lifted himself up. As he stood he looked more like a looming shadow then a person. “I’m taking my leave.”

“Come back before dark, and make sure nobody else sees you,” Komaeda said without thinking, as he had gotten used to the presence of the other.

“Mmm, I’ll be back.” Even if he were to disappear he would at least say goodbye, he wasn’t rude like that witch Enoshima who only appeared when she needed something from others.

He thought about it as he walked away. Did talent really replace insecurity? Human weakness? He was like this right now because he could not feel human weakness, but as he walked along he remembered the unpleasant words of the tick Kumagawa. You’re even minuser than I am. He thought he had thrown away everything that had made him human, and because of that when he was first born it was in a cage of that scientist’s making. Did he live in a cage now, though? He had escaped from it months ago, a witch whispered between the bars and told him despair would break the cage. Was despair just another cage though? Always having to hurt others, to destroy, to make chaos like an addiction just to feel things? If he burst out of the cage called despair and embraced hope instead would he finally be called a human being?

Innumerable questions swirled in Kamakura’s head. Even with every talent in the world he could not find an answer that satisfied any of them. Then one more question. It was thought both by Kamakura and Komaeda, as they were not that different. I wonder how long this will last. I wonder how much longer he will stand me. He can’t live with me forever.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“First year Naegi, you don’t have to fight. We don’t want to drag you into unnecessary harm,” Medaka said, her voice as crystal clear as usual.

To Makoto Naegi he reminded him slightly of Ogami Sakura. He wondered for a moment how those two would square off in a fight, but then he worried too much about one of them hurting the other and dismissed the thought. He straightened up and tried to seem more confident. Y-yes I, I know the danger but that’s why I’d rather do it myself then push it onto somebody else anyway.”

 

“You’re a kind person, Naegi.” Medaka said. Makoto felt bad for underestimating her, he did not think such a strong looking woman could have such a soft smile. For a moment he was so charmed he could suddenly see why Zenkichi would spend his whole life in mad pursuit of such a woman. Then, he shook his head remembering there was something else he wanted to do this for.

Before he could open his mouth though, suddenly undetected to all of them another entered the room and spoke up. “Is it really that kind? People will still be hurt. If they care about you and see them hurt, they’ll feel pain. You’re just sparing yourself the pain of being a passive observer.” Makoto saw somebody he did not recognize at all. A person standing against the wall with his arms crossed, dark hair, and bright red eyes that looked down on everyone and everything in the room.

 

The fact that he had slipped by even Medaka’s senses brought about the stunned silence of everybody in the room. Only Naze Youkai the person used to remodeling people and dealing with abnormals spoke up. “You must be Kamakura-san, right? The center of the Kamakura project.”

“Human remodeler, I know a person like you, but they’re a neurologist.” He looked to see everybody on guard. Especially Zenkichi who had stepped in front of Makoto and extended an arm in front of him. “Don’t worry I have no wish to fight, this vessel of mine only just recovered. You accept requests from anyone, anytime a day right?”

 

Medaka nodded. She uncrossed her arms and opened them for him. “Why don’t you be honest this time? Last time your request wasn’t to kill me.”

“You’re right. I’ll speak straightforwardly then, I’m tired of speaking in circles anyway.” he remembered the dizzying conversation he had just been through. “I want to talk with you alone, to ask you a single question. Tell everyone else to leave.”

Medaka nodded. “That’s fine then, but the student council helps those who help themselves. In order for me to take your request I also want to ask something of you.”

“That’s fair,” Kamakura said, not really knowing what she could want for him but he tried not to think too hard on it. Staying in the dark might possibly lead to something unexpected.

The others started to protest but Medaka quieted them with a stomp of her foot. They all filed out single file. Zenkichi was the last and most reluctant to leave. The tick that clung to the back of Medaka, he reminded him of that other tick Kumagawa somewhat. Kamakura put his hands in his pockets and casually asked. “Last time you did a terrible job of explaining it, so please tell me again. What is hope to you? Specifically, why is it a reason you are able to keep finding an interest in this world despite standing above all others?”

“I’m not above anybody…” Medaka said, starting off poorly. He knew that was a lie, either one told out of denial or a false sense of humility. “I’m a lot below them. I’m just a beast in human clothing playing around.”

“I don’t care which metaphor you use for yourself, the question please.”

“I don’t know how to talk about hope. I do what I do, for love and happiness. I genuinely want to see every single human being happy. I was born to make them happy, that’s the reason I was blessed with such tremendous gifts, it’s the burden I must pay for being born in the first place.”

“That just sounds like a self justification. Is that why you take such issue with Kumagawa, not because he’s evil but because he doesn’t want to be happy, he’d rather stay miserable forever?”

“Are you going to say that if I love human qualities like kindness and courage, then I also have to love human qualities like cruelty and cowardice, because I’ve heard that in the past. Here, let me tell you a story about what I meant when I say I want to save everyone.”

Don’t think of others as human when you hit them, think of them as a road to step upon. In the past she came face to face with someone like this. Someone who in order to protect the peace of the academy, toiled away in the shadows, and fought every day extinguish villinary.

That april, the girl wearing pigtails Kurokami Medaka met up with a forgettable man. She intervened to save not somebody who was innocent, but instead somebody who swore vengeance upon the academy. The moment she stepped into the fight she became his enemy too. A full chorus of blows played out as they met. Kurokami and him kept hitting each other for three whole days and three whole nights. After both of them got tired, they went home to get sleep, only to when they met the next day start another fight.

He did not go looking for her, and she did not go looking for him. Rather when he was about to expel another enemy of the academy she always appeared to interfere. One time when they had finally fought each other to a standstill and both simply collapsed on the spot opposite to each other. A crater had been carved into the earth just from the shockwave of their blows. In between his exhausted breaths, he asked finally. “Kurokami… why are you protecting those guys?”

They had exchanged blows so many times, countless times, but this was the first time either of them botherd to talk to each other. “You’re different from them, right/ So why are you siding with them?”

“Those who discriminate against bad guys, will soon discriminate against weak people, and then fools, then even the strong. ANd finally he will discriminate against his own self.” She stood up slowly and her words crescendoed. “AN evil thought inside a good will, is what I hate… well, something like that.”

He closed his eyes and looked away from her, sitting up on his own too. “I don’t get it. For example that guy you protected the other day there is no use keeping someone like him, many students have been hurt by his violence much equipment has been destroyed. He’s like someone born just to bother others what’s the point of protecting someone like that?”

She thought in silence for a moment. Around them, clouds of dust from their fight were beginning to clear away. Maybe the sky will be less obscured soon, she thought as she tried to speak. “What if that student you tried to drive off has a sickly little sister… and for the sake of that little sister he thinks he must be strong. Because he has been receiving ill-treatment from his parents, he couldn’t get along with others, but inside his heart he still thinks that he must be nice to others, that maybe he wants to be nice with others?”

“I haven’t heard that before. Is it true?”

“I don’t know, maybe, maybe not.”

He stood up suddenly the earth shaking with him. “QUit fooling around! What the hell is that? You just want to go against me, don’t you? I’m siding with the victim so you want to side with the assailant right!!”

“Well, it’s a bit different than that, but you’re right.”

“What?”

“If you protect the victims, and I protect the assailants then we can protect everyone.” Even though he beat her like he was just something in his way, she thought the entire time that he was an ally, he was a human being that she was fighting.

“There do you understand it? That’s my naivete, that’s my trust in every single human being,” Medaka said, laying it all out with an open palm.

“I see. Then, to that strange boy with his head in the clouds hope is something that belongs to the strong, but you think it belongs to everybody especially the weak.”

“Why are you trying so hard to understand hope in the first place?” Medaka asked him, though he was the one supposed to be asking questions.

Of course, since it had been a good one he stopped and uncrossed his arms to think for a second. The moment he decided to test which would be more interesting, hope or despair had been taken from him by Kumagawa Misogi. That thought was erased from his mind. Yet, still… “What if I were to switch sides? If I said I wanted to fight for hope, would you have me?”

“No.”

Kamakura did something incredibly human, and tilted his head the way Komaeda did at that moment. “Pardon?”

“It’s not because I hold a grudge for you destroying the school or anything. I’m sure in your deepest heart you’re truly regretful for that. It’s because you’re so strong, that I’d rather have you on the side of despair. If you protect your comrades who are in despair, and I protect my comrades who are in hope, then everybody will be protected right?”

Kamakura paused, feeling the exact same thing that the one who was easily forgotten did at that moment. However, Kamakura suffered from a terrible habit. He quickly grew bored of things. The stunned feeling he had in the amazingly large love for all of human kind that Medaka bore, lost its novelty a moment later. “Is that the question you wished to ask me in return?”

“No. This is what I wanted to ask you. Do you think you can bear it for me?”

“Bear what?”

“My anger. I don’t care what you do to me, but you hurt both Zenkichi and Kei. I don’t know why you did it, but I still can’t help feel angry about it. I have to be careful because most people are fragile, they’re like glass to me. You can take it though, so can I have one free shot on you, to let my anger out.”

That woman really was a beast. The beast Medaka, the witch Junko and the demon Kumagawa, so many inhuman monsters were coming to their academy as of late. Then there was him the most inhuman of them all. He felt his lip twitch though he could not commit to a full facial expression, “Fine then. I know you wouldn’t kill me, so no matter how hard or how dangerous a blow you deal to me I won’t dodge.”

Medaka did not even give him any warning after that. She disappeared and then suddenly her fist appearing right in front of his face took up his entire point of view. Every sense of his screamed at him to dodge, but he resisted. In a moment that tall tree was brought down by a great and powerful wind. He flew backwards, breaking the wall behind him and falling back into the rubble.

In a moment the angry Medaka, the human personification of violence disappeared and suddenly she called out with concern. “Somebody bring him to the infimary!” A moment was all he needed though Kamakura had already gotten a glimpse of the beast within.

He felt blood trickle down his forehead. His skull was cracked from the impact of the blow alone, and he could not feel his left eye. No, the entire left side of his face was crushed. Milk and honey, Milk and honey, I want to go to the land of milk and honey. He thought, suddenly delusional.

A voice played in his mind. It was his own as well as his creator’s. “ Matsuda, what’s that Jabberwock place you’re looking up?”

“It’s an archipelago in the middle of the pacific ocean. Apparently it’s an everlasting paradise.”

“Why is it called that strange name?”

“Oh, I suppose a blank existence like you would have never read a book like that. A jabberwock is a made up creature from Alice and Wonderland. In other words the person who named it had a cruel sense of irony, a place without worries, a true paradise doesn’t exist. It’s as imaginary as the jubjub bird and the frumious bandersnatch.”

“Paradise isn’t real? That is to say perfection isn’t real? Then what about me? The perfect human being? Do I exist?”

“Don’t you have the talent of the ultimate philosopher or something, go bother someone else with your questions.”

That’s right, it’s just as my teacher and later that girl said. Perfection doesn’t really exist, even in myself. Yet… why do I find myself wishing for it suddenly. If there really was a place where worries did not exist, a world that could be called a paradise, I’d really like to take that troubled boy there.

A world as soft as he is, what at stupid thing to wish for.

The moment he thought that, Kamakura lost consciousness.

“Kamakura, Kamakura-senpai!!!!!!!”

 Kamkura raised his head from a desk. He found himself in a room that looked just like a normal classroom. On the board a chalk outline of a bear that was half good and half evil had been drawn. On the teacher’s desk, a girl who he did not recognize was staring at him.

She watched him with her chin in her hands. “Oh it looks like you’ve finally come to this place. Somebody went to oz and got themselves a heart.”

“What?”

Kamakura had never dreamed before. Dreaming required wanting for something. They were made up of emotions, memories, all things that an empty person like himself lacked.

“Mmm, it’s hard to explain all at once. How about let’s just say this, I’m somebody who watches the conflicts of hope and despair from a neutral standpoint just like yourself.”

“I see. So then, if you have this ability to appear in people’s dreams does that mean you’ve been nudging things from the shadows?”

“You sure catch on quick! Oh, but I’m not really as influential as you might think. I’m just a cute young girl after all. For example, I’ve tried convincing Enoshima Junko away from the path of despair countless times.” She raised a single finger up as she recalled this example. “At the same time I’ve been nudging Kumagawa Misogi towards Enoshima Junko. Do you know what will happen in the end though?”

“...”

“Whoa, so stoic. That’s a really cool character trait you have there. Let’s rephrase the question like this. Say if I were to ask a that girl to make a simple and logical choice. Either to choose love and live without despair, or to choose despair and live without love, what do you think she’ll do?”

“There’s no way a girl like Enoshima Junko would follow the rules of any choice. She’d try to take everything for herself!”

“Exactly. She would choose both love and despair, because she’s selfish and wants everything. Well, it’s not like I expect that to happen though. I’m just a naive girl after all. I think my plan to make Junko give up despair, and Misogi open himself up to others really will work. I bet all those two needed were each other to change. We’ll reach an ending where everybody can smile.”

“Did you bring me here just to gossip?”

“No, I’m just excited is all. I thought when I appeared in your mind you would be hinata again.”

“Who?”

“Nevermind. Let’s leave that one for later. Izuru Kamakura you have an identity of your own, correct? Yet, you are so above others you are unable to feel emotion. Why do you think that is?”

Kamakura sighed. He had already been through this speech with Enoshima Junko. For some reason this red eyed girl reminded him so much of her. He saw her head cracked and bloodied on the ground after he stomped on her, just to stop her from laughing. He stared at the pink that pooled from the scars deep in her skull.You must have known this was coming.

“It’s because everything is too easy to me. How is a god supposed to relate to insects? How does a demigod relate to a normal human?”

At that moment, Ajimu Najimi smiled. She put a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter. “A demigod really? Wouldn’t a demigod know their purpose? A demigod wouldn’t sit around all day being bored because they’re unable to direct themselves. Medaka might be but you definitely are not. How about this answer instead. Did you interact with anybody? Has anybody ever treated you like a human being before this point?”

“...”

“All it took for you to develop the vague existence I call a heart, was that one weird boy constantly tending to you and trying to help you. Can you really say you don’t have emotions in that case? Slowly, don’t you think you’re building some on your own?”

“...”

“I have good luck too. Just as I expected it, asking one student to tell another to transfer to this school has resulted in a chain of events. I was lucky enough that you and Komaeda bumped into one another. Now, I’m lucky enough to get the chance to talk to you.”

“What is it you want so badly to ask of me then?”

“Just a simple question. How many talents do you have, Kamakura-kun?”

“All of them.” He said immediately.

He blinked once, and then Ajimu Najimi appeared in his vision. Her fingers grabbed the side of his face, tilting his head upwards until their red eyes had no choice but to meet. “All of them? That’s definitely a fearsome number. So, against my 7932,1353,4142,322 and 4924,9165,2611,0643 distinct abnormalities and minuses respectively altogether 1,2858,0519,6763,3865 distinct skills, how big you do think your chance of defeating me is?”

In the face of that impossibly large number, Kamakura who could always think of something to say suddenly felt empty. “What.”

“I’m just joking. I can’t do anything as long as I’m a ghost. I can’t influene things at all. Just go back to your reality and become close to that cloud boy again, because that’s what I expect. Learn the difference between hope and despair and then choose for yourself without outside interference, because that’s what I expect.”

She suddenly leaned forward. He recognized the motion it was the same one he had made towards Komaeda earlier. WIthout thinking, he raised up a hand and stopped her, putting two fingers on her lips. “I see. You want to do that sort of thing with someone else, right?”

“...Shut up.”

“I wasn’t trying to mock you. Your eye was damaged during that punch. Medaka-chan can be so cruel sometimes. Here, let me do this instead.” She leaned and kissed him right on his left eye. “I can give you half of a gift, I’m saving the other half for someone else. It’s kind of pointless giving a gift to somebody so gifted, but I hope you’ll appreciate it anyway.”

That evening when Kamakura woke up in the infirmary, he was told by Naze Youkai who had been left to secretly watch over him that it seemed at first his eye had taken irrecoverable damage from the punch, but suddenly he made a miraculous recovery.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“I’m back.” He said to the dark room he had been staying in night after night.

Komaeda who had fallen asleep leaning against a wall, waiting for him to return finally raised his head. “Welcome back!” He said with a pleasant smile. The entire moment seemed idyllic, yet it was so normal at the same time. To have somebody who would cheerfully welcome you back, it was something that both Komaeda and the memory-less Kamakura had never experienced.

“I kept the promise I made to myself. I would return one more time before saying goodbye. So. This it it.”

“What?” Komaeda’s peaceful expression suddenly dropped. Even though he was sleepy, he lunged forward towards the other. The moment Kamakura turned his back, he felt Komaeda’s arms wrap around him. “You shouldn’t go yet. I haven’t explained hope to you well enough yet. I’ve finally realized what I can do for you. If I show you the unexpected nature of hope, you might be convinced that hope is more unpredictable than despair.”

Kamakura with a glazed over expression, looked to the side rather than acknowledge the sudden weight on his back. “Why do you think you’re suited to that task above everybody else? Even somebody like Kurokami Medaka.”

“It’s because Kurokami-san doesn’t acknowledge Junko. I’m Junko’s rival, the one who knows her the best, and the one who knows that a strong hope needs to rise up to defeat her.”

Kamakura for the first time in his life felt like rolling his eyes. “If your love for talent is one sided though, doesn’t that mean your hatred for that girl is equally one sided?” He started to walk forward, Komaeda’s shoes dragging behind the two of them as they were both equally tall. “You’re not a factor at play in this equation.”

“I know that, but I still want to be helpful to you please.”

“Why is that exactly?”

“It’s because… you’re the only one… you’re the only one in the whole world.” He looked at Kamakura right at that moment, the side of his face he could see as he struggled with a mania that felt something akin to love. “You’re the only person who could survive my luck, the only one with a strong enough hope. That’s why, I want to be useful for you at least until the end.”

“If I get attached to you, and then you die being useful to me until you’re final breath then you’ll just hurt me with your last action. You’ll leave an unhealable wound on me. Don’t insist I need to be near you, just because I’m suited to handle your particular dysfunction. You’re just being selfish.”

The time he had held back earlier from cutting Komaeda, now without any impunity he lashed at him again and again with his tongue. Until Komaeda’s grip loosened, and on his own he fell off Kamakura. “It’s not like I’m saying this because I don’t care. The truth is, my own feelings have changed. I can’t live with or without you. However, if I choose both I’ll be no better than that witch. So this is my choice, I’m choosing without.”

With that, Kamakura walked away leaving Komaeda there alone. He never even turned to look back once. There was a reason he could not though. Just as he had expected, the sudden breakaway had indeed inflicted pain on him. He reached up to touch his face. Tears, tears of sentimentality that could overcome boredom.

His other free hand reached into his pocket, and squeezed the charm of a white sheep with fluffy looking hair. He had decided to keep it, even after severing everything else with his own hands.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Enoshima-san, quit dragging me.』He felt her claws even though his uniform, as she wrapped her fingers around his forearm and started to drag him forward from the moment they had met up with morning.

“You’re the one who promised we could spend the day together doing whatever I want. I want to go looking for some more despairful things!” She said, stomping her heel on the ground once to silence his protests, before she continued on. After wandering around like this for quite a while, Junko finally found something delicious to sink her teeth into.

She saw in the distance, Owada Mondo standing in front of a girl from the reserve course behind one of the school buildings. Such a trope savvy person such as herself could isntantly recognize the classic scene, even though Kumagawa who only read shounen manga did not read the atmosphere. She grabbed him suddenly and and dragged him behind a tree where the two of them could watch.

『Oh, isn’t that Mondo-chan? What’s he doing in a place like this?』

“Really, you call that guy -chan but not the esteemed me.”

『If I referred to you with -chan you’d say something like ‘A being as lowly as you should only refer to the superior me with -sama to maintain proper distance’.』

“Well that’s true but I don’t like being left out from things either, even if I am too good for you- but ah! Wait, ssssh!” She suddenly clapped her hand over Kumagawa’s mouth even though she had been the one talking.

The silent and hesitating Owada suddenly summoned forth a great courage. “Um… P.. Please… Please go out with--”

“I’m sorry,” the reserve course girl cut him off.

He did not even need to receive a reply after that. Owada fell over right on the spot. Before she could go any further and throw salt in his wounds, quickly Kumagawa grabbed her by the hand and started to drag her away.

『Enoshima-san, let’s go looking over here. I’m sure there’s something much more exciting around the corner. Besides, a guy like Mondo-chan getting rejected by girls seems predictable right?』He quickly for the sake of a loser in love, hurried Junko away.

Of course after that Junko immediately began to pout. She found a park bench and ordered Kumagawa to sit down so she could rest her head in his lap. Kumagawa wondered if he would ever get a chance to rest on her again, rather than just working as a human piece of furniture for her to lean against whenever she wished. He supposed he would have to die first.

“Fine, fine, but since you dragged me away from that despair you have to tell me something more interesting.”

『What is it, Enoshima-san?』

“Tell me where Yasuke-chan is hiding.”

『No.』

“Do you want to die?”

『If I tell you where he is, will you take my side and help me defeat Medaka-chan?』

“Yeah, I promise. It’ll be a give and take of despair. I’ll get much more despair from a person like him, than a nobody like you.”

『I refuse.』

“I can’t believe you were just setting me up for a jojo reference instead of taking me seriously! What a betrayal! Besides, those kinds of references are only funny when I make them.” She kicked her legs in the air once in order to show her annoyance, before pushing her head up against his hand. “Well, it doesn’t matter because I’ll figure it out eventually. You’re just delaying the inevitable. But still, don’t you think hiding your romantic rival is a bad move?”

『You’ll kill him if I don’t.』

“Mmm, maybe something like that. Dunno how I’ll feel in the moment.”

『I don’t understand why you would, or what feelings you would have, but I know you’ll kill him for sure, because I know despair.』

“Do you want me to explain it to you? I really did love him. It’s because I knew if I tore away a precious existence from me, a person I loved to the point of madness, a person I could not live without that I would experience an immense despair. I really did love him, but those feelings were the result of my long con against myself. All of my manipulations work, even when I’m manipulating myself, you see.” Her expression became despondent, she forced Kumagawa to drag his fingers through her hair as if wanting for comfort.

Then, suddenly she smiled. “Fuck yeah, despair life hack! Spend so much time around someone that you actually are sad when they die. Life. Hacked.”

Kumagawa’s expression only became more confused.  『That sounds pointless to me. People who are alive have an infinite amount of ways they can experience misery, but how interesting can a corpse be? Despair is all well and good, but the more desperately you try to shake things up, the more sad and dead you leave in your wake. You even had to kill the most precious existence to you. What exactly do you gain from killing the person you love?』

“I guess living the unstable life you’ve had, you’ve never had enough stability to know how terrifying it is. The feeling that you know someone is precious to you, but you can’t feel something towards them at all. Flowers are beautiful, they fill the world with color and make life worth living. However, we pick them before they wilt. That’s destroying them too, but we have to. At least that way… in their death… I’m able to feel something finally.”

『That doesn’t sound like love. It sounds like the opposite in fact.』

“It is love, because without love I wouldn’t feel any despair at all. That’s how I know. Things that seem opposites are often two sides of the same coin you know. Well, it’s pretty messed up but… it’s not like I want all of those plans of mine to come true they just always do.”

Her face became one of a deep and unbearable sadness, that an easily confused guy like Kumagawa could not possibly comprehend. That only lasted for a moment however, as suddenly her mood shifted and Junko kicked her legs again. “Wait, I just realized. That scene with Owada earlier… then you at the hospital.” She was so brilliant sometimes she swung around right back to being clueless. “Were you rejecting me back then?”

Kumagawa’s smile froze.  『Uh-what? N-n-no way? I couldn’t reject Enoshima-san, because she’s way out of my league right? You weren’t seriously trying to kiss me, you were just poisoning me to mess around.』He waved his hands in front of his face, as if trying to dismiss the steam he suddenly saw in front of him.

He played clueless, and Junko had no idea if he was genuinely that dumb or being thick on purpose. Before she could even ask though, they both heard something nearby. It was a metallic click. They heard it again a few moments later.

Junko immediately stood up, and then Kumagawa was dragged along whether he wanted to or not. In the next moment they saw on the top of a grassy green hill, wearing a green jacket over his school uniform Komaeda Nagito held a gun to his forehead.

He played a game of opening the revolver barrel. Spinning it for a certain amount of time, and then without looking he would press it back against his forehead and pull the trigger. Each successsive time though, nothing would fire as it would land on an empty barrel. When he heard the sound of an empty click, Komaeda looked disappointed.

Junko immediately began to drool at the sight of despair. Kumagawa however, clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying anything and making the scene worse.  『Nagito-chan what are you doing exactly?』

Komaeda stopped, leaving the barrel ajar. “Oh this, this is a gun I picked up overseas. I pointed it at Enoshima-san when I first met her.” He tipped it back towards his head. “It’s a fun game I like to play when I’m down to cheer myself up, russian roullete.”

『Yeah for some reason I feel like there’s a deep emotional reason that you decided to symbolically stick a gun to your head at the moment.』Kumagawa said as he approached. The moment he took a step forward though, Komaeda pointed the gun at him.

“Don’t get any closer. I’m just a parasite you see.” He cracked a manic smile. “I was selfishly hoarding the person who had the greatest hope in the world sleeping within them all to myself, just because I wanted some company who could survive being around me without dying.”

『Huh? What’s so wrong about that?』

“It was never about hope, or being of use to others. I just wanted to play house.” He clicked the barrel back in after spinning it, and pointed it at Kumagawa once more. “Isn’t that what you’re doing right now? You’re fighting so you can just keep playing house. Well, you’re trying to keep the world’s ultimate despair contained so I guess that makes you less selfish than myself.”

Komaeda stopped pointing the gun at Kumagawa, and then placed it back on his forehead. Before he could intervene though, Kumagawa had erased the distance between them and suddenly was standing right in front of him. He grabbed Komaeda’s wrist and twisted it around placing it right back on his forehead.  『It’s fine, I don’t think you’re wrong. It’s okay to be selfish, Nagito-chan. It’s natural for those who have lost so much to want to hold onto things.』

“I hate it. I hate being comforted by someone as stupid as you!” He struck him hard with the butt end of the gun. However, Kumagawa did not break the gaze into his eyes. “I’m only using you, you know! You’re just a band aid to my problems! I’m going to enjoy watching it when Kurokami-san crushes you! I’ll enjoy watching you fall as much as Enoshima-san. I’ll feel good, I’ll smile even when you die, because you died for the sake of hope!”

『So you’ll feel hope at my death? And Enoshima-san will feel despair at my death? That’s good to know. You’re so kind, Nagito-chan caring for a worthless life like mine who nobody should miss.』He twisted his wrist again and pointed the barrel towards his own forehead.  

『I wouldn’t mind at all, being betrayed by a kind person like you. I don’t mind if you suck all my blood and leave me as a shriveled up corpse, who was it that decided that ticks shouldn’t get any nourishment either?』

At that moment before Komaeda could stop him, Kumagawa twisted the gun even further until he wrapped his finger over Komaeda’s. Then, he forced Komaeda to pull the trigger. Because of Kumagawa’s bad luck at that moment, the bullet was in the correct chamber, and it fired straight at his forehead.

Kumagawa fell backwards, bleeding from a single hole in his head. A moment later he sat up again, Junko and Komaeda both watching him. Komaeda watched with tears in his eyes. Junko looked annoyed, with her hands on her hips, and her finger nails digging into the cloth of her skirt.

『Don’t you see it’s pointless trying to kill me, Enoshima-san. You should just give up on despair already. Won’t you be happier, enjoying your youth with the rest of us?』

Junko Enoshima smiled pleasantly. She sat down next to him on the ground and whispered something soft in his ear. “Do you want to know how I really feel? Do you want to know what I think about you?”

『Yeah, more than anything else in the world.』

“Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t think anything about you at all. I’ve already figured out five thousand ways to kill you. I could have sent mind controlled idiots to kill you over and over, or drown you in a box forcing you to revive continuously.The fact that you assume I might be holding back because of some special feelings for you, that's just fucking hilarious how ou let yourself get a big head.  I’m holding back because I can be patient and wait for the most despairing ending possible. I’m going to make your precious Medaka-chan kill you, and then throw you and her to despair in the same stroke.”

Kumagawa merely smiled at her, as she whispered such nasty things into his ear 『Ah, Junko-chan seeing that terrible face  of yours is so refreshing.』He smiled back up at her, touching the side of his cheek and forcing her to meet his eyes again.

"A loser like you is only interesting to me dead. Sucks to be you, I guess. Maybe if you had been born a talented person like Matsuda-kun I could enjoy you a little bit while alive."

For a moment they stared into each other’s eyes as if spellbound.『If that’s how you really feel, I suppose then I’ll just have to become a man who never dies.』

Komaeda’s head fell forward, as he collapsed into sobs effectively ruining the moment. “P-please, please don’t die.”

『I won’t.』

“He will.”

『Don’t listen to her. I don’t know who hurt your feelings like that Nagito-chan but it’s fine. You can live with or without them.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Sitting at the very top of Hope’s Peak academy, Munakata had finally left the hospital yet he could not return to the school. He was not officially discharged, he just did not want to face Yukizome and tell her he had let himself get hurt. He was supposed to be the leader of their trio after all.

Not only had he let her get hurt, now on his own he let several children under his supervision be hospitalized. Just as he let a bit of despair sneak into his expression, he heard the sound of laughter carried on the wind.

“Ahyahya! Sunbating are you, Munakata-senpai? Are you going to try to show off your swimsuit body to Chisa? Or maybe to Sakakura instead?”

“Hmmm?” Munataka was too distant he did not even let those obvious digs reach him.

“What’s with that ragged looking hair? Are you going for a new emo look?”

He turned his head around. Medaka had already given him a description of this person. “Sneaking around all the time. I suppose lurking in the shadows fits despair. Are you the one behind this, or is Kumagawa, or is it somebody else? I really can’t tell anymore.”

She sat next to him on the roof, shoving candy into her mouth as she did. Idly, just like a child she kicked her tiny feet into the open air. “That’s not really like you, you looked like the never give up and pursue them until the ends of the earth type of guy.” After she swallowed up her candy, she put a finger on her lips tapping it with rhythmn. “Well I guess I could tell you. It’s only fun watching you flounder around in the dark for so long.”

She told him a short story. Several months ago at Suisou academy, she walked in upon the scene of a boy clutching a girl in his arms with a screw driven through her head. Considering she had gone out of her way to find somebody dangerous like Kumagawa, this was something she expected to see.

What she did not expect to see were the tears running from both of his eyes, and the despondent state he seemed to be in. A human reaction to the inhuman action he had committed. 

Then suddenly, he dropped her body like it was nothing. Then stood up and wiped the expression off his face. He muttered under his breath about losing and then started to walk away. He had erased her memories of him to avoid killing her it seemed. That was the conclusion Shiranui drew. She had heard rumors but it didn't match what she saw, Kumagawa did not seem like a person who would kill someone. He did not seem to her to be the demon that Medaka feared, the only human she could not save. It was clear he did not expect anybody to see this scene. Which is why he nearly jumped out of his uniform with surprise, when Shiranui introduced herself with a laugh. She liked the face he made at that time, the kind of self pitying look that only a human could make.

“You know that time when he was battling with that girl who was way smarter than him, he took advantage of her heart. He made her his general affair’s manager and manipulated her into growing feelings for him in the time they spent together so she would lose her desire to kill him."

“I don’t need you to tell me that despair is twisted up beyond all logic.”

“Mmm, well anyway. It was a good strategy at the time, which is why I think he’s trying it again now. When I saw that human side of him, I couldn’t help myself I had to ask him to do a favor for me and come to this school in order to help handle a certain someone. I’m pretty good at my job but there’s no way I could babysit two princesses at the same time.”

“I don’t understand why you’re telling me all this. It’s not like I have the context to understand it. I didn’t understand anything from the start, even though I had was far deeper involved than most people. I called Kirigiri Jin a fool but I’m no better.”

“Is that why you’re sitting up here having a good angsty moment? It’s a pretty good spot for that but still it seems unlike you to do nothing…”

“I’ve been watching Kurokami-san from afar. She wants to make those in despair happy, she genuinely wants to redeem them. When I was president I fought all the time, I beat a lot of enemies, I drove back the shadows of hope’s peak. For me, they were just enemies. I didn’t care what they were thinking, and for them it was the same. But… what if them and I… could have understood each other like that…” He flopped backwards letting his silver hair fall over his face. “I’m embarrassed. I told them despair was something that they could only destroy, but now I’m starting to doubt myself. I want to die now. I thought I could lead my own branch of hope’s peak, but in the end I’m sure that girl will overcome everything without me.”

“It’s okay. The battles aren’t over yet, right? For some reason even thoug you completely failed, and you have no idea who you’re really fighting against, hope’s peak hasn’t fallen yet, right? Then you can always try again.”

“I… I already lost. I wanted to become her strength. Chisa won’t forgive me if she knows that I can’t avenge her lost classmates, or fight despair for her sake.”

Suddenly, he felt two hands on the sides of his face. “That’s why I was telling you that story earlier. I was trying to say, both you and Kumagawa made the same mistake. It’s because your brain is addled with the ideas of heroes from stupid shonen manga, you’ve confused the two. Unlike justice which otherwise must win. Love, does not have to win.”

He thought of Chisa, clinging to him and crying after her class was reported as attacked earlier. That entire time he had been thinking of doing this for the sake of the three of them, that he should have won. Tears came to his eyes without even realizing.

“It’s fine. There’s no need to let yourself get consumed by self pity now. Not when I’m about to devour you.” Suddenly, he saw that girl’s jaw extended into something shadowy and monstrous.

How can Shiranui keep her skill when all skills have been removed or at least tampered to levels of reality?

It’s simple, I could not remove hers.

There’s nothing you can do about a skill that edits other people’s skills. If I tried to use my skill that blocks skills on her, she would just edit it to make herself the sole exception to my skill.

Real Eater, the minus of Shiranui Hanten was not very convenient to use.

Munakata was also, not the only lovesick young man that was about to be devoured.

Chapter 19: My Love Was Real

Summary:

Kumagawa has a stroke of good luck for once.

『What exactly were you trying to build here?』Kumagawa said as he looked at an unfinished construction site in the rather large basement of the old school building. The crane and equipment that had been moved to the basement for the elaborate construction were still left in place, and whatever Enoshima had been building was left half finished.

Enoshima herself next to Kumagawa, yawned with her usual blasé attitude, holding a hand over her mouth. “Well you know sometimes you start out with a clear idea of what you want, then you get artist’s block halfway through, and then you get bored and move onto something else.”

They were casually discussing the half constructed execution device of Junko’s that was to be the next stage of their battle. August 15th the vice president’s battle The minus had already gathered, Junko, Kumagawa, Mikan, Gagamaru and Shibushi. While they chatted amongst themselves, the student council arrived. Medaka, Zenkichi, Toko, Togami, Naze and Koga.

At the head of both groups standing near a set of two elevators was Komaeda, and a much smaller and more precocious in comparison to him Makoto. Rather than his school uniform, Komaeda dark green zipper hoodie with red squares on his shoulder, and a red ‘55’ on the back. In comparison Makoto only wore his jersey. This was a battle of predictable luck vs unpredictable luck.

“...Ah! I understand what he’s going for, between two ultimate lucksters. This is different from before when they chose randomly.” Naze spoke up in the middle of their group, Koga looking over her shoulder concerned.

“Hey! Heeeeeeey! I chose the hound card already for those of us destined to die like dogs in the gutters to make room for a greater hope, announce the battle!” Komaeda said, as Choujabaru appeared in between the two parites. He brushed his hand through the wild curls of his hair, obviously anxious. “That’s riiiiiight, Naze-san. Learning from you I also have amde preparations. So, knowing that my opponent will be Naegi-kun, I have chosen the stage which will give me advantage!! Of course, I could never hope to meet the level of preparations an ultimate surgeon could make, I just chose to rely on a half assed thing like luck.”

“Damn… what’s with that guy? His personality has changed from before. He kept so quiet in all the previous matches.”

Zenkichi spoke up looking back at her. “What’s going on, Master Naze? That rule should be an advantage for both of them right?”

Naze spoke through gritted teeth and the gap in her bandages. “The foot hold is not firmed, and moreover there are steel beams hanging from cranes all surrounding them. It’s an unfortunate accident waiting to happen on both sides.”

However, Zenkichi who had been training all week with Makoto in the early morning. Who watched every time a small inconvenience happened due to Makoto’s luck, such as a vending machine eating his change, him slipping just as Zenkichi was about to strike his head with a roundhouse kick, catching Maizono Saya just she fell from being bumped at random. Though, for that last one Zenkichi made sure to lecture him about being a playboy. The conclusion he reached though was that Makoto only ever experienced minor inconveniences and conveniences as a result of his luck.

However, the entire school had rumors of Komaeda’s luck. It was one of the reasons he had grown infamous even before showing allegiance to the so called ‘minus student council.’ It might not even be a steal beam that falls, Komaeda’s luck might cause a meteor to fall and blow up the entire arena, or so the rumors went.

As I thought, they seem to be fighting seriously this time, a straightforward effort from a minus? But different from Kumagawa, Mukuro or even Mikan, that Komaeda has a proper atmosphere around him. This is weird. Even in his anxious state, Komaeda was smiling pleasantly at the others. His finger became lost as he twirled the curls of his hair around it. Komaeda caught Zenkichi staring at him, and greeted him with a friendly wave.   No, if we’re talking weird about weird, it’s Kumagawa in the end, right? Unlike the previous time, he didn’t do anything last week.

He looked to Kumagawa who was still standing next to Junko, the same place he had always been the last three bouts. However, instead of his normal black uniform he wore a white undershirt in contrast to Komaeda who had dressed in such a unique outfit, and his hair was a mess several split ends sticking out. This time he has no charisma at all!

『It’s not my fault I don’t look as hot blooded as you Zenkichi-chan, it’s because Enoshima-san kept me up all last night.』

Her nails immediately went for his face again, pinching its side and making his already droopy expression look even dopier by straightening out his cheek. “Don’t say things that are intentionally misleading!” She was probably more upset about Kumagawa stealing her inuendo bit again than what he actually was implying the two of them were doing last night.

『Sorry, sorry. When I told Enoshima-san I haven’t watched Evangelion because I only read manga, she made me stay up all night watching it with her.』

Zenkichi realizing he had been caught staring, turned his attention back to Choujabaru. He was starting to wonder too, the same way everyone was what kind of relationship those two had. It reminded him a bit of Medaka and himself, always striving to be together.

“Now then, this time apart from the candidates we need from both teams, one sub-player from each team to participate in the battle. As this time the double dog dare challenge was chosen.”

“Subplayer? What’s that? Is anyone okay?” Makoto asked.

“Yes, even candidates from previous battles will do, Makoto-sama.”

Makoto scratched his head sheepishly at being called -sama all of a sudden. Behind him he felt a terrible aura as if something was off.

『Hm. Then I will. I’m the leader anyway, there’s no choice.』 He shrugged, scratching the back of his neck in the same casual way Makoto was.

Zenkichi rushed to Makoto’s side, sticking a thumb in his chest. “Even if anybody is okay, it’ll have to be me, right!”

Before he could make it to Makoto though, he had been grabbed by the back of the collar and snapped back like a dog on it’s leash. “Wait, Zenkichi! If it’s Kumagawa then I will…”

“No, you shouldn’t have to waste your stamina for this battle. Just stand here. Master Naze and Toko still haven’t fully recovered from the battle last time, and Togami won’t fight.”

“He’s right, I won’t. This outfit I’m wearing right now is worth more that your lives with the exception of Kurokami-san.”

“You see! Even Togami agrees with me. Just leave it to me today. Now that you got your objective, just watch and spend the whole time thinking about it.” Makoto watched as Zenkichi laid a hand over Medaka’s own and gently encouraged her to let go. He understood in a moment, all of the things the two had been talking about all week. The moment Medaka decided on something it was always Zenkichi who went forward and supported her without question. Even though he was the far less extraordinary one.

Their moment was cut through by Kumagawa’s sigh. He released a put of air as he looked up through one sleepy eye, the other one half lidded.  『Come on. Anyone is okay. Even if it’s 3 versus 2. You should all just gang up on us like you’re used to doing anyway, we’re already going to lose this one. Let’s just finish this quickly.』

“Kumagawa, you! Show me some motivation will you!” Zenkichi called out, stepping in front of Makoto, and pointing forward. “I know this is weird coming from me, but…”

『IWhat? I’m free to do whatever I like. Right? I was really shocked from the last two battles you know. I had to watch my friends get all beaten up by you bullies. So I really want to just go home and spend more time playing games with Enoshima-san, but now I have to follow you guys doing this thing. Could you please show me some gratitude?』

This jerk… What an annoying personality! Medaka-chan is trying to understand him and he can’t even care less. Though, even if we can’t reform him this time. At least! At the very least! We have to make him taste a total defeat in the student council battle, so he can’t try to take over the school again… Zenkichi when he got worked up, had a terrible habit of narrating like this. It’s too bad his own personality is far from neutral, otherwise he could have made a good narrator. Suddenly his head snapped around and he looked at Komaeda. “Komaeda! You say something as well! This guy is slacking off!”

“....Hmmm, please stop talking with somebody above your league, Hitoyoshi-kun. Ultimate Luck may be a worthless talent, but it’s still well above having no talent at all.” He swiftly turned his head away. “Besides, you knew Kumagawa-kun was a capricious person, right? Why do you always act so surprised, that normal trash quality of yours is really obnoxious.”

Makoto reached forward and put a hand on Zenkichi’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Zenkichi-kun. Komaeda’s always been infamous for his mood swings like that. Now that he’s in a negative mood, he must be completely under Kumagawa-kun’s control now.”

“No, that’s right but…”

Komaeda looked back for a moment towards the other lucky student. He wondered for a moment, what it would be like to have such a carefree kind of luck that Makoto had. The kind of bad luck that took the form of stepping in gum, having a bad hair day, or getting attacked by an agitated cat. (THough, now that he thought about it every day was a bad hair day for him). His luck suddenly sharpened so much it looked like it could cut through Makoto, causing Makoto to jump back and hide behind Zenkichi.

“It might be a bluff then, Medaka watch Kumagawa even when he’s slacking.” Zenkichi said, trusting Medaka without even turning his head.

“I understand. You be careful as well, Zenkichi.”

With that, both Zenkichi and Makoto disappeared into the elevator they were supposed to ride up to the top.

“Seriously though, if you act all lazy the entire time, it’s going to be boring watching you fight Senpai.” Junko whined, coming up from behind and grabbing Kumagawa from behind surprising him.

In a moment he was energized. He threw his black jacket arrund his body, striking a pose that would look good as an action pose on the cover of a shonen manga. In a moment he pulled a comb from his pocket and dragged it through his hair. His hair fell down straight again and framed his face as it usually did, only falling a little lopsided on the right side. He flashed Enoshima a smile, his appearance sparkling for a second.  『Just watch me the whole time, Enoshima-san. You’re really selfish demanding so much of me, so this time in return don’t cause trouble for anybody but me with your selfishness this time.』

Zenkichi watched as his elevator doors closed. He was unable to take his eyes off of Kumagawa. He’s suddenly charismatic? What is this guy? What suddenly made him so excited? Was it really just showing off from a girl? No, Kumagawa isn’t someone easy to understand. He’d never do something straightforward like fighting for a girl like me and Makoto, so then why the hell…?

As the elevator door closed the last thing he saw was Kumagawa putting a hand on Komaeda’s shoulder and whispering into his ear. “Kumagawa-kun?” Komaeda asked, his head turning back to look at the other and his face turning red.

『Nevermind, nevermind let’s stop gossiping before the match beings.』With that Kumagawa flashed a genuine smile at Komaeda, and the two of them got on their own elevator together leading to the top on the opposite side.  『We’re fighting against two normal type losers this time after all, how hard can it be? I’ll let you take the lead.』

“What? You want a worthless person like me to lead?”

『It’s like you said, having an ultimate talent puts you one step above a no talent loser like me right? Besides I’ve been watching you all this time, I know how sharp you are. I was thinking as long as we’re together, my bad luck should neutralize your good luck right? Let’s show them our good luck bad luck combo, and earn a victory that can surpass luck and our minuses.』

It’s okay to cling to him. Komaeda thought. He’s just garbage anyway, if I use him up and then throw him out I lose nothing. He already told me he was fine with that betrayal. He smiled as he thought of the reassuring words Kumagawa told him when he needed it most and disappeared behind the closing eleavors after wrapping himself around Kumagawa’s arm. No matter what happens Kumagawa will forgive me, he’ll make whatever trouble I cause him into nothing. As long as I have him I can keep smiling in the face of total despair. That’s it I’ve finally grasped it.

His eyes widened, and then brightened up with the realization. Kumagawa’s hope… I need him… I need Kumagawa’s hope. Komaeda thought he had finally reached some revelation and changed, but really just as always he had found a different person to grasp onto. Codependency with consent was still codependency in the end.

With the try hards, and the two devils who were often beaten back from trying by the whims of fate, standing opposite to one another on a criss crossing network of steel beams, the match began finally in earnest.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The rules were simple in double dog dare. Two teams of two would engage each other on the unfinished construction site, balancing on the steal beems while hazards hung precariously around them. On the bottom of the site the floor was replaced with a net. However, falling and touching the ground counted as an out. The fighters could fight together, or splinter off and break into individual bouts, they could climb or descend the steal beams, either way the match ended when there was one man left who had not touched the ground.

Makoto thought quite normally as they stood on the steel beams, that it was a little like a tag team cage wrestling match. As he took his first shaky step, Zenkichi caught his shoulder to steady him.”Did you see that, that Komaeda kid was wearing zippers on his shoes to prevent himself from falling on his shoe laces. You need to make sure not to trip, or slip in any way. Keep your balance on the beams no matter what even if you have to crawl, okay.”

Makoto nodded. The two of them had been working on their team work, but apparently Komaeda had anticipated and prepared for this stadium. Makoto no longer liked it, the idea of passively leaving things up to chance either. “If they’re planning to take us on as a team, we should separate them.”

Zenkichi nodded. “I’ll take Kumagawa and stop him from interfering in the fight. Even if he hides I’ll sense his gross aura and track him down like a bloodhound.”

“I get it, like long distance lovers, Zenkichi-kun can feel Kumagawa-kun’s whereabouts!”

“Don’t phrase it in a misleading way. Anyway, you shouldn’t have to worry about Komaeda, he looks like he can barely stand up on his own. Something about that guy’s vibe says he’s already finished and just clinging on.”

Makoto’s expression worried. “If he’s like that, then I’ll worry about him. Even if he’s trying to destroy the school he’s still my upper classmen you know, it’s not like I want him to die or anything.”

Zenkichi flashed Makoto a smile. “Don’t worry, if he’s like that then there’s no way Medaka-chan or I will let him fall that far.” Makoto felt a little bit of warmth, Zenkichi was the first person after all who never once looked down on his optimism, and instead returned him in full. No, sometimes he even overwhelmed Makoto with his optimism but, it wasn’t a bad feeling to be overwhelmed by. “Let’s show them our our combo then! We’re the guys who think it’s cool to wear jerseys under their uniforms, we’ll be the jersey devils!”

They both together rushed forward towards Kumagawa and Komaeda who were waiting on them on the other side of the maze of unfinished constructions. They came into view, and both were posing with their backs turned and their arms crossed. They both had hoods pulled up, Kumagawa’s a black one with a jersey under his uniform, and the green hood of Komaeda’s jacket.

“The hell are you two doing? Trying to show off?” Zenkichi asked, feeling annoyed the two were not even looking at him but screwing around as usual.

A voice sounded from the pair.『With this kind of cool pose, we’ll take the cover of weekly shonen jump!』

Zenkichi knew which one was Kumagawa and ran ahead. Don’t hesitate. Don’t let him talk like last time. Finish him in one blow and protect Makoto! Zenkichi thought as he brought his foot around in a kick aiming at the back of Kumagawa’s head. When Kumagawa’s head was jerked around though, he saw white hair and Komaeda’s face staring back at him. “You switched?” Zenkichi said, unable to stop his momentum from carrying him forward anymore.

Suddenly, appearing in a green jacket Kumagawa showed up behind Makoto and jammed two screws right into his shoulders pinning him down to the steel barn underneath. 『Mission complete, just like you said!』

『Haha! Did you know Kumagawa-kun and I sound similar. Well my voice is a bit more raspy but you can’t tell the difference if I throw it like this.』Komaeda smiled, grabbing the side of his face where Zenkichi had kicked him hard. “Ah! Getting kicked in the face what bad luck!” Komaeda straightened up again and threw a baseball forward he drew out of the pocket of Kumagawa’ black jacket. It bounced off of two steel beams high above them, causing the screws to come loose and the whole beams to crash, creating a wall in between the two parties too high for either party to climb. Komaeda smirked, feeling an out of place smugness. “I hope things turn my way soon.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Creating a wall to separate Zenkichi-kun and me, is that your plan?” Makoto looked at the pile of fallen iron beams that now separated them, it was far too unstable and dangerous to climb.The sudden weight of a partial collapse made the entire structure creak with pressure.

『I’m just following Komaeda’s plan! I’m putting my faith in my friends, that’s what you do too, right Makoto-chan? Though, to be honest I’m a shy guy so I wanted to be alone with you from the start.』

“By the way, how could you trick Zenkichi-kun a moment ago? Didn’t he train to be able to sense you through his skin?”

『Oh, that’s simple He said he could feel my gross aura or something rude like that, but in short it’s just my aura that he can sense. So. I just made my aura become nothing.』He pointed at his face, and smiled.

“Then… how will others recognize you? You know there’s somebody at this school who has a forgettable face and because of that he suffers a lot.” Makoto said, thinking sympathetically about the Super Highschool Level Spy.

『I don’t really mind. Not having an aura doesn’t mean I’ll die right. Besides, the person I want to remember me the most, they’re the annoying kind of person that never misses a single detail whether you want them too or not. Even if I erased my entire existence, I’m sure those red eyes would be able to find me.』

THey had been conversing casually, but Makoto was struggling to get out of the two screws that kept him pinned to the steel beam, while Kumagawa slowly walked over to him. He casually slid his hands in his pockets, making it obvious how little of a threat he found Makoto to be. “You calmly trample on others precious things, and you also calmly accept people’s fear towards you. Kumagawa-kun, don’t you doubt anything about yourself?”

『Are you still so confused by me? Ahahaha, you haven’t changed at all since I first met you, Makoto-chan.』He brought a foot up, and brought it down hard on Makoto’s back.

Makoto felt pain jolt again through his entire boy. Already his face was covered in sweat and turning red. His anxiety swelled up as soon as he started to look down. Even with a net it wouldn’t matter if he was crushed by steel beams right?

He had been preparing for this all week. Not only that, but the others in the student council told him multiple times that if he wanted a substitute they could find one. Even moreso than that walking on his way here, Munakata-senpai had stopped and asked him to let him substitute for him into the battle. He turned them all down because he wanted to stand on his two feet like any other man. Still, he was afraid of falling, he was afraid of being crushed, just like any other normal person would be. Makoto still felt his normalcy chain him down, in the face of Kumagawa’s own aberrant existence.

『It must be another bad luck streak of yours that we keep running into each other like this.』

“N-no. This is what I wanted. I was going to listen to Zenkichi’s plan because he’s been helping me all this time, but the truth is I wanted to be the one facing you. I’m not satisfied with how I left things half assed and unfinished the last time we talked.”

Kumagawa hummed softly. Then suddenly Makoto felt the screws from his back disappear.

『Oh, is that so? 』 He tilted his head and smiled with both of his eyes closed, a cheshire grin that was impossible for Makoto to read. 『If that’s the case than stand up. It’s too bad really Mukuro-chan is in the hospital. All three of us could have had a reunion. Then she could have watched me as I pinned you down to the ground and screwed you real good. Do you think she’s into that sort of thing?』

Makoto immediately jumped to his feet. “Enough with the innuendos! Those aren’t funny no matter whose saying it.”

Watching from the monitor room again, Enoshima Junko crossed her arms. “They’re funny when I say them.” She sighed. “What does he know, his idea of good comic relief is Hagakure-kun.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“I don’t care about that wall in my way. I’ll climb it and make it Makoto’s side as soon as I’m done with you.”

『You’re not even going to play with me? That’s a terrible way to treat your upperclassmen, Hitoyoshi-kun.』

“Would you quit doing the Kumagawa voice? That is so creepy.” Zenkichi rushed forward again to the tall looking Komaeda who looked even more like a ghost now that he wore black which sharply contrasted his otherwise colorless features. No, not necessarily colorless, more like the colors had been washed out of him, like when you put too much water in water colors and let it all bleed out slowly from the paper . Zenkichi observed all of this, proving once again his potential as a narrator. He finished his charged a series of kicks, and a question at the end to punctuate his statement. “What are you doing imitating a guy like that anyway?”  He would not let up for a moment, all he needed was to throw this person off the beams and he could go to help Makoto. Just like the time he was fighting Kumagawa he unleashed a combo of kicks, using both of his feet and attacking from both sides. Komaeda was not nearly quick enough to fight back, his arms bent in a terrible way, as he felt impact after impact on both sides of his body. The moment he finished his combo, Komaeda immediately collapsed to his knees.

Komaeda  took the hit flying backwards and hitting one of the vertical steel beams with his back. “Gaah! Aaah!” He cried out in pain. Even though he had flown back recklessly, he just so happened to hit something and land perfectly in a way that did not even threaten his falling. Shakily, he got back up on his feet. “It’s too bad, no matter how much I pretend to be Kumagawa-kun I can’t imitate him perfectly. For instance, that kick really hurt, no matter how much I try, I can’t enjoy pain. I’m a failure of a minus too, just like I’m a failure of an ultimate.” He hit an all time low. Even Kumagawa's kind words could not bring him to the surface but he still had a choice. He could sink further down into the muck until he reached the bottom. Swimming was just so hard and tiring, he had always been struggling so much just to tread water. Perhaps drowning could not be as bad as he thought it was. 

He picked himself off from the ground by pushing with his hands but did not stand up yet. "I need more, more bad luck, more, moremoremoremore...." With each more, he raised his head and then methodically slammed it hard against the iron bar beneath him. His plain white hair quickly became stained. It was like blood drops falling in snow. Pink sprouted from his forehead and fell in rivulets. "You untalented people are always so useless I can't believe I have to hurt myself like this since you're doing such a shitty job of hurting me." Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The song it made was incredibly dull. It was like stone bashing against metal. His brain was useless anyway, it would degenerate anyway.

Kumagawa always seemed to be enjoying himself. When he pointed a gun at his head, when he accepted all the pain that was thrown his way. Perhaps the truth lied in accepting it. His brain was already shaken so he should just shake his skull some more. "More, more, more." Before he could reach more though, Komaeda felt himself being thrown back again. 

"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Zenkichi's voice, anger, confusion, worry, but those emotions did not reach Komaeda. Ever since Kamakura left him the colors drained out of his world. It was washed out, just like, his bleached hair, and his faded green coat. He just wanted one big explosion before the end, a feeling that his life and death led up to something. No, he just wanted to feel again. But he couldn't with Kamakura, and Kumagawa wasn't enough either. Pain wasn't working, no it was making him fade faster... uh... the world was getting dizzy. 

“Please don’t mind it. This is just bad luck, standing in a place like this, getting kicked around by my junior. I always end up in the worst situations.” He complained, in a light headed voice. 

“You’re just bluffing! Nothing you guys say or do ever makes any sense, you just say nonsense is an excuse." 

“An excuse? Do you think luck is just an excuse?”

“Yeah, when people fail isn't it easier to tell themselves it's because of luck, or outside circumstances rather than themselves.”

Komaeda gripped his forehead as he stood once more. His posture, everything about him, he looked like skin and bones trying to stand up. He was a dead man walking. Maybe Zenkichi would kick him more if he stood up. Maybe he'd defeat him, and his despair inducing defeat would encourage Medaka to do the right thing.  Zenkichi had no idea what strength was holding him together. “Is that why you wanted to fight me today, to invalidate my entire existence with your words.”

“No…Invalidate your, huh? I don't get it... I just want to understand you the same way Medaka-chan does."

“That’s just like the untalented. You're clinging to Medaka-chan's hope in the place of your own.” he stood up and put his hands casually in his pockets the same way Kumagawwa would.“I have no wish to be reformed by such a weak and poorly thought out hope as yourself. Let’s just consider the hypotheticals for a moment. How would you deal with a “minus” that is tightly related to their minds. Kumagawa and the others, adapted their terrible mindsets to deal with living a horrible life. That kind of thing can’t be treated, by surgery or medical treatment. The same way that you couldn’t remove my luck. My entire life, my luck has damned me with one hand and saved me with the other. I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, but my luck has kept me alive far longer than the doctors ever said I would last. It’s the same for them, those terrible mentalities that hurt them also save them. If you happen to reform somebody with a minus mentally what is waiting for them afterwards is an unbearable suffering. Or, are you trying to say you want us to suffer?”

Zenkichi stopped for a moment, even lowering the foot he was prepared to kick Komaeda with. Colorless eyes met colorless eyes. Looking into those washed out eyes, he said straightforwardly. “Shit man... you're terminally ill. Now I feel really bad about fighting you..."  He hesitated. "Are you sure you should rely on something like luck for that? My mom is a doctor, and the Kurokami's have an amazing hospital...I... No, damn I have to keep fighting."

His moment of hesitation over, Zenkichi once more rushed forward and kicked Komaeda with all of his might. Once again, Komaeda gave no resistance and let himself be beat up. The sheer size of his body though made it feel like kicking around a bag of sand. Instead of hitting him recklessly, he went for the feet this time, and at the end of his combo kicked them out from under him causing Komaeda to fall face first into the steel beams he was standing on. By luck, this time like last he did not fall and he did not even hit his teeth in any bad way when he fell.

“You punch exactly like somebody who tries too hard, but ah… it’s fine. As long as you don’t punch like a meteor, or punch like a falling plane then you can’t hurt me too bad. You shouldn't hold back on me because I'm already sick, I've dealt with far worse.” He said, even as he was struggling to get up once more, and slipping every time he made progress.

“The hell... quit talking all pained like..." Zenkichi looked at Komaeda struggling on the ground and immediately wanted to offer him a hand to get up, but once again he hesitated. The memories of the classroom, the back of Kumagawa's head, his hands covered in blood. All of those things made him hesitate. "You can't even stand up man, why are you fighting with Kumagawa?"

Komaeda smiled. He knew what was coming. He saw the ball he had originally thrown still ricocheting around. “It doesn’t matter if I can stand or not, you’re the one who won’t have anything to stand on soon.” Just like Komaeda expected, all of the bad luck that he endured from being smacked around like this, made the ricocheting ball bounce in his favor. Large screws started to fall out of the sides of steel beams over Zenkichi’s head. Zenkichi did not seem to notice them until he heard the sound of metal, scraping against other metal. The screws fell down around them all at once, like a metallic rain shower. Komaeda smiled, full of confidence suddenly, “So fall, Hitoyoshi-kun! Taste what it’s like to have bad luck push you over and make your efforts worthless! Then tell me how easy it is to get over it!”

The structure that Hitoyoshi was standing on collapsed underneath his feet. Suddenly, he like a looney tunes character was standing on nothing at all, and the moment he seemed to realize it he began to fall.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Makoto-chan hello? If you’ve been training all week with Zenkichi-chan you should probably throw a punch, or show me some secret technique or something.』 Kumagawa scratched his face, a little confused on how nothing serious had happened in their fight yet.

Makoto finally reached into his sweat shirt pocket and brought out two canned coffees. “Hm? It’s like you said earlier, a halfass like me wouldn’t win against you. Fighting you won’t solve anything, so I think I’ll have some coffee instead. I bought you one because you looked tired earlier.”

『Are we going to sit on a high place and drink coffee while we talk about feelings?』

“Yeah, it’s what I’ve been training for all week. It’s not the push ups, Zenkichi just wanted to get me out so we could talk together and he could encourage me. Come on, let’s talk for a bit. How about we talk about love, love talk.”

Makoto tried to think like Zenkichi would He did everything for the sake of Medaka’s smile right. He tried to remember the first time he had caught Mukuro’s eye. For the first few weeks of school he was completely terrified. He knew there was no way a guy like him who rolled average for every attribute could stand among the talented.

The person who intimidated him the most by far was Mukuro. While the others had eclectic talents, the ultimate soldier sounded immediately like a dangerous person. The way she looked at others too, it was like she was always trying to avoid looking at them, like she did not see their faces at all. Even when they were all together as a group, she was always casting her gaze out at some window.

Others started to approach him, and the terrifying people soon became familiar. There were only two that remained a stranger, Enoshima probably because she was too popular, and Mukuro who was always alone. He remembered thinking if she was a dangerous person like a soldier it was probably better that way too.

Then one day while he was talking to others the same way he used to when he was at a normal school with normal friends, he became lost in the moment. He started to laugh out loud, feeling an incredible sense of relief that he had gotten to know these classmates.

On that day, just out of the corner of his eye he saw it. Ikusaba Mukuro who never looked at others, who never made eye contact, who never seemed to see anyobdy, was sneaking a glance straight at him. Because he was so relaxed and enjoying himself in the company of his newfound friends, he did not think anything at all of it at the time.

He just did what he would do normally if he saw somebody he knew. He glanced back for a moment, and then turned around and smiled. He even waved his hand at the same time to let her know he had seen her. He smiled at her just like she was any other girl. Mukuro however, quickly looked away.

Makoto thought he had done something wrong, and gave up on trying to figure out why she was looking at him that day. He had no idea until recently, that such a small gesture on his part had become so important to Mukuro. He did not realize how a smile could be important until Mukuro smiled back at him for the first time.

“What you told me the other day, it hurt but I’m glad you said it. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking at all about how Mukuro felt. I was just accepting things as they are on the surface. But now I know… Mukuro is an important person to me, one I want to fight for.”

『She’s important to you? Hah. You’re just taking things for granted again. Your beloved Mukuro-chan only cares about you so much because you were the first person to smile at her. Do you understand what that means? She’s just so emotionally neglected that she’d latch on to somebody who would show her the bare minimum affection.』 Kumagawa smirked. 『I guess that’s convenient for a guy like you though, who takes things for granted. It’s easier for you if she obsesses over you without you having to do anything right?』

“You’re just twisting my words around, that’s not what I said. I know smiling is easy for me, I know it's nothing but still if it’s what Mukuro wants then I’ll smile as many times as it takes.” It was a bold statement, considering that Makoto at the moment was just sitting down on a steel bar slowly sipping coffee.

『What a great declaration? Still, it must be nice. Now that a girl has fallen for you, you can finally feel special something more than average.』

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that! Sometimes even average guys want to look cool too, especially in front of girls they like.” Makoto patted the steel bar next to him. “Come on Kumagawa-kun. I want to hear you out too, isn’t there a girl you want to show off for?” I know you’re not heartless. I saw your emotions back in that hospital room. If he has emotions, then I can make use of them. This is the only way somebody like me can fight.

Kumagawa accepted Makoto’s offer to sit down next to him. Suddenly, he burst into tears, and bit down hard on his lip. The tears that rolled from the corner of his eyes were not even his normal crocodile tears though, they were blood pink, and left strained strails all the way down the sides of his face.

Makoto almost fell backwards in shock. “Dude how the hell are you doing that?”

『As expected, Makoto-kun. Your pure hearted hope and belief in others was able to bring out this much of my emotions. You really are somebody who can get along with anyone, even a minus like me. Aside from her, you’re the only one.』

Makoto straightened up, and looked at Kumagawa with blank eyes. “......Her?”

『Yes. We’re going to talk about love, right? Let’s see my first love was nobody important. However, she was my last love.』

Makoto watched him as he politely sipped the coffee can by holding it in both hands. He looked almost like a child. Is he not talking about Enoshima?

『When I was the student body president she was my vice president. For someone like me who had a zero percept approval rating to become student body president was all thanks to her. I was quite cute myself back then you know.』 He remembered the short hair he used to have, because she always cut him for it. She told him to keep it short. In three years since, he had not cut his hair once and had allowed it to grow to its current shaggy state. When he pictured her, she was always looking away from him though. That’s the only way he could remember her. 『Anyway, she was a very charming person, with a charming personality and a charming heart. Even a minus like me could become a normal person when around her. It was just… there was one problem. She was ‘too’ cute.』

“Too cute? Her face?” He looks like he’s happily reminiscing about a middle school crush. What a normal face to make. He must be proud of her, at least I don’t think he’s lying.

『Yes. Her looks worried me. I said I loved her personality and her heart, but maybe in the end I just loved her solely on her looks, and that would be like loving some idols, or say a girl that appears on magazine covers.』 The reason she looked away from her. The reason he could never remember her face. The reason… bloody hands… pink blood… her blood… dripping…falling to the floor where she lay down making a trail from his hands 『So I did a little test. I ripped off her face.』

Oh that’s right. He could never picture her in his memories with a face, because he ripped that face off. Kumagawa smiled in a way that showed all of his teeth, as the he recalled the scene of the hollow cavernous hole he left behind of her head in high definition. 『In the end. My feelings for her didn’t change a bit. The flesh left off was just the same, my love was real!』

Makoto did not say anything, because he could not say anything after seeing the face of this person.

『And then Medaka-chan got pissed off and I was banned from school. After that I can only meet her in my dreams.』Kumagawa politely put the coffee can back in his lap, holding it with two hands. He relaxed his smile just a bit. 『My, my, Medaka-chan sure didn’t know how to read the atmosphere way back then, right? She should get kicked by a horse and die for interfering in other’s love. She doesn’t know about love. Does she? She just loves people, but it’s not like she loves someone. 』

“Your last love… you did that… then Enoshima.” Makoto suddenly felt a terrible fear for his other classmate besides Mukuro, when he looked at the carefree smile on Kumagawa’s face.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Ah, Junko-chan? Are you saying I should rip off her face too? Well, you’re right she is pretty but… it’s not her face that bothers me so much as her eyes. I want to gauge them out, I’m sure if there were two hollow eye sockets there I’d be able to love the rest of her normally.』

Kumagawa’s voice came through the audio equipment as they all watched the scene unfold on the monitors collected. They all stood in a group, except for Junko, alone in a corner her head turned away from them. She did not even need to hide from them though, the rest were all staring at Medaka.

Her calm and confident face had suddenly fallen apart, her eyebrows furrowing, sweat trickling down her face, and her pupils shaking. She had a habit of gritting her teeth, but everyone in the room could hear them grind now. “Second year koga, Sister, Second year Chougasaki, First year Shibushi, Second year Tsumiki, is it true that I have to save this person?”

While she spoke, without even realizing it tears had begun to fall from her face. She cried until she could taste salt, and then still some more, speaking through the sobs. “Am I doing something wrong?” She stopped to hiccup, and then inhale greatly. “Even if I can make people around the world happy, can I really save Kumagawa?” She wiped her face with her sleeve, not even noticing there was a trail of snot coming out of her nose now. “Is a wish of saving Kumagawa already a sin itself?”

The only one who spoke up was Naze. She kept her arms crossed, as stoically as always as she watched her sister fall apart to her emotions. “It’s cowardly to ask what we’re thinking. When did my little sister become like that? Don’t change your views because of us? Especially now! By your stupid will, there is a stupid boy, fighting stupidly. WHen he’s fighting, don’t you accept your mistakes even if they’re true!”

On the video feed, it was clear even as he fell Zenkichi was not giving up, and stupidly kept grasping at the empty air around him.

“I agree with your sister,” Munakata said, appearing from nowhere in the middle of the room as he had before. He did nothing more than put a hand on Medaka’s shoulder though. He did not even look anywhere else. He had a shadowy look about him, but nobody could question him in the moment.

Even with her face turned away, Junko could not contain herself. A smirk bubbled up on her face, and she had to bite her lips to suppress it. She underestimated him. All that talk yesterday of not killing your loved ones must have gotten to her. That guy he always goes out of his way to contradict himself, I should have caught on by now what’s distracting me? She knew the look in Kumagawa’s eyes as he spoke of destroying the face of the person he loved. It was the same despair filled look, that she wore when she smashed Yasuke’s corpse into an unrecognizable lumpy form in front of her, then mashed it some more until it was pulp and blood.

A maddened look, an intense feeling of despair, a thrashing heart pounding all consuming feeling that was akin to love. The moment she realized that, her heart started to pound too. What she felt though was magma boiling in her chest. He was not making that kind of face for her, but rather for Ajimu. Her own pointed nails dragged across her skin, hard enough to leave red streaks.

Jealous, she was jealous to the point of insanity that he had ripped off another girl’s face. She had no idea that he could make such a handsomely despair filled face but… it wasn’t meant for her. However, she could still smile, because this jealousy was a form of despair.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Even though half of the building just fell, Kumagawa was still standing safely up on his steel beam. He was lucky none of the structure he was standing directly on was affected. “I feel a little bit bad burying you under all of that, but if you think about it I haven’t done anything. This is nothing but bad luck, after all.”

“What are you doing? We need to confirm if Zenkichi is alive or not! It’s probably hopeless but there’s a chance he is still alive.” Choujabaru who was observing the fight directly started to grow panicked.

However, a single large piece of crooked metal was kicked out of the way. “Hey, hey, don’t say it’s “hopeless” Choujabara-kun, that’s the word that least suits me. Besides, it’s not yet over either. I’m standing over the steel frames not the ground. I’d never be defeated by something as weak as luck.” Zenkichi stood up, his body clearly battered.

He saw the pieces of the building that still remained, and quickly drew his path up. He ran forward and jumped into the air, and then rebounded off of one, then the other, climbing up slowly with each jump. Soon, he was back to where he had been standing a moment ago, and where Komaeda waited for him. “See what I mean? Luck and talent, you can overcome them with effort." 

“A normal person wouldn't be able to recover from an accident like that.” Komaeda said, his voice breathy and low to hide his frustration. "Don't go around spitting the word hope out so easily. Hope is the most beautiful precious thing it doesn't belong to a dull person like you."

“Not at all, Komaeda. I'm not claiming a monopoly on hope or anything. I’m a normal person, I just try way too hard."

“What’s that? Are you trying to rub it in my face or something.” Komaeda stomped his foot on the steel bar. “Even if you say that, I don’t need it anymore!  In the end our feelings can only be understood by our kind!” I need him. I need Kumagawa. He’s the only one who can actually find hope in my despair.

My… despair… yes that’s it I was in despair wasn’t I?

“That's not true, because I'm the one who understands Medaka-chan the most, even though I'm just normal. I understand her because I made the effort to catch up with her."

“Aren’t you a little bit shameless, bragging about trying to drag down that talented girl to your pathetic level.”

“I’m not ashamed at all! I love Medaka-chan!” Zenkichi cried out. This time however, rather than rush Komaeda when he brought his foot up he only brought it down right in front of him in a stomp. He stomped, again and again. Each time he stomped harder, and the beam he and Komaeda stood on began to shake with him.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Talking about her, did I mention that she had a lot of interesting skills? Actually, my ‘all fiction was born from what she gave me. She also had an interesting skill involving vision. It’s a god like skill which allows her to get a hold of other’s vision. For her, what she was seeing was, how others view the world. In other words, she could see how others thought. In her eyes everyone was the same, so she got bored really easily. She looked down on everybody with those red eyes.』Kumagawa began to stand once more. He put a hand on his shoulder and rolled her neck as he casually continued to tell this story. 『Thinking about it is interesting right? My vision when I was about to rip her face off, she must have been able to see my heart when I was about to rip her face off. I wonder if my feelings, could reach her...』

Makoto looked up at Kumagawa with empty eyes. “You keep saying her, but what’s her name? Can you tell me?”

『There’s no reason to hide it. Her name is Ajmu Najimi. She got along with everyone at the school, and got the name Ms. Peace of Mind. So, there you heard it. Are you going to destroy me now, and my despair filled love?』

Makoto shook his head. “What I want most in the world is for Mukuro to smile. The same way I saved her with a smile, she saved me with one too from being an oblivious idiot and I know that being around you makes her smile too.” Makoto stood up once more, and stomped just like Zenkichi did. It was the only technique Zenkichi had taught him. When in doubt, shake your whole body, and stomp the ground around you. “I don’t understand you at all, but...you also want Mukuro-chan to smile don't you? Couldn't we come to some kind of understanding?”

Behind the two of them, suddenly the wall of wreckage that was separating them fell apart. In order to survive the fall Zenkichi had tackled Komaeda, and Komaeda’s luck saved the both of them. Quickly, he scampered off the other and then returned to Makoto’s side. Kumagawa rushed forward too, to offer Komaeda a hand up.

“I’m sorry Kumagawa-kun… it’s my fault… I always make things worse… I’m really sorry this is really embarrassing having to apologize to trash like you.”

『It’s okay, Nagito -chan. Don’t worry your mistakes, your embarrassments and even your regrets. I’ll make them become nothing. 』

“Makoto, help me out. I can’t forgive it. Someone who feels like they have no strength at all to stop misfortune from falling upon them. I can’t forgive myself for living carelessly until now while he lived a life like that!”

Zenkichi said, standing next to the other. Makoto saw the determination in his face, and once again felt almost blinded by that radiance. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just for 20 seconds, can you try and distract Kumagawa for real this time. Even if you’re no good in a fight, it’s not even a minute. I want to talk with him.”

“Talk?” Makoto could not help but feel that, his talk with Kumagawa had made no results at all. “Is it because you love Medaka-chan, you’re trying to be like her?”

“Yeah, I love her but… I’m not her… I can’t make everyone I see become happy. Making someone who doesn’t want to be happy become happy is impossible for me, but… that guy’s always talking about hope right? He said it. Maybe in a  weird way. Maybe using weird words, but he wants to find hope! So, as a student council member I should help him.” He punched his hands hard together, his fists making a loud noise when they hit one another.

Makoto nervously scratched at his hair, not sure if he was going to be able to keep up this time. “Do you think you can?”

“Keh… what an unnecessary question. Who the hell do you think I am? I’m your friend aren’t I? I thought you were the guy who had an infinite amount of hope for your friends.”

At that, Makoto and Zenkichi smiled at each other and charged forward once more. Makoto could not even throw a punch so he just dived low and grabbed onto Kumagawa’s legs, as if he was a little kid trying to stall him.

Zenkichi jumped off of a tall piece of the building still left, and landed in front of Komaeda. Komaeda smiled. “Oh, Hitoyoshi-kun would you mind going away? I don’t have anything to talk about with you.” Even at a time like this he kept his polite way of speaking.

“I think your luck is abnormal definitely, but it’s still pretty cool. Have you ever thought about controlling your gift?”

Komaeda immediately grabbed his head, his head suddenly pounding as he felt too much emotion at once. “A gift?” His voice cracked, he picked up a much thinner steel bar holding it like a spear and threw it forward. “Controlling it? You think I want to be like this? All that talk about getting up, you think I can’t turn my luck off because I’m lazy! Ahhh, you think I want to be l-like this!”

His kind hearted words meant with the best of intentions had caused something internally inside Komaeda to snap. After spending the whole fight not even bothering to fight back, Komaeda rushed forward and threw a punch which Zenkichi easily dodged. “Yeah, that's what I think. If you wanted to control your luck you'd spend your whole life trying to do that. You'd put effort into controlling yourself. All you do is let it run wild though and make  justifications to yourself. You're just running away from your luck, and running away from others to but I... I can try to help you if you want. If it's for the sake of other people, it becomes easier to put effort in."

"This has always been for the sake of other people. I'm alone now because I didn't want to hurt others." As Komaeda stumbled forward and plunged face first into the steel bar Zenkichi did not kick him this time. He waited for Komaeda to start struggling to get up again, and then held out a hand. “Stop it… don’t give me your hand like that. It doesn’t solve anything.”

“You didn't want to hurt them? You were protecting them? But isn't that just running away from them? You don't need to run away from your luck, and I don't need to run away from you. We can try to handle your luck together. I promise, no matter what disaster falls on me, no matter what I'll help you fight your luck."

“What the fuck are you going to do? Punch a meteor out of the sky? Catch a crashing plane with your bare hands? No, you’re wrong! People are too weak! They’ll be destroyed by me, I’ve gone through my whole life, carelessly destroying them just by living, and then I walked over their corpses and told myself it was okay!” Komaeda put both of his hands over his face. Between the cracks of his fingers, his eyes began to spiral wildly. “Normal people are worthless. The only thing I can put my hope in is talent, talent that can overcome everything, talent that makes a safer world. Then those accidents won't happen, then I won't destroy things. Talent springs forth hope and hope is infinite, it's the only thing that can overcome luck."

"Well, I guess Medaka-chan could probably do stuff like that if she wanted to, but you're right I couldn't. Still, even in the face of that I want to try. Isn't that hope? It's still hope right even when it comes from a normal untalented guy like me." Zenkichi posed a question that denied Koameda’s entire existence. He had always been weighing the scales, between weak and strong hopes.  "You're talking about hope so... if it's infinite can you have a little for me, and then I'll give a little back to you."
 
Komaeda had no reply at all. Hope for himself. He could not even conceive of it.  "That's... that's too weak a hope, it won't change anything."

“Hope is... continuing to try that's how I see it. As long as you don't give up, even a normal person like me could have hope right? You say it's impossible for untalented people to achieve anything, but hope makes the impossible possible right? So if a weak hope overcame impossible circumstances, isn't that exactly the kind of thing you're looking for.”

Komaeda snapped back into reality. "I can't rely on something so iffy. Kumagawa-kun gave me his hand! He took my hands! No matter what my luck destroys, he said he would make it become nothing! He promised me and I saw it, he can erase the consequences so I don't hurt anybody anymore."

Zenkichi grabbed both of his hands then. “I! No matter what bad things happen to me because of your luck! I won’t make it become nothing!” Tears fell, from the corners of Komaeda’s eyes without him even realizing it. “You are here! All of your scars! All of the things you've lost! They're you, you shouldn't erase them! But even so, I think you can try again! If all you do is make those consequences disappear you won't learn to deal with them or grow at all! Don't talk about hope like it's some intangible thing, effort in the face of the impossible make that your hope! If you don't run away from your luck anymore, than I won't run away either! You don't have to dwell in the mud with Kumagawa forever, you can try for something better with me!"

The image of Kumagawa's smile appeared in his mind. He was not sure why, all this time he had been planning to sabotage and defeat Kumagawa but did not feel one hint of guilt for the betrayal. Now though, now that he was genuinely considering accepting the help of another it felt like more of a betrayal than leaving a literal knife in his back. Kindness was not what him and Kumagawa were used to after all. They were the kind of people who would cut themselves on soft wool. He knew they had that in common.

Kumagawa smiled beautifully in the face of despair, he was the kind of person who truly never wanted to die even though his life was absolute misery. In a way Komaeda could admire that. However, he could not be that way. No matter how similiar the two of them were, they were different in that way. When he saw Kumagawa's smile, all he saw was the emptiness behind it. The image of Kumagawa in his mind, became faded out too. He wanted to reach for it but what would he be reaching towards?

More misery?

In his hands right now, he felt warmth because Zenkichi was holding them. He did not want to be cold, that's why he had avoided drowning so far. He wanted to feel warm in the same way that Zenkichi did. So, he had a simple thought. Even if Zenkichi's words were not clear, perhaps that was not Zenkichi's fault. After all his brain was a blender that jumbled up things all the times, his intentions, words that came in and out were always lost. He found himself saying things he did not want to say, he found himself always hearing between the lines when people spoke to him and wondering if it was really there.

If Zenkichi's way did not seem entirely clear, than it had to be Komaeda's fault right? He was the one twisting the meaning which Zenkichi presented to him so straightforwardly. If Zenkichi told him there was hope, then perhaps the best thing was to make a leap of faith. To chase this warmth. He didn't know for sure if Zenkichi's words were correct, if they made sense, but if he said that this was for hope then shouldn't he believe them? He wanted to believe in hope more than anything else, he thought that was true down to the very core of his existence. He should just... live as he always did. 

Around them the ricocheting baseball came back. The hailstorm of screws began to fall once more. “They are all dead. My parents, my cute dog, the people on that plane, the kidnapping victims besides me, they are all dead. Should I also die as well?”

“Of course not, idiot!” Zenkichi said, before tapping his forehead against Komaeda’s lightly. Such a soft point of contact, Komaeda ever wondered if he had felt this before. A normal touch. The touch of a normal person. The kind of contact that normal people felt every day.

Just then he felt a screw pierce him straight through the back. Just then, seceral screws pierced straight through Hitoyoshi. Makoto who was holding Kumagawa back, recovered from being kicked off of him. “Kumagawa-kun what are you doing? I thought you didn’t want to hurt your friend!”

『The damage to Zenkichi when he fell, and Komaeda’s luck, I made them both become nothing. Now, Komaeda will be a normal boy please take him in.』

“What are you planning to do? Didn’t you want to win no matter what?” Makoto did not understand, even though he said he wanted to trust him a few minutes ago.

『Because I dislike it. Is enough reason to save people, right? Erasing a minus by a minus is this simple. I just wanted to tell Zenkichi-chan that.』

“Oh, I get it.” Finally it was like a wire connected in Makoto’s mind. “You just hate to accept losing don’t you?”

As he said that the tower finally began to shake once more. Komaeda who had been knocked down, looked up with the last of his energy and saw that they were all falling at once. Towards Kumagawa in particular several of the thin steel beams were heading straight towards him. Komaeda still remembered the time they fought, Kumagawa pushed him out of the way when the steel beams fell towards the both of them.

He stood up and jumped off of where he had been sitting, moving in the air to push the other away. Kumagawa did not even see it coming, he had been too focused on Makoto. All four of them fell.

Zenckihi and Makoto both landed on the netting, at the same time that Komaeda hit the ground. However, by a stray stroke of luck Kumagawa was hit by the ricoceheting baseball when he fell and landed on top of Zenkichi and Makoto this time. Which meant he was the only one who had not been disqualified in the fall as he had not yet touched the ground.

『U-Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!』Kumagawa did not even appreciate his victory he screamed out in horror the moment he stood up. 『What happened? I don’t get it… What happened?』His hand fell over his mouth like he was holding back nausea. Amazing, somebody so used to bloodshed could be repulsed by a scene like this.

Komaedas’s foot touched the ground, but rather than be impaled by the steel bars the rest of him was suspended. There were wires too, from the cranes, and in between the various rows of steel bars. Komaeda had just been unlucky enough that he was caught by a noose that tightened around his neck as he fell.

His luck that had passed onto Kumagawa allowing him to win, hit him twice as hard with bad luck. He looked like a hanged man in a noose. Only the weak smile forming on his lips was a sign that he was not dead.

Quickly, Makoto and Zenkichi recovered and moved to help untie Komaeda, while Kumagawa sat there gripping his face doubled over as he was overcome by emotion. The moment he was cut free, Komaeda simply fell to the ground. “Hey… luck has always been with me since long ago. It was with me for both my happy and sad moments. There’s no way, Kumagawa-kun could erase it.”

『....!』Kumagawa did not seem like he was listening, only staring forward emptily in shock.

“Oh, somehow it’s just like Hitoyoshi-kun said. My luck could have saved somebody like this too. I’m so happy, for the first time my luck came for me and spared someone else. I’m happy… I could become… useful to others.” His eyes welled up and tears like that again.

『Don’t say something weird like that. You know too well that even if I die I’ll come back right away! You didn’t have to save me! If you just saved yourself you wouldn’t have ahd to suffer as much.』Kumagawa snarled from behind his teeth like a beast.

“God, you’re so stupid Kumagawa-kun. Are you confusing 2D for 3D again? This isn’t a game, or even a shoenen jump manga. You can’t come back to life i you die, you can’t think of life like that.” He smiled weakly again at Kumagawa too, hoping his smile could soothe him a little bit. “Thank you very much for everything until now, Kumagawa-kun. I don’t know what you were planning but I won’t forget that you treated me nicely. You were trying to tell me I could live right? I want to follow your words, I want to live.”

Kumagawa gripped the side of his head, running it through his hair and pulling on it. He wanted to thrash about, but he knew if he did something like that he could not heal Komaeda. His eyes doubled in size while at the same time his irses shrank. Down his face he could feel nothing but sweat. While concealing his eyes with his hair he called out to them both.『Please step aside, Makoto-chan, Zenkichi-chan. I’ll make Kumagawa’s burns, and the damage to his neck and throat become nothing.』

“I must refuse, Kumagawa-kun. If you erase this bad luck, then I’m sure more will come for the others around me. Besides, I’m proud of these injuries.”

『No, no, no, no, no, you’re wrong! That’s wrong! They’re just injuries. Burns. Lacerations. You’re talking about beautiful things like friendship and love, they can’t exist in something ugly and painful.』

Zenkichi was the one who spoke up this time. “It’s fine for those wounds to be beautiful. Aren’t you the one whose always saying you love dirty things?”

『Zenkichi-chan...』

“Of course that was just a lie. I know you too well. You love clean things even more than Medaka-chan, you have more hope in you than Makoto. It’s like your disease.” Zenkichi smiled at him. “Hey, aren’t you getting bored of all this despair already? I’m sure to somebody like you, pain and misery is the expected, and healing and happiness is the unexpected.”

『....』Kumagawa had no response, he looked away from Zenkichi. 『Choujabara-kun, anounce the results and stop this battle now. Makoto-chan, since I took care of Mukuro-chan you owe me. Promise me that Nagito-chan will be given treatment. If he returns to my side, I’ll become your friend. 』

Makoto looked down at his upperclassman. “Of course, I’ll do that.”

By the time he started to stumble away, Medaka and Junko already made their way down. In the background Choujabaru announced Kumagawa’s win, but he could not hear him at all. Things like voices had faded away.

In a playful way, Junko taunted him as soon as she arrived. “What’s with that face you’re making now? It’s like you're flirting with me, or more like somebody’s stepped on your trauma and touched your forbidden darkness.”

Before Junko could say anything else, Kumagawa held out a hand to her. 『Enoshima-san. I need you. Hold my hand please.』

That girl tilted her head in confusion. However, because she loved despair so much, and seeing Kumagawa breakdown like this had made her flushed with emotion, she decided to just take it. “Ah… sure…”

『I need you so just… follow me okay… and don’t let go of my hand because I’m scared I’ll get lost. I can’t see, I cant’ see anything at all right now. 』

While he still lay on the ground, Medaka sat next to him and took Komaeda’s hand up in hers gently. “You have good luck right? I have that too. It’s a pretty cool skill, don’t you think?”

With a gasping breath, Komaeda said her name. “Kurokami-san.”

“This is the first time I’ve talked to you like this, but it feels like we’ve already been best friends for ten years. When your injuries heal up, be sure to come to the student council room right away, I’ll play you in a game of dice, or how about Go? You seem like you'd like strategy based games instead of luck based ones.”

“I like… the way the black and white pieces represent the battle between hope and despair. I’d like that but, I wonder when my injuries heal maybe you won’t be president anymore.”

“No, I will. Your courage as given me hope. As long as there are students like you, because there are students like you, I can’t stop being student body president!” As he looked into them, her eyes were radiant but for the first time Komaeda did not feel guilty for looking straight at hope.

He chuckled underneath his breath. Kamakura said luck was a boring skill. Medaka who was so much like him, smiled and called it cool. “I was finally able to give somebody else hope huh? How about that, I didn’t even have to die….”

“Ah! I know something to motivate you not to die!” Zenkichi said as he stood next to Medaka raising a finger. “I want to eat your miso soup every morning! That’s plenty of reason to live.”

Komaeda blushed, as he had no idea at all how to respond to a sudden proposal of marriage from somebody who vowed he would never run away from him. 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The sound of her heels clattered against the floor as her and Kumagawa walked along. She kept herself entertained enough looking at the way his face kept twisting up in misery.

He led her by the hand. WIthout even a destination they kept on walking. The school building around them felt repressive, like a prison bearing down on the both of them. Even when they were outside finally and the sky expanded in front of them she could not help but feel oppressed.

She looked up at the sky. The sky seemed endless, but to her eyes there was nothing to see. WIthout thinking she had led Kumagawa back to her own dorm. Before she even realized it, they had become so close that she thought nothing at all of a boy like him being in her room, just the two of them with no one else around.

She hated clinginess, but she let him keep holding onto her hand. It’s just because he’s making such a depressed face. She thought, as she licked her lips in anticipation of the main course she was about to sink her teeth into.

“So, what’s up? Why did you want me alone, are you going to tear off my face too?”

『...』

“Do you want to tear out my eyes just because I look down on you? Is that your despair…”

『No, I was just kind of fucking around when I said that.』Finally, he let go of her hand and straightened up. He gave Junko an uneasy smile.

“Then why did you kill that girl? Was all of that bullshit?”

『It’s because I loved her. The same reason that you killed Matsuda. The same reason that I need you here right now.』Kumagawa smiled pleasantly at her. It was a charming face. He was so vulnerable in the moment that he finally became honest. She knew the look in his eyes. They were the look of somebody in love. He loved her, he really did.『Junko-chan, can you please kill me?』

Notes:

Junko finally kills Kumagawa the story will be over next week, I'm sure of it this time.

Chapter 20: I Want to Love

Summary:

Kumagawa dies in this one.

Notes:

Junko and Kumagawa's conversation references a conversation between Shinra Kishitani and Izara Orihara of Durarara!!

There’s a simple question anybody who followed this tale so far might ask. Why would Enoshima Junko put up with Kumagawa Misogi for so long? It should have been simple right, one who always wins fighting one who always loses, the always winner should trump the always loser.

Life isn’t always as simple as a game of cards though, nor are the rules and moves as simple as Enoshima Junko presumes them to be. The fact of the matter was she had stayed her hand until the last possible moment, allowing Kumagawa Misogi to thwart her in a way again and again.

If she were the final boss of a video game, he would be the ancient seal holding her in place. Of course that’s just a metaphor, there’s no such thing as sealing away monsters in other dimensions of reality until the seal breaks and they inevitably return.

Despite seeing the world through the eyes of others, I can’t give you a reason that Enoshima Junko herself is not aware of yet. Of course I could list the excuses she would give, “I’m waiting for the sake of feeling a greater despair” or “just the thought of losing to a loser like that fills me with despair” or “having my perfect plan thrown off at last second by a literal wildcard is exactly the unpredictable I’m looking for” however, I prefer to present a narrative without bias.

In the spirit of that, let’s rewind the clock a few months ago. To the days where the student council consisted of only Enoshima Junko, Kumagawa Misogi and the animosity between the two of them.

Even though the class 78 of Hope’s Peak had over the course of the year become something like true classmates, there were exceptions to that group feel, Ikusaba Mukuro who always kept to herself, and Enoshima Junko though the last was harder for her classmates to explain.

Junko was an honor student but only in the sense of her grade -- she was not a model student in the least, and this was besides the fact she was actively trying to destroy the school from within. She was bubbly and talkative towards others if sometimes insensitive about speaking her mind on the surface, popular with the boys, but she interacted with school in a way that was passive and removed. She had always been this way as well.

One of her elementary school classmates would later say of her, “She was kind of distant, like a girl sitting in a portrait, or a photo of a person in a magazine, but she was a good girl.” Many others had similar opinions, and perhaps what most defined her in the eyes of others was the way everyone would always hold out, “She was a bright young girl but…”

She had never been hated by others, but she was never particularly liked either before starting her career as a model.

In the past when she told Yasuke Matsuda. “It’s because… you never leave your house anymore, Yasuke-kun.” “Huh?” “I thought maybe if I made a sandcastle you’d come look. There’s no sense in making them if you don’t look at them.” and then she told him, “You won’t tell anyone?” “I don’t have any friends to tell it to!” “I don’t have any friends either, or any family.” Neither of those statements were lies, she had no friend in the world besides Matsuda Yasuke, of course they were not entirely the truth either.

However, she knew the more she got involved in others, the more she knew them the more predictable they would become to her. So, her isolated status was if anything, preferred to her. She had been sitting back from her classmates from a comfortable distance, observing all of them and growing just fond enough of the people she spent one whole year with playing regular high school student that she would both feel despair at their loss, and know how best to throw them into despair with pleasure when...

An innocent young boy with bright blue eyes and a perpetual smile interrupted this activity. It was not that he had foiled her, plenty of people were trying to foil her Munakata for one, the remnants of the student council, she even accounted for the fact that Makoto and his unpredictable luck might one day be the monkey wrench from nowhere that foils her plan. His behavior afterwards is what confused her, how he approached her like a person and not a nemesis to stop and kept talking to her.

Junko instantly disliked this boy, who refused to do as she said as everyone else did but kept insisting on sticking around. Then, when she realized how rare it was for her to actually feel that way for another person, Junko suddenly found interest in this anomaly Kumagawa Misogi.

Of course she was somebody who wanted to paint the whole world in despair, but just like Kurokami Medaka who loved all human beings and therefore had problems with loving a person as an individual separate from her love of humanity, Enoshima Junko made a distinction between the general masses she wanted to spread despair too, and the individual people. It took quite a lot, for her to see their features apart from the blue unwashed masses, to want to see those well defined features of their face twist up in agony.

The day they first started to hang out in that student council room.『Call me Misogi… ummm, what was your name again?』

“It’s Enoshima Junko.”

『Oh, right, right! Enoshima-san! I’ll call you Enoshima-san, but you can call me Misogi!』He decided for the both of them all on his own. She decided right then never to call him by either of his names just out of spite alone.

“I didn’t want us to reintroduce ourselves. I was trying to ask, why me? Did you fall in love with me at first sight or something? What do you want from me so badly you blackmailed me with poor stupid innocent Mukuro?” It was probably just because he wanted to keep a close eye on her, maybe he figured himself to be a hero in this situation. He possibly even wanted to redeem her which is the only reason she was still alive from such an unexpected attack and upset at her plan. He wouldn’t be able to admit any of those things though, Enoshima assumed, which is why she asked a question that she already knew the answer. She could at least feel a little despair at the incredibly predictable answer she was about to hear.

Which is why what he said next surpassed her expectations. 『You’re always observing others, aren’t you? It’s like you’re sitting back in your own head watching a movie theatre play out. It wouldn’t kill you to come outside and join a club, Enoshima-san.』

“Huh?” She had never said anything to that affect so far, nor did she think he was watching her particularly closely, after tilting her head slightly though she continued. “It just might, who knows hanging out with a dangerous creep like you, Senpai.”

『If being around me really will put your life at risk, won’t that just make it all the more exciting for you?』

“Quit talking like you know me, when did I even say anything like that around you?”

『Huh? But you said it the first time we met. ‘That sounds boring,’ and ‘Despair is unpreditable.’ So you’re one of those people whose chasing something different than the everyday right? I think that’s kind of normal in a way too, so why don’t you do something different and join my council?』

Somehow she felt even more bewildered by his twisted logic, that she could not even piece together how he had understood her so well from those few parse explanations of herself. “Why are you even so interested in being student council president here? You don’t even sound like you like this academy that much, or even like you have the talent to be student council president.”

『To be honest I don’t actually want to be president… but some I like said ‘You’ve spent three years at this middle school and you haven’t even made a single friend. Why don’t you try being student council president? I’ll make sure the support of the entire school is behind you, ’ and ever since then running for president has sometimes been my habit at new schools I transfer too. Well not even a habit it’s just something I end up doing. Ah well, anyway those feelings were more like a one sided crush at the time, and I didn’t want her to decide she doesn’t like me so...』

“I’m surprised there was any human being who cared about you enough to worry like that, to say nothing of the fact that you seem to be capable of holding love for someone else.”

『You don’t really hold your opinions back for someone you just met, huh? Also, I’d like to offer a correction to your state about a human being… who cares enough to worry but… Oh never mind...You shouldn’t judge people too quickly, you might underestimate them.』

“Really? I thought I was being too generous by defining you as a human being in the first place, I’m definitely overestimating you.” She was prolonging the conversation, not to insult him like this but because she was curious and felt something was off, and she wanted to know what that was, but at this point in time Junko wasn’t able to decipher the cause of that feeling. It was more than just having physics defying powers, the supernatural had been disappointingly easy for her to accept, it was the everyday and ordinary Kumagawa that seemed off to her.

Even their conversations felt strange to her. It certainly wasn’t the kind of back and forth you heard between total strangers, and in fact it was quite rare for Junko to engage in banter like this at all. The last person she could remember debating with this way was Kamakura, but all that time he was just as bored as she was, and he didn’t smile when they spoke like Kumagawa did.

She kept pushing him away, and looking for openings to be rid of him, but the truth was the unique weirdness of Kumagawa Misogi stuck with her. It was her instead, who observed him and stayed around with the intention of getting to know him. She even sometimes asked other people around campus what they thought of him, though, that caused a misunderstanding of that dumb rumor that spread that the two of them were dating in secret because of her modeling career, or she had finally decided to settle on a normal boy.

“He’s weird right? You can never read what face he’s making, or tell what’s behind that face.” She got over a hundred variations of that basic concept. For others it was obvious why this trait of his would draw them away, but for Junko who sought the unpredictable it only drew her closer.

She continued her life alongside him, feigning disinterest in him all the while closely observing him - until one day she came to a realization. It wasn’t like it came at the climax of an arc, or she had a particularly emotional moment with him, it was just an idea that popped into her head, like remembering the name of an actor that played your favorite character after forgetting it all day.

Ah. I get it now. Kumagawa Misogi is the opposite in life from me. Since they both loved nothing but despair it would be easy to think of them as the same, but even an image in a mirror was both reversed and inverted. She was somebody separated from the whole world, and because of that she grew disinterested with the whole world. He was somebody who inevitably was caught up in all of the world’s chaos, so whether he wanted to or not he seemed to be an immutable part of the world.

It’s not like she had the best of lives, but she wasn’t a person who acted as a villain because of a sob story. If anything she wished she was, but she had always been able to navigate harsh circumstances perfectly and come out on top. This person who always lost though, seemed to be enjoying himself more.

If my eyes are bored with the whole world, then he looks like he’s looking at the whole world with envy. She would destroy the whole world, but he would consume it. That was a strnge and twisted distinction, perhaps the kind that only she would make but still the fact that she had bothered to notice something about this loser who was otherwise beneath her was remarkable in and of itself.

She had spent her whole life understanding others perfectly. They were unremarkable, predictable to her. It was because of that, she found this unseen quality in Kumagawa refreshing.

However, the moment she did not understand something, she wanted to figure it out. The moment somebody disobeyed her she wanted to control them even more. It was a terrible bad habit of hers. A question popped into her mind. She wanted to know why Kumagawa found living so enjoyable, when life seemed to be nothing but chaos and suffering for him. She wanted to see the reason for his perpetual smile, so she could take it away. So for the purpose of exploring her twisted fascination, she decided to play along with Kumagawa Misogi a little longer.

Until he showed that concealed side of himself to her willingly. Yes, that would be more fun than prying it out of him with her sharpened nails, by the slimmest of margins.

The day she settled on that resolve, she had a particularly peculiar conversation. Another matter with this boy that she could not quite put her thumb on.

『It seems like I can’t get anybody else to join our student council. What are we going to do if we get called upon to organize a festival or something? I’m not good on my own, and you despise being helpful.』

“That’s not true, I can choose when and where I want to be friendly and helpful. Sadly for you though, you can’t become smarter by simply wishing it to be so.” She turned a page in the magazine she was reading instead of doing the work Kumagawa asked her for help with. “Let’s see, here’s my idea. How about we set up a machine that executes you, and then make a booth executing you in front of the whole school for all to see.” It was something a maniacal fiend, a mastermind might say which is exactly what Enoshima Junko saw herself as.

However, Kumagawa Misogi responded to it like he always did when she got vicious with him, to just play it off like they were making normal conversation. 『That’s a good idea the execution of somebody hated has been a spectacle among humankind for years. Humanity possesses such an infinite appetite for despair.』

“Don’t play along, even if you did get caught up in such a machine you’d just pretend like the machine never existed before you died and your wounds would go away.”

『You’re right I would do that, you already know me so well Enoshima-san. Perhaps we’re soulmates, but rather than connected by the red string of fate, we’re connected by a black string meant for both of us to pull each other into the abyss further.』

“That kind of flirting where you say you're destined to throw each other into despair is only fun and thematic when I do it. You just sound like a stalker.”

『Ah, I’m sorry. Speaking of love though. I had a question about love I was going to ask you. I wonder if it would be possible to love somebody who was immortal.』

“Huh?”

『I mean if you put somebody in an execution chair and they don’t die, that’s basically immortality right? I’m not talking about myself of course, there are plenty of ways to kill a weak person like me. If somebody was perfect though, if they stayed perfectly pristine no matter what harm you inflicted upon them, could you really love them?』

What the fuck is he talking about? Junko wondered. Did he read something in a manga last night, like one of those hundred year old girls who looks like a thirteen year old. But as usual, she simply let Kumagawa take things in an unexpected direction.

『What if there was an incredible person without any flaws at all? She was absolutely above every single human vice. She had an infinite amount of knowledge and skills hidden behind her cute body.』

Okay, this definitely sounds like something he read about in a manga. I hope he doesn’t have a crush on one of those young looking girls, I can barely stand him as he is.

『No matter how much you hurt her, her heart would remain pure. She’s the type of person who everybody would get along with, and who could genuinely love everybody. You can’t truly experience love with that kind of person though, right? If you loved them, wouldn’t that be like loving a doll, or like the way some people worship god?』

“Of course you can’t. It’s like falling in love with a photo you see in a magazine. The only connection you’d have to them is the connection you imagined inside your own head.”

『What if that person looked human though? What if that person looked and sounded human though, and they chose to walk around in a human body even though they could look like whatever they wanted.』

“So… like what, a shapeshifter?”

『No that’s not the right word. A shapeshifter implies they might be a god whose trying to trick you, like Loki or something. They’re surprisingly straightforward and acts as much like a human being as they can. With that person… could you reach a mutual understanding? Could you fall in love with it?』

“What in the world is this self insert fanficcy scenario that you’re imagining?”

『What if for a god they were nice? They actually didn’t want to stand so far above others. In their own way, they just wanted to enjoy themselves the same way everybody else did?  What if that god could give you the gentlest smile you’d ever seen? What if the god could still talk to you like a normal person and tell silly jokes, the only difference is just their eyes, it’s only their eyes that are perceiving everything perfectly the rest of them can be quite normal? 』

“If they enjoy themselves, tell jokes, and smile aren’t you just describing a person? Maybe it’s a special person, but they still walk and talk like a human being right?”

『What if that person was completely empty on the inside though? All of her smiles, and all of her jokes were just an act. She knew what emotions were objectively, but not how to make them connect, not how to feel them, but she intentionally acted like she did anyway.』

“That seems… much less human… wouldn’t her smile be fake in that case?”

『No, I think it’d be even more beautiful because of all the effort she puts behind her smile. Any old idiot can smile naturally because they’re enjoying themselves without thinking about it too hard. She’s smiling in the face of someone else.』

“So what… are you just trying to moeify some kind of goddess?”

『It’s just a question. If loving a human is normal, then is loving anything else abnormal? Where does the boundary lie, when does one stop being human? If you’re on the other side of the boundary, if you’re abnormal. Then what about someone whose not alive, not dead, not human, but incredibly close to it? If you fell in love with such a person, would that be normal… or weird? What determines the abnormality, and what makes something proper?』

No really what the hell is he talking about? It feels like he’s just ranting to himself at this point it’s changed from dialogue, and now I’m the one woman audience for his monologue.
Is he really in love with a manga character?
Is that what this is about? He’s looking or advice about being in love with some anime girl? Seems weird to compare her to being a goddess or whatever.

“Look, I don’t really care who you love personally, no matter how repulsive the idea of you theoretically being in love with anybody is to me. I’m sure the boundary for normal love is ‘As long as you’re not hurting them’, right?”

『Actually, I want to love her even if it means hurting her. No that makes it sound like an accident.  I want to be the only person that can leave a scar on their untouchable perfect heart, for the sake of my love.』

She saw it now. Her eyes widened taking in every detail of the face he made at that moment he turned to her, and said such a twisted thing with a small smile. She was surprised. She was genuinely surprised he concealed that part of his nature from her. And because of that she smiled too.

"Oh, so you're just a stalker."

『No, it's not like that that's just an example! Why do you always assume the worst of me?』

"Maybe because you literally are the worst? It's kind of your thing."  She continued to banter with their usual rhythmn smoothly. 

At the time her mind was racing. This Kumagawa Misogi guy… he’s just weird. He doesn’t want to inflict despair to feel excitement. He’s not like me, but not like the others either. He hates other people who are happier than him, he envies them, but that’s not the entire explanation either. It’s like he’s obsesesd with something, the people that get in the way of his obsession are just background characters. I would understand if it was some character in a manga or a movie. Some people are like that… but no that’s not the case.

He’s talking about a real person I know it, no matter how unreal he describes her. He’s trying to praise her in an indirect way but who…

So, in a roundabout way this scene was connected to where we last left off. Something about his sudden request made her remember.

『It’s because I loved her. The same reason that you killed Matsuda. The same reason that I need you here right now.』Kumagawa smiled pleasantly at her. It was a charming face. He was so vulnerable in the moment that he finally became honest. She knew the look in his eyes. They were the look of somebody in love. He loved her, he really did.『Junko-chan, can you please kill me?』

The strange conversation at that time, the one she could not quite understand. She realized what it was at that moment. Ah. It was a love confession from him. It was actually a completely normal conversation, albeit a bit twisted and roundabout.

The moment she realized that, she realized something else as we ll. Wait, who was the girl he was talking about? Ajimu? Medaka? Then, after a moment of complete silence inside of her head that felt like an eternity the other shoe finally dropped. Or was it me?

The moment she considered that, the fact that it could have been anybody else, that it could have been Ajimu or Medaka, made her feel envy. Envy towards the mysterious boy she could not possess, and therefore wanted to possess more. Those twisted feelings however, were fine by her because they made her fall into despair.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“No.”

『Ehhhhh? But why? You love killing things, it’s like your favorite thing.』

“Eh, I don’t really have a favorite thing. I just kind of do what interests me most in the moment.” She leaned forward and pinched his cheeks, twisting up his expression again. “That pain filled face you’re making right now is far more interesting than killing a guy whose going to just pop back up alive five minutes later. So come on, show me a more and more despair inducing face!”

『Ahhhhh, Enoshima-san, how am I supposed to  make a despair filled face if you’re playing around with my face again?』She let go of him, though she was a bit reluctant to stop touching him. 『Gosh, do you really hate me so much that you won’t even kill me? What kind of terrible friend are you.』

“I don’t hate you.” She admitted for the first time. The statement was so honest that she even dropped her usual antics for a moment and the voice and look she gave him was quite plain. “I just don’t get your whacked personality. Explain to me again why you’re suddenly freaking out so bad you want to die, weren’t you just like… telling everybody to live like five seconds ago. We were even having a whole fun debate about it, it’s no fun if you don’t stand your ground and argue your point.”

『Well it’s because, Nagito-chan didn’t go the way I expected.』

“See, isn’t that a good thing? Lucky you, that’s despair you’re feeling right now.”

『What good is a despair I can’t smile about?』Kumagawa started to buckle over again. She remembered what he had been like the whole way here, like he could barely stand up. She remembered that no matter what damage was done to him, Kumagawa always insisted on standing up on his own, but this one time he had asked for her hand to help him up.

This one small betrayal was more painful to him than ten swords in the back, or a lifetime worth of despair. To Enoshima Junko that was interesting. “Really, I can’t believe you’re freaking out this bad over Komaeda getting reformed of all people? You’ve spent more than five minutes around him right, he probably just got distracted because they waved that shiny thing ‘hope’ in his face. His body’s degenerating, they won’t be able to do anything to save him, I’ll bet he’ll be back and desperate as ever on despair’s side in five whole minutes.”

『Oh that, I stopped that.』Kumagawa’s face changed suddenly and he pointed at his own head. 『I didn’t know he was dying before, he never told me. So when I shoved that screw in his head I just thought ‘Make whatever’s killing Komaeda disappear’.』

“Are you sure you should make vague requests like that?”

『I’m sure it’s fine. I mean when I stopped the destruction of hope’s peak, all I really thought was ‘Undo all the damage that Enoshima Junko did.’』

“I can’t believe I’m being inconvenienced by a guy like that!” Enoshima Junko shouted suddenly, stomping one of her heeled boots on the ground.

『Am I just an inconvenience to you? Is that why you won’t kill me?』

“No you’re…” Enoshima Junko could not immediately put it into words, so she decided to not think about it too hard and instead change the subject. “Just get a hold of yourself already! What are your lame friends going to think if their loser leader is acting like this? How are you supposed to fight Medaka in an epic clash of hope and despair if you’re barely able to stand up now.”

『Enoshima-san… sorry but, can you take command of the minus student council for awhile?.』

“Ugh no… I don’t want to be any more associated with you guys than I already am.” Then, her inhumanly sharp and perceptive eyes narrowed. “Wait, why? You’re not actually planning to die permanelty right now by my hand, so what?”

『Yeah. You see. I just learned there are things that even ‘All-Fiction’ can’t erase. You were right all along, just making things disappear is boring right? So, I’m going to get back my second minus… no… the first minus I’d ever had.』

“Going? Going where?”

『The bad dream I have been speaking of. She has been keeping it. But she’s mischievous, so I don’t think she’ll give it back right away. It’ll take a long time. So I can’t just fall asleep, I need to stay dead for awhile. While I’m there, I’m also going to recreate my character personality as well.』

“That’s still a no. I think you’re fine as you are, and I don’t really want to waste my time killing somebody that’s just going to come back anyway, that has no value for despair. Why do I have to be the one to do it anyway? If you need to die to go into your dream then just commit suicide by jumping down from the rooftop!”

Kumagawa put his hand up suddenly, and worriedly moving it back and forth. 『Don’t want to. Killing myself is scary.』

“You’re going to die in a week anyway when Medaka is unable to reform you, killing you and sending you both into despair. That’s the perfect ending for despair right? So why are you being so damn impatient.”

『...Sheesh. I can’t believe I’m being called impatient by the boredom queen. You really are rational. That’s your good point as well as your weak point.』He closed one eye, making a rather pathetic face. He looked like a child being lectured. However suddenly, just as she was about to turn away from him he tilted his head forward and she could see a smile crawl upon his lips. 『Okay then. I’ll take a bad role for now. Let’s provoke Enoshima-san.』

“Provoke? Upupupu, really, do you know who you’re dealing with? I manipulate others, you don’t manipulate me.”

As she laughed condescendingly at him, Kumagawa did not even seem to notice. All he did was quietly walk towards her crossing the space she had made between them, and looking nervously at the floor the whole time. Rather than say anything, he just reached into his pocket. She wondered if he was going to threaten her or something, but what he pulled out was too small to be a weapon. He reached for her wrist, but the way he touched her was far too gentle. It made her feel warm, not threatened. Slowly, he encouraged her to give him her hand, and then put his balled up fingers in it, dropping whatever it was that was in his pocket and then slowly removing his fingers one by one.

He gave her a little bear charm. It was black, and had an evil look in his eyes. It was unbearably cute.

『Junko-chan, I wanted to give this to you for so long. I’m just a coward though. I was afraid of straightforwardly conveying my feelings towards you, no, I was afraid of having feelings in the first place because I thought for sure they would only end in a loss. I did everything I could to stop myself from falling.』The way he smiled at her was soft and warm, unlike all of his other smiles this one felt real, like an immutable fact of reality, it was like the warmth of the sun rising in the morning. 『I don’t regret it though. It’s not your fault, I don’t blame you. I’ll never shine as brilliantly as you. It’s only fair.』

Her lips trembled.

『That I should be the one.』

They formed a smile, that too was warm.

『To fall.』

“...”

『I’ve lost to you entirely, but just this once I don’t mind it at all.』

She smiled, but it was less like the smile of an ingenue girl in love and more like the smile of a lion showing all of its fangs at once. The warmth she felt was blood, a heat haze that spread and reddened her face, as it pounded in her ears. The pounding of her heart so loud that she could hear it and she feared Kumagawa might be able to hear it as well, was more like the feeling of adrenaline being released in her veins, then a young love that made her heart race.

Enoshima Junko immediately wanted to more. She envisioned herself suddenly throwing herself into Kumagawa’s arms. She knew if she did, he would wrap his arms around her. From that moment on whenever she needed to, she could disappear inside of his body, she could feel his warmth and never need to feel lonely again.

She thought she could, she really could feel an odd sort of companionship for the boy who was like her in so many ways, but also unlike her in so many others. Maybe he really was sincere, maybe he did want to keep enertaining her. Somebody unpredictable like him could even fight off her boredom.

More than just that, she felt a strange physical desire. All of the times she had tried to kiss him so far had been interrupted, by bad luck, or his own awkwardness. She wanted to see what would happen. A straightforward kiss between the two of them, would they become more twisted, or maybe… something would untwist within each of them. She could see them wrapping themselves around each other more tightly, getting coiled, kissing more, pulling, pulling, pulling and waiting for something to give as they fell backwards in each other’s embrace.

Two people more in love with despair in each other. No, two people trying to find love in despair. No, perhaps trying to find each other. 

However, all of those possibilities were a mere aperitif. There was a main course right in front of her, a bright red bleeding heart, that was being offered to her on a silver platter. She could not resist sinking her teeth into it. It would be opposite to her very nature. He was confessing to me! He had to be! It was me me me! That’s why I should be the one to kill him.

She thought rather impulsively. The moment she decided on that Kumagawa read her like he always did and could tell. It was like somebody had flipped a switch inside of her. 『What a bloodthirsty look on your face, as expected from despair. Anyway, killing a motionless student is unforgivable, so I’ll be fighting back. Let’s make this a good one, one that will go down in the history of shonen jump.』

Casually, he threw his screws up into the air and then caught them. She saw him kneel down and then leap into the air at her with surprising speed. Of course speed did not matter when you knew exactly where he was going to strike. She simply tilted her head to the side, letting the screw fly past her face.

『Wow. What an impressive dodge.』

“It was nothing really, I can just see where you’re coming.”

『Right, so I should just make it so you can’t see.』

Suddenly, Kumagawa disappeared entirely in a blind spot.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Why do I have to carry you around like this?” Munakata complained in an all too serious voice considering he was carrying around a tiny girl on his shoulders that was shoving far too much candy in her mouth, and giggling as they walked.

“Well, cuz you owe me. Cuz I helped fix your mentality and stuff” Shiranui kciked the legs that were wrapped around Munakata’s shoulder. “And also because I just love piggy back rides. A-hya-hya.”

Begrudingly, Munakata continued to walk along carrying her like this. Whatever fix she made to his mentality he still did not quite understand it, only that his appearance had changed. His hair had become more ragged, and his sclera darkened. Perhaps if Munakata read more manga he would have realized that such a change was symbolic for a change in his character, but he was too straight laced to read manga (read not very fun).

Shiranui was beginning to pick up on this quality of his as well. She leaned over and watched the expression on his face, or rather the lack of expression. “Awe, are you pouting or something? If you’re in a bad mood I can tell you a story to cheer you up.”

“I still don’t understand your first story. Are you telling me Kumagawa isn’t the real troublemaker here?”

“Well I can’t just tell you all the answers don’t be lazy. Somebody like Zenkichi would insist I let them figure it out all on their own.”

“This is more important than a matter of personal pride.”

“It’s more like wherever he goes trouble follows him whether he wants to or not, so he embraces it. The last school he was in, you could technically say he was the cause for it’s collapse but all he did was challenge the ruler that was already.”

“A shadow ruler?”

“Mmm, but I’m tired of talking about Kumagawa-senpai. This isn’t a story of the past, it’s just a story. So once there was this perfect human being. There was a problem though, he was too perfect. Gilgamesh, king of Uruk was two thirds god and one-third man. He started out a fair ruler but by the time the story began he was so bored that he was oppressing his people to their limits. He just couldn’t relate to them. He didn’t understand their struggle. Even though he was better than them, he was incomplete in a way. The people cried out to the gods for help, so they responded to the people’s pleas by creating an equal to Gilgamesh who would be able to stop his oppression. They created Enkidu, the one who was made to complete him. The only one who could challenge the sovereignty of an absolute king. They were opposites in every way, Gilgamesh proud and born of the gods, who had everything. Enkidu, humble and born of the earth who had nothing. That was why they were able to fit together so easily.”

“I’ve read about this story in school before. They fought and wrestled each other into submission until they became equals.”

“This isn’t a fighting story though, it’s a love story. GIlgamesh finally became interested in another person. He thought that Enkidu should have no other opponent than him. They belonged to one another. Once they had met, there was nobody else other than each other that could satisfy them. He still did not consider himself human though, even when he had an equal. When he had finally valued a person as much as he valued himself, the gods took Enkidu away with the same hand as they delivered him. With the loss of his other half, he realized how mortal he was. It did not matter if he was 2/3rds god and 1/3rd man, he was just the same as anybody else. The despair he felt then was his first human emotion.”

“What am I supposed to-” Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and jerked Shiranui foreward. Shiranui nearly choked on her candy and looked up to see a familiar face collapsed in the hallway in front of them.

“Kurokami Maguro? Why are you here?” Munakata asked first.

“Why are you riding on his shoulders?” Maguro answered his question with another question.

“I wanted to see what it was like to feel tall.”

“Really? That’s the reason?” Munakata snapped.

“Shiranui-chan, and Munakata-kun. Good… please take me to find Medaka now. I came to the academy right after I regained consciousness, but I don’t know where they’re holding meetings now. I must tell Medaka-chan as fast as possible.”

“Tell her what?”

“Enoshima Junko possesses an ability similar to my own. No, to even compare them is an insult to her insight.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda dreamed of beautiful noises, colors surrounding him, and when he reached out to touch them he felt a warmth in his hands. Then, his dream ended and he woke up to an ugly pain he felt deep in his bones. Most mornings even Komaeda did not really want to wake up as Komaeda, in Komaeda’s body, but this time it felt especially bad.

Not moving still hurt, but that was logical. Even when you were not moving you were moving, you needed to breathe and all. However every breath made his body feel the more cavernous, it felt like something was rattling around in their echoing. Lying there was an unbearable pain.

Then he tried to move and it got much worse. A jolt of paint was an insufficient amount of wattage, Komaeda felt lightning strike, cascade on every nerve endings, fry them, and burn his insides. He would rather be struck by lightning than endure another moment of this. He had been struck by lightning. Twice. It was an incredibly unlikely event, so, basically guaranteed to happen to him.

There was only one part of him that felt soft. He finally looked by only moving his eyes to prevent himself from hurting anymore for a few seconds longer and saw, his hand which fell off the bed was being held by an awake Zenkichi. He wondered how long the other had sat there.

At that moment Komaeda laughed, even though laughing made his whole body shake. He was a skeleton with no nerves, no muscles, no sinews, nothing tying him together and everything waiting to fall apart. “Hahahaha! Hitoyoshi-kun, if you keep acting like that you’ll make me fall for you.”

It was clearly meant as a joke, because Komaeda knew that nobody would actually want his love. That was what made it so one sided. Even if he did not totally think that before, recent happenings had reaffirmed that belief. He didn’t want to think about it. It would just make the hurt worse.

“Huh… are you going to fall out of bed or something? Don’t worry I’ll catch you…” It was obvious he had not slept, from the murmur of his voice to the way he did not look directly at Komaeda rather letting his gaze droop sleepily. Komaeda didn’t mind though, he found eye contact difficult to maintain even on a good day.

“You don’t have to try so hard. Your kind words gave me hope, that’s enough. You don’t have to do anything more-” Immediately Komaeada fell back into his habit of devaluing himself, and his wants.

“Hey! Are you saying I’m all talk, knock it off!” Zenkichi immediately raised his hand, like he was used to doing, only to see the way Komaeda immediately flinched, and then a moment later, started to shake in pain from having to flinch. “Oh wow, sorry dude are you okay? I guess I shouldn’t going up to maximum because you’re still in the hospital.”

“Mmmm, it’s not that bad. After all I fell several stories and only wound up with a few scratches.”

“A few?”

“It could have been worse.”

“Well, I guess it’s good that you’re optimistic.” Zenkichi scratched the back of his head confused. Unlike most people though, Zenkichi had been dealing with the bewildering logic of Kurokami Medaka his entire life. Confusion did not offput him, if anything it endeared him a little bit. He flashed Komaeda a smile. “Well I guess luck is a pretty good talent after all if it saved your skin like that. It’s like you’ve already got all the pieces there.”

“Yes, it’s a little like that. I feel like we left our conversation woefully incomplete from before, because I did a stupid thing like pass out due to shock and bloodloss.”

“Dude? You okay?”  

“Hmm? Yeah of course, didn’t I tell you? I’m really happy that you bothered to come wait for someone like me to wake up. I thought I told you that, maybe I forgot. Anyway, our conversation, I’m curious what do you think good luck is.”

“Isn’t good luck just… the opposite of bad luck? Like, what happens to Kumagawa?”

“Of course not! For me, bad luck is a part of having good luck.”

Zenkichi blinked, not quite understanding. Of course, when minuses spoke in general he wanted to shut it all out as nonsense, so he tried to listen. “Then… what is it?”

“Absolute power.”

“You mean like, a super power? An abnormality like the kind Medaka has?”

“Precisely! For me, that’s exactly what good luck is! Regardless… It’s a power that has terrible results due to the fact that I can’t wield it with my own will.”

Zenkichi’s brow furrowed with worry. He remembered the miserable stories of people like Munakata, and Ouda who had been alone their whole lives due to their inability to control their abnormalities. Those people were apparently strong due to class 13, but Komaeda saw his weakness right away. “That’s okay then, we just need to learn how to control it right? Even if you’ve never tried before, even if it’s kind of hard to comprehend how luck even wroks, we have people like Maguro and Naze who could help you.”

However, at that offer of help Komaeda finally recoiled the hand that Zenkichi was holding. Even though it hurt, he moved his body and drew his knees up to his chest to sink further into himself. “No, no, we can’t do that. Just having you is enough of a risk I don’t want to draw in others as well.”

“It’s not like you can control it by yourself though. That’s why you weren’t trying before right, because you didn’t have anybody else around you to support you?” Zenkichi felt a bit like Medaka when he assumed this boy’s backstory for him.

Komaeda rolled his head back and forth. “Well, it’s like that but it’s not. My luck would have driven everybody away whether or not I wanted it too, at least I think. Even when I was alone though, I tried to control it, or at least I stayed alone to control it.”

Zenkichi needed a moment to walk himself through the circles Komaeda was talking in. His eyes rolled around for a moment as he tried to think about it, then he straightened them. “So wait. How did you try to control it?”

“Well, there’s certain things. It’s like if you get nauseous easily you shouldn’t go on a roller coaster an an amusement park right? Well for me, if I go on a roller coaster it’s probably going pop a screw loose and somehow result in the train flying off the tracks. I’ll be okay, but something like the rest of the people on the ride with me dying and me being the only survivor might happen.”

“Holy shit.”

“Holy shit indeed. If I had to go on a ride, I’d rather go on a carousel. They ride smooth and slowly, however even if I go on it circumstances might conspire to make it randomly explode.”

“Man, are you okay?”

“We’ve been over this Hitoyoshi-kun, I’m very much not okay. Listen please. The best way for me to control my luck is to just avoid doing anything that my luck would impact. Sometimes, I like to sit inside all day and read. In that empty old mansion where I was the only resident, it’s the only peace I had known.”

“...” Zenkichi was quiet for a while. Komaeda watched him, and the intense face he made and wondered if he was in some kind of pain. It turned out that Zenkichi was just thinking, and later Komaeda would mock him for the kind of faces he made while he thought but he was a little caught up in the moment. “I still don’t get it!” He suddenly announced. “So how do you predict your luck so well if you can’t control it.”

“I’ll try to skip the dramatic monologues and use small words this time out of consideration for your lesser than average brain capacity.”

“Oh, thank you.”

So sincere. Komaeda thought for a moment, before continuing. “Even if I can’t control it, it’s always had a definite pattern. Bad luck, and then good luck. If something bad happens, then something good will inevitably follow.”

“Isn’t that just life in general?”

“That’s what I’m saying, that’s been my whole life. That’s how I know my luck better than anyone else.” He reached up and twirled his wilder than normal hair around a single finger. “Sorry, it’s hard to explain it to others, because I’m just so used to dealing with it alone. I’m probably doing a bad job. I’m just saying weird stuff again, aren’t I?”

“Ah…” Zenkichi remembered what Komaeda said in the fight right then. More. More. More. More bad luck. At the time he just thought he was dealing with a crazy person hurting himself for no good reason. The way Komaeda talked though, he seemed like a person who had a reason for everything he did. He said his luck came in patterns right, then there was a certain logic behind it. He was creating bad luck for himself in order to make good luck. The fact that Komaeda thought that way, that he had to hurt himself to control something as fickle as luck twisted Zenkichi up inside. “You... try to control it by manipulating the pattern. You take bad luck on yourself and hope it will lead to something good.”

“It’d be better if I got hurt than if other people did, right?” Komaeda stopped playing with his hair, and let his hand rest on his sweat soaked forehead as he stared at Zenkichi with an honest gaze.

“Nobody wants to see you hurt yourself though! There’s no way hurting yourself could help others! You were approaching this the wrong way dude we gotta think of something else.”

“Hmm.” Komaeda tilted his head in genuine confusion. “It’s not good to hurt other people though, isn’t that right Hitoyoshi-kun?”

“It doesn’t have to be such a black and white choice though. Not everything falls into two neat categories like good luck, bad luck, hope, despair, hurting yourself or hurting others.” Zenkichi of course was speaking with the best of intentions.


However, Komaeda could not help but start to laugh again. “Hahahahahaha! Zenkichi, you’re so naive it’s almost funny! Is it because you’ve been on Medaka’s hip this entire time that you can just barely think for yourself? Are you blinded by her radiance?” He put his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter, because if he laughed too hard he might start to cry from the pain. “When you were fighting for Medaka’s sake, you were willing to fall into a pit filled with vipres. You were willing to fight on top of a half finished construction site with falling steel beams.”

“So… it’s not like I was hurting myself directly.”

“You were putting yourself in a dangerous situation where you could get hurt, specifically for her sake. I guess when you can actually win, and look cool like a hero the potential consequences of that don’t matter as much. Oh, to live so carefreely as you do.” He put his hand that was over his mouth over his eyes instead, and glanced at Zenkichi through the gaps between his fingers still indirectly. “You’re just letting yourself be hurt in front of her, and you say it’s to make her smile but doesn’t it just only make her cry?”

Zenkichi looked at his hands, which had started to grip tight the fabric of his uniform pants. “Yeah, I’ve been told that recently too.”

“Not only that, but Medaka is willing to let people beat on her if she thinks it’ll make them happy. The both of you do this without thinking, because you have bodies that will heal. You’re not haunted by luck either, the consequences of your actions won’t cascade out and hurt other people in ways you can never predict or control but will be your fault.”

“You’re right. I won’t deny it,” Zenkichi’s voice started to crack.

“Hey, don’t sound so sad. I’m not saying this to be mean, it’s just reality. It’s best to just accept things as they are, that’s what I’ve been used to doing anyway. I want… I wish…” What was a wish exactly? Was that hope? “I wish I could just love people normally.”

“Then, why are you always suffering alone?”

“That’s my love. I want to love others, even if it means hurting myself,” Komaeda smiled in a soft way, and turned to face Zenkichi and forgot about the pain in his body for a second carried by his sentiment alone.

He did not understand the face Zenkichi was making though. A moment ago he was as bright as usual, but his face had darkened and twisted up. A moment later it exploded into tears. “Uh, uh, I’m sorry did I upset you?”

“That’s just so sad man! There’s no way I could leave you alone after hearing that!” Zenkichi said, though Koameda only heard half of it because his ears were bad, and Zenkichi was talking while in full on ugly cry mode.

“It’s uh… it’s fine I’m not alone I have…” One sided love? Hope? Love of talent. I have… what do I have?

“Of course you’re not alone, you got me!”

Komaeda decided, he would need to talk with this strange child much longer if he was ever going to figure him out. He leaned back in his pillow, murmuring softly about the pain. But since Zenkichi was crying and looked upset and he wanted to help, he reached out and grabbed his hand again intertwining their fingers together.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“......Hm?”

The woman tilted her head to one side.

“Hm? Hm? Hm?”

Enoshima Junko tilted her head more to one side. She closed one eye and then the other. She felt like a haze had fallen over her that had just been lifted. When she saw the pink on her fingertips, and her hands wrapping themselves around Kumagawa Misogi’s neck while his body lay bloody and beaten underneath her she quickly realized the situation she was in.

“I thought you were going to erase my vision. That might have made this fight last five minutes longer and made it a little more interesting. You only did it in one eye though, why do you always do such a half assed job Senpai?"

『Hmmm… why indeed.』Kumagawa said, barely able to breathe underneath her grip. 『I suppose I thought since you weren’t a fighting type and didn’t have any weapons I could handle you just fine if I just made a blindspot in your vision. That was amazing though how you used all of those improvised weapons, and made me chase you around your whole dorm only to fall into every single trap you laid. It was like I was in a home alone movie.』

“Hey, hey, hey, no making references to popular culture that’s only funny when I do it. Gosh, you sure take a long time to die. Your toughness might have been a commendable quality but right now it’s disappointing.” She tightened her grip. “I’m getting better at telling when you’re lying you know. You lied just now.”

『Yeah… I hate your eyes... but… I couldn’t commit myself all the way to erasing any part of you.』

“Why?”

『Because it’s you I suppose.』

“God that’s such a stupid answer.”

『This time I’ll come back after a week so please hide my corpse in your closet or something. See yah. Do your best. Win against Medaka, and then set things up so both Medaka and I lose in our final bout, because that’s what I expect. Make sure things end in despair, because that’s what I expect.』

  “God, it’s so gross having to share a room with a boy. I hope nobody spreads rumors about us. Whatever. Goodbye Kumagawa.”

『Ah you called me by my-』Snap. Rather than bother waiting for him to suffocate, she just twisted his neck until it cracked completely. Kumagawa died with a smile on his face. It wasn’t as satisfying as she thought it might be a moment ago, but that was probably because it was Kumagawa, or the fact that he would just be alive again in a week.

She stood up looking at his body for a moment just lying there. “Getting to kill you is like an appetizer before the main course. Upupu, really I am too good at planning despair inducing plans. I even got Kumagawa to offer himself up willingly to me. Just because he fell in love with me.”

After saying that, she returned to a sullen expression.  Ending with talk of love, of Kumagawa's love, was like ending on a sour note to her. “But, I’m so good at planning them, they never go the way I want. Whose fault is this? Who’ll take responsibility for this?” She play acted around even though she was the only person left remaining in the room. Acting wasn’t an appropriate word though, these were her real emotions.

Enoshima Junko changed back to her gloomy expression. She shuffled back to Kumagawa’s dead body, and knelt over it. “Oy! It’s all your fault. Hey, hey…” Saying that she began to poke at the boy's round cheeks with her finger. “Hey… what do you have to say to that… after you were killed by me so easily. Try harder to get in the way of my plan next time. I can’t despair like this. I’m not feeling despair at all.” She bit her lip, twisting up her expression into something that was barely holding back sorrow. "Why would you even fall for a person like this? If you fall for me that makes you too easy to manipulate you should have just hated me."

Her tone suddenly changed. She picked up Kumagawa’s head by the hair, and began to puppeteer it around. 『It’s not my fault Junko-chan! I won’t apologize!』Just like a ventriloquist she mocked his voice near perfectly, and threw it even so it sounded like it came from him. As she moved him about, a deep pink liquid fell from his mouth reminding her what he was.

『Anyway, I won't apologize even if I die but can you forgive me anyway?』

She shifted back to her own tone of voice. “A dead apology means nothing, since you’re already dead!” Suddenly she let his face drop, and then stood up bringing her foot down hard on his head. She stomped, and stomped, and still stomped until his head was entirely gone.

Splatter.

“Upupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupu!” All on her own, she erupted into obnoxious laughter, and all on her own she grew tired of laughing maniacally and shifted back to her prime expression way too quickly. “Nah, this isn’t right, this isn’t despair.”

She remembered the time she danced alone with Yasuke’s corpse after crushing it until it was just a puddle, and a lump of flesh.

She remembered the time she danced together with Kumagawa. She looked at his headless body, and realized she could not dance with him now.

“Is this… loneliness?”

She thought about it seriously for a moment, then stuck her tongue out. “Nah! I’m just fucking bored! You better put on a good show for me next week or I’ll kill ya Kumagawa-senpai! I mean, you’re already dead but I’ll kill you again!”

She looked down at the floor for a moment and saw in their fight she had dropped the charm Kumagawa gave her onto the floor. “I should really move you somewhere else, I can’t have you laming up the place.” She walked over and knelt down, getting blood on her boots in the process but not caring as she picked up the charm out of the blood. Remembering the smile Kumagawa showed her as he gave it to her, her chest tightened. Consumed by regret at what she just did to him, she wanted to cry and scream out.

Why? Why did he give this to someone like me?  I don't want it anymore!

She wanted to beg him to come back to life again like he always did. With an indescribable expression somewhere between woe and excitement she stared at the small cute charm in her hand for a long time. Her heart wavered, just for a moment. It seemed Kumagawa got what he wanted, he finally managed to scar someone's heart. Then, in the next moment like clockwork. 

“Aha! All the more reason to keep this on hand!” She thought as she slid it into her pocket and walked off. She thought about it for a moment. Hiding Kumagawa’s body, defeating Medaka next week, and then the fact she would never see him again.

“Well, I guess you can crash at my place. Just wake up soon Kumagawa-senpai, okay?” Before that could be mistaken for any kind of sentimentality, she added. “Before you get all rank.”

 

Chapter 21: Once Again I've Won

Summary:

Junko and Medaka don't become friends in this chapter. Sorry.

Notes:

This chapter reference Tokyo Ghoul, I reference Tokyo Ghoul a lot because I consider this fic and Tokyo Ghoul to have very similar themes.

“So, how good is her analysis ability exactly?”  Togami asked, sipping his coffee.

“She figured out what I was in less than three minutes.” Shiranui dumped sugar cubes in her coffee one after another.

“What are you?” Maguro joined in, stirring his coffee rather than partaking in it. Which made Togami a bit nervous as he had worked very hard ordering Toko to make coffee for the three of them just to impress Maguro.

“A cute girl, obviously!” Shiraniu smiled. She sipped her coffee which at this point was more sugar cube than coffee.

Behind them, a terrible scene of violence was unfolding as Medaka was fighting off three people at once. Munakata’s fighting style had changed, and now he easily wielded two katanas at the same time. Kei as usual switched between weapons easily and whenever Medaka kicked one of the blades out of his hand he would just draw another knife from his sleeve as simple as a flick of the wrist. He had lost so many knives already that his shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing a vest with rows of holstered knives running down his chest. Then there was Jack who similarly hid pairs of scissors all over her body. Unlike Kei who wielded his weapons without any care or attachment, every time she swiped at Medaka with her scissors she was reluctant to let even one go.

Of the three of them, Jack seemed to be taking the most hits. Not that she minded, every rough hit she took, she simply laughed off. Her long black skirt and conservative uniform that marked her as a bookish girl was being torn up. With every tear, she became less and less like Toko, erasing the traces of her original self. To the point where it became difficult to believe just by looking them that they were in fact the same body. As a blow of Medaka’s fist came straight for her face, she yanked her neck to the side, her tongue trailing behind her in slow motion and flecks of spit and sweat flying through the air.

Those three were not ganging up on a cute high school girl just to be cruel though. She was the one who had asked them to do such a thing. Neither were the three at the table just apathetically drinking their coffee. Both Maguro and Togami were tasked with using their observation skills to their limits, Maguro for his analysis and Togami for his amazingly frank ability to point out the flaws in others. He also had experience watching the only person he was close to working as a combat butler.

Shiranui however, really was just here for fun and games. She told Medaka that she only wanted to watch her train in case she got beat up, because it would be fun to see somebody as strong as her lose. However annoying Medaka found Shiranui’s stance as a spectator, the fact that she had been the one to bring Munakata by, and also retrieve him from his depression somehow, made it difficult to tell her no.

The student council had been meeting like this all week, all present except Koga and Naze who had left to help in the infirmary. Normally the three training with Medaka would have a fourth in Zenkichi, who likely would have been trying harder than all three of them combined, but he too had not showed up to a student council meeting a single day this week his entire attention taken by the infirmary.

Medaka however, did not even notice his absence. That was the strength of the bond of trust between the two of them. Zenkichi had absolute faith that this would be Medaka’s victory, and Medaka could receive that faith without him even around.

“Man, two murderous fiends and two guys named Munakata. I think our schools are more similar than they are different.” Shiranui said, as with no more coffee remaining she simply turned over the cup and dumped sugar cubes straight into her mouth.

Maguro continued to swirl his tea, though he dropped his spoon causing it to clang metal against ceramic when Munakata finally landed a blow on Medaka, drawing blood that left her shoulder in the opposite arc that his swing followed. “Oh, is it something you’ve noticed, Shiranui.”

“Eh, it’s not like I was paying close to attention to any of you losers but…” She smashed sugar cubes between her teeth as she talked, getting crumbs of sugar all over her face. “You know in stage plays, sometimes when they wanted to illuminate a character they’d reflect light off a foil. When things line up this well I can’t help but think of it. I don’t care much for the princess but you on the other hand are always thinking about her Maguro, so I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“Yeah, it’s natural to assume Kumagawa Misogi would be Medaka’s one and only opposite, her ultimate enemy but… that girl in pigtails for some reason I can’t discern a single detail about her, except that she has the exact same aura as my sister.” He finally finished stirring his coffee and flashed a smile after sipping it. “Coming from me that’s the highest possible praise I can give of course.”

“I shall make note of that and strive to be more like Kurokami-san,” Togami said, slamming his cup down into its saucer for emphasis.

“Master shouldn’t need to worry about that kind of thing! You’ve already got feminine beauty, you’re a total bishie, and at the same time you’ve got a completely masculine dominant aura. You’re the perfect switch, the best of both worlds.”

“Do I even want to know half of what you’re talking about?”

“Well you see a switch is a-” Before she could even finish, Jack was punched in the face and sent flying across the room for letting herself be distracting.

“Thank you Kurokami-san, you’re so much better than the rabble here.”

“Oh, by the way. Earlier I told HItoyoshi that Medaka was the number one in the country in the national exams but that’s not entirely true. There was one girl who scored above her in every area except for math and physics, which she only received half points in dragging down her average.”

“Why math and physics? Was she bad at dimensional thinking?” Maguro leaned in with interest.

“She didn’t show her work. She was too lazy to write out how she had gotten the answer. If Enoshima Junko and Kurokami Medaka are both overwhelming geniuses who win at an inhuman rate, that’s the difference that’s highlighted in comparing them. That aura that you see, that’s the aura of somebody who was meant to always stand above others, to always win.” She leaned in as well. “Even though Medaka excels above all others, she loves showing her effort. The other is too lazy to do that, or maybe she finds it pointless. That’s why I’m always watching the princess though, try hards are just so much fun to watch and laugh at, no? No?”

Even as Shiranui broke into laughter, the other two did not share her sentiment. Maguro out of concern for his sister, and Togami because he had sat up to go check on Jack. He poked her body with his foot. “Maybe we should tie her up so she doesn’t do anything annoying when she wakes up.”

“I never even fell asleep to begin with master, but I really do appreciate the view from this angle. Do you think you could step on me a little bit?”

Togami knelt down to her level and poked at her cheek. “Silence you.”

In return, with her sharp looking teeth she snapped at his finger, forcing him to draw  that finger immediately.

Another thud sounded as Kei was thrown across the room. Even with the speed he gained from having all of his weapons disarmed and embedded around them, in the wall and in the ceiling he was not enough to take on Kurokami Medaka.

Jack smirked. “Haha. That’s what he gets for being a murderous fiend that’s never even killed anybody. What a poser.”

“Says the girl who was knocked out of the fight before him.”

“That’s not my fault master! I kept fantasizing about how much I wanted you to be the one who was completely dominating me like Meduka was and it distracted me.”

“Me… duka…” Togami decided to leave that nickname alone for a moment. “I told you even in your imagination you’re not allowed to step out of your place.”

“So are you saying even my private thoughts belong to you, master? Yes please, all of me is yours, please dominante and use all of it in any way you wish.”

“That would require you having use in the first place.”

In the middle of their bickering, Kei picked himself up and leaned against the wall. “Who are you saying is bad at killing? I’ll kill you for that.”

“Kyeeehahahaha! I’d love to see that pretty boy. You are my type but I can’t kill anymore, because it’d definitely make master jealous if I did.”

Togami crossed his arms. “That’s not the reason. Tell him that’s not the reason.”

“Yeahyeah, Master ordered me not to and if I don’t follow his orders he’s definitely going to punish.”

“How do you make literally everything worse?”

Jack smiled in a way that showed all of her teeth. “It’s my third hidden talent.”

With two members kncoked out of the fight, the only one left was Munakata. With his two swords, and Medaka’s two hands that hit harder than steel. However, no more upsets in the fight happen. The two continued tos wing at each other like wild animals, until both of them were tired out.

Munakata threw one of his swords aside and stabbed the other into the ground to support himself. Medaka stumbled backwards, but Maguro immediately stood up and made his way across the room in an instant to catch her.

“You don’t need to bother, brother.” Medaka complained as she felt Maguro’s hand on her back.

“It’s fine. You can occasionally lean on me. Older siblings were born first to take care of their younger siblings after all.” He said that, and smiled with such a genuine sentiment behind it, it was easy to forget about his normal trickster personality.

The other joker in the room though, conintued to laugh. “Ah-hya-hya. We were talking about literary foils right? The princess is that kind of person she hates depending on others, almost to an inhuman extent. However, there’s somebody whose always around that draws out her humanity.” She spoke of Zenkichi and smiled a bit fondly. “I’m starting to miss that guy a little bit.”

In the chaos that this training session had become, Munakata simply kept his eyes focused ahead on Medaka. “To think Hope’s Peak would harbor not one but two people so dangerous. Are you sure you’re alright, keeping them around?”

“Kei came forward to us when he heard of Zenkichi’s defeat in the last battle. He only wants to fight for his friend, and it’s better to have Toko around me so I can help her control that other part of herself.”

Munakata smirked, fighting back the exhaustion on his face. “If you find that you can make use of them, then I won’t complain. I’m not much better, I would have done exactly the same thing in your situation.” The two of them both ultimate student council presidents, as he heard Shiranui in the background speaking about stories again he thought they could be foils too. “Since neithe of us has been able to gain ground against the other yet, I have to ask again. Will you let me substitute for you in the president’s battle?”

Medaka’s face suddenly became thoughtful. “Is it because… of Enoshima Junko?”

“I… it was my supicion the shadows of Hope’s Peak were all being manipulated by a mastermind. She was my suspect for the various incident, but nothing came of it, and Kumagawa appeared suddenly and took all the credit as the one connecting all of those incidents.”

“She evaded you once, right? That’s even more reason not to try and fight her alone.”

“I wasn’t…” He remembered the images of both Chisa Yukizome, and Juzo Sakakura. One who had told him her class was viciously attacked and cried into his chest begging him to fight alone and end despair in this school, the other who had told him Enoshima Junko was completely innocent and he trusted that information more than his life. “I wasn’t ever alone.”

“Then you still aren’t now.”

“You have to fight with Kumagawa, if you get too injured in this fight-”

“It will be like a warm up. Besides, I’ve been fighting my hardest all week against you as well.”

Munakata even in his cold nature, found himself unable to deny the warmth of Medaka’s confidence and belief. It was infectious in the same way he would learn that Makoto Naegi’s hope was. He averted the gaze of his black scleraed eyes, unable to look directly at the center of that warmth either. “Then, as your senpai I will continue to lend you my strength.”

“You’ve become surprisingly strong! I can’t believe I underestimated you so much when I first saw you. Did the minus defeating you inspire you or something?” Medaka asked, absolutely giddy at his recent change in strength.

“Ah this.. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. If I were to give an explanation though, it’s like rather than the Ultimate Student Council President, I’ve been upgraded to the Ultimate Teacher. Maybe it’s just growing up.” Maybe my expectations were set too high leading my own school, attempting to outdo Kirigiri Jin. I haven’t smiled so much in this long, just working for a week with one of my successors. He straightened up suddenly and let go of his sword.

He saw in the background, Shiranui having finished all of the sugar they had making her move to leave. He moved first, appearing to block her in the doorway. “Why exactly did you come here, Shiranui-san?”

“I told you I just wanted to laugh at the princess and eat all of her snacks.” Shiranui in the background muttered softly under her breath so the two of them would hear. “There’s more of that inhuman growth, she’s completely outshined a former president at his same position. Now he’s the one struggling to catch up with her. Still, I wonder what she’d be like, without that foil of hers Zenkichi to cast light on her human side.”

“Are you trying to tell me something again? That untalented boy Zenkichi, he serves a purpose to her?”

“I told you think about it in a literary sense. He’s there to be human in ways she cannot.” Shiranui smiled. “If you want to hear about it in a literary sense, I can tell you the connection between Kumagawa Misogi, and Enoshima Junko. He’s her human half. He’s human and flawed in every way she can’t be.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s because I asked him to be. Well, originally I was going to ask somebody else, but they went a little bit crazy and forgot who they were supposed to be. So, I invited Kumagawa to this academy instead. It seems like he failed in the end too.” She wiped the sugar crumbs from her cheek and then licked her fingers. “At least something interesting will be born from it. It might be fun to watch and laugh at, the unchained Enoshima Junko.”

Realizing he was never going to get straightforward answers out of this person, Munakata moved to the side and let her skip away to wherever she was going next. He wondered what it was like to be so carefree, if it was because of her youth, or because of who she was as a person. Little did he know, about Shiranui Hansode that he knew even less than he thought he did, and he was wrong in both aspects.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Enoshima Junko paced back and forth alone in her room. The only noise was the clicking of her heels against the floor. In the background her television had been left on, as well as her computer playing two different videos at the same time, though they depicted the same person. Over the week she had set up several other borrowed (read stolen) monitors to play different portions of the same collected footage.

This was nothing more than background noise that Enoshima could absorb without paying the slightest bit of attention to. Which is why instead she spent her last morning of preparation looking at the various outfits she had in her room, trying to use her analysis to predict which one she would look the best in to contrast Medaka in their match.

They were all thrown about the room and gathered, all of them designer brand, one with leapord print, and most some variation of black and white. At this point she kind of considered it her motif. Not only were her outfits laying about, but Kumagawa Misogi’s body instead of being stored away in a closet simply sat headless on the couch.

“How does this one look?” She said, pulling her hands around her hips to accentuate the way her curves were shown off by the leapord skin jacket she was wearing. She even turned to show her other side with an extra swing in her hips. Of course, as Kumagawa’s body did not have a head it said absolutely nothing in response.

『...』

“I look amazing? Well I suppose as far as compliments go, the obvious will have to do.”

『...』

“Of course this one looks as good as the last one. I look so great in everything that’s why it’s so hard to choose.”

『...』

“”Okay, I’m going to change again but if you peak I’ll kill you deader than dead.”

A moment later when Enoshima Junko returned pulling a different shirt over her head having discarded the jacket, she immediately noticed something was different about the room she had just left.

“Oh, sorry, was I interrupting you talking to yourself?” Shiranui said, before slamming Junko’s fridge shut. There were ten ramen noodle cups left in her fridge (as Junko had been sustaining herself on them all week without Mukuro or Kumagawa to get food for her) and Shiranui carried them in one big ramen cup tower.

“I’m not weird for talking to myself, it’s just everybody else’s opinions are garbage and I tend to agree with myself the most.” She said in quick defense, not even that startled by the sudden arrival of the other.

Shiranui looked at Kumagawa’s body on the couch. “How’s it going, student council pres?”

『...』

“I’m surprised you’re letting him stay here, you two have progressed that far in your relationship? Hey, hey, did you just have an event flag or something?”

“Mmmyep. I’ve found he’s actually much more fun to me dead than alive. I was going to get rid of his body if it started rotting, but I think all fiction is keeping him preserved.”

Sadly Kumagawa was unable to defend himself, due to not having a head. 『...』

Enoshima Junko sat down on a nearby chair and crossed her legs, glad to have a distraction from her own restless pacing. While other people were boring to her, she found that when isolated she tended to grow bored of her own personality much quicker than usual and forgot how to interact with others.

“Hey what the fuck was with that line anyway? It sounded like something Chiaki would say, how annoying! Can’t you get your own character?” Junko said, shifting into a more vulgar person.

Shiranui however, simply laughed this change off. “Ah-hya, you’re a strange one princess that’s for sure.” She reached up to her hair, and undid a hairpin that had been used to die down her large hair antannae. It immediately sprung up again, and she tossed the hairpin to Enoshima Junko. “The footage you asked for. You know you’re not really a fighting type so nobody would blame you if you let somebody else substitute in the match for you. I could even do it. I know I’m a minus, but I’ve never really lost.”

“Hmmm? Why do you think I don’t want to fight?” Junko’s personality suddenly shifted again, as she curled a hand into a paw under her face and made her features look a lot cuter. “I know, it’s because you can’t believe somebody as kyu-ute as me would be eaten by a beastly girl like her, right?”

“Well it doesn’t really look like you’re taking this seriously.”

Junko finished plugging a USB port into a laptop, immediately she clicked out of about fifty tabs she had left open to focus on the one. When she saw the footage of Medaka against Munakata, Kei and Jack her eyes began flicking about faster than Shiranui could trace. Then she stopped, looked up, and had a pair of glasses on her face. “We must take things seriously to maximize our despair efficiency. Kurokami Medaka’s potential exceeds even that of the ultimate hope Kamakura Izuru, not only that but her strong sense of ego means we cannot play the same card of swaying her with words. Not only that, but her capacity to learn the skills of others would mean if she saw me use it once around her, she would develop her own version of analysis.” She turned the laptop around and already several of these points were made in bulletpoint form on a powerpoint for Shiranui to view.

“It’s not just her own version, she’d copy it 120% percent. Which means the defect in your abnormality that warps your personality would be completely gone.”

Enoshima Junko smiled  and returning her face to normal. As she started to redo her hair back in pigtails “Defect? I have no idea what you’re talking about, I’m exactly perfect as I am. Even Kumagawa-senpai said so.”

Kumagawa Misogi was dead unfortunately and could not vouch for this. 『...』

“Which is why I can’t let her copy my analysis it’s a point of pride. Besides, that kind of ability is only cool when it belongs to me.” She reached up and touched the bridge of her glasses, adjusting them to make them shine with glare in the moment.

“Well that’s all well and good princess, but if you’re not using your analysis than aren’t you just kind of a normal girl? Albeit one all dolled up right now.” Shiranui said as she made her way to the microwave. She wondered for a moment if she could microwave all the ramen noodle cups at once.

“Hmm? This is because I want to beat her in every way possible, that includes looking better than her. I’m not a minus I won’t accept anything less than perfect, and as long as I plan things ahead they’ll go so despairingly perfect.”

“So you’re making preparations like Naze? Did you memorize the Kurobako cram school rules?” Shiranui thought as she started to press buttons on Junko’s microwave.

“Predicting those rules wouldn’t be enough. You also need to predict Medaka’s response to each of those rules, the strategy she would come up with, the way she would fight, what she would do when she thinks she’s winning, what she would do when she thinks she’s losing, every single detail. I can’t use analysis in the moment, and I’m nowhere near as strong as her because I don’t want to look my flat chested muscle headed sister so.”

Junko fell back on the couch she was sitting on, her head falling on Kumagawa’s lap. “I just have to predict every single possibility perfectly ahead of time. I know it sounds impressive, but I finished it an hour ago, and now I’m bored so… fashion show. Though, that’s pretty boring too I don’t even like my job as a model that much. Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t even get out of bed, winning against Medaka is the expected result right how boring.” She brushed her hand through her hair as she took on a much more mopey personality.

Shiranui who was used to Medaka’s antics stopped for a moment, unable to take in their entire conversation. “Wow… princess you really are… much…”

“What’s with that name anyway princess? If you are going to refer to us as royalty, I’d prefer to go as queen.”

“Yep, doesn’t look like it’s happening!” Shiranui said, with a smile. In the background suddenly Junko’s microwave exploded into glass shards, boiling ramen water, and ramen noodles shooting in every direction as well as a few melted pieces of foam.

“Hey, my stuff! I mean I don’t really care because destroying stuff is fun but still. Mine.”

Shiranui shrugged, nonchalantly. “Well just think of it as the despair of having lost your microwave saving you from a flash of boredom. Ahyaya-hya I totally did this on purpose. Seeya!” She did not in fact do that on purpose. 

In a flash she disappeared out the doorway. Junko looked at the wreckage for a second. “Did she just try to microwave  that much ramen at once?” She blinked, and then got bored of thinking of that and rolled onto the side of her head. “I’ll need to clean that up later. Ugh, what good are sisters if they stop cleaning up all your messes just because you try to murder them one measly little time? Why is everything the woooooorst.”

It seemed Enoshima Junko’s isolation would continue a bit longer. As she sat with her arms over her head, she saw through the corners of her eyes the video feed of Medaka’s fighting flicker on screen. Immediately her mind conjured hundreds of ways her perfect plan could go wrong, and a smile crept on her face.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Eenie, meenie, minie… human!” She had memorized all the available rules, but the human was the wild card and had no predetermined rules. Which meant it introduced a possibility of unpredictability in all of the scenarios she had concocted in her head. She couldn’t not pick it.

On the outfit she had settled on, after going through every possible combination she went with an old classic. She discarded the school uniform she had been wearing all this time, for her black and white jacket outfit with a red skirt and her black boots. The only addition was an eyepatch she had worn in one of her modeling gigs. Technically it was unnecessary because vision in one eye did way less to impair her than she was hoping it would. However, it did make her look a little cooler, so she decided on it for now.

Of course, showing up in such a fashionable outfit meant drawing the looks of the student council. While her and Medaka stood in front, Tokemichi in the middle of the picking up the card which Junko had chosen, both sides plus and minus aligned on the right and left of them.

Togami, Toko, and Munakata were mysteriously absent which left Naze, Zenkichi, Koga, and Maguro. On Junko’s side however, only Mikan and Shiranui had shown up to watch the fight. However she was not upset at the lack of spectators as it was exactly how she had intended.

Zenkichi watched the girl prance about in her heels with a flat stare. “Is she even taking this seriously? She looks like she showed up for a fashion show.”

Koga popped up enthusiastically behind him. “Well, she is the utlimate fashionista. Maybe her plan is to defeat Medaka-chan with super highschool level fashion.”

“It’s still a bad idea to show up to a fight with that much cleavage showing.” Naze said, recrossing her arms.

Koga then danced over to the shoulder of her best friend. “Says the person who never wears a bra.” Which caused Naze to immediately start grabbing towards Koga in order to try to shut her best friend up before she revealed any more of her secrets.

“The ‘human’ card it is then.”  TOkemichi picked it up and turned it around.

“It’s blank?” Enoshima Junko tilted her head in momentary concusion.

“Yes, Enoshima-sama it’s blank. In other words the ‘Human” card is a joker. A so called wildcard.”

Junko smiled. “-Sama, huh? Finally the respect I deserve.”

“The typical conduct of the committee is to provide an advantage to the challenger, but with the “human” card of the president’s battle, the original council president in this case. Kurokami Medaka is free to choose the stipulation for this battle.”

There was such a card in there. In the history of the Kurobako Cram school there was not a single record of the president’s battles remaining. Enoshima Junko thought for a moment, and then smiled. The human card threw an unexpected wrinkle in, just as she expected it would. “Sounds fun! I hope Kurokami-san makes it a good match then!” She said, with fake enthusaism and an equally fake smile.

“Then, if there are no objections I will choose the rules to the president’s battle as I see fit. WIth the name “Human coparison” the stage will be this entire old school building. There are no fouls, you can use any weapon you like, there’s no time limit and the rules will be similiar to bare knuckle boxing, the first one to be knocked out for ten seconds loses.”

Zenkichi’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. What’s she doing? Medaka’s choosing a rule that favors her, like she’s really trying to finish the fight right here. None of them knew what the result would be for a tie.

However, Naze worried her lip, knowing that her sister had already anounced she did not recognize Enoshima Junko as a human being. Ironically enough, both Junko and Medaka seemed to want to hurry past their own fight to move onto the climax between Medaka and Kumagawa. Even while refusing to acknowledge the other, they both ended up thinking in similar ways like this.

Junko smiled at this, even if it seemed to put her at a disadvantage. She was no fighter after all. “I’ll agree to these rules, if we call it bear knuckle boxing instaed.”

Both Junko and Medaka burst into laughter at that lame pu at the same time, and then stopped to glare at one another.

“Ahyahyahya, you two princesses really are too much for me to handle.” Shiranui said with a shrug.

“Well alright then, before we begin can you be a dear and hold my purse for me?” She walked over to Zenkichi and put a clutch handbag in one of his hands. “Thanks, hun.” She had left it unzipped, and carried what was in the purse a moment ago with her hands. In the next moment a grenade was hurtling in the air between the two of them. “It’s always best to begin these things with a bang! That’s my philosophy anyway.”

Medaka immediately realized her friends were in the blast radius and jumped faster than anybody’s eyes but Junko could track to cover it. Junko merely smirked. “Oh, but I’m not my military otaku sister so there’s no way I’d just throw a frag grenade.”

The grenade that definitely looked like a frag grenade, suddenly exploded into a blinding light that took everybody except Enoshima Junko who had her head turned away, and was suddenly wearing a pair of sunglasses that were shaped into hearts by surprise. A moment later he sunglasses fell on the ground and Enoshima Junko was entirely gone.

Stealing and modifying one of Mukuro’s grenades was exceedingly simple, all she needed to do was steal it from her sister’s dorm room and then read up on how to do the modifications. Even if she had known nothing about this military stuff yesterday a quick glance over was all she needed to learn it.

As Medaka regained her senses, the only trace of Junko that was left was the door of the old school building swinging shut, and the sound of her heels clacking as she ran down the hallway.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

For all the complex machinations in Junko’s head running right now, her solution to fighting the beast that was Kurokami Medaka who was probably even stronger and more agile than Sakura Ogami was to simply not get hit.

Even with opponents like the Madarais and Juzo Sakakura, she was able to defeat them in a straightforward fight by simply learning their movements. Knowing their movements ahead of time meant bridging the gap between their obvious difference in physical capabilities. It was not a matter of reaction time, but knowing exactly where their punch would land before they themselves even thought to throw it.

However, she could not use such a trick on Medaka because first it would mean letting her analysis be copied, and second, because even if she could use analysis she knew that Medaka’s physical capabilities would exceed faster than she could ever conceive of moving. She would know how to dodge, but be unable to dodge it simply by attribute of overwhelming speed. She had already seen Medaka move fast enough that she left behind afterimages to fool normal eyes, and physically damage her body due to wind resistance.

So then, even though Medaka deemed this as a straightforward brawl Junko endeavored from the start to make it a game of cat and mouse. If Medaka caught up with her she would lose, if she successfully led Medaka into the mouse trap than she would win. Speak of the devil, she heard the sound of the wind inside the doors of this school which meant Medaka had definitely used her Kurokami Phantom to catch up.

Junko anticipated this as well. Which is why she immediately threw a locker door open, and disappeared behind it. At the same time she threw her voice like a ventriloquist would making it appear like it was coming down the opposite hallway. Her monokuma voice suddenly echoed down the hallway, “Hello Kiddoes! Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy! As your headmaster, our very first morning activity will be death, and after that will be dying!”

Medaka seemed to fall for the battle, and turned the wrong way at the two way turning junction. Junko immediately moved out of the locker silently, and head around another corner. She heard Medaka’s voice coming from far away. “Come on then coward, let me pound you until you’re in the shape of something resembling a human.”

Only to see Medaka had doubled back. It was nothing more than a sense behind her that made Junko suddenly dive forward and skid across the floor as Medaka swung down at her. She somersaulted and got back onto her feet with only a moment to spare. “Hey. You can’t copy ventriloquism from me, that’s my thing- actually, that joke is getting kind of old already I’m bored of it.” The bratty expression gave way to Junko’s default sullen one before she had even finished her sentence.

“Do you find the world merely average? Does the future bore you?” Medaka stopped herself fo a moment from throwing another punch to ask. The question did seem genuine, and she tried to look Junko straight in the eyes.

“God, no duh. I only mentioned I’m bored every five seconds. Kumagawa-senpai picked this up faster than you and he’s a total idiot.”

“Kumagawa… you and him…”  Before she could finish formulating whatever she was going to say, suddenly another grenade was tossed into the air.

“A lady never kisses and tells you know, and it’s rude to pry into the affairs of others. So, please die.” She asked in a polite and genteel voice.
 
Medaka knew what trick was coming this time and immediately covered her eyes. Only for a frag grenade to explode near her and send her flying meters backwards. Just as Junko expected, the best way to take advantage of her learning ability was the confidence she would gain when she thought she learned one of Junko’s tricks. Also as she predicted, a grenade at close range was nothing near enough to take out Medaka as she had not only moved in a way to cover most of her body underneath the military grade heat and explosion proof clothing she was wearing as her red student council uniform, but she had also landed perfectly as to not further injure herself.

Medaka would be an entertaining person to watch fight, but in the thick of it that resourcefulness of hers was just annoying. Junko disappeared down the hallway again looking for her escape route. She needed to make her way to the elevator without Medaka catching up to her again. The damage from the grenade, plus the damage she incurred when she used Kurokami Phantom should slow her down, she anticipated that.

When she heard Medaka’s footsteps approaching, Junko was out of grenades by this point and needed a way to stall her again. She looked to the speaker system she planned on using for Monokuma morning announcements when her game began. After a moment of jumping, she pulled down the wires running along the ceiling and then tore them apart with her bare hands. By the time Medaka arrived a second time, Junko had already partially rewired them with her bare hands.

She smiled showing all of her teeth and then spoke in her Monokuma voice. “Oh great, it’s good to see you Prez! You just got here in time for morning announcements.” Junko then plugged her ears, and dropped the two wires she was holding letting them touch. She produced an ugly screaming noise that resonated throughout the entire building and echoed back to where Medaka was standing. As Junko anticipated she had super senses, so the loud noise hit her much harder.

While Medaka was disoriented she made a break for the elevator. The moment she hit the button though, Medaka had already recovered. No, maybe not recovered Junko saw blood trickling from both of her ears. Right, she was the kind of person to hurt herself, and break herself through sheer effort. That too was expected.

What came next was the hardest part of Junko’s planned scenario. Unlike all of the other checkpoints before this Junko could have taken alternative routes, but the elevator really was the only way to reach the trial room. She cursed her own need for slow tension building dramatic entrances.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Medaka slammed into Junko grabbing her by the neck and hoisting her against the back of the elevator’s walls. The doors closed behind them, and Junko looked down at Medaka from where she was suspended. “Hey, this is just like a scene in one of my favorite animes where the writers had budget problems it’s called eva-”

Medaka lost patience and squeezed her hand sightly just enough to make Junko cough. “What is it that you want?”

“I just want what anyone wants, to enjoy my school life.” Junko answered quite honestly. Of course, Medaka did not seem to detect that twisted honesty the same way Kumagawa would. “Is this the part where we pull a ‘I’m not so different than you’ because I’ve always wanted to do one of those scenes. So, it’s your turn, go on, go on, tell me what you want.”

“To make everyone happy. That is the reason I was born.”

“Well, the only way I can be happy is through despair. So really you’re just standing in the way of my happiness.” Junko answered flippantly, a little bit uncomfortable with her current position.

“To achieve that though, you’d gleefully murder your own sister? That alone is enough to get me off that train, I don’t even want to try to understand how you think.” She shook Junko like a ragdoll, which Junko also did not like. “You and Kumagawa are the same. It’s not actually despair, you’re just too prideful to change yourself so you want to drag everybody else down to your level.”

“Comparing me to a guy like Kumagawa, you really are mean. Hmm, hmm, yeah so your way is better. You think it’s better to uplift everybody to your level?”

“Yes, because it will make them happy.”

At this, Enoshima Junko smirked. “Don’t you mean it will make yourself happy.”

“Huh?”

“It’s like you’re always saying. You’re not actually a saint after all. You feel something when you help somebody solve their problem. It’s something different from what you normally feel.”

“How would you even know that?”

“Kurokami Medaka, good madame. Pleasure to meet that. I’m Enoshima Junko from the 78th class. This may sound weird but you’ve been on my mind a lot lately. I hate to invoke the cliche I just made fun of but, a girl can only be this smart for so long before Ennui sets in. That’s the curse of being bright. I know, and you know too.”

“...”

“Hey, let me guess, you spent most of your childhood reading. You couldn’t play around normally because even your own siblings didn’t understand you. All adults ever did was gawk at and praise you, but a few minutes later they’d be terrified of you outdoing them.”

“Are you going to appeal to my past? That’s one of my tricks.”

“No, I’m just stating the obvious. There’s no way you could see yourself as a human being, feel like a human being, when nobody has ever treated you like one. You’re not doing this because you love humans, you don’t even see them as humans. You’re a god among insects, of course you look down on others.”

“I’ve never once thought of myself as-”

“That’s the point dearie. You’re trying to avoid thinking of yourself. Because you feel bad, you feel bad that just by being born you invalidate the hard work of so many others. You’re trying to uplift them just to justify your own existence, because if hard work really could get somebody on your level then it really was everybody else’s problem and not yours.”

“You’re just tearing others down to feel something too.”

“Yeah, look at me now. The synapses firing, my every nerve ending tingling with excitement. At least I admit it. You’re just going to keep walking around for the rest of your life with that stoic look on your face, because you need to keep pushing boulders up hills to justify your own existence. I guess Sisyphus really isn’t content.”

Just as Junko finished her speech, the bell rung and the door started to open. “No but… these hands are for helping people.”

“You’re the one whose choking me right now.”

Immediately Medaka let go of Junko. Junko landed on her feet, and immediately darted out the doors. She had made it everything went exactly as planned. She felt a note of disappointment, but remembered Kamakura had pretty much won against Medaka too. She shrugged as she made her way to Monokuma’s chair.

She heard Medaka call out from behind her. “So, even if you admit you’re just a irresponsible egoist who will tear down everything order to feel something, do you still see yourself as human?”

Perhaps the Junko who had months ago torn down Hope’s Peak would have rejected the label of a human being, but in that moment the Junko who had met Kumagawa rather thoughtlessly said. “Of course, I’m human.”

“Is that so?”  In the next moment Medaka’s elbow slammed straight into Junko’s waist, as if she had teleported across the womb. The amount of time it took her to recover from all of that… it was unexpected… she was being defeated by a sudden and powerful rise in hope. Ah, what despair. She thought as she slammed into the throne a crack appearing in it, and the wall behind her. “If that’s the case then I don’t mind being a beast.”

Those were the last words Junko heard before she lost consciousness.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“In the sixteenth century, the nobles had a game they played. They would break a slave’s bones one by one, in order. The slaves would beg in tears: ‘Please help me’ and they would be on how many bones it would take until they cried out: ‘Please kill me’.”

Junko regained consciousness in a familiar classroom. However, an unfamiliar person was sitting on the desk with one of her knees drawn up, her hands and chin resting playfull upon it. Junko looked to who she was talking to, and saw Kumagawa a bloody mess on the floor the entire part of the room he laid down in completely destroyed, the desk’s shattered, and the walls scarred and cracked from impact in several places. Depsite all this destruction the girl sitting on the teacher’s desk had a playful smile on her face. “By the way it certainly sees that you’re in that sort of situation, but, how about it? Don’t you want to see how long it would take to change ‘give me back my minus’ to ‘I don’t need my minus’?”

『...』 Kumagawa Misogi barely changed his expression.

She looked at Enoshima for a second, who Kumagawa had not even raised his head to acknowledge. “How about you? Do you want to place bets with me.” When Junko saw Kumagawa’s body though the only thing she could feel was a seething jealousy. There was no way to despair at things that happened out of her control, like the idea of Mukuro dying overseas where she could not see it. She could not feel any despair from somebody else hurting her precious Kumagawa.

“...” When she tried to speak, she felt lava red hot biting her at the back of her throat.

Kumagawa started to struggle to his feet just then.  『Oh my. I guess there is a limit to everything right? Anshinin-san, Even shonen jump’s battle mangas pale in comparison.』

Ajimu jumped off of her desk, and then leaned backwards on it with her elbows casually. “Hm? Oh now that you mention it. You always did love those shonen manga of yours. I graduated from those by the end of grade-school.”

『Haha. I see. GIrls find those manga childish don’t they?』

“Hmm, well I can’t speak for Junko-chan, but not for me, not at all. It’s just that they’re too advanced.for girls as naive as I am.” The room seemed to darken with that girl’s mere presence, she loomed over Kumagawa, but did not look at him merely closed her eyes. “After all Shonen manga’s message to us isn’t friendship, hard work, and victory. It’s that those with power are the ones who win in the end. It’s the pinnacle of cruel realities. You can have friends if you have power. You can work hard if you have power. You can be victorious if you hvae power. That inescapable reality is the one we with power know and can’t tolerate. Well, isn’t it better that way Kumagawa-kun? Just reading shonen manga all your life.”

Kumagawa hid his eyes for a moment.  『............』Then suddenly, he shrugged and burst out laughing.  『Hahahahahaha! That’s right. Isn’t it? You’re always giving me advice, aren’t you? Anshinin-san. Oh well it can’t be helped. There’s no way we can beat Medaka-chan. Look even Junko-chan’s here sitting in the back of the class gaping all confused so she must have had her skull crushed.』

Junko only tilted her head slightly at the mention of her name. She still did not quite get the scene she was witnessing.

Kumagawa turned around succintcly, and slid open the door of the calssroom.  『Aaaah. This is ridiculous, and after I went and made a fool of myself trying this hard and said a bunch of embarrassing stuff in front of Junko-chan! I give! I give! Now I’ll just go home and read those shonen manga I love so much.』

Junko realized she wanted to say something befoe Kumagawa disappointed her any further. She opened her mouth, but suddenly hesitated for reasons she did not understand. Oh that’s right the last time I saw him, I killed him. She thought, her chest tightening.

“Wait!” Ajimu called out before she even could. The playful expression on her face narrowed, Junko recognized the disappointment at least it was the same face she looked at Mukuro with so often. “Tell me what you want to say. I did just insult your beloved shonen manga. Get upset and answer me, you damn coward."

『...There’s nothing for me to answer. The plus beat the minus. It’s just like you said, that’s the truth in this world. In life and love I was always meant to lose. There was no hope from the start, but I’m fine with that because I’ve never even felt hope anyway. You have to taste happiness to know a desire for something more.』

She stepped forward towards him. “Don’t just jump to conclusions to easily. It’s bad form to act cool when cornered, you know? Besides, this is your heart inside a dream… Where no one can know your true intentions.”

Ah so this was Kumagawa’s heart… Junko thought as she stared once again at his back. It seemed to be the only part of him he ever willingly showed her.

“Without showing off, just say it without showing off.”

Kumagawa” raised, and lowered his head. Then turned around suddenly, looking only to face Ajimu. “I want to beat them!” He declared in a sincere voice that resonated from the deepest part of his heart. Even beaten down, even covered in his own blood, he stood up straight and spoke with an unfounded confidence. “Even though I’m not cool, or strong, or just, or beautiful, or cute, or pretty, I want to beat the strong, cool, just beautiful, cute and pretty people. Even though I wasn’t blessed with talent, even though I’m stupid and have a bad personality, have bad grades, am misguided, and am a good for nothing. I want to beat the talented, smark, likeable, over-achieving people. I want to eat those with friends when I can’t have friends. I want to beat the people who work hard when I can’t work hard. I want to beat the victorious people when I can’t win. I want to beat the happy people when I’m miserable.”

She saw it, his hands shaking with years of repressed emotion. His entire face twisted up in anger for a moment, before ramining clear, and his eyes wide as he saw the  objective in front of him. “Even if I’m hated, even I’m despised even if I’m useless! I want to prove that I’m better than the main characters! I want to win against that girl who always wins, so she won’t be so bored with the word.”

Ajimu who stood in the blast radius for his declarations, casually listening with her hands behind her back seemed entirely unaffected. She let out a puff of air from her mouth. Then she continued her walk to cross the distance between them. “My, my. Will you listen to yourself-ha! Even when you’re reckless, nonsensical, and impulsive, and absurd, even when you act cool, you don’t make any sense Kumagawa-kun.”

She walked until their toes were touching. Then, she moved further suddenly throwing herself at him. “But I still fell for you! ♡ ”The distance closed between them, their faces where touching, he caught her with his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck like a teen girl in the throes of love, and while Kumagawa stiffened against her he did not break away. He was puzzled but he agve up and just accepted it as it was.

She watched, completely silent. It was a long, entwining, violent kiss. After a time that she could not describe as for once he entire head went completely blank, it was Jimu finally who pulled away. In the moments after the kiss she backed away from him, and placed a finger on her lips. “Ufu! I gave my precious first kiss away, to Kumagawa-kun of all people. ☆” Her finger danced on her lips for a moment before landing on her chin instead. “Just kidding. The ‘lipservice’ just now was me giving it back, Kumagawa-kun. I thought I’d troll somebody else a little bit too, so take it, your first minus. But to give you back ‘Bookmaker’ I had to trade your ‘all fiction’ for it. YOu don’t need it anymore.” She causally threw her arms to her sides. “This new minus is more than enough to oppose Medaka and her firneds, right?”

Kumagawa grit his teeth, and narrowed his eyes. A moment after being kissed it looked like his whole face would fall apart. Whatever stitches that were holding Kumagawa together, Junko did not know that this was all it took, that he could be pulled apart at the seams so easily. After he finished wiping his lips he spoke up. “Is it really enough to oppose them, I wonder? But I thought you were supporting Medaka-chan and Zenkichi-chan?”

“I’mjust an even kind of gal. I lent Zenkichi-chan the sight, and returned your minus to you. Whether you oppose or resist, I believe you losing is an inescapable fate.” A smile crawled upon her lips as she said that. She was not a despair fetishist like Enoshima Junko, but she said that just to twist the screw embedded in Kumagawa’s heart a little bit deeper. He really was the only one she could enjoy hurting like this, the only one who reacted in a fun way. That feeling was nothing more than picking a favorite kitten from a litter of them though, it was nothing like a feeling of affection one might have for a human being.

Which is exactly why she had wanted to let Enoshima Junko watch this scene play out. To remind her of her place, so to speak. The one responsible for bringing him to his greatest moment of happiness, as well as his deepest moment of despair was only Ajimu Najimi. If Enoshima Junko had true affection for this boy, she might have approached this differently. However, she was not the type of person who shared her toys with somebody else who only viewed them as toys.

Kumagawa had stared in silence the whole time while the narrator waxed in a self indulgent internal monologue. He quickly turned around again and moved out the sliding door. “Anyway, thanks for giving it back. WIth this, I can be myself. I will show my gratitude, to her and to you.” Kumagawa finally looked where Junko was sitting, where she had been sitting silently the whole time watching the scene play out. “Sorrow will surpass happiness. It’ll be the most unexpected event in all of history, alright? So stop looking at me with such sad eyes.”

Then, the moment Kumagawa walked out the door he disappeared as if he had never existed. Junko realized she still had not managed to say anything. It was rare for her not to even get a single word in edgewise. Why? Why was that? Huh? What’s this situation? What’s going on? Huh? What’s this about? Huh? Her mind had been filled with that question repeating over and over from the moment she saw that kiss.

“He left in such an uncool way. Fufu, my Kumagawa-kun and Zenkichi-kun, even Medaka-chan they were all such handfuls even long ago.” She walked over and casually swung her legs around and then jumped straight onto the desk Junko was sitting on, landing on top of it.

“You’re… Ajimu…” Junko finally managed to say. This was the first time she had ever seen that girl’s face. The first time she had ever seen that girl’s eyes. Crimson red eyes, the same eyes she and Kamakura both shared, eyes that were bored with the entire world.

“I thought I’d show you something fun, since this is the last time we’re ever going to meet. Ah but, even a scene like that turned out pretty boring.” Her head drooped forward almost all the way, casting her face in shadow. “God, just how long are they going to squabble over such pointless things? They’re all the same in my eyes. Nothing but a bunch of trash. Light and Darkness. Good and Evil. Poison and Antidote. Strength and Weakness. Black and White. Success and Failure. Hope and despair. They’re really all the same after all, why hasn’t everyone realized this already… no matter how much I pushed you you wouldn’t realize it either. Oh well, how boring. Let's meet again in the real world, Enoshima Junko-chan. I hope when that happens it'll be something you didn't expect.”

With the flippant dismissal of an easily bored girl, her last conversation with Ajimu Najimi ended. She woke up from her dream.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“8, 9…”

Ensohima Junko suddenly regained consciousness. Her eyes flew open as she saw Medaka a distance away from her counting down. Out of spite if nothing else, she suddenly wanted to prove that red eyes girl wrong. She remembered what she had heard Kumagawa say within his own heart. I want to win. Even though she could not fathom it, she felt a bit jealous. What it must feel like for him to always be losing, so that to him a win would be worth something, to him hope was the unexpected. She wanted to know desperately how it felt, how he felt. She used a strength that her body did not have to reach to the side and slam the big red button on Monokuma’s throne. Oh, how she loved big red buttons in climactic moments.

Congratulations.
Medaka was voted guilty.
Time for her punishment.

Enoshima Junko waved goodbye just as a steel wire shot out, and clamped its end around Medaka’s neck. Using all of it’s force to drag her back.

Super Duper Nasty Torture

Suddenly, the entire room folded out around them and transformed bringing to life the five executions that Enoshima Junko herself had imagined for the sake of her killing game. This was the grand finale, brought about far too early.

Million Fungoes

Medaka was pulled back and forced to sit in a batting cage. She saw a pitching machine rise up suddenly, and shoot baseballs at her with the speed of a machine gun. Immediately since her hands were free she drew them up and struck at each one to deflect them. They all flew back, leaving holes in the caging around her not a single one leaving a scratch on her.

Motorcycle Death Cage

She was pulled back again and landed in a cart. Before she could even reorient herself, the cage started to spin around her at high speed. Medaka had never been on a roller coaster before, but she was used to moving this fast with Kurokami phantom. She crossed her arms and tightened every muscle in her body to resist the force of gravity with her core. The cage broke before she did, and she was dragged along once more.

Versailles Style Witch Hunt Stake

She landed with flames surrounding her. Any other person would have immediately begun to panic and make things worse for themselves, but she calmly sat up, crossed her legs and once more focused at her center. The lames licked her, but she kept her breathing controlled in and out. Then, when a firetruck suddenly fell down, she jumped backwards at just the right moment to avoid it. It smothered the rest of the flames.

A dozer master

Medaka was pulled straight into an active construction machine, and dug both her feet into the ground, and put her hands over her head, blocking every single downward blow rom the metal above her. Her hands grew bruised, and she could feel her legs starting to shake, but she refused to break. The arm of the machine broke before she did, and she punched it in the air away from her with a final blow.

The Space Journey

She found herself dragged straight into a rocket. Before she could reorient herself she was blasted up into the air. As she felt her body lifting, she slammed her arms and legs into the side so that she would not feel the force of gravity crush her when she inevitably fell back down.

Detention

Dizzy from her fall, she did not notice herself begin dragged along a conveyor belt. She looked up with weary eyes to see that a giant metal block was slamming up and down at the end of this conveyor belt. Kurokami Medaka saw it rise one final time. She watched with incredibly tired eyes, and then felt the chain around her neck tug her forward one final time. This time however she got up on her own. Like Atlus attempting to carry the world, she turned her back to the falling weight above her and bent over. Just for a moment when it was supposed to fall, it hesitated and the entire machine groaned. I’m going to die. I’ll never seen Zenkichi again. She thought in that moment that seemed to last for an eternity. THen, the weight fell on her and Medaka struggled, her knees bent, she could hear the bones in her body creaking with the effort.

WIth one final push she threw the weight off of her and it landed behind her, breaking the wire that had been dragging her through this whole obstacle course of death. Medaka stood up triumphant just for a moment, only to feel her eyes grow heavy and immediately collapse forward.

A few moments later the clacking of high heels could be heard. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7… bored now whatever… Once again I’ve won.”

She looked at the unconscious beast like girl before her. A smile teased itself on her lips. “Ooooh, lucky. That’s despair you’re feeling. See, you can lose just like everybody else. You’re no different from your beloved humans. You’re just a normal human girl too.”

She stepped on Medaka’s skull for a moment, considering on a whim what it might be like to just kill her right now and rid the world of her hope like a thief in the night. Ultimately, she decided against it. “Well, I hope you learned your lesson. You don’t need to thank me. I like to think of myself as an educator.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The moment she stepped out of the old school building, she was met with despair filled screams. “Medaaaaakaaaaa! How the hell could you do something like that to her?” Zenkichi was only barely being held back by Naze and Koga.

“She’s the one who said anything goes, and I can use the whole school building as our arena. I haven’t done anything outside of the rules. Call it blindfold guy. Call this one for Enoshima-sama.” She didn’t care enough about him to remember his name.

Just then, another voice, a latecomer to the party spoke up. “Yes, but it is suspicious how you managed to know there were modifications like that to the old school building ahead of time.” Munakata Kyousuke walked in, dragging by the collar of his uniform behind him Gagamaru. “Even more suspicious how I was late today because somebody ordered this child to make sure I didn’t arrive here to see the fight.”

Enoshima Junko shrugged. “Beats me. Ask Kumagawa-senpai about that stuff. I’m just his hostage remember, and that’s one of his flunkies.”

Munakata drew out the katana he was carrying in his free hand. He pointed it’s sharpened end straight at Enoshima Junko. “Funny that too, he hasn’t been seen in a whole weak. Principal’s office young girl, I’m charging you with the disappearance of Kumagawa Misogi.”

He tossed Gagamaru to the side. Only for the boy like all minuses who were beaten down, to stand back up on his own and step in between the two of them. “There’s no way I can let that happen.”

“She doesn’t care at all for you or any of your other friends,” Munakata warned him sternly.

Gagamaru smiled. As he did his cracked monocle fell off his face. He put a hand in his hair and slicked it back. “I know, it’s hardly rational but I still can’t let you touch her. This person is precious to the person precious to me.”

“Gag!” Junko shouted from behind him.

Gagamaru smiled. “It’s fine, I’m used to being looked down upon by the plus. Let’s go then, encounter!”

The  minus of Chougasaki Gagamaru Encounter had been changed. Because of his personality that was rational one might assume he was the weakest of the minus, and he hadn’t come under the spotlight yet, but the battle power of Gagamaru was actually the higest of all the minuses Kumagawa Misogi had gathered under him in pure physical terms. He had a body of tremendous strength. However, possessing this strength since childhood he knew that if he ever fought seriously, or retaliated against anyone trying to hurt him he would absolutely destroy them. So, every trauma he faced, every single bit of damage, he pretended as if it had never happened. He pushed all of the damage away, often complaining it was nothing more than an unfortanate accident. People too, to keep them safe from his strength he pushed them away.

However, he could not push them away infinitely. Just like Toko his minus had a limit and every once in awhile he would snap away from his rational mode into a personality that irrationally grew angry at others. All of the damage he had been pushing away since then, he lashed out at whatever was in front of him. Bones that were tough enough never to break, muscles that seemed to operate without limit, and a mind that saw exactly how the things in front of him could fall apart. Collectively, they made up encounter, and he who could use it was truly the strongest and most battle ready of all the minuses.

Chougasaki Gagamaru however, lost to Munakata and fell down before he was stepped over so the sword wielding silver haired man could reach Enoshima Junko.

“Wow, a minus lost. Big shocker.” Junko said, as if she did not feel anything at all for the person who had just fought to near death to protect her. “Whatsup Munakata? There’s something different about you get a makeover or something?

Suddenly before answering her question Munakata disappeared and reappeared behind her. He moved faster than she thought he possibly could move, and her body worn out entirely from the fight could not react in time. She saw those eyes, the eyes she had encouraged to crush despair for the sake of aggravating despair even further. Ah, he’s going to kill me. She thought, and the thought of dying did not seem to bother her as much as she thought it would.

Then, she was nowhere near Munakata. Somebody had picked her up in his arms and jumped backwards, while screws from every angle dug themselves into the spot where Munakata was once standing. One of them straight through his shoulder. The proud, and strong Munakata could no longer strand up straight. In an instant the strength seemed to drain from his body, he fell forward, and his hair turned from gray to white. “I-I’m sorry, It’s my fault so please forgive me.”

“You’re not forgiven.” A familiar yet unfamiliar voice spoke above her. Enoshima Junko looked up, and saw Kumagawa Misogi making a face she did not recognize at all. All of the exhaustion and pain which he always hid with a smile was now plainly written on his face. His eyes were sharp and narrow rather than wide. He looked down at her at the same moment, and just from being carried bridal style like this, just from being saved, she felt her heart race.

“Kumagawa-senpai...”

“Really? Are you stupid or something you couldn’t find your own way out of that situation? Why do I have to save trash like you?” Kumagawa asked her, in a tired voice that sounded too much like her own.

He dropped her summarily on the ground the next moment, not even bothering to gently let her gown. He turned to Chougasaki, immediately drawing the attention of everybody else present. Even Zenkichi who had run into the old school building to drag Medaka out of it, and now was supporting her over his shoulder.

“Chougasaki-kun. Call it. Two wins. Two Losses. I believe it’s time for sudden death.”

Chapter 22: The World Must Be Destroyed

Summary:

Kumagawa loses in this one.

Notes:

There's a Durarara!! reference in this chapter once again comparing Junko to Izaya Orihara.

“Hey, Kumagawa-senpai what’s with your face? It’s dumb, but it’s dumb in a way that’s different from your usual dumb face.”

“...”

“What’s with your voice too? You’re not talking like you usually do.”

“...”

“Hey, how come you won’t even show me a smile? You’re boring when you’re like this.”

“Are you going to say you miss the old me, Junko-chan? I told you, I was going to reinvent my personality. If you didn’t want me to change then you should not have killed me.”

“I didn’t… well I… the old you was weird, but he was kind of funny too. Besides, who gave you permission to change? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too hasty.”

Kumagawa stopped and sighed. The eyes he showed her did nothing at all to hide the disdain he felt for her, no, the whole world in that moment. If Kumagawa’s eyes were once an ocean, they had dried up now and revealed the cracks in the earth hidden underneath them. “It’s annoying to hear that, from somebody who constantly gets bored of her own personality.”

Kumagawa and Junko had gotten used to walking side by side, but now he walked easily ahead of her and she found herself trailing behind him. While they made their way back to the centralized meeting room, others had gathered around them to try to impede their path.

“You’re all just being sore losers! It has nothing to do with reformation! Just lose already and be thrown out of Hope’s Peak Academy.”
“Untalented trash! We’re not scared of you anymore!”
“Fit back into your slot with the rest of the second class students!”
“Go back to the reserve course already!”

Kumagawa did not smile at these insults as he usually did. He scowled and looked at them all with dry eyes, “Stand Aside.”

That simple command cleared out the students that were in their path, forcing them to split like the red seas to make way for him. The movement was so sudden, it created a change in the wind which whipped the coat tails of Kumagawa’s uniform. Junko found herself staring at his back again, somehow preferring it to the images of the terrified faces of students stepping out of Kumagawa’s way.

“Mm, thank you…” He muttered under his breath, casually walking forward. Shibushi and Mikan arrived just in time to help Gagamaru stand up off the ground between the two of them. Which left Maguro, Hitoyoshi, Naze and Koga standing and staring at what was left in Kumagawa’s wake.

Medaka still showed the tears on her uniform, and the blood stains on her face, all in the effort she had made and failed at in trying to avoid Junko’s trap. However, a massage from Maguro learned from his encounter with Nekomaru Nidai was all it took for her to start standing again. Even Enoshima Junko who had extremely precise expectations for every human being and was used to disappointment, was slightly impressed by the vivacity of that girl.

Kumagawa and Medaka stood across from each other, like it was the first time they had ever stood face to face. Enoshima Junko did not really like this new face of Kumagawa’s, but she especially hated the look in his eyes right now. The disdain that grew on his face and plummeted the depths of his heart even further the moment he met Medaka and looked at her, was akin to falling in love at first sight. “Nice to meet you, Medaka-chan. It’s me.”

“...Haha. I’m glad I lost. Your words, and your heart. It feels like I can finally face them.”

The mask off, and falsehoods discarded. The last battle with the now expressionless Kumagawa Misogi had begun.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Sudden death is unnecessary, Kumagawa-sama. The rules favor the challenger, even a tie will end with your victory.”

Kumagawa froze for a moment. Even in his expressionless mask, a bit of old emotion leaked through as his eyes widened and grew cloudy. Just for that moment he thought of simply going back to those old days, where it was just him and Junko in the student council’s office. Then, he thought back again to the last time when it was just him and Ajimu and he thought he was happy. There was no way that was the happiness he wanted, he would not be satisfied unless he won. His eyes sharpened, and his resolve to like a double edged knife that could cut Medaka and himself.

He thought one additional thing, Junko would be bored with days of just him and her passing the time like normal students, even if they were fun for him. “I want to win.” He repeated it again simply. The resolve which he had based his entire new personality around.

August 22nd. The day of the President’s Battle and the last day of summer.

They were all lined up in a room with black and white tiled floor. On one side, Medaka, Zenkcihi, Naze, Koga, Maguro, Togami and Toko. While Makoto was still in the hospital watching Mukuro and Munakata quickly sent to the hospital to treat his strange and sudden nervous symptoms. On the other side, Junko, Kumagawa, Shiraishi, Mikan, Shibushi and Gagamaru, the latter three having returned from the mission Junko sent them on to distract members from the 78th class from directly witnessing her fight so she could go all out.

“Then, the final battle you will have to fight with Shiranui or Gagamaru. While the student council will have to put forward another substitute. Do your best without regrets.”

“Riiiight, I have no ‘regrets’!” Shinraui said, as she tore a bite from a piece of chicken in her mouth.

Naze side eyed Zenkichi. “... Hey, Zen-chan. That Shiranui is your friend, right? It’s a bit late to ask but still.. Can she fight?”

“She can’t fight. She’s probably weaker than a beetle. It’s surprising to see her here in the first place. She’s always takes the shady approach and excels in it, she’s someone who rarely stands front and center. She may be aligned with the minus student council right now but, I have never seen Shiranui Hansode lose before. I wonder, what she wants so badly she’d even come stand on the stage to see it, what feast she wants to gorge her eyes upon.”

Naze, looked back with her one eye. “She’s weak but never loses… hm… she’s the same breed as the foul-king, or are we supposed to call her the ultimate cheater now?”

“That’s right, there’s one difference though… Hey, wait a moment! How is the Ultimate Cheater even a talent? How come I’m the only one in the reserve course and not her!”

Their serious discussion was suddenly broken up by Zenkichi’s protests. Normally while Kumagawa would also be engaging in banter at his own at the moment, he stayed completely silent. Even when Junko tried to prod at him. She soon grew bored when she did not receive his attention, and instead looked at his face from the side. She tried to observe him, but as usual could discern no certain detail. He really is a weird guy! Was all that she thought.

“No, if you will please draw a card as usual Shinranui-sama. To decide the rules for the second president’s battle, from our pre-prepared cards.”

“No.” Shiranui wiped her lips finally and gave an innocent smile. “I won’t choose. I have no intention of fighting, and I recommend a change of rule’s takes place since there are no previous rules to account for a sudden death match. It should be decided with the Minus’s leader Kumagawa Misogi-senpai, as Kurokami Medaka’s opponent. Those two are meant for one another, you see.”

Medaka and Kumagawa immediately locked eyes from across the room, surprise showing on both of their usually emotionless faces. While Enoshima Junko caught between their glares, glanced at one of them, and then the other.

“It’s better this way, do you really think if we ended things in a tie either side would accept their loss and withdraw? Besides the election is nothing but a pretext. If you think about it, there isn’t a single person on both sides who won’t fight until the end. So, until Kurokami Medaka and Kumagawa Misogi settle things, it won’t end.”

Zenkichi smiled with pride. “So that’s your plan this time? Just to get Medaka-chan and Kumagawa to fight each other you went through all that trouble behind everyone’s back, you even changed the stage to a different school. But even so, you’re certainly deciding a lot of things on your own here.”

Shiranui shrugged. “Well yeah, in the end since people are so selfish there really is no better way than this. In this school to, there’s an especially selfish girl who would get in the way of things. Mutual understanding is difficult, that’s why they need to talk this out and convey the truth, right ★?”

“Please Wait, Shiranui-sama. We don’t even know yet if a sudden death is a valid ending for this game. There are no rules written.”

“You wouldn’t, would you? But jokes aside, I’d figure you’d be the second biggest obstacle here Ultimate Election Official Chojabaru Tokemichi-senpai, that’s why I came prepared naturally.” She presented in her hands, a note from the principal. Kirigiri Jin who seemed to be oblivious to this whole affair. “He owes me a favor for helping his daughter, so he let me make one measly little rule change.”

“That means the reason Shiranui’s been wandering around campus for an entire month is to accomplish this shady dealing, no, this battle of her own,” Naze commented.

Zenkichi right next to her, nodded his head. “That’s right, and that is the difference between Nabeshima-senpais and Shiranui. Nabeshima-sepai may go around the rules, but Shiranui just outright changes them.”

“And that’s it for now folks! That is to say, what say you princess? Will you accept my proposal.”

Medaka averted her eyes,. “I’ve had enough of fighting women who are not entirely there when you look at them.” She glanced at Junko for a moment then looked back again to Kumagawa who she could not take her eyes off. “So if you decided to do this, then fine by me. That is of course, if the other concerned party Kumagawa agrees as well.”

Shiranui swung her hands at her side, carefree. “Ah, that’s true.” It was as if she had forgotten his existence entirely in her machinations, even though he was the start of this all. “What do you say, Kumagawa-senpai. Will you fight? Or won’t you?”

Kumagawa closed his eyes, his entire face stressing itself with his thoughts. They seemed to stay close for the longest time, then suddenly he opened them and casually declared it with a hand in his pocket. “I’ll fight… I’ll fight with Medaka-chan.” For a moment as every looked at him, his eyes went crooked. “Enoshima Junko,  the destruction of Hope’s Peak, those were all distractions that’s the only reason I’m here in the first place.”

Not him and Junko, but rather him and Medaka. Those two were the two ships who could not merely pass each other in the night.

Shiranui waved her hand flippantly at Choujabaru. “That wraps it up! Then, I guess that’s decided, I don’t really know the details so I’ll let you take care of the rest.” She danced away on her small feet, moving past Zenkichi. For a moment their eyes met, and they both smiled. It was all each other needed to know their faith was rewareded. “And my turn’s over… Thanks for the tasty meal.”

Kumagawa sighed, not even enjoying Shiranui’s performance. “Then, Choujabaru-kun we’ve wasted enough time, so shall we get started. I’ll pick the “human” card.”

Junko tilted her head with a soft “oh” realizing both she and Kumagawa had picked the same card. When Choujabaru explained the rules for a second time there was a silence.

Then, Kumagawa’s body seemed to drain itself of tension, and he slumped his shoulders looking up at an odd angle. His blank eyes were staring elsewhere, not looking at anybody in the room. “To give the opponent side the chance to place whatever impossible condition against you. Oh dear, in the end I still picked a fitting card for me. Thank god, if it wasn’t for that I wouldn't have been able to win.”

Junko wondered for a moment which god in particular Kumagawa wanted to thank. The god of despair, the god of coincidence, or perhaps just Ajimu the girl he worshipped at the bottom of his heart.

“With the name ‘Human Comparison’ The stage is all of Hope’s Peak Academy starting from now this place. There are no fouls, you can use any weapon you like, with no time-up the fight can continue for all eternity until it’s settled. There is only one rule. You only lose if you believe you’ve lost. There are no hidden rules, no other rules can be made from this point.”

Kumagawa smiled. He held his hand forward at the same time Medaka seemed to invite him to. “Okay, the simplicity is great. Even though I resent you, as an opponent I have to applaud you for exhibiting such fairness. It’s our destiny to settle this long encompassing battle, let’s have a good match Medaka-chan.”

“Yes… let’s... “

“God, get a room.” Enoshima Junko muttered under her breath, and then bit her lip hard to stop herself from saying more.

The next moment, Medaka’s body seemed to be pierced with screws from every angle. Kumagawa’s body was arced forward completing the momentum of his throw. “Thank you for exhibiting such fair behavior, it’s the biggest reason why I hate you so much!” He said, without hiding a shred of the disdain, in his face, in his lips down turned in a smile and especially in his eyes.

“Medaka-chan! I really thought you might have changed all this time it seemed like you wanted to win, but you’re still the same sneaky cheating bastard.”

Kumagawa stood tall with pride at those accusations. “Of course not… I’m me all the way through. There’s no meaning if I don't win as a minus. If I don’t bathe in the jeers, carrying the stigma of self-hatred, I won’t be able to beat Medaka-chan.”

However from the cloud of dust she had been thrown into, Medaka emerged completly unharmed, holding the screws in her hands, underneath her arms, and one in her teeth. “Is that so? That makes me so happy. Your true strength, your sincerity, makes me so happy.”

“Why are you laughing after I ambushed you?” Kumagawa’s eyebrows tensed and he said a phrase Junko was familiar with. “You’re so weird.”

“Yes, I was impatiently trying to endure it but I can’t do it anymore. I can’t help but grin widely. It’s been nearly three years since the summer break of seventh grade, but it felt like three hundred million years. Kumagawa, I’ve been waiting for this day, for three hundred million years!” Then, even without mars mode, even with her strength and abilities contained to the laws of reality she bit the screw in her mouth straight in half causing it to disssolve into metallic scraps. “I hold neither resentment or anger against you, I have nothing but grattitude for everything this fight represents, and for everyone especially Kamakura Izuru, and Enoshima Junko for setting it up.”

They were both like wind socks with empty ends. They both had lived their lives accepting everything that happened to them, with one small difference. Medaka accepted it with positivity, and Kumagawa with negativity. As she held her hands out wide to embrace him, to embrace despair as he had advised her to so long ago at the start of this ridiculous imitation shonen battle tournament that somehow took place in reality he watched with a blank expression on his face.

“You really are weird.” He said a second time, eliciting another glance for Enoshima Junko. “Of course this side of you, I hate it as well. That’s why I won’t hold back and use it, my first minus, book maker.” When he held the screw in his hands like that, the only part of his face that remained visible was his smile. The rest of him faded into obscurity, as he was soon to be too.

As they all turned away, it was Junko who reached out and grabbed Kumagawa by the arm. “What’s your deal? You’re suddenly walking around with that self serious mood, don’t you have any last words or anything before you die?” She remembered it, the smile he showed her last time. The smile that she thought was hers. “You’re mine you know, my piece to play against Medaka. Who gave you permission to change so suddenly?”

Kumagawa looked back at her then. His expressionless eyes meeting hers, easily. “I’m thinking about things. Now that I’ve realized my feelings, the feelings in my heart I’ve held all along I need to convey them clearly to the person they belong to.”

Enoshima Junko’s heart skipped a beat at that. Possessively, her clawed nails tightened around the black sleeve of his uniform until she saw the fabric wrinkle. He would likely need to tear his arm off, before she willingly let go of him.

In Junko’s silence he continued to talk. “What is there to say? It’s either I die, or you get bored and disappear. There’s nothing to say, and nobody to say it to, except…”  He knew she was not going to let go on her own, she was far too possessive. It was only in this controlling behavior that she would ever express herself. That was just her nature. Even if he disagreed, he was hardly the person who would fault her for it. So instead, he touched her wrist gently again and untwisted her grip away from him. Not letting go of her hand, he leaned down and kissed her fingers near those same red nails. “Goodbye.”

Not with a knife, but rather with a kiss, sharply, the black thread that connected both of their pinkies and intertwined their fates, twisting them into one, seemed severed at that moment.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

She is wonderful.
Kumagawa Misogi thought as a fist flew into his face, and he in return flew backwards, only catching  himself by dragging his feet and one hand across the ground. He had no time to think, all of his time he spent thinking and observing Medaka in their fight and that simple conclusion was all he could come up with.

No longer did they fight in the shadows of the academy. Students had gathered around,a nd at the head of the pack Ishimaru was causing a fuss. “Fighting is disallowed on school grounds! We can’t let this violence continue!”

Next to him, Uzen grabbed him by the sleeve. Just then both Medaka and Kumagawa started to climb the central building of the academy as their fight started to twist further, and they too spiraled around each other. The sight he saw that moment was beyond human expectation. Unzen however was not even surprised. “Do you get it now? Not even the administration could get in the middle of that fight since Kurokami is so serious.”

Sitting in a classroom, the other participants had gathered to watch through the window. KOga leaned out it with excitement, her love or the abnormal still fully on display. “Increidble… THey’re climbing the clock tower while fighting.”

Enoshima Junko tilted her head again. “Hmm? Who knew Loser Kumagawa-senpai was capable of looking so cool.”

“It’s Kurokami’s tendency to push her opponents above their level, but this is beyond imagination. It’s like Kumagawa is the only one in the world who could equal her to this extent.”

At that moment. Enoshima Junko bit down hard on one of her red nails. She regretted even voicing her opinion out loud. The fight was amazing, like something she had seen in an anime brought to reality. Her eyes could see every single movement even from this far away. For awhile as she watched a smile grew steadily on her face, whether it was exhilarating from the fight or anticipation from what was to come she did not know. However, even witnessing such an extraordinary event taking place in reality, even completely absorbed in the moment she fell to a familiar bad habit.

She became bored, her expression slipping into sullenness. Her head turned away and only looking out the window, nobody else but her noticed this. She thought she was bored at least. Watching Kumagawa get thrashed, and thrash about at the same time. Watching that person she had spent all this time cultivating with, get beaten hard while she did nothing let it play out before her eyes. That should have been an extraordinary event, especially with the unreal shape the fight was taking place in.

However, she felt quite ordinary, that is to say ordinary for Enoshima Junko which was empty. She felt nothing at watching this scene, or rather a nothingness inside of her. All of her excitement had become nothing. It was an odd loneliness she felt, and she realized Kumagawa too was struggling all alone. There was absolutely no reason for them to be apart, but she had decided to make it so.

She put her fingers over her mouth, the same fingers he had kissed a few moments ago. No, that was not the reason for this, she was just bored. Even when she completed her perfect plans to spread despair, she still felt bored because everything went well. That is how it always was. Nothing had changed, and she had not changed.

“What are you guys doing? Hurry up and follow them. If we don’t hurry we’ll miss the conclusion.” Maguro called out to all of them.

However, standing alone with her head turned to everyone else, Enoshima JUnko did not hear him, and she was left alone in the classroom.

“Miss the conclusion? Kurokami-san, who do you think will win?”

Then Kurokami who possessed a similar analysis to her, and a similiar tendency towards obsessiveness came to the same conclusion. “Isn’t the answer obvious? With such a straightforward battle there’s no way the minus Kumagawa, would beat the plus, Medaka-chan.”

Enoshima Junko watched them both kick off the rooftop of the highest building and soar high into the air. Everything went as expected, and she felt nothing at all at this fact. Despite Kumagawa’s rebellious nature, despite how close he had tried to get, or how hard he thrashed about, reality refused to change.

Medaka drew back another fist, pausing for the first time in their fight. “I’m going to hit you seriously, endure it.”

Kumagawa smiled and said seriously. “Yeah… Let me have it.”

Crack.
Shatter.
Fall.
Crash. 

Kumagawa disagreed with Enoshima Junko in one vital area, he thought there was nothing beautiful about falling. He crashed into the woof and saw a crater form around him from impact alone. Despite the pain that suddenly reverberated through his body in an echo to his crashing impact, his mind was rather calm and objective. Aaah, Damnit. She really is strong, Medaka-chan. Thoroughly strong, peerlessly amazing, soaringly high-spirited and incredibly cool, and overwhelmingly absolute girl, and even after I went and got it back there doesn’t seem to be an opening to use my original minus “Book Maker.”

As Kumagawa grit his teeth, and narrowed his eyes to bare the pain, Medaka landed flawlessly, and smiled without a care. “Hah Ha! Isn’t this fun, Kumagawa? Isn’t it fun to fight with each other!? Now! Let’s fight even more.”

Kumagawa wondered for a moment if Medaka had failed to set a time limit on the fight because she really did want the fight to last forever. If she could spend her whole life laboring to redeem him, then she would no longer need to think about herself or her purpose. The two of them carried the missing components for one another, Kumagawa human vice, and Medaka human strengths. If only they could flow into one another, they might find their consciousnesses disappearing and their loneliness as well.

However, Kumagawa did not want to disappear or become nothing. He had lived all this time and suffered so much for that simple desire. His face relaxed. My, my, she’s so blissfully oblivious of how I feel. She’s really a girl who doesn’t understand the feelings of all the weak unmotivated and unable people. He had already come to realize those feelings deep within his heart, perhaps Ajimu was trying to nudge them all alone. From the first day of Medaka’s seventh grade when she told Kumagawa that somebody much more interesting had shown up. When she stoked the flames of his inferiority complex hoping they would burn towards Medaka.

Shiranui had asked him for a simple favor, and he had learned so many things since he left the doors of Suisou. To pay her back, he wanted to at least try to follow her advice. As he struggled again to stand up alone he finally said it. “I really despised you, now and long ago. While I loved you, now and long ago.”

His entire body looked limp, he said those words with a disarming amount of honesty and even Medaka who was trying to make herself disappear was suddenly dragged back to reality with him. “More than Anshinin-san who I obeyed, more than my father, more than my other, I loved you. From the moment I  met you back then, I tried real hard to grasp your essence. My greatest regret is that the advice I gave you that day wasn’t good enough, it didn’t make me your childhood friend since two years old, and it meant you had forgotten about me from the time we met in middle school.”

“What is it Kumagawa? You can’t possibly be trying to admit defeat already.”

“No, there’s just something I’ve only just realized. Something that I didn’t understand about my own feelings.” Kumagawa’s eyes sharpened with the intensity of what he felt. The reason he had gone after her from the first day of school, the reason he wanted to be the sole exception the person he could not save, the reason he wanted to destroy her heart it was always out of love. “These feelings of mine, I hope they make you sick so I’ll just tell them to you. I love you, Medaka-chan. You’re my first love.”

At his long winded confession that spiraled and became more twisted as it went on, Medaka simpy smiled accepting it again without discretion. “Is that so? Of course, I too love you.”

“Thank you but…It’s not really ‘me’, it’s humanity isn’t it? That’s why…” Suddenly from the earth around Medaka’s feet several screws grew up like spears in every diretion. It was exactly the trap that Junko had meant for Chiaki Nanami, and then later Ikusaba Mukuro. Medaka too absorbed in the conversation did not even notice in time to dodge. From every single angle she was pierced.

“That’s mine…” Enoshima Junko muttered again, her hand now covering her eyes. Whether she was talking about the instant kill move, or the words of love Kumagawa spoke at this instant not even she herself knew. However, in her agitation to silence her feelings somewhere between hot and cold, that also spiraled around inside of her like a warm front colliding with a cold front creating a storm, she bit her fake thumb nail hard and broke it in half. A shard  was all that was left, and a dull pain. However, Enoshima Junko muttered a few more times. “Mine, minemmine.” Her words ran into each other, and became chaos, just like her feelings, but she didn’t mind too much because that was despair. She moved onto the next nail and bit down hard on that one too. They were just fake nails so she could replace them later.

Zenkichi who had climbed to the rooftop saw his beloved Medaka and immediately lost his composure. “What the hell are you doing? There’s no way I can forgive what you’ve done so far, how is that conveying your feelings.”

“Silence, Zenkichi-hcan. WHat would her childhood friend from the age of 2 know? Don’t forget either the one who met Medaka-chan first, was me!” The screws slowly unwound themselves leaving only one left in her chest. “No need to fuss anyway, the sight is shocking but the damage to the body is zero. ‘Book Maker’ is merely a minus that soils the heart, it strips away talent and pushes my feelings onto them. It’s only now she’ll understand them. Not as a human, but the despair of Kumagawa Misogi. A life time’s worth of despair.”

Medaka who had fallen over with a screw driven straight through her chest, finally spoke up. Those present on the rooftop could see, and Enoshima Junko afar from a window, that all the color had driven out of her hair.  『Yes.It’s like nothing really matters. It’s my loss. Forgive me.』

Kumagawa Misogi smiled wide enough to show all of his teeth, bearing his frontward tipped fangs with a certain ferocity. This feeling he had never expeienced before, this first time feeling, he wanted to devour everything that was in front of him. I won.

Enoshima Junko too, broke away from her spiral for a moment and sincerely thought Kumagawa might have won. It made her heart skip a beat.

“Is that what you thought I would say?” Then, Medaka’s sudden turnaroud made the hearts of those two despair addled minds plummet even further. “A minus that turns a plus into a minus, I see how frightening far scarier than ‘All Fiction’ but if that’s the case, Kumagawa, it seems your standards are truly too low.”

She jumped up to her feet as easily as before. “You fight for your minus friends, you fight for the honor of the minus in your heart, you fight to stand with those minus who are weaker, with this your heart cannot possibly be weak, you cannot possibly be in despair.” She smiled at him, closing her eyes. “I don’t know why Kamakura called me hope, to me, you of all of us represent the strongest hope of them all. I hated this about you, now and long ago, while I also loved you, now and long ago.”

Kumagawa staggered back. Enoshima Junko far away felt her expectations adjust, as Medaka spoke truly the things for so long she had trouble understanding about Kumagawa’s heart. “How…” in fear of his own feelings he scrambled, “Even though you’ve fallne to my level why are you saying such things I don’t understand it!”

“Please understand Kumagawa-senpai, I don’t wish to antagonize you or look down on you.”

At the time he thought her mere existence was looking down on him. That was why he sent Akune to destoy her. He knew the moment she arrived that his happiness in middle school had come to an end, that Ajimu would take interest in her over him and he would lose this one small thing he had managed to gain. She who had everything would manage to take from him, who had nothing.

When he lost Ajimu it would be the end of his world, so he decided first to destroy her with his own hands. Now, she had followed him to Hope’s Peak when he had finally found a school he wanted to stay in, when he had finally found friends. That is what she had followed him here for right? To take from him again.

You’re not… You’re not taking them from me then why… Why do I always lose these things it’s… frustrating… I can’t… words for it…

He thought of Enoshima Junko staring at his back with her bright red eyes. Those same eyes he hated.

It’s so disappointing. I’m so disappointing.
There was nothing ever fancy about it, we were never destined rivals or anything like that, genuis or loser, hope or despair it didn’t matter, the simple fact of the matter is.
She’s wonderful and I’m terrible.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

At that moment Kumagawa lost all will to live. Those feelings he thought had been so precious buried in the pits of his heart, became nothing. All as Enoshima Junko expected. He saw her eyes once more, and wondered if this was what she wanted. There was nothing more, he saw his future loss in sight.

However, at this Kumagawa Misogi smiled. “No way… I won’t lose to you…Even without Bookmaker…” Even if he was only proceeding towards the end and acting perfectly in the role Enoshima Junko cast for him, there was still one thing left that this puppet could do. He could dance terribly, until the strings themselves broke. Thrashing violently around, hurting others and most of all himself, it was what he had done all along, and it was all he found himself capable of. “I haven’t lost a thing.”

He rushed forward to resume his fight.

“What the hell are you doing, fighting after giving such a cheap trick!” Zenkichi shouted, but Medaka calmed him in an insant.

“It’s fine. The Kumagawa who thrashes about wildly to protect his heart like this, is already strong after all. Those who win are not strong, it is those who lose and crawl back up are who are strong.”

He immediately struck her in the face. “I said, I will not lose!”

Medaka fell bakwards for a moment, and then rushed him again striking him back. “Yes you will.”

Kumagawa with blood falling out of both sides of his mouth, smiled again. “Hah-ha!” Now he sounded like the one enjoying the fight, wishing to disappear inside of it.”Ha Ha Ha Ha-
Ha Ha Ha Ha HaHaHaHa HaHaHa!” He heard the sound of laughter as they both struck one another again and again, and he no longer could tell who was laughing. Was it Medaka’s or his own.

As he took hit after hit, and dealt it back in same he tried to clarify those thoughts again. I’ve lived a life of constant loss. Natural Birth Parents. The Nurse Who Tried to Help Me. The Red Eyed Girl Who Saved Me. I’m not alright with loss, I never have been, even as a minus. I’m terrified of what I’ll lose next… who I’ll lose next… or who will lose interest in me. That’swhy I fought, I thought I could turn around this impossible situation. I thought I could…

Protect.

Komaeda. Mikan. Shibushi. Gagamaru. Mukuro.

Those weak people.

And weakest of all me.

And Enoshima Junko.

All of them, I arrogantly decided for myself I could protect all of them, when all I’ve ever been able to do is thrash about.

“I’m starting to understand, why Kumagawa-senpai threw away his all fiction. He wants to fight her properly, and beat her properly, or possibly fight her properly and lose properly. To win completely striking at the core, and laving no bone intact, without being restrained by any rules or promises, leaving no room for luck or chance, or completely lose otherwise. That’s what he wanted, a complete and total turnabout against impossible odds.” Youka Naze summarized as she watched those two struggle against each other neither of them gaining any ground at all. The earth seemed more likely to split up at their feet and swallow them before either of them would admit a loss.

I wanted to show you a victory that was just as unexpected as a despair filled loss, I thought if you saw that you might smile at me too, Junko.

So.

Why can’t I… ever… win…

Where did I go wrong?

Was it when I met Junko? When I transferred to this school? When I ran away from Medaka for three years? When I killed Ajimu? When I met Ajimu for the first time? When my parents abanoned me? When I blackmailed Hitomi? When I was born?

What wrong decision did I make to lock me into this ending.

Kumagwa thought, and finally in the unending flurry of blows he hesitated. That’s it. That’s what went wrong. The image of Enoshima Junko’s smile appeared in his mind. I mistakenly began to desire for something.

“Crawl back up Kumagawa Misogi, I will look forward to the day I get to save you!” Medaka spotted his opening and mercileslly struck him hard across the face, enough to bruise one eye and make him cough up blood as he flew backwards unable even to stand on his own anymore when he landed.

It was my mistake I’m sorry.

He lay on the ground as Medaka stood over him. “Hey… Medaka, can I make a request of you. A formaly request of the student council?” His voice already sounded like a whisper in a graveyard. It was so aint only Medaka could hear it. “I don’t want to lose, I don’t want this moment to end because of what will come next. It wasn’t about destroying you, or despair, or anything, I just wanted to keep those days in my fake student council lasting forever. It’s something I couldn’t bear to lose. I’ve finally found it, an unsustainable loss. That’s why I was fighting so hard, that’s why I wanted to win all this time. ”

“...”

“But it’s already gone, isn’t it? Even if I beat you in a fist fight here, those people won’t stay, I can’t stay at this school, and that girl will get bored of me. You’re wrong about me, I wasn’t being noble or strong, I just couldn’t change. Amd now, they’re all gone… the world is going to be…”

“Kumagawa-senpai.”

“Kill me, Medaka. That way, I won’t lose, and this match between us will go on forever. A world without them, isn’t worth enduring suffering for, a world without her isn’t beautiful at all.”

As he made this simple request, almost as if summoned by his intent alone it began to rain. Kumagawa’s blood which had become soaked into his uniform, and fell out in a puddle where he was laying, became mixed with water and washed away.

Ah, I hated the rain until I met you.
All it did was wash things waay
You liked it though, you like when rain unexpectedly falls on your parade.
So, it can’t be that bad.

“Yeah, you’re right. You’ve lost everything.” edaka agreed with him. She moved love him and then knelt down. Kumagawa smiled faintly as he thought his wish finally might come true.

A moment later, she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him. “Who was it that said, that things that were lost needed to be permanently lost? Who was it that said you couldn’t find them again?”

“What’s gone is gone. Besides a person like me can’t…”

“I already told you you’re better than you think you are! They won’t want to leave you simply because you’re wrothless and also.” She pulled his arms around him tighter for emphasis. “If you really think you’ve lost something, then you should live to search for it. As long as you’re alive you can find it again can’t you? If you’re a man who will never die, then keep living until the end of time and searching for them.”

Much softer, and only to him he whispered. “If you think I’m so wonderful, then let me help you.”

Kumagawa’s unreadable expression teetered haphazardly between hope and despair, but that was how he had always been. He was a mix between good and evil, but that was not some extraordinary characteristic. He was just a human being after all, all people had the same characteristics.

“I… I’ve lost to you. Aaah, damn it’s so frustrating.”

In the background, Tokemichi declared his loss but he couldn’t even hear it anymore. He had settled resting his head on Medaka’s shoulder, and being supported by her. He looked into the distance from the window he had spotted Enoshima Junko in, and saw she was gone. Oh well, she must have left a long time ago.

“Kumagawa-san.”

He heard footsteps approach and saw, Gagamaru, Shibuki and Mikan. “Sorry, I lost… but it’s fine, you don’t have to worry. I don’t know what’ll happen rom here on out, but I’ll even sacrifice myself to protect you and the rest of 77-B I was unable to save with my own body.”

“Sacrifice yourself to protect us? It’s a little late to joke around.”

Mikan pushed jealously at Medaka’s head. “Hey, give him back. I want him to rest on my lap so I can see his blood up close.”

“Wasn’t Kumagawa-san doing that all along? That’s why it’s our turn to protect you.” She msiled in a secere way. “Geez gimme a break. I thought there was nobody more minus than you, but you turned out to be such a nice guy.”

“I’ll say it’s quite troublesome. Since it’s been proven that even you can be reformed, there’s no reason we can’t as well.”  Gagamaru said, adjusting his monocle.

They lifted Kumagawa off of Medaka, and helped him stand up together. “Oh well, it’s impossible to change in one go.” Shibuki shrugged.

Gagamaru smiled. “You changed a bit already since we first met you, before you even fought with Medaka, right? As we keep winning and losing we’ll change little by little.”

Medaka looked after them. “Hey, where are you going?”

“I won’t die, I’ll keep my word, but… I don’t know where but I’ll disappear from this academy. No from this whole world… I won’t cause trouble for you guys anymore.”

“Were you even listening to what I just said? You really don’t understand me at all, huh? You’re such a weird one.” Medaka said straightening up finally as the white had cleared from her hair, and all traces of Kumagawa’s twisted screws disappeared from the academy entirely. She ripped the last of the bands around her arm and then held it out to him. “If you need something to chain yourself down to, then chain yourself to this. Kumagawa, you are needed. Please help me as my vice president.”

Kumagawa looked at her open hand. The same hand that had taken Komaeda away from him such a short time ago. The moment he felt the slightest inclination to reach for it though, Enoshima Junko’s image appeared in his mind, and she smiled at him once more. He felt nails pressing against his neck. He had no idea how to proceed forward, he just knew he wanted to see her one more time.

“Can I have… A day to think about it?”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko returned to her room, and already saw her next few moves coming into motion. Breaking away from Kumagawa felt like the chains on her heart finally being severed. She thought he was a persistent for sure, and a bit annoying, but one good thing had come from this.

A board that was once entirely in her favor was now completely reset. How despair inducing, she thought. How despairingly perfect. She reached for a deck of cards she kept in case she ever needed them for symbolic purposes and shuffled them.

Immediately she drew one card and threw it on the table, the fool. “Makoto.”

Then another, the strength. “Mukuro.’

Then another, the chariot. “Medaka.”

Then another, the magician, “Zenkichi.”

She lined up three more cards, wheel of fortune, death and the tower. “Komaeda, Kamakura and myself.”

“All of the pieces have been gathered. All except for you.” She picked up the devil finally, and then tossed it aside. “Kumagawa has been discarded from the scenario. If all he can do is cling to some big breasted girl’s hope, then he’s not even worth considering.”

One by one, the cards alligned themselves. Until finally she drew the world. “It will all fall into place again, and then the world will end.” She drew up the ice pick she had once tried to stab both Kamakura and Mukuro with, and slammed it hard into the card. Alone she broke out into another fit of laughter.

Behind her the door swung open. “Junko-chan, are you laughing and acting like a dork all alone in your room again?” Kumagawa’s voice called out to her.

Junko glared back behind her shoulder, but gave him nothing but a low growl. “What do you want? Have you come to beg for something?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.” He was standing behind her now. She could hear his warm breaths, and she hated it. “I don’t want to lose you, so let’s just start over again, okay? Let’s go back to those days in the student council office. It doesn’t even need to be that, do you want me to destroy Medaka-chan again? Let’s work together then this time instead of always being at odds.”

Junko rolled her eyes, and then hard she slapped away the hand that was reaching out for her. “I really feel sorry for that girl, Kuroksami-san. What is it that you told me once? That you thought I was a human being? That I’m just a normal girl?”

“Yes. You and I are both… just normal, so can’t we just be normal friends?”

At this, Enoshima Junko smiled. “I really pity her then. I thought she was arrogant, but the truth is she’s become warped from having to deal with guys like you. It logically follows, if Enoshima Junko is normal, and Kumagawa Misogi is normal, than Kurokami Medaka must be normal as well.”

“But she… with a guy like me…”

“Yeah, you took advantage of her kindness. You pushed all of your problems onto a sixteen year old girl because you couldn’t handle them yourself. That doesn’t make you particularly extraordinary or tragic either, that just makes you a normal every day shitty guy.”

Kumagawa MIsogi walked over to her couch and sat down in front of her. “No, stop it. I just want to talk this out. I think if we really try to understand each other I can convince you.”

“Ehh? Was there a point where I didn’t understand you?” She tilted her head to the side. “Well, I guess you were a little confusing for awhile, but that’s because you’ve got so many shields up. Now that I’ve figured you out though, you’re just normal boring.”

“I’m what?”

“Your shields. You’re using your own self defintion of a loser as an excuse, and a shield so you don’t have to actually face anything, you’re just trying to protect yourself fro pain the same as everyone else.” A smirk spread across her face, and laughter bubbled out. “Upupupu. Then youd ecided all on your own to, to start taking pride in it. Aren’t you presumptuous? You act like it’s some great discovery, like you’re some missing piece Medaka needed, but all you wanted to do is push your pain onot her so you could escape it yourself.”

“No, I wanted to understand her-”

“No you don’t, you didn’t even see her as a human being. You have a pattern, first it was Ajimu, then Medaka, and then me. It’s not like you tried to bond with any of us, you just showed up and started to pretend you were something important to us, because that’s all you’re capable of.”

“That’s a lie!” Kumagawa raised his voice, slamming his hand on the table and knocking a few of the cards off. The strength, the fool, the tower, and death all fell. “I really did suffer! I really did lose all of that! I’m really in despair that’s why I can understand you!”

“Yes, lies, that’s exactly it. You told a lie. What you call inferiority has a sense of superiority to it too. You couldn’t hack it in any capacity around other people, so you decided to call yourself the king of the losers and pretend it was something you could take pride in but you know what.” Enoshima Junko stepped over the table, and then onto the floor and closed the distance between them once more, putting her foot and entire leg over Kumagawa. “If you had really suffered the kind of loss you claim to have suffered, really, actually suffered it, and not built a sense of self around it. Then you wouldn’t be standing here acting so smug about it.”

“I…”

“You were just happy that Medaka bought into your lies. You just wanted to somebody to accept you as you were without having to change, to do all the work for you. It didn’t even have to be Medaka, Ajimu would have accepted you as a human being, and I might have accepted you for your despair. It matters surprisingly little who in the end didn’t it?”

She climbed on top of him, resting in his lap. Kumagawa could not even resist her, or speak up as he usually did. “Even so, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting to be close to you but… if I can’t have you to myself, then I don’t want anything to do with you.”

She leaned into him now, and their lips connected. Kumagawa did not resist her either. He knew for certain this time, there was no poison in her lips. She did not need it, because this was a goodbye kiss.

Just like the time with Mukuro, she realized she could hurt him more with such soft lips, then anything sharp. They were entangled in each other for a long time, and Kumagawa even reached out to put his fingers twisting up in her hair, as if he was trying to grasp onto any part of her before she leaved.

However, Enoshima Junko broke the kiss after the longest time quite easily. “There, now Ajimu’s mark is finally off of you.” Of course it was just her possessiveness again. “Kumagawa-senpai, you just wanted to have an identity didn’t you? That’s the twist with you, that there’s no twist at all. There’s nothing inside of you. You’re completely empty.”

She stood up and turned her back to him. “So just go disappear and die. You’re not even worth despair anymore.”

At that, Kumagawa’s eyes finally broke. He stood up and still searched for her gaze. “Yeah… but… we’re the same, right?”

He knew more than anyone else, that Junko simply wanted to shine brilliantly, and then disappear first before the emotions she felt in that moment could. It was why he wanted to be around her, it’s why he kept saying live where she could hear it.

He couldn’t catch her eyes though. His own eyes fell dejected, and he went for the door. Junko’s voice cried out sharp, “Hey, you coward! Stay and argue your point! Don’t just give up so easily.”

At that, Kumagawa laughed in an empty way. “It’s what I’m best at though.”

When the door closed, Enoshima Junko stood in silence for a moment. She clasped her hands to her chest, thinking of all of the horrible things she had just said, to her precious person. To the person who had become so precious to her, so quickly. To the person who did not want to leave her alone, not for his sake, or her own, but so they could enjoy their lives normally together. As she thought about the things she said just to hurt him, something bubbled up within her and reached the surface.

And now she realized she had betrayed and thrown away, a friend of hers. All of those things, could only be called a friend, right? A normal friend, by the world’s normal defintion of friendship, and not Junko’s own twisted standards.

“Up-upupu!” Laughter bubbled up and popped, escaped from her uncontrollably with this revelation. She imagined the sight of her one actual friend, consumed with emptiness, running away from her forever.

She would be alone, but… that was how she had lived all this time.
Always, alone,
And always with the last laugh; she laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and then grabbed the ice pick she had driven into the table and rammed it straight into the center of her hand. The squelch of her flesh, and the sound of impact was so violent, but there was nobody else in her apartment but her to hear it.

The expression she made in that moment was beyond the shallow boundaries of hope and despair, as she ripped the pick out of her bloodied hand and stabbed it again, again, and then slammed her own hand against the wooded table until she heard the crunch of bones breaking.

Even Enoshima Junko, did not know what she felt, or what she was thinking. In this moment she only felt the pain in her hand. She clung onto it, hoping it would not extinguish so quickly, it would not go away. That was not enough either, so just as impulsively she cracked her head against the table. She hoped it would crack as she slammed it at least. Break, just like an egg, and if the walls of her skull crumbled she might be free. Like the time she had lobomotized herself and become Ryouko. BLood trickled down from her forehead, it covered one of her eyes. She grabbed one card with her only remaining hand and fell backwards on the couch.

She stared at the world in front of her, depicted simply on a paper card. “The world must be destroyed…” She repeated again in a voice so dull she sounded like a drone. “Before I can live.” She grabbed the other end of the paper with her bloodied and beaten hand and started to tear it in two from both ends. “This is the world I envisioned. This is how it should be. The world that exists only in my brain is rotting, becoming decayed, yes decaying. If I can’t feel anything then it will all rot away. Maybe, apathy intoxicated neurons is how it was meant to be. Maybe this is my true self. Maybe I should have learned to accept it… but then finally I remember. I’m still only a highschool student, I’m not thinking about anything but myself, and that nothing extraordinary has ever happened to me.”  She threw the two sides away uselessly, forgetting why she had even bothered to do that, or why there was pain in her hand as she grew bored and her senses grew dull. “Everything… everything is ordinary.”

Feel free to ignore the overdramatic ramblings of a girl obsessed with the extraordinary though, as poetic as she might have sounded she was wrong from the start. Any narrator with a good balanced viewpoint could tell you, the extraordinary and ordinary are one in the same.

Enoshima Junko simply could not accept this, and therefore she could not accept the world in front of her. She could not accept the hand that Kumagawa Misogi had held out to her, inivting her to this ordinary world with him.

Thus, she was left all alone, her words and feelings would reach no one. Nobody was meant to see, the moment Enoshima Junko could not laugh with eyes filled with despair.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kumagawa wandered alone for the longest time with no idea what direction he was going in. It was only by pure coincidence, he managed to stumble upon two voices who were still working hard even in the rain.

He saw them. Makoto struggling to do push ups, and Zenkichi trying to rally him. Immediately, he decided to turn around only for Makoto to catch his eye. “Kumagawa-senpai, I heard you got in a fight are you doing alright?”

Makoto asked him like all that had trespassed between them never happened in the first place. However, Kumagawa knew that was not it, he knew Makoto would not act that way. It was probably just that Makoto had the strength to forgive him. That was why, caught off guard he answered honestly. “No. I’m not alright.”

Makoto immediately stopped doing push ups, alerting Zenkichi that something was up. He saw Kumagawa and bristled, but when he saw how weakly the other was standing up he decided not to act. Makoto instead closed the gap between them, to get a closer look at Kumagawa’s face. “Did something happen man?”

“Yeah… something happened.”

The rain was a perfect way to hide that you were crying. However, to Makoto’s cocnerned eye he saw that there were paths of tears running directly down Kumagawa’s face. He started to reach for him. “Are… are you crying man.”

Once again, Kumagawa answered honestly. “Yes.”

“Oh, what happened? You can tell me if you want, I might not understand because you’re a little weird dude but I’ll try my best.”

Kumagawa, saw Makoto’s open arms and answered honestly once more by buring his head in Makoto’s shoulder. Awhile ago, he had said the two of them were not even friends, but at the time he was the one being cowardly and not Makoto. He simply wanted to play the villain because he did not have the confidence to play the hero.

He forgot about those complicated thoughts though, and simply cried out into Makoto’s shoulder. “A girl… a girl I liked dumped me!”

“Huh? That’s pretty normal actually.” As Kumagawa started to sob into his shoulder, Makoto had no idea what to do. He simply stood there stiff. “I… Zenkichi, you have a gilrlfirned what would you do?”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Aren’t you and Medaka-chan dating?”

“No, dude you’re supposed to keep my feelings a secret.”

“Wait, then why am I taking advice from you to begin with?”

Makoto turned his attention back to Kumagawa who was barely clinging to him. “Hey… uh, was it Mukuro?” When he heard Kumagawa sob in response, he realized that probably was not an appropriate question to ask. “Sorry, sorry. Look, on the bright side you’ve got a lot of free time now don’t you? Girlfriends take up basically all of your time. Now you don’t have to worry about accepting Medaka-chan’s offer right? You can stay here and be vice president.”

Kumagawa raised his head finally and looked at Zenkichi standing behind them. “The person who deserves to be at Medaka-chan’s side as her vice president is Zenkichi, right? I can’t stomp over his feelings.”

Makoto looked back at Zenkichi. Zenkichi scratched the back of his head, he still did not understand what Medaka made that offer. As usual I don’t understand a thing… and yet I can’t refuse that girl one bit, and it pisses me off. “Come on Kumagawa, you’re a mess right now. Do you really think it’s better for us to just let you sort yourself out on your own? Kumagawa! Become one of our friends!”

Kumagawa smiled. “Thank you, but don’t let your guard down. After all I’m still a minus, I may catch you off guard one day. I only know how to show my affection through betrayal after all.”

“Dude, can you not ruin the moment, we’re hugging in the rain and everything.” Makoto complained, but he did not stop helping support Kumagawa as he tried to stand up.

“If this world were to be destroyed, I wouldn’t really care. I don’t care about the whole rest of the world even. However, because of that person I was able to see the world as beautiful. That’s why, I want them to see it that way too, at least once before it’s destroyed. Until I can find that beauty for myself, and show it to her, I think for now I’ll just keep moving forward. Even if I have to lean on you losers.”

“Hey!” Zenkichi protested.

“Did you just call us losers?” Makoto whined.

“I didn't mean it in a mean way. From me it's a compliment."

Just like that, president Kurokami Medaka, Vice President Kumagawa MIsogi, Secretary Fukawa Toko, Treasurer Togami Byakuya, and General Affairs Manger Hitoyoshi Zenkichi a new student council had been assembled to replace the old one.

See, victory and loss are the same thing from a certain perspective. Gaining and losing, it doesn’t really matter in the end. I’m sure you’ll understand soon enough. 

Chapter 23: I...

Summary:

I wanted to try a tribute to DR: Zero so this one is slightly experimental.

Notes:

There's another Durarara!! reference comparing Junko to Izaya Orihara

The elections wrapped up, Kumagawa and Zenkichi were both allowed to serve on the student council but sent back to the reserve course, the minus and transfer class 13 were both successfully incorporated into the academy it seemed like a peaceful start to the first day of a new semester.

Of course, a certain girl in high heels walking down the hallway of the infirmary at a determined pace signalling her arrival with the clicking of her heels was dead set on ruining that peace from day one.

Enoshima Junko arrived at a room without a nameplate at the end of the infirmary and kicked open the door with aplomb. The door was unlocked, so this action was completely unnecessary, but she wanted to do it with alpomb.

“Matsuuuuuuudaaaaa-kuuuuuuuun. Ahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahaha!”

She looked into the room with despair.

However there was no one there.

It was still too early to be discouraged by this but an uncomfortable feeling stood within her, as her empty laughter echoed in an empty room.

What happened here?

It had not been hidden well, there were traces of vandalism in there, on the desk, on the bed, and all over the black and white tiled hospital floor.

Don’t tell me.

Her excited expression quickly turned into a discerning one as she hurried over to the bed, something moved under it, as if it had anticipated her actions. “Who’s there?!” She played her role in the scene well as she reached down and raised the bed sheet. She expected to see a boy hiding from her, instead she saw a girl under the bed.

Enoshima Junko did not know what to feel at this sight, but whatever it was she was feeling was blown away in the next moment like an explosion. She saw the bed thrown into the air. It drifted into the air looking as though it was much lighter than it truly was and soon began to spin around in a diying motion. After it spun for an inconceivable amount of time it finally fell to the ground, like gravity had at last remembered it existed. Junko let go of the bed sheets already as she had anticipated the bed’s movement the moment she spotted the strange girl under the bed, she already stepped back avoiding both as they flew across the room.

The girl did not introduce herself with thunderous laughter, rather she was quiet, demure. Suddenly she was standing on the other side of the bed. “Wow, talk about good reflexes. Super High School Level Analysis right? I wasn’t expecting to come face to face with a skill that strong. I thought I was going to be faced with yet another idiotic girl. That guy from earlier had a stupid grin plastered on his face, and all the girls I’ve seen up to now in this place seem to smile like they’re bonkers, no matter where I look it’s all the same, but it’s probably just because they can’t see. They don’t have『red eyes』like you or I do.”

“Y-you?”

“That girl was trying to give her advice, even if it was in a strange way, and Enoshima only replied in shock like she had not heard a thing. She didn’t care really for a faceless high school girl she had never met in the real world. She only wanted to hear about the guy. The guy she had met with a stupid grin plastered all over his face. She wanted to see him so much it was unbearable. She was so fascinated by his despair, similar but different to hers. She wanted to understand him more than anybody else. She had been observing him for so long. She looked at his body over and over again, like she was licking it all up. She had gotten so hungry just looking at him, that she was eaten up by desire. Then naturally it shouldn’t be surprising that like a hyena she had gone to eat carrion, a previously killed prey, in order to satisfy that hunger, but it wouldn’t work the whole time she would just be thinking about his face instead-”

“What the hell are you even saying!” Enoshima Junko suddenly kicked the bed beside her with her heels, a metallic clanging echoed throughout the lab.  

“Uh… I’m doing the narration duh?” That girl said, leaning back. Suddenly, behind her there was a man with his arms crossed facing away from the both of them and hiding his face. His hair was light blue, and he had a single antennae hanging down like a feather from the center of his head.

“No way, that’s my thing. People only want to read when a beautiful and charming girl shows up in the last act to explain the twist to all the other unwitting nitwits. Who said you could be the narrator?”

“It was your thing, but you got bored of it, remember? It was only your hobby for a day. Besides I have the skill 『last laugh』which allows me to control the narration.”

Enoshima Junko had no idea what this meant, which is why she would have been a poor narrator for this story anyway. Besides, somebody with that short of an attention span could never become the narrator, it would be like asking a kindergartner to narrate. The narrative would jump around too much, become too fast and frenetic, that kind of jumping from scene to scene gimmick only works in inferior medium like light novels.

Her attention span was so bad she had forgotten in the moment why she had even come to this hospital room in the first place, even though the girl in front of her so helpfully explained it to her. Enoshima Junko was too entranced by the unexpected. She thought she had finally pinned down the location of Yasuke Matsuda who Kumagawa was hiding from her, and went to find him completely unsure of what she would do when she saw him again, banking on that unsure element to turn into something fun.

Instead she stumbled upon a girl dressed in traditional clothing, a white top, with a red lining at the bottom as well as sandals. Her hair was pure white as well, red ribbons holding it back and tying it off in certain parts. Her eyes were especially striking, red, the exact same color of Enoshima Junko if she were not wearing contacts right now to change their color. Most notably, her body was covered by six screws dug halfway into her in a painful looking fashion, two in her legs, two in her upper arms, and two pinning her hands to her shoulders.

“You- you’re the girl of my dreams.”

“We’ve only just met, Junko-chan aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? Or are you currently on the rebound, I heard you had a nasty fight, or rather I saw.”

“Najimi Ajimu…”

“Don’t be so unfamiliar!” She said with a smile. “Yoooo, Junko-chan it’s nice to see you again. I told you the last time we saw each other that I’d see you again in the real world. I’ve been flitting around a lot of people’s dreams, but I’ve finally managed to transfer in here.”

“How…?” Junko said, barely hiding the malice in her voice. She rather preferred to be the one on the delivering end of exposition rather than the receiving end. “Kumagawa-senpai said he killed you.”

“Haven’t you ever watched Fate Stay Night? People don’t always die, even when they’re killed.” She said making an exceedingly clever inversion on a meme. “As for why I’m standing here now, I have no one to thank but you, yourself. Thanks to you inspiring love for the first time in Kumagawa’s heart, I was able to slip out and visit people when they were dreaming instead of just dead. Then, because you arranged for Medaka-chan to come and save Kumagawa’s heart, the seal on me by ‘Book Maker’ was somewhat weakened.” She leaned back on the heels of her sandals thinking for a second. “Hmm, how to explain this. Kumagawa lied to you again or rather he didn’t tell you the whole truth. Three years ago he really did kill me, then to prevent me from reviving myself he dug book maker into me to neutralize my skills. What was sealing me away was his misery, which is why he’s so dedicated to living the most miserable life possible. However, in your attempts to throw him into despair you inspired happiness in his heart instead. Gosh, you two really are disastrous together aren’t you? Anyway, the opposite result happened and now I’m free. Thank you for being such an inspiring figure of hope to Kumagawa.”

Enoshima Junko tried to hide the annoyance on her face, but her eyebrow twitched, and she unconsciously started to chew one of the fake nails on her hand making it obvious. She knew Ajimu was merely saying all of this to get under her skin, and also knew it was working. “Damn, I really wasn’t expecting there to be consequences to my actions. Really, how annoying.” She decided the best thing was to assess this unexpected element, she flexed her fingers gesturing in the air showing off her pointed nails a few of them bitten down. “So then, have you come to join Kumagawa? Or maybe Medaka-chan?”

“Mmm, can I pass on that offer?” Ajimu’s pleasant expression suddenly turned to a bored looking face that was incredibly familiar to Junko. “To be honest, the whole minus vs despair debate is a little tiring at this point. Do you know what I mean? We’re not really minuses after all.” She gestured inclusively to the boy whose back she was leaning against. “The minuses are worthless… and the pluses don’t even compare. Hope and despair are just two sides of the same coin, you know? WIth that, this distinction is pointless when taken to its extreme. In other words, in comparison to us, both pluses and minuses normally even out in general. Therefore, you should call us an unexpected third force. We are the ‘Not Equals’, got it?”

Shinraui Hanten
Affiliation: Currently Unaffiliated
Bloodtype: AB
Note: Transfer Student Delayed Two

Ajimu Najimi
Affiliation: Currently Unaffiliated
Bloodtype: AB
Note: Transfer Student Delayed Two

 

“I totally get it now, k thanks bye.” Junko waved her off. Then, a moment later after turning around and turning back again on an impulse, she stomped her foot in a sudden mood. “I don’t get it at all! Why are you Sandbox Academy kids always getting in the way, and babbling about your plus and minus nonsense?”

“Should we be babbling about your hope and despair nonsense instead?”

“Shut up! Junko time, Junko’s talking!”

“Everytime is Junko time for you.”

“Finally, she gets it! Anyway, why do you have to keep getting in my way? Is it too much to ask to just let a girl enjoy herself and pursue her humble dream of destroying the whole world.” She waved her hand about in the air flippantly. “Who even asked that Kumagawa guy to keep getting in my way, anyway?”

“You did.”

“What?”

“Oh, it seems like Kumagawa told another lie. That boy of mine really is so troublesome, huh?”

“He’s not yours!” She snapped without thinking.

“He’s not yours either, you threw him away. The same way you threw away Matsuda-kun, or did you forget? Well, I suppose there’s no helping a useless and empty girl like you. Until you remember this conversation is pointless, well, everything’s pointless but this is more pointless than usual.” She pushed off the boy whose back she was leaning against, and started to walk forward towards Junko. She did not stop until their toes were touching. Junko was so confused by this strange newcomer that she did not even attempt to stop her. “Well this is my fault anyway for letting my precious Kumagawa stray, so here, an I’m sorry kiss- Chu!”

Before Junko could react, Ajimu leaned in and kissed her suddenly. “Hmmu-Haffuu-Bitchhuuu” Whatever Enoshima Junko’s witty response was, was suppressed against her lips. Ajimu’s hand already caught her at the back of her neck.

Ajimu broke the kiss with a grin. “There, now that I’ve stolen Kumagawa’s last kiss from your lips there’s nothing more to worry about.” She let the beat change silently for a moment. “Just kidding! Like I’d do something like that. That’s just a skill  『Door to Door』to guide you to the world of dreams! Let’s fix that empty head of yours before it rots”

Junko’s eyes rolled back in her head, and all tension drained from her body. She was so relaxed she could no longer stand up, and relied entirely on Ajimu’s hand around her neck to keep her up. A moment later when Ajimu dropped her unceremoniously on the ground she lost consciousness. Her last words were, “Ajimu… Najimi… Bitch…” it was very eloquently put.

As Ajimu’s face stood over her and looked down at her, she only smiled. “Since we’re already acquainted, please call to me with affection, Anshin’in-san.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Things were already set into motion before that day Kumagawa Misogi appeared suddenly to thwart the destruction of Hope’s Peak. Nobody realized it yet, but they would soon enough.

Anyway, now that I’m in Junko’s head there’s lots of empty room in here so it should give me enough space to tell a compelling backstory. Where to start… well the best, most action packed openings are always in Medias Res, right?

It turns out that Enoshima Junko was not the only egotistical girl who declared herself the ruler from behind the scenes at a shadowy institution, and she was not even the first one to come into conflict with Kumagawa Misogi. This begins with an end, because ends and beginnings even if they seem opposite really are the same thing from a certain perspective. The final battle of Sukinasaki Saki and Kumagawa Misogi, the ruler and the ruled.

Two swords were at both sides of his neck holding him in place. At his shoulder he felt a broom. Pointed right at his chest was a gun. A girl held two brushes with metal bristles. A stick was pointed at him like a magic wand. Another held a paint spreader like a knife. A girl held weights easily over his head where she could bash them in. Anothe girl pointed a bone saw at one of his legs waiting to start cutting him up. A girl in a swimsuit held a kickboard she could probably thwack him with if the need arises. Another pointed the sharp end of a shovel hoping to cut him in one of the veins running through his arm. Still another held drum sticks that she was probably going to bash his head in with. They all surrounded him, in a circle of death entrapping him.

Kumagawa Misogi smiled at this, his face completely relaxed. He made no effort to move from the throne he was on, the presdent’s chair, and even leisurely rested his elbows on the arms, and crossed his legs. It’s not like he had anticipated this with his plans or anything, or even calculated the result. He was not the type to run calculations at all, he was no good at math. It’s more like this was the result he typically expected, he was the type of person who always had the worst result no matter what his intentions were, who everybody always turned against. He did not even perceive everybody pointing weapons at him as a threat because it was what he was used to, the moment he transferred into this academy he knew everybody would hate him, that it would come to this.

He was just somebody who misfortune followed, the minus who crawled through the chaos Kumagawa Misogi. For the past three years he had been transferring through schools like this. It was not like he came here purposefully with the intention of starting fights and destroying them, it was more like whether he wanted to or not, he always ended up in these kind of destructive fights. Now, standing at the head of this mob and presuming herself as it’s ruler Saki peeled off he mask and revealed a grinning mouth filled with teeth sharpened to a fine point. She looked down on Kumagawa with colorless eyes. It seemed bored women looking down at him with dull eyes was exactly Kumagawa’s type, really what a masochist. “You’re being recalled, student council president Kumagawa. Time to turn in your fuckin’ resignation.”

Behind her Jakago Aki stumbled holding a machine gun in her arms. All of the students present had been following that girl’s orders in a cult like atmosphere for a long time. Yet another similarity to you, see Junko? A few moments ago before setting this trap up, Saki had been wearing her mask as usual and playing a much more timid personality, but now she let her true unpleasant face show. Should I add two faced women who easily switch between personalities to the list of Kumagawa’s type as well?

Well anyway. Saki’s grin sharpened even further. “But you knew from the start, didn’t you? That you’re just a fuckin’ puppet. That you were a fuckin’ place holder. Until Ex-student council president Jakago would return from the hospital!” She threw her arms up with that declaration, gesturing still to Jakago who was waving back and forth like a puppet ready to be moved on strings behind her.

Kumagawa’s wide eyes narrowed, but only slightly. 『...Of course I knew. What I didn’t know was your motivation, general affairs manager sukinasaki. Why did you work to keep a minus like me in place to maintain the peace and order of fishtank academy? Appeasing the powerless students while being played by the rulers of the school, to me, you’re the sad little puppet.』In his mind’s eye, the timid personality that Saki had been playing up until this point appeared again. To him who did not understand others well, there was no distinction between the two. Both the timid and the aggressive Saki he saw now were the same girl in his eyes. 『You’re really skilled, after all you convinced all of these talented people to follow you and worship you in a cult like atmosphere. Right now you’re the only one who holds this school together. No one can run from it, as long as people are consumed by the need to control. Everything goes your way, doesn’t it? That’s your talent, Error Message Plate, the ability to effectively read others to control them. That brilliance of yours shouldn’t be used to maintain the peace of some school. Why not use it for yourself, more selfishly to enjoy yourself?』

Did you get that part Junko? That’s what we call a narrative foil, very conveniently what Kumagawa Misogi said just now sets up Saki’s character in contrast to yours. Oh, it’s much easier to talk to you in the dream world like this when you can’t respond, much more pleasant too. I’m not trying to mock you of course, just help you understand.

Saki closed her eyes, hand on her hip proudly defiant at this accusation. “Haha… You want me to use it for world domination? Doesn’t interest me in the least. I’m not even interesting ins tanding at the top. All I want is a well kept order and peace, a status queue. Of course, if you want to talk about the world, I can tell you my motivation.”

At this, Kumagawa stopped smiling, and his head tilted slightly, eyes widening again to show his curiosuity.

“My utopia has no victories, and no losses. A peace where the ruler and the ruled are equally oppressed, an orderly hell with no redemption.” Overcome with this image, she curled her fingers up and threw them to the side, posing dramatically like the villain she clearly thought so highly of herself as. “No fighting and not competition, no meaning to fighting and competition. I want to create that kind of utopia.” Her eyes and her grin sharpened ever further, showing the ruthless edge both in her expression and her intentions.

『...But without fighting and competition, there’d be no friendship or friends. Like how without bad deeds there would be no good deeds.』

“Yes, there would be none, without heart there would be no worries. There would be no need, a utopia has no need for that shit. The selfish and the selfless on the same level. When plus and minus are equal, that is my ideal.”  She clenched her fists up and drew them into herself to finish her statement and show the strength of her resolve.

At this Kumagawa scowled, raised his eyebrows and made a look of condescension that looked completely out of place on a face that was usually so pathetic. 『Idioooooooooot! People call that perverted equality.』

Despite seeming so proud a moment ago, she was taken aback for just a second. “......” then flippantly she turned around shrugging his words off. “Heh, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. You may have caused problems but Suisou academy has been peaceful for the past month. I don’t have the time of day to be listening to the delirium of a man about to die.”

『A man about to die, huh.』He watched her slowly start to walk away from him, completely unconcerned before turning his eyes to glance at one of the swords at his neck. 『You’re mocking me with your underestimation. You think Kumagawa will die to some blades, guns and blunt weapons?』

She winked back at him, flirting with his death. The only kind of flirting that Kumagawa Misogi ever seemed to receive. “Of course not, I’ve worked with you for the past month after all. I don’t want to flatter you but I know all about the terrors of 『All Fiction』 It’s a skill that undeos everything, even ‘death’. You’re right, you’re immortal, but what happens when you’re continually dying?”

At this possibility, he gave a small and innocent smile. 『...!』

“Of course you will revive after every death, however if you’re killed after every revival isn’t that the same as being dead?” SHe stopped looking over her shoulder at him for the final time. “A continual death is an eternal death buddy. Though continually killing an immortal is simple, it’s an unproductive, back breaking task. Normally you’d break down from despair.”

『However, these people are already in despair right? You’ve tossed them into the pits of despair and made them worship only you, and believe their only purpose is spreading despair for your sake, so there are no worries. Bravo, saki-chan. A fool proof strategy for all fiction.』His smile as he congratulated her seemed genuine, even though if her words were true all that was awaiting him was nonstop death and endless despair. Well, it probably did not mean much to him because that was what his life had been to that point anyway.

At the door she stopped for just a moment with her hand on the handle. “Don’t think badly of me~ in a world without winning or  losing, no one needs a fucker that only loses. Seeya Kumagawa! The past month I spent with you has been….unexpectedly… no...t...so...ba...d-----"

The next part is too gruesome for a cute young highschool girl like you Junko, so I’ll just fade to black and skip it. There’s no way you could enjoy such a despair inducing sight.

When Saki turned her head next, before she could even get out the door every single person she had set against Kumagawa was screwed to the wall several times over. It was a gory displathat I won’t go into the details of for the sake of not corrupting your pure heart. In total there were thirteen of them gathered around Kumagawa as a part of Saki’s death trap, and he seemed to have destroyed all of them and screwed them to the wall without taking a single piece of damage to himself. He stood up in the middle of all this chaos, one arm thrown at his side and another casually in his pocket. He was probably posing on purpose, trying to look cool in the moment. 『Don’t look at me like I’m the one to blame. You’re the one that said it. Saki-chan it’s not my fault.』He said, tilting his head so he smiled at an odd angle.

“H-how the hell--How did you get out of that-”

『Killing me for all eternity from every angle, every side with every person in every way. Your strategy for 『All Fiction』was complete, and that is in fact the weakness of 『All Fiction』but, look at it this way, what is the weakness of 『Error Message Plate』 the skill that controls everything as you like?』At that moment what he was about to say to her struck her like a bolt of lightning, illuminating an otherwise dark room. 『Though you can control everything you can only control it as you like. You can not control it as you dislike. If some kind of weird masochistic girl like that existed, it would be far more troublesome for me to deal with.』Oh, sorry Junko I didn't know he was going to insult you offhandedly like that.  He was only explaining to her, what she slowly was coming to realize herself but she rejected it, sweat trickled down her face, her pupils shook, she was so used to things going her way every part of her rejected her loss. She was completely unable to come to terms with it.『They may only have a heart that yearns for despair, but you have a heart. That’s why they didn’t move an inch. ALl I had to do was stand up slowly, and screw them down one by one.』

“What the fuck are you talking about?! Are you telling me I subsconscoiously don’t want to control everyone?! The peaceful school life! The Utopia! You think I didn’t want those ideals from the bottom of my heart!?” She threw her arms about like a child having a tantrum.

『No, no, that’s not it, Saki-chan. What you didn’t want was--』Kumagawa suddenly closed his eyes, and gave a gentle and kind smile that seemed completely out of place on his face, his hand moved over his heart. 『To kill me. Saki-chan, you didn’t want to kill me.I should say, you stopped wanting to kill me. As we did our student council duties together, you became unwilling to kill me.』

“..............” Saki grinded her sharp teeth together, after a long pause her expression became hidden behind her hair, eyes darkneing, all except the uneasy smile she cracked. “You knowingly submitted to being the class president as a fucking puppet to get close to me. You gave me the general affairs manager job for that reason too… a political move to close the gap between us. While I was carelessly awaiting Jakago’s return from the hospital you were turning me into a spineless shit.” The finger she rose up to accuse him with, shook with her anxiety.

Kumagawa, only smiled at this.『Yes, without fighting there would be no friendship, but with friendship there is no fighting.』His entire expression seemed to darken as well. There was not a dark haired boy standing in front of her, rather a walking shadow with only two eyeholes, and a mouth curled up in a twisted cartoonish recreation of a grin. His smile was his only discernible feature, the rest of him was too terrifying it begged your brain to forget his face. 『This is how you manipulate hearts, miss ruler.』

She shut her eyes to shut out such a terrifying face. In that moment she did not see that he was already holding a screw in his hand as he approached her. She could only hear heis terrifying voice as he approached, rambling about nothing. 『Of course, a loser like me that can never be a ruler is not so great at controlling myself. I’ve never been able to move myself properly, doing the opposite of the things I love, hating the things I love.』He jumped forward suddenly and in one smooth motion without any hesitation at all, drove a screw straight through his beloved’s head, it bored through poking out the back of the skull spreading brain chunks and blood in every direction as he pushed her down to the floor. 『Hurting the people I love. Man, life does not go the way you want it to.』

After spending a month together, this was the form that Kumagawa’s love confession took, her total destruction. She blacked out the moment he had split her skull, so the moment the injury disappeared she still stayed cunscinous and fell backwards. Kumagawa as he landed held his arms out to catch her. The screw still remained in her skull for a moment as her body hung there limp.

『I could not win again...』He mumbled, staring at her body. In the space of a moment his appearance and demeanor completely changed and rather than a confident smile, his face was torn apart in agony as he mourned the injury he had just given her. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes and spilled out freely. 『There’s no way I can be better than you, Saki-chan, when you’ve been beaten by your own emotions. We’d kill each other if we continued so it’s best… just to forget about me. This has nothing to do with you after all. N-n-nno-nooo.』His confidence broke down completely as he clutched her, falling over her and sobbing with real emotion that had bubbled up to the surface from his empty self. 『I don’t want to forget… I don’t want to… why… why do I always lose like this? There’s no way this would have nothing to do with me... After all… you were the first person in three years of transferring around become an important person to me...』

Those were his true feeligns. In the end he couldn’t find a person with a skill to defeat Anshinin-san. Though his three years of wandering wasn’t so bad since he got to meet Saki-chan. Even if all he did was cause problems on the way.

But, he erased that existence with his own hands. He stepped on it, forcing it past the gates of despair, pushing it forward inevitably like the turn of a screw, and brutally murdered it.

『This..this is...』

But, that was Kumagawa Misogi’s entire existence. He could only push further past misery, he had no idea how to escape it, or what those happy emotions would even feel like. Do you understand now Enoshima Junko, the despair of losing a precious existence that took you years to cultivate with Yasuke Matsuda, Kumagawa Misogi accomplished in one month. He fell too easily, or rather, he was always falling, he was clumsy like that. Saki was not the only one either, she was not the first, nor the last, he was constantly losing things like this, starting with his own parents, and the nurse who wanted to help him with the strange misfortune he was born into. What you call a once in a lifetime loss, the pinnacle for despair, Kumagawa Misogi on his own was always constnatly falling into a deeper despair, around every corner there was something worse for him always lying in wait.

His response to this, an empty life completely devoid of hope, where everything he tried to love was smothered by despair in their last moments making all of his attempts to love meaningless, was to smile. He tasted that despair again and because it was all he had ever tasted it made hims smile with pure delight from conditioning alone. 『INCREDIBLE! Too depressing! Too good! My chest is going to tear open! This is true self-loathing! I didn’t know I could fall this far! I want to fall even farther, I want to become even more minus!』

He dropped her and stood up, clumsily making a scene around her unconscious body. Out of his eyes flowed a continuous stream of tears, delight, lament, and confusion, uncontrolled emotions poured out of him as he lost control of himself again. Unlike you who deliberately pushes herself to feel that way, Kumagawa is instead controlled entirely by impulse and emotions lacking any self control, and it pushes him again and again to tragic endings he does not want, but puts a smile on and forces himself to enjoy anyway.

Kumagawa Misogi once called you somebody who was true to her desires, even if he wished you had less unsavory ones. I know because I watched him do it through your eyes. In that case I would call Kumagawa Misogi somebody who was true to his emotions, though I wish he had less unpleasant ones.

Just as he had become absorbed play acting all by himself, a girl behind him cleared out her throat. He jumped so hard at the unexpected turnaround, that he nearly jumped out of his uniform. I’m sure somebody with bad taste like you would want to see that, but that’s just a metaphor. He staggered backwards, and saw a small girl he had never met before who had watched him this whole time without announcing her presence. 『W-who are you?』He asked, staggering back. 『D-don’t stare at me like that, if a girl stares at me, I’ll get all nervous and flustered.』As usual he was able to completely switch off his emotions in a second, and his personality became formless.

Shiranui Hansode smiled at him. It was the smile of a hungry animal, looking at her next prey. “Nothing! I just thought you were an interesting guy.” Kumagawa saw and recognized her smile right away, a display of bottomless hunger, a smile that could only belong to a minus. “It’s sad about what happened to your friend there, do you want to become my friend instead?”

Ah, but the rest of that conversation that’s a story for another time. You were right exactly, Kumagawa Misogi likely saw nothing special about you except for another opportunity to despair. You were just another loss waiting to happen. Huh? You doubt that? Are you questioning my authority as narrator?

Well fine, even though it’s pointless to tell I’ll hand the reigns of narration over to you. These are the memories I meant to restore. The time you first met Kumagawa Misogi. Let's go back to the days you wandered around like tarot's number zero card, the fool. 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

I felt something like a screw becoming undone, a pain in my head, right behind my eyeball, it was agonizing but when it became untwisted I suddenly remembered… Ah...

This is when I first met you.

A yellow cat peeked out from the bush beside the pavement.

The cat wobbly stepped out from the grass onto the road while it lazily swished its tail while I was caught between the center of its eyes. However, its eyes were immediately cautious, and they soon turned to fear. As I was skipping along the pavement, the cat assumed I was a threat, hissed in fear and quickly retreated to the bush.

But such a thing didn’t matter to me, the sun’s cheering light covered my body as my skirt fluttered, I continued lightly skipping.

I was in Hope’s Peak academy east district, in the courtyard.

The area was filled with newly constructed buildings and facilities, and even some buildings still in construction. I acted like a stitch between the lines of buildings.

Taking no notice of the cared cat, or the classmates I passed. It had been a while since I last went out, but it wasn’t for fun, I skipped simply with a destination in mind.

But, you know, I’m not the kind of girl who blatantly skips without reason.

I have a very good reason for doing so.

It’s because I’m going to meet someone who I like almost unbearably~

That reason may or may not be a good one, though no student would casually skip around like I am, and several students I passed shot me strange glances.

BUt that doesn’t matter to me at all.

GIrls crying, a lover’s quarrel, a person stuck in a wheelchair, a faceless boy staring at a photograph, not even a person falling from anemia could stop me from skipping.

I want to see the one I love and I want to see him soon, my body shivered at that thought. I skipped up the stairs not caring whether my skirt flapped too much or not and continued to stop through the courtyard.

And I kept goi-

“...Huh?”

At that point I suddenly stopped.

“Where was I going?”

I looked around and realized I didn’t recognize where I was. My heart thumped heavily.

It’s okay… I tried to calm myself desperately. I took out a notebook from the backpack I was carrying, I looked at the last page of the notebook and read a sentence written there. “In the east district of Hope’s Peak Academy is the biology building. On the third floor is the Neuroscience Institute.”

I felt a refreshing breeze.

Right, right, it was the biology building.

...Huh? Where was the biology building again?

My heart thumped loudly again.

It’s fine, it’s fine… I hurriedly flipped through the notebook until my eyes located a crudely drawn map and my own handwriting in pink pen.

“This is the Hope’s Peak Academy’s east distract!”

So that’s where I am.

I punched the air in an unintentional pose! I heard a snicker in the background but ignored it.

I quickly jumped onto the fountain in the middle of the courtyard and compared the buildings I saw to the one I saw on the map. There are… literature, science, physics, art, health, language and faculty buildings.

My thigh was getting wet from the stray droplets of the fountain, I was looking desperately for the biology building as if it were my first time visiting.

“I wonder if that’s it…”

I saw a square building with a distinctive light green coloring. It seemed to line up with what I had drawn in my notebook.

“Alright!”

I jumped from the fountain. Some of the boys nearby looked surprised. I wonder if my skirt flew up a little too much while jumping off the fountain…

Oh wait, no that’s why. The moment I jumped from the fountain, I happened to land on a boy who was walking by staring at a photograph. It was like an unintentional hip drop wrestling move dropping down from him from above. Whoever he was, he must have been really unfortunate, or just stupid to walk straight in my way.

I was so mortified I forgot what was I was doing a moment ago as I scurried off from on top of him. Why had I jumped off from the fountain? That seemed reckless. Normally it would have nothing to do with me, but the reason that this boy was laying on the ground in front of him, eyes rolled back like a character that had been hit in the head with an anvil in some cartoons was entirely because of me.

“I’m so sorry!” I called out to him, as I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. It probably was not helping much, it might have even made things worse, but I was just a cute girl who forgot things a lot, I’ve never had to tend to an injured person before.

After a moment of staring blankly into space, his eyes snapped forward.  『It’s fine, it’s not your fault.』The way he looked when he said it was strange. Even though a moment ago he had tasted the wrath of my girly hip and plump bottom in addition to gravity, right at this moment he was smiling innocently. I thought I saw blood on the back of his head, but now he looked smiling peacefully as if he had never been hit.

No, in fact everything about him was strange. He was not wearing the same uniform as all of the other kids here. It was black with a white rim around the collar. Students from other schools, even the reserve course were not allowed on the main campus. His entire appearance looked asymmetrical, especially his hair parted to the side. On his face, were large expressionless eyes and an empty smile.

“I’m pretty sure it’s my fault, I’m the one who jumped on you.” I said, not really wanting to be forgiven so easily by this strange person.

『Oh, did you? I forgot about that already.』He said, scratching at the back of his head.

“How can you forget about things so easily!?” I snapped at him, not even noticing how hypocritical it was. It was strange, strange, everything about this person felt strange. I never noticed before when strange people existed, perhaps because I myself was so strange. Never before had another person drawn up such immediate dislike from me.

『Yes you can.』He said, still smiling like he did not even detect the annoyance directed at him.  『Every time something unpleasant has happened to me, I just forget it like it’s never happened. That’s how I’m able to keep smiling in such a cute way.』

Ah. He’s the same as me. Everything made sense suddenly, the frustrating existence of somebody constantly losing their memories. It was like looking in a mirror on a particularly bad hair day. The empty smile I usually wore shone back at me. Before anything else could be said, he suddenly got up on his own. There was a hand in front of my face in the next moment. It was covered in calluses, and felt rough to the touch. Another unpleasant part of him, his hand felt all scritchy scratchy like a cat’s tongue as he pulled me up.

I tried to think of a way to tactfully ask him about what was bothering me. “Do you really just forget things just like that?” Oh, apparently I just straight up asked him.

『Mmm, my memories become nothing.』

“So, so, your parents and all of your other friends? You don’t remember them.”

『Yeah, I don’t know who my parents are. I’m not sure if I even had any, one day I was just aware with no memory of them. I know my name and a couple of other things, but I’m told I barely know how to act like a person. 』

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

『Well, I’m glad my condition makes you so happy.』

“No, no, you’re the same as me.” I wrapped both of my hands around his hand, and leaned by weight on him. “I forget everything too!”

『Really, since when did that start happening?』

“I forgot.”

『Oh, I see.』That boy smiled for a moment as if his entire expression was on pause. Then suddenly, something shone in his bright blue eyes.  『I see, I see… Wait, you are just like me. You have the same minus as I do. I’ve never… I’ve never… th-then. What’s your name?』

“Eh?” I tilted my head in confusion. Quickly I glanced back at my sketchbook. “It’s Otonashi Ryōko.”

『Th...then. Ry-oko! Please… please marry me!』

“Ehhhhh, that’s a no.” I let go of his hands suddenly, forgetting that I had put all of my weight on him. While he stared forward, his expression frozen in that smile like it had been shattered and he had no idea what to do next, a splash sounded in front of him. My legs stuck up backwards from the fountain. I tried to call out for help but only bubbles came from my mouth.

『That was the only time I’ve ever confessed to a girl… my first and last rejection... 』He muttered to himself, before finally noticing me and then moving into action. A few awkward moments later I was fished out of the fountain and next to him, my uniform even more wet than it was before.

“I’m sorry…” I said in a meek voice, kicking my legs as I sat guiltily on the side of the fountain.

Once again at my apology he did not even blink.  『It’s fine, it’s not your fault. You can’t choose who you fall in love with.』

“Don’t be too heartbroken.”

『It’s fine, I’ll probably forget about this embarrassing moment and move on quickly.』

“You can be a little more heartbroken, I’m a cute girl after all!”

『Alright, alright, Ryōko-chan. I’ll cry the next time I’m all alone over you.』

“Thank you! Ah, sorry, there’s somebody else I love. That’s why I could never marry you.”

He brought his hands up to his face, slapping his cheeks once. When his hands were gone, his smiling expression returned. 『That’s alright, it sucks but that’s how it is. Before I get going can I give you my name? It’d still be nice to talk to somebody like you. I’m not going to stalk you or anything, I’m just the sentimental type.』

For a moment, I forgot that I would forget whatever name he told me. Even though he was unpleasant, and acted weird even by the standards of a girl who was always forgetting things, for some reason this conversation was really fun. “Ehhh? Sure, tell me.”

『Kumagawa Misogi.』

“Kuma-kuma-gawa?” I repeated as if that would somehow help me remember. (It wouldn’t.)

『Yeah, it’s like bear river. Anyway, I hope you have fun with your beloved I’ve got to go back to finding-』

“My beloved… my beloved… my beloved… THAT’S RIGHT I FORGOT. I WAS UH… I WAS UH…”

『Were you trying to find your beloved?』Kumagawa volunteered.

“Yes! Yes!” For the second time, I pulled out my notebook and flipped through the pages. I could have sworn it got wet when I fell, but here it was completely dry in my hand. I opened the same page as last time and was directed to go to the same building. “I need to go to the biology building! Third floor! Neuroscience department. Do you know where that is?”

He tilted his head and gave me a soft smile. 『I have absolutely no idea.』I had asked the wrong person for help! He held out his hand again.  『Let’s go look for it before you forget again, stupid.』It was probably insensitive to call somebody who had a brain condition stupid, but since he had the same one I decided to let it slide.

However, holding his hand and letting him take the lead turned out to be a bad idea. It was like the blind leading the blind, or rather the forgetful leading the forgetful. There was one thing I was grateful for though, people seemed to avoid him. The crowds of students that I usually had to cut through parted around us. It felt even more like I was in my own little world, and I needn’t be bothered by them.

I have no idea how long we wandered around, but my uniform had dried out by the time I got so tired I needed to stop. We were in a building for sure, we had even climbed up some stairs I thought. “You can let go of my hand now.”

He suddenly let go. It was like he had no idea at all, how to read social signals. Then again he said he was forgetful. The only sound that could be heard was his breathing. For being dragged along by me all day on campus, he did not seem to mind the inconvenience. He brushed it off like he had brushed off being knocked over, and then rejected.

Then, I remembered I needed to find the person I loved. I had never gone this long without seeing him before. I might forget him, the same way I forgot everybody else. Even this weird stranger who was trying to help me, I would forget him too. “Hey wait… why am I here again? I don’t know the reason why I’m here…” My voice sank into worry.

He had stopped paying attention to me though. He looked around at scientists going back and forth out in the hallway. 『Man ‘what’s the purpose?’ These grown ups are missing the point. Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing.
Wouldn’t you agree?』

I was drawn back to him. “Uh… I don’t remember… sorry...I don’t know why I’m here in this lab, I’m scared…”

『I’m sure you were brought here after ruining many lives, the same as me. There’s nothing wrong with that. You and I are allowed to do whatever we want. Because this world is pointless and our lives are aimless. It has nothing to do with you.』After saying such terrifying words, he showed me a kind smile.  『So don’t worry about it okay? I’m sure you’ll find your beloved, everything else doesn’t matter that much..』

Oh, with such terrifying words, and with such an unpleasant emotion, he was actually trying to comfort me. I started to understand it a little bit, though I would forget it later. Then, suddenly I opened my notebook again and read the sign. Oh! I was where I was supposed to be all along. Really, what a ditz move. “Thank you bear river!” I yelled leaving him behind. As I ran along the corridor I confirmed where I was by checking the plates on top of the doors. At the end of the corridor I came to a plate reading “Neuroscience Institute.”

I was here now. I had no idea how I arrived at my destination, but I was here.

I quickly stopped. I took a deep breath and checked my hair and smile in my hand mirror.

...Yup, cute as always!

I kept my smile to the max. “Helloooooo.” I entered the laboratory with a bright full voice… and then it happened.

Whoosh, the sound of air being cut through ran past my ear.

“...huh?”

In retrospect I said that rather meekly. I turned around swallowing a panicked feeling when I saw a knife stuck in the wall next to me. I let you a yelp and jumped back. “W-why was there a knife thrown at me?!”

There was a chiding voice from inside the room. “Shut up.”

I heard that voice and my heart lept.

While my heart was pounding I looked to find the source of the voice, a man lying on the bed in the middle of the room.

“...You’re late. Even for someone as ugly as you.”

He dressed sloppily wearing a dirty white shirt. He doesn’t even so much as glance away from the manga he’s holding above him.

“For someone so ugly, you sure are loud. Come to think of it, acting so scared over a little scalpel is also kind of weird.”

“W-wait a moment!” I interrupted him hurriedly. “It’s discriminatory to keep calling me ugly!”

“And who are you going to report me to? The Japanese Assocation of Ugly People? That kind of place is discrimination just by existing.”

He kept looking at his manga while continuing his ugly attack. The one who’s in charge of the Nueroscience Institute, the one who’s in charge of my treatment, and my childhood friend is the one that I like unberably much.

This is the “Super High School Level Neurologist”, Matsuda Yasuke… Probably…

For me there was nothing else. Nothing else I could remember, and nothing else I needed to do.
Because for me, I had no class mates or even family. I didn’t know about them at all, so I didn’t think about them. For me, people living in the outside world they were a boring stage play that I watched together with the audience. To begin with I don’t remember any events that happen in real life, it doesn’t even feel like I live in the same space as anyone else.

Looking at class scenes from the hallway, people sweating in the gym, returning from club meetings, people sitting on the ground, talking about silly things or having awkward conversations with their family. I see those things and can’t help but feel envious. In the end, all those things really have nothing to do with me. BUt in this world that is so cut off from me, I at least have one person that keeps me connected. That’ Matsuda-kun.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Another screw agonizingly untwisted itself.
This is the second time I met him, probably.

“Oh, right I forgot an important detail!” Kamishiro-kun lickd his sugar covered fingers and turned to me. We had been discussing hope’s peak worst, largest incident in its histrory. “We haven’t talked about payment yet have we?”

“Eh? Payment?”

“Ahahaha! Don’t worry I don’t really want or need money. I’m not really asking for anything amazing or anything.”

“Nothing important… so sweet breads perhaps…”

In the background of our scene, a boy staring again at a photograph muttered how his bread was rotten somehow. It seemed like he was having a stroke of bad luck, but I ignored him.

“Sweet breads fall under the important things category!” Kamishiro-kun hummed out as he shook his head vigorously.

“Um… so then…” I said as I tilted my head trying to thin, Kamishiro-kun laughed at me.

“Something like, I don’t know, maybe a small favour for me.”

“Favo.. eh, what… Wait, did you mean like a favour favour or…”

He had his grin on a refreshing expression.

“Ah, I see, I see. You didn’t mean anything sexual did you? Sorry, sorry, I didn’t really understand what you mean. Anyway, you said nothing amazing, didn’t you?”

Before anything else could be said, suddenly a gravelly sounding voice spoke softly behind me.  『Ryōko-chan look away, Matsuda-kun is making a cute face behind you.』Suddenly I became overcome with an urge to see Matsuda and whipped my head around. There was absolutely nobody behind me though, and I was just the victim of a cruel prank.

Disappointed, I looked to see Kamishiro-kun unconscious on the ground in front of me. A strange looking boy in a black uniform was holding a manga volume over Kamishiro-kun’s head. He opened it, and went back to reading the contents.

“Eeeeee, Kamishiro-kun! What’s wrong, what happened? Did you do something?”

『I just happened to be walking by. It’s not nice to accuse people of violence, you know.』

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I said meekly.

Suddenly, Kamishiro began to stir on the ground beneath me. I could just ask him what happened, I realized. Before he could get up though that boy spoke again in his strange voice.  『Ryōko-chan, Matsuda-kun is really there this time. He’s smouldering, whoa it’s so sexy.』I fell for it as easily as the first time, whipping my head around. There’s absolutely no way I could take a chance of missing Matsuda-kun if he was there. However, I looked at a completely empty view in front of me again. This time I tried to squint and look closer to see if he was hiding.

In the background I heard a sound akin to a drill spinning.  『Perverted little brat! Nobody even likes your character archetype anymore, it’s a shonen jump cliche by this point! You dumb little Mineta you’re going to score at the bottom of the popularity polls.』

I ignored it though because it had nothing to do with Matsuda-kun. After I gave up looking for him again, when I turned back Kamishiro-kun had disappeared entirely. “Where’d he go? Oh no, did Kamishiro-kun go missing?”

『It’s fine. He said he had a headache so he went to the nurse’s office on his own. Besides haven’t you forgotten what you were talking about with him already?』

“Ah..” I thought about it for a second, “Ahhhhhhhhhh! I totally forgot. How did you know?” This person whose face I did not recognize at all, who had been a part of the background world that did not matter to me until a moment ago was suddenly chatting with me as if we were familiar.

『You told me before about how you forget everything, because I’m somebody who forgets everything too. Did you write about it in your memory notebook?』

At his question, I went to the notebook and checked the past few pages. “Bear River!” I said with exctiement.

『Is that literally all you wrote down?』He sighed for a moment. Then, suddenly his face changed again.  『Ah well, I’m not really a person worth rememebering anyway. So, why did you look so worried a moment ago?』

I tried to remember, but could not. So instead my features just sank. It must have been heart breaking for him to watch my normally pretty face twist with sadness. “Hey, if you forget everything too then how did you remember me?”

『I only forget bad memories. So, if I remember you then it must have been a pleasant memory.』

“Hey, that’s unfair.” I suddenly said, slugging my fist into his chest. I don’t know why but suddenly, I felt like doing this kind of cartoonish banter with him. It was like his mere presence drew it out. Perhaps in a past life we were comedy partners together. “I lose both happy and sad memories, I bet it’d be a lot easier if I only lost the sad ones.”

『Hmm, I don’t know. Sad memories mean you can learn from your mistakes, and get better. If you forget you’ll just repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Besides, a life of just happy memories sounds pretty boring, a little despair is necessary sometimes to shake things up.』For some reason the words he said while babbling felt a bit familiar to me, I didn’t want to think about it too hard though.  『Our memories must work on different concepts. Mine are repressed memories, and you must not be able to form any long term memories at all. Well anyway, that’s a depressing thing to talk about.』

“I thought you just said it was worthwhile talking about sad and despairful things.”

『Did I say that? I was hoping you’d forget it. Well, anyway, if you were sad a moment ago let’s just talk about something that makes you happy. Until you forget what you’re sad about, then it’ll become nothing.』

“I don’t think it works that way.” I crossed my arms to look serious. “But fine.”  Think about something that makes me happy, well there was only one thing in the whole world that made me happy. “Matsuda-kun! He makes me happy! When I think about him my heart leaps out of my chest, he’s the only connection I have to this world.”

『Oh, really? I have a person like that too.』

“Whoa! We really do have a lot in common.”

At some point we had moved out of that spot where I was talking with Kamishiro-kun. It was so natural that I didn't even notice the change of location. He sat next to me, oddly polite looking with his arms wrapped around his knees.

『They’re the only person I’ve ever felt normal around. They’re the kind of person that got along with everyone, everyone loved them even me.』

“I don’t know if I want everyone to love Matsuda-kun. Then I might have to share him.”

『You’re way too greedy.』

“Hey!”

『Well anyway, I didn’t really care whether I lived or died until I met that person. They were the first person who told me I could live, the first person who looked me directly in the eyes.』

“Wait… Why do you keep using the past tense.”

『Oh, you’re perceptive. You must not be as self absorbed as you look.』

“Hey!”

『They disappeared three years ago, so I’ve been transferring to school after school trying to find them. It’s the reason I transferred here. I… I want to see them again, terribly. WHat happened was.. It wasn’t my fault...it wasn’t my fault… it wasn’t my fault. Itwasn’tmyfault.』

My face twisted up again in an incredible sadness. Even though I could not remember the exact details, both the emotions I had felt over the past few days, and also the unreadable sadness that the eyes of the strange boy Kumagawa-kun was holding back made me unable to contain my own sadness. Suddenly, I grabbed onto him and started to cry without asking. Maybe it was rude but I didn’t care much in the moment. “That’s… that’s so… I couldn’t imagine going three years without Matsuda-kun!”

『Ah, what. I really don’t understand what’s happening. Why is a girl embracing me and crying on my shoulder for the first time? A-anyway, it’ll be okay. If something bad happens you’ll just forget about it so...』He looked like a broken robot with rusted joints, trying to reach out and pat me on the shoulder completely unaware of how he should move himself.  『Let’s just talk about Matsuda-kun instead. I’m sorry talking about me won’t cheer you up any, my life is too sad.』

“Uh, okay.” I changed faces easily just like that and started to smile again. “Well uhhh… let me check my notebook. Oh! Matsuda-kun called me ugly, do you think I’m ugly?”

『Yes.』He said without a moment’s hesitation.

“Why would you say something so horrible?”

『I didn’t mean it as an insult. To be honest I’d prefer you ugly, I hate beautiful people and beautiful things. They’re just a living reminder of how ugly I am.』

I leaned in close, stroking my chin and observing the features of his face. I forgot faces easily, but for some reason he had an especially forgettable face. I felt if I looked away for a second all of his features would be covered in shadow, except for maybe that smile of his that was always present. Other than that, his looks were incredibly plain, maybe his cheeks and eyes were slightly round, and his hair a little messy. His body itself was skinny to the point of malnutrition, but that just made him look a little like Matsuda. “Yep, you’re definitely ugly. No wonder you have such an inferiority complex.” I never said such mean things without thinking, but somehow it was drawn out of me.

『Hey!』He said.

We kept on talking uselessly like that. Until another plot event dragged me into it.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

There was a strange person walking around campus that I could identify the same way I did Matsuda-kun. Well, it was a little different. When I remembered Matsuda-kun my heart beat fast. When I remembered that strange boy, my body started to shake uncontrollably. It was like my body reacted to him, but my mind didn’t. Like that cat that knew instinctively to avoid me.

Even though he had a terrifying aura and said weird things though, I kept getting the impression he was trying to be nice.

I might have run into him a few more useless times and had a few more useless conversations but.

“Ah!”

Suddenly surrounding me, were a few faceless reserve course students. They all muttered angry things about how they hated how happy I looked, and how I was looking down on them. I had no idea what to say in this situation. I brought my hands to my ears. “It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with me.”

Then suddenly, a  cracked sounding voice spoke up from behind me.  『Ryōko-chan, Matsuda-kun took his shirt off and he’s posing with a rose in his mouth to your left.』Suddenly I could not help myself but looking away. I saw no Matsuda-kun though.

Quickly, I looked back to see somebody in a black uniform brawling with the three students who had cornered me. He did not look to be winning at all, he looked quite weak, but somehow he fought harder than all three of them combined. As if they were scared off by a feral animal, they started to shake and quickly run.

『What are you looking at?』He said with serious eyes to a few students who had stopped to watch, and all of them just as quickly turned their heads. When I heard his terrifying voice, and started to shake I knew there was something familiar about him.

Quickly I opened my memory notebook and found him again. “Bear river!”

『Why do you keep calling me that?』He said, straightening up and wiping the dirt and blood from his mouth.

I realized then that a fight had just broke out, that this stranger had tried to make me look away. “Hey, hey, why did you do that? Why are you always following me around, are you stalking me?”

I remembered he often had a picture of a girl that he looked at from time to time, well I didn’t remember that so much as it was written down on the page in front of me.

『Well, it’s because you’re kind of weak and useless when you’re like this.』

“Hey!”

『I’m the kind of person whose no good fighting for themselves, so I want to help weak and useless people.』

“Ah…” I remembered something from my general memories, the procedural ones that Matsuda-kun once told me about. “That sounds like something a character from a shonen manga would say.”

His eyes widened for a moment. He said nothing. It was me who started the conversation when I paged through my notebook again. “Ah.. Ahhhhhh! Matsuda-kun is in trouble!” I grabbed him without thinking and started to shake his hand. “Matsuda-kun is in trouble! Matsuda-kun is in trouble!”

『Ah? What? What? What?』He said as he was shaken back and forth.  『It’ll be okay. I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t your fault.』

I stopped for a moment remembering what I read on him. He had memory problems just like me. He said strange things. He always muttered about how things weren’t his fault. “Why do you say that? That it’s not your fault.”

『Oh uh… I uh… the same reason you say that it has nothing to do with you, right?』

“I say that?”

『Like all the time!』

“Oh, what a cute character quirk of mine.”

『When it has nothing to do with you, or when it’s not your fault it hurts a little less. Maybe it’s not the most heroic thing to say but… sometimes you just have to say what you need to to get by.』Once again, I could see there was pain in the deep expanse of his eyes. But no! He wasn’t the guy I wanted to stare deeply into the eyes of.

I just thought of something though. This person who easily seems to slip in and out of people’s notice, this guy who fights and scares other people easily but acts so gentle towards me. “Hey, can you do me a favor?”

『Oh sure.』

“You agreed so easily! You’re not going to ask anything in return?”

『Well, it’s because you’re so weak and useless on your own, not to mention empty headed and self absorbed so you probably need all the help you can get.』

“Hey! Well anyway, can you watch over Matsuda-kun for me? I can’t tell you what he looks like, or what he sounds like, or acts like, but he’s the cutest most precious person in the world? Do you got it?”

『Yeah sure, I’ll look for somebody I fall in love with first sight at.』

“No you can’t he’s mine!” She shook him slightly again, playing comedy partner dynamic just by instinct alone. “Can you protect him for me please? There’s somebody who wants to hurt him badly. If Matsuda-kun disappeared then my whole world would disappear.”

His eyes widened for a moment. 『Hey, umm… what if… what if you were the one who was going to hurt him? Then what should I do?』

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!” I shook him harder this time. “I would never hurt Matsuda-kun. Take it back. Take it back.”

『Ah, sorry, sorry. Just forget I said it okay?』His eyes suddenly became very troubled. He drifted out of my grip, and then covered his face with his hands. Sweat balled up and rolled down his forehead as he thought to himself. Then suddenly, he wiped his hand over his face and the expression went away, replaced with a happy one by a magic trick.  『I’ll protect him I promise. All the bad things that could happen to Matsuda-kun, I’ll make them become nothing, okay?』

For some reason, even though this was a completely unreliable guy and one I did not remember at all, I felt reassured.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Enoshima Junko walked out of the neurology lab, leaving the poisoned Matsuda unconscious on the floor.

In the hallway just as she was beginning to proudly walk forward a voice called out behind her. 『Poisoned lip stick isn’t that a little bit of a cliche? Are you trying to play along to that spy movie obsessed boy’s fantasies? This is the reason why I only read shonen jump there are only wholesome cliches in those mangas.』

She whipped her head around fast. He sat against the wall, arms crossed and wearing a black uniform that did not belong to this school. It looked entirely strange because she knew for a fact Hope’s Peak did not accept transfer students.

However, this person was not expected. “You’re the Joker, aren’t you? The wildcard that suddenly appeared in my scenario.”

『Whoa! You gave me such a cool sounding name!』For a moment he sounded genuinely impressed. Then his face changed, his eyes sharpened looking determined. He really did look like something out of a shonen manga she thought. 『Well, I guess I should live up to my name and totally throw off your scenario at last second leaving you awash in despair!』

Suddenly he charged her. There was a twisted look in his eyes, and his body turned in an odd way as he moved forward, but he looked… weak.

The fight that followed was so pathetic it didn't even deserve an extended flashback sequence. The Madarais had put up a better fight than him, and she found them entirely boring and too predictable.

Now he was on the floor dead behind her. She really did not want to kill somebody who had managed to sneak their way into her perfect plan, but if they were that sneaky they should have put up a better fight than just charging straight at her/ 

She turned her back and began to walk away.

Slowly, something started to rise up behind her.

A pair of arms threw themselves around her. She looked back to see the joker’s head entirely covered in blood, but his eyes open and alive. “What the hell are you some kind of zombie?”

『Why do you keep giving me cool names. That’s way cooler than what I really am.』Even though she was sure he was dead a moment ago, he did not even seem to be in pain. She remembered what this boy Kumagawa had said to Ryōko. That he forgot all painful memories. Maybe he was just not feeling pain at the moment or… she really needed to get him off of her.

She bucked backwards and pushed him against the wall slamming him hard. He went down a second time, but this time she did not turn her back on him. She immediately put a foot down on his head, threatening to crush it.

He looked up at her with pathetic eyes. 『Ah.. Once again, I’ve lost.』

“Umm, this guy is definitely… a loser…” She concluded, building a profile in a second about the unknown man named Kumagawa Misogi who had snuck on campus several times. “Hey, hey, if you’re going to interrupt my despair-inducing plans you could at least apologize for being so weak about it. I need a strong enemy, otherwise I won’t be able to despair, okay?”

『I won’t apologize! I like this weakness quality of mine. Besides, isn’t your enemy this time, you? That’s a little bit self absorbed don’t you think.』

“Hmm…” She noticed, that he had said something that hinted he knew more than he did. She thought of dragging him back and handing him to one of the monokuma mask wearing members to torture him until she got it out of him, but he looked like a blabber mouth that would just give it to her on the spot if she got him started. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish by getting involved?”

『Well. Nothing really. I already knew from the start that I won’t accomplish anything. That being said, I’d rather not have Matsuda-kun get hurt.』

“Oh, because you promised that empty headed girl?”

『That’s a terrible way to refer to yourself, Ryōko-chan.』He smiled up at her. 『Or should I say, Junko-chan.』

She immediately ripped his uniform jacket open and searched the inner pockets. Inside she found what she expected. The photograph the boy was always carrying around. It was a photograph of Enoshima Junko with written instructions on back, the gist was find this person and stop her.

There was somebody after her, well that made sense but still a weird guy like this… her hands immediately went around his neck. “How long have you known?”

『Umm… from the start I guess? You look a lot different from the picture, but your eyes are exactly the same. Eyes that are bored with the entire world, there’s no way I’d ever mistake those. Well, Yasuke-chan’s getting all twisted up about the differences between you two but you act the same too, you’re both empty headed girls who don't care about anybody but themselves.』He smiled up at her innocently. 『It’s not like I know the rest though, I don’t get what’s going on at all, those kind of twists are next level. I only read shonen jump manga for kids. Like are you in a love triangle with yourself or something that’s super confusing.』

She grabbed his head and slammed it against the ground. “Wow! You really are an idiot. You almost had my whole plan figured out, and then you let yourself get captured here by me. That’s so-”

『Disappointing right? Hey, are you looking down on me right now because that’s kind of… ahaha… that’s kind of…. Aahahahahaha…. That’s so funny!』

Her expression dried up. “What’s so funny?”

『Well it’s just….ahahahahaha! You’re insisting on this plan like it’s what you care about! And you’re looking down on me like I’m the pathetic one here! Ahahahahahaha! Talented people like you are so full of yourselves.』Suddenly he overcame the strength she was holding him down with quite easily and moved his head up so it was centimeters away from hers, looking directly into her eyes. 『You couldn’t take it could you. You were too talented. It made everything too easy. You were trapped inside your own brilliant mind and couldn’t get out. You looked down on everyone and everything, but… look at what you’re doing right now. You could have planned this scenario to work out any way you wanted, but you purposefully lobotomized youself and spend half the time running around like a carefree happy go lucky girl. It’s a little sad isn’t it? The only way you could ever really enjoy your life is to take a screw to your brain and hit scramble.』

“...”

He fell backwards spreading his arms out. 『What a poor empty little girl. She just wanted to enjoy life like everybody else, but there was nothing to fill her up, so she tried to make herself so stupid she’d forget that she was empty. Well that’s the thing about emptiness, it never goes away.』

“...”

『I wish I had that problem. I wish my life was so easy, and I was so talented that my worst problem was I was a little bored.』

Ensohima Junko looked like she was barely holding back an ocean of despair within her eyes. She  reached forward and put her hands around his neck. “I’ll kill you.” She said, simply, with no flourish.

『Oooh, scary!』He said, flashing her his teeth again. 『You won’t, because you need me. I’m the wildcard remember. You don’t really want to succeed do you? You’re just like a little kid acting out to get their parent’s attention, you’re secretly hoping that you’ll fail. That you'll be punished.』

“Shut up.”

『Just let me go. Let me go and I’ll appear at the last moment and foil your perfect plan. You’ll watch everything you built up crumble around you. I am your salvation!』

Her hands loosened from around his neck. ‘Fine, whatever, I don’t care anymore. Just get out of my sight.”

He smiled. 『Thanks, Junko-chan.』

She shivered. “Ewe, hearing my name roll off your tongue feels like I’m being covered in a layer of loser slime. You’re only allowed to call me Enoshima-sama, from now on.”

『Let’s meet in the middle how about Enoshima-san. Ah, and also...』Suddenly, she felt herself being pierced from behind as she went to stand up. There was a screw moving through her head, and poking out from behind one of her eyes. What… the… it was completely impossible within the rules of reality, like something from some manga, but before she could even think about it she lost consciousness.

『I’m pretty dumb though, so I’m going to give myself a handicap and make you forget I ever existed.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ah, well that’s the last of your memories Enoshima-san. I could show you the time that Kumagawa dragged Yasuke’s pulped body off, muttering to himself about how he lost again, I could show you that time that he lied and said you wee dead… Those seem unnecessary though.

Oh, right. I forgot to tell you where Yasuke-chan is. Alright, I'll show you how it feels when other people mess with your toys. 

A sickly looking boy sat in a hospital room. There wa nothing wrong with him, but he looked like death (technically he had been dead), he wore an unclean white shirt that he only kept half tucked in. He was staring despondently at a manga, but threw it against the wall. All of the pages he had tried to read recently were blank. There was no meaning in them. Kumagawa just kept coming and piling up manga volumes besides his bed, but it would not change the fact.

It would not change that Enoshima Junko was…

“Alive!”

A voice sounded behind him. He jumped and saw a girl dressed in white traditional clothing. She had screws driven into her, and a red ribbon in her hair. He recognized her, well, only the eyes because those were the eyes that belonged to the woman who appeared in his dreams. “Yo-hooo! Yasuke-chan how are you?”

“What do you mean… what do you mean Junko’s alive?”

“Really, a pretty girl is standing in front of you and all you can do is ask about another girl. You don’t know how to deal with girls at all, do you?”

“Stop fucking around and tell me the truth!” He said getting out of his mattress and throwing the sheets aside.

“I feel bad for Kumagawa-kun, he tried so hard to get you out of this room and the second I mention Junko you’re basically running out.” She shrugged as she could make no other gesture with her hands tied up.

“What’s with the costume? Are you some kind of BDSM freak?”

“So ruuude! And here I was going to tell you about your beloved Junko-chan.”

He immediately sat down on the bed like an obedient dog. Sweat rolled down his forehead, he looked like a light breeze might shatter him in this moment. What the heck. What the heck is this person? He thought, wondering how a person could appear in his dreams then in front of him. Then again, apparently he had been revived from the dead.

“I’m glad she’s still alive, though maybe from your point of view it’d be better if she was dead.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Oh, I think you know. You’re scared right. Scared that if she is alive, you’ll get dragged back into despair. That’s why even though you were suspicious and thought Kumagawa-kun was lying, you chose to stay in this hospital room the whole time.”

“Shut up.”

“But it’s got nothing to do with you, right? On the other hand what would happen if you were to die. You could easily spend the rest of your life feeling guilty about something like that. So, I guess it doesn’t matter to you if she lives or dies, because either way you still know it’s all your fault.”

“No… it’s Junko’s… she dragged me into despair.”

“Hey? You seem upset let’s change the subject. Do you believe in god?”

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

“Personally, I don’t believe in god. Even if I have godlike powers, if somebody told me they thought I was a god I’d tell them they were wrong. There’s no real proof that he exists. If from a certain point of view though, you were to model your actions all around one person, then wouldn’t they be like a god?”

“I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”

“Oh I think you do. You know the truth, you’ll never be able to escape this girl Enoshima Junko on your own. She’s too wrapped up in your past, all of your feelings, your motivations, they all belong to her. But… what’s so wrong with that? I mean after all you do love her, don’t you?”

“...”

“Hey, hey… don’t you?”

“...”

“Well, I guess it’s natural not to love somebody who murdered you. I wonder, didn’t it start before that though. Didn’t Kumagawa Misogi say something like ‘you hate how happy Ryōko is acting?’ Usually I wouldn’t put any stock in what they guy said, but maybe this time… isn’t it more like you hated the fact that she forgot about you?”

“What?”

“I mean, she promised din’t you? You built your whole life around that promise. Then, you ended up in that exact same situation and she forgot about you eventually. You hated how Ryōko was laughing and acting like a normal girl, because you couldn’t be a part of it. It wasn’t any fun” He realied suddenly how close this girl in strange clothing had gotten. “That’s why you were trying so hard to protect her, saying it was for her sake, stealing her memories away. You aren’t sympathizing with her at all though right, otherwise shouldn’t you be happy when she was happy? But… honestly, you just wanted to be free from her, right?”

“No… I wanted to protect her…’

“Always being dragged along by her whims, always coming second to her own personal enjoyment didn’t you hate it?”

“No, from the bottom of my heart…”

“You worked so hard to make her happy, and nothing would make her smile, because Enoshima Junko only cares about despair. Even so you didn’t care did you, because it gave you something, a reason to live…”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

“You don’t love her, and she doesn’t love you. You were both just using each other, what a parasitic relationship. No wonder you can’t escape Enoshima Junko, she must be awfully lonely, if her only childhood friend treated her like that.”

“No.. Junko…”

“She’s not looking at you, only despair!”

“I want to protect her!”

“You just wanted to control her!”

“I am…”

“You didn’t want to be left all alone again.” She smiled at him in a wicked way, and all he could see of her face was her red eyes. “The answer you’re looking for doesn’t lie in hope or despair. If you succumb to despair, Enoshima Junko wins. If you defeat despair with hope, Enoshima Junko wins. She really is like a god, the whole world is designed to work in her favor. The only way to escape it is to destroy it.”

“Destroy what?”

“Both hope and despair, throw them aside. They’re unnecessary for you now. Hey, I’ll let you join me if you want. Somewhere outside of hope and despair, that’s the only place free from Enoshima Junko.”

“I…”

“By the way this is the only time I will offer this. You might see me as a demon, but I’m actually nice for rescuing you from this pathetic squalor in a lonely hospital room. That’s why if you decide to give up trying to escape Junko-chan, if you give up on trying to live for yourself, I will immediately withdraw. I don’t have any need for a weak man. If you want I can just arrange another woman to replace her and satiate your loneliness.”

Yasuke gritted his teeth. “Lease give me ten seconds to think this over… Please…”

“Certainly. It is a decision that will affect your entire life, without saying I would at least give you five seconds to think.”

He closed his eyes.

He saw a small girl in red pigtails, crying and telling him that somebody had broken her sandcastle. “Yasuke.”

He saw that same girl smiling at him telling him she was the one who broke it. “Yasuke.”

He saw a girl in middle school, throwing a tantrum because her sister had decided to go overseas all on her own. “Yasuke!”

He saw a girl in highschool excitedly telling him they were going to the same school. For once she looked like a normal girl going to school with her sweetheart and childhood friend. He almost believed in that smile as she called his name. “Yasuke!”

He saw a girl with empty eyes, who did not remember much clinging to him. “Matsuda-kun.”

He saw a girl leaning in to kiss him, telling him to crush despair with hope because that’s what she expects will happen. “Yasuke…”

He saw a girl getting her throat crushed by his hands, unable to say his name.

His eyes shot open.

“I…”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Before she could see the resolution to that scene, Enoshima Junko’s eyes shot open herself. She awoke to see an unfamiliar white ceiling. Next to her bed, a chair had been pulled up. Sitting there waiting for her, was a tall, dark man, with raven hair that touched the floor, and crimson eyes shining from in between his long bangs.

Junko immediately rolled over gripping her head. “I’ve got a headache, let me rest my head on your lap, Kamakura daaaarliiiiiinggg.’ Immediately after waking up, she really was from 0 straight to 90.

Kamakura flatly told her. “No.”

Junko jumped up from the bed. She felt a little woozy for a moment, but really being subjected to such a despair inducing trial had her more excited than anything, she really felt her nerves tingling.

“The appearance of that strange girl will be another problem for us.” He told her flatly. Of course by a problem for us, he only meant a problem for despair. Perhaps it was naive of him to expect it to be over once they rid themselves of Kumagawa.

Junko pulled open the drawer next to the hospital bed and pulled out a game of go. She liked the tiles, black hope and white despair. On the bed she laid out three pieces. “No way, no way. It’s way better this way. I really like playing games like this, hey can I use your abs as the board?”

“No.”

“Well, fine. Anyway, I really love playing games like this. When I look down at the board I can’t help but feel a bit godlike.” She said as she laid out the pieces recklessly on the bed. “You know what it feels good!” She put three pieces, and put them around a little hedgehog charm that had been left on the bedside table. “Three way struggles are fun! Especially when all three of the leaders are so closely connected. And then, god attacks!”

Junko grabbed the manga volumes that were all around and tore their pages out. She dropped them and the torn up pieces of paper straight on the board she had assembled. Then, she drew out a match from her purse, and flicked it lighting it and dropping it. “The hotter the honeymoon, the higher the flames of despair rise when it all comes crashing down around you!  Hahahahaha this will be fun, this will be fun!”

In the background, Kamakura simply looked at the rising smoke. “You’re going to set off the fire alarm.”

She pulled out a deck of cards from the same game drawer. “Come on, Kamakura, have a little bit of fun. Let’s pick out symbolism. Pick out who do you want to be the king, how about the queen? Hey, come on and pick one.”

“...”

“Fine, I’ll pick. Let’s see the joker will be….” She looked at the card again. Immediately Kumagawa’s smiling face flashed in her eyes. Her heart started to race, and she tried to smother than feeling. “Ugh, whatever nevermind. I’m bored of card symbolism already, let’s blow this joint honey bear.”

She tossed the cards away and let them fuel the fire. Kamakura disappeared with her a moment later, as he had no other lifeline.

That evening, Enoshima Junko noticed something strange. When she thought seriously about Ajimu’s words how she had been incomplete, and was going to fix what Kumagawa took away from her, she thought it was just memories.

However, that night. She pulled off her eyepatch and discovered somehow…

She could see from both eyes again. Even the vision that Kumagawa had erased. She closed one eye and opened another... oh, her vision was not only returned it was better.
Could this be... a minus?

Chapter 24: The Heart Pounding Investigations of Kirigiri Kyoko

Summary:

Kyoko Kirgiri assumes she's in the wrong genre of fiction.

“Kumagawa, you lied didn’t you?”

“I lie about a lot of things, you’re going to need to be more specific.”

Two voices spoke alone in the dead of night. Little did they know, there was a third party trained in such skills eavesdropping on their conversation. Kurokami Medaka stood tall and proud as ever, a lioness and skirting around her shadows was a laughing hyena, a dark figure in a black uniform belonging to another school known as Kumagawa Misogi.

“You don’t have anything to do with the destruction of Hope’s Peak, do you?” Kurokami fanned herself once, then collapsed her fan and pointed it straight at his heart.

Kumagawa Misogi hesitated for a moment, unable to shield himself behind his insincerity as usual. He put a hand on his chest, and crumpled forward slightly, “I… it was my fault.”

“The time with Ajimu three years ago,” Medaka did not let up for one moment.

Kumagawa’s vulnerable eyes shook, but he did not have anything to cling to besides that phrase of his. “It was my fault…” He leaned forward against the railing practically draping his whole torso over it to prevent his body from collapse.

Once more she grabbed it off of her sleeve and offered it to him, the arm band of the vice president. “Didn’t you say before Kumagawa, that you met me even before Zenkichi had? But if I wasn’t there, you would have met Zenkichi first, if you knew Zenkichi was in that hospital you would have, and if you had Zenkichi would have given you a reason to live, and it’s still not too late for that. So, everything you’ve done since you were four years old, you can say it was my fault for taking away your opportunity to get a reason to live.”

Kumagawa sighed, suddenly tilting his head. “What you just said doesn’t make any sense at all. You’re such a weird girl as usual, Medaka-chan.”

“Hey, hey, how more straightforward can I possibly be?” She could have been a lot more straightforward but Medaka was the kind of person who liked to talk over others rather than to them. She reached forward grabbing him by the collar and jerking him back to look at her. “You don’t always have to play the villain, Kumagawa. Deciding to play the villain because you don’t feel good enough to play the hero, you’re the one who doesn’t make any sense.”

“It’s all I’m capable of though. All I can do is tell lies, it’s all I’ve done to this point.” He let himself hang on her arm, only holding his hands up weakly in front of him to defend himself.

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s still not too late for that. You’re only eighteen after all. If you hang around Zenkichi I’m sure he can give you another reason to live.”

Kumagawa closed his eyes. Everything was always so simple to her. For a moment he wanted to leave his world of shadow and step into Medaka’s world of the light, and cling to that warmth the same way Komaeda had. However, Junko’s words echoed in his ear. Logically, Medaka was just a sixteen year old girl too. “You’re only sixteen too. You should find your own reason, instead of bossing me around to find mine. Besides, I’m perfectly content living with no reason. You’re just a normal girl so don’t try to look cool, you’ll just look stupid.”

He distentangled himself from her, and messed his hair up with his hand. She watched him with large, empty eyes, not quite getting what had upset Kumagawa about her offer. Medaka had never been able to read the relationships between human beings well, while she was extremely advanced in certain topics, things that were common sense often missed her because they had never been explained to her.

She could not determine the source of Kumagawa’s sudden sadness, and Kumagawa had too much pride to admit it was just common girl troubles. The reason he refused to tell her the secret of what happened in Hope’s Peak before he arrived, the reason he refused to cling to her, was because he could still see Junko looking down on him. After a long pause, he looked away to cover his embarrassed face. “If… if you don’t tell anybody about Enoshima Junko’s real personality, then I’ll become your vice president.”

“Why?”

“It’s just my own selfish reasoning. I want her to enjoy her school life as long as she can. If her classmates knew how she really was, she wouldn’t have anymore friends.”

At this, Medaka smiled like a normal teenage girl might and leaned in with intent. “Oh, I see.”

“What do you see?” Kumagawa suddenly felt flustered even though he knew Medaka would never catch onto that sort of thing.

“You’ve already found your reason haven’t you? That’s why you don’t need Zenkichi or me to give it to you.”

Kumagawa sighed, but it was one of affection rather than exhaustion. A sort of Oh, Medaka at her naivete that he found difficult to hate anymore. “I do have feelings for that person, but they rejected me in the end. One thing that the minus hold over the plus, is that we don’t run away from losses or rejection. If somebody doesn’t feel the same way as you, that’s it.” He gripped his hand on the fabric of his jacket over his heart. “I’m sure one day I’ll make these feelings become nothing, so for now, I don’t want to bother her with them anymore okay? I want her to live her school life uninterrupted.”

Medaka decided to leave him alone, as there was no way she could possibly understand that kind of complex human emotion. However, the face he was showing right now, Kumagawa trying to be kind and mature in his own way, struggling to do his best, that was the exact kind of thing she loved about human beings. She held out the arm band once more. “I don’t think you should play villain. Even a complete failure of a hero is better than a villain, alright? So, I’ll make that deal with you.”

Kurokami already knew how to deal with everything else. She was sure Kumagawa erased all records of Junko’s activity, if he really wanted to take the blame as a conspirator against the school she would just use her family’s money and influence in order to pardon him. This time he reached forward and took her life line, snatching the arm band away from her. “Thank you, but don’t let your guard down, Medaka-chan. After all, I”m still a minus, I may catch you off guard someday.”

She waved him off. “Playing a villain until the end, huh? That’s fine, that’s fine… Your most important job is catching me off guard.”

At that moment the pereson eavedropping on them jumped to the side. She saw Kurokami Maguro suddenly appear next to her. However, rather than reveal her position, he simply playfully put a finger over his mouth and made a short “Ssssh,’ sound. He really was a magician until the end.

Maguro revealed himself appearing from behind Kumagawa, and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks for going along with Medaka-chan’s selfishness, Kumagawa-kun. As a way of showing my thanks, I’ve made a request with the school to have your punishment for the prank killing video to be counted as time already served. The disappearances of the student council, the steering committee, some 77-A students and all of 77-B have been put on the records, isolated incidents, mental breakdowns due to the pressures of this academy. From today forward you’ll just go to the reserve course like a normal student tell them you spent the entire summer laboring away as punishment for that terrible prank of yours.”

Kumagawa smiled softly at him. “That’s all well and good but I’m a terrible student you know, I doubt I’ll learn that much in that reserve course, all the teachers there consider it a punishment like purgatory anyway.”

Maguro shrugged his shoulders. “Well, if the reserve course is empty anyway, then I might as well volunteer my free time to help teach there as a student teacher. That is, if you ask me normally this time.”

“I’m no match for you. Maguro-chan, you’re… really cool aren’t you?”

In the background, Medaka’s mouth dropped. “Really, you’re acknowledging Maguro as cool but not me!” This might have been the first time in her whole life that she heard this, except when Togami was around.

“No way, I’m really uncool. Regardless and Medaka-chan and everyone’s decision I was planning on using my influence to spare you from punishment anyway and keep you around. After all your strength will be indispensable to fight the 『Delayed Two』.”

Kumagawa’s peaceful expression disappeared in an instant. The kind and heartwarming scene between the three of them shattered, as his eyes widened with worry and sweat ran down his cheek. Those two words suddenly felt like the heaviest words in the world to him. Gravity became doubled, like somebody had activated a skill. He felt his entire body shake trying to endure their weight, he needed to reach out and grab onto the railing once more. “...........!!” When he opened his mouth, the weight pushed out what he was trying to say and he just gasped.

“Kujira-chan told only me about the contents of the list you showed her.”

“Maguro-chan then you… Can it be that you…”

“That’s right i remember. It seems that both Medaka-chan and Zenkichi-kun have forgotten, but I remember that girl..”

Kirgiri Kyoko watched the scene unfolding in front of her with a discerning detective’s eye. Perhaps she should have been more concerned with the  『Delayed Two』and that girl whose mere mentioned seemed to bring Kumagawa Misogi to his knees, but her priorities had changed over the last year.

All she could hear was one name repeating over and over again. Enoshima Junko. Enoshima Junko’s real self, the one Kumagawa wanted to hide from the rest of her classmates. Just when I thought the case was going cold, suddenly another lead appeared in front of me. She narrated to herself as she turned around to walk away. Suddenly, she saw the faces of her classmates together and her boots stopped themselves, digging themselves into the ground. She looked down at those same boots, wondering what this moment of hesitation was. Do I even want to follow this lead?

She stomped her foot hard on the ground to break herself away from hesitation. Of course I do, detectives exist to follow leads that’s why they’re the protagonists. They guide us to the truth in a world filled with untruths. Of course her monologue as usual assumed certain tropes that typically only tended to hold true in detective novels. That solving the mystery would resolve all conflict. That lies were bad, and the truth was good. Perhaps worst of all Kyoko shut the images of her smiling classmates out of her mind and continued to hold true that a detective must work alone.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Do we really have to get up this early?” Shuichi said, his hat turned the wrong way because of the rushed way he had gotten dressed.

“Of course, justice never sleeps Saihara-san.” Kirigiri next to him stood as resolute as always. Of course the real person who could never sleep was her, as she had spent the rest of the night after hearing that conversation tossing and turning it in her head, and giving up on sleep for the night decided instead to get an early start to her day.

Saihara was just an unfortunate victim getting dragged along, though he seemed exactly the kind of person who was good at being dragged along by the whims of others just like Makoto.

Speak of the devil, or rather the devil’s luck just then while walking along Makoto suddenly ran past them. He was clearly being pushed to his absolute limit, from the sloppy way he was running, and the desperate faces he made as he ran along. Kirigiri had watched Makoto in the athletic festival before. Every single event he scored average in. She almost found it uncanny. If everybody did better in their class, Makoto would do better. Then in events where everybody did worse and the average went down, Makoto did worse as well. If she were a numbers person rather than a detective she might have thought about that strange anomaly a little more, but the only numbers a detective cared about was number of cases closed.

Behind him, running backwards was Hitoyoshi Zenkichi. The reason he ran backwards soon revealed himself, as at the very back of the pack was Nagito Komaeda. If Makoto was barely struggling to stay afloat in his running, Komaeda looked like he was already drowning and his sole lifeline was Zenkichi running a little bit ahead of him shouting encouragement. Despite that he fell face first onto the ground, his body giving out underneath him. When he saw that Zenkichi did not look down at him at all for his failure. He ran forward and then offered his back to Komaeda, and carried him on his back the rest of the way to the finish line.

“Whoa, there are other people up at this ungodly hour besides us?” Shuichi said, as he reacted with shock to the scene unfolding before them.

Kirigiri looked back at him. “You haven’t seen those three yet? They’ve become infamous around here for the past couple of weeks. They’re the optimism trio.” Though, as she remembered all of the trouble Komaeda the Ultimate Ultimate fanatic had caused her father, she thought it might be more appropriate to call them the optimism duo plus Komaeda.

As they reached their training spot, both Komaeda and Makoto flopped onto the ground and laid their like dead bodies. For a moment as she approached, Kirigiri thought they might look better with a chalk outline drawn around them. Of course chalk outlines were only used in fictional detective work, a real world detective would never disrupt the scene with chalk.

Zenkichi was the only one standing up, and he did not seem to notice their exhaustion. “That was a good warm up run you two! Now, let’s get onto the real workout.”

“The real work out?” Makoto whined, deflating all the air from his puffed out chest at once.

“I’ve finally discovered your real talent Hitoyoshi-kun, you’re the ultimate torture technician.” Komaeda’s comments were, of course, much more macabre.

“Come on, if you two are going to control your luck you need to get stronger.” He stomped his foot on the ground trying to rouse them.

Komaeda was the first to sit up, but only to argue with Zenkichi. “I’m still not sure I understand your logic. What exactly does physical training have to do with controlling luck?”

“Well, neither of you feel like you can control what happens to you right because of luck? Komaeda you said you were too weak to control your luck. Then you just need to get stronger, simple as that.” Zenkichi said, with a smile that made Komaeda almost want to believe his words.

However, Komaeda had a nagging voice at the back of his head that told him to interject and get the last word in, even in situations where he wanted to believe in a simple, hopeful sentiment. “If that’s the case then you’re talking about controlling luck like it’s a mental skill. How exactly does physical training help with that?”

“A strong mind resides within a strong body, right? I bet those kinds of things are connected anyway.” He scratched the bridge of his nose and smiled confidently.

“Oh I see. So that’s the kind of idiotic logic a no talent loser thinks with and tries to impose on others.” Komaeda said without thinking. He knew he would regret it a moment later. He felt Zenkichi might even start to hate him.

“Hey, that’s not really nice. Zenkichi’s spending all his free time trying to help us Komaeda.”

When Makoto was the first to speak up, it was all Komaeda needed to know he had said too much. He looked away. Zenkichi however, only scratched at the back of his head. “Hmm? Oh, it’s no big deal Makoto. I’ve always been around Medaka-chan so I’m used to being talked down to.” He leaned to the side to catch the eye of Komaeda who was fleeing his gaze. “Actually, Medaka-chan tends to be way more condescending than Komaeda ever gets.”

“It’s only natural she’d look down on you, considering all you do is follow her around like she’s holding your leash.” He didn’t mean to say that either, but the combination of exhaustion and frustration had completely eroded away his filter.

“Haha! You’re right, I am Medaka’s pitbull. You’re really observant aren’t you, Komaeda-kun.” He seemed to have taken that as a compliment.

Makoto got to his feet finally in the middle of the duo. “Well, I guess there are equally rude people in my class too, especially Togami, but they’re all my friends. Well, except for Togami he said I could only be called his ‘associate’.”

By the time that Kirigiri and Shuichi finally caught up to the three of them they were already starting to do push ups. Kirigiri looked around and saw in the distance somebody else was running towards them, and wondered if all of these early morning exercises were just a result of the rowdy transfer class who all seemed to be physically good in a fight. Kirigiri crossed her arms. “Are they really just doing physical training as a substitute for self improvement? Seems illogical.”

Saihara Shuichi looked at the trio. His eyes seemed a little sad, and his expression a little quiet as noticed by Kirigiri. “I don’t think either of them really believe it’s going to work, it’s just they believe in Hitoyoshi-kun. Overthinking things and worrying about what they need to do, I’m sure when they’re with him, they feel like all of that stuff just fades away.”

Kirigiri leaned in to watch his face closer. Which made Shuichi immediately draw away feeling a flare of nerves. “At least… that’s what I deduced they must be feeling anyway.”

“Oh, hey Kiri! Have you come to cheer us on?” Makoto said, being the first to notice her.

“No,” Kirigiri answered honestly.

“Haha, okay!”

23, 24...25… Just as he hit his average amount, Makoto collapsed once more from exhaustion. “Well, at least Mukuro wasn’t here to see that…” He said optimistically trying to fight off disappointment from his lack of improvement.

“Wasn’t here to see what?” Mukuro said, suddenly stopping in front of him. Makoto who had flopped on the ground once more with all the energy drained from his body, suddenly gained a second wind and jumped up to his feet.

“Wh-where did you come from? Isn’t it a little early for you to be walking around the school grounds.”

“I’m always up this early, I need the time to complete my morning run.”

“Oh! I went on a morning run too! What kind of run did you have, Mukuro?”

“It’s a four mile run in the same heavy boots Navy SEALS wear, see.” She lifted her foot to show him. Makoto was completely sure if he wore those boots he would not even be able to walk a few steps in them. Rather than feeling inferior to the impressive strength of the girl in front of him though, he suddenly felt.. His face was a little bit hot…

Makoto scratched the back of his head. “Oh yeah, that’s totally the run we were just on.” Why did I just lie like that? Am I trying to impress Mukuro? “Isn’t that right, Hitoyoshi-kun.”

Zenkichi looked up from where he was encouraging Komaeda. “Hmm? We only just barely made it around the school once, I doubt either of you are ready for four miles just yet.” He said, unbearably honest.

Makoto glared back at him. You’re a terrible wingman, why am I relying on you again? Wait… Wait… wingman… why would I…

“Did you forget how long your run was that’s a little bit weird.” Mukuro did not seem to catch on that Makoto was trying to brag in front of her. She sat down next to where Makoto was laying down on the ground with his arms spread out and looked him in the eye. “Hey, I came to find you to ask you something. Earlier, were you following me again?”

“Huh?” Makoto recoiled with shock. “N-no way!”

Kirigiri was suddenly next to Mukuro. “Have you been stalking girls from our class again, Makoto?”

“Kiri! You know I’d never, have a little bit of trust in me!”

“A detective only has trust in their own deductions.”

“I don’t know, sometimes our deductions can be wrong…” Shuichi said nervously behind her.

“It’s fine Kirigiri-san, if Makoto says he wasn’t following me then I’ll believe him. That’s a little bit strange though, I could have sworn somebody was…”

“Maybe it was Kumagawa. He goes with you on your morning runs, right?” Makoto volunteered, wanting immediately to ease the worried look in Mukuro’s eyes.

Mukuro shook her head. “He used to, but ever since I was discharged from the infirmary he’s been avoiding me so I just started to train alone again.” She averted her gaze, like she always did when she looked out the window in class. “It’s fine that way, all he ever did was slow me down.”

“YOU!” Makoto spoke up suddenly, in a voice so loud it surprised him for a moment. “You should come train with us then. I mean it’s probably not what we’re used to, we just do push ups together but…” He stared into Mukuro’s eyes for a moment and then quickly looked away back to Zenkichi. “Hitoyoshi-kun, do you think that would be okay?”

Zenkichi finally looked up. “Oh, hey it’s that girl that beat me up that one time. Yeah, sure of course she’s welcome."

Mukuro raised a gloved hand. “Hello.”

Makoto put a finger in front of his mouth. “Sssh, Kiri’s right there.”

Kirigiri Kyoko who was indeed right there looked at Mukuro with interest. “Is this true?”

Mukuro nodded. “I indeed did beat him up once. His savate was good, but his teamwork with his friend was so terrible they put up a poor fight.”

“Mukuro no, there’s no need to talk about that kind of thing now.” Makoto said, sitting up and moving in front of her, in between Kirigiri and Mukuro.

Kirigiri however, shrugged it off. “You Sandbox Academy kids really should stop getting into fights, you’re going to upset my father again.”

Makoto sighed in relief. He looked to Mukuro again, wide eyes brimming with hope. “How about it? I bet you’d have lots of fun hanging out with Zenkichi, he’s really good at disassembling weapons. He learned it on his own time just like you.”

Zenkichi spoke up. “I needed to be prepared in case anybody ever tried to attack Medaka-chan with a gun.” He gave Mukuro the thumbs up. “If you want to join us, just do fifty push ups.”

Mukuro nodded. She stood up and walked a few paces away, and then moved herself parallel to the ground. Much faster than even Zenkichi had completed them, she finished fifty. “There. Done.” She said before moving back to Makoto’s side, who was still laying on the ground in exhaustion. “Makoto, have you finished already as well?”

“No, I only got halfway through. I’m just taking a break.”

“Alright, then I’ll take one with you.” Mukuro said as she laid down next to him, and without invitation laid her head on one of his extended out arms. Makoto’s entire face turned red for a moment, but he decided to just go with it.

“What about you Kiri. You seem to be up this early do you want to join us?” Makoto asked, not wanting to think too hard about how close Mukuro was in the moment or how much his heart was pounding.

“Pass.”

“Awe man.”

“Sorry Makoto, I work alone.”

“I’m right here you know.” Shuichi said from behind her as usual.

Kirigiri looked at Makoto and Mukuro so close to one another. Of course the eyes she looked at them with were not the eyes of a teenage girl, but rather of a detective. “You two seem close. Since when did this happen?”

“UHHH, DO WE REALLY SEEM THAT WAY?” Makoto asked, realizing a moment too late he had said that twice as loud as he intended.

“Yes, you’ve started referring to each other by your first names, and Mukuro who is famously distant has no problem with getting that close inside your personal space, it’s a natural deduction that you two have warmed on each other.” Kirigiri concluded with an analytical voice.

Mukuro however, answered in the same calm voice as usual. “When I was in the infirmary, Makoto visited me every day. He made me rabbits from apple slices.”

“I see.” Kirigiri still did not know what had caused her classmates hospitalization in the first place. Despite being a detective she still felt she was being left in the dark about a lot of things. She stared at her gloved hand or a moment. “Hey, Makoto. If one of your classmates was keeping a secret, what would you do?”

Makoto smiled at her. “Man, I dunno. I’m not the kind of person to ask about complicated stuff like that. I guess I would just trust the fact that they’d tell it to me if it was really important.”

“You’re right, you’re the wrong kind of person to ask about this.” Kyoko let her hands fall out of sight and started to walk away. “Ikusaba-san if you’re going to get that close to that idiot then watch over him for me, okay?” She muttered under her breath as a way of saying goodbye.

Shuichi ran after her, leaving the scene behind. “Wait, if you’re going to wake me up this early then please don’t forget about me!”

She hardly heard his protests though. Kirigiri started to feel agitation at Makoto’s simple answer to her question. Not all of us can trust so easily. I can’t really be like you. She thought of the peaceful atmosphere their class had gained over the course of a year, how they were just starting to feel like a normal class. If that atmosphere was ruined, would you still be able to smile so easily?

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kirgiiri fiddled with the ends of her leather gloves in irritation. She waited outside of her father’s office once more, barely listening to the conversation that Shuichi was trying to make with her.

“A lot of classical music has resurfaced in popularity right now, Claire de Lune or light of the moon is a piece that’s getting a lot of attention recently. It’s a piano piece by Debussy.”

“I don’t really listen to music.” She said, before her agitation rose to a maximum and she started to bite at the ends of her gloves.

Shuichi watched her, touching the brim of his hat. “Well, uh… You only read detective novels right? So do you think you’d prefer jazz music? That can be played on Piano too.” He saw Kirigiri continue to bite on her gloves, not even listening to him. Well, he was used to fading in the background but the more her agitation rose, the more his anxiety did. “Are, you alright, Kirigiri-senpai?”

“Senpai?” She stopped and looked up at him.

He pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes. “Well, you know the 79th class has officially been instituted today with the start of the new term. That means I’m officially your underclassmen treat me well, Senpai.”

“If you have class, then you should probably be with them instead of bothering your upperclassmen.”

“I…I… uh...” He let go of the brim of his hat and scratched the back of his head instead. “I don’t really have a place with them yet, so please watch over me a little longer, senpai.” He bowed his head to her making the humble request.

Kirigiri knew it would be hypocritical of her to criticize him any further. After all when she came to this academy for the first time she had no interest in her other classmates at all, just like him. At the same time she did not want to disclose the real reason for her current agitation. Shuichi was observant as a detective, she could recognize his talent after all this time. It was more than that though, he was especially sensitive to the emotions of others, to the point of it making him almost useless in the same way Makoto was. She knew she could not hide it for long, but perhaps she could misdirect him.

“I’m sorry if I’m worrying you, it’s just a pain waiting outside my father’s office like this. I don’t know what he wants.”

“Parents are like that, sometimes they just decide things on their own, and you can’t really do anything about it because you can’t choose the parents you were born with.”

She eyed him for a moment, wondering what kind of family he was talking about. In fact, she knew nothing about him at all besides his uncle was a detective and he was his uncle’s apprentice who had solved a few cases for him before he was scouted. This was the first time he talked about himself, but Kyoko figured that was because he was like Makoto and often downplayed himself in front of others.

Before she could follow up on that spark of interest, the doors to the office swung open finally. Koichi Kizakura sat next to her father behind his desk, and tipped his hat to greet her. “Hello there little lady.”

“What did you just say?” Kirigiri Jin glared back at him.

“She’s little and she’s a lady, there’s nothing factually wrong with my statement.” 

“You’re on thin ice Kizakura, since we only just found the two transfer students that you lost somehow.”

The couch in front of her father’s desk was occupied by two students. One sat relaxed on it. While the other was standing behind the couch, leaning against it and looking back out the window. HIs head was turned so nobody in the room could see his face.

They both looked a bit eccentric, but the girl especially. She had both of her arms crossed ovwe her chest, and nails driven into her hands. Rather than a school uniform she was just wearing traditional clothing. Her outfit looked painful, and yet she was smiling carefree. “It’s no problem, Kirgiri Sir, I’m just glad I finally managed to transfer here. Classes weren’t even meant to begin for Transfer Class 13 until summer term ended right, so there’s no time lost at all.”

Kirigiri decided to cool his anger and Kizakura for a moment, and looked past the scene in front of him to see Kyoko waiting for him in the background. “I’m glad you’re here. I hate to call another favor on you, but since these two didn’t get a chance to acclimate to the school like the rest of their class would you mind giving them a tour on their first day? You’ll get to take the day off from classes.”

“Nobody really attends classes at this school anyway,” Kyoko said without thinking. She had not meant to sound so snippy at her father, she just had not calmed her agitation yet.

“Aha, I suppose that’s my fault as an educator then. Will you show them around anyway? Apparently they had a lot of trouble getting here.”

Kyoko nodded politely. She remembered the conversation she overheard last night, about the delayed two who apparently had encountered both Kumagawa and Maguro in the past, and decided this was a vital part of her investigation too. Besides, it would distract her from what was agitating her. “I’m not the best at befriending others like Makoto, but I’ll try to show the two of you around, Najimi-san.”

At this Ajimu Najimi stood up and smiled. “It’s fine, though if we’re going to be acquainted you should call be my nickname, Anshin’in-san.”

Shuichi popped out from behind her, looking specifically from behind her shoulder as if he was hiding from something. “Oh, hello I’m Saihara Shuichi then.”

Ajimu stood up and leaned towards him with interest. Whatever those screws were, Kyoko noticed they did not seem to inhibit her mobility in the least. She walked close enough to Kyoko to lean over her shoulder and get a good look at Shuichi. “Hmm, who is this one?”

“He’s my sidekick.” Kyoko said immediately, not noticing or caring how close Ajimu had suddenly become.

Shuichi however, felt her eyes on him immediately and backed away, trying to hide behind Kyoko further. “Hey, I’m her partner. We’re working on a case together, that’s all.”

“Is that right, Fake-Detective-san.” AJimu gave a tilt of her head, she had a knowing look in her eyes.

Only then did Kyoko react to her closeness. She moved her head in the way cutting off Shuichi from her sight. “He’s as much of a detective as I am, I don’t care if you insult him because he’s pathetic and has a weak personality, but don’t insult his detective skills.”

Nervously, Shuichi peaked himself out from behind her. “It’s okay, KIrigiri-senpai. She’s right, my detective skills aren’t nearly as good as yours. In comparison to you I am a Fake Ultimate Detective.”

Kyoko looked back at him. “Have a little more self confidence, otherwise I’ll look foolish when I stand up for you.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I was just being nosy, it’s a bad habit of mine.” She stepped back and looked at her companion. “It’ll be a sunny day outside, do you mind?”

Wordlessly, her companion found an umbrella and unfolded it. He stood tall over her, and held the umbrella over her head. Kyoko still could not make out his face. Ajimu merely smiled at her, noticing her curiosity. “This one is my sidekick, that introduction should suffice right?”

Kyoko nodded. “Let’s get going then.” As the four of them walked together, she could not hold down her detective’s curiosity for long. “Why exactly are you covered in screws.”

“It’s a fashion statement!” Ajimu said to her with a smile.

“That’s a bit strange…”

“Is it really stranger than the kind of outfits you see kids wearing on this campus? This place is like the island of misfit toys for eccentrics with odd tastes, right?”

Kyoko thought of some of her classmates, and some of her upperclassman and could not find herself disagreeing. Ajimu saw the suspicious look in her eyes and flashed another innocent smile. “You don’t need to look at me that way, I’m just a cute young girl you know. Just like you.”

“I’m not a girl, I’m a detective.” Kyoko muttered, before deciding to look ahead as the school campus was large and this tour would likely take all day.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Not even once did I ever think that summer vacations were long, but somehow this summer felt almost endless. Despite all that, time flows on. With September rolling in, we welcomed Hope’s Peak Academy’s second semester. For some reason, I had a feeling that our class would never reach this far. I’m glad for once my intuition was wrong. Kyoko narrated to herself as she led Najimi Ajimu around the campus on a tour. Just as she was about to lead her to the student council room on Najimi’s request, they came across somebody else heading in the same destination.

“Kirigiri’s daughter right? I’m the former student council president Munakata Kyousuke. Give your father my thanks, from today forward I’ll be staying at this academy as a part of the staff.”

“Oh,” Kirigri said, bringing her hand to her chin. She looked back at Shuichi. “Make sure to send that message to my father, Saihara-san.”

“Have I become your secretary!” Shuichi said popping out from behind her.

“If you’re walking around were you discharged from the hospital then?” Kirigiri asked, her mind immediately wanting more details on the situation.

“I was just discharged a few minutes ago. Chisa was this morning, and another one of her students Nanami Chiaki finally awoke from her coma.” Munakata put on a rare smile. “It’s a hope filled day for all of us.”

“If you’re staying as staff, then are you going to be a teacher like Miss Yukizome?”

“Yes, but I won’t be teaching either your or Saihara’s class. Miss Ajimu is it?” He said looking behind at the girl following dutifully behind Kyoko and the boy whose face was obscured by the umbrella he held. “Starting tomorrow I’ll be your teacher. To pay Medaka back, I volunteered to be the teacher for Transfer Class 13 for the entire year our academy is hosting them. I’m glad you were able to make it in time for the new semester.”

“That’s an interesting new personality you have there, Munakata-kun.” Ajimu said cryptically, before smiling at him. “I’d prefer if you called me by my nickname, Anshin’in-san.”

Munakata continued to talk while all five of them walked to the student council office together. “They’re finally allowing Chisa to resume teaching class 77-B as well, well at least for the students who have been discharged from the hospital.”

“Father probably only did that so Komaeda would have some supervision instead of going back to wandering alone around the academy all day long,” Kirigiri spoke mainly to herself.

“It’s gotten so peaceful it feels almost unreal. Even though I was deeply troubled about the fate of the school, it seems over summer vacation we managed to halt whatever was going on at this school without any of the despair spreading out to the rest of the world. We can’t let ourselves believe our work is over yet either, Kirigiri-san. For us, who fought such a harrowing battle, the most important thing left is that we successfully return to our daily lives. Hope is security and tranquility for us all.”

Just as Munakata finished delivering his impromptu speech in the name of peace,  he slid open the door to the student council room to see that Kumagawa in his underwear had fallen over Yukizome Chisa and the two of them were both tangled up in measuring tape.

『Ah!』

Both Kirigiri, and Shuichi’s mouths dropped open. Neither Hanten nor Ajimu reacted. In an instant, Munakata’s relaxed demeanor dropped away. “Despair scum!” He growled from the deepest pit of his throat.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Chisa finished putting bandages around Kumagawa’s head from the one sided beatdown he had just endured from Munakata. He sat still in his underwear on a chair, and looked up at Munakata with an innocent face.  『Please don’t resort to violence. I can’t use 『All Fiction』anymore after all.』

“Shut up! What the hell are you doing to teachers behind locked doors!” Munakata shouted in his face, his anger barely contained.

“What exactly do you think was happening here, Munakata?  I was just taking measurements to sew Kumagawa-kun’s new uniform.”

Munakata paused for a moment. “Oh...is that all. Then why were you two in a pose like that?”

“It’s because Kumagawa can barely sit still. He really is a troublesome kid.”

On his chair, Kumagawa covered in bandages let his head fall down.  『Sorry, sorry. I’m not really used to being touched by others, unless they’re trying to hurt me.』

She leaned in and pinched him on the cheek. “You really just say the most depressing things so easily, huh? Hey, Munakata how about you try taking his measurements.”

Munakata tilted his head. If there really was nothing going on, he felt bad for roughing up a student, and for getting in the way of Chisa’s work. He nodded. “Prepare yourself despair scum.” He readied the measuring tape once more.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Hearing that Munakata and Yukizome were both out of the infirmary, Sakakura decided to use his break to go visit them. Kyosuke already told him that he spent most of his free time lately with the student council, so Sakakura went straight for that building.

Now that he thought about it, this would be the first time all three of them were together when there was not some kind of impending crisis. He opened the door, his chest filled with peaceful and warm thoughts.

Only to seem Kumagawa on the ground in his underwear, and Munakata above him, slamming both hands onto the floor. 『Ah!』Kumagawa said once more as he saw the door swing open.

Sakakura immediately saw red. “What the hell are you doing to Munakata!” He shouted out as something suppressed in the deepest parts of his being took control.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Chisa finished applying another layer of bandages to Kumagawa, rewarpping the ones around his head. 『Why do I always get such a rough reception, everywhere I go? It’s only my first day as a student council member you know.』

“Shut up! What makes you think you’re even worthy of doing that sort of thing to Munakata behind closed doors, reserve course flunky!” Sakakura roared behind him.

This time it was Munakata who spoke up. “What exactly do you think was happening here, Sakakura? I was just taking measurements to sew Kumagawa-kun’s new uniform.”

“.......New uniform? Wait… they’re letting guys from the reserve course on the student council?”

“Things are changing since we went here, Sakakura. Apparently Sandbox does things a little differently, I thought you’d appreciate it though, apparently they’re rough and tumble and don’t hold back in a fight just like you.”

Suddenly, Sakakura’s whole demeanor changed. Gruffly, he loked away and let out a puff of air. “Well, if you really think that way of me I guess I can’t disagree. Hey, wait why the hell were you two like that?”

“Kumagawa needs his measurements taken but he won’t sit still.” Munakata said, leaning forward and grabbing Kumagawa by the ear. “Yukizome, let’s just try it together this time.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko heard a rumor that Najimi Ajimu had made her way to the student council’s room. Deciding this was a perfect opportunity to declare war on both of her enemies, she left Kamakura behind and made her way right there.

Anticipation for despair building in her heart as she opened the door, the sight she saw was the exact opposite of the despair she expected. Kumagawa Misogi was on the ground, covered in measuring tape wearing only his boxers, while next to him, both Yukizome and Munakata were suggesting tied up in the measuring tape.

Enoshima Junko felt red hot magma boil up form within her. Her nails pressed so hard into her skin, that she was afraid she might draw blood. Suddenly, her heart pounded. She was noticing more and more lately, that whenever she thought of Kumagawa her heart started pounding like this. She wondered what the cause could be, frustration, annoyance, hatred?

“What kind of illicit scene are you three showing a virtuous girl like me!” Enoshima Junko shouted before stomping her heeled boot on the ground. “What the hell are you two doing to my Kumagawa behind locked doors!”

She spoke without thinking, the moment she had opened her mouth the hot red magma poured out. Now, her face was turning red too. She covered her mouth immediately and clamped it shut to prevent herself from saying anything more.

“Wait, wait, before you beat up Kumagwa!” Yukizome finally spoke up first this time. “We  were just trying to take measurements for his new school uniform, but he won’t sit still.”

Junko posed with her hands on her hips. “Really? Is that all? What is this ameteur hour here?” She walked over and picked the measuring tape up off the ground. “Let me show you how an ultimate fashionista does it then.”

In a few minutes spent together without talking to one another, Kumagawa’s uniform had been completely replaced by Junko measuring him, picking his outfit, and then dressing him. He stood up looking around for  where his arm band had fallen in the chaos. By that point, Munakata, Chisa, and Sakakura all left to speak amongst themselves.

At that same time, Zenkichi finally arrived as well. “Oh, hey, it’s Kumagawa and some other people.” He did not even notice Ajimu’s presence in the room, instead looking to Kirigiri, Junko, and Shuichi. “Kumagawa is that a reserve course uniform?”

『Yep. Now we can finally match as untalented losers together, Zenkichi-chan.』

“Whatever, we might both be reserve course but I'm still way out of your league.” He tilted his head to the side. “Huh, you went back to your old speech pattern.”

『Well yes, this is also a part of me. This way I can stand besides Medaka-chan. Unlike you, I don’t need to be uncool, Zenkichi-chan.』

Zenkichi merely winked at him. “Hah! Well that’s alright, whatever. Not being able to trust you is a good thing, Kumagawa.”

『Use your honorifics Zenkichi-chan. I am your senpai.』

Zenkichi immediately aimed a kick at Kumagawa’s head, while Kumagawa dodged out of the way. It was clear the two of them were just horsing around. Shuichi looked on nervously. Kirigiri sighed and muttered about dumb boys underneath her breath. Enoshima Junko looked on with envy, at the completely familiar atmosphere that had developed between the two of them so quickly. Ajimu and her partner still stayed silent in the background, completely unnoticed.

“I never thought I’d be chatting casually with Kumagawa. It feels so unreal but it’s true, our fight is over. “

『No, it’s not over yet. Zenkichi-chan. Our fight starts now.』

At Kumagawa’s reading of the atmopshere, Enoshima Junko smirked.

He turned his head around staring at the open door. 『Naze-san isn’t here, as you can see but it’d be better if she’s called soon. Her power is still necessary. Afterwards Kei-chan, and Shibuki-chan. If worst comes to worst, I want to call up Unzen-kun and Nabeshima-san too.』

“Whoa, it’s like an all star dream team. Should I come back some other time? I just came around to put a request in your guys’s box, but if your busy and all..” Junko pretended to be oblivious to the dnager Kumagawa was warning them about.

Even though they were in the same room, the two of them put as much space between each other as possible. It was clear to everybody else in the room that the two were ignoring each other.

“What? You mean the delayed two? They transferred in this morning.” Kirigiri felt a little behind, but she always felt behind when dealing with the Sandbox academy kids.

『Yes, it’s as I thought. Those two students were bound to transfer here anyway. After all their existence was sealed away by my combo of 『All Fiction』and 『Book Maker』three years ago. Now the seal that we applied has been warped. In other words, they’re bound to appear before us soon with no doubt.』

“What are they talking about all fiction and book maker?” Kirigiri whispered to Shuichi.

“I think maybe they’re talking about something from a manga…” Shuichi whispered back to her.

“You shouldn’t read those, they’ll rot your brain.” Kirigiri warned him.

『Therefore we have to have a plan ready. While there are only two ‘not equals’ in this world. I wonder what the hell they’re scheming right now!』

Finally from behind Kumagawa, leaning against the window Ajimu Najimi introduced herself. “Well, we’re not really scheming anything, so it’s fine if you don’t have a plan ready.”

Zenkichi, Junko, and Kumagawa all turned their heads at once. Apparently, none of the three of them had noticed her presence in the room even though Kirigiri had brought her here. She found that to be odd, but perhaps the three of them were too busy arguing with each other to notice anybody else.

Ajimu closed her eyes and smiled. “Yahoo! Zenkichi-kun! You didn’t even come and visit me even after the student council battle arc ended. So I came to play by myself.”

“Student council battle arc?” Kirigiri whispered to Shuichi.

“I told you it sounds like they’re talking about something from a manga.” Shuichi whispered back.

“Manga aren’t even real.” Kirigiri snapped at him again.

“Who are you..!? No, what are you? Just how long were you sitting there?” Zenkichi said, jumping backwards.

“Wait, how did I not see you? There's no way I couldn't notice you, is that what you did to my eye?” Junko who loved being surprised more than anybody else, also tended to act cranky when she was surprised due to her misplaced pride. Which is why she also joined in with Zenkichi’s reaction.

“For how long? I dunno. It’s a gentle skill I have called 『Alibi Block』.” She noticed Kirigiri’s confused face when she mentioned skills, and decided instead it was much wiser to talk about this at another time. She wanted to preserve the logical viewpoint of the world that Kirigiri maintained for as long as possible without bringing in the absurdities that were skills. All for the sake of game balance of course.

“Wha.. that’s impossible.” Zenkichi said from between gritted teeth.

“Yeah, there’s no way you could sneak up on me. Not with my…”

“What, your incredible fashionista skills?” Ajimu asked, noticing that with Kirigiri present Junko would not reveal her true self.

Enoshima Junko smiled, barely hiding her anonyance as her corner lip twitched. “Well of course, you’ve got to have a good eye for that kind of thing you know.”

『Don’t be entrapped Zenkichi-chan.』Kumagawa was the only one who kept his calm, though once again he deliberately avoided talking to Junko. 『It’s true that she likes appearing like that using 『Alibi Block』 but don’t be fooled into believing that it’s her true form. There’s nothing gentle about her.』

“Huh? What kind of girl is this?” Zenkichi said, reeling to look back at Kumagawa.

Ajimu finally stepped down from the windowsill. “Fufu, what’s this, what’s this? Even though you’ve beaten each other to death, Kumagawa-kun and Hitoyoshi-kun are getting along famously now.”

“Wait, when did they do that?” Kirigiri whispered to Shuichi.

“Maybe they’re talking about metaphorically or in a video game or something…”

“Thank god! You finally made up, didn’t you?” In between her two boys, Ajimu suddenly and tearfully embraced them, even with both of her hands bound like that. She offered both of those boys, the pure and gentle smile of a maiden as tears ran down her cheeks. “I really am glad. Damnit, you idiots, you even made me wait for three years…”

『... Anshin’in-san』Kumagawa started to shake against her. 『Let go of me. You make me sick.』

Znekichi had to grit his teeth hard to stop himself from shaking in the same way. “Let go of me please.” He staggered backwards looking at her defiantly. “You still haven’t answered my question. What are you? What are those eyes you’re crying from, why do you look so bored? How can you look at people with bored eyes like that?”

Enoshima Junko started to bite her fake red nails. The moment Ajimu touched Kumagawa, she felt something welling up within her again.

Ajimu of course, shrugged the shocked looks of everybody off as she stepped backwards. “Ah, I get it. When you put it like that. You don’t like being looked down on, just like Kumagawa.” SHe looked back at Kyoko. “Oh, well there’s a person I only met today, a clueless detctive.” She looked at Shuichi. “And a person I’ve forgotten meeting, a fake detective.” She looked at Kumagawa. “And somebody whose a disappointment.” Then she glanced finally at Junko. “And an empty headed girl I don’t care about. That’s right I should properly introduce myself shouldn’t I? It’s importnat to do that at the beginning, right? No at first I have to mention that I’m a non-human, shouldn’t I?”

She moved back all the way until she was sitting on the president’s desk. Her friend who was always facing away from her, turned his back so he could pose behind her. “I am Ajimu Najimi, I’m simply an impartial non-human. Incidentally the man behind me is Shiranui Hanten. He’s a non-human who is  just there. Together we are ‘not equal’. Well the naming would still be appropriate if we’re put together with you.”

Non-human. Kirigiri thought immediately. These guys are Chuunibiyou, aren’t they? That was the only logical explanation she could come up with for the ridiculous scene she had just witnessed.

Enoshima Junko was the first to speak up. “Uhhhh… wait for real? Are you really telling me that you’re not human?”

“Of course, that’s exactly it ultimate fashionista and empty headed girl Junko-chan. I am not a human. I am not a person. I thought somebody as smart as you would have deduced that already from the last time we met.”

“Keh.” Zenkichi wiped the sweat from his brow. “What the hell is this nonsense! I don’t know whether or not you’re a human, or a person or not! In other words you’re our next enemy aren’t you?! No, are you saying you’re the last enemy!? Alright, I get it, let’s fight! Bring it on not equals!” He shouted forth with all of his being, standing up proudly in front of her.

Only to suddenly be cut off by Ajimu shaking her head. “Nuh-uh. I don’t wanna, because I can’t win against Medaka-chan.” Both Zenkichi and Junko reacted with mixed shock and disappointment. Ajimu continued to explain calmly, “That is to say nobody can beat her. Well, it’s different if it’s in games or sports, but there’s nobody in this world that can win against her. Kumagawa-kun you understand don’t you? The reason for that.”

『I don’t understand. Do you mean 『The End』? Are you saying it’s because she has 『The Skill to be able to acquire and refine any skill』?』

“No, not that. You’re such a disappointment as usual. That’s a trivial matter when I have 『Live Zero』the 『Skill that nullifies any skill』, but I can’t win against her even if I use it. Junko-chan do you know why?”

“What are you talking about Kurokami-san can’t win? I totally schooled her the other day.”

“Wow, I thought at least one of you two would get it. I told you, games or sports don’t matter. What I’m talking about is winning. Junko-chan look right now, between the two of you Kumagawa-kun is at Medaka’s side happily enjoying her company, while you’re the one who was left all alone. Do you really think you’re the ultimate winner in that situation?”

Awkwardly, both Junko and Kumagawa looked away from each other. They had been avoiding eye contact the whole time but now both wanted to make it seem like they could not even see the other was in the room. “The reason no one can beat Medaka-chan is, because if this was the world of weekly shonen jump then she would be the main character.”

Shuichi whispered to Kyoko. “I told they were talking about manga.”

Kyoko harshly whispered back, “Sssh, you, a detective never jumps to conclusions.”

Ajimu continued her expository explanation without interruption from the hilarious aside. “...Of course, that’s just a metaphor, but there’s still one that comes every 1,000 years. She’s that sort of unfathomable person the there’s-no-way-she’d-lose-because-she’s-the-hero sort of human. It’s the same way you see Naegi-kun, Junko-chan.”

Junko and Kumagawa wore the same shocked expression at the same time, but quickly looked away from each other again.

“That’s why I came here to raise the white flag. I’m not a human so I don’t pick on opponents stronger than me.” She said with a sly grin, side eyeing her three possible opponents present.

Kirigiri finally spoke up. “Then, in other words… are you abandoning the flask plan too… Anshin’in-san?”

“Oh, so you deduced my connection to that on your own. You’re not as clueless as I thought detective.” She stepped off the desk, putting her sandal to the ground. “The flask plan is a lifelong dream, I can’t just give up on it. That’s why I’ll wait for Medaka-chan to graduate. And after that girl is gone, I’ll just easily reboot the flask plan.”

“Graduate?” Zenkcihi said.

“No fighting?” Was all Junko heard.

“The research group will lament the disappearance of Kurokami Medaka’s unorthodox nature, but we’ve already gathered more than enough data from the election battles. Congratulations! You’ve successfully protected the peace of Hope’s Peak Academy. The status quo  will remain forever. You can all live out the rest of your school days filled with hope. It’s only been three years now, but it’s a result to be proud of. All the kids will admire you! The cool main character and her cool abilities. Your fight ends here, after that well you can return to your normal lives, living in rom coms, gags, sports, mystery genres or whatever. Sluggishly prolonging your serializations in the end, and face the last chapter and wither away. Kirigiri dear, can you guide me to the next building, that’s all I wanted to tell the student council.”

Before Kirigiri could even move, Junko was the first one shoving her heeled boot in the doorway to stop her. Immediately her red claws attached themselves to the white formal wear Ajimu was using. “What the hell do you mean you’re surrendering? Like I’ll accept that boring result! What was all that stuff yesterday? Why did you recruit Yasuke then?”

Ajimu had tripped Junko to the point where she would show some of her real unpleasant self even with her classmate present. At this, Ajimu smiled while looking down at her. “I told you I did that to fix your memories and your eye, I lent you 1/2 of my parasite vision be a little more grateful if you know the definition of the word, the rest was just to troll you… and… you need three members to start a club that’s the rule right, Kirigiri-san?”

“Umm… yep. That’s what my father set the rule as.” Kirigiri nodded, understanding absolutely nothing of what was being said.

“There see. I just needed to make a new friend on my first day of school and start a club with him. Feel free to come visit us as the tea ceremony club.” Ajimu said, before easily slipping through her grasp and disappearing down the hallway. "The last boss is way out of your league, Junko-chan. I can spend three years’ time just messing with my cell phone." The words whispered in her ears, a harsh and haunting goodbye that would not leave Junko even minutes, or days after Ajimu had left her. 

Kirigiri and Shuichi moved to catch up with her, but Kirigiri hesitated for a moment.

She looked at Enoshima Junko’s obvious anger, and realized she had never seen her classmate display such an emotion. She remembered the words she heard last night about Junko’s hidden face. “Enoshima-san, is something wrong? If Ajimu did something to you I can report it to my father and-”

Junko turned her head away immediately. “It’s nothing, like thanks for the concern and all. You’re so nice, Kirigiri-san, worrying about an empty headed girl like me.” With that she began to walk away, her heels making a clicking noise with each step down the hallway.

Kumagawa appeared behind Kirgiri, offering her an awkward smile. 『I’ll go after her, okay? Don’t worry.』

Kumagawa kept his word, immediately running off after her. Kirigiri wanted to see what those two were hiding though, so she told Shuichi to tell Ajimu to wait outside for her and decided to eavesdrop again.

When Kumagawa finally caught up, he saw Junko all alone in the middle of the hallway punch a locker in her frustration. This turned out to be a terrible idea, as she had punched it with her injured hand. She cried out in pain, only to turn around and see Kumagawa staring at her.

『Your hand...』Kumagawa said, his voice unbearably soft. He moved closer to her, reaching out for her hand. 『I noticed earlier, what happened to it? What happened to your eye too, you can finally see out of it again right?』

Junko wondered how somebody as dense as Kumagawa could notice both of those things. She saw him moving to touch her, and realized she wanted nothing more than to just be fussed over by Kumagawa in those moment, to touch him and forget about the pain in her hand, or the emptiness she felt when she stabbed her hand a few nights ago. So instead, she slapped him away with that same hand covered in bandages. “Who gave you permission to touch me?”

『Sorry, sorry, Junko-chan. Of course you wouldn’t want to be touched by a loser like me whose far below your league.』

She glared at him for a moment. “Didn’t I tell you, you could only call me Enoshima-sama?”

Kumagawa put his hands up defensively. 『Enoshima-sama, then. Right, right.』He immediately gave up, just like he always did. Junko felt the familiar atmosphere that had been built up between them, so close she started not minding him calling her by her first name, disappear in an instant. But that was fine, because that kind of loss made her feel despair.

『I’ll call you whatever you want, I’ll even stop talking to you if you want,  just don’t hurt yourself, okay?』

“That kind of thing is none of your concern.” She said as she turned away. “Or rather, it has nothing to do with you anymore.” Even though Enoshima Junko was telling him once again to stay away, she could not help but walk away with an extra swing in her hips hoping he would know what he was missing out on. That too, might inspire a little despair in him. She loved when her looks inspired despair the most, she was a little vain like that.

Of course, Kirigiri who had eavesdropped learned nothing at all from this conversation. Maybe they really were just dating and broke up… She thought as she finally made it outside again and resumed the tour.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“This is our final stop, the tea ceremony clubroom. Thank you for putting up with us all day and showing us around the school.” Ajimu said cheerfully, as they walked into a traditional looking room with Tatami mats.

In the middle of the room already waiting for them, sitting on the floor was a boy with a hair antenna, messy hair, and wearing a dirty white shirt that was half untucked. “Oh, so that’s where the hell you were. I told you not to be late Anshin’in-san, it’s annoying.” Matsuda Yasuke greeted them with his typical pleasant personality.

Kirigiri Kyoko reacted with shock. “Matsuda-kun, you were expelled weren’t you?” She still remembered the efforts Kumagawa had made on her follow up investigation of him to throw her off his trail.

“Oh that, it doesn’t matter anymore. His expulsion was just a mistake. It’s been corrected now that I’ve transferred here.” When she saw the sharp eyes of a detective looking at her, Ajimu smirked. “There’s no need to look at me that way. He’s not going to do anything suspicious, I just needed a third member for my tea ceremony club.”

“What are you?” Kirigiri finally growled out. She was at the limit of what her stoic personality could display, any more and she would be acting out of character. She tightened her gloved hands into fists.

“That’s a difficult question to answer without breaking your world view. How about this, I’ll give you a hint for your investigation. The same way that Kamakura is tied to the Kamakura project, I am tied to the Flask Plan. In that way I’m equivalent to him, and him alone. I was accepted into your academy to be studied as a substitute for Kamakura after the Kamakura Project escaped. I am the Ultimate Hope, Najimi Ajimu, and behind me is the Ultimate Imposter Shiranui Hanten. I wasn’t lying before though, even though I have such an outlandish title, I’m really not going to do anything besides attend your academy as a normal student. So feel free to investigate me as much as you want, or don’t.”

She shrugged, and went to sit down on the Tatami. Hanten followed behind her, and sat down facing the wall. “Please make me some tea, Matsuda-kun.”

“Make your own damn tea.”

“I don’t have any hands right now.”

“Shit. Fine. Whatever.” He stood up, and walked along while staring at his manga at the same time.

Ajimu smiled at her one more time. “I’m not the one you want to investigate though, am I right? Who you’re really most suspicious of right now is Enoshima Junko.”

“Don’t look down on my classmates.” Kirigiri muttered underneath her breath. A sliver of her true emotions escaping out. She bowed her head quickly. “Welcome to Hope’s Peak Academy, I hope you have a wonderful year.”

Then slammed the door behind her.

In the hallway Shuichi was already waiting for her, but Kirigiri could not stop herself any further. Even though she knew as his upperclassman she needed to appear composed especially so somebody as nervous as him could rely on her, she immediately punched the wall. “I don’t even know what the truth is anymore! Everything’s so absurd!”

Shuichi, rather than freaking out as he normally did, calmly approached her from behind. “The truth lies within a detective deductions, that is within their heart. Isn’t that what you always say, Kirigiri-senpai?”

Kyoko looked up at him, her hair falling apart from the delicate braids she kept it in, and part of it falling in her eyes obscuring them. “Hey, Shuichi… why did you start getting involved in detective work in the first place? You don’t even seem like you like it, or you’re from a famous clan of detectives or anything.”

“Famous clan of detectives? That definitely sounds like something that came from a manga.”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Did your uncle ask you to help him?”

“Ah, not really. It just kind of happened. It was also kind of thanks for taking care of me.”

“He took care of you?”

“I suppose I never mentioned this before… I’m living with my uncle and his wife right now.”

“Oh, sorry… I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You’re suddenly being polite, it’s weird… A detective is supposed to pry, right? Anyway, there’s no sad story behind it or anything. My parents went overseas for business.”

“I see. What are they doing overseas?”

“It’s kind of hard to explain… they’re both actors basically.”

“I would have never guessed looking at you, you seem so plain. To me you look as average as Makoto, really.”

“Well, for me, they’re just a mom and dad who have a… hand’s off approach to parenting so I don’t really see them as celebrities or something. Well, a lot of people in my home town have parents like that so I shouldn’t really complain.”

“That’s not what I was going to ask you though, did you ever regret solving a case?”

“Most of the cases I solved for my uncle were infidelity, minor stuff like that. One rare occasion though, by mistake, I managed to solve a murder case faster than the police and people started calling me the junior detective. I… I don’t really deserve that though.” He pulled the rim of his hat far over his eyes, hiding them. “When the culprit was captured, he looked at me with eyes filled with hatred. I can never forget that gaze, and I see it when other people look at me too. I only found out later that the culprit had killed the victim to avenge his family, and the victim was a horrible person who had tricked the culprit’s family and driven them to suicide. By just following my deductions, I feel like I sided with the victim. The case ended in a terrible way just because I exposed the truth…”

“I see…” She looked up finally, grabbing his hat with her own hand so she could get a look in his eyes. “So, that’s why you’re so weak willed.”

“S-sorry about that…” Shuichi apologized for his timidity in a timid way.

“No, it’s fine. It’s… probably better that you’re like this. You’re.. Much more human than I am.”

She let go of him and started to walk ahead. Shuichi caught his breath for a moment, and then turned to see her back. “Wait, where are you going?”

Kirigiri turned back and smiled at him. “Obviously, wherever the heart pounding investigations of Kirigiri Kyoko lead me next. I can’t hesitate even for a second if there’s still a trail left to follow, even if I’m afraid where it will lead me.”

Shuichi admired her resolve once more, but… he had one question. “Why do you keep changing the title of your self named detective show?"

“So you can never predict what I'm going to call it next. Life's no fun without a little mystery.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Matsuda Yasuke finally returned with a tray of tea, setting it down in front of Najimi Ajimu. “There’s your damn tea, are you happy now?”

“Thank you Matsuda-kun, you’re as pleasant as ever.” Ajimu said with a kind smile, all of his negativity seeming to slide off of her. Matsuda watched her for a second, as the other person behind her finally moved to pick up the cup of tea for her, and offer it to her lips. “I saw Junko-chan by the way. I told her we’re not going to fight her, since I want to respect your wishes and all Matsuda-kun.” She said, before leaning forward to sip her tea.

“Well thanks I guess.” He still had no idea how to feel around this person he had just allied himself with. The familiar aura around her, there was no way in the world he would not recognize it. She acted as flippantly as Junko did, had eyes as bored as Junko had, and a smile as fake as Junko’s. However, he had just been told he should stop thinking about Junko as the center of everything, os he kept this observation to himself. He tried to ignore it at least, by staring into the pages of the manga volume he carried. “How exactly are we going to defeat defeat both sides with just the three of us, especially if you’re not going to be the one fighting.”

“We’re lucky then that your beloved Junko-chan is so reckless with her toys, and throws them away so easily. It made finding new pieces just as easy.” Ajimu said as she finished sipping her tea. “For instance there’s one piece in particular that will be essential.”

“Who?”

“Enoshima Junko’s younger sister.”

“What? Are you stupid or something, she only has an older sister Mukuro."

“Wow, she had even more hidden from you than I thought. Poor Matsuda-kun. Well anyway, Enoshima Junko’s younger sister is all we need, for us she’ll be like a second Junko-chan.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Medaka had finally made her way to the student council office and head Zenkichi and Kumagwa’s explanation of the situation. She folded her fan, pressing it against her chin. “I see, the flask plan designer, rather than call her the final enemy we should call her the first one. Ajimu Najimi, I’ve never heard of her before.”

Zenkichi spoke up as well. “It’s the first time I’ve heard of her too, but still. She’s serious trouble Medaka-chan. The way she looked at us, both me and Kumagawa it was with complete disinterest.  Everyone has their issues but they’re still human. But she’s different! She doesn't seem motivated by any human emotion in her eyes at all, all I saw was boredom.”

Kumagawa gestured his hand at her as he spoke to pass the baton to her『What’ll you do, Medaka-chan? WIll you do as Asnhin’in-san says. WIll you forget about the last three years and be satisfied with reality? Will you just spend your days as a normal student? Will you return to the daily life arc and welcome forth the last chapter?』

“What a silly question, Kumagawa. I don’t remember any peaceful days to begin with!” She said with a wave of her fan. “The days before I enlisted and after I graduate would be mourned. We pulverized the past by demolishing the underground lab. We protected the present by defeating the minus student council. So, in the end we must also make the future! And for that I already have a secret plan!” She declared as she spread her fan out in front of her for emphasis.

“Did you forget the part where you blew up the school on accident?” Zenkichi said, cutting in the middle of her dramatic speech.

“Don’t ruin my moment, Zenkichi! I’m trying to pose with strength and authority!” Medaka whined to her childhood friend, taking on the appearance of a normal girl for just that brief moment. "Anyway, you two get back to work. Don't forget we have to plan the school trip."

『Ah, that's right. I forgot student councils do actual work.』Kumagawa said, his fantasy of just hanging out with friends all day quickly disappearing behind a mountain of paperwork. 

Notes:

Next week, gremlins. Don't feed them after midnight.

Chapter 25: Monaca Strikes!

Summary:

Monaca is in this one if you didn't guess from the title.

Rain was falling. It was neither a torrential downpour of despair, nor a hopeful rain to wash everything away and give sustenance. Rain is simply rain, after all, though I can see why humans might want to try to ascribe meaning to it. If you think rain is something else then that’s fine, this is simply the perspective of a non-human.

To those two human children though, the rain was not even rain. There was no order at all in which the drops fell to the earth and the noises they made as they fell, sounded like pure cacophony, taptaptaptaptaptaptaptap . To them though, it was more like a rhythm. The rain was beating down endlessly on the pavement, just to produce that rhythmn for the two of them. Not background noise, but background rhythmn for them to dance along to.

Just this once she had taken off her heels, and stripped away her socks too. He was probably lucky for that, because of the clumsy way he was pulled along by her, if she had stepped on is feet with her usual forcefulness wearing heels he might have been bruised. He was trying his best to keep up with her, but he couldn’t help it. He had never even danced before. It was only natural that she lead.

She too, was not even trying to step over him like she usually did. She was just used to dancing alone. It took her a moment, as he spun past her, to even notice his face. To acknowledge him. All this time she had been seeing him as one of the other blue faced nobodies, maybe one with a particularly weird sounding voice but now she looked, his eyes were blue and his hair a little long and shaggy. She should remember that, she thought.

The two of them were dancing together, and despite hearing the same rhythmn in the background their dance could not follow along to it, it was chaotic and made up entirely on the spot between the two of them. After all real life was not like a movie, no matter how much they wished it they could not spontaneously start to sing in the rain and make something beautiful out of it.

Because there was no logic or rhythmn to it except for that which they made for themselves, just as spontaneously as it had started it came to an end. She stepped on his foot again, and this time he could not shake it off, as he twisted the exact opposite way she had anticipated him to. Is other foot slipped on the ground, and then the sky was thrown upside down and backwards for both of them as they fell over.

“Gosh, you’re so clumsy. I knew it’d be impossible for someone like me to lower myself to your level.”

『You’re the one who stepped on my foot.』

The last thing he let go of was her hand, and only reluctantly, so they would not both fall on top of each other. As his back hit the ground he decided to stay there for a moment, rolling onto his back to look up at the sky. Rain continued to fall on his face endlessly, but he did not mind too much.

『Hey Junko-chan, I wouldn’t mind if it kept raining.』

Enoshima Junko immediately propped herself up on her arms to observe the face he was making, neatly tucking that image away in some folder of the massive collections her bran made. “I would… my makeup is going to get ruined soon.”

『Ahahahahaa! It should just keep raining forever!』

“You’ll get cold.”

『I’m not cold at all!』

“U...upupu...You’re such a weirdo.” Enosima Junko despite dreaming of the rai, woke up in an incredibly dry mood. She peeled off the natural silk face mask she wore to prevent her ten to twelve hours of beauty sleep from being disturbed by outside interruptions, and tossed it aside. Normally she fell asleep in a full set of matching pajamas with asymmetrical black and white coloration because what was the point of sleeping if you weren’t going to look cute, but last night she had been in such a mood she pulled on an extra long half black, half white t-shirt and then gave up.

Her morning routine was essential though, if she had woken up with a large wound on her left side and was slowly bleeding to death, she’d still go through the motions of her routine until she bled out. There was no point in dying if you didn’t look cute after all.

Just as she was about to start applying her eye makeup she paused, catching the glow of her red eyes in the mirror.   『Red eyes… eyes that look like they’re bored with the entire world.』 She reached for the contacts she usually wore to change her eye color into something paler, closer to Mukuro’s washed out hue of blue, but hesitated. Instead, she pushed one of her fake nails to the bottom of her eye, and pulled it down to see even more of her left eye in the mirror.

“What exactly did you do to my eye, Anshin’in-san?” She asked, and at mention of the name she expected that annoying girl in white to pop up out of nowhere. That might have been a little despair inducing, but she was still relieved when it did not happen. She stopped pulling on her eyelid, and instead closed one eye and widened the other. “What kind of hidden ability do I have now? Will it only activate in time of crisis? Have you given me a sharingan! Are these Kurta eyes?”

She focused so much a vein popped in her forehead, and her eye narrowed into a crescent shape. “Is it a laser! Is my eye going to shoot a laser?” Of course, nothing at all exciting happened just as usual.

Junko stopped fussing with her eye, and making strange faces in the mirror all alone in her room while talking to herself, and instead went back to applying face make up with a bored expression on her face. In the midst of strange things like boys who could rewrite reality, and non-humans who appeared suddenly out of thin air, her days continued on feeling painfully ordinary.

“Why was I dreaming about something stupid like that?” She asked, but there was still nobody left in the room to answer her. Even if she had no answer for that question though, she already knew what she was going to do next. Her clawed hands picked up a flier from the table she had snatched away yesterday calling for a public meeting hosted by the student council. As usual things already were starting to work out in front of her, she merely needed to watch as an audience member for now.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Zenkichi read the flier aloud as he walked along. “The student council sponsored school inspection meet. I heard this place was really exclusive are they really going to let a bunch of middle schoolers in?” He remembered the few times Sakakura gave him trouble when he tried to hurry up and make it to Medaka’s side. “I wondered what sort of convoluted plan she meant with ‘secret plan’, but Medaka’s surprisingly straightforward… actually that’s not surprising that’s the usual.”

“Kurokami-san is incredibly philanthropic, trying to raise the rabble up into something better. While the Kurokami’s hold equal status to the Togami’s it’s no like I have any room to disagree.” Togami said, walking alongside him. He looked back to Zenkichi for a moment. “You could help carry those boxes you know, Toko’s struggling all on her own.”

“How about you helping? Toko’s your responsibility you know.”

Togami bit his lip for a moment at Toko being called his anything, especially his responsibility, but he decided to let it slide. “I did help, I told Toko to carry the boxes for us. It’s my job as a Togami to direct others where they’re most useful.”

“You really do sound like Medaka-chan sometimes,” Zenkichi grumbled, wondering when he had become so used to being talked down to. “Keh, so you say but it took her half a year to fill all the staff positions, finding a successor won’t be that easily. Even a Kurokami can only gather so many people by passing a poster around at last minute.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate the influence of your betters, Hitoyoshi.” Togami said, as he walked through the door swinging open in front of him (held open by Toko of course). Even Togami though, stopped a moment to gawk at the large crowd that had been gathered.

“Huh? There’s that many of them?”

“From the stench of that many assembled commoners… that has to be about 500  people who came?”

“That’s way too many! A lot of them look like they think they’re so special too. That has to be at least six hundred people looking at me. Ugh, I already know they’re looking down on me. Getting looked down on middle school kids is the worst!” Toko said, swirling with negativity from behind the pile of boxes she was carrying.

“It’s only natural for others to look down on you when you’re so lowly, Toko. You're just naturally beneath the whole human race.” Togami said, mostly on reflex.

“I'm not that much of a slut! The only person I want to be beneath is you, master!”  Somehow though, that insult managed to bring her right back up from her spiral.

『Then again the kids you’ve just mentioned are a minority. The majority of them are common middleschoolers.』Two pairs of footsteps followed Kumagawa’s eerie sounding voice. Him and Medaka arrievd side by side, Kumagawa posing with his arm held out in his uniform all black with a white collar, the only addition being the arm band he posed specifically to show off.

『They look at Medaaka-chan as if they’ve seen a ghost and a lot of the interesting ones are looking around.』

“A lot of people are looking at Byakuya too, he’s just as famous as Kurokami-san!” Toko piped up for a moment, before immediately biting back. “Oh but... all of them are unworthy to look at master… precocious brats.”

“It’s fine, I don’t need any more weirdos admiring me outside of their station.”

“All you need is me, right master?”

“You are especially unnecessary.”

In the midst of their bickering while Toko did most of the work setting the actual stage up, Zenkichi finally noticed something. He pointed out the obvious with his finger. “Anyway, Kumagawa, why’d you change back to your old uniform?”

『Ahahaha. This time Yukizome-sensei wanted to save face, since everybody was so against seeing my naked appearance.』

“Don’t phrase it like that!” Zenkichi waved him off with his hand, gesturing to Medaka instead. “Are you okay with this, Medaka-chan? WIth our vice president wearing his old uniform.”

Medaka tilted her head at an odd angle, making the sole lock of hair sticking up form her head bounce. “Eh? I don’t mind, it’s black.” She put a hand on her hip. “Besides we’re still wearing our old uniforms aren’t we instead of the hope’s peak ones.”

“So it’s fine if it’s black!” Zenkichi closed one eye to think for a moment. He doesn’t even need his “Book Maker” huh, it seems like those two had it out and found common ground on their own. I always wondered if having those two on the same side would work out, but that part seems to be going smoothly. He wondered for a moment if that girl who used to be by Kumagawa’s side who felt so much like Medaka had this kind of dynamic around him too. When he tried to think of her though, he could only picture the back of her head and a pair of blonde pigtails, and tried to stop making the comparison before he made his beloved Medaka seem even less human.

He watched Medaka stride in front of him. Medaka wore pig tails once in middle school too, it was a bit of an immature haircut Zenkichi finally concluded. Easily and with grave she picked up the microphone, “Now then, even if the turn out is good it’s too troublesome to keep this to window shopping. There’s no other way, I’ll tell half of them they’re too dull to have a chance, and then take the interesting half for myself.”

Before she could even reach the stage though, Kumagawa was already in her way holding up one hand to obstruct her.  『Wait a minute, Medaka-chan. When you say that you’ll send half of them home do you really mean that? In that case I’d have to sympathize with them. To treat strangers like they have the same mindset as you that can dismiss others so easily is a bad habit.』

“I understand where you’re coming from but this is an actual problem, we can’t just pick out a number from six hundred easily, we have to resort to a crueler selection method.”

『In that case let me administer this ‘cruelty’ leave the hate from the resolve test to me. I’m already used to being hated, I know how to break it easy to people and send them home from the get go.』He snatched the microphone from her and turned away to walk alone up the stage.  『Well, this is the reason I have this job. We are friends after all.』

Medaka remembered their previous conversation, on whether or not Kumagawa was suited to play the villain, and her pointed brows furrowed themselves. “Kumagawa… I didn’t mean it that way.”

The moment he stepped on the stage (the one Toko set up by herself), Kumagawa announced with a voice as clear and pure as the day.  『Ahem! Good morning to all minor characters!』

In an instant, it seemed every single middle schooler assembled collapsed where they were standing having isntantly lost their resolve at this anouncement.

Togami, Toko and Zenkichi all reacted with equal shock, a rare moment of all three of them being on the same page. Six hundred humans hearts just got shattered!!

On a nearby rooftop where Junko had decided to watch from a safe distance, her eyebrow twitched. She remembered the time when Kumagawa criticized her for throwing away the entire reserve course, all 1,000 members at once. “Really, that guy just loves contradicting himself. Still, what a terrifyingly despair filled aura.” Junko felt a shiver run through her entire body for a moment, like the kind of sparks lovers felt as she watched all of those people tremble beneath her. “It’s too bad that the cause of this is Kumagawa-senpai of all people.” She made a circle out of her index finger and thumb over her left eye, and then went back to watching.

Behind her, a tall young man with long raven hair and crimson red eyes was watching as well. As usual he had no comment on what was passing.

『What’s wrong with all you sheep out there? Are you alright you background crowd? If you’re feeling sick, you should hurry up and go home. All of you role-less people.』As he continued to talk smiling without a care in the world, suddenly Medaka came in with a flying kick aimed right at the back of his head.

In an instant the microphone flew out of his hand, but before he could fall aaway from her she grabbed his uniform and twisted it back towards her to snarl in his face.”Kumagaaaawaaaaaa! Are you an idiot? Are you? You’re an idiot aren’t you?!? Do you want me to beat some sense back into you again.”

As Medaka roared forward however, Kumagawa retreated back. That was how they worked so easily together after all, their contrasting natures.『No, no! You’ve got it all wrong, it’s fine, I held back properly.』 His fingers shaking, he pointed to what remained of the crowd from those who had not passed out on the spot or fled. 『L-look there’s my proof, count how many of them are left. I’m sure there will be enough candidates to pick Medaka-chan’s successor from.』

“Left What are you babbling about? There’s no way there are any middle schoolers who can handle your minus.” The moment she glanced over though, she saw two still facing her and Kumagawa head on. A boy with messy hair wearing a checkered pattern scarf standing behind a wheelchair, and a girl in that chair smiling pleasantly while holding her hands together, her head covered in a layer of neatly combed green hair.

“W-wait, that’s… what the hell that’s mine, that’s my thing.”  Junko said watching through her one eye as she recognized the girl in the chair.

Before she could even say anything more, suddenly there was a girl in white sitting on Kamakura’s shoulders, providing a contrast to his tall and dark appearance. Smiling pleasantly while he continued to have an expressionless face. “Yahooo! Junko-chan. Why so surprised? You should know that if you leave your toys lying all around the floor, inevitably somebody else is going to pick them up.”  She smiled pleasantly, greeting her as if they were old friends. “Or are you just jealous about Kumagawa’s ability to spread despair matching yours?”

“Ajimu Najimi…” Kamakura commented flatly, looking up at her.

“That’s right, but please use my nickname. Call me, Anshin’in-san.”

“They are mine… even when I don’t want them anymore, or they’re not mine they’re still mine…” She grumbled for a moment, before snapping. “Shut up, I already know I’m not making any sense! What do you even want?”

In the background of their conversation, Shiranui Hanten simply opened the door which led up to the roof, walked outside, and then turned away from them and crossed his arms.

“Well, I came to praise Medaka, but I’m avoiding her so you’ll be a shallow enough substitute. If I’m choosing to simply wait it out, then raising the next generation is really the best retaliation on Medaka’s part.”

“What are you even doing not taking me seriously? If you were watching all this time, then you should know better than anyone I can end the whole world if you just sit there and do nothing.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that, but the truth is I don’t really care if you end the world or not. To me the current peaceful world full of hope, and the despair filled one of constant chaos you seek to create are exactly the same. I can simply wait that out too, until the world inevitably recovers.” She looked to the side for a second. “Oh, but that might make it hard to play my gacha games if you interrupt the cell phone service.”

“Ugh! God, get off your high horse already! I was already sick of you even before I met you. How is the world going to recover if I kill every last human being on earth?”

“Ufufu. Now that’s a fun threat, sadly there’s no way you’ll ever find it in you to do it.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know me? I’m bored of the whole world I could care less if everybody just went off and died.”

“I don’t doubt that, but killing every single human being is something that would take a great deal of effort. You’d get bored and give up halfway through just like you do with everything else. Just like you did with Kumagawa-kun, and Mukuro-chan. Honestly, if you even managed to live beyond a year or two in your so called despair utopia I’d be genuinely surprised.”

Junko brought her fake nails to her teeth and chewed on her index fingernail, but said nothing in response.

“Even if you yourself were to make a plan to create a successor I’m sure you’d abandon it halfway through too, you don’t even care enough for your supporters to actually believe in one of them as being capable of succeeding you. Medaka is at least somebody who will commit to her plan until the end, in that case don’t you think that little girl is better off in her hands?”

Enoshima Junko merely smiled at that obvious bait. “Yepyep! You’re right, I’m sure whatever attempts you make to interfere someone like Kurokami-san will overcome any hurdle you throw at them. Our school days will continue so full of peace, so full of boring…”

“I already told you I don’t plan on interfering. I don’t ever interfere with actions that I admire. It’s why I have no problem teasing you like this, Junko-chan.” She leaned in farther, resting her elbows on the top of Kamakura’s head, much to his discomfort. “She can protect the school she’s been enrolled in, and then the next generation will protect the school, and in turn the next generation will protect it. If you can do that, you can protect the peace of school for all eternity. The hope of future generations will maintain the status quo, even someone eternal like me couldn’t stop it. ‘Make a system to raise the next generation’ in reality if finished it would be something amazing. If Kurokami Medaka can find a proper successor then I’m cheering her on from the bottom of my heart.”

“Really? ‘If finished it would be something amazing’ you say. Do I even need to point out how that statement’s hella foreboding? Let me guess you’re about to say that ‘this kind of thing is only achievable in manga’ next.”

“Oh not at all. It’s very possible to achieve, believe me. If it’s Medaka-chan then it’s definitely possible! Also, if they do succeed I’d be really happy, after all the making of Kurokami Medaka’s successor is basically a plan to create the perfect human. That’s what the flask plan is.”

“Bitch please, forget about Medaka-chan already. If you’re looking for the perfect human you’re already looking at her.” Junko said, posing with self confidence. Before, she put her hand on her cheek and grumbled. “I don’t get this Medaka-chan this, Medaka-chan that, mania lately anyway.”

“Are you asking what’s the difference between you two, because it’s so simple it’s almost not worth explaining. I guess I can for empty headed Junko-chan though. In between somebody who desires to win, and somebody who desires to lose, even if all of their other stats were exactly the same the person who desires to win would win every single time, right?”

I don’t desire to lose, I just want to feel the despair of a loss. My end game is still despair. Ugh, she just doesn’t get it. Junko clicked her teeth together in annoyance. “Then what about Kumagawa-senpai, he probably desires to win more than anybody else?”

“He’s a special case. It’s not just that he loses, it’s not a goal, or a set of principles, or a lifestyle, or even an instinct… It’s what defines him as Kumagawa Misogi. It’s just his characterization. It’s why he’s so pure after all. Well, you should understand it’s the same for you. It’s why you’ll never let go of despair.”

Junko remembered for a moment the time Kumagawa declared that they were the same, only to be too cowardly to argue his point. “Oh, and now the overpowered character straight out of somebody’s bad self insert fanfiction is going to lecture me about who I am. See, I can do the meta talk thing too, you’re not that special.” Junko sighed, and then straightened up crossing her arms. “Besides isn’t all your ‘create a perfect human being’ talk, highly derivative of the Kamakura Project. I mean, look at my darling right there can you get anymore perfect than that?”

“...” Kamakura still did not engage in the conversation, but silently he wished she would get off his shoulders. Not that he intended to actually do anything about it.

‘I would hardly call that perfect either. Super High School Level Analysis is an impressive skill, but it carries the obvious defect of boredom in all three who possess it.”

“Wait… three?”

“Besides a perfect person wouldn’t need to kill others, or even be dragged around on a leash by some blonde chick.”

That seemed to work well enough to motivate Kamakura to swat at her, until she jumped off his shoulders and landed on the ground in front of him. Ajimu only smiled. “I wonder if it’s destiny that you inherited the name Kamakura, you make the exact same face when you’re angry just like your predecessor did. It’s cute, I’m getting all bothered by it.”

At this, Kamakura realized something illogical had been said. “That’s impossible. This school has hundreds of years of history, and the previous Kamakura who founded this school is long dead.”

“To me it doesn’t matter if it’s a hundred years or two. I have 『Death Block』which gives me eternal life.” She smiled with a keen interest. “Do you want to hear it? About the previous person who held that name?”

“...”

“So stingy, but you know it’s that stoic and withholding character archetype that drives the female readers wild. I always have that one with me.” She looked back at Hanten for a moment. “Though, he’s not the best for conversation.”

“Why is he always hiding his face? Is that going to be important later?” Junko asked, what seemed obvious to her with her heightened sense of trope wariness.  

“No, no. He’s just shy. On occasion I’ve been known to get bored of him and run away to spend some time following around another human. That’s how I met Kumagawa Misogi to begin with. Kamakura Izuru was one such person. We founded the Kurobako Cram School together, because I had long questioned the nature of talent. However, eventually we came to disagree. He thought talent meant hope, and I thought talent meant nothing at all. So, we parted ways, and he went on to find the academy of Hope’s Peak and I went on to become the founder of Sandbox Academy.” She moved closer to Kamakura until he reflected back in her eyes. “So, tell me. As the realization of his dreams, did your talent inspire hope or despair?”

“...”

“Or could it be neither right now?”

"He's totally on despair's side!" 

“I’m just undecided.” Kamakura finally said.

"Don't be like that honey? Where'd you go? Where you at boo?" Junko cooed in the background. 

She started leaning against him as if suddenly swooning dreamily on the spot. “Ohhh, but after this long time we’re finally reunited. My lovely sandbox students are attending here at Hope’s Peak, and I’ve met you again. It’s like one of those stories where lovers reunite after reincarnating into the next life.”

“P… please don’t touch me…” Kamakura said, as he suddenly became filled with the exact kind of emotion he felt whenever Kumagawa was around him.

Ajimu immediately jumped back at his request. “Oh, were you using that eye I lent you? It’s not polite to peek at a lady you know.”

“Wait! You still haven’t explained that! What the heck did you do to my eye anyway?”

“I did explain it, it’s not my fault that you only seem capable of hearing yourself when speaking with others. What you have, and what he has is 『Parasite vision ½ 』a minus that gives you good eyes.”

“If all it does is give you really good eyes then how the hell could that be a minus? At least give me a kickass power like Kumagawa’s or with lasers or some shit if you’re going to mess with me.” Junko said, her personality shifting into something ruder.

“On a normal person it would be a plus, however if I were to give it to somebody who already can perfectly understand and anticipate everything they see, then wouldn’t increasing that range of vision make it a minus? The last thing you need is to make it easier for you to win, right?” Ajimu Najmi shrugged right then. “Well, don’t worry too much about it. It’s not like I’m expecting you to learn a lesson or anything, a person like you will never change. I’m just joking around a little bit, so try to have fun with it.”

At that Ajimu started to run away. Hanten silently and inevitably moved to follow her. However, she stopped for just a moment when Junko bit down her pride and called after her. “Hey, what’s the point of telling me all of this?”

“I’ve always wanted to have a conversation on the rooftop with a friend during lunch hour, just like a normal highschool girl.”

“Miss me with that normal girl shit, I’m sure your grand crybaby backstory motivation is that you just wanted to have a normal life all along but that’s not relevant to the present conversation. You know Monaca worships me right? You really think she’s going to stay on your side?”

“Of course. All of those people, Kumagwa-kun, Matsuda-kun, Mukuro-chan, Monaca-can, they all still love you. All you would need to do is go talk to them. This isn’t a tragedy you know, it’s not even one of those stories where characters for some reason never get the chance to talk. You could resolve this easily, and turn the tables on me just by speaking with them honestly.”

Junko started to chew on one of her fake nails again. “...”

Ajmu turned her head away. “Well, good luck with that anyway.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

From the interview room where they all gathered, Monaca’s voice could be heard as she sat politely with her hands in her lap. “Monaca is called Monaca! I was known as Li’l Ultimate Heomroom in elementary school. You might think there are no Ultimates and Commons in a class like Homeroom, but there are! FOr me, my skill isn’t really about uniting people, it’s about getting them all to help me. Believe it or not, I bring together a lot of wonderful people… It would be nice if you could be a wonderful person for Monaca, too…”

A speech filled with beautiful sentiment. Sadly, the only one around to hear it was Kumagawa Misogi. He looked away as if he was not even paying attention and flashed her an empty smile 『.........okay.』

I think I got stuck interviewing with the wrong person. Monaca Towa, though. She usually did not feel anything at all for most human beings, even those close enough to be called her party members, or true companions, or whatever. However, for some reason this boy’s face drew out an instant dislike in her.  

『Well first of all let me hear, what is your motivation Towa-san?』

“Yes, of course. I was deeply impressed by the policies of Kurokami Medaka’s student council. ‘Being born for the sake of people you don’t know’ and ‘Cherishing both your friends and foes!’ She’s definitely the kind of person that everybody wants to flock around right? I too, want to be somebody that everybody can believe in like Kurokami Medaka.”

Kumagawa folded his hands underneath his chin, shutting one of his eyes.  『...Huh. I see these are good words. But people who say good words aren’t necessarily good people.』His wide eyes seemed to sharpen in an instant, the same as his grin.  『I know your smile, Towa-san. It despises other people besides yourself from the bottom of your heart. You think of other people, friend or foe, only as a step ladder, and even then you don’t even know what kind of objective you climb towards. It’s a shallow smile.』

This guy’s annoying! Shut up, faceless NPC. “Sorry, did I just say something rude?” The only person who can instantly figure out other people like that is Big Sis Junko, you’re just some wannabe. “I apologize, Kumagawa-san. I raised my voice and talked too much, you probably don’t even want to hear what Monaca says just like everybody else. Just please don’t hate me okay?”

『I wouldn’t say that. I don’t think I could hate you, in fact I’m impressed by that unpleasant side of yourself. Let me reward you.』Suddenly Monaca looked down and saw two screws were sticking out of her legs. She knew this was just the ability that she had been warned about  『All Fiction』something that acted like a cheat code for reality. 『Ah, there’s no need to worry. I just made the injuries to your legs become nothing.』

Monaca suddenly realized the corner she was in. Either she reveal she was faking all along, or she play along with this scenario where she was healed and lose her favorite method of tricking others. This was way too early for the scene where she dramatically steps out of her wheelchair. Oh well, she was warned something like this might happen and to expect for things not to go her way. She put a hand on the table for support and stumbled forward. “I… I can’t believe it, it’s a miracle.”

『No, it’s not, it’s just a trick. I don’t have the skill all fiction anymore, Bookmaker doesn’t heal anything at all. Thank you for revealing yourself though.』

“H… how did you know?”

『I had no idea at all. You just told me.』Kumagawa said flashing her a smile.

I hate him. I hate this guy for real. How could somebody so pathetic notice right away what big sis never figuered out. “I… pitiful children are the most powerful don’t you think? Monaca’s home life was terrible.. She didn’t feel like she belonged there. But Monaca was more brilliant than her brother or her father and they hated her fot it… But then, I thought of a way I could counter their neglect and cruelty… All I had to do was become a pitiful figure.”

『That’s right. You told a lie in order to continue living right? That’s fine, that’s fine. I think I like you even more now. You’re much more minus than I expected.』

“This… this is the first time I’ve ever heard such kind words…” What is that hot nonsense even supposed to mean? Keep your approval to yourself, Kumaga-whatever. Monaca thought, as she watched him smile softly at her.

『Well, then I will tell you one thing promptly. At this school lies mean nothing.』

Monaca smiled at him. “Yes, I accept your prompt advice with thanks!” Keep your advice to itself too, I like pity but getting pitied by a guy like you sickens me.

At that moment Zenkichi and Kokichi walked in on them about to start the next interview. Zenkichi immediately noticed that Monaca was standing up.

“Wasn’t she in a wheelchair?”

『She got better.』

“Oh… uh…” Zenkichi scratched his head. “Okay, I guess. Good for her.” He decided he had gotten much too used to the abnormal.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ouma Kokichi looked him directly in the eyes as he began to speak. “Well, I’ve already been recruited as a part of the 79th class that will attend this school next semester. Let me see… I am… Ah yes… I’m new to this school, so it’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you, Kokichi” Zenkichi closed his eyes in relief. What the… I’m lucky. I thought with the weird way he dressed he was definitely going to be the crazier one of the two.

Kokichi wore a checkered scarf, and also a white jacket that was covered in several tassels and straps that danged off of him occasionally when he moved. It definitely looked to be a professionally designed uniform, though Zenkichi did not believe it belonged to any school. Suddenly, Kokichi’s polite demeanour changed in an instant, and he put a finger over his lips. “Uhmm.. exucse me, Hitoyoshi-san. But could you please stop calling me, Kokichi?”

“Mhm? Oh, my bad. Do you not like being called so familiarly by people you just met?”

“That’s not it. Ouma Kokichi is just one of my many aliases. My real name is Kumagawa Yuuki, the twin brother of Kumagawa Misogi. I’ve actually come to this school to find my long lost twin brother and drag him back into the world of crime he escaped from when we were separated so many years ago.”

“...”

“The truth is the Kumagawa you knew was a lie as well. He ran away for three years and hid himself at this school, thinking he would do battle. I love my brother early, but because we were both born to inherit the international crime empire that’s associated with the Kumagawa name it’s destiny we do battle. Even if he wants nothing to do with our family legacy, I can’t claim my inheritance until I step over the corpse of my brother. That’s just the way it is in our family. Oh, but since I’m a descended from a long line of organized criminals with honor you don’t have to worry, there’s no way I’d get outsiders like you involved it’s against the code of honor among thieves.”

“Aha… What is with this scenario?” Why do I always get stuck with weirdoes like this?  Zenkichi rejected so much of what he had just been told he could feel his eyes going white. It was like an allergic reaction to bullshit from somebody so straightforward and true. 

“This is not a scenario! What kind of horrible person would lie about having to kill their own brother?” Kokichi said, suddenly breaking into tears in an instant.

“I… I’m so sorry. If there really is a problem we can talk to Medaka-chan and-”

“Just kidding, I don’t even know who that Kumaga-whatever guy is. He kind of seems like a minor character, don’t you think?” Kokichi smiled, wiping his tears away instantly. “You still shouldn’t look down on my talent though. I’ve worked really hard my whole life building up my organization, and telling the lies necessary to keep it running. This school recognized me as the ultimate supreme leader, didn’t they?”

“Th… there’s no way I’d look down on you. If lies are a skill you’ve honed by working on them your entire life I won’t look down on you.” Zenkichi leaned back in his chair, putting his arms folded behind his head. “Listen… I am the childhood friend of a ‘monster woman’, a normal guy and a hard worker. I don’t have an obvious talent or feature, but I worked hard to be by the side of the girl I love, I had the feeling that I was a brave boy. I thought the only way I could reach her was to be honest and straightforward, but… a guy like Kumagawa came out of nowhere and understood her better than I could. Ever since then, what I believed to be true and straight forward turned out to be a mess. The truth can be overturned easily.” He opened his eyes meeting Kokichi’s once again. “Do you understand, Kokichi? In this school, the truth means nothing.”

Kokichi tilted his head. “Ah, but I really wasn’t lying, I really am going to kill Kumagawa.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

While the student council deliberated the results of their invertviews, Ajimu Najimi stood up on the rooftop on her own. In comparison to Junko, she thought it was much cooler when she dramatically stood up on rooftops to exposit dialogue. Her formal robes flowed in the wind more, as well as her tied off long hair. Behind her, looking to the side as usual was Hanten Shinraui. “I thought I’d never come back to this school, I wonder who was the one who lined the pieces up exactly so all of these strange personalities could meet.” She wondered aloud, as if she did not already know. That was why walking the line between character and narrator was such a difficult line to walk in the first place.

“The only types of games that have a cast this huge and eccentric are fighting games. So, it's no wonder those Sandbox kids are always fighting.” A girl with green hair said appearing behind her and finishing her sentence. “Anyway, as student council president that girl seems uniquely equipped to ruin all of Big Sis Junko’s hard work in wrecking this school.”

“Well… Monaca have any issues? Did you make it through the interviews of the student council well?”

Monaca smiled. “Yeah, of course, Monaca (Not Equal) infiltrated them succesfully.”

Suddenly, Kokichi appeared above her. He rested his hands on top of her head, and easily leaned over the much smaller girl. “Even if they do suspect something, because of our previous ties they’ll suspect we’re spies for Junko before they suspect you. A lie told within a lie, how fun.”

Ajimu tilted her head back with a smile. “Excellent, well it should be impossible for anyone besides me to see through your character… No, but I would like to ask Medaka-chan. If every one of her successors is a not-equal, will she execute the student council even so? A battle where there is no difference between friend or foe, not even a person to protect… how in the world is she gonna win such a battle?”

“That's great and all but it was unrelated to Monaca, so Monaca wasn't really listening. But this Kumagawa guy thinking he ever had the right to stand next to big sis Junko makes me sick. Is it okay if I kill him?” Monaca immediately asked.

Behind her, Kokichi leaned over her to scold her. “Killing other people isn't very nice you know.”

“You’re the one who said he was going to kill him earlier!” Monaca snapped at him. 

“That was obviously a lie. Can’t you tell? Here from now on I’ll list off all my tells so you know when I’m lying. When I’m blinking, when I’m looking at something, when I’m thinking about something, when I’m breathing, all of those times I’m lying.”

“So… basically you’re always lying then?” Monaca said drily, before snapping her attention back to Ajimu. “I would like to say hello to this person called Kumagawa, as his Kouhai, but don’t you care about him, Ajimu-san?”

“Oh? Monaca is so belligerent, for a not-equal. Hm, okay if it is Kumagawa it’s okay, I think. Please be appropriately lovely to him. Kokichi-chan you go watch her. She’s only a first year middle school student and you’ll be entering high school soon.”

“Actually, I’m 1,000 years old. I’m possessed by the ghost of an ancient crime lord who passes his memories from host body to host body in order to maintain his status as the shadow ruler of the underworld.”

“Yes, of course you are how could I forget." Ajimu nodded along pleasantly to his lies.

"Lying is no fun if you instantly believe me you know," Kokichi whined. 

"Well for me there is no difference between truth and lies," Ajimu said. 

Kokichi simply hissed at her like an offended cat.

"Fine, fine, go have fun you two.” Ajimu hurried them along, she would wave them off if her hands were not still tied. She stopped for a moment. “Oh, wait. Matsuda-kun, what do you think?”

Matsuda Yasuke had not been paying attention to the conversation, as he watched his hair antannae and the ends of his untucked shirt blow back and forth, crossing his arms. “Why are we even up here? It’s so windy. We have a clubroom we can meet in you know, there’s no reason to stand on rooftops just to look cool.”

“That’s right I (Matsuda-kun) am no fun at times like this.”

“Can you stop doing that double talk too? It’s really confusing. Are we like a hive mind now or something?”

“Awe, I thought it was cool. No, it was just kind of a motife I was trying out.” Ajimu tilted her head forward pouting for a moment. “I was just going to ask if you’re alright with those two killing Kumagawa-kun.”

“Do whatever you want with Shitty-gawa, it has nothing to do with me.” Yasuke said as he withdrew even further into himself, turning away from all of this. 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Senpai good morning! Please give me your guidance today too!” The next day, Monaca called for him as she went running down the hall. Wait, what was his name again.

Kumagawa, walking with his hands in his pockets turned around suddenly to greet her.  『Yo. Good morning, Monaca-chan. You are early too. That armband fits you.』

She modeled the in training arm band she wore for a moment. “Hehehe, really? When I wear it, It feels like I’m a friend to everyone. It makes Monaca so happy!” She paused as if she had just remembered something. “Oh, that’s right. I wanted to ask you for advice….” God what is this loser’s name? “S-senpai. I brought you a gift, do you want it?”

『N-nobody’s ever gotten me a present before in my life! A gift! A gift from Monaca-chan! I wanna see! Show me! Show me! Give it to me now!』Kumagawa’s demeanour instantly changed to that of a child. He burst into tears of happiness and immediately, and giddily rushed over to her side, holding his hands out with no patience at all.

Wow, this guy really has lived a sad life. Ajimu-chan was right about him. Monaca looked down at him with a smile, before pulling a teddy bear up with her arms and offering it to him. “Be sure to hug him real close!”

Kumagawa immediately squealed, and spun around on the ground.  『I haven’t had a stuffed animal since I lost my stuffed rabbit all those years ago!』

“Do you think he’s cute?” Monaca asked him.

『Yeah. He.』Kumagawa immediately heard a ticking from within the stuffed bear, that was half good cute bear and half evil cool bear. 『Is. Cute?』Before he could realize what was going on, Monaca had taken a few steps back and the bear immediately exploded within his arms. Kumagawa was thrown backwards with the explosion.

“Ah, too bad. You lost a life.”

Kumagawa crumpled on the floor immediately stood up to his feet. His ears still rung from the explosion, and his body was shaking but he needed to immediately asses the situation. Before he could, something slammed hard into the side of his head. He looked through the window and saw the glass smash just as a bullet hole formed in the center.  『Sniper...』

“Don’t worry that’s just one of my associates! It’s not loaded with real ammunition though, we’re just kids after all. It’s non lethal mock munitions, if it hits your head only internal bleeding will occur and nobody will suspect you died from a sniper’s bullet.”

『Monaca-chan is this… in any case if I don’t get out of the line of fire...』He immediately started to move forward ducking and covering his head with his hands. However, he saw out of the corner of his eye a smiling shadow behind him. He lacked the time to actually react, and suddenly every single one of his senses was fried alive with electricity.  『What? An electric shock? A stun gun?』

Kokichi appearing behind him, smiled. “You’re wrong, this is obviously magic. I used a thunderbolt!”

『Kokichi-chan, magic? Wait. Wait. Are you lying?』

“I would never tell a lie, I swear it on my honor as the leader of an underground secret organization of mages. I’ll prove it to you with my secret trump card… Water bolt!” From his pocket, he pulled out a jar of something and splashed it straight in Kumagawa’s face. “I’m just kidding, a lie like believing magic is real is too lame even for me to tell. That wasn’t water at all.”

『Arggg th-that is… Concentrated sulfuric aciiiiiid! H...hot… It burns.. It burns… I f I don’t wash it off quickly. That’s right near this school building there should be a pool.』 As he stumbled forward looking for an escape and covering his burning face with his hands, Monaca suddenly appeared in front of him. All she needed to do was hold her leg out, and Kumagawa took care of the rest, falling all the way down the flight of stairs he had been walking towards.

He left a bloodied and crumpled up mess at the bottom of the days. 『... uh… ou..』Kumagawa mumbled as he heard small footsteps travel down the stairs.

“What is it Kumaga-whatever your name is. Did you not have fun playing with us? If you can’t handle a middle schooler like me then how were you ever going to play with Big Sis Junko? Hey, stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up….” Kumagawa felt the sensation of his head being stepped on again and again. “How was a weakling like you ever going to stand by Big Sis Junko’s side, huh?”

In response to all of the pain he had just endured, and the foot digging into the side of his skull Kumagawa Misogi merely looked up and spoke as cheerfully as ever 『Your habit of doing nothing while getting everyone around you to do all the work is admirable. You’re just like Enoshima-sama.』

“Oh, did I hit a sore spot? You’re wrong actually, I have a speciality too. It’s my job to see everybody’s buttons and press them for the most fun result, you know like playing a video game… or torture that kind of thing.”

 

At this, Kumagawa Misogi smirked.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kurokami Medaka, and Shiranui Hansode shadowing close behind her were walking along the hallway. They turned and saw in the corner of a stairwell, Kumagawa Misogi propped against the wall. His uniform was torn to pieces, and behind him and all around him his blood had been splashed recklessly.

“Frankly, I don’t know what happened for you to become like this but… if you can’t stand up I’ll lend you a hand Kumagawa.” Medaka said, looking down at him.

Kumagawa’s lip twitched. Even though it looked painful for him to move any part of his body.    『It’s okay, I can stand up alone.』

“See, I didn’t even kill him. There was no need for you to babysit me at all. Because Anshin’in-san was keeping an eye on him I thought he might be strong but, a guy like that was weaker than even a child. He was hard not to kill on accident.”

“It’s fine, but you should be more careful. We have to to be seen as valid possible successors in order to get close to Kurokami. Kumagawa could still come back for revenge.” Kokichi said as he casually walked with his arms behind his head lagging a few steps behind Monaca.

“Haha! You told a funny joke right now, Kokichi. You’d make a good clown you know that?”

“Actually I’m part of a secret organization that wears clown masks to-”

“Yeah, I don’t care about another one of your lies.” Monaca yawned. “Right now, he can’t use   『All Fiction』, so that damage should be enough to put him in the hospital for two months alone. Considering his shitty, shitty body though, it’ll probably be way longer.”

“I know, I was just remembering some rumors I heard much earlier than this when I used to live on the streets. You know as a part of my secret backstory that you can’t unlock until you collect all of my friendship fragments and level my social link up to level 9. The thing is, Anshin’in kept an eye on Kumagawa before he was using 『All Fiction.』Before he acquired『All Fiction』the man called Kumagawa Misogi stood up immediately even when he was defeated. He seemed to be immortal as a matter of course, just like a demon.”

As the two of them conversed casually, they heard slow footsteps down the hallway like the slow approach of the devil. Kumagawa with his uniform torn, and his face bruised and bandaged up stood tall in front of them, holding screws on either side of his body with his arms crossed.

Monaca smiled at him. “Oh, Senpai you’re looking good.” Who the hell gave villager number two over here so much HP.

Kumagawa tilted his head and shrugged, nonchalant. 『Yes, well. I know a nurse who is good with her hands you know.』

“Are you really going to come beat up a couple of kids as revenge for picking on you? Something that petty isn’t even worth despair, it’s no wonder Big Sis Junko dumped you.” Monaca said with a confident smile.

However, behind her Kokichi looked much more concerned. Even if he did not show it in his face with practiced precision, his eyes suddenly watched Kumagawa with high alert. He noticed something right away, Kumagawa was a liar just like him. That smile was a lie, that cool attitude was a lie, and that confidence was a lie. As opposed to somebody who lied like an art form like him, Kumagawa lied compulsively, it seemed everything about him was a lie.

『This is not revenge. I came for punishment. Because it’s my job as vice president to guide the conduct of of the official apprentices.』

Ah, is this what it feels like when others are dealing with me. Kokichi thought for the first time. I have no idea how serious this guy is.   He immediately stood behind Monaca.

However, Monaca was much more confident. “Oh, is that so? Do you really think you can do anything? You’re just a cheater who used a hack in order to be able to stand by Big Sis Junko’s side, and the second you lost it she got rid of you. Can you do anything without 『All Fiction?』Show us, kumaga-whatever your name is, senpai!”

In an instant, Kumagawa rushed forward and disappeared. Kokichi tried to track him with his eyes, but suddenly found himself thrown backwards. Both him, and Monaca were tied to opposite walls, screwed in position by screws running through the spaces in their clothes. 『I’m used to these misunderstandings but just in case I shall tell you. Relying on such an interesting little trick like all fiction in order to be sufficient in battle is truthfully something I never did.』

“Impossible, an instant win? But isn’t your character trait that you’re weaker than anybody else?”

『I am weak! 』Kumagawa looked back at her over his shoulder. 『I’m the weakest living being on this planet. I know everything about weakness. That’s why… Your weak points, blind spots, etc.. the points where I should stab I know them well. 』

“Don’t mess with… there’s no way I’d acknowledge someone like you. There’s no way Big Sis Junko would…”

『Monaca-chan why do you keep talking about Enoshima-sama? I haven’t thought about her once all day. She has nothing to do with this. If I were to compare the two of you though… I’d say your despair filled face is way cuter than hers.』Kumagawa Misogi picked up a screw and willed it to spin in his hands, slowly approaching her with terrifying intent in his eyes.

Monaca immediately tore herself free from her restraints, and fell forward on the floor. Kumagawa forgot about threatening her, and changed his entire stance and personality in a moment. He dropped the screw and pulled his jacket off. 『Here, wear this. You might get cold if you walk around in torn clothes.』

“What are you doing?” The hell is with this guy. He looked as despairful as Junko a moment ago, and now he’s smiling at me like an idiot.

『It’s my way of saying we should stop here. I think it might not have been correct as your senpai, to punish you official apprentices. Well honestly it puzzled me as to why you came to kill me, but I’m used to unprovoked violence and childish persecution. That’s why if you apologize to me with a single “I’m sorry” I will forgive you.』

Oh, I get it. “You’re a nice guy Kumaga-what’s his face-senpai. And, exactly as you wished I will wipe away your blood that got on my shoes with this rag.” Monaca said, as she put the soles of her shoes and stomped on his uniform jacket, tearing it up even more.

『... I’m used to my good will being trampled under feet too. If you apologize now I will forgive this, too.』

Monaca smirked. “I have to decline. I don’t want to acknowledge a person I don’t care about… well I don’t care about anybody but big sis Junko to be honest, but I especially don’t care about guys like you.” She kicked the jacket straight at his head, and drew up a screwdriver from her back pocket. “If you can see human weakness or whatever, then I’ll make it so you can’t see anything. So just disappear already so I can forget about you quick.”

She threw the screwdriver forward straight at him. In the next moment, screws fell from all around her, making a cage that surrounded just her. 『You really are a kid, if you think cheap and flashy tricks like that can determine a fight you must be reading too much shonen jump.』He grabbed the jacket over his head and tossed it aside. 『Well, since you’re just a kid there is still time to apologize.』

He’s scary, exactly as scary as Big Sis Junko is. As he reached for her with a bandaged hand, Kumagawa Misogi’s entire form seemed to disappear in shadow. All that was left of him was his smile, and his eyes glowing with despair filled intent. “Just… go ahead… like I care.”

『Well, if that’s the case then let me show you how foolish it is to fight against a minus, because the rules are useless.』

“That’s enough!” Kokichi finally broke free from his bonds as well, ripping out of his white shirt entirely. Before Kumagawa could even stop himself, he was immediately on the ground. “I’ll bow my head, please laugh at me if you want, just don’t kill her.”

“Quit it Kokichi, I don’t even care that much about living. What’s the point if Big Sis Junko’s not there to make life cool. I’m not even worth bowing your head over.”

“God you’re such a stupid little kid, dying is the worst okay? How do you not get that?”

Kumagawa, looked back and forth at the scene playing out between them. He felt like he was missing a lot. The simple days where he just walked along campus at Junko’s side were long gone, it seemed like things were going to get much from complicated from now on. He did not really understand whose plan this was, or whose fault he had nearly been killed but he could understand Kokichi’s simple sentiment. He snapped his fingers and undid the screws, then walked forward and flicked monaca on the forehead. 『There’s your punishment, live with it, that’ll be your despair.』Kumagawa smiled down at her『See I can inflict despair just like Enoshima-sama.』

Kokichi realizing the situation was over, immediately went to Monaca’s side to help her up. By that time Kumagawa already started to wander off. 『Let’s just forget about this, it’s my loss. Ahhhh, still, damn it. Again, I couldn’t win... 』He walked away, hand in his hair muttering only to himself. When he closed his eyes in frustration, he saw the smile of Enoshima Junko once again and realized she was never going to smile at him that way again. Just like Monaca, he too had been left behind. 『Why… can’t I… win...』

“Idiot, what are you doing? Just because you’re nice to Monaca doesn’t mean you’re going to grow on me or anything.”

“Of course not,” Kokichi said with a smile as he helped her to her feet.

“I hate you…”

“Uh huh…”

“No, I hate everything.”

“Sure.”

“Everything is just a toy in Big Sis’s toy box okay, even Monaca? There’s no way you or anybody else could be special.”

“Of course not, but you know if we’re all toys we can at least have a little fun.” That too, was just a lie he told. Sometimes though lies were much more comforting than the truth, and most of the time they were much more fun. Ouma Kokichi thought so at least.

As Kumagawa wandered outside of the school building in a haze, he just so happened to pass by Enoshima Junko. Just his luck though, she noticed him but he did not notice her. She turned around for a moment noticing his entire body covered in bandages and the torn up white shirt he was wearing.

『Ah! Oops I forgot my school uniform. What should I do? I just can’t get used to losing things no matter how much I lose, I still miss them.』

“...” You can just talk to them.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask him though, suddenly Ajimu appeared behind Kumagawa taking up his attention. Instead of that, she decided to as she would put it nope the fuck out of there and hide so she could eavesdrop. “Now, now, this might be a cliche phrase but… I think you obtained something far more precious than a victory, Kumagawa-kun. I mean, soon you’ll have both of Junko-chan’s sisters on your side. At that point it should be easy to marry her, right?”

『Why would I be interested in something like that? Ah… that person was really a sister of Junko’s? For some reason I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was more connected to you, Anshin’in-san. Did you instigate them?』

“By no means I tried to stop them. (Lie).”

『Did you just say lie out loud after you lied?』

“It’s a dialogue gimmick I was trying out, okay. Anyway, I hope you would teach those two a lesson. Don’t you think, they’re a little bit like you?”

『I don’t really get it I think I’m taller than both of them.』

“I don’t mean they look like you. I mean they are like you. They’re shadows, just like you were to Enoshima Junko initially. You understand that character archetype, right?”

『What’s an archetype?』

“Oh Kumagawa-kun. Even I can never tell when you’re playing dumb and when you’re actually that dumb. Look at it this way, if somebody who is like Junko-chan in nature, studies under Medaka-chan and becomes more like her, what point does that prove?”

『I see. You’re trying again to show that the choice between hope and despair is arbitrary. How typical of Anshin’in-san who avoids battles to choose those two, then.』

“I was just wondering, if a normal like Zenkichi can keep up with Medaka-chan, then how about a minus like you? Or a faker like Kokichi? Or somebody whose just a kid like Monaca?”

『So, you want us to become friends with our final enemies before they become enemies. Isn’t that a little bit backwards?』

“No, you’ve got it all wrong as usual. That’s why your way of thinking is so foolish, both you and Medaka. To cherish foes as well as friends, of course this sounds like a nice policy. It’s the reason you were able to tolerate Enoshima Junko who treats everyone both foes and friends terribly after all. But, as soon as you say it you guys are distinguishing between foes and friends.” She turned away from him, Hanten Shiranui turning to follow her a few steps behind. “Such a thing like an enemy doesn’t exist. So don’t fight blindly, please consider if we’re really opponents you should defeat. I don’t wish to hurt anyone. The student council, and the flask plan, Medaka and I, Junko and you, I don’t think it says anywhere that we can’t ever coexist.”

Kumagawa watched Ajimu walk away, staring at the disappearing silhouette of her back on the horizon. 『No… I know for sure you’re the enemy I have to destroy no matter what… because I love you...』

Enoshima Junko stopped eavesdropping at that point. She told herself that she did not need to listen to the mutterings of a loser anymore, but that did not really explain why her heart was beating so loudly that she could hear her blood flowing behind her ears.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“You should probably try apologizing, you know so we don’t get ratted on.” Kokichi advised her the next morning. He put a hand on her head once more, only for her to smack it away.

Howeve, the moment he started to walk away she called after him. “Where are you going?”

“On a side quest of course. Ssssh, it's a secret mission to infiltrate an enemy organization.”

“Oh, so you're just lying to me again. There's no way you could do something that cool in a boring school like this.”

“You’re right, I’m just going to play a prank.” He said turning away with one of his fingers already over his lips.

Just then, as Kokichi was walking away, Kumagawa walked by wearing only his undershirt, and the bandages he had worn yesterday. When he noticed Monaca again, he smiled at her. 『Ah. Good morning, Monaca-chan. You look much better alive than as a corpse.』

The hell kind of compliment is that. “G-good morning, Scummygawa-senpai.”

『Wait now you’re getting the first syllable of my name wrong.』

She offered him a bag. “Here, you can have the rag I borrowed back… uhm… also… I fixed it for you. It’s definitely not going to light on fire when you put it on.”

『Oh, okay then. I trust you Monaca-chan』Kumagawa said, as he pulled the jacket out of the bag given to him. 『Thanks… it troubled me that I didn’t have my rag to wear. Was it disgusting to wash the rag of such a guy like me?』

“Only a little bit.. Not significantly more disgusting than anybody else.” Monaca answered honestly for once.

Kumagawa pulled his jacket back over his torso, pulling his arms through both of the sleeves. Immediately afterwards, it burst into flames and Kumagawa shouted out in pain, and started scrambling to tear it off.

“God you’re dumb…” Monaca said, watching him with a dry expression. “That must be why Big Sis likes you so much, you look like you’d be fun to torment and laugh at.”

『I’m so glad, Monaca-chan and I have bonded.』said Kumagawa who was still currently smoking.

“No we haven’t!” She snapped quickly. “You better survive the next time Monaca strikes because I won’t be satisfied if you die quickly.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko after another night of restless sleep returned to a familiar place. The old student council room that Kumagawa Misogi vandalized. There were still screws driven in the walls, and junk left from the individual members of the student council. She considered for a moment dramatically burning this room down the same way she had Yasuke’s hospital room. However, variety was the spice of life and Junko didn’t want to repeat that kind of scene a second time. She liked to vary up her villainous monologue scenes if she could.

Which is why she sat in silence on the president’s desk thinking. The only reason, she was just trying to think up of another good villainous kind of scene to use before destroying this room too. It needed to be flashy and iconic, something that would put little miss neutral’s speeches to shame. As she thought, she started to chew again on her stuck on fake nails. She had been having to replace them more frequently, lately. She had been having weird dreams again too, but she was sure this time Ajmu was not the cause behind them. She said after all that she would stop visiting her in the dream world once they met in the real one.

Then what… she thought. This was the problem with brilliant people after all, sometimes they missed the blatantly obvious. Medaka had the same problem too, much to Hitoyoshi Zenkichi’s chagrin when he tried to romantically pursue her.

However, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a lock tumbling. She looked up and saw the deadbolt holding the door shut, slowly turning on its own. “Good morning! Oh, has a rude blonde bitch always attended this school?” Kokichi said, as he announced his presence. “Oh, I guess Miu’s a rude blonde bitch. Then there's that Shibuki girl too. I guess rude blonde bitches are a dime a dozen. But this one seems different somehow.”

Enoshima Junko immediately grabbed a handful of her hair and started to sulk, switching into a much more depressed looking personality as she thought of a certain loud blonde person from the 79th class. “Ugh, being compared to her fills me with so much despair, I could just die.”

“Hey, don’t make that face. Of course I recognize you. I would never forget about my darling Junko.” He flashed her a smile, before pausing for a moment. “At least… I think you’re Junko… Hmm… Hmmmm. Sorry has your face always looked like that? We’ve never really talked so I don’t remember.”

Junko immediately curled her hands in front of her face to look much more cute. “Whaaaaat?! That’s sooo mean. I’ve had this cute, popular face since the day I was born.” Then, she shifted into a much more dour looking personality,holding her two fingers to her forehead and her thumb in the shape of an L. “But you might not be far off the mark. It’s not unusual for people to have lookalikes.”

“Huh? You mean like a double? I wouldn’t know anything about that. You’re way too much of a flashy looking girl to imitate.”

“I have a twin, a body double, and a doppelganger and we all have the same face. But that’s a lie.” Junko said, switching to a much more business like voice, as she swiped a pair fo glasses from her pocket and put them over her eyes.

“Hey, don’t lie! That’s my thing! You may be my bestie, but I’m still mad at you!” Kokichi protested, shaking his small fists in a child like way.

Then, a moment later Junko realized something obvious she had not asked him yet. “Wait. Who the hell are you?”

“I was wondering when you’d ask that. It must be cool having eyes so good at reading others, you pick up most of their personality before you can even ask their names.” Kokichi unzipped part of his elaborate looking jacket, which was now covered in a few holes from his last fight with Kumagawa. “You’re the coolest person in this school, so I wonder what would happen if you were killed suddenly leaving the entire school awash in despair!”  He rushed forward with the same tool he had used to pick the lock on the door, intending to stab her with it.

A few minutes later, the entire former student council office had been even further vandalized. Several pranks that were hidden in Ouma’s jacket, from noise boxes, to fire crackers, to sudden explosive party poppers, and several sharp objects which had been disarmed from him and stabbed into the ground now littered the office.

Enoshima Junko stood easily, a boot on his chest. “Wow, are you serious? I’m not even a fighting type. Why is this suddenly so easy for me?" Even more so than usual, she saw his moves coming far ahead of time. She suddenly grew aggravated, her face shifting to become visibly angry. "Hey, why can't you challenge me more? You lazy fucks need to stop sucking at literally everything so badly."

“Haha, that was just a lie. I never wanted to kill you, it was a test.” Kokichi held up his hands in innocence. 

“Hmm... I’m not quite as good at picking up your tells as I would be a normal person. That makes you slightly less boring that usual.”

“Well that’s just because I have so many. Well anyway, I wanted to test you for the sake of my secret organization. I’m the ultimate supreme leader right? Well the truth is I just became that recently because our previous leader suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. So I became the leader in her place and then used that as my talent to sneak into this school to find her.” Kokichi propped himself up on his elbows so he could look Junko directly in the eye. “Those of us in despair get bored easily, I’m sure you know that better than anyone else, Ultimate Despair-chan. So you can’t blame us if we suddenly changed our minds and started calling ourselves the remnants of despair when we didn’t hear anything from you.”

Junko stopped for a moment, considering.

“Well it’s fine. I’m sure you were having lots of fun in your school life. You must have just gotten distracted.”

Then, Enoshima Junko smiled. “Nah, it was boring as hell. Hey, why can't I tell if you're lying... I gotta... look closer..." She leaned in locking eyes with his. Just then, something snapped  and her vision inverted itself. 

Junko stumbled back off of him. It was like playing a game with inverted controls, suddenly left was right and right was left. It took her a moment to reorient herself, and when she did she noticed something strange. She reached forward and touched her face and felt nothing. Even though she knew there was nothing on her face, she could see clear as day a mask over her face covering half of it. As if she had suddenly decided to dress for the world's tackiest masquerade ball. 

She locked eyes with him again trying to figure out what she was seeing, but she saw only her own eyes. Is this... is this what he's seeing with his eyes?  Before she could answer suddenly she was overcome with a foreign emotion. Everybody's lying. There's no such thing as the true self at all. People are only putting on acts, and they change depending on the situation. If there's no such thing as the true self, then I'm fine. I can lie as much as I want. I'm still just like everybody else. 

Oh. This was his perspective of the world. She was seeing the world through his eyes, quite literally. The forced empathy was already giving her a headache, she closed one of her eyes to undo it. In a moment she snapped back into herself. "Alright, Kokichi. This place was pretty boring, but it just got a little bit more interesting." 

A minus huh? I don't care why you gave it to me after all Anshin'in-san. I'm going to use it. And use it. And then more. More. More. More. More. More. More. More. Until I can feel it. Let me feel it. I want to taste a little bit of Kumagawa's despair. 

Notes:

Next week Chiaki returns to classes.

Chapter 26: Life is but a Game

Summary:

A few friends play games together and nothing bad happens.

He has no talent.
His parents are stupid too.
You can just pay your way in.
They want him to succeed that much?
Must be nice being rich.

The skyline of Hope’s Peak Academy was supposed to be beautiful. All of his life he had been dreaming of such a view. He wanted to take in that view uninterrupted, but his sky was clouded with words. His perspective of the world would never be crystal clear, not the way he had always envisioned it as being.

Most people carried ideals in their heart, they event probably had an idealized version  of themselves. I would be happy if and If only I was those thoughts are incredibly common. Some are motivated to reach those heights, and some persecute themselves endlessly for falling short.

To me, there’s no difference between those types of people. That boy however, saw himself as lesser than both of them. He had no idea what talent he wanted, or what version of himself he wanted to take form. He was only in awe of talent itself. Those who possessed overwhelming talent, they had something he did not have. An overwhelming sense of self.

He was… who was he? He only knew what he was not. He was not like them. If one were to see the world through his eyes, they would see those words in the corner of every image he saw. Constant reminders that would never leave him. It’s pointless. Just have mommy and daddy cut a check so you can feel better. The words did not just ruin his view of hope’s peak, they soured the beauty of every single sight he tried to enjoy.

So he tried to shut away his eyes entirely, gritting his teeth and furrowing his brow in frustration. He pretended just to be adjusting his tie to hide those negative emotions. This was supposed to be the academy of hope after all. Perhaps if he pushed them down to underneath the surface he could finally take part in that hope too.

With his eyes closed all he heard in the background was the soft noises of water falling from the fountain, even softer though was a steady sound of beeping approaching him, and tapping noises. He identified the sounds a moment too late, it was an old 8 bit theme tune, and those tapping noises were button presses. He opened his eyes and saw a girl walking into him, still continuing to play the game in her hands without looking.

As the chip tune that played when a level was clear sounded she drew her head back gasping for breath. He stood stock still against her. As she looked down for a moment, and back up, as if just now realizing he was there.

“...Eh”

“Huh…”

“Eh, are you okay?”

“Uh… Huh…” She said softly,  in a sleepy voice. In the absence of their conversation he heard the fountain in the background still, letting water fall with such soft and even noises.

The game sounded the theme for when a new level begun, and she simply walked around him as if he were a sign in the road, or some lamp post she had walked into. Her eyes returned to the game.   

Ah right of course she walks right by me because I'm not… “Galomega right?” That boy spoke up.

She made another soft sound, and then suddenly it was like she had woken up. “Ssss. So you know it? You’re the first like ever.”

“Uh… yeah…”

Suddenly, over something so small she was looking at him. She showed him eyes not filled with derision, not looking down at him, she just saw him and smiled. Then suddenly she overtook his entire field of vision. “It’s a classic don’t you agree? There’s nothing else like it in the whole genre.”

He was not used to being this close, he was not even used to being seen, his first instinct was only to shrink away. “Yeah, classic.  I new game plussed it five itmes in a row once.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, cross my heart.”

“I know how tough that is, I new game plussed it ten times in a row once.”

“That blows mine out of the water,” He said with exasperation. Of course he’d be outdone so easily by one of the students of this school.

“It’s just…  I’ve never met anybody who can play games as much as me before. Some day I want to see your very best run, alright?”

“Umm… sure, you got it.” He did not understand at all. A moment ago he had been forcibly swallowing negativity. There was nothing at all inside of him except that which he had bitten back and repressed. Yet suddenly a girl came from nowhere and saw something in him.

This was the kind of scenario that only main characters encountered.

Then suddenly a few moments later he was reminded again. “Oh… that uniform, are you in the reserve course?” A teacher who had walked by asked of him.  

“What’s the reserve course?”

“You haven’t heard of it? They only just rolled it out last year. It’s an academic  track for regulat students, but those kids pay through the nose for enrollment.”

“I get it…”  the girl said softly.

The boy immediately wanted to look away. A moment ago he felt like he had been someone, but the moment he started to enjoy that feeling, he was reminded of his place.

“Quirks aside… all you guys have incredible talents don’t you…” He muttered to himself, while the girl next to him went back to her game and the teacher went off elsewhere.  Staring at his empty hand he thought, “Must be nice being good at something.”

His eyes kept on the girl’s hands, hers moved so masterfully over her console. Her hands were worth something after all. “Whether you have a talent or not,  there’s no need to be so hung up over it.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not like the be all end all. You have greater freedom than we do. All I have is a pile of video games. Somebody like you can go anywhere, and do whatever they want with their life.”

“Yeah.. but…”

He wondered how it could be so simple for her. Before he could say anything more, she was pulled away from him. She did not look up from her game console, not once but that was what he expected. He was nothing to look at anyway.

As she was being carried away though, she stopped playing her game for a moment with one hand to wave goodbye at him. He realized in that moment, he wanted hands like that. Hands that were meant for something. Hands that were not empty.

“I’ve got more freedom than the elites… huh?” He never really did understand what she meant when she said that. No, he never really came to understand her either. All he knew was he liked being seen by her. Even if her eyes were empty, if he could reflect in them he could feel something.

Kamakura Izuru sat on the stone edge of the fountain, alone. His academy days were spent hiding from others now he had no place to go back to, except for the few times the witch called on him.

While he had been sitting there gazing at the academy in front of him, and seeing absolutely nothing at all in the outline of the building and trees made on the horizon he heard a rustle of cloth next to him.

“Hey, this school, do you still love it? Can you still love it?” A woman in white robes asked him. As the breeze suddenly changed direction with her appearance, the noise her hair and robes made as they were blown by the wind was a light fluttering sound.

“I don’t know…”

“Even though I’m loved by talent, I don’t know if I can love it either.” She sighed, for a moment her cheerful disposition seemed to drop away. “The two of us are so alike.”

Just for a moment Kamakura turned his head to look at her. Crimson eyes, just like his own. He was taken aback and paused by how similiar they looked. Ajimu Najimi was an illogical being somebody who should not exist by the laws of this world. Then again, so was he. He did not understand any part of her, but in that moment he saw a part of himself reflected back in her eyes. “I know this though…”

She took advantage of his hesitation and leaned in, pressing soft lips against his. Kamakura did not return the kiss at all. He simply stared forward in confusion. Illogical. Illogical. Illogical. This scene did not follow the rules of reality, it was not something he had predicted. Eventually she drew back all on her own.

“I love you.”

The words seemed to hover in the air around her.

I.
Love.
You.

Before he could conclude anything at all about this scene, Ajimu Najimi changed the mood on her own. Suddenly, her sincere face gave way to a knowing smirk. “Just kidding! Like I’d say such a cliche line as ‘we’re like totally the same after all’. I just thought I’d help you jump-start your memories, I mean you’re always giving me that smouldering handsome look it looks like you could use a spark.”

Suddenly, the scene as described helpfully above by the narrator, played out again in Kamakura’s mind. He could not see it fully as if he was experiencing first hand. He could only see the shadows of the boy and girl acting out the scene in front of him. He could not even remember the name of the main character of the scene, even if he understood his thoughts.

He reached to the deepest pits of his memory to try to find something, to feel something. Only a god could produce something from nothing though, and he was not a god, not even a demigod, just a presumptive teenager.

No matter how he tried the boy’s name escaped him. A moment later though, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a screw. His otherwise empty hand clenched around it tightly. “Chiaki… Nanami Chiaki.”

“Be careful. Those are memories of a scene that never even existed. If you cling to them too tightly, you might go mad like Komaeda-kun.”

At the mention of that name, Kamakura Izuru shut his eyes.

At this, Ajimu only smiled. “Komaeda-kun clung to hope tighter than anyone else, but Chiaki-chan really was the hope of the 77th class, huh? When everybody else fell to Junko-chan she was the only one who resisted her. That’s why Junko-chan targeted her especially and needed to strike her down, it was like a game between the two of them.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He finished wiping his lips and glanced back up at her.

“You want to investigate both hope and despair, don’t you? That’s the resolve you found before Kumagawa-kun interrupted your life. You want to know which one will free you, right?”

“I… I need to know.” One of his red eyes in particular, focused on her. “You already made up your mind though, so why are you helping me?”

“I admire your efforts. I would never try to interfere with something I admired. So please, go look at hope and despair with that eye I lent you and prove me wrong.”

As quickly as she came, and as quickly as the wind changed she was gone. Kamakura wondered for a moment if this lady in all white really was a ghost simply meant to haunt them. He could not decide where to go next on his own, so for a little while longer he sat on the fountain’s edge, listening to the soft sound of water falling.

When he finally stood up, he took one last empty glance at the horizon. Just then, he felt something pressing against him, and heard the soft sounds of a game console. His red eyes looked down, and he saw a girl walking straight into him. “Na...nami…”

She looked up just for a moment. “Huh… have we… huh…” Even as she looked at him though, there was no recognition in her eyes at all. Kamakura felt something was wrong, because he had remembered even as she lay dying and bleeding Chiaki saw him. He was reflected in her dying eyes, and she still reached out for him and called him by that name.

The name of the boy he could no longer remember. The name of the boy who became nothing. Whose efforts, aspirations, feelings, and desires all became nothing. Yet, somehow those words in the corner of his vision, the uncertainty that plagued him still remained. No, they had become even worse, those words had become bars.

You have greater freedom than we do. Nanami Chiaki told the nameless boy once. He wanted to ask her if that was what she meant.

However, her eyes already returned to her game console. “I’m better at remembering games then people so… I’m sorry… but who are you?”

“...”

“Why are you staring at me like that? Oh… did you want to play?”

“I don’t really care. Time passes the same, regardless of what I’m doing.”

She handed him another console from her backpack, and linked them together with a pair of cables. The set up looked entirely retro. He held the game console in his hands, and just as easily as she was.

This game has a rock paper scissors based type advantage system, and turned base combat. All I need to do is understand all of the possible combinations and then use probability to predict which moves she will most likely make.

After a few minutes she looked down at her console. “Aww, I lost… but it was a close battle.”

Incorrect, I knew exactly how much damage I would endure and followed my plan from the start with little to no interruption.

“I had a lot of fun.”

“Fun? Even though you lost with the one talent you have?"

“Losing is frustrating, but… I’m glad I was able to play with you. Besides… the game’s not over just because I lost once. We can keep playing…”

He wondered where exactly that source of hope came from. Before he could ask though, she suddenly changed on a dime. “Wait, oh no. Oh no, I’m going to be late! I’m sorry! Next time okay!”

Before he could even say goodbye, suddenly on her own she scrambled to put both game consoles away and broke out running in the opposite direction. He watched the white rabbit disappear on the horizon, muttering again and again on how she was going to be late.

It didn’t feel the same as last time. As with everything else, he was left feeling empty.

“Why…”

However, the fact that he was able to ask such a question suddenly became interesting to him. Even though he knew it was exactly what the ghost girl wanted of him, he could not help but follow the scenario that had been laid in front of him.

The flag was tripped, the route locked in.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“So what we really need to do is find out what kind of scenario that Anshin’in-san expects us to play through.” Enoshima Junko said aloud, to the empty room that consisted of just her, and Ouma Kokichi.

Ultimate Despair, and its so called remnant. The chalkboard that was once covered in old student council duties, and had a screw driven through one of its corners was now repurposed for Junko’s chalk doodles. She had drawn a Monokuma just for fun, but the rest were highly detailed, if slightly cartoonish chalk representations of the major players in this scenario.

“A scenario? You mean like… in a game?” Kokichi asked, sitting on top of one of the desks that was randomly strewn about in the room. His legs were so short they did not reach the floor, so he could easily kick his feet in the open air.

“Yeah, no duh like in a game. You align yourself with her, so did you ever pay attention to like anything she said? ‘Last boss’, ‘Main character’, ‘Flags’, those are all game terms. She’s trying to make reality conform to the rules of a game and that’s! My! Thing!” Junko dragged her fake nails across the chalk board, hoping the despair inducing noise would help vent her frustration. It did not.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t like games at all. ” Kokichi said, looking down in his lap as the rest of his face suddenly looked convincingly upset. “I especially would never play games with real human beings, that’s a terrible thing to do!”

“You’re going to tell me you’re lying again, aren’t you?”

“Yup, I’m lying!” Kokichi said with a smile, putting his arms behind his head. “How’d you know, do you have some kind of power?”

“Well yes, but also you’re really obviously playing on your phone right now.”

A moment later she realized something her eyes had missed. “Hey, wait that’s my phone! Give it back you little gremlin, who was feeding you after midnight, who was it?”

In a moment she anticipated where me would move to try to avoid her hand, and easily snatched the phone back. Kokichi only gave her a playful smile, rubbing his hand where her fake nails had scratched him. “I was just going through your texts. You sure don’t have a lot of people to talk to, huh? I only saw Kumagawa-senpai and your sister. That’s different from what you’d expect from a school beauty queen.”

“It’s hard to text with fake nails on…” Junko muttered under her breath. She probably could have come up with a better reply then that, but she was focusing on the plan, that was what she told herself at least.

She moved to put the phone away, and Kokichi noticed a charm dangling from the end of the tacky phone case she had on it covered in glitter and bedazzled. “What a cute little charm. So cute it seems out of character.”

Junko immediately shoved the phone charm and all in her pocket as if embarrassed by something, and turned back to the board slamming her hand on it. “Well she acts all mysterious and aloof but if she’s treating the world like it’s all some pre-constructed scenario like in a game then she should be easy to predict actually.”

“What do you mean? Games are really hard that’s why they’re so fun. That’s why I make my career as a high stakes gambler where I’d even be willing to bet my own body parts, I need to live off the adrenaline.”

“He says, like a lying liar who lies.” Junko finished his statement for him, and returned his attention to the board. “Games are so easy. There’s always a pre-determined route that the developers put in that you’re meant to follow in order to clear them. In platformers, all the enemies move in predictable patterns. Even in boss fights, all of the attacks look scary but the boss can only move with a set of pre-programmed attack. Even gambling is easy, it’s all just probability right? There’s only a certain amount of ways things can unfold, and it’s easy to pick which one is most likely to unfold with a little math… though, I guess luck can get in the way of that.”

Kokichi always considered himself to be the cleverest one in the room. It was in part a survival mechanism, but also he was genuinely condescending like that. In that moment though listening to her he felt something he hated feeling most of all, like he really was just a kid out of his depth. “You sound like somebody who it’s no fun to play games against,” Kokichi frowned.

“Well, you’re right about that I guess.” She looked to the side and to the chalk drawings she made. “Say it’s a straightforward RPG or something, it’s pointless looking at the people in the world, in the end they are just scripted to act in a way convenient for the game. It’s the same with the protagonist, it’s just that the protagonist doesn’t even realize what he is… What’s most important if you want to understand is to grasp the scenario the developers wanted.”

Then, thinking that way. In a moment, Enoshima Junko’s brain flashed through so many possibilities that even my narrative talent could not properly portray the number of interconnecting paths she saw with words. It was like she had committed one thousand speedruns of the same game in her head in an instant with slight alterations to try to find the optimal course. Except, it was nothing like that because the number of scenarios she considered was much larger. The human brain could not comprehend what it was to think like that, and even my non-human brain would probably have trouble keeping up. “Oh, I get it… the protagonist moves without even realizing what he is…” She circled in chalk on the board, a boy with a large antenna on his head, and a boy with spiky anime hair that Junko had drawn even spikier to mock him. “I need you to follow the optimism trio.”

“Ehhh, that’s lazy of you. Can’t you just watch them yourself?”

“I will be.”

Kokichi looked at her board for a moment. “Well, I guess since it’s early in the morning I’ll be able to play with them a little first before I go to physical training with Monaca-chan and Medaka-chan.”

“Physical training…” Enoshima Junko paused for a moment. “Isn’t Monaca in a wheelchair? That beast woman really is relentless.”

“She’s not… god, you’re not just a rude blonde bitch, you’re a dumb blonde bitch too, huh?”

“Oh, you think you can get away with insulting your betters. It’s a little bit cute, precocious even. Is this what it’s like to have an underclassmen. I’ll be sure to be a very good despair-senpai to you.” Ensohima Junko said, as a smile crawled on her lips that looked very pleasant but became unpleasant when combined with her tone of voice.

“Ah, I think I’ve triggered a bad ending.” Kokichi joked to relieve the sudden tension, before he tilted his head looking past her on the board she was standing in front of. “Hey, what about Kumagawa-senpai? He’s the only one you haven’t drawn up on your board.”

“Huh? Well, that guy’s actions don’t really matter.”

“Are you sure? He seems a little bit hard to read.”

Enoshima Junko suddenly put her hand in her pocket, “Yeahhh, you know… whatever, it’s like whatever you know.”

“No, I don’t really know.”

“I’m sure what he chooses in this scenario doesn’t matter, because he’ll just keep clinging to Kurokami-san, because she saaaaved him or whatever.” Junko averted her eyes. “It’s like awkward now so…”

“Wow, the sight of you acting like a normal person is way more terrifying than any threat you’ve made of me so far.” He stood up suddenly and made for the door. “Right away ma’am, time to go spy on the enemies for you, I’ve accepted the mission let's move on to the next objective marker."

Alone in the room, Junko drew her hands out of her pockets and crossed them over her stomach, leaning back against the blackboard. “He’s like a glitch in the game, you know? For a moment the coding breaks and it looks like things are going in an unpredictable direction.” She sighed. “Glitches are flashy at first, but once they’re identified and catalogued they stop being interesting. They’re just a part of the script technically, even if it’s a mistake that they were there in the first place. There’s nothing more to it than that…” Her eyes closed and she repeated it again. “There’s nothing...”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Wow, you can run pretty fast for your first day,” Zenkichi said as he jogged alongside Kokichi. The optimism trio was completing one of their morning jogs, though with Mukuro and Kokichi tagging along it was more of a quintet. Kokichi was happy with the five of them, that was exactly the amount of members for the ideal boy band. He could be the bad boy, Zenkichi the straight forward heart throb, Mukuro the quiet one, Makoto the cute and naive one, then that left Komaeda as the mysterious boy with white hair.

The five of them ran, Zenkichi at the head with Kokichi tailing slightly behind him. In the exact middle was Makoto. Then, trailing slightly behind him because she was wearing four times the weight of any of them was Mukuro, and even then it was likely she was jogging slow on purpose just to run next to Makoto. Finally in last was Komaeda who lagged far behind all of them.

“I’ve been training my whole life you know. I need to work harder than anybody else.” Kokichi said as he increased his pace a little to jog side by side with Zenkichi.

“Oh, I can definitely understand that. If that’s how you think then I admire your spirit, Ouma-kun!”

“Feel free to call me Kokichi! We’re both Kichis after all, Zenkichi-senpai.”

“Kokichi-kun, then. Why are you working so hard? If it’s anything I can help with, it’s my job to support you since Medaka chose you after all.”

“I need to train my hardest in order to kill my brother, and avenge the death of my clan. Maybe they were a clan of organized criminals who were no good, but that doesn’t mean killing all of them was okay!”

“Wait, shit really? Even if that’s the case though… I don’t think it’s good to kill people, right? Maybe if we talk to Medaka-chan she can help us find a more peaceful way to solve things. After all even if he’s no good, your brother must be the only family you have left.” Zenkichi suddenly became completely understanding and empathic about a lie that Kokichi had come up with in half a minute and told with complete nonchalance.

Junko watched Zenkichi’s display through Kokichi’s eyes. The mask that Zenkichi wore was a cartoonish representation of Medaka’s face in Chibi-form. It was worn on the side of his face, like the masks festival goers would wear for fun. It was still a mask though, nonetheless. He always believes me no matter what I say, but… that doesn’t make him kind that makes him an idiot. “That was just a lie!” Kokichi said, and he felt a bit of sadistic pleasure watching Zenkichi’s surprised expression. The only reason he’s able to smile like that is because he has Medaka to protect him, that’s just an ideal. A lie that makes reality seem better than it is.

“Hey, you shouldn’t lie about stuff like that. Lies like that are no good.”

“I wasn’t lying, I was just joking.”

“Eh, how was that a joke?”

“Aren’t most jokes just lies? I mean when I say knock knock there’s nobody really knocking on your door. It’s just a fantasy, ergo, a lie.”

“So you told me a lie to make me laugh? Huh well I guess that’s…” Zenkichi stopped for a moment considering it, then snapped, “Hey there’s nothing to laugh about killing your own brother!”

“You’re not the one who's meant to be laughing though. It’s a joke for myself, because I’ll laugh hard when I see how easy it is to get you to make angry and flustered faces like that.”

“Then that’s not a joke, that’s just bullying!”

So straightforward, so true, Kokichi could not comprehend a person like that. That is why he wanted to keep poking at his buttons and watching his reactions. He thought he might learn something… well maybe no, but at least he would get fun from it.

Trailing behind them, Mukuro stared at Makoto’s back as she ran a little bit slower than him on purpose.

“...”

“Ah, it’s weird getting stared at like that. Is there something wrong, Mukuro?”

Mukuro suddenly snapped her head away with a guilty expression on her face. The truth was that over the course of their run Makoto’s pants had slipped down his waste ever so slightly and revealed the lining of his boxer shorts. The moment Mukuro noticed she could not look away. However, it was impossible for her to verbalize all of this so she simply continued averting her eyes. “... Nothing.” Then hung her head. “I’m sorry… for being weird. Junko says I don’t really know how to act like a person.”

“What no! I didn’t mean it like that…” Suddenly, Makoto was looking away too. “I mean, I like getting looked at by you. It makes me feel warm. It’s just you look like something’s bothering you.”

“Ah… Lately, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being followed but…” Mukuro looking away still had eyes that seemed to be looking far into the past. “Even when I was being attacked by trained mercenaries, there wasn’t anybody who could even sneak up close enough to land a hit on me. I don’t know how…The only person who’d really be able to sneak up on me is me.”

“Maybe it’s your evil clone!” Kokichi called out from a distance. “Oh wait, that’s not even a lie you already have one of those!”

“What is he talking about…” Makoto muttered, before he finally looked back to Mukuro and saw the worried expression on her face she was trying to hide. “Th-there’s nothing to worry about I’ll protect you!”

“That’s just impractical though, you’re far too weak to protect me from anything on your own.”

“That’s disappointing to hear even if it’s true…” Makoto sunk for a moment while still jogging. “I just don’t want you to worry is all, that’s why I said that.”

“I’m not worried about myself. If a murderer like me dies then that’s just how it is. If somebody like you died though then… I would… I…”

“Then you should just protect me!” Makoto said in the moment, just wanting Mukuro’s troubled expression to go away.

“I’m not really a person who can protect…”

Makoto stopped running right then and reached out for her hand. “It’ll be fine…” He said, and when he took hers even though she covered it up with a glove, she still felt warm. “If we’re together then it should work out, right? Who cares about who is protecting who let’s just try to figure something out.”

He was able to speak with such confidence because that was the mask that Makoto wore. Hope, shining, radiant, as long as I continue to believe things will be okay even in the worst of situations I can keep moving forward. Kokichi could not even look directly at Makoto’s face, that rectitude was blinding. That’s still a lie, even if you believe in it with all of your heart. Even if you make it true it started out as a lie.

Mukuro herself had a face covered in camouflage paint in Kokichi’s perception. Telling yourself I’m just a soldier, I’m just a killer that’s a lie too. It’s easier to deal with then realizing you did terrible things while being a completely normal girl. One who blushes when boys say nice things to her.

Enoshima Junko, watching through Kokichi’s eye from far away stuck out her tongue in that moment as she saw the warm fuzzies between Makoto and her sister. “Yuck!”

However, Makoto and Mukuro’s moment itself was interrupted by Komaeda. Out of the corner of his eyes, Makoto noticed the other collapsing. “Hitoyoshi-kun, Komaeda fell over again!” He called out.

This was a common occurence in all of their runs, so he was not too concerned. However, when Zenkichi doubled back to Komaeda’s side he did not hear the normal apologies or self degradation that Komaeda usually gave when he needed to rely on Zenkichi to carry him the rest of the way for his run.

Komaeda was completely silent though. Somehow, a silent Komaeda was far worse than a talkative Komaeda who always said unpleasant things. Zenkichi immediately picked him up in the gentlest hold he could, bridal style. “You guys go on ahead without me. I’m going to take him to the infirmary I think he passed out.”

“Wait, Zenkichi-chan can I come with?” Kokichi asked, even raising his hand politely and everything.

“Of course! Are you worried about your senpai too, Kokichi-kun?”

“No, I just thought I could make a tactical infiltration move by eliminating Komaeda in his sleep and then imitating him flawlessly. Do you have some bleach I could borrow for my hair actually, like a lot of it?”

“You know what nevermind this is my fault for expecting you to be helpful!” Zenkichi already started to run forward.

Kokichi hated when the game ended early, and squeaked as he ran to catch up to him. “No wait! I promise I’ll be good!”

“Fine then, I have a family member visiting the school right now. She looks a lot like me can you go find her? Her given name is Hitomi.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Just as Kokichi had wandered the halls of the infirmary, coming up completely empty on his search a cute young girl happened to skate right by him, using only the wheels underneath her shoes. “Are those heelies? Those are definitely heelies! Where did you find some I want to try them! You, you, state your name and class!”

Even though lives might have been on the line, Kokichi found himself distracted for a moment by the idea of tennis shoes that could easily convert into roller skates. She spun around on her heels facing him. “Name? The name’s Hitoyoshi Hitomi.”

“Ah… isn’t that… what could he want with an elementary schooler…” Kokichi thought for a second that Zenkichi really might have been an idiot.

“AH! That arm band! Could you be someone from the student council?”

Kokichi looked at the in training arm band he had been given to wear. He decided to jump right into the explanation for once because Komaeda might seriously be in trouble. On the way, he only peppered in a few lies, but that was just for the sake of making things a little spicier. When they arrived in the doorway, he held it open for her and led her in with an arm on his back.

“Sorry I’m late,  Zenkichi-chan and Komaeda-kun. As you can see, I found Zenkichi-Chan’s little sister here! Fetch quest complete!”

At that Zenkichi suddenly made an incredibly awkward fave, his lips becoming a wavy line that trembled. “I’d never thought you would have such a cute little sister. Heck, even if you two are siblings you two look way alike.”

“Well… I don’t deny that we look alike but… I don’t have a little sister.”

“Eh? Are you trying to tell a lie now, how out of character?” Kokichi said, looking down at the little girl shorter than him even he had walked all the way here.

Zenkichi averted his eyes, letting out a puff of air. “That’s my mom.”

“Your mom!” Kokichi’s face was filled with genuine shock, there was a first time for everything it seemed.

“I’m his mom!” Hitomi said, pointing to her cheeks and smiling.

“Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?” Kokichi screamed out in surprise. Which was enough to finally stir Komaeda who had been laying on the bed completely silent up until this point.

“Mmm… oh I… passed out again. I’m sorry for causing so much trouble and getting in the way of you striving towards your hope Hitoyoshi-kun, ah… what a talented looking older woman.” Unlike Kokichi, Komaeda seemed to realize how old Hitomi truly was in a moment.

“Hello Komaeda, I’m Hitoyoshi Hitomi, I’m Zenkichi’s mother. That young troublemaker over there told me you passed out while you were running. I always warn Zenkichi not to play too rough with his friends because they’re not all like him and Medaka-chan. I apologize for my inconsiderate son.”

“A troublemaker you say…” Kokichi spoke to himself for a moment. “Do you think I could get her to call me a whippersnapper if I annoyed her enough?” Nobody was listening to him at this point.

“Mom, can you embarrass me later. Komaeda might really need a doctor to look at him.”

“I’m a retired doctor you know, I’m a mother first before I was ever a psychosomatic surgeon.”

“That’s fine, Hitomi-sensei. I’d hate to get in the way of your expression of your talent. Even if you gave birth to a disappointing no talent son, you should always put care of him over me.” At which point Komaeda tried to continue rambling, but Hitomi had already reached forward and pinched one of his cheeks.

“There’s quite a mouth on this one, yeah? Well it’s fine, you’re just saying all of that because you’re in pain right. I’ll take a look at you as the ‘licensed black jack’ and see what I can find. Boys your age really shouldn’t be reacting catastrophically to mild exercise.”

“Haha, well I guess I’m just a disappointment all around. A shitty mind and a shitty body.” Koameda laughed, but he was the only one laughing at this.

Hitomi was trying her best to keep up her smiling face.

Kokichi would have been concerned, but he was distracted. “What? ‘Licensed Black Jack’ what a cool nickname.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

After going over his test results, Hitomi grabbed Hitoyoshi by the back of his hair and forced him to bow his head. “What were you doing, making a person like that do hard repetitive exercise? I apologize for how inconsiderate my son was, you apologize too!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry. I didn’t know there was anything wrong with him…” Zenkichi said, as he played along to his mother’s will quite easily.

Kokichi in the background continued to watch. “Do you not have eyes, Zenkichi-chan?”

“Well, even if it’s in remission you shouldn’t be pushing yourself too hard while you’re recovering from Lymphoma.” Hitomi’s voice softened, just a little bit.

“Wait, shit Lymphoma really? Komaeda you should speak up about that sort of thing!”

“What were you thinking Zenkichi, really…” Hitomi muttered under her breath.

“Well uh… healthy in body, healthy in mind?”

“It’s really hard to believe your idiot son is the son of a talented doctor, huh?” Komaeda asked, not at all bothered by the mention of his critical state. He even smiled at it like he was carefree. “Though I’m both unhealthy in mind and in body. I have frontotemporal dementia.

“...Huh?”

“Even now… my brain is deteriorating bit by bit while I’m speaking to you…”

“Y-you’re kidding me, right…?” Zenkichi realized for just a moment that he might not be able to help the person in front of him with hard work and unflinching support alone. Kokichi noted that it made the mask Zenkichi was wearing shake, shake until it was almost to the point of breaking.

Holding a chart in her hand, and looking quite concerned she marched forward when her son hesitated. “Komaeda-kun, you just passed out due to stress but…I want you to stay here for a little while longer anyway.”

“If you’re worried about me it’s fine, Hitoyoshi-sensei. I’ve already come to accept this a long time ago…”

“No, it’s not that. It’s the frontotemporal dementia you were diagnosed with. Never in the history of medical science has that kind of degradative disease been diagnosed in a child.”

“Oh, I see.” Komaeda said still with a smile on his face. “You want to study my unique case to help other people right? In that case I don’t mind even if you dissect me.”

“How macabre, you remind me of another white haired child I met once, but no. I went over your charts when I was looking over you, and I think you’ve been misdiagnosed. Which is why I want to keep you a little longer to confirm my suspicion.”

“Mis… no, it’s just my bad luck. Being the only person my age to develop this disease is something that would happen to me, you understand?”

Hitomi who studied abnormals, knew exactly the language to counter him with. “Bad luck also could have taken the form of receiving a doctor who was completely unfamiliar with you, and did not really understand or care to understand your symptoms.”

Komaeda wavered for a moment, his fingers grasping at the blanket Zenkichi had pulled over him when he first was brought to the hospital room. He wondered why… being told he might not have a degenerative disease filled him with so much fear he was shaking. Perhaps the people who passed him over were right about him. He was a backwards person who smiled when terrible things happened to him, and frowned when something good was happening. “Wha… how could that be?”

“Well, my suspicion comes from three main areas. One is that there are all sorts of reasons for people’s brains to look off, from genetics, to birth complications, and we have no history of your parent’s medical records for you at all. Second, you’re clearly neurodivergent but none of the symptoms you show is inconsistent with mental illness. The brain is complicated you know, sometimes it’s not even one clearly definable thing it can be multiple things overlapping. Third, you’ve clearly been through a lot. Repeated head trauma can result in impacts mistakable for dementia. Either way, it’s a strange conclusion to jump to right away.”

Komaeda remembered the doctor that had diagnosed him. Faceless, dark, the only light in the room came from a monitor showing him brain scans he did not understand. Most people cried and begged when they were given such news, Komaeda only smiled again. The doctor even called him a weirdo. He had a terrible bedside manner, but Komaeda smiled at that too.

“There’s no way the ultimate neurologist could be wrong.”

“Ultimate neurologist huh? When I find this young man maybe I’ll have a talk with him later about jumping to conclusions."

“No, somebody must have… Kumagawa must have…” He remembered when Kumagawa tried to erase his luck. The screws that stabbed through him suddenly, and a feeling of nothingness trying to eat away at his being.

Hitomi paused for a moment. “Misogi Kumagawa… huh.” However, she did not seem to want to dwell on that subject and quickly moved along. “Either way you’d benefit from more monitoring. The symptoms you exhibit, disinhibition, poor impulse control, poor awareness of social cues can be found in ADHD or the autism spectrum, and especially in children who grew up in severe isolation. Lack of interest, inability to start tasks, are not specific to BVFTD, as well as deficits in executive function. That terrible mouth of yours, and your tendency to suddenly change emotion, both of those are things that get far worse under stress. I could go on but the bottom line is there’s no way to distinguish between those laundry list of things, and BVFTD other than clear progression… and your progression completely stopped a while ago.”

“I.. What am I supposed to do now that my life hasn’t entered it’s final round anymore. I wasn’t suddenly expecting to gain a bonus life…” Komaeda, muttered to himself. At this hope in front of him, he looked almost inconsolable.

“Well, I’m going to go see if I can find your past records by calling a few associates. Zenkichi if you make him do push ups again while I’m gone, I’m going to ground you for life.”

“Sorry, mom!” Zenkichi squeaked again. The entire room had gone silent with the weight of the conversation. Even after Hitomi left they all stared at each other for a moment. Somehow Kokichi and Komaeda were both at a loss for words. It might have been a first for the history books.

Zenkichi was the only one of them brave enough to finally speak up. “If you were that sick why did you agree to start working out with us? I’m not stupid man, you could have just explained to me.”

“Zenkichi… you and I are a lot alike.” Komeada said, raising a finger to right about his eye level. “That’s why you want to understand my feelings. I could tell that right away, even if I don’t understand where your hope comes from. I don’t feel the unique aura that exists in those who have talent from you, I only detect the scent of a miserable bystander… just like me.”

“Come on man, what’s that even supposed to mean. If you’re going to insult me you could at least be a little more clear.” Zenkichi said, crossing his arms.

“What I mean is. You’re the bystander to Medaka’s hope, the same way that I’m standing to the side and watching the hope of this academy. It’s how we’re both able to live on we’re inspired by others even though we see nothing in ourselves… I guess…” He tried to reach for his blanket again but found his hands too heavy to move. “If there’s one difference, I suppose it’s that I’m weaker. Otherwise I would have been able to train and get strong like you did. When you break your bones, when you tear yourself up, you’re able to save others. I can’t even jog a little bit without reducing myself to this state. It must be because I’m weaker.” What's the difference between us? Did I not assign my stats correctly? Was I not leveling myself up the right way all along? I just want to understand the difference in how we're built, at what points did our paths branch off? 

“You’re not weak man… I mean dealing with all that stuff doesn’t make you weak, you’re enduring it right?” Zenkichi himself was searching for an answer. He did not really understand the world outside of a line of challenges he could overcome if he just kept working hard.

At that, at that gentle encouragement he received Komaeda again reacted in the exact opposite way he was supposed to. He knew it was wrong, he knew that it was merely his self righteousness speaking but he could not help himself. He broke out into loud laughter. “Ahahahahaha! Aaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaahhaa! I’m so glad I met you. You’re always so straight and true! That’s why you can believe so easily in people.” Komaeda’s outburst died as quickly as it had started, and he gave a gentle smile even when a moment ago he was laughing and making the face of the devil. “Your life has worked out so well for you, you’ve never faced any obstacle you couldn’t overcome. Do you know Sakakura-kun? Once, he received a challenger to his title who was a boxer with no particular talent who had made it to the big leagues through hard work and pluck alone. When they fought, Sakakura-kun beat him into submission and broke his body so severely he could never fight in a ring again without endangering his life. Do you understand, that’s the wall that the untalented face or rather they smash into.”

“Komaeda, it’s not like that.”

“The only reason you can say that with such confidence is because you’ve been protected so far. Gosh, you’re so presumptuous calling yourself the one who protects Kurokami-san. She’s obviously been the one protecting you. You leech off of her strong hope, and because of that you’ve yet to face a difficulty that was truly capable of stopping you. It’s not just effort, people’s body breaks irreparably when they’re pushed too hard. You’ve just been spared that.”

“I…you’re right about me and Medaka. I know I always fall short of her. That’s why I’m striving harder than anybody else to catch up with her.”

“You’re not catching up with her, you’re clinging to her.” I… I don’t want to say this. I like the part of Zenkichi that clings to hope, I like his straightforward and true self. Objectively, he’s a much better person than me, he doesn’t drive anybody away with his own self righteousness. But I… why am I trying so hard to push him down to make myself feel better. Just stop. Just stop talking for once in your damn life. “It’s not for her sake, it’s for your own. You just want to feel special by being by her side. Without your connection to her, you’d just be a normal idiot that tries too hard.”

Kokichi watched the scene play out but did not say anything. He agreed with Komaeda after all, he could be harsh in his judgements just like that, no he had always needed to be. Optimism was a dangerous lie to him.

Komaeda remembered the adults who whispered about him behind his back. The words repeated again, that child is wrong. Even though he often admitted to this out loud, some part of Komaeda really wanted to believe there were outside factors to blame. Those people don’t understand hope because their own hope is so weak. They don’t understand me because they don’t know what I went through.

He both admitted and did not admit to his own wrongness. It was a strange balancing game to play in his head, yet at the same time it was quite normal. After all who wanted to accept that they were just meant to be isolated, meant to not fit in, meant not to be understood.

As he looked at Zenkichi’s quiet face in the aftermath of his own lashing out, Komaeda realized finally. Oh, they were right about me after all. They were right to avoid me. It was not some stunning or life changing revelation, but rather a slow and quiet one. He accepted it with the same silence he accepted being told about his inevitable death in a hospital room with no light, and no windows.

Yet, Zenkichi did not react as he normally did. He did not get angry and shout back, nor did he smile and reassure Komaeda. He merely reached out for Komaaeda’s hand washed out from any color and thin as bone due to sickness. “What are you doing? You should be mad at me…”

“Nah, you’re right man. I am just an idiot who tries too hard.”

“No, I’m the one who is wrong. After all, I was told I’m not dying but I’m not happy at all. I’m ungrateful, right?”

“You don’t have to be happy if you don’t wanna be.”

Those were words Komaeda did not understand at all. He had just talked about Zenkichi like he knew him, he had been observing him all this time, but he still did not understand.

Perhaps he should just watch a little bit longer. That was the conclusion he came to, clinging to the warmth of Zenkichi’s hand, while the door slammed shut and Kokichi left the hospital room behind.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“It’s definitely Zenkichi then, not Makoto. Koameda’s even more of a walking bomb then my sister. God, finding somebody worse than Mukuro, I never thought that would happen.” Junko chatted with him casually as they walked along. “Ah well, it’s time for you to hang out with your friends, and build up social links and gain strength from that and all that.” Junko said, before waving him off and disappearing once more.

Kokichi was sure that she was following from somewhere close. He walked along to pick up Monaca, only to see Kumagawa walking the same way.  『Ah, hello! Medaka-chan wanted to prepare things ahead of time so she sent me alone to get you two.』

Kumagawa’s arm band said vice president like Kokichi, so Kokichi guessed that made him this person’s specific understudy. Of course he had no idea what to think of this boy in a black uniform still. If Makoto’s ask was pure light, then Kumagawa’s was pure shadow. He greeted him with a friendly enough smile, but that smile was all he could see of his expression. Ever since I saw him I couldn’t help wondering. Why does this man make my skin crawl?

In the background, Enoshima Junko watching through his eyes laughed. Upupupupupupu.

The two of them opened the door to Monaca’s room together and found she was sleeping in. While Kokichi went to wake her up, Kumagawa looked around at the walls of the room. Around every single wall was pictures of Junko, pasted in a maddening collage.『She must love Enoshima-sama a whole lot, how touching. Is this sisterly love? I guess someone like me wouldn’t understand it.』

Kokichi observed Kumagawa’s smile in that moment. Anybody else would have been unnerved by the scene, but he accepted it so easily. He could accept an overpowering to the point of toxic love like Monaca’s with a smile that pleasant on his face. He’s just like water, formless, able to adapt to anything. When you look in water you can’t see anything else, only your own reflection. It’s not even a mask it’s like nothing’s there at all.

“Scummygawa-senpai, I brought you a snack!”

『Really? Nobody’s ever been so considerate before...』As they were walking along, Kumagawa immediately took it without question.

“I’m lying, those are poisoned.”

He spit it out just as fast. 『Ahaha, Monaca-chan is so funny.』

Ever since attempting to kill him, she had not stopped with pranks like this. It was a little bit sad, watching a high schooler get bullied by a middle schooler and not even seem to realize it. After walking along like this, Kumagawa’s bullying was interrupted by the presence of both Medaka and Chiaki Nanami who had arranged to meet with them.

Medaka’s smile was as confident as ever. “It’s time for training you two. For the first round the ultimate gamer is going to help us out. All you have to do is beat me in this game. I’ll even lend you Kumagawa for your team, to make it three against two.”

Monaca immediately raised her hand. “What if we don’t want him?”

“That’s too bad.” Medaka immediately snapped back.

『It’s just nice to be on a team in the first place. I’m used to being picked last anyway, and kids used to argue over who would get stuck with me.』

Kokichi started to feel a little sorry for the guy again, he really didn’t seem to notice he was being bullied.

“Alright then, I’ll just think of this as game balance. Obviously I’m a high tier player so I needed to be partnered with the lowest tier possible in order to even us out.” Monaca, sat down.

Kumagawa sat down next to her.

Kokichi at the edge of the three of them.

On the other side in front of a large television, Nanami sat down as well. “Ah… let’s start already.” She seemed much less enthusiastic then Medaka, and her entire focus was on the controller in her hand.

The five of them played a three versus two match. Kumagawa immediately ran off the stage. Then he jerked his controller in frustration and snapped the wire connecting it to the console. Then when he was finally put back in the game, he somehow inverted all of his controls and had no idea how to move his character. Because of all those factors and many more, they lost the first round.

Then the next ten rounds after that.

Kokichi only laughed at this, though. “Haha! Kumagawa-kun is quite interesting, huh? He’s like a game breaking glitch.”

Monaca threw her controller. “Glitches are only fun when they ruin things for other people, not me!”

“Perhaps a game is too orderly a thing for Kumagawa to overcome with his minus…” Medaka said looking quite seriously.

Nanami Chiaki had no idea what a minus was, she only barely understood what Medaka wanted of her this day. So instead, she stood up in between the two groups. “Ummm… well, if Kumagawa-kun’s not having fun with this game it’s not good to make him keep playing.”

『Ah, no, it’s fine it’s fine. I’d probably lose at any video game we attempted to play, don’t let me get in the way of things I’m used to it.』

“No, this is a student council president and vice president activity we need you here!” Medaka said, affirming him.

Just then, Chiaki spoke up again. “Uhh… well if he can’t play video games can’t we just make up a game he can play?”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kamakura Izuru had been tailing Chiaki all day in order to try to learn something about her. At this moment though he was quite confused as he saw all five present standing in a circle around what appeared to be nothing.

“Oh, I love imaginary games. That’s just another kind of lying,” Kokichi said with a childishly giddy sense of anticipation.

“Then let’s call this magical beast extermination. You have to defeat the boss monster you cannot see.” Chiaki explained clearly, at the invisible space in between all of them. Kamakura stared intently at her from a distance.

Then, suddenly his perspective snapped forward and his world inverted. This world is just like a game you know. Chiaki saw a magical beast in front of her, just like monster hunter. The people gathered around her were definitely her party. This setting of reality had the most photorealistic graphics of all.

You always have a certain amount of choices, right? How is that too different from choosing your path in a game. For example somebody like her. She looked to Medaka, standing tall, beautiful, untouchable. She must have made all the right choices, put in the extra time to play every side quest, and level grind all of her skills. She’s definitely a 100% completionist.

Her vision inevitably drifted to Kumagawa Misogi. He barely stood up at all and was clearly slouching, his HP was low considering how many bandages were covering both of his ams and crawling up his neck. He looked plain so that was a low charisma stat. This guy I can never see winning a game without cheating. He’s the type that thinks he can just walk straight up to the final boss without even trying to level grind, and then wonder why he loses.

It was a simple way of seeing the world. If you put the work in, made the right choices, leveled up your party members enough and kept their relationship stats full then you should have gotten the best ending.

To her, the world was just a game. The kind where there were good and bad endings that could be earned with persistence. That was why Enoshima Junko tricked her so easily, Kamakura realized. She did not even conceive of a world where there could be only bad endings waiting no matter what route you chose.

“An invisible enemy huh, then I’ll take the first strike!” Medaka said, suddenly getting way too into it. She pulled her hand back, and unelashed a barrage of punches into the empty air. The three others present, especially Kumagawa felt instantly terrified of such a showing. “There, nobody can escape my Kurokami phantom, I hit everywhere at once.”

However, Chiaki was compeltely unfazed. “What are you talking about? The cerberus boss monster is so strong they entrusted the gates of hell ot it. He had more than enough time to dodge those slow punches. If you wanted to punch him you should have shot energy blasts from your hand as a part of a combo move or something.”

Oh, so she’s just making up new rules as she’s going along. Kamakura instantly deduced.

“Cerberus is a cute little puppy right? Then all we need to do is make a noise annoying enough to bring him to his knees.” Monaca said reaching into his white shirt and pulling out a whistle. Suddenly the noise maker contraction he blew into made a noise so sharp that everybody present covered their ears. Even Nanami pulled her hood above her head to drown out the sound. “There, you can’t argue against that. Dogs are especially sensitive to sound, and sound moves it waves so it shouldn’t be able to dodge no matter how fast it is.”

“Oh yeah… well that’s too bad.” Chiaki said absentmindedly. “I’m glad it was a wave attack, because Cerberus is a dog so it can bark. It crushed your annoying noise using it’s voice to make a wave that canceled yours out thus protecting its body.”

If you say this, she says that, if you say that she says this… It’s pointless. No matter what kind of attack you use, you can’t win against a lie.

『Monaca-chan leave this to me.』

“Scummygawa-senpai, what can you do? No literally is there anything you can do? I’m starting to get worried about how incompetent you are.”

『It’s meaningless to attack an imaginary monster with real attacks. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a figment for a figment. THat’s right, try to imagine it in a tangible way picture what I will tell you. Try to imagine the person you like naked. Try to imagine the misfortune of the  people you hate. Try to imagine the failure of a succesful person.』He drew forth his hand, and everybody could see it as his face darkened with malicious intent, even Kamakura through Chiaki’s eyes. 『Imagine a sword that kills magical beasts.』

Ah I see, he just deceives those around him into believing him and creating pressure. Those twisted up screws are just his own twisted up images he imposes onto others. An imaginary beast cut by an imaginary-

Before he could even finish his swing everybody present saw it. The sword that he was wielding was sliced in half, even though it was just an imaginary sword and not really there. Kumagawa already imagined his own victory.

Chiaki tilted her head in confusion. “You almost had the right answer. Now… I’m kind of sad. For someone like you who never wings, it’s a pity. You can’t even imagine your own victory.”

Kumagawa stared into his own hand as if it was crumbling, even though there was nothing really there. “Everything you think about only assumes that you will lose, every gamble you think about only considers that you will lose. That’s why you cannot win.”

Kumagawa stopped in his tracks and simply stared ahead at the cute girl, in the cute monster hood that spelled out his feelings so simply for him, just as viciously as Enoshima Junko once had when severing the ties between the two of them.

“Even if the girl you like is naked, you will not become her partner. Even if the person you hate falls into misfortune it will just be frivolous happiness. If a successful person fails, it will only supply fuel for greater success. A sword capable of killing a magical beast… will break even without cutting thin air. What you’re doing isn’t imagination at all, it’s not a figment it’s just delusion….”

Before she could even finish, Kumagawa had burst into tears in front of her, gritting sharpened teeth that looked like fangs. Chiaki immediately went quiet, not even realizing her words would provoke such a reaction. Kumagawa was just a person who did not try hard enough to level his character right? That should have given him proper motivation. Instead, she was watching in silence as he wiped away the tears from his face.    『...I couldn’t win again, but next time I’ll win.』

He muttered to himself as he suddenly marched off. He even walked beyond the area they were playing in and went straight to the bushes. Not only had he given up and lost carelessly like always, now he was running away to sulk by himself.

Before anybody could go check up on him though, Kokichi already decided to end the game by himself. “The beast nobody can see, I can see it! I’ve got a third eye right on my head. You shouldn’t call it an imaginary creature you’ll hurt it’s feelings.”

“It doesn't matter if you can see it or not, once your turn in turn based combat is over cerberus will bite you in three different locations thanks to his three heads and-”

“Eh? That’s strange. Because cerberus’ heads take turns when it comes to sleeping so only two head can attack at the same time right? Plus cerberus principally eats the souls of the dead so somebody alive like me probably won’t be eaten. Ah, but there is a theory that it likes sweet things, so in other words you’re saying that I’m sweet, right?”

In a moment Kokichi easily began to out talk Chiaki. She tilted her head trying to take all of him in. “Well if it was a normal cerberus you would have been right, but this is a boss monster so it’s a special type. It has no problem going without sleep or food, plus he hears everything that I the summoner says. It’s a really good puppy.”

“I knew it! This puppy is definitely my long lost little pongo-chan that I’ve raised since boyhood. After we were separated as a part of my tragic backstory I though I’d never see him again, but to think we’ve finally met on the battlefield! There’s no way I can fight you. So to free you, I’ll just attack the summoner.”

Chiaki started to feel unnerved at the level of imagination in this one person. She took a step back as Kokichi started to approach her. “Well, I’m special there’s a summoning circle around me that prevents you from walking…”

. “You know Chiaki, to say that you’re special. You!! Should stop with those wild delusions! Treating life like a game seriously, that’s no way to live!”

“Huh? Wait no I was just trying…”

Kokichi closed the distance between them and then raised up his arm. Chiaki flinched for a moment sensing something terrifying coming, and Kamakura from a distance away flinched as well. In the next moment though all that happened was Kokichi grabbing her nose. “Honk! Honk! There, the curse has been lifted.”

Chiaki rubbed her nose, not sure how to react to that boy’s boundless amounts of lies. “Ah… I see.. Game over I guess…”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kumagawa sat alone behind a tree to sulk. He stared at his phone, playing with it idly as tears still fell down his face. If one had to describe him, it was like he was drowning underwater without even trying to swim to the surface for air.

He was so absorbed in his misery that he did not even notice, that a few meters away Enoshima Junko sat spying on Medaka’s training session from behind a different tree. Junko of course noticed him the moment he had arrived. When she saw the miserable face he was making, she immediately felt her heart beat race.

Then, realizing it was somebody as inconsequential as Chiaki of all people who had driven him to this despair she felt the lava of jealousy boil up in her veins. When she tried to open his mouth to call for him though, no words came out. For the first time in history, Enoshima Junko had nothing to say.

She looked down at her phone and realized Kumagawa was staring at his. She did not even need to talk as Ajimu suggested she could just text him. Immediately she started to compose a message with her thumbs.

>What did you think would happen? That Medaka would save you and you’d finally be able to win. All you did was change the person you were clinging to, that doesn’t change who you are loser.

No, that wasn’t despair inducing enough. She deleted it and started to type again.

> Of course you lost, you’re so weak. Your commitment to things is weak. Even your commitment to despair was weak. The moment you thought somebody could save you, you jumped ship. Is that what you call being saved anyway?

No, that wouldn’t do either. She deleted it and started to type again.

> To have abandoned the good name of despair for that dumb ideal of loving all humans equally… You know she doesn’t even see you as a person right? Even Kokichi doesn’t see you as a person, nobody does but me.

Ah, wait no why did she say that. She deleted it and started again.

> Your definition of despair was boring… but I still wanted to hear about it. It was despair at least. I’ll take a boring despair over no despair at all.

Now she was just ranting about despair, she needed to say something that would cut straight into him like what Chiaki said. She deleted and started again.

> It’s not like I wanted to stop hanging out with you… it’s just… the principle of the… somebody’s gotta stick up for despair you know?

No, that was way too weak sounding. She deleted it and started again.

> Besides, why are you making such a sad wrinkly dog face like you got abandoned? You were the one who abandoned me first. You’re the one who was saved by Medaka saying a bunch of fluffy sounding bullshit one time and then hugging you and not the months… months… we were always together…

No, wait why did she type that? That’s not how she felt. She tried again.

> You said you’d never felt hope since the day you were born. That’s all… that’s all I cared about your despair, that’s it… that’s the only thing we had in common and now that you’ve thrown away that despair for a weak hope we have nothing.

All Enoshima Junko cared about was despair. It was what defined her as a character, the same way Kumagawa Misogi was defined by losing. However, she could not send that message either. She deleted it, and in her frustration threw her phone straight at his head.

『Ow! What was that for, Enoshima-sama? I didn’t even do anything.』

“You were born.”

『I guess that’s fair.』

Kamakura who had been watching the entire exchange as well, from behind a different tree a few meters away stood up right then. “It’s been awhile, I wish it could have been longer, but it seems we meet again Kumagawa.”

『Oh, hello Izuru-chan. What’s up?』

“Nothing, now that Medaka and the others have finished I thought I might observe something interesting here, but there was nothing at all. It seems like the witch used you and threw you away, the most predictable result.”

『No, that’s not it.』Kumagawa said standing up on his own two feet.

“What do you mean?”

『It was my fault, not hers. Besides, she’s not a witch. Her name is Enoshima-sama and she’s a normal girl. We just had a fight is all.』

“What are you blathering about? You know she sent me to destroy Medaka’s school to bring me here, she set things up so Medaka would destroy the fun you were having.”

『Yeah… I know, but in that case isn’t it my fault for being too weak to stop her.』

“There’s nothing you could have done. That’s her talent really, she uses people. Even a person like me was used. If you want to make things even you should just use her in return as well."

『That’s a terrible thing to say about your friend, Izuru-chan!』

“She’s not my…”

『Enoshima-sama is just a normal girl. I just wanted to be normal friends that’s all.』

“And the end result is she spit you up and chewed you out, because anything else is impossible for her. She’s only capable of using people.”

『Like you should be talking Izuru-chan!』Kumagawa shouted in front of him. Then suddenly, his mood change, and a small smile crept on his face.   『After all, didn’t you use that Chiaki girl?』

“…?”

『Aren’t you wondering, why she doesn’t remember you if all I undid was her death? The truth was, I undid everything about you in relation to her. The moment you met her, the time you spent together, the moment you decided to submit to the Kamakura project in order to stay by her side. I undid all of it, because I thought you would go back to normal.』Kumagawa tilted his head in an odd way. 『Ah, well nothing changed though. So I guess your reason had nothing at all to do with wanting to stand by Chiaki. The problem wasn’t with her, or with the school for manipulating you, or even with Junko for trying to use you. The problem was with you, wasn’t it? I bet no matter how the circumstances unfolded, you would have always tried to run away from your weak self. If I’m someone who will always lose, Junko is somebody who will alway despair, then you’re somebody who will always be weak down to the core of your being even with every talent in the world.』

Kamakura was filled with the same emotion he felt the first time Kumagawa talked down to him like this. “You know what I just realized… without your all fiction you can finally be killed.” He reached forward and wrapped his arm’s around Kumagawa’s neck.

『Is this Enoshima’’s fault too? Who’s using your hands right now?』

“No, it’s mine. These are my hands.”

As he felt the life being choked out of him, Kumagawa merely smiled.  『Good.』

Enoshima Junko who witnessed the enitre scene blinked. Ah, Kumagawa is about to die. What tasty despair. She licked her lips. However, she thought about it more than she wanted to. He’s dying because he decided to stand up for me suddenly when nobody asked him to. What an idiot. She tilted her head in an odd way. I guess if it’s my fault then I’ll taste even more despair.

Then, suddenly her thoughts, no her entire worldview became pitch black.

Wait.
I won’t get to talk to him again if he dies.
I haven’t even explained this strange feeling to him yet.

Without thinking, her mouth opened and he choked out a syllable. “Ka-kama-”

However, Junko did not even get the chance to finish. Immediately from the shadows Medaka appeared and punched Kamakura hard in the back of the head. “That’s my vice president you know.”

She said, catching Kumagawa before he could even fall.

“My apologies… I’m not sure what came over me.” Kamakura, rubbing his head to check if his skull was not cracked, decided to walk away right then.

Ah. Just like that.
Medaka saved him again and I didn’t.

Enoshima Junko, also without another word stormed off.

Medaka left alone with Kumagawa, supported him as he stood. “You really should stop picking fights with everyone like that, it’s a terrible habit of yours.”

『That wasn’t my fault.』Kumagawa whined as he leaned on her shoulder.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Well that reconnaisance mission is over, thank you for lending my eyes Ouma-kun.” Junko strode forward, just like always as if nothing she had seen affected her in the slightest.

“Whoa, a bossy lady like you can say the word thank you. I’m surprised.” Kokichi reluctantly tagged behind her. He had had much more fun playing make believe.

“Did Kurokami-san even tell you what that training exercise was about?”

“Apparently she asked the class representative how to get people to become closer friends, and she said they should just play games together. It seems like that’s her answer for everythin though.”

“It’s a good thing to bond with your underclassmen, how hopeful! Strong bonds are more fun to tear apart than weak bonds you know?” She stopped in front of a dormitory door and gestured at him to pick the lock for her. He grumbled about it, but bent down to do it. “That’s why I was thinking we should bond with an underclassmen too. He’s a middle schooler just like Towa-san or well he was a middle schooler until a certain incident happened.”

The door swung open. Kokichi Ouma stepped into a room much like Monaca’s where every single wall was covered in pictures of a certain girl. Rather than Enoshima Junko, it was all pictures of Ikusaba Mukuro. He must have taken them all on his own, because Mukuro had never appeared in magazines like her sister except for written columns in military magazines.

“Well… that looks normal…” Ouma commented the same way Kumagawa had earlier when confronted with a similar scene.

“I really have to agree with Chiaki’s view of things, life is but a game! That’s why we should hurry up and move to the next stage. Enough of playing around in this academy, I’ve got a fun surprise boss planned for the school trip!”

Chapter 27: All Jokers Are My Friends

Summary:

Kumagawa loses again.

Notes:

This chapter references a Tokyo Ghoul Omake scene between Mutsuki and Urie.

“Are you excited for your school trip, Yasuke-chan?” She sat on the tatami mats with her legs folded politely. As always she wore white formal wear, her arms crossed over her chest and sealed there with several screws.

The room looked ancient, complete with a sliding door in an otherwise modern building but that was exactly to her tastes. Another boy who seemed to dress in contrast to the orderly appearance of the room walked through the sliding doors, holding a tea tray between his hands. Politely, he set it down in front of her, but that was the onlypolite thing about him.

“Pass.” He grumbled, and then laid down on the tatami mats like he usually did picking up a tankobon manga volume and opening it over his face.  

“It’s polite to make eye contact when you’re talking, you know.”

“Sorry, I can’t stand staring into such ugly eyes, they’ll make me nauseous.”

“Are you flirting with me, Yasuke-chan? I admit there’s some similarities between your beloved Junko-chan and I but you seem like you’re moving on a little too fast.”

“Sh-shut the fuck up, old hag. Your dirty mouth talks too much.” He threw his manga volume directly at her. Of course, she easily dodged it just by tilting her head to the side, and the all knowing smile on her face did not change in the slightest bit.

“Kidding, kidding! Really calling somebody as cute and young as me a hag, that tsundere attitude of yours is so prickly, Yasuke-chan. You’re like a cute little hedgehog poking anybody who comes near you.”

“You, you quit that right now! Nobody likes to be analyzed. I’m standing right in front of you, stop treating me like a fictional character you’re making a callout post about on the internet.” He sat up and finally met her eyes, only this time to glare at her in anger.

“Of course my apologies. We’re members of the same club, and we’re both not equal, let’s just talk like normal friends, Yasuke-chan.”

The two of them were a study in contrast. Everything about her appearance was perfect, she looked more like some well preserved art piece than a person. Her hair was pure white, and tied off in red bows, and moved with elegance flowing behind her at every move she made. The only flaw in her appearance were the eyes Yasuke mentioned. They glowed with an eerie red, betraying the fact that Ajimu Najimi was not human.

While his entire appearance was crude and washed out. His hair barely brushed fell in messy locks on both sides of his face, with one stubborn feather sticking out from the top of his head. His entire appearance was washed out, from a shirt desperately in need of ironing that he only kept half tucked in, to a tie he barely even bothered to tie that hung off his neck like a noose waiting to be ensnared. Matsuda Yasuke had quite normal eyes, even if they were washed out and tired looking too. His brow wrinkled.

“There’s no way I could be normal around such a weird girl,” Yasuke stood up and walked over to where his manga volume had landed picking it up again. In the corner of the room, Shiranui Hanten was still standing up with his arms crossed and staring at the wall.

“I’m not that weird. For instance, my eyes might be red but I don’t possess the Super High School Level Analysis skill that both your childhood friend Junko-chan, and your child Kamakura-kun possess. You spent a great deal of time with those two, I think you would be accustomed to weirdness by now.”

“If you’re going to start talking about theme again I swear I’ll just walk out of this club right now.”

“Awe, boohoo. You’re no fun, Yasuke-chan. Is that why you won’t go on the school trip? Because you’re afraid of fun? Do you not like your classmates?”

“I just don’t want to go. I didn’t come to this school to be a normal student. If I see everybody smiling carelessly like there’s nothing going on at this school it’ll just piss me off. Class 77 has nothing to do with me.”

Ajimu hummed softly. “I suppose there’s no point in pretending to be normal students, when all this school cares about as talent. As long as you have talent, you can do whatever you want.” Suddenly, she was next to him, and softly leaned her head against his shoulder. “So, what do you want to do now?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Yasuke jerked away from her laid back on the Tatami mats again, but this time he simply dropped the open manga volume over his face. “What did you even bring me here for? Am I just a toy to taunt Junko with?”

Ajimu laid down next to him then, parallel but facing the opposite direction. “If you wanted to know all you needed to do was ask. I’m not that mysterious, I’m just your average high school girl after all. My purpose was twofold, one protection, without all fiction Kumagawa-kun no longer had the means to protect you. I want this story to be the kind where nobody dies, alright? Don’t you think that will be more fun.”

“I told you to quit it with the meta talk.”

“Well the way things are going, Yasuke-chan won’t let me have any fun at all. Number two is just my own personal reason. You remind me of somebody I like, or rather I liked.” Yasuke peered up for a moment and saw her expression became mixed with an unidentifiable emotion. He never thought a weird girl like this was capable of making a face like that. “I had friends in middle school too, you know. Zenkichi-chan was a lot like you, he too was childhood friends with a brilliant girl since he was two years old. He did everything he could to protect her and followed her all of these years. I guess he’s an idiot just like you, Yasuke-chan.”

At that, Yasuke grumbled. “Don’t look down on him. Saving the people you love isn’t stupid. It isn’t even a choice.” He turned away from her letting the manga volume fall on the floor as he turned his head, and then opening it to the side in front of his face with one arm hanging over him.

Ajimu said nothing in response for once. She only looked at the ceiling above her. An unremarkable white ceiling. “Still, it’ll be lonely going on the school trip without any friends. We’ll be staying at a hot springs hotel you know in between exploring the city, you’ll be missing out on all the fanservice scenes. Especially since I’m leaving Hanten here with you.”

“The broody guy who's always staring at the wall?”

“As a broody guy who’s always staring at manga I’m sure you two have a lot in common. Oh, well there’s one more thing. Hanten’s role in the Flask Plan was the same as your role in the Kamakura project.”

Before Yasuke could even process that casually dropped revelation, he heard the door slide open. A pair of black stockings walked along the tatami mat floor. The girl walking in wore a custom uniform that made her look like a gothic lolita aesthetic straight from a popular manga nowadays, and her black hair was surrounded by two twin tails that spiraled outwards. She sat politely down near the tea tray and poured herself a cup. “I, Celestia Ludenberg have heard that since 77-A and 77-B are going on the same class trip together, both class 78 and Transfer class 13 are being lumped together for the same trip, so you’ll have the lovely me at least for company Ajimu-san.” Politely she picked the tea pot up and began to pour some for herself. The metal charm around one of her fingers, clicked the cup of tea ever so slightly as she tipped it back to drink from it.

“Talk to me as if you know me. Call me Anshin’in-san.” Ajimu said, sitting up once more to greet the newcomer.

“If that’s the case, then if you don’t mind I would prefer if you call me Celeste.”

Yasuke in the background groused again. “Wait, another person? What did you do to get her here?”

“You know most clubs like this that appear in 4-koma manga have at least five members. I know we only need three, but I think to play to the genre we should recruit her, and then one more after her. As for what complicated measures I machinated in order to get her here, perhaps that’s a reveal left for another time.”

Celestia sipped from her tea and placed it down once more. Entirely casually she said, “She just offered me a bunch of money.”

At this, Ajimu gave a frustrated smile. “You guys never let me have my fun.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As the itinerary meeting for the school council concluded, there were two students with incredible depressing auras surrounding them as they walked away from the meeting in opposite directions.

Kumagawa Misogi stared at his feet as he walked. His aura infecting a few other of the students of class 78 around him, causing them to avoid him. 『I guess being the hated and despised one is inconvenient when time for school trips comes around. I was so happy it was my first school trip but then nobody even wants to be in my group.』

From behind him Medaka smacked him lightly on the head with her fan. “There’s no reason to sulk, from the start you weren’t going to be able to just enjoy the school trip like a normal student. You’re only allowed to go on this trip because you’re a part of the student council organizing it after all. You won’t leave my side the whole trip.”

Kumagawa turned around, smiling even as his terrifying aura leaked out. 『Ah, I see. Well I guess ending up in a group by default is still better than nobody wanting you around at all.』

Medaka withdrew her fan, holding it below her chin for a moment. “Still it’s strange. I did have to make you redo your lazy attempts at paperwork.”

『I put forth my best effort.』

Medaka, pulled out a piece of paper that read ‘Report on Potential Locations for School Trip’ In Kumagawa’s messy handwriting it read. “Potential Location: 『There’s lots of fun places.』”, “Outside of School Learning Activities: 『Uh… Walking around?』”, “Notable Features:              『There were lots of things, and also some people too.』”

She shoved it in his face. “This, this is your best attempt, huh? And why do you keep doing your paperwork in brackets?!” Then, she relaxed for a moment. “I expected though when you took the job you’d just be reading shonen manga in the office all day.”

『Ah, well you know. Everybody has to graduate from shonen jump eventually. 』Kumagawa said, putting his hands in his pockets to walk forward once more.

As he did, suddenly a girl came up from behind and grabbed him on the arm. “Scummygawa-senpai, I’ll make sure to bring back the manga volume you leant me. “The Depressed Negakura-kun” from Shueisha’s jump series. You didn’t have to lend me the whole series, but oh well I guess it’ll give me something to read on the trip. Even if it is a shitty manga that you like.”

『I wasn’t lending it to you. It was a gift, you can just keep it.』Kumagawa said, simply letting Monaca drag him along however she wanted as if he were a rag doll now. 『So, you and Kokichi-chan are coming as well to shadow the student council? I suppose that means we’ll be in the same group I hope we have lots of fun. Though… I’m still a little jealous.』He looked over to the crowd of people that surrounded Makoto Naegi at the moment. 『Everybody was fighting to be in his group. I thought Makoto-chan might ask me too, but it’s hard being friends with a joker I guess.』

“God, why are we talking about your problems so much? You’re so annoying scummygawa-senpai, the great Monaca is gracing you with your presence why don’t we talk about me instead?”

『Of course. How is that new game you’re playing going?』

Medaka spoke up once more. “Before this situation devolves into useless chatter, I need to ask something Kumagawa. Do you know why Zenkichi declined to go on this trip?”

Kumagawa reached into the inside of his uniform pocket, and with a bandaged hand gave a folded piece of paper to Medaka. 『His mom wrote him a note to excuse his absence. Apparently he wants to stay behind with Nagito-chan because the 77th class is taking a plane to their trip so Nagito-chan can’t go.』

Medaka stared at the note for a moment as if she were doing calculations, before smiling. “I see. That Zenkichi going off on his own, how interesting.”

At the opposite end of the courtyard, Kokichi was tailing after Enoshima Junko who dragged her boots as she walked. While Kumagawa’s aura was terrifying, Junko’s looked completely dull and void of emotion.

“What’s wrong? Is it upsetting going on a school trip because it’s a reminder you have no friends?” Kokichi asked her, his perpetual smile still on his face.

“No, it’s just I never thought this school would survive long enough to make it to my first school trip. Really, a celebration of staying at this school for a whole year, a reward to commemorate us living out our student lives to our fullest… How… Boring…”

Having only heard about half of that, just by coincidence Makoto broke away from the crowd which surrounded him and interrupted Junko’s conversation. “Awe man, don’t be like that. I was hoping we could have fun this trip since we’ve all finally come together as a class.”

For a moment, Junko swallowed the venomous bile in her throat and put on a fake smile. “Oh, Naegi-kun. You’re ever the optimist aren’t you? That’s such a cute trait of yours.”

“I don’t know about that. I think most people consider my optimism annoying. When I tried talking to Munakata-senpai he even called it infectious.” Makoto put on an awkward smile, self depreciating on reflex. “Actually though… I’m glad I ran into you because I wanted to ask you to be in my tour group.”

“Hmm?” Junko hummed, with a tilt of her head at an odd angle.

Makoto scratched at the back of his head. “Well, you and Mukuro are sisters right? It seems like you’ve been avoiding each other lately. I thought if we were all in the same group you two could have fun together and like… make up.”

Junko put a hand over her mouth, faking a look of sympathy in her eyes. “Oh… Naegi-kun I’m so sorry. It’s obvious isn’t it… since we have two different last names and we lied about being sisters in public that the two of us come from a complicated family situation. Now you’re worrying about us… I feel so bad.”

“N-no it’s okay! I’m probably just meddling in something that’s not even my business. If it’s too complicated now I guess we can just try to work it out later.”

Suddenly, one of Junko’s eyebrows arched. “Wait. The reason you’re worried is for Mukuro’s sake right? And asking me to be in your group means you were already planning on spending the entire trip with Mukuro by your side.” She suddenly stuck out her tongue. “Wow, you must like my older sister a whole lot, huh?” For a moment she looked like any younger sister teasing her older one. Even Makoto who already knew something was off about this whole situation just hidden from his view, was entirely fooled for a second.

His entire face went red, and he covered it with both of his hands. Through those hands he muttered. “Yeah… yeah I do.”

At that point Junko turned her head, Kokichi turning to follow her. “How sweet.” She said, the last words that Makoto could hear. When she had strode proudly away on her boots out of sight, she stuck her tongue out a second time. “So sweet it makes me sick. Since when did those two become so close, huh?”

Those words obviously were not said to him, but Kokichi could not help but lean forward and observe her expression. It was his natural sense of curiousity overwhelming him. What he saw only confirmed what he already thought though, she really was a demonic younger sister.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As she was pulled along towards the bus by Makoto’s hand, Mukuro still expressed reluctance. “Are you sure you want me in your tour group? Everybody else seemed to want you, they’re all your friends too.”

“Of course, I want everybody to get along but… if I had to choose somebody I’d always pick you first.” Makoto immediately looked away as he tried to phrase what he wanted to say in his head correctly. He had been thinking about it for a long time, ever since that time Kumagawa confronted him about his feelings, and he saw Zenkichi’s open willingness to admit his love for Medaka and want to work for a place by he side. “To me you’re… one level above a friend.”

Mukuro nodded the slightest amount. “Oh, I understand. So I’m like a best friend, then?”

She didn’t understand at all! Makoto suddenly felt the tension in his heart get worse, but… he knew Mukuro was only barely used to getting along with other people and he did not want to force her. “Haha, yeah just like that. Just think about it this way, I want to choose you above everybody else.”

“You make bad choices then…” Mukuro muttered in a gloomy way as she clung to Makoto’s hand while they all filed on the bus. Normally, Mukuro would have sat by herself, or at least tried to secure a seat near Junko to watch her, but Mukuro had not talked with her sister in weeks either just like Kumagawa.

Even if she felt guilty for taking up a seat next to Makoto when other people clearly deserved to be by his side more. The fact that she had somebody to sit by made her a little bit happy. As they sat down, she tried to focus on Makoto’s smile to relieve herself on this tension. While she stared at him though, he said something that made the tension grow even worse for her.

“Hey… did something happen with Enoshima-san? Even when you guys were pretending not to be sisters, you still hung out together and talked all the time.” He reached up to scratch an itch that spontaneously generated on the back of his head as he continued to ramble his thoughts. “I mean I’m really happy that we’re spending so much time together, but it’s good for you to have friends besides me, right? It’s good for siblings to get along too. That’s why…”

“I... “ At the mere mention of Junko, Mukuro felt the air inside of her lungs disappear. She felt if she told Makoto everything in this moment, he would forgive her, and say it was all Junko’s fault but that was exactly why she had been avoiding telling him. “I don’t think you’d understand.”

“I can’t understand if you don’t tell me about it.”

“I… I will...I want to it’s just… can we talk about something else?”

“Uh, yeah sure. Let’s play a round of shiritori?”

“Eh, why?”

“Do you know what that is.”

“Of course I do, it’s just Junko’s never wanted to play it before.”

Makoto smiled at her again, carelessly as if the previous conversation never happened. “Then let’s play ultimate student shiratori. I’ll start. Enoshima Junko.” You’ve lost weight… Mukuro.

“Komaeda Nagito.”

“Togami Byakuya.” You still look good! Does your sister tease you for being skinny sometimes, she should knock that off. I’m not thinking about your body in that way or anything…

“Yamada Hifumi.”

“Mikan Tsumiki.” I’m just worried. I thought your health would improve after you got out of the hospital, but it’s like you’ve stopped eating as much or you don’t have the motive to...

“Kisaragi Karen.” Oh I helped kill that person. But I guess Kumagawa undid their death. Mukuro thought casually, and then shivered in revulsion at how easily she accepted that fact. "Ah, I lost."

“Ahhh…It's no big deal you can start this time.” It’d be nice if you could enjoy this vacation and feel better. You should eat sweet things.

“Naegi Makoto.”

“Koichi Kizakura.” It’s okay for you to live like a normal student. I want to show you what it’s like to be a normal student. Let’s go on a picnic just the two of us… serving a lot of meat.

“Rantaro Amami.” 

 "Mitarai Ryota.” I’ll make you a boxed lunch too if you want for every day of the trip. You’ll like them, won’t you? I’ll do it for sure! Definitely.

“Tanaka Gundham” Oh. Is Mitarai-kun even still at this school? I haven’t seen him since Junko and I kidnapped him. No… I should stop thinking like that when I’m around Makoto.

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time now… I want to do something for you. “Because what if I do nothing and something bad happens to you?” Makoto said aloud without thinking.

“Makoto, why did you suddenly say a sentence? Are you giving up?”  Mukuro said turning her head finally to look at him. She noticed in an instant how close he had become. Suddenly as if in slow motion she saw the details of his face drawn out. The small curve of his nose, his large eyes so bright looking even though they had no color at all they seemed to capture and shine back all the luminescence around them, and the way his brown hair fell in front of his face in distinct locks framing it perfectly. As she noticed how handsome he looked from this close up, her face reddened ever so slightly.

“Ah… sorry. I must be spacing out. I’m a little bit…” The rest of his sentence drifted off with him, as his head fell on her shoulder. Mukuro looked for a moment and wondered why he would feel comfortable leaning against her bony body that was all muscle because as her sister said her body was only good for killing others. Before she could worry about it for too long, she grew tired and her thoughts drifted off too.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Since ya just came back to this country, I was kinda worried. Though it looks like you haven’t lost your touch at all in the process. This power test wasn’t even necessary.” Junko said, striding ahead of her constantly, a swish in her hips as she walked. She flippantly waved off her hand, covered in fake nails to the side.

“R-really?” Mukuro looked down, her face turning red as her shoulders shook like a guilty looking dog. All of the confidence that was in her body a moment ago when she was on the mission seemed to drain out of her body, and she became a completely different person in front of her sister.

Super High School Level Fahsionista, or rather Super High School Level Despair Enoshima Junko brought her fingers to her lips, as a smile like a crescent moon that showed all of her teeth spread across her face, and one of her eyes seemed to glow more prominently than the other. “But don’t worry. Next time, I’ll have you do something much, muuuuuch more fun.”

Mukuro woke with a start. She glanced down and saw Makoto’s face still resting against her shoulder, smiling pleasantly even when he was in his sleep. It was wrong though, for Makoto to be leaning against someone like her, for Makoto to smile at someone like her, it was all wrong and her revulsion became so bad that she suddenly stood up in her seat.

Makoto still asleep did not even notice as his head fell forward. Mukuro immediately walked to down a few rows, and grabbed Togami by the arm. “Switch seats with me, I’ll sit next to Fukawa-san.”

“Finally, I’m free…” Togami said with relief.

Toko’s expression fell into it’s usual gloom. “But byakuya… I was the only one who even wanted to sit with you, or be in your tour group.”

Togami was the kind of person who was beautiful, charismatic, and well liked after all up until the point where he opened his mouth. He immediately rushed to sit with Makoto, only to regret it a second afterwards when Makoto leaned against his shoulder and started to drool on his expensive custom school uniform.

“What are you doing to master… are you trying to set up… one of those fanservicey scenes between him and Naegi-kun?” Toko said, side eyeing Mukuro immediately after she sat next to her with a ridiculous accusation.

However, that accusation did not even reach Mukuro’s ears, because somehow she was even more oblivious on the knowledge a normal teenager would have then Toko herself. “What are you even talking about… is this one of those anime tropes that Junko’s always talking about? Wait, nevermind I don’t care. I need to ask you about something.” Mukuro’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “How an you stay by Togami-san’s side even after killing people?”

“H-h-how do you know about that? It’s supposed to be a secret. God, is that big breasted big mouthed student council president just blabbing everything now?”

“No, a different big breasted big mouthed woman told me.” Mukuro said, thinking of Junko. “It’s fine Fukawa-san, I don’t really care about you, I mean in general but also I don’t care about the fact you’ve killed people. I’ve killed people as well.”

“You’re the ultimate soldier though. It’s different for you. You were on the battlefield, right? Where the only reason is kill or be killed. For me though, there wasn’t any good reason for it, it’s entirely irrational, the product of mad emotions.” As a result of her emotional distress, Toko found much more poetic words leaking out of her mouth.

“I… I killed for bad reasons too. Not because I enjoyed it, not because I wanted to, but I just did it. It doesn’t matter though. My entire life I thought I did everything one singular overwhelming reason, but I’m starting to think reasons don’t matter.” Mukuro started to stare out the window as she always did, wishing to detach herself from this situation as she always could in the past. She found it impossible, though. She was only capable of doing that in the days she only lived for Junko. Now, there was much more rooting her to this world. “Murder is murder, aside from that fact everything else is just reasons.”

“Yeah… I could say it was her fault, but in the end she still used my hands to do it.” As Toko thought about that, she swore she could hear the sound of someone laughing in the back of her mind. She knew that split personalities did not work that way though, so it was probably just her delusion.

“If your hands are blackened then how… How can you hold somebody else’s hand?” Mukuro in that moment stared at her own gloved hands. She peeled off the leather gloves, showing a tattoo on one hand that she had never let anybody besides Junko and Kumagawa see.

Toko stared for a moment unsure of what to do with the sudden emotional intimacy. This was usually the point where she ruined the moment with her mouth, another thing she had in common with Togami. “That’s a t-t-terrifying looking tattoo. You’re right, your hands are definitely scary.”

“I know…”

Toko lifted the hem of her skirt to reveal red marks running down her thighs, going all the way to her black stockings. They were obviously carved by her, as they were in the shape of several tally marks. “Then, I’ll show you mine. I’m n-not making a move on you or anything master is the only one I want to see my skin past this point. I just. I have a permanent mark that reminds me I’m a killer too.”

“So?”

“S-s-so? Why are you going to me for advice? I don’t want to be your serial killer senpai, we’re the same age for one. I don’t know anything about the actual killing part either that’s all her!” Toko snapped, immediately sinking back into her usual caustic personality.

“I just thought you and Togami-san have such a wonderful relationship. You must be a special person if you’re able to stand by his side even after killing people.”

“W-wonderful relationship?” Toko found herself completely touched in that moment, by Mukuro’s complete and utter inability to read the room, or understand how normal human relationships were supposed to function. When Toko constantly called herself Togami’s lover, Mukuro decided to simply accept that at face value without thinking too hard. “Well, there is one thing special we did. It’s a special promise between two lovers, it’s super intimate you can’t just do it with anybody alright? It’s really hard the first time too.”

Mukuro, not understanding at all tilted her head. “Huh?”

“We made a promise. Togami made me pinky promise not to kill anybody from now on. That moment was the only moment in my entire life that could have belonged in the pages of a romance novel.”

“Ah…” Mukuro thought about it for a moment, and then smiled softly. “You’re right, you’re a really good girlfriend for keeping that promise all this time.”

“G-good girlfriend!” Toko had never received two compliments in a row. She smiled, on cloud nine for a moment.

“How do you not kill anybody though? Especially since there’s another person who can show up and make you kill people even if you don’t want to.”

Toko, still smiling had stopped listening by that point. “Oh… I dunno, that’s something you’d have to ask her.”

Suddenly, without any warning and before Toko could even react Mukuro simply grabbed the side of Toko’s head and slammed it hard against the back of her seat. She was deliberately only striking with enough force to knock Toko out, not to kill. She meant no harm by it, she just needed to ask Jack something and lacked patience.

Toko immediately went silent for a moment, her eyes rolling dizzily before shutting closed. In the next moment they reopened and a tongue rolled out of her mouth. “Well, well… Well if it isn’t miss priss.”

“Why do I always get called the prissy one? Junko’s like… the most high maintenance human being on the planet.” Mukuro muttered to herself under her breath, and then immediately quieted down afraid she might have been overheard. “Jack, we’re on a bus right now so you can’t do your usual laughing mad schtick. I’ve just got a question for you that Fukawa-san can’t answer.’

“Figures, since she’s useless and all. Aight, lay it on me.”

“How do you stop yourself from killing people? I know both you and Fukawa-san promised, but weren’t you specifically made for killing things for her sake?”

“Hey, I feel like you’re vastly underestimating the purpose of the wonderful me especially compared to miss doom and gloom. But uh yeah… Not killing people is so much less fun than killing people, and I still get the itch all the time ya know. My scissors are only meant for cutting the supple, tender flesh of adorable boys!”

“Sssh, I told you to keep it down. Just tell me how you stop yourself.”

“Oh, my, my, my? Do you want to know all my dirty secrets then? Just when I’m about to kill someone I picture getting chewed out by my bespectacled Byakyuya and it makes my masochistic side get all tingly…! They say the line between sadism and masochism is paper thin, but in my case it’s more like a Venn Diagram! Words can’t explain these hot waves of passion squirming from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.”

Mukuro understood about half of what was just said in front of her. “So, I just need to picture Makoto making a sexy face?” She squinted her eyes hard for a moment, imagining the various ranges of faces Makoto made, smiling, flustered, anxious, nervous, and she realized something terrible. “That’s no good… all of Makoto’s faces are sexy how can I choose just one?”

Makoto continued to drool peacefully on Togami’s shoulder, blissfully unaware of the direction the conversation concerning him had turned.

“Really, Makaroon is what does it for you? Well, I guess as long as we aren’t competing over the same guy we can get along.” Her head waved back and forth, clearly feeling ansty about having to stay seated and mostly quiet. “Anyway, that’s probably not the best advice. I mean I’m not a bastion of self control, and neither is she. She’s real smart when it comes to literature but if you ask her to do what’s required of a basic human being, basically all executive function goes down the toilet.”

“That’s fine. I’m lacking as a human being in several ways too, and I don’t know what to do unless I have somebody else around to tell me what to do.”

“I guess you guys can be useless together than, wohoo. Extra hoo. Anyway like I was saying, if you really want to learn how not to kill people you should probably talk to the poser.”

“You mean Munakata Kei-kun?”

“Yeah, the only serial killer among us whose never killed anybody. He probably knows the best way. For me though since I’ve already gotten a taste of killing it’s like going on a diet. The second you go on one, all you want to do is cheat but you can’t but… oh if only there was a cheat day…” She started to go back and forth like that.

Mukuro tilted her head. “Hmm, is it really a good idea to have three serial killers going on the same trip?” Four if you counted Junko, who was also here sitting on the opposite end of the bus.

Genocide Jack shrugged. “Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
It was in fact, not going to be fine but neither girl knew the extent to which yet.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Just before they began their touring and they broke off into groups, Junko heard Ajimu’s words echoing in her head again. All you need to do is talk to them. She saw Monaca and Kumagawa passing by her once more. “Heeeeeey!” She said waving to Monaca in a particularly fake cheerful voice.

Monaca’s eyes almost looked fearful, as she grabbed onto Kumagawa’s arm and then dragged him off somewhere else. For a brief moment Junko wondered if Ajimu was lying and she really was in one of those dramas where the characters were physically incapable of talking to each other.

With Hanten Shiranui and Hitoyoshi Zenkichi absent, there were eleven total transfer 13 students, sixteen total class 78 students and three who were brought along to help with the student council, Monaca, Kokichi and Kumagawa which meant thirty total. They broke up into five groups of six, with Medaka, Kumagawa, Monaca, Toko, Togami and Kokichi serving as the central group coordinating things.

Junko was stuck in a group of five other classmates plus her, but as neither Mukuro or Kumagawa was in the group she had absolutely no reason at all to pay attention to it. Instead, she tested the range of her parasite vision, staring off into the distance and staying at the back of the group with her head turned as she always did but trying to watch through Kokichi’s eye from afar the activities of the student council.

A boring first day of the trip passed, and the only interesting thing that happened at the end of the day was brought about by Kumagawa’s mistake.

“A club? Are you for real? Are you confusing reality with one of your manga again? Hope’s Peak Academy students can’t spend the rest of the day in a high end club like this!” Togami said, shaking him by the collar.

『It’s not my fault.』Kumagawa said, holding his hands up in innocence.  『I don’t even read that much manga anymore!』

“There’s no way I can be seen here. If I get seen hanging out with bottom rung of society trash like you at a high society club, my reputation will be ruined!” He did not care about bringing high schoolers to a club at all, and revealed his true colors rather quickly.

『Ah, it should be fine. I rented the top floor out. Nobody should be able to get in except us.』

“Well, I suppose as long as I don’t have to be seen it will be fine.”

“I can’t stand rich people looking down on me anyway. Their condescending gazes aren’t anything compared to my master’s.” Toko immediately grabbed onto Byakuya grabbing his arm and dragging him away from Kumagawa. “Come on, look only at me Byakuya.”

“I don’t even want you to be a part of my sight!” Byakuya complained as he was dragged away.

Medaka walked up to where Kumagawa and Monaka were standing. “It really is a shame that Akune and Mogana’s injuries were too much for them to resume student council duties even after they were let out of the hospital.”

『Well, I wouldn’t have anything to do with that.』Kumagawa said, shrinking away from her.

Before he even could, Medaka caught him by the ear. “Instead of trying to slip away, triple your work output so you can make up for their losses.”

『Ah, well once all the students get here I hope they can have fun.』

Medaka tilted her head in confusion. “They should have fun right? It’s a club after all, clubs are places where adults go to have fun. We’re practically adults already.” Kumagawa was saved from a further lecture from the fact that Medaka’s complete lack of common sense meant she had absolutely no idea what actually went on at clubs.

“Gosh, even I know that and I’m just a kid…” Monaca said dragging Kumagawa along. “Medaka-chan’s really smart and all but sometimes she’s so smart she boomerangs right back around into being stupid. Big Sis Junko was like that too, she never even noticed I was faking my injury.”

『I think that’s just her being inconsiderate towards others and self absorbed.』

“Don’t you dare insult big sis Junko, Stinkumagawa-senapai.”

『Oh, that’s a new nickname. You’re so creative Monaca-chan.』

Junko stopped watching them for a moment and turned to the club instead. She had never actually been in such a high end club, despite being a renowned fashion model. Experiencing something she never had before suddenly filled her with interest, and she flitted about the club excitedly in her heels. Until a minute or so later when she had inspected every corner and an old terrible habit of hers reared its ugly head. She lost interest.

Junko made her way to the bar, despondent and completely bored. She draped herself over it, just hoping to wait out the trip until something fun happened. She always hated class activities like this, but beforehand she had Mukuro, Yasuke, or even Kumagawa along to be miserable with her.

Now, she was all alone. Well, at least that was worth a little bit of despair. Coming out of nowhere to ruin things though, she heard a nervous voice behind her.

“Uh… Enoshima-san? Are you not feeling good or something.”

“Hehe, sorry Naegi-kun. Hasn’t Mukuro told you? I get chronic headaches. I totally didn’t want to be a bummer on anybody’s day though, so I thought I’d just wait it out by myself.’

“Oh, I didn’t think you were the kind of person who’d be so thoughtful.”

What’s that supposed to mean? Junko thought as she dragged her fake nails along the wooden surface of the bar, before sitting up. “What can I help you with, Naegi-kun? Or were you worrying about everybody but yourself like usual?”

“Well, a little of both I thought you might want to see these.” He pulled out a few polaroids from the pocket of the jersey he wore underneath his uniform. They were all pictures taken of the first day of their trip together. Some of just Mukuro, some of Mukuro and him, but Mukuro was the centerpiece of all of them. “Since you guys couldn’t be in the group for whatever reason, I thought you might like to see her. Though… it doesn’t look like she’s enjoying herself.”

“What are you stupid or something?” Junko said, her voice changing suddenly as she looked at the polaroids that had been laid in front of her.

“Huh?”

With her pointed nails she tapped each one of the photos. “This is the face Mukuro makes when she’s excited so this was probably the first picture you took. This is the face Mukuro makes when she’s nervous, so she was probably scared of taking a picture together with you. This is the face Mukuro makes when she’s tired, so you probably took this picture of her after walking together all day. Oh, this is the face she makes when she’s flustered. What did you do to her, were you hitting on my older sister Naegi-kun?”

Makoto looked at the pictures again. To him, it looked like Mukuro really was just making the same withdrawn and stoic expression she always did. He was immediately in awe, after all he had been working hard all this time to understand Mukuro with such little progress. “Whoa! You really know your sister, huh?”

“Of course I do…” Junko’s voice suddenly seemed very real. “She’s my only older sister in the whole world.”

“Eh… yeah but aren’t you guys twins? Isn’t it kind of arbitrary who was born first.”

Junko closed her eyes for a moment. “Well it’s like… even if Mukuro wasn’t born first I’d still probably be her baby sister. Whatever, talking about feelings are dumb, let’s talk about something fun. Do you have any hot gossip on our friends? You know the juicier stuff I can sink my fangs into the better.”

Makoto had never had a conversation this long with Junko, and he realized in that moment that she kind of changes moods quickly. Before he could piece the rest together for himself though, a question popped into his mind that just so happened to be the worst possible thing to ask at the moment. “Gossip huh? Well I guess there was something I was wondering. What exactly happened between you and Kumagawa-kun. You used to be so close, and he didn’t really tell me the specifics when I asked him…”

Immediately, Enoshima Junko’s hand shot up. “Bartender, can I get a drink.”

“Ehhhh, but we’re just kids!”

“You know how it is at this school Naegi-kun. They don’t care what you do as long as you’re talented. It’s pretty easy to get away with stuff.” That wasn’t even the half of it. As a drink was poured in front of her, Junko considered for a moment. “You know I’ve never drank alcohol before. I wonder what it would do to my weird brain."

“Weird brain?”

Before Makoto’s question could be answered, Junko tipped the drink entirely back and chugged it in a few seconds. It was reckless especially for a first time drinking. She expected immediately to feel the consequences of her reckless actions, her judgement failing, her inhibitions loosened. However, none of that happened and she was only left feeling slightly tired.

Junko had held out a small amount of hope (lol) her entire life that alcohol might have been able to loosen her high functioning brain at least a little bit, and that hope died within her. “I hate you brain…” She muttered as she sunk back to the bar.

“Are you okay?” Makoto squeaked behind her, a little bit worried. He wondered if Mukuro was so tense all the time just from worrying about her sister. He was not entirely off, though as usual he naively underestimated the situation to an almost cute extent.

Before Junko could answer she heard something going on in the background. She immediately walked to the railing that separated the bar from the main room, filled with tables for the club patrons to play games mostly gambling. “Oh, is something going on? Is something happening? Is something fun and shiny happening? Where is the shiny?”  Her boredom forcing her to act even more childish.

“Ah, Ensohima-san be careful. Oh, that’s just Celeste.” He pointed down to a table where Celeste had laid out a game of cards. On the other end Monaca was playing her. It was obvious from the people gathered around that Celeste had started a gambling game to enertain himself, and all the takers so far had lost. Junko leaned in with interest, the corners of her lips quirking as a smirk crept onto her features. She wanted to see the despair of her so-called “little sister” losing.

Suddenly next to her Ajimu Najimi appeared. “You should watch closely, Junko-chan. I bet your man is about to do something cool.”

“Ah! Where did you come from?” Makoto said, jumping back. “Why are you covered in screws?”

“I walked here quietly while you were fussing over Junko-chan and not paying attention, and it’s just a fashion accessory. Do you think it’s cute?”

“Uh… yeah, it’s cute…”

“I hope so I'm just a cute normal girl, after all.”

At this, Enoshima Junko sighed and turned her attention fully back to the match trying to tune out both Ajimu and Makoto.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

When Monaca talked, everyone froze.
When Monaca smiled, everyone stopped smiling.
For Monaca the outsider, the eyesore, to survive in that house she did what she had to do.

Survival was not living though. Even a child like her could grasp that. Pretending to be someone who you were not, acting out a role prepared for you beforehand, doing things simply to get by, Monaca knew this so called life of hers filled with nothing but that was completely empty.

When she looked at the world of adults however, she was sharp enough to know that her experience really was not that unique or different from others. Everybody was playing a character, like they were detached from themselves entirely. It was not the same as being yourself. Even if you were controlling it, there was a degree of separation.

For example when playing a character in an rpg even if you customize the character and are responsible for all of their decisions, there is still the fact that you have to input everything on the button controller. Then it traveled down a wire, and then it appeared on a screen which you were separate from.

That metaphor was all Monaca had to explain the degree of separation she felt from everything including her own emotions. Once in a video game she learned of creatures called ‘Nobodies” who could not feel emotion, even though they could act it out, knew what it was like, and looked perfectly human. If Monaca had to choose a metaphor for her existence it was probably that.

Not only was she a nobody though, the whole world was filled with nobody’s. It was a world completely devoid of love and emotion, exactly like that house she had grown up in. Because she was a child, she was capable of making such a generalization like that.

So, even though she grew up far earlier than any child ever should, Monaca did not really consider herself living. Nobody even wanted her to be born, especially not her foolish mother or her cold father, so it was just easier to believe she had never been born in the first place. Of course she could not live her whole life never having lived once.

Everybody, even the most miserable people on earth like Kumagawa Misogi experiences at least one moment that they know is real, that they know makes them feel truly alive. So convenient metaphors like “life is just an anime where I’m the main character’ and “life is just a game filled with useless npcs” remain only metaphors and stop from becoming delusion.

For Monaca there was one singular moment in which she had lived. Ironically it came in the middle of her own suicide attempt. Five children wanted to throw their lives away to escape the adults world that had no need for them at all.

Just as they were about to jump, she appeared suddenly.

Big Sis Junko..

“If you don’t want it… give it to me!”

She smiled at Monaca, and that was how she knew. That beautiful smile was proof enough she was alive. She had lived up until this point, to see Big Sis Junko smile at her in such a bright way.

She wanted the thing that Monaca was just going to throw away anyway, her life. Ever since then the days had been so much fun.

The moment Monaca saw her… Monaca understood. Big Sis Junko was light itself that would shine down on Monaca’s empty and lifeless world with the force of her smile alone. It was a one time miracle she had prayed for all her life.

At least at the time she thought it was a miracle.

She was smart though, even when she didn’t want toshe learned it was inevitable. She came into her life just to take advantage of her, but...that was fine too she decided as long as she was needed.

Which was why the current present was so unacceptable to Monaca. As she had suddenly, without any event, without any dramatic turn around, become unnecessary. She was simply slept on. Forgotten.

Even though Junko was still alive, even though she was even on this trip with her so close, it was like Junko had become only a memory she could cling to. Even that she was about to lose too as Celeste’s golden claw came forward and dragged away the photo she had gambled with. Celeste asked for her most precious thing and she produced it, a photo of her and Junko taken while she was still in her wheelchair. Even if the photo itself was just Junko’s face big sister act, with a fake smile, it was still the smile of her big sis Junko.

“Since you’re just a kid if you apologize, I’ll call this bet off.” Celeste taunted her, causing Monaca to break out of her moment of remembrance.

“I will never apologize to someone like you, who is below big sis Junko!”

Kumagawa who had been sitting in the back this whole time and much earlier when Celeste proposed the gamble with Monaca of all people he decided to sit out.  『Well. I follow the doctrine that cards are for fools. And I’m tired from having to do real work all day, so I’ll probably retire here. I’ll devote myself to supporting Monaca-chan. Do yourbest Monaca-chan! I’m here for you!』He even gave her a thumbs up, with a cartoonish wink and asmile.

Monaca at the time thought. Well, this is the kind of person Senpai is after all. It’s a miracle he did anything useful today at all.

At the current moment though it was Kumagawa who reached out suddenly to smack Celeste’s hand away from Monaca’s picture.

“Scummygawa-senpai? Eh… why?”

『Damnit, I’m so careless. I ended up liking another girl again. Since along ago I have been a man who was easily charmed. Celeste-san, since you like high stake gambles I think it won’t be a problem if I step in and call a double stakes match with winning back Monaca-chan’s wager being one of the bets.』He reached into his own shirt and pulled out a picture of him and Junko from the summer festival that seemed to take place a lifetime ago.  『Let’s continue. I’ll challenge you at this so called melancholy.』

“I suggest you stop, Kumagawa-senpai. I’ve been told you have bad luck by a reliable source. Gambling and luck are both talents that you can’t compete against.”

『Eheheh. You’re a kind person, Celeste-san. It’s no wonder that Anshin’in-san became friends you. However, even Anshin’in-san wouldn’t tell you to go easy on me. In fact...』 He immediately struck a pose as if this were a dramatic turnabout, and pointed straight at her for all to see raising his voice.  『In fact why are you so sure I would lose? Perhaps you’re afraid of me unexpectedly winning? Your name will remain in history as the first person who has ever lost to me! They’ll probably strip away your ultimate gambler title. How embarrassing!』

“It is amazing the folly some people are capable of. Fine, let’s do it. But don’t think I’ll feel pity for you when you lose. Heh-he-heh.” She picked up the cards and started to shuffle them again. “Since this is a double round though, you’ll have to make an additional bet on top of winning back what was already lost. It should appropriately double the stakes too. Hmm, how about…” Her normally calm expression suddenly broke into a smile. “You, Kumagawa-kun. The only thing you have that’s worth anything is your metaphorical life, so how about if you lose you become my personal manservant for the rest of the year. You’d make a good footrest to put my heels upon.”

Kumagawa’s face suddenly turned entirely red. The super high school level masochist smiled inappropriately at that sentiment.  『Ah… wait… are you sure that’s a punsihment… that actually sounds kind of fun...we don’t even have to play this game we can just do that...』

“Quiet. You yourself on your own still don’t have much value. It’s because you once belonged to Enoshima Junko that I assign any value at all. The idea that I could steal you away from her makes me a little bit excited.”

Enoshima Junko who was watching from the audience felt hot fire erupt in her chest again. She could feel the edges of her vision turning red. Breath, Junko Breathe. She suddenly wanted to burn Celeste so she could feel the same hot discomfort of jalousy she did at the moment. All she could do to hold herself back though, was start to bite her nails on one hand again.

Kumagawa’s eyes suddenly sharpened.  『Fine, try to steal me away I’ll accept your bet.』

“In any case, I’ll give you the right to the first move as a handicap.”

Kumagawa smirked, her entire expression looking sharp. In the next moment suddenly from the air screws fell in every direction, screwing down the cards that Celeste had been arranging on the table.

『I don’t need the right to the first move. In exchange for that. Let’s do this.』Kumagawa said as he pulled his seat up and sat back in it.  『Let me seal your tricks.』

“Tr-trickery? Monaca was tricked? How could you do that to such a cute young girl?”

『It’s quite simple. She did osmething cunning during her match against you, and probably during her match against everybody else so far as well. Even though I put it that way, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like she was given manga like super powers or anything. You see gold claw on her right hand. SHe waited for an opening while distracting with her right hand which naturally draws your eye because of the gold she’s wearing on it, and then she switched the face cards or the ace cards with other cards..That’s what they call misdirection.』

The card game they were playing, it was called the perfect melancholy. It was a variation of the memory card game where you flip around cards to find the same numbers, except with twice the amount of cards. It used two decks of cards, the playing cards for two teams. In normal concentration card game you just have to get the same number, but in this game you required the same suit too. Plus, the two players competed for the “Number value” of the cards and not the number of cards they managed to draw. The number on the card would be indicative of the points the player receives. Ultimately it was a game where the total number of points was important.

Aces were high at 14 points. The card with the least amount of points was 2. The card points went from 2 to 14, in other words both players competed for 416 points available in the cards.

The final rule was a completed turn. In concentration if the player drew a pair, they got another card. In this case however they negated the bonus and whether you got the right card or not you could only turn over 2 cards per turn.

However, Celestia would never play a simple game of memory. There needed to be some element of gambling. Kumagawa had been the one to acquire about the joker, it was the only rule he asked about.

“You sure are exceptionally attentive. I would save that you are prudent or just nervous I would also say that something frightens you.” Celestia said.

『Eh? Could it be that she hates me.』

“Well clearly. It’s only natural to hate someone like you, Scummygawa-senpai.”

At the time Celeste had tapped her finger on the joker card. “THe joker is what you call a

Shuffle card. Because there’s a great number of cards then surely the match would take a long time. You have to have something to make the game more exciting right? That’s how I’ve lived my life all this time. If one draws the joker, the cards on the field will be rearranged afterwards we will memorize the cards again.”

Kumagawa smiled at this.  『.... And in case both jokers are drawn out together.』

“I was about to explain that, so I’ll politely ask please do shut up for a moment.”

『Oooookay!』

“In case you draw both jokers on your turn the score of the respective players will be switched.”

As it was a memorization game primarily with only one dangerous element of gambling, Celeste could win quite easily simply by cheating and shuffling her cards around to mess with the memorization of others.

She considered her true talent to be lying, not gambling after all. Gambling was simply a means to an end, and she did not care at all for the stakes or leaving things up to genuine chance, but rather the manipulations she could bring about by gambling.

Seeing that side of her, Kumagawa smiled.  『You use two sets of cards in order to enlarge the area of the playing field and to increase the depth angels. The point system was made so the cards picked by your opponent would yield the lowest score. The two huffle cards exist to erase that uncomfortable feeling that would produce a yield during the match. All your rules exist to support your foul play.』

Celeste put her hand in her chin. “Of course, what’s the point of wasting time on a game that I won’t win? I only do what’s necessary to advance me forward.”

『Ahahaha! I suppose a loser like me is quite pointless in your eyes then. Well anyway that’s the reason I had the cards fixed to the table like this.』He reached forward with a bandaged hand and pulled on one of the cards underneath a screw.  『I will release them when we have tot urn the card or during the shuffle, but with this it’ll be impossible for you to replace the cards or switch them. I don’t think tricks are against the rules, but let’s do this fair and square. This is a gamble after all. I wouldn’t want to disrespect a talent of the elite.』

“....” Celeste reclined in her hciar relaxing for a moment.

『I don’t need handicaps, let’s just set the second bet if I win. It has to be high stakes… alright. If I win from tomorrow onward your school uniform must be a naked apron! 』His face still red, wearing the smile of a demon, he pointed down at her.

Upon hearing this proposal, all of the other students present to watch the gamble thought “That’s why you can’t win.”

Enoshima Junko watching the match now with her full attention, glared daggers in the back of Kumagawa’s s head. She thought, “I’ll never let you win.” Poor Kumagawa if Junko had anything to do with it, he was never going to see a girl’s boob for the rest of his life.

At that moment Towa Monaca wo could not remember Kumagawa Misogi’s real name, finally decided on a nickname for him. “Naked Apron-Senpai!"

Celeste merely put on a forced smile. “Ok, let’s go then. Let’s… start the game.”  She knew this would be nothing like her usual gambles, Kumagawa was as much of a liar as she was. This was a game where the one with the worst personality will win.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The best strategy to win perfect melancholy was to draw cards with the highest points. Except for Enoshima Junko who was watching from afar, it was impossible to memorize all 106 cards from the beginning, so the principal challenge was finding the location of the face and the ace cards.

Kumagawa regardless of how uncooperative he tended to be, probably could not ignore that theory. As he was an ameteur who was not able to follow basic strategy, he would most likely fall prey to Celeste’s calculating gambles.

If you only focus your attention on the face cards and aces, the number of card s you have to memorize would be a total of 32. INdeed those cards themselves had high values, but their total number was low. The total sum would not be enough to win in any words. Even if you somehow had all 32 cards, the sum total of points would be inferior to the remaining cards.

While her opponent was taking things easily, Celeste relied on her initial misdirection, and a switch to cheap cards. The application of this strategy was a perect exhibition of her shrewd characteristics that made gambling a luck based ability a talent with her. Obviously you mustn't forget either the to put somebody as emotional as Kumagawa under pressure would significantly reduce her opponents memorization power. That was the final great lie Celeste was capable of telling, she could lie to manipulate the emotions of others and even herself.

“You know Kumagawa-senpai.”  She said brushing her golden clawed finger underneath her chin. “When you lose, considering how often you screw up you’ll probably make a terrible servant so I’ll have to punish you then. You’ll be alright with that kind of thing, right?”

However, it was quite plausible that she was committing an error trying to put him under pressure. His face reddened once again, and he needed to reach up to undo his collar to relieve himself of some of the pressure.

Her opponent was the kind of person she hated the most. The person who loves pressure more than anything else. Kumagawa Misogi is a minus that walks on chaos and disorder, a person who Enoshima Junko who was much more talented at moving people that Celeste would ever be could not even fully control. He picked up the cards casually revealing another pair. 『I draw two eight of hearts. I’ve gained eight points.』

“Eh? Naked apron senpai…I’m surprised an idiot like him is even managing to score any points. Though he isn’t going for any face cards...”

Holding the card with a hole torn in it in front of his red face, he bragged. 『This game is unexpectedly simple. Well against someone totally imperfect like me it’s absurd to try to get a perfect win.』

Celeste thought for a moment. “.....?” He’s using the strategy of aimin gfor high cards… THen could it be he’s using my strategy… no just a moment ago he totally normally drew a queen card. Could it be that this guy memorized all the cards without a plan or something? Nobody should be capable of such a thing.

She recalled the moment that Ajimu recruited her, when a man handed her a suitcase full of money and then crossed his arms and looked away from her. “A boy named Kumagawa Misogi will probably transfer to Hope’s Peak at some point, but you absolutely cannot challenge him. There’s no way even the ultimate gambler could oppose him, because he’s a bizarre and mysterious person.” Of course, hearing that warning only made her want to try to control him more. The rational were attracted to the irrational after all as a matter of course.

“Four of spades and ace of hearts. I got it wrong.” She said casually with a shrug that she purposefully played up.

『So now it’s my turn. Hm… I already forgot most of the cards that I memorized in the beginning but… the ace of hearts should be around here..』

As he reached forward towards the table, suddenly Celeste snatched him with her clawed hand and pulled his arm up by the sleeve, her entire demeanor changing in an instant. “You almost tricked me, Kumagawa-senpai. Now, let me see what you’re hiding in that hand please.”

『Eeeeh. To think that I thought you wouldn’t be able to find me out. Oh well. I have to compliment your skill as the ultimate gambler because you were able to see through this, celeste-san.』As she shook him down, four types of screws with four types of head fell out of his sleeve and rolled around on the table in front of her.

“Eh… Just as I thought. WHen you put the screws back on the cards that were flipped, you change the type of screws. Really, all that talk of enjoying the game. I’m so surprised, you’ve injured the heart of a lady."

『Ahaha. That’s right. In this version of concentration you have to remember not only the numbers but also the suits, so it’s a really hard for an idiot like me. That’s why I made the heads of the screws correspond to the shapes of the cards, every time we turned a card over I just switched the screw with one in my sleeves so you failed to notice.』

Naked Apron-Senpai used a cheat code, again! Monaca thought. I'd be impressed but he can't even cheat properly.

Kumagawa tilted his head. 『Don’t say something like ‘that’s against the rules. This wasn’t ever a gambling game to begin with, it’s not any different from the trick you played on    Monaca-chan.』

“Well I won’t say that but, from now on change the screws and use the same form for every one of them."

After they changed the screws that anchored the cards, the game restarted. Even though Celeste was quick to notice Kumagawa’s trick, the point difference had already risen to twenty points. If he was able to play the game competently he simply could have kept the point gap ahead of her.

However, in reality Kumagawa remained an idiot. She immediately caught up with him and quickly surpassed him. Kumagawa was unable to daw the same cards, and muttered about bad luck while he stared at unmatching cards he drew with a stupid expression.

Even for someone such as myself though, it’s near impossible to tell when Kumagawa is playing dumb or when he is genuinely that dumb. There may have been a trick behind his weak performance. Kumagawa Misogi and Ludengberg Celestia’s showdown surpassed the line of concentration and became an all out battle, at this point it was just a battle between cheaters.

And then after about thirty minutes of watching closely with every card memorized Enoshima JUnko noticed something. It was just about the time that the gap in score became impossible to cross between the two of them and Celeste’s lead became too great.

“Thanks for participating in the third gamble, but you lost. Thanks for your hard work, I’ll accept the next plater now, and I’ll get you fitted for a tuxedo tomorrow Kumagawa-senpai.”

Spinning  a screw on his fingertip, Kumagawa was completely casual.  『No, we can still go on, Celeste-san. Didn’t you notice. The shuffle cards, neither of us have turned over any of the two shuffle cards.』

Enoshima Junko had taken until that exact same time to notice to, because she was so confident in her memorization. She realized she had no idea where in the spread of cards the joker had ended up.

Annoyed at the oversight she took another drink just like she had been taking drinks every time Kumagawa Misogi flirted with the woman he was gambling against.

『In other words there’s another possibility to turn the situation, if me or you draw two jokers on our turns we will switch points.』

“Are you really saying that? I’ll never draw that pair in this situation. If I would draw a joker than I could easily choose another card that I remember is not a joker. In other words you don’t have any choice but to draw two consecutive jokers with your own strength. Do you really think a miracle would happen to a weak and unloved person like you?”

Kumagawa MIsogi smirked, his eyes narrowing to meet hers. 『Sure. All Jokers are my friends. I’m sure they’ll all run under my influence.』

“That’s quite the megalomania you have there.”

『We’re a lot alike don’t you think?』

“No, you’re deriving your pleasure simply from the thrill of the game. In that aspect, we are nothing alike.”

The person who was alike to him in that aspect Enoshima Junko, watched on analyzing the situation. While she said that, it was likely from that turn forward to crush the joker more than try to draw the same card. She would abandon her efforts to match ards and count points, and do nothing but paint out a blank map and turn cards that were still unturned in order to survey the whole field.

That strategy should have brought her the victory, however, just like Junko she as well could not find the joker.

“Eight cards remain but two of them are jokers. In this situation it would not be strange if she darws them both on the same turn…”  Monaca commented, her own ability to memorize somewhere a bit lower than Junko’s but much higher than both Celeste and Kumagawa and she still could not find the jokers either.

Uselessly, Kumagawa picked up another card.  『Yeah. I think it should appear soon but, nope I missed. It seems I was the only one who thought of them as friends.』

Kumagawa revealed the seven of clubs pair, so only six cards remained on the field. Celeste knew the location of two cards, which meant within them 4 cards could be jokers. This stupid phenomenon, this rule to shuffle the points was only there as amisdirection. Just like Anshin’in-san said, he is unpleasant to an immeasurable level, his very existence is a gamble.

The first card she drew with a trembling hand was was nine of spades, with an unusual feeling that the card seemed to be even more unlucky than a joker. The remaining cards were now only three, she had a two thirds chance to draw a joker, but after realizing that she had a one third chance not to get a joker, she could no longer move as she knew Kumagawa would automatically win. Her clawed finger hesitated in the air, as she stared with a face that barely held back her obvious anger at the laid out cards in front of her.

She could take the safe route by choosing a safe card, but that would not change the situation. With a 1/3rd chance that she would give a victory to Kumagawa under her nose, it was if she was between a witch and a demon. Suddenly, with shock the surprisingly modest girl who walked around all day in gothic lolita cosplay and fake hair extensions suddenly realized. There is a 1/3rd change that tomorrow I, Celestia Ludenberg will have to wear nothing but an apron!

She put on the most humble face she could to try to appease him. “Kumagawa-senpai, I have a suggestion.”

『I decline.』 Kumagawa smiled back with an equally innocent expression.

“Why don’t we both retire from this match. I’ll give you back her photograph.”

『No.』Kumagawa’s face seemed to move closer.

“I’ll als give back everything I’ve won from your other classmates.” She tried to lean back, and felt sweat running down her brow.

Kumagawa was sweating an equal amount. His entire face had turned red at this point, and a much more sinister smile crept upon it.  『Too late now.』

Taeko Yasuhiro’s voice and face became incredibly meek as she felt overwhelming fear. “F-forgive me please. I’m sorry.”

Kumagawa’s face was entirely covered in shadow, the only thing that could be made out of him was his smile. He entirely ceased to be human in her eyes. 『I’m not sorry.』

In the background to cool her jealousy at being shown such a despair enducing face, Enoshima Junko took another drink.

Kumagawa slammed his hand onto the table.  『Hurry up! From now on I’ll allow you to wear that ribbon accessories in your hair for tomorrow as well!』

Suddenly, Kumagawa’s arm was grabbed again before he could go any further, or even crawl up on the table in his madness. “Let’s stop here, Kumagawa-senpai. You’re starting to gross even me out, and Monaca’s standards for people are unbelievably low. I don’t care anymore, okay? Just stop, or I won’t call you senpai anymore.”

『....』Kumagawa suddenly turned away from the table.  『You will give Monaca-chan’s precious photograph back and apologize, not to me, but to both her and her big sister that you looked down on. Because those two girls are… my… cute kouhai.』

As soon as the apology had been made though, Monaca made a strange face and ran outside. Kumagawa looked around awkwardly for a moment with his hands behind his back. 『Uhm, celeste-san. I should probably go deal with that but before this, I was thinking of giving these back to you.』

Suddenly he overlaid his hands over hers. When he removed them, she saw a pair of cards with clowns painted on them. “T-the jokers? Two more?” They don’t have a hole made by the screws. In other words…

Before Celeste could realize, the moment she saw the jokers Enoshima Junko figured it out. The entire match rewinded in her head, giving her a headache as her ultimate analysis adjusted to this new reality.

『Well I have to admit. They really are my friends, these two. They slipped into my pocket without me noticing.』The moment that he tried to take steal the picture back from Celeste, with his opposite hand he stealthily took the jokers that were removed from the field. It was no wonder then that even Enoshima Junko who had perfect memory could not remember where they were.

“My heart is broken.. Even when you threatened me more than necessary and was stopped by Monaca-chan. It all went according to your calculations.”

At this, Kumagawa put his hands in his pockets and walked by her. 『Calculations? Ahahaha. What’s that? I’ve never made any calculations in my whole life. With thrill and risk I sharpen my nerves, I’m someone who would bet even under the worst circumstances.』He flashed a wink and a smile up to the balcony where he felt he was being watched.    『Once again I couldn’t win.』

However, as he made it outside, Kumagawa Misogi’s confidence seemed to disappear as he was confronted with the shaking back of a crying girl. He held the photo in his hand that he meant to return to Monaca.

The moment he held it out to her though, she slapped it away. “Stop, I don’t want somebody filthy like you touching them. Don’t trample upon my only happy memory.”

『Ah… I see… It’s because Monaca-chan’s only happy memory is a lie right? Somebody like me can see through that. That’s why you hate me so much.』

“You realized that I hated you?”

『Well yeah, you poisoned me, set me on fire, and tried to kill me earlier. It’s not that hard to figure out.』

“Then why do you keep being nice to me? Are you really a gross person after all?”

『I guess it’s because… I understand. Family love, love between friends, any kind of love really it sounds so nice but I’ve never felt it in my whole life.』

“Wow do I look like I care about your stupid sob story, asshole?”

『No, I’m just saying. Even if you’ve never been loved, it’s still possible to love others. That’s why I understand your feelings towards Enoshima-sama. It’s how I feel too.』

“Hey… is that why you’re not reading manga? Is that why you’re not even talking to her? You're trying to shut everything out?”

『There’s no point in dwelling on somebody who is never going to talk to me again.』

“What did you even like about her?”

『Junko-chan always smiled. Her smile was like the sun. Even though she's in the most despair of us all, she's always smiling. She's always trying to smile rather, in her own way.』

“You can say fluffy crap like that, but you’re not even going after her. You’re just sulking all on your own, or worse you’re clinging to some other girl in Kurokami-san.”

『I’m always like that. The people I care about disappear all of a sudden. But it’s no use no matter how much I think about it. I can’t get an answer anymore… so… it’s better for these feelings to be nothing. Still, those are my selfish feelings. Why did I think Junko-chan would always want to be with me? I’m so stupid.』

“Yeah, you are stupid. You’re stupid for thinking that ranting about your own personal feelings in front of me would somehow comfort me…” Monaca said, lashing out at him once more and knocking the photo out of his hands. When she saw how quickly he dove for it though, completely willing to get his precious uniform dirty for her sake, when she saw the bandages on his fingers that he reached out with the injuries she was still responsible, she got even more annoyed. She reached a level of frustration her tiny body was not meant to handle. “It’s so stupid! But Monaca is stupid too! Monaca is stupid for thinking… she’s anything like a stupid guy like you… after all in the end we both failed. Neither of us could live up to expectations."

She stopped for a moment, choking back a sob. "Why... why are you so nice to Monaca whose only a disappointment?"

『I already told you, all jokers are my friends.』

"i'm still going to hate you, you know."

『That's okay, we can be friends who hate each other. It's probably better for minus to be friends that way, anyway.』

"I guess I owe you for getting Monaca's precious thing back, so just spit out what you want already. The idea of owing a guy like you makes my skin crawl."

『Okay, okay. Let me think. I'll try to tone down my usual repulsiveness for Monaca's sake... Hmm... What I want is...』

Whatever happened next after Kumagawa trailed off, Enoshima Junko who was watching with the power of parasite vision did not see, as she had been made entirely too sleepy from the alcohol she had consumed, and passed out next to a completely worried looking Makoto.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko regained consciousness a short while after. She woke up to the sensation of bobbing along, and the warmth of resting her head against something. I’m being carried on somebody’s back… Ah, he carried me on his back home like he always does. I’ll do it now, I’ll talk to him now.

“Kumagawa-senpai.” She said in a voice so incredibly soft and dripping with long held back emotion that anybody who knew Enoshima Junko and heard her say those two words in such a voice would immediately be in disbelief, only to see a white uniform she was staring at, rather than a black one.

“Sorry, it’s just me boss. I hate to disappoint.” Kokichi said, flashing a mischievious smile in her direction. “Hey, what are you planning on doing on this field trip anyway. Seems like a bad idea to get drunk so suddenly, don’t you have things to do?”

“I shan’t do a thing. I’ve already set everything into motion, from this point forward everybody else shall do everything for me. I can just lay back and enjoy my first class trip like a normal girl.”

Junko looked up from where she was being carried and saw they had already made it to the hotel.

Mukuro, Makoto, Kumagawa, Toko and Togami were gathered around in the lobby. Amongst them was a teenager with a sleepy looking face. “Ah, are you kids from a different school? You must have had bad luck if this was the only place you could book.”

“Why exactly is that? Are the accommodations so terrible that it would be cruel to put somebody of my high class in this place?”

“Well, no not really. There’s just a rumor that this place is haunted, because of a serial murder case that took place here years ago. They say since the murderer was never caught he could still be lurking in the springs, and because of that the ghosts of his victims refuse to leave.”

“A… a murderer! A ghost! Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh! Hold me, Byakuya! You’ll protect me, right?” Toko said, suddenly jumping and grabbing onto the fabric around Byakuya’s manly chest for support. "If I get in trouble please show up on a white horse to rescue me? No wait. Now I really do want to get in trouble." 

“You are the last person on earth who has the right to be afraid of a serial killer!” Togami snapped at her, as he tried to slip out of her grip, but she only tightened her hold around him as a result.

Walking by, Kei Munakata shivered slightly. “Ghosts… those sound scary… I’m not sure if I could kill those.”

“Are you kidding me? How many serial killers do we even have on this trip!” Togami shouted.

Mukuro looked back to Makoto not reacting at all to the loud scene that was playing out in front of her. “I just want to have a normal spring trip...so I hope that story isn’t really true.”

Makoto took her hand in that moment. He even went so far as to peel off the glove she was wearing, and intertwine their fingers so they could feel the warmth of each other’s hands with no barrier in between them. “No worries, I’m like the most average person on earth. So I can guarantee you’ll have a completely normal and average and unspecial hot springs trip if you stay around me.”

Mukuro looked back to Kumagawa who had been sulking around them for a moment. “D-do you want to come with us on this trip too, Misogi-chan?”

Kumagawa hands in his pockets looked back up at her.  『Ahahaha… you don’t need me Mukuro-chan, all you need is Makoto’s hope to have a good time after all!』He offered her a smile as he walked off.

Makoto looked back at her face, trying to read her expression even though it looked the same as all of her other ones to him. “Hey… is something wrong?”

“That guy… he always just decides things on his own. He’s just like my younger sister.”

Before Makoto could say anything else, he was suddenly bumped into by the sleepy eyed stranger. The stranger quickly apologized and walked off. Makoto did not want to cause any trouble, so he just forgave him as normal and considered it an accidnet.

Only when he was alone in his room and he went to check his pockets, did he realize he had been pickpocketed and all the polaroids he had been keeping of Mukuro and him in that pocket was stolen.

He had no idea why somebody would want to take something like that, and thought he felt disappointed optimistically he resolved that he would just take even more pictures tomorrow and this time he would make Mukuro smile in one of them in a way that would be obvious to the whole world.

However, in a different room in the same hot springs in. A sleepy eyed stranger pulled out a pair of scissors, and one by one, started to cut Makoto out of all of the polaroid pictures, so Mukuro was the only one who remained in them.

It seemed the one time Naegi Makoto yearned for the normal rather than the abnormal, he was not going to get it. Perhaps I should not say so as the narrator but, oh, what irony.

Chapter 28: I'm in a Love Triangle With Myself

Summary:

To be fair he was doing a really good Togami Impression.

I have a gentle skill,  『Alibi Block』 I can be where I want whenever I want. In a locked room, in space, in heaven, in hell, inside a dream, inside the heart, and even inside all of you.

However,there was one girl’s dreams I did not intrude upon or manipulate in any way. My reasoning? Even a non-human like me who feels nothing for the whole of humanity was capable of that kind of cruelty.

The house she grew up in which had always been empty was suddenly filled with balloons. 

Omelette rice, a bento lunch box, and a meal cooking just for her laid out on a table in front of her. Above her there was a banner, and in the air confetti was falling.

Her mother reached forward put a tray down on the table. On top of it was a cake and, written in frosting on the top Happy Birthday, Junko and Mukuro. 

She felt an elbow dig into her side. Junko needed her attention. She turned her head slowly, flinching and expecting far worse punishment to follow afterward for ignoring her sister. It was her fault for being so slow and staring in amazement after all.

Instead she heard a girlish giggle. Junko, with her hands in front of her mouth, politely teased her. “Go on, we have to blow out the candles together you know because we’re sharing one cake.” She expected an insult on how disgusting it was to have to share food with her. “I can’t believe Mom and Dad cheaped out and bought us only one cake again. Haha!”

Just, more light hearted teasing. Her parents were faceless. Behind a newspaper, her father jokingly called out. “You two shouldn't eat the whole cake by yourselves, you might get fat."

“I-I'm sorry for being fat, I'll train harder.” She said on reflex, fear creeping into her voice.

Junko leaned on her. Usually this was the part where Junko would call her some version of fat, ugly, or stupid, or helpless no matter how much exercise she does, but instead she smiled lightly and joined in on the banter. “I’m a model so there’s no way I will either. Though I don’t think I can run nearly as hard as you do big sis, going on for mile runs in navy seal boots that’s amazing.” She... did she just compliment her? Were they casually sitting next to each other and just talking like normal siblings would?

“I’m just teasing you two, eat all you want.”

“Yeah, now we’ll be together forever. Right mom, right dad, right Junko?” Flowers bloomed all around them. They were not red, or any color associated with death. They were just cotton candy colors, illogical but pretty. A simple kind of happiness. The cake she ate tasted so good.

Ikusaba Mukuro woke up at that exact instant.

It only took her a few seconds to realize that it was a dream. After all, Enoshima Junko had never celebrated her birthday. Never in her life had she ever felt grateful for being born. She was a human being who didn’t think anything of the day they were born.

Ikusaba Mukuro, being born on the same day, was dragged along into her sister’s despair and never got the chance to celebrate her birthday either. Yet still, she dreamed of such a thing.

She has the same dream every night. A happy family. The kind you would see on television, but it was just as fictional as that. Her parents had forgotten about her three years ago when she ran away, and they had always been an afterthought to Junko.

 Her only family was the sister she shared a birthday with, the sister who could only show her affection by trying to kill her. 

She knew that, she had accepted it long ago, but she still had these dreams. She dreamed of the happy family that she’ll never have. She saw dreams of happy memories that never existed to begin with.

Mukuro forcefully sat up to break the hold the chains of sleep held on her body. She soon forgot about that dream a few minutes after waking, so she tried to force her way through it as she usually did.

A moment ago she laid on a bed roll curled up on the tatami as far as possible from the other resident of the room. When the rooms at the hot springs were divided, the boys were assigned to the second floor, and the girls to the third floor, and furthermore they were divided up two to a room as this hotel’s rooms were much smaller than normal. Apparently during their heyday the hot spring once had a large spike in popularity and remodeled to house as many as possible.

This meant Mukuro ended up sharing a room with Junko, as the well intentioned Medaka who planned the trip had no idea about the relationship between the two sisters. Not that it mattered much, Junko was somehow perfect at ignoring Mukuro the entire time until she had fallen asleep.

Now that she was awake she noticed that even this early in the morning, the room was already empty. She pulled open the door and walked out to the balcony. Leaning against the railing, she let her entirely too stiff body deflate.

“Oh, Junko…” She murmured under her breath.

“It’s a difficult thing being an older sibling isn’t it?” A voice belonging to Maguro Kurokami called out from above.

“Please don’t compare the two of us, that’s just mean!” Mukuro cried out on reflex alone.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Go stones, or Go-Ishi are round objects placed on the Go Board, colored either black or white. They were small lens shape circles that could easily be placed and turned over. Othello pieces shared the same black and white coloration, but they were meant to be flipped, one side white hope, the other side black despair.

A mix of both spread out in front of her, Junko carelessly turned them about. She placed one on her red pointed thumb nail, and then flipped it up in the air.

“Hope or despair, which side will the coin land?” She watched out of the corner of her eye as the coin she tossed about carelessly fell through the air. It fell to the floor of the rooftop she had been sitting on, but not before flipping through the image of the moon which in the early morning still hung and dominated most of the sky.

“Can you sway people’s hearts in one way or the other?” She stopped letting her legs drangle off the side of the roof and stood up instead. Effortlessly, she held her hand out to catch the piece she had tossed aside a moment ago. She stood up, stuffing it into the same pocket of her skirt she was keeping her phone and charm attached in.

“The answer is, only when you force overwhelming despair to battle against hope will you reach an unexpected result! That’s why I need to push it along.” She climbed on top of the railing that kept others from falling off the side of the building, balancing perfectly in her heels. “At the moment you’re one step away from crossing a rather dangerous line, that’s the only moment you can feel like you’re truly alive. Ah, but I can’t guarantee that there will be life afterwards.”

With great, almost forced enthusiasm she turned around kicking her leg out as she jumped to step back on the roof. Her eyes, red, seemed to glow with intention in the low moonlight. Talking to what seemed to be the whole city she came to visit on this her class field trip she spoke up one final time. “Well then, shall we start the game?”

Her prologue scene completed, she drew out her phone and placed it against her ear, making the first call she would need of many. Today she decided, she would be a good student and tour the whole city all on her own.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Maguro looked down from his balcony, making eye contact with Mukuro despite the separation between the two of them. “I’d never tarnish your name by comparing you to a pervert like myself, that wasn’t my intention Ikusaba-san.”

“Oh, okay… umm…” Mukuro lacked the social experience to tell him to go away, she was barely used to starting or ending conversations in the first place, only staring outside of windows as others passed her by.

“We were both siblings who were born first though, don’t you think? Even though our younger sister’s burn much brighter than us. Have you ever wondered why?”

“Yeah… I guess… Junko is…”

“A troublesome one, right?”

Her hands tightened against the railing, immediately her defenses went up from instinct alone. “How much do you know?”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry. Nobody told me, I’ve only deduced as much from my own observations. I think analysis predisposes one towards obsessiveness, I was just lucky is all. I chose to obsess over something as wonderful as my two sisters.”

“It sounds like you’re bragging.”

“I am.”

“Ugh.. wait.. You chose?”

“Mmm. You can search the whole world over, but my sister’s are Medaka-chan and Kujira-chan alone. I only have two, as long as I have them I’m satisfied.”

Mukuro tilted her head in an odd direction, trying to avoid his gaze. “How is that a choice?"

“I suppose you don’t choose the siblings you’re born with, but, even when my sister Kujira-chan was troublesome I chose to still value her as my sister. I could have chosen to leave her behind too.”

Mukuro’s body deflated enve further around the railing. She wondered if all of the Kurokami siblings were this tactless, as well meaning as they all seemed. If Junko and her were the despair siblings, than the three of them could be called the hope siblings, but even then Mukuro was starting to get the slightest understanding of why her sister found hope so obnoxious. “Are you trying to passive aggressively advise me or something? I’m not really that smart whatever you’re trying to say it’ll be better if you just plainly say it.”

“Ahaha, sorry. I’m not good at talking about things outside of my sisters. I was just thinking, the only real difference in our circumstances can be chalked up to luck, how we were born, the circumstances we’ve experienced up until this point.”

“Yes, but, you were able to save your younger sister, you were able to change her just a little bit and I wasn’t at all. Can that really all be called luck?” Mukuro saw the water that would eventually reach the hot springs in the distance. She wondered briefly, what it would be like to try to swim to the surface rather than spending her whole life, being pulled down into drowning by a red clawed hand, wrapped around her ankle. Ah, but she was too stupid to wonder about those kinds of things either.

“Now you’re the one comparing us unfailry, Ikusaba-san. For what it counts, I think you’re much stronger than the weak and uncool me. After all, if Kujira-san tried to kill me I’m sure I would just let her.” Daring to look up at him for a moment, she saw a brief and momentary flash of his smile. A smile she had never seen before, the smile of a kind sibling. “You’re much stronger than me, because right now you’re fighting back against her in your own way.”

“That’s not…” She couldn’t see strength, she had stopped seeing being good at killing as any kind of strength. “You said we had a choice right? Well, I threw away my choices and just did whatever Junko said, that’s all the weak me was capable of.”

“Is that so? I see it differently. You chose to try to love a demonic sister. That’s your strength.”

“...”

“Hey, Ikusaba-san. Am I annoying you?”

“...No.”

“Can I ask you one more thing then?”

“Uh… umm… yes… if you want.”

“Why do you think the older sibling was born first?”

“Chance? Misfortune?”

“No, it’s because they’re meant to protect their younger siblings.”

Maguro heard the door to Mukuro’s room shut a moment later. He had no idea if “those words” would even reach out to her, or if they had even reached her ears, or fallen away to a place where she could not reach them.

However, sharing his room Togami Byakuya by chance, those drifting words reached his ears just as he was starting to wake up as well.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Older siblings were born first to protect their younger siblings.

That kind of foolish ideal hung in the back of Togami's mind as he went through his daily motions, starting the second day of their school trip. Perhaps it was because he had heard Maguro say it, the only person who he considered an equal.

When he saw normal family relationships, even when he noticed the obvious tension between Ikusaba and Enoshima he had always been able to dismiss them. After all they belonged to a different world. Their ways of lives, their ways of thinking were totally incompatible.

However, he could not call Maguro from a different world than him. After all both of them were chosen. Their fathers both of them, refused to take one wife but rather several, producing many exceptional children.

However, in his case his siblings were forced to compete, and only one could come out on top. Whoever it was earned the right to be the next head of the family. For his battle, there was fifteen total. When all was said and done, only one was standing, the youngest brother, him.

He was the only youngest sibling in the entire history of the Togami family to have ever won. His siblings lied dead at his feet, the cost of his survival. Even if they were not physically dead, they were expelled from his world, they no longer carried the name Togami, all relationship between them was severed.

They were now a part of the rest of the world, and Togami stood alone on top of them.

That was the difference between Maguro and him. Maguro the oldest sibling, somehow managed to keep both in his hands. He raised a corporate empire from the ground up in order to compete with the Togami corporation as one of the two finanicial pillars holding up japan, and he held onto his siblings in his other hands.

The loss of those half blooded siblings who had once been called Togami he always considered a petty cost to pay in order to keep climbing upwards. It hardly mattered to him, stepping over his siblings, or stepping over anybody else, they were just corpses piled up to make his stairway.

Even… even if he could have a thing like a sibling he had no idea what that would mean. He had no idea what the emotion that Maguro shone so brightly with while he spoke fondly of his ltitle sisters entailed. He had never experienced this thing called a familial relationship.

Older siblings were born first to protect their younger siblings.

Folly, it had to be. His older siblings all fourteen of them had been born to crush him. They only looked at him as the weakest of the Togami, they saw his youth as something to be taken advantage of.

That was why he had worked so hard to climb up and over them, to leave them behind. Things that cannot be changed, can only be conquered. He could only win to move forward, otherwise he might find himself lost pitying the losers. That was how he, who left everything needed behind him, lived.

“Look at that boy, a bred child of adultery. Don’t you feel sorry for the byproduct of such a twisted family tradition? He didn’t choose to be born last, but now he has no chance at all.”

He saw faceless people whisper as he was led along by the hand of his mother.

“You’re looking more like your father everyday, Byakuya. I’m so happy.”

Shit.

Why am I thinking about something like this now. The crowd he was staring out into had become memories of the past. The faceless people who cast judgement on his family situation, who pitied him like some loser.

He reached up and readjusted his glasses, trying to clear up his vision. An obnoxious voice cut clearly through his haze.

『Are you okay, Byakuya-chan?』

The only one who had noticed it seemed was the utterly unremarkable Kumagawa Misogi. Another person he was forced to tolerate because of Kurokami Medaka’s foolish philantrophy. “Is there a reason you’re referring to me so familiarly? Do you really think you can pity your betters?”

『Ah, how lovely. That attitude of the elites I hate so much. At least that’s what the past me would have said, but there’s no reason for us to not get along now.』

“Of course there is. I would be sacrifice valuable time of mine for your sake, and it would amount to nothing. There is nothing we have to talk about. Having to be indifference to your presence as we share the same air is almost asking too much of me.”

『Medaka-chan thinks that even the untalented and the talented can come to understand each other, though.』

“You and I will never understand each other. We live in different worlds, Our ways of life, our ways of thinking are totally incompatible. You’re a loser. So go ahead and live your loser life, and make a bunch of loser friends. Then together you can lick each other’s wounds.”

『Yep! You’ve got me totally right. Byakuya-chan, are you sure it’s a good idea for you to just lick your own wounds though? If you do something like that, won’t Toko get jealous? Though, she might be into that sort of thing.』

Togami bit down hard making a clicking noise with his teeth as he turned his head aside and started to move in the opposite direction. “Even putting up with that annoying personality of yours, is a waste. I’m going to carry out the rest of our work for the day alone, try not to screw up the small portion you’ve been assigned out of pity.”  The glare of his glasses was the last Kumagawa saw of his eyes as he disappeared.

Kumagawa who was entirely used to being rejected even when he tried reaching out to others, found himself staring at the empty space Byakuya left for a moment.  『Losers cannot understand winners, huh?』He felt an old and familiar melancholy overtake him for just a moment. Before he smiled and continued on.
Finally alone, Togami Byakuya let himself sigh deeply in order to collect himself. Time was money, so he was willing to expend the amount and take the loss just for this moment of peace.

...

However, it seemed he would not even be allowed that.

He heard the sound of a door opening behind him, and did not even look back. “Kumagawa-san, if you’ve come to apologize and think we can make up, I should remind you that the sum total of all of your organs on the black market is still worth less than the pocket change I’m carrying right now, so even at your maximum value you’re completely worthless to me.”

He heard a voice speak back in reply. “Goodbye, loser.”  A moment too late, he recognized the voice> It sounded exactly like his own. Before he could even react, a shovel collided with the back of his head, his glasses fell off of his face and shattered on the floor, and a moment later even his blurry world went entirely black.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Rewinding the time to earlier that morning, the moment Junko declared that a game had begun like a shadow extending behind her, Kumagawa lay awake in bed. A book open a few centimeters in front of his eyes, he pored over it muttering underneath his breath.

Naegi Makoto who had been picked to share a room with him, stirred thinking he heard something creepy like a whispering ghost in his sleep, only to wake up and see Kumagawa in his sleep deprived state, eyes sunken in with exhaustion, just being his normal terrifying self.

Makoto sighed in relief that his room was not haunted after all, while Kumagawa continued to strain is eyes looking ghoulishly at the book in front of him in the low light. The average boy considered going back to sleep so he could fulfill his average daily requirement of sleep for a moment, but he felt a note of concern towards Kumagawa. Even if he always looked like that, Makoto decided the nice thing to do would be to check up on him. “Are you staying up all night reading manga? I know it’s our class trip but you might want to get some sleep so you’re not dead tomorrow.”

『There’s no way I would die.』Kumagawa said, his voice suddenly serious, as he seriously misunderstood Makoto.  『This isn’t a manga either, it’s a mystery novel. I don’t really read manga anymore… so I just borrowed some books from Toko-chan.』

“Awe, but you love manga. You were always talking about it.” It was one of the few things that Makoto half understood when he tried to listen to Kumagawa’s confusing rambling with the best of intentions.

『I can’t win just reading Shonen Manga my whole life.』Kumagawwa muttered under is breath, as he rolled away and started to grope around for is things on the floor. He picked up a pen and started to write something down.

“Huh? Are you taking notes for a school assignment.”

『No. A stupid person like myself can’t read all the hard kanji, so I have to write them down and ask somebody for help.』

“Dude, you sound kind of depressed are you alright?” Makoto sat up, propping himself up with his elbow letting the robes that he was wearing hang loosely on his body. “You don’t have to pretend to be happy in front of me. We’re friends after all, remember? Even if you haven’t talked to Enoshima-san in weeks I’m still here.”

Kumagawa Misogi stood up on his own.  『Pretend to be happy, huh?』As he stood the shadows seemed to welcome him as one of their own, Makoto saw everything disappear except the white teeth in his smile.  『I don’t really know what happiness feels like, and I don’t know whether the face I’m making right now is really a smile. I always hated it, but I think I might start to enjoy being around people who can smile and be happy when I can’t. Maybe… if I watch them… then someday I’ll be able to believe my own smile.』

“You’ve lost me again dude… are you sure nothing’s wrong? You can just tell me about it, you don’t have to beat around the bush.”

『It’s fine, it’s fine.』Kumagawa’s shadowy hands tried to placate the air in front of him.  『It’s just a joke, like you know saying everything I’m doing is just pointless and built on self satisfaction. Funny, right?.』

“I still don’t get ya.”

『The student council, I like being a part of it now. Everybody is such good friends. I wish I could just enjoy it without thinking about...her.』

“Oh, uh… I mean I guess she was your uh… she was… what were you guys again? I’m still a little confused about that. You were never dating Mukuro, right?”

『I’m not a playboy like you, Makoto-chan. Speaking of that though, I need to get into an illicit phone call with a girl late at night, so don’t wait up for me.』He pulled a phone out of his pocket and walked out.

Even though Kumagawa asked him not to listen in, Makoto could not help but catch a few words carried by Kumagawa’s strange sounding voice as he lay back down and sprawled himself on the floor.

『Ah… Shiranui-chan! How is your vacation so far? Do you miss Zenkichi-chan? Yeah… having so much fun… wondering if… bring two friends to play...』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Now, resuming at a slightly later point in the day. The student council was conducting their activities overseeing the rest of the groups touring the city for their second day and making sure everything was in order.

As Medaka fanned herself in the background due to the rising heat of the nearby hotsprings, Kumagawa wandered over to Toko.  『Toko-chan, I wrote up another list of difficult words last night can you help me?』

“D-don’t bother me just because you rotted your brains reading subpar literature like manga. I’m busy right now.” Kumagawa followed the line of Toko’s gaze to see Togami at the end of it, his back at least as he was dealing with three other students.

“Hmmph. Why did you come back earlier than the schedule said you would?” Togami asked, Mukuro, Kei, and Makoto who were gathered in a group in front of him.

“The one with the pointy hair ruined our camera, so I can’t take photos for Zenkichi anymore. He also lost all the photos we took yesterday.” Munakata muttered underneath his breath.

Makoto scratched at his own cheek. “Hey, I told you I was sorry for both of those things. It was broken in my bag when we were already out on the town it must have been bad luck.”

“You’re right, there’s no reason to be mad at you.” Munakata said, calmly looking down. The next moment however his entire demeanor changed and he reached in his sleeve drawing out a knife. “That’s why I’ll kill you!”

Before he could even take a step forward, he was chopped hard on the back of the head by Ikusaba Mukuro. “Not my Makoto…” She muttered in a low voice.

“I’m your makoto…?” Makoto asked, hiis cheeks turning a little red with fluster. He did not even seem to notice that he was almost stabbed a moment ago.

“Well, that’s fine I suppose. Just make sure you three don’t get in my way. A commoner should know their place and stay put.” He turned his head around briskly walking away from them. “However… if there is anything troubling you, I don’t mind if you rely on me.”

『Did he eat a lot yesterday? What’s with the white he’s wearing, did he undergo character development that required him to change his outfit?』Kumagawa said, now staring from the same pillar that Toko was hiding with him behind.

“No, it’s not any of that. Master’s physical appearance doesn’t matter. It’s his attitude, the way he carries himself as a prince above all others.”

『So, you think he’s acting weird? I wonder what qualifies as weird by your standards.』

“He’s acting way too nice! Master never listens to others, or even wants to help them. He gives them orders, and looks at everyone with cold indifference. I know I’m master’s favorite because he gives the cruelest orders to me, but you know what he told me this morning?”

『Oh, being nice, I suppose that would be strange to a fellow minus.』

“Master told me ‘You did a good job, Toko!’ It was the worst thing he possibly could have told me! Master would never say something so horrible.”

『You’re right, it makes sense. Something is up if somebody was being kind to a person like you.』

“Exactly…” Toko said, her fingers clenching around the shoulder of Kumagawa’s uniform, making folds in the fabric. He had a feeling that whether he wanted to or not, he was about to be dragged into something.

Returning again to the background of their conversation, Mukuro had pulled Munakata away for just a moment, asking Makoto for a small favor that he seemed overly eager to oblige. She had no idea how to start a conversation casually, so she simply followed him around for a few minutes disappearing from the sights of the rest of the student council members gathered..

After walking together a few feet apart in silence for a few minutes, Munakata Kei sudedenly turned around. “It’s rude to follow others. Unless… are you trying to kill me?”

Mukuro put her gloved hands up in innocence. “Um… no, the opposite really. I had a question to ask you, how exactly do you stop yourself from killing others?”

“Why do you want to know that?”

“Because I’m a person whose only good for killing.”

Munkata closed his eyes for a moment, crossing his arms. Everything he did had this self serious air about him. “I see, then we’re the same, huh.”

“No, we’re not. I mean you’ve never killed anybody right? I think that makes you a lot better than me.”

“What are you talking about? Killing is the coolest, the fact that you’ve gotten to kill other people makes me envious.”

I don’t feel like I’m going to get anywhere relying on advice from people like Fukawa-san and this guy. Mukuro had a painful thought, but then forced a smile that made it look like something was broken in her face. “Uh… um… okay. Can you try thinking... not that way though?" 

“As for how I’ve avoided killing things, hmm… It’s a difficult thing to do, because there are as many good reasons to kill someone as there are reasons to do anything.” Munakata turned it over in his head for a moment, his face creasing with the concentration before he finally opened his eyes. “In the past what I did was play up the scariest version of myself possible to drive everyone who I could possibly kill away. I knew nobody would want to be around a murderer like me, and it was for the best because it would keep them safe.”

Mukuro imagined for a moment Makoto walking away from her. She saw the back of his head disappear. If that happened she would have even less then what she had in the days when her entire world consisted of Junko, as Junko had already been cut off from her as well. “I…”

“That was probably a bad solution though. I was lonely. I thought only somebody as abnormal as I was would be able to survive standing by my side. However, my first friend, was a normal and kind person like Zenkichi. So, I don’t think you have to be alone if you can find a person like that.”

“A normal person,l uh…” Makoto had told her he was the most normal person possible. “I still don’t see how that can help me stop killing.”

“Who said I wanted to advise you on how to stop killing? You should kill more.”

“Um… thank you… Munakata-san.” Mukuro felt warm enough from the affirmation that she did not need to be alone from this point forward, she decided to part from Munakata quickly. As she walked around the hotel looking for where Makoto might have gone, time continued to pass.

『Speaking of missing people, did you see Enoshima-sama this morning?』Kumagawa asked Toko who was still fretting in the background behind him.

“W-w-why would I know anything about a beautiful and popular girl like that? Wait, -sama? What’s going on with you two? Are you trying to copy my wonderful dynamic with master?”

『You’re quite talented Toko-chan, but you’ll never be able to steal away the title of ultimate masochist from me.』

“C-can I work with somebody else for the rest of the day?”

『Nope, it’s too late your stuck with me. I’m guessing you haven’t seen Enoshima-sama then, in that case I need to make a phone call.』He walked away for a moment and pulled out his cellphone again. 『Yo, Shiranui-chan. Can you do me a favor and annoy Medaka-chan for me, for a little while? This is also her school trip, she should be able to play games too.』

Toko narrowed her eyes underneath her glasses. “Are those two planning a prank or something?”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko finished chewing the fake nails on one of her hands, her anticipation overcoming her. She reached down with that same hand and picked her phone up from the table. Rather than tour with her group she had snuck away and hid herself in a manga cafe, renting a room easily with her own money.

“Well…” She said as she turned her phone towards her face, holding it easily in one hand while she reclined with another hand behind her head. She kicked her heeled boots up on the table, as the chair squeaked behind her. “Things are about to get interesting.”

As she held up her phone, she noticed the charm hanging off the corner of her case. A black bear with a cute design. Without even meaning to, a memory replayed itself in her vision.          『You really might be the worst, most awful, most tragic person ever. Yet, at the same time I can’t really bring myself to hate you. That being said, you don’t have a single redeeming quality either. If I had to sum you up in a word, it’d be “Empty” and that’s the truth <3!』He said to her, almost affectionately as he smiled and watched her resting his cheek on his hand.

Junko looked back at him from where she was sitting on top of a nearby desk and returned his smile. “I guess as a person who really can be called ‘the worst’ you would know, Senpai.” At the time she noticed easily, the affection that was hidden behind his otherwise frank words. Is he… is he flirting with me?

Junko looked at the pictures that she had been sent over the phone. A smile crawled up her face, one that was thin but showed all of her teeth. “Oh… Heeeeh… How nostalgic. I hope I never get used to seeing this kind of shocking sight.” Excitedly she moved back and forth in her chair causing it to squeak, before it finally wailed out when she forcefully spun it around.

“Ah, Kumagawa-senpai you almost ruined my youth. I feel like some of the things I did until now were completely useless because of you. How am I supposed to enjoy my school life without a little killing?” She jumped out of her chair, and moved to where her uniform jacket was hanging from a coat hanger. Slowly she peeled it off and pulled one arm in and then the other. “That’s why it’s called the killing school life after all.”

She left the net cafe right then, pulling the phone to her ears and deciding to keep moving. Even if I’m like this it can’t help it though. It’s just because I love despair. I want to know more about the objects of my affection, I want to break them over and over until they reveal it to me. I want to see what faces they’ll make, when enduring the worst despair possible. I want to see his broken face.

She felt that attachment, an embrace that would make the two of them closer than lovers. “Now then, can you deliver a present to my cute  senpai, for me?” She spoke into the phone.

A few minutes ago in the same manga cafe, she had gone through the trouble of setting up an entire Go Board game, only to drop a pair of dice over the board. The rules for such a game, probably only made sense within the confines of her own head.

Now as she walked forward, she pictured herself still looking over the board, with her legs crossed, ruling over it like a proper queen. All of my pieces are in place. I don’t have to do a thing, everyone else can act for me and I’ll watch it through their eyes.

She was more than a fly buzzing on the outside of a twisted web, trying to reach within. She had become a full blown parasite that attached itself to the spider’s back. The kind of parasite that slowly took over from witihin and rendered their host a zombie. “Right about now, the alarm bells should be going off. I can hear it, a body has been discovered, a body has been discovered!” She said in her monokuma voice, just to herself, and then flashed that toothy grin of hers.

The pictures that had been sent to her phone earlier, depicted exactly that. A body floating in hot springs water, left there for her precious classmates, and her cute senpai to discover.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『If Enoshima-sama is missing that can’t be a good sign...』Kumagawa muttered as he looked worriedly at Toko.

“R-really, what’s so special about flashy girls like her anyway? I’m plenty fine as it is, I could carry the lead role too.”

『Hey, Toko have you gone for a bath yet?』

“Why would you want to know about that pervert?!”

『No, I was just wondering if you wear your glasses inside of the hot spring. Won’t they get all foggy?』

“You can spray the glass with defogger. That’s not something to ask me though, I don’t even like hot springs. Really, what a weird question. You sure are a weird guy.”

Before Toko could even inquire further, suddenly Togami appeared between the two of them. “You two please, I need your help it’s of the utmost importance.”

At Togami’s polite request, Toko seethed. However she seemed to lack the spine to actually do anything about her suspicions, so she cast her eyes at the ground. “O-of course, right away.” Immediately she grabbed onto Kumagawa and started to drag him along with.

Togami pulled away the curtain closing off one of the hot spring rooms for cleaning, and then when they stepped in both Togami and Toko paused at what they saw. The whole world seemed to proceed forward in slow motion. It bobbed up and down in the otherwise still hot spring water. The dead body that was floating in the middle of the hot springs, wearing the robed uniform of one of the hot springs workers.

Kumagawa who was used to such horrifying sights did not even blink.  『Oh, it’s a dead body. I thought you were going to get us for something important.』

“Aaaaaaaaaaaa! This hot spring is haunted after all! The ghosts have claimed another victim, protect me- wait no not you!” She immediately sprung at Kumagawa, grabbing his arm and forcing him in front of her like a human shield. “Take him instead of me! Nobody will miss him!”

『Even if that’s true it’s still mean to say.』

“A murder has taken place here, and considering that this area was only pardoned off for cleaning an hour ago and this entire place has been rented out for the school trip, the murderer must still be present… or even among us.”

『Wait, wait, wait!』Kumagawa suddenly stepped in front of the white suited Togami.  『You’re right we should act quickly, but we can’t drag everybody into this. If Medaka-chan finds out that this hotel isn’t safe, the school trip might be canceled.』

“That’s worse than letting a murderer run free?”

『It’s way worse!』

“Hmmm… okay.” Togami said, suddenly becoming uncharacteristically agreeable.

“Why are you listening to Kumagawa-senpai of all people?” Toko said, poking her head out from behind Kumagawa.

『You’re right though, we should try to catch the murderer on our own. That way we can negate the danger, without troubling Medaka-chan and cancelling the trip.』Kumagawa walked forward, drawing out a mirror from his pocket. He grabbed the dead body and pulled its head out of the water by it’s hair.  『First thing’s first, are you dead Mr. Nameless extra?』He held the mirror in front of his mouth to check for breathing but no fog appeared. When he was sure about that he fished the body out of the water. It fell backwards laying on the ground. Kumagawa noticed something right away, the body’s hair had come off. It was wearing a wig that was now in his hands.

He put the wig on the ground next to the body and observed the body itself. There was smeared makeup, a lot of it on the body’s face that had been washed away by the hot springs water. The man’s real hair underneath the wig was long and black, and tied in a long braid with a tail at the end. Most of his hair was tied or slicked back, with the exception one one long protuding forelock that fell down the center of his face.

『The body is definitely strange… but I think it’s safe to say they died by drowning for now.』Kumagawa said, as he stepped back in between Toko and Byakuya, Toko attaching herself to him again.

“This isn’t my genre at all. Mystery novels are completely predictable and worthless, they’re only salveagable if there’s a good romance mixed within, like say a strong and unwavering detective in glasses who falls for a femme fatalle, a beautiful and bookish looking young lady who is actually secretly a serial killer but through love she is redeemed and the two become inseparable.”

“Umm… Fukawa-san this might not be the time.”

“You should be ordering me to stop breathing so I’ll stop polluting your air!” Toko snapped at him.

“Can you think of any suspects, Kumagawa-senpai?”

『Well, there are three serial killers on the trip already.』

“Who might those be?”

『Umm.. Shouldn’t you know? Munakata-kun and Mukuro-chan.』

“Ah, right, I’m just flustered. We should try to find them right away and interrogate them.” 

He left the room, leaving Toko and the loser she was hiding behind alone in the room. “D...did master forget about our promise? Normally the thought of being forgotten by master would be kind of hot but this… this feels wrong you know? This feels….”

『Lonely?』

“Quit trying to relate with me, shonen manga for brains! Enoshima fanboy!” Toko snapped at him, before charging out of the room to follow the white suited Byakuya.

Alone in the room, Kumagwa muttered to himself.  『I haven’t even read shonen manga in weeks… or talked to her in weeks either.』He slid the mirror back into his pocket, and then let his arms hang empty and loose at his sides.  『Yet, even so I’m lying for your sake. You really are the worst, most tragic, most awful person, but I’ll still protect you..』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Rewinding the clock again, a few minutes earlier Mukuro had caught up with Makoto and was casually chatting with him. Makoto feeling anxious, and finally having somebody who seemed to be always around him to talk to and confide in, just spoke them aloud without thinking. “I’m worried about Kumagawa.”

“Why, did he do something stupid and get himself hurt again?”

“Umm… emotionally I think so.” Makoto scratched at the side of his cheek again. “He’s just been acting super mopey lately.”

“I wouldn’t know. He’s been avoiding me.”

“Oh, you said the other day that he just does what he wants, right? Sorry I brought him up in front of you, are you mad at him or something?”

“Well, it’s a little annoying to deal with, and he’s really hard to understand, but I don’t think I could ever be mad at him.”

“Why?”

“He’s the only person my sister ever genuinely smiled around. So, even if he says terrible things a lot, and always just does what he wants, I can’t think of him as a bad person.”

“Well just don’t start liking him too much…” Makoto muttered, looking off to the side.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Mukuro blinked, not getting it.

Moving forward a few moments, Makoto had gone to buy a new polaroid camera from the gift shop and Mukuro left to find where Munakata had wandered off to, only to stumble upon a strange scene.

“There’s no way I would have killed someone! I’ll kill you for spreading false accusations!” Kei Munakata said, snapping at them when Toko, Togami and Kumagawa had caught up to him.

Mukuro wondered if she could steer clear of the whole scene, and opened up a nearby closet to hide in, only for something to spill out in front of her. ‘Ah…” She said softly as she saw a familiar sight.

However, Fukawa Toko screamed as in the corner of her eye a bloody body fell from an open door, and splashed a large amount of blood on the floor, and on the four who were standing in the hallway.

In the next moment her entire world inverted itself, and Toko fainted quite literally falling head over heels.

“Is she alright?” Togami said looking up at Kumagawa.

『She’s right, you are acting weird.』Kumagawa then wiped the blood from his face easily, as if it were something he was used to doing many times before.  『That’s a lot of blood. I only thought people bled this much in horror movies.』

“What’s going on you three? Is something dangerous happening here?” Mukuro immediately thought of Makoto somewhere else in this same hotel. 

“Obviously what happened is you killed that person and stuffed them in a closet. For stealing the first kill of the night, I’ll kill you.” Kei said, immediately sharpening his gaze at Mukuro. She could feel his intent to kill like a sword at her neck.

“Wait, we just talked about this, I don’t wanna…” She realized Makoto was not far away, and that he might have jumped to the same conclusion all the others did.

『Mukuro-chan didn’t kill this person.』Kumagawa immediately said with confidence. Mukuro almost felt warm at his belief in her for a moment. 『I know she wouldn’t kill somebody other than me, her beloved senpai, otherwise I might get jealous.』

I picked the wrong person to have faith in! Mukuro closed the distance between them, glaring at Kumagawa. “Don’t just ignore me for weeks and call yourself my beloved senpai! What’s even going on, anyway?”

『Ah, well you see. There was a murder in one of the hot springs while it was being closed down, and while we were questioning one of the three serial killers on this trip a second body appeared.』

Kumagawa moved over to the other body and tried to pick it’s head up to show its face too, only for another wig to fall off. The hair of that body was much shorter underneath than the previous one, and the body had a pair of dark eyes, and a terrifying glare.

『Doesn’t look too good. Maybe he’s just sleeping though and all this blood is fake.』

“I don’t think so…” Mukuro said softly behind him.

“So, both Munakata and Mukuro have sworn off killing. Wait, who is this third serial killer you were talking about?” Togami asked behind them.

“Kyehahahahaha! Right here!” Toko Fukawa’s body which had lost consciousness suddenly sprung back to life. Before the other four present could do anything out from her body exploded scissors flying like they were ninja kunai being thrown in a shonen manga. With precision they landed in both Mukuro and Kei who were standing near walls, nailing them to those same walls.

The only one who dodged was Kumagawa who was still standing near the corpse, and who had moved behind the half open closet door.

“Sure, I’m usually the eccentric serial killer archetype character,  but I’m going to play the heroine for once and show all of you who the real killer is! Hopefully I’ll be rewarded at the end of my story with my man because! You! Are! Not! Him!”

As if snipping at invisible threads in the air, she threateningly moved two scissors one in each hand forward at the Togami in white. Despite his size, and despite his rich background and prettyboy good looks he was surprisingly good at dodging out of the way each of the slashes she punctuated one of her words with.

“Toko, what could this possibly be about? I’m the only Togami Byakuya there is! Nobody could possibly be worthy of standing in my shoes.”

“Yeah! Well, I’m the only one that gets to lick master’s shoes, so you better get out of them real quick!” She threw the scissors like a shuriken straight at his head, forcing him to duck down suddenly to get out of the way. However, the scissors hit their intended target knocking the wig off of his head. Blonde hair fell to the ground, revealing slicked back black.

Togami took off his glasses, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t share her memories, how could you possibly notice that I was an imposter so quickly?”

“We don’t share memories but we do share emotions. That’s why we’re both in love with Byakuya. I’m in a love triangle with myself, funny, right? It’s okay you can laugh, you should laugh a little bit before you die at least. The moment I woke up I was consumed by the desire to kill you.”

Impostor smiled uncomfortably at this, beginning to back away. “I thought you only killed handsome men, Fukawa-san. I don’t even look as handsome as your beloved Togami, anymore.”

“You’re right, handsome boys are a part of a well balanced diet. I’m already gloomy and have a terrible aura, and bad skin, so I need to keep a strict diet. Killing random people would just be like shoving junk food in my face all the time, but…”

Snip snip snip.
The sound of metal sliding against metal and cutting into the open air filled the space between them. A familiar sound she had heard since her youth, to Jack's ears though it was music. 

“Diet cheat day is really fun, don’t you think?”

At this, Imposter decided it was his best option to run. He threw all of himself into barreling forward down the empty hallway. Jack, like a hyena chasing down prey laughed as she want after him. She even tore up part of her long skirt to make it easier to run.

He had been living like this his entire life, running from place to place with no destination in mind and no idea why he would even want to keep living. He thought it was fine as long as he could keep running.

However, this hallway ended up to be much shorter than he thought it was. He was met with a door that led into another room, and threw the door open running into it only to realize that room was a dead end. There was a closet in this room as well, they were likely in the storage area in the hotel, but that would not be sufficient to hide him when Jack had seen him enter the room.

He turned around to meet her, and swiped at her hands with all of his strength, knocking away the scissors from them. She drew two more up easily, but Imposter was able to rush to the floor and pick those up. He would just copy her moves the same as he always did.

The air became fulled with metallic noises as the two triped to snip, and cut away at one another. However, even a perfect imitation paled to the original. The advantage quickly went to Toko as she began to cut apart pieces of his suit, and even leave pink marks on his flesh. Jack’s tongue fell out of her mouth, and she started to drool at the prospect of another kill.

She cut away at his achilles tendon at an extremely low blow that she had to throw her entire body down to land, before acrobatically jumping back and popping back up again. Imposter stumbled backwards and looked up at Jack smiling at him in Toko’s body.

Before he could even close his eyes to look away from his impending death, suddenly he saw the back of another body in a black uniform standing in front of him. Toko’s scissors caught themselves on one of the large screws Kumagawa held in his hands. “What are you doing Stinkumagawa?”

 『It’s not my fault!』Kumagawa said as he knocked her backwards and stood in between the two of them.  『I can’t let you kill him.』

“Wwwwwhy?” She said, flicking her tongue at him like a snake might.

『Well you know. I believe in the power of friendship and promises and all that.』

“Yeah, for some reason that seems like total bullshit.” Jack said, dismissing him immediately. She threw forward another one of her scissors, hitting im in the shoulder. Kumagawa did not even seem to recoil in the pain, he was used to it after all.

『Ah. What a wonderful minus you have there.』

“The hell are you talking about?” Jack said, as she slashed at the hair where his head was a moment ago, as Kumagawa ducked down to dodge her and then rushed at her with one of his screws. “Why are you even talking about plus and minus? Aren’t you just as bad at math as you are at literature?”

『I’m not talking about math. I’m talking about your entire existence, Jack.』

“Yeah, yeah whatever. I think I’ve figured something out about you too. You haven’t been taking this investigation seriously since square one.” She rushed forward and stepped hard on his foot, causing him to lose balance for a moment. She did not even hesitate to follow up, kicking him backwards causing him to collide with a wall. In the time Kumagawa had bought for him, Imposter had already crawled away. “This is just some game to you, isn’t it? That or… maybe… do you know the ringleader?”

On his own, Kumagawa stood up with two more screws in each of his hands. He rushed forward suddenly the moment se deduced that for herself. Despite the maddening pace of his charge, Jack  was easily able to cut through it, slamming into his gut to stop him, and then holding him there limp for a second. “You’re trying to protect them, aren’t you? What kind of worthless scum protects other worthless scum?”

As his body started to drop down she grabbed him by the hair. Jack dragged him along until they were side by side with the wall again, and then slammed his head into it. Blood blossomed from is forehead, and trickled down covering one of his eyes.  『I guess that describes our relationship but... Protecting someone? That only works in shonen manga.』

“You should shut up now. She’s pretty dumb, but I’ve always cut through things, even intangible things like lies quite easily. In fact I’m sure there’s nothing I can’t cut. You… you’re kind of cute. I can see why Enoshima-san went for you. Yeah, you’re cute enough.”

Kumagawa saw a pair of scissors wavering at his throat. She must have been deciding whether to kill him right away, or take her time.  『Hey… why scissors exactly?』

“Ehhhh… whatcha talking bout?”

『I asked why you use scissors specifically in your murders. Could it be… did your parents ever use them to punish you?』

Jack felt an ache in her head, and stumbled back grabbing onto the side of her face. Kumagawa just continued to lay uselessly on the ground.  『I only have one memory of my parents. I think… they punished me… by drilling a screw into my hand… it hurt real bad… I cried out… I just wanted to be normal so the pain would stop.』

“The hell are you talking about?”

『I was wondering if we were the same. Even though a screw was something painful for me, I couldn’t let go of it. I tried really hard to forget about the memories, I severed them from my person and they became nothing. Yet, these screws never left me. It’s the same for you and those scissors, right?』Kumagawa twisted his head in a terrible looking angle to meet her eyes.  

“Oi, quit it. Quit comparing us we’re nothing alike.”

『I guess it was different for you. When you tried to sever away those memories too painful for you to bear, rater than disappearing they became an entirely different person. Thus, your minus, the ultimate murderous fiend Genocide Jack. A coping device, another personality that acts out all of your pain in ways that you won’t.』

“Shut up, Shut up, Shut up.”

『Just, tell me what they did. You can confide in me you know. Was it with scissors? Did they drown you in water? Is that why you don’t like hot springs? Do you not like baths in general? Did they lock you in the dark is that why you’re scared of ghosts? Was it all three?』

Jack grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him back up again. She held a trembling hand at his throat. “C-c-cut, I’ll just slit your throat, s-s-slit, yeah, and then you won’t be able to talk anymore.”

『You were never loved by anybody, were you? That’s why you love Togami so much.』

“Y-yeah! So what if that’s the case? Are you trying to call me a thirsty ass bitch or something?”

『No. I think it’s beautiful. You live beautifully for the sake of your love. I want to be like that too. I’d never insult you, if anything I’m jealous.』

Jack’s fingers loosened one by one, and then she dropped Kumagawa on the floor like a rag doll. Before she could even say anything in response to being called beautiful for the first time in her life, she felt two presences behind her.

“I won’t let anybody get killed!”

“I’ll kill you!”

She immediately drew up two scissors, and blocked the hidden knives she was being attacked with. She held Kei and Mukuro at bay for a moment, staring at them both with red eyes from behind her glasses.

Slap.
Crash.
Draaaaaaaaag.  
Splash, splash.

:”You look too much like your father! I hate it! I hate that face of yours, just disappear already!”
Unwillingly, she remembered a memory that did not specifically belong to her. Of a foolish young one’s head being pushed underwater, over and over again as she desperately struggled for breath. She felt the pull of her hair, and the burning feeling of desperately needed air. The memory was not hers, but they shared those feelings.   

Damnit Toko, stay on your side of the brain. Like I want to see that sad shit show. Jack thought, as she rolled her tongue to the side and looked at the two who were facing her.

“Munakata, can you try to find the Imposter? I want to handle Toko alone.”

Munakata disengaged, which sent two scissors flying in Mukuro’s direction. She parried and riposted both of them with a knife. Jack even thought highly of her classmate’s fighting style for a moment, before getting angrier, and her urge to kill growing.

“Are you playing the good girl all of a sudden, just because big Mak decided to pay attention to you?”

“No, I just won’t let you kill my senpai.”

『I’m her beloved Senpai after all.』Kumagawa muttered, lying on the floor, still bleeding and being generally useless.

“Sssh you.” Mukuro said as she jumped back to dodge one of Jack’s blows. The two of them exchanged blows again faster than most eyes could keep track of, both girls immediately going for the kill, and both experienced killers knowing how to anticipate and stop those kind of blows.

It became a flurry of cuts and metallic noises once more. The air was filled with the awful noises of their fight. Over it, the two girls continued to try to talk.

“We talked don’t you remember?” Mukuro said, desperation creeping into her usually emotionless voice. “You don’t want to kill anybody, because that would be breaking your promise with Togami. I thought we understood each other.”

“Just because you want his Makademia nuts, don’t pretend like you suddenly care about the other people in your class.”

“I do… I always did care about my classmates.” At that, Mukuro grabbed her knofe with both hands, striking forward hard enough to knock the scissors out of Jack’s grip. Before she could recover, a swift low kick knocked her over. Rather than finish her off though, Mukuro simply lent a hand. “I’ve always cared about my classmates. They’re… my wole world…I was just never able to act on those feelings until now.”

Jack stared at Mukuro’s open hand. All of the times she had fallen previously, she was too hated for anybody to ever offer her a hand to help her up. She had no idea at all how to take the hand in front of her.

Then, Jack sneezed in Mukuro’s face.

“Gross.” Mukuro said with a dry voice.

“Uh…” Toko regained consciousness and looked at Mukuro’s hand in front of her. “I uh… I don’t know…”

“Oh, sorry you don’t share memories right?” Mukuro hesitated in response to Toko's hesitation. 

“No, it’s more like… I don’t know what to say.” Toko choked out. They both really had no idea what they were doing. 

『You could offer to kiss my wounds better』Kumagawa said, still lying on the ground, still bleeding.『or maybe just a bandaid.』

“If Makoto were here, I’m sure he’d just tell you to smile.”

“Ah.. okay…” Toko gave her best attempt at a smile. The cobwebs covering her facial muscles were much in need of dusting off, and the gears needed their rust cleaned away, but she gave her best effort even if she looked like the kind of eerie uncanny valley smile that would be put on the posters of horror movies.

『What a beautiful smile.』

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Mukuro agreed. Though, as neither of them knew what happiness was like at all they were probably not the best people suited to judge such a thing. Toko took Mukuro’s hand and was lifted up, and Kumagawa stood up a moment later.

The three of them seemed to be sharing a moment.

“I found Togami!” Munakata called from across the hallway.

“You two illiterate wastes of space get out of my way!” Toko shouted as she ran past them, leaving the moment entirely behind. The door was already open and Toko saw the moment she arrived Togami, tied up in a closet with his mouth taped shut. “MASTER, ARE YOU INTO BONDAGE NOW?” She yelled.

Her only response was an annoyed grunt from behind Togami’s taped mouth.

A few minutes later, Togami was untied and caught up with the precarious situation. “You mean I was replaced with an imposter all day, and nobody noticed?”

『Toko-chan noticed he wasn’t the real you.』

“Did anybody actually worth mentioning notice?” Togami crossed his arms and cast his eyes down at the ground. With his glasses broken it was impossible for him to see, but he counted that as a blessing as he did not have to see the annoying faces of the unworthy people around him.

He took a step forward though and immediately began to stumble. Ah, this is no good I need to stand proudly and on my own . Before he could take another step though, Toko was immediately at his side. “Byakuya, just lean on me. I don’t mind if you step on my feet while we walk, or even if you step on me!”

Togami sighed. “Just this once, because there’s no helping it.” He reached out and took Toko by the hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. “You’re just my seeing eye dog, alright?”

“Ahhh, I’m so happy finally getting to walk by master’s side.”

“You can walk by my side whenever you want, Toko.”

“Really?”

“As long as you stay ten meters behind me.” If it's you Toko, it should be fine. I won't ever rely on another person, but to me you're not a person.  For some reason the normally cold Togami, had a thought that was so warm, albeit in a twisted way. 

As the two of them continued to bicker, the three left behind tried to figure out what was left of the situation.  『We recovered Togami, but does that mean Imposter committed the two murders?』

“Whoever it was, we should find them. I don’t want anymore deaths to happen. If one of our classmates died, it would make Makoto sad.”

Kei nodded to that. “Zenkichi would feel bad because he was not here to protect them.”

『We should find imposter and see if he really was the killer then...』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As the three walked away, inside of a basket in a dark corner of the closet, somebody who had been watching stirred.

The boy with sleepy eyes popped out of the basket, even though he found small dark places much more comfortable than wide open ones. He peered down both sides of the hallway to check if the coast were clear then walked away with a clear slouch in his shoulders.

“Won’t kill… won’t kill… she won’t kill? Nononononono, that’s no good. Mukuro-sama’s killing was the coolest, there’s no way she would give up. Where did her passion go? Where?Where?Where?” He muttered under his breath, again and again his voice spiraling with his crazed ramblings.

“Whose fault is this? Whose? Whose fault?” As he turned a corner, he saw a man in a white suit hiding. “Ah! It’s yours! It’s your fault! Did you kill the two people in the hot springs? Well, I’m sure somebody who fell into despair has killed a lot of people.”

He drew his knife, flicking it forward into his hand. Just as he was about to charge forward though, suddenly he was stopped by somebody appearing from the shadows right in front of him.

“Sorry! Can’t let you eat this big guy! He’s my meal!” Shiranui Hansode, tiny, innocent looking, stood in front of a murderer with a smile on her face.

“Ehhhh… who are you?”

“Name’s Shiranui Hansode! My real ultimate talent is being the ultimate cutie! A-hya-hya! Just kidding!” She smiled and put a small hand over his. “I get wanting to devour everything in sight, I really do, but can you leave this guy to me. He’s actually mine, he just hit his head and forgot about where he really belongs like Kakarot when he became Goku?”

“Uhh…. I... “ Takumi grabbed is head, trying to suppress the all consuming passion inside of him.

“Come on, do you really want this guy? Isn’t he just an aperitif? You want to sink your fangs into the main course right?”

“Yeah… I can’t kill a lame guy like this. Only a cool passionate killing will satisfy me.” Takumi said, grabbing his head and starting to mutter again as he turned away. "I need to show her a cool killing too."

Hijirihara Takumi
Blood Type: Unknown
Affiliation: Unknown
Abnormality: Copycat Killer

As his emaciated looking silhouette disappeared from the hallway, Shiranui sighed and looked at the trembling fake Togami behind her. “You’ve really forgotten me, huh? That’s a rude way to treat somebody who grew up in the same village. Imposter-san…” Shiranui put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him. “Or should I call you, Double-san?”

Then, Shiranui spoke only to herself. “So, you’re having her confront her own shadow? You really do like games… princess…”

Takumi pulled a phone out of his pocket, and called his helpful informant one more time. “Yeah… I wasn’t able to kill the impostor, sorry.”

“It’s no big deal! It’s like whatevs!” Junko’s voice came cheerfully from the other side of the line. “They were a mere aperitif, you still have to sink your teeth into the despairingly large morsel that is the main course.”

“Ah… I heard someone else say that too…”

“Really, then they should stop stealing my lines! This is all 100% Enosima Junko’s unique and hilarious material people!”

“So what was the point of that imposter guy, anyway?”

“Goooosh, do we gotta go over this again? Like, again? Really? None of you understand your story tropes at all. Mystery thrives on a set of certain rules and expectations you can’t just break the rules willy nilly! Well, I can but that’s only if I get bored.” She inhaled sharply before continuing. “Every good mystery needs a red herring you know. And now that you, the real culprit has finally been revealed.”

“Who have I been revealed to?”

“The audience, duh!”

“Are people watching? I might get caught though.”

“I’m just talking about metaphorically! God, all of my best material is wasted on brainless lackies like you!”

She took a dramatic pause, just to savor the moment, and also for style points.

“Now, we begin round two!”

Chapter 29: I Am Junko's Older Sister

Notes:

This chapter references Tokyo Ghoul (Mutsuki Tooru).

『Ahahahaha! That tickles!』

“Misogi-chan can you sit still and take this seriously for once? I’m trying to stop you from bleeding to death.”

『I’d rather die than take anything seriously.』

“Nobody wants you to die, Misogi-chan…”

『I don’t think anybody cares that much if I live either. Ah, what a precarious position to be in, how exciting!』

The two of them chatted in the corner of the room. Kumagawa, holding onto his shirt and jacket sat with his back facing to Mukuro, as she once again applied her combat medic training to temporarily patch his wounds. As the wounds that Monaca had left on him much earlier were still there and only half healed, it was a more difficult job than Mukuro thought it would be, not helped by his constant fidgeting.

The five of them all whole up in one room to recuperate. Toko and Togami near crates of old documents and newspapers that had been airdropped at Togami’s request, were slowly combing through them. Once Togami was caught up with the situation, he insisted on taking the lead.

“I won’t become indebted to Kurokami-san. Ikusaba  tend to Kumagawa’s wounds. Munakata watch the door. I’ll pull my strings to get the history of this place and check those rumors about a previous string of murders occuring here. Everybody, follow my lead.”

“Uhhh, master, you forgot to mention me?” Toko said, nervously playing with her fingers beside him.

“I need all three of you to come together, and once the pieces are in my hands, I will deftly decide how best to use them.”

“Four! There are four people here!” Toko shouted in his face, but Togami merely crossed his arms and ignored her, only leaning slightly away as she beat weak fists against his chest.

However, now that they had quieted down they were working quite well leaning against each other and both reading through the same records. Munakata leaned against the door, sharpening one of the knives he kept inside of his sleeve. Besides the noise of metal rubbing against a grindstone, and the small spurts of laughter from Kumagawa, and soft concerned mutterings from Mukuro the room was almost entirely silent for a long while.

“Here we are, according to these archives this was a much smaller hotel in the past. Then, after a certain hot springs murder mystery incident that took place, the hot springs gained notoriety and quickly expanded.” Togami slammed a folder onto the Tatami mats where he was sitting, letting reports of the incidents scattered across various papers fall onto the floor.

『Man fears death, and yet at the same time man is drawn to death. Death is endlessly consumed by man in cities and in literature.』

“Are you quoting some manga? I don’t even need Jack, I’ll kill you right now with own two hands if you are.” Toko said, but, she the bitterness she was spitting was mostly ignored as usual.

“Rumors like haunted hot springs, or having a famous past murder case are thought to drive customers away, but some people will pay for the spectacle. The commoners really do only care about their bread and circuses, how pitiful.” Togami said, adjusting the pair of replacement glasses he had borrowed.

Mukuro looked down at her own hands, covered in black gloves. She had provided those exact same breads and circuses to Junko her entire life, she was the exact person Togami was talking about. Yet, she could not bring herself to feel insulted either, she deserved to be looked down upon. Whatever part of her existence she had left, whatever form had survived after she devoted all of herself to clinging to her twin sister even after they both left the wound, that half formed incomplete thing that could barely be called a self was still responsible. She wanted to endure this guilt, those insults, and maybe… she would reach a point where she became okay with things.

Kumagawa caught her staring and spoke up. 『It’s too bad really that another murder case popped up again just as we got here. It’s getting in the way of Mukuro-chan’s fanservice scenes, and blooming romance with Makoto-chan.』

“W-what are you talking about? That’s the last thing on my mind.” Mukuro snapped at him, and snapped out of her thoughts for just a moment.

“Yes, please can we quit it with the teen romance garbage. That’s not even a viable demographic.” Togami said, the glare of his glasses shining down on Kumagawa’s face.

“Besides, the only romance that’s being interrupted is mine and master’s!” Toko dropped whatever she was holding in the moment and sprung up next to Togami once more.

“Wow, these hot springs may really be haunted. I swear I just hear a ghost moaning something gloomy.” Togami looked to the side, blinked, and looked around, making an elaborate pantomime as if he did not see her.

“I’m not a ghost, I’m right here, Byakuya! Even if I were dead though I’d give both my life and my afterlife to you!” Toko’s response was to get even closer to him, to the point of being centimeters from his face and clinging on the uniform he was wearing.

“Well, if a ghost is going to insist on haunting me, and clinging to me, they can at least make themselves useful and look up the details of the past crimes.” He was so adjusted to her presence, he could tune out her whole form even when she was right next to him clinging to him. He spoke to the air around him instead.

Togami’s indirect motivation was all Toko needed though, she immediately dove forward towards another box and tore through its contents speed reading them. A moment later she pulled out a police report. “Here, here! Awe, but it’s all been inked out? Who did this? Who's standing in the way of master praising me for my good work?”

Her outburst was stopped by Togami putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine, you got the case number at least that’s good work, Toko.”

Toko immediately quieted up, almost like she really was the bookish, shy, ingenue that her appearance and general character archetype suggested she must be.

“Now, we need some way access the digitized records and produce an uncensored version of the case with the full details.” Togami said, putting a hand over his mouth and walking away letting Toko who was leaning her whole weight against their single point of contact flop backwards on the ground.

At that instance though, just as Togami slipped into deep thought the peace and quiet was interrupted. “Toko, answer your phone. Toko, answer your phone. The copyright for this ringtone is worth more than any of your books will make in gross profits in your lifetime.”

A voice called out interrupting the silence. “Who the hell dare interrupts a Togami while they think!” Togami called out, only to realize it was his own voice. “Oh, Toko you really need to change that creepy ringtone of yours.”

“Huh? Wha? But I love it.” Toko said, immediately sitting up again and opening up her far out of date looking cellphone. “Besides it’s not like anybody ever calls me anyway. Wait, is somebody calling me for the very first time? Ah… ah, hello? Oh, wait they don’t even want to talk to me of course. Kumagwa, it’s for you!”

She held out the phone while glaring at him in obvious envy.  『It’s fine, it’s fine Toko, I’m sure nobody would willingly want to talk to me either.』He took it, and tried to reassure her by putting himself down as usual. He put the phone against his ear and listened. A youthful, high voice, spoke through it loud enough for most of the room to hear.

“Where are you naked-apron-senpai? What could possibly be so important that you’d leave the cute and charming Monaca, in the hands of somebody boring like Kurokami-san.”

『Oh, Monaca-chan. Is that your way of saying that you don’t find me boring?』

“Hey! Don’t get a big head just because Monaca thinks you are slightly less boring than the entire rest of the world!”

『I would never think that highly of myself. There’s no way somebody as fun and wonderful as Monaca-chan would ever think anything of a loser like me.』

“Yeah, obviously, duh! Anyway, you better not be having fun without me!”

『As if somebody boring like me would be able to do something fun without you. That’s why I need you actually, Monaca-chan. Can you help me with something I’m too stupid to figure out on my own.』

“Hmmm… sure. If it gets me away from Kurokami’s iron fist, then Monaca will do it. It’s no fun being around a girl who already thinks she’s an adult and spends all her time acting as empty as they do.”

『Fun, fun. Alright, I need you to do something highly illegal. Hack into the police database for this city and tell me the details of this case number --』

“You had me at highly illegal.”

Over the speaker phone, after a few minutes of key clicking heard on the other end along with the chips that Monaca must have been snacking on while hacking at the same time all present in the room heard a basic explanation of the case which took place a decade ago.

A string of murders happened in the hot springs. Guests were found either dead from drowning, or their bodies were killed and hidden away in closets. At the time the hot springs was owned by a pair of brothers who had inherited it from their parents. They were on a short list of suspects, but apparently around the time every single murder took place one brother was always able to supply an alibi for the other.

Kumagawa thanked Monaca, and closed the phone. 『Then, the brothers must have been-』

“I’m the leader, that means I get to make all the important deductions. The brother’s were working together to provide each other with an alibi. They only killed in order to increase their hot springs reputation in the public eye. Okay, I need somebody to ask a stupid question before getting to the next part of my explanation.”

Toko looked at where the tips of her fingers touched. “Then why would they start the murders again? It’s just an unnecessary risk once they’ve already hit it big.”

“It’s obviously because the original killers were not the culprits in this case, but rather the victims. A new killer emerged, and killed the original two killers with the exact same methods they used on their victims a decade ago. Now, I will pause to give you time for another question.” Togami glared at Kumagawa, who must have been the embodiment of ‘someone stupid’ in his mind.

『How can you be so sure though? We don’t know who the original hotel owners were or if the corpses matched up are really them.』

“You’re right, it’s a hunch. However, killing previously famous serial killers using their exact same methods is a famous killing method used by one serial killer in particular that has started to be active in the past year-” Just as Togami got into the swing of his explanation, he was interrupted.

『How do you know this? You seem to know a lot about serial killers, and considering the only person you ever spend time with is Toko… do you have some kind of serial killer fetish?』

Togami went red in the face. “The time I permitted for questions is now over, just shut up and listen while your betters are talking!” He covered his face with his hand as if that might wipe away the red that had been colored on him. Composing himself, he started again. “Their name is the killer killer, and I know they may be involved because on my way back here I spotted this.”

He pulled out an envelope and unfolded the paper within showing it to all present.

To the members of the student council:
The decorations of this letter inspired by the surrounding refreshing hot springs, and mountain air. Well as it happens, I came across the culprits of a hot springs murder mystery and decided to write this letter of the incident. I left them both for you, I’d be most grateful if you enjoyed the presentation.

-The Evangelist of Murders, Killer Killer.

“A murderer that kills murderers?” Mukuro’s eyes widened. She had sworn off all killing, but, she felt inferior to this killer who at least chose targets based on some sense of justice rather than being dragged along by their sister on a leash. “I...is that kind of killing acceptable then?”

“Exactly, this is… extremely fine stationery.”  Byakuya commented, as he saw the designs of flowers and ribbons in the corners, and felt the weight of the paper in his hands.

『Then, whoever planned this expected us to find the bodies. That was just the opening round, like an invitation to play the game with them. Mukuro-chan, Munakata-san, Toko-chan, one of you three are his real target.』

“And by isolating ourselves we’ve played right into their hand.” Togami struck a dramatic pose to heighten the moment, with no self awareness of how theatrical he looked. “No matter! Even if we’re playing their game all we need to do is beat them at it. A Togami never loses. What we first need to do is find the bodies and hide them for now so nobody else gets dragged into the Killer Killer’s game besides us, then next we’ll split up and search the hotel to find them.”

“I-i-i-i-isn’t splitting up in horror movies what gets the teenagers killed by the monster?” Toko said, her nerves sneaking into her voice.

Kei Munakata looked up from the knife he was sharpening. “Yes, but in scooby doo splitting up is what solves the mystery and captures the monster.” When everybody stared at him blankly, he just blinked back at them. “What… I’m capable of talking about things besides killing.”

“I’ll be with Toko, Mukuro try to stop Kumagawa from screwing everything up, and Munakata since you’ve never killed anybody I doubt Killer Killer will target you so you can search on your own. We’ll take one body, and Mukuro and Kumagawa you find the other. Then we start our search.”

All of them broke away from one another. Kumagawa who had been sitting with his jacket on is shoulders for a while after Mukuro finished wrapping his last bandage, looked up to see her unsteady expression.

“Misogi-chan. I don’t want anybody to die anymore,” She said, in a shaking voice that seemed entirely separate from her usual composed and emotionless self, like a different person was speaking.

『Me neither. Dying is the worst.』Kumagawa smiled at her. He reached out for her hand for a moment, but decided against it and instead pulled back on his Plain White T shirt over his bandaged chest, and then his jacket over both. After he had finished buttoning and fixing his collar he walked forward. Mukuro took a moment to pull her gloves tighter over her hands, adjusting them as she walked after him.

Both of them knew the name of the person who most likely had a hand in this incident, but for their own reasons, they found themselves completely unable to mention her name between them.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Watching both Mukuro and Kumagawa keep silent and still refuse to betray her, through the eye she had on the room, Enoshima Junko sighed. “You two are as disappointing as ever. Especially you, big sis. It’s a bit boring that you just forgive me every time.”

She looked at the phones she had spread out in front of her, waiting for at least one of them to call her. Perhaps some kind of confrontation would be interesting. Neither one of them moved, and Enosima Junko merely sighed.

The life drained from her expression, and she made an extremely bored face. “Hmmph. After I went through all of the trouble of preparing this just for you, big sis. My first ever present for you, and you’re still so ungrateful.”

She continued to talk to herself, picking up both of her phones, one burner, and one her own covered in a bedazzled monokuma case and with a small bear charm hanging off the corner. “That’s fine, tough. After all you’ve been selfless to me all this time. Now you’ve decided to finally do something yourself and stop killing people. So, why don’t I step up to that challenge. From now on, I will outsmart you fair and square and test how strong your determination not to kill really is. A true war of attrition.”

She continued to walk along, her image disappearing amongst, the people in the streets. She had one eye on them, and the other focused entirely in the viewpoint of the convenient pawn she was using at the moment. “After all, we’re both just trying to enjoy our school lives to its fullest. Shall we prey on each other under the guise of sisterhood?”

At this point she had left the street, and opened up a sliding door in front of her, only to stare back slowly as she closed it with those parting words. It was obvious that both Kumagawa and Mukuro were avoiding her, in that case her only option was to confront them with what they wanted to see the least.

As her parasitic vision flicked around from person to person, she studied where all the pieces where heading before deciding in an instant where to best place herself. After all, she was such an excellent game master she could even use herself, and manipulate herself much better than an burnt out old witch like Celeste claimed to be able to.

When she was finished, she moved her sight back into her direct piece’s eye. As always, moving into his vision gave her a flash of his terrible mindset.

Darkness… there was nothing but darkness. He tried to shut out the nose from outside, but it was impossible. Then, through three small slivers of light he saw it. He saw her. He saw his light.

Afterwards he sought out darkness again and again hoping the memory would repeat itself. However, he only found disappointment. She saw through Takumi’s eyes, the darkness he was still curled up in.

A moment later, he pushed up the lid that was over his head and looked away from a room filled with light. The large antique wooden chest that Mukuro and Kumagawa had been sitting on moments ago, opened to reveal a person curled up inside. After hearing the entire conversation, Takumi was grateful that Byakuya at least liked the stationery he had gone to the trouble of picking out.

The moment he crawled out, like she had some psychic sense his phone immediately started to ring with that girl’s number. The ringtone that played was “Give Me Wings” a common song sung by school children his age. However the singer was Ikusaba Mukuro. It was sung during entirely unique circumstances, when the student council of Hope’s Peak High was given weapons and forced to kill one another.

This recording was one such gift that Enoshima Junko offered him to prove her sincerity. He let the ringtone play out for a full minute hearing Mukuro’s voice, until suddenly he cut it off and answered. “Hey, I may hide in dark confined spaces but let me just say that I actually worked really hard. I got them to go exactly as you told me too, you don’t need to call every five minutes to boss me around.”

“Yeah about that. You take so long to answer. Don’t you know Enoshima Junko is calling you, and you should be honored? Why do you do that?”

“I’m enjoying the moment. The moment I get to decide to kill Mukuro’s voice, I get to sever it with just my thumb. Real, passionate killings take patience you know.”

“Upupupupu! Gosh, hearing you gush about my worthless sister sure does make me nauseous. You’ve got such shit taste. You sure picked the wrong despair sister to obssess over” Junko laughed at the other end, “Well I guess we can’t really control our obsessions, that’s what makes them so compelling. It’s not like my taste has been much better recently either. Are you sure you don’t want to build a stalker shrine to me though? I can give you a few pictures.”

“Are you umm… asking to be stalked?” He responded in a sleepy voice to her usual rantings.

“No way!” Junko snapped on the other side of the line. “I’m just asking why my sister of all people?”

“You already know the answer to that. So, if that’s the case why are you callling?”

“Well, remember how on selling you information on my dear disappointing sister, you promised to do me some favors at some point in time. I was hoping you’d be a dear and-

“What do you want?" 

“It seems my sister has recently made friends with a cute boy named Makoto.”

“Okay, so… what about it?”

As the conversation continued, Junko’s mind drifted off. She could carry pretty much any conversation on autopilot, so that part was not a big deal. It was just when she spent too much time parasitically watching the world through other people’s eyes sometimes she saw their memories whether she wanted to or not.

She barely liked being stuck in her own head, she did not want to share the thoughts or the worldviews of those who were all like… yucky and stuff, it was totally grody. Still, that boy with the sleepy eyed look and the haircut which covered one of his eyes was the perfect piece to play here, so she endured.

Through one of her eyes she saw it. A dorm room covered in every wall with magazine clippings of Mukuro’s writings in other magazines, photoes of her stolen from her case file at Hope’s Peak, a few of the photos taken the times Mukuro had dressed up as her sister in front of the press. Each of those photos had been vandalized in a way, in some her head was cut off, in others limbs, others had been colored over in bright pink marker. It was a wall where the image of Ikusaba Mukuro was killed over and over and over again.

Seeing this terrible image of her sister repeated ad nauseum, Enoshima Junko smiled. “Heeeeey, Hijirihara-kun. Why do you even obsess over my sister so much? Is this like a revenge thing?” She asked, with Kokichi next to her still staring blankly at the room they had walked into completely unsure of what to make of it.

“Revenge? For what? You mean killing my classmates? There’s no way. If anything I’m jealous. I’m jealous of my classmates who got to die as a part of Mukuro’s passion, and I’m jealous of Mukuro who slaughtered them all.” Takumi who was hiding underneath his computer desk, looked up at both of them.

Junko smiled, putting her hands on her hips she leaned over him taking up his entire sight. “The Gibouchi middle school mass murder incident, you know the real mastermind behind that was me right? Mukuro just did what I said as usual. Shouldn’t I be the one you’re obsessed with?”

Takumi shook his head, causing the antennae which hung off of his uneven black hair to shake back and forth as well. “You almost never kill directly with your own hands, you’re way too dispassionate.” He averted his eyes, suddenly feeling nervous. “Ah, but my parents raised me to be polite to girls, so thank you for giving me this information. Now I’m so close to Mukuro, I’ll be able to finally talk to her soon.”

“Man, it’s not like I’m much better, but you’ve got a pretty fucked up definition of talking to other people.”

“Hmmm? Well, at least I’m trying. You don’t seem to be able to talk to people at all, all you can do is talk around them, like you’re putting on some kind of performance.”

That particularly annoying part of the memory made Enoshima Junko chew on her the fake fingernails on one of her hand in real life as she lied in wait. Still, it was interesting to see how Takumi saw the world.

He possessed a vague kind of analysis ability, but rather than predicting outcomes he just looked at the people around him and scored them up. Every single person he saw, he could observe in an instant what would drive them to kill, and ow deep this passion ran. For people like Toko and Munakata he gave exceptionaly high scores, 88 and 99 respectively. Munakata Kei was off by only one defect, despite having a pure passion for killing just like him he never once killed.

She herself had been given a zero rating through his own eyes when they first met, and she by her own red claws dragged him out of the psychiatric ward that Hope’s Peak was keeping him in in order to cover up the Gibouchi middle school incident. To think that they were suppressing such a cute and interesting little Kouhai in the name of hope. Junko had been searching for small pieces like this in her spare time, ever since Kumagawa got rid of her ultimate despairs.

She was the kind of player who really could win a game with one piece though, all it required was tricking the opponent into moving all the other pieces they held in ways that advantaged her. She supposed that was why Takumi gave her a zero rating, after all she never got her own hands dirty. There were only two people she had felt enough passion for to try to kill with her own hands.

She could understand that she was a person entirely devoid of passion, or really any emotions at all. However, as a point of pride it still irked her that she was given a 0, the only other person sharing the same score being Kumagawa Misogi. While her sister was given a full 100 by Takumi’s stupid ranking system.

“Well, I am the mastermind but you really can’t blame me, big sis. After all if you hadn’t done such a sloppy job with the massacre that day, killed all the witnesses and erased all evidence, then this wouldn’t be happening. It seems like you’ve gotten a little more human since then. But… wolves quickly devolve into when they’re kept in captivity. There’s no meaning in anything else but despair, there’s no path for you but being a despair sister.” As she spoke to herself, she finally made the turn around the proper corner and shut off her cell phone before Takumi asked who she was monologuing too. She arrived at her destination, the same hot spring hotel she had started the day off at. She put two of her pointed nails in the air, from the hand she had been chewing. “Now, in a stroke of bad luck Makoto will come down this hallway looking for Mukuro, and find me instead.”

Just as she finished saying that, a boy with pointy hair wearing a jersey underneath his uniform turned the corner. “Enoshima-san, what are you doing back so soon?”

Enoshima Junko bit down hard on her own lip to suppress a smile. Instead, her face quickly changed as she became worried holding her hands in front of her chest. “Naegi-kun. I heard something terrible happened to Mukuro, they called me back right away.” Her back arched, and her shoulders trembled. “This is all my fault isn’t it? I should have just made up with her way sooner.”

Makoto immediately reached out to her, as she expected he would. “N-no! You can’t think that way! I’m sure Mukuro’s fine, let’s go find her together!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

A piercing scream broke out through the hallways, interrupting Kumagawa and Mukuro who were still walking quite a distance apart with an uneasy silence between each other.

『Is the killer targeting a girl?』

“No, that’s Makoto’s screaming voice!” Mukuro immediately grabbed Kumagawa by the sleeve, and rushed forward much faster than Kumagawa could possibly running, basically dagging him along as dead weight.

When she arrived at the scene though, her eyes shook in terror. Not at the sight of a dead body, but rather who was standing in front of it. Naegi Makoto stood as if frozen entirely in time. The sight of a lifeless body, with pink splashed all over it as if sloshed their sloppily by a paint can fit so poorly with his rose tinted view of the world, that it was like he was trying to reject the reality in front of him. As he stood, he remembered the same sights he had seen as the reserve course tore apart hope’s peak in their riot, the deaths Kumagawa Misogi had made become nothing so he could resume his peaceful school life.

Even more terrifying though, was the sight of her sister hovering just behind Naegi Makoto in his shadow.

“Makoto…” Mukuro’s voice suddenly became timid again and the confidence drained away from her. Before she could even react, suddenly Junko rushed forward and threw her arms around Mukuro. My sister… my sister is holding me in her arms? Why? My cold computer like sister acknowledges me. At this moment she’s trying to connect with me?  What have I done? Ah no… it’s more like… what does she want?

“Mukuro, I’m so glad. I’m so glad that body wasn’t you…” She saw Makoto staring at them over her sister’s shoulder. Oh, she’s just acting like a normal sister to trick Makoto. It’s a trap. I should warn him it’s a trap. If I don’t say anything then Makoto will get dragged into this because of me. All I need to do is to open my mouth and betray my demonic younger sister.

She tried, but her tongue slackened. She remembered the words Maguro had told her with such naivete last night. Older siblings were born first to protect their younger siblings.  

“It’s okay… Junko, Makoto I...um… I…” Now I’m even disappointing myself. Did you come here just to gloat, Junko?

Kumagawa went quiet the moment he saw Junko as well. He walked right past her, and put a hand on Makoto’s shoulder.  『Don’t worry, you’re reacting to a corpse just like any normal person would. You don’t need to be brave at such a horrifying sight.』

The corpse in front of them was suspended from the ceiling with a pair of scissors driven into each of their joints. Behind the dead woman the words ‘BLOOD LUST” were painted on the wall with pink blood. Whatever expression her dying face had, it was completely hidden by long hair that fell over her head.

However, Makoto’s shock did not come from seeing a dead body for what was technically the first time. His shock came from the fact that he recognized who this was, even under the mess of blood, far before anybody else present did. 

Makoto’s voice cracked. “T...Toko. Is that T-t-toko?”  With her braids pulled out, it was hard to recognize her. Perhaps, neither Mukuro nor Kumagawa who had just arrived on the scene wanted to acknowledge the familiar feeling they got from the corpse either. Still, it was a bit odd that nobody seemed to recognize her, but Makoto was too panicked to notice any small differences between two girls with long black hair, glasses and bookish looks. 

『No… it’s not my fault.』

“She was just…” Mukuro spoke like a trembling child, completely unused to death rather than a murderer. “Should we investigate?”

“How can we investigate… a dead body… a body that used to belong to one of our classmates..” Makoto said, his voice sounding increasingly lost.

Mukuro always had a feeling that Makoto did not belong in her world. She felt like being around him she would only drag him down. He belonged in the world of light, and hope, is optimism would guide so many more into a brighter future. She could only be dragged down by her own sins at this point. Seeing Makoto’s utter falling apart at a dead friend only confirmed this for her. The despair of her world would eat him up. I was going to kill our classmates just like that, one by one. You accepted me anyway when I told you this, but that’s probably just because it’s easier hearing about something that never happened rather than seeing it in front of you.

Enoshima Junko seeing the others in front of her break apart slowly, let a smile crawl up her face as she continued to bury it in Mukuro’s shoulder.

『Fine, since I’m used to this kind of scene anyway… It must be the copycat criminal striking again. He killed Toko, and then displayed her corpse same way she did for many others as genocide Jack.』

“Wh.. what are you talking about? Are you saying that Toko killed people too?” Makoto said, this new information not helping his overwhelmed state in the moment. He looked back to Mukuro who was doing everything she could to look away from him. “My classmate was doing something like that and I didn’t know all this time? You two knew? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry I…” Mukuro still could not finish a sentence. She felt Junko’s the ghost sensation fingernails digging into the side of her neck keeping her quiet. “It’s my fault, it’s because I’m so useless.”

Suddenly, a bin that was holding towels popped open. Those who were still acting out the scene of a tragedy stopped in the middle of their performance to look at the interruption. A boy with uneven and messy black hair, wearing a black uniform with three white buttons up the middle popped out of the towel container. He looked at her with tired looking darkened eyes, but at the same time they were surprisingly earnest as he finished crawling out and straightened up into his usual slouch. “You shouldn’t talk about yourself that way. You’re not useless at all. You’ve done a whole lot with your life.”

“Huh… who are you?” Mukuro tilted her head in an odd way, noticing something familiar about the stranger who looked about middle school age.

“We’ve only met once before this, it was really brief so I don’t blame you for not remembering me. Ever since that day though, you’ve become my most important person.”

“Wha…” Ever since that day? She did not even hear the second part of what he said, because immediately she remembered.

A hallway lined with corpses. Kids fell on top of each other, with absolutely no regard for what they were crawling over in their desperate attempt to flee. Standing at the end of the hallways, a living shadow, who only knew how to kill. She was like a curse bestowed upon the school itself, or a monster that would appear only in a horror movie that only killed everything in front of her.

Ikusaba Mukuro stepped slowly forward ignoring the corpses that were underneath her feet. Faces that were half cut off, terrified expressions that stayed on their corpses even after death, blod smeared against the walls, a few slumped over having leaned against the wall in death.

She continued to slowly walk forward completely unperturbed by all of these sights. However, a girl with blonde hair wearing a dark skirt walked out into the hallway, and stopped with her hand over her face. She took in one sharp breath, and then screamed. “A...Aa…Nooooooooooooooo!”

The moment she fled Ikusaba Mukuro took after her in pursuit. She was nothing more than a lone wolf, starving, waiting for the next fleeing doe to sink her teeth into. The screams died down quickly, and her fleeing stopped the moment after Mukuro slashed her back.

She saw three more try to escape into a room rather than take their chances into a hallway, and sighed. A boy who was farthest away from her with dark black hair, she decided to pick him off first. In one clean stroke of her knife his head flew off.

In the next moment se stepped into the room, blood from her last kill having splashed onto her mouth. Wth her free hand, and one clean swipe, she flicked the blood away from her face with her black glove. “I’ve been telling you that running away is useless.”  As she stepped forward, blood was pooled in front of her, and at the side of the wall.

Two more children ran away, one with tears still in his eyes. She got him by the neck in one blow, splashing blood everywhere, and the next she took off her head. The windows themselves became stained with the blood of her kills, and Ikusaba Mukuro looked indifferent to it all.

She cut, and cut, and cut, and cut, and the entire room seemed to tear itself apart in front of her. Limbs flew away from their bodies, guts spilled out, legs collapsed from underneath, heads separated, those leaning against a wall fell down slowly leaving a trail of blood behind them from where their backs had been torn open.

When it was finished, the room was entirely still. She stared at two lockers, hearing breathing from within. Two survivors? Well, that’s fine. Junko will be impatient if I take any longer. Desks overturned, students on the floor in pieces, blood painted on the walls in a terrifying mosaic. Mukuro walked away from that scene, her school uniform completely clean, still wearing the black gloves on her hands and holding a combat knife in one of her hands far too easily.

The current Mukuro who stood trembling at the sight of a single dead body of a person she happened to know, like she was some puppy who had just gotten scolded seemed like an entirely different human being inhabiting the same body.

“That uniform… that’s a Gibouchi middle school uniform, right?”  Mukuro asked as she leveled her gaze at the stranger.

“You remember? I’m so glad then. It’s been a whole year and you’ve been busy since then,” Takumi’s expression softened as he said something incredibly odd.

“What… what are you talking about Gibouchi middle school? What does that have to do with anything?” Makoto wanted to close the distance between him and Mukuro, but suddenly Kumagawa was holding onto his uniform much together than he had been a moment ago.

Mukuro slipped away from her sister entirely, and started to walk in wide circles around the other. Takumi did the same. The two of them both pitch black sized each other up.

“I… I’m sorry for not telling you about Toko. I’ll tell you about this right now, even though that won’t make up for anything. The Gibouchi Middle School Mass Murder Incident, I was ordered to kill every single person inside that school as a test of my ability to kill. I killed all of them but two.”

“You killed all of the students inside of a middle school?”

“No, I didn’t kill two of them.” Mukuro said, looking back as she corrected Makoto. “He’s probably one of the survivors of that incident. The sight that he saw that day, and the terror… I suppose it makes sense he would become a serial killer who kills other serial killers.”

“Yeah, yeah… I knew it… I knew you’d understand me, Mukuro-chan.” Takumi nodded his head along, his sleepy eyes focusing on her. Mukuro was the only person he saw in the room.

“You… Mukuro you… that must have been so hard for you.” Makoto said, his voice dripping with the well of sympathy he seemed to keep inside of him.

Mukuro stopped walking for a moment. “What, are you stupid Makoto? That’s an unforgiveable thing.”

“Yeah, but somebody made you do it right? Even if you did do something like that, there was a point where you were just a girl who wanted to live normally. I just… I feel bad that you ended up taking this path. Both you and him, I don’t want you two to fight, please, there has to be a better way to solve this.” He reached out to her, desperate. A mix of emotions that were too much for his average heart to take, as he tried desperately to bear Mukuro’s burden with her.

Mukuro smiled back at him, genuine and soft. “Oh, Makoto.” Then suddenly like she was an entirely different person her voice called out harsh in a command. “Misogi-chan! Hold both Junko and Makoto back, don’t let them interfere in this fight!”

『Yes, Ma’am.』Kumagawa agreed immediately, and Makoto suddenly saw his world invert itself. From nowhere several screws had appeared and nailed him to the floor. The same happened to junko, but oddly enough she was smiling.

“Mukuro, no, don’t go!” Makoto cried out reaching after her.

At that exact moment, Takumi drew a combat knife in one hand and changed forward. Mukuro lifted up her skirt and pulled a combat knife out, the same model she had used that day. It only took her a moment to notice that they were using the exact same knife. The next moment their knives collided, and the whole room seemed to shake.

Strong! How is a middle schooler this strong! As they both became a flurry of parries and ripostes with highly trained knife combat, Mukuro’s mind drifted away for a moment. She remembered the three years of training it took her to acquire this skill to be so untouchable in battle.

He was moving exactly like her, but he had been a normal middle school student until a year ago. Then she remembered one other detail, that boy had not been carrying a knife at all when he first crawled out of the laundry basket.

“Where did you find that knife?” She asked, as their knives collided once more, and their faces were centimeters apart from one another.

“Concealed weaponry, special technique of the killer Munakata Kei. He’s not a killer, so I couldn’t kill him but I observed him for a little while.”

In the next moment he flicked his sleeve and another knife fell out. He reached out and pulled open his jacket to reveal several rounds of ammunition that were tied around his chest. Mukuro saw she was now holding against two knives and jumped back to reassess the situation.

Se looked at Junko and knew that there was one way she could settle this. When she detached herself from Junko entirely, she went into a state of a helpless girl who did not know how to do anything but kill, that was her so called abnormality. However, she did not want to kill. She knew it was wrong what she had done to create this person, and that killing him now would make it even more wrong.

『Mukuro-chan, watch out! If he can copy killing techniques that fast, he must be using some kind of abnormality.』Kumagawa called out after her, as he kept a watch on both Junko and Makoto while the two killers rampaged about the room, faster than most eyes could track.

The moment Kumagawa said that, Mukuro saw a pair of scissors thrown in her direction like it was a kunai. She jumped out of the way on instinct alone dodging the attack, and then spun her body in the air so she would land on her feet in a crouch. Immediately after, she countered his follow up strike with two knives catching them both with her one.

She was a girl who only knew how to kill, but his abnormality could harness the technique of any killer he saw and improve upon it. The two of them were evenly matched, and most of all Mukuro did not want to kill him. If it came down to that, she would lose the fight because of that. Which meant her only option was to try to talk herself out of this, the same way Makoto, Junko and Kumagawa did when they were in danger.

“Uh...w-why do you want to kill me?” She asked in a much softer voice, than seemed appropriate of a girl who was wildly hacking away at his guard with a combat knife. “Is it for revenge? Is it justice? I understand killing other serial killers after what you saw, that might seem better than all of the other reasons for killing but.. In the end murder is still murder.”

“That’s exactly what I think. You really do understand me.” Takumi slashed away at her, knowing that she would perfectly counter all of is blows. He hardly considered this even a fight. It was like a human being trying to out murder death themselves, it would never even measure up. “I know you… because I… things like murders… those sorts of odd things...from the bottom of my heart…”

Mukuro could see the pain in his expression, as he bit at his lips, his hair falling over both of his eyes. Knowing she was the one who had caused that pain, in the days where she recklessly trampled over others trying to appease Junko’s wishes, her heart fell into despair. I want to disappear. I should just die here! Die and atone for my sin.

However, the feelings that Takumi bit back spread out to cover his entire face, he looked at her with one eye, and a wide smile that showed all of his teeth. She recognized that same smile, the one Junko gave when she was enjoying despair the most. “I love beyond anything. THat day, inside that closet, I made a resolution. I’ll definitely become one, just like you, a cool mass murderer! I admire you more than anyone else, I… I love you.”

Mukuro had never heard words of love told to her so frankly before. From the shock of it alone, she hesitated. “What..?” Then the next moment a wound on her shoulder opened from a strike she had allowed to get through her defense. With her free hand, she held onto her bloodied shoulder and jumped back.

“I’m sorry… I’m not good at talking to others or conveying my feelings, so I thought I’d show you through some passionate killings. You, Ikusaba Mukuro, a barely human girl, an endlessly useless and disappointing girl who only knows how to kill. To me, you are the most passionate killer. Murder makes a man… or so it is said. For example, somebody handling bodies roughly, is like somebody who is negligent of brushing their teeth. Those who use fret saws in dismembering are neglectful of their friendships. Those who maim because they want to see something exciting, are looking down on “Murder.” You’re the only person I’ve ever met, who kills so perfectly. I give your murders 100 points.”

Another memory snuck into Enoshima Junko’s vision whether she wanted to see it or not. Through the gaps in the locker door, a small middle school boy who had yet to hit his growth spurt watched without looking away. He heard a splash of blood against the side of his locker, and focused his eyes. Soon he could hear nothing, because the sound of his own heart beaing drowned everything else out.

Badump. Badump. Badump.
I don’t want to die.
It hurts it hurts!
Please who are you?
Just stand still and it will be over quicker.
Badump!
Badump!

His fingers tensed against the metal inside of the locker. As he saw a girl with dark hair and freckles, held a knife so softly, that he started to wonder  what it would be like to hold her hand. Through the gaps in the locker door, he could see blood splashing in every direction, however the pink blood seemed to sparkle and move around her in slow motion.

His eyes wide with a childish youth, widened even further taking the whole scene in, then slowly closed. When they reopened, they became stuck in the same sleepy eyed look he wore today. His entire face red, his mouth hung open, he started to drool.

Was blood… always this pretty?

In that exact moment, the abnormal existence known as the Killer Killer was born.

Mukuro tilted her head, still not quite understanding as she held onto her bleeding shoulder. “So… you’re confessing to me?”

Takumi nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes. Those are my honest feelings, I just wanted to convey them to you. You don’t have to respond.”

Mukuro looked distant for a moment. She wished she had a window to stare out of so she could continue to ignore this reality, but she supposed that Kumagawa really could not make all of the people she had killed become nothing. “I’ll respond… Thank you for telling me, nobody’s ever told me that they loved me, or that they thought I was perfect. But I… I don’t want to kill anymore.”

“That’s what I was afraid of. Somebody like you losing their passion for killing. That’s why I tried so hard to reignite it.” Takumi looked sleepily back at the corpse behind him. “If you had become so angry at the deaths of your friends, you decided to kill me and end it all that would have been fine. I guess that means I have to go to plan B.”

“Huh?”

Immediately he charged after her again to resume the fight, and Mukuro’s only option was to dodge. She beat back his blows much more clumsily than she had before, feeling both the confusion and the loss of blood piling up.

“I think you were fine as you were. You killed so beautifully, with no regard for others. That kind of vibrant life that stands over all others was the kind I admired the most.”

“I… It wasn’t like that… All I ever did was listen to what she told me to do,’ Mukuro choked out in response.

“You’re going to remain a murderer for the rest of your life you know, whether you keep killing people or stop,” Takumi spoke to her in a dull voice.

“I know, but… I decided to do this for myself for once. This is the first choice I made that has nothing to do with Junko.”

“No, no, no, that’s not passionate at all. It’s lukewarm. I’m not going to let you die out and become dull. Mukuro-chan, if the future is too difficult for you to face, then you should just die with me. I’ll spend the rest of my life killing you, and you’ll spend the rest of my life killing me. It’ll be a lover’s suicide.”

“I won’t… I won’t… I won’t kill you even if you kill me.”

“So then you’ll just die?” Takumi asked, his hair flying away from his face revealing both sleepy eyes. Mukuro’s entire self reflected back in them. She saw the admiration in is twisted expression, and knew once again she was the one who had made him this way. She had no idea how to unmake him either.

She looked back at Makoto, still struggling against the floor and Kumagawa’s screws trying to get to her side. Is my only option to die, or to kill him and break my promise? She tried to follow the advice that had been given to her earlier. Picture something to stop yourself from killing the person in front of you. She remembered the face that Makoto made when he was sleeping on the bus drooling. The face he made when his entire face turned red after she tackled him over. The face he made when he gave her a wolf phone charm for the first time. That face, that face, and that face too. I don’t want to forget any of these sexy faces. I really am selfish right until the end.

“Misogi-chan, I’m going to charge forward at im one more time. Analyze his weakness and then stop him after I’m gone. Makoto…” SHe looked back at him, her face turning red. “I really loved you, from the moment we first met, no even before we first met. I fell in love with your smile. Thank you for putting up with me, even though I’m disappointing, and have done unforgivable things. You don’t have to forgive me, or even remember me, I wish for your happiness after this.”

I said it.
I got to say it.
I was able to say it.
I was able to love at least one person normally before I died.
I have no regrets in life.
I am completely satisfied.

She charged forward knife in her hand at Takumi. The moment she saw the way he braced himself awaiting her charge, she knew it was already over.

“So, you’ve chosen to sacrifice yourself. That is very admirable, it would definitely work. If this was a manga.”

From all sides scissors started to fall towards Mukuro. She looked up at the ceiling and saw that they were there previously and had been holding Toko’s body against them.

Oh man.
I’ve lost.
I’ve lost without learning anything at all.
I’ve lost as usual.
I am so weak, so useless.
I’m such a disappointment.

She thought all of this as her body started to fall. The despair was written clearly on Mukuro’s face. At this, Kumagawa Misogi smiled.

『Yeah that is so true. You really are weak, and useless Mukuro-chan. But it’s also true that… you’re not wrong. Scream, Kikaijima-san.』

At that moment, the woman pretending to be Toko’s corpse came to life. The breath that she had been holding for over ten minutes, came out in a great scream that knocked Takumi completely off his feet, sending him head over heels flying backwards and away from Mukuro.

Kumagawa MIsogi caught Mukuro with an extended arm.  『I knew that somebody as obsessed with showmanship like you wouldn’t check if the person he drowned didn’t have a secret ability like being able to hold her breath for ten minutes.』

Kikiajima Mogana came to life in front of him, and started to pull the scissors out of her body. “What exactly were you going to do if he decided to stab me to death, Misogi-chan?”

『I would have honored your sacrifice.』

“Don’t be so casual about it!” Kikaijima snapped at him, and then quickly started trying to catch her breath again. Until she could she was useless in the fight except for the extraordinary toughness that all the sandbox academy students seemed to have. 

Kumagawa Misogi smiled down at Ikusaba Mukuro once more.  『Geez, you’re pretty selfish thinking you can just sacrifice yourself for your friends to make up for things. You’ve truly grown weak and naive, I am disappointed…. But that naivete, I don’t hate it.』

Takumi was already on his feet though and closed the distance between them. Kumagawa tossed Mukuro back and brought up his screws to guard.

Takumi sliced straight through his arm, causing it to separate from his body.  『Awe man.. You can’t start the fight off so seriously, not when I’m still explaining my plan.』

Takumi did not even bother to engage with Kumagawa though, he only wanted to make it to Mukuro’s side again. The flurry of one handed blows that came from Kumagawa’s screws, he dodged easily.

『Well, anyway if you’re a person who knows murder more than anybody else, then I know despair more than anybody else. I knew that she couldn’t resist the temptation to turn this event into a hot springs murder mystery, so I studied up beforehand and tried to guess who were the most likely targets, and then asked Shiranui-chan to swap them out for me. The third target Toko, I did myself asking Kikaijima-san to walk around in the hallways pretending to be her. Didn’t you think it was weird Togami wasn’t anywhere around her? Of course you didn’t, those guys were just distractions you were only paying attention to Mukuro. You didn’t notice that the person you drowned was holding their breath, the person you stabbed was covered with fake blood.』

“Die, please.” Takumi grabbed him by the head, and slammed him down hard against the ground. A few more times, until he heard bone crack.

『Oh, so polite.』Kumagawa glanced over at Mukuro who was still on the floor.  『WHat are you doing, Mukuro-chan? I’m holding him off here so… Hurry up and continue your confession to Makoto-chan.』

“....Eh?” Mukuro blinked, confused again.

『It’s not eh… Don’t tell me… YOu’re just going to go to head for a happy ending just by saying what you want and satisfying yourself. It’s not a confession until you’ve heard what the other party has to say. Don’t run!』

Makoto looked up at her. “P..please come here. I want to tell you something too.”

“Makoto…”

『Hurry up and go… 』Kumagawa said as his head was stomped on.  『Even if you’re weak and useless, if there is just one thing that we proudly hold against the elites. It is that we don’t run away from losing. We don’t run, from love, or from rejection.』

Mukuro walked over, to Makoto who was still screwed to the ground. He looked up and caught her eyes. “I… Even if you think you deserve it… Or if it’s too hard to go on with the guilt. I don’t want you to die, Mukuro-chan.”

“Why?”

“This is just my own selfish reasoning, it has nothing at all to do with hope… but… I fell in love with your smile too. Even if I were to be reincarnated, I will always love your smile, therefore, I can’t let you die alone to atone for your sins.”

Am I…
Able to smile…
I wonder if I am happy to be able to love Makoto, even being the person I am.

“Thank you… I’m really happy, Makoto. I want to become a person whose worthy of the hope you have in me.”

『Ahah… Makoto acted so cool, and said some half assed things to an already incited Mukuro-chan. I wanted her to grow feelings for me after she was rejected but… once again I couldn’t win.』

“Wait. What did you just say?” Junko, who was still there and had been silently watching with a pleased expression on her face suddenly interjected. Her nails dragged across the floor as she felt her own heart beat increasing.

“Why are you making such a satisfied face when you’ve lost?” Takumi asked Kumagawa with his shoe on his head. “There’s no passion in you at all. Maybe, if I kill Makoto, or Junko, I’ll be able to reignite Mukuro’s passion. I really hate how lukewarm things have become, I’m tmepted to rip it to pieces.”

『Well.. Well… Despite only caring about Mukuro and wanting to kill her loved ones, you’re still willing to fight against me? You truly are an understanding person, Takumi-chan. But, it is indeed true that I’ve lost my passion as of late. Things like manga just don’t interest me anymore. Not when the person I was passionate for on’t even look at me, and yet now...』Suddenly from his body that was on the ground sprung up straight through his back, and screwing Takumi through the chest and out his back as well.  『I can’t find myself forgiving you after you’ve hurt my fellow lowerclassmen. It feels like I’m watching a bad dream unfold.』

The screw broke away and remained in Takumi’s chest while Kumagawa stood up. He put one hand in his pocket, and began to walk back towards the others.  『I’ll show you, that my violent life filled with nothing but repeated losses was the farthest thing from cool. All this time I’ve only lived in an uncool way.』

“Eh… wait why… ah… this is kind of lame isn’t it… I was wrong. I’ll apologize, forgive me.” The color drained from Takumi’s hair, now a pure white he looked at Kumagawa’s back, tears appearing from the corners of his eyes.

『I am not wrong, and I too am lukewarm, so no matter how passionately you apologize I’ll never forgive you.』

Behind him, screwed to the ground entirely drained of passion, Takumi collapsed. He was still alive, but his abnormal urge to kill was sealed away entirely by bookmaker.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kikaijima left to find a doctor, which left Takumi who crawled back into the laundry basket with bookmaker still inside him to mutter to himself, but had no particular urge to run away, Kumagawa who had leaned against a wall, and Makoto and Junko who were now free from Kumagawa’s screws surrounding Mukuro.

“Mukuro, will you tell me the truth of what happened now?” Makoto asked, his faith in her unwavering as ever.

Mukuro stared at her feet, but nodded. “I told you, this is all my fault so…”

“Whose her? You and Kumagawa both kept mentioning a her as behind this.”

Mukuro’s eyes widened. She had forgotten that occasionally Makoto was observant enough to piece together things for himself, and reached the right conclusion by luck. “I…” She looked at Junko, still pretending to be nothing more than a concerned older sister.

Suddenly, everything about her appearance changed, and with a small smile Junko suddenly admitted. “Oh, yeah, it was me.” The next moment she brought two fingers and a thumb in front of her face. “Two sisters, one rough hue military minded, the other cunning, cunning and compulsively attractive. Guess which one I am?”

“You’re… the mastermind.. The one who was telling Mukuro to do all of those bad things.”  Makoto pieced it together for himself slowly. Of course Kumagawa lied and took all the credit and claimed Junko was nothing more than a helpless hostage, Kumagawa loved Junko the same way he did Mukuro and tried to protect her in his own way.

“No, Makoto don’t listen to her. It’s my fault, I chose to always follow her orders.” Mukuro’s gloved hand wrapped around Makoto’s shirt. She wanted Makoto’s love for his classmates to stay perfectly intact, which is why she lied.

“Is.. is this true?” Makoto looked at her with the same rejection of reality he looked at the corpse a few minutes ago.

Junko merely stood confidently with her hands on her hips. “Yep! Totes! It was all me! The reason Mukuro is suffering is because of her beloved sister, and the reason Hope’s Peak is in danger is because of one of your beloved classmates. Isn’t that right, Kumagawa-senpai. The reason you’re acting all boring and mopey right now is…”

She turned around and thought it was strange that Kumagawa had not cut in to say something yet. He usually loved making smart remarks at times like this. She looked back and saw that he had slid down the wall he was standing against, leaving a trail of blood on the wall as his body dragged down it.

『Enoshima-sama… sorry… what did you say? I can’t… I can’t hear… why isn’t anybody saying anything.』Blood pooled at his feet, falling from his missing arm, his cracked skull, and the hole in his stomach. 『Ah… fuck… I think I’m dying… how uncool.』

“You really like taking a hit, huh? Kumagawa-senpai?” Junko said, turning her head to look at him. An unreadable expression crossed her face as she saw his blood begin to pool, bright pink.

Mukuro let go of Makoto and ran past him. “Misogi-chan!” Her hand immediately went to is wound to try and plug it up, but it made little difference. She peeled off her gloves and threw them to the side. “Misogi-chan, why?”

『It’s fine… Just leave it be. You only need Makoto’s hope to move forward.』

“Misogi-chan! Listen, you need to stay focused so you don’t go into shock. I need you too! I need your despair just as much as I need Makoto's hope! Junko… Junko…” She looked back up at her sister, her eyes wild like a desperate wolf with its own legs caught in a bear trap.

“Hmmm?” Her sister purred, confidently like a cat.

“Junko, you know how to fix anything. Please, tell me how to fix Misogi-chan.”

“Why would I do that? I’m the one who drove you to this current state of despair, why would I do anything to undo it?”

Mukuro looked back up at her. “Misogi-chan is the only one you smile around! Why are you doing this to him? If he’s dead you’ll never be able to see him smile again! He’ll never do anything interesting anymore! What are you stupid or something?”

Junko merely crossed her arms and looked away. That small measure of resistance from her sister would not qualify as interesting.

Mukuro tried to think. Medaka was somebody as smart as Junko, but even if she made it in time she doubted a miracle could be performed for somebody who lost so much blood. Then, suddenly she remembered that this school was already filled with plenty of abnormal people wo made miracles seem ordinary.

“Anshin’in-san!” Mukuro screamed out at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly standing next to Junko was a woman in all white robes. Enoshima Junko jumped waving her hands in the air in a crazy pose. “Personal space, jesus!”

“No, it’s not Jesus, it’s Anshin’in-san.” Ajimu Najimi said, smiling warmly at everyone present.

“Heal him please! You’re like the most broken character in the game right? You have all of the skills or whatever, so just… So just heal him…” Mukuro said.

“Hmm….” Ajimu hummed playfully in the exact same manner that Junko had a moment ago. “I dunno. I said I wanted to make this into the kind of manga where nobody dies, but I don’t really think anybody would care if somebody like Kumagawa-kun died. Well, I’m not that heartless, if you convince me you care, I suppose I can be persuaded by begging.”

“Please… Please I’ll do anything.” Mukuro said, lowering her head while she clung to Kumagawa, still trying to keep his wounds closed with her bare hands.

“Oh, sorry should have been specific. I guess that kind of thing can get confusing with twins. I wasn’t talking about you, Mukuro-chan.” Ajimu cast her red eyed gaze back at the other despair sister. “Junko-chan, if you ask me to, I’ll heal that broken toy of yours.”

“Huh…” Junko tilted her head at an odd angle, the same way her sister had previously when confused. She reached up and pointed a single fingernail at herself. “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Why would I want to save trash like him? The least he can do is be combustible, and burn up a little bit so I feel a little warmth.” Enoshima Junko refused to even look at the dying Kumagawa and her sister who was holding onto him so desperately.

“He’s got about thirty seconds left until he dies. What are you going to do.. Uh… who are you again?” She tilted her head back to look at Mukuro. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

“I am Junko’s Older Sister.” Mukuro said in a low voice. She let go of Kumagawa’s wounded body, and then stood up picking her knife off the ground and this time wielding it with her bare hands. The wolf tattoo on one of her hands had been covered in blood. She leveled the knife and pointed it straight at Junko for a moment.

Junko’s eyes brightened. “Interesting. Ten years of mistreatment and now you’re finally going to betray your awful younger sister? Finally… finally.. Something interesting…”

Mukuro however, hesitated for a moment. “I never thought you were awful. I’m your older sister, I’m the one who understands you best. That’s why I know you won’t settle for anybody but yourself killing me.” She looked to Ajimu for a moment.
“Wha…”

Before Junko could process what happened which meant Mukuro had moved faster than even superhuman perception could see, she turned her knife back on her own throat and slit it in one smooth movement. Immiedately she clasped her hand on the wound.  “Don’t heal me unless Junko asks you to heal Misogi-chan.” Mukuro said with one last gasping breath before falling over. Her body crumpled over Kumagawa, and they really did look like a pair of lovers who had committed suicide.

The normal Naegi Makoto had no idea how to react to the girl he had just told she loved, slitting her own throat in front of him. He tried to say something, but his entire body felt empty.

“Ten seconds now, Junko-chan. I have to ask, are you really satisfied with them dying in such a lame way? Shouldn’t you follow story structure and have them die at a more climactic moment.”

She’s messing with me.
Did she anticipate my plan?
She didn’t even try to stop me, she just planned around me and showed up when it was most convenient for her.
Cheating! She cheated!
God, think Junko think.
Why are you even freaking out about this.
This is so unlike you.
This is just like the time with Kamakura, why did you hesitate for a moment when you saw Kumagawa about to be killed?
You should have just enjoyed the despair of his death.
I hate her so much.
Ajimu Najimi does not make any sense.
Everything’s gone even madder since she arrived.
I need to witness the clash between hope and despair, but to her neither of those things matter. If she wins, I’ll lose the only conflict that makes me feel alive.
Ever since she’s arrived she’s done nothing but mess with my head.
I’m not acting like myself.
I’m acting out of character.
This is totally the wrong character archetype I’m playing right now.
I shouldn’t even be questioning myself like this.
I don’t need a reason for what I do.
I do everything for the sake of despair.

But dammit why did I hesitate when Kamakura was about to kill Kumagawa, why am I acting so weird lately?
I…
I…
I was jealous wasn’t I?

“This feeling… ah… I can’t live without Kumagawa anymore. He made my world so interesting. That’s why… that’s why… I can’t let some basic ass bitch do it.”

She smiled.

“I need to kill Kumagawa with my own hands. That’s what I’ve been doing wrong all this time.”

The revelation was so simple. She stared at her empty hands, and the red claws attached to them.

“I want to spend the rest of my life killing Kumagawa.” She repeated Takumi’s same confession of love. She looked back to Ajimu. “Please heal him, like pretty please with sprinkles on top and whatever!”

Kumagawa who had become as still as death cracked a smile.  『Ah...』

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself!” Junko snapped at him.

The screw covering one of Ajimu’s hands hoewver, started to disintegrate. She pulled it away freeing one hand. That hand quickly transformed into a few black claws, which she quickly slashed both Mukuro and Kumagawa with.

Their bodies quickly regenerated their wounds. Makoto looked back at Junko for one fleeting moment, and then rushed to their sides.

A few minutes later, they regained consciousness quite easily. Ajimu Najimi had left and it was only the three of them now. Mukuro murmured still in a sleepy voice. “Am I alive?”

“Yeah…” Makoto had tears in his eyes, and quickly dug his face into her chest.

“Oh that’s good…” She glanced at the empty space behind them. “Did Junko run off somewhere?”

“Yep."

『That’s not good.』Kumagawa sat up on his own.  『She probably has something even worse planned for us now.』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Monaca stared at her phone. She had tried several times now to get into contact with Kumagawa Misogi again, even calling Toko, and Munakata both of them telling her they were busy looking around the hot springs.

She groaned and decided to just play games on her phone now that she had successfully snuck away from Medaka’s annoying positivity and encouragement. As she stared at her phone though, she could not help but feel unease.

Behind her, there was a shadow creeping up, a shadow that had pigtails and bright smile. Just as Monaca finally noticed it, before she could even reach she felt arms wrapping around her. From behind her, a voice whispered full of affection. “Hey lil sis, it’s been awhile, right? I sooooooooooo missed you.”

Enoshima Junko had appeared suddenly. She was being held by Junko. She was being embraced from behind. Monaca was used to feeling nothing, but suddenly all of her senses went off at once, she was overwhelmed with too much feeling.

“Do you want to hang out? Make up for lost time? I’ve got something really fun planned.”

Chapter 30: I Hate Murder

Summary:

Killer Killer Killer Killer.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of that?” Makoto snapped at the end of a long explanation delivered in parts by Kumagawa and Mukuro. However, as usual Kumagawa was the only one who received his anger as Makoto suddenly grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against a wall.

Kumagawa’s uniform had already been torn in tatters by the fight, and Makoto twisting the fabric up in his clenched fist only served to rip it further. Otherwise Kumagawa did not seem fazed at all by the sudden confrontation, as usual he was used to such things.  『Umm… well… you didn’t ask?』

“What are you twelve?” Makoto shook Kumagawa who barely put up any resistance. He really was the human embodiment of a punching bag, or perhaps those rag dolls that children throw around for fun. “Why were you keeping Junko’s real self a secret when she’s been hurting Mukuro like that? Why are you taking all the blame and covering for her?”

『One question at a time please, mahkyutie. I’m very slow you know.』Kumagawa still looked relaxed and raised his hands up in innocence.

Makoto was further frustrated by how impenetrable Kumagawa seemed. If Makoto was somebody who could never be persuaded away from hope, than Kumagawa could not be persuaded away from his role as the hated and detested one. He had grown far too accustomed to it. “You’re not stupid, I know you’re not. You always play dumb, but you’re the one who always ends up at the center of these things, and not just because you get lucky like me.”

『Being complimented by a main character, you really are so kind.』Kumagawa Misogi’s eyes averted for a moment, thinking.  『I’m eighteen, but mentally I’m sure I’m much younger because I have no memories of being loved during my developmental years, I wanted Mukuro-chan to be the one to tell you. If she hid it I suppose it’s because...』

Mukuro far away from the two hand sat down against the wall with her knees drawn up. Her hand was still gently tracing the place where her throat had been slit. As if the wound was still there, she remained entirely quiet, shutting her two boys out while they confronted each other. Makoto saw that Kumagawa had cast his eyes aside to look at her.

『If you had learned who Enoshima-sama really was, you would have hated her. Having her sister be hated, or having you unable to continue your idyllic days loving all fifteen of your classmates I suppose both of those results were unacceptable to her.』

Makoto breathed in and out slowly. This entire time he had failed to process the scene that played out in front of him, and remained entirely helpless like he was watching from the audience. The image of Mukuro slitting her own throat so easily, and leaving him behind still stayed like a fresh wound in his mind even after both her and Kumagawa had been healed. The person responsible for those feelings, was none other than Enoshima Junko. “Yeah… I guess I do hate her.” It was a strange feeling for him. Even when he was dragged along by a jewel thief, even when he thought Kumagawa had been lying to him all along, he could not bring himself to hate them. This was his first time feeling, like first love, except it blossomed into black hatred. “I can’t forgive someone who hurts people so easily.”

『I can’t hate her. No matter what she does, I can’t.』He said looking directly at Makoto, his eyes bright blue and as clear as day. A lot of Kumagawa’s smiles were obviously faked, especially when he was in pain, Makoto who did not consider himself particularly good at reading people could at least tell that much. However, Kumagawa smiled now with a genuine warmth, as if he was describing in meticulous detail somebody he was truly fond of. 『She’s just extremely open with her desires, the same way I am with my negative emotions. In her case, it took the form of her voyeuristic ‘despair’ hobby. Of course, since she’s so cunning, nobody’s able to stop her from doing what she wants with others, and it only makes her worse natured when she gets what she wants over and over again.』

Ah… what a lovelorn expression. Makoto thought, his fingers releasing finally letting Kumagawa back down. A moment later when he realized who those genuine feelings were directed

towards, Makoto felt immediate revulsion and staggered backwards a few steps. “You should have told me, we’re a class aren’t we? We should work together all this time I wanted to trust them…”

“Aaaanndd?” The voice of a newcomer echoed in the hallways, it sounded a bit like a giggling phantom, that is until Kokichi revealed himself.

Makoto turned around, “Huh?”

“You talk about cooperation and teamwork, but you’re afraid. You’re too scared to point fingers at others, your own precious classmates, so you’ve hidden behind the word ‘trust’. How did you expect to ever find out who Enoshima Junko was on your own when all you worry about is other people’s feelings?” He gestured flippantly with his hand, staring at his empty palm. “If you wanted to know the truth, you should have exposed a lair. You should have cornered them psychologically, only then would they have revelead their true self as a liar- hiding beneath a layer of deceipt!” He flashed his finger in front of his lips for a moment, before throwing his hands at his sides in a grandiose pose. All those watching wondered for a moment if Kokichi had practiced this speech before in a mirror and was waiting to use it.

“...” Makoto stared at the newcomer.

“You didn’t do any of that though, you simply waited for them to come to you, touting your empty word of trust like always. You never acted, simply reacted. It’s because of that the worst possible result happened and the liar was only exposed when everybody was forced to fight for their lives! Well, I can’t complain about that, we got an ending that was totally-not-boring-but-super-fun!”

“Who is this smart talking lost child?” Makoto’s shoulder drooped and suddenly he felt even more behind than he was a moment ago.

“Hihi! Ouma Kokichi at your service, I’m one of Medaka’s potential successors but my real loyalty is to the not equal Ajimu Najimi a non-human with a quadrillion skills. Wait, wait a child? I resent that, there’s nothing childish about me. I’m always mature all the time. Besides you’re the last person who has a right to call me short.”

Both Mukuro and Kumagawa stood up at the same time to greet the newcomer, and both of them easily towered over Makoto. Makoto scratched the back of his head, this not helping his confusion at all. “Well I guess that makes sense… wait a quadrillion! How many is that? That sounds like a lot…” How many enemies are there, even? How many people do I need to protect Mukuro from. “Were you guys really fighting somebody ridiculous like that?”

『Don’t worry about it Makoto-chan, I’m quite used to being surrounded by enemies. It’s normal for both Mukuro-chan and I so you don’t need to worry about it.』

“Yep, yep, to Medaka-chan enemies and allies are the same thing. That’s why even though I’m with Ajimu-chan, I’m talking with you so casually.” Kokichi crossed his arms behind his head. “It’s like in Mario Kart where even though Bowser and Mario are eternal enemies, they’ll stop their battles to race in go karts.”

“That doesn’t sound normal at all,” Makoto muttered, wondering if what he considered his one defining characteristic to be, his ability and knowledge of the normal and the average, might not matter if the face of these eccentrics who were entirely too adjusted to the abnormal.

“Oh, speaking of that though the reason why I’m here. Even though we’re sworn enemies and I’ve taken a blood oath to destroy all of you and bring your kingdom to ruins-” Kokichi threw himself easily into another lie, but he stopped himself in a moment like he had hit a red turtle shell. He spoke much faster, and more serious, “Monaca-chan’s missing and I need your help.”

After that Kokichi gasped, and doubled over holding onto his knees. “Really, telling the truth is so exhausting. How do you hopelessly stupid and ugly people manage it all the time?”

“I’m sorry I let this one get ahead of me…” Appearing from the same door, finally cathing up Munakata chopped Kokichi on the top of the head extremely lightly. “He got ahead of himself as well. He met up with me when I was looking or the killer, and then we both started searching for Towa-san.”

“You, you’re Zenkichi’s friend right?” Makoto turned to acknowledge the newcomer.

“I’m Zenkichi’s best friend…” Munakata suddenly felt territorial. He had overheard part of the conversation though, and felt an urge to cut through Makoto’s worries. “It’s fine, Naegi-san. Nobody expects somebody normal like you to keep up with all this abnormal nonsense. You’re strong just for trying to be friend’s with us.”

“Monaca… you mean that little girl in the wheelchair?” Makoto had almost entirely been cut off from the recent student council meetings and only remembered seeing her from afar.

“Actually, she’s not really in a wheelchair that was a lie,” Kokichi corrected him.

“Seriously, how much do I not know!” Makoto slammed his fist into a wall hard, an extremely un-Makoto like gesture that caused the three others in the room with him to pause. “Well, it’s just like you said if somebody’s in trouble and we sit back here having faith like last time the worst possible result happened. We need to go looking for her now!”

Makoto broke away from all of them, running out the door Kokichi had just walked in from. Both Kokichi and Kumagawa looked at one another, and the only one who tried to go after him was Mukuro, who held a hand out at his retreating form. She saw her own Fenris tattoo at the back of her still gloveless hand and stopped for a moment.

“Makoto…I’m the one who wants to protect you…” She muttered to herself, still too emotionally overwhelmed to do anything else.

“What’s up with her?” Kokichi asked, tugging on to Kumagawa’s sleeve.

『She just confessed to a boy she liked, so she’s a little tired.』

Kokichi rubbed his chin as if he had something profound to say, but that too was just another lie. “I see, I see. The battlefield of love is much more dangerous than any real life battlefield. No wonder miss ultimate soldier looks so worn out.”

Munakata nodded solemnly to that. He had absolutely no experience with love, but he wanted to seem wise in front of an underclassmen. Love and killing were probably the same things, right?

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The moment Makoto took off running, his phone buzzed. He fumbled to answer it while he ran, and as soon as he checked his messages he saw a picture that was sent his way. A selfie of Junko and Monaca took up his screen. The two of them were together taking a selfie in front of one of the city’s monuments. They looked like any normal set of upper and lower classmen hanging out together, Junko even had an arm around Monaca and was cheerfully making the V sign.

Makoto recognized their exact location. It was in one of the pictures he and Mukuro had taken yesterday, the same ones he had shown to Junko. He realized in that moment that Junko would most likely know he recognized this area and was baiting him to run exactly there.

He thought about stopping for a moment and calling for help from somebody who could think a few steps ahead. He could explain the situation to Kirgiri, but… she would probably get mad at him that they had undergone an entire murder mystery arc without even bothering to call her. As a detective she lived for those sorts of things.

He also felt bad, that Kirigiri’s first class trip as a normal student might be ruined. He was the one who wanted to escape his normal life and keep up with these normal people, he made that choice on his own. He saw flashes of Kumagawa and Zenkichi in is mind, those two wee not skilled or even that extraordinary in their capabilities but they always charged forward without any hesitation.

He wanted to be just like them. He had no idea why Kumagawa called him a main character a moment ago, he had never felt like one his entire life, he only ever supported others from the side and relied on them.

His emotion carried him into a full sprint again. When he finally reached that place, the entire time he was rehearsing in is head what he was going to say to Junko when he confronted her. However, instead he was met with somebody he did not recognize.

He stepped on a boy who had been lying on the ground, and nearly tripped a moment after stepping on his head. “Ah-sorry! Where did she go? She only sent the picture awhile ago.” Makoto said, looking around an eerily empty plaza except for the stranger he had just stepped on.

The boy who looked to be about middle school age only recently having undergone a growth spurt, staggered up raising his head from the ground. His haircut made him look quite boyish, white hair fell in front of his face in an uncombed mess, except for one forelock which wrapped around and to the side in a curved looking antannae. As he sat up, still wobbling is head back and forth to shake off his dizziness, that one lock of hair wobbled with him. “If that girl’s gone missing, that was likely the KIller KIller’s doing.”

“A-ah what? He escaped? He was here? Are you okay then?” Makoto thought the reason he might be lying on the ground was that he was yet another corpse, he was almost scared to look as the white haired stranger lifted himself up.

“I.. I’m okay… I just caught a glimpse of a really gruesome scene and got an anemia attack from throwing up too much…”

“That’s not okay!?” Makoto stumbled backwards.

Just then he was caught in the sights of the stranger’s eyes as they peeled open. “...You are… Naegi Makoto-kun, right?”

How does he know my name…? Makoto’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open, he was no good at disguising his emotions and they appeared plainly on his face. “...Who are you…?”

At this point quite politely the boy sat up fully and crossed his legs underneath him. Closing his eyes he said with an innocent smile. “I’m Fujigawa Shuuji. I studied with Hijihara-kun during middle school.”

“Ah…” He remembered Mukuro’s words in describing the middle school massacre incident. All of them but two. He stood staring their quietly for a moment as he made the connection. Inside of his head, like letters being revealed in a mini game he slowly pieced it together like a round of hangman letter by letter, s-e-c-o-n-d s-u-r-v-i-v-o-r. Despite surviving the same tragic incident as Takumi, his face looked innocent. This easily fainting person did not look anything at all like the warped existence that Takumi had become after witnessing the slaughter of his middle school class.

Suddenly though, those bright and innocent features darkened on his face. “I have something I must tell you...I am the Killer Killer.”

“What are you talking about? I just saw him, Hijirihara-kun is the killer killer.”

“I know, that’s why I’m so sick right now. I became the Killer Killer to make Hijihara-kun quit the whole Killer Killer thing, but I’m no good on my own. Would you help me?”

You became a murderer of murderers to stop him from being a murderer of murderers? Why do all of these abnormals make no sense at all! Makoto could feel sweat running down his face. He felt unease, even though this stranger had been nothing but friendly to him so far. “I… I need to find Towa-san.”

“Oh, you mean that girl. She’s been kidnapped as a part of my plan.”

Shuuji’s expression paused, he tilted his head in his confusion. “Huh? It was easy, I just put a collar around her to stop her from escaping. Are you one of those characters who just asks stupid questions to make sure the audience doesn’t get confused?”

“That’s a perfectly normal question to ask!” Makoto stepped back looking around. It really was eerie that nobody was present at a tourist attraction like this. This must have been a trap then, there was no other logical conclusion. At the same time though, this person was asking him for help. There had to be some way to circumvent the plan he was being dragged along. He did not want to simply be forced to cooperate with this person with whatever twisted scheme they had because he himself had no knowledge on how to proceed forward. Kirigiri would get upset with him if he was just dragged along blindly… he needed… he needed to take the information from this person and break out of the chain of events Junko had planned for him. “I won’t help you. In fact… I’ll stop you. What exactly are you planning on doing with her?”

“Nothing that’s any of your business, brat.” Shuuji’s pleasant expression darkened even further.

I know I’m short and not impressive looking, but it still hurts being called brat by a middle schooler! “It… it is my business, because I’m a member of Hope’s Peak, and I’m her upperclassman. I understand you’ve been through something terrible, and I know there was a part of you that once looked to the future with hope. That’s why you want to save your friend! So, how can you justify taking little girls hostage to accomplish that?”

“You’re right, I’ve become blackened. I’m going to do terrible things to terrible people and nothing can justify it. It’s disgusting. You’re right, you’re right…” He stood up know, straightening his knees and walking forward. In a moment he closed the gap between him and Makoto, slamming his fist hard into his gut.

“If you know it’s bad then why are you doing them?” Makoto spat out before he collapsed forward, gripping his stomach.

“There’s really no way to stop other people from doing horrible things, there’s no such thing as say mind controlling anime that can turn you into a mindless zombie. The only way to stop others is to be stronger than them, to do unto them before they do unto you. To save Hijirihara-kun I have to show him just how horrible murder is, by doing horrible things to him, like you know shock therapy.”  He reached forward and grabbed Makoto his hair, dragging his head up once more.

“Th-that doesn’t make any sense.” Hijirihara-kun, and Fujigawa-kun aren’t in despair, they’re just insane! They’re twisted and illogical like Kumagawa is. “You don’t need to hurt anybody we can just stop and talk to your friend together.”

“Why… why don’t you get me?” He picked up Makoto’s head and slammed it on the ground. Makoto had watched Kumagawa get beaten up like this a few times, but unlike him he was not able to endure the pain with a smile. Immediately, tears formed in the corner of his eyes and he cried out.

There’s no way to stop other people.
You can’t force them.
The only way is to be stronger than them.
I want to save him.

Those sentiments were beaten into Makoto as he was kicked, kicked, kicked, and kicked by Shuuji as he slowly became unwound.

That’s right.
I was the one who wanted Mukuro to be saved, even though she’s responsible for this twisted person’s insanity.
I want everyone to be saved, even him.
There’s no need for anybody to die.
There’s hope for everyone, I truly believe that.
Yet.
There’s nothing I can do right now.
But still.. All this…
I just wanted a normal school trip.
This is the last thing I wanted.
Because I put all of my trust in others, I’m on the receiving end of this one sided beat down.
Why is this happening?

“You don’t need to kidnap a girl to save someone. Doing something that pathetic won’t save anybody.” Makoto said as he tore himself away from Shuuji’s grip and then stood up once more. “I want to help you with your friend. Just, talk with me and we can figure out another way together.”

Shuuji looked at Makoto, bruised easily from just a few kicks, standing there barely able to hide his pain. His brave face showed exactly how scared he was still. As ever he remained a completely open book, even to this stranger that barely understood normal human beings. “Whatever…” Shuuji hit him hard in the face knocking him down once more.

“Anything, anything, anything. I’d do anything to save him. Even if it meant dirtying my hands further, and not killing another killer but an innocent person like you.” He followed up with another kick. “Hey, why do you think you can stop me? Is it because you go to that special highschool? You know, just because you know some people who are  bigshots doesn’t make you one, or was it something else? Did you want to throw yourself into danger because you thought it would change you from a normal person into somebody abnormal like Hijirahara-kun and me?”

Yeah…
This person beating on me is…
A piece of shit.

“ All I want is to make Hijirahara-kun normal again, and here you are acting like being abnormal makes you something special. It pisses me off.”

Makoto glared up at him with colorless eyes, defiant even though his head was so fuzzy he could not even speak.

In the next moment as the flick, and sliding metal sound of a switch blade, something appeared in front of him. Suddenly, Mukuro took up all of his blurred vision. “Makoto? Can you hear me? Please look at me, Makoto.”

His eyes focused, and he turned his head slightly from where he was laying on the ground. The next moment he saw Shuuji appear behind her, holding his knife at the height of it’s arc ready to swing down.

“Y-you! Hijirahara-kun was supposed to kill you. That’s what she told me would happen. You shouldn’t be alive. Die, you murderer!”

In a single stroke, Mukuro drew out her own knife and slashed upwards in an arc aiming for the wrist that Shuuji was holding his own knife in. The defense was not even something she thought about, it was pure reflex alone, but in an instant the knife flew rom Shuuji’s hand. He jumped backwards, grabbing his now bleeding hand.

“This isn’t going how she said it would… Fine, I’ll kill her too and start from scratch. Later.” He suddenly broke out in the opposite direction.

Mukuro was too worried about Makoto’s condition to follow, even though he was only covered in scuff marks and light bruises. “What happened?”

Makoto offered her a small smile. “It doesn’t matter what happens. What’s important is, we find where Towa-san is right away.” He started to stand up once more on his own with Mukuro crouched next to him. Only to wobble back and forth, and for Mukuro’s hands to quickly reach out and catch him. “We’ve got to get there no matter what.”

“I think you should let Misogi-chan and the others handle it from here. Junko is… dangerous, I don’t even want to face her again so soon.”

“The more people we get involved in this, the higher the collateral damage will be. That’s probably what she wants, for this whole thing to explode and hit everyone.”

Mukuro sighed. Neither of them had talked about what they were to one another, even though they had just confessed. Kokichi must have been right, love really was like a battlefield. She realized right now, neither of them were going to be allowed to take a break from the fighting, all they could do was try to remain together. “Fine, then I’m going with you. I want to help that girl just as much as you do besides… I’m hoping I will be able to stand up to my sister.”

Makoto smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Alright then. Please, let me lean on you for a little longer.”

At that moment, Makoto received another text on his phone with another selfie of Monaca and Junko. He knew what this location was as well, but this time taking Mukuro’s advice, he forwarded the text to Kumagawa and Munakata so they could go on ahead.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

『Shiranui-chan, I need you to distract Medaka-chan again. Can you pick pocket her cellphone away from her? Huh? Why am I acting so needy lately? You have to know I’m completely useless on my own.』Kumagawa said, as he stared into his phone. He was riding piggy back style on Munakata who had thrown away all of his weapons with the exception of a knife to move at maximum speed.

They finally made it to the second destination, an empty shrine and saw Monaca there waiting for them on the steps. She looked rather bored. One floor up, Junko was sitting on the railing obviously spectating. Next to Monaca was a stranger, one with white hair and a curl that stuck up like the antannae on so many of their other friends.

He was holding a phone out, and recording. “Okay, okay, okay, so for this shot we’re going to explain the rules of the game. Hey, Monaca-chan pay attention this is going to be sent out to all of your friends on the same field trip you know.”

“Huh? They’re not my friends? Anyway, sssh, I’m about to do a ten roll.” Even though she obviously had been kidnapped, Monaca looked as unengaged as usual and simply continued to stare at her phone.

“Alright well, sending mass text nooo-” Before he could finish, suddenly a screw broke through the screen of his phone shattering it in his hands. “What are you doing? Now the game won’t be nearly as fun if it’s just you two losers participating.” He looked like quite the brat, as he looked down on both Munakata and Kumagawa who had just arrived.

『Ah, it’s okay I’m used to nobody wanting to play with me. It’s been like that since childhood.』

“It’s the same for me.” Munakata said solemnly, with Kumagawa still piggybacking on him.

“Well fine, I’ll just explain the short version to you two since you destroyed my recording. I planted bombs at every single location your tour group is visiting in the city. The disarming device is the collar around her neck, the disarming conditoin is her death. If you try to take it off by force, the bombs will just go boom with no warning… or maybe no…” Shuuji patted Monaca on the head with a soft hand. Monaca ignored him and continued to stare at her phone. “Now, you two who have never killed before. I’ve provided you with a reason to kill. I’m going to sow you how easy it is for human’s to become murderers, it’s nothing special at all. Once you’ve learned that lesson, please explain it to my dear Hijirihara-kun.”

『Do you understand anything of what he just said?』

“No…” Munakata crossed his arms.

『Let’s just beat this guy up then until he unlocks the collar』Kumagawa jumped off his back and immediately lunged forward at Shuuji, a screw already in his hands. Shuuji simply tilted his head a little bit and drew up a long combat knife the kind that Ikusaba Mukuro liked to use. Kumagawa’s screw passed his face, and he slashed upwards in an arc tearing across Kumagawa’s uniform, then kicked him back sending him across the ground.

 

Fujigawa Shuuji
Bloodtype: Unknown
Affiliation: Unknown
Abnormality: Killer Killer KIller

 

『Incredible, you’re wielding that knife just like Mukuro-chan, and you spotted my opening in an instant.』Kumagawa already stood up, despite being thrown around he did not look the least bit in pain.  『Do you have the same abnormality that he does, the abnormality that copies murder techniques and improves upon them?』

“Huh? You high schoolers always throw such weird terms around. You’re supposed to grow out of Chuunibiyou syndrome by the time you’re done with middle school, it’s no good if a middle shcooler is lecturing you about that.” He brought his knife up and leveled it at the pair that had challenged him. “Ah, but I guess if you were to compare us two Killer Killer’s, then I’m somebody who can spot a weakness in somebody’s killing technique in an instant and destroy it. I purge them of their weakness which led them to murder.” Shuuji explained all of this calmly with a smile on his face.

『I see, so his is a plus that admires murder and yours is a minus that despises murder.』He should have known that Junko had a second killer killer in her pocket, she seemed to have a backup plan for everything.  『Well, we have somebody like that too. Last Carpet.』

“Please don’t call me by my nickname, all of those names the flask plan picked out are embarrassing.” Munakata raised up the last knife that he had brought along with him. Then just like Kumagawa had he charged forward, however, he moved faster than either Shuuji or Kumagawa could see.

Only by wildly twisting his body out of the way did Shuuji manage to dodge. Kumagawa only saw Munakata reappear again when he hard the clanging of two metal knives slamming hard into one another. “You’re right, murder is despicable, I hate murder more than anything else and I hate myself who only thinks about murder. That’s why I’ll kill you!”

Shuuji saw him disappear again only to hear something whistling through the air. His knife was moving fast enough that it was making a noise from cutting the air. Out of the corner of his eye, a silver shape approached his neck. He quickly ducked down only to see the tip of his hair antannae being shaved off in the man’s swing.

He lunged forward out of his crouch to try to tackle the other, only to pass straight through Munakata’s afterimage. He looked behind him to see that Munakata was still holding that knife, and struggled to get back on his feet before he could get attacked from behind. However, Munakata hesitated to take advantage of his obvious opening.

Shuuji puzzled on this for a moment, and puzzle at what he saw in Munakata’s hands. “You don’t know how to wield that knife at all, do you? It’s not like you’re particularly good at wielding weapons, it’s just you know instantly how to strike to kill someone.”

“Yeah, anything can be a good weapon to kill with. A spoon, a pot, some rice curry. You handle so many potentially deadly weapons on a daily basis.”

“Yepyep. Anybody can turn into a murderer for any reason too. I’m glad we think so much alike. It’s just, you’re weakening yourself by holding that knife aren’t you?” Shuuji’s eyes locked onto him. He saw the weakness in Munakata’s killing technique in an instant, Munakata recognized it the same kind of unpleasant eyes that Kumagawa used when spotting the weaknesses of others. “You don’t want to kill me, do you?”

“I don’t…I wdon't want to kill you.” Munakata charged forward once more with incredible speed. “That’s why I’ll kill you.” Instead of aiming for vital spots this time, with a single knife he unleashed a flurry of blows. It was the kind of knife fighting exchange one could only see in an action anime where the characters were animated with inhuman speed and dexterity.

Shuuji even seeing the weaknesses in his strikes could only just barely keep up, with only one functional hand all he could do was knock the blows away. Cuts started to appear on his arms, tearing his old middle school uniform apart. None of them looked particularly life threatening, they were all scratches, as if Munakata was relenting from his strikes at the last moment.

Shuuji decided to test something and stopped trying to defend entirely. Munakata stopped his blow right at Shuuji’s neck and held his knife there. The knife shook back and forth as Munakata wavered between KILL and DO NOT KILL.

“I see, I see, what a wonderful person you are. You’re actually resisting your urge to kill, even in a situation like this.” Shuuji smiled, and gave him a genuine compliment.

Munakata looked taken aback for a second, as he grabbed onto is knife with his other hand to try and temper himself. “We don’t need to fight you’re right. If I can’t kill you, then could I become your friend instead?”

Shuuji looked to genuinely be thinking of that prospect for a moment. Slowly though, he shook his head. “I only have one friend. I have to save him no matter what. I wish he was more like you though.” His troubled expression easily gave way to another smile that crawled up is cheeks and spread to his whole face. “I know, how about you just die and become a wonderful example for him!”

Shuuji drew his knife once more and this time with all of his might brought a full onslaught on Munakata, forcing Munakata on the defensive. He saw every one of Munakata’s weaknesses that he was purposefully leaving in, hoping he would lose and would not kill and took advantage of those.

The air became filled with the sound of metal hitting against other metal as Kumagawa slowly walked over to Monaca, and knelt down in front of her.『You don’t look like you’re having fun, Monaca-chan.』

“Big Sis Junko said we were going to have fun together, but we’re not even working together on her evil scheme. She just used me as a hostage.” Monaca said without looking up from her phone. She seemed less bothered by the fact that she was not considered useful, more than se was actually taken hostage.

『Enoshima-sama hates fun. That’s why she’s always saying everything’s boring with that bad attitude of hers.』

“Maybe everything really is boring. How could someone like you understand her?” Monaca raised her phone in front of Kumagawa’s face to block out such a dull and forgettable sight.

『What do you mean? I think we’re pretty similar. We’re both filled with despair after all.』

“You’re different. Even though all you feel is despair, you can form attachments to people, you try to protect things, you hold things close to you, you’re nothing alike really.” Monaca sighed in a moody way.

Even though she was just a first year middle schooler it seemed she was already experiencing something like adolescence. Kumagawa watched her for a moment his expression perplexed. He was not too good at understanding others, he only understood his own feelings. He could try to explain the reason he could not bring himself to hate Junko again, but he was sure Monaca already understood that.

Monaca was also somebody who could not bring herself to hate her fake big sister, even after realizing that everything about the sole happy moment in her life was just a falsehood done to manipulate her. She told herself that was alright, because that was just Enoshima Junko living beautifully for the sake of despair. That was her sister acting like the big sis she always admired in the first place, so it was okay if she was also caught up in that and became just another victim of Junko’s whims.

However, in front of her was Kumagawa Misogi. Somebody who lived in quite an ugly way in his despair. He was nothing like Enoshima Junko, he was thoroughly uncool all the way. Yet, to Monaca, Kumagawa carried the same vibrant aura that Junko did. He seemed entirely alive, living his life by is own terms just like Junko as well.

Except for all the ways he was unlike Junko, this person would never have thrown her away Monaca thought as he looked over Kumagawa. She did not think it was because he was a better person than Junko though, he just had different reasons. 

That person hated to lose, so he selfishly clung to everything near him. He was just selfish in a different way than Junko was. So why… why am I wishing that my perfectBig Sis would be a little more like him?

『I’m only different because I’m so useless on my own. I need to cling to others. That’s why, Monaca-chan will you help me get that collar off of you?』

Monaca considered it again, her face genuinely looking like she was thinking it over. Then, childishly all of a sudden she declared. “No.”

『Why?』

“I can’t think of a good enough reason to take it off. Guess I’ll just die.” Monaca tilted her head, and stuck her tongue out at Kumagawa. Then suddenly the childish immaturity drained from her face and she looked quite serious. “If I fail here then Junko will lose all interest in me permanently. It’s better to die, that way I’ll be leaving Junko behind instead of Junko leaving me behind. Please kill me, Kumagawa-senpai. I won’t hate you if you do.”

『I can’t do that.』He declared immediately, without even thinking it over.

“It’s not like you care about the right or wrong thing to do. I bet big sis Junko will enjoy it and feel plenty of despair if you do, so just kill Monaca and-!”

『Oh, I don’t care about that. You’re just not allowed to die until you’ve paid back what you owe me.』A nasty smile curled its way on Kumagawa’s lips, and his entire face seemed to disappear in shadow as he reached out for Monaca’s head.

On instinct alone, Monaca dropped her phone and climbed backwards up the stairs in all fours, until she was standing on two feet again.The aura that she saw from Kumagawa in that moment was much scarier than even the two murder obsessed freaks. If Enoshima Junko was an ocean of despair, than Kumagawa Misogi was the Mariana’s trench, a sinkhole deeper than even the ocean.

Evil.
If it was possible to neatly divide the world into “good” and “bad” then Kumagawa was unmistakably evil. -Or rather he was a being that could truly be called “a demon.”

It was hard to spot only because what he wanted just happened to be a happy ending for himself. He was fixated entirely on his own victory, it was the only thing he saw. For the sake of his own objective, for his own desires, he’d tolerate any obstacle even a selfish girl who wanted to destroy the world, he’d even risk the whole destruction of the world, he’d use any means available to him. His essential nature was pure evil…

And even so, he was helping others.
He was trying to help her in this moment.
A consummate villain who was probably just too stupid to be aware he was one.

This guy is going to devour me, and Big Sis Junko next. I won’t recognize myself anymore when he’s done chewing me up.

Filled with that fear, Towa Monaca ran up the steps of the shrine hiding behind the fighting compulsive killers, and made her way to Junko’s side, her anchor to this world, and to the self that she knew and recognized.

Junko had been watching the fight idly, her eyes capable of predicting every move. Even if a knife fight between two abnormally driven killers sounded like a scene straight out of a shonen manga, it lost its charm quickly when witnessing it in reality. She put a hand over her lips and giggled softly to acknowledge Monaca’s arrival. “Upupupu, being scared of a guy like Kumagawa-senpai? That’s a little bit sad don’t you think?”

She doesn’t get it? She still doesn’t understand his true nature at all, does she? Monaca said, looking at her big sister. She knew Junko never really paid close attention to others because she got bored of them too quickly, it was the same reason she never noticed she was faking her wheelchair injury, but this was too much of an oversight. “Uhhh… he was just too stinky so I couldn’t stand being around him."

『Don’t say that in front of the girl I like, Monaca-chan!』Kumagawa whined from below.  『Besides it’s your fault I’ve been running around cleaning your messes and I haven’t even gotten to try the hot springs. You’re so selfish as usual...』His hair fell in front of his face and his voice fell much more quiet. 『and I’m the one who can’t help but be charmed by that selfishness.』

As Junko listened to him mutter, a smile spread across her face. Monaca’s danger senses increased again. She looked like she was being flattered by such a strange compliment. Really, why are all of these strange Senpai making Monaca the straight man by comparison.

Idly, as if the idea had just popped into her head Junko looked back over at Monaca. “Heeey, sooo liiiiike. What was Kumagawa-senpai talking about back there? What do you owe him?”

“The other day when he played that gambling match for me..”

Junko remembered she had actually witnessed that conversation but missed the ending due to the alcohol making her sleepy. Immediately, knowing there was something she did not know, she wanted to know it. She leaned in close to Monaca, her eyes glowing with aniticpation. “Really? Tell me. Tell Me. Tell me. Tell me.”

“He asked me to smile for him. He said if I did that we’d call it even.”

“Really?” Junko tilted her head in an odd angle. Her face changed entirely rom wat it had been a second ago. “What a weird guy…”

You should be talking! Monaca thought, but did not say. “I told him, Monaca couldn’t because there was no good reason in this world to smile, and he just said I should smile anyway. He said he doesn’t care about the difference between a fake and a real smile, a fake smile might even be more important because they’re trying to smile without a reason…”

“Yeah that’s… that’s so weird… I can’t describe that as anything but weird.”

『Munakata, Monaca-chan got away. We have to break through him to get to her again.』Kumagawa called out to the classmate he was cooperating with.

Munakata looked back, holding Shuuji at bay with his knife. “Stand behind me, I’ll create an opening.”

『Okay.』Just then, Kumagawa really did appear behind Munakata. However, he had a hand on Munakata’s shoulder, and just as Shuuji aimed another knife strike at Munkata, Kumagawa quickly threw Munakata into the blade using his whole body as a shield.

“Huh… wha…”

『I’m creating an opening, just like you asked me to.』Kumagawa said with a smile on his face, as he tossed Munakata’s body straight into Shuuji. Kumagawa rushed forward in the opening trying to climb the temple steps for himself.

However, Shuuji was quicker and threw his knife nailing Kumagawa in the back with it. Kumagawa barely seemed fazed as his run was entirely uninterrupted, he climbd and reached the second floor, making it to Monaca’s side once more.

Shuuji followed him this time, leaving the injured Munakata behind. “I really don’t want to kill a bunch of people with bombs, but it seems you two are too useless to even become proper murderers. I suppose I’ll just kill her myself instead.”

He raised up his knife and aimed it at Monaca. At the last moment Kumagawa jumped in front of her and threw his arms around her. Shuuji did not stop even though a new target was in the same.

Seeing the back of Kumagawa’s uniform, he just tried to stab through it. He stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, stabbed, and stabbed.

“Stop trying to protect Monaca, I don't even want to be protected by trash like you!” Monaca cried out, seeing Kumagawa’s back get filled with pink holes.

Junko, watching the scene, put her hand over her face to conceal her smile. She failed to stop drool from falling out of the corner of her lips.

『I don’t care if you want it or not, if I let go now I would lose.』

He really is pure evil.
He’s not as bad as Junko.
He might be worse than her.

Shuuji raised his knife up one last time. Suddenly, the clanging of metal rang out again like a bell ringing to announce a new competitor. Ikusaba Mukuro arrived, blocking his knife with her own of the same model.

“You…” Shuuji’s face darkened again. “It’s your fault.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 We were such good friends. It was all her fault. 

At that time he made no promises at all of the future. He was just living casually as a middle school student. That was how he first met him. They had the same kind of random first encounter that would take place in a slice of life manga, with no premonition of the future at

Right this is... this is how I first met you.

He walked along carelessly as usual. Instead of enjoying his youth though, he stared with a complciated expression down at his phone. Murderer attacks random people on the street. 14 victims accounted. He let out a breath he did not even realize he had been holding as he scrolled down the article. “Oooooh….” More murder cases this week.. That’s getting annoying.

Just then, he heard a Squish.

“...Squish?” Did I step in poo or something?

The poo that he had stepped in, the face of a middle schooler just his age who he had never seen before. It was only the first day of school though, it was common to meet new people for the first time on the first day of school. The moment he removed his foot, he saw an impressionable young face, with wide eyes, bursting into tears. Shuuji quickly removed his foot and took a step back. Before he could even utter an apology though, Takumi beat him to it.

“Hhhhhgggghhh don’t kill meeeeee! P-p-please forgive me for not having enough to pay you. Pl-l-l-lease forgive me I have no more than ten yen. I c-can apologize to you by dyiiiiiinngggg!”

“The heck? I’m scared.” Shuuji muttered, unsure what to make about this strange boy. He knelt down in front of him, and patted im at the top of his messy black hair. “S-sorry I was looking at my phone and didn’t notice you… It’s not what you were thinking…. You okay?”

Just then, Takumi collapsed forward. For a moment Shuuji thought he saw a flash of his soul escaping him as he clutched his school bag for dear life. For a moment Shuuji became worried that the unthinkable just happened. “H-he’s dead… Did I kill him?”

Before he could processs that revelation, Takumi’s body suddenly came back to life. He gasped and sat right up like he had been struck by lightning and revived. “Hgghgh-? So-soryy I have a habit of fainting suddenly.”

“What a relief, I thought I just became a murderer.” Shuuji sighed.

“Murder? That kind of thing is scary!”

Thwomp!

His body made that strange noise as he collapsed once more.

“Oh no, he died again!”

When I first met him, I was surprised by how weird he was, but… We got along surprisingly well. From there on, we got to build our friendship as average regular middle schoolers. We were just trying to live our school life to its fullest, getting dirty magazines together, trying to talk to girls, chatting when we should have been studying.

His name was HIjirihara, and my name was Fujigawa. Even though we were each others only friends we called each other by our last names. 

Then one day we were skipping class on the roof to read manga, just like normal students.

He turned the page, and felt pain in his poinky fingers. Quickly, he held it up in front of his face. “Oops, cut my finger. Look at this, it’s gushing.”

Next to him, Takumi suddenly collapsed throwing the manga that he was reading aside. He lay there still, his eyes slowly rolling back in his head.

“Hijirihara-kun? Dead again…”

Suddenly, his eyes’ reopened and he surged up again, pcking up the manga volume and putting it over his head as he hid. “D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-don’t do this to me!! You know I’m afraid of blood.?!”

That’s fun. Shuuji thought, slightly sadistically as he smiled at his friend. “Will this chronic  syncope ever heal?”

Takumi continued to hide under his manga volume. “Healed or not, I probably can’t help passing out when I see gory stuff. Violence should be more forbidden than R-18 content.” Even though right now the manga volume he was wearing had a picture of a girl with large breasts on the cover.

“I think you’re the only one who thinks like that, Hijirhiara-kun.” Shuuji said, looking with disinterest at all of the magazines with girls with big breasts that Takumi had snuck up there. Shuuji himself did not quite se the appeal.

“What the heck… are you into that/”

“No, it’s not like I particularly like blood. Rather, it’s just as someone who aims to be a policeman I should be able to look at something like that without losing my composure.”

“Police…” Takumi sqeueaked nervously.

“Ah… You should become one Hijirihara-kun! It might help you with your hemophobia.” He batted his eyes at his good friend, the curl on top of his hair forming a heart as his face reddened. “Would you be… my buddy?”

Slowly, HIjirahara started to crawl back away from him. Until he was on the opposite side of the roof.

Shuuji kept smiling. That guy is really painfully straight. “What? I’m kidding…?”

Takumi drew his knees up to his chest, and crossed his arms over them. “It’s not like… I’m afraid of just blood and gore. I don’t care about crimes or murders either… I don’t wanna get involved.”

He let out a breath he did not even know he was holding. Shuuji looked up at the sky. “You don’t understand anything, huh, Hijirihara-kun…” He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. “This kind of ‘it has nothing to do with me’ metantity is what all bad people in the world say…”

Gyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

What… was that? A scream just now?

We traveled down the staircase.
I saw it first, so I covered his eyes.

“What are you hiding… R-18?"

“Yeah, R-18.”

He saw the same scene Ikusaba Mukuro did, from the opposite end. He was the one being killed rather than the killer.

Think.

Quickly, he picked his friend up bidal style, and ran all the way to classroom 1-3. In his arms, Takumi trembled. “H..hey… what’s happening here?”

“Dunno… I dunno, but I don’t think we have an option other than running away…!!!”

“Run, but where to?” Takumi sequaked again.

To somewhere we we can’t be found.
Then, I threw open the door.
Then, I threw us both in the lockers.
Then, I saw a classmate’s head fly off in between the gaps in the locker, and the side of her face in profile as blood was splashed upon it as she entered the room.

It’s horrible.
Gross. Gross. Gross. CRap. Crap. Crap.
I’m gonna scream.
Even if I, someone who’s not bad with gore, am about to scream.
Then if the hemophobic Hijirahara-kun, sees this, he’s passing out for sure…

That’s what I thought at least, but instead Hijirahara-kun did something painfully straight, and fell in love with the woman who was trying to murder us all.

Mukuro left the room, wiping the remaining blood off of her face. When he was sure she was gone, he stpped out of the locker. As he walked forward, he heard the thump of a heart beat and saw just where he was about to walk there was a body twitching.

“Waaah… Class rep? You’re alive?”

“U...ugh… Fujigawa you.. Were saying you want to become a police officer, huh?”

“Yeah but… You shouldn’t be talking now. I’m calling for help…”

Suddenly like a zombie he reached up and grabbed onto Shuuji’s shirt. The corpse rose up it’s head, and where it’s eyes sockets were, he only saw empty shadows. His mouth leaked black ink onto the ground rather than blood. “Why didn’t you save me?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” He grabbed onto the hand that was grasping at him, and tore it away. He kicked at that horrifying and empty looking face. “What a horrible thing to do…!!”

He felt sorry, but he could not look at such a cruel thing. That person should just die already. He looked down with cold eyes that wanted to shut it’s sight out entirely, and then he felt nauseous.

Oh, was this hemophobia? He was nauseous, so nauseous he felt like fainting. 

He choked on his own vomit, over the corpse of his classmate that he had just defiled. Takumi wiped his mouth, his expression hidden by his own hair. This world doesn’t need such a gross, filthy thing…Then, with a sudden moment of inspiration he smiled, I gotta clean it!

He thought as he looked out the blood stained windows, and saw the entire world stained with the same blood.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“It’s your fault, but I’ll save him. I’ll save him from that ugly conduct called murder.”  Shuuji growled at Mukuro.

“It is my fault but uh… I don’t get how… this is saving him exactly.” Mukuro muttered in response. “Anyway, my fight isn’t with you. I’m going to stop my sister, and that reckless senpai of mine.”

Below, Munakata was already getting picked up by the shoulder from Makoto who had just arrived at the scene. Shuuji struck out again with his knife, but he was interrupted by yet another newcomer.

“Ah… I remembered you finally, Fujigawa-kun.” Takumi said, and as he did the screw in his chest disintegrated and his hair turned again from white to black. It looked like somebody had spilled ink again on pure white paper, slowly drowning out the purity, painting it black. “I had to look at so many uncool memories to remember the uncool you.”

“DId you show up to protect the girl you love? I don’t get it. Honestly, is the person who killed all of our friends in middle school really owrth protecting with your own body?” He fell back two paces, and leveled his knife at Takumi. “Stop being with this woman… be with me…”

“Okay.”

“What?” Shuuji nearly dropped his knife.

“I said okay.” Takumi blinked, not sure how he could be much clearer.

“B-but…”

“I confessed to her and got rejected. She was my first love, but when you’re rejected you need to move on. I don’t want to turn into a stalker or something.” Takumi said with a tilt of his head. Of course, he had already been a stalker but nobody around him was quite sane enough to point out his logic. “I”ll just fight to support her love, and move on to my next love.”

Mukuro looked at Takumi for a moment equally confused, and simply nodded her head. “Th..thanks I guess.” She rushed forward to Kumagawa, Junko and Monaca. Kumagawa already had picked up Monaca in his arms bridal style, and moved back to the stairs while the KIller KIllers were enitrely focused on each other.

He handed her off to Makoto. 『Take both of them and run.』

“W-wait, is that all I can do?”  Makoto’s eyes looked desperate, but Kumagawa was never particularly good at reading others and did not even notice. “I want to help.”

『You are helping. You’re the only one here who has enough common sense to run away, idiots like Mukuro-chan and I are going to keep charging forward.』He rushed back to the temple, but rather than climbing the stairs he went down them to the basement.

“Wait… where are you even going? You’re bleeding again Kumagawa, it’s only been like five minutes since the last time you were stabbed… ugh fine…” He continued to carry Monaca, and him and Munakata both fled.

Enoshima Junko looked at Mukuro who approached her. “Huh? What are you making such a scary face for, big sis?”

“I’m not going to let you interfere anymore.”

“Ohh? Unless you’re going to kill me, which you won’t cuz ya boring, I don’t really see that happening.”

“There’s other ways then killing.”

“Liiiiiike?” Junko put a finger in front of her mouth and smiled in a cutesy way to mock her sister.

“Torture.”

Junko did not even know what she meant. However, Mukuro was quite stronger than her and even if her actions were predictable, she was quickly overtaken by her sister. A moment later her screams of pain could be heard ringing out throughout the temple.

“Muuuukuuuuuurooooo stop pulling my pigtails! It huuuuuuurts!”

“No.”

“I’m going to tell moooooom!”

“We haven’t talked to either of our parents in four years.”

“I dooooon’t caaaare, I’ll teeeeell them anywaaaaaay!”

Enoshima Junko was spoiled by her much too kind older sister. She had never faced the kind of bullying that siblings often inflicted on each other before. However, Mukuro had suffered that kind of bullying for ten years and had learned well from her sister. For Enoshima Junko this small annoying pain, was probably far worse to endure than the torturous pain and defeat she desired that would throw her into the depths of despair. 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Hey. Hey. I don’t even remember what I’m doing anymore. Do you just want to be friends again?” Shuuji said, shrugging his shoulders flippantly. His entire form was black and white, and his eyes too, swirled with black hope and white despair, not caring at all for either of them. Neither hope nor despair, just insanity existed within him, a chunk of abnormal madness created by his abnormal encounter with Ikusaba Mukuro. “We should just work together from now on, there’s no need for there to be two separate KIller KIllers. If I joined forces with Hijirhara-kun, no one would be able to stop us! That’s what I’m always thinking! Wait… was I tihnking that… no I wanted to stop… Uhh… what…”

“Stop talking, Shuuji I want to finish my confession.”

“Hah? Who said you could use my first name?”

Takumi looked up, loooking as shadowy as Kumagawa in that moment. “You’re really without fault. Your excellent technique to use Ikusaba Mukuro to try to kill me, your tenacity so implacable that you’d even use a little girl, or even an entire school field trip for your goal… your attitude of making any sacrifices necessary for the goal’s sake.”

“Oh, HIjihara-kun… Listen to…”

“Your murder skills and philosophy backed by your body count.”

“What I’m talking to you about… I worked so hard and even teamed up with that unpleasant woman just to get the chance to talk with you again… so... “

“I love you(r murder).” Takumi said it clearly, one eye peaking out rfom his messy and uneven hair. “100 points. To me you’re perfect.”

Shuuji stared at his empty hands. Already he was starting to spit up and drool, he covered his mouth with those same disgusting hands of his. “You’re mistaken, what I’ve been doing all this time is not ‘murder’. Would you please not compare it to that dirty and disgusting deed. I hate murder. I’d never murder someone. I don’t ‘murder’.”

“You’re decisively lacking love for your murder. Those are not passionate killings. That’s why, I’ve decided that I need to stop you. I’ll never let you kill someone again. Because I love you.”

Shuuji grit his teeth, hearing the words that he wanted to hear all this time, but paired with such an ugly word as murder. “Enough… I’ll bring this to an end now.” All he wanted to do was show Takumi such an ugly scene that he would fall out of love with murder. He had to be forceful, otherwise his friend would not listen to im. This forceful persuasion was the last card he had to play.

The two of them charged forward at each other. This is not what he wanted at all, but they had decided to murder one another. Their knives clashed again, blows disappearing in the air as their similar abnormalities clashed and analyed one another. Shuuji immeidately went for his blind spot, leaving a cut on Takumi’s cheek.

He took advantage of the opening, going for the gut with his knife. Takumi, on reflex and instinct alone kicked im away, causing his head to fly back, and his hand to loosen as he fell backwards. The knife flew out, and both knives skittered across the temple floor.

Before he could fall all the way back, Takumi grabbed him by the collar. Shuuji grabbed for Takumi’s collar to. They both punched forward, only to make a perfect cross counter, each of them striking the other in the face their blows overlapping.

Murder steals, destroys, and ends by the meanest ways.
But that’s not all ot it.
Murder is not worth any more than that.
It steals destroys and ends. When that moment happens, it contains it all. Therefore…

Murder is.
Murder is.
Beautiful.
DIsgusting.

Takumi and Shuuji both ran at each other one final time with only their fists as weapons to kill with, they locked eyes as if they were each the only other person that existed in the entire world.

“I love you,” Takumi said.
“I hate you,” Shuuji replied.

Shuuji threw Takumi onto the ground, with an over the shoulder throw, then wrapped his legs around him and wrapped his hands around his neck. “THis is the end, HIjirihara-kun.”

Takumi saw one of Kumagawa’s screws that had been thrown away and picked it up, stabbing it straight through himself and hitting Shuuji when it stabbe dout of his back. Shuuji coughed up blood.

“W…”

“Please call me Takumi-kun from now on, since we’re lovers.”Takumi decided all on his own.

Blood splashed behind both of them, blood from both of them became beautifully intermixed with one another.

Shuuji stumbled backwards, looking at at the light relect through the rain of his own blood.

“I hope you can accept it, my passion. Those are my feelings for you.”

“...Gh… it looks like in the end I can’t accept murder… so… I can’t let you kill me.”  He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a detonator. “Bye, Takumi-kun.” He said with a smile,. As he flicked on the button.

The bottom floor shook. When he said that he had filled all the tourist destinations with bombs, of course he meant this one as well.

Ikusaba Mukuro looked back and noticed the two boys that she had created, were about to be caught up in the explosion. She made a snap decision, and left her sister behind knowing that Junko would always weasel some way out of every situation she got into, and charged at both boys, throwing them over her shoulder and jumping away from the explosion.

She did not even look back, or hesitate for even a moment. As Enoshima Junko who had trained her well to be savvy about tropes told her many times that cool girls didn’t look at explosions.

Shuuji opened his eyes and saw himself flying through the air, the entire world went in slow motion. “Ah… I’m alive… how dull…”

Enoshima Junko saw the explosions about to catch up with her. “Ah… I’m about to die.. How dull.”

Just then running away from the explosions and looking directly at them in an uncool way Kumagawa MIsogi appeared. He was holding his uniform in a bundle, with something wrapped up on the inside. Before Junko could even react, Kumagawa jumped in front of her.

“I’m glad you’re alive. I wanted to explain it to you better, these feelings of mine. Shuuji-kun, it’s exactly when you’re about to kill or be killed…’

Kumagawa threw the contents of his uniform jacket into the approaching flames. A few of the explosives that Kumagawa had picked up and stolen, now detaoned in the opposite direction of the explosion. For a brief moment they canceled each other out, and Kumagawa threw his arms around Junko who had decided to just sit and watch the whole scene unfold.

“That human life shines the brightest. I’m sure, if there was somebody who stood exactly on that line, they’d be in for.. Something really exciting…”

Kumagawa and Junko landed away from the ruined building, his entire body wrapped around her, shielding her. Enoshima Junko felt slightly disappointed that she had been saved from such an explosive and sudden death. She could have easily pushed Kumagawa away, or elbowed him off of her. However, she was too distracted by the sound of her heart racing, as she felt herself in the middle of a despair filled embrace. 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

When the dust had settled Makoto finally arrived back. He held a phone up in the air. “I told Shiranui-san about the bombs and she said her guys took care of it. She has... guys... why does she have guys? Do we even know anything about that girl?”

“Oh thank god, nobody died…” Shuuji said hanging off of one shoulder.

“Oh lame, nobody died.” Takumi said, hanging off of another shoulder.

Junko sat up, pushing Kumagawa away from her finally. She drew her knees up to her chest, and crossed her arms over them. “Puhuhu. Looks like you all foiled my perfect plan. I’m completely defeated.”

Kumagawa Misogi sat up next to her, and then scooted a few centimeters away to settle his nerves.  『There’s no way I would win that easily. I’m sure you have like five more back up plans after this.』

“Nope. I totally give up. Just enjoy the rest of your boring school trip, you all earned it. Puhuhu, puhuhuhu.”

『You know when you sit there laughing evilly Enoshima-sama it’s really obvious you’re still hiding something. You excel in a lot of areas but subtlety was never your strong suit.』

Mukuro finally finished putting down the two killer killer boys, and looked to Makoto. Rather than say anything, she walked over to him and leaned against his shoulder. With the side of her face, she nuzzled against him affectionately.

In the background, Junko stuck out her tongue. “Ewe.”

“Thank you for helping us…” She said, grabbing onto his arm to wrap around him.

“I didn’t do a thing…” Makoto said, looking to the side. “Not a single damn thing.”

Mukuro was too busy enjoying Makoto’s warmth to notice it, she just thought he was being his usual humble self.

Kumagawa however, looked first to Makoto, and then to Junko who was hiding a smile with a delicate touch to her face.  『Ah...I’m jealous...』He said, and then decided to say nothing more than that.

Makoto stopped and looked behind them. “Oh wait you guys… we blew up a building… what should we do?”

『Run away and pretend we were never here?』Kumagawa raised his hand and suggested the most cowardly option as usual.

So, all five of them ran away from the building, and from their exciting murderous adventure on their school trip, and went back to pretending to be normal high school and middle school students, so the police would not ask them any questions.

Chapter 31: The Heroine is You, Naegi

Summary:

To be fair, Junko probably deserved it.

Notes:

Durarara (Orihara Izaya).
This chapter references Izaya.
I consider this whole arc a little shout out to the akane arc, just, Junko screwing with everybody by moving pieces around and not directly doing anything.

The second day of the school trip came to an end. Exchanging their torn up and dust covered uniforms for robes, Makoto, Mukuro and Kumagawa all lay on the tatami mats sprawled out in the middle of the common area of the hotel not even attempting to hide their exhaustion.

Mukuro glanced to Kumagawa on one side of her, forcing a smile despite the obvious pain in his face, and the way his chest shook when he tried something as simple as breathing. Then, on the other side of her she looked to Makoto and watched the even way his chest rose and fell. Her own breathing calmed down and slowly became attuned to his.

Several of their classmates avoided looking at them, and tried to step around them not even wondering why they looked so gloomy. Perhaps seeing Kumagawa with the other two, they just blamed their disposition on him.

The only one who did not overlook them was Enoshima Junko, who sat cross legged on the floor across from them. A self satisfied smile clearly on her face. “Why the long faces you three? Were you experiencing your class trip to its fullest?”

The reason Makoto, Mukuro and Kumagawa were all exhausted was in one day they had to foil three plans of Enoshima Junko’s on their own, back to back, a triple header of despair. Junko however looked energized by this, as if she were some kind of emotions vampire. She hummed softly under her breath, and even passerby classmates who did not know Junko that well could tell she was looking more cheerful than normal.

Kumagawa and Mukuro were too used to her, so they did not even fall for her taunts. Makoto however immediately sat up. “You of all people should know why we’re like this!” Even his hair antenna flexed to express his anger.

Before Junko could even react though, both Mukuro and Kumagawa grabbed him by either of his arms and dragged him back down. 『You’re not supposed to feed the gremlins, Makoto-chan. Especially after midnight.』Kumagawa warned playfully in his own voice, and quietly Mukuro nodded along with him.

“Why are you covering for her? It’s because of her your back is all torn up again…” Makoto said, but quieter this time so only the four of them could hear.

Kumagawa stood up right then, all on his own. The pained looks he had been giving earlier seemed to disappear entirely as he patted himself on the back and flexed to show off.  『What are you talking about? I was never stabbed. It feels as if nothing happened at all.』

“But…” Makoto was somebody who always tried to smile even in the worst of times, but he still did not understand how Kumagawa could keep smiling even when obvious pain. This feeling it was…

Before he could decide, he was grabbed by the neck of his robe and hoisted up.  『If you’re still mad at Enoshima-sama, then let’s go back to our room and gossip about her, and call her mean names behind her back.』Kumagawa said, as he started to drag Makoto away.

Mukuro looked up at him, and gave him a small wave. “See you tomorrow.”

At his rope’s end with all of these eccentrics, Makoto just tried to smile back weakly at her. “Yeah, let’s have a normal spring trip starting tomorrow.”

Makoto was not as avid a reader of manga as Kumagawa but I imagine he must have been disappointed. After all, he had gone on a hot springs school trip and not even had time to bathe in the hot springs once so far because of Junko’s shenanigans (using the word very loosely here). Where was he going to get his fan service scenes? The kind of scenes that made the hearts of the readers pound?

The only scene that progressed his romance happened in the middle of a life or death battle where they both almost died. The only kind of baths he had been allowed to see so far were blood baths.

Him and Mukuro had not had the chance to have a follow up conversation after their confession either, both of them too distracted by trying not to let anyone die. One must imagine he was frustrated, after all the average and down on his luck main character was supposed to get lots of fanservice moments, and generally be important in things whether they wanted to be or not.

However, Makoto found himself increasingly being shoved off to the side.

The moment the two of them were alone in his room, Kumagawa’s smile faded away and he collapsed forward leaning his shoulder against the wall for support and crossing his arms over his body as if he were afraid he might fall apart.  『Ahhh. How lame. Breaking down in front of Makoto-chan of all people. I wanted to keep playing tough until the end… but… once again I’ve lost. 』

“Dude, you didn’t lose… you got stabbed like ten times.” Makoto held his hand out for a moment, but did not know how somebody like Kumagawa would react to being touched at a time like this and just kept his hand unsteadily in the air. “Maybe we should tell Kurokami-san after all, I know Mukuro patched you up again but…”

『It’s fine, it’s not fatal this time. It just hurts, but I’m used to it. Everything… everything hurts...』Before Makoto could grow even more concerned, Kumagawa turned around suddenly and stopped slumping against the wall, looking with a smile on his face. 『It reminds me of a tarot card. Do you know the ten of swords? It’s the card of self perceived burdens. It’s like Chiaki said of me, I always lose because I can only conceive of myself losing. I don’t know what it’s like, to win, to be happy… wow that’s really symbolic it’s kind of like we’re characters in a story right?』

“Man that seems like a mean thing to say. How come we’re always over analyzing each other like this?”

『I guess that’s what happens when you put a bunch of egotistical geniuses together. Hey… Makoto-chan can you uh...』Kumagawa lurched forward again and it was Makoto who moved this time without thinking to catch him. Then slowly, he lowered him down to his bed, laying him there facing up.

Kumagawa smiled at him again. “I love smiles more than most people but… you don’t have to keep faking a smile dude.” He said, his voice softening.

『 When someone gives you a fake smile don’t get mad. At least they’re trying.』Kumagawa’s voice became dreary, as his eyes clouded up. Makoto saw that those were tears, though from what he did not know. Perhaps from pain, or from loneliness, or frustration.

He wanted to point them out, but that would be going against Kumagawa’s words. So he just ignored them, and smiled at him in return. “You know you’re pretty philosophical, for an idiot.”

『Now even nice boy Makoto-chan is picking on me too, how far have I fallen?』Kumagawa sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Makoto could have laid down a greater distance away, but he was secure in himself and also concerned that Kumagawa’s condition might worsen in his sleep. Suddenly, he heard Kumagawa speak in a much quieter voice. 『Hey, earlier Togami told me that I would always be a loser and I”d never understand the world of winners like him. Do you think that’s true?』

“Uhhh… I’m sure Togami was trying to be nice to you in his own Togami way. He calls me a loser all the time, right? Maybe we just shouldn’t worry about him and be losers together.”

『...』

“I don’t think you should worry about changing yourself, like, you’re really scary sometimes and you don’t make a lot of sense but you’re surprisingly easy to get along with, and you’re not a bad guy. I think you just need to find somebody who can accept you as you are. You’re kind of barking up the wrong tree with Togami, there.”

『I’m really happy you’re trying to sympathize with me, but can you not call yourself a loser, Makoto-chan?』

“Huh?”

『You were lucky to be born to normal parents, lucky to grow up with a normal amount of friends, lucky to have a caring younger sister who looks up to you, none of that stuff would qualify you as a loser.』

“I uh…”

『Ah sorry… I shouldnt’ve said all that. I’m trying to be better about not lashing out. Don’t worry about it too much okay? You should be happy and enjoy your naive personality. You should be living the ordinary life, bring Mukuro-chan with you, there’s no point in forcing yourself to become something you’re not.  To be honest I’m… a little envious...』Kumagawa looked at Makoto with one open and one shut sleepy eye, and cracked him a weak half smile, before his expression quieted and he slumped over falling asleep.

Makoto stayed silent, thinking Kumagawa’s words over. Even though Kumagawa had good intentions and Makoto understood that, for some reason he could not sleep at all that night as he tried to consider those words.

Kumagawa’s kind words to him, had blackened his heart even further.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

When he said all that, did he have any idea what it would mean to me? Could he know that his words would negate my whole being?

In his eyes, and in Mukuro’s, and in Junko’s, my anguish was nothing but childish nonsense. Teenage angst. A slight inferiority that any other person would feel.

I was trying so hard to protect Mukuro, but I was the one being protected. I tried so hard to sympathize with Kumagawa, but he was the one who sympathized with me.

Why does everybody keep calling me a main character? If I was a main character, I wouldn’t be one of the cool and distinct ones like Jotaro, I would just be your bland main character with no personality. The kind of main character that everybody would find boring.

The main character that relies on everybody else but himself, and only succeeds by the coincidental fact that they’re the main character.

Makoto had stripped off his clothes to finally enter the baths. Unable to simply relax though he went to the showers first. Alone in the showers, without anybody else around for him to keep up his smile for he started to break down.

He lamented his own main character like qualities. From the moment that Kumagawa admitted to envying him, Makoto realized the truth of his feelings. Kumagawa was no more talented than he was, and he was not even somebody who worked particularly hard like Zenkichi. Makoto thought at first that Kumagawa might not feel pain, or even fear, however the scene he saw last night told him the opposite. He thought Kumagawa might not even feel sadness, but Makoto had witnessed him break down crying too many times when he thought nobody was watching.

Kumagawa and himself were both losers. Makoto still thought that to the core of his being, even if Kumagawa corrected him on that. However, Kumagawa was always charging ahead. Even though he was miserable and felt nothing but despair, he always moved first without thinking to save others. Even when his life was nothing but pain and all he wanted was relief from it, he was always throwing himself into more pain.

Maybe it wasn’t about talent, or even hope. Kumagawa was just as extraordinary as the rest of Makoto’s friends that he was always struggling to walk alongside, and he was completely lacking in both of them.

Really though, teenage boys feel inferior so easily. That paragraph was excruciating to narrate, imagine having such a flattering image of Kumagawa of all people.

He had been up all night thinking about it, but he never found a way to respond to Kumagawa’s words.
He had no answer.
He didn’t understand this emotion flooding up inside of him. The one that threatened to leak out from him.

He almost identified it as “inferiority”, but he was so afraid to face the truth that he emptied his mind and instead stared down at his own hands. Hands free from any blemish or mark, because of the fortunate life he had led so far.

He stopped thinking entirely.
He just stood there and started to cry.
He bit his lip, stifling the sobs down in his throat, and formed his soft looking hand into a fist slamming it into the wall.
And the boy cried alone under the shower head, the water washed over him, and washed away the tears that started to flow as though they had never happened in the first place.

I’m also afraid Kumagawa.
I’m afraid of losing my friends more than anything else.
But that isn’t the case is it?
They’ve already left me behind.

It was stupid to think I could catch up with them in the first place. I wasn't striving for their sake,  just for my own, to escape my own normal self. 
That's why I can't be like Kumagawa, never charging forward, just running away. 
That's the main character I am. 

The red claws of a girl named Enoshima Junko could snatch them away at any time. She almost had, and she had been thwarted through no effort of his own. His happy days with his friends were continuing, but not because of anything he did.

He had nothing to do with any of this.
Yet, he was the second most involved after Kumagawa.

The one who always suffered was Kumagawa though, and the one who got rewarded was him. After all, Kumagawa was in unrequited love, and constantly getting stabbed, or broken even worse trying to save them all.

He had a girl now, he was friends with every member of his class, he attended hope’s peak while Kumagawa was in the reserve course.

He knew, he knew he was just being a spoiled brat, crying for empty reasons. If he wanted to figure out his situation he needed to think clearly and look ahead to the future as he always did. He wiped his eyes and walked outside, finding it odd there was no one else in the dressing room.

He wrapped himself in a towel, and tried to smile again. As he saw his own smile in the mirror, he wondered what was so special about it. Mukuro, I want to see you again soon. Even though it’s only been a few hours.

That was what it meant to be in young love.

Why do I love her? Is it because I want to save her? Is it because she loves me who has no outstanding qualities just for being average? Does being around her make my life more exciting?

He shook his head. Even with seeds of doubt, forcibly inserted into his heart, from the pain he had been helpless to stop Mukuro from suffering, from the beating he received, from Kumagawa’s own pitch black words he could not fall so low as to think of her that way.

I’ll talk with Mukuro and figure it out.
I’m pretty good at talking at least.

Just then he started to feel a little hope.
That hope was immediately crushed when he walked into the baths, and saw not the other men he was expecting but rather a single girl’s skinny body, with short dark hair and freckles on her cheeks looking back at him.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHE’S GOING TO THINK I’M A PERVERT. MY FIRST LOVE IS RUINED BEFORE IT EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO BEGIN.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Of course, if this were the typical bland story that Makoto seemed to think he was the protagonist of, Mukuro’s response to him standing there would have been to immediately yell and call him a pervert while turning bright red to hint at her own attraction to him.

Mukuro did not watch a lot of anime though, nor was she really that good at acting like a normal human being. She in fact did not even know she was supposed to get angry or embarrassed in this kind of scene. She had no idea how to react at all to his sudden presence, so she just reacted in her usual way without any emotion at all.

“Oh, Makoto. What are you doing here?” She tilted her head slightly to the side. “Your not supposed to be here. Ahhh, but you look so cute like that in a little towel, so I guess I don’t mind.”

“What kind of reaction is that?” Makoto immediately jumped into the water to hide his body, looking away from Mukuro.

“I’m sorry, was I supposed to react a different way?” Mukuro asked him.

“I-I don’t know. I’m just embarrassed is all. Aren’t you?.”

“Ah… I guess that makes sense because I’m flat chested and too skinny...like Junko says.” Mukuro sunk further into the water too, until her nose was the only part showing.

“N-no that’s not it! Your naked body looks really great you shouldn’t be ashamed of it!” Makoto wondered what the hell he was even saying in this moment. It was natural to get embarrassed when seeing the girl you loved nude for the first time on accident. His reaction was completely normal as usual. “I just don’t want you to think I’m a pervert who was trying to peek on you while you were bathing.”

“Oh, I don’t think that. I don’t mind if you look at me either. I mean, you’re the only person who doesn’t find my body hideous so…”

Makoto glanced back briefly at her for a moment and saw her silhouette in the water. How could anybody find her hideous? Damn you, Junko. I hate you even more now. “Y-you’re fine but uh… don’t you find this kind of awkward.”

“Why would this be awkward?”

“Because of the stuff people usually do when they’re naked around each other.”

“What kind of stuff?”

This is torture! Makoto thought.“I mean being around each other like this and uh… not on purpose but on accident…” Makoto had no idea how much Mukuro knew about relationships in general, nor did he know where to start his explanation so his voice quieted as he turned more red.

“What do you mean on accident? This is the girl’s bath time right now, didn’t you read the sign?”

“No, it was the boy’s bath! I checked the sign and made sure when I got in specifically to avoid this kind of situation. It sounds like something that would happen with my bad luck so I’m always careful about avoiding these embarrassing scenes.” He let a breath of frustration out and watched as bubbles traveled to the surface.

“Oh, I see now it makes sense. This was probably Junko’s handiwork then.” Mukuro remembered quite clearly the sign said women’s bath when she walked in. She was stupid and only good for killing but she could still read. However, the sign was hanging from a curtain attached to a wooden pole so the staff could switch it easily between bathing times.

After Makoto entered and took a particularly long time to have a classical angst shower scene, Junko had gone out of her way to swap the curtains during the male bath time to make it appear to be women’s bath time, as yet another prank to torment her sister with. Sending serial killers was not enough it seemed, she also wanted to embarrass her in front of her new crush.

Elsewhere, Enoshima Junko was lounging on one of the sofas in the robes that the hotel provided reading a magazine and watching the scene unfold through her parasitic eyes. She dropped the magazine on her face and laughed to herself. “Upupupu, puhu, upuppuupu.”

Makoto realized it made sense this awkward scene was to blame on Junko to, the moment Mukuro said it. Then, that must have been why Mukuro was so relaxed about seeing him this way too. Any other explanation would have sent his young teenage brain reeling.

“It’s no big deal Makoto, but you should probably leave before somebody else comes. I guess if it were just the two of us it would be different.”

“How would it be different?” Makoto sat up suddenly and spat water through his nose in shock. Before he could have that question answered, the two of them heard chatter coming out from the other room.

Mukuro’s survival instincts reacted far faster than Makoto’s did. She kicked him down into the water, and then grabbed a basket nearby and shoved it over his head. Makoto was now completely disguised underwater and had a space to breath, Mukuro stepped in front of him to stop anybody from seeing the shadow.

“Whoa, it’s an opening air bath!” Sayaka Maizono’s songlike voice carried on in amazement.

“I wonder if I can hold my breath longer in the hotsprings than you, Kikaijima-san.” Aoi said, walking along a few paces behind then, next to a girl with black hair tied up, and who was currently wiping the fog from her glasses.

“I doubt that. If you really wanted to test it though we could have a wager. How about 100 yen?” Mogana readjusted her glasses, only for them to start fogging up again.

“I’ll take both of you on.” Ogami Sakura said, standing tall behind them.

At hearing her voice, Makoto’s jaw dropped even from his current position of hiding. Enoshima Junko had not just played a prank on him. She had sentenced him to death. I’m going to get excecuted! My life seriously ends here!

“Wow, this place is so big it can even fit Sakura.” Aoi said, teasing her friend lightly as she sat down on one of the rock’s. Sakura merely nodded along.

Mogana looked at Sakura for a moment, and immediately thought of the other beastly woman she knew. “You shouldn’t be competing with us. You’re probably the only person here who could give Medaka-chan a run for her money in terms of strength.”

Hearing another appraisal of Sakura’s strength, Makoto trembled in the water.

Mukuro looked back and whispered to him. “Don’t worry, no matter what even if it costs me my own life I will protect you.”

“Nobody needs to die today!” Makoto snapped back at her in an exasperated whisper.

Hearing the commotion, Sayaka looked over to see Mukuro at the edge of the springs. “Oh, Mukuro-chan! Oh wow, you’re already in the water. I never thought you’d be the type of person to participate in stuff like this.”

Mukuro had almost been entirely absent from their school trip so far after all, and had not smiled in a single photo that was taken, and every school event before this, the track and field festival, the school festvial, Mukuro sat in the corner and barely participated. However, Sayaka did not know the truth of her classmate’s existence and assume she was just not used to being around others due to having a scary title like the ultimate soldier. Though it was a naive assumption, she was surprisingly close to the truth.

“Uh… yeah… I couldn’t wait.” Mukuro had training in stealth and sabotage, but if she was required to talk her way out of this situation she would fall to her weakest point. She almost wished it would turn into a fight with Sakura so she could show off her strong point instead.

“Is there someone else here?” Sayaka said, convinced with her better than average hearing she had heard another voice a moment ago.

Mukuro tilted her head. “Hm? I’m alone. Do you mean Junko? She’s not here I’m sure she’s somewhere staring at pictures of herself in a magazine.” As Mukuro said that, she pushed the basket covering Makoto’s head away even farther. When Sayaka went back to the other side, she looked back to him sinking further into the water. “Are you sure we can’t just explain the situation?”

“No. Since we’re together, they’re going to assume we were doing things.”

“What kinds of things?”

“I”ll explain later!” Makoto snapped again in a harsh whisper. “If I get caught trying to peep on the girl’s bath, I won’t die my whole social life will be dead for the next two years. Junko will have excuted me without even killing me.”

Mukuro nodded her head in determination. “That’s fine then. I’ve done stealth infiltrations and escapes before.”

While Mukuro stood in front of him looking ready to take a bullet, Makoto froze for a second. That’s a little bit cute how she treats everything like she’s still a soldier. However, he needed to focus and instead started to look around. THey were in an open air bath, with high bamboo fences too tall to climb over. Maizono-san and the others are crowded at the entrance. The girls bath time just began so there’ll be more coming in. The entrance is a no man’s land. Now Makoto was treating this like he was a soldier too, that kind of serious mindset really was infecitous. As he glanced along the side he saw a door. They have employee entrances to this spring to… I might be able to…

He poked at Mukuro’s back and then pointed to the entrance. Mukuro nodded understanding him immediately and looked up at the sky. She tried to think of a distraction everybody would stare at. What would Junko say in this situation? “Look everyone it’s a bear!”

All of the girls immediately reacted looking out to the forest above them. Aoi huddled behind Sakura for a moment. Sakura stepped in front of her. “Where is it? I’ll take it on myself!”

Is Junko the only girl that likes bears? Mukuro felt lost for a moment, but committed to the act. “There! Look! Look!”

Makoto seized his moment and tried to lunge out of the water, only to see in a brief flash Kirigiri walking out just at the time he was about to get out of the water. “Hmm… are these the the same hot springs that had a drowning incident ten years ago? It’s too bad there was no murder mystery that broke out while I was here.”

It’s Kiri!
Shit!
There’s no way I’m getting out of this without getting caught now.
I’m sorry Kiri there was a murder mystery here earlier you just missed it.

Slowly, underneath his basket he tread back to the corner of the hot springs.

“Are you sure there’s a bear?” Sakura asked.

“Uhh.. It must have run away… good job Sakura you scared it off.” Mukuro saw the basket still floating and realized her plan had not failed.

At that exact instant, Sakura turned around as well picking up another basket and throwing it like a shot put. “I won’t forgive you!” She shouted at the floating basket, causing the two baskets to collide and both break into splinters.

Makoto had already dove into the water to flee. Not just a metaphorical execution. I really might die today.

Mukuro already moved in front of him to block him with her back. The five other girls blinked, and Sakura wondered for a moment if she was just seeing things. Mukuro still held her hand out protectively, tensing her muscles and readying herself for deadly combat.

However, the girl’s started talking amongst themselves in a subject she had not expected, and was completely oblivious to.

“Come on Maizono-san, now that it’s just us girls you have to tell us who your crush was!” Aoi said, as her and Sakura crowded along the young idol.

“A… a… well. He’s somebody I knew in middle school. We ended up going to the same highschool together but he treated me exactly the same as before.” Sayaka said, looking off to the side where Mukuro was still sitting in the corner.

However, she just so happened to be looking in the direction of the boy she was talking about. Are you kidding? It’s me? Sayaka’s crush is me? Even though I’ve already confessed to Mukuro. Am I cheating somehow?

“I… I don’t want to talk about it anymore, shouldn’t you guys be harassing Kirigiri-san, she’s the one whose always so closed off about what she likes!”  Sayaka immediately pointed out and sold out Kirigri in order to save herself.

Kirigiri kept her naked hands underneath the water, looking back with a quiet glance. “Huh? There’s no room for love in a detective novel. Except for maybe against a femme fatalle who is hiding a dark secret.”

“What kind of answer is that!” Aoi snapped at her, before suddenly getting in her face. “You should answer it seriously, talking about crushes together is a bonding ritual between teenage girls. We always did that on my swim team.”

“Ah, there were no other girls on my team.” Moganan said, “There were only two boys who were like big brothers to me and because of that every time I was interested in a guy they would scare him away.”

“Well I guess… there’s a boy who became my first friend when everybody else was scared away by my cold attitude. He’s the only person I feel like a normal girl around, I even allow me to call him by a nickname.”

She’s talking about me too! I really am a worthless bland milquetoast harem protagonist with no personality that girls fall all over anyway! I’m sorry Mukuro! I’m so sorry! Makoto continued to panic as he sunk deeper and deeper into the water hoping that he would drown.

However, Mukuro did not even notice that either girl was talking about him. She was too oblivious to get caught up in talks about crushes. Kirigiri then looked to Mogana. “What about her then. Don’t you call that weird boy by his first name?”

“You mean Misogi-chan?” Mogana quickly fogged up her glasses with her flustered reaction and then tried to wipe them again. “I… I thought he was super scary at first, but he’s really nice. I think he likes somebody else though.”

Kumagawa what are you doing obsessing over Junko when there’s a nice girl like this looking at you?

“Nothing really escapes you Kirigri, huh?” Aoi said, leaning back away from her classmate and lounging against a nearby rock.

“Hmm. That’s not true, I can deduce relationships between people but otherwise I’m kind of oblivious to most normal feelings teenagers my age would have. There’s also some relationships I don’t understand at all. For example Junko…” Kirigiri quieted again suddenly.

Sayaka spoke up. “Oh right, Junko’s a model just like me. It’d probably be a big deal if she liked a boy, super scandalous. Too bad she’s not here so we can tease her about it… hmm…” She immediately set her sights on Mukuro. “Hey, Ikusaba-san. Is there anybody your sister likes?”

Well, at least Mukuro’s obliviousness will keep her safe in this case, Makoto thought as he did not want Kumagawa and Junko to become even more suspicious and to drag more people into the mess he was already in.

“Hmm? Yeah? She’s in love with Misogi-chan. I thought that was obvious.” Mukuro said in a flat voice, just barely looking up from where she was standing in front of Makoto.

Makoto nearly yelled, but instead only unleashed a few bubbles from the water. Really? This is the one time she’s not oblivious to romance?

Most of the girl’s looked confused. They tried to recall what Kumagawa’s face even looked like to wonder why a supermodel of all people would have a crush on him, but his face was easily forgettable and in their minds they could only conjure some shadowy looking person. Inside their heads they all shared the sentiment of really him? The naked apron guy?

Sayaka finally spoke up again. “S-so are they dating or something?”

“No. I don’t think they ever will. Junko was in love with another boy for her entire life before this and they didn’t get far. I know she dresses and acts very trashy, but she’s actually just a clueless virgin just like everybody else. Because she’s Junko though, she assumes she knows everything and she’s doing it on purpose to protect her virtue or something.” Mukuro sighed as she finished her long winded explanation. They didn’t get very far because she murdered Yasuke. Oh, is he still dead? I should start keeping better track of these things.

“Wow… you’re kind of frank about your sister when she’s not around,” Sayaka said, not sure what to do with this new side of Mukuro’s personality.

Mukuro smiled, looking almost oblivious. “Uhh… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Of course, Junko actually was watching this scene through her parasite vision. She had gotten so annoyed that she rolled up the magazine she was reading and bit into it hard to prevent herself from screaming. This and the idea that somebody else could have a crush on Kumagawa of all people made it near impossible to hold back her screams as she rolled around on the couch.

A classmate passing by wondered if Junko was okay, and stopped to ask her, but when she cast a terrifying glare at them, they decided their best option was to run away and pretend they had never seen this.

“Geez saying I’m a bad fit for Kumagawa, what did I ever do to you Makoto?” Junko muttered under her breath.

““I mean besides try to kill all your classmates.” She admitted a moment later.

“It’s obviously the other way around and I’m way out of Kumagawa’s league. N-not that I care or anything!” Her voice shook with emotion.

That is until Junko realized, “Wait why am I doing the tsundere routine I’m just talking to myself.”

Makoto had sunk so far into the water in his shame, his eyes suddenly adjusted. He saw it across… a hole that lead to the boy’s bath. All he needed to do now was get over there. He looked up to Mukuro to signal her.

I need to get there attention. “Umm… do you guys want to hear about my crush?” She asked, moving over to where the other girl’s were. “It’s fine if you don’t, most people only talk to me wanting to know about my famous sister anyway.”

Aoi was the first to react. “Ehhhh? You like someone? Tell us, tell us!”

“It’s Makoto,” Mukuro answered without any hesitation.

Two girls immediately fell in shock, Sayaka and Kirigiri leaning against the rocks.

“Actually, he’s my boyfriend now since we both confessed to each other.” Mukuro added on, not noticing the reactions of the other girls.

She’s merciless as usual. Makoto said as he made a break for the hole. At the last moment though the flustered Sayaka sat down in front of it. Makoto immediately closed his eyes. I really am the worst scum on earth!

Before he could even stop himself though Mukuro had moved first and pushed Sayaka out of the way. “Huh, what are you?”

“You shouldn’t stand so close to the water drain, you might slip and fall.” Mukuro said quickly as an excuse. Makoto realized this was his only opening and swam forward. Only for Mukuro to a moment later put her foot down wrong on one of the smooth stones and twist it. She fell backwards right on top of where Makoto was swimming. He saw her fall into the water with perfect clarity.

She has freckles all over her body! So cute! Makoto thought, before feeling an intense guilt and closing his eyes and swimming around her. A few minutes later, on the boy’s side he emerged from the water.

Maguro poked Togami in the side. “It’s too bad Toko wasn’t in the bath while the girl’s were discussing crushes, huh?”

“Kurokami-san, Toko confesses to me at least twice a day, you don’t need to eavesdrop, or even have some sort of analysis ability to guess what her feelings are.” He said, wondering why somebody as esteemed as Maguro would even be concerned about Toko’s feelings. He did not even perceive that he was being teased. “Well, I suppose she’s never told me why she loved me but… oh, look it’s Makoto.”

It was the only time Togami had been glad to see such a loser in his life. Maguro looked over the boy immediately suspicious. “You weren’t in the bath when we came in, where were you?”

“I thought I would try some diving, maybe make that my talent.” Makoto said, before he collapsed onto one of the nearby rocks, all the energy drained from his body. “Nope, seems like I don’t have a talent for it. I’m still a no good loser as usual.”

Damn you Junko, that was way worse than facing down several serial killers. He thought as he continued to cling to that rock, like Odysseus  on Calypso’s beach. Sadly, his own odyssey for the day was only just beginning.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

"Hey, Kumagawa, were those two middle schoolers always there?" Medaka asked. 

『Yep! How could you forget our precious friends so easily!』

"Oh, okay." She did a double take however when she saw the tears in his uniform. “Hey, Kumagawa, why exactly are you and Munakata injured?” Medaka asked, looking like quite the mother bear as she crossed her arms and leveled her fierce gaze on him.

『We fell down the stairs!』Kumagawa said, quickly telling the first lie that came to mind. In the background Kokichi groaned at such a poorly delivered lie.

“How did you get knife wounds from falling down the stairs?” Medaka poked at the obvious knife wound on Munakata’s shoulder, that was showing now that he wore a loose fitting robe provided to him by the hotel.

『Uh...』

“I was showing Kumagawa my concealed knives,” Munakata said, flicking his wrist and dropping another knife to his hand, even though all he was wearing at the moment was a loose fitting robe.

『And then we fell down the stairs!』Kumagawa said again committing to his lie.  『The knives fell with us, it was unlimited knive works.』

“Wow… Another reference we don’t get. You must be a hardcore loser,” Kokichi said in the background.

『Well you don’t need to state the obvious.』Kumagawa grumbled.

In that moment though, Medaka immediately bought the lie and grabbed both boys into her arms, pulling them into a hug. “You two be careful then from now on! I don’t know what I’d do without either of you.”

“I don’t understand how somebody with detective skills rivaling my own would buy such an excuse.” Kirigiri muttered to herself, shaking her head in the background at such a poor show of deduction. Medaka was brilliant, even more so than herself, yet somehow she acted stupid in trutsing all others just like Makoto.

『Ah well sometimes really smart people loop back around into being stupid. Enoshima-sama isn’t much better in that regard.』Kumagawa smiled for a moment in fondness, before his expression sank again as he realized Junko was not around to hear him tease her.

“If there was going to be a mysterious stabbing incident, then Shuichi should have been able to come along on this trip to investigate with me. I swear if there was a murder that happened and somebody kept it a secret from me I’d never forgive them.” Kirigiri said, as she paged through the detective novel she was reading while lounging in the common area.

『Ahahaha! Please, serial killers showing up on a school trip that’s not something that would happen within reality.』It had in fact happened several times, but Kumagawa had quickly become afraid of the cold blooded Kirigiri’s wrath.  『Have you talked to Shuuichi on the phone at all since coming here? It must be weird being apart, you two have been glued to each other’s side since you were introduced.』

“Of course he’s my Wattson. I need somebody to ask dumb questions so I can give a proper explanation of my deductions like at the end of the novels when Hercule Poirot explains it all.” Kirigiri rationalized her affection through the lens of her detective persona as she always did, before actually answering Kumagawa’s question. “Apparently he doesn’t have a cell phone since his home is old fashioned, so he wrote me a letter instead.”

Walking away from the scene and the idle conversation the others were making, Medaka finished with her duties for the day decided to take a bath. She looked to Toko who had been working with her and invited her along.

“It’s easy to forget we just had that battle filled summer, the first school trip of the second semester has been uneventful so far.”

“A-ah yeah. T-that’s right nothing happened, I mean besides all my classmates looking down on me and excluding me from the pictures when we were touring together.” Toko said, lapsing into her gloomy voice as usual to cover up the secret Togami told her to keep from Medaka.

“I’ve almost completely forgotten about Anshin’in-san, she’s made herself scarce even though she’s on this field trip too.” Medaka folded her fan and held it to her side.

“W-well, she’s probably afraid of big breasted scary girls like you. Just like I am.” Toko said that way too easily, even though Medaka was right next to her.

Medaka did not seem to notice Toko’s lack of social tact. She simply continued the conversation. “By the way, Toko-senpai. Who do you think would win between her and I?”

“It’s obvious that Byakuya would win. It’s a sure thing! He’ll never allow himself to lose in any situation, he’ll stand above all others, that’s why I love him quite a lot.” Apparently this was the reason for her long held love over him. At least that was what it seemed to a certain person who was observing her and trying to figure out her character.

“Well, Toko-senpai. Let me ask you one more thing. Who the hell are you?”

Suddenly , Toko’s form faded away to reveal a girl in white with one arm secured to her chest with a screw. Her smile froze, and she slyly looked back at Medaka. “Eh? How was I exposed?” She thought about it for a moment. She was not the best at understanding humans due to being a non human and looking down at all of them, perhaps she had gotten a detail wrong. Even her reasoning for why Toko loved Togami was just an educated guess she had made from her position as narrator, perhaps Medaka had befriended the real Toko and learned such a reason. “How did you find me out Medaka-chan? The skill that I used this time among my quadrillion was one that I went out of my way to manipulate Junko-chan to help me unlock,  『Beginner’s Mistake』. It’s not a body transformation ability, but a special power that tampers with your opponent’s perception. Hmm, was it because I agreed to go to the bath with you, and Fukawa-san hates baths?”

“No, Ajmu Najimi, actually I had a feeling that you might be spying on me. This whole time I’ve had the sensation of being watched, so over and over again I’ve just been asking people around me ‘Who the hell are you?’ this is the first time it worked, the rest of the time I just got awkward looks.” Medaka said as she continued to walk along towards the baths.

“I see… how simple. But will you consider me one of your friends and call me Anshin’in-san?”  Ajimu asked on reflex as she turned the corner.

“I refuse. I know whatever you’re planning is only a temporary peace strategy.”

Ajimu looked at the dressing rooms in front of them for a moment, then back to Medaka. “Can we change locations? I don’t want anybody else to overhear this conversation between me and you.”

“That’s fine… if you want to we can talk, we can do whatever you want.” Medaka reached for her jacket, and in one solid movement tore the entire thing off before they had even entered the dressing room. “Not equal Ajimu Najimi. Let’s expose our hearts as fellow women and let’s have a talk where we will bare the truth that lies in our hearts.”

“...” Ajimu glanced around for a moment to make sure there was nobody else in the hallway, feeling a sudden case of secondhand embarrassment. “No sorry. Can we wait until we’re in the dressing rooms? Unlike you and Junko-chan, I’m not an exhibitionist. I don’t like to expose myself in that way, okay? Plus the expression: ‘The truth that lies in our hearts’ doesn’t exist.”

Elsehwere, Enoshima Junko who really had been the one spying on Medaka all this time with her parasitic vision ability sneezed. She stopped in the middle of rearranging the curtains for a second time today, and rubbed her nose.

“Am I coming down with a cold? I guess that’s worth a little bit of despair.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“By the way, did you enjoy the play dates I prepared for you? Chiaki-chan the gamer, and Celeste-chan the gambler who plays board games. You and your subordinates had lots of fun with them, right?” AJimu asked, leaning back against the rocks. Her body was still covered in screws, though most of her clothes had been removed and her breasts were covered by the one arm that was still tied down to her chest. Her hair was tied back and up, nad the red ribbon she usually wore it in still remained.

“Sure... “ Medaka crossed her arms as well leaning against the rocks on the opposite side of the spring. Her own hair was tied up in two buns, with her hair antannae still loose from it bobbing up and down with the slight wind that picked up. “Since you went to all the trouble to prepare those games for me, I’d feel bad if I didn’t play along.”

“Ufufufufu! That’s increidble! I’m astonished! I really admire you! To think you knew I set all of those trials up but you played along anyway.”

Ajimu Najimi’s voice carried so much on the wind that Enoshima Junko, who was one hotspring over behind the fence eavesdropping, might not have needed to even bother using her parasitic vision to watch the two of them. What an annoying laugh. Junko thought, as usual she thought such a thing without a drop of self awareness.

Ajimu drew her knees up close to herself and relaxed.. “You’re just as the rumors say, but I really give up after this. It’s too hard challenging somebody so straightforwardly perfect. I want to slack off and play video games again.”

Of course Medaka believed this as much as she believed Ajimu’s first declaration of surrender. She looked to the open air baths, and saw nobody else was with them. “If this is a war council then aren’t you forgetting someone? Shouldn’t that girl who never shuts up about despair be here too? This seems like it would break into a three way conflict from the start.”

If you seriously love all human beings than you could at least bother to remember my name! Enoshima Junko said, still eavesdropping but finding it harder to conceal her presence with her increasing annoyance of bing left out of things.

Ajimu Najimi was perfectly aware of this of course. However, being left out of important and dramatic moments was narrative punishment she planned on inflicting on Junko, as well as some karma that would come a bit later. “That person isn’t really a threat to you or me. If you’re the main character, they’re more like a mastermind, or a last boss. They seem like a huge threat, they may even deal some damage to establish how powerful they are but in the end it’s all in the service of making the main character even more triumphant when they defeat them in the end. A person like that… will always have what they want elude them.”  Ajimu looked back at the exact portion of fence that Junko was eavesdropping on them behind. “Actually, I’m closer to the last boss than she is… so I guess she’s more like… a mid boss? How pathetic, ufufufu.”

I’ll show you whose a mid boss! I’m the mastermind! Enoshima Fucking Junko-chan! Junko bit down on the fake red nails of one of her hands hard to stop herself from talking.

“It’s strange. You always go so far to look down on her, but you seem more like her than you do me…” Medaka mused for a moment.

“Why do you say such cruel things, Medaka-chan? I thought you were supposed to be a kind hearted human being, comparing me to Junko-chan of all people, really…”

“It’s your eyes. You both have eyes that look entirely disinterested in the 3D world in front of you but... I’m glad I met with Nanami-senpai then. It helps me understand your game talk just a little bit.”

“It’s just a metaphor, Medaka-chan. I’m glad you made friends though. I have lots of friends too. Especially those 600 people you gathered for your successor candiates. To be honest, they were all not equals like uss, all children who were members of an organization with a silly name.”

The remnants of despair isn’t a silly name, it’s despair inducing! Junko though again, as her nail broke in between her teeth.

“!!” Medaka reacted wordlessly, and much more dignity than Enoshima Junko would have in her entire lifetime. She just gazed fiercely ahead at Ajimu in an expression that demanded she explain herself.

“You shouldn’t be so surprised, Medaka-chan. You thought that it was strange right? Did you really think so highly of yourself that you thought you could gather 600 people with on poster you put up? Did you believe you rolled a natural 20 on the check that made that poster?” Ajmu got a bit smug as she continued her explanation, though rightfully so, smiling at her own cleverness as she relaxed further against the rocks in the bath water. “Actually, originally I wanted Kumagawa to return to my side. When I called him though he refused me. Not only that but he managed to repel all but two of the not equals with his disgusting aura alone.”

Wait, she asked him to join her side? When did that happen? Junko had no idea when this extra bonus scene took place, as she had not talked to him in weeks. So it would remain an itnimate secret besides Kumagawa and Ajimu, another frustrating reminder that not every part of Kumagawa Misogi belonged to her.

As Medaka sat quietly listening, as she was not an attention glutton who needed to dominate the entire conversation like Junko, and she knew her place and did not intrude on scenes that she was not meant to be there for also like Junko was doing right now, Ajimu finished her explanation. “Anyway, what do you want to do now? Do you want to suspend the training today because those two candidates might potentially be not equals like me?”

At this, Medkaa stood up causing the water to splash around her in dramatic fashion. If this were a manga right now, I am sure such a dramatic splash would be censoring the feminine features of her nude body. “I would never do that, even if they were all not equals like you it wouldn’t be enough to stop the education of the next generation!”

“I see… So you really are that kind of person,” Ajimu said, tilting her head back and looking at awe of her for a second.

“I fI am able to do that there will be no problems, because it will be my victory over you who dares go against me!”

“That sounds like a difficult objective…however will you do it~” Ajimu teased back in a sing song voice, to such a serious declaration.

“You said 600 people, I”m a little surprised. Sometime ago Miyakonojou told me that 100,000 people were involved in the flask plan. So what’s the strength that the not equals are able to use?”

“The not equals are just me and Shiranui Hanten. The rest of those six hundred were just toys I picked up, that some other sloppy girl that’s not mentioning left lying around.”

Hearing a noise on the other side of the fence, Medaka looked to the side. “What noise is that? Is that a bear?”

“Why would there be bears out here?” Ajimu said, a genuinely perplexed look on her face. She still did not understand why teenage girls were suddenly so into bears.

“Fine, let me rephrase the question. How many people are you, Ajimu Najimi?” Medaka said, still standing over the relaxing Ajimu without any shame at all.

For a moment, Ajimu sharpened her usually disinterested looking eyes. “What kind of question is that? I’m obviously just a normal cute high school girl. There’s only one of me.” She stood up then to make a declaration of her own, the water splashing all around her. Ajimu used a skill that would make the water splash in much slower motion, entirely for dramatic effect because she was just that flashy. “No, that’s not right. I’m not a person at all. So you’re up against zero people. Unlike me though, you’re a human being Medaka-chan, even if deep down you don’t believe that to be the case biologically the answer is true. No matter what your ideal world is, it will only bring conflict because you are only human in the first place. That answer is neither good nor bad, it simply is.”

“The world simply is? That kind of sounds like horse shit.”

“Fufu, maybe so. I don’t think we want to get into a discussion about gnosticism, and trying to destroy a fundamentally flawed and tainted world though, that kind of philosophy will go over the head of an audience that consists mainly of people who read too much shonen manga.”

“What are you talking about, what audience? There’s no one here but us…” Medaka did not quite seem to get the fourth wall jokes. Of course this was also objectively untrue because they were being eavesdropped on by a nosy girl who needed to insert herself into everything to stroke her ego.

“Well speaking of the two of us, one time you spoke about ‘creating the perfect human being’, right? Of all things you compare yourself with the completely incomplete Kumagawa-kun… I guess of all the people here you’re the most similar to him. I think you and him are even more similar than him and Junko.” That last part was just a barb to annoy Junko who was still listening in, perhaps it was a bit petty on Ajimu’s part, but as the narrator I forgive her. “However, between the two of you you didn’t find the answer to perfection, and you still rejected my flaks plan. You’re probably right, even someone like me with ten quadrillion skills is not able to create the complete human being, and even the similiarly goaled Kamakura project failed utterly in its goal of frankensteining a deus ex machina.”

She relaxed again looking up at the sky above her. “But… Mdaka-chan I promised to show you my heart and the truth that lies in my chest that’s why, I will reply to you honestly. ‘Make everyone happy’ this intention that you carry within you, don’t you think that it’s impossible to realize?”

The two of them stared each other down for a moment. For example, there were people who did not want to be happy because they did not know what it was like, like Kumagawa Misogi. There were others who like spoiled brats had become corrupted from too much happiness like Enoshima Junko. No matter where she went, she would find more and more exceptions to deal with, with such a lofty ideal.

Yet, Medaka did not hesitate. “Yeah I think that trying to make this world happy for everyone is only an unrealizable pipe dream, but for that very reason I will strive for it.” She stood up once more again cuasing the water to part around her.

Ajimu smiled. “Yeah, making everyone filled with hope, and trying to make a world of nothing but despair, they’re both equally impossible dreams. I don’t see any difference in them at all but…” She felll backwards into the water finally her hair flying up behind her. Just before her mouth fell in she flashed a small, genuine smile.  Before puffing her cheeks up to hold her breath like a child would. “I feel relieved, if you were one of those protagonists that thought that tonly their ideal world was the right one without any doubts, I would have had no choice but to kill you. I have the same feelings, if the flask plan was a simple challenge that anyone can do without effort it probably wouldn’t have even come to mind.” As she blew bubbles like a child would too, Medaka finally started to relax too.

“Anyway…” She began, raising her arm and resting it on one of the rocks. “Even if it is meaningless I’ll tell you this. We already stand in a position where we piled up a lot of things for the sake of our ideals. We’re too far in to give up now, me on hope, Enoshima-san on despair, and you on your neutrality.”

“It’s not like that Medaka-chan, our ideas can reach a mutual understanding. Haha,a ctually that was a lie.”

“Candidate Kokichi. He always says this like that.. Right?”

Ajimu smirked.

“Is she still at that leve? I’m disappointed. That’s what you thought, right? Ajimu Najimi.”

“I would have preferred it if you said ‘your next line is…’ but yes.”

“Don’t underestimate me!” Medaka roared again with a fearsome face. “I already understood that both candidates are part of your not equals. Even though Kumagawa did that bothersome thing and tried to conceal it from me.”

“.......” Ajimu merely leaned back again smirking, “He~h.”

Hmm, that seems enough.
That’s enough of that scene now.
That’s all of the conversation that Junko heard anyway, because right then her karma kicked in.

In order to eavesdrop as well as enjoy a large bath time all to herself (she probably needed the extra room to fit in her spacious ego, or something), Junko had once again messed with the curtain signs for this establishment. This time she put a ‘Out of Order’ sign in front of the men’s bath in order to claim it entirely for herself.

However, a certain idiot who was not really good at reading obvious signs walked into the men’s bath without noticing it. His footsteps were not heard as Enoshima Junko was too busy eavesdropping on the conversation next to her with all of her interest, trying to analyze it to understand the motivations of the two she saw as her biggest threats.

Not until she heard the splashing of a foot entering the water behind her, did she turn around slowly to see him. Rather, the steam of the hot springs cleared and they both saw each other at the same time.

Kumagawa Misogi, and Enoshima Junko. They both stared at each other, completely stunned for a few moments. On Kumagawa’s end, the steam was still rising and made most of Junko’s body impossible to see. He was just a childish boy who only read shonen jump after all, he wasn’t meant for such R-18 scenes.

However, the only thing censoring things for Junko was the towel he was holding in front of him. She saw every other detail of his body, including the scars from every misfortune he had suffered that seemed to be drawn on every single place that his uniform usually covered. No wonder he always wore long sleeves, and dressed as darkly as possible, he was hiding a life time’s worth of scars.

However, after taking in all this information Enoshima Junko realized the obvious. Kumagawa Misogi was standing in front of her completely naked, while she too was compeltely naked. The same prank she had played earlier on her sister. This wasn’t how things were supposed to work, Enoshima Junko was supposed to be immune to karma.

Kumagawa opened up his mouth to say something, but he failed to get any words out as in the next moment Junko aimed a perfect kick at his jaw that was also perfectly replicated from one of Zenkichi’s savate kicks. As he fell backwards into the bath, Kumagawa let go of his towel and tried to grasp for it only for Junko to be at his neck at the next moment, wrapping her hands around him and pushing him in further.

『It’s not my fault! It’s not my fault! It’s not my fault!』He said, as he struggled against her, kicking up a splash in the water. Junko was no longer thinking rationally, her entire face turned red and she just wanted to make sure he would not see any of her perfect body.

『Wait, wait, Junko my towel! My towel! Ahhhh! Quit it, quit it! Stop teasing me I’m gonna drown for real! Hey hey hey hey!』As usual Kumagawa did not seem to be taking her genuine attempts to drown him very seriously. He probably had gone through several attempted drownings in the past, knowing him. However, she noticed one thing about his cries. His towel. She looked down for a moment to confirm that yes, he was in fact not wearing one.

Then immediately jumped back. “Ewe! Ewe! Ewe! Boy germs! Loser boy germs! Get out before I tell everybody you’re one of those pervert characters in shonen manga that always tries to peep on the girls.” As Kumagawa sat up, she immediately threw his towel in his face.

『That’s not very fair. This is the men’s bath after all. That would make you the pervert that snuck in here.』

“Yeah, well it’s mine now. So, shoo, shoo!”

『Yeah, I know you don’t want to be around me anymore so...』He dunked his head all the way in the water just once to flatten his messy black hair, and then stood up once more this time with towel wrapped around him and moved to leave.

As she watched him leave, Junko remembered what Ajimu had said to her. You could just talk to him. What Mukuro had said. She’s just a clueless virgin. What she had just overheard. She’ll never get what she wants. “Wait… that’s not what…” Before Junko could even finish her half thought out sentence, she saw Kumagawa who was standing up suddenly collapse, as spots of reds opened up in his back.

“Did you really go in the hot springs with fresh stitches in your back?”

『Uh… yeah… why...』

“Hot water causes things to expand, you just reopened all of your wounds. God… why am I attracted to somebody this dumb. Please tell me it’s just for the despair of my bad taste.”

Before Kumagawa could process what she had just said, the remaining consciousness drained from his body and outside of his back with his blood and freshly opened wounds. Junko considered for a long time just leaving him there to bleed out and die.

However, as far as death’s go that would be pretty boring and she said earlier she wanted to do it with her own hands. This is just for a greater despair later! Junko told herself, as she picked up the naked except for one towel Kumagawa Misogi and started to carry him out of the room. The way her heart was beating so fast, the redness of her cheeks that only increased as she thought about what she was doing, or felt his skin rub against hers, that was also just the anticipation of despair. Really, having to be around a loser who was so out of her league in any kind of fanservice scene, that was just the epitome of despair for a perfect bodied girl like her!

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Both dressed in robes, Enoshima Junko and Kumagawa Misogi stared at each other red faced in his room. The door behind them was closed so nobody could see their secret rendezvous, and also because Junko had wanted to slam it shut out of frustration when she first dragged Kumagawa in here.

『Thanks...』Kumagawa said finally to break the tension between them. In truth it was not just that they had stumbled upon each other naked, this was also the first time they had talked with each other completely alone in weeks.

“Maaaaybe this wasn’t your fault this one time… but why are you such an idiot?” Junko asked, crossing her arms and glaring at him with her red eyes. She removed her contacts when she went to bathe and had not put them back in yet.

『J-just forget it! I’m definitely the victim here!』Kumagawa snapped at her, his fac reddening again.

“So… how much did you see?”

『Wha?』

“You saw, didn’t you? My.. my perfect body!” Junko’s eyes started to water as she turned away from him and hid her expression. Kumagawa genuinely could not tell if she was embarrassed, or just acting. “I can’t believe it, you saw my pure naked body, I’ve been sullied by Kumagawa’s gross eyes.”

『I- I didn’t see anything! The steam was way too thick!』

“Really? Really? Really?” Junko suddenly moved in his face, poking at his partially exposed chest with one of her red nails. “You’ll die if you’re lying.”

『You’re going to try to kill me anyways, but yeah.. It’s true!』

“Well not yet. There’s no fun if you’re already half dead and easy to kill. If you’re going to die, you could at least die for me in a cool way.” Junko said, uncrossing her arms and gesturing with extra pizzazz with one of her hands.

『I’m not sure dying in a cool way is possible for an uncool person like me.』Kumagawa said, sticking his tongue out at her. For a moment he felt like no time had passed and they were back to their old rhythm. Then suddenly, his expression dropped and he turned around.  『I’m sorry for bothering you, I’ll just go then.』

“Oi. Idiot, who gave you permission to leave?” Junko said, immediately reaching her fingers out and digging her claws into his shoulder. “I just told you you can’t die by anyone but my hands, so I have to redo those stitches so you don’t bleed to death. Sit down already.”

『Y..yes...』Kumagawa immediately sat down. He fixed his gaze entirely forward, as Junko’s red nailed hands, pulled apart the top part of his robes and exposed his back. He felt Junko’s hands move over him, and every touch, he tried to scoot away, fidgeted, or make a scared sounding squeak.

“Will you stand still?” She said, not bothering to hide her impatience at all.

『Ah… sorry it’s just...』

“Hmmm?”

『It’s embarrassing, to be seen like this by the girl you like.』

“Aren’t you the shameless pervert that’s always going on about naked aprons?”

『That was a joke! I was joking!』He breathed heavy and she could see the tension in the muscles that moved in his shoulders underneath his scarred skin. 『It’s awkward now. It feels like I’m naked in front of a stranger.』

Stranger?
No we’re…
We’re uh…

Her eyes blinked, trying to take in new information. “Why is it embarrassing though?”

『It’s like you said. Your body is perfect, untouched. Mine is ugly and scarred. You wouldn’t want to touch something so unclean. Especially when you want nothing to do with me.』Kumagawa looked away then. His usual shamelessness, his bragging about his own ugliness and scars, his perpetual smile all of them were gone in this moment.

“That isn’t…” Well she had said that, but that’s not what she meant. She said a lot of things in fact and most of them were all meaningless. There was a truth deep in her heart… or rather she thought there was, but Ajimu Najimi had said such a thing never existed.

Just talk to him. She remembered the words of Takumi. It’s like you’re always putting on a performance. Enoshima Junko could not speak her true feelings, because Enoshima Junko felt nothing but despair, and did everything for the sake of despair.

In other words she was just an empty girl on the inside. She realized how long she had let the silence go between them as she worked. She saw a glimpse of the pitiful face Kumagawa was making, and immediately wanted him to stop hiding it from her. She wanted him to look at her. She was so hungry for it she felt like she could devour him.

Well, if this was just like a scene in some manga, all she needed to do was act the part. Right? That was much easier than trying to look within and finding nothing at all. Junko let the sides of her robe slide down, and looked to Kumagawa with a smirk on her face that suggested something that was completely R-18. “Well, if you’re embarrassed then let’s just both get naked.”

『E-e-e-e-e-enoshima-sama, I can see them!』Kumagawa looked out of the corner of his eyes, then his eyes rolled around in his skull for a few moments of pure shock before he fixed his head entirely forward.

She grabbed him by the shoulder and bid that he look back again. “Uh, yeah. No duh, that’s the point, were you even listening?”

『!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!』Kumagawa backpedaled. 『This is just a joke right? You’re messing with me right? Or this is just to cause despair because I know it will never happen. Haha you got me good.』

“No, it’s not.” Junko said crawling towards him on all fours. Kumagawa, and seeing himself as the target of Junko’s current determined gaze felt his heart leap. Then, he immediately stumbled over himself trying to flee and reached for the door.

『It was nice chatting, see you later!』He said, in a rush as he tried to slide the door open again. Only for it to jam. He tugged on it twice more. Then, with all of his strength tried to break it, only for it to refuse to move. Kumagawa sat down cross legged and scratched at the back of his head, amking a ditzy face and sticking his tongue out.   『Oops, looks like we’re stuck!』

Junko had already drawn back though, and drawn her knees up to her chest to sulk. When Kumagawa looked up at her, she glared daggers back at him. He remembered a propehcy Chiaki had told him awhile ago. Even if the girl you love was lying naked next to you, nothing will happen. This was just rubbing it in, he thought.

“How come you don’t want to stare lustfully at my perfect body?”

『You just got mad a moment ago that I might have seen it?』

“Well, I changed my mind.”

『You change your mind way too quickly.』

“Well I changed my mind about changing my mind!” Junko said, and then this time she stuck her tongue back out at him. She flopped back on the ground, a bored expression taking her face as she gave up entirely. “I can’t believe the innocent and virtuous me is trapped in here with a guy like Kumagawa-senpai.”

『See it’s because you say stuff like that!』Kumagawa snapped, and then flopped down on the ground as well, giving up just as easily. 『There’s no way I could ever believe it. That you’d want  to touch this gross torn up body of mine. People only touch me to hurt me.』

You’re…
You’re not…
“Ah, but don’t you think that’s really despair inducing?” Junko said, suddenly right next to him even though she had been on the opposite side of the room a few moments ago. Her hand reached out and touched one of his scars. “Hey, tell me about this one.”

『Wha?』

“I wanna hear about how you got hurt right here.” She traced the line of his scar again. “This is a pretty nasty one, so I bet it’s a miserable story.”

Kumagawa sighed. Even like this he couldn’t really say no to her desires. 『I’ve transferred to 22 different schools, and I got into fights at 23 of them… This one I think it was from even before that… when I was really young and found a cult by accident...』

His story went on, exactly as spontaneous and miserable as Junko expected it. When he finished, she touched him again and greedily demanded another one. It went on like this the whole night, and Junko binged on his despair, treating herself like a tourist to his miserable life. She wondered what it would like to live a life with such nonstop and unpredictable constant agony.

Idly, he asked her a qusetion too. 『Have you been chewing your nails lately?』

“Uh. yeah, why?”

『Nothing, it’s just I used to do that too, but Ajimu found it annoying.』

“God, I know you have to ruin everything but do not ruin this by mentioning her.”

He really did ruin everything, everything always went worse for him.

If she was by Kumagawa’s side… maybe she could share in that despair inducing life a little bit. She thought it was pretty late by now, and both of them had gotten so tired they just laid next to each other and continued to talk.

『Hey, do you think Medaka-chan’s right when she thinks I can be fixed?』

“God I hope not.”

『Ehhhh, why?』

“It’d suck if someone figured out how to fix you and you got boring.” She said without thinking because she was too tired at the moment. She should just, communicate that sentiment. “Hey, Kumagawa-senpai can I tell you how I really feel?”

『...Uh-huh, sure!』

“I want to kill you.” She said, and gently ran a fingernail down his neck.

『And I want to be killed by you! Ah, but then I’d die.』

“Yep, so just die.”

『Nah!』He said, his cheerful smile returning.

“Actually, I… I wanted to talk to you about something for so long.”

『No thanks!』

“What?” The fact that he might just simply say no to her, was not something Junko had even considered or factored into her plans for this moment. 

『I’m too tired right now, let’s just talk in the morning.』

“You know in movies that’s like the number one death flag, right?”

『This isn’t really a movie though. It's reality.  Forget about what you’re going to do with Makoto, stay with me in the morning and talk to me then. Otherwise I’ll get jealous if you send him into despair instead of me.』

As she started to fall asleep, Junko smiled into her sleepiness. Ah, he wants me to choose him. Her eyes closed, and she looked like quite the sleeping cat. How pathetic.

The next morning, just as he expected, Kumagawa woke up completely alone, as if what happened last night was nothing but a happy dream.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Naegi Makoto stopped in front of the door to his and Kumagawa’s room, and tried to slide it open, only to realize it was jammed. “Awe man, really? I have the worst luck today.”

He did not want to sleep outside on the floor, and knew everybody else was asleep at this point. Suddenly an idea popped into his head, he knew it was a longshot but he wanted to talk to Mukuro more after what happened this afternoon anyway.

When he knocked open the door, Mukuro’s sleepy face greeted him. Her normally straight hair was slightly messy, in a cute way he noted. “Oh, Makoto. Do you want to come in?”

“Aren’t you sharing a room with Enoshima?”

“She disappeared somewhere.”

“That’s not a good sign.”

That was how he ended up alone in a room with the girl he liked, in the middle of the night, wearing only a light robe for sleeping. He was quiet, thinking of what to say, whereas Mukuro seemed to just be completely comfortable with the silence as she was a quiet person normally.

However, she was also the one who broke it by speaking in her normal direct way. “Hey, now that we’re alone, can you explain those couple things?”

“Eh…” Makoto scratched furiously at the back of his head. “Why… why do you want to talk about that all of a sudden?”

He had been laying on the Tatami mats with his hands folded over his chest, and looking up at the ceiling trying to not make direct eye contact with Mukuro. However, suddenly, a hand slammed on the mat and she was leaning over them. “Because I want to do them with you.”

She said once again, as directly as possible leaving no room for conclusion. Ah, he thought Mukuro was completely oblivious but maybe he had been the oblivoius one. He wanted to nod along more than anything else, but he was still hesitant. “Ah… why?”

Mukuro blinked at him. “We’re a couple, right?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“Do you want to stay together with me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Do you think I’m pretty?”

“Of course I-” Makoto was cut off by a lip locking against his. He decided he didn’t really mind it though, no, this was the kind of thing that was normal between teenagers his age anyway.

Unlike the two despair idiots who talked circles around each other all night, those two seemed to be on the same wavelength. Or uh… what’s a good way to put this.

Makoto after two consecutive days of bad luck, finally got lucky.

The next morning when he awoke though, an even worse luck was waiting for him. He looked at Mukuro, still using the blankets to cover most of her bare form and decided not to wake her up and felt grateful he had left his phone on vibrate so he was the only one who was woken up by it.

He walked over to the balcony, grabbing his robe along the way and hastily throwing it back on. “Ehhh, who is it? What kind of inconsiderate person calls this early?”

“Yooooooo! Naeeeegiiiii-kuuuun!” Enoshima Junko’s voice blared on the other side of the line. Junko had left the hotel quite some time ago, and was once more dancing alone along the streets of the city, messing around on her phone the whole time.

“Ah… it’s you… Ensohima…” Even though he did hate her, for some reason he could not break out of his usual awkward teenage boy way of speaking, even around her.

“So, what’s up? Let me guess, you’ve been filled with self doubt about your status as a main character lately.”

“Huh…” Makoto stopped, and stared at his own phones. “Hey, can you read minds or something? Do you have a power, like Kumagawa, or that other strange girl in white?”

“Nah, but that’d be pretty cool if I could right?”

“No, then. Whatever you were planning for this school trip, you wanted me to feel like this right?”

“Bingo! Man, even if you’re completely average in the intelligence department you’re really good at being led to conclusions by others. As a human being that’s a pretty shameful trait, but I think you’d make a good dog on a leash!” Junko looked down and saw she was walking on a bridge. Oh, how symbolic for the kind of scene she had planned.

“Did you call me just to be a mean?” Makoto asked.

Junko stopped, to lean on the railing of the bridge. “Nope, I just had a question to ask. You know you’re pretty useless right now right, three crisis situations right in a row and you barely did anything, you just walked around oblivious the whole time. You were dragged into this mess because of your association with Mukuro, so why don’t you just stop?”

“Ah…”  Makoto stopped for a moment. It’s not like he had a thing like resolve. He had broken apart earlier, at the thought of how much he was lacking such a thing. A washed out and featureless protagonist. “All you have to do is quit and go back to being a normal high schooler. That’s what Kumagawa-senpai wants more than anything you know, and here you are desperately trying to run away from it. The school was almost destroyed and that’s not even the biggest of your problems now, things are heating up to say the least.” She flipped over the railing, and landed perfectly down below striking a pose. “But you already know that, so why haven’t you quit? Is that hope?”

“HItoyoshi-kun told me that I didn’t have to just be average.”

“Yeah, well you didn’t have to buy into it. That was your choice.”

“Right, but the thing is. Even if you weren’t meddling with things, even if you didn’t end up pushing me and Mukuro together, and you sort of did, I’d probably end up here anyway.”

Junko smiled into the phone she was holding against her face. “Oh please. You make it sound like I’ve been controlling everything all along.”

“You probably have been, or at least that’s the feeling I have right now. You said you were trying to drive us apart, but that seems kind of opposite. Could it be, everything you did this weekend you tried to push us together. Now, you’re saying that I should just give up, but isn’t that just because you want me to find a reason to keep going.”

“Maaaaaaybeeeeee. What if I did? Does that make you mad? Do you hate me now?”

“Yeah, I hate you. You’re still my classmate though, so it’s not like I’m going to shut you out or stop listening to what you have to say. Besides, something nice happened because of all your meddling, so thanks for doing that.”

“Gosh, you’re weird. I’m never going to get optimism monkeys like you. Well anyway, I just wanted to explain to you. You’re always at the center of events, but you’re not the center mover. You don’t rush forward like Zenkichi and achieve them for yourself. You always rely on others, and instead of fighting back when things get tough, you cling to emotional attachment instead and let other people save you. Do you know what I’m describing?”

“Me… a terrible hero.”

“See, that’s what you’re not getting. You’re trying to force yourself into a slot you were never menat for, square peg, round hole. Like duh!”

“But, I’m the hero?”

“You’re wrong. The heroine is you, Naegi.”

“Eh? But I…”

“It’s you, Naegi!”

“O..Okay.”

“You can’t succeed because you’re not playing to your strong suits. You don’t know how to use yourself at all! You’re just trying to become cool like Zenkichi, instead of staying true to you uncool self.”

“Now it feels like you’re just bullying me again.”

Junko turned around suddenly, and made a finger gun, mouthing a playful bang as a a car passed her by on the street. She looked towards the scramble crossing in the distance, and decided to head towards there and hide herself amongst the crowd. “No, I’m just trying to explain. That’s why you need someone who knows how to use you properly. That’s why you need me! Let’s work together, Naegi-kun!”

“What? You’ve done nothing but try to kill me all week, why would I do that?”

“Ugh, that was like five minutes ago can you get over it already? I already told you it was like a test, a secret learning trial.”

“You tried to destroy the school too!”

“Yes, and I admitted it to you. You only know who I really am because I told you, because I wanted you to know, I could have easily come to you putting on an act and manipulated you into getting what I want. I’m offering you a chance to not get dragged along the leash for once, from objective to objective.”

“Oh, I see. How kind of you then. What exactly would we be teaming up for?”

“We need to get rid of Ajimu Najimi. As long as she’s here, the battle between hope and despair will be a stalemate. You won’t be able to defeat me because she’ll keep me alive, and I won’t be able to defeat you because she’ll keep meddling in my plans. All we’ll do is make each other’s lives hell, but if we can get rid of her, then the board resets. Our truce will dissolve and we can just go back to trying to kill each other fair and square. Except this time, unlike all other times, you won’t be stumbling forward blindly, you’ll know what’s coming.”

“... why do you want things to reset, though?”

“Well, about my old plan. Ever since Kumagawa-senpai showed up it’s pretty much impossible isn’t it? I think I should just get bored of it and move on to trying something else like I always have in the past. Anyway, isn’t it a good thing? You’ll go back to being at the center of your friend’s worlds, they’ll all look to you.”

“Well. I can’t see that happening really. I’ve been left behind by them for quite awhile now. Maybe if your original plan did happen, and I became the heroine you described then I’d be the hope that binds them all together but… that’s not the case anymore.”

“Upupupupu.” This is awesome! He really is the perfect kind of pathetic person for overturning Ajimu. He puts all the fools I’ve seen up until now to shame! Junko’s face cracked to reveal a ravenous grin, she could hardly hold it back any longer. “Yes! Congratulations! You’re completely right, you sir are a loser!”

“What…. Thanks? I think?”

“You can be wishy washy, but when you act you act. You’re so unassuming, but so unpredictable!” Junko started to skip along excitedly as she made her way to her destination. “That’s why I need you, Naegi-kun! You’re the worst possible choice, that’s why you should help me defeat Ajimu! Let’s team up, she thinks hope and despair are both unnecessary things, so let’s show her both of them.”

“I… whether I live my life as a normal high school student, or whether I try to be the center of my class like you said, I think either way I’d feel like I didn’t belong there. Maybe it’s not even outside circumstances, no matter where I go, I’m going to feel average, I’m going to feel out of place like it’s a defect in the center of my being. So, that being said I don’t want to choose between one or the other. Like, if you were to as a villain present me with a choice between saving Mukuro or the rest of my friends, I’d want to choose both of them.”

“That’s the stupidest, most naive answer possible! That’s why you’re so good."

“I guess you’re right. In the end I’m best at relying on others, and blindly trusting them. I don’t know why I was trying to be different, or trying to do things for myself.” I’m sorry Zenkichi. “This is good, this way I don’t have to fight with one of my classmates too! Let’s work together then, I’ll be your heroine!”

Junko stared at her phone for a moment. Wow, talking the poster child of hope onto my side was easier than I thought. He might just be a sociopath if he can overlook all I’ve done so far, or maybe something far worse...a disney princess.

Before she could respond, Makoto spoke up on the other side of the line again. “Oh, and Junko you should be careful. Are you running around the city again, trying to look cool? Well, get back to the hotel soon, otherwise your sister will worry about you.”

She was about to snap at him not to tell Enoshima Junko what to do, when she heard a sleepy voice on the other end of the line.

“Ahhh… Makoto… who’s that?”

She realized Makoto and Mukuro were in the same room together, and instantly put two and two together. “Ewewewewew.” Immediately she hung up. Junko considered throwing her phone away and stomping on it to relieve her on the bad thoughts that were stuck in her head.

However, a moment later she received another call from an unknown number. It read as blocked on her phone. Not only that it called her personal phone, the one only Kumagawa and Mukuro had the number too, not her burner. She tilted her head for a moment, and then put it up ot her ear once more.

“Oh, hello. Is this Enoshima Junko I’m speaking with?”

“Yes, this is Enoshima.”

“Ahhhh! I just have to say I’m a huge fan! I really think you’re the best!”

“Well, obviously. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“There’s so much I want to tell you but… ugh I’m so frustrated now. Have you ever heard of the perfect murder? Or perhaps the perfect crime? I really think somebody like you could plan one, but you’ve been so sloppy lately. You just let those two monsters run loose and cause a mess. You’re not acting like the Enoshima Junko I like. Seriously The old you would have planned that much more smoothly..”

“Hey, who the hell is this? Who the hell do you think you are, criticizing perfection?”

“No need for you to know my name. I don’t think there’s such a thing as perfect art, even for an artist as good as yourself. So let me offer some critique. You’re very beautiful you know.”

“...Duh?”

I’m about to get attacked, from where, what angle? Too many people. Should I predict all of them? I can run away but that’ll make it even more obvious where I am.

“It makes you stand out in a crowd."  She felt something bump into her.  The voice speaking spoke at the same time as the phone, with a bit of lag. "So in your case, trying to blend into a crowd while you look like a fashion model wearing bright ass red, isn’t really an ideal way for you to hide. Maybe if you had bandaged your face after all like Naze-san, you would be alright.”

Her body went limp, and she felt something wet in the side of her outfit. Damn, that’s going to stain. She thought as she saw pink dripping from her side. Her phone was tossed aside casually as she fell forward.

She saw the instrument that she had been stabbed with fall out of her side and scattered across the ground. A letter… opener…what a classic. She tried to look up but the person who had bumped into her had walked away a long time ago. The call was still going on the phone she had dropped though.

“Oh, and since you asked. I’m a friend of Shiranui! I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, I hope I made a good impression!”  

She looked at the phone with one eye open as it hung up.

Damn.
I was too focused on Ajimu, I wasn’t thinking about Zenkichi’s weird little friend at all.
I underestimated them.
I gotta calll…
Mukuro.
Kumagawa.
Matsuda.

Ah, right.
They all hate me.
What despair.

As she bled out on the street, a flashy girl that nobody truly knew or nobody recognized, her eyes shut with her last thoughts rather confident in the knowledge that nobody would be coming to save her.

At least when she was all alone, she still had despair to comfort her. For whatever reason though, the embrace of despair felt a little empty in comparison to another embrace she had felt. Her heart was barely beating at all, though, that might have just been the blood loss.

Her hand failed to reach the phone, and her consciousness went black.
PItch blank despair, that was all there was for Enoshima Junko. 

Chapter 32: Say Goodbye to Despair

Summary:

Everybody deserves a day off, even genius high schoolers.

Notes:

There's more references to Izaya in this chapter.

Her heart stopped.
Heart and lungs failed….

Worst of all, when she was discovered in this critical state the field trip was canceled and everybody rushed home.

Think, where did it go wrong.

The massive high school towers over all the other buildings in this bustling urban area.
It’s like the school that stands at the center of the world.
Hope’s Peak Academy.
It brings in top students from every field imaginable.
A government-funded school of privilege…
They say that if you come here and manage to graduate you’ll be set for life.
With hundreds of years of tradition it sends the cream fo the crop tow ork every year.
It was built to raise hope in the nation’s future.
Which makes Hope’s Peak a pretty fitting name.
There are two things you need to attend this school.
One you must already be attending high school, two you must be the best in the field at what you do.
No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you’re scouted by the school itself.
And standing there are the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students…
Was me…
Trying to play it cool I took my first step into hope’s peak academy.
It was also my first step towards starting a new life at a new school.
78th Class Entrance ceremony, the sign read.
A fateful gust of wind blew past.
In that moment the pair that would plunge the academy and later the whole damn world into the depths of despair, first laid eyes on the powder keg they’d soon ignite.
This was where my life was truly going to kick into gear.

I can’t wait maybe fate will even drop someone into my lap
At least that’s what I was hoping for.  
And then uhhh…
What happened next?
My view became warped, twisted.

It was like some kind of delusion, melting away, and mixing together into something else.
Spining, mixing, melting away and spinning again.
And at that moment everything went black.
From that point forward, everything was so I could experience ultimate despair.

“...”

“Ngh?

A common scene among high school dramas. A girl wearing the school uniform, sitting alone in the classroom at a desk after having nodded off. Eventually, a light beam would break through the window and wake her up with its glare. However, the windows of this classroom were sealed completely shut.

She woke up on her own, slowly rising her head from where it was resting on the top of a hard wooden desk with her arms crossed. My body feels… heavy. She got bored easily, so it was pretty normal for her to zonk off in the middle of some boring class or whatever, but...what was she doing asleep here just now?

She had a vague sensation that this was wrong. There was somewhere she needed to be, a person she needed to meet up with. She wanted to talk about something. All of these vague ideas swirled around in her head, like dirtied water, sloshing back and forth. Slosh, slosh, drip, drip drip.

“What the heck is going on?”

The classroom she did not recognize, had a funky wallpaper that looked like leapord print and wooden floors. In the center of the room, a lectuerer’s stand had the hope’s peak logo. Behind it there was a chalk board.

On the desk she fell asleep on there was a line of drool. Slosh, slosh, drip drip drip drip. Splash. She looked down to the side and saw a puddle of pink on the ground. She reached to her side finally and felt it was all wet.

“Pink blood? What the hell? Blood is red… did somebody cover me in cheap special effects blood just to prank me?”

She looked to the side wondering why the classroom was so dark, and realized the windows had been shut completely, and sealed there with iron bars. The last notable feature of the room was a clock at the direct center.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

The moment she knew the sound, she knew, or rather she anticipated that somebody was waiting for her. Then she heard it, a swish, the sound of a ribbon being blown about in the air.

“This is… this isn’t Hope’s Peak, this is the old school building. Hey, wait. I’m in the middle of an important conversation with Makoto, right? Then next uhh.. I was going to go talk to Kumagawa-senpai like I promised but, that was a death flag and I got stabbed…”

She stood up from where she was on her desk, looking around the room while the clock ticked incessantly in the background. She filled the empty classroom with the noise of her speech. “Right, I got stabbed and collapsed in the middle of the street… So, this must be the afterlife? No way!? You’re telling me I’m going to be stuck in stupid Hope’s Peak Academy even in hell?”

Then a voice spoke up, she sounded so soft and serene, like the sound of bells gently being blown by the wind. “Are you really that stupid, Junko-chan? There is no way an afterlife exists. Though, I do agree that you mistook this classroom as hell, but once you die it’s all over.”

Swish, swish, sway, sway.
She kicked her heels up, and sat on the speaker’s podium. Her legs crossed one another, and she leaned back holding her hands behind her back. A girl with dark red almost brown looking hair, and red eyes, with her long haired elegancy tied back in a ribbon. She kicked her heels together for a moment, and Junko could read easily the Kanji that had been written on the white shoes she wore over black tights.

Ajimu Najimi.
Or, alternatively read as
Anshin’in.

Junko looked down at herself for a second, and saw she was wearing not black and white outfit, but rather the tan jacket, and white tie school uniform, with white undershirt that was standard for Hope’s Peak Academy.

Not the outfit that she had died in, but one she wore a long time in the past. Ah, this was what I was wearing the day I met you.

“Wait… what? Are you the great king yama? You know… like in dragon ball?”

“Ufufufu! I already said you were wrong. A cute great king yama like this can’t be found anywhere, right? And, you didn’t die either, what a pity.”

Junko’s expression became unreadable. For somebody who was just told they did not die, they did not look too happy about it.

“Don’t pretend to be surprised. You should know, even with a quadrillion skills, I don’t have a single skill that revives the dead. There are some things that should remain impossible in this world, otherwise it’s no fun at all.”

“But… I’m bleeding.. No wait…Huh?” She gripped her side again, to find that the wetness she had once felt had dried and become completely caked on. “It stopped?”

“No, Junko-chan. Your bleeding didn’t stop, your heart stopped. All it needs to do is start beating again.  In your case, your body took too much damage that you nearly died because of the shock.It’s exactly the same way Yasuke-chan once died.  You only stabbed him once after all, but you said such horrible things, and then ripped open the wound, so his body went into shock and he died. That would be a neat parallel in a manga, ah but this is real life and we’re in a crisis situation.  So, to avoid that I took your consciousness away and put it in here."

“Hey, that’s my consciousness not yours! Who do you think you are? The only person who has the right to decide what to do with the life of the antagonist, is Enoshima Junko-chan herself. I’ve wanted to buy the farm since before the idea of mortality even dawned on you, you can’t take this away from me! Ah wait-” She stopped in the middle of her outburst, her entire personality shifting, her eyes looking quite empty as she blinked in confusion. “Liiiiiike uhhh? Who are you again? Are you some part of my subconscious or something?”

“If you can’t remember then I’m no one, mainly because my face was ripped away. We’ve talked a lot of times before this, but if you can’t remember those conversations it’s because you’re too immature to accept me into your heart yet. Maybe one day we’ll become friends, and you’ll get to know the real me who sits in this classroom. Until then.”

She reached forward, and flicked Enoshima Junko right between the eyes. “Don’t be so stuuuupid, Juuuuuunko-chaaaaaan!”

Junko’s eyes shot open

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

The sounds of an impatient clock that she overheard in her dream, turned out to be nothing more than the clock that was ticking over her hospital bed.

She loved despair, a lot.
When hope left a bad taste in her mouth, the only comfort she had was giving life one big, fat, last despairful kiss my ass.
That was the purpose she had been living until this day.

Alive.
She was still alive.
The light she saw was blurred, but slowly it became clear and she saw the glare of hospital lights above her, and an unfamiliar white ceiling.
Haha, Evangelion reference. She thought, before hearing a voice next to her.

“Hello Miss Enoshima. How are we doing?”

“Uhh?”

“Let’s get a fresh IV in you.”

She looked and saw a doctor that looked much too young to be a doctor, and about half of her height, with familiar blonde hair though she could not quite place it at the moment.

Oh right.
I’m in the hospital.

“It makes you stand out in a crowd! So in your case trying to blend ingot a crowd while you look like a fashion model wearing bright ass red, isn’t really an ideal way for you to hide. Maybe if you had bandaged your face after all like Naze-san, you would be alright.”

“Oh, and since you asked. I’m a friend of Shiranui! I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, I hope I made a good impression!”  

“I’m sure you’re used to dealing with stalkers, being a fashion model and all. The police are saying it’s a very typical case. I hope dealing with the police after this won’t be too stressful.” The woman said, looking over at her clipboard.

“Ah, I hope not. I’m not really used to being interrogated. I can’t possibly know anything about the minds of those who live on the darker side of the law,” Junko said, telling a whopper of a lie with a completely genuine smile on her face.

“I’m sure you’re not. You look like a girl whose lived a pretty good life until this point.”

I really don’t want to talk to the police. Guess I’ll sneak out tonight, even though I’m still feeling ouchie.

“Your color is not looking good. Even if you want to get back to class, I wouldn’t reccomend you being discharged yet, or even taking visitors for too long.”

“Now, that’s a little bit disappointing. Well, I guess since it’s so comfortable here, I can laze around a little bit and pretend to be a NEET for awhile.” Junko seemed relaxed, but underneath the girlish smile she gave she thought like a sore loser, what! Unfair! Medaka, Kumagawa and all those sandbox kids get stabbed all the time and they’re fine in a few days. I get stabbed once and you’re telling me I’m chained to this bed!

The blonde haired doctor with a childish face laughed at her joke. “Well fine, fine, but don’t be too much of a pain to the nurses.”

Her love of despair was an obsession. That was why she had gone out of her way to manipulate everyone’s lives so closely. A whole lot of lives. All of them, like red strings of fate attached to the tips of her red nails. 

“Speaking of pain, you wouldn’t happen to know if my stabbing made the news, do you?”

“Actually, since you’re a celebrity it’s made several morning shows, and they even mentioned your name.”

At this, Enoshima Junko smirked.
She was a good girl, who had lived a good life, had made a career that made her beloved by all, with a good talent that could really help the world if she applied it.
However, all she cared about was plunging herself into the shadows, and watching them shift and move.

Class 78 returned, three days early from their weekend trip. Which meant they had three days until class resumed.
A person of little consequence using their holiday to break away from their boring lives is one thing.
But what do people who already have rare things like talent and fame do on their days off?
People who live to defy the ordinary.
People who are up to their necks in the extraordinary.
Maybe they don’t get holidays, maybe instead they look for other kinds of stimulation.

Enoshima Junko tried to recall the dream she had that escaped her the moment she woke up. She could remember the sequence of events quite well, Kumagawa MIsogi appeared in her life and threw off her perfect plan, then Medaka arrived and fought with Kumagawa, and after Kumagawa was defeated a third enemy appeared named Ajimu Najimi.

THe first day Ajimu Najimi came back, she kissed Junko and restored some of her memories and claimed that she had met before. Junko could not recall this… she remembered dreams… strange dreams… but nothing else. Ever since than Ajimu Najimi had been pretending to be a normal student while manipulating things behind the scene, and just as Enoshima Junko pulled the final string into place for her counter plan.

She was stabbed.

Did Ajimu do it?
It seemed unlikely since Ajimu was the one who kept saying that this would be a story where nobody would die.
The person mentioned being a friend of Shiranui, but Shiranui was a last name that belonged to two of her classmates now, Shiranui Hanten the guy who was always just standing there, and Shinraui Hansode Zenkichi’s small friend who had a talent similiar to the Ultimate Impostor.

She had ignored both of them to focus on Ajimu, so maybe that was how one of them saw an opening and stabbed her.

She put down the fashion magazine with her face on it that she had been reading. “Man, I’m bored.” She stopped trying to figure it out, deciding it would be more fun if she was caught by surprise like that again.

One can imagine she was enjoying how things turned out.
Perhaps she even enjoyed the fact she got stabbed.
But so far, the day wasn’t the usual, normal day she was used to..
Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

Normal for her, was on hold.

“I can’t believe I haven’t gotten any visitors yet from my many mourning fans, but you know with them broadcasting my name on the news it’d be just as likely that one of my many enemies could take advantage of how weak and vulnerable I am right now, and plunge me who had just escaped death barely head first into it. The despair of being kicked while you’re down, upupupupu! Upupupupupupuu!ACK! OUCH! OwOwOwOwOwie!” She whined, as her usual rapturous laughter and kicking her feet around like a child, managed to pull and irritate the stitches in the deep wound at the side of her otherwise unblemished and perfect body.

She leaned forward, grabbing her side as a smirk crawled across her lips and this time much quieter she said. “If something like that happened, then that’d be just too bad, right?”

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

All day, she would lie there waiting.
Waiting for someone to come and kill her.
The image of Kamakura’s back, and his red eyes as he looked down at her muttering “You’re boring” flashed through her mind. Maybe it’ll be daaaarling.
The image of Medaka, getting dragged away by the neck on a trap that Junko had set up. Or maybe her.
The image of Makoto on a cell phone, with Mukuro lying next to him. Or maybe him, now that he has something to protect as well. He does have one hell of a grudge against me.
If the news of my getting stabbed broke this morning then someone special should be coming to finish the job.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

I’ll be a good girl and wait patiently all day, so it’d be a shame if I don’t get to end it with a bang.

However, Enoshima Junko would once again be denied what she wanted.
Nobody would come to visit her, friend or foe.
Probably because nobody liked her, that’s my personal deduction.
From an objective standpoint though it was because after the major mover of the plot was put out of commission, this day became everybody else’s day off from Enoshima Junko.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Junko rubbed her forehead.

“Did somebody flick me while I’m asleep? How rude.” She wondered aloud. She had managed to wait patiently for a whole hour, which was probably the longest she had waited for something in her entire life.

ALready though, boredom was gripping at the edge of her senses, dulling them. She dragged her hand over her eye, and turned it on, this borrowed power of hers.

“Seriously, nobody came to visit me? Where is everybody anyway? Are you there? Are you there? Are you there?” She flicked about, infecting other people’s vision from long range and seeing what they saw, until she found Medaka Kurokami’s eyes and saw she was looking at a similiar white hospital room. Immediately she recognized a boy with cloud shaped hair lying in a hospital bed. “Are you serious!? They’re all visiting Komaeda-senpai instead of me?”

Komaeda Nagito grabbed the suction cups that were attached to his head, and ripped them off, throwing them all aside. This left several red patches on the side of his head, but he did not care about that, nor the raw pain afterwards.

He wore a blue hospital robe, and his hair was messier than usual as he had fallen out of making any attempt to groom himself. This was one test of many he had undergone in the past few weeks after Hitoyoshi Hitomi theorized he had been misdiagnosed.

The human brain was limitlessly complex and therefore limitlessly flawed. Komaeda was well aware with the flaws in his own thinking, and his own self though for quite some time so this was nothing more than an unpleasant reminder he was dragged through over and over again. “Enough, you’re not going to find anything, HItomi-sensei. Please, please stop wasting your precious talent on a lost cause like me.”

“There’s no such thing as a lost cause, Komaeda. I once made that mistake in the past.” Hitomi’s eyes looked somewhere else as she remembered a four year old child in her office with pure white hair just like Komaeda’s, “That’s why I live to never make that mistake again. Now I know you’re quite cute when you’re frustrated like that but try not to get too upset.”

The reason he was enduring this was for the sake of these two kind people. Hitoyoshi Hitomi who seemed to mother every child she came across like it was a bad habit, and Hitoyoshi Zenkichi who smiled like the sun.

If he could have it his way he would just continue to be by their sides forever, even if it meant enduring these tests that told him nothing about what was wrong with him, except he guessed several indeterminable things. However, he knew that there was no place for him to stay, peaceful days were an impossibility for him, because his luck would always come for the people around him.

Zenkichi walked into the room a moment later with a pile of board games in his hand. Considering he spent almost the whole day with him, Komaeda figured that Zenkichi was basically staying in one of the extra rooms in the hospital where doctor’s slept during break time. Perhaps he had even moved in with his mom instead of returning to his dorm room. His thoughts were interrupted with Zenkichi’s usual hot bloodedness. “Alright, ready for another round! You won’t be bored anymore with these board games! Aha!”

“Wow, Zenkichi everything about the untalented you is lame. Even your sense of humor.” Komaeda said as he straightened up in his bed and crossed his legs so he could face the other.

“Hey, you won’t be saying that when I beat you this time! Come on, it’s training time!” What Zenkichi referred to as his new version of training, was playing board games that relied on luck. Every day Zenkichi would put his best effort into defeating Komaeda fair and square in a variety of board games right in a row. However, no matter what Komaeda’s luck would cause him to win. Then, usually something around him would break to equivalate out an incredibly tiny amount of luck it took to win a board game.

Komaeda thought it was entirely pointless. However, Zenkichi got so excited when he tried. He always tried way too hard with everything. Komaeda could not help but find it cute. Perhaps, some small part of him was holding out hope.

Zenkichi smiled and said what he always said. “This time for sure, I’m going to defeat your luck!”

Only for them to make their way through several board games. They were in a pile behind Komaeda as they moved between them rapid fire. This time at the end just like all the others, Komaeda smiled and said. “Looks like once again you’ve lost.”

He hated his luck, but he loved being smug. He really was a complicated little boy. He curled a white hair around his finger for a moment, thinking. “Ahhh… I haven’t seen Kumagawa-kun in so long. I wonder if he’s even still alive.”

“You’re always so macabre, bro. You’re like a macabro!”

“Boo!”

“Shut up it was funny! Anyway, about him I dunno. That guy has a bad habit of disappearing, nobody’s seen him since the school trip ended. I just hope he’s not in trouble or causing it. Oh, and good news Medaka-chan is coming back early today.”

Komaeda smiled, with a genuinely warm expression. “That is good news, you can stop bothering me and go back to clinging to her.”

“Haha! It’s too late, I’ve already signed up to bother you for life.” Zenkichi said, casually again making one of his shows of devotion. Komaeda always wondered why it was so easy for him.

“You have important work in the student council though. I mean even if you’re work is inferior to say a more talented member you shouldn’t be wasting your time on…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I already told you I got a note from my mom to excuse my absence. That basically takes care of everything, if Medaka had a problem she’d have to take it up with my mom, and she can be as scary as Medaka is.” Zenkichi casually scratched at the back of his head.

“I have ultimate good luck, but you’re lucky too. To be surrounded by such wonderful women.” Komaeda said softly again as he tried to recall the face of his own mother. All he could remember was flesh, smashed to pulp. A woman who had never once called him beautiful. Hitomi called him cute without even thinking about it. Komaeda shook his head for a moment trying to get the thought out of his head.

“Yeah, I’m blessed to have a good mom but Medaka-chan and I have nothing to do with luck. It’s because I always worked to be by her side is all, that’s why we were always together.” He stopped scratching his head, and instead twisted his hair up in the gaps between his fingers. “She always tries to hold onto some special memory of the past, or some special reason we’re together but I can’t even remember stuff from that long ago. I think we’re just friends because we’ve always been together it’s not that complicated.”

“Of course it’s not complicated to a person like you who is so unrelentingly straightforward.” Komaeda tilted his head for a moment. “I really do think it’s strange that somebody like you has been able to keep up with Medaka for so long without losing hope though. The talentless don’t really deserve to stand in the midst of the talented. Perhaps it’s Kurokami-san’s good nature, or even her abundant hope that’s allowed you to stay by her side this far. It could be luck too, you’re lucky you have yet to face a true wall that can’t be overcome with pluck and determination alone.”

Zenkichi usually took Komaeda’s rambling in stride, as he was far more used to condescension than most. However, he clicked his teeth in annoyance, and Komaeda immediately felt that something was wrong. “Hey, Komaeda. I don’t mind if you say that ‘The untalented can’t be with the talented’ stuff around me, but can you be careful not to say it around my mom?”

Komaeda thought Zenkichi was insulted, but he had insulted his mom instead? “Ahhh, I’m sorry, I’m really bad at reading the mood so I’ll just be quiet now-”

“No, it’s fine you don’t know about it. It’s just that my mom fell in love once with a completely average guy with no talent at all, and had me. Afterwards though he thought my mom was so amazing that he would never be able to live up to her, so he walked out on her and disappeared completely leaving us both alone. I don’t really care but… just be careful okay?”

Even though Komaeda saw himself as terrible at reading the mood, he narrowed his eyes for a moment at Zenkichi. So is that why you’re always charging so hard after Medaka?

In the moment of quiet between them, before Komaeda could even formulate an apology the door was suddenly kicked open. Behind Zenkichi, balloons, confetti, and a girl wearing a custom school uniform that exposed her breasts appeared, as well as two other students behind her one gloomy looking girl, and one boy who looked convinced he was above this situation.

“Get well soon! Komaeda-senpai!” Medaka said as she entered the room thunderously as usual.

“T-try not to die.” Toko said, as she stayed behind clinging to Togami’s arm.

Togami merely readjusted his glasses as he tried passively to shrug Toko off of him. “Hmmph. You’re fortunate Kurokami-san wired me enough money to buy fifteen minutes worth of my time.”

“Oh, my underclassman, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy and the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy. As the Ultimate Ultimate Fanatic I’m pleased to meet both of you. Kurokami-san, your entrances are as grand as you are.” Komaeda said, greeting them both with a pleasant smile. Zenkichi noticed how Komaeda immediately became more polite around people he recognized as talented, but decided not to comment.

“So, how’s your rehabilitation going?” Medaka asked.

At that, both Komaeda and Zenkichi’s expression froze. Neither of them had the heart to say that after all of this time they had not made any progress at all, or perhaps neither of them wanted to acknowledge it.

“It’s probably better to forget about rehabilitating me,” Komaeda finally said.

“No way, you can’t give up hope. Remember, a minus will change gradually little by little, as long as they keep working on it.” She said, reaching out to touch him on the shoulder. Zenkichi was a running river of optimism, always pushing in one direction but in comparison Medaka was an entire ocean.

“Hey, Medaka-chan. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about hope.” Zenkichi finally spoke up as well. At this, Komaeda was puzzled because Zenkichi was the first person to tell him there was hope. “Actually, this party kind of seems like a bad idea now that I think about it. Komaeda-kun looks kind of uncomfortable.”

“Ha ha ha! You couldn’t save Komaeda by yourself, you didn’t look cool this time Zenkichi! Well, things like this happen. Come on, you don’t have to try alone we can fix him all working together in the student council.”

Zenkichi was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he had been deep in thought as he usually was around Komaeda. Medaka casually walked over to him and touched him on the shoulder too without invite like she normally did, only for him to suddenly smack her hand away. “You’re too loud! Komaeda’s right there, don’t talk about him like he’s something that needs to be fixed. Just a little more and I can figure it out, let me support him until the end.” Zenkichi turned away leaning his head against the wall again. “This is the first time I’ve tried on my own without you for a long time. Do you understand? The whole situation is weird, Kumagawa definitely did something to him. It happened all the way back in the vice president’s match That’s why I need to be the one too-”

Medaka let out a puff of air. Then, suddenly like a change in the wind, as carelessly as Enoshima Junko could change her emotions, her entire demeanor changed. She swung hard at the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. “Hmmph. I didn’t expect this. A man of your level actually got me to trust you.”

Zenkichi pushed himself up from the ground, and looked back at Medaka. She was already walking away from him though.

“You have three more days office as Hitomi-sensei requested it from you, but when you’re back you should work double to make up for missing the school trip. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too, Manager of General Affairs Hitoyoshi.”

Togami who was normally withdrawn from every situation, was glaring forward through his glasses. Toko who had been watching as well, already moved behind him hiding from the furious Medaka. “W-what was that all about? I know I’m usually intimidated by likeable girls with good personalities like her, but it feels like something is really wrong.”

“No, you’re right Toko. I saw it in her eyes the moment she hit him. It was like she was recalculating a problem, like she had concluded a loss on a bad investment.” Togami said with his arms crossed. He never expected the philanthropic and foolhardy Medaka to suddenly act so shrewd.

“I don’t like this!” Toko cried out, wrapping her fingers in the fabric of Togami’s uniform.

“You don’t like anything and quit that, or I’ll make you redo and reiron my laundry.”  Togami snapped at her, trying to shake her off.

“D-does that mean you’ll let me touch your unmentionables?” However, as usual his efforts made her even more clingy and he blinked at her starry eyed.

“Nevermind, I might just have to burn any clothing you touch instead to rid it of the smell.”

“Aaweee.” Toko pouted for a moment like a child before starting to shake again. “No, but I especially don’t like this. We were all finally starting to get along, but this is weird as if. It’s as if the adventure until now meant absolutely nothing.”

Those words stuck with the two boys, as both Toko and Togami left them alone. Komaeda knew something was coming like this, a reckoning, bad fortune would come on Zenkichi for trying to be around him. Now, he had lost the worst possible thing for Zenkichi to lose. “I… It’s my fault so I’ll apologize to her for your sake. Hitoyoshi-kun needs to be around Medaka after all.” He said, even though this entire time he had been calling their relationship parasitic. Medaka was the reason Zenkichi could smile.

Zenkichi was still on the floor, but he shot up suddenly smiling the same as normal. “No, it’s my fault for saying something dumb and not wanting to admit I didn’t know the answer. It’s normal for guys to say stupid things and piss off the girl’s they like, don’t worry about it!”

Even now, Zenkichi was trying to reassure him. Komaeda opened his mouth again, but Zenkichi cut him off. “It’s not bad luck, okay! If anything I’m lucky to have met you. Bad things don’t happen to me because of bad luck, it’s just because I’m stupid like you’re always saying.” Zenkichi stuck his hands in his pockets and turned around on his heel. “I’m going to go for a walk and try to wisen up, okay? I’ll see you for a rematch later.”

Komaeda waited until he stopped hearing Zenkichi’s loud footsteps. Everything about Zenkichi was loud, it was so troublesome to Komaeda who preferred quiet and peaceful things like reading on a rainy day. “Ah… it’s raining…” He thought as he reached a hand up and felt a wetness on his cheeks.

“I really am selfish, huh? For being so happy that he still wants to be around me.”

At that moment he heard a sound like the wind behind him.

“Hmm? Aren’t you that ghost lady?”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

By coincidence as Zenkichi was wandering around outside, trying to air out his own head he happened to cross paths with Makoto and Mukuro walking side by side. Normally he would not have said more than a quick hello to them, especially in his current state.

However he noticed two things right away, Mukuro was holding onto Makoto’s arm as they both walked, and Makoto had several scratches, scuff marks, and even two bandages that were wrapped around his face.

“Hey, Naegi. Yo, Naegi!”  Zenkichi called out. It seemed to take a moment for the two of them to stop paying attention to each other to look at something else.

“Oh, Hitoyoshi-kun. How’s it going?”

“Uhh. The same as usual as I guess. Did something happen on the school trip?.” Is that why Medaka was in such a bad mood? Zenkichi stropped scratching on his head and looked closely inspecting Makoto’s beaten up looking face.”What happened to your face? Was it a fight? You totally don’t look like the type, dude.”

“Oh, nothing. I took a spill down the stairs is all. Just more bad luck.” When he smiled off the obviously injuries on his face, Mukuro looked at him with concern.

“That sucks. Glad you’re okay.” Zenkichi did not even believe Makoto was capable of telling a lie, so he easily bought such an obvious excuse.

Mukuro leaned in more on Makoto’s shoulder. “It’s fine, I’ll protect him.”

“It’s been a crazy year right? I mean, getting into Hope’s Peak I thought would be the most crazy thing in my life, but with everything that’s happened so far it blows it out of the water.”

“Hmm.. oh yeah… Also I don’t think I can make it to our training session-” Zenkichi began, but Makoto talked over him.

“No, don’t even worry about it! I’ve decided from now on I’m going to fight with my own strength instead of borrowing yours.”

“No fighting..” Mukuro muttered, leaning her weight on him further. It was slightly awkward just because Mukuro was taller than him.

“Ah, right, right, I’m not fighting. It was just a metaphor. Anyway, I owe you a lot so if you get in a jam call me. Friends need to stick together, right?” Makoto said, as he tugged Mukuro along and started to move forward again.

“Yeah… I will…” Zenkichi could not put to words what was off about Makoto. He seemed… too cheerful. Of course the Makoto he knew was a wellspring of hope who never seemed to stop believing in others so maybe this was no different than normal. “Wait, uh… since when were you two so close?”

“Actually, we’re uh… we’re like…” Makoto’s confidence drained away as he started to flush.

Mukuro answered directly again. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Yeah, we’re that.” Makoto nodded energetically.

“Oh… I’m happy for you two.” Zenkichi gave them a thumbs up before turning away. He made sure to get a long way between the two of them, before letting his head drop. Seriously? It’s only been less than half a week. Now Medaka and I are fighting and I’ve already been surpassed by Makoto. What happened to make everything change so fast? Then, he beat his fist against his chest hard. No, be happy for your friend. Just like that, he continued onward.

“Mukuro, does he seem kind of off to you?” Makoto asked finally when the two of them were out of sight for him.

“What are you talking about?” Mukuro was never good at noticing the feelings of others. Truth be told it made Makoto a little glad, because it meant there was at least one thing she could rely on him for.

“He just looked really distant. I’ve never seen him thinking that hard about something.” Makoto looked back and considered running after Zenkichi for a moment, to ask him what was wrong.

“That’s what I like about you Makoto, you’re always so willing to help people for any reason at all.” Mukuro said, loosening her arm around him.

However, Makoto grabbed her hand before she could get away. “Hey, I already promised I’d spend today with you.” He smiled at her as he tugged her forward once more. “What did you think about that movie we just saw.”

“It was awesome and you know why, because I could just watch the movie. Whenever Junko and I went to movies in the past, she talked the whole time, and made me always go around to get her snacks and refills, and if she got bored of it we had to leave halfway through.”

Makoto’s eyebrows knitted. “That’s uh… that’s really sad, but what did you think about the movie? Like did all that stuff with the people eating monsters make sense to you?”

“Yeah, I think so. I mean in the end even if they were capable of doing horrible things, they still had human minds and human hearts right? They weren’t even monsters they were just people. What do you think?”

“That’s pretty much what I think too..” A monster that acted just like a human, Makoto wondered if Kumagawa and Junko could fit that label. The moment he thought about it though, he felt a little guilty for thinking so poorly of his classmates even if they were nothing but trouble. At that instant though, trouble started to call them.

Mukuro’s cell phone rung, and she stopped and looked at the number. She did not recognize it, however the moment she put the phone to her ears she immediately knew who it was from. “Yahoo! It’s Junko-chan.”

“I know what your voice sounds like, Junko.” Mukuro said drily. “I’m busy right now, I’ll call back later.”

“Wait! Don’t hang up! I’m in the hospital and you’re the first person I called you should be honored.”

“Wait, what? Why are you in the hospital? All I heard was the trip got cancelled and I didn’t see you on the bus home.”

“Didn’t you see? It was all over the news this morning! Got myself stabbed yesterday!”

“Wait, if you’re calling me that means. Oh darn, you’re not in a coma. See ya!” She quickly hung up the phone.

Makoto scratched the back of his head. “Isn’t that a little harsh for your sister?”

“Hmm? Junko is fine, she’s tough, and way too cunning for her own good.” Mukuro said flatly. "I doubt she'd let herself get hurt any worse even if she wanted to."

Merciless as ever! Makoto thought. “Well, she probably doesn’t need to know we’re on a date anyway.” He paused to think for a moment, remembering the last conversation he had with Junko that she suddenly hung up on. “When you go and see her though, don’t bring a potted plant of camelia. I heard that stuff’s bad luck.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“There, now it’s complete. This is what you would call a person that destroys bonds.” Ajimu Najimi sat on a rooftop, the window blowing her ribbon tied hair behind her. Shiranui Hanten sat in the corner behind the railing, facing away from the rest of them. Next to her, the person she was directly addressing as she watched Zenkichi walk around in the schoolgrounds below, was Yasuke Matsuda who leaned over the railing paying special attention to Zenkichi.

She waved her hand in front of the grumpy looking body in a washed out shirt before continuing. “Medaka-chan though about the reason she sticks with Hitoyohsi-kun, why is the one closest to her in perfection, somebody like Hitoyoshi-kun just a normal.”

Yasuke grinded his teeth. “What are you, stupid? The answer is simple. He is special to her.”

“Oh, I’m glad you haven’t lost your tsundere personality in all that character development I’ve been making you go through. You’re right, that’s the only way someone like him could stay close to her. In accodrance to her abnormality, she is observing Zenkichi-kun. What do you think, are they that classic childhood friends to lovers trope?”

“There’s no way it would be friendship or love, it’s not that simple. You should stop looking down on people’s emotions so much, hag.” He growled at her through his surly expression.

“Yep, that’s why I had a thought. If Medaka-chan was surrounded by normal human beings, like Kokichi who is a fake, and Monaca who is too young to be considered talented Htoyoshi-kun will lose his appeal. If she witnesses Kumagawa-kun filling his role during his absence. If she notices for the first time, Hitoyoshi-kun choosing to prioritize something above her. All of those will chip away at her image of Hitoyoshi-kun, and if that happens he will simply become a human that tries too hard at anything. That’s why I set this all up. I wanted to show you.”

“Show me what?” Yasuke’s voice lacked its usual edge, as he leaned in genuinely curious.

“That Medaka-chan is no better than Junko-chan, that she’ll throw away her toys just as easily.” She closed her eyes for a moment, there were two people already waiting behind her. Munakata and Shiranui who made quite the comedic duo as Munakata kept to his usual self serious self, while Shirnaui who was much shorter than him hung off his arm like a money on a tree. Glacing back at them, she smirked. “Just kidding, I can’t say that much around you guys <3!”

“That’s right, Anshin’in-san. And what you don’t want to forget is that everyone here is HItoyoshi-kun’s ally.” Kei Munakata raised his pointed eyebrows at her, already readjusting his grip on the katana he was carrying behind him.

“The problem is going to arise eventually. I wonder if everything is going to go the way you predicted.” Shiranui quickly dropped from Munakata’s arm and landed.

“Oh, are you talking about that incident with Junko-chan? To tell you the truth besides setting things up to start falling in a perfect line like this once somebody pushed her over as the first domino, I had nothing to do with actually pushing her. I wonder, was it you? It seems a bit off for me, Junko-chan wasn’t even targeting your dear Hitoyoshi-kun.”

Shiranui held her hands up innocently, pantomiming as if she really was upset by the accusation. “Waaaah!? How could you ever possibly think cute little me could do something like that to princess?”  Then her hands dropped. “Actually, it’s not really my style at all. Why did you think it was me? In any case, good luck, Anshin’in-san.”

“Ufufuf. If you don’t know, then you don’t need to worry about it. Leave everything to me, Munakata-kun, Yasuke-kun, and Hansode-chan. How long do you think I’ve lived?” She looked down at Hitoyoshi Zenkichi who had stopped to punch hard into a wall to show his frustration, only to lean against it and cover his whole face from the outside world with his hands. “Tricking a young person is like graduating from weekly shonen jump. They’re both simple.”

Thus, without Junko around to interfere in things anymore, fate began to move.

She suddenly appeared behind him, her hair trailing behind her, and he felt it a change in the wind. Standing a few feet behind the two of the, Shiranui Hanten was facing away.

Zenkichi pushed off the wall and slowlyturned his head. “Ajimu Najimi...I see thought something was up! It’s all your plan, everything that has happened until now is your fault! All of that stuff about avoiding conflict, you were just waiting until  a falling out happened between us! I was wondering what went wrong! You made my life fall apart!” It seemed after walking around all day, Zenkichi found his answer, and threw himself and his momentum entirely into shouting at her.

Ajimu Najimi smiled at this, and gestured openly with her freed hand. “You’re right, it’s my fault that your life has fallen apart. That’s why I want you to allow me to repent.”

Zenkichi had been expecting a fight, and now not knowing what to do he slammed on the breaks, his brow creasing. “!? ….. ?!” Even though he was wordless, his distress was clearly written on his face. Straightforward boys like this really were too easy to

“Well, even if I did say that, even if I didn’t do that, I think this was inevitable. There never has been a time where you were crucial to Medaka-chan. You say you want to protect Medaka-chan, but you only make her cry. I you have any value to her, it’s as a rare commodity. You still worry about such a perfect girl! To her your interesting ideas are what are valuable, but in the end I erased that part of you.”

Zenkichi hesitated for a moment, remembering what Medaka said while smiling to him once. You haven’t changed. You’re the only one that wants to protect me. He wanted to protect that smile.

“Oh, right you did one more thing. What you said to her when you were children was the bond that guided her for thirteen years.” Before he realized it, AJimu was already in his face. Her soft features  white hair, and red eyes that usually she carried with such tranquility, sharpened suddenly in anger pointed at him. “Also, you treat everyone with the same patronizing attitude! That’s why you’re making Komaeda feel so bad. Do you want to hold Medaka-chan back to the rest of her life?”

Zenkichi staggered backwards, unable to deal with her suddenly being so close. He never expected such emotion on the usually aloof Ajimu’s face.

Munakata stood on the edge of the rooftop, crossing his arms as he observed from afar. Yasuke leaned back against the railing still, his brow knitting into an expression just as serious. Between the two of them was Shinraui who was sitting off the side and kicking her legs as she shoved cookies into her mouth.

“What do you think? I want to say something but, do you think Anshin’in-san will be able to convince Hitoyoshi-kun?”

“....” Shiranui chewed the food in her mouth.

“...” Yasuke did not even respond at all, putting a hand over his face and looking troubled.

“Hmm, what’s his deal?” Munakata asked, looking to Shiranui who was next to him.

Shranui finally finished swallowing her food. “A lady doesn’t talk with her mouth open ya’ know. A-hya!” A moment later though she shoved another cookie in, and started to chew it and spit out crumbs while talking. “I think Matsuda-kun is just really invested in the results here. That’s classical projection for you.”

“Shut it fatty.” Yasuke barked at her without moving his eyes from the scene.

Zenkichi wiped the sweat from his face casually, as he tried to put on a brave face. “...Fine. I’ll listen to your speech, Ajimu Najimi. What do I have to do to get my life back?”

“Please don’t be so formal, just call me Anshin’in-san. It’s quite simple Hitoyoshi-kun. DUe to me your value has vanished like mist that’s why you need to make an acquisition. Then even I who holds over 700 million skills cannot erase your strong value. Thus you will finally reach, for the first time a spot where Medak-achan finds you special.”

Zenkichi leaned back again for a moment boefre he caught himself. In his determined gaze he could see, the image of both Medaka and himself, standing side by side like that time in the past when they foiled the flask plan when this was just a straightforward shonen battle manga, and before Kumagawa appeared and all that deconstruction nonsense started.

He paid close attention to the smile on Ajimu’s lips that seemed like it was always there. “Your face is saying ‘If that was possible I wouldn’t have to struggle’.”He really was to easy to read. Golden sunshine boys like this, really are boring to narrate about. “BUt it really is simple once you hear it you’ll be stunned. You need to beat Kurokami Medaka, Hitoyoshi-kun. You need to defeat Medaka-chan. She’s an existence even I cannot beat. THe main character. If you beat her there is no higher value. It’s a value even I don’t possess.”

At this, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi gave a cocky grin and looked down. “I see, that’s what you’re getting at. I thought you had an amazing plan, but basically Ajimu Najimi. You want me to become the last boss! You don’t want to fight Medaka-cahn, so instead you’re trying to get me to fight instead so we destroy each other!” He got in her face, pointing at her with his accusation.

Ajimu merely tilted her head, and smiled, waiting patiently for him to finish.

“Don’t fuck with me! I’m not a fucking idiot, not equal! Even if I shrink and wither away, this man Hitoyoshi Zenkichi will never sell out his friends!”  His entire expression became crossed, as he shook his head, denying the idea with every fibre of his being. “I want ot be the person that protects Medaka-chan. You talk about value, if I did something to hurt Medaka-chan I’d be a failure!”

She cut apart his determiend expression with one word. “Why?” Then, playfully she bopped him on the nose with a single finger. “I won’t say that you haven’t thought about it, Hitoyoshi-kun. You should have realized by now. Even though she says her friends and enemies are special, it’s clear that Medaka-chan prefers her enemies. She prefers a strong battle over a relaxed day with her loved ones. She’s a little bit like Junko-chan in that way.” At the mention of Junko, she gestured flippantly with her hand. “Chairmn of the disciplinary committee, Unen Miyouri. Creator, Miyakonojou Oudo, and the incomplete Kumagawa Misogi. All of them are more important to Medaka-chan and it’s impossible to say they don’t consider betraying her. You can bet that if you want to become a man that could defeat Medaak-chan, Medaka-chan would be delighted.”

Zenkichi could see it in the background. Even if bonds between people were invisible things, he could see the cracks starting to form. Ajimu spoke over it, and he could not stop her. “If you want to remain special to Medak-achan there is not other way. That is what i have decided. If there are other ways, I’ll destroy them. Just by sending those two in, I’ve erased your existence. Through an inconceivably peaceful method, your value has collapsed.”

He struggled, waving his hands around. “If that’s the case then there was no choice to begin with. What do you mean by peaceful, this could easily be called a hostile takover!”

“Hey, hey, that’s mean HItoyoshi-kun!” For a moment as she teased him, her face looked like a normal high school girl being offended. Then, she opened her eyes and he found himself at the center of them. “You still have a choice to make. You can also give up on Medaka-chan. In your place, Kumagawa Misogi, or somebody else will get close to her. This is the choice that wouldn’t trouble anyone.”To the side she commented. “It would bother me though.”

Zenkichi took another step back, but he was finding it harder and harder to get a word in edgewise.

“ALso, I want to clear something else up. HItoyoshi-kun, I don’t want you to become the last boss, because in the end the last boss is always going to be defeated by the main character. It is already decided when the game is programmed that the last boss will always lose, Kumagawa Misogi is that kind of existence, or they’ll never get what they wanted, Enoshima Junko is that. If you were a last boss you’d never beat Medaka-chan. I want you to be the exact opposite. I want you to become the existence who’s sole purpose is to win.”

“An existence who’s sole purpose is to win? Ehh… but.. wouldn’t that mean?” His words trailed away in shock as he tried to figure it out.

“It’s what you’re thinking, Hitoyoshi-kun. I want you to be the main character!” She said it plain as day, the thesis statement of her whole speech, as if he should have known already. “This is my ultra plan to defeat Medaka-chan. It’s the ultimate way out. Medaka-chan is the main character that can never lose, so in order to counter that you need to become a main character that can never lose. A main character switch, bringing the impossible fight’s odds back up to 50/50.”

The expression on Zenkichi’s face was priceless in that moment. He looked like something unbelievable had just happened. One would think he would be used to that by now, being such a boring and straightforward guy around all of those weirdoes. “.....” You’re an idiot. You’re already contradicting yourself. You said that a such an existence only appears every few thousand years. Several thousand years, now several thousand people! Or is there something else? Are you saying that I have some special quality?! A quality that only appears every few thousand years?! But so happened to show up at the same time as another one.”

“THe one spouting idiotic things is you?Aren’t you embarrassed, you chuuni?” Ajimu sighed. Your normality is something you should understand best. But there is only one way you will change from being a side character to a special main character. The flask plan, no, this is why the flask plan exists. It’s just like the Kamakura project, I’m sure Hinata-kun will be making his debut as a main character within the next arc or so.”

“Wha… who…” Zenkichi fell to his knees in shock, only half understanding everything she said. “You want me to be a subject of the flaks plan, you can’t be serious…”

“Correct! If I remember correctly it was the student council that wanted to avoid casualties from the flaks plan.” She raised her finger as if she was lecturing him, but really she just did it to be smug. She had worked hard for this, she earned it in this moment in my opinion as a narrator. “If that’s the case, then you should be happy! This way there won’t be any problems! You sacrifice your normal self to the flask plan, at the same time avoiding any unnecessary casualties. So your choices are laid out, Hitoyoshi-kun. Now it is up to you?"

As his thoughts weighed heavy on him, the entire world around him seemed to darken, and fill with only her words. “Strength like th saiyan raised on earth, GOku. Charm like the space pirate, Cobra. REwarding reliability like city hunter Ryousaeba, living in love like the Hokuto Shinken User Kenshiro, hard working like the genius basketball player Sakuragi Hanamachin, Sentimental like the prince of Tennis Ryoma Echizen, refreshing like the child of soccer, Tsubasa Oozora, wise like the modern holder of the honinbo title Hikaru Shindo, legendary like the inextricably linked duelist yugi motou, a mindset where friends are important like the leader of teiken high school taison maeda, manly like the male school representative Momotarou Tsurugi, funny like the sexy department head Masaru Hananakajima, pure like the view of video girls Yota Moteuchi, cool like the descendant of joestar, Jotaro Kujo, unconventional like the supernatural detective Yusuke Yurameshi, sensible like the number one tactician from the kunlun mountain Taikoubou, hotblooded like the bronze saint pegasus Seiya,kind like the sword wielding murderer Kenshin Himura, leaning like the unmovable Maeda Keiji.”

She laid it out to him plainly, and all he could see in the world was her, and her extended hand. “Do you want to be a main character like that?”

As his face froze and became obvious again, she decided to twist the knife a little bit. If he was going to be so boringly straightforward than he could at least sweat a little more for her. “By the way this is the only time I will offer this. You might see me as a dmeon, but I’m actually really nice for setting you up with something this amazing. That’s why if you decide to give up on Medaka-chan, if you give up trying to be special, I will immediately withdraw. I don’t have any need for a weak man. I have other women ready for you, you can go after them instead.” Her red eyes seemed to glaze over with condescension, and the shadow from her bangs, as she looked down on him.

“Of course I don’t think there is a way to replace Medak-achan. Ten seconds…” He struggled to try and get on his feet, the emotional weight of the conversation draining him. Poor boy, he probably had never thought this hard about anything in his life. She almost felt bad for pushing this on such a simpleton. “Please give me ten seconds to think this over, please, Anshin’in-san.”

“Certainly. It is a decision that will affect your entire life, without saying I would give you at least five seconds to think.”

As he closed his eyes he could see it.

The face of Medaka when she was two years old. “Zenkcihi.”
The face of Medaka in middle school when she wore pig tails. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka before they entered high school and she cut her hair. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka wearing the student council presiden’t uniform for the first time. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka when she wore that ridiculous dog outfit to try to charm animals. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka when she trained with him in sweats with Maguro. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka when she lost herself to anger for the first time in three years. “Zenkichi.”
THe face of Medaka when she forgot about him. “Zenkichi.”
The face of Medaka when she was turned pure white by bookmaker. “Zenkichi.”

Worst of all the face when Medaka embraced him. “Thanks! Zenkichi!”

He would be throwing away all of those things.

He stood up finally all on his own. “Because I love Medaka, I will be her enemy.”

When she got what she wanted so easily, Ajimu’s expression darkened on her face.

“I’ve been by Medaka’s side since I was two years old, however I finally understand that Medaka doesn’t need somebody like that. So, in order to stay by her side now and ofrever, I don’t care if I must become her enemy. If I cannot be the one who protects her, I will be the one who oppresses her.”

“Are you suuuuuure, Zenkichi? I just want to confirm with you, before making a deal with the devil.”

“Yes, I know this isn’t the best option, but if it means being by Medaka’s side I dont’ care if i have to be her enemy. I don’t care if I have to be the devil himself. Whether I become the perfect human… whether I become the main character… matters not! I will do this!”

“Perfect Zenkichi, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I don’t want to turn a man who only wants to protect a woman into the main character.”

“But considering it’s you, you would have expected to convince me easily. I’ll go through with this plan, but I won’t conform to your will. Even if I do win against Medaka… I might myself end up destroying the flaks plan.” Easily, he turned away on his heel walking and casting a large sahdow behind him. “After all.. It would be useless to me. Now, I’m going to ask Komaeda if he wants to come with me.”

Ajimu closed her eyes.
If you actually managed to stay true to yourself, that would be interesting normal and boring Zenkichi.
Otherwise I’m going to use you up like trash, and then throw you out.

Then, suddenly she stepped on the rooftop again. “Just as planned! (That was a death note reference) Not! It’s done, Zenkichi vs. Medaka. The scenario is complete.”

Yasuke grumbled behind her. “Please stop teleporting like that, Hag. It’s bad for my heart.” He brushed a hand through his hair, slicking his usual hair antannae that stuck straight up back, only for it to stick up again.

“Sorry, sorry. It wasn’t my intention to startle you. I do like seeing the astonished looks on your faces, though.”

Munakata swung himself around, “Astonished is right. Breaking the bonds between those two was something that I had never thought possible.”

“Is that so? From my perspective, their relationship has always seemed to be filled with cracks. Don’t you think so, Yasuke-chan?”

“...” Yasuke looked away rather moodily.

“To enjoy being strung along by a girl’s selfishness, ‘as long as she’s smiling, I’m happy’! No. That kind of ideal only exists in novels. Haven’t you learned that yet?”

“Even if it is as you say, you can hardly call this situation anything but half assed. No matter how creative you get, it’s only a 50/50 rate of success. No, it’s worse, because in a battle between heroes the one who is more heroic will always prevail. There’s no way normal ass Zenkichi will beat such a good girl as Medaka…” He said, while looking at the sky away from her.

“Oh, how blunt. As expected of somebody of your arechtype. Your exactly right. In a battle of heroes, the more heroic will win. This is why I wanted to show you Zenkichi, this is why I made the comparison between her and Junko. I was hoping you’d understand.”

“Understand what? Quit being fucking vague and spit it out already, you damn exposition fairy.”

“How mean, Yasuke-chan is a meanie. Junko-chan killed your mother right? That girl, you see, she did one worse she killed her own father. Ah, what a nice face you’re making. See, you’re realizing there’s no difference between hope and despair at all. One girl overflowing with hope, one girl overflowing with despair, they’re exactly the same.”

Yasuke covered his face with his hand, trying to hide from her. “Shut up. You mean… the president of the Kurokami Corporation is dead?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. Not her biological father. I am referring to Medaka’s other father.”

“Other father?” Yasuke said, still not quite getting it. He was tired, so tired of being behind on these things. 

She turned around flippantly then, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “That’s right! Now I own’t b revealing anymore. I wouldn’t want to frontload you with too much exposition at once, apparently you don’t like it. Whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you. Naruto sure would. However, this is a secret. Don’t mention it to anyone, especially Zenkichi. Otherwise it might spoil a later plot point. Although I’ve stopped reading jump, I think heroes who do terrible things, only to be later forgiven and have their deeds swept under the rug tend to be poorly written. Just to be clear, I want to stress that the only one who will oppose Medaka directly is Zenkichi. No matter what happens in the future we are simply spectators, after all we all have friends on both sides.”

She looked back and managed to catch Yasuke’s eye as he composed himself. “Of course, Ajimu. Likewise, you need to keep the promises you made to us.”

“Naturally, Yasuke-chan. Not once have I ever gone back on a promise. I’m not unreliable, like your precious Junko-chan. Anyway, speaking of that, now that I’ve done some hard work I want to go have fun.”

With that, she disappeared as easily as she had come, turning her back and walking away from all of them.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Enoshima Junko stared at her phone, not able to comprehend the fact that her sister had just hung up on her.

She wasn’t… getting desperate… no… she had just called Mukuro to mess with her further. Either way, she flipped through the numbers of her classmates and clicked the number marked as <3 <3 <3 My Honey <3 <3 <3 in her address book.

Kamakura Izuru’s dull voice answered a moment later. “No.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance to ask a question yet!” Junko whined on the other end. “I was just telling you that we need to meet up again so I can discuss the strategy for defeating Ajimu.”

“Engaging Ajimu is boring. I don’t want to be a part of this conflict anymore.” Kamakura said, dismissing her again immediately. “She already said she won’t interfere in my investigation of hope and despair. Unlike you she’s a woman of her word, so that is that. All else is irrelevant.”

“Hey, you owe me! I’m the one who showed you the wonders of despair.”

“Did you? You got so close to destroying this school, but then you got defeated by a loser like Kumagawa. Perhaps Ultimate Despair was all hype.”

“No way! Believe the hype! Believe the hype!” She got so frustrated she tried to hack into his vision for a moment. She saw a shattered window, and then recognized her own dorm room. Kamakura’s hand reached out and grabbed her lap top, before holding it close to his chest.

A moment later, Kamakura’s voice came through the phone speaking directly as usual. “Stop looking through my eye. I can feel your claws in my brain, it’s thoroughly unpleasant.”

“Whatever! The way you see the world is super boring! I’m already getting a headache!” Her vision snapped back to herself, and her claws closed around her phone in frustration. “Who are you going to investigate for the side of hope, anyway? Kurokami-san?”

“Chiaki.”

“Pffffffffft.”

“I don’t think it’s an unreasonable comparison. You’re both empty girls who see the world entirely as a game. Perhaps you should stop thinking so highly of yourself. After all, you only called me because you were lonely from sitting in your hospital room.”

“That’s not why I-” However, Kamakura already hung up on her. Junko in her frustration threw her phone at the wall, and gave up on possibly trying to just goad people in to coming to either visit her or finish her off.

She grabbed her pillow and turned around in her bed, exposing her back to the door. It was already dark, the whole hospital had gone silent. All she needed was to hear the  ominous creaking of an open door.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.

All she heard was the clock, reminding her how much time had passed, and how much onthing had happened today.

“Yahooo, Junko-chaaan! Has anybody come to visit you yet? Of course not, nobody likes you.” Ajimu Najimi said appearing suddenly in the bed next to her.

“Ugh, go away. I’ll take being bored over this.” Junko said, she tried to lean away only for the sharp pain in her side to return. “Owowowie! What did you come to bully a poor injured girl! Or did you come to gloat that you were the one who stabbed me in the first place.”

“Hmm? That wasn’t me. Actually, I’m not completely sure who did it. It’s not like I’m omniscient or anything.” She made a face with pouty lips. “I’m just a normal high school girl you know, not a mastermind, you can’t blame everything on me.”

“Who could it have possibly been besides you? You’re the only other one who has a Shiranui following them around constantly.”

Hanten Shiranui stood in the corner of the room, staring at it and not looking at either of them.

“Well, logically if they managed to circumvent your ability to perfectly predict anything to the point where you can easily take on people like Sakakura in a fight despite not being a fighting type character, then they must have super highschool level analysis to. In that case there are only three people who possess that skill… no wait, four I guess if you want to use a loser definition of a person.”

“The hell are you even talking about?”

“Foreshadowing!” Ajimu Najimi said with a smile.

Junko looked like she was about to gag. “You can shove your story tropes and your meta talk straight up your ass, the only person who is allowed to lecture other people about what type of character they’re supposed to be is me!”

“Yes, yes, we get it Junko-chan you think you’re special. Moving on. I’m not the one who caused it, but I figured something like that would happen. You’re not that special, or even particularly hard to predict. Every time you double down hard on despair, you self destruct. It’s like shaking a wasp’s nest  it’s obvious what’s going to happen afterwards if you throw it into a crowd of people”

Junko crossed her arms. “I’m special…” She said, before looking away to pout. She might have come up with a better comeback, if she had not been stabbed and was currently tired from the anemia.

“Why are you so upset about my suddenly appearing, Junko-chan. I thought you’d be happy about it. Isn’t that what you wanted? A great enemy to show up, an insurmountable foe, somebody who would defeat you and cast you into ultimate despair.”

“Well yeah but… you’re cheating. You’re just some Mary Sue character with way too many powers.”

“Even when people like Kumagawa best you, you just claim they’re cheating. You hate winning, but you also hate losing. To sum it up, you’re just way too fussy!” She said, poking Junko on the nose, which elicited a hiss, and Junko snapping her teeth at her finger like an agitated cat. “Do you even want to lose? Or… do you just want to escape?”

“Ehhh? Are you going to try to pull the same shit on Zenkichi on me? Because I’m the one who gives those speeches usually, they won’t work on me.”  Junko said, tilting her head in confusion at Ajimu’s approach.

Ajimu’s eyes flattened. “I know it’s hard for you, but can you attmept to shut up for five seconds at least? Being able to perceive everything and everyone perfectly, doesn’t it make things too easy? And… now that I’ve given you that parasite seeing, you don’t even have to leave this room. You’re not falling behind on events, or inconvenience at all by what was supposed to be a despair inducing and shocking upset. Parasitc vision and Utlimate Analyiss, what a despairingly perfect combination, I’m sure you could use that to defeat even my quadrillion skills.”

Junko’s face shifted into a bored expression. The weight of how easy it might become if she used this ability to her full extent dawned on her, and because of her ruthless way of doing things, there’s no way she’d be able to hold back from it either. “Then… just take it back. I don’t want it. Get your icky eyes out of my perfect eye socket.”

“I can do more than that…” Ajimu leaned in then, wrapped her arm around the side of Junko’s face and gently leading her to lean on her. Even though she hated this person with every fibre of her being, Junko found her aura to be surprisingly relaxing. “I’m sorry for bullying you so much. It’s just… we’re like totally the same. We’re both driven by our boredom. You act so upset that Kumagawa and I showed up and threw off all your plans but do you know how your original story ended? You looked up at that big weight about to crush you and you though. ‘Ah… despair is.. Kind of boring now…’ and then splat! So, isn’t this much better?”

“Sh-shut up.” She could never find despair boring. Despair was the big old mystery box. It was the only thing that could save her from being bored out of her skull.

Ajimu’s playful voice melted away entirely. The voice she spoke with, sounded compeltely and utterly bored. “Listen, you’re trying to find a reason to live in a world of violence and bloodshed. You won’t find it. Some part of you must know that. That’s why you want to die in the middle of it, rather than reach the end of your quest and come up empty. You’re already empty though, nothing in the world can fill you up. You will wander the darkness for eternity. Then, one day you’ll look down at your hands and realie, that you’ve become exactly like me. Somebody bored with both hope and despair.”

“I.. I don’t want to die.” For some reason, her body was shaking, her normally strong hands shook with a terrible weakness.

“You’d do anything to escape that fate. You’d destroy everything around you. You’d even destroy yourself. It’s not about despair, there’s no complex motivation, you’re just suicidal is all. You don’t want to keep living a life that you can’t feel anything from.” She cradled Junko’s cheek. “You don’t have to do anything so drastic though. I can help you. I have a skill that lets me turn off other abnormalities. Have you noticed you’re not coming up with snappy comebacks as usual, that’s because I already activated it. Try to think about what I’m going to do next.”

Junko thought about it for a moment. Before she realized her head was entirely empty. Usually it was completely cluttered with every random observation and the thousands of possible permutations she took in, in one second. Suddenly though it became filled with emotion. She was scared, no moreso than scared she was unbelievably sad. Without realizing it, tears had begun to fall in streams out of one of her eyes. “Ah… I… I…” She touched the side of her face and messily tried to wipe it away, no longer caring that it would smear the makeup she had killed a good two hours applying.

“What you want is to escape your own head? You don’t want to destroy the world, just your own personal world. But I can do it for you. I can make you just like everybody else, you can enjoy your school life like a normal student. You don’t even need to lobotomize yourself or become Ryouko again. Just, say goodbye to despair.”

Junko was so overwhelmed with emotion she had never even felt before, she instantly developed a headache. However, her mind was also clear for the first time. Rather than going in endless circles, she thought straightforwardly about the offer Ajimu presented her. As she did, she thought of the back of a certain student who always wore a pitch black uniform. She remembered the same bare back she had seen just two nights ago, covered in scars.

If she was a normal girl, she could just love him normally, without adding any more scars.
Not just him, she could be a normal sister to Mukuro and be the family member she desired.
She could apologize to Yasuke and explain her feelings towards him.
However, she had also said. It’d suck if someone figured out how to fix you and you got boring.
Those people had all fallen for Enoshima Junko though.
Not some normal girl.

“Let go of despair? For me, despair is not a goal, or a set of principles, or a lifestyle or even an instinct! It’s what defines me as Enoshima Junko! If I let go of it, Enoshima Junko would cease to exist.” She grabbed Ajimu’s hand and wrenched it away from herself. “Get your filthy hands off me, whore!”

While she clawed and scratched at Ajimu in the way only a teenage girl can, Ajimu kept her calm. “Are you sure you can handle it? Kamakura is a scientific marvel, I’m very old, but you, you’re just a normal teenage girl in every way except your head. Can you really keep going? Your brain is creaking under the pressure isn’t it? Every day you feel it tearing itself apart at the seams.”

“Well, that’s fine! If I tear myself apart, then I hope it’s going to be a wonderfully gory ending! Until then, I’m going to live as Enoshima Junko and live only for despair! You probably just got bored because you didn’t love despair properly! That’s it, I’ve forgotten about it too!” She stood up then to get away from Ajimu, cltuching at her side. “Ever since I found something inhuman that claimed to be above despair, I’ve been selling despair short! But not anymore! Despair is magnificent! I can’t believe I ever doubted it! Magnificent!” She tore her pillow open with her own nails, and threw the feathers all around her.

“I don’t really get what you’re losing your shit over, but it’s really annoying.”

“Fine by me! I don’t care if you love me or hate me! All I need to love is despair! Obsessively! Irrationally! Desperately!” She spun around just once, before falling backwards in the bed once more. That was all she could manage to dance along to the feeling of despair in her heart in her current condiition.

At this, Ajimu Najimi sighed. Junko recognized the look in her eyes. Disappointment, the same one that Junko often held when looking at the others around her. “Why do I even bother? You’re such a flat character. Fine, Junko-chan, if you’re just going to act like a brat then I’ll just punish you like one.” She easily grabbed onto Junko’s wrists again, and twisted her hand back towards her.

Even with one hand she was barely restraining her strength, Junko felt she could flex a single muscle and tear her whole hand off. Ah, what an interesting despair. She looked close at the red nails on her hand, which had been dulled from their usual points and instead looked uneven and half bitten off. “Have you been chewing on your nails lately? What a disgusting habit. Do you know, Kumagawa-kun used to chew his nails in middel school. It really annoyed me. So, one day I pulled all of his nails off one by one, and then he stopped!”

Ajimue counted them out aloud.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Junko held out until Ajimu ripped her thumbnail off, at which point she finally screamed in the way only a teenaged girl could. It shattered the mood of the room, even throwing off Ajimu slightly.

In the hallway, there was a clamoring as somebody fell off a chair. He quickly tried to open the door, and scrambled inside.

The moment Kumagawa Misogi appeared in the doorway, Ajimu Najimi disappeared.

『What’s wrong!?!』 He called out.

“Uhh… nothing…” Junko said, before hiding her bloodied and raw nails underneath th sheets of her hospital bed. She drew her knees up, and then looked back at him. “Hey.”

『Uhhh… Hey...』Kumagawa said, now staring face to face with her and feeling incredibly awkward.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kumagawa’s uniform was well wrinkled, and he did not look like he had changed out of it in two days. He held a stuffed bear underneath one of his arms, before awkwardly shoving it straight at her.

『Ah, sorry. I was following you around that day and you suddenly collapsed so I brought you here because I couldn’t think of anything else. They told me to get a change of clothes for you, so I went to your dorm and I thought… you’d like your bear.. Oh, I think one of the stiches came loose sorry it was fine when I picked it up.』Kumagawa’s explanation was half mumbled, and he made an obvious effort to try to hide the worry on his face.

Oh, so somebody did come to visit me after all. It was just this loser though.

『You should have told me you woke up. I was planning on staying up until you woke up, but I guess I fell asleep outside your door… sorry...』The real reason no enemy had come to kill Enoshima Junko for revenge, was because Kumagawa Misogi leaked out such a terrifying aura that people automatically assumed he was some yakuza, or terrorist, or other udnerworld like shady figure guarding her door. Perhaps even an abomination in human flesh.

However, that same boy with that same terrifying aura was now smiling at her innocently and holding a bear in her face. She didn’t get it, she really didn’t understand him one bit.  『Ah, why are you so quiet? Did I do something wrong?』

So she decided out of pure curiosity to just use her parasite vision to see the world as he did. She hacked his eyes, and saw a world completely covered in darkness that ate away at the edge of his vision. Kumagawa turned his head back for a second and caught glances of the nurses in the hallway. There were large “X’s” over their face, like he was ignoring their existence entirely.

Not just theirs, pretty much everyone. That was the feeling she got at least. When he looked back at her though, Enoshima Junko saw her own face reflected back, even though her makeup was smeared and her hair was down, she looked even prettier than she even saw herself as in the mirror, and Junko was quite vain. If this were a shoujo manga, the panel with her face would be surrounded completely with roses and sparkle effects.

『I love her!』

『Ehhh, Enoshima-sama why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face? It feels weird when you go this long without insulting me.』

『I love...』

Her understanding was instantaneous. She was hearing Kumagawa’s thoughts. Ajimu must have removed the block on her analysis.

『Love...』 『Loving ...』 『In love.』『Infatuation.』 『Wanting to make love.』

『I want to embrace her!』 『What do I love?』 『Don’t be ridiculous!』

『It’s everything!』 『I love the way blood drips off of you』 『I just love the sharp nails that you tear me apart with.』  『Love trembling and soft and silky and suqishy sticking and sticking and tight together and then our voices scream out with painful cries of love, yes? I’m so jealous I wish I was loved even once but I’m not, so I’ll just speak words of love to you instead I want to be filled but yes oh yes oh yes I’m so jealous even dying can be a form of love killing is a powerful form of love,  I don’t know what love is but that’s a good thing I won’t be restrained to one narrow definition I’ll love you in every single way possible all I need are those simple words.』

『Hey… uh… are you alright?』While having such terrifying thoughts going through him, Kumagawa continued to smile innocent. Ah, he’s just like a river. She thought. No matter what flowed through him, he remained absolutely pure. She thought she might understand him, btu she was sure she would be confused by him again in a moment, after all it was impossible to swim in the same river twice.

She felt an unstoppable flood of emotion that threatened to wash her mind away. It was like she had been shoved head first into a river and told to drown. It was if those feelings had formed, a solid like lead that rocketed around in her head, making her headache far worse.

For the first time in her life, she felt fear at the concept of disappearing. She felt like she might be devoured by a despair even greater than hers. This “love” might erase her entirely, it ight chew her up and spit her out as something else.

Yet, her terrible curiosity would not stop herself from looking deeper down the rabbit hole. She needed to stop, she needed to stop relying on this stupid bullshit power. She reached out from a tray of food she had been brought earlier, and turned it back towards her own face to gauge out her eye.

Before she could, Kumagawa Misogi rushed forward and grabbed her hand, wrestling the spoon out of it.  『E-e-enoshima-sama! Stop! Stop! Don’t hurt your eye, a villain wearing an eyepatch is too lame of a cliche.』

He pulled it away from her, and the spoon was sent spinning across the floor. Junko sighed, and glared at him. At least the struggle had distracted her enough to get his cootie ridden thoughts out of her head though.

An unpleasant expression on her face, she flopped backwards in her bed and put a hand on the temple of her forehead, to deal with a headache that threatened to split her skull in half. “You’re annoying me, just go home already. I alerady told you, I have no use for a fucker that always loses.”

『That’s not what you said! Junko, I know your character archetype is the bitchy blonde who makes everything difficult but you promised we’d talk! Don’t just send me away without even telling me what I did wrong!』

Junko reached and grabbed the bear. She held it up in front of her face, and spoke in her monokuma voice. “I’m immune to begging! What do you think you’re going to get out of talking with me? I do what I do becuz of whatcha call a deep seated inner complex. No rhyme or reason to it!”

『Ah, well that’s fine. I’m pretty much the same.』Kumagawa tilted his head.  『So are you happy I brought the bear at least?』

“It’s Principal Monokuma to you! I have no reason to waste my time on a remedial student like you, so just go murder another teenager already!” Junko pushed the bear in Kumagawa’s face, and bopped him lightly on the nose.

『Ahh, what I don’t want to do that. Can’t we just talk? 』

“Listen, try to bargain with a fractured psyche and you get ten counter arguments for every reasonable assertion you squeeze in. I don’t have any feelings ot talk about in the first place, and you’re too stupid to even make an argument, it’s a zero sum game.”

『Damn, I hate math.』

“Upuppupupupupupu! This loser thought he could talk to girls, or that a girl would want to talk to him in the first place, how hiliarious!”

Kumagawa’s brow twitched. 『Enoshima-sama, put the bear away.』

Junko peeked out from underneath the bear she was currently hugging as they both sat on the hospital bed together. “No.” She said, before ducking back down.

『Why not?』.

“Dun wanna.” Monokuma’s voice came out instead.

『Hey, Junko-chan tell me what’s wrong. 』

“Junko? Who’s that?” She tilted the bear’s head inquisitively. “Jun Ko? I’ve never heard of that country before.”

『Junko-chan, stop joking around. Just tell me-』

“Junko this, Junko that. Why are you obsessed with this Junko person so much? I’m really interested in human mating habits, y’know.”

Suddenly, Kumagawa was centimeters away from her own face with no regard for personal space. Tears streamed from his eyes as he repeated like a madman in a maddening tantrum.  『Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!』

Junko threw the bear at him as a self defense reflex, and her lips immediately curled into a scowl. “Jesus fine, I’ll tell you. How are you such a loser about literally everything? It’s almost a talent even if it’s a worthless one.”

『Yaaaaay, Junko-chan’s insulting me again.』

Junko somehow scowled even more than she was a moment ago. “Who gave you permission to use my first name again?”

『You weren’t responding to Enoshima-sama, so it’s your fault. Not my faul, it’s your fault not mine.』He said, his habitual phrase in a sing songy voice.

Junko doubled over in pain again as another shock went through her head. “It’s just… headache… your annoying personality is making it way way worse!”

Kumagawa leaned over her concerned for a moment. Then, he moved to the edge of the bed and sat on it straightening up. 『Then just rest your head on my lap, like you used to...』

Junko remembered it, the days they spent skipping class in that empty room that Kumagawa had vandalized with his screws. The feeling of laying down in his lap, and feeling his hands run through her hair, and his calloused hands brush up against her skin was not so bad.

Could it be so easy?

Of course, everything was easy for her.

She lay her head in his lap, as if it belonged entirely to her. “There’s nothing to talk about you know. There’s nothing I need to say, rather. You were the one who was ignoring me, and you abandoned my despair for stupid Medaka’s hope.”

『Abandoned you? You’re the one who got angry at me and said you wanted nothing to do with me!』

Junko turned away from him slightly. “Well, that’s obviosuly not what I wanted because otherwise I wouldn’t be so upset right now! It’s your stupid fault for being too stupid to realie that.”

『Well, how was I supposed to know ‘Go away’ actually meant ‘please stay by my side.’ Is there a Junko to Japanese dictionary hidden somewhere?』

“I told you to stay and argue your point, and you just ran away like a coward.”

『Because you’re so easy to argue against. What did you want me to do, start stalking and harassing you until you gave in?』

“Well at least being stalked by a loser like you would at least make me feel a little despair!”

『If you wanted to talk to me why didn’t you just talk to me? I asked you to talk two days ago and instead, you went and got yourself stabbed. Is that really easier than talking to people?』

“Yes! No! Shut up!” Kumagawa had a hand resting in his lap, and Junko in her frustration, dug her teeth straight into it.

『Ah! Ah! Junko-chan, Junko-chan, quit!』he struggled against her for a moment before finally ripping his hand away. When she was done, she spit out, and then stuck her tongue. Kumagawa realized that she had not been lying when talking to him with the bear, and simple logic wasn’t enough to get through to her, even if his arguments were right.

『Fine. It’s all my fault. I should have been smarter and understood you. I don’t care about being right, let’s just go back to how it was before.』

At this, Junko just let out another disappointed sigh. She reached up with her two hands and pinched his cheeks, manipulating his face to look any way she wished. “That’s the point that you’re missing, we can’t go back. The moment we start to think ‘I want these days to just last forever’ I’m going to get bored and try to destroy them.”

Kumagawa pulled her hands away from his face. He kept stroking her hair with one hand, but with the other he intertwined his own hand, and held it. The two of them had not held hands like this since the day before she killed him for the first time. 『Oh, that’s fine. You can try doing that I don’t mind, I’ll just stop you.』

“If you let me just push you around and do whatever I want, and try to kill you repeatedly you won’t be any different from Mukuro. I’ll just be abusing you for my own self satisfaction.” Junko said, laying out the facts plainly.

Kumagawa narrowed his eyes at her.『You know if you’re this self aware you should just stop yourself instead of just putting all the work on me. Laaaaaazy..』

“Dun wanna.” Junko said again.

『But… I’m different from Mukuro-chan. Mukuro-chan only cared about your happiness. I’m not doing this for the sake of your happiness.』

“Yeah you are. You’re trying to protect me like everyone else. That’s why you wouldn’t tell Medaka, that’s why you go out of your way to make sure my schemes don’t blow up in the face.”

Suddenly, Kumagawa’s usually silly expression looked quite serious as his eyes sharpened.    『No, shut up listen. It’s for the sake of my love. That’s why I wouldn’t tell Medaka and the others abotu your true self. If they were the ones to defeat you, if they reformed you, then you the person I love would disappear before my eyes and that’s completely unacceptable.』

Junko heard a metallic noise, like screws turning in the distance. She felt Kumagawa becoming quite twisted again, and she did not even need parasitic vision to see it.

『That’s why I won’t say  things like ‘I’m going to protect you,’ or ‘I’ll do this for your happiness’. For the sake of my love, I’ll fight it out with you to the end. I said it before didn’t I? I’ll do anything and everything to win. I’ll earn my first victory ever, on the battlefield of love. That was why I used that poor girl. She’s called Monaca-chan, right? I let you use her in your scheme so I could be the one to foil her, so I could have a chance to win against you. The whole field trip I pretended to follow you around like I was clueless.』

Kumagawa turned his head aside and averted his eyes.

『I don’t want to be a stalker though, it’s not like I don’t care how you feel. It’s just like second or third priority. I just can’t ever let you get bored of me. In order to achieve that goal, I don’t care if I have to make use of another person’s love, or death, or myself. This may seem a little contrary but I’ll even make use of your feelings. I don’t want to lose to you, so that’s why no matter what I have to win your heart. Okay?』

The overflowing feelings of Kumagawa that had almost washed her away a moment ago, when he explained them in the terms of a game they almost made sense. The moment she understood them, she started to think about it seriously for the first time. Oh, that dumb boy loves me. For some reason, her head continued to turn and turn it around. Her cheeks reddened with the thought. She averted her eyes slightly too, unable to look directly at him in the moment. “You should be careful, if you keep saying junk like that, I might really fall for you. Then you’d really be in danger.”

『Ahhhh, don’t joke about stuff like that. Nobody’s ever really loved me, I don’t know what I’d do if you loved me back.』He said, suddenly nervously wavering back and forth like a blushing teenager. Which. He was.

“If you do everything for the sake of your love though, what makes you different from Yauske?”

『I’m honest about it! I already know I’m doing a bad thing by risking the whole world keeping you alive. I know there’ll be hell to pay one day, I don’t really care though, if I have to beome the devil himself if it means I get to stay by your side. So I’ll just enjoy myself in the meantime.』Kumagawa stuck his tongue out at her. 『You can’t psychologically pick me apart with information I already know, that only works if I’m repressing something. Bleeeh!』

“So immature…” Junko muttered, turning to look away from him once more. As if she was suddenly some bastion of maturity. “What makes you think I’d even give you the time of day?”

『Aren’t you giving me it right now? Well if you don’t want to I can just wear a watch. Anyway, Junko-chan tell me about your own feelings. You’ve been making me talk the whole time.』

“Meh.” She said, rejecting him.

『Oh, so do you love the sound of my unpleasant voice that much.』

She untangled her hand from his for a moment, and then poked a nail right in his chest. “You’re mine, okay? After this if I dump you you can’t just run crying to Ajimu, or Kurokami=san again. You’re only mine.”

Kumagawa started to get teary eyed again, his face reddened.『Ahhh, it feels so nice to finally be wanted by someone.』

“Put up more of a fight! Even I know I”m being too possessive! God, spineless!”

『What’s so wrong with being spineless? Some jelly fish are immortal you know, I think they have life figured out.』

“I can’t kiss a jelly fish!”

『Alright, alright! I’ll find a spine somewhere. I’ll rip it out of someone else if I need to.』His moment of panic over, he reached forward again and brushed her bangs out of her face.『We’re the same, you know. That’s why I’m going to make you acknowledge me. That’s why I want to stay by your side and keep trying to win against you.』

Junko suddenly curled up hanging onto the one hand he had offered him. It was just the headache she told herself, just pain from a long day, there’s no way she could find any comfort in Kumagawa Misogi’s words. “Why… why me? Why for someone terrible like me? Is it just because you’re only used to pain.”

『Remember that story about how nobody would help you build a sand castle, because they were too busy admiring you. If that were me, even though I’m terrible at building things, I’d help you, and I’d get in the way, and I’d make the project delayed because I kept destroying the foundation, and building things wrong and making you do them over to cover my mistakes. In fact, I’d probably trip and destroy the whole sandcastle just before we were done, but still. I’d never leave your side once.』

Hearing those words, even though he was stumbling through them, even though he barely made sense, Enoshima Junko finally felt her heart move. She raised her hand and showed him her bleeding and raw finger tips.

“Ajimu was a meanie. She tore all my pretty fingernails off.”

『Ah! Sorry! It’s not my fault, but I’ll get you a bandage.』

Quietly, Junko let him bandage up her fingers and then let him spend the rest of the night, talking circles around her and trying to impress her. She guessed, she talked back a little too finally.

She lost all desire to meddle with the outside world, and for a little while at least she was okay with the world consisting of the confines of her, this hospital room, and one persistent loser who would not leave her alone. She wondered when everything seemed lost and her head felt like it was going to split in half a moment ago, how being around this strange presence seemed to ground her. Then, she decided not to think about it too hard, because ick, who wanted to think about Kumagawa for too long anyway. 

Thus, the academy’s day off from Enoshima Junko would continue to be a weekend vacation from her.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ajimu Najimi appeared behind Yasuke Matsuda again, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. She leaned in to follow his gaze and watch what he was watching. In the distance, Zenkichi strode forward with determination.

“Are you sure you want to see this?” She asked, genuine concern somehow present in her usually aloof voice. “It might be somewhat painful.”

“Pretty late for you to grow a consciene, you sadist.” He said, easily lashing her with his tongue as usual. Really somebody who talks down on others like that should not go around calling others sadists unless they want to seem hypocritical.

“I’m not a sadist, obviously I’m a switch because both sadism and masochism are the same to me.”

“Oh, you’re not just a sadist you’re a pervert as well. Please stop touching me then, hag.”

Ajimu did as he asked. Hovering behind him instead (though not literally hovering that ability was still sealed away with bookmaker). “I guess you’re too personally invested to look away right now. That’s no reason to lash out at me though, you classical tsundere.”

“Quit calling me that.” He looked away finally just to show her how annoyed he had gotten. Then, his eyes became thoughtful for a moment. “Do we really need to rush ahead like this, just because Junko’s out of the picture?”

“Stories that go on for far too long just coast on their success. At least, that’s my theory. This work has already extended it’s chapter count twice and gone over that. So, just watch, I’ll end this shitty fan fiction in thirteen more chapters.”

Chapter 33: I Hope One Day We'll Be Equals (Zenkichi and Komaeda's Day Off)

Summary:

What's better than a couple of bros being bros.

“Hiiiiiiii….. It’s beeen suuuuuuuch a long time…!”

Komaeda looked up from the book he had been reading. Suddenly his empty hospital room was filled with an eccentric looking trio, a girl with blonde hair and a custom uniform she had torna part herself that consisted of a blazer, and a cut up skirt. Her arms were further cut up, and covered with bandages all the way up her upper arm to her hand to deal with this, though, a few scars still peaked up from the edges of her bandaids. A boy on the opposite side who looked to exist to contrast her, his uniform had several buttons and was well pressed with a tie and even monocle to accessorize his look, the only hair out of place on his head was one large antenna swept to the side.

However, the one who spoke up was the small girl in the middle, wearing the standard hope’s peak uniform with bandages wrapped around her libs asymmetrically, one arm was covered and one leg was covered. The three of them were in order, Shibushi Shibuki, Chougasaki Gagamaru and standing in between them Tsumiki Mikan. It seemed Dazai Osamu would have to wait, he could read about Love and Revolution another time.

“Hmm, it’s only been about five days. Unless, did you forget about me already? If that’s the case I can’t blame yo considering how unworthy I am of taking space in your memory, Tsumiki-san.” Komaeda said, as he pressed the book to his face covering his lower mouth.  

“Oi, aren’t you going to say hi to us?” Shibushi snapped.

“Oh, Tsumiki-san, you’re still letting that reserve course trash follow you around. I thought you’d learned better from last time you thought you had friends, but oh well.” Despite how much his hair and features had paled from an extended hospital stay, his eyes and tongue were still as sharp as ever.

Before Shibushi could lunge at him, Gagamaru was already holding her back. “You should really stop getting riled up so easily, Kumagawa-senpai wouldn’t like it if he got hurt.”

“You should really stop being a fucking buzzkill.” Shibushi struck back at the hand he had reached out for. “Fine, then I’ll use you as a substitute. Let’s go round 11031,” She shouted, before pushing him out into the hallway.

Mikan barely reacted, “Oh, those two are at it again.” She sat at the edge of Komaeda’s bed. “I didn’t forget about you in fact I got called back from my trip early to help with you.”

“What? That’s not a good reason, Tsumiki-san. You need the school trip to learn through extracurricular means how to better your talent as a nurse. You shouldn’t be wasting your time on something pointless like caring for an unsaveable patient like me.”

Mikan simply hummed, unconcerned. “I guess the old me would have agreed with you, it would have been better to just stay where I was useful, but you know being useless back at the academy isn’t so bad. After all I get to see my friends, Kumagawa-senpai, Shibuki-chan, and Gagamaru-san.”

“Really, after all of this you’re still friends with Kumagawa-kun?”

“Yep, we’re going to Karaoke next week. Do you want to come with us?”

If I went to Karaoke the machine would probably just cause a power surge the moment I started to enjoy myself. “It’s a waste of your talent to pretend to be a normal high schooler who wastes time on mindless activities like Karaoke.”

“Oh you’re probably right, that’s something pretty useless to do too, but you know Kumagawa-kun is trying something very hard lately and I want to support him. I’m n-not good at words though and he’d probably get annoyed by my presence so this was all I could think of to do.”

Komaeda had not even talked to Kumagawa since the vice president’s battle. He had become like the many other weak hopes that Komaeda left behind, he tried not to think about it too much. “What is he trying to do now? Defeat Kurokami-san from within the student council? Some people just don’t know when to give up.”

“No, it’s Enoshima-san. He loves her, and he’s planning on confessing to her after he defeats her.”

“Pfffffffft…..ahahahahahahahaha! How hopeless! There’s no way somebody lacking in talent could ever beat her. Enoshima Junko is a despair who exists only to be slain by a great hope! He really did get arrogant just because Kurokami-san took pity on him!”

“Ehhhh? I think you’re underestimating the power of love. Love shuts everything else out, whether you’re teased, splashed with water, kicked… it’s like nothing else matters! Who cares about hope or despair! It’s love, only love?” Mikan intertwined her fingers, her bandaged hand mixing with her unbandaged one.

Komaeda, at this declaration of her feelings puzzled, his head tilted. Surely, Mikan must know or at least partially recall at this point what Enoshima Junko was, how terrible she was, and what she had done to them, but she let those grudges be washed away easily to help Kumagawa’s pursuit of his love. Perhaps Kumagawa and Mikan were similar after all, even if one was talentless and the other had talent. “I don’t… I don’t see how anything is more important than hope… love is worthless without hope who loves somebody they don’t have a chance with that’s just painful… I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand? It sit because you don’t have anyone to love? Is it because you’re also someone who isn’t accepted by anyone? …What a pity. I feel sorry for you.” Mikan reached out and gently cupped Komaeda’s face with her bandaged hand. She tilted his head back forcing Komaeda who usually avoided eye contact to meet hers. “Well, that pity will help me nurse you back to health even more.”

Before Komaeda could say anything in response, suddenly Gagamaru and Shibushi’s fight spilled into the room once more. Gagamaru was thrown headfirst into the floor, and Shibushi hung in the doorframe her face and uniform scuffed up more than they were a moment ago. “Yo, Mikan can you come patch me up. Idiot-maru got me good this time.”

“Sure, sure! I hope you don’t mind. I’ll be back later anyway after I meet with Hitomi-sensei.” She let go of Komaeda, and waved goodbye with that same bandaged hand. “Gagamaru are you alright?”

“Please don’t mind me, it was just an unexpected accident after all.” Gagamaru on the floor pushed himself off and started to stand up on his own. As he readjusted his monocle which had popped off and dangled from his face, one of his eyes narrowed at Komaeda. “Have we uh… I just remembered… did we see each other before this academy like way before this?”

Komaeda tilted his head. “I… what are you talking about?”

Shibushi came to get Gagamaru, lifting him up on her shoulder. “Oh, are you talking about the clinic? He’s an abnormal like us, right?”

“Abnormal…” Komaeda wondered if this was about the plus and minus nonsense that Kumagawa was always going on about. Which was completely different than the hope and despair nonsense, just, by the way.

“Yeah, Sandbox general hospital. That’s where Gagamaru and I met, and we’ve been fighting for fourteen years ever since. Well anyway, seeya. Whenever you realize you’re a loser like us you’re free to come hang out!”

With that the three who had come to visit him left his room, and left Komaeda puzzled even further.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

That same day, after Zenkichi came to visit him on the start of what would be the most unlucky day of Zenkichi’s life, Komaeda turned around to see a woman with colorless hair just like his. “Oh, so you’re not imaginary. That’s good. At least I’m not that crazy.” He muttered, clinging onto that small amount of optimism.

“I know I seem like a character straight out of a manga but this story couldn’t be taking place anywhere except for reality.” Ajimu Najimi said with a smile. “Hello, Komaeda-kun. Do you want to become my friend?”

“Your presence is so overwhelming I can already tell you’re talented. There’s no way you would want to be friends with a person like me though. There’s no way I can help guide your talent, and also I’m not good at holding conversations, and I don’t really like most activities friends do together, so that’s probably three strikes against me already.”

Ajimu’s lip twitched for a moment. It seemed like she was going to deal with another one of these. “Usually, I’m the one who offers things to my friends. Besides, I already made friends with Hitoyoshi-kun, so as a friend of a friend we should get along.”

“Offer things?” Komaeda’s head titled again.

“Usually it’s skills. Some abnormals join me because I remove their skills, and some join me because I can offer them a better skill.” Ajimu explained.

Komaeda still did not quite grasp it. Even though he had lived a life that was the definition of the word abnormal he found it hard to apply that word to himself. “Uhm… Ajimu-san.”

“Let’s become friends so you can call me Anshin’in-san,” Ajimu said on reflex.

“Anshin’in-san, then. What do you mean by Abnormal?”

“Well if I were to use you as an example, your abnormality is your luck which moves in predictable good and bad turns. The fact that your entire life has warped around and become defined by your skill makes you abnormal. You might call yourself worthless but in my eyes you’re actually a step above most of the Ultimate Talents, those are mainly specials after all with a few exceptions. Human beings with one special talent.”

“Haha! No wonder you’re friends with Hitoyoshi-kun, you tell lame jokes too!” Komaeda said, closing his eyes and smiling with his laughter, looking quite cat like.

Ajimu’s face puzzled for a moment. He really does remind me of Kumagawa in all the worst ways. “Anyway, there’s not much value in continuing this line of thought. I can’t offer you much in terms of skills anyway. You’d never allow me to remove your luck because you can’t comprehend your existence without it, it would be the same as removing Kumagawa’s losing streak. His entire personality is formed around that fact and the same for you. In addition you would probably die. You’re like deadpool, whose mutation gives him cancer but regenerates him at the same time keeping him on the line between life and death. It’s too bad you’re not like Domino, you have no idea how to apply your luck in a combat situation.”

“Ummm…” Komaeda trailed off as he watched her ramble to herself. So this is what it feels like when I do this to other people. “I’m sorry but… I don’t really read American comics that much. I won’t get your references.”

“Oh…” Ajimu’s expression fell for a moment. She almost looked disappointed. Komaeda sensed something entirely inhuman about her, it was strange seeing such a human expression painted on her face. “Anyway, since that route is useless I’ve thought of something alternative to offer you.”

“Wha--” Suddenly, Komaeda was cut off by a kiss. The moment Ajimu pulled away, Komaeda stared up at the unfamiliar white ceiling (he didn’t watch enough anime to get that reference either he was more of a games person) and muttered to himself. “Girl’s lips are kind of… weird…” before falling unconscious.

“Oh, just wait until the next arc Komaeda-kun and you’ll figure it out. You only get gayer as time goes on.”

My apologies to that dear boy with his head in the clouds. He may not seemed to have grasped this yet, but I could not fix all of his problems simply because if I did he would cease to exist. Thus are the nature of minus. Perhaps, he did grasp this though, and he feared it.

Instead I tried to give back at least enough memories to answer his question. What exactly was an abnormal? That question came with an additional one. What then, was normal?

Thirteen years ago at Sandbox General Hospital, there was a woman who loved her job as a psychosomatic surgeon and was proud of it. She knew about my flask plan, and cooperated with me purely for the sake of helping abnormal children live a normal life. However, that was just her own personal issues. She had been raised up being called abnormal. Not only that but her husband left her after calling her abnormal as well. She could not have been happier in the world to have given birth to a normal son and be allowed to raise him normally. She must have hated that word abnormal, which caused so much division in her life.

She presumptuously thought it was her duty. Every once in awhile though she came across a child who was something beyond abnormal. When that happened, though she was good intentioned she never once thought what then to the children who it was impossible fo them to live normally.

Komaeda remembered, though to him the memory played like it was being shown through a grainy old projector. A woman with a child like face, smiled at him and turned around in her chair.

He was brought in to this special hospital by his parents after the death of his dog when he was four years old. Deaths of childhood pets were considered a normal part of growing up, if a bit tragic, but this death in particular was entirely abnormal. Komaeda simply had been on a walk with himself, his dog, and his parents, playing a few feet ahead of them with his large dog whos had white fluffy hair just like he did.

Then suddenly, even though they were far away from the road a truck came hurtling at both of them. It was called a miracle, because Komaeda was completely unharmed by the random accident, but he had seen his dog torn completely in two, and dragged along the concrete. The asphalt was painted pink with the pieces of what used to be his only friend.

His parents were wealthy and had several connections, after he had been up late at night with several nightmares after the experience he was recommended to this place.

“Doctor please listen to me. Everybody around me dies. Whether strong or weak, good or evil, they all get taken away. When I reached out to pet my puppy, he became rotten dead meat. Hey, Doctor should I die too?”

At this, Hitomi reached forward and clasped both of his hands. “Never say anything like that again. You don’t need to die. There will always be hope that you can live normally just like everybody else!”

Hitomi’s hands were so warm. Even his mother who had brought him to this expensive clinic, never held his hands like this. He did not need to hear anymore, after the tests were finished he continued to stare at his own hands marveling at how warm they felt.

When he thought he was alone in the hallway though, suddenly another boy with white hair just like his spoke up. Unlike him though, the boy’s hair was entirely straight, and the tips still retained their original dark color. The boy spoke from behind the eyepatch wearing rabbit doll he was clutching. “I know that lady seems like a nice person, but what she did was really cruel just now. There’s nothing worse than telling somebody there’s hope when there isn’t any.”

“What are you talking about? There’s always hope!” Komaeda snapped at him.

“Hey, why are you listening to her over somebody like me? I mean we’re the same aren’t we? We both have this white hair because we’ve lived miserable lives. Isn’t telling somebody to just keep bearing with it because there might be a happy ending that somehow justifies all this misery cruel?”

Komaeda, who was four years old was having trouble understanding the logic of the other four year old, who acted nothing like his age. So, he just relied on a four year old’s list of common responses. “You’re weird!”

“Uhhh yeah I am. So are you though. If that lady was really kind, she would have told you it was okay to continue living as your weird self, instead of trying to force you into that category of normal.” He got to his face then, and started to walk along dragging the rabbit behind him. Komaeda saw the nametag he was wearing, ‘Kumagawa Misogi’ but soon after that occasion he forgot the name and the face it belonged to.

“I would accept you, even if you’re weird. I hope we meet again one day. If we don’t though, then I hope you find somebody who does without looking down on you like that lady.”

His parting words, he used the word hope twice but Komaeda even as young as he was could sense that the person walking away from him was somebody who seemed to be entirely devoid of hope.

As Kumagawa approached her, the kind doctor who loved children most of all to the point where her extraordinary mothering skills were an abnormality, hesitated at the sight of a rabbit stitched up with screws driven into it, and a boy with nearly pure white hair. “Err… let’s see. Kumagawa, Misogi-kun, right?”

“.....Yes.”

She sensed his hesitance, and put on a smile. “It’s okay! No need to be afraid. I’m the doctor who will be in charge of you, Hitoyoshi Hitomi. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, by the way Hitoyoshi-sensei could you do me a favor?”

“Hmm? And what’s that? Don’t hesitate to ask for anything.”

He did not hesitate at all but rather with a smile on his face, stared into her eyes with those twisted eyes of his. “Could you please write down that I have no problem at all? I don’t want to make my mom and dad worry.”

She suddenly became concerned, every detail about this child painted him out to be anything but a four year old boy. The way he spoke and carried himself it seemed like he had been through much more and grown up much faster than other children his age. “That’s impossible. You can’t write down false information in the patient’s record, and you didn’t even have a proper checkup. You are obviously an abnormal… no, something even greater than that.”

WIthout hesitation once again he picked his beloved rabbit up by the ear, and then tore it apart by the stitches on his neck. “YOu just want to research banormals right? Then let’s make a deal Hitoyoshi-sensei.”

Hitomi drew back as she heard the sound of fabric slowly tearing, and saw it’s stuffing innards start to spill out.

Kumagawa brought out a floppy disk and held it out for her in his small hand. “This data contains information on 2,000 abnormals who haven’t taken medical check-ups in this facility. I’ll give you this so please let me go.”

Hitomi finally got out of her chair. “You! Just how did you get that thing…”

“It doesn’t matter what my method was right? The important thing is with this data your research will speedily advance. You can look down on all those other children too.”

“Another reason for me to refuse! I can’t accept a bribe like that! I’ll report your true condition to your parents, maybe you’ll even have to be hospitalized. I have my pride as a psychosomatic surgeon, and making children like you happy is my duty!”

Kumagawa Misogi knew a few things already though. He knew that unlike his parents who had already abandoned him for his abnormality that this woman was a good mother. He knew that in the end, his attempt to get them back by changing his records to show that he was normal would accomplish nothing because he always lost in the end, he had learned that by four years old. He also knew that he had no idea what this happiness was that Hitomi claimed was her duty. At all of his information, Kumagawa smiled.

“That  child at the day-care center is your son, right? About two years old… aha… he’s so cute.” Hitomi turned around to see Kumagawa smiling at her like a cat with a canary caught in its mouth. She could already see the feathers trailing out from the last thing he devoured. “I’m a lonely child, and I’m afraid of being alone in a strange hospital. If I have to be hospitalized may I be his friend?”

She hesitated. “What is that? A threat? A bribe and then a threat, a carrot and a stick?”

“Oh, no. They’re both stick.” Kumagawa had only experienced such his life, no matter what choice he picked punishment waited on either side. Just like his rabbit he had plenty of screws driven into him too. He took a step forward, his lips downturning into a scowl. “If you accept my deal you’ll be a worthless doctor who accepted a bribe. If you don’t accept my deal you’ll be a worthless mother who threw away her own son. Well, either way. Your life will change from now on.” She saw it just for that moment. Black and white, hope and despair spiraling in that boy’s eyes. She got the distinct impression that he didn’t care for either, he hated being miserable but he didn’t want to be happy either.


She let him go on that day, and because of that he didn’t become happy but he was able to live his life the way he wanted until now.

As one child was not saved though, another was. At the exact same time another fateful encounter happened.

People are born for no reason, live unrelated, and die worthlessly. There’s no goal in life and there’s no point in bing alive. Humans are born with no purpose, live for no reason, and die for nothing. Because this world is pointless, and our lives are aimless. She had been told that reason by Kumagawa Misogi clumsily as they sat on the same hospital bench. Her mother’s death and the other people’s dejection wasn’t her fault. When she thought like that, she finally felt better. If everybody was born to have their efforts amount to nothing then she could at least stop feeling so guilty for being born.

On that day she escaped from the exam room.

“Where did number thirteen Kurokami Medaka go? Find her!” The faceless adults cried out. “She couldn’tve gotten too far!!”

As she turned around the corner, it turned into a bigger deal than she expected. Because of that she ran into the nursery room. She thought she might disguise herself among the normal children while planning her escape.

Then, for the first time the abnormal Kurokami Medaka was allowed to be in the presence of a normal child. Until that point, she had been tightly controlled in her actions to bring out and study her genius, cut off from her other siblings, and only interacted with other adults.

There was only one other person in that room. He was surrounded by toys , dinosaurs, stuffed bears, balls thrown carelessly aside. She decided to greet the kid before her playing with a tangle puzzle. For a moment she waited patiently, but she had never dealt with a kid her own age, or even been forced to wait for something so that patience quickly evaporated. “Hey! Why are you taking so long to figure out such a simple puzzle? Give it here I’ll solve it for you.”

She did nothing more than steal a toy from a child. However, she knew nothing more about how to introduce herself than to show off the anomaly and her own talent to whoever was in front of her. She held her hand out expectantly. He instantly handed it over. In a few moments the puzle was undone and she tossed both parts to him.

The faceless boy caught both ends and made childishly happy noises that Medaka did not understand. “Wow, you’re amazing!! How did you solve the puzzle? Thanks, I’m really happy.”

“You don’t need to thank me, I could’ve done that in my sleep.”

He handed a simple slider puzzle to her. “Oh, really? Then can you do this one too?”

“...” She alcked anything better to do, so she did as he asked and solved puzzzle after puzzle. Most of them were too advanced for kids his age, but to her they all looked the same. Rubix cubes, much more complicated variations of that, circle puzzles, block puzzls that needed to be built in a certain shape, they all became piled on the floor around her, all of the completely perfectly solved.

THe faceless boy jumped up, his hood bouncing up and down with him. “Wow, you really did solve all the puzzles! You’re really something special! You’re amazing!”

“It’s not amazing… and even if it was there’s no merit to it. From me being born to me lviing right now, there’s no meaning to either of them.”

Suddenly, the boy turned around his hood falling down with him as he did. “Huh? You really think so? I don’t think there’s something meaningless in this world.”

“.... Then you tell me, why on earth was I born?”

“Oh, that’s a simple question! We’ve only just met but look at how happy you’ve made me! I’m sure you were born to make the people around you happy!” Zenkichi’s hood flew off entirely, it revealed his boyish blonde locks of hair, his blushing cheeks and the great big smile across his face.

Medaka looked at another human face for the first time that day. It was in seeing another person she became herself. However, she misattributed the reason or her becoming human. She thought it was because of those simple words, that Zenkichi said foolishly and forgot about.

I wonder what you think of this, Komaeda-kun.
Medaka’s great hope was not something that came from herself. In fact, her talent drove her to meaningless and despair. She loathed herself for being born as much as you did, even though she had such a positive and constructive talent.
The person who gave her hope, her want to support others to help them as you see is the duty of all people with talent was none other than the completely normal Zenkichi.
Yet, you believe it to be the other way around, you’re convinced that Medaka-chan is the only explanation for why Hitoyoshi-kun can possess such hope.

Well, either way I need to answer your original question. Just as you were walking out behind the parents whose faces you cannot remember, another boy was walking in holding a small game console.

In a stroke of bad luck, Komaeda’s shoe laces became undone and he tripped head over heel and fell exactly towards where the other boy wearing glasses was walking at him. After this day he would never wear shoes with laces on them again out of fear because of what happened next. He pushed the boy over, and his game console flew out of his hand, as well as his glasses off his face.

However, rather than either of those being broken they hit the ground with no trouble at all. “Ah, I’m so sorry! Gosh, I can’t even walk right…”

“Please don’t mind it. This was an unexpected accident after all.” Gagamaru said as he stood up from where he had fallen on the ground completely unharmed. However, the damage from his game console, and his glasses as well as him was pushed away causing a nearby nurse carrying important medicine to fall over, into another doctor rushing a patient on a stretcher to another room.

Ah. I don’t know how but I’ve made things worse. Komaeda thought, as one parent quickly concerned, grabbed him with a rough hand around his wrist and yanked him on his wrist so hard his shoulder hurt, muttering their frutration about how nothing could ever be normal about him.

Gagamaru put his glasses back on and picked up his game console. Pico. Pico. Pico. Pico. Pipipiiii. He said down next to a blonde haired girl covered in band aids as he continued to play his game shutting out everything else.

“Hey. That pico pico sound is annoying. Turn it off.”

He looked up. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

She smiled at his consideration. The next moment because she did not like that affected attitude she hit him on the head with a spiked bat she had by chance as a baseball lover. “Oh sorry, sorry. My hands didn’t slip. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, forgive me.”

That boy who had fallen down on the ground once again, simply looked up with an empty look in his eyes. “It’s okay. Please don’t mind it, this was an unexpected accident after all.”

Even after hitting him with all of her strength, the boy was unharmed. The boy was called away for his test results, but he looked back to her with a friendly smile on his face that did not fit the situation at all. “Okay, I will be there right away nurse. If you excuse me, goodbye, pretty lady.”

“What a weirdo…” She muttered, but when she looked back the chair was broken instead. It was at this point after all that abnormalities that defied the laws of physics stille existed in this world and had not been removed due to game balance.

Either way, soon after that the boy and girl would meet again and because of their opposite powers, reopening wounds, and redirecting damage, they would fight each other for the first of several fights over 14 years. The result of that fight was the entire clinic’s destruction, and the closing down of the abnormal child care project.

One more chance encounter happened that day.
Though usually fateful encounters involve two people meeting up, this was a fateful encounter where two people did not meet.

Kumagawa sat on the edge of the ruined hospital, with his rabbit friend in his lap. Carefully, he was sewing the head back on the rabbit. While he was unskilled at most things, he could stitch this rabbit up while only poking himself a few times.

As he was only looking down at his rabbit with a smile on his face, he did not notice two girls pass by. One with red pigtails, and one with dark brown hair and freckles on her face.

“Huh? What happened to this place? This is the place that they told me might be able to make sister smile again?”

“I don’t know big sis…” A smile just like Kumagawa’s spread across the face of the pig tailed girl. “For some reason, seeing this place unexpectedly destroyed after we came so far to get here… is kind of… exciting…”

“Sister, don’t worry. Even if this place can’t help you I’ll make you smile no matter what okay… because I’m… I’m your…”

“Eh whatever. Let’s get back to our worthless mommy and daddy before they notice we’re gone.” She turned around already starting to get bored with the sight of the crumbling building. At that moment, the boy finished his work and walked past her dragging the rabbit along across the ground behind him.

She let him walk by, and then suddenly snapped her gaze back for a moment. “Hey, big sis.”

“Hmmm?”

“That…” She immediately shifted her face, the bored expression gone and instead was an adorable face that did not look out of place on the face of any girl her age. “That rabbit that boy was carrying looked so cute! Can you go steal it for me?”

“Again… okay, but don’t get bored and throw it away after I get it for you like the last one.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda regained consciousness and immediately and put his hand on his forehead to wipe the sweat away from his brow.  Immediately, he sensed two other presences in the room. He recognized the first, Naze Youka the girl who Kumagawa tried to win over to the side of the minus, a minus just like him but one of incredible genius, and a man in a stylish shirt wearing a cross around his neck and looking like he was appealing to western fashion trends but one he had not personally met before.

“You… you remind me of my classmate Nidai-kun. Did you use your analytical abilities to pick that trendy outfit?” Komaeda asked as he sat up from his bed once more, still holding a hand against his forehead.

“No way, I bet these clothes stopped being cool the moment I wore them.” Maguro said, as he looked back at Komaeda. “I do have analysis though that’s observant of you. Kujira-chan is an expert in abnormals and I can size up a person’s strengths and weaknesses in an instant. That is why Zenkichi asked us to look at you. He thought we could help control your luck.”

“Please, I’d hate for you to waste time on me. It would be obvious to anybody without talent how worthless my potential is.”

Maguro looked at him with a friendly smile. “You’re right. I could tell in an instant, no matter how hard you work you’re never going to have willful control over your luck. If my sister were to copy your abnormality, I’m sure she would experience it perfectly and only encounter good luck, actually I’m sure it’s been done before.”

Komaeda thought of Kamakura for a moment. He heard music in the background that blossomed into colors, but… those colors no longer existed for him so they were not even worth thinking about. For Kamakura, he was the weak hope that had been left behind. He could not fault him for that at least, it was obvious he had nothing to contribute to Kamakura’s existence. Yet, somehow at the frank assessment even though it was something he already knew he found himself shaking and clinging to the blankets in his hands. “Zenkichi… Zenkichi said I could learn to control it… it must be because I’m not trying hard enough Kurokami-san.”

“No, it’s impossible you should just give it up.” Maguro realized he was speaking tactlessly as usual when his sister suddenly elbowed him.

“What’s the deal onii-tan? Usually I’m the one who refuses to sugarcoat things like that. Your personality is awful, but I’d prefer it if you stayed true to your usual self.” Naze said looking up at him through the one eye peeking out of her bandages.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve just recently come to a realization at all. Zenkichi-chan was asking something impossible of you. Komaeda-kun, there’s something I want to tell you, too. Last year, I said this to him thoughtlessly.”

Sorry for saying those insensitive things back then.
I want you to become strong together.
I want you to protect my precious sister.

“If I think about what happened then, I asked something unimaginable of just one first year boy. It’s because of that reason now, that I’m going to go over and support Ajimu.”

“Why? Your sister is much more talented than Zenkichi. She needs to win against him in order for hope to triumph.” Komaeda did not understand. He did not understand one bit. He did not know why Maguro thought telling him there was no hope was being kind. ‘

“Hmm… why indeed.” After making Komaeda question himself, Maguro refused to give him an answer.

“Don’t… don’t look at me like that. Don’t tell me all my efforts are worthless.”

“Even if it’s my talent that concluded that for you? The same talent that you trust above all else.?”

Komaeda did not know how to answer that.

Maguro continued to talk over his silence. “I don’t think your efforts were worthless though, even if they paid off in a different direction than you expected. After all you were able to become friends with Zenkichi-chan, right?”

“I…”
I feel disgusted. 
“I suppose if that’s what your talent tells me, then I should trust it. Thank you for trying to look out for me, Kurokami-san.”
I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted I feel disgusted.

Naze stopped for a moment to address Komaeda after her brother turned and made a lame exit. “Hey, I know you compared me to Enoshima-san once, but I think I might be more similiar to you.”

Komaeda smiled at her. “Haha. You don’t have to put yourself down like that.”
I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted I feel disgusted. 

“My policy has always been that great suffering will give birth to something brilliant. Your policy is that hope always wins, right? I don’t think it’s a bad thing, to live your life according to a policy but sooner or later you’ll find exceptions.”

 

“...”

“I’m sure something brilliant will be born, even if it’s not what you’re expecting.”

“You’re too kind to me. I’m blessed to have you two looking out for me.” He said it with a pleasant smile that bit back his nausea. Why am I not happy when she says I still have hope? Why don’t I want to agree with her? I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted. I feel disgusted I feel disgusted. What's so disgusting? It's my own disgusting self obviously.

The urge to throw up he had been repressing, increased as he was left alone with only his nauseating self. A slight moan slipped from the corner of his mouth, but Komaeda’s smile did not falter whatsoever.

He kept his expression steady as HItomi walked into the room to check on him. She looked down to look at his charts when…

“Blechhh. Uogh, uuughnnn.”

The contents of his already-empty stomach poured out. The tray he had left untouched was still sitting at the corner of his bed. All that he could taste was acid, and the internal pain didn’t go away after either, it only burned him worse. In addition, he recalled childhood memories where his mother called him an ugly thing after he got sick and threw up like this. He was shaking and he knew in a moment that even kind Hitomi would hate him for making such an ugly mess. He already hated himself for burdening such a nice woman with his ugly mess fo a self.

He roughly wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his face pale and his breath ragged. The pressure was killing him. Here he was supposed to be recovering and he felt like he’d waste away and expire from that alone.

He wanted to laugh at himself for ever thinking he could get better, for ever putting himself in this situation, for not dying the day on the steel beams, or the day he played with his revolver in front of Kumagawa, or the day he first met Kumagawa, or the day he first met Junko, plenty of other times he had a chance to.

When Hitomi looked at him with wide and blank eyes, not even the faintest smile could form on his lips. He wanted to apologize for himself as usual, but he could not move his mouth.

“Komaeda… I’ll go get a rag okay.” Hitomi moved faster than Komaeda could track with his eyes, and in an instant the mess was cleaned, an application of her abnormality.

When he saw her standing there slightly out of breath, he tried to forget it all, the pain in his stomach, the ache in his chest, and the feeling of utter silence, of a world without color or music, and turned everything towards her. His expression contorted itself into a smile.

“Oh, somebody of such wonderful talent is calling my name. I’m happy, but embarrassed to make such a pathetic show in front of you.”

“Komaeda…” She said a second time. Then, slowly she climbed onto his bed. Komaeda had never been touched by his mother in a gentle way, so he did not recognize it at all when her hand came towards him and flinched away. However, gently she only guided his head towards her lap.

I’m burdening the woman who took care of me. I didn’t want that to happen above all else. “Wh.. what is this…”

“Your hair is so messy I should try brushing it if I ever have an afternoon to kill.” He felt the spirals and pointy tangles of his hair, brush against her soft lap as his head moved, still confused.

“What is this? You’re being so nice to me… If you keep this… I’m gonna, I’m not, I don’t have any right to be upset, they were trying to encourage me so I should…”

Then, Hitomi gently leaned her face over Komaeda’s. “It’s been hard for you, hasn’t it?”

This was… pity? Sympathy? Caring? He lacked experience to discern between the three.

“No… please don’t. Don’t look at me you’ll just hate me like all the other adults. Just because I was trying to smile when the absolute worst happened to me. I just wanted to keep smiling. I know it was wrong. I know it was wrong for me to smile. I know I’m creepy and I can’t talk to people.”

“It’s fine, Komaeda. You’re just a kid after all you don’t have to know the right way to react to everything. Adults make mistakes too. In the past, there was a child I could have helped, but I was afraid of him instead and I forgot that he was a child. I won’t make that mistake ever again.”

“I.. It was hard. It was really rough. I hated myself, and I was really sad, sad enough that I thought I should die. It hurt so much!”

“Yeah.”

“I-I tried. I really tried! I desperately tried to do everything right. I really thought this time would be different. Really, really. Even though it doesn't look like it I"m always trying.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s because I like it here. This school is precious to me. I was afraid, I was so afraid of losing it. Ah.. this school… is that what I was afraid of losing no… those people. I didn’t want to drive them away like all the others. I was already in the middle of it, I was already going to lose them but then I was saved and I… I was scared it was just going to happen all over again. And I hated it. I hated myself for that.”

He couldn’t control his emotions anymore.

The tears wouldn’t stop. His nose was runny, and his face ugly with sadness. As his sobbing became harder he started to cough up mucus. HItomi’s pure white robes were stained because of him.

There was no way she actually understood what Komaeda was saying. He did not even know if she would forgive him if he told her the plain truth, that he had tried to kill every person in this school, that he decided it was okay with his own free will because it would lead to a greater hope.

That with his hand he would destroy his last safe haven, his last stroke of good luck because he was terrified of what he might lose next.

The kindness of her voice still brought relief to his heart though. He cried, he cried, hopelessly he even screamed, until the emotion drained out of him.

After a time that seemed impossible to describe with words, he muttered with a hoarse voice. “I must really seem like a brat to you, Hitoyoshi-sensei.”

Hitomi smiled at him. “It’s fine, because you’re just a kid after all. I wish you had found somebody who would let you cry on them like that sooner, but at least you found a person now.”

She told him she needed to get changed and left the room quietly. Komaeda felt at his absolute lowest, yet at the same time the emptiness inside of him somehow felt like a relief. With his head clear, he stopped needing to block out his thoughts.

He thought about the back of a certain student who always wore a black uniform. Is this what Ajimu wanted when she showed him that memory? You’re wrong, Kumagawa we’re nothing alike. Even though I say I fight for hope you’re the one who always goes forward, undaunted. Weakly, he took the first step out of bed and went looking for the closet where his clothes were being kept.

He pulled out a familiar green jacket that he had not worn in ages. Though it was definitely eccentric and had a strange style to it, though it was weird in every sense of the word it still was his favorite. He pulled it on over his hospital robes. It’s not like somebody pathetic like me has found resolve. I just don’t want to lose to Kumagawa. “If you’re going to pursue a love that’s doomed to failure than so will I. Maybe… it won’t work out… maybe I’ll just lose in the end but I hope one day we’ll be equals.”

Finally, Naze’s words made sense to him. Something brilliant had been born out of his absolute misery, but it was not hope this time. “Well it’s fine. I’ve lived all this time for the sake of my unrequited love, it’s fine to keep living like that.”

With that he left the room to go find Hitomi and ask if it would be okay for him to be discharged at least enough to start walking around on his own again.

In the empty room two figures appeared. The happy but aloof looking Ajimu Najimi and the grumpy but aloof looking Yasuke Matsuda. Ajimu leaned forward and poked Yasuke on his cheek.

“So, are you finally starting to notice the narrative parallels I put so much effort into weaving into this scenario for you.”

“Speak straightforwardly or don’t speak at all, hag.”

“Do you see what’s similar between you and Zenkichi now?”

“Honestly, I was hoping you’d just choose to shut up.”

“Hitomi-sensei is such a good mother, in fact she’s abnormally good not only could she take care of Hitoyoshi-kun all by herself but she can also mother the children around him. Don’t you think the reason Hitoyoshi-kun is al way s able to smile like that is because he’s abnormally blessed. I mean imagine if you had a childhood friend who believed that their purpose in life was to make you happy along with everyone else, loving and kind, and a mother who devoted herself entirely to you.”

Yasuke spoke through gritted teeth, like a feral dog who had been provoked and was giving one last growl before he went in for the bite. “I thought I said shut up.”

“Awe, did I step on those human emotions of yours? My apologies, let’s change the subject.”

“Fine. I don’t want to begin to try to untangle your weird ass logic, but do you really think Zenkichi is a main character?”

“It doesn’t matter if he is, he will become one, that’s the purpose of the flask plan and my recruiting you the prime architect of the Kamakura project.”

Yasuke remembered the image of a boy alone in his room, working on puzzles that Yasuke had given him as an afterthought to distract him while he went over test results. “Wait, is that why you recruited me? Is that why you’ve been making me spend time with Mr. Personality.”

“Be nice to Shiranui Hanten. He’s shy you know, if he hears you making fun of him behind his back you’ll only make it worse.”

“What am I to you? I don’t care if it’s in yours and Junko’s bullshit trope talk language just tell me. Why do you spend so much time on me if all you care about is Hitoyoshi?”

“You… are something that can be even stronger than a hero. You’re an antihero.” She reached forward and pinched at his cheek. “That is why that bad attitude of yours is just so loveable.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Speaking of Zenkichi, what has our backup hero gotten too anyway. Don’t tell me… He went to challenge Medaka directly? Really, that guy is so straightforward I might not even need to tell his story you can probably guess what happened next.

Ah, but I do like indulging myself as a narrator.

Zenkichi strode proudly down the hall, opening the door to the student council office without any other thought on his mind. If this were a more ecchi manga he might have walked in on a bunch of girls changing, but you already had your fanservice two chapters ago at the hot springs.

Zenkichi walked in the middle of a student council meeting, with Toko, Togami, and Medaka sitting at the president’s desk fanning herself. In the room helping as well was Kokichi and Monaca, still attending to their duties as successor candidates.

Zenkichi ignored all of them, his only focus in the room, no the whole world Medaka.

“What is it, Zenkichi? Have you already finished with Komaeda? I might just praise you.” She snapped her fan back to its folded position

“... Medaka…”

In the past, he had been her pitbull. When he needed to rely on something, when he needed guidance, he fought with everything he had to prove her right. Even when he doubted her, like the time with her want to redeem Kumagawa he eventually did everything he could to prove her right.

She’s right!
Medaka’s always right.
She always knows what’s best.
Of course Medaka is right.

“......Medaka. You’re wrong!”  He said centimeters away from her face, their toes almost touching. He loved her more than anything else, usually only lovers got this close to kiss one another but all he did was shout at her and stare in defiance. “I should have said this earlier. It’s my responsibility as the person who, as an innocent two year old gave you a reason to live. This simply cannot go unsaid. For us humans to constantly succeed is just wrong! For a person to only feel hope is wrong! Komaeda doesn’t need to be reformed, he’s fine even if all he does is fail from now on.”

Medaka was silent for a moment as if processing. Then, a bright smile lit itself across her face, she threw her arms open wide as if she might embrace him. “Is that so? Is that so, Zenkichi? Have you finally turned into my enemy? That’s good I’ve always wanted to fight you! Well, I did fight against you when I was brainwashed but that doesn’t count. You know in one sense this is a perfect plan, a surprise attack while I’m already in the middle of a battle with Ajimu. Sorry for what I said just then.”

...

Did she taken in a word I said.
I suppose I understand… but why am I still disappointed?
Am I hoping for someone to stop me?
Am I hoping for her to be hurt? To be betrayed?
No, I’ll just have to accept that.
I’m not as important to Medaka as I thought.  
I’m going to become important to her.

His fist shook, before he forced it to tighten with resolve and showed his back to her. “That’s all I wanted to say. However, this is just a small quarrel my student council duties are still important to me and I will always fulfill the-”

Medaka’s hand which she held out like an embrace, suddenly grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed him hard into the desk in front of her, sending pencils, papers, and books flying in every direction.

“Zeeeeenkiiiiichiiiiii.” Medaka’s voice right then, sounded more alive than she had ever been before. Her heart was beating so fast, the dangerous aura of violence that surrounded her right now, felt akin to a romantic mood. “Don’t tell me you were just going to walk away after challenging me? Stand up, Zenkichi! The battle has already begun? Or did you think I would just wait until you had completed your training.”

“How unfair, attacking before the opponent levels up!” Monaca said from the corner.

“Didn’t your big sis, and your senpai Kumagawa do that already?” Kokichi asked, putting a hand on her shoulder and drawing her back protectively.

“S-should we stop them? Why are we just talking?” Toko asked, moving to hide behind Togami as well.

Togami looked away. Just this once he found no joy at all in the sight of a commoner struggling. “This is something that I couldn’t even stop, if I wanted to. There’s no stopping that idiot’s futile struggle against his betters, the one who knows that most of all is...”

Zenkichi stood up all on his own, even with his body shaking, and blood already gushing from his forehead and getting matted in his hair. Medaka merely smiled at his show of endurance. “Oh, you still have strength? Good. There’s still more time for me to have fun.”

Zenkichi heard a crash.
He did not know if he was the one breaking apart, or if it was his world.
Even the time snakes had bitten his body.
Even when Kumagawa had mocked him and driven screws into him.
Even when Munakata had stabbed him in the back with swords.
He had never felt so much pain before.
He had never wanted to run away.
Yet, now, he would do anything to escape.
His mind imagined him elsewhere.
The pink on the edges of his vision, became flowers.
He was in a field of flowers.
He remembered this day, Medaka and him were allowed to play at her mansion. She took him to a garden with flowers as far as the eye could see.
At the time he was still a child he told her that she looked much prettier than the flowers.
She refused to believe him.
He promised he would show her, so he started to pick the flowers one by one.
Medaka got mad because he was ruining the natural beauty of the flowers, but he laughed and said it was better to pick flowers before they wilted anyway.
He sewed them together. He told her to close her eyes and let him.
He sewed them into her hair one by one, until she had a crown of flowers around the top of her head.
She laughed and called him amazing.
Zenkichi told her she was so much more amazing than him, this was just a normal thing most children did.
He wanted Medaka to be even prettier and prettier, so he kept picking flowers and placing them in her hair. Eventually, with her eyes closed she smiled at him.
All he wanted to do was protect that smile.
All he ever did was make her cry, Ajimu said.
When he spent so long trying to be her friend.
The moment he betrayed her she smiled at him, she looked happier than thirteen years of friendship combined.
I really am worthless.
She looks... bored... even though I fought my hardest.

He thought as he regained consciousness and saw that the wall behind him had been torn up with the crater of his impact, his body was coated in his own blood, and his limbs too limp to move. He clutched his stomach, feeling internal bleeding and at least one rib poking through his skin.

“Generally cicadas are said to have a lifespan of seven days but their actual lifespan is longer. It seems they can’t handle the pressure of being observed by someone and die early from stress. Well, that aside Zenkichi you’re so weak that you’re not even worth talking about.” Let’s forget about this fight, it’s fitting for you to be under my protection.

Everyone stared at him in silence. Togami finally spoke up. “You should have just held your head down and apologized. You know most people would think that.”

“I….” Zenkichi moved his arm finally, and hit himself straight in the face while gritting his teeth. All he accomplished was getting himself to sink forward further.

“What… why did you hit yourself…!? Even if you’re trash I wouldn’t go that far.”

At that time, Komaeda and Munakata both arrived standing in the doorway. “Well, it was the expected result for you to lose miserably against her talent but at least you kept your pride.” Komaeda anounced, as he leaned against Munakata and kept his arm around Kei’s shoulder for support.

“Don’t tell me you two are sided with Anshin’in-san too?” Togami asked.

“Of course I still respect your talent. I’m always willing to do anything to support your advancement, but… when it comes to my friends. I don’t consider somebody who just stands by and watches the protagonist fight while saying something like ‘Wow I don’t think I can beat him now’ as my friend, nor do I plan on becoming one. I’m more of a fan of co-op play you know.”  Munakata put down Komaeda for a moment and instead went to pick Zenkichi up with a gentle hand.

Komaeda continued to talk as always. Even if he knew he was speaking to his better, it felt good to lecture somebody else. “If Hitoyoshi-kun says he will fight against Kurokami that means we will be Hitoyoshi’s allies. Don’t act like I’ve changed or anything, this is just what I’ve always done, I want to witness the clash of great hopes. Even if he’s an idiot and worthless, I’ll be his player two.”

Munakata as he carried Zenkichi’s broken body on his back looked at them over shoulder. “You guys claim to understand HItoyoshi-kun’s feelings but that’s impossible. Even if you’ve gone through trials together and bonded after working together for so long, you can only look at Kurokami good points, for Hitoyoshi-kun who has been Kurokami’s sacrifice for these past thirteen years someone that was helped by Kurokami like you guys cannot understand that feeling. I”m sure if Kumagawa were here it would be the same.”

Nobody could respond to Munakata’s words, which like the many blades he carried on him immediately went for the throat. “That Hitoyoshi that has always been by Kuroakami’s side all the time, yet still stays the same. Right now, that HItoyoshi is trying to change himself, as his friends there’s no way we can just sit by and watch.”

“Wait…” Togami called out once more, the only one who could as Toko was still hiding behind him. “Can you tell me who else will be part of his team? I need to know the enemies I am going to win against.”

“Kurokami Maguro the ultimate team manager, Shiranui Hansode the ultimate Speed Eater, those two for sure. As far as I know Anshin’in-san has talked to Nabeshima the ultimate Cheater as well but they declined. It’s most likely she’s trying to gather people who favor Hitoyoshi-kun over Kurokami-san. Anyway, you shouldn’t let numbers intimidate you my dear talented one. After all, the higher the pressure on you, the more you’ll shit in the end right? You’re aware of how diamonds work, right rich boy?” Komaeda said, smiling like a cat as he turned away finally.

After they had left the room, Toko finally peeked out from his shoulder. “What just happened? I'm the writer here how come I'm so far behind everyone else on these meta curve balls that keep getting thrown.”

“We’ve been had. She chose not to fight, that’s the most useful strategy against Medaka as she’s fought and won every battle so far. Businesses tend to split apart when they have no clear target. She’s especially smart on not jeopardizing Kurokami-san either, because the many people who owe her favors would come help her. Then finally she picked Hitoyoshi-kun, to make this look like nothing more than a quarrel within the group. This is a hostile takeover, she’s buying us out.”

“If I wanted to target somebody in the group, I would have picked you m-master.” Toko said weakly.

“Sorry, Toko. I don’t really feel like arguing right now. Can you hold your breath to give me some quiet time.”

Togami considered the student council nothing more than a means to an end for befriending the Kurokami family. Yet somehow in the aftermath of all of this, the room seemed incredibly empty. He looked back at Kokichi and Monaca and snapped at them. “You two get back to work. You’ll continue the program no matter what. Labor until you die for the sake of your betters, that’s the positive side of capitalism for you.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ajimu and Yasuke stood again over the sleeping Zenkichi as she tended to him with her『Five Focus』a skill that could manipulate ailments. “Did you watch closely? Medaka-chan only stopped because she got bored of fighting him. I’m sure if he was slightly more entertaining she really would have killed him in that moment and then reduced him to pulp, just like your beloved Junko-chan did to you.”

“Somehow that’s much more preferable than this current conversation,” Yasuke said, leaning against the wall and looking away from both of them as his hair cast a dark shadow in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I lied earlier to troll you a little. I don’t think Medaka-chan is kind hearted at all. She might help people, but helping others requires the right reasons for doing so. If you help people with the expectation of something in return then it’s not really kind. Medaka’s only ever cared about herself, she only cares about justifying her own existence, about trying not to feel guilty over being born. That’s why she doesn’t see the emotions of others.”

“So then she’s like you?”

“I don’t even have emotions, Yasuke-chan.”

“Then why do you get upset when somebody doesn’t let you make your stupid references?”

“Shut up, Yasuke-chan those are clever.”  She removed her claws finally and started to walk away. “Can you greet him for me when he wakes up? I’m sure you two will have a lot to talk about.”

The moment she disappeared, Zenkichi’s eyes slowly peeled open. “You awake now, loser?” Yasuke said, leaning against the wall still his arms crossed and every part of him closed off.

“Wha… Huh? Who the hell are you?”

“Matsuda Yasuke. I’m the Ultimate Neurologist. I read back your charts and seems like you’ve got a fatal case of no brain. I’d be sorry if it weren’t so pathetic.”

“Hey…”

“Ah right I’m supposed to say this otherwise that hag is going to nag me. I’m somebody who is a little closer to being a main character than you.”

Zenkichi even in his bandaged state immediately sat up from his bed. “Close to Medaka-chan?? What’s that supposed to mean? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Yasuke looked at him for a moment. Then turned his entire head around to avoid him. “Would you please stop shouting? It’s kind of annoying. “

Eh..? Who is this guy?
More importantly where am I?
All I remember is getting beaten half to death, and then… I was carried here? I remember Komaeda’s voice I should thank him later.
I”ve never heard of a guy named Matsuda…

Ah… such a strange personality he looks like a minus.
If that’s the case then maybe just talking about Jump would be a good start. Everybody seems to mention that magazine all the time.

“So. Matsuda-kun, what’s your favorite shonen jump manga?”

“Huh? You’re in high school and you still read jump? I don’t have any! That magazine is for shitty babies. But now that you mention it, I remember borrowing it from my stupid childhood friend in preschool.”

Wow.
This guy can’t possibly be a minus or friends with Kumagawa.
He’s the type that hates Jump.

In the other room where Ajimu had gathered up Maguro, Shiranui, Naze, and Komaeda she started to explain on her own. “Matsuda Yasuke. He’s the first person I recruited when I came to this school, otherwise known as the Ultimate Neurologist, and the head of the Kamakura Project. Basically, he’s an anti-hero. Before starting the main character battle I went and did a little research to make sure there weren’t going to be any other main characters in this school like Medaka-chan. There were a few, but one was more of a heroine, the other wouldn’t become a main character until the next arc, and the third was just a wannabe main character. During my search though, I came across this fine specimen. Isn’t he interesting? I decided to bring him here because he was so interesting. Oh, but I can’t reveal his backstory yet none of you have advanced your social links with him a significant enough amount.”

Naze tilted her head in an odd way, a bit put off by Ajimu’s ranting. “I see…I thought he was just some gloomy bastard. I assume you’re calling him an anti-hero for reasons beyond his personality, right?”

“Of course Naze-chan. An anti-hero isn’t necessarily the main character, but they’re important in deconstructing a main character. Well, I’ll properly introduce him later. After talking with headmaster Kirigri I got his expulsion removed. I bet he and Hitoyoshi-kun will become great friends.”

As Zenkichi was currently unable to move from his hospital bed, he was victim to Yasuke’s ranting. “Seriously, jump nowadays puts too much effort into transmedia. I don’t think making anime is a good thing. I’m an adult now, I don’t waste my time watching shitty anime like certain brainless girls. They should just put more effort into the manga. Oh, I’m sorry I let my opinion slip again, this is why people call me a foul mouthed person.” Refusing to make eye contact, he ranted back and forth even waving his hands in the air.

Zenkichi simply watched with his mouth held open. This guy is a piece of shit! “So… uh… what manga magazine do you like then, Matsuda-kun?”

“Hm? Are you stupid? It’s pretty obvious.” Before Zenkichi could say anything he interrupted him a second time. “Shut up. Jump Square.”

“Ah… I like that one too. Since it’s monthly they can do whatever they want like To Love Ru-Darkness.”

“You idiot! What are you misunderstanding? Hmm.. So they’re publishing that manga in square now! I didn’t know! Not at all! I don’t care about perverted manga or girls with big breasts. I could care less about pretty girls with big boobs! I don’t use the internet! I’ve been dead for awhile, and then after that I was in a hospital room. You see I didn’t have time to use the internet so I won’t know things like that.”

So he’s also someone who doesn’t use the internet. Wait, what did he say about being dead? Zenkichi finally managed to sit up, and throw his leg around the bed. “Well, I don’t know who you really are, but thanks for helping me. Matsuda-kun, but I’m not in the mood to take care of a new character. Sorry but could you go somewhere else? Just make sure you don’t talk like that around Kumagawa because he’d probably kill you on the spot for dissing Jump.”

“You’re not in the mood… at all… huh?” Matsuda his eyes shadowed by his hair which had grown much longer in the months since Kumagawa revived him and he spent all that time alone in a hospital room just like this, without looking back at Zenkichi spoke plainly what was on his mind. “Could that be because… everything you experienced right now with your childhood friend up until this point was a lie?”

Zenkichi immediately turned around, and stared at the dark shadow that his head had become.

Yasuke continued to say harsh things. “You might feel special because Anshin’in-san, chose you. You might even believe yourself capable of returning to Kurokami Medaka’s side now that you’ve finally gone against her after all of these years of protecting her but it won’t work. You can’t overcome her. Because you didn’t mean anything to her in the first place.”

“...”

“If you think I’m lying, you should check your charts again. I todl you, you have a bad case of no brain disease. I’m an Ultimate Neurologist, I would know the diagnosis.”

“You bastard, who the hell are you?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? I’m a man who couldn’t become a main character. I died trying.” He stood up once more and glared straight at Zenkichi. “If you apologize for being such an idiotic and empty guy, for having no brain, and you say ‘Jump Square is one hundred times more interesting than Shonen JUmp’, then I’ll help you whose been spoiled by happiness understand a little bit of the despair you're feeling right now.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Okay, since night has come, it’s time for good children to study! Anshin’in-san’s peaceful plan against Medaka-chan.”

Komaeda, Maguro, Naze, and Shiranui all said nothing as they waited. Shiranui in front of her kept a bowl of ramen with the chop sticks balanced on the side of the bowl.

“See it’s a pun because… My name can be read ‘Peace of Mind’ and I said it was a peaceful plan. Aaah, no reaction. I really like you guys you know.” Her head sank in the desperation as she received no positive feedback from her joke.

Just then, Zenkichi had finally reached the doorway after a strange walk there. He would probably remember the rest of the conversation with Matsuda some other time when it was more relevant. Ajimu gestured to him with her pointer.

“First off I’m going to introduce to you the new transfer student. THis is Hitoyoshi Zenkichi-kun. He went behind my back and did some bad things, please feel free to pick on him.”

“Naze-senpai! Maguro-san! Why the hell are you guys here? I’m starting a war against your little sister. I’m not going to keep my promise to you Maguro-san.”

“That goes without saying, Zenkichi-kun.” Maguro offered him a warm smile. It seemed like a kind gesture, for a pervert at least. “You don’t need to get so flustered… Just as you made our own decisions we made ours as well.”

“That’s it, Zen-chan. It doesn’t matter what Anshin’in-san says! We’re here to cheer you on.” Naze said with her hands behind her back.

“Th.. thank you…"

Komaeda suddenly got up, rushing to Zenkichi’s side. “I’m so glad you’re awake! You really should have known better than to charge Kurokami-san head on. I told you you were going to face a wall! Well, even though you’re just going to get pointlessly crushed in the end I’ll still watch you struggle until the end. After all that’s what you are going to do for me as well. I don’t really know why we’re still friends if I know your hope is kind  worthless, and I don’t think I’ll add much, and I also think it’s a bad idea for your to fight Kurokami-san, but I’ll cheer you on as best as I can. Hopefully my cheering for you won’t make things worse or induce any bad luck, on second thought it might be a bad idea for me to even cheer for you.”

Zenkichi reached out and put a hand on Komaeda’s shoulder. “I didn’t get half of that because you were talking so fast, but thanks buddy. Even if it’s just bad luck I still want you cheering for me.”

Just then as Komaeda was invading his personal space he caught a glance of Shiranui who was just casually eating her rament. It seemed all the wear and tear from the previous fight disappeared from his face in an instant. “Hmm, you’re here too! WIth the way things are turning out I’d be surprised if you weren’t here. Aaah, my mood keeps going up! When we go home I’ll treat you to something you choose.”

She put her chopsticks down on the bowl again, and yawned. “You’re useless Hitoyoshi. If I’m not around you can’t seem to do anything.”

Zenkichi smiled. “Between you and Komaeda, I’m starting to wonder why I like friends who insult me so much.” Despite the fact that he sounded like he was complaining, he beamed brighter than ever.

“There is also Celeste-san who is busy doing something else for me right now, and Munakata-kun who left on his own a few minutes ago.” Behind Ajimu, Hanten was still staring at the wall with his arms crossed. “From now on, this is the group that is going to help you reach the level of a main character, Hitoyoshi-kun.”

“Hold on a sec, Anshin’in-san, what about Matsuda? He’s the one that brought me here… where the hell did he go?”

Ajimu pointed up in the air with her pointer. “Ah, unfortanately, he’s in a different group. He has an unpleasant personality, and dovetailed with an unpleasant appearance and that shadowy gaze of his he wouldn’t get along with the rest of this group so I told him to go off on his own. Him and Munakata-kun are probably engaging in shenanigans, or maybe a sidequest.” She smacked her pointer against the board instead, instantly a list of names appeared with the current allegiances split in two. “Alright, let’s go over the situation at hand. This is the turn the hero Kurokami Medaka-chan into somebody unpleasant like Junko-chan plan. Our goal currently is to isolate her, to break the chains that hold her back.”

Naze raised her hand first politely, before just speaking up anyway. “Ehhh. What about that annoying younger sister Enoshima Junko, and Kumagawa-senpai. Won’t both of them try to mess things up.”

“You’re right to be wary of both of them, that’s why I prepared a countermeasure beforehand. In the ideal scenario everybody who participates in this fight will change sides to Zenkichi and leaving Medaka alone. Her friends are like power limiters, they make her more human. If we want to make her into the kind of inhuman protagonist that would lose, we have to remove them.” She lifted up her hand that had been freed much earlier. In fact there were only two screws left in her body now. “If an enemy like Junko-chan rose up though, Medaka would become a righteous hero in no time to defeat her. That’s why, I arranged a long time ago for Kumagawa to transfer to this school. The reason he transferred in the first place, was to act like a seal to her.”

“A seal…? Are you using game talk again?” Naze asked, crossing her arms underneath her chest.

“More or less. It’s like that scenario where a seal is cast on a great evil to seal them away for a thousand years. Well that’s what happened to me exactly but it was only three years and I’m just a cute high school girl. Kumagawa Misogi was told to infiltrate this academy and stop Enoshima Junko’s actions, of course he’s an idiot though so he did that in the most roundabout way possible. The result is the same though, if those two remain around each other they’ll be too distracted to fight us directly.”

Ajimu smiled and leaned against her lecturing podium, resting her chin in her free hand. “In other words, we’ll get a vacation from both of their awful personalities. While they act like normal stupid teenagers.”

“Oh, so you know about that already…” Shiranui said, before slurping noodles.

“More or less. Truth be told, I would have used somebody else initially but apparently they went crazy and we got Kumagawa as a consolation prize. I never actually expected it would be him, but that guy is eternally second place so it’s fitting in a way. Junko-chan is probably just going to torment him but the more Junko-chan spoils him like that the more my screws will come undone too, so it’s a win win, either way.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kumagawa worked with the tangle puzzle. Unsteady metallic noises filled the room as he tried to get it undone. After spending the whole day in Junko’s hospital room, night was starting and he started to feel awkward thus he needed to distract himself.

He still remembered the last time they had spent a night together, and the idea of things getting that awkward again mortified him far worse than the idea that Junko might try and kill him. In the background, Junko’s red eyes focused on him, watching him as he tried and failed to solve the puzzle.

“Gosh, Kumagawa-senpai those things are like waaaaay easy. Why don’t you just give it here? I basically do  everything around here anyway.”

『Hmmm? You do everything around here? Since when? The last time I checked you spend more time watching anime and fixing your hair and make up than doing anything remotely helpful.』

“Those things are very helpful to my most important person. Me.” Junko put her bandaged covered hand over her face, and yawned. “Besiiiiiiiiiides, I do a lot of hard work behind the scenes. This academy isn’t going to tear itself apart by itself you know? Well maybe it will it’s run by idiots and half of the cracks were here before I even got here but my point stands.”

『Well, I want to solve this puzzle by myself anyway. Nobody becomes a protagonist of a shonen manga by letting bossy blonde girls do all the work for them.』

“Oh, are you talking about shonen manga again? I thought you’d grown up from that. I wonder what’s changed all of a sudden.”

『Well, since I’m dealing with an immature person I decided I shouldn’t grow up too fast so I can stay by your side as long as possible.』

“There are plenty of fashion magazines everywhere that call me a mature beauty. I’m not immature, your face is just dumb. You've got all three ds, despairingly dreadful looks, despairingly dumb face, and despairingly dull personality."

『That’s entirely correct but still. I’ll probably need the escapism provided to me by shonen jump to put up with your awful personality anyways.』

“I…” Junko remembered the fact that nobody had come to visit her in the hospital, even to kill her and her face curled into a childish pout, even though driving everybody away until she was alone with nothing but despair was exactly what she had wanted. “Well nobody’s making you stay here with me. It’s n-not like I want you to stay anyway, Jeez, stupid.”

『Hmmm? Then I guess I should go.』

“God, don’t you notice a classic tsundere routine! You’re mine so you’re not allowed to leave on your own terms.” She pointed a red claw from her one remaining hand straight at his chest.

『Why do you want me to stay then? I don’t get it. I don’t get why you tried to make a move on me the other night eith-』

“Do not mention my shame!” Junko shouted again, before immediately recoiling in pain and grabbing her stomach. “Ow! Ow! Owie! Kumagawa-senpai you meanie, making my beautiful stomach all hurtie.”

Kumagawa was immediately out of his bed and next ot her side.  『Ah! I’m sorry it’s my fault.』

Junko looked up at the obvious emotion he was holding back in this bright blue eyes of his. Jeez, it’s like he cares whether I live or die or something what a sap. She reached up, touching his face, more specifically pinching his cheek in a way that was guaranteed to hurt with how sharp her claws were. “Well, I guess you have some value for staying. After all the despairing faces you make when you realize you’re too stupid to solve that puzzle, are a little cute.”

『Junko-chan must have lost a lot of blood if she’s calling somebody ugly like me cute.』

Junko’s red eyed gaze flattened for a moment. Really just how oblivious can one guy be. She then wrapped her arm around his neck without asking and pulled him forward onto the bed. “Hey, be my teddie bear for the night.”

『Wh-what does that mean exactly?』

“It means I’m going to pull your stitches out, and then look what happens when all of your stuffing comes loose.”

『That doesn’t clarify anything!』Kumagawa Misogi squeaked as he was pulled onto the bed with Junko. Of course nothing happened beyond an awkward sharing of a slim hospital bed, and Kumagawa getting kicked several times in his sleep. This is not the kind of story where Kumagawa would actually make any progress with a woman, as the narrator I try to spare you from such horrors. 

That night though, Kumagawa who usually experienced extremely troubled sleep, burdened by terrible nightmares of his past did not dream about anything at all. Another Bookmaker screw on Ajimu’s body broke apart and scattered with the wind, leaving few left.

Chapter 34: Kirigiri Kyoko Stories Subtitle Dead or Lie (Makoto and Kirigiri's Day Off)

Summary:

This chapter is about liars. It's in the title.

“Oh, you’re home early Kirigiri-senpai,” Shuichi said as by coincidence she came across him in the common area. Saihara had yet to go on a school trip because the 79th class would not be inducted until next semester but a special case was made for him due to Kirigiri Jin introducing him to the school so he already lived in a dormitory on school grounds.

The two of them met almost every day anyway so Shuichi could continue developing his talent as an ultimate detective under her, so Kirigiri was not too surprised they had run into each other on the second of her three days off before normal school resumed due to early cancellation of the school field trip.

“Your last letter arrived in the mail today too. I was just about to open it,” Shuichi said as he started to open the letter with his hands. “Ow.” He drew his hand back for a moment, a pink droplet forming on one of his fingers. “Papercut.”

“You’re so weak, you know that?” Kirigiri said watching him fuss for a moment over the tiny injury. “Don’t you have a letter opener anyway?”

“That’s a little bit mean…” Shuichi defended himself weakly. “I did but it was stolen, no need to pick on me for being a victim of theft.”

“It’s just an objective observation. Detectives aren’t mean or nice, they carry no interests of their own only the interests of their clients. If you want to hire me to investigate your missing letter opener I’ll be much more considerate to you.”

“Ah, I see, I see… what does it matter if I’m weak anyway? As long as I’m not weak minded it should be fine right?”

“What if you’re in the middle of a crisis situation? If you’re weak then you’ll just end up a damsel in distress rather than a detective.”

“A damsel in distress?”

“You know the kind of naive person who only gets pulled around in situations and needs to be protected by everyone else around them… kind of like Naegi-kun.”

Shuichi felt he was losing as usual and decided instead to look away from her. He unfolded the letter instead and started to read it. “This stationary is really cute, did you buy it yourself?”

“No, one of the middle schoolers on the trip with us lent it to me when I asked him.”

Shuichi nodded and finished the letter. Despite being a letter to what anybody else would have considered a friend it was written entirely in a professional manner like a case report. Shuichi was far used to reading those when he studied to be a detective so he did not mind it too much. In fact he considered Kyoko’s inability to write a personal letter to be charmingly true to her character. “It sounds like suspicious activity was afoot while you were on your trip.”

“It wasn’t a foot. It was a knife.”

“What?”

Kirigiri ran a hand through her hair, pushing one of the long strands in the front back behind her shoulder. “Enoshima Junko was stabbed. The culprit is still at large though the police are blaming it on a stalker due to the fact that she was called with a burner number right beforehand and Enoshima’s testimony that the person on the phone claimed to be a fan of hers.”’

“Oh no, is your classmate alright?” Shuichi reached and tugged with two fingers on the edge of his hat in concern.

“Hmm? She’s fine. More importantly this means we have a case to solve finally after the leads with the Kamakura Project went dry.” Kyoko said, though went dry was charitably putting it was more like all of her work had disappeared as if it never happened.

“Wasn’t she stabbed in a city far away from here though? What exactly do we have to go off on,” Shuichi said, immediately starting out pessimistically as per usual.

Kyoko set down a piece of paper dramatically, like she had been waiting to do this the entire conversation. It made Shuichi suspect that it was not a coincidence they ran into each other and in fact Kyoko had tracked him down and was waiting for him and was just not good at communicating that she needed him around. She pointed to the list of numbers. “While she was unconscious the police went through Enoshima Junko’s call history. It’s mostly empty except for right before she received a call from a blocked number, she made a call with Naegi Makoto-kun.”

“Y-you’re suspecting your friend?” Shuichi who seemed to fear more than anybody else that his deductions might hurt people, immediately became reluctant.

Kyoko looked off to the side already turning around and expecting him to follow. “I haven’t said anything about a suspect this is merely a lead. If it comes to that though, a detective has no choice but to follow the truth.” Then, suddenly she stopped and covered her mouth with her gloved hand laughing softly into it. “Though the idea of Makoto being able to pull off some kind of crime… pfff… pffhehehe… he’s too small it would be like being stabbed by a puppy.”

Shuichi stopped and watched in amazement as Kyoko laughed out loud. He had never seen Kyoko laugh like that in all the time they had worked together. He realized in a moment that Makoto must be somebody who was closer to her than even a detective partner could be.

What that meant for the detective obsessed chuunibiyou girl though, Shuichi did not know. Especially since Makoto’s love for Ikusaba Mukuro would make that affection complicated.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Makoto’s dorm room door opened up to reveal his bed head. The spiky mess of his hair was somehow worse than usual, even his hair antenna drooping as a sign of his drowsiness. “Huh… Kiri? What are you doing in the boy’s dorms… it’s so early.”

“Actually it’s already past noon,” Kirigiri said in a factual manner. She did not think too much on Makoto losing track of time. It was completely normal for normal boys like him to sleep in, he probably even experienced some bad luck like his alarm short failing to go off. “Can we talk inside I want to ask you about something?”

“Hmmm? Can’t we talk right here?”

“It’s an interrogation actually.”

At this Makoto laughed softly and flashed her a smile. “I see, you’re in serious Kiri mode. Just let me put some pants on.” He said before closing the door for the sake of her innocence.

Kirigiri also tried not to think too hard about why Makoto was not wearing pants in his dorm. It was normal for boys to fall asleep in only their underwear after all and new topic, new topic, she tried to think about something else instead. Majin Tante Nougami Neuro probably was not still running in jump anymore… she really needed to expand her area of hobbies beyond just detective related things it was hard for her to come up with material to distract herself.

Just then the door opened and Makoto stood there wearing his uniform jacket and pants. Kyoko thought it was odd to see him not wearing his hoodie underneath his blazer but decided it was unimportant.

When both her and Shuichi were seated at the table she cut straight to the point. “What were you discussing with Enoshima Junko two mornings ago when she called you?”

“She told me that she was sneaking away from the trip early because she found a shopping outlet that had a cute outfit she absolutely needed, and I was trying to convince her to come back before she got into trouble.” Makoto said immediately, with a smile on his face.

However, Kirigiri just as immediately responded. “But… that’s a lie.”

Rather than being flustered and caught off guard, Makoto merely whined in response. “Awe.. how did you know?”

“You’re a terrible liar like always,” Kirigiri said not breaking her gaze from him. Which was why she did not understand Shuichi starting to freak out behind her a few moments later.

“Ummm… Uhh… could you uh... “ Shuichi pulled his hat over his eyes entirely in a hurry. Even after he succesfully blocked his sight, his face continued to redden. Instinctively he grabbed onto Kyoko and hid behind her.

It was only then that Kyoko broke her cold gaze and noticed what was going on in the world around her. “What are you touching me fo-”

There was a girl in Makoto’s dormitory. Perhaps that too was normal for a teenage boy, but it was not normal for the Makoto she knew. Not only that but Ikusaba Mukuro was only wearing Makoto’s hoodie over a pair of black panties. The panties were bulletproof, that was not really necessary but it said a lot about Mukuro’s character.

“Mmm… Makoto. Oh, there you are.” She tilted her head slightly at the newcomer. “Kirigiri-san too. Hello” she spoke in a quiet and emotionless voice as uusual Mukuro as was too oblivious to care about being seen in such a compromising state.

“Hello Ikusaba-san.” Kirigiri said, waving to return the sentiment as if this conversation was completely normal. This was before she turned around to glare at Makoto with the hardened eyes of a fully trained detective. That was two lies Makoto had told to her in a row now, though the second was more of a lie of omission

Mukuro crossed her legs and sat on the other side of the table with Makoto, while Shuichi continued to shake nervously next to Kyoko. “Is… is it safe to look yet?”

“No,” Kyoko commanded.

“How long should I keep my eyes closed?”

“Until I give you permission to open them.”

Shuichi nodded obediently, deciding it was better than further exacerbating the awkward scene before him.

While Mukuro was still oblivious to the atmosphere, Makoto who was particularly good at reading the room, and had become used to Kirigiri’s limited range of expressing himself immediately noticed. He reached behind his head and scratched at the point of his neck where his hairline ended as he tried to think of something to say. “Ah… sorry I didn’t mention this, it’s a little embarrassing to talk about.”

“Were you keeping things from Kirigiri-san?” Mukuro asked, nudging Makoto’s shoulder with her own.

“Yeah… I am… sorry…”

Kirigiri looked at Makoto who was always easy to read as an open book. Who, unlike everybody else in her life had never once been a mystery. He was straightforward about everything, he almost immediately told her how he felt, and even when he tried to hide it she could play him easily to get it out of him.

It seemed that innocent little boy had grown up just a little bit. She was not sure she liked the change in his eyes, even if they felt more determined now. She liked the softness in his eyes she saw before, even if it was… weaker. The kind of weakness her grandfather eliminated from her.

Before she could even say anything, Mukuro met Makoto’s eyes first. “Didn’t you feel frustrated when we kept secrets from you? If Kirigiri’s your friend then you shouldn’t make her feel the same way… I think…”

Direct as usual, always saying how she felt, Makoto wondered how this girl could ever be considered timid and quiet. It was a shame she only ever showed her real self around somebody ungrateful like Junko before this point. “If I tell Kiri now though it could be bad timing. I want to wait for the right time to tell her.”

“Still…”

“I think if you want to tell her your secret then it’s fine. I’d rather have you and Kiri get along, it’s okay if she hates me for a little bit. I’m used to making her mad after all, because I’m an idiot.” At this, Makoto smiled in self depreciation.

“Okay…”

“You’re not going to disagree at the idiot part?”

“Of course I don’t think you’re an idiot, but I know what it’s like to feel like one so…” Mukuro instead looked to Kyoko for a moment. The last time she had confessed all of her secrets like that it was completely on accident she did not know where to start. “Kiri...giri-san… you can interrogate me if you want in Makoto’s place.”

Kirigiri looked directly at Mukuro. Her distant classmate she knew almost nothing about was suddenly becoming straightforward to, due to Makoto’s influence. Kirigiri knew from the start that even if she was a detective she would never be able to understand people’s hearts the same way Makoto did. “That day when the Madarai brothers attacked me, why did you suddenly show up out of nowhere?”

“Because it was part of the plan,” Mukuro said without hesitating.

“Plan?”

“Oh, I’m sorry I should have been more specific. The plan to infiltrate Hope’s Peak High School and destroy it from within that eventually led to Hope’s Peak worst incident. The Madarai Brothers wanted to avenge the student council, so they came after me for my role in it.”

“Your role?”

“I was one of the ringleaders, I infiltrated the school together with one other person.”

“Kumagawa Misogi.”

“No, not him. That person infiltrated the school as well but… well even I don’t really understand why he does the things he does.”

“Then, why was I targeted as well?”

“You were trying to investigate the incident they wanted to cover up, and avenge, so you were in the way.” Mukuro remembered already despite Kumagawa’s attempts to erase the memories of that event.

That day Makoto was almost caught in the crossfire as well. On what she thought was a whim she went out of her way to save him.  He spoke up. “Oh, didn’t you save me from one of those guys too that day?”

“Yes. I’m sure even if the plan had gone through all the way, I would not have been able to kill you alone among the rest of our classmates,” Mukuro answered again completely honestly.

“Awe, that’s kind of sweet in a scary way.”

Kyoko looked at the two interact again trying to process the information. Just this once she did not really want the threads together in her head to connect. She envied Makoto a little bit, who used to be so oblivious to things. Makoto who could just continue to live his days happy go lucky with his classmates. Apparently, a Makoto who knew the truth now still smiled like that but she knew things would be different for her.

Anyway, this was hardly an interrogation if Mukuro was telling her everything up front. She thought of what else to ask, bringing a gloved hand to her chin when suddenly Mukuro moved away from the table, only to bow her head down in front of her. “I’m sorry, it’s because of me you got involved in dangerous things that day. No, I’m one of the criminals you’re tracking down and I lied all along pretending to be one of your classmates. If you want to arrest me I won’t blame you.”

“I don’t want to arrest you…” Kyoko said honestly just for a moment. Makoto must have known for awhile if Mukuro was being so open about it now. “Ikusaba-san did the Isshiki brothers die that die?”

“A few of them did, yes. Most of them were killed by me.”

“Are you lying to me? They’re still alive, they were found injured just like the student council members.”

“That is also something I cannot explain.”

Kyoko suddenly slammed her fist on the table in front of her, no longer looking thoughtful and collected as she normally did. “Why not?”

“I want… the person responsible for all of this to be able to confess their sins to you the same way that I did one day. That’s my decision,” Mukuro met her eyes, she looked ready and willing to accept all the anger in them.

However, it was Kyoko’s policy never to show her emotions. “People don’t come back from the dead. Clearly, there’s still something missing.” She looked directly at Makoto. “This is no longer a reliable source. I’m wasting my time here.”

“Kiri…”

Kirgiri stood up, grabbing Shuichi by the back of his collar. “Let’s go then. There are other leads to chase.”

“Wait, can I open my eyes yet?” Shuichi called out as he struggled against her, but was dragged along anyway.

After the door closed behind Kirigiri’s exit, Mukuro made a face that only Junko, Makoto, and Kumagawa her three precious people had seen before. It was akin to the face a puppy made when it was being yelled at, her shoulders slouching and turning inwards with the emotion they now carried. “I tried to explain the truth to her… it doesn’t seem like she could accept it. What should we do?”

“Well she’s probably mad, or at least Kiri’s version of mad. Sometimes it’s better to let people cool off on their own, but I kind of hate guys who avoid talking to people just because they’re afraid their own feelings might get hurt and just do nothing and hope for the best. So, let’s go talk to her one more time and try to straighten things out.”

Mukuro immediately stood up, ready to complete her mission.

Makoto awkwardly turned red and averted his eyes. “We should probably change clothes first though.”

Mukuro grabbed the sweatshirt she was wearing and pulled it down for a moment looking at it. “Awe… but you’re probably right.” That sweatshirt in question was green with the exception of a red decal which depicted a gas mask. They were incredibly popular when the game ‘999’ premiered. Makoto remembered being into that game too because he was always into popular things for the duration they were popular.

He never thought he’d see that particular sweartshirt used in such a way but… as he turned his head away hiding a small smile he decided there was nothing to complain about.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kyoko walked with Shuichi in her shadow as usual striding confidently towards her next destination. She did not want to dwell on the conversation that she just had. Even if it confirmed something she long suspected.

One of her own classmates was the reason behind this academy’s troubles… no two, almost certainly two… who was the other ringleader then? Shuichi once told her he was terrified of following the truth if it meant it might lead to hurting people. Kyoko could not understand that fear until now.

She stared at the gloves which covered her hands as she walked. Impersonal, closed off, unable to touch, hiding something beneath, those were her hands. It was not particularly new information either she had always been like this. For seventeen years she lived her life with the single goal of being a detective in mind. If she stopped or hesitated it’s not like she could simply become Kirigiri Kyoko. The person she would be instead would be something like Ultimate ????.

“Are you okay, Kirigiri-senpai? I know that’s a pretty big lie but, everybody tells lies, everybody keeps secrets. I’m sure your friend Naegi-kun is the same as everybody else.” Shuichi finally spoke up when he saw the distant look in her eyes.

“A detective has no use for lies at all, only the truth.” Kyoko said, snapping her eyes and her harsh gaze back at him for a moment. When she saw Shuichi nervously reach for the brim of his hat again she relented.

“Ah yes… you would know best I guess I’m just an Ultimate Detective in name only after all. Where are we going next anyway? Perhaps it’s just best to focus on what’s ahead.” Shuichi had a terrible habit of almost always looking forward to, even though he was awkward and usually only stumbled forward at best.

Kirigiri thought that habit of his was just like Makoto’s, and that made her only more annoyed at the image of Makoto’s stupid smile that appeared in her head at the moment. She threw her hair behind her shoulder and moved forward once more expecting Shuichi to follow. “We have another lead, there was a break in at Enoshima Junko’s dorm reported yesterday.”

“A criminal always returns to the scene of the crime, right?”

“That old cliche? I really doubt the culprit is stupid enough that we’ll find him standing right there. However, if he left behind evidence in the break in we can track him that way.”

So she said, however when they arrive they found the door was already left half open. Which should be impossible as Enoshima Junko was still in the hospital. Carefully, she put a gloved hand on the door and opened it the rest of the way signalling Shuichi behind her with a finger in the air.

Both of them moved in at the same time to see…

『Aaaaaaa! What are two people doing in Junko-chan’s apartment? Are these stalkers?』

“You’re the one who broke into her apartment that would make you the stalker.” Kirigiri said calmly, while Shuichi let out a scream of surprise behind her. “Really?” She said looking back.

“He’s got kind of a scary face.”

『Awe, I thought I looked cute in the mirror today.』Kumagawa said, flashing them both a cheeky grin.  『You’re right I am a stalker that’s why I don’t want any rivals.』

“You told another lie,” Kirigiri said, completely unfazed by his antics.

『Awe, you’re no fun genderbend conan-chan always pointing out the truth like that.』

“So, lying would be more fun by your definition?” Kyoko put a gloved hand on her chin and tilted her head, not understanding. “Anyway, what are you really doing here, Kumagawa-kun. Should I suspect you for stabbing Enoshima-san? You were the one who found her after all.”

『Ah, well lies and jokes are fun to tell but don’t even joke about that conan-chan.』Suddenly his eyes became quite serious. Kumagawa was sometimes described as a walking shadow to those who spotted the strange transfer student on campus (it was no surprise that weirdo had become somewhat akin to a cryptid) and Kirigiri understood why in this moment. It was like all the colors had drained from him at once as he glared at her.『I’d never let Junko-chan get stabbed, somebody else hurting my cute Kouhai like that is completely unacceptable.』

“It seems even someone like you knows when to be serious.”

『Of course. Even in surreal gag mangas like this one a straight man is necessary. You’re a wonderful Tsukkomi to Makoto-chan’s Boke, Conan-chan.』

“Oh, there it went. Kumagawa-kun’s one moment of being serious and I forgot to ask him why he broke into my female classmate’s room like a pervert.”

Kumagawa suddenly turned red and covered his face with his hands, swaying back and forth with his nerves as he rambled. 『Ahhhh! No, no, it’s not like that. I don’t think about doing perverted things with Junko-chan at all, I mean maybe a little bit… aahhhh I was actually lingering around here because I wanted to avoid being a pervert. Ah, that’s right Conan-chan you’re a girl right?』

“You really have no idea how to talk to girls at all, do you?” Kyoko said, crossing her arms.

『Junko-chan asked me to get her another change of clothes from the hospital. She said people who wear the same thing every day are boring while looking at me… oh she was insulting me for my cool pitch black uniform, I finally got that. Anyway, I gathered up all her clothes but I don’t want to get her underwear can you get it for me?』

Kyoko paused for a moment wondering how the same man who had once wagered Celeste serving him in a naked apron was suddenly being so considerate. It seemed that part of his personality too was a lie. “Saihara-kun, close your eyes again.”

“Right!” Shuichi said, pulling his head fully over his eyes as Kyoko left the room. Nervously he listened to the creepy sound of Kumagawa breathing until she got back. It was like the sound they played in a horror movie to show that the monster was stalking one of the main characters and about to appear from the shadows.

When Kyoko came back she handed the bag Kumagawa carried the rest of Junko’s clothes in back to him. “I’m surprised you two made up.” She said. This is also irrelevant but Junko’s panties were black with the red symbol of Monokuma’s evil eye in the middle of them. She really was consistent with her wardrobe, and her bear obsession.

『What’s that supposed to mean?』Kumagawa said hugging the bag to his chest. It was rare for him to actually get so worked up over an insult, as he accepted and agreed with what most people accused him of.

“I’m not sure what she sees in you, I guess. If she wanted to be around a normal person like Makoto I suppose that would be one thing, but not only are you untalented you’re just as inhuman as all of the talented people.”

Kumagawa tilted his head. The angle he tilted it at was so far it almost looked like his neck was broken.『You think all of your talented friends are inhuman? Do you think that about yourself then?』

“I’m a detective,” Kyoko answered immediately. “What’s your relationship anyway? Why are you so invested in protecting her?”

Kumagawa put a hand on his chest to look more sincere, though it mostly failed.  『I’m her knight, obviously. Don’t I look like a hero (Lol).』

“Not at all!” Shuichi snapped.

“Didn’t you call yourself a villain last time?” Kyoko kept trying to look through his antics.

『Villains need love too.』

“Everything about that sounds suspicious,” Kyoko said.

『Ehhhh? Is it that hard to believe that I have a connection with Junko-chan. Why? You think it’s because of ‘talent’ right. That father of yours must be rubbing off on you, little Kirigiri-chan.』

At this, the unease that Kyoko was feeling finally slipped out. Kumagawa was an expert at prying such negative emotions out of people, though it really was not something he should be praised for. “What are you talking about? What does my father have to do with it?’

『Your father pretends to be concerned for the students, but he just cares about talent in the end. He does the same to you, doesn’t he? He constantly praises you for how good of a detective you are, even though he hates the same grandfather that kicked him out of his clan for being a poor detective. I bet it’s because he feels somewhat responsible for creating you, so he can finally feel like something besides the only untalented hack in a family of geniuses.』

“Are you insulting my father?”

『Huh? No. Untalented hack are words of praise from me. I just think he’s a little misguided is all. No wonder you can’t call yourself as human, both your father and your grandfather keep seeing you as a detective. Lies aren’t always worse than the truth, talent isn’t always better than no talent. I’m sure if your father had been born with talent though he’s still be a hack.』

“What is the point of this?”

『There is no point. Not to anything really. Ah, but I guess what I wanted to say is Junko-chan is a normal girl, her talent doesn’t change that.』

Kirigiri wrapped her hands together. She tried to remember the feeling of the scars underneath, but could not because she was always covering them up. “How do you even know about this? You shouldn’t know about my scars, only my family ever saw them… I wouldn’t even show them to Naegi-kun…”

『A little birdy told me. They-』

“That’s enough! I don’t give a damn how scary you are or how much bullshit you spout I won’t let you mess with my senpai!” Shuichi snapped standing in front of her finally after hiding behind her the entire time. However, after a moment, his confidence eroded as quickly as it came and his hands went into the air in a panic, “Please, let’s get along…”

『Of course. You two are my underclassmen too. Call me senpai from now on. 』Kumagawa said with another smile, he smiled as easily as he told lies it seemed.

“That’s unlikely,” Kyoko said without looking up from her hands.

『Ahhhh, well that’s fine too. Have a nice day. Ah!』His phone rang as he walked out and he put it to his ear, awkwardly holding it there with his shoulder as he continued to carry the rest of Junko’s things.  『What is it? You got bored? How surprising. Hmmm can you hang on it’s hard to- fine fine I’ll listen. You want to do what with the Japanese Diet? Well since you told me your plan I’m probably going to try to stop you. You shouldn’t get the Yakuza involved that’s pretty inconsiderate. Stay safe Junko-chan don’t hurt yourself in the five minutes it’s going to take me to walk there.』

Kirigiri could hear Junko’s voice on the other end, crisp and clear. “Stay interesting! <3” Yes, she even heard the heart emoji. It was strange, she had known Enoshima Junko for almost a year but she always seemed distant. She had never heard her speak sound that happy in a conversation before, even though Junko was always acting bright and cheery.

Before she could piece together the strange intuition she was feeling, Kumagawa Misogi disappeared as quickly as he came. It seemed he would continue to remain something unbound entirely by logic.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

After they finished searching Junko’s apartment to find nothing in particular out of the ordinary, except for an unexpected amount of stuffed bears to which Kyoko concluded maybe she just liked bears, they were finally caught up to by Makoto and Mukuro.

“Kiri! Let’s talk again.” Makoto said, before collapsing forward and holding himself up with his hands on his knees from the run. “I don’t like leaving things unfinished like that.”

“I already told you you’re an unreliable source. What else is there to talk about?” Kirigiri said without even looking at him.

“Awe man. I don’t even know what that means. Translate from detective speak to japanese, please.”

“It means I don’t trust you, Naegi-kun. I have no good reason to trust you until you explain yourself either.”

“Can’t you trust this face?” Makoto put two fingers on his cheeks and pulled his lips into a smile to emphasize his own smiling face.

“No.”

“How did she resist that face?” Mukuro muttered to herself, standing somewhat behind Makoto and aloof to the conversation in general.

Shuichi behind Kirigiri tried to speak up as well. “Hey… he’s your friend right so… you should believe in.”

“The truth,’ Kirigiri corrected him before he could even finish. She looked at Mukuro once more. “Ikusaba-san I have one more question. Did you come into contact with the Kamakura project?”

“You mean Izuru Kamakura? Yes. He should still be around this school the last time I saw him.”

“Where is he then?”

“Dunno. He’s really good at hiding. He probably has the utlimate hide and seek champion talent too.”

Kirigiri had no idea if Mukuro was telling a joke in this moment, as her face showed just as little emotion as her own. It seemed Makoto had a type after all. Kirigiri snapped back at Makoto. “How can you know who the mastermind behind all of this is and not tell me?”

Makoto thought about it for a moment. Even then, his thoughts were clear on his face. “It’s because I decided to work with the mastermind as well.”

“What.” Kyoko could only manage one word in response to that.

“Nonono! I’m not betraying our classmates or anything. If the mastermind is one of our classmates though, isn’t the best ending possible one where everybody is saved in the end and continues to go to school happily, even the villain?”

“That’s… way too naive. This is reality you know.” Kirigiri’s voice went cold.

“Is it? With all this exciting stuff happening recently, mysteries, strange new transfer students, masterminds, doesn’t it all kind of sound like it’s taking place in some manga?” Makoto shrugged. Unlike Kyoko who continually puzzled over how illogical their world had suddenly become, Makoto who was more go with the flow by nature had already come to accept it.

“You.. you’re going to get hurt like that. There’s no way I’ll let you, I’ll stop yo-” Just then suddenly Kyoko’s phone started to ring interrupting her.

The moment she answered it an unrecognizable voice that spoke with no emotion came through the speakers. “I have your classmate Celestia Ludenberg, and Shuichi’s classmate Ouma Kokichi. Come to the old school building, bring your case files and Ikusaba Mukuro and Naegi Makoto if you want them back.”

“Who am I negotiating with?”

“Does it matter who? Your precious friends are on the line. Oh, but if you need a name let’s just say I’m Kamakura Izuru… actually that’s just a lie! I”m the one who stabbed Enoshima Junko!”

With that, the other end hung up.

Makoto’s eyes immediately showed his fear, and then his resolve. “We have to go! Celeste needs us.”

“No, I know your plan in every situation is just to run in blindly and hope for the best but this could be a trap. In fact this could be a trap set up by Celestia if she’s the mastermind you’re talking about.”

“How could you suspect that one of our classmates was the mastermind?” Makoto looked shocked.

“You just told me.”

“Oh, right.”

Mukuro was already walking ahead. She looked back over her shoulder. “You three don’t need to go. I’ll retrieve them. There’s no need to put yourselves at risk.”

Kyoko stopped for a moment to think. She was capable of stopping Makoto on her own, but none of them here were strong enough to hold back Ikusaba from doing something she truly wanted to do. “Fine, we’ll all go together.”

“Awe, you trust her and not me?” Makoto said, scratching his cheek behind her.

“I don’t trust either of you...” She stated it like an object fact with no emotion. “Just what do you plan on doing, Ikusaba-san now that you’ve told me all of this.”

“It’s not like I think I can escape punishment. Even if all of my crimes were say erased I still chose to do them in the first place. I know eventually I’ll be punished, I don’t want to be let off either... but until that point I want to stay by Makoto’s side and protect his hope. Maybe… I can spread some hope for the despair I caused…”

“You sound like Kumagawa-kun. Fine, if you accept your punishment there’s no need for me to deliver it right now with the case only half solved. Those kinds of things only happen at the end of detective novels. Saihara-kun, are you ready? You’re being quieter than usual. ”

Behind her, showing plenty of emotion Shuichi grabbed at his chest. “I really hope nothing bad happens, I don’t want to look at blood.” He muttered underneath his heavy breath.

Kyoko often thought that a detective could never act like Makoto, open and honest with themselves and so clearly showing their vulnerabilities, and Shuichi seemed to exist to confirm this fact for her.

She grabbed him by his other sleeve and dragged him forward. Leading the adventuring party that now had been formed by the four of them, a fighter who min maxed for strength, a villager class with particularly high charisma , and two rogues with high intelligence scores but not so high wisdom.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

They made it to the old school building and decided to split up when their first search only turned up a series of empty rooms as abandoned as they had been before.

“Is splitting up the best idea? We’ll do better if we work together.”

“Splitting up always works in scooby doo, the greatest of all detective animes.” Kyoko said in a completely serious voice. She probably did not watch enough anime to know that Scooby Doo was not an anime at all but Makoto did not have the heart to correct her. The image that at some point as a young child Kyoko might have watched scooby doo just like any other child was too heartbreaking to him.

They split up once more each deciding to cover a certain floor of the old school building Which is how Shuichi was left alone muttering to himself as he readjusted his hat by two fingers on its brim in order to cover one of his eyes. In the abandoned building, the only sound he heard were the footsteps of his own black uniform shoes.

At the moment he wished Kyoko was here. At least the sound that her confident footsteps made while she walked forward in her boots might drown out the deafening silence he heard at the moment.

However, as if his wish had been granted suddenly he heard a squeaking noise behind him. Shuichi immediately looked down at his feet to see if he had stepped on something. He was standing in the middle of the gym right now, so that might explain the squeak.

While he was looking down though and did not move at all the squeaks continued trailing behind him. He had seen enough horror movies to know this was the moment where somebody screamed ‘look behind you’ at the screen. Usually Shuichi ws that person. He had also seen enough episodes of scooby doo to know that while they split up to search for clues, the monster usually chased at least one of them.

He looked up behind him expecting to see something terrifying. Instead, he saw what looked to be a small child in a mask. “Huh? What are you wearing?”

“Goooosh, do you not get the reference? After I went through all the trouble of making this mask accurate to Kamen Rider.”

“I don’t really watch Kamen Rider. That show is for kids.”

“What’s wrong with it being for kids? Adults give me the creeps, can’t stand em!”

Before they could finish their exchange, Shuichi noticed the hammer the short masked one was holding. The detective brought his hands to his face, but the blow he was expecting came from behind rather than from the front.

“Ohhhh! That was a good one Celeste, but I don’t think kamen rider would approve of attacking people from behind. That’s not very justice.”

“What do you care, aren’t you from an evil organization?”

“Of course, of course! Evil people can care about justice too though, maybe I’m one of those evil guys that just pretends to be evil for the sake of achieving a greater justice and doing evil unto evil… actually that’s a lie.”

“Anyway, no names. This one might go unconscious easily but we don’t want anybody else overhearing us.”

With Shuichi’s body unconscious and collapsed on the ground at their feet, the two of them worked to carry his body all the way down to a locker in the pool room. This was after using a cell phone camera that Celeste had on hand to take pictures of herself being threatened by the stranger in the kamen rider mask and pulled from behind. Afterwards, Kokichi Ouma took off the mask he had lovingly made himself, as well as the rest of his costume in order to swap it with Shuichi Saihara’s. They pulled the mask over his sleeping head, and tossed his hat to the side before locking him in the locker and throwing the cell phone in with him. They even handcuffed his arms behind his back in order to prevent him from escaping if he happened to wake up.

That phase of their plan complete and the weakest link picked off, the two of them mutually agreed to start with the others one by one.

“You know it’s not really a lie if you say, ‘that’s a lie’ at the end of your sentence,” Celeste said casually as she prepared much like an actor backstage for her performance.

“Thank you lying-senpai! I value your advice most of all. However, if you constantly tell lies and everybody knows you’re lying then it makes them even harder for them to discern the truth.”

She picked up one of the hammers they had collected from the ground and raised it into the air. “I suppose we should get started with… umm… justice hammer? Did you have to make it so colorful.”

“I’m an artist you know! When I tell lies, and when I create forgeries! Don’t look down on my craft.”

“It’s just a bit childish… well… whatever.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Naegi Makoto made it to the bottom floor looking for where Shuichi had gone to, hoping to ask him about Kyoko’s mood. However, he could not find Shuichi anywhere and wondering if maybe he had gone to the dorm rooms instead he decided to look there.

He walked along the individual dorm rooms, until he saw something strange. The name plate was still in tact for one of the doors. It read ‘Naegi Makoto’ and carried a small pixelated version of him printed on the plate. He could not resist and opened the door to see what might be lying inside the room with his name.

Ah, that was right if the shelter plan had gone through and the school really had fallen he might have lived the rest of his life in this place, or not considering what Mukuro and Junko were planning for him.

He found that he had gotten over that horrifying fact relatively easily. Though he seemed to be getting over a lot of things easily lately, maybe it was a hidden talent of his finally revealing itself. As he looked around the room he came to another door that led to a shower and bathroom. He tried to open it only to find it jammed.

“Really? I was going to get the one bad room. Nevermind Junko, I hate you even more now.” Makoto muttered entirely to himself. However while his head was turned and focused on the door another sound of squeaking came up from behind him.

Quickly he turned around to see somebody in a black and white checkered scarf and a clown mask approaching him, dragging a hammer from behind. “Hmm, maybe Kiri was right and this was a trap.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a trap!” The boy in the clown mask (it’s Kokichi again, he changed masks Makoto was however unaware of both of those facts) announced before raising up his hammer. However Kokichi hesitated when he saw the completely average and not particularly brave looking Makoto not even flinch or try to defend himself like Shuichi did when he was threatened. “Aren’t you going to fight back? You know, or the sake of justice?”

“Huh? Justice? I don’t really get what’s going on. Is that a toy hammer?”

“No way I could totally kill someone with this. You shouldn’t underestimate things because they’re childish, there could be a secret organization of children and orphans secretly controlling the world!”

“That sounds like something out of a manga.”

“I know right! That’s what makes it so cool!”

Makoto casually leaned back against the broken door behind him. “Well anyway, I’m not going to fight because I know an average guy like me is no good on his own. That’s why right about this time usually I get lucky and one of my friends shows up to save me.”

For his confidence though, Makoto was hit hard once over the head with a hammer. He fell down to his knees, but punched the ground in a show of determination refusing to fall unconscious after one hit. He knew, he knew one of his friends would show up when he needed them. That was the kind of character he was after all, he had been told so.

Just then Kirigiri Kyoko appeared in the frame of the doorway. Kokichi turned around and swung with his hammer, but she kicked out with her boot to deflect him. His hammer made a squeaking noise and bounced back, but Kokichi himself did not look to affected by the loss. He watched “Justice Hammer #4” as labeled in marker by him spin across the ground and looked directly at Kyoko. “I guess this is where I stand my ground and fight showing you my secret hidden talent for martial arts…” Only to completely change his demeanor in the next moment…” Just kidding! I’m just gonna flee, see ya!” As he dove past her, somersaulted on the ground, and then quickly made his escape.

Kyoko considered chasing after him for a moment, but looked back to Makoto instead. “Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you did you?”

“Oh, you’re not mad anymore!” Makoto said with a smile.

“I’m not mad, I just don’t trust you. It makes no sense for me to be mad in this situation. Well, even if I don’t trust you though, it’s not like I want you to die.”

Makoto’s smile was undaunted by this “You don’t want me to die, we’re such good friends!” He brushed a hand through the spiky mess of his hair, trying to wipe away the blood from the first hammer’s impact.

On his own he made an attempt to stand up, only for his legs to wobble and for him to fall backwards and land on the bed. “Aha! My bad. Sorry for looking so lame right now, Kiri.”

“You can’t help it, being lame is just part of your nature, Naegi-kun.’ Kirigiri said, though she considered it more of an objective observation than an insult like it sounded.

Just then, before the awkward atmosphere could settle and the two fighting friends could say anything more to each other, they heard the sound of a piercing scream echo throughout the halls of the old school building. Both of them recognized the scream of their classmate Celestia Ludenberg. They had both heard her screaming enough times at people like Hagakure and Hifumi to ditinguish what her screams sounded like.

Makoto tried to take another step forward with determination, only to stumble and be caught by Kirigiri. “Naegi-kun, you’re hurt…” She muttered.

“I’m fine, leave me here. Go save Celeste and then come back for me.”

“What if whoever is hunting us gets you in the meantime?”

“Then I’m sure you’ll save me again. I know you don’t trust me right now, but I’ll never stop trusting you.” He said, with the kind of sincere and honest smile that only Makoto could give. It made it even harder to believe for Kyoko that some part of Makoto was lying to her.

She had no words to say to him. She only turned around and ran off, her boots filling the hallway with the sound of her running as she went in the direction of the scream. Even if it was a trap her and Naegi’s classmate was still waiting for her there.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

When Kirigiri Kyoko made it to the rec room, she saw Celeste already being held by the neck with another of the hammers by the masked Kokichi. Kyoko surveyed the situation for a moment looking for a way to gain her advantage.

“Celeste! I’m here, I’m sorry if I’m late due to my hesitation…”

“Aha dear don’t worry about it, now if you’ll excuse me I’m in a bit of…” She struggled against, reaching out for the hammer that was around her neck. Kyoko knew from self defense though that when you were being strangled, the worst way was to counter it was to reach for your neck. The best way instead was to try and attack the person behind you.

They were in the recreation room. Kyoko looked around and saw only a few magazines lying on the shelves. She had no choice it seemed but to charge forward like an idiot for the sake of her friend. She hoped Makoto would be proud at least. She brought her boots up once more in a kick.

However, rather than try to fight back the assailant once again simply let go of the hammer and Celeste, and ran in the opposite direction Kyoko was coming at him from making it to the door. “This is why I always choose the cowardly solution, it always works out so great for me! I’m like a bird! Fly, me fly! You can keep my justice hammer number one, take it, it’s dangerous to go alone!” He yelled as he escaped.

Celeste stumbled forward grabbing onto her neck. As she rubbed the redness she looked back up at Kyoko. “I suppose this merits a thank you…” She said, still a bit reserved.

Before Kyoko could ask her any questions though, she heard another scream. It was the scream of a child, Ouma Kokichi. Even if Kyoko did not recognize it exactly, she knew Kokichi was a middle schooler and that the person who had called them to lure them here also mentioned him as a second hostage for Shuichi.

For a moment Kyoko wondered if Shuichi was already running in the direction of the scream. Knowing though that Shuichi was an unreliable guy in general she decided it was probably for the best for her to go herself.

She looked back with guilt at Celeste for a moment. Only for Celeste to wave her off with her manicured hand. “It’s fine, fine, dear. I need to recover myself anyway, can’t show up to face them looking like a mess. We’re both all about composure anyway, right?”

Kyoko nodded at her words and ran off again. However, the moment Kyoko left Celeste let a sinister smile spread across her face, as she tapped the golden ornament she wore on her middle finger on the wall in anticipation.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Mukuro made it to the library where the scream originated from first. Unlike Kyoko who was not combat oriented, Mukuro when she saw Kokichi being lifted in the air and strangled by a mallet immediately rushed forward. She did not even need a knife this time, an enemy only armed with a colorful looking hammer (Justice hammer number 2).

The masked enemy let go of Kokichi and immediately swung the hammer at her. Mukuro twisted her body around in the air, and then brought her foot instead into the side  of their face. The masked person was thrown back, the white lab coat they were wearing trailing in the air behind them as they slammed into a book shelf.

However, as they hit the book shelf it sent a shock wave that caused several books to fly off of several near by shelves. Then a moment later an entire shelf that was right behind Mukuro topped forward. She acted without thinking, jumping to push Kokichi and herself out of the way. As the two of them skidded across the ground, the masked person stood up easily and walked out of the room.

“What good luck…” They muttered before slamming the door shut behind them. A person with good luck, Mukuro’s mind immediately went through the possibilities, but it wouldn’t be Makoto ever in any circumstance, and Komaeda was still in the hospital the last she knew.

Mukuro stood up, and then offered a hand to Kokichi. The boy in the tasseled white uniform looked up to her with a smile. “Whoa that was a cool kick ma’am. That could have definitely been a rider kick!”

“A rider what…?”

“Why am I even bothering to make all these references if nobody appreciates them?”

“You sound a little bit like Misogi-chan.” She commented off hand, before leaning forward to check if he was okay. His hair looked a bit flat, so she reached forward and ruffled it until it was its usual black mess of a mop.

“Hey, don’t suddenly be so nice. It’s weird…” Kokichi complained.

Just then Kirigiri arrived in the room, to see Mukuro had already handled the situation. “Let me guess, you had a person in a mask cornered but rather than fight back they ran away and tried to escape?”

“Wow, you really are a good detective Kirigiri-san,” Mukuro said in a flat voice.

“Yeah… well, if the pattern continues I’m sure they’ll plan another attack in a few minutes. They must be trying to exhaust us and confuse us right now while we’re already split up.” Kyoko despite the crisis situation, as always grasped it in her hands with a cold logic.

Ikusaba Mukuro put a gloved hand on her face, brushing her hair out of the way. “We should just go and hunt them down together now. I won’t let them escape again, even if I have to sink my teeth into them.”

The side of Ikusaba that Kyoko saw right now was probably not atypical for the Utlimate Soldier, but Kyoko still found it a bit strange for her classmate who was always quietly staring out of the window or sitting in the shade away from the group to be acting this way. She wondered if she had yet to come to terms with everything Mukuro told her.

“You two should just leave me behind. I’m used to being abandoned anyway, since I was an orphan who was abandoned on the streets and forced to live for years as a street rat until eventually I took control of the criminal underworld. Well, that’s just a lie.”

Kyoko glanced back sharply at him for a moment, before bringing a hand to her face. “Well, he seems fine. Suggesting we work together though… Naegi-kun really must have rubbed off on you.”

“Umm….” Mukuro’s face suddenly went red.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

The two of them started to search together in the hallway walking side by side. Kyoko walked with her hands clenched tightly to her sides. “You know… earlier… I’m sorry for comparing you to Kumagawa-kun. You seem serious in facing what you’ve done in the past at least.”

“Hmm? I don’t think it’s insulting to compare me to Misogi-chan.”

“Please, think more highly of yourself.”

“It’s not wrong though. Inferior in anything, and everything, even if I pushed themselves to the breaking point, throwing away my soul and breaking my body, I’ll never reach that which I ought to have been… that is who I am. When I see him struggle so hard in spite of his inferior self just trying to hold onto one thing I’m reminded of myself.”

Kyoko never thought such poetic words could come out of her quiet classmates mouth either. She never thought somebody of such supreme talent could label themselves as inferior. She brushed her gloved hand through her hair again. It might have been a nervous gesture this time. “Is that so… I really should have gotten to know you, then…” She said before looking forward at the empty building extending in front of the two of them.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kokichi left the library the moment after he was sure the girls would not hear his footsteps. Without his mask, wearing just his traditional outfit he looked like a rat that had grabbed a strait jacket from the garbage dump and put on a checkered scarf and said ‘Yeah, this works’  but somehow between the two he looked less ridiculous than Celeste who was putting on her gothic lolita ensemble once more.

The trick to this quick outfit change was the same kind of tearaway clothing that magicians would use when making their assistants change from suits, to ballgowns in the blink of an eye. If they were even suspected of being participants in the scheme Celeste could point to how difficult her outfit was to change in and out of in order to draw suspicion away from herself. However, because she was currently backed by Ajimu Najimi she was feeling quite confident in herself at the moment.

“Well well, it’s time for the kidnapping rangers to move onto the final phase of their plan.” Kokichi said, stretching his arm behind his head as he waited for Celeste. He held out one of the blood packs she asked him to retrieve.  “Neither one of them were particularly stunned by us being kidnapped so maybe the image of a dead classmate will be enough to make them drop their guards while I come in from behind.”

“I know… I know I’m the one who came up with the plan. Why are you telling me this?” Celeste said as she put one of her hair extensions back on, and then the other right afterwards.

“Wow you won’t even let me have a villain monologue moment? You don’t appreciate artists at all!” Kokichi whined, childishly, as he looked to the side. “Is this really your plan anyway? Aren’t you just basing it off of Kumagawa’s plan during the hot springs field trip to trick the murderers by having body doubles pretend to be coprses, and his friend who could hold her breath for ten minutes pretend to be Toko and then pretend to drown?”  

“Wait. How do you know about that?”

“Hmmm… maybe it’s because Kumagawa and I think so much alike. We’re twin brothers after all. In fact, we used the classic twin swap narrative device you’re actually talking to Kumagawa right now!”

“That’s a lie…” Celeste said before Kokichi could even get the chance. “If Kumagawa-kun were here I would be able to tell from his disgusting aura.”

“Damn, I knew I’d never make it as an imitator.” Kokichi knocked himself on the side of the head as if he had just made a classic ditzy mistake.

“For some reason I feel like I’d come up with this plan even if the circumstances were different. I already lost once, I need to make sure I stay at Anshin’in-san’s side no matter what.”

Kokichi leaned in with interest. “Is there something you’re trying to protect?”

“Yes. That big stack of cash that Anshin’in-san’s promised me.”

“Shit, I forgot you were a totally worthless girl.” In a carefree way he threw both hands behind his head and kicked his feet in front of him as he walked away. “You’re not going to kill them right? I can’t really tell how vicious of a bitch you are right now but… they are your classmates.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to stain this dress. It’s completely unnecessary as long as I rely on Anshin’in-san’s influence. Makoto and Mukuro’s memories simply need to be erased somewhat so they don’t remember the pact they made with Enoshima Junko to stand against Anshin’in-san. A third faction must not form no matter what. As for Kyoko, her connection to her father would make it bad if she found out all the supernatural happenings at this school. She should just continue to believe that the transfer students are completely normal. I’ll erase any evidence to the contrary.”

“Whoa. Your villain monologue is way better than mine. No wonder you shut me down. Props from a fake liar to a real one. What about Saihara-kun?”

“He doesn’t matter. That’s why we can just frame him for this scheme in case everything goes south.”

“You’re right, Saihara-kun is completely useless!” Kokichi said with a smile, before picking up his clown mask once more. “Alright, alright, it’s time to play the fool on stage again.”

He left the room right then. However, when Celeste heard footsteps earlier than she planned, she did not immediately look up expecting Kokichi had just come back to annoy her once more. She had no idea why Anshin’in-san told her to rely on such a nasty little subordinate.

However, the voice that called out to her was entirely different from Kokichi’s. “Oh, are you creating a fake murder scene? How brilliant. As expected from one of Enoshima Junko’s beloved classmates.” He clapped his hands together, just once and offered her a smile from the shadows that covered his face.

“How did you-”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As Kokichi was quietly moving down the hallway, and even stopping himself from giggling as he moved as that would make too much noise, he sensed something behind him and immediately jumped out of the way. “Whoa there big boy, I almost didn’t see you coming! Are you the ultimate hide and seek champion or something?”

“Hmm. Dodging my first attack that’s almost interesting.” Kamakura said, staring from the shadows with his two red eyes, their crosshairs locking on Kokichi.

“Nah, nah! I’m actually really boring. There’s no need to pay attention to someone like me, especially right now.” Kokichi waved his hand in the air to shoo Kamakura off.

“I suppose you’re right.’ Kamakura turned around, his hair swaying in the hair behind him as he moved to leave Kokichi.

“Wait! I can’t believe you actually thought I was boring that’s really mean you know! Hey, why are you hear anyway my dear Kamakura? Did you want to join in the party?”

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would enjoy a party?” Kamakura hesitated, glaring back over his shoulder with one eye.

Kokichi closed both eyes and gave a childish smile. “Of course not! I would know, since I love you soooo much! I guess you’re just one of those anti-social types. That’s totally the type I go for though, I bet you even have the ultimate detective skill too.”

“I do, but that’s irrelevant as you are irrelevant. I have no intention of socializing with you either, so I will excuse myself now.” He closed both of his eyes and almost finished turning around. The only passing thought he had was a small wondering of why people always thought it was appropriate to randomly flirt with him. It must because he had the talent of the ultimate escort as well.

“Hey, hold on there. We should talk more, now that we have the chance.” Kokichi ran after him, completely abandoning what he was going to do before. “Soooo, what is the anti-social Izuru-chan doing here?”

“I wanted to know who was making so much noise in the ceiling over my bedroom. The answer was unsatisfying however.”

“Well, I suppose I’ve been watching you all this time so there’s no way you’d actually want to come and hang out with little old me.” Kokichi looked to the side, drawing a finger up to his lips.

“That’s a rather complicated lie you just told. You haven’t been watching me for long there’s no way you could have known about me a year ago, but you are aware of my existence. How is that?”

“Awe, it’s no fun when you go and spoil the lie like that. Did they give you the talent of the ultimate no fun haver too?”

“No.”

“Fine, fine. I know what you are because we’re the same. We’re both destined soul mates. Whatever souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.”

“You do know in Wuthering Heights both of the characters horribly abuse everyone around them, then die lonely and miserable right?”

“That’s how that books ends!” Kokichi’s face was clearly in a panic one moment as he grabbed his cheeks. In the next he calmed down and his hands slid off. “Well whatever, I was still telling the truth. I know that you’re a fake just like me.”

“A… fake…?” Kamakura for once had absolutely no idea what the other in front of him was talking about. The little liar must have been insufferably pleased with himself.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Hmm, how did I? Maybe I’m secretly an escape artist, or a koga ninja,” The stranger standing in front of her said as he stepped forward.

Celeste immediately sensed danger, and went to reach for the last Justice Hammer. She really wished right now that Kokichi had chosen a less stupid weapon to center their schemes around. Before she could even lift it though, the person who was right in front of her was suddenly behind her.

“Guess I really am a ninja.” That person said, before Celeste felt her feet thrown out from under her. She fell on the ground, and started to try to crawl away from him, but he slammed his black shoe on her dress to hold her there.

“What do you want exactly? Are you trying to protect them?”

“No, I’m just protecting myself. After all I can’t have you taking credit for stabbing Enoshima Junko when I was the one who worked so hard to do it. If somebody else gets blamed, then how am I ever going to be punished for it?”

Celeste saw that his face was reddening as he spoke of punishment. There was a completely obsessive look in his eyes, that did not seem to see Celeste in front of him at all even as she towered over him.

“Oh, so you were the one. What an unexpected result,” Kamakura Izuru said, as he walked in carrying the much smaller Ouma Kokichi under his arm like a disobedient child. “That still doesn’t explain how somebody like you was able to overcome her ultimate anaylsis though.”

“The raven haired crimson eyed god!” The stranger said in amazement, pausing from his onslaught on Celeste. Celeste used the chance to tear away from the bottom half of her dress, revealing the white lab coat she was wearing underneath.

“What.” Kamakura said flatly at the moniker that had been attached to him.

“Right, those red eyes of yours are observant as ever. You’re right there’s no way I could have taken Enoshima Junko by surprise on her own. There was somebody else who planned all my actions far in advance, I simply followed their instructions.”

“Who?” Kamakura asked, feeling a drop of interest.

“Well obviously, the only person who could possibly outsmart Enoshima Junko is Enoshima Junko. The only person who could stab Enoshima Junko is Enoshima Junko. Our actions matter surprisingly little in Enoshima Junko’s world.”

“What? What does Enoshima-chan have to do with this?” Celeste asked, sitting back up against the wall and looking up at the two strangers who had entered her room.

“Everything of course! You should know by now. You were so lucky after all to be one of Ensohima’s chosen ones. You were all giong to kill each other in this building, just like this… but then it got screwed up along the way. Now we’re all acting in this boring plot instead of Enoshima’s magnificent one! Awe, too bad I didn’t even get to see any executions yet”

Kokichi spoke up this time, raising his head from where Kamakura was carrying him. “Hey, umm if you’re really the one who offed that dumb blonde bitch, then why are you telling us? You know we can just tell Kirigiri-san and the others once they get here right?”

“Will they believe you though? You’re both liars who tried to trick them and hurt them. They’d just think you’re making up a story because you were foiled.” Both Celeste and Kokichi’s expressions sunk. “Hey, don’t look so down. I sympathize with you. I’m the same kind of person. This episode might as well be called Kirigiri Kyoko Stories Subtitle Dead or Lie, this world is especially that way, the only way to survive is keep lying, and lying, and lying, and then one day oops! I told too many lies! I’ve forgotten what the truth is. That has to be the same Celeste, do you have any truths left to hold onto, besides that cat of yours?”

“H-how do you know about that?” Celeste stuttered.

“I’m a fan of detectives you know. That’s why it’s really easy for me to investigate stuff like that. I’ve always looked up to those kinds of characters.” He turned around and walked towards the doorway only for Kamakura to step in his way. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. My master wants to meet with you later.”

“Your master?”

“Enoshima Junko of course.”

Still puzzled, Kamakura listened to the rest of the details of this meeting and then stepped aside to let the stranger pass him.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Mukuro and Kyoko bust into the room on the fourth floor, only to find both Celeste and Kokichi on the floor already defeated, and both of the people who had defeated them already gone.

“Umm…well this is awkward.” Celeste muttered as she noticed her dress was halfway off and the labcoat one of the attackers had been wearing was underneath it.

“Will you guys forgive us if we say we’re sorry?” Kokichi looked up and batted his eyelashes at both of them. He tried to make his ratty looking appearance as cute as possible as he begged for forgiveness.

Before Kyoko could say anything, Makoto appeared behind them still gripping his head. “Of course you’re forgiven!” He said with a smile. He looked to Celeste and then Kokichi with the same open expression he always wore. “What’s the deal guys were you trying to prank us?”

“Umm… yeah... “ Celeste said, deciding to take the hand that was being offered to her. “You really know me too well, Naegi-kun.”

“Well all’s well that ends well, just don’t do such a mean prank next time okay.” With a smile on his face still, immoveable he went to help both of them up. Mukuro followed right after him, picking up Kokichi on her back, while Makoto slung Celeste over his shoulder.

Kyoko decided to stay quiet, all the way until they had gotten the two to the nurse’s office. THe moment afterwards she shoved a hand in front of Makoto and pinned him to a wall while Mukuro watched in the background. “They obviously weren’t pranking us! They must have had some ulterior motive, how can you just ignore the truth like that?”

“Dunno, because I’m dumb I guess. At the end of the day isn’t it more important that we all go back to being friends and classmates?”

“You’re being way too reckless recently Naegi-kun, I… I…”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad.”

“Then, how are you staying so calm right now Kyoko? You never lose your cool, you never show emotion, even when I’m trying to provoke you by being reckless.”

“So you know you’re trying to provoke me? Then cut it out.” Kyoko bit her lip to bite back any emotion.

“You say that like I’m some sort of inhuman beast.”

“N-no, I did’t mean it like that.”

“Well, I am human. I do have emotions. There’s no need to show it in my face or my voice, it’s better kept to myself.”

“Isn’t it better to get mad at me if you’re mad though? You don’t have to hide it. I’d rather you yell at me and hate me for being an idiot.”

“No, you should consider trying it my way. It’s your naive honesty that makes you an easy target. Protection against deception, and never allow others to read your emotion, and however stands before you don’t let them push you around.”

Makoto closed his eyes, giving an innocent expression. The exact kind that Kirigiri thought made him so weak. “Hmmm? I don’t mind getting pushed around though if it’s by my friends. Besides, I think it’s a waste. Your smile is so cute, hiding it behind a mask is such a waste a bright smile is way better.”

“Umm… Naegi-kun.” Kirigiri said looking to Mukuro in the background.

“That’s a terrible habit of yours Makoto,” Mukuro said as well.

Makoto remembered his harem protagonist status back at the hot springs and immediately recoiled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant!” He said trying to escape Kirigiri’s grip.

As he flailed around Mukuro caught him instead. “It’s fine. It’s not the worst habit you could have.” Mukuro muttered, turning away to hide her reddening cheeks.

“I… I am mad. How could lie to me? Why can’t you just tell me the truth?”  Kirigiri said, turning her head away and closing her eyes.

“I… I will I promise. The timing’s just not good right now. Can you wait a little while? Can you trust me?”

“No.” Kyoko rejected him flat out.

“Awe. Then what was the point of this little adventure?”

Kyoko finally turned her head back to him looking him in the eye. “When this inevitably blows up in your face though, I’ll come and save you still… because you trust me.”

“Yep. I guess that works for me.”

“I’ll save you too, Makoto…” Mukuro said softly, resting her head on his shoulder.

The three of them enjoyed the moment for what it was. Even amidst all of this madness, the sudden manga like quality their life had become, they felt like normal teenagers at the end of a particularly long day.

Then, Kyoko realized who was missing in the room. “Damnit, I forgot Saihara-kun.”

A few minutes later Shuichi had been found and retrieved from the locker by Kirigiri herself. She carried him easily on her back as he was too exhausted from being shut in that tight space to walk. At least he had not been tied up in any way, or bound in handcuffs Kyoko thought with relief. “I’m not sure about what kind of detective you’d make, but you’d make a wonderful damsel in distress.”

“Haha, I guess that’s just my character archetpye.” Shuichi said from behind her, taking the teasing rather well all things considered.

“Hey, Saihara-kun. Do you think detectives can find value in things other than the truth? Like.. lies?”

“Well. Lies are probably, sometimes told on the way to searching for the truth.”

“Mmm…” Kyoko nodded as she made a soft noise that sounded almost out of character for her. “How do you always manage to say the right thing at times like the Saihara-kun when you’re so terrible at speaking otherwise?”

“I guess I can say the right things when you need me to, because I’m always thinking of you.”

Then, where she was not looking as he was carried off by her, Shuichi smiled at his own words.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Makoto walked Mukuro to her dorm, hand in hand. Earlier when he asked, she peeled off one of her leather gloves for him so he could hold her hand directly. He wondered for a moment what the tattoo on the back of her hand meant but decided to ask about it later.

He wanted to know everything about Mukuro but at the same time he was cautious. He felt that once Mukuro had told him absolutely every single thing, she might just disappear. That was why, even if it was selfish, he wanted to hang onto her as long as he could. 

He really did just want all of his class to stay together. Even Junko. If she could find some way to stay happy without hurting everybody around her. He tried not to think about Junko though, and instead focus on the warmth in his hand. 

"Long day, huh?" He said rather normally as a conversation starter with Mukuro. 

"Hmm? I don't mind. I want the days by your side to be as long as possible."

Makoto felt his heartbeat quicken. Merciless as usual.  "I guess it doesn't matter what Celeste wants because she was stopped, but still I wonder... what was all the fuss about. Ah well, I'm dumb so maybe I shouldn't worry about it too much."

"Yeah..."

"You can at least disagree with the part where I called myself dumb!"

"You're not dumb, Makoto. You understand people better than anybody else I think."

"Well, that's because I'm always thinking about my friends... well not just them, you too."

At this, Mukuro looked away for a moment trying to hide the redness in her freckled cheeks. 

Makoto's thought at this was... Her freckles! So cute!  It was a rather normal reaction for a boy to have, though he was too shy at the moment to voice it out loud. 

However, while she was looking away Mukuro noticed the answer to the Makoto's question about the fuss. "My room's been broken into!"

"Huh? While we were gone all day."

They both rushed in still holding hands, and only broke apart to survey the damage. Despite the broken window, the room was rather clean and untouched. 

"Did they even take anything?" Makoto asked, scratching again at the familiar spot at the back of his neck.

Mukuro's eyes widened. "My Junko wig. They stole my Junko wig, and my Junko disguise, and all of the scripts she wrote for me."

"What? Two Junkos who could possibly want that? Sounds annoying." He sighed. "Maybe we should go visit Junko in the hospital sooner rather than later. Ugh, that's even more annoying. Oh. I'm sorry for badmouthing your sister."

"No, it's fine. Nothing you said was incorrect."

Chapter 35: A Tale Told By An Idiot (Kamakura and Medaka's Day Off)

Summary:

You could say this entire fanfiction was a tale told by an idiot but that wouldn't be very nice.

Notes:

Kamukura's speech is a penguindrum reference to Mawaru Penguindrum (Sanetoshi Watase!)

『Redacted』manipulated a puzzle in his hands. A few moments ago the room was filled with the clicks of plastic as he worked the cube around. Several other puzzles surrounded him where he sat on the floor. All of them he solved just as easily. Tangle puzzls lay in two pieces. Rubix cubes had all of their colors lined up perfectly. Slider puzzles showed their images. Puzzles made up of thousands of pieces lie perfectly assembled. 

The room was entirely white without any noticeable features. It was called a rest and recovery room, a place for him to exist in between surgeries. Faceless doctors sometimes passed through the door, but he did not bother to look at them. Nothing reflected in his red eyes.

The first surgery shaved his head and stripped him away of any memory. However, afterwards his hair grew back faster than before. He preferred his hair longer as it covered the multiple areas that had been cut open and then stitched back again on his skull. At this point it was reaching past his neck and almost touching his shoulders. The first few times they tried to keep cutting it back but eventually they gave up.

His eyes were red now as well. He was told the explanation, something to do with the increased activity in his perception changing it, but those kind of details did not interest him. The only thing he remembered about it was that his eyes were now a different color, though he did not remember the color that they used to be.

It was more like those were his eyes, and his others belonged to a different person. He continued to manipulate the puzzle not wanting to think too hard about the implications of that. He turned the puzzle around, over, over, and over again in his hands, until he grew tired of it. Then, in a moment of childish pique he broke away one of the cubes from the puzzle. He watched the small plastic cube, one of fourty five that made up the rubix cube fall to the ground knowing the puzzle would be forever unsolveable now. Slowly one by one, he tore the other cubes off as well until the puzzle broke apart in his hands.

Yet still he felt nothing. Solving the puzzle, destroying it, neither gave him an ounce of satisfaction. Not that it mattered what he felt, he was just killing time again in between surgeries, or experiments. Whatever memories he happened to form now at this time were unnecessary because the teachers if they wanted, if they decided they got in the way or took up too much space could remove them with another surgery.

The puzzles were just toys to distract a child that they left to his own devices. The teachers told him that the puzzles were an important intelligence test, one given to measure his intelligence at an adult level but he knew that to be false. All intelligence quota tests were just the same tests they gave children, retrofitted to apply to adults as well. He was of age to be an adult, it was how he consented for this surgery in the first place apparently or at least the person before him did. Yet at the same time he was exactly that, a child who needed to be looked after, distracted, taught, entirely empty and innocent like a child, incapable of self direction.

Not only did he see himself as a child though, he knew his teachers were no better than children. The same way that the puzzles in front of him were toys to keep him distracted, to try and make him feel like he had purpose while he waited to be cut up again, the teachers were using him as their own toy for their own sense of purpose. All they needed to do was believe they somehow were doing this for the sake of hope, and it gave them license to do anything they wanted.

The first surgery the pain was unbearable. He knew that brain surgery was technically supposed to be painless because of the lack of nerve endings in the tissue of the brain itself, so that meant they must have operated elsewhere without telling him. They must have done something experimental too, because he could feel it like he had been poked and torn up under the flesh without any general sense of direction.

The first time he caught a fever, was sick for days afterwards, and cried out in pain in the hospital bed he was kept in. He begged to be killed. He was terrified of enduring any more pain, of feeling that way again. Nothing in the world could be worth this he said again and again.

Now, he envied his past self. At this point though the feeling of pain was starting to fade. After the first surgery he lost the ability that most normal people called emoting, he had no ego and therefore nothing to express himself with. He had no name either. He realized quickly afterwards that emotions that were the by product of identity were going to be long gone for him until he formed a new one.

However, erase the human mind and there is still certain instinctual responses left, reflexes buried in the psyche. Even a person with no memories will remove their hand and cry out in pain when putting it on a hot stove. Even a cave man with no higher emotional functions knew to fear fire.

He clung to both fear and pain, because those were the only things that caused any stirring within them. However, the feeling of pain was starting to fade. When he first started, he screamed constantly for three days and nights, the pain reached so far deep into him he even had nightmares.

He didn’t know when, but they had started to lose value. After surgeries now he simply sat in bed all day staring at the ceiling above him. He would count the tiles over and over again. Noticing his complete lack of response, one of the teachers gave him a puzzle to solve. The first time he was almost interested, but that too quickly lost value.

That same teacher came in today to his white room and noticed that all of the puzzles had been torn up by 『Spoilers』. Of all the teachers, he was the one who acted the most aloof, the most arrogant, but he was the only one who showed any consideration at all for  『Spoilers』. At the same time he was also the head brain surgeon on the project so even when he showed a small amount of kindness, 『Redacted Spoilers』wondered if he was only doing it out of guilt.

The Ultimate Neurologist disappeared from the room a moment after surveying it, giving away no reaction at all on his face. He returned just as quickly throwing the manga volume he usually read while taking notes at his feet.

He gave no instruction on how to read, nor did the procedural memory exist for『Spoilers』. So, he reverse engineered the characters from context and the images they were associated with, teaching himself, memoriing one at a time as manga volumes piled up in front of them.

Then, he quickly outgrew the manga and started to read contemporary works. Then works that were considered classics. Then older ones, then foreign ones translated into kanji, then foreign ones in their original language. He poured over book after book, with no idea of the outside world whatsoever his entire world consisted of the contents of his amassed books, page after page.

Still, he derived no feeling at all from imbibing himself with such knowledge. He had hoped he could fill the emptiness inside of himself up with the information learned from these books, but all he learned of was a reality outside the room he lived in, just as typical and predictable as the small world he witnessed right in front of him. The logic that he perceived perfectly with his red eyes, that was praised endlessly by his teachers all except one the aloof Yasuke, only allowed him to notice the patterns, the writing on the wall so to speak, the bars on his cage that no one else could see.

Humans were only capable of so much, and in the end they always made predictable choices. It was just as his teachers said the many sought to oppress the few, the many scientists pushed everything onto the one him. He did not even need to see the outside world, he was sure everywhere else it would not change a bit, humans were predictable. They were fundamentally flawed in the same ways. They made the same mistakes over and over again.

When he lost the small hope that he might find something interesting, something better in the world outside his walls, that to was a disappointing loss for 『Redacted』, just like pain had been. It was too bad that disappointment was not a feeling, just a sense of emptiness, because he experienced it in abundance.

He realized one morning just before waking up for another surgery that he hated this world.
Not because he was being used as a tool, not because of the surgeries, not because of his own loss of feelings.

It was merely on principal.
The world is made of countless cages.
People bend and stuff their bodies to fit between the bars.
They grow comfortable and wait their lives out.

And eventually, they lose :
their apperances;
their loves;
their loved ones;

He decided his own case was not special at all. Even if he had not signed consent forms for them to shove him into this cage and make him forget who he was, breaking and bending his body until it was unrecognizable he would not be any different. Talent, untalented, success, failure, career, jobless, they were all cages. Everybody in the whole world was in a cage.

He was simply the one who saw the bars. For example, take the Ultimate Neruologist who had been kind to him. He forced himself to go through these experiments he did not want to do, to procure funding, to research his own memory studies, because he had crammed himself into the cage known as love.

He agonized over it again and again, only when others could not see and 『Redacted』concealed himself watching from the shadows as a pair of red eyes. He muttered the name “Junko” under his breath again and again. Until he forgot who he was entirely outside of his love for this “Junko.” He chose this agony, he chose to chain himself to this selfish girl who caused him nothing but trouble and forced himself to do things he did not want to conceal her actions. He wanted to be in the cage.

This, Kamakura did not understand. He was sure even with a million talents inserted into him he would not have understood it. One day while Yasuke Matsuda sat on a rolling chair in the corner of his room, dirty shirt still wrinkled and not tucked in, tie with a splash of red hanging loose as it was not tied properly, handsome face stressed with creases, bags under his eyes and a pair of bathroom sandals tapping the floor as he held a manga volume over his head and read it in a position that was terrible for his posture.

Kamakura read from his own book aloud. It was one of the classics. “LIfe’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

“You should have the talent of the ultimate actor but you delivered that monologue terribly. Try to sound like you give a tiny bit of a shit next time,” Yasuke said speaking in his normally crude way.

“I have a question. You know the witches at the beginning of the play?”

“You mean the wrinkly old hags, yeah?"

“Did they really have the ability to see the future?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no confirmation at all that magic is a thing that exists in this world. It’s illogical. Even my predictive ability isn’t something like clairvoyance, it’s just a mere high functioning brain reading situations and delivering quick predictions that usually turn out to be accurate.”

“Yeah no shit it’s not magic. If it was I wouldn't had to work my ass off so hard rewiring your shitty brain over and over again. Hey, apologize for having such a pain in the ass brain to hook up. It’s not like hooking up a nintendo to your television you know.”

“No.”

“Fine whatever.”

“Anyway, assuming that magic doesn’t really exist then those witches might not have even been real witches. Perhaps they were just crazy women dancing around a cauldron.”

“Yeah, seems like a dumb idea to base all of your major life choices on somebody like that.”

“If they weren’t just crazy though, perhaps they intentionally presented themselves as witches. They showed Macbeth a future he wanted in order to manipulate him into making it into a reality. Perhaps, if Macbeth had never even met them, he would not have interest in being king. It was only a prophecy that came true, because Macbeth believed in it so hard and made it true.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“If that were the case, if there’s no such thing as fate in this world then where does fault lie? Is it Macbeth’s fault for choosing to believe in the future they sold him, or is it the Witch’s fault for manipulating him with such nasty intention in the first place.”

As 『Redacted』brought up manipulation, fault, tragedy, it all seemed to take a toll on Yasuke. The tired wrinkles on his face got worse, and his eyes strained for a moment. He almost thought he saw tears welling up in the corner’s of Yasuke’s eyes.

“I don’t know…who gives a fuck really whose fault it is…” He muttered, before dropping the manga volume on his face and returning to it.

Kamakura Izuru thought nobody in the world would be able to see his bars. Then, one day he met a girl with the exact same eyes as his. “Let’s shatter the glass together,’ She told him.

He waited in the shadows as they all turned on one another, one by one. Despair consumed them just as quickly as she promised him. Until there was only one left.

"I’m the last man standing. It’s them or me, right?  Ahahahaahahahahaha!” He broke into laughter, holding the gun carelessly in his hands until he started to choke on the blood within his mouth. His entire body soaked in pink. After spitting it up, he finally spotted Kamakura out of the corner of his eyes.

Immediately the gun clicked, its sights set on his as his entire arm shook. “You, you’re with them, huh?”

“Even armed you will not survive this,” Kamakura warned in a voice entirely dead of emotion. Despite witnessing the slaughter just as Enosima Junko promised, he felt nothing at all. No enjoyment, no remorse, no human reaction. The humans torn apart on the ground, might as well have been the torn apart puzzle pieces that he destroyed when he found no further use for them scattered all over.

The survivor dropped his gun, and rushed forward wwith the chainsaw at his side. Kamakura ducked away easily, and then brought a hand into his side pushing him against the window and making him fall on his own still working chainsaw. He watched pink spread everywhere with no reaction.

Then, with the last of his pillower, the dead  body fired at him. Kamakura tilted his head to the side with reflex alone.

“Upupu!” He heard laughter over the speakers.

Slowly, he reached out to touch the small gash that had been made on his face. Just now, he had used the knowledge and talented he had acquired to kill someone. It was the first person he had ever killed.

Not only that, he helped engineer this whole situation in which he forced other people who had not killed before, who had been living their lives innocently to kill each other. He watched over it all with disinterest until this exact moment.

The moment he looked upon the body that had stopped moving more quickly than he had ever imagined when reading about death in the pages of his books, a strange breeze blew within his heart.

My cold, machine like self, feels something. At this moment. I feel something. Why? What have I done?
Because I acted like a bad guy?
Because I killed someone weaker than me?
Because I was strong?
Probably not.
But still.
The answer was simple.
Because he’s fragile.
He was stuck behind a glass cage but he broke out of it so easily.
I broke it for him.
That’s why, I’m getting out of this cage.
I’m one of the chosen.
That’s why I’m going to destroy this world.

The prospect of freedom was so precious to him, that that small change in his mindset was all it took to comprehend something like the end of the whole world.

But even with the kind of genius girl who was born to be the reckoning of this talent obsessed world, even him who had every combined talent, even with a plan that went flawlessly with no interruption somehow the world did not end.

The two of them, and the most talented class at Hope’s Peak corrupted to the side of despair, were all foiled at last minute, by somebody with no intelligence, no plan, and no place of belonging here whatsoever. Somebody with no motive towards hope or despair.

As he thought of Kumagawa MIsogi, Kamakura muttered underneath his breath. “This really is a tale told by an idiot.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

In a foolish stroke of luck, the moment he jumped out of the window of Enoshima Junko’s dorm and landed on the ground, he crossed paths with a sleepy eyed Nanami Chiaki. At first she merely rubbed her eyes as if she did not believe he belonged to any part of reality.

“Whoooaaa… That was such a cool move what combo did you press to pull it off?” She asked.

“It was nothing, I combined the skills of the Ultimate Gymnast and the Ultimate Acrobat to land,” Kamakura explained as he gripped the laptop to his side, and dusted pieces of shattered glass off of his black suit. Even jumping through the window reckessly like that he not only had not been caught, but he also escaped completely untouched, tch, how annoying.

“Whoa, so you’re like a fusion then.”

“More or less.”

Chiaki brought her hands up, her eyes sparkling. Then, suddenly she paused. He did not know why as her emotions did not display themselves on her face the same way they did for normal people. Then out of nowhere she said this. “What are you doing in a girl’s dorm? Are you some kind of pervert?”

“No.” Kamakura said immediately, if only because that kind of joke was the exact same kind Enoshima Junko would make in this situation.

“Oh, okay. Good.” Chiaki said before offering him a small smile.

“You believe me just like that?”

“You don’t seem like you’d lie to me. That’s what I thought when If first saw you, so that’s what I’ll believe. It would be against your character description.”

More game talk , Kamakura thought as he continued to watch her with red eyes. He had already perceived the world through her eyes a few times out of curiousity. For the girl who could hold hope tightly to her chest, and embrace it as much as Enoshima Junko embraced despair.

To her the world was nothing but a series of game menus one would select tasks through, the same way that navigating an rpg, or a simulator was. Abilities were stats to be risen. Choices were flagged markers that told you you were about to head down different paths with alternative routes.

Nanami Chiaki possessed no extraordinary reason to be the way she was. She told him once “all I ever did before this was play games” and Kamakura believed her at the time. To her, games were the only thing she was good at. Games were the only thing she knew. So, even if she felt limited because of that, even if it filtered her perspective and limited the way she could react, she still could not let them go because it was all she had.

The reason she was terrible at dating simulators and any kind of games with a relationship system was because of that same thing, her inability to acknowledge complexity, to make decisions. It’s because she had been living her life simply up until this point, grinding in order to advance, doing the right thing. Until Enoshima Junko arrived she did not reach such a point that required her to acknowledge that kind of complex scenario where you could lose things.

People always chose to fold themselves into their own prison, she was no different. Yet Kamakura’s curiosity about this girl continued, to the point where he was bothering to have a conversation rather than simply shutting her out, or just disappearing before she could catch him like all others.

‘Oh, hey you’re still talking to me.” She looked at him, but not directly in the eyes. She almost never made eye contact.

“I simply see no way to bypass an annoying conversation.”

“I don’t know the past few times we talked like this it feels like your patience meter ran out and then you just left. You’re a little different today.”

“...” Kamakura from the moment he had been born, existed in this empty stagnant state, it took everything he had not to fall into an ocean of darkness and entropy, to simply give up and stop moving entirely, staring up from some bed unmoving, unblinking because he lacked the will to move himself. It was not a simple matter of giving up, he just knew from the start there was no possible way to change this state, no way to improve from within the cage. He spent all of his effort to do nothing, to not change, that was the futile truth of his existence. To be told he had changed slightly, was to deny all of that. “I do not feel like I have changed.”

“Hmmm… if something has changed, it’s the distance between us. We’ve been talking a lot lately haven’t we? It seems you’re always randomly around the corner, like the RNG is blessing me with your random encounter rates. I’m even starting to get a better win rate against you, Izuru. I’m sure… things have changed in this academy too… they’ve been a little bit strange recently haven’t they?”

“...” Kamakura verted his red eyes, his hair falling over one of them. He did not want to acknowledge the change that had started with the interruption of the annoying idiot, Kumagawa Misogi.

“Hey, hey, what’s that laptop for? Do you want to try pc gaming?”

Kamakura immediately drew it back protectively. “It’s not meant for that. Umm… do you know the ultimate programmer?”

“Fujisaki-san?”

“It’s something related to a side project they are working on. They asked me to retrieve it for them.”

“Ohhh… I guess you have something really important to do today then, huh?”  She said, putting a finger to her cheek as she finally understood.

“Yes.”

“Am I bothering you right now by getting in the way of your important thing, then?”

“...”

“Why is it so important? Is it because you want to help a friend?”

“There’s somebody I want to see again. I need to complete this project to see them.”

“Like a long distance call?

“I suppose.”

“If you’re too busy today, then how about tomorrow. Can we play games again tomorrow?”

“Nothing will change, you’ll only lose.”

“Yeah, but losing can be fun.”

Kamakura’s memories of somebody else, his other self that Ajimu had given back to him remembered that once he had made a similar promise to this girl. He promised that he would play games with her tomorrow, only to disappear from this world entirely the next day.

He wondered at the time what he felt about breaking that promise. Did he feel justified? Did he think he would make it up to her in the future? Did he despair? It did not matter, becaues that promise, as well as those feelings had been erased, taken away from him.

Losing can be fun. It’s something that idiot Kumagawa Misogi would say. He was not sure how she and him could say such similar things, considering he drowned in despair, and Nanami was somebody who basked in radiant hope. “Provide me an interesting challenge tomorrow, don’t just lose. Otherwise I might not show up to play games with you ever again.”

“Sooo, is that your way of saying you’ll come.”

“I just told you after that I might never see you again.”

“Yeah, but you promised to see me one last time at least, so I’m happy.”

Kamakura blinked. He did not understand it, he really did not understand. Her every reaction to every situation was so filled with hope, so optimistic, a human being should not see the world that way without being incredibly twisted in the way Enoshima Junko was. He simply nodded at her one more time, and then disappeared as he always did.

“Fine, I promise,’ He said with the same feeling of the time he stomped on Junko’s head, squishing it until pink liquid spurted out and promised her panicking younger sister that the two of them would meet again.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

A day later, Kamakura watched from the shadows as two similar boys argued in the hallway. Yasuke Matsuda as usual spoke his thoughts immediately not really caring how the listener heard him.  “I’ll admit that the old guy’s storyline was speedy. The quality of Yamamoto's drawings couldn’t be pushed out at the same rate as others at the time, basically in the twenty first century the weekly model is flawed. If you take that into consideration, the monthly release schedule allows for more thought out releases! See? That’s why my preference wins logically as well. Square is more interesting than jump.”

A moment ago, Zenkichi had been following behind him in the hallway, at least curious to what Yasuke was talking about when he mentioned that he had died before, and that he was in despair. If this guy was dealing with issues, if he was dealing with the same thing Zenkichi was with Medaka right now than naturally he would want to sympathize. However, now he turned on his heel and tried to walk in the opposite direction.

“... The hell! You scared the hell out of me! Where do you think you’re going turning your back on your senpai, brat!” Yasuke doubled over and grabbed him by the shoulder before Zenkichi could escape his rantings.

“Eh? But I have to go to this…”

“What! Do you really love jump that much! Because it has that manga? Because it has that manga?! Because it has that manga!? That’s why it’s okay. Just admit you have shit taste already, all the interesting manga are in square.”

“If you want to be called my friend, you need to shut up Matsuda-kun, it’s because of you that I’m starting to hate square…” Zenkichi leaned away as far as he could without stepping back from this person, wondering exactly where this terrible personality had come from.

“Who said I wanted to be friends? I only have one friend in the whole world. Enoshima Junko, the woman who killed me.” Yasuke’s disposition changed again as he looked to Zenkichi with tired eyes.

Zenkichi felt bad about what he said just a moment ago. Talking about manga suddenly, trying to be as unlikeable as possible, Zenkichi figured both were just his acting out because he did not want to acknowledge the reality. The moment Yasuke did, all the life seemed to drain out of his face. “You were killed by your friend? I’m sorry… I didn’t know. I guess it would be hard to make friends after that.”

“I’d much rather talk about manga, then deal with an idiot like you whose about to make the same mistakes that I did. So at least try to defend the reason why you like the weekly model so much as opposed to the monthly one.”

“No, I think we’ve found the one moment where it’s inappropriate to suddenly start ranting about manga. I mean, many that sucks. It’s bad enough just to die, but you’ve got to keep living with that information.”

“Yeah, you can shove your self serving pity to convince yourself you’re still a good person straight up your ass. If you knew what I was going through, if you really cared, you’d stop what you were doing. But you don’t really care about others do you, even if they all flock around you. What you care the most about is Kurokami Medaka. She’s your whole world, and all you’re fighting for is so you can continue on living in that world.”

“Hey, I’m not fighting to be by Medaka’s side again like I was in the past. I’m fighting against her! It’s different now!”

“Why is it different? Is it because Ajimu told you it was different? I know I scanned your brain and found out that unfortunately your skull is completely empty and you’re somehow thinking with no brain at all but, you could think for yourself a little bit.”

“Well how am I supposed to when you’re just talking over me and telling me what to feel too!” Zenkichi snapped at him, stomping his feet on the ground hard enough to shake the floor they were both standing on in raw emotion.

“Fine, what is it that you want?”

“To be by Medaka’s side.”

“What are you willing to pay for that?”

“What do you mean.”

Yasuke took a deep breath. His bed head hair fell even further over his tired looking eyes, as he stared up at someplace else. “What if in your fight with Medaka, what you were risking wasn’t just yourself. You were also risking your friends, the people around you, even complete strangers. If you were risking the whole rest of the world, just to be by Medaka’s side again would you still try for it?”

“I…” For a moment he wondered what a world without Medaka would be like. A world where she rejected him forever, a world where no matter how much he ran after her he would never catch up. The current Zenkichi was somebody who had spent nearly every day of his life with Medaka by his side, he was defined by her entirely, even if the same was not true for her. Maybe that was why he wanted so badly to be important to her, because without her the current Zenkichi would cease to exist. Which meant his situation was currently perilous as at any moment Medaka could simply forget about him and leave, whereas Zenkichi depended entirely on her. “If that was the risk I would just have to bear it.”

“No you wouldn’t. Having the weight of the world on your shoulders sounds well and good, but everybody breaks under that responsibility. Even Kurokami-san is breaking apart under it now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Helping every human being sounds well and good, but you know, isn’t it a little bit tedious? Like, there are a whole lot of human beings, and even if she helps say a billion of them. She’ll still be completely unsatisfied.”

“She doesn’t do that for personal satisfaction though!”

“Of course she does. She’s just a human being after all. Aren’t you trying to argue that right now, aren’t you trying to prove she’s human that’s the reason you’re fighting against her. So, trying to help all of those people she’ll notice suddenly… her tedious task… has gotten boring. She sees nothing about all those people she’s trying to help, condescending bitch.”

“Hey, that’s not nice language.”

“Condescending asshole.”

“Okay, that’s a little better.”

“Anyway, haven’t you noticed she’s acting different lately? Being everybody’s hero doesn’t interest her the same way it used to. She’s getting bored of it and she doesn’t know what else to do, so she’s seeking cheap thrills like some kind of mindless adrenaline junkie. That’s why she was laughing so much, and smiling like she had a good time in your fight. She’s learning that fighting isn’t boring to her. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Yeah, but Medaka-chan would never hurt others. She only fights to protect, she’ll even fight to protect her enemies.”

“In that case she’s still fighting though. Fighting involves hurting others, it’s inevitable. God, are you so brainless you can’t even understand a simple cause and effect series of events. If I were to punch you in the face, it would still hurt, dipshit, whether I did it for heroic reasons for not.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Protecting others is just the justification she gives for getting into more fights. However, eventually, as she gets used to it, law of diminishing returns and all, she’ll just let the justification slide. That was why she beat up you, her best friend since you were two years old for doing something so simple as disagreeing with you. It really wasn’t about your allegiance, or siding with Ajimu, she just wanted to make an enemy out of her best friend, and beat him into submission because it would be more fun for her that way.”

“No…”

“She’s so far above others that all she cares about is satisfying herself. That’s the kind of person she is. Her choice to try to help people in the course of that self satisfaction is arbitrary, she could have chosen only to hurt people for the exact same reasons.”

Suddenly, Zenkichi moved forward and grabbed Yasuke by his own loose tie. His shirt wrinkled further as he was pulled back by the other’s grip. He was a sharp tongued brainiac, but those qualities were not really the best to have in a fight. “I know I’m disagreeing with Medaka-chan too, but I’m not going to let you make her out to be some villain.”

“See. You haven’t changed at all. You’re still just trying to defend her in your own way. You’re still trying not to lose her, even if it’s just that image of Medaka-chan you carry in your heart.”

“You smug self assured prick.”

“How did you know my nickname in elementary school? This is uncanny.”

“Quit lecturing me. Just tell me what you want to say directly and I’ll try to understand you okay.” Zenkichi’s fingers lessened on his neck tie. Despite coming from a fighting manga, despite always training his muscles, he really was the type to want to talk things out instead.

“All that time you spent with Kurokami-san doesn’t mean the same thing to her, as it did to you. That’s why she was able to throw it away so easily. Kurokami Medaka never even existed. Happiness with her never existed. A future with her never existed. Hope never existed. ”

“I know. I already accepted that I’m not special to Medaka-chan the way she is to me, that’s why even if everything so far was just a lie, or my own delusion I want to change things. I can go on and work to become an important person to Medaka-chan.”

“Nobody responds well to having the weight of the world on their shoulders. There’s no heroic response to that kind of pressure, you’ll only break further and further until you fall.”

“No, I’m going to bear it. I’m going to work hard again so I can be by Medaka’s side and I’ll defeat her!”

“No, you won’t. It’ll all go wrong. You’re not good enough. You’re a failure. THere’s no way you could have beaten a girl like her. There was no path you could have succeeded to begin with. Everything was already set from the start. You’re all talk about protecting her. She’s totally beyond saving. No one can rescue you from her either. You’ll just keep acting more rash, and more reckless, and as you keep doing those things, the number of corpses will pile up around you. That… is your future.”

The catharsis filling Yasuek’s body was pitch-black, mean, ugly as possible. At each word that fell from his mouth, the always optimistic, always friendly, always willing to work for others Zenkcihi winced in obvious pain written across his face. The pain on her face let Yasuke see in somebody else for the first time, the horrible, contemptible feelings he was carrying inside herself. At that moment, somebody else was forced to see his suffering, he took a morbid joy in the fact that somebody so brimming with hope could not ignore his ptich black despair.

The kind of joy when watching ink drop onto clean paper, and slowly spreading out it’s stain. He’d rejected Zenkichi’s determination laughed in the face of his resolved, shown him what the face of his own completely doomed path would look like.

Zenkichi lost all the control he had a moment ago. 

He swung forward hard, knocking his forehead against Yasuke's. A resounding crack sounded through the empty hallway Yasuke only stumbled a few steps back grabbing his face. He did not even look particularly hurt or offended, he just continued to stare at Zenkichi with his eyes. Tired eyes that had already seen the absolute worst, the end of his world.

Zenkichi regretted hitting him the moment after he swung. He had acted without thinking again, trying to make Yasuke stop talking. Even if he said terrible things, it was clear this person suffered a lot in his own way. “Please… please stop making that face like you’re about to cry… it hurts just looking at it. Just why are you in so much pain, man?”

Yasuke froze at this accusation. Zenkichi’s eyes remained unclouded, untired. Captivated by what remained still in his eyes, he watched his own face reflected back in them. Only then did he realize the twisted smile that came over him at the thought of Zenkichi becoming as hopeless as he was.

Yasuke wiped his lips. Before he could say anything else, suddenly he noticed another presence near him. He looked out of the corner of his eyes to see a pair of red eyes emerging from the shadows.

“Matsuda, Hitoyoshi is a person you know, not another living dummy for you to project onto.” His voice was clear and cutting, but Kamakura spoke entirely without emotion as usual. He probably did not even mean to insult, it was just an objective observation on his part.

“You think I don’t know that…” Yasuke said as he smeared pink onto his dirty sleeve, then looked away because he did not care about staining his shirt. “Kamakura…” Yasuke made the same unreadable face he always did when he looked at the byproduct of all of his hard work in the Kamakura project.

Kamakura realized it must have been awkward as neither of them had seen each other for quite a long time. “I need to talk to you tomorrow.”

“Can’t we do it right here? Hitoyoshi-kun is too stupid to understand what we’re even talking about.”

“Hey!” Zenkichi protested in the background, ignored by both of them. He really did not feel like a main character right now, despite being told he was on his way to becoming one.

Kamakura shook his head. “It’s important. I need you to explain to me, about the rabbit hole, and about that island that’s like paradise again.”

Yasuke immediately remembered their conversation long ago, about the Jabberwock project, and another experiment he had participated in in order to gain influence in Hope’s Peak High School along with the likes of Fujisaki Chihiro. For a moment he wondered if something altruistic was going to be born out of Kamakura’s sudden curiosity in that paradise. It did not last long, as he knew better than to hold out for hope.  “Fine. I owe you that much at least.”

“Then I’m done here. Continue your pointless conversation.” Kamakura turned and walked away, his hair sweeping behind him as he did.

“Is that guy always like that?” Zenkichi asked looking back to Matsuda.

“More or less.” Yasuke said without looking at him. His eyes fixed still on Izuru’s silhouette.

“I see. He seems like a lot.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kamakura waited until the end of the next day. It was because of that he was awake in his room and heard the disturbances within the old school building, and then because of that something interesting happened.

A person caliming to be a servant of Enoshima Junko asked him to meet up with her. As far as he knew though Junko was still hospitalized. Either she was enacting one of her far reaching schemes or somebody else was moving using her name.

He debated the two possibilities wondering which one of them would be more interesting idly, as he went to meet up with Yasuke in his old playroom in the biology lab. The walls were still white, and the toys and books were still left on the floor. Perhaps they wanted to preserve the room as best as they could for the sake of replicating results later.

The reason was not that interesting though, so instead he turned his attention to the aloof neurologist who was waiting for him. Yasuke leaned against the wall, one arm crossed over him and the other gripping a manga magazine that he pretended to be reading while he waited.

“So? What do you want? Get straight to the point too, by tolerance for the broody passive aggressive shit is extremely low today.”

“I have a question about memory.”

“You’re the ultimate neurologist too aren’t you? Why are you asking me? Did you pick up the skills of the ultimate lazy asshole recently?”

“No.” Kamakura could tell that Yasuke’s verbal tongue lashings were just him trying to distance himself from the current situation, and possibly from his own guilt. “I already have a theory but I want to confirm it with one other before trying it, because I’d be putting myself at risk once I went ahead.”

“Tch. Fine. What is your theory.”

“Is it possible that you could reset someone simply by uploading only a portion for their memories? Like, loading a last save file version of their person up and overwriting their current personality.”

“In theory yes, but the results aren’t so neat. If you do it in somebody’s body directly, things survive outside of memory. I don’t think you can erase them entirely, familiar habits will remain, familiar feelings, things we don’t understand in memory yet.”

“So, the problem lies within a person’s body then. Say you could upload a person into a recreation of their body from two years ago to exact detail, then would they be like loading a save file from two years ago?”

“I suppose so…That begs the question though.”

“Would they remain as that same person, or would it just be a recreation, an alter ego that happens to share the same memories.” Kamakura already spoke up. He had been thinking about this topic for a long time, as a plan B ever since he first walked away from Junko on that rooftop.

The intervention of Kumagawa Misogi had been what delayed him from taking the first steps to employ that plan.

“You’re talking about that therapy program I helped design, aren’t you? The one that runs kind of like a game, that’s why you’re using game talk right now.” Yasuke remembered his work on that game, and it’s original intended purpose, and then he jumped to a conclusion all on his own. “This is too… you’re talking about your own past self.”

It went exactly as Kamakura predicted. He knew Yasuke felt guilt for participating in the project that erase him, for being the one to hold the knife. He knew that also if he implied that his intention was just to restore his past self or find a way to bring his memories back to fix his currently incomplete self, then Yasuke would immediately jump to the conclusion that would soothe his guilt.

“...” Kamakura played along with Yasuke’s scenario, looking away as if to hide his own fear at the prospect of restoring himself. In reality he had no such intention. After all it took all of his effort to tread water. He did not want to improve, he did not want to be fixed, he wanted to stay the person he was, the identity he had built for himself after all this time with absolutely nothing to work with.

He would not let all of that effort go to waste, just to restore some foolish past version of himself who signed away his body in the first place. His existence was Kamakura Izuru, he would feel things as Kamakura Izuru, or he would feel nothing at all.

“Fine, if that’s what you’re using it for then I’ll help. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Yasuke put his manga volume down finally and looked at him directly for the first time in awhile. It was a strange thing, to appear reflected in the eyes of another.

“Thank you…” Kamakura muttered, that too was just an act he was putting on to manipulate the other.

“On one condition though. I want to use you one last time.”

“What?” He did not expect this part. He decided to play along on the slim hope that it might lead to something interesting.

“Kurokami Medaka. Defeat her before she even has the chance to fight against Hitoyoshi. End this doomed conflict before it even begins.”

Kamakura tilted his head. He realized something just now. “You’re quite soft, aren’t you Yasuke? Even though you act like quite the prickly hedgehog.”

“I suppose if that’s what those eyes of yours tell you then that must be true, but don’t look at me like that. I hate when people use that analysis ability on me.” Yasuke said, bringing the manga volume in front of his face again. That was because Yasuke wanted to hide his emotions more than anyone else. He did not want to cry in front of others ever again.

Yet, at the same time he immediately imprinted on HItoyoshi Zenkichi and wanted to help him, just because Zenkichi had sympathized with the Yasuke who was holding back tears. Oh well, Kamakura did not want to think too much of it, Yasuke was just finding another cage after the cage named Enoshima Junko broke him. He just wanted something to tie himself down to again, all of that talk about having learned, and freedom, that was just some pretense, an act, as long as the cage remained.

“Besides the only person who should be looking at Enoshima Junko-chan’s chilhood friend with eyes filled with lust, is Enoshima Junko-chan herself!” A voice declared boldly, as a pair of red and black boots appeared in the doorway, along with a girl who revealed herself with her next step. She stood confidently with both her hands on her hips.

Kamakura Izuru and Matsuda Yasuke who were both well experienced in dealing with Enoshima Junko, reacted the exact same way. They both suddenly stared at her and muttered…

“You’re not..”
“Enoshima Junko.”

Yasuke walked right up to her, glaring harshly. “Anybody who knew Enoshima Junko well would be able to tell her apart from an imitator in an instant. There’s no way you’re her, who is it behind all that makeup? Mukuro?”

“Awe! Even if I’m not the real deal, who’s to say I couldn’t be just as much Junko as the original Junko is! Isn’t Enoshima Junko-chan more like a state of mind! Aren’t we all Enoshima Junko-chan in a way?”

“No.”
“Definitely not.”

“Awe! What’s all this? Don’t tell me you two are rejecting me? Hang on, what will you do if you hurt my feelings?”

“It’s fine, just go away. I don’t need to deal with this.” Yasuke said, as he turned around and brushed his bed headed mop back by running his fingers through it to calm his anxiety.

“Enoshima Junko-chan is like a trend. You know, the same way despair is a trend, she’s really hip with the young kids these days. I’m sure a lot of people want to dress up and act just like her. Didn’t you say so, Kamakura-senpai? Despair, Trends, Memes, it’s all the same.”

“We live and die by the meme.” Kamakura said, before covering a face with his hand to. “Please don’t remind me I said that, it’s a little bit embarrasing wait… how could you know? Are you really Mukuro she was the only other person there at the time.”

At this, Junko tilted her head back and forth, shaking her big tails as she did. “I’m! Not! Telling!” She brought a ssshing finger to her painted lips as a sign that she would keep her secrets. “Kamakura-senpai, I was going to ask if I could get your help in bringing back Enoshima Junko-chan, but it seems like you’ve got your own project in mind. I guess I could try to find out more about it, but won’t something interesting happen if we have all these plans going on at once and they run up against each other and explode.”

“...”

“You know like bang! Bang! Say it, bang!”

“Bang…”

“Yaaaaaay! I’m so glad you brought my precious Matsuda-kun here though, because I had something to say to him too.”

“Go away.” Matsuda leaned agaisnt the wall not even looking at her. The reminder of the person who had stabbed him, and stomped him to death, the person he had hidden behind Ajimu Najimi to avoid all this time.

“Hey come on, I have a really good idea for you? DO you wanna know it? If you figure it out - your mind will be blown.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Hey, Mastuda-Kun aren’t you just staying inside your own little world again? There was the little world you had with Ryoko-chan, and then there was the one you had when you just sat in that hospital room consumed by your own grief, and now you’re just hiding behind Ajimu. Has anything changed in any of those situations?”

“I said don’t use that analysis on-!” Matsuda froze for a moment, looking at the red eyes that were staring at him, not pale blue like Junko’s usually looked like when she was wearing contacts.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! He wants to know after all. Matsuda-kun hates when I stare at him, but he’s licking all over my body with those eyes of his right now, trying to find the answer!”

“No, I don’t care. I have nothing to do with Enoshima Junko anymore. You’re wrong, I’ve changed.”

“Huh? But aren’t you trying to avoid Enoshima Junko-chan? Aren’t you trying to escape Ensohima Junko-chan?  Aren’t you just basing your whole life around the absence of Ensohima Junko-chan? That’s the same! It seems like that to me. Matsuda Yasuke doesn’t exist, without Enoshima Junko to build his identity around.”

At that moment, Yasuke complained aloud. “Somebody bring Komaeda here please. I need a meteorite or something to hit this girl on the head.”

“That’s very insensitive to Komaeda-senpai’s character backstory you know.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Well, even if you wanted to it’s not like you could escape her. It doesn’t matter if you want to or not, it all depends on what Enoshima Junko-chan decides. That’s why the very idea of running away from Enoshima Junko-chan is just idiotic. Since everything in this world belongs perfectly to Ensohima Junko-chan. This man in a hat, that girl in glasses, anyone and everyone on this planet were just born and given accomodation on Enoshima Junko-chan’s world. To be friend, “What’s yours is mine” and “You are mine”... This whole world is just a plaything for Enoshiam Junko-chan!”

“Not interested. If that’s the case then I’ll just go to space. Later bitches.”

“You’re always so stingy!  Anyway, all that ranting aside I don’t think you’re running away from Enoshima Junko-chan at a ll. You keep saying you’ve left her behind but isn’t it more like she’s left you behind?”

“What?” He said again, this time the annoyance in his brow more pronounced as he twitched with barely held back emotion.

“Enoshima Junko-chan’s world is just full of despair isn’t it. For example, you, you spent your entire life slaving away trying to make her safe and happy. Yet, you never got to fulfill your own wishes, a failure like you.”

“...”

“You gave it your absolute all, but you couldn’t protect Junko, nor could you destroy her. But then just one person, the wreckage known as Kumagawa Misogi showed up and pop! He stopped Junko-chan, he protected her, he made her smile in all the ways you can’t.”

“...”

“You really must have been worthless to her from the start if she could replace you that easily, and with reserve course trash like that. Your relationship which you spent your entire life developing, is being replaced with some guy she only knew for a few months.”

“Shut up…”

“That’s why you’re pretending to run away from her. That’s why you’re acting like you know better, because you don’t want to admit how easily you’ve been replaced. It’s not fun at all right, being in the audience to Kumagawa MIsogi and Enoshima Junko-chan’s romantic love comedy.”

“I said shut up, Mukuro!”

“Hey, hey do you want to be important to her again? You should know that girl doesn’t care about anything but despair. All you need to do, is take away what matters to her most right now. It’s like Zenkichi and Medaka, if you defeat her, and kill that boy in front of her you’ll win for sure.”

Yasuke’s face darkened entirely. His hair fell over it, and he shrunk away from everybody else in the room. He wanted some place to escape to, some place where he could hide his emotions further. The person he had trusted his emotinos to, never existed in the first plae though. He choked out his response.. “Kumagawa Misogi… has nothing… to do with this.”

“Hmmm? Don’t you think the same, Kamakura-senpai? Wouldn’t Enoshima Junko-chan be way more interesting if Kumagawa wasn’t around anymore. What if he stayed around and she became boring? That’s completely unacceptable.”

Kamakura grit his teeth as well. “I don’t think anything at all about that person.”

“Well then, byyyyeee byyyyyeee! I’ll see you again when Enoshima Junko-chan makes her debut. Since you two are her biggest fans after all.” With that Ensohima Junko left the room as suddenly as she had come in.

However both boys stayed in silence for a long time afterwards. As if something had been stolen out of each of them.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Ah! You showed up!” Chiaki said as Kamakura appeared in front of her. Silently, he sat back down on a park bench next to her, staring forward without acknowledging her. Chiaki did not mind because she hated making eye contact anyway.

“......I said I would.” He finally said after a long time, and Chiaki already had her gaming consoles pulled out of her back pack.

The kind of multi player game she played this time was easy to beat her in. For him these kinds of games were just a slightly more complex version of the puzzles he always used to solve back in the day. He simply needed to work out the solution and apply it. Things had always been that easy for him.

“Awe. I lost again.”

“You said awe, but you don’t look particularly frustrated.”

“Well, I had fun because you were here!”

“Even though I exist only to make the hard work you put into your talent worthless?”

“Huh? Well I guess that’d be frustrating, but you kept your promise to me and showed up today and played with me. Besides, just because I lost once doesn’t mean I don’t have the rest of my life to keep trying.”

“....” He closed his red eyes for a moment.

He remembered it quite clearly, even if paradoxically it never happened. A grl with many holes torn into her, lying limp on the floor, only one of her eyes opened. Even with pink splattered everywhere, she still stirred, and shook the puddle of her own blood.

He walked over out of idle curiousity for how somebody could live that long. Red eyes stood over her, looking down at her the same way he had looked down at the survivor of the student council killing game.

She opened one eye and looked directly at him.  “ 『Redacted』... please… you’re still in there aren’t you?”

“Was that my name? Is that who’s body this use to be?” He asked, curious if only because his teachers had kept those details from him for some reason. He thought it was a pointless endeavor. There was no way he would wish to go back after building all of this for himself.

“You really… you really don’t remember anything?” Her body trembled with an emotion that he could not begin to sympathize with or even understand. When he saw her empty hand twitching, he had no urge at all to reach out for it. That’s not what his hands were for. “Not even that we used to be... “

“I’m afraid not. All vestiges of the former idnetity have been erased to make way for me.”

“SUre maybe so, but anything’s possible for you. If you dig deep enough… Come on. You can do it. I know… I know you can…”

He wondered how she could have so much faith in the person who watched her die and did nothing. The person who was only looking at her right now, to try to selfishly feel something for himself with her death.

She tried to pull herself out of the pool of her own blood, but as her body shook with pain, and her muscles gave their dying spasms, she only really succeeded in smearing it further across the ground when she collapsed once more.

He did not even move to help her out. He wanted to witness this miserable scene that Enoshima Junko prepared for him until the end, to see what he would gain from it.

“Oh god… this is it… I wanted to help you I really did… I’m sorry… I…”

“WIth death so close at hand you’d still dedicate yourself to helping others?”

“That’s what I do. My classmates are my life. I… I love them all. No. I’m not, I’m not ready to go, I… I have so much left to do and I thought there’d be enough time, my classmates, I need someone to stand up and protect them.” Tears streamed from her face, as well as blood, they mixed in and diluted each other making a disgusting mess of what was soon to be her corpse.

“One more game, one more round… we… we had so much fun…right…” She reached that hand out, and grasped at empty air. It seemed ultimately her hand was for nothing as well.  Her head collapsed in a pool of her own blood, and her body became as still as his.

This is.
He stepped forward with slow footsteps, and picked the hairpin off the ground.
This is.
This is.
This is.
This is.
This is.

Tears streamed down the side of his face. Apparently, he could still feel pain after all, he had not become dull like he thought.

This is great.

That one moment of emotion was all he needed to hold onto. However, that moment was made to never exist. Chiaki’s request that somebody save her classmates was fulfilled not by him, but by Kumagawa Misogi.

Kumagawa Misogi that. Idiot. Worthless. Loser. No talent. That empty person just like him, that inferior person just like him, yet somehow he reached out to others so easily.

He found self worth in himself even though there was nothing inside of him, nothing of value, even though he did nothing, accomplished nothing. He was able to walk easily among the talented with his head held high still. He even thought there was a place for him at Enoshima Junko’s side.

Kamakura wondered if the fake Junko’s words were aimed at Yasuke or him, perhaps it applied to both of them.

The Enoshima Junko that he knew, never would have allowed an existence like Kumagawa Misogi, a presumptuous nobody, with terrible specs, a piece of worthless reserve course trash, to stay by her side.

Kamakura’s anger became so apparent, that Chiaki spoke up, breaking him free from his thoughts. “Umm… are you okay? Did I say something? You can just talk about it if you want.”

“You say you can keep trying as long as you’re alive. What if you died though.”

“Hmmm, but I already died.” Chiaki said with a tilt of her head.

Kamkura’s red eyes widened at this unexpected twist. He stared at her, hoping to see something interesting from her reaction.

“I didn’t save all my classmates, I thought I was really dead, I got dragged through a horrible dungeon and killed by a final trap. It was game over. Even when I woke up still alive I didn’t even want to get out of bed. I laid in there for weeks knowing I’d failed my classmates, and the outside world wasn’t even worth going to anymore.”

“So… why are you walking about now?”

“Uhh… well… aren’t things better now? I don’t know who it is, but somebody listened to my request and saved my classmates for me! I don’t really know how, but in real life somehow I got an extra life. For a moment I thought smiling in despair in the name of hope was worthless, but… hope won in the end!”

She had no idea at all. Yet, she was able to continue hoping. Kamakura realized in that moment, hope must have just been her response to everything. She really did cling to it the same way Enoshima Junko did despair.

Yet, when he heard about her hope this time. When he saw the misery in Chiaki’s face as she recalled her own death.

This is.
This is.
This is.
This is.
This is.
This is.

Boring.

I don’t feel anything from it.
I don’t feel anything from Chiaki’s pain.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
Why isn’t it working this time?
Is it because of what Kumagawa Misogi erased?
Is it because I’m not as close to her?
Is it because I forgot my past memories?

He thought about it hard, but he could only come to one conclusion. He remembered the words of a boy with white hair that went in every direction. Hope shined the brightest when it faced off with despair.

Chiaki and Komaeda were the two hopes of class 77-B. They both believed in hope the strongest, as an absolute, they both thought hope would always win in the end. They were the same in a way… they were both deranged like that.

“Nevermind what I said earlier, I want to see you again.” Kamakura said, with a face that hid his true intentions.

“Oh, I’m glad! It’s almost like we’ve really become friends. I hope I didn’t make you sad just now.”

“I… what you said reminded me of a friend that I lost recently too. This girl she appeared from nothing and from nowhere. To my surprise, she was the same kind of person as me, and she had the same red eyes, at first sight I realized I wasn’t a solitary existence in this world.  That’s right, until I met her, I was all alone in the world, there was nobody with whom to share the scenery before my eyes. But… everybody else in the academy, they were crying out for me to become their hope. I had talent and vision that I could lend to them to show them the right path, but that pedestal was what made me alone until I met her. Meeting her saddened me, because the moment I saw her - I knew we wanted different things. Yes, I lost her. She went somewhere without me - the only other person who could see the same scenery.”

“I see… I hope you can find your friend again.”

At this, Kamakura’s lip twitched and the upper corners of his mouth formed into what could be mistaken for a small smirk if you squinted at it. “That’s okay, I know exactly how to find her, and exactly where to go looking for her.” He said, as he thought of an island so far away from the rest of the world that some called it a paradise.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Kurokami-san, I… don’t want to support you even if your family is the only one that could be called an equal to mine.” Togami said as he stood alone with her in the room that used to be the student council room, before Zenkichi and Medaka’s fight had broken almost everything in it, most of the suraces being broken by colliding with Zenkichi’s face.

Medaka wearing a maid outfit, had gone out of her way to sweep it up. “I thought you wanted to be on the side that always won, that you wanted to be with your betters, Togami-senpai.”

Togami stood resolute in front of her. “It’s true, but that’s exactly why I can’t stand with you. I don’t want to win with you, I want to win against you. I respect your family, but the Togami name is the only one that Japan needs to rely on.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Even if this conflict is being manipulated by Ajimu… everybody else is finding their own reasons to fight… that’s why I want to find my own too. I don’t want to lose to a loser like Zenkichi finally deciding to live his own life, and standing up on his own two feet for the first time after clinging to you for so long..”

“I see I see!” At this Kurokami Medaka smiled. “I see , Zekichi was pushed by Ajimu Najimi to attack me.”

You didn’t realize that… Togami thought. “If this seems like I’m not grateful, I will certainly one day pay you back in cash if…”

Suddenly, before he could say anything else, Medaka wrapped her arms around him. “Good job, you’re finally starting to think about yourself, and not just the Togami name. That’s why I’d love to have you as a business rival one day rather than a friend.”

“....” Why is she touching me? Togami really did not understand the Kurokamis, even if they were his equal in business and influence.

“You’re not just an heir, you’re not somebody’s child either anymore. You’re a man, so walk with your head held high.” A moment later, she punched him hard in the shoulder.

Ow! That’s going to be sore for days! Togami thought, without letting it show on his chest. He simply nodded at her, and went back to look at Toko who was still waiting in the door. I’m sure the two of them will have an extended scene together to explain the rest of what they were doing here.

However, for now he merely looked at her.

“Ehhh? What’s with that funny face you’re making? I’ve never seen master make such a face, and I’m the expert on all of master’s cold and sexy gazes.”

“Not now Toko, I’m thinking. I never expected somebody like Kurokami-san to say something like that. I thought she was the kind of foolish optimist who made friends with everybody, and was kind to everybody like Makoto.”

After the door swung shut behind them, Medaka took a break for a moment and settled in the president’s chair which was the only piece of furniture left in tact in the office. “Fufu, it’s finally happened. The student council has finally returned to how I like it. I need to thank Ajimu Najimi for this.” She felt something off about the atmosphere around her, and glanced all around the empty room, for the first time noticing how empty it was. “Hm. Now that I think about it, it’s been awhile since I’ve been all by myself. Ever since I was two, Zenkichi has been on my side, but before that, I had a brother and sister. This is the first time I’m truly alone..”

She remembered the scene against Unzen, when she almost lost her mind with anger. At that moment she really was prepared to kill another human being in order to vent those feelings in her heart, to prevent them from ever hurting her friends again.

We won’t let you be alone ever again. After saying that, Zenkichi betrayed her, Akune and Mogana were too injured and could not longer continue their duties, and both Kumagawa, Toko and Togami had left of their own free will. 

“Hmph. I’ve heard things about it, but… being alone is more…” She crossed her arms over her chest as she trailed off thoughtfully.

Kamakura Izuru appeared behind her, resting his arms on the head of the chair. “More fun than you expected, right? That was a beautiful farewell scene. I’m sorry but I don’t really understand you after all this time, what are they to you?”

“You’re quite impressive Kamakura-senpai, I’ve sat on chairs quite a number of times but no one’s ever snuck up on me from the back so easily like this.”

“I’m sorry but I don’t really like looking at other people, they become far too predictable to me the closer I get.”

“GO away, I”m in a good mood right now. A feeling I haven’t felt ouside of a fight in quite some time.”

“Yeah, yeah, I understand what you’re saying. You’ve gotten pretty bored with everything, right?”

At this accusation, Medaka quickly brought her shoe up in a high arc aiming it directly at his face. It moved so fast that he could not even track it without analysis, which he was still forbidden to use in ront of her, less she copy it and beome even more like Enoshima Junko. “If people are so predictable to you, then just keep your head looking at the ceiling from now on.”

Kamakura bit down hard on her shoe, rather than attempt to dodge the blow. He stopped it in motion, then looked down at her, his red eyes feral. Are fights fun for you? I want to feel something then. Break apart for me. Show me hope or despair I don’t care just make me feel something. “Being alone is the best! If you say that, I’d be really happy. That means you’ll have become just like Enoshima Junko.”

“I’ve never seen a person willingly put a shoe in their mouth. You’ve got my attention. I had fun the last time I fought you, let’s see what you can do, Kamakura Izuru.”

With that, she kicked him a second time right in the mouth bringing both of her legs up. Kamakura bit forward again, completely feral at this point. He wanted to let go. He did not want to use the things called talents to fight, just fight the same way she had when she fought Kumagawa Misogi head on head.

Even with all her talents stripped away, she managed to fight him off. He watched that fight from a distance with his red eyes, puzzled at how Kurkokami Medaka could feel such things.

He spat out the shoes he had bitten at, as Medaka crushed the chair and jumped back. As she landed in her socks, she tilted hher head. “I didn’t think you liked shoes that much…”

“What? No… that’s not… I don’t think about those kinds of-”

As Kamakura was flustered, Kurokami Medaka punched him square in the jaw sending him back. This time however, unlike the last time he was able to take her hit. He had learned how to since then.

He dug in his heels and only moved a few centimeters back across the floor, before straightening up once more, and slipping away from her blow. One of his eyes glowed as he tried to see the world through Medaka’s eyes.

He saw.
Several human beings below her.
They all looked like ants.
From the view on her pedestal.

“I don’t understand at all, how you’re able to smile like that while you’re looking down at others, but I’m going to win this time.”

At this, Kurokami Medaka smiled again. “Okay.”

The next moment Kurokami Medaka was thrown through the window to the student council room. She fell through the air for a moment, before her acrobatic skill kicked in and she was able to spin her body around enitrley and land.

Kamakura jumped after her not even giving her a moment after she landed. He swung down hard with one of his feet. Medaka jumped back just in time with the reflex abnormality, adjusted to 120% allowing her to dodge.

The place concerete where Kamakura’s kick landed immediately shattered. Kamakura used the talent of the 『Ultimate Spy』to disappear from Medaka’s line of sight. The next moment he was behind her, and he struck hard with a sneak attack aimed at her back, the same kind of hit he used to take Ikusaba Mukuro down in one blow.

She threw her arm around his outstretched hands, and used her Judo skills copied from the likes of Nabeshima and Akune to throw him over her shoulder. However, Kamakura had used the skills of the 『Ultimate Martial Artist』and the『Ultimate Judeau Specialist』in order to escape from her fling.

Medaka went after him as he rolled on the ground and then immediately from his somersault again stood up with the talent of  the『Ultimate Gymnast』. He handsprung backwards, watching Medaka as she chased after him.

This time he had no goal in mind except to win. He landed, his shoes digging into the grass, as Medaka landed as well crouched down ready to spring up again. Kamakura looked at her with red eyes. “Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

She rushed forward at him, not even stopping to talk this time. Her entire face was taken up by the battle happy smile she wore. Kamakura felt nevy for the first time in his life. He had no idea how she could feel this way, even fighting to him, was just tedious and easy.

Maybe.
If he pushed it further.

As she charged at him, he stepped aside and then used the skills of the 『Ultimate Assassin』and pushed a hand straight through her chest. He saw his own hand exit through her back and lifted her up in the air. “Kurokami. My hands are drenched it your blood, as they slowly reach your heart. I should feel warm. I should be having fun just like you or Junko… so why am I not having fun?”

Kurokami Medaka merely gritted her teeth to deal with the pain of being pierced through like this. “Maybe, the reason why is because you don’t actually enjoy hurting others.”

“I don’t get it. Even though you’re bored just like us, you’re still so sincere. You possess such sentimentality. Enoshima Junko. Kamakura Izuru, Kurokami Medaka, how is it of the three of us, only you can stay straight and true.. Only you still have friends?”

Medaka coughed up blood from the impact. Before answering him, she grabbed his own arm and yanked herself off of him opening the wound even further. THe moment she landed on the ground she stood up again.

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You’re about to throw away all of those friends anyway. So, it’s logically better for you to die right here.” He shook her pink blood off his arm, and then took a proper fighting stance this time. He looked exactly like Sakura Ogami as he posed, but he also could call on the talents of Ikusaba Mukuro, the bloodthirsty girl only good at killing. “Come on, die and make me feel alive. Kurokami.”

“Hmmm? I guess I can help you with that. I was born to help others after all. That being said I have no intention of dying. You’re not going to get me angry like last time, I admit, I went too far, I need to repent. That’s why this time I’m going to keep my calm. You’re at a disadvantage anyway because you can’t use that analysis of yours.”  She forced herself on all fours, and took a stance like a runner that was about to take off for a race.

“...” Kamakura Izuru perpared himself.

“If you’re holding back then it’s enough that I can win, I’ll figure out the rest later.”

“Don’t hurt me too much,” He said in a voice that almost expressed sarcasm.

“Very well!” Kurokami disappeared from Kamakura’s sight, and then in an instant she already slammed into him before he could even process her movement and come up with a counter strategy. He did not even wish it really, he just wanted to fight like this, to be wounded, to be taken off guard, to feel pain, to feel something.

Kurokami Open Blow!

Her open palm slammed straight into his stomach.

He flew backwards.

The moment he collided with the wall, he looked and saw a rib jutting out of his suit, tearing a hole in it, and staining the black fabric a dark pink. He stood up easily on his two feet and watched her move once more. This time when she tried the same blow he dodged out fo the way with desperation. “I get it… if you fight for your life, then you fight for real.”

He started to understand a little what the student council was feeling as they all killed each other. He understood why Chiaki was able to still reach out even with holes in her body. So far he had been so untouchable he did not even consider himself ever existing in the same  position.

This time he was the one chasing after her. He aimed a flurry of blows, the same way Sakura Ogami would, with the exact same strength. He watched Kurokami switch to the defensive once more, injured just like he was to dodge them.

He aimed a low sweeping kick, and she jumped into the air easily. He tried to hit her while she was in the air, and she twisted her body around like an acrobat to dodge him. Whatever skill he had, she could copy it if he demonstrated it once, and the same for her.

The two of them chased each other up the tower the exact same way that Kumagawa and Medaka had in their fight. “Kamakura, I think you’re a bit arrogant…” Medaka said finally as she stood at the top of the academy’s highest tower.

“Why?”

“Well you know, pride comes before the fall.”

The same move to finish Kumagawa Misogi. Kamakura braced himself for it, as she appeared suddenly underneath him and then kicked him up in the air, only to appear above him suddenly with the Kurokami Phantom and aim a kick downward. “Survive this blow, alright?”

“Mmm….”

She slammed down her foot the hardest she could, and Kamakura crashed into the academy ceiling, with the combined blows of gravity and Medaka’s weight holding him down.

However, once he stood up again he would be able to show her that nothing she did could overcome him.

They were equals in every way…

They were…

His body refused to move.

He was…

He was too injured to continue?

No, Kumagawa Misogi stood up just fine after taking a blow like that.

However, what Kamakura Izuru had forgotten was that Kumagawa had taken hits like that his entire life. However, he had lived a normal life up until the moment he became Kamakura, and for that year he was almost completely untouched.

He had never been injured in such a way. He was never forced to learn to stand up after receiving a devastating blow, to shake it off, to overcome it with great willpower. As he struggled to move even a finger Kurokami Medaka landed and stood over him.

“Huh… I don’t get it… Did I really lose? Ah no, I’ve lost all along haven’t I? My mother and my father. My original name. My whole world. My friends. I’ve lost all of them haven’t I? I thought if I lost… I might feel… but I can’t feel a thing about it. I can’t even mourn them.. I… I’m such an…” Before he could say idiot he bit down hard on his tongue. He would die before relinquishing the last part of his identity. 

Just then, the door burst open.

Maguro and Kujira shortly after him ran through it in a hurry. “Medaka-chan are you okay?!” However, all they saw was the torn up Medaka, standing over the much more torn up Kamakura.

She turned her head casually. “Ah, Kuji-nee. Aniki.”

“Ah… so you have siblings how interesting… I ended up like this because I don’t have anything like that.”

Medaka turned her head around to meet the eyes of her concerned brother. “Did something happen, Onii-sama, Onee-sama? Aren’t you Zenkichi’s allies now?”

Naze let a held breath out, tilting her bandaged head. “What it looks like she had another overwhelming victory. A perverted man’s gut is less reliable than I expected. You dragged me here in a hurry too after you saw her fighting.”

Maguro’s concern didn’t disappear. “Medaka-chan, why… it looks like you are injured but… are you okay?”

At this Medaka laughed. “Hahahaha! Nothing is really too bad off, Onii-sama! I have some broken bones and I’m bleeding internally but I’m sure it’ll be fixed after a day’s rest.”

“Aha… what the fuck…” Kamakura did not understand one thing about the illogical girl in rfont of her. “You should let Anshin’in-san know since you’ve come all the way here. This girl is stronger without any allies.”

Naze threw her hand out in annoyance. “Are you kidding me? Even now we are still doing what is best for her?”

“I don’t know what you two are planning, but observing from an outsider’s perspective i’ll say it anyway. Kurokami Medaka is the ultimate soloist. The plan Anshin’in-san used to trap Hitoyoshi, was the best possible method, but the cost was great. Anshin’in-san took away her all allies, and therefore her shackles. At the same time, she shackled Enoshima Junko to that useless boy. The tables are turning just as she expected."

At this, Kurokami Medaka broke into laughter. “Hahahaha! Don’t take his word seriously, onii-sama, onee-sama. You two should know best that without any friends Medaka can’t do anything. Maybe Medaka was a bit too rough on him. He probably doesn’t have everything straight after getting hurt.”

So she said, but her two siblings who perhaps understood her more than anything else in the world looked on at her with fear.

At this point it doesn’t seem like anyone can beat her.
What happened to that girl who beat her during the president’s match?
Did Ajimu really seal her away? We might need her at this point. 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko dreamed.

In her dream, she was sitting in a classroom listening to one of Monokuma’s lectures. She loved principal Monokuma, he was the cutest, most marketable, most franchise worthy bear educator to ever exist. She loved hearing his lectures, especially when he ranted and made jokes filled with pop cultural references and dirty humor. That was Monokuma’s specific, marketable style after all. Did she mention that a lot of people would probably buy his merchandise? Even if he was directly related to teenagers being killed? How despair inducing. She sat listening in the classroom while Monokuma taught. She usually didn’t listen to others but she would listen to Monokuma. He said a bunch of funny things, she didn’t remember but she was the one who wrote all those jokes so she was sure they were funny.

Then suddenly, his words, and the whole dream around her became crystal clear to her. All with one line uttered from Monokuma as he slammed a hand against the board. “Monokuma doesn’t exist.”

Her eyes widened and she listened closely as she was lectured.

“The Monokuma theater doesn’t exist. Everything is fiction. There’s no meaning whatsoever. THere’s no relationship whatsoever. Everything was made. Monokuma can’t be found anywhere. What are you doing here anyway?”

She could feel them.
A pair of red eyes were watching her.

Junko’s eyes shot open, and for the first time she could remember one of the dreams that Ajimu gave her. However, that memory filled her head with a painful jolt of emotion. WIthout even thinking, she dug her head into the chest of the boy who had been sleeping next to her in a black uniform. He stirred almost immediately to her touch, as he was so unused to being touched in such a soft way. His eyes looked unaware, confused, blearily searching around until they fixated on her, and finally he gave a soft smile. 

『...Hmmm?』

“Kumagawa-senpai, these three days sitting in a hospital room have been absolute hell.”

『Well I was having fun.』

“Ssssh, your standards of fun are absolutely hellish. I need you to do something for me, something so despair inducing I’ll forget everything else?”

『Y-yeah! I-I’m the one who wants to cast you into despair the most, Junko-chan.』

“Nice.” She said with a smile. “So, screw me real good.”

『..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................what』

She pinched him hard on the cheek for whatever he had been imagining right then. He was not allowed to imagine Junko’s lovely body without her permission after all. Not when her body belonged to her, and he also belonged to her as well.

“I mean use your bookmaker on me, idiot!”

Chapter 36: Junko’s No Good Very Bad Day That’s Not Actually That Tragic or Awful but May or May Not be Despair Inducing Depending on Your Definition (Kumagawa and Junko's Day Off)

Summary:

I can't believe that chapter title fit.

Notes:

References made to:
Monogatari (From the same author as Medaka Box), HItagi and Senjougahara from the first monogatari novel.
Noragami (Yato and Hiyori).
The song Kumagawa was singing was New Soul by Yael Nim, it got stuck in my head while writing this.

Rewinding the clock slightly, a month before the story began and a month after Kumagawa transferred into Hope’s Peak academy. Enoshima Junko was making a loud fuss as usual, but to be fair she had been napping a while in the body of Otanashi Ryoko and so this was a rather crude awakening.

“I’ve died apologising, so please forgive me~!” She once again returned to her own tone of voice. “A dead apology means nothing, since you’re already dead!”

While still majestically prodding him, she squished down his face.

Splatter.

A dull noise that sounded like crunching echoed around.

“Upupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupu!” As if she were a one man show, she erupted into obnoxious, loud laughter. But she soon grew tired of that, and returned quickly to her prime expression.

“Well then… looks like I’ll have to talk to my big sister about this. THough she’ll tell me off for asking her to clean up with mess.”

FIrst there’s that filthy corpse.
And I also need to clear up that warehouse.

“And, finally… get rid of that nuisance of a guy Otonashi Ryoko-chan loves so much.” She finished in a confident tone. As she remembered again she began laughing.

“Upupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupupu!!” She opened her arms towards the heavens dramatically and obnoxiously laughed. Her cruel, gruesome laughter sounded throughout the night.

There’s wasn’t any reason for it.

It wasn’t emotional or necessary either.

She’s “Super High School Level Despair” Enoshima Junko after all.

“Upupupupupupu-ACK!”

Just then, she was clubbed over the back of the head with a large metallic screw.

The boy holding the screw behind her watched her collapse in front of him.

There wasn’t any reason for it.

It wasn’t emotional or necessary either.

He was perfect minus, Kumagawa Misogi after all.

“Eh… who are you?”

What the hell is he?
He snuck up on me?
I don’t sense anything at all.
He’s like a mix of both good and evil, it’s as if he can kill everything inside of him in an instant.

『Eh? I already told you… it’s nothing really. Ah! Maybe you’re misunderstanding! I came to meet you! I was ambushing you alright! Ack! I’m so embarrassed! I’m being way too self conscious! You have such a selfish way of thinking! You seem to think you’re just so important, so you keep on living everyday. So in-ter-est-ing! However, I didn’t do anything, but I suppose I could try to understand your feelings though I might not have any…?』He claimed to not do anything but he was the one holding the screw that had just clubbed her in the back of the head.

Before Enoshima Junko could say anything else to the appearance of the stranger, and his strange ramblings, hepifted the screw up and drive it straight through his own head. Blood spattered as the sharpened end emerged from the other side of his skull. Even with such a horrible injury he kept smiling and politely waved to her.  『Here, let me show you! I’ll apologize to you, I’ll apologize for his sake!』

“Eh… what the fuck kind of character are you supposed to be even, we don’t really do the weirdo transfer student type here?” She said again staring at the transfer student in the pitchblack uniform.

『Well, I’m glad I found you finally but you seem busy right now. I guess I’ll see you later. Bye bye!』In the next moment, before she could even realize it, Enoshima Junko’s consciousness blackened out.

Kumagawa Misogi stood over her body, and the screw through his head disintegrated as if it had never been there in the first place. He looked to the dead body with a squashed head and caused a screw to fall in that direction as well.

『I guess I’ll just clean up then until you wake up again. Even talentless people can be good at cleaning.』

I finally woke up, and saw a terrifying face watching me.

It looks like I somehow fell asleep without realizing it. Though, me being forgetful as I am, I never really remember falling asleep so this wasn’t especially panicking. However, it seemed like even the light of the moon was being obscured by this person covered in shadows, with eyes such a deep blue they looked like the Marianas trench (I’m not sure how I remembered that for the description but that was the first thing that came to mind).

Even though this person definitely had the face of a devil, he was smiling at me gently as he waited for me to wake up.

“W-WHAT IS THIS?!?! S-somebody… H-HEEEEEEELLPPPP MEEEEEE!”

『Awe, even though I watched over you all night the first thing you do is look at me like I’m some monster. Oh well, I guess I’m used to being hated.』

“Y-you were watching me? Then you’re some kind of stalker!!!  PLEAAAAASSSEEEE SOMEBODY HELLPPPPP MEEEEEEE!!!”

『Now I’m being called a stalker to… you’re the one who keeps running into me it’s not the other way around.』

“Eh, we’ve met before?”

『Yeah, check your notebook.』He said as he picked it up and handed it to me. My hands brushed against his accidentally and I noticed how rough his felt. That was just more evidence that he was a dangerous guy, even though he seemed to take me screaming in his face rather well.

I flipped open the pages and saw it. A cartoonish drawing of his terrifying face. This guy is scary, but he almost always shows up to help me. He forgets a lot too, but it’s probably because he’s been hit on the head a lot. He looks and acts like it, really.

『Ehhhh what kind of description is that...』

“I’m sorry, but past Ryoko did it not me. You should blame that jerk instead and not the cute girl in front of you.”

『It’s fine, it’s fine.』He said, even as tears were leaking out of the corners of his eyes.  『I mean, no girl’s ever talked to me for this long anyway so I should be grateful for any kind of attention I get even if it’s negative.』

What kind of life has this guy led! I thought, before feeling a little bit bad. I was not sure what part of him compelled me to tease him like that, I never had this reaction to anybody else. “Hey bear river. Why were you watching over me anyway?”

『Well, I was concerned. Since you said you were going up against Enoshima Junko-chan and everything.』

“Enoshima Junko who’s that?”

『Read your notebook.』

I paged through my notebook, only for the emotions I was feeling as I read to spread obviously across my face. Frustrated, I threw my notebook in front of me, hitting Kumagawa Misogi on the head. He merely picked it off of his face and put it down.

“Ahhhhh!!! That annoying girl! I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!”

『Does this girl have some kind of self loathing issues?』He said, while tilting his head to the side and muttering underneath his breath.

“No! No! No! Listen, listen to everything she did, listen to everything she’s going to do!” I said, as quickly I grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, shaking him back and forth for a moment before I leaned in to tell him of what happened. This person had a forgettable face, even in comparison to everybody else I knew, but my notebook said I could trust him so I did. And even if I couldn’t it’s not like it mattered because even a particularly interesting person did not belong in my world of Matsuda and me at all, he would disappear soon enough.

I told him everything and he simply watched the entire time with that same smile plastered on his face.  『Ah, I see.』He said finally with a slight tilt of his head.

“What’s this I see? I wasn’t asking if you could see! Don’t you just hate her?”

『I don’t think I can hate her.』

“Whaaaaaa??? How???”

『Well, I’ve always been like this, since I’m a hated person to. I empathize with other people’s emotions more than I want to. Even if they’re your enemy you should try to understand them Ryoko-chan. 』

“I dun wanna.”

『Now that’s just being immature.』

“Who cares if I’m immature? I’m basically only a day old because of my memory loss you know!”

『I guess that’s fair… still you should try to understand other people more. Even if it’s useless, even if the effort will become nothing. 』

“Are you taking her side?”

『Don’t look at me like that! It’s not my fault! I’ll always be on your side but… I can’t help but sympathize with her.』Suddenly his expression became extremely troubled, his blue eyes shaking like ripples forming in pools of otherwise peaceful water.  『I know that feeling of wanting what’s forever out of reach, believe me.』

At that moment, he reached up for the moon only to just be able to barely grasp at the reflection it’s light cast on him.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Now, the present day.

Kumagawa Misogi after sneaking Enoshima Junko out of her hospital room on his back, now sat anxiously in her dorm room leaning against the wall with his legs crossed. In his impatience, he tapped one of his knees on the ground up and down in an uneven rhythm.

 『Junko-chan, I really don’t think this is a good idea.』His voice cracked with anxiety as he called out to her. It was due to the steamy atmosphere, brought about by literal steam which came in from the room through a crack in the bathroom door. Junko had gone three days without showering after all and there was a boy she wanted to toy with, so she decided to do so immediately just leaving him outside the door waiting for her like a puppy chained to the curb.

He knew the Ultimate students were afforded better dorms, but this was the first time he got enough time to survey the amount of space Junko had in her room, and the amount of stuff she kept in it. He had never been here for long, not counting the week he was dead the entire time and couldn’t see anything anyway due to lack of a head. There was so much scattered objects of Junko’s interest around him, photoes, files, manga volumes, t was either all brilliantly placed and proof of her information collecting and analyzing skills and how many plans she had simultaneously going at once, or it was a hoarder’s nightmare.

He tried to think of that and not the sound of water in the background, or the steam in the air.   『I’m a new soul I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit about how to give and take, since I came here felt the joy and the fear finding myself making every possible mistake. Lalalalalalalalalala 』He sung nervously to drown out whatever noise Junko might make.

“I’m done with my shower, you can stop fantasizing now.” Junko announced.

Kumagawa had been staring at a collection of Monokuma teddy bears taking up her entire couch. He made the mistake of glancing towards the direction of her voice, to see her hair flipping in the air behind her, and water droplets flying in slow motion. A moment later he noticed her lack of a towel, and immediately slammed his eyes shut.

“Your english is terrible, just, to add that to the list of things you’re terrible at.”

『Lalalalaaalalalalala!』

“Could you get out of the way? I know seeing my perfect body must burn your unworthy eyes but I need to get to my perfectly fashionable clothes.”

『Get some clothes on! I don't want my life to turn into a seinen manga I'm not raedy.』

“You're really immature you know that, reading shonen manga all of your life Kumagawa-senpai.”

『It's not the time for that kind of deep analysis.』Kumagawa noticed that he was sitting back against her dresser, and stumbled away in a panic.

"Should we talk about how you're a pervert instead?" 

『How am I the pervert in this situation? You’re the one who made me bring you to your apartment and then made me wait while you took a shower and started strutting around nude! I bet you just want to show off your elite body, exhibitionist, exhibitionist! 』

“It’s not being an exhibitionist to show off my body, I’m a model! Besides, like I’d want to show off my body to some guy, I guard my virtue you know.”

『I’m not just some guy! Why does my status always disappear so quickly around you! And guard yourself then! Bring a towel or something!』

“Why should I have to do something? If you were being considerate you would have torn your own eyes out for my sake, or slit your throat because you're unworthy.”

I just saw a boob for the first time in my life. Kumagawa sat, as he sat in the corner of the room with his legs under his knees folded under him, and his hands on top of his knees. It was a way more polite style of sitting than he usually did. He kept his back to her, and stared at one of the articles Junko had printed out and nailed to her wall. Apparently Giant Pandas were not longer on the endangered list, that was probably good to know he thought with increasing desperation.

“Kumagawa-senpai, I hope you’re not having lustful thoughts. You should keep your dangly ronpa in control around me.”

『Even if I was it wouldn’t be my fault! 』

“Do you think I should wear white or black? White or black, white or black, it says a lot about my personality you know." 

『White or black wha-』Kumagawa slowly turned his head around. Junko had pulled on her usual black bra and panties, and was copying a pose she made in one of her magazine shoots, her hand on her hip as her entire body cast a dramatic figure.  『Ahhhhhh they’re black! I mean- this is definitely black despair!』

“Ummm excuse you? How is me putting on a big show with me perfect body for you, is not despair in any way. You’re probably not going to see a sight this beautiful for the rest of your life so you should look as much as you can.” Junko said as she lazily stood up and then started to walk to the other side of the room with absolutely no regard for Kumagawa whatsoever. “I said look!”

『Junko-chan, I don’t care how much you act like an exhibitionist to manipulate me, I’m not going to use bookmaker on you.』Kumagawa said, a chill running down his spine as he straightened up from the polite way he was sitting and looked away again.

“Hey, I wouldn’t debase myself to get something out of the likes of you. The lolita aspect doesn't mean I’m easy.”

『Then stop messing with me!』He snapped back at her, face fully red by this point.

“I’m not messing with you. I really want to know what you think, Kumagawa-senpai.” Junko stood there for a moment, her face shifting from its usual confident and overbearing self to a more empty looking expression, something that Kumagawa had dubbed the default Junko a long time ago.

『I-is that it? Well, your hair looks nice when it’s down.』Kumagawa stuttered out quietly, still looking away.

“That’s exactly something a person guaranteed to remain a virgin the rest of their life would say..”

『For life? Wait, did your super highschool level analysis tell you that…』

 “Would you mind not breathing my air? I’ll catch your virginity.”

Every time somewhat intimate moments happened like this, Kumagawa became increasingly terrified. He would probably handle Junko trying to kill him much more calmly than her clumsy attempts at flirtation, if that was what this was.   

Junko seemed to remain calm, though he did not really get a good look on her face. It was more likely Junko was merely performing in the moment as always, an elaborate spectacle for his attention.

Today  she decided to vary her outfit a little more, going with something she had never worn in front of MIsogi, a black and white alternating color jacket, with a black and white skirt that changed colors at the seam. The fact that Misogi was here in front of her had nothing to do with it, according to Junko. Also according to Junko the fact that she was now mentally referring to him as Misogi was entirely unimportant.

Fully dressed, Junko crossed her legs and sat across from him on the ground as well. “How could bookmaker ever be a bad idea? I mean wow. A lifetime of despair in one second.” Junko put a hand on her face, mostly to wipe the drool that was forming from the side of her lip at the prospect.

『I knew this was all about bookmaker!』Kumagawa snapped, before wiping the copious amounts of sweat that had pooled on his forehead.  『Junko-chan listen. Abnormalities can’t be fixed that easily, they warp your personality down to the core. Medaka-chan was still Medaka-chan even with bookmaker, Junko-chan would still be Junko-chan.』

“Wow you really do know a lot about a useless subject like philosophy. I think for the first time in my life, I feel admiration in you.”

『Well hey, this philosophy has sort of kept me going for my whole life. That’s why I think about this philosophy stuff more than most people.』

“I don’t think you should brag about it though, it’ll just sound sad. After all, you don’t know a thing about anything else besides your idiot’s philosophy, do you?”

『If that’s the case then why do you want to take on the mental state of my idiotic philosophy so badly? Isn’t this just the offer from Ajimu you got to turn off your abnormality?』

“Hmmmm, no I’ve been thinking about it for awhile now. Well, like fifteen minutes in Junko time but in everybody else’s time that’s like almost a whole year. Parasite seeing is boring because I retain analysis even if I see the world through another person’s eyes. However, if I used your ability I could turn both off, but I’d still be full of despair. I wouldn’t become happy go lucky Ryoko, I’d still be Enoshima Junko who lives for despair. With the added bonus of not being so damn bored all the time because of my stupidly smart brain.”

『You’ll still have that fickle personality of yours to deal with.』

“Hopefully my wonderful personality and pure and innocent heart won’t be stained too much by you.”

Kumagawa Misogi sighed. 『That won’t do Junko-chan, because my heart has already been poisoned by yours.』

“Then it should be easy for you. Come on pudding pop.” She said, batting her eyes at him as she put two hands to lift herself up, and leaned over the table. As he looked into inviting red eyes, for the second time in his life he could not help himself from being pulled into her gaze. “Do you wanna go… on a date?”

『And next Junko-chan says… ‘So I can show you the wonders of despair!’』

“Hey predicting what people are gonna do next is my thing! Well, it was my thing in a few seconds. I mean come on Kumagawa-senpai, show me your despair. I… I want to understand you more.”

He knew. He knew the hesitance in her voice, the somewhat innocence she said those words with making herself seem like somebody who had never gotten close to or never gotten to know others before was probably just yet another act, but he could not stop himself from being charmed by it.

Kumagawa Misogi finally smiled at this absurd situation Enoshima Junko was subjecting him to. He reached forward and put a soft hand on her head. Junko felt a little awkward, her hair being touched without her asking for it. A moment she did not entirely control. Yet, she liked the feeling all the same, the same way she liked when he brushed through her hair when her headaches struck.

The next moment, Kumagawa gripped her face much harder, and she felt a screw turning into her eye and a feeling like her eyeball being gauged out. Her body felt so much weakness in a moment, more than she had ever felt in her entire life, that she quickly fell back. She was a little bit surprised when she did not feel herself hitting the floor.

She opened her eyes again to see that Kumagawa had caught her in her arms. For a moment her heart fluttered. Then, with her hand that still had fake nails on it, she grabbed him by the face and pushed him away.

She stood up suddenly inspecting herself. Her eyes had gone back to normal, and she tried to use parasite vision for a moment only to find herself completely unable to. She moved to the mirror to tie her hair up, only to see it had gone from a dyed blonde to completely white. “Whoa, it’s platinum blonde now. 

『Don’t you mean white?』

“My hair only exists in three states, strawberry blonde, bleach blonde, and platinum blonde.”

『Trying to keep all that straight would make my head hurt. Just say red, blonde and white!』

Junko tried to finish tying up one of her pigtails, only for the band to snap. Oh, that was weird . That was all she thought of it as her hand went searching for a second band. The same as the first, just as she was about to have it tied up, the band snapped. Nevermind, I think my hair looks better down like this. She went looking for her contacts and grabbed one eye peeling it open with a forefinger and a thumb. However, just as she was about to put the contact in she dropped it by mistake. She looked around on the floor for a moment, normally she would have understood instantly where she dropped it, but as of right now she had no clue.

Oh well she guessed she was going to go around looking like one of those white haired, red eyed anime pretty girls for today. She would totally Rei Ayanami this bitch. She leaned in to do her makeup. Usually she was thinking about predicting what look would look the best for her today. However, her head was empty of such thoughts as she worked.

A moment later her lipstick broke as she tried to apply it. The same with the applicator for her eyeliner. She smudged a few more times by mistake. A moment later she punched the mirror in frustration. Normally she would be strong enough to shatter it and make a symbolic statement about her mental state, but as of the moment she was feeling weak so the mirror just jiggled a little bit. “Is this really of value for despair? I look like a clown right now.” She sighed as she went to go get makeup remover.

『That's not so bad, clowns are my friends..』Kumagawa muttered.

Junko suddenly became aware of the fact that Kumagawa was right there, the same Kumagawa she had been showing off in front of a moment ago. She covered her face and ran quicker to get the makeup remover. “Don’t look!”

『Uhh… weren’t you getting mad at me for not looking earlier? Are you sure you’re not having second thoughts?』

She came out wiping the rest of her face off with a towel. When she removed it and showed him her bare face under it, she was wearing her sharp grin that displayed all of her teeth. “Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’m going to regret this. Try not to get too jealous at the end of the day when I’m way better at being a minus than you are. Even when I’m laughing in happiness right in your face.”

Kumagawa smiled at this, at least Junko’s personalities was not affected that much. He was afraid, that she might stop being her normal Junko self and it would be his fault for going along with her wishes. Obviously not getting the reaction she wanted, she threw the towel away and hurried to the door. Only stopping for a moment to lace up her heeled boots. At least Misogi seemed to know how tie his shoes. If he did not know that muchshe did not know if her expectations of him could drop any lower.

“Come on Kumagawa-senpai, it won’t be much of a date if you’re not here!” She said, rushing him out as she stood at the open door.

『W-wait you were serious about that?』

“Of course. I need somebody to stand around me to make me look better by comparison all day. Hmmm, your forgettable face seems perfect for that.”

『Pass.』

“Fine, I guess there goes the only date you were ever going to have in your whole life.” Junko said, stomping her boot once in annoyance before taking a step out. Her room was near the stairs conveniently enough. However, inconveniently, she took one wrong step on the first stair only for her heel to break causing her to fall forward.

Normally, her brain would tell her ten differnt ways to avoid falling in half of a second. All she could think of now was Ah, I’m going to fall. Acting quicker than her, she saw a black blur appear next to her, and Kumagawa Misogi wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back before she fell. As she fell backwards again into his arms instead for a moment it looked like they were embracing.

Then, she grabbed him by the face with her clawed hands again and yanked him away. While she pinched his cheek, Kumagawa sighed.  『I guess I have to follow you around all day babysitting you.』

“A babysitter on a date, huh? That’s an interesting fetish.”

『That’s not what I mean! And take those boots off!』

“Ehhhh? But these are my Junko boots. They complete my Junko look.”

『You can’t wear heels all day they’re just going to break again.』

“Okay, we’re just starting this day out with total insanity I see.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Bookmaker. A minus that soiled the heart.

For example, Enoshima Junko’s heart was currently stained by the fact that she could not wear heels at all for the first time in possibly years. She sat on her own couch in a pair of normal flat shoes, while Kumagawa still sat politely on the floor with his legs tucked under him, watching her intently.

She had a pen and pad of paper. Silently she wrote on it. However, her handwriting was far worse than usual, and her perfect artistic ability had gone as well. Which meant the few monokumas she doodled in the margins of her work, looked particularly horrifying. She had not yet decided if that was a good, or a bad thing. She ripped out the current paper she was working on, and balled it up, throwing it at Kumagawa’s head.

It missed, but Kumagawa looked up anyway.  『Ummm… Junko-chan what are you doing? Have you decided to stay in here all day because that would be much safer.』

“No, I’m trying to plan for the day without Super Highschool Level Analysis spoiling all the fun. It’s really interesting actually.” She ripped out another page, and threw it at the garbage can in the corner. Before this even when she was not trying she knew exactly how to make a perfect shot every time. The wadded ball of paper bounced off the rim and landed on the floor. She lost her patience almost immediately, and started to tear out and wad pages in succession, trying each time to land a basket. The entire notepad was run out before she made a single one.

『Ummm… Junko-chan?』Kumagawa stuttered a second time, his worry obviously apparent in his voice.

“Whatever! We’re going! I’ve got this like all in my head anyway.” She stood up once more on her flats (ewe) noticing immediately the few centimeters of height she was missing. Before Kumagawa could say anything more she grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him along with her.

“Ahhh! What despair! I can’t wait to feel the despair of living like this, and watching all of my efforts turn into futile struggles! Come on, show me how deep your despair runs! I want to swim in an ocean fo despair!”

『Junko-chan can you tone it down a little bit? That’s kind of embarrassing when we’re in public.』

“Shut it, I’m having a moment!” She smiled and looked ahead of them. For once her vision was not clogged with the many possible permutations, and routes the objects moving in front of her could have taken. She did not see the coding, and the object paths they were coded into, so to speak. “Come on Kumagawa-senpai. I’ll take you somewhere nice. The more familiar and happy looking an area, the deeper the despair is when it all goes wrong right? I mean how many household objects do we handle on a daily basis that could easily be turned into weapons.”

『A lot. I’ve been stabbed with most of them.』

“See! See! Let’s go to our despair filled wonderland! Oh, there’s the bike rack. That’s exactly how we’ll get there.” Thinking on her feet, Enoshima Junko decided to just steal one of the bikes off the rack. She easily picked the lock with a hairpin she still had with her skirt pocket. Apparently terrible skills like lock picking and theft were still on the table for Kumagawa.

She jumped onto it a moment later, and then signaled for Kumagawa to get on to. He did so hesitantly. She looked back with one red eye and clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Tch, come on, and hold on. If you’re going to die I don’t want it to be because you fell off a bike and got your brain squished in some dumb accident.”

『Wow, Junko-chan. You really have a talent for imagining the worst thing possible in all situations.』Kumagawa said as he nodded obediently, and lightly wrapped his arms around her hips, terrified of where he might touch. Junko confidently kicked off and began to peddle with the usual energy she attacked everything with.

The whole bike wobbled and it moved in a trail weaving back and forth for a few seconds, before the entire bike tipped over on it’s side and both of them fell off. Kumagawa quickly wrapped his arms around Junko so he would take the brunt of the fall. After she had kicked the bike away, her response was to forcibly push him away once more and stand up on her own.

“Fine, I have an even better idea for getting there.”

Kumagawa felt worried again as he watched Junko disappear and jogged to catch up with her. A moment later she was standing in front of him lacing up a pair of roller skates. “Upupu… upupuu…” She snickered in anticipation as she stood up once more and took off. Junko skated forward twice, before she lost her balance, wobble back and forth again, and saw her world slip out from under her.

Just like last time, it was Kumagawa who rushed forward to catch her before she fell and hurt something, and just like last time it was Junko who pushed him away stubbornly. “Would! You! Quit! That! You’re getting in the way of some premium A grade despair I’ll feel when I fall.”

Junko tried to stan up on her skates again, only to be immediately aware when she was going to fall once more. “God! Can you seriously not even skate?”

『Things are hard to do sometimes, okay? A lot of the times, even.』

Junko snaked her hand out and wrapped her claws around his, digging into his flesh slightly as she kept a hold on him to steady herself. “There, see I’m a genius even with your dumb screw in my head. I’ll just hold onto you like this to keep my balance. Now, mush.”

『Am I a dog now? Wait… how is this any different from just walking?』

Junko bit her lip for a moment. Then kicked her skates off and went back to get her boring flat shoes. A few minutes later the two of them were on the bus. Kumagawa was the only one who found a seat, and Junko was standing.

“How is there not a seat for me? There’s always a seat for me.”

『What a lucky day. I never find a seat.』

Junko looked at him with a mischievous eye for a moment, then swept a hand under herself to straighten her skirt, before sitting on his lap without hesitation. Kumagawa made a sound similiar to a squeaky toy, which pleased her greatly as that was what she saw him as in the moment.

She looked back to see he was desperately trying to look away and not acknowledge the scene in front of him like normal. Finally, he said while gasping.  『Junko-chan. That’s my lap.』

“Hmmm,” SHe hummed softly, “But you see it’s my lap. So I can sit in it if I want. Ugh, but you’re so boney. Can you maybe try to grow a little bit more muscle, nobody’s into emaciated looking guys.”

『First she steals a seat in my lap, and then she insults my lap. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.』

“Of course I can. Why would you ever have a cake and not want to eat it?” She continued to humm softly, as she leaned back against him. Junko made it clear she had no problem with being this close to Kumagawa, but only when she was the one who wanted it. She was fussy like that.

They stayed like that the rest of the ride, Kumagawa’s face turning more and more red the entire time, as if he was slowly boiling over. When the bus finally stopped, Kumagawa let out a breath he had been holding the entire time, his body deflating with it.

Just as they stepped off the bus, Junko put a finger to her lips and grasped at an empty space where her purse used to be. “Oh… wait…”

Kumagawa immediately acted, lunging back towards the bus as it took off to its next destination. It was only due to him running like a man possessed that they managed to get her purse back. Of course instead of saying thank you, she only complained more. “I can’t believe you’re still getting in the way of my despair, Kumagawa-senpai! For a girl there’s no worse despair than losing her purse. Hey, are you even listening?”

She doubled her speed to catch up to him as he walked ahead. Junko blamed this stupid flat shoes, she was used to walking with her heels a few centimeters off the ground and at an angle. The two of them both stopped at the same time in front of the gates.

There was a traditional archway but made of steal with a large neon sign that read “PandLand” as well as several giant panda heads, and flashing lack and white light bulbs that bordered the sign. Junko smiled, and struck a pose gesturing with her arms wide open. “Ta-da!! Welcome to  Pandaland!”

『This… is your despair filled wonderland?』

“Yep yep!” She nodded excitedly. “Do you know how many ways there are to risk imminent disaster at an amusement park? Do you know how many things could go wrong? It’s perfect! I’ve been watching this place for awhile, I was totes going to turn it into a Monokumaland as a side project to that whole destroying the world thing.”

Kumagawa blinked. He was unsure for a moment if Junko was telling the truth, or the real reasons he had been watching this place was that she wanted to go to an amusement park just once like a normal girl. He doubted thrill rides were all that thrilling when you saw every turn and drop coming far in advance.『Junko-chan… do you like bears as some kind of ironic joke or do you just actually like bears?』

“Hmm… why are you asking that?”

Kumagawa dropped his voice into a low whisper, as if he was sharing some terrible secret.『Is Monokuma your fursona?』

“Only so I can taste the despair of being the kind of loser would call themselves a furry.”

THat did not answer his question at all. So Kumagawa was pulled forward by the sleeve once again, still feeling a bit confused. Junko made straight for the entrance, but Kumagawa reminded her they still needed to buy tickets. Junko was used to 1) being a recognizable celebrity which meant 2) she got into places for free often and never had to wait in line. She looked back to see just her luck the lines were long that morning.

“Uuuuggghhhh this is sooooo booooring. Nevermind, no despair is worth this. Let’s just go home and get in another lame fight with the sandbox kids and their weird abilities or something.”

『Junko-chan it’s been five minutes.』

“It’s not my fault! It’s just so boring! Kumagawa-senpai! Tell me a despair inducing story to kill the time.” She immediately grabbed for his sleeve again, pulling it up to reveal a scar that ran down his arm. “What happened this time.” She said poking at it with her fingernail.

So, Kumagawa told her briefly about the time that he fought Jakago Aki’s student council in Suisou academy. He tried to ignore the obviously pleased expression Junko made whenever he described himself getting hurt.

By the time they made it into the actual park from the many trials on the way Junko, finally smiled again in the way that showed all of her teeth.

『Ah, you look happy!』

“I’m flipping ecstatic! My heart’s beating a mile a minute! I’m going to kick butt at this whole minus thing.”

Behind the two disaster teenagers, watching them from afar a pair of disaster middle schoolers stuck their heads out from behind a column.

“I knew if we followed Naked Apron-senpai he’d be up to something with big sis Junko! They were totally acting suspicious earlier today.” Towa Monaca said, with a protective hiss to her voice as she looked at the obliviously happy face of Kumagawa Misogi.

Oma Kokichi reached out and patted her on the head. “Are you sure you didn’t just want an excuse to go to the amusement park?”

For that, Monaca snapped her teeth at one of his fingers, forcing himself to withdraw his whole hand.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Wooo! I’m no longer a bear virgin!” Junko said, kicking her feet up and making an overexcited pose as they were standing in the middle of the square. Just behind them, a large garden of flowers was planted with black and white flowers blossoming so that together they made the shape of a panda’s head. “Whoa! The flowers are a bear! And here’s a bear! There’s a bear everybear!”

She jumped around to take various pictures, striking a dramatic pose each time forcing Kumagawa to follow her. She’s totally overdoing it, but I guess I’ll just play along with her today. He decided as he rushed to catch up, even though he usually just played along with her anyway and pretending today was any different was just him being in denial about their relationship.

Junko took one picture bumping a particularly agitated looking man out of the way. “Hey, watch where you’re going!” He said, grabbing at her collar to throttle her. Most people would apologize to her instead considering she was a beautiful famous young teen girl.

“Scaaaaaary.”

Kumagawa had to get between them and apologize for her. Before Junko already ran off to find the next distraction. Which made things troublesome for the teen boy following her, and the other two teens following them.

『The good for nothing Junko-chan who spends all of her time trying to ruin things for everybody else, is finally trying to honestly enjoy herself. It brings a tear to my eye.』

Kokichi in the background, now hiding behind a particularly tall looking man sighed. “He’s been through a lot, hasn’t he?”

“Even I think that’s sad.” Monaca said, nodding her head.

Junko grabbed Kumagawa by the sleeve once more, and started to skip forward with her energy. “Finally! I can finally meet a panda bear! Will I get to take pictures with them? Will I get to shake their hands? It’s a dream come true!”

『You’re trying really hard, huh?』Kumagwaa said, as he was dragged along.

“Big sis Junko is flying right now all angelic…” Monaca whispered to Kokichi again.

“More like flitting around like a bug,’ Kokichi whispered back.

Junko and Kumagawa skipped together (or more like Junko skipped and Kumagawa was dangerously dragged behind her like a piece of dead weight) until they reached a man in a panda bear costume, surrounded by children.

“B-bear!” Junko stopped, and covered her face with both hands. Between her fingers her cheeks were reddening. She immediately tossed her phone at Kumagawa ordering him to take another picture, before she held her hands against her chest like some innocent schoolgirl. “Oh, panda bear! When I destroy the world I'm going to make big Monokuma-sensei mascots like this! They'll walk around eating people! It's always been my greatest dreams!" 

『Wait, what kind of dreams were those?』

“How is he not noticing me! I’m the most beautiful girl here! All the people notice me when I go out in public.”

『I noticed you, Junko-chan!』

“You don’t count as a person.”

『But, he’s just a bear!』Technically it was a man in a bear costume, but it was still quite something to feel inferior to. If only super highschool level inferiority complex were a talent Kumagawa could finally get some recognition.

The bear turned it’s head finally. Junko smiled, removing her hands from her face and closing her eyes as tears welled up in the corner of them. “Mo-No-Ku-M...uh?” She had held her arms out to run after him in slow motion, only for the man to walk straight past the teenager making weird noises and weird faes and instead reach out to pat the middleschoolers behind them, on the head instead.

『Oh? What are you guys doing here? Did you want to go to the amusement park too?』

“I’m just making sure your gross hands don’t touch Big Sis, naked apron senpai.” Monaca said, glaring at him viciously while a theme park mascot continued to cutely pat her on the head.

『Awe, how nice.You’re so considerate, Monaca-chan.』

Kokichi looked to Monaca. “Actually, that was a lie. She just wanted to go to the theme park.”

“That’s a lie, don’t believe him he’s a liar!” Monaca snapped. She looked at Junko as she still held her hands up in the air, not comprehending the fact that she was passed over. “Big Sis Junko, can you take a picture of the three of us?”

“Uh… sure…” Junko said as she slowly raised the phone Monaca passed her. The look in her eyes at this moment was pure despair.

Kumagawa marveled for a moment. Junko really did fall into despair that easily. Kumagawa reached forward to pat her on the shoulder.  『It’s not your fault. Theme parks like this are for kids and all.』

Just then, another mascot approached Kumagawa from behind and nudged him slightly. Kumagawa turned around to look, only to see the panda bear’s large hands being held open for him.  『Eh… me too?』Kumagawa did not understand as almost nobody held out a friendly hand to him. The soft mscot pulled him by the shoulder, and gave him a hug that was just as soft. 『Uh… Uh… I don’t understand. Junko-chan can you take a picture of us too?』Kumagawa said, his face turning red at the sudden nice contact.

Just as Kumagawa, Kokichi and Monaca were done taking pictures a crowd of kids from a field trip came and surrounded the other two men in panda mascot costumes. Junko stomped her oot on the ground, “Gaaaah! Go away! Stupid kids! Make room for Enoshima Junko I’m more important than you! I want to take  a picture too! I'll look way better than those kids I'm a super highschool level good looking and fashonable!”

Kumagawa had to interfere and drag her away to prevent another child from being harmed in her presence.

When they had made it out of the crowd, Kumagawa hung his head low.  『You know I thought your bear thing was weird before this but… Monokuma must be totally a good guy!』

“Right? Right?” Junko said, excitedly leaning on his shoulder.

“I think Kuamgawa’s been infected too with whatever big sis Junko has,” Monaca said still watching from a few steps back.

“They know that’s not Monokuma right… just a guy in a normal black and white panda costume. It’s important to me that they know this…” Kokichi could feel himself start to fall into despair too.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The two of them infected by a certain panda-monium, made their way to the gift shop. They both started to look all around.

『Aaaaah! These bear slippers are so cute!』Kumagawa crooned.

Junko picked a pair of boxers off the shelf that was polka dotted in black and white and had a giant cartoon panda face printed on the butt. “These underwear are cute too! You’d look good in these senpai!”

『Look at this panda bear bra! You’re a C cup right, kouhai?』Kumagawa said, pulling a black and white bra off the shelf with little panda heads over each cup.

Junko picked up a giant stuffed bear from one of the shelves, and spun around while hugging it. “Of course this big boy is a must!”

『These are a must too!』Kumagawa said as he picked up a pair of bear ears and slid them over his head.

“Kyaaaa! Kumagawa-senpai, you suddenly look handsomer now that you're more bear like!” Junko popped her leg up behind her, as she put two hands underneath her chin.

The aura around them despite all their happiness, was somehow a sickly pitch black. Monaca sitting at the back of the store stared in disbelief. “Is this the power of pandaland? Even cynical Naked Apron-Senpai has gotten caught up in the magic.”

Kumagawa grabbed another pair of bear ears and then started to move slowly towards Junko. His entire face was shadowy, except for the bright smile he had on it. For some reason he looked to have terrifying intent.  『Junko-chan you should wear this! Junko-chan you too!』

Before Junko could react, Kumagawa had slid them over her hair and behind her ears. Then, just as quickly he tucked a bow on top of her as well.  『There, you look perfect!』

Junko’s eyes widened as she looked at him for a moment. Then, she closed them and sighed. “I suppose I’ll give you a tiny bit of credit for stating the obvious.”

The two of them got swept up in the moment and proceeded to start piling up everything around them in a cart. The problem with Junko being infected with Kumagawa’s mindset, is that she now encouraged his bad ideas, and shared his same lack of foresight.

『Hey, hey Junko-chan how are we going to pay for all this?』

“I get a monthly stipend no worries.”

『How much do you get?』

“LIke. A buttload!”

『Awesome if you have that much we can spend all of it!』

So, they spent all of it. Junko noticed as she was going around buying things that there was a rabbit keychain that was half off due to not being bear merchandise. Without thinking she threw it into her pocket, the beat up and bandaged state of the rabbit reminding her of the pathetic Kumagawa MIsogi.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

They tried the rides next. Junko ranting on the way about how the rides were all steel death traps anyway, and they were certain to cause a major accident if they went on one.

She dragged Kumagawa on the tea cups first. As the ride spun around, Junko put her everything into spinning the table at the center. Kumagawa was pushed to the edge, just barely hanging on due to his weak constitution.

『Junko-chan, not so fast!』He cried out.

Junko ignored him. “Come on, break, break! These tea cups should just come loose already and smash into each other like a pinball game! Upupupupupu!”

However, Kumagawa was not warning her because he thought the ride would break. A few seconds later, Junko could suddenly taste the hospital food she had eaten as her cheeks swelled.

Skipping a few minutes forward, the ride had a sign that said “Please wait 30 minutes while we clean this ride.”

While Junko herself was laying on a bench, head on Kumagawa’s lap while he rubbed her stomach. “I can’t believe that happened I’ve never vomitted in my life. I’m too pretty to vomit.”

『Wow, you’ve had a really easy life huh?』

Junko forced herself to recover sitting up once more. She dragged Kumagawa by the arm to the next ride as well. However, at the rollercoaster when Junko refused to wear her seat belt, they were just thrown off the ride. At the swings when Junko kept swinging back and forth, all she managed to do was get caught in a tangle with Kumagawa and have the ride stop early to throw them off the ride one more time.

After that, the theme park attendants and ride operators started getting weary of Junko, in opposite to how adults normally acted around her in which she was so smart and good at moving pople she could simply escape their notice.

Junko and Kumagawa sat in a kiddy corner with small jets of water bursting up from the ground. She kicked off her lame flat shoes and started to dance around in the water. “Maybe in this kiddy corner something disastrous will happen. Come on Kumagawa-senpai, you’re good at screwing things up, help me out here.”

Kumagawa sat on the edge letting the water splash his face lightly.  『No thanks. I’m hot from running around all day in the sun.』

“That’s just because you’re all sweaty and gross.”

『I’m not sweaty!』

“Your hands are all sweaty! Why do you think I always grab you by the sleeve instead?”

Kumagawa stared at his hands for a moment. He looked to be having a life crisis over whether his hands were really sweaty or not, and did not yet seem to grasp that Junko sometimes said things just to be mean. While Junko paid attention to the kiddy corner, stomping the jet of water which was making a light sprinkle right now. She stomped on it as hard as she could, many successive times until she heard something break underneath her. Then, the pipe exploded with a jet of water hard enough to send her flying in the air.

Kumagawa not paying attention, only lifted his head up as she fell back into the water.『Ahhhhhh! Junko-chan!』

A few minutes later, Kumagawa and Junko were sitting in front of the gift shop again. Junko had given up her fashionable asymmetrically covered black and white jacket and skirt, and instead was dressed head to toe in pandaland merchandise that they had just brought. 

Kumagawa noticing her sulking, stood up and offered her a hand once more.  『Come on Junko-chan let’s go find some despair on the log ride, maybe the log boat we’re on will sink and we’ll drown.』

Junko smiled at him. “Don’t make a girl a promise you can’t keep.” Then she glared at his hands. “Sweaty hands.”

『Then what are my hands even for!?』Kumagawa whined. 

They ended up in the booths section of the amusement park. Kumagawa saw a stuffed rabbit hanging from one of the boots, and his eyes widened with childish want. He had not had a stuffed rabbit since some random girl in a short bob haircut wearing camo pants underneath her skirt beat him up and stole his rabbit from him for her sister apparently. 

Junko noticed that she was walking alone and Kumagawa had stopped to gape. She immediately appeared next to him, poking him in the cheek. "Oh, oh, do you like rabbits Kumagawa-senpai? That's almost cute, you know for you at least."

 『Are you saying I'm not cute?』

"Well if I lower my standards it's possible you could be seen that-"

 『Well, it's useless anyway. I've never won one of these carnival games once.』Kumagawa ever the coward, and not especially eager to screw up in front of Junko so she could laugh at him hung his head low and started to walk away. Only to be grabbed and yanked back towards the booth by Junko again. 

"Another opportunity to prove I'm better than you, Senpai? There's no way I can run from this. Anyway, aren't you all about that determination crap from your shonen manga."

 『Don't use shonen manga to make me feel bad that's just cruel!』Kumagawa said as he straightened up and stood next to her at the booth. 

Junko had won these carnival games easily tens of times. With super highschool level analysis all she needed to do was spot how these games were rigged and the weak point in the rigging. Most of the time the cups that were stacked up would have weights in the bottom of them to keep the pyramid stack whole and it came to aiming for the right point. The stall attendants demonstrated too how the trick worked, while trying to make it seem effortless so anybody could play. 

However, while Junko watched the stall attendant throw the ball she was not thinking of anything. With bookmaker in her head, she could only think the way Kumagawa did.  『It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I'm so weak. I'm so weak. I'm so weak. Scared. Scared. Scared. Scary. I can't do anything. I can't do anything. I can't do anything. I can't touch anyone. They'll hurt me. This one. That one too. It hurts. This is pain. Tearing of the flesh. Bending. Bending. Until I break. I'll break and break again. There's no relief even in breaking. I'll bear it until I heart others. There's no relief in hurting others.』Really, his train of thought was so distracting. She just stared at the cute confused face he made instead while trying to figure out the trick. 

When the attendant handed her the ball Junko realized she had not been paying attention at all. Oh well, she would just figure it out on the spot like she always did. "Watch and see how inferior you are, Senpai!" She said as she threw the ball. 

It went a few centimeters, and then nose dived and fell pathetically. Kumagawa made a similiar throw only to have it take the same path. 

"Mine went farther!" Junko said immediately, her compettitive streak still there.

The attendant asked if the lovely lady would like to try again, at which point Junko hissed at him. "I know it's rigged! Don't get smug, old man... I... I'll...." She lunged forward with her building frustration only or her Kumagawa to wrap an arm around her stomach again and pick her up in the air easily. 

"Let go of me!" SHe said, struggling, and kicking against him.

 『No, you're like a cat! Come on, let's get some food so you're less grumpy.』

"Don't wanna! You only gave me one try, anyway. How am I going to taste despair if I give up so easily?" 

 『You're not going to get what you want even if you try a thousand times. At the end of it, you can't even say you feel good because at least you've tried. You won't gain anything at all. All of your efforts will become nothing. 』

"That's it! That's what I want to feel though!" 

Kumagawa tightened his arms around her. Junko no longer felt like she was being handled like an angry cat, or a toddler throwing a tantrum. Rather, Kumagawa was embracing her in this moment. He was trying to cling to her, rather. 

 『I know what it's like to live like that. You won't feel anything, anything at all. You'll just get bored of tragedy, and for you that's the worst possible result. So, let me protect you from the worst of it please?』

She understood exactly how he would feel in this moment. Because she could not escape or opt out from his thoughts and feelings running through her head. His uncontrolled despair that flowed forward like a river, rather than her controlled and deliberate inflicting of despair.  『I love her. I love her. I don't love her. I can't love her. What is this? So close? So scary! I'm being poked by her edges!  Monster! Forgive me. Save me. No! We can't intersect or mingle. Cold. Cold. Don't touch me. Don't let go. Touch me. Let go of me. Leave me alone. Don't leave me alone. So scared, scared, scared, either way. Either way I'll be hurt.』She glanced back, and Kumagawa's form behind her disappeared almost entirely, all she could see was a single white smile traced against his black shadowy self. 

 『Eh, is there something on my face?』

"Yeah, your stupid eyes, your stupid nose, and your stupid mouth." She sighed, slithering away from his grip. "Fine, I'll let you treat me to food."

They ended up with enough money for one crepe, with the pocket change Kumagawa had left. The crepe went to Junko of course, who happily munched on it in front of him. Kumagawa simply watched the crowds go by, blocking out the sight of their faces as he usually did.

Eventually Junko got bored of enjoying her ice ceam crepe, and of course by eventually I mean in about thirty seconds. She leaned her head on Kumagawa’s shoulder,a nd scooted closer so there would be no distance between them, causing him to make that enertaining squeaky noise again.

In front of him she took another bite and then offered it back to him. Kumagawa watched for a moment suspiciously. “Hey, do you want a bite?”

『Is it poisoned or something?』

“You literally just saw me take a bite.”

『Yeah well snakes are immune to their own poison.』

Junko held it out for him one more time. “Come oooonnn.”

Just as Kumagawa relented and leaned in to bite in the same place that she did, suddenly the speakers blared with an announcement.

“Can the crazy blonde bitch, and Naked Apron Snepai come to the central plaza! Crazy blonde bitch and Naked Apron Senpai, your children are waiting for you in the central plaza!”

Junko suddenly dropped the crepe, causing it to fall in Kumagawa’s lap before he could even get a bite.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kokichi and Monaca were waiting for them with devilish smiles in the plaza when they finally met up. They had spent so much time today messing around that they barely accomplished what they came here to do. Whatever that was.

“I’ve got it, they have a fireworks show at the end of the day! We’ll sabotage that and use it to cause a great big bang to end the day with!”

Junko said as she took the lead once more. Kumagawa smiled as he watched her back. Not because he noticed the wiggle in her hip, though that too, but because of how hard Junko was still trying when not a single thing went right this day.

『I remember the last fireworks show we went too. Junko-chan tried to kiss me.』

“I did not!” Junko suddenly turned around and spat back at him.

『Then why were you leaning in to my face real close?』

“I just wanted to see if your face looked any stupider up close!”

『Junko-chan you know you’ve kissed me after that.』

“That was just for despair! The despair of kissing a loser like you!”

As they argued Monaca and Kokichi just looked at each other, while deciding to keep their distance again walking behind them so they would not get associated with the odd couple.

They made it to the highest spot to watch the firework’s just in time.  『So, what’s the plan?』Kumagawa said looking to Junko.

“Plan?”  She shrugged. “I was just hoping our combined bad luck would do something. God, I really should have brought Komaeda-senpai here for this.”

『He’d be hurt if he thought you were just using him as a bad luck magnet.』

She pushed him out of the way when she saw the first fireworks being ready, wanting the best seat all to herself. “It’s starting, it’s starting, it’s starting!” She drummed her fake nails on the railing in anticipation. When Kumagawa scooted up next to her she did not even mind it too much. She almost wished he would get closer.

The moment she found herself thinking that, a black cloud appeared in the sky. Before the first firework could even go off for everyone else, a sudden torrential rainpour fell down. Junko stared up in disbelief, as her hair and clothes quickly became soaked.

『Hey, we ruined the fireworks show for everyone!』

Behind them, the loudspeakers anounced that the fireworks were being canceled. Kumagawa looked for Monaca and Kokichi.  『Do you guys know where we can find an umbrella? Oh, they ditched us.』

Junko and Kumagawa sat on the steps of the lost and found not daring to go out in the rain again. Junko because she did not want to ruin her outfit, and Kumagawa because he was just following along with what Junko did.

Finally, Junko got bored of sitting there watching the rain fall. By finally of course I mean about two minutes later, and decided to take action. “Alright, I just need to think on my feet like you always do. I have a plan!” She pulled on the hoodie that she was wearing around her waist as an accessory and then pulled out the bottom. “Kumagawa-senpai get in here.”

『What.』

“Let’s combine! Despair sisterly combining!”

『Okay. I'm not a despair sister though...』He decided to just go along with what she said as usual.

The two of them tried to cram into one sweatshirt, but they just kept arguing the whole time. 

A moment later Junko was wringing out her sweatshirt again on the steps. “It absorbed more water than I thought.”

While Kumagaa was in the back of the lost and found. In the corner, he finally found what they were looking for. An umbrella. He pulled it out triumphantly and walked back over to Junko.  『Let’s share an umbrella under the rain, it’ll be romantic.』He said, just before opening the umbrella to reveal that it was completely broken, and twisted up, with the actual fabric part that was supposed to keep the rain off of them torn into pieces.  『Ah, what a twisted romance.』

So the two of them walked all the way to the bus stop, huddling the best they could, under that twisted umbrella.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

At the end of the day the pair found themselves back in Enoshima Junko’s apartment where they had started, with the enthusiasm completely drained out of Junko. As Kumagawa sat once more on the floor, his legs politely folded under him he watched Junko flail about on the couch. “Ohh Emmm Geee. This is the woooooorst Senpai, how do you handle thiiiiissss!” She rolled over covering her head.

『I’m sorry this wasn’t the despair you wanted, Junko-chan.』

“Don’t quote evangelion at me that’s not going to cheer me up.” She sat up suddenly pointing to her eye which used to be infected with parasite vision. “That’s it I can’t take this anymore. I’m just as bored with before, but I’m bored from being frustrated, I’m bored o being frustated with everything. It doesn’t take super highschool level analysis to get bored of your own frustration! Whatever, if I’m going to be bored either way than I’d rather be a beautiful super genius then incompetent loser!”

『Fine, fine...so how was Junko’s no good very bad day that’s not actually that tragic or awful but may or may not be despair inducing depending on your definition?』Kumagawa said with patience even though he was sure he was being insulted. He snapped his finger and Junko felt something unscrew from behind one of her eyeballs. Immediately her hair changed back to its normal color, Kumagawa’s emotions stopped flowing into her and she could think clearly.

Just for that one moment though, as like a super computer rebooting herself her super highschool level analysis acted to review her entire day, going over her every screw up and the thousands of different other, better paths she could have taken. Hindsight was 20/20 after all.

However, this information overload caused a pounding in her skull as her entire head overheated to try to bear the strain. Not even intending to she cried out in agony and curled up on the couch. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!” She could not even laugh in despair now that she had gotten her old brain back.

A moment later though something touched the side of her head. Kumagawa Misogi’s hand guided her head to his lap once more, and he brushed his fingers through her hair again. It was really annoying, getting relieved by a gesture as small as this. “I think I understand now. Your take on despair, that it’s just terrible things happening to you over and over again. Not some big exciting catastrophe that consumes your entire world.”

『No, you still don’t get it. You’re missing something.』

“No I’m not. I’m in brainiac mode again now, maybe my head is being a total bitch right now but no in the fun way like my normal bitch self,  but I still wouldn’t miss any details.”

『Nope, nope, you don’t get it. You’ve forgotten the ending. Terrible things happen to you over and over again, but you’ve got to keep smiling at that even in the face of despair. 』Kumagawa smiled down at her, even though she had been terrible to him all day long.  『So, smile. Junko-chan.』

“.... who would have known after all of this you were just a smile junkie.”

『Then I’m suited to you, since you’re a despair Junkie after all. It’s even in your name, Junko, Junkie.』

“...my smile is fake you have to know that.”

『You’re the one who said every different Junko is the real Junko. It’s all an act maybe but it’s one you intentionally put on, so it’s the same as the real you to me. Even if it’s a fake smile you’re still trying to smile.』

“Nevermind, I take back what I said I still don’t get you at all.” She brought a hand up to the side of her head to cover her eyes, not wanting to take in any more information for the rest of the day if she could help it to prevent overload.

『Well of course you don’t. Since you’re just a spoiled brat after all.』

“It’s not like my life was good you know. I’ve been homeless too, and my parents never meant anything at all to mean. It’s just even with hardship, I’ve always been able to get whatever I want with my talent. I was never impacted by anything, never touched by anyone, I was above it all. You’re right about talent you know, it completely makes your life different from those who endure hardship, at least that’s the case with me.” This next part, she said in a much quieter voice. “You should hate me… you know…”

『I don’t. Someone once said, one’s life is a plus minus zero. Saying even an elite feels sadness and happiness, or saying a happy human also goes through a certain amount of hardship, it’s essetnially the same thing. So I presumed that he wants to say that everybody is equal, but the one who said one’s life us a plus minus zero. Must be a plus. I hated that phrase… it was because he was happy he could say a philosophical phrase like that that wasn’t idiotic. I couldn’t once think that if there was good things, all the bad things would turn into nothingness… I should want to give you whose totally untouched of the bad things in life a taste of what I feel but I don’t feel that way at all...instead… I...』

“Well that’s your problem not mine.”

『I fell in love with you, you know.』

“See previous statement.” She felt another shock go through her forehead, like Minerva was trying to burst out or something. “Jesus can you quit it already brain! I know there’s ten thousand ways I could have destroyed that amusement park if I wanted to and I was just running around like an idiot all day.”

『Do you want me to go away so you can finish your conversation with yourself in private?』

“Sssh, you’re not allowed to go anywhere.” She hissed at him. However, despite the fact that her strength had returned to her she spoke next in a weak voice. “Maybe… Ajimu is right and the problem is with me after all. I wouldn’t be satisfied with a life of constant despair like you live. Do… do you think I’m too fussy.”

『I think you’re fine. You always make yourself miserable, that’s the quality you have in common with a minus. Even if you’re fussy, it’s your fussiness then I fell in love with.』

As usual his declarations of love fell on completely deaf ears. Even though he was getting more bold with them lately. Enoshima Junko was used to being worshipped, her charisma made people love her like she was their entire world, even for people she did care about like Matsuda and Mukuro. She could feel love, but it meant absolutely nothing to her because she could not feel excitement from it unless she hurt her loved ones.

Love would not make her miserable unless she pushed it to the absolute extremes. At least that was what she thought. However, her next words sounded rather miserable. “Maybe Ajimu’s right, and I just want to give up and die.”

『You never gave up. You going after despair has always been you fighting back in your own way. I think… you fight back… harder than I do. After all you try to swim in despair, I just let myself sink to the bottom and try to enjoy it. I don’t even really… that’s just a lie… if you really gave up you’d be more like Izuru-chan.』

Junko removed her hand from her eyes, looking up at his face. She memorized every detail of the face he made back then.

『You’re always trying to smile too… in your own way… that’s why I admire you. You’re just being true to your desires, even though I wish you had less unsavory desires.』

At that Junko made an extremely cute face, or at least she thought so. “So, can you forgive this one flaw of mine?”

『If it’s a flaw you should work to fix it!』He sighed,『That flawed smile, I... I can't look away. 』

He leaned in.
For the first time.
And kissed her. Kissed her smile. For no reason. 
Even though he knew his love would not be returned. Some people swallowed whisky because they thought it would make them friends. Some people got drunk to see colors. His chapped lips, rubbing up against hers. It was just painful, with no pleasure. It was just bitterness with no sweetness. There was dots of color everywhere between them, and with his eyes closed Kumagawa was sleeping. 

Being kissed by him was nothing like she thought it would be. None of it is real, darling. She wanted to say to him. That at any moment they could wake up. That he could not love a dream, an illusion. He could not kiss her because she was not a real girl. 

For the first time she felt sorry for telling a lie to him. For making him believe he loved her. Because this feeling was so good, she almost wanted it to be real. The world doesn't know what to do with her love, and so she destroyed it. The boy in front of her didn't know what to do with her love, because he wasn't used to being loved. 

Disheartening? 
But, her heart was beating so fast. Blood came to her face, made her lips as red as a rose. She was trying really hard to make it love. She clawed at him, trying to pull him closer. 

There was suddenly a blurriness to being alove. The heat made the world melt away. Take it or leave it, and she took it. She took not just the idea of love, but the consequences of it. People loved to hate themselves, and Kumagawa hated himself but loved her. Shame comes from vanity. Shame means you're guilty. He was not ashamed. He was not vain like her. 

His feelings were not painted on like hers, so that meant, he could truly be colorful. Vanity, vanity, vanity, a girl like her forcing her will on the world. There was a boy in front of her who acted like he had his own free will, he was not manipulated, and yet he chose her. 

She kissed him back, and their lips mxied like blending colors until they started to become indistginuishable. 

Anyone can paint a mask. It's boring. It was impossible to paint the inside of yourself. Kissing did not change her. He was still inside his body, kissing her, and she was in her body kissing in back, and it mattered less and less and less And yet, she thought for a moment that if souls were colors then she wanted hers to be dyed in his color. 

It was all meaningless, but she kept wanting to kiss him a little longer, and explore more of him with her fingers, but it was already over before she knew it. 

And they both went quiet. 
Like they were both nothing more than young teenagers, embarrassed about a first kiss. 

Kumagawa muttered to himself. 『Ah, looks like I lost...』

Then she lay her head down against his shoulder and completely relaxed her body for the first time in a long time, she felt the presence of heat in her chest. Junko knew now what that emotion was. The throbbing in Junko’s chest had grown harder, each time she looked at Kumagawa’s smile, was comforted by his words, was touched by his efforts to reach out for her, and as she felt the touch of his rough fingertips - she hadn’t had a name for this eeeling before.
When she thought of him she was afflicted by the hot pangs of some troublesome illness.
Once a person became aware of it, they would lose all will to fight it anymore.
Junko was no exception after all-
No matter how much he got hurt, no matter what pain he endured, no matter how often he fell head first and drowned in despair, Kumagawa would always smile at her, would always forgive her, and would always try to understand her and speak to her with those uncannily kind words for somebody as wretched as he was.
She had gotten entirely used to the feeling of him at her side.
She didn’t want to kill him once, but again, and again, and again, until she could crush this feeling inside of her.
Obsessing over him to the point of madness
Always wanting to be around him.
If she could kill him she really would hollow herself out and feel that once in a lifetime despair all over again. 

This feeling.
This despair inducing sickness passed from him to her.
The reason she wanted to kill him so badly.
It was…
It had to be...

“Well, as always you set an example for us all to follow. You’re great at entering people’s hearts, Shittygawa.”

Yasuke Matsuda said, appearing in the doorway. Kumagawa turned his head around first.  Ah, Yasuke-chan. Shouldn’t you be hanging out with Anshin’in-san right now?』

“I’ve been silently watching your actions all day. It appears that Anshin’in-san predicted this perfectly. It’s not surprising you’d take this opportunity to get closer to her. You should be more careful, you empty headed ugly girl. What that guy feels isn’t despair. He’s much more like Anshin’in-san than he is you. Good and evil, Justice and chaos, Hope and Despair, none of that matters to him. But I can’t let you do this. I’m not going to let you team up with her, and become a threat.”

Kumagawa’s eyes narrowed at him, as he slipped away from Junko and stood up straight once more. 『Let it go, Yasuke-chan. It’s better if you didn’t make me your enemy. Are you mad because I lied to you? Because I kept you in that hospital room?』

“Don’t be so full of yourself shittygawa. I don’t care about my time in that room, that was only due to my own shortcomings. From the beginning, this has had absolutely nothing at all to do with you. I have no reason to hate you, because you don’t belong in this story.”

He drew a strange looking scalpel from his sleeve. Then drew out several more. “So, I’ll erase you.”

『This isn’t my fault!』Kumagawa said, as he picked up two screws to defend himself with.

Junko sat up from where she had been laying on the ground, gripping her head still and watching. A smile spread across her face. This entire day had been a lot to chew on, but now after all of that she was going to get a fantastic desert. Watching her former boy toy and her current one kill each other over her, what despair!

Chapter 37: Not Even a Smile (Yasuke and Munakata's Day Off)

Summary:

Kumagawa Misogi dies in this one too.

Notes:

References made in this chapter.
Tokyo Ghoul (Furuta vs Kaneki, Furuta and Rize's Flashback)
Pandora Hearts (Jack Vessalius)

“.... Seriously, you’re always like this.” Matsuda-kun sighed after some time.

“... Eh? What do you mean?”

“I just remembered. You’ve done this sort of thing before… Honestly, you’re always getting on my nerves like this.”

“I’m not really sure if I want to hear this or not but… I’ll listen. So, what happened before?”

Matsuda-kun began telling his story. As he slowly and carefully said each word I could see it all in my head.

“It was around the time that you were still pretty early on in Primary School.” I was surprised it was such an old story - but at the same time, I was happy. I’ve been with Matsuda-kun for a long time, and Matsuda-kun remembered such an old story.

But of course, I didn’t remember it, although it’s not my fault I can’t.

“You were skilled at making sandcastles. Everyone in the park was pretty amazed when you started building a full-fledged sandcastle. It was the Sagrada Família. It was really surprising. Since such a small, little girl was trying to recreate a cathedral. You even knew advanced techniques, like adding water to the sand to make more solid, it took you a full month to build.”

“Eh, A full month!”

“The real Sagrada Família took 120 years to build, and even now it’s still incomplete. You were trying to recreate it perfectly with sand, so it’s not strange that it took you so long.”

But, even so, a whole month! I wonder what made me so dedicated to it?

“But no one could believe a Primary School student was making such an amazing sand castle. In fact, by the time you were nearly finished, a lot of people from the neighbourhood came to watch… Well, you never actually finished it.”

“Eh, why? Why didn’t I finish it?” When I asked, Matsuda-kun replied in a nonchalant tone.

“Someone destroyed it. It was really close to completion too.”

“D-Destroyed it… ?” That caught me off guard, someone stepped on it and turned it into nothing more than sandy debris. “W-Why would they?! There’s nothing more cruel than destroying something a little girl puts her heart and soul into!” I yelled with rage burning deep inside me while I was still tied down.

“You were crying a lot over it. I mean, a whole month’s work gone like that.”

“Of course I would have been!” I felt a ferocious amount of empathy for younger me.

“It’s probably not surprising but I was pretty pissed over it and started looking for whoever did it… but no matter how hard I looked I couldn’t find the culprit. Actually, at the time the Sagrada Família was destroyed, you were supposed to be the only one in the sandpit. But there weren’t any other witnesses so the search for the culprit came to a standstill. Even I felt just a little depressed over it… I stared vacantly at the wreckage of the Sagrada Família as I sat on the park bench, then suddenly you appeared out of no where. What was weird though is that you had this huge grin on your face.”

“Ah, I know! I found the culprit, didn’t I!”

“No, that wasn’t it.” He sounded as though it would have been better if that had happened. “You whispered to me, “Don’t tell anyone but it was actually me who destroyed it” .”

“Yasuke-kun.”

“What is it?”

“Heeey, Yasuke-kun.”

“I said what is it?!”

“Why are you angry?”

“Are you for real? Because I spent my entire day trying to find a criminal! You should have said it was you who destroyed it all along! Why’d you lie about it?!”

“I didn’t really lie about anything. I just didn’t say mention it!”

“It’s the same thing! Why did you do such a thing?!”

“It’s because… you never leave your house anymore, Yasuke-kun...”

“...Huh?”

“I thought maybe if I made a sandcastle you’d come look. There’s no sense in making them if you don’t look at them…”

“It’s none of your business…”

“...Yasuke-kun, why were you hiding?”

“Shut up.”

“Don’t you like people seeing you cry…?”

“I’ll hit you!”

“You can’t hit a girl, Yasuke-kun.”

“You’re just another dimwitted girl with no personality!”

“I… I won’t cry… okay…”

“I’m not trying to make you cry!”

“I won’t cry! Because the person who really wants to cry is Yasuke-kun!”

“W-What are you saying? I don’t cry…”

“Why do you keep pretending to be strong?”

“I’m not trying to be strong!”

“... You don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me… I don’t care if I’m a dimwitted girl with no personality…”

“...........................”

“Anyway, if I saw you crying I bet I’d like you more…”

“That’s kinda gross…”

“It’s fine if it’s gross. Besides, I’ve decided something. Even if you hide, I’ll always be by your side. You can’t escape me.”

“You sound like stalker.”

“I’m not a stalker. I’m your lover.”

“Since when were you my lover? Is that something you decided by yourself?”

“Hey, since we’re lovers, I’ll be with you when you’re sad.”

“I’m not really… sad…”

“There you go pretending to be strong again.”

“I’m not pretending to be strong! I’m just not sad!!”

“Yasuke-kun…”

“In the end she didn’t even remember who I am! She just figured I was just some kid she didn’t care about! I couldn’t even call her mum anymore in case she’d get scared, I had to pretend to be someone else’s kid! I’m not gonna cry for her sake! Now that she’s dead I’ve got a load off my shoulders! I don’t have to be an actor in a play anymore!”

“But it was because of the disease...”

“I said it was unavoidable, didn’t I? I’m sick of hearing it! The doctor was always saying that! The doctor didn’t do anything! If he were really a doctor he would have cured my mum’s disease”

“... He sounds like a phony.”

“Hmmm… If I were a doctor, I would have cured her disease easily...”

“... Are you going to cry?”

“I said I don’t cry!”

“... Don’t worry. I’ll never forget about you, Yasuke-kun.”

“W-what… that’s a weird thing to say suddenly...”

“It’s not weird. I really mean it. Even if I forget everything else in this world, I’ll absolutely remember you.”

“If you do… forget, what will you do… ?”

“Then you’ll cure me, Yasuke-kun. If you become a doctor, you’ll be able to cure any disease I have, won’t you?”

“Well… yeah, I guess…”

“And, if you forget, I’ll remember you. But if I don’t remember, we’ll still be together forever! We’d spend our whole lives looking after each other!”

“I knew it, you really are a stalker, aren’t you?”

“Anyway, we’ll always be together! Hey, since we’ll always be together, it’s okay to do embarrassing things. It’s okay to cry, you can cry forever.”

“You… really are weird...”

“Ehehe, so have you given up?”

“... You won’t laugh at me?”

“I won’t laugh at you.”

“... You won’t try to comfort me?”

“I won’t try to comfort you.”

“... You won’t tell anyone?”

“I don’t have any friends to tell it to!”

“I don’t have any friends either… Or any family.”

For the first time in his life, Matsuda Yasuke cried in public.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Hey, Anshin’in-san, once you find that impossible thing you’re looking for, will you go home?”

Replying to the question of the thirteen year old Misogi, Ajimu’s tone was aloof, “Yep, I will.”

“I wanna go too.”

“My home is in space… there’s no air there.”

“That’s fine!”

“...? Don’t say stupid things.”

“Then don’t go.”

She looked back at him with red eyes, and replied awkwardly. “I’m not your toy, you know.”

“Yeah. I don’t care if I lose my toys, it happens all the time.”

“Apologize for your carelessness.”

“I’m sorry.” Young Misogi took Ajimu’s words seriously, and already fell to his knees from where they were walking along. At the moment she looked exactly like any other child albeit one with red eyes, but at the hopelessly naive boy before her always trying to please her Ajimu pondered if this was how childhood was, “Why do you want to be with me?”

“...because we’re family.” Kumagawa Misogi was somebody left behind by his parents, when she found him he was still waiting hopelessly for them to return even if it meant living on the streets on his own. Perhaps that was why he saw something in her obviously inhuman self. However, getting too close to the eldtrich her, might twist the mind of young Kumagawa even further than it was before.

“Listen, Kumagawa-kun. I’m not human, so I can’t be your family.”

“Why?”

“Why, he says.”

“I can talk to you, like this, and we stay together, right? Or are you the type to say you’re not family if you aren’t on the census or certificate residences, Anshin’in-san.”

“You know some really hard words for an idiot.” After some thought, she relaxed letting her feet fall off the balcony of the place he lived now off the streets. The building was registered to a Shinraui Hanten, though he never showed his face after their fight and probably wouldn’t for awhile. “I am too different from humans. There’s nothing inside of me. The longer we stay together the more you’ll come to realize, and the more you’ll come to hate me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“I won’t let that happen!!”

“Ah, you’re really upset huh?”

“N-no.”

“It’s obvious on your face. You can smile in front of everybody else, but I’ll always be able to see when you’re frowning.”

“I-I’m scared. I just won’t grow up then, so I’ll never hate you.”

“You know Kumagawa-kun, since you’re a first class loser and you lack self awareness I’ll tell you. It doesn’t matter if my face changes, it doesn’t matter if I disappear, it doesn’t even matter if you hate me, because of the time we spent together right now I’ll always be in your heart.”

“You won’t become nothing?”

“The me in your heart, is the first and only thing you can’t make nothing.”

“That’s great, then I’m looking forward to growing up together.”

“That’s not what I was talking about… why are you so eager anyway? You have to know by now, only more loss, more pain, and more suffering await you in your future.” That was no way for a human to talk to a child, but Ajimu Najimi was not a human.

“Yeah but… even so… I know it’ll be lots of fun.” He pulled out what he was hiding behind his back, and held out a popsicle with two sticks meant to be broken in half to her. “I just know it will.”

“Mmmm…. When the time comes I’ll think about it.”

“Promise?”

In response, she reached out to the other stick of the popsicle and broke it in half. Though she was not a human being she had knowledge of almost every society including this one. She also knew that childhood friends, unlike in manga, seldom became couples in real life. Promises like this too were almost impossible to keep in reality. Yet, still she took a bite out of the popsicle he offered. “I promise.”

Eating snacks together, making promises, having expectations of the future. Those were all the activities of a human being. She was out of place in all of them.

Yet, in seeing her, and hearing her say those words which moved his heart, Kumagawa Misogi shared with another for the first time, his genuine smile.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The minus that prefers trickery over chaos Kumagawa Misogi, versus the unwilling accomplice of Enoshima Junko, Matsuda Yasuke. Though this fight may seem attractive to both contenders, one cannot help but feel this is a throwaway fight.

Yasuke Matsuda has ties to the not equals, that basically means as long as he doesn’t die Ajimu Najimi’s skill will heal him without any trace of injury left. However, she has already vowed never to do such a thing to Kumagawa Misogi again. One the other hand, Kumagawa who has lost his all fiction cannot expect treatment if something were to go wrong. In other words this fight will end in Kumagawa’s destruction. That result has already been decided, it doesn’t matter how long it takes from there.

But…

Kumagawa Misogi is a veteran of losing fights.
That thought carried him as he straightened up, holding two large screws in his palms and tightened his fingers around the heads.

In a different room elsewhere, with books piled in front of him Hitoyoshi Zenkichi was studying as a part of the flask plan. Next to him, Ajimu suddenly lifted her head. “As someone who fought them both, if by some odd chance Yasuke-chan and Kumagawa-kun started fighting, who would you say would win?”

Zenkichi leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He still had not gotten used to the non-human’s alien presence. “Huh? What’s with the sudden question? Hmm, I wonder. Yasuke-chan is a gloomy guy, if he were ever an abnormal I bet he’d be pretty close to a minus. I think they’d have an unexpected understanding of each other, so I’d expect them to be pretty friendly.”

Kumagawa Misogi and Yasuke Matsuda were well on their way to destroying the hallway they were fighting in. It seemed every time a scalpel was knocked out of Yasuke’s hand, he drew another one from somewhere, and the same for Kumagawa and the screws he could keep picking up.

All around them, in the wall, in the floor, scalpels and screws had become embedded as the two continued to run down the hallway, taking wild swings at each other. The blades from Yasuke’s scalpel would hit on the edge of Kumagawa’s screws, and Kumagawa would have the swings of his screws redirected, parts of his uniform cut off in neat lines.

As they traded glancing blows though, neither of them seemed particularly interested in the fight itself. All of their interest, all of their focus was on each other. Kumagawa focused on the one who Enoshima Junko loved to the point of madness. Matsuda Yasuke focused on the one that Enoshima Junko needed by her side to prevent her from living a boring life. The sharpness of the weapons they carried was nothing in comparison to their eyes, which tried to cut open the other apart to find what was within.

In certain manga, fighting is just a plot device to rush through character development anyway. Perhaps that was all to be gained from a pointless throwaway battle, that Kumagawa would lose.

『What did you mean when you said I was like Anshin’in-san? I’m nowhere as talented and beautiful as her… unless… Yasuke-chan have you always been looking at me? Do you have those kind of feelings for me?』

“No way, you’re way too ugly.”

『What a nice thing to say. It’s nice to get recognized as the president for the Japanese Association for Ugly People.』

“It’s basic childhood psych. During your formative years the only point of attachment you had was Anshin’in-san. The only way you learned how to interact with a human being was through Anshin’in-san. That’s why everything you do, everything you are, the way you call people you’re familiar with -chan, the way you talk so much about manga,  it’s just an echo of her. Without AJimu there is no Kumagawa.”

『If that’s the case I should have come out a bit more talented.』

“It’s your fault for being such a pisspoor imitation.” Yasuke finally noticed an opening in Kumagawa’s defense. As he moved through the air his untucked shirt billowed behind him and his tie whipped around with the suddenness of his move. He cut past the screw Kumagawa was holding in his hand, and jammed a scalpel hard into his shoulder, letting go only when it was sunken in so far it would stay in when he stopped pushing. Immediately, his black uniform became wet with a dark pink.

Before Kumagawa could retaliate he reached forward to rip it out. Only then, did Yasuke see Kumagawa move to cover the hole in his defense. He realized a moment too late, perhaps because he was a genius with brains, and not with muscles, that Kumagawa had left that opening in his defense and let himself get stabbed in the first place.

Kumagawa then snaked a hand around Yasuke’s extended one, and caught him in a terrible vice grip. He could feel his arm beginning to creak and shake already under the pressure of the hold. It was not Judeau or any other recognized kind of hold, merely Kumagawa’s usual dirty back street tricks.  

Then, Kumagawa let of his arm and grabbed him by the tie instead, pulling him in so close that their faces were centimeters apart from one another.  『So then, we’re the same right?』

Yasuke’s anger boiled within him hot enough to melt his usual cold expression. He showed raw anger just for a moment, before stealing a play from Zenkichi’s book and suddenly, violently, bashing his forehead hard against Kumagawa’s to escape his grip.

Kumagawa stumbled back for a moment before catching himself against a wall, the scalpel still embedded in his shoulder.

Yasuke pushed back the his hair with his hand, brushing his fingers through it until it was slicked back all except from one antenna which lazily still stood up. “There’s no way we could be alike, because you’re so ugly.”

『I suppose so, I’ve always hated handsome guys like you. Especially ones with troubled expressions that make the girls go wild..』Kumagawa said as he pushed himself back off the wall and moved his hands to already pick up another set of screws. Yasuke observed that even covered in injuries he moved like he did not feel pain at all, but he knew that was impossible.

Speaking of girls gone wild for troubled boys, Enoshima Junko sat just outside her door watching this fight. The grin plastered across her face looked almost angelic, while she had thoughts of the devil. Is this how normal kids feel on Christmas? An unexpected result happened without even her having to be the one controlling it, just before she realized her feelings Yasuke the one she spurned had come to kill Kumagawa.

It was a near perfect tragic scenario, even down to the dramatic timing. In assuming the world was now going to follow the tragic structure of hamartia and catharsis, Junko did not anticipate any monkey wrenches being thrown to ruin the perfect performance in front of her. Which is why she only noticed the knife being thrown at her head at last moment.

Guess I’ll just dodge then. Just as she started to move her head though, somebody appeared in front of her, and met the thrown knife with one of her own, deflecting it, sending the knife spinning away. How rude. She thought rather ungratefully.

Munakata Kei, the one who had thrown the knife paused for a moment in shock at the unexpected appearance of the other. Ikusaba Mukuro now stood in front of Enoshima Junko, holding a knife to defend against blows with her dominant hand. “What are you doing? Only bad children throws knives.”

“Eh…” Junko stopped for a moment, pointing a red nail at herself. “You know I throw knives like all the time sis, right?”

“Like I said…” Mukuro trailed off.

Munakata Kei switched from the knife he was holding a moment ago, to a sheathed katana he had been concealing in his pant leg. He slowly unsheathed it as he walked forward. “Enoshima Junko-san if allowed to continue living will definitely get in Hitoyoshi-kun’s way. I will not let anyone hinder my friends.”

“You’re right she’s only going to cause trouble.” Mukuro kicked the knife that had been thrown up from the ground and caught it in her hand. “Still, I will not let anyone harm my younger sister.”

“That’s honorable, as a big brother as well I can’t find any reason to hate you for getting in my way.” Munakata said, hesitating for a moment to close his eyes. In the next beat, he had already drawn his katana out, while a trident, a spear, a mace, all jutted out from underneath his clothes. “So, I’ll kill you.”

Mukuro tried to think of what Kumagawa Misogi would say in a situation like this. “I won’t kill you, and I won’t let you kill me.”

“If you won’t kill me, then I’ll kill you.”

“Even if I die, I won’t be killed by you!” She said firmly, her expression as stoic as usual. However, internally she was thinking that made no sense at all. I’m glad almost nobody heard me say that.

“Upup-Pu-ffffffft, Big sis are you trying to look cool or something?” Junko snickered from behind her, grabbing at her sides as she dramatically moved back and forth with her held back laughter.

“I thought it sounded cool!” Makoto Naegi, running up the stairs late to the party called out as he just arrived. Unlike everybody else present with the exception of Enoshima Junko who was also not a fighting type just like him, he could not run at superhuman speeds. In fact from that sprint alone he was already winded. He did not know what to do either, so he just asked. “How can I be helpful?”

『Keep Junko-chan restrained so she can’t interfere.』Kumagawa said in midair, as he brought a screw down on Yasuke with two hands over the head, which Yasuke just barely whipped his body back to dodge as the screw landed in the ground instead.

“Got it. Good thing Zenkichi taught me a headlock. Actually he just put me in a lot of friendly headlocks and I learned from observation.”

“If you put me in a headlock I will lock you in the old school building and make you murder your friends one by one,” Junko threatened, a few seconds before she was put in a headlock. She scowled, quite grumpy with this result.

However, at least the other two appearing meant she might be able to watch both her sister and her newfound… uh… person of interest Misogi, both dying to protect an awful and empty girl like her.

“Wait… you have a sister?” Mukuro said, with a casual head tilt as she let the blade of a katana into an opening and was nearly cut by it, until the user hesitated and she was able to knock it out of his hand. He did not seem like the type at all, everything about him, from his dark looks, to his scowl, to the spiky hair and pony tail had that classic poweful loner vibe.

“Yes, we both hail from a clan that hunted demons centuries ago and because of that she cast away one of her eyes and fled the clan. I haven’t seen her in years.” The moment one katana flew out of his hands, he simply drew out the next one hidden in his other pant leg.

Clumsily holding it, he slashed wildly at her in a blow that Mukuro waited for the attack to get close to her and only dodged at the last moment when the blow suddenly slowed down. “Wait, what. What kind of backstory do you have now? Are you sure you’re not the main character of another story?” Mukuro had been around Junko her whole life, long enough to pick up that main character, and meta talk as well pretty easily, though she usually explained it in game talk more.

Munakata did not reply to her questions, instead following up his swing with another, forcing Mukuro to jump back to avoid it once again at the last second before it just barely scratched a vital point. For the ultimate soldier who was never hit once in the field of battle, suddenly a scratch appeared on one of her cheeks. She landed next to Junko for a moment, which caused Junko to stick her tongue out at her. “It’s nice to see you still care, Sis. I thought you’d fully replaced clinging to me with clinging to Naegi-kun by now.”

『You might need to gag her too!』Kumagawa called out, as he traded a blow with Yasuke, one of his screws flying out of his hand, while one of Yasuke’s scalpels flew out and hit the floor.

“Sorry Senpai, I’m not into that kind of BDSM Play!” She called out back at him, causing Kumagawa to hesitate while his face turned red, leaning an opening to get stabbed again in his lower arm.

“That’s probably a good idea…” Makoto said, though he was quite selfishly only thinking of his own hears.

“Makoto no!”

“All she ever does is insult you though?”

“Well, that’s just how she is…” Mukuro said weakly as she cut at Munakata’s wrist causing him to drop another one of his Katana’s. He hardly cared about the loss though, as he unbuttoned his school uniform and showed the inside to be lined with several rows of knives just like the one he had thrown at Junko.

Mukuro and Munakata’s knives clashed once more, however Mukuro’s technique and hold of her knife was instantly better, and after a few metallic clangs she easily knocked one out of his hand, only or him to draw up another one just as easily.

Makoto called out, hoping he might be able to reason with the other. “Do you have some grudge because Junko sent those killer killers to kill us, or because Kumagawa used you as a human shield at that time?”

“No, I don’t have those feelings at all. Do you think you’re the only one that has changed? Did you think I’m some old worn out one note character who only goes on about killing people. At the time when I couldn’t win against those two, I was filled with bitter feelings just like you.” He stopped his onslaught to look back and explain to Makoto.

Mukuro, standing right behind him did not even bother to attack. She simply stood there, with the same quiet expression on her face as usual. “Also, Ikusaba-san. WHy aren’t you attacking me while my back is turned? You’re just looking at me. THis is a harsh battle but you’re fighting with honor.”

“...”

“Normally you’re somebody who can enter a combat zone even of trained mercenaries and lifelong professionals without taking a scratch, but you’ve been intentionally taking attacks this entire meelee. I’m avoiding the vital spots, but you move to make them more dangerous. You’re taking your life hostage, you’re trying to make me give up.”

At this, Mukuro smiled. “Yeah... You’re nothing like me, you’re a murderer but you hate to kill people. I still remember what you told me over the spring trip. That’s why I want to prove it to you, that you don’t want to kill people.”

Munakata Kei, the boy who thought every reason was a good reason to kill. Ikusaba Mukuro, the girl who was only good at killing. Another impossible match up, from two people who seemed to be very similar. Another throwaway fight, as between somebody who wants to kill like Munataka, and somebody who had sworn off killing like Ikusaba there was only one way the fight would end. Ikusaba Mukuro would continue to be a disappointing girl, and she would die inevitably while struggling to protect both Makoto and Junko.

However, Ikusaba Mukuro was somebody who had grown used to disappointment.

“I see, Ikusaba-san. It’s like you said, this wouldn’t kill you.” He picked up the knives and threw them carelessly to the side. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a gun that required two hands to hold in a single hand. As amateurishly as he held all his other weapons, he pointed it forward at her. “So I’ll use this.”

However, before his finger could even hover at the trigger something inside of Ikusaba Mukuro snapped. “WROOOOOOOOOOOOOONGGGGGGG! You know absolutely nothing about handling a gun properly!! Are you looking down on me?!”

Before Munakata could even realize what was happening, Mukuro had moved forward and snatched it out of his hands, repositioning it in her own as a demonstration, putting the butt against her shoulder, one hand on the trigger and the other further up the barrel. “LIsten up! THis is how you position yourself to use a gun. Shooting in an upright position is the least safe! Either shoot lying down or kneeling! Don’t just start waving the gun around to look cool if you don’t even have a grasp on the basics!”

Nobody present in the room had even heard Mukuro even raise her voice over her usual monotone. Even Munakata who had been dead set on killing her a moment ago, nodded obediently like a scolded child before a teacher. “Y-y-yes Ma’aaaaaaam!!”

Behind her, Junko stopped struggling against Makoto for a moment, her hair started to droop and several mushrooms grew from it. “My older sister is a super highschool level military otaku…”

Makoto had a much more optimistic perspective as usual. “Ah, she’s so serious when it comes to the things she loves, that’s another thing I love about her.”

“Ick! Would you let go of me before I catch cooties!?”

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Mukuro froze for a moment, her freckled face reddening before she saw something coming out of the corner of her eye. The concealed weapon specialist had drawn up a folded up piece of metal from his other pocket. She dodged out o the way, being cut in the face once more.

He unfolded it before her, revealing a large boomerang edges bladed with sharp steel. “I can’t hold a gun properly, so I’ll use this boomerang!”

“B-boomerang?” Mukuro repeated.

“Exaclty, and this is the type that comes back in a straight line. It’s a new product of aerodesign.”

“It’s still a boomerang right? Don’t you realize it only returns to the owner’s hand when it misses?” Mukuro said, feeling a little behind.

“I know! So I’ll kill you!”

“Watch out, MUkuro! Dodge it!” Makoto cried out, as the boomerang began to spin wildly through the air.

“Even if you didn’t tell me, I’d avoid it. The only option is to avoid it. This time, Munakata can’t hold himself becak as once it leaves his hand he can’t influence it. Using a thrown weapon is the best possible move for him in this situa…” As she was explaining, Mukuro stopped where she was standing and froze directly in the boomerang’s path.

It hit her square in the stomach and sent her flying backwards, an impact hard enough to tear through the white dress up shirt she wore as a part of her uniform, and make her cough up blood.

“Eh…? Mukuro? Why didn’t you avoid it! Getting hit on the way back is one thing but…” Makoto cried out in worry.

“Wow, sis I can’t believe you’re starting to suck this bad at the one thing you’re good at.” Junko remained a total Junko about this.

“Oi, oi, Naegi-kun, Enoshima-san. You shouldn’t be asking why. Mukuro used her body to protect you.”

The boomerang would come back in straight lines, which meant if she avoided it and Munakata avoided it, it would only double back and hit the two of them. Enoshima Junko could probably dodge such a blow, but not while she was wrestling her way out of Makoto’s headlock. Mukuro collapsed over, gripping her stomach as she felt torn apart from the inside just from the shock of the blow, Munakata took a few serious steps before standing over her. “I guess you made the right choice, to let yourself be murdered before you became a murderer. Ikusaba-san you’re stronger than you appear.”

However, blood falling from the corners of one of her lips Mukuro sat up once more looking at him, clutching her stomach with all she had as she did. “Is that so? Then you’re weaker than you appear, coward.”

“Coward? What else am I supposed to do? A hero is supposed to train in secret with their special attack and not hurt their allies, and there isn’t a person that would criticize it, why? Because they are trying to do the right thing. If it is right, it doesn't matter what is done. It ins’t cowardly.” He tilted his head, covered already in scuff marks and patches of blood from  their earlier fighting his gaze as serious as ever, I’m fighting for my friends there is not way in hell I’m a coward.”

“Ah… so you’re just like the past me…” Mukuro said as she stood up once more, unfolding her arms from around her stomach and looking at him with a defiant gaze. A gaze that looked almost completely new and out of place on the girl who used to only obey and kill for her sister.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Will you shut up? What’s the point of fighting if you’re going to make me hear your unpleasant sounding voice the entire time.”

『I’m trying to help you understand. That’s not what she wants, alright?』

“You really are a clown, funny how you seem to think you know her so well.”

『Well I do.』

“If you say that again I’m going to kill you.”

『She needs to have her freedom, Yasuke-chan. You weren’t trying to protect her, you just tried to lock her away so she, your reason for living, could not escape you. However, in doing so you lost sight of what you loved about her so much. The fact that she could freely express herself, freely enter people’s hearts, freely become important to you in ways you couldn’t. She just- 』

“How the hell do you know? Reserve course trash who thinks they know better, idiots who think they’re hot shit, are the absolute worst. No wonder this academy stomped all over you!”

『I’m speaking from personal experience.』

Their flurry of blows against one another stopped and Yasuke slammed his fist hard against the wall instead. “Shut up I’m sick of hearing you talk about her, and about me! You have nothing to do with us!” His anger became clear on his face once again, and he tried to hide it by shaking his head and lowering it to let his hair fall back over his eyes. “I’ll do whatever I need to make sure she sees me.” As long as Junko’s watching me, as long as Junko remembers me. I still exist. Shit, shit, shit, shit, I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud. If I show this part of myself I’ll just be taken advantage of again.

『Ah, is that why you’re so different right now, Yasuke-chan? You’re not a combat type character, but you’re keeping up just fine with the despised and feared Kumagawa Misogi. I thought you were a nice, normal, guy but you’re looking a bit abnormal lately. Under the weather?』

Matsuda dropped the last scalpel he was carrying. His hands tightened into fists instead. “Anshin’in-san made me train hard so I could get it. Power to get what I wanted. That was the only solution for the powerless and helpless me.”

『You’re going to fail.』Yasuke glared back at him with one eye, only slightly turning his head.  『I understand everything, I understand her and you too. 』

He slowly turned around, answering back in a low growl. “How dare you say that. You don’t know me, the only person who knows me, whose ever known me is her.”

『I will keep on saying it! There’s no need to fight me, you’re me after all! If we hurt each other over her, that will be just what Junko-chan wants, but it’s not what you want. You don’t want… to destroy yourself all over again got it?』

Yasuke slowly opened his eyes, the shadows over them giving them an especially sunken in and tired quality. Somehow, his eyes looked more desperate, more deranged, than Kumagawa Misogi who was famous for both. He scowled wide enough to show his teeth, like a dog warning the other to stay away. “........Fine.”

『Wow, that worked? I think this might be the first time that somebody has listened to me.』

“I won't leave anything left...I'm going to devour you whole!"

『Nevermin-ah!.』

Yasuke had rushed forward faster than either of them could notice, and plucked one of the scalpels out of the wall, jamming it into Kumagawa’s forehead in a successive motion. “Time for brain surgery.”

『This doesn’t look too safe.』

“Don’t worry, I’m an ultimate neurologist. An elite talent.”

Kumagawa suddenly felt light headed, as he fell back into Yasuke’s extended arm. At that moment, the scalpel in his head did not bleed, but the wound did glow with some kind of supernatural energy.

Ah, just like my beloved Anshin’in-san to break her own rules about not letting any supernatural abilities in this world.

Kumagawa thought, as he saw suddenly a roll of film bursting from his own forehead. “This is my abnormality,  『Dream Eater』I can forcibly replay the memories of others, even suppressed or forgotten memories. I can even make others watch. I’ll show you how different we are.”

Kumagawa did not smile at this.
In the next moment, his face suddenly reeked of desperation as tears welled in the corner of his eyes.  『No, wait please! Yasuke-chan. I don’t want to... I’ll apologize. I was wrong. I don’t want her… to...』

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Vice president Ajimu, I lost to Medaka-chan again.”

He heard the sound of a door opening.

“Vice president Ajimu, you said the student body would be on my side.”

He heard the sound of a door opening.

“Vice president Ajimu, I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t even want to fight Medaka-chan. Let’s just talk this out okay and go back to the days where it was just you and me.”

He heard the sound of a door opening.

In the classroom that always appeared in his dreams, and his heart, Ajimu Najimi was standing on a chair. The moment he opened the door, she stepped off of the chair. Even with a quadrillion skills she did absolutely nothing to resist gravity as it pulled her down.

He heard the sound of something snap. Oh, it was her neck. She had stepped off a chair to hang herself, and the noose tightened around her neck to snap it. Kumagawa watched as the life slowly drained out of her face.

He stood in the doorway, unable to twitch a single muscle on his body. To him the scene did not even look real, like somebody had painted over reality with a manga. However, in the next few moments the panels outstretched in front of him were completely covered in black.

At this, Kumagawa smiled.

Growing up will be lots of fun, did I say something like that once?
I can’t do it anymore.
I can no longer grow up.
I saw Ajimu’s face as she hung there.
She looked happy.
I hated her face.
And I hated her.
So, I tore it off.

The sound of an uneavenly rip tore through the air, as Kumagawa with both hands twisted flesh away and tore it from itself rising them in the air. His hands became splattered with pink, and he threw what remained of her face to the side. In the hole, he jammed a screw, and twisted it up, churning the bits that were left.

Just then the door opened.
Just then Medaka walked in as he stood up and let go of her body.
Just then, he pressed his hands together by the finger tips, letting blood smear against blood before tilting his head over his shoulder to look back at her and smile.

『This isn’t my fault.』

He said it for the first time, and the only time he actually meant it. Even with her pink blood dripping from his hands.

Huh?
What’s happening.
My throat hurts.
I can’t breathe.
I heard someone screaming.
He realized, , because my throat hurt so much, that I was the one who was screaming.
Awe.
I thought I’d be going mad with laughter at a moment like this, not screaming how lame.

Kumagawa came back to reality, and looked at Yasuke standing over him. Behind him, he could feel Junko’s eyes on his back, but she was the last person he wanted to see right now in the whole world.

『You see Yasuke-chan that was my secret. All along I was trying to defeat Anshin’in-san to protect her from her own suicide, all of these evil actions of mine were just a test with the best intentions in mind.』

Yasuke did not know Kumagawa well enough, so he did not know that when Kumagawa started talking nicely like that, he was about to do something gruesome. In the next moment there was a screw in his shoulder, spinning wildly out of control, tearing his flesh and twisting it up.

『We’re totally the same! So, let’s share each other’s pain!』Kumagawa said, as he grabbed the end of that screw and ripped it out of Yasuke’s shoulder. Yasuked moved to retaliate striking through the air with his scalpel, however Kumagawa already dodged out of the way. The entire time Kumagawa had been purposefully taking hits, he always did when he fought.
  
Yasuke chased after him trying to land a blow, only to see Kumagawa move faster than his eyes could track. The same speed with which he fought Medaka once. The same strength that only Medaka saw in him.

No, worst of all. Kumagawa’s smile was nowhere to be found. The cheerful disposition he carried for himself vanished. His entire face twisted up in anger that he could no longer switch off or repress. When he was tired of dodging, Kumagawa turned the battle in an instant.  『Yasuke-chan. I really love fights like this, the kind that appear in jump. I don’t care about understanding you at all. In truth, just this once, I’ve wanted to go all out like this, so come! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!』

Kumagawa danced madly as he brought his screws down on Yasuke. The sound of metal on metal became a one sided beat down, as he bashed again, again, again, and again. Matsuda could just barely block his blows that increased with maddening speed.

He stopped with the scalpels and used his bear hands instead, kicking up with his foot only to have Kumagawa dodge him. Kumagawa moved with his hands in his pockets sidestepping him. Yasuke threw a punch forward with all of his might, only for Kumagawa to casually sidestep him once more and for Yasuke to fall forward with his momentum and crash head first into the hallway floor.

『Aha. That’s right. The weak, feeble, useless Yasuke-chan who couldn’t even save one girl. Licking the floor like that suits you well. Should I call Junko-chan over, so you can lick her boots too?』

“Bastard…”

『Yeah, right, Yasuke-chan. You made me see that memory because you wanted to make me want to die, right? Well you succeeded so take responsibility.』He brought his own shoe on Yasuke’s face, and smashed down hard on it. He hated the expression on Yasuke’s face as much as he hated Ajimu’s in this moment.  『Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Come on!』

Yasuke’s body grew increasingly limp. He started to see, not the pitch black of Kumagawa’s shadowy form looming over him, but rather a pure white. Suddenly the pain stopped, and he felt Kumagawa’s breath at his neck.

“You really need to brush your teeth.”

『Yasuke-chan, why do you hate Junko-chan? Is it because she killed you? Is it because she lied to you? If I were you, I would hate her for saving me. I regret meeting her. I cursed the moment she offered to help me. Every word she uttered, every gentle touch, were like so many chains tying me down. I’d hate, the fact that I was saved, and dragged along forced to live this miserable life all because of her selfishness. I would hate being given a reason to live in the first place.』

“Shut up. Don’t talk shit about something you know nothing about! Nobody’s ever loved you, you never had anybody to begin with! How the hell would you know what it feels like to lose them! You’re just pretending to be the most miserable bastard on earth to excuse your sack of crap self!”

He stared up with blurry eyes. “I’m suffering now, because I love her. I’m doing this now, because I love her. You whose never been loved, can’t possibly know what love is.”

Before he could let his vision fade entirely though he heard a gunshot sound behind him.

“Matsuda-kun! As your friend I have you covered!” Munakata Kei called out.

There was only one person that Munakata would shoot in this situation. The ringleader he had come to kill, Enoshima Junko. “JUNKO!” Yasuke shouted out. He needed to get up somehow and push her over, he needed to move. He could only force his eyes open to watch.

However, the person that had moved to protect Junko was not himself, but rather Kumagawa Misogi. In an instant, he snapped out of his mad state and moved his body in the pathway of the bullets without even thinking about it.

His body shook as a full clip was unloaded into him. The movement so sudden, that even Munakata hesitate as smoke still rose from his barrel. “Kumagawa-kun…”

“Misogi-chan!” Mukuro cried out from behind.

“Kumagawa-senpai…” Junko said her voice much quieter than the rest.

Kumagawa looked back just once while he still managed to stand.  『It might be the wrong time to say this but… Junko-chan. I’m sorry for grabbing your boob the first time we met.』

“Pick better last words asshole!” Junko said, moving her leg up in the air to kick him, but was held back by Makoto once more.

Munakata stopped for a moment surveying the situation. Both Mukuro and Kumagawa, neither of them made any move of attack they just defended. He took advantage of my blind spot on top of that he used his body to cover Enoshima-san. He could have stabbed me in the back with a screw in the time it took to cover her. He’s similar to me trying to find any way to avoid killing. No, they both are.

Yasuke stood up, wiping the blood away from his forehead on his messy button up shirt. Even though it seemed all of his strength was gone a moment ago, with Junko still alive he could stand up like this just fine. “Don’t bullshit me… we’re not the same… if we were the same then why… why am I losing to you?”

『Yasuke-chan. I thought when I first met you, you could make a good minus. But it seems I was completely wrong, you are the furthest thing from being a minus. 』

Yasuke scowled at Kumagawa as he too lifted himself from the ground.

『You’ve had a disgusted look on your face the entire time. You don’t smile. Do you think it’s cool not to smile? If you go through life like that, you wouldn’t notice. You can’t be close to being a minus like that. Even if things don’t go the way you want them to. Even if you lose. Even if you don’t win. Even if you look like an idiot. Even if you’re walked on. Even if you’re kicked. Even if you’re sad. Even if you’re bitter. Even if you’re tired of it all. Even if it hurts. Even if it’s hard. Even if you’re weak. Even if you aren’t right. Even if you’re humble… 』He grabbed at his own cheek, pinching it to force his bloodied face into a smile. When he spoke next he used his genuine voice. “Through all of that, we minus always laugh!”

Of course, laughing would mean ceasing the cool act and aking Kumagawa Misogi lose, but he was born under such a star. Right after this he is going to die, there is nothing else for him only a miserable death, and as a sign of his impending doom, the final fight in Hakoniwa begins with a bang.

“Come on you girlfriend considerate lovesick bastard, I’ll laugh at your love!”

Kumagawa and Yasuke locked eyes.
Mukuro and Munakata locked eyes.
All of them acknowledged at once, that the fight was in it’s final move.

Nobody thinks that they will die. Even though everyone understands that life will eventually end. They just think it won’t be today or tomorrow. But you will die. Today you will die, tomorrow you will die. Accidents, disasters, illness coincidence, betrayal, foolishness. Eventually everyone will die.

Kumagawa stripped off his bloodied uniform jacket and let it falll to his elbows, before tossing it aside entirely. In the next moment he pulled off the plain white T he was wearing over his head and dropped it as well. His bloodstained face cracked a smile.

There’s a strange happiness in dying for a girl.

Ikusaba Mukuro unbuttoned her bloodstained button up shirt, and pulled off the her neck tie tossing them both aside. Underneath was only a black sports bra, her entire body without a scratch, spotless, though Junko would probably make a comment on her flat chest if she was not too absorbed in the moment of watching everybody prepare for their deaths. She looked to Munakata preparing for the last blow as well.

There’s a strange happiness, in dying so I won’t kill him.

Nobody thinks that they will kill. Even though there are murders that occur every day and night. They view it the same as a tv show. ut they will, people will kill people, no matter what they will kill. Feelings of love, risk vs reward, war, peace, eating while driving, being too nice, mistaking manga for real life.

Eventually people will kill someone else.

Yasuke Matsuda pulled his tie loose, which was easy because it was already poorly tied. He started to unbutton his shirt as well, pulling it off to reveal a torso that was almost spotless unlike Kumagawa’s, because the injuries of his death had all been erased.

I’m not doing this for Junko, I don’t care anymore. I just want him out of my sight. It may be more forgivable to kill for yourself, though that probably isn’t right.

Munakata undid his straight tie, pulling it loose from the knot. He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall off of his arms. On both arms were several knife holsters, wrapped around his chest was rounds of ammunition, and tucked into his belt were several more guns. He dropped all of those weapons onto the floor, and then tossed his bloodied shirt aside.

It may be more forgivable to kill for your friends… though that probably isn’t right.

“Why are they taking their shirts off?” Makoto whispered to Junko.

Junko tilted her head slightly. “I dunno… but it’s kinda… hot…” She licked her lips to prevent any more dribble from escaping her mouth.

“Please stop talking.”

Mukuro and Munakata stared at one another, he wielding his bare hands and her holding her last knife.

“By the way, Munakata-kun. ‘THe one that moves first is the loser.’ Do you believe that statement is true?” Mukuro asked him. “It’s something you see in a lot o manga, but I wonder if it’s like that in real life. If you think about it the one that moves first is more likely to win.”

“So why don’t you try and move first? Are you a fan of manga, like Kumagawa-kun?”

Mukuro tilted her head in a similar way that her sister did. “Eh? I don’t really know anything about manga. I just know I want to win because, if I die, or if you die, Makoto won’t be able to smile. So let’s just fight fairly.”

“Okay? I’m going to start counting… one… two and…!”

The two moved forward in an instant, Mukuro struck forward with her empty hand not even intending to kill him as she held her other hand with the knie behind her back, while Munakata went straight for the neck, digging into her flesh and tearing it out at the throat.

“Gah-ha-ah!” Blood gushed, as Mukuro’s body weakened and she fell forward.

“Instant kill. I see, it’s just like Maguro-kun said. After getting rid of all my weapons, it’s so light and easy to kill. And you’re the first person I’ve ever killed but… it’s much more boring than I thought it would be…” He pondered as he drrew his hand back, a trail of her own pink blood falling in the air as he looked away, bored from the scene in front of him.

“Nooooooooo Mukuuuurrooooooooooooooooooo!” Makoto rushed towards Mukuro’s corpse on the ground, leaving Junko completely alone.

She turned around to see that Kumagawa and Yasuke’s final move had gone much less dramatically. Kumagawa lost as usual, and Yasuke dead lifted him into the air by the neck, slowly, crushing it with his hand.

『Why do you always go with strangulation? Is that your fetish Yasuke-chan?』

“Shut up, you won’t even be able to talk soon.”

『Ya… yasuke-chan. I just wanted for her to have his freedom. I love her. That’s why… I want her… to be free from our feelings... so she can remain Junko』

“You don’t get it. Everything has always belonged to her right from the beginning. our feelings, and her freedom, there isn’t anything in this world that doesn’t belong to her. Nothing. Whether we let her go, or chain her, it's as she wants it. That settles it, so we’re not the same after all.”

『I guess so. The elite you would know better… 』

Kumagawa Misogi’s body stiffened, hanging from his hand. He died right there. Yasuke dropped his body on the ground. As he stared at it, without even using his ability that could replay memories he suddenly remembered.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“You don’t have to keep visiting. It’s annoying.”

『I’m visiting because I pity Yasuke-chan, because he doesn’t have any friends.』

“Shut it shittygawa, unlike you I had at least one friend in my life. I only ever needed one friend.”

『Huh? Says who?』

“Even if I wanted a friend you’re the last human being on earth I’d want to be friends with.”

『Awe, Yasuke-chan acknowledged me as a human being. My heart just skipped a beat.』

“Shut it, you’re not clever. WIttiness requires actual intelligence, for one.”

『So you’re saying if I kill every human being on earth except us, I can become Yasuke-chan’s friend? Then I’ll get started right away.』

“Why do you keep pestering me about this? Are you so sad the only person who will willingly spend time with you is chained to a hospital bed?’

『Willingly, does that mean you are putting up with me?』

“Shut uuuuuuuuuuupppppp!”

『Yasuke-chan, you never cry, and you never smile either. All you ever do is stare out that window all day. Why is that? Is it because all of your emotions were tied up in Enoshima-san? You could only ever feel safe feeling them around her.』

“Spare me the analysis. I don’t think I’m in the mood to be psychoanalyzed by a dipstick.”

『No, I was just thinking. If you want to keep acting tough and strong without Enoshima-san around then that’s fine.』

“Huh…?”

『I know normally that I should encourage you to cry, or to be more open with your emotions, but you have a reason for locking them all up don’t you? That’s just how you deal with things. If you’re just trying to be strong, then at least you’re trying right?』

“...”

『That’s why I’ll just cry whenever I want!』

“What the hell does that have to do with anything!”

『-Sniffle- Yasuke-chan is a meanie! He snapped at me for no reason! If we become friends Yasuke-chan, then from now on when I’m crying, I can cry or the both of us. We’ll say that all the tears that I shed count double for yours.』

“Why would you want to do that for me?”

『Well… it’s because I’ve never made a friend, and I think we’re alike. I don’t know, isn’t any reason a good reason to become friends? We both like manga after all.』

“... I’ll think about it.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Y… you bastard. Why, why did you make me kill you?” Yasuke could not hold it back anymore, like a damn breaking tears fell from his eyes. At the moment though nobody even noticed. Munakata was surveying what he had done to Mukuro, Makoto was holding her body, and Enoshima Junko rushed past him.

“I… I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to kill somebody who just wanted to be friends with me.” Yauske fell to his knees, staring at his bloodied hands. The same hands he had slowly strangled Kumagawa to death with. “This isn’t what I wanted… I don’t like it… I don’t like killing at all.”

Junko rushed past him, and picked Kumagawa up. Immediately she pressed her hands against his bare chest and tried to get his heart pumping with CPR. A moment later, she inhaled a great breath, and put her lips against his, forcing air into his lungs.

“Hey… Junko.. What are you doing right now? You only live for despair, so why are you trying to revive him?”

“...”

“Hey…answer me… please respond..”

“...”

“What’s the difference between him and me? What’s your answer, Enoshima Junko…”

Junko looked back at him just once, but said nothing.

Munakata was already putting his shirt back on. “It’s too late you two, they’re both dead. It’s not like CPR is going to save him now.”

Makoto hodling onto Mukuro’s body still, glared up at Munakata. “You sick bastard! Why did you kill her? You talk about wanting to kill people, but I thought you hated killing! I thought she was your friend, and I was too!”

“Friends? You only watched my fight with Shuuji and piggybacked to get where you are. You never had any intention of becoming my friend. Besides, I didn’t want to kill him. But no matter what people are going to kill people, Naegi-kun, or do you think this is a world where nobody dies or kills? If you really don’t like this why don’t you go collect all the dragon balls, if you collect all seven bringing people back to life is possible, ya’ know. How about you, Enoshima-san?"

Munakata turned around, stepping in front of Yasuke to offer him a hand up. Yasuke was too despondent to even notice him though. “But… it’s just like Kumagawa Misogi, even though they both lost they didn’t lose. I’ve already lost my desire to kill people. Was this their plan from the start? They let themselves be killed for that. She taught me being a murderer is really boring, and he taught Matsuda-kun again that he hates killing. Because of that, the unquenchable thirst for killing has been satiated… Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I wanted to kill so much.”

He stared off into the sky or a moment, before starting to wander off. Before he could even make it a few steps, Kokichi and Monaca appeared from the shadows. “Where do you think you’re going, after killing a person Munakata? Don’t you know killing people is the absolute worst thing you can do.”

“Of course I plan on confessing my crimes to the police. You…why are you still here? As not equals have you decided where you’re going to swing, Kurokami-san or HItoyoshi-kun? Though I guess you’ve been decided from the start. You are not equals, so you’re going to support Anshin’in-san’s choice Hitoyoshi-kun.”

“No, there’s no way I could support a side who kills people.” Kokichi said, while Monaca cling to one of the tassels of his white uniform. “WE’ve decided to fight against Anshin’in-san. Please tell her when you see her. I’m sure she will be delighted.”

“So you’re going to side with Kurokami-san? If you do that, you’ll only weaken her.”

“No, no, it’s not like that. That girl is kind of scary actually…” Kokichi said looking down.

“Like I’d side with a boring version of big sis Junko, when I can have the real thing!” Monaca piped up.

“I don’t get it… so you’re just not going to fight then?” Munakata siad with a tip of his bloodied head.

“You’re wrong. We are going to follow Enoshima Junko and become the third force. We can’t stop those two, and we thought if she had Kumagawa around, Junko might actually be more tolerable to work with… but that isn’t going to work now.”

“So, you’re just going to let Enoshima-san go wild and destroy everything, resetting the board to the way it was before.”

“Of course you can see it that way but before that. We like them, well except for Junko but, everyone  they’re all such good friends and it’s always fun. We just want everybody to live out their student lives to the best of their ability.”

“Hey I like Big Sis Junko…” Monaca interrupted.

“Isn’t it nice to have emotions like that? But you’re too late. I came here to kill any potential making of a third force… and I did it. Since I’ve been made powerless, and Matsuda-kun can’t do anything right now, neither of us will stop you. However, without Kumagawa-kun by Enoshima-san’s side you’re being way too reckless, or do you really plan on collecting the dragon balls and resurrecting him?”

“That isn’t possible. Even anshin’in-san who possesses countless skills can’t bring him back. You can’t just revive the dead, that’s bad writing… but…” Kokichi smiled and bringing a finger to his lips. “There is a skill that can make it so he never died.”

Munakata heard the sound of buttons being snapped behind him. Junko looked down at the body she had let next to her a moment ago seeing nothing, and they both heard the rustling of clothes, somebody standing up behind him.

“You two are too reckless, you spouted out ideas from your first love and your first friend and because of that Anshin’in-san’s plan has been thrown off track, and led to a result that cannot be taken back.”

Kumagawa finished buttoning his collar with a click. Then, he gestured with both of his hands and in a moment the blood on all of them, the damage to the hallway, Mukuro’s torn out throat, their injuries, it all became nothing.

『All fiction. My death is now nothing..』

Monaca lept into the air. “Naked Apron-Senpai!”

Mukuro woke up, and leaned against Makoto trying to ease up his crying a little bit. “Misogi-chan.” She gave a knowing smile, as if she recklessly expected a miracle like this to occur.

“What happened? Kumagawa-kun didn’t you change to bookmaker? You traded with anshin’in-san, right?!” Munakata spun around, not understanding at all.

Kumagawa pressed a finger to his cheek, tilting his head with a childish innocence.

『I don’t knoooow. Maybe it was a miracle from a girl’s kiss. Isn’t that fine in this type of situation?』

Munakata looked at Yasuke for a moment, before shaking his head. “Why don’t we talk to anshin’in-san about this? You guys can tell her about your opinions later as well.” He said, before disappearing in a blur faster than anybody could chase him.

Kumagawa decided to let that go for now. He walked over to Junko, and then suddenly, forcefully grabbed her by the back of the head and forced her head down slightly. 『You should apologize for causing Yasuke-chan so much trouble.』

“...”

『Come on, just talk to him.』

“...”

『So stiiiiingy! Sorry, Yasuke-chan. She’s not trying to send you into despair or anything, she’s just bad at talking about her true feelings, she’s that kind of girl.』

“Kumagawa-kun…” Yasuke wiped the tears from his eyes, seeing Kumagawa suddenly return alive to him after he had killed him with his own two hands.

『I’m sorry for tricking you like that, it was pretty mean. You’re right though, you know more about love, and more about Junko-chan than me. You’re the one she loves after all, not me. You should try to talk things out, I think it’s fine… if you go back to her side. No, it’s probably better that way.』

He spoke from his own inferiority complex as he offered the other a hand.

『You can be the hero who protects Junko-chan, and I’ll be the villain that tries to defeat her. I wouldn’t mind… a result like that...even if I couldn’t call it a win.』

Yasuke refused to take his hand though. He stood up on his own, still wiping his face with his sleeve. “It… it’s not over yet… Kumagawa-kun. There’s no way I could be on your side, because I don’t want to lose to you.”

『Huh?』

“N-no. We can't be friends yet because I don't know how to smile yet. I don't want to lose to a good hearted guy like you.”  He said, before running away, still messily wiping his face as he went.

『A compliment from Yasuke-chan, that almost sounded creepy.』

The moment after Yasuke left the room though, Junko reverted back to her normal self. She took the hand Kumagawa offered her, and stood proud with her hands on her hips. “Oh my god you guys, are literally any of you sane at all? You’re going to regret making me your leader.”

All of them looked to Junko, nobody said a thing. That clearly must have confirmed the fact that they had gone insane.

“Okay, whatever. I won’t say anymore. Your funerals.”

Next to her, Kumagawa swung his arm out dramatically. 『The student council vice prsident Kumagawa Misogi now deems the third force as the naked apron alliance.』

Junko suddenly turned around on her heel and went walking back to her room. “Nevermind, I don’t want to be part of a team with that name, bored now.”

『Junko-chan, wait!!!』Kumagawa yelled dramatically as he ran after her.

Then, returning to the question of what do the extraordinary do on their day off?

Those who were used to the extraordinary, tried to feel the ordinary.

Those who were ordinary continued to search for the extraordinary. 

A hero tried to destroy something.

A villain tried to save something. 

A murderer would not kill.

A pacifist killed in one blow. 

It's almost as if there's no difference at all. In the end the ordinary, the extraordinary, the every day, the not so every day, heroes, villains, murderers, pacifists are all the same. Just a bunch of wasted, meaningless days. 

So, as all these things were set in motion time continued to move forward and classes at Hope's Peak Academy would resume. 

Chapter 38: A Shitty Love Comedy

Moving forward slightly, the next morning began with a bang, or rather with a scream like many things in this academy did.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Makoto opened the door and let loose a scream. He stumbled upon a gruesome scene, Kumagawa collapsed on the floor with a knife in its back. Pink pooled underneath him, and dripped, dripped, dripped on the floor.

For Makoto who was still not accustomed to seeing the corpses of his friends and who had recently endured seeing the real thing from Mukuro and not a fake Kumagawa had set up ahead of time, the world seemed to be playing in slow motion. It seemed that even if Kumagawa could erase wounds, and even death itself, he could not erase the mental scars they left behind.

Makoto stood there shaking, suddenly feeling a nausea in his stomach. This was death, this was what Mukuro lived steeped in for ten years before meeting him. This was…

“Misogi-chan you should stop joking around,” Mukuro said as she stepped next to Makoto’s side, and casually intertwined her hand with his.

The corpse suddenly raised its head. With closed eyes, Kumagawa smiled at them ignoring the knife in his back as he straightened up.  『That’s not fair Mukuro-chan, Junko-chan is the one playing pranks. She should know it’s useless to kill me now that I have all fiction back, yet she keeps flirting with me like this.』

The two others looked to see several other knives embedded in the wall. It was likely that every single time she threw one, Kumagawa did not dodge as was his habit until he was hit in the back. Mukuro noticed a familiarity of one of her sister’s old habits, throwing knives at her. That, trying to kill her with an ice pick, trying to beat her with a bat, as she remembered all of those she made a twisted connection in her abnormal mind.

Something between Sister and Kumagawa must have changed if she’s going this far to show her feelings for him.

That sister in question was sitting on one of the desks in the back of the classroom, casually chewing gum. She blew a bubble and popped it, right as Makoto was glaring at her. She didn’t seem to notice, no it was more like she saw herself on a plane above everybody else in the room that they were below her notice. However, that was unbelievably typical for the likes of Enoshima Junko.

She threw one more knife that curved and went towards her sister. This time in an instant, Kumagawa rushed forward and caught it with his bare hand. For a moment he almost looked cool, and then he dropped it and grabbed onto his palm with his other hand.  『Ow! Ow! Ow! That looks so much cooler in manga, you know when a character blocks a bare blade with their hand?』

“Junko, what are you doing?” Makoto spoke up finally.

“Yeah, you got naked apron-senpai’s gross blood everywhere. It probably has loser cooties in it,” Monaca peeked her head out from behind him.

『Awe, Monaca-chan is concerned for me.』

“It’s your fault. You were late so I got bored and had to find a way to entertain myself by fooling around with Misogi,” Junko said, before unfolding her legs in a dramatic sweep and then jumping off the desk and landing easily in her heeled boots.

“Phrasing, please. Imagining somebody like you fooling around with anybody makes me want to claw my own eyes out.” Kokichi walked in as well, choosing to hover behind Monaca like he usually did and while Junko was in the same room there was an air of protectiveness about it.

“Hey, I wouldn’t fool around with just anybody. I protect my virtue you know, I’d only do it with somebody especially despair inducing… I mean Kumagawa-senpai is despair inducing just to look at but like… not like that…”

In the background oblivious to all of this, Kumagawa Misogi simply clapped his hands. The knife in his back, the ones in the wall, and the blood all disappeared at once.  『Huh? Of course Junko-chan and I fool around we’re both clowns. I don’t get why you’re making such a big deal out of it. 』

Mukuro finally spoke up. “It’s not my fault we were late, you were the one who asked us to gather two extra people at the last minute.” As she finally pulled Makoto aside by the hand the last two entered the room. Shuuji and Takumi both glanced around all the gathered people, and nervously looked away and then to each other.

“Are you sure it’s safe to have those two around?” Makoto said, nervously remembering the last encounter he had had face to face with Shuuji.

“They’re only middle schoolers, and besides… it’s kind of my responsibility they’re like this it’s not like I can just forget them and leave them alone.” Not like Junko does. Mukuro thought, but then decided not to say anything.

『Anyway, let’s look at the diagram I put so much effort into drawing that I kept my back turned to Junko-chan.』

“No diagram is worth that, Kumagawa-kun!” Makoto snapped at him, but Kumagawa once again seemed oblivious to his concern. “Why didn’t you just fight back?”

『Hmmm? Well actually Junko-chan’s been like this all morning. When I went to meet up with her and offered my hand she immediately tried to stab me, then when we were walking here she threw knives at me and then when I finally arrived she just played darts while I helped get ready. I think it’s just one of those things where if you don’t give your bully any of the attention they’re looking for they’ll eventually stop.』Kumagawa said, rather calm about the whole ordeal. Of course if you asked him he would probably say he’s dealt with people throwing knives at him countless times in the past.

“So you admit you’re being bullied!” Makoto snapped again, but Mukuro tugged at his hand to calm him down.

“Maybe Makoto’s right, well especially not that diagram… it’s uhmmm…uhhh… nobody stare at it for too long please. This reminds me of one of Mitarai-kun’s videos.” Mukuro added, finding that even the unflappable her felt a bit offput by it.

Kumagawa drew small cartoonish drawings of every major player in the three factions that had split up, but something about his drawings looked so terrifying that they unnerved everybody in the room Ev.en the despair loving Enoshima Junko walked forward and started to erase them. “Anyway, I guess I’ll just cover for  Kumagawa-senpai’s screw up as usual. I guess that’s why I can’t leave that guy alone. Hmmm, can you draw me some of these later though they might make for good experimental brainwashing material.”

『Hey, I told you we’re not doing any brainwashing subplots. Those kinds of things rob characters of their agency and make for uninteresting stories and I’m the one usually cleaning up the messes you make intentionally! That’s why we’re always together!』

Makoto glanced back at Mukuro next to him. “Why are those two always together again?”

Mukuro tilted his head. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Kokichi leaned forward over Monaca for a moment to whisper. “I think Kumagawa-kun’s greatest loss was his taste in women." 

“Anyway, peeps and peep-ettes! Let’s get started with an exposition dump so those of you too slow to understand the situation can catch up, which considering the company we’re keeping right now is like… all of you. Don’t worry I dumbed it down and added pictures.” Once again Junko in less than a minute had drawn a diagram of all the members present in the three sides of the conflict complete with cartoon drawings that looked like a professional had done them. “Here is the battle plan of the naked apron alliance. Our goal is to stop the fight, that’s why I’m going to reveal Ajimu’s plan right here and now.”

『Shouldn’t we wait until Anshin’in-san reveals it herself, that’d be spoiling don’t you think?』

“Quit it with the loser talk! We can’t take back control of the narrative unless we attack! We can’t be the type of characters who just passively react to things over and over again.”

Makoto winced in the background. Of course, Junko and Kumagawa were only speaking in metaphor. They did not really believe the world to be fictional or that it would operate under those strict narrative terms. Still, their claim to be able to reclaim the narrative it reeked of arrogance. That is only one non-biased party’s opinion though.

Junko drew an arrow between Zenkichi and Medaka’s head. “This main character switch plan of hers is a battle entirely between those two. They’re attempting to shut us out, and I really hate it when people don’t give me attention.” Junko said, as if that were not already obvious. “Kurokami-san and Hitoyoshi-kuni only need to overcome each other to win, while we have to defeat both of them. The odds are stacked against us… doesn’t it just make you want to fall into despair? What? Just me? Anyway…”

Junko suddenly stepped forward and stood with her hand on her hip in the exact way Kurokami Medaka almost did, proudly brandishing her arm. “Twenty four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year, I always accept requests!” She said in a perfect imitation of Medaka’s voice.

“That was kind of scary…” Makoto muttered, “Now that I think about it a lot of terrifying woman go to this school.”

“Um… sorry…” Mukuro muttered next to him deflating.

“No wait, you’re terrifying in a good way!” Makoto panicked.

Junko however, had already moved onto the next part of her speech. “Ajimu’s goal is to strip Kurokami-san of her motive to live, helping others. That’s why she’ll go for the president’s position to take it away from her. If she loses her role in serving others, she’ll lose her identity, and hence she’ll lose her position as a main character. In that case she’ll probably cling to Hitoyoshi-kun out of desperation after the fact while searching for a reason to live.”

『That was her first mistake she should have realized that humans are born for no-』

“Yeah, yeah Senpai you’ve given that speech like a billion times, I’m already over it. Our goal is to avert both of their happy endings, to stop Kurokami-san from remaining the class president, and to stop Hitoyoshi-kun from taking the presidency in her place and becoming someone strong in reliable that Kurokami-san can cling to. That’s why we need to have you, Naegi-kun become the student council president instead.”

“Me? Why?” Makoto was used to Junko insulting and belittling everyone around her in the few short days since he had gotten to see the real her. He had not expected her to rely on him for such an important role. “I thought you said I wasn’t the main character, I was the heroine?”

“Yeah, that’s it exactly. You’re the emotional core that everybody is going to unite around. This is an election what we need aren’t brutes like my flat chested sister, but people with charisma that can draw everyone together. If you become president, neither side will have achieved their goals.”

Junko Enoshima smiled, looking with the face of an angel. “An ending that sends all parties into despair.”

Kumagawa appeared next to her suddenly, putting a hand on one of her shoulders and leaning on her. Unlike usual she did not bother to shake him off. 『If everyone remains smiling until the end, then it’s the naked apron alliance’s victory.』

“I told you we’re not going with that name.” Junko only turned her head to the side, adjusting herself slightly to account for him leaning on her.

『It’s much better than the name you came up with.』

“What’s wrong with calling it the official Enoshima Junko fanclub, that would be accurate at least!”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Now, rewinding to the last day it ended with a whisper, a rarity for a chaotic school like this and definitely an ending the likes of Enoshima Junko would never have approved of.

Still wiping his face, the moment he made it out of the dorm room building Matsuda tried to compose himself by leaning back against a wall. He was thankful at least that the entire academy would be empty until the end of today as that made it easier for him to be alone right now. Only a few people had witnessed the mess he made of himself and Kumagawa.

What he had been thinking, what he had hoped to accomplish, it had all been a blur to him ever since that fake Junko incited such motions in his heart. When he died, he did so awash in despair. When he lived again, he lived without either hope or despair as his reason for both was taken away from him. That was what made it so easy for Ajimu Najimi to convince him to her side.

The emotion he was feeling right now though, he did not understand it in terms of either hope or despair, but he knew that he was no longer empty like Ajimu insisted he be. He wondered what he wanted out of this all, did he just want to defeat Junko the same way Zenkcihi wants to defeat Medaka, did he want Junko to acknowledge him, did he want his old life back, did he just act out of petty jealousy?

He knew one thing at least, the emotion that he locked in his heart for so long, he had been lashing out with them finally and even perfectly aware of how petty he had been, Kumagawa accepted all of those emotions and purposefully made himself into a target. The same Kumagawa who saved him from death, the Kumagawa who always visited him in the hospital and brought him manga to read so he would not be bored, the one who always smiled no matter how much he insulted or spurned him…

Kumagawa was always in despair, but somehow he shone bright just like a star. Sometimes I think… when I was around him… he felt a little bit like Junko. Matsuda had never been under the delusion that Junko was a normal girl after all, though he severely underestimated how far her capabilities towards spreading despair could extend. He mistakenly believed himself to be protecting Junko from the world when it was almost certainly the other way around.

But that’s neither here nor there. He’s already quite the failure if the only person he has to look up to anymore is that pathetic boy Kumagawa, don’t you think? There’s no need to rub salt in the wound even further and spend this narration reminding you of his mistakes.

Matsuda hardened against the wall, trying to push past what he felt. No… I had nothing to do with anything… Kumagawa has nothing to do with anything. She doesn’t feel a thing for either of us, so stop imagining yourself in some shitty little love triangle. Just as he finally straightened up and was able to stand on his own again - there she was.

A woman in white appeared before him. She could have appeared at any time, she could have been watching at any time. It seemed that she only appeared just now though as Munakata had reported to her what happened.

“How was she, Yasuke-chan? What are you feelings of Enoshima Junko after facing off with her again?”

Matsuda wiped his face one more time, then, looked at her with swollen eyes. “Ah… umm… Ajimu-san, hey.”

“Talk to me as if you know me, call me Anshin’in-san. Answer my question, I just want to hear your feelings.”

The usually aloof Ajimu was being direct. Even Yasuke who considered her to be an unreadable weirdo could tell there was something wrong with her mood. “Junko didn’t look at me, all I did was have a pointless fight with Misogi. The kind that wouldn’t even get published in shonen jump for how pathetic it was.”

“Oh, so you’re self aware then. That can often be a saving grace. So tell me, did the ability you asked me for work exactly as you desired it to? There were no hidden twists or unexpected consequences like in your typical faustian bargain?”

“No, Anshin’in-san, the ability worked just fine.”

“What about me? Have I kept my word exactly as I said I would until this point?”

“You kept your shitty word.”

“Then…” The niceties dropped from Ajimu’s voice, and she glared with shadows under her eyes to highlight her foul mood. It seemed for a moment that all of the light drained from around them and they existed in a world of shadows. Yasuke wondered if thsi was one of her abilities, or just his own imagings for the moment. “Then why did you throw off my plan, to please that girl that killed your mother?”

“My mother… hey…” He remembered it quite well, begging Enoshima Junko for an answer as he died on whether or not she really was responsible for the memory loss that happened to his mother. He thought receiving an answer might relieve him slightly, but… “I don’t know...but I can’t keep wondering did Junko really kill my mother? If you lied to me about that, then it’d be really easy to use me the same way she did.”

At this, Ajimu Najimi gave a terrifying smile. “You’re right, I am using you! Which is why it’s so frustrating how completely useless you’re being right now. Maybe I should show you, what happens to useless losers like Kumagawa-kun.”

As Yasuke stood there only barely able to stand on his own, Ajimu crossed the distance between them. She reached out for his face. Yasuke remembered a scene from his past. There were times where his mother would reach out gently like this, for a moment she would even have a glint of remembrance in her eyes. Like a fool, Yasuke always fell for it, and let it happen simply wanting to be touched by his old mother again. She would always, every single time, snapp suddenly and strike him.

Yasuke himself acted on pure reflex, forgetting the situation he was in entirely. “Don’t hit me you bitch!” He cried out, moving to cross his arms over his face in defense.

Ajimu paused for a moment. The emotions that ran through her eyes, were completely incomprehensible to any human being. Then, it was like it all became nothing, her frustration, the uneasy tension in the air, it all dissolvd in a moment as Ajimu broke out into laughter with a pleasant smile on her face. “Ufufufufu! You’re always acting so serious and mature, Yasuke-chan. For a moment I forgot that you’re a kid.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m some kid just because you’re old in comparison, shitty hag.”

However, even though he lashed out at her as usual, the hand that reached for him was a gentle one and Ajimu pulled him into an embrace that relieved him. “Let’s leave aside the pleasant and the unpleasant, it’s not your fault you’re just a kid after all.”

There was something so relieving about her embrace. He felt his body starting to relax without even his consent against her. Yet, there was something unnerving about it as well. He could not quite place it, but he felt like Ajimu was only able to get over her anger at him because she never viewed him as much of a person in the first place. It was like when people laughed off what their cats did, and called them cute even if the cats were in a bad mood or pissy at them. It was… condescending.

Yet, this condescending embrace was all he had at the moment. Junko would not embrace him anymore, and he could not embrace anyone else. He stood there in indecision, delicately floating between hope and despair and once again trying to choose neither. “I… shit… I…”

She withdrew all on her own, leaving Yasuke just standing there awkwardly. Her red eyes sharpened on him an instant. “Hmm, that reminds me. Hitoyoshi-kun still isn’t making any progress at all. The least you could do for me is lecture him on how to not be a failure like you.”

Yasuke suddenly remembered the other. “Ah… Hitoyoshi Zenkichi, is he alright?” The spoiled by happiness boy who had begged him not to make a face like he was about to cry. If he could, he would want that person at least to avoid the same fate as he did.

“I had the impression that he had potential a little bit ago, but now I don’t know.” She shrugged, back to being her aloof self.

“Do you really think shit for brains Zenkichi can beat Medaka?”

“I’ll make him win. This is why jump readers have a bad reputation, the training is steady. I’ve had him warm up by cramming for three days, and now his first exam is going to begin. As his senpai, you should be there to greet him.”

“W-what about Junko? We can’t just leave her alone Ajimu, the moment you underestimate her, the moment you let her out of sight, everything crumbles around you.”

“Well that would be the case if this were a tragedy story, where delaying confrontations until the end results in consequences you can’t take back. However, there’s no need to worry we’re not in that kind of genre anymore. After all you said yourself you’re in a shitty love triangle with Kumagawa and Junko now, it’s become the kind of story where all the stakes are so incosequential as who dates who, and who loves who back, that kind of dumb teenager stuff.”

“I…”

“It’s okay, you can make mistakes. You don’t have to hold yourself to the tremendous pressure of trying to choose between the world and one girl anymore. Your tragedy has ended, and your teen romantic comedy snafu has just begun.”

He was not sure if he wanted to be in that kind of story. He was not sure if he wanted to go back to romantic carefree days of his youth, after what had transpired between him and Junko. “Then, Junko…”

“You don’t have to do anything about Junko-chan, leave it to me. She’s the kind of character that thrives in tragedy, but she’ll fail in romantic comedy that’s what I expect. People are like chains to her, the same as Medaka-chan, the more people flock to her side the more she’ll be chained down, because that’s what I expect.”

He remembered what Kumagawa had told him, about wanting her to be free, about the two of them chaining her down, he wondered if having feelings for another would change them, would always be inherently possessive in that way. Matsuda could not answer that question for himself though because that would require experiencing a normal love he had never experienced. “Why would people want to flock to that annoying empty girl’s side?”

“They all have their reasons. I’m sure a few of them are heading there right now, that has nothing to do with us anymore though.”

“You’re right… let’s go help Hitoyoshi-kun.” He walked ahead, his steps still shaky.

Ajimu waited for a moment behind him, letting her eyes close. “Ah, how boring even when my plan got thrown off it’s still going according to plan.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Moving forward slightly, just as Junko was getting into the full swing of her dramatic villain speech in Kumagawa’s old student council room, the one vandalized by the many screws he had thrown in the wall and the floor there were two others heading in their direction.

Togami Byakuya strode forward proudly as usual, several students who were just returning from vacation and were still milling about the campus half awake immediately sensed that Togami was not someone to be crossed when in a mood like this, and moved out of his way parting before him.

Only one person dared to remain in his presence, the girl that was always lurking behind him Fukawa Toko. Only when they reached the doorway did Togami pause. “I’m going to Kurokami Maguro’s side you know. If he chooses to support Hitoyoshi then I should go with the choice of the only one qualified to be called my equal.”

Before he could reach out for the door though, Toko suddenly grabbed at his hand. Togami paused and then looked at her through his glasses. “Toko. I don’t want to hold hands right now I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re never in the mood! Even though you always have such a sexy aura that can turn me on with just a glance!”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it! Of course I’m never in the mood to have a commoner’s clammy hands dirtying mine!”

“I… my hands aren’t clammy.”

“Do you want me to call my personal doctor and ask for a prescription on your hydrosis? That might help your sweaty hands a little bit.” Of course the only time Togami was even remotely capable of being kind was when he was using it to insult another.

“My hands aren’t sweaty either it’s just difficult to write books all day you end up curled up in the same position for hours at a time and… wait! That’s not what I was talking about. Byakuya do you really want to go to Zenkichi’s side?”

“Of course, Maguro is there. I’m going to earn his respect.”

“Respect and love aren’t something earned though they’re given.” Toko said, nervously, but she probably only knew about that concept because she had written about it in one of her books once. She let go of his hand, and then fiddled with her two index fingers. “I mean… do you even like Hitoyoshi-kun? He’s okay, but he’s always being condescending and forcing his ideals on others. Kurokami-san is terrifying, and she’s exactly the same. She kept making Jack train with her and saying she was going to fix my awful personality.”

“If your personality flaws lead you to murder somebody then they should be fixed!” Togami said, using his height to look down at her as he did so.

It was the kind of move that Toko always shed away from, but this time she straightened up as well to meet him in the eyes. Glasses girl stared straight at glasses boy, even though she hated making eye contact most of all. “Hey, I haven’t killed anybody in awhile, that’s just unfair.”

“...in a while.”

“Besides you killed all of your siblings didn’t you? For the same reason that I did, it was the only way you could keep on living.”

“That is not the same at all.” He hesitated for a moment, being the first one to break her gaze and pushed up his glasses so he could pinch the bridge of his nose. “How on earth am I letting myself get lectured by a serial killer? Fine, fine. If you’re not going to pick either Hitoyoshi or Kurokami-san then who exactly are you siding with?”

“D-don’t laugh but…” Toko grabbed for her skirt and creased it as her hands twisted into th efabric. “I want to side with Kumagawa-kun.”

“Bahaahahahaahahahaahahahahahahahaha!”

“I said don’t laugh!”

“You losers really do all band together just to lick each other’s wounds, huh?”

“Well… isn’t that what you want too? Isn’t that why you’re trying so hard to get close to Maguro, because you think since he’s on the same level of success as you that it’ll be acceptable to sympathize with him?”

Toko was the person who was always watching him. Whether he wanted it or not, she was the first constant in his life. His mother looked at his father alone, his siblings looked at him and each other with the same amount of distrust, either a threat to be eliminated or a weakling to be stepped on. Since he was born last it was much more of the latter, to the repeated wounding of his pride. Even Naegi Makoto who genuinely wanted to be friends with everybody in the class, did not really look at the real him but rather his own filtered version through the lens of those rose tinted disney-esque glasses he was always looking at the world with.

He assumed the same of Toko, the person she was chasing after constantly, the person she stalked was merely a delusion she created in her own head. It was why he occasionally got curious about what exactly she saw in him, it was a morbid curiousity.

It was completely unexpected for him that Toko would say something so accurate. Once he heard it though he had no choice but to accept it, after all, Toko had been by his side for so long at this point always watching him, always thinking about him.

“So what if I am? Are you expecting me to relate to a pathetic guy like that?”

“Well uh… nobody has loved you either, right?”

Togami wondered why she was suddenly talking about something so unnecessary again. She really must have perceived the world through one of her shitty romantic novels, the same way Makoto saw it through the cracked lens of hope. There was no way he would ever conform to the stereotype of the handsome prince who came out of nowhere to save her though, the same way he would never conform to being the weak younger sibling. “Tch… what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, aren’t you closer to a guy like Kumagawa-kun whose never been loved and doesn’t know how to treat others, then Maguro who was loved by both his sisters and his father? Whose surrounded by friends and always trying to helpfully advise them in their own way…”

Togami had nothing to say to this. He was still stuck on the thoughtless advice he had heard Maguro give. Older siblings were born first to protect their younger siblings. As if that advice could comply with any reality he had ever wintessed.

“Kumagawa-kun is annoying you’re right, but it was kind of fun always getting to make fun of him for his shitty taste in literature. He’s the type who doesn’t mind if he’s looked down on at all, and he… he said we were the same. He’s the first person who ever said something like that to me.”

Togami realized in a moment what kind of scene he was seeing, even though he was never the type to read trashy romantic novels no matter how much he enjoyed reading alone. In front of him, Toko’s heart was being moved. She might have changed slightly, without him even realizing it even though he was always by her side. “I’m not going. I’m going to stay with my equal.”

“That… that’s fine then. I’ll stay with my equal on Kumagawa-kun’s side then.”

Toko had a bad habit of looking down on others too. Not for Togami’s reasons, but rather becaus she was cowardly and wanted to look down on them before they looked down on her. The only reason that word equals left her lips was because she was completely confident that Kumagawa was so wretched that he was the type who never could look down on her.

As usual her relationships remained entirely parasitic. She was not changing all that much even if she found a different person to cling to, and yet, for some reason this troubled Togami.

Logically, Toko was right. Somebody who was acknowledged by their siblings and their father, somebody who supported all around them instead of stomping over them like Togami did to demonstrate to himself his superiority, was better than him. Togami could acknowledge this.

Yet, he realized he was not bothered by the fact that Toko insisted Maguro was not his equal. Instead, he was bothered, unbelievably so, by the idea that they were not equals, him and Toko. Even if she constantly referred to him as master, even if she was way too obedient, he always felt that some arrogant part of her believed that she would one day be by his side. It was incredibly presumptuous, and completely out of her station, her fantasy that he would acknowledge a person like her.

Yet, it was because of that presumption that standing on top of the world he did not feel so alone for once.

After he left this academy he would not stay in contact with his classmates. He would not make any lasting connections that were not personal ones. He would likely only ever be surrounded by subordinates who bowed to him and his name in an instant without a shred of integrity to them. He knew all of this and not only accepted it, he thought of it as the natural order of things.

He would likely even complete his terrible family tradition, even though he had grown up shaken by such a terrible formative experience. After all, his father had gone through the exact some ordeal when he was young, he knew how painful it was, and yet he inflicted it on all his children again without hesitation. It was likely… sooner or later… before he even noticed… Togami was going to become okay with something like that.

Yet, in the meanwhile he was still a student. For this brief time of three years he was going to live this strange compromise of a life where for the purpose of certification from this Hope’s Peak Academy he would pretend to get along with his classmates, and that he was being taught already and allowed to grow like a normal teenager.

For that brief window, he would be allowed this one small relationship that the Togami name could not take away from him, and render less important in the face of power, money and influence.

The idea of losing that, the one person he had all to himself, the one thing he was allowed to keep, Togami was incredibly perturbed. To the point where he had not said anything for awhile, simply letting himself get lost in thought.

When Toko got tired of his silence, she turned around to go exactly where she said she would go. Togami saw her back turn, and wondered who exactly she thought she was, leaving first without getting dismissed by him.

He grabbed her hand suddenly, pulling her back by the wrist. “Toko, wait!” As she turned around, there was a sparkle in her eye. It looked exactly like the scene from one of her romantic novels, where the troubled protagonist changes his mind at the last moment and declared that he needed to be by the love interest’s side all along.

“M-master is grabbing my hand, this is like something out of a dream…”

“Could you please invest in a hand towel? I swear my hand is about to slide right off because of all your sweat.”

“Master if you keep insulting me like that I’m going to get all hot and sweat even more!”

“Toko, I’m not going to allow you to escape insulting me like that with your life. I’ll prove to you, that I’m better than both Kurokami-san and Maguro-kun. I’ll defeat both of them, even with a loser like Kumagawa on my side.”

He remembered that the foolishly philantrophic Medaka had embraced him, and told him to stand on his own, not a member of the Togami family, but as a man. Now Toko was pushing him in the same direction. Annoying, annoying, annoying, he wondered how many troublesome women like that were going to this school now. Technically, Toko would probably count as a terrifying person to most who knew her secret, but Togami had been too annoyed to ever be afraid of her right from the moment they met.

“M-master followed me this time.”

“That’s not what happened.”

“I was able to make master follow one of my orders. Secretly, I was a switch all along.”

“This. This right here. This is not happening.”

“Master wants to hold onto me…”

“Toko, you can let go of my hand you know.”  Togami said, he looked at her with the same flat expression he looked at all of her antics.

“Hmm, nope!”

When he tried to shake himself loose, Toko simply clung harder. He felt like his hand was about to be crushed, and realized that Toko because of sharing the same body with Jack was actually much stronger than him.

“Fine. We better not be seen.”

“Of course, since master is the shy type who doesn’t like public displays of affection and instead keeps control of himself until he unleashes his wild side in the bedroom.”

“We better not be heard either Toko, start holding your breath right now.” Just like that, the two of them changed their course and made their way to the old student council room, the one which had been vandalized by Kumagawa Misogi’s many screws.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“We have something that both Kurokami-san and Hitoyoshi-kun lack. We have numbers on our side.” Enoshima Junko said as she once again tapped on the board with the fake nails she had on one hand. The other hand still had bandages wrapped around the fingertips from an incident a few days ago.

“Numbers? I suppose there are the four middleschoolers, but isn’t it just you and Kumagawa, and Mukuro and Me like usual,” Makoto said raising his hand once more.

Enoshima Junko snapped at him. “Don’t make this out to be like we’re some kind of four person friend group, like I’d ever lower myself to hanging out with my sister and her dumb boyfriend.”

“Like you’d ever have friends in the first place…” Makoto muttered under his voice.

“Makoto…that’s not very nice.” Mukuro said nudging him softly. Even when she had been separate from Junko for a while, in her presence she was compelled to defend her still.

『Junko-chan has friends. She has me after all.』Kumagawa said, before he was immediately pushed away from Junko’s side once more.

“I’d rather have no friends at all if that’s the case.” She cut straight through him with her words again, as easily as always, before getting bored and moving onto the next topic. “Anyway, I’m not the important one here, whoa first time I ever said that, it’s you Naegi-kun. You’re the one who's going to attract people to our side.” She turned her attention to the board again and started to draw on it. Two more heads, both of them wearing glasses one stuck up looking guy and a gloomy looking girl. “In fact the first two of our new ‘friends’ should be showing up riiiiiiiiiiiight now.”

Togami and Toko stood in the doorway of the room together, seeing a collection of people they did not expect, least of all expected was Naegi Makoto standing in the center of them. Then again perhaps that was expected as Naegi always tended to attract the strangest  people around him because of his normal and accepting nature.

“See, easy, like killing teenagers in a locked school building.”

“Umm… what did she just say?” Toko asked, as she moved to hide behind Togami’s shoulder as usual.

After a few minutes of explanation, Togami was the first of the pair to understand. He readjusted his glasses to signify this. “So, Enoshima-san was evil all along, got it. Good to know.”

Makoto feeling quite a bit exhausted from playing the straight man up to this point, finally found a second wind. “You took that way too well!”

Togami merely crossed his arms dismissing the other. “I am a Togami, from birth everyone in the world has been my enemy. Some blonde chick is hardly any different, just another trial to conquer.”

‘I already knew Enoshima-san was scary. Big boobed girls like her, with great hips, and good skin have obviously sold their soul to keep looking like that all the time. There’s no way she could possibly be human.” Still clinging to the fabric of Togami’s back, Toko hissed that out from behind him.

“Well you’re both right. Wow, how touching it is to have the true self I’ve been hiding from my classmates all along finally accepted.” She put her hand on her heart in a way that seemed immediately suspicious to Makoto.

『Huh? No, you’ve got it wrong. Junko-chan isn’t inhuman or something like a final villain, she’s obviously just a normal girl.』

“Well, Enoshima-san being evil explains why she’s always hanging around somebody like Kuamgawa anyway.”

『Hey, I’m not evil! I mean yeah I guess… but like, comparatively I’m definitely a lesser evil. 』

Junko side eyed him. “You’re a lesser everything.”

『Hey, that’s mean when I was just defending you!』

“Sooo like for real, we really need you help on this.It’s a totes huge job because we’re going to be competing against somebody who not only won ninety eight percent of her original vote, but also Ajimu who has the school in her back pocket right now. That’s why we need to make this a game of numbers. It’ll be like we’re trying to destroy the whole school all at once.”

“Phrase it differently, please!” Makoto said, standing up once more and slamming his hands on the desk.

“Ugh, fine, fine. You’re such a little baby about these things.” She waved him off flippantly with her clawed hand. Then she leaned into the conversation  in a way that made everyone notice how pronounced her red eyes were. “It’s like we’re fighting the whole academy, but we’re not really fighting them. Our goal should be to campaign to make Makoto the most appealing president possible, so don’t forget this. We’re not starting a fight with other people, we’re starting a fight against ourselves. Makoto, you’ll be fighting against your average and unremarkable self the most.”

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Fighting against yourselves, such sleep talk is something I don’t want to hear.” Ajimu Najimi said as she slid on a pair of glasses with half frames, letting them reston the bridge of her nose resuming her role as Zenkichi’s teacher once more.

“.....” Zenkichi leaned back, as of now Maguro and Naze had left a long time ago to go patch up Kamakura after his fight with Medaka. Ajimu refused to, being her aloof self as usual and claiming that she did not need to as Kamakura was not involved in this conflict. Which only left Komaeda, Shiranui, and Matsuda who had been walking in Ajimu’s shadow when she made it back to the room. “.... If you don’t want to hear me say it, I won’t say it, but why? From here on, I’m aiming for an idealized self. Wouldn’t it mean that I really am fighting against myself?”

Ajimu gestured with one hand, her other still screwed tightly to her chest. “Those without power always say stuff like that. Basically because there is no way to beat the enemy, no matter what you do it becomes a fight against yourself, like, having to defeat an impossibly smart mastermind by not giving up on hope some kind of lame conflict like that. But that is a big mistake, that is definitely something you should never fall into. You are your own ally, when you make yourself an enemy even though you should trust yourself you become the victim hit the hardest.”

Self sabotage, and self denial, nobody had ever quite mastered that art so perfectly as a human being. That was just the humble perspective of a non human though. Zenkichi listened to her carefully, absorbing all of the information becuase he was one of those hapless fools who could only really be guided by others.

“But leaving that aside, Hitoyoshi-kun! I want you to decide on something. That is, your power as the main character.”

“Power? Is that what you guys call skills? I thought things like that didn’t exist in the world anymore.”

“Well, Kumagawa-kun was allowed to keep his trademark All Fiction because he was just such an iconic character. It makes sense to give you one so you’ll be equally as iconic.”

“AH yeah about that, didn’t Kumagawa regain his all fiction recently even though you took it back from him? Why did he get that? Is it because he’s an iconic main character?”

“He’s the furthest thing from a main character trust me. I never actually took back all fiction, I took the skill  『Hundred Gauntlets』 which allows the user a redo in causality back which Kumagawa originally stole from me. The skill  『All Fiction』 was entirely of his own creation modifying my original skill into a skill that erases casualty. In other words he’s so twisted he can literally warp reality. I suppose it would be slightly frightening were he not so incompentent. That’ shardly relevant anyway though, Hitoyoshi-kun because you’re too honest to have a power like that.”

“Then no matter what I choose, it would be useless. No matter what, the normal me doesn’t have any powers. I don’t have any skills.”

She tilted her head, glancing off to the side. “Ah, no you’ll be fine Hitoyoshi-kun. This is the reason he is here now. Shiranui Hanten, just standing there as a not equal, he has the skill to make skills.”

He was suddenly standing there with his back turned to all of them. The symbol of a not equal proudly displayed on it, with a slash straight through the equal side. However, nobody in the room had seen him come in so nobody saw his face as long as he was turned away from them.

“I don’t really have anything to hide, but he made about one hundred of my skills. I should say that I expected such a thing out of those called Shiranui, he truly has a skill that personifies the flask plan.”

In the corner as she spoke of Shiranui Hansode was napping with a bit of drool and crumbs still coming out of the corner of her mouth. It seemed the only person paying enough attention to notice Ajimu’s remark about the Shiranui was Komaeda.

“So, don’t hold anything back, but of course you shouldn’t act in a way that contradicts the theme you decide on. Theme is the most important thing in a story of course, above all else, and a main character shouldn’t contradict the theme. Basically Hanten can make any skill and create as many copies as he wants, a skill to stop time, a skill to control light, a skill to cut air, a skill to make Enoshima Junko-chan lss annoying. Anything, however much you want, any skill you want.”

Komaeda Nagito could come to terms with an insane being like Ajimu, as his reality had always been a bit mad, but the idea of simply creating a talent right then and there still was strange to him. He wondered if that would make Zenkichi somebody more like Kamakura.

He felt… guilty… for this hopeful thought. Clinging to Zenkichi just because Kamakura no longer wanted to be  around him was wrong, even though he had decided to continue on with his selfish one sided love. He stood up from where he was a moment ago sitting in the back of the class with Yasuke who was reading manga and not paying attention to the scene, and moved close to Zenkichi.

Suddenly, standing next to Zenkichi invading his personal space in a way that would have bothered anybody else but Zenkichi, Komaeda spoke again holding one of his fingers parallel to his mouth. “You shouldn’t think too hard about it, Hitoyoshi-kun. No matter what skill you pick, or how you change yourself on the outside you’ll still be the same worthless you on the inside.”

He meant to sound encouraging. Did that sound encouraging? Some days Komaeda wished he had a more reliable way of gauging things like this besides just saying everything that came to mind the moment it did and observing the results from others.

Zenkichi put his hand to his hip, and scratched his head for a moment as he thought. “So, like you’re saying that I’ll still be me right? I guess that’s kind of encouraging. Thanks.”

“If you’re going to thank me every time I insult you, then I’m going to start feeling bad when I insult you.”

“What do you mean start?” Zenkichi let out a puff of hot air as he tried to think about it. Characters like him in shonen manga weren’t usually called on to do any kind of deep self reflection so it must have been hard for him. “Well I guess you’re right, it’s not like getting some new super power counts as real character growth.”

“Still… you have an opportunity that I don’t.” Komaeda’s eyes looked distant for a moment.

“Hmm? Are you saying you’d want to change your skill if you could?”

“What? Of course not. Then I’d lose what brought me to this academy and made me, me. Who would I even be without my luck?” Now it was Komaeda’s turn to scratch the back of his head as if he were truly that innocent. “I’ve lost a lot of things but… I’m not sure if I could throw away the people I’ve gained because of this luck as well. At least for the brief time I got to meet them.”

That was the demented optimism of Komaeda Nagito. Of course somebody as straightforward as Zenkichi could not see the twisted implications behind that. He only nodded in agreement. “You’re right, I should pick a skill that makes it so I can keep staying by your side, Komaeda.” He put his hands in his pockets and stood confidently in front of Ajimu once more. “I don’t know what is possible, and you might be tricking me but… I’ve decided on --”

Ajimu listeed.
Shiranui Hansode napped in the background.
Komaeda Nagito was so shocked by what he heard, he covered his mouth with his hands.
Matsuda Yasuke continued to read his manga, turning the page without looking up.
Shinraui hanten stood with his back turned.

“That’s what I want. What do you think?” Zenkichi finally finished his long winded explanation.

Ajimu paused for a moment, taking her glasses off. A bead of sweat rolled down her face and her normally aloof smile froze. “.... Are you insane?”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“We’ll be starting our campaign right around the school festival, so if you have obligations with your class then try to get out of it.” Junko finally finished talking at all who were present in the room.

Togami nodded. “It’s not like anyone here actually goes to class anyway.”

“Hey, Mukuro and I go to class!” Makoto said, ever the good boy.

Behind him, Mukuro nodded. “It’s nice to be together with all of our classmates.”

“Boooooooring! Alright, well I’m done lecturing you losers time to peace out I guess.” Junko started to walk forward. Immediately she noticed that something was wrong and looked to her side to see an empty space. “Ummm… Kumagawa-senpai aren’t you going to walk me home?”

『Eh… why would I do that?』

“Because we’re….” Junko was about to say always together but she bit her tongue before she did. It was true that they had spent the past four days together almost inseparably, but she didn’t want him to think he was special or anything. He would be insufferably pleased with himself if he ever found that out to be the case. “Because I told you too, come on.”

Togami leaned in to whisper to Makoto. “Did Enoshima-san and her boyfriend start dating again, I’m confused…”

“God I hope not.” Makoto said, not even bothering to hide his disapproval.

“I hope so. Junko would probably be… a little happy for once if that was the case.”

“Oi, you three hens stop gossiping,” Junko said, leering at them with red eyes. She grabbed for Misogi’s arm, only for him to slip out of her grip. It must have been how slimy his personality was, she reasoned.

『Sorry sorry, I’m busy today, with things, and also with stuff. I’ll see you in a few weeks, bye bye!』Like the road runner disappearing suddenly to avoid the coyote chasing after him, Kumagawa disappeared outside the door and around the corner.

It took Junko a moment to comprehend what had just happened, if only because she was so unused to it. “Did I just get… rejected?”  She quickly ran after him. The moment she turned the corner, she looked around and saw nothing in the empty hallway besides a waste basket, and then immediately went for the stairs.

Mukuro and Makoto followed after her about a minute later. Without even needing to look around, Mukuro went straight to the trash can and removed the lid, and like a mole in those whac a mole games Kumagawa immediately popped out.

『The perfect hiding spot, because Junko-chan never looks at trash like me.』Kumagawa said, deciding to be smug about this fact for some reason.

Makoto scratched at the back of his neck. “Awe man, don’t talk about yourself that way.”

“Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with being trash.” Mukuro said stepping forward and pushing off the cup ramen that was on top of Misogi’s head back into the can.

She’s merciless as usual. Makoto thought, as he watched Mukuro help him out. “Hey dude, how come you let Junko push you around like that all the time?” Makoto asked, as his annoyance at Junko for the day boiled over.

『Hmm… I guess mainly because I think she is hotter than hell.』

“It’s more like she’s a denizen of hell…” Makoto said exasperated. “You’re way less spineless when she isn’t around though.”

Mukuro glared at Kumagawa for a moment. “You should be more careful about what you say about certain people’s younger sisters when they’re around… but still, Junko got really upset just because she couldn’t walk home with you. You realize that don’t you?”

『Junko-chan? No way, she just likes being around me because she likes to tease me.』

Makoto stared at him with flattened eyes. “Dude… she’s all over you, all the time.”

Then suddenly, he was met by Mukuro’s colorless eyes staring at him intensely. “Huh? What’s up?”

“Can you walk back to your dorms alone, I want to talk with MIsogi-chan.”

“Oh, yeah sure. Why were you looking at me like that though?”

“I was trying to figure out how likely it was that you could get home safely without running into any trouble.”

“I guess I deserve that…” Makoto said, but he still felt a little bit dejected at the accusation. It’s a total no mercy run. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek before walking off, waving to her in a tacky way a few times while she was still looking.

Kumagawa as he finished dusting himself off looked back to Mukuro. 『What’s wrong Mukuro-chan? What do you need to be alone for? Were you going to confess your feelings for me finally?.』

“How do you manage to say the absolute worst thing in any situation?”

『It’s my talent!』Kumagawa Misogi declared with a smile.

Mukuro decided, the only way to deal with the normally insincere Kumagawa was to just catch him off guard right away. “How do you feel about my sister?” She said, suddenly her gaze narrowing on him like she was staring at him from behind a pair of iron crosshairs.

『I love her.』

“What do you love about her though? My sister doesn’t have a lot of positive qualities.”

『She has at least two I can think of.』

“Name them.”

『Her boobs.』

“That was just one.” 

『No that counts as two.』

This guy doesn’t have any shame at all. However, seventeen years of being Enoshima Junko’s older sister did not leave her completely oblivious when she was obviously being clowned. Both Junko and Kumagawa had the same bad habit in her eyes, anytime somebody attempted to have a close conversation with them they immediately distanced themselves by either joking around or showing their awful personalities. “Junko has a nice smile, huh? It’s the kind that the moment you see it you want to spend your whole life protecting it.”

『Yeah, I love the Junko-chan who smiles in the face of total despair the most… Hey, you tricked me!』

“Well, you’re not that hard to trick. That’s what I wanted to ask you about though, Misogi-chan. How do you love her? Do you love her like a big brother wanting to protect his little sister? Like a friend that you feel you understand more than anything? Do you love her the way Makoto and I love each other.”

『Are you trying to rub your relationship with Makoto in my face?』

“Stop changing the subject!” She reached out with her gloved hands and grabbed him by the face, pinching his cheek. Anybody else she would never have been this forward, Kumagawa wondered for a moment what was so inviting about his cheeks that both of the despair sisters needed to constantly play with them. “You should think about it carefully, how exactly you love my sister. Otherwise you’ll end up like Matsuda who loved my sister in every confusing way possible, as a family lover and friend.”

『Since when did you start being so knowledgeable about this kind of thing? You always seemed like the ob-wivious to luv type.』Kumagawa said, his words obscured slightly by his pinched cheeks.

“Why do people keep saying that?” She thought exasperated for a second on how Makoto and Kumagawa both teased her on this, when neither of them were much better. She let go of him but still looked him in the eyes with a quiet expression only the serious her was capable of making and drew his absolute attention. “I understand you because we were in a similar position. Junko was the only person who ever showed me love, so I didn’t understand how to love her back I just loved her in every way possible. You were right when you said I just wanted to love my sister normally, because in the end I was projecting my desires for a normal family entirely onto my sister.”

『You shouldn’t be so mean to yourself, comparing yourself to me.』

“Listen! No more deflecting. Just think about it seriously okay, and tell me what you think. I can at least do that, to make up for all the trouble I caused you in the past.”

『That wasn’t trouble, those were all really tender stabbings you gave me.』

“I would give literally anything for you to have just slightly higher standards for yourself.”

『Aha! Okay, okay, Mukuro-chan I’ll think about it if it will help you stop making such a serious face and smile a little bit.』Kumagawa closed his eyes for a moment. Mukuro thought the expression on his face was rather peaceful, but it was strange at the same time to see somebody like him focusing so hard on something. Then suddenly he spoke up, alarming her concentration on his face. 『I really liked it… those days back then when you, me and her hung out in the student council room together. Even if I was just intruding somewhere I didn’t belong and pretending to be important, it was nice… it was like I became a part of your family. Ah, but despair trio doesn’t have the same ring to it as despair sisters does it? Ahhh, but I don’t think it’s like family though… more like I don’t want to leave her side anymore.』

“Like you want to get married?”

『Ahhhhhhhh! Nonononono! No way. There’s no way Junko-chan would want to spend that much time with trash like me. I can’t even possibly think of it that way.』Kumagawa got flustered easily for somebody who was so shameless.

“Mmm….” Mukuro reached out and rustled his hair a little bit, like he was a younger brother of hers. Truth be told she always wanted to treat Junko like a younger sister more often, but if she tried she’d probably just get her hand bitten from her troubles like Junko was some kind of easily agitated cat. “I think, the only person suited for my trashy sister, is the equally trashy you Misogi-chan.”

『Wow, you’re less spineless when your sister is not around, huh?』

“Yeah, she’d kill me if she heard me talking about her like that.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Komaeda and Zenkichi watched as Ajimu hovered in silence thinking over what he had said. She was… quite literally hovering, just sitting there on open air as if there were an invisible chair underneath her.

“Hey… what’s wrong, Anshin’in-san. You’ve just been sitting there. Actually, why are yous itting there like that. There are plenty of chairs over there.” Zenkichi said, watching her with caution.

Next to him, Komaeda spoke up. “HItoyoshi-kun. Obviously the talented don’t need to be constrained by normal human means of sitting. What is she supposed to do just sit in a chair like some peasant?”

“Okay, dude. Do you even know what you just said there or what that was supposed to mean?”

Komaeda thought about it for a moment. “No, not really. I just wanted to sound like I knew what was going on.”

Behind him, Shiranui finally woke up. She picked up her kebab skewer and ate a piece of beef off of it. “Isn’t she mad because Hitoyoshi said something stupid? Ahyahya!”

“Huh? Stop it’s not like I was that bad! I didn’t say anything that weird!” Zenkichi said, as shot back a look at her.

“....” He could sense Ajimu’s annoyed expression though as she thought hard. It was strange to see somebody so aloof thinking so deeply, he wondered if he ever caught an idiot like Kumagawa thinking hard if it would look the same. When she finally spoke up it took him by surprise. “You don’t seem to have any self awareness Hitoyoshi-kun. You don’t realize what you said, and how stupid and brutal it really is. If you somehow became the main character like you said, all the main characters that have come before you will be relics of the past. Basically you’re intending to destroy the legends. If you destroy everything, you’re just as stupid as Junko-chan. WHat you are doing shows no respect to your predecessors, it’s like looking at a master's work and denying it for being too old. At the very least, it’s something I just can’t understand.”

Zenkichi could not shake the feeling he was being lectured. He shook his hands in the air wildly to declare his innocence. “Tha’ts not what I really meant, Anshin’in=san.”

“.. But it may be good. No this is how it should be. There have always been idiots called masters that have circle the globe.” She finally stepped off of her chair, only to bow her head to him in a way that made both Zenkichi and Komaeda shake. “Allow me to apologize, HItoyoshi-kun. Hitoyoshi Zenkichi-kun, I underestimated you.”

Suddenly, her voice and her entire demeanor changed as she struck a pose pointing out like many a shonen hero did and began to imitate Zenkichi. “I want to bea Medaka-chan without any special skills because that is the normal me! Hyaaaaaa!”

“Hya?”  Zenkichi echoed back, stunned.

“That’s you. That’s what you sound like, hya. I was wholly expecting you to say something like that. I figured that I would have to force you to change your mind, and show you couldn’t fight Medaka-chan with such weak feelings. Apparently, you were able to learn something from Komaeda-kun after all.”

“Stop it… raise your head Anshin’in-san. You’re not acting like yourself…” Zenkichi said being excessively humble again.

“There’s no way Hitoyoshi-kun would learn from somebody like me. After all he’s a hopeless untalented whose never going to progress beyond the default state he was born into.” However, it was impossible to tell if Komaeda was being humble or superior again it seemed to be a mix of both.

In the background, Matsuda was still reading manga, trying to ignore all the other loud teenagers in the room with a grumpy expression on his face.

“I understand, I’m the one in charge of wrangling all these clashing eccentric personalities together into a group dynamic that can work. In the meantime-” Suddenly she closed the distance between them in a moment, and pressed her lips against Zenkichi’s. “An I’m sorry, kiss <3!”

Zenkichi saw her face up close for a moment. Ah, her features were incredibly feminie, soft, and with all the color drained out of them, she looked like something that had been preserved just for it’s beauty, he could see why Kumagawa had gushed about her so much during the vice president’s battle.

Those were his fleeting thoughts, as he lost consciousness.

“You bitch! What are you doing to my Hitoyoshi-kun’s upper and lower lips!” Komaeda snapped, his happy demeanor instantly dropping in a moment.

However, Ajimu did not seem disturbed at all by his mood swings. After all to her hope and despair were the same thing, so hope filled Komaeda and despair filled Komaeda, bad luck and good like Komeada, they were exactly the same. “You’re too loud, Komaeda-kun. We were just getting to the good part (the feelings). Whatever. Since it doesn’t happen, why don’t you go too.”

For the second time, Ajimu appeared out of nowhere and kissed him on the lips. Komaeda realized he might have preferred Zenkichi, in fact he was a little jealous he wondered what Zenkichi’s face would look like, pressed so close up against hims.

As they both fell over into unconsciousness and hit the floor was a thump, Matsuda finally looked up from his manga. “Goddamnit…” he muttered knowing what was coming next before Ajimu appeared in his line of sight and kissed him as well. He fell backwards his manga volume falling on his face.

“Alright, then I’ll guide all three of you to the world of dreams.” She looked back back to  Shiranui still chewing on another just of beef. “SO, what are you going to do Hansode-chan? You can go too.”

“I’ll pass on that, Anshin’in-san. You can let the idiot unrequited love trio go in alone. I don’t like that sort of thing sharing what’s really in your heart, and having to kiss is a bit too much. I really don’t think you needed to send them there, though. Using your skill door to door, you really did something unexpected.”

“No, no it’s not like that. I’m not some blonde chick always chasing the unexpected, it just worked out that way due to circumstances since half of me is still sealed. Hitoyoshi Zenkichi is not negligible.” SHe said as she walked over and poked at his face with one of her toes. His sleeping face was rather serene, like one of those big fluffy sleeping golden retrievers. “That’s why it is proper to use everything to show him how he is wrong. In the end, idiots, jerks, main characters, heroes, masters and mentors. They are all the same to me, a bunch of lowly garbage.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

All three of them raised their heads in what looked to be an old middle school classroom. Zenkichi wore a black uniform with a white collar, and his hair was slicked back and dyed a dark black.

“Eh…?”

“Wow, you looked even stupider in the past, Hitoyoshi.” Matsuda said, already leaning back and failing to sit in his chair properly. Unlike Zenkichi he was wearing a different middle school uniform but for once his clothes were on straight, and his shirt was even buttoned all the way up.

“Wow, so Matsuda-kun was capable of actually dressing himself in the past.” Zenkichi shot back immediately.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean? No, the fuck am I even doing here! Goddamnit shitty old hag!”

Zenkichi decided to leave Matsuda alone to his tantrum as he had just realized by now that Yasuke’s foul mouthed nature and unpleasant personality was just something that was better left tuned out. Komaeda next to him simply smiled. “Matsuda-kun it’s only natural that a normal like Hitoyoshi-kun would have a chuunibyou phase where he deluded himself into believing that he was somebody extraordinary.”

“Hey, I don’t want to hear that from a lifetime Chuuni like you, Komaeda.”  Zenkichi snapped back at him. Unlike both him and Matsuda though, Komaeda looked a lot worse off than he was before, wearing the tattered green jacket that he always wore with a loose fitting white shirt with a strange red symbol on it.

Zenkichi remembered what he told him about his past, that there where times where he just wandered around without going to school or home because he had no parents waiting for him, and there were times his luck got him into trouble and dragged far away from home, with kidnappings and the like.

Before he could say anything his thoughts were interrupted. “Ufufufu. The reason your costumes are different is because you ewre taken from differnt points in time. No, it would be better to say I took all three of you from different points in time and I matched your sizes. That’s because before my face was ripped off, before I was sealed, is the time I have to go back to to show off my potential.”

He saw a shoe with the characters Anshin’in-san written on them kicked up, as she brought her legs up to sit on the shoe racks lining the side of the room. SHe crossed her legs and held them there in a girlsih pose, looking at them with a cute smile like any normal young middle school girl. “Welcome, Hitoyoshi-kun, Komaeda-kun, Yasuke-chan. I’m sorry that this couldn’t take place in your time, but this is part of the true flask plan.”

“The.. the true flask plan?”

“What the fuck are you talking about the true flask plan you’ve been making me go though all that data for nothing?” Matsuda rejoined the conversation now that his research was brought up again.

“Ah! It just means that all the data has been compiled and this is the most up to date version. Thank you for your efforts Yasuke-chan, unlike Junko-chan I didn’t selfishly let them all go to waste. While Hanten is making your skill for you, the best thing to do right now is use this time to help you become more of a main character. If we are going to go with your idea, we need every minute, and every second.” As Ajimu brought her knees in and drew them closer to her chest, for some reason the cute middle school girl look she had to her, conorted and twisted into something terrifying. The same shadowy face that Kumagawa was always making, that leaked a despair filled aura into the room. “But since this is a special circumstances, I allowed Komaeda-kun and Yasuke-chan to come along too. It’s one of those ‘you find your true heart by interact with the hearts of others’ kind of deal. Flaks plan phase 1 “win against anshin’in-san!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

On one of the rare days that everybody showed up to class, Naegi Makoto was enjoying himself on his walk home when suddenly he felt a terrifying thing watching him. He turned his head just in time to see Enoshima Junko was following him.

The real Junko, that he had learned about a few days ago showed much more energy than the old one ever did but… sometimes he wished she was a little bit… less… this. “Do you need something, Junko?” He asked turning around his schoolbag still slung casually over his shoulder.

“Since when have you started referring to me without honorifics. I’d prefer -sama coming from a no talent bug like you.”

“Well, I am dating your sister so it’s only natural we’d be a little closer, and besides we’ve been classmates over a year now.”

“Ewe! Don’t remind me about either of those things!” She made a face like she had just stepped in gum, and Makoto was sure she considered talking to him to be the equivalent of that anyway. “Have you see Kumagawa-senpai? He’s been avoiding me all day. I’m not sure how, he’s really good at disappearing without a word if he can slip past even my Ultimate Analysis, or maybe he’s just slippery, and slimy, like a bug.”

“If he’s avoiding you then why would I tell you where he is? He is my friend after all.” Makoto said, trying to be reasonable even though he knew it was likely a wasted effort around her.

“Huh? What possible reason could he have for wanting to avoid me? If anything I should be avoiding him.”

“You did spend all last morning trying to kill him.”

“Nah, that can’t be it.”

Makoto wondered when this suddenly became his reality. He must have been too tolerant of a person if he was still talking casually to Junko like this. Well, not that he minded this quality about himself it was what allowed him to make friends with Mukuro and Kumagawa. “That guy always gets hurt easily and runs away from pain, so you probably did do something. If you really want him by your side again, you should just try talking it out and apologize if you did something wrong.”

“Yeah, I’m going to apologize for the first time in my life.” She scoffed, before crossing her arms and leaning against the railing of the bridge the two of them had ended up on when Makoto finally noticed her following him around. “Ugh, why is everybody’s advice just to talk things out. Talking is like… hard… for some people.”

“Really, because you seem to talk way more than the average person.” Makoto said once again, before starting to think about other ways Junko’s problem could be solved. He knew Mukuro wanted to talk to Kumagawa about something but apparently if he was still avoiding her there must have been something else wrong. “Oh, I know. The school festival is coming up in a couple of weeks. Why don’t you ask him to go with you, that might cheer him up if he’s being gloomy again?”

Junko tilted her head the same way she always did when she was confused. “Eh?”

“If you’re shy about going alone with just the two of you, then Mukuro and I could come along too. We’ll make it a double date, doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Whatever your meaning of the word fun is it horrifies me.” Junko said, as a shiver went through her body. “Why would I want to spend a day with the world’s three biggest losers while the whole world can see me.”

“Junko.”

“You’d totally cramp my style.”

“Junko.”

“Don’t you know you’re all out of my league already.”

“No, Junko you’re wrong!” Makoto snapped, finally losing his patience and raising his voice to point at her. “Quit pretending like you’re so above everything. I know you want to hang out with Kumagawa-kun, do you know how I know, because you’re harassing me right now because you’ve been trying to find him all day, and because he’s avoiding you you’re lonely.”

“Naegi-kun, you’re not supposed to be that outspoken. That’s totally against your character archetype, you’re just supposed to let people walk all over you. What’s gotten into you lately?”

“Huh?” He tilted his head in a similiar manner and scratched the side of his cheek. “Your sister, I guess.”

“Ewe. Ewe. Ewe.” Junko clapped her hands over both ears.

“Hey, you love your sister right?”

“You’ve been dating my sister for less than a week, Naegi-kun I don’t think it’s time to play main heroine sweeps in and fixes everything with our relationship.”

“Just answer the question.”

Junko took her hands off of her ears, and leaned back further on the railing, looking at the empty sky that was above her. “There’s no way I couldn’t love the sister whose spent all of this time protecting me, always caring for me, always putting my emotions over hers.” She said with an almost out of character like honesty, before Junko’s usual nasty personality asserted itself. “She’s like one of those dogs you know, that no matter how much you kick it around or abuse it doesn’t even bite back just looks at you with those big sad puppy eyes. I guess that’s what makes her so disappointing.”

“Ugh! That’s not love, Junko!”

“How would you know? You’ve only known my real sister for less than a few months, I’ve known her my entire life.”

“That’s exactly it! I’ve gotten closer to her in a few months and I know her better than you ever did because I don’t spend all of my time actively pushing her away.”  Makoto slammed a hand to his face, and immediately wiped his whole expression to try to deal with his building frustration. “Do you maybe… maybe think that the reason Mukuro is such a doormat to you is because you spent your entire life specifically manipulating her her to be that way!? Maybe if you I dunno, didn’t spend all of your time controlling people and doing all you could to puppeteer them around they’d act outside your predictions more often and be less boring. But what do I know I’m not a super genius, I’m just some idiot.”
Her eyes narrowed at him, and her expression suddenly became serious. “What are you trying to say exactly?”

“You cultivate people to worship you and do anything to please you, to the point where Kumagawa and Mukuro will always forgive you no matter what you do to them, and then you get angry at them for being like that, even though you’re the one who did that. You’re just way too fussy.”

Junko looked down at her feet. “I’m not fussy…” She muttered, finding it unbelievable that Makoto of all people had somehow pieced this all together by himself. He probably just felt like he needed to protect her stupid older sister.

“You know you said you see them like dogs, but even that’s being too charitable to yourself. Dog owners even the worst ones will occasionally throw their dogs a bone, you can’t even do that.”

“...”

“I feel bad for Kumagawa-kun. All you’re ever going to do is mistreat him, and he’s going to mistake it for affection because he just genuinely doesn’t know any better because nobody’s shown him better. One day though he’s going to find someone nice and leave you behind, I can’t wait for that.”

Makoto left her in complete silence.
Junko stared down at her own hands for a moment. One of them sharp and clawed like normal, the other had been defanged by Ajimu’s meddling. At the time, the person who put these bandages on her fingers, who patched her up at her lowest point was none other than Kumagawa.

The way that Makoto phrased it though, it was like she felt nothing for him at all. “That can’t possibly be true. It’s not like I don’t know how kind he’s been to a person like me.. And when I think about it… SUCH SELF LOATHING, SUCH DESPAIR!”

Now that she was completely alone, she kicked her legs about and started to laugh. She looked like a child throwing a tantrum, but one of absolute joy rather than anger. Everything Makoto said was like a dagger in her, but Junko was the type to twist the knife on herself for even more of this preciously scarce feeling.

Just when she got into the swing of things though, somebody appeared sitting on the bridge to ruin the mood. “Junko-chan, you probably shouldn’t dance about in public like that it’s a little embarrassing. I’m getting secondhand embarrassment just looking at you.” Ajimu Najimi said, looking up at her with one arm still screwed tightly to her chest.

Junko stopped in her tracks, with only one last twirl on her heels to face Ajimu. “Ugh, what do you want? Are you going to lecture me about hope and despair again.”

“No, you’d probably enjoy that so I want to avoid doing it as much as possible. This isn’t that kind of story anymore either, it’s a love story so I thought I’d give you love advice.”

“What, so I can get my face ripped off?”

“Ufufu, what a low blow.”

“Hey come here, I won’t just rip your face off, I’ll rip your entire wig off instead?”

“Seriously, how do you never get embarrassed saying things like that.”

Junko, already bored of Ajimu’s usual above it all character waved her hand in the air as if trying to shoo her away. “Whatever, just speed through this scene you have planned, I have to go look for somebody who you somehow make less annoying in comparison..”

“Wow, did you just say Kumagawa-kun was better than me? You’re a cruel one aren’t you, Junko-chan? Ahhh, what was I going to say, what I was going to say… hmmm…”

“Now you’re just delaying for time just to piss me off!”

Ajimu Najimi cracked a sadistic grin on her otherwise neutral expression. “It’s not my fault your impatient self is so easy to toy with. I just wanted to say congratulations on patching things up with Kumagawa-kun in the first place, because that was what I expected.”

“What…”

“I mean, I sent Kokichi who was a liar like Kumagawa to you, and Monaca who was an empty and terrible child like you to Kumagawa, hoping it would make you miss each other.”

“Are you having one of those villain talks about her plan moments because that’s totes my thing.”

“Sssh, you. I sent them so you two would miss each other. Around each other, you both become pretty useless and distracted trying to figure one another out, to the point of forgetting about the rest of the world. Why don’t you forget about this conflict too and just become all lovey dovey with Kumagawa-kun?” Ajimu asked.

“Pass.” Junko rejected her immediately.

“That poor boy he’s always picking battles he has no chance of winning. Well anyway, as long as you’re around Kumagawa-kun he’s going to limit your effective reach you know that, it’s like sealing yourself without even having to use bookmaker.”

“Eh? So what? Then that’ll just be even more fun on the day that I finally break him and send him into total despair! I’ve been getting all hot just thinking about how I’m finally going to kill him!”

“Well… I guess that would work for most people but not for Kumagawa-kun. He’s somebody bored of despair after all.” She looked down at her own hand for a moment, and then suddenly appeared right in front of Junko and flicked her on the forehead. “I guess you wouldn’t get that though, because you’re such a ditzy girl after all.”

“Ow! There’s no way I could ever grow bored of despair-kun. I’ve loved him my entire life, he’s always been by my side, always protecting me.”

“Well it’s like this, you see despair as a poison. However, to somebody like Kumagawa who grew up in the poisonous swamp of despair, he’s already completely immersed in it, all he knows is poison, all he does is spread poison around. To somebody like him though, hope is a gentle poison. Even if he knows it will ruin him, he can’t help but reach for the illusion that seems close enough to grasp. Somebody like you could never destroy him, because it’s beyond your capabilities to show somebody even a minute amount of hope or kindness even if you wanted to.”

“Were you eavesdropping before? What does that even have to do with anything?”

“I’m just saying, your cute little crush on Kumagawa-kun will never work out because you’re incapable of throwing him into despair.”

“I. Do not. Have a crush on him.”

“Umm…” Ajimu’s gaze flattened. “You tried to seduce him when you were all alone in the classroom that time? You asked him to take his clothes off and everything?”

“I was drugged! I’m sure if you gave Sonia Nevermind one of those Takoyaki balls she’d do a strip tease for Kazuichi-kun.”

“You know sometimes I regret having an ability that makes me all seeing. I really didn’t need to know who you were talking about right then. You’ve managed to make somebody as old as me regret something, that’s quite an accomplishment, Junko-chan.”

“If you’re really that old and all seeing can’t you find anything better to do then messing around with a bunch of teeangers.”

“No way, teen romantic comedies are really popular these days. How about you Junko-chan you’re a genius who could survive absolutely anywhere why do you spend most of your time trying to get teenagers to murder each other.”

“Touche.’

“Well, I don’t have that all seeing ability you have it now. Why don’t you look into my eyes for a moment.” Ajimu said, opening them slowly and giving her a gaze so sharp Junko feared it might cut through her like a razor. Which was strange because normally she felt no fear at all.

Junko felt curious though, and could never deny one of her desires the moment she felt it. She slipped into Ajimu’s eyes, and immediately saw. Nothing. Not even herself standing in front of Ajimu. Just a world that was entirely empty, a sky that was empty, a universe that was empty.

“Hey, don’t look at me with eyes like that. Do you not know who I am? I’m Enoshima Junko-chan. You’re not looking down at me, or desping me. You’re making no distinction at all between me in the background....”

“Hey, Junko-chan didn’t you say once that you’re a god among ants no wonder you’re bored? It’s obvious you think quite highly of yourself, perhaps everybody else does look like ants to a queen ant. However, from my perspective queen ants and ants are exactly the same. An especially interesting and prominent ant, is still an ant at the end of the day.” She reached out and patted Junko on the head, just to be condescending again.

“What did you come out here for anyway?” Junko growled, as she returned her sight back to her own eyes.

“Well, while my other self is busy I just thought I’d troll you a little bit to kill time.”

“Other self?”

“The me that Kumagawa-kun killed. You’ve met her before well, I guess if you don’t remember that’s just the nature of dreams.”

“Quit being vague.”

“No way being vague and mysterious is like my favorite thing, anyway… that was my advice, you’re not special, you’re just an ant, all ants, all of them equal before god. So just enjoy yourself and be a normal girl, like Kumagawa-kun sees you as.”

Before Junko could even retort Ajimu disappeared again as easily as she reappeared. “Wait! Did you really try to kill yourself that day?” Junko asked the empty air in front of her. Then, felt annoyed. “I should have just asked that earlier, ugh why is talking to people so hard? It shouldn’t be so hard if a guy like Naegi-kun can do it.”

…

“I’m just…”

…

She could not even fall into despair to enjoy herself anymore, so to vent her frustration, Junko walked to the other side of the bridge and kicked at a trash can that was sitting out in the open. As she kicked it over, the lid fell off, and Kumagawa Misogi spilled out of it.

『Ah!』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Zenkichi unleashed a barrage of kicks with his best effort. Supporting him with good luck was Komaed Nagito, he picked up a set of bouncy balls rigged to explode and threw them around the dream classroom and everywhere where Zenkichi’s kicks failed to land a ball would richochet to that exact spot.

The two were working together in perfect harmony, however, Ajimu weaved her way through all of their blows perfectly. She kept a V sign near one of her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at all of their greatest efforts.

While this amazing battle was going on, Yasuke sat in the background reading another volume of manga pretending this had nothing to do with him.

AJimu appeared behind Zenkichi, mostly just to gloat. “Hmph you’re great. Just what I would expect from somebody that has been around Medaka-chan for so long. No matter which side you’re on you’re a great fighter. But it’s a little sad too… you seem to be the type that is better as a partner. You’re even making human disaster Komaeda-kun who doesn’t get along with others, fight well. You’re good at fighting to support others, but bad when all alone. A sub character never meant for the spotlight.”

His eyebrows arched and he did not even hide a bit of how insulted he was, such an open book that cute little Zenkichi. “That! Why are you saying stupid things like that! Don’t say things like that while doing a sideways peace sign!” She shouted at her and brought his legs around hard kicking at the area behind his head in a perfected executed roundhouse.

Of course, Ajimu flawlessly dodged bending her body back out of the way. “Whoop!”

Just then, the remaining balls that were bouncing along all at once collided with each other a few centimeters away from her head.

“Amazing… you really are a strong minus Komaeda. You’re becoming more like Kumagawa.” Zenkichi side, holding his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the explosion which destroyed half of the classroom.

“Now HItoyoshi-kun is the one being mean to me..” Komaeda said as he immediately returned to Zenkichi’s side.

A voice spoke out to them from above. Standing on the ceiling, completely unharmed, Ajimu looked down at them with her hair tied up in a ribbon hanging inverted behind her. “Komaeda is not a combat type, he’s just performing this well because he’s paired up with you. Either way, you’re best as a partner. Even if you were reincarnated you couldn’t ever become the main character.”

“But… anshin’in-san. If I can’t beat you there isn’t any chance I can beat Medaka-chan. Isn’t this too high of a level for me? WHat kind of crap is this true flask plan.”

“Ah, wait Hitoyoshi-kun when I was talking about you not being good enough to pass earlier I was just kidding, you shouldn’t listen to anything I say ever please don’t lose faith in you wonderful self.” Komaeda next to him, became a little bit more desperate.

Matsuda in the background turned another page in his manga, pretending the explosion had absolutely nothing to do with him.

“Ufufufu! You’re actually acting awfully soft, Hitoyoshi-kun. Forcing you to do this is normally considered, cruel isn’t it? Then let’s think about it for a minute, Hitoyoshi-kun what does a win mean to you? The ‘Beat Anshin’in-san’ part of the true flask plan, you’ve been trying to break through using savate, is punching and kicking me until I give up a victory to you? Isn’t this just the same mistake you made with Komaeda, where all you did was try to train him to be physically stronger? Is it viewed as a victory when a man forces a woman to do what he wants? Think about elementary school kids playing with Tin Pin Slammers, do they focus on how fit was fun or how they lost?”

He titled his head up as far as he could to look up at her. “I know what you’re saying, but I don’t know what I should say. What are you playing at, Anshin’in-san.”

So he just admitted he didn’t know. Oh, so direct as usual. His straightforwardness was making it hard for her to play around, at least when she talked with Junko she could enjoy talking in circles around her like she usually did. “Basically a win in soccer for a baseball player is meaningless. He has to win in baseball for it to mean anything, and vice versa the soccer player would find it useless to win in baseball. It works the same backwards as well.

“ If you can beat your opponent at what they’re good at, that is when you call it a victory.”

Oh, so he finally realized it after she spelled it out for him. “Precisely isn’t that how Medaka-chan normally fights? When fighting against me, she avoids fighting just like me.”

“If you think back to the election battle and the final match, the one who feels that they lost was the loser. That was the rule Kumagawa put out.”

“That’s right, if you don’t think you’ve lost, you haven’t. Thus, if you don’t think you’ve won, there is no meaning at all. Which would mean that you couldn’t win, you couldn’t get revenge for your servility.” She swung around back and forth on the ceiling carelessly, before drawing her knees up close to herself and sitting in a girlish way, though inverted. “So think about it, Hitoyoshi-kun. What do you think would make Medaka-chan feel loss, while you feel a victory.”

“Komaeda even if this is a dream you shouldn’t push yourself, let’s take a quick break…” Zenkichi said, as he sat down, practically collapsing already from exhaustion.

“Hitoyoshi-kun…” Komaeda wanted to voice his concern, but he really wondered if somebody like him had the right to even advise the always determined, always straightforward Hitoyoshi.

“I’m going to think about how to beat Medaka-chan. What I should do to beat her.”

WHat can I do to beat Medaka-chan. What can I do to have an actual victory against Medaka-chan. It’s hard to imagine but I still need to try. If I used a full powered kick and hit Medaka-chan with it, that would deal a great amount of damage, if Medaka-chan went down I think I could call that a victory.

He imagined Medaka’s tattered body in pieces like he once was after she finished beating him up, and his own leg held high in the air,  standing over her victorious as she collapsed. He looked down at her, unlike that time when she rejected him, and he was the one being looked down on.

Like this…
Am I happy with this? I don’t have anything against Medaka-chan. It’s not like I really want to kick her, or even beat her up. I just want to be at Medaka-chan’s side. I need to keep that in mind. While I think of a condition to win.

He thought of Medaka-chan embracing him happily after their fight. Her body was so soft against his and even though it had only been a few days he was already missing her presence. The entire scene had that kind of ‘I’ll never let you go again’ kind of feel to their reunion.

Like this!
Like what they do after a soccer match when they trade uniforms, or how they call the end of a rugby match no side. I want relationship like that when the fight is finally over. BUt that doesn’t require me to win really. Even if it ends as a draw, if it was a good fight then why can’t that be just as good as a win. But it’s not a victory so is there any value to that. It’s not like I can beat her with a simple fight, even in the most extreme circumstances even if I win it’s not like I’m going to turn into an attractive girl or my family is going to instantly become the Kurokami group. That’s why even if I win there’s only going to amount to a feeling as if I won. In the marathon of life theres no way I could actually beat her.

He saw Medaka as he always did. Brilliant, shining bright, smiling down at him. The girl that he saw in that image was completely untouchable though, she would never remain by his side.

I want to be accepted by her. I also want her to admit that she was wrong for Komaeda-kun’s sake. That she can’t fix everybody. That sometimes it’s better to just understand people’s hearts without trying to fix them. BUt even without me trying to convince her I think she already realized that, so she denies herself and she seeks people like Kuamgawa and Unzen-senpai and even the current me as a self deterrent, that’s why she likes her enemies it keeps her busy so she doesn’t stomp all over others like Enoshima Junko. Medaka-chan realizes how dangerous it is too be too perfect, so if by any chance I actually manage to beat Medaka-chan that would be what Medaka-chan wants in other words that would be her victory. I can’t do it.. No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn't work. Medaka-achan and I are on two completely different levels.

First and foremost I need to remember that Medaka-chan and I vastly differ in ability. I’ve been thrown around by her selfishness just as I intended. BUt if I think about it now it might have been how things are supposed to be for her. In that case then I’ve been selfish, not Medaka-chan.I’ve tried countless times to distance myself from Medaka-chan but it always led to me going back. Ah.. wait a second why do I want to be by Medaka-chan.

As if she could read his mind, Ajimu Najimi looked at the blank expression of realization on Zenkichi’s face and smiled.

It has to be because I like her but there are plenty of people that I like. One good example is right here with me Komaeda Nagito, a lot happened during the election battle but right now I’ve started to really like his personality. Even with the student council, when I first met them they were my enemies but now I can’t say that I don’t like them. So why am I pushing so hard they they push back, just trying to get a fight with Medak-achan. Kaoya-senpai, Uzen-senpai, Myikaonojou-senpai, I still have trouble with them but I don’t wish them any harm. In fact instead of faulting them for fighting with Medaka-chan I actually hold more respect for them. Though it is close to jealousy, roughly it’s just as Anshin’in-san has said. I wasn’t supposed to have them as friends in my future… but why did I make them as enemies while staying as Medaka-chan’s ally?

Hmm, what about this? What if I liked my mom. I really loved her for giving birth and raising me. I didn’t think she was annoyingly overprotective, I’d even die for her. But if for some reason mom and Medaka-chan got into a fight I wouldn’t hesitate to take Medaka-chan’s side. But that’s not limited to my mom either, if I heard Medaka-chan was in trouble right now, I wouldn’t hesitate to jump in. But to make sure that doesn’t happen, Anshin’in-san has meticulously taken precautions, she even went so far as to seal Enoshima Junko who should be Medaka-chan’s natural enemy.

It seems like I’m just trying to protect Medaka-chan from her nemies, if that’s the case than what am I doing? If someone told me I was too servile I’d have no way to respond. I don’t understand why I am so tied up with Medak-achan, I’m only wrapped up with Medaka-chan. The only reason I can think of it is that it’s a rare occurrence. That there is nobody else like Medaka-chan. Some time ago, Medaka-chan thought that HItoyoshi Zenkichi was an interesting subject. I also believed that Kurokami Medaka was an interesting subject that’s why I was interested…?

That’s not it… Even if the flask plan could make countless people like Medaka-chan I am only interested in Medaka-chan. There is only one special Medaka-chan to me. That’s why I like her. I always want to be with her. Loving above all others…

Slowly he stood up carried by the momentum of these thoughts. Then, in a completely empty classroom, the empty headed Zenkichi realized the obvious. “I get it. I want to go out with Medaka-chan.”

Ajimu looked down at him with her shadowy glare. Komaeeda blushed slightly. Even Yasuke looked up from his manga volume.

“I emm, it, it’s… em… ahhh…. IT’S EMBARASSING!” Zenkichi shouted as he grabbed his head and collapsed forward.

“IT’S EMBARRASSING. IT’S EMBARRASSING. IT’S EMBARRASSING. IT’S EMBARRASSING. IT’S EMBARRASSING! IN THE END I’M JUST ONE OF THOSE GUYS THAT WANTS TO BE POPULAR. I’M A HUMAN WITH HUMAN URGES. AAAAAAH. DIE! I’M GOING TO DIE! DIE! DEVIL! IT’S EMBARRASSING! MY ENTIRE GOAL IN LIFE HAS BEEN A WOMAN! MY MIND IS A MESS AND I CAN’T SORT IT OUT. I HAVE NO SELF ESTEEM. SOMEBODY KILL ME RIGHT NOW. HAVING FIGHTING AS A HOBBY IS STILL A POSSIBILITY. I’M JUST THE EMBODIMENT OF ANIMALISTIC INSTINCT. I’M A WALKING INCARNATION OF DESIRE. I HAVE NO ULTERIOR MOTIVES. I’M AN ANIMAL! I’M THE EMBODIMENT OF LUST! EVERYTHING IVE DONE IS FOR KISSING AND GROPING BREASTS! ALL I SPEAK ABOUT IS BEING PROPER AND SELF CONTROLLED AND YET HERE I AM! I’M APTHETIC I DON’T EVEN HAVE A SPECK OF SELF CONTROL, I’M JUST A PIECE OF SHIT! I WANT HER TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE’S HEARTS! I JUST WANT HER TO UNDERSTAND ME!’

Komaeda saw Zenkichi, breaking down adn rcying in front of him completely tearing himself apart from the inside. The same way that he always did but… he had no idea… how to stop something like that he could not even control himself.

Cutting straight through the chaos though, Matsuda Yasuke spoke up finally. “It’s not embarassing!” He stood up tossing his manga volume to the side.

“Matsuda…?”

“....That is… That’s not an ulterior motive. That’s love. It doesn’t matter who it is it’s not embarassing at all! Because, because because… what’s importnat in someone’s eart is will… more important than being right… more important than fighting… and more important than hope and despair. Above all else is love!” He declared his whole body shaking with what he wanted to say for the longest time. His true feelings, the ones he had repressed more than anything else.

The love that he hated himself so much for experiencing.
The love that was all he was.

Ajimu raised a finger in the air, glad that her plan to make Matsuda and Zenkichi interact went exactly as expected. “True flask plan true phase one, ‘realizing your own feelings…’ complete. In order to grow you need a strong driving motivation. This shitty battle manga is now over. Starting next week a shitty love comedy will begin.”

Zenkichi turned his head tears streaming down his face to look at Ajimu.

“Ah, don’t give me that look. I’ve been doing this for a long time you know, wrangling all these teenagers is such hard work.”

Komaeda was the only one who could still speak after this. “Ah… why does she sound like a tired mom, or maybe an older sister…” he was still rather observant even when feeling useless.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“I know you’re trash, senpai but isn’t this a little too literal?” Enoshima Junko asked as she stood over Kumagawa Misogi who had spilled all over the floor. She stood with her hands on her hips as always, and as always she was looking down on others.

However, Kumagawa simply crawled out of the can, pushed it up again, picked up the lid, and then stepped back inside and pulled the lid over himself. Not willing to let him escape that easily, Enoshima Junko tore off the lid, and reached inside, grabbing him by the back of his black and white uniform collar and yanking him out.

She dragged him all the way until she could find a park bench for them to sit on. “So then, why has my biggest stalker been avoiding me all day?”

『Stalker? That’s a little mean Junko-chan I’m not… I’m not like that...』Kumagawa sunk further into his gloomy state, a bit of his aura leaking out causing a random passerby to scream and run away terrified like they had just seen a ghost.

“Usually you have a snappier comeback then that. Wait, did something really despair inducing happen and I wasn’t there to see it? Hey, hey what’s wrong? Come on come on tell em.” She grabbed his shoulder and started to shake him, like a toy that was not working properly.

『What are you talking about you were there for it… it’s uh… it’s embarrassing!』Kumagawa smacked her hands away and covered his face with his own hands, curling away from her entirely as his body arched forward.  『Junko-chan saw my embarrassing memories from the past with Ajimu, and she realized I lied to her, and she’s going to think I’m just using her as an Ajimu replacement again and hate me… it’s embarrassing… it’s embarrassing now that you know that I’m not really a villain just a loser whose no good at being a hero.』

“Huh?” As he suddenly started to break into pieces in front of her, Junko found herself being a bit confused by Misogi again even though she had just thought she understood him a little while ago. “It’s a little bit weird when you suddenly develop a sense of shame like that. Usually you go around completely shameless and not even apologizing for your pathetic self.”

『I’m sorry! I’m really sorry for my pathetic self!』

Junko’s expression only became further perplexed, at this really interesting thing in front of her. A toy that never broke, a puzzle she could never solve completely, no wonder Ajimu called Kumagawa the perfect distraction for her.

But… that wasn’t all this was. She was close to realizing that now, she might have even gotten there on her own had Yasuke not interrupted and filled her with enough despair to keep her distracted. “Jeez, can’t you tell I was just teasing? You must be more broken than usual if you can’t even banter properly..”

『I’m sorry, if I’m not fun in conversation you probably don’t want to talk to me anymore either.』

“Kumagawa, shut up. I already knew that.”

『Huh?』

“I already knew you weren’t a villain, just a good guy who's too much fo a screw up to actually accomplish anything good. The kind of person who always brings about the worst possible result. It’s not like I couldn’t figure that out, because I am a super genius you know.. And also… you’re always so sweet to me…”

『But then why… why do you want to be around me if I’m not a villain who always spreads despair like you are?』

That as a question that Junko did not particularly want to think about. It was good then, Kumagawa Misogi already gave her an answer. She could just repeat back what he said to her. “I think it’s fine. You shouldn’t try to be a villain or a hero, the loser you, who gets in the way of things, who always messes things up, who can’t control himself at all… that’s what makes you so hard to predict. If you weren’t you anymore, than you’d be boring. Besides... even the idea of being defeated by a loser like you whose way out of my league makes me tremble in despair... so I'll accept your challenge.”

Junko-chan is accepting me?
Why?
Why me of all people? Junko-chan doesn’t accept anything at all.
If she were to accept somebody I’m the worst choice. She’d want something or somebody special, but I’m completely average and forgettable in all other aspects besides how miserable I am.
Then is it just despair? Is it because I despair really strongly that she finds me interesting? That can’t be it though because I despair differently than her, and even the ultimate despairs who despair exactly the same as her are boring to her.

Maybe I should stop trying to think about Junko-chan’s feelings and instead think about my own like Mukuro-chan advised me.

I love Junko-chan.
I’ve loved her for a long time, ever since we danced together on that rainy day.
I didn’t mind that all she did was send people to kill me, or try to sabotage me, as long as I got to continue to spend time with her because I loved her.
Why though?

How exactly do I want to be by her side.
Let’s look at Mukuro-chan for example. If I had been born as Junko-chan’s older brother and taken care of her from a young age. I’d still be a person who understands her more than anybody else. I’d probably be a lot stronger as a character. I’d be somebody strong that Junko-chan could always rely on. I’d have a history with her deeper than anybody else. She’s accept me as a part of her plan for ultimate despair, I’d be indispensable to her at least until the plan was executed. Maybe seventeen years isn’t long but it’d be longer than most people get with her. I would finally have a family too, and it’s not like I mind getting insulted, kicked around or controlled by somebody’s selfishness.

That’s not what I want though.

Let’s look at Yasuke-chan for example. What if we had a relationship like Medaka and Zenkichi’s. The two of us have been friends since we were children. Our relationship slowly blossoms into maturity. We get to grow up together. No matter what there’s somebody always by my side, I see sides of her that she won’t let anybody else see. She says she’ll always be there to comfort me when I cry. I finally have somebody precious that I can’t lose, so I try to protect them. Well, it’s not like I mind getting murdered in the end by Junko-chan, or being thrown into despair by her. I’m always in despair anyway, and now that I think about it Junko-chan has already murdered me once already and I totally forgot about it. I’d be the one protecting her, and I’d be… her most precious thing too… she couldn’t live without me.

That’s not what I want though.

You know Yasuke-chan and Junko-chan’s relationship is similiar to mine with Ajimu. Is that it then? I just want somebody to cling to that’s similiar to Ajimu now that she’s bored of me?

If Junko-chan never gets bored of me would that fill up the emptiness in my heart that Ajimu left when she got bored and tried to leave me?

I don’t think so.
No matter how much i think about it.
Junko-chan and Ajimu are different people.

They are similiar. They both get bored easily. They’re haughty. Their real selves aren’t as energetic and cute as the young girls they pretend to be. They’re more aloof, withdrawn, distant from everybody else. They look down on everybody too.

They’re not the same. It’s not just their philosophies, Junko-chan is way less mature. She’s petty, holds grudges, is high maintennance. Yes, if Ajimu and I were always together she’d spend most of her time taking care of me, but it’s the opposite with Junko-chan I have to run around taking care of her even though she’s way smarter than me.

Then do I want a relationship like Medaka-chan and Zenkichi-chan have. Do I want to always be dragged along by her selfishness?
If I had stayed at the clinic that day and befriended Medaka-chan when she was two years old and I was four, and instead I spent the rest of my life striving to be by her side instead.
I bet I would be a better person.
I’d be happy and straightforward, instead of a miserable liar. I’d be helping others rather than hurting them.
It’s objectively a better life.
Junko-chan and Medaka-chan are similiar too.
They’re both talented and can’t understand untalented people, it’s just that Junko-chan chose despair and Medaka-chan chose hope.
No they’re different, if I was in a relationship with Medaka-chan we’d continually be trying to better each other.
She’d want to fix me over and over again.

I thought I wanted that at the president’s battle…
Oh wait didn’t I confess my feelings for Medaka-chan right in front of Junko-chan while she was watching?
No wonder she got so angry at me afterwards.
How did I not realize that until now? I really am the worst.
Junko-chan isn’t like Medaka-chan.

Junko-chan just told me she’d accept me as I am.
I told her I’d accept her.

Oh.
That’s it.
That irreplaceable existence, more important than anyone else, almost obsessed with her to the point of insanity, always wanting to be within her embrace, even living in a world with only her would be fine…

That was just…
Romantic love, right?
Really.
Really really really.
I went through all of this, even dying three times just because I wanted to be Junko-chan’s boyfriend?

『It’s embarrassing! Aaaaaaaaah! It’s so embarrassing I want to die!』

“Wow, you really do fall into despair way too easily. That’s saying something coming from me. I was wondering if you were broken staring into space for that long looks like I was ri--”

Before she could say anything, Kumagawa suddenly threw his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder as if to hide it from the outside world. The person he wanted to hide it from the most though was the person he was clinging to.

“Ssssssh. Calm down a little, you big baby.” Junko said, for the first time in a long while not pushing Kumagawa away when he got close to her. She didn’t want a guy like him to realize how being close to him made her heart beat fast, but she supposed he was too frantic right now to notice something like that.

『I can’t! I can’t calm down I can never be calm I thought you understood that when you took on my emotions!』

That was right every single smile he put on it was just an act.

Junko lifted her arms and wrapped them around him, wondering if this too was an act, or it was this legendary ‘talking’ that Ajimu and Makoto seemed to advocate so much for. “You know, I’m a little bit jealous of you. I can’t imagine how fun it would be, living a life of constant chaos where absolutely nothing ever went your way. I can’t imagine you ever get bored.”

『Junko-chan, jealous… of me?』

“Hey, hey don’t get too ahead of yourself. I’m still clearly out of your league, I just think living your life would be fun is all.”

『If that’s the case then… we should just share our lives. I wouldn’t mind at all if you were dragged into my misfortunes along with me.』

“Upupupu, now that sounds a little fun.”

『I… I’m a little jealous of your life too.』

“Well that’s obvious who wouldn’t be.”

『N-no what I mean is… I want to be a part of your life too so... 』He suddenly became too embarrassed to speak his true feelings. Not when he was so close to Junko anyway. He quieted down.

In their quiet embrace, Junko noticed that night had already fallen. She wondered how time seemed to pass so quickly with Misogi, when it was always agonizingly slow and predictable for her. “Do you want to walk back to our dorms finally?”

『What are you talking about, I don’t have a dorm.』

“Eh?”

『I snuck into this school don’t you remember, and I’m reserve course trash. Most of those kids live with their parents they never built them dormitories.』

“Where have you been sleeping then?”

『This bench. They have showers I can sneak into in the dormitories and I keep my clothes in my locker so...I only need seven copies of this one uniform because I wear the same thing everyday..』

Suddenly, an evil smile spread across Junko’s face. “Hey… Kumagawa, you should just come stay in my dorm with me then.”

『No, I don’t want to that sounds dangerous.』

"Nooooo, you gottttaaaaa!” She whined.

Chapter 39: Hello Again, Friend of a Friend

Notes:

Title of the Chapter is a Scott PIlgrim Reference

 

The one always guaranteed to appear during times of chaos, the minus Kumagawa Misogi. A little before he came to Hope’s Peak Academy, a school was erased from the face of the earth, by this man’s hand.

When 『he』arrived at this peaceful school the curtains opened for a horrifying atrocity.

He stood in front of the class, his name written behind him in Kanji. If you were to read it literally, it would say “The purification ceremony at the river.” As far as name’s that predict personalities go, his parents could not have been more accurate, because the boy standing in front of them looked completely pure, like there was nothing inside of him. His face utterly forgettable, his posture not outstanding, and his hair the average height and cut, if a bit shaggier and uneven than most.

The only distinguishable feature he had was his smile, he smiled brightly to greet them raising his hand in the air and tilting it to frame his face.  『I am Kumagawa Misogi and I have transferred from weekly shonen jump. Ladies and gentleman of the famous Fish Tank Academy I hope we can become great friends.』

The faceless students watching him stayed silent for a moment, stunned that such a line had come from such a terrifying face and appearance. THe next moment, they relaxed, a few of them cracking smiles, and even more of them cracking up.

“Ahahahahahah! What is that!”
“That was hilarious!”
“ An interesting transfer student has appeared!””

At the next moment, screws pierced through all of them, arms, chests, necks, all impaled splashing bright pink blood in every direction. A massacre in one blow, and all Kumagawa Misogi had to do was imagine it, and swing forward crossing both of his arms in a throwing motion.   『Don’t laugh! Laughing at someone else’s jokes! You guys are the worst!』

The, the scene of carnage disappeared as if it had never happened. Kumagawa Misogi stood innocently in front of a gaping classroom. The faceless students all looked at each other and whispered a second time.

“Eh? WHat just right now?
“Weren’t our bodies pierced through by huge screws?”

『Well that is for another time. Instead of introductions how about a quiz! Riddle me this! In the mornings a short story, in the evenings a deadline in the night it ends! What is it? The answer! A new serial novel!』

It is said that, not one person dared to smile at Kumagawa Misogi after that.

Kumagawa sat in the furthest seat away from the board, the back corner of the classroom near the window and the entire time the teacher was speaking he pulled out a manga magazine from his desk and read it the whole time. Nobody, not even the adults felt confident enough to call him out on this behavior, his presence unnerved him so much.

In the free period between classes, the faceless students started to whisper amongst themselves again about the outsider.
“I don’t want to associate with him… but that won’t go well.”
“Somebody needs to take him.”
“Take that transfer student to the student council president of suisou academy.”

He turned the page of his magazine, tuning them all out. Frankly he did not care, in fact he preferred to be hated. That was why he had acted in a way to make them all hate him from the first moment he stepped into this school.

Twenty nine schools he had transferred to since he was expelled from Ark middle school by Kurokami Medaka and his precious Anshin’in-san disappeared from the world by his own hand. He never stayed at them for more than a month. The first few times he did try to make friends in his own way, but it was inevitable they would turn on him, he would be hated, and it would turn into a fight.

It was easier to just make enemies from the start. He only transferred to all of these schools to search for somebody strong enough to defeat his beloved Anshin’in-san after all. Three years since their separation, and he still only continued to live for her. She might not have even been real in the first place, sometimes he thought, just something to give him a reason. No matter what though Kumagawa Misogi must always go forward, he must always continue to turn like a screw even if he became more and more twisted along the way.

That was his one rule. A naive and clear voice though, spoke up and broke him away from such deep and dark thoughts. That was good because he had been staring at the same manga page for a few minutes now.

“Hey, umm… Kumagawa-kun.”

He had been to twenty nine schools before this, this would be his thirtieth and unbeknownst to him afterwards he would attend Hope’s Peak as his thirty first. He did not think of the future though he only lived in the moment.

At this moment, a girl appeared before him and moving his head slowly he looked up finally from his manga gamazine. She had a tiny and svelte body, and seemed to sway back and forth as she gestured nervously with her hands, brown hair and brown eyes. Besides the medical mask covering her mouth and half her face as it was pulled up over her nose, she looked like any other girl you might find in a highschool setting and meet on the first day of class.

“Ummm… well… if it’s alright. Just a little! Can I speak with you for just a little? It really is only for just a little…”

Sukinasaki Saki
Year 3 Class 4
Blood Type AB
???????????

However, Kumagawa Misogi was not used to being approached so normally at all. Even now it caught him off guard. A smile on his face, he stared silently for a moment wondering if the scene before him was even real, if somebody would really approach trash like him in such a way.

She brought her hands to her chest normally, and her eyebrows knitted in concern. “Umm… Kumagawa-kun?”

Kumagawa without moving his face at all, still smiling, suddenly burst into tears. As tears leaked from his face, and snot from his nose in such an ugly display of crying, he happily pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his eyes with it.  『Sorry for crying all of a sudden I was just happy, because you started a conversation with me. I’ve been to many schools before, but this is the first time that I am speaking to a girl...』

She already started to back away from him, trying to be sneaky about it at least.

Then any evidence of crying disappeared from Kumagawa’s face.  『And… even though I think it’s only because you lost in rock-paper-scissors, I’m happy to talk to you. What is it?』

“.........” Really. This guy? The thought of disgust was so strong it almost broke through her act, but she nervously twiddled her fingers instead. “Yes… um… it’s this academy’s student council president but Jakago Aki, she’s the student council president but she’s actually the monarch of the Fish Tank Academy. I said I wanted you to meet her, but for Kumagawa-kun’s daily school life’s sake she is a person you absolutely need to meet. It might seem like an exaggeration but many people have left the academy after upsetting her.”

『Hmmm… But she’s just a high school girl, right? Isn’t it an exaggeration to call her a monarch?』

Just as always, and just as he had expected Kumagawa’s rose colored high school days of his youth were going to be interrupted, before they ever began. He could not even finish that memory though, as his dreams were interrupted before they even begun.

He heard the sound of laughter. Normally this would be the point where he realized it was the sound of his own maddening laughter echoing back at him, but… the laugh which hung in the air all around him was too strange to ever belong to him.

“Upupupupupupupupu!”

To anybody else, that laugh would be despair inducing. For Kumagawa, it was a pleasant song to wake up to. His eyes fluttered a moment, and he saw the most beautiful face in the world smiling down evilly at him.

For a moment he did not even mind that the smile was clearly hiding bad intentions, as long as this girl was smiling at him.

Then his brain rebooted and caught up with the current situation. He remembered several key facts. Number one that he was no longer a transfer student at Fish Tank and he had transferred to Hope’s Peak immediately after that and stayed there for several months now. Number two that his reason for transferring to Hope’s Peak was to stop it’s destruction. Number three, the reason behind the destruction of Hope’s Peak was now staring him in the face and watching him sleep. Number four, he had been fighting with this girl for months and because he could not control himself had fallen in love with her too. Number five, he had realized his love for this girl Enoshima Junko was romantic last night. Number six, moments after that realization Enoshima Junko invited him to come sleep in her dorm.

Now she was staring at him in the middle of the night, from behind a black and white, half good half evil teddy bear that she was clutching close to her chest, after watching him sleep for probably some time after her laughter woke him up.She was still wearing her pajamas even, a pair of loose fitting pajama shorts with bear paw prints over them, and a short sleeve t shirt that was half black and half white, and had her hair down falling all over her in blonde tresses. It was such a simple and cute look, it looked almost out of character for Enoshima Junko. Kumagawa appreciated she kept her usual color scheme up though, Junko always was a stickler for motife.

The entire scene was almost too much for him to comprehend. Junko liked to tease him occasionally with her body, but this was almost torture. However, in response to this he only gave a fake smile as usual and tried to play it off as nothing. 『Oh, Junko-chan have you come to kill me in my sleep?』

“Hmm? And get loser blood all over my precious furniture, now why would I do that?”

『I see I rank lower than a couch on your list of concerns. I’m going to go back to sleep then before this night disappoints me any further.』Kumagawa rolled away and curled up further on the couch.

Junko said he could sleep wherever he wanted, and he chose the couch fearing any closer to her bedroom and he might die. He did not know which would get him first, Junko, or his own heart stopping.

Junko reached out to to poke him on the side of the cheek. “Oi, don’t sulk. I wasn’t trying to insult you or anything.”

『Then why were you laughing at me?』

“Well, it’s cuz and I went to wake you up and like… your sleeping face is so silly. It’s weird seeing a miserable guy like you sleeping with such a stupidly happy look on his face.”

Kumagawa suspected if Junko learned the reason why he had slept looking so happy, that awas another execution waiting to happen.  『Ah, of course you would laugh. My smile’s aren’t nearly as pretty as Junko-chan’s..』

Junko paused for a moment, the sudden compliment unexpected. She tilted her head as if to think about it, and Kumagawa had no idea on the possible thousands of things she could half analyzed in that half a second. “W-what are you, ah, anyway. I couldn’t sleep at all. I was liiiiiike staring at my beautiful and perfect body in the mirror you know. Just for the record I wasn’t wearing any clothes, but you’re not allowed to picture it. Don’t think about it okay? Don’t think about my glistening body, curvaceous, smooth like it was sculpted from marble by Michael Angelo-”

『Moving on.』

“No, worship me damnit!”

『So you want me to picture you nude?』

“As if, keep your dirty thoughts from staining my perfection! Like I said though I was looking in the mirror and I saw the stab wound from the other day and realized I still haven’t figured that shizz out yet.”

『Oh, are you going to brag about how quickly you figured it out once you started thinking about it as usual?』

“Nah. See there’s too much missing information, because Ajimu sucks and is a dirty cheater, and whoever stabbed me was probably cheating too so that’s why it doesn’t count as a win.”

『You really can’t comprehend yourself losing in any way, huh?』

“ You must be so jealous. My brain has this annoying habit though when I can’t figure something out immediately, it keeps reviewing the situation and going over all the possibilities even if it’s not there. It just refuses to stop analyzing, so I’ve been up all night trying to get my brain going in circles so I can get to sleep.”

『I’m sorry Junko’s brain-chan. It must be tiring working for such a troublesome girl.』

“Hey I’m the victim here quit sympathizing with my brain!” Junko had been staring up at the ceiling in her room for the past few hours, sometimes even putting a pillow over her face and attempting to smother herself before giving up. Then, she had a thought. She remembered a certain boy who was fun to play with. It was a little bit better than sitting in her room bored anyway, it’s not like she liked spending time with him, he was just slightly more interesting than doing nothing. “My brain won’t shut up, so that’s why I need you. Come on and be my teddy bear so I can get distracted and fall asleep, maybe your stupidity will infect me a little bit and I can just think of nothing like you do.”

『Then, that entire monologue was your roundabout way of asking me to share a bed with you?』

“Yeah, P much.” She answered casually, with a shrug of her shoulders that made the bear bob up and down.

『I-Is that allowed? I’m not sure it’s even alright for us to be sharing the same dorm room together.』

“Oh, since when did you become such a stickler for the rules, Mr. Minus that thrives on chaos Kumagawa Misogi. I didn’t know you wanted to avoid me that badly?” She teased him, to which Kumagawa could only avert his gaze in response. “It’s fine, my lease let’s me keep pets. Even big stupid ones like dogs.”

『B-b-but about bed sharing.』

“Well that’s just like when you let a dog sleep at the foot of your bed, right?”

『Since when have I been demoted to a dog?』

“It’s more of a promotion since you were just a snake beforehand.”

He rolled over once again, burying his face in the crevasse of the couch. Perhaps he could get out of this just by pretending to be insulted. 『Then you should just avoid being around me, I’d hate to poison your blood.』

“Kuuuuumaaagaaawaaaa I neeeeeed yoooouuuu….!”

She whined. I won’t fall for that. He thought. She did not need him let alone anybody else. I won’t move from this spot. I’ll stand my ground. I’ll finally grow a spine. This is my resolve for the first time ever.

Kumagawa found himself standing at the edge of Junko’s wide bed, sighing to himself as he gripped his pillow against his bare chest. He looked over to Junko once more, who to her credit was fully clothed. He only slept in a pair of plain white boxers because the only clothes he owned really were his school uniforms and the plain white ts that he wore underneath them.

“Oi, what are you staring at?” She said, leaning over and catching him sneaking passive glances at her.

『N-nothing! It’s just a little weird to see you dressed like that.』

“What were you expecting a negligee?”

『Please kill me now, it would be more merciful.』

“Upu, as if. Not even if you beg.”

『Let’s not talk about begging while we’re both standing in a bedroom please.』

“Why are you making such a big deal out of it? We shared a bed at the hospital room before. I mean besides the fact that everything is ten times harder than it needs to be for an idiot like you.”

That’s a lot coming from the world’s most difficult person!  『W-well I was wearing my uniform then and besides that was before...』

“Before what?”

They were already close, but Junko leaned in close until they were centimeters apart to discern the secret he was hiding with his face, he only turned red at her sudden closeness and averted his eyes entirely.  『Before I realized how annoying you were.』

“Oooh, did cute little Kumagawa come up with that deflection insult all by himself? It’s no big deal I’m out of your league anyway so nothing’s going to happen, just stay on your side and do your job properly as a distraction and keep talking to me.” Junko quite casually crawled on the mattress and patted the other end. It was large enough that they could easily share it without ever touching, and almost to ensure it, the moment she laid down Junko spread herself out as far as possible. Well, that was typical for a girl who mistakenly thought the world belonged to her.

Reluctantly, but the same way he always did he gave into her again and edged his way onto the smallest part of the bed, curling himself up even further to make himself smaller. 『Mmm, so let me probe that wonderfully terrible brain of yours.』

“Well, the part I’m stuck on is the Shiranui. All of the hints Ajimu gave about her are vague A. F. It’s probably a family name or a group name, and they all seem to have a similiar ability to impostor-kun.”

『Who?』

“The guy that looked like Togami but, 200 pounds heavier. Wait, how did you guys not notice the difference.”

『He must have been a really talented actor.』

“No, I think you’re all just dumb. His ability is to perfectly imitate everybody and replicate talent, that’s the vibe I got off of Shiranui Hansode-san at least. No idea what that one guy who poses like he’s the bad boy in the boy band and too cool to look at the camera-”

『Shiranui Hanten-kun?』

“Yeah, no idea what his deal is… and don’t interrupt me mid rant.”

『If you wanted to just talk to yourself I could just go find a mirror for you, you’d probably find that more enjoyable too.』

“Noooo, I’m the one who asked you to be here Kumagawa. Quit trying to leave. I wanted you and I get what I want, okay?”

『That’d almost sound sweet if it weren’t quite so bratty… about Hansode-chan…there’s also… something I need to tell you… don’t hate me okay?』

“Gooooood, we’ve been over this… you’re so slow.”

『Hey it’s not my fault you change your mind so much!』

“It’s not my fault either. Despair’s a fickle little beeyotch.”

『Well… it was a lie. My reason for sneaking into the academy, my reason for getting close to you up until a certain point, it was all a lie. Hansode-chan stopped me just before I was about to decide to transfer finally into sandbox, and told me to come here instead. She gave me a picture of you and said that I should find you.』

“Find me? Is that another meptahor or something, god you sandbox kids break out the meta talk way too much.”

『You’re the last person on earth who should be complaining about that, but yes. Shiranui’s profession is apparently, that of a double. A person who imitates talents, to make the talented seem more human more or less. However, she was busy so she couldn't go find you so she told me to do it instead. I didn't know what it meant so I thought I was going to have to transfer in here and kill you at first, or maybe that was just an excuse to avoid my confrontation with Medaka-chan. I don't know if it was pre-planned or not, if Shiranui knew about my history with Medaka-chan or not, maybe she was coming by that day looking for Saki-chan but found me instead.』

“Hmmm…” She said in a way that sent a chill down his spine. “Soooo of all the people she chose for the job, she picked you? Is she stupid or something?”

『That’s rude, I didn’t do a half bad job. In case you haven’t noticed the academy is still standing.』He sighed and rested his head against his outstretched arm.  『She was going to get another imitator just like her to do it, but apparently the job was too much and that person went insane. So, I was just a second choice she had to improvise at last minute.』

“Yeah, that sounds way more plausible. After all I’m the only one worthy of portraying the role of the lovely me, Mukuro did such a shitty job of it.”

『Well that’s fine because Mukuro is much better when she’s just herself. That’s it more or less though, that’s all I know. She has one more friend like her at the school and I saw him once but uh...』

“What?”

『I forgot what he looks like. He has a hat… I think...』

“God you’re dumb.”

『Junko-chan I didn’t even want to sleep in the same bed with you and now you’re just insulting me. I… I’m sorry… I was having fun I forgot about the whole deal and then because of that you got stabbed.』

“Are you kidding? Getting stabbed was the best thing that happened to me in awhile, and now there’s a mystery foe out there who might show up at the last moment and throw all of my plans off! This is the best result possible! I only got this result because I was around you!”

『Ah… but… I only came here to seal you away like Ajimu-san you know, but the moment I showed up that confusing Ryoko-chan thing happened and I quickly lost track of what I was doing.』

“You came here to stop me, and now you’re on my side. The world really does always work in my favor. Well it’s fine, for me it was a good ending because it led to something interesting.”

『Y-you. You think meeting me was a good thing?』Kumagawa felt his face redden. He was the misfortune that brought down every single school he transferred to after all. Just like in that dream, nobody approached him, nobody even wanted him around. What had changed about that now? He had found this place after three years of wandering, and he had found Junko too. It was like… finding a home… oh is that why Junko bullied him into staying in her dorm with her? Did she feel the same way? For the first time he let his emotions overflow within him, like a regular lovestruck teenager, both his thoughts and his heart racing at the same time.

He continued to heat up, until suddenly he felt Junko’s finger poking against the back of his ear and his reaction as so strong that if he were a cartoon character steam would have boiled out of his ears.  『A-a-a-a-ah, what?』

“Hey, this scar on your ear how did you get it?”

『Ajimu-san used to cut my hair, and she nicked my ear once to watch the face I made when I was in pain.』

“Oh, I bet it was a cute face… what about this one?” She said, the pointed nail of her finger trailing down his back. She continued to pester him with her questions for most of the night, and when he told her the detailed stories about how he had gotten these scars, she would either laugh, or look at him with a strange kind of lust wiping drool from the corner of her mouth.

He knew she was just fetishizing his misery, trying to enjoy his despair like a member in the audience. It’s not like she was sympathizing with his pain or anything, she would have had to ever have felt that kind of pain in her life, but she was mostly untouched. However, he did not mind it too much anyway.

Most of the stories he told it was the first time ever telling them. Nobody had ever cared enough to hear about them before that point. That was his life, he was born, he suffered, and then he died, and nothing was gained, and there was no meaning to his suffering. There was nothing waiting for him at the end of that long painful journey.

Yet, after three years of wandering he found Junko. Junko who liked to listen about how miserable his life was, who could find some kind of enjoyment from it. It didn’t make up for his pain, not in the least bit, he could lose what small thing he had gained in a second and yet…

He couldn’t help but smile.
Kumagawa fell asleep a while after Junko fell quiet and stopped pestering him for stories. There was no way he could sleep after all, not when he was clutching his pillow unable to stop his racing thoughts.  『I love her. I love her. I love her. I love her. I love her. I love her. I want to embrace her. I want to embrace her despair.』

It was a peaceful night.
Until the morning when Junko woke from her sleep feeling warm and clutching Kumagawa’s back, even though she specifically remembered falling asleep on the other half of the bed and telling him not to cross the line between them. It seemed most likely she was the one who crossed the line in her sleep, but Kumagawa paid for it, when she woke him up by kicking him off the bed.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Information about Kurokami Medaka and Hitoyoshi Zenkichi’s historic standoff spread throughout the school in no time. Even though they were only transfer students, the infamously eccentric and battle heavy Sandbox kids had found themselves center stage to the school’s conflicts once again.

It goes without saying that people had differing reactions, surprise, confusion, joking, laughter, dismissing it as stupid, not understanding what they were thinking.

Those like Unzen were preparing to fight.
Those like Tokemichi and Ishimaru stood for equality and keeping Unzen out of the fight.
Munakata, the one who wasn’t a serial killer, felt a little sad for the two.

The acutal student council was normal, and most would be taken aback if they showed up all working together as usual. All except for Kumagawa who was sleeping at his desk because he did not get any sleep last night.

Occasionally, he would wake up only to stare at an envelope that had been left in his locket, with a bear drawn on its back making it obvious who it came from.

Zenkichi held a paper upin the air. “Hey, Medaka-chan. Here’s the program for this year’s school festival. We need to get it done today to submit it weeks in advance, so I need your signature.”

Toko watched the two of them, being the most jittery one in the room as usual. She was good at reading others at least because she had endured their abuse, but not at all good at understanding them. After what happened a few days ago it’s kinda scary here… I mean moreso than usual. But if you look at everything Hitoyoshi-kun is just being his normal annoying self. No, he seems more relaxed than usual, as if the evil that possessed him has finally left. Maybe he finally got over big breasted girls.

That was in fact the opposite of what had happened, but once again Toko was not good at understanding others.

Easily Medaka took the paper from him. “Very well, by the Zenkichi. Did you want to stop fighting me?” A grin of the devil spread across her normally angelic face. It was the kind of face that Enoshima Junko was more likely to make than her. “I was so happy yesterday that I just went all out. I’ve been waiting for you to make the first move. I didn’t think a single loss would make you give up so easily.”

“Hm? AH, that’s right you’re right. I have something to talk to you about, Medaka-chan.” He suddenly threw his head forward, throwing all of himself like he always did, into a total prostration before her. “I’m sorry. Yesterday I was completely wrong.”

“Did he finally learn his place?” Togami asked, looking towards Toko to gossip.

“You mean he realized he’s a bottom?” Toko whispered back. Togami instantly regretted even including Toko in this conversation.

Kumagawa was still napping, and Medaka stared with blank, wide open eyes.

“After losing yesterday I said some shameful things, it’s completely natural to be angry at me, but even after that I still raised myself up. I’m sorry for insulting your personality, I’m really sorry. As for everyone else, I’m sorry. Everyone already was sad from having to come home from their school trip early, but I just made it about myself.”

“That’s enough raise your head. Anymore apology willl affect your work. So basically, you’ve given up on trying to beat me.” Medaka’s expression quickly shifted into one that looked bored.

“No… I won’t give up…” he raised his head and flashed her a smile. “I will definitely beat you, Medaka-chan.”

Medaka made a face she rarely ever did, complete surprise. Before she could articulate or even realize what about this took her off guard, Zenkichi already started to retreat.

“I’m off to submit these papers. The culture festival is soon! After that is the christmas eve party! Even a school like Hope’s Peak has plenty of student even just like a normal school.”

As he ran down the hallway, Toko nudged Togami once more. “What do you think, master?”

“I don’t really care. I think you already know what I’m thinking.”

“Anshin’in-san is doing something horrible. She’s using two boy’s love comedies to further her plan…” As a lover of romance novels, Toko could not approve of forcing the rules of romance novels onto reality. Of course this was hypocritical of her, but that too was an essential part of Toko’s character.

Unlike your narrator though she was slightly biased. She did hate the happiness of others, as usually it felt like they were laughing in the face of her own miserable life in comparison, but… the student council wasn’t the worst school club she had ever signed up for, and she did like romantic novels with happy endings.

Just then, Kumagawa woke up and swiped the envelope he had been carrying with him back off his desk. He looked to Medaka once more.  『Medaka-chan don’t look so pleased with yourself, your natural enemy isn’t Zenkichi-chan, it’s Junko-chan.』

“I have no reason to acknowledge somebody who doesn’t even remotely act like a human being as one of my precious enemies.”

『Well, if that’s your decision that’s fine. Junko-chan is the type of person though that if you turn a blind eye to her, she’ll devour… both you and Zenkichi-chan.』

“Oho… are you boasting?”

『Of course, it’s only natural to want to talk positively about the person you love. Even a negative guy like me gets that.』All in the room were stunned by Kumagawa’s sudden talk of love, but he ignored them and shoved his hands into his pockets to walk out the same way Zenkichi did. Naturally, his exit was far less cool.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

My feet are light. It doens’t even feel like my body. No, that’s not it. My body is finally mine. My mind and body are one. What I want to do and what I should do are now one. My feelings that wouldn’t have been clear even if I had super highschool level analysis, I can see with ease now.

As he walked outside, Zenkichi felt lighter than air, and his optimism could not even be stopped by crossing paths with the gloomy Mastuda Yasuke. He leaned back against a tree, tile still not straight, hands in his pockets as he looked to the sid with shadowy eyes. “So in the end you aren’t going to fight. What kind of long drawn out manga are you pulling here?”

“Matsuda...kun…!” Zenkichi froze in place.

“Act like you know me, and call me Yasu. Nah, I’m just shitting you, that was my imitation of that annoying hag Anshin’in-san. By the way Hitoyoshi-kun can I call you heat?”

“Heat… or Yasu… it doesn’t really bother me.”

Yasuke shrugged his shoulders. “I’m disappointed, Heat. You’re still going to fight Medaka-chan even though you have feelings for her? Are you serious? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“It’s not embarrassing! Love is what my heart is meant to do!”

Matsuda glanced to the side, and then closed his eyes in acceptance. “Hmmph. Seems like even a guy with no brain can learn. Just make sure nobody snatches the memory of that lesson away from you.”

“Yeah, it’s clearer to me me now more than ever before. And another thing I have no intention of stretching out this battle. The naked apron alliance by Kumagawa is probably intending to move quickly soon too, who knows what kind of nefarious thinsg they could be up to. Whatever it is… it’s definitely not normal.”

At the same time, Kumagawa finally arrived at his destination and found a girl waiting for him at the back of the school. Which meant that the envelope that Junko had basically shoved in his face was legitimate after all. It was just a simple note telling her to meet him at this time behind the school.

This is starting to sound more and more like a confession letter.

He thought, but he immediately wanted to crush that hope before it poisoned him. In fact, Junko smiling and waiting for him, looked almost too pleasant.  『This scene looks too normal for a person like me...』he muttered underneath his breath.

When he finally walked up to her, he scratched the back of his head trying to be nonchalant. When he scratched hard enough to draw blood and with a sharp ‘ow’ had to withdraw his fingers, and suck on one of them he knew he had failed completely to be nonchalant.

“Why are you so high strung, seeeeenpaaaaai? What could you possibly be thinking in a situation like this?” Junko asked him, leaning forward to tease him with a thoroughly entertained grin on his face.

『I’m thinking, this is probably some kind of trap. Why’d you give me a letter to meet you behind the school, you could have just told me? 』

Junko’s eyes widened in an innocent way that did not belong on her face at all, as she suddenly started talking in a much cuter, more nervous voice, face turning red and hand covering her mouth.“Oh I do. There’s something I want to show you. Something oh so special to me. I’d get quite the reputation if you told anyone about this though."

『Definitely a trap.』

“I want this to be perfect. I’ve been so worried about it I’ve barely gotten a wink of sleep.”

『That’s because you couldn’t stop talking.』

“Awe, you’re not being any fun Kumagawa! I just want us to be together…to have fun together!”

『Huh? Fun?』

“Now why you gotta be like that, Kumagawa?”  Suddenly she cllosed the distance between them in an instant, and swung her arm around in an arc. He thought she had not even touched him, but he saw suddenly a glint of metal, and a knife that had fallen from her sleeves. She must have observed Munakata’s weapon concealment technique.

His uniform was cut open, and a gash was left diagonal across his chest where she slashed.  “See… isn’t this a blast?”

So it was a trap, Kumagawa thought. Junko was attacking him with a knife again the same way she had a day ago. He was not sure what triggered it usually Junko only ever operated by proxies and never attempted to kill with her own hands. Her luring here with a fake confession letter, that was probably just her wanting to confess her love of despair again.

She darted forward at him again flicking the knife in his direction. This time however, he caught her wrist easily, and asserted the strength that he usually kept hidden bending her wrist back.  She thought with a momentary taste of despair that he might turn her own knife back on her, losing patience with her finally. WIth Kumagawa though there was always an unexpected twist. 『Now that isn’t going to work. You can’t just stab me at random. You have to properly aim.』Kumagawa twisted her wrist around even further and then drove it back into his own eyeball, not breaking eye contact with her once. As she heard the sound of metal sliding into flesh, all she could see was his own smile widening.  『Aim for a vital spot.』

Junko let go of the knife. Kumagawa backed up, knife still dug into his eye socket and pink still drip, drip, dripping from his face.  『Well, there’s no way I’ll let some boring girl that can’t even aim properly kill me. So bye, bye! Junko-chan!』

He said, as he turned around and fleed suddenly. She expected him to fight back, so of course he ran. He always seemed to pick the option that annoyed her the most. “I am not boring! Who said you were dismissed! I’m not letting go of you yet!” She yelled as she ran after him in heels.

Despite the fact that Junko was trying to kill him for the second time in three days, Kumagawa could not help but smile. He wondered too if Junko was smiling along with him. He did not have it in him to fight her directly, or even to hurt her, so the least he could do was give her an entertaining chase scene he thought as he took off towards the campus, running full speed away like the coward he was.

Moving back to a much more sane conversation, with an envelope underneath his arm Zenkichi looked quite confident. “Don’t worry, Yasu. I have already decided when i want to settle this.”

“Hmm, really? When?”

“Next year in april. Next year during the student council election I’m going to beat Medaka-chan. I’m going to have 100% of the votes and become president. It’s not like what happened with class minus 13 over the summer break, it’s going to b a real election where every student has the right to participate. It will be on a fair stage. Ajimu promised me that she’ll even make it so the reserve course can vote, it’ll be this academy’s first election.”

“So, you too are acting like Anshin’in-san. You don’t see any difference between the talented and the untalented. But how are you going to settle things through votes? You’re going to be competing with her popularity at a school that worships talent above all else, it seems like you chose the fight you have the smallest chance to win at.”

“That’s fine. In fact as a coup de’tat there’s more of a chance of winning, and like this I’ll feel as if I’ve won. It’s that enamored weakness.”

“Enamored weakness? So you’re saying being enamored is losing? What the shit is that even supposed to mean, please don’t start talking like Anshin’in-san too my head can only take so much crap.”

“You’re right. Being enamored will lead to a loss. That’s why, next year Medaka-chan will fall in love with the student council president Hitoyoshi Zenkichi.” He beat himself on the chest with a closed fist to show his determination. His eyes too closed, and he looked like the matter had already been settled long ago, perhaps since he was born. “When the girl I fell for falls for me, that would be the time I can raise my head and say with pride that I beat Medaka-chan. I want to say that I’ve made Medak-achan just as happy as I am.”

“You’re putting that girl before the whole world you know, that’s a pretty impure motivation.”

“Idiot, you’re the one who said there isn’t anythin more pure than love. I know you’re just being unpleasant to push me away as usual.” He opened his eyes and pointed at the other once more, causing Yasuke to avert his gaze. “Of course as long as there’s a person that wants to be happy I’m going to try to make them happy no matter what. That includes you, Yasu. That’s why you should come to the school festival with me and Komaeda in a few weeks.”

“Huh, why me? What makes you think I’d want to hang out with you losers.”

“You never go to school events, I don’t think you have any friends in your class. Besides all of us bonded in that dream didn’t we?”

Behind him, he heard a change in the wind, and a sound like a swish, swish. He turned his gaze back slowly to see Ajimu had arrived again out of nowhere. “If possible, include me in that Hiotyoshi-kun.”

“Anshin’in-san?”

“The reason I planned on changing this from a battle manga to a love comedy is because even a horrible main character has a huge chance of winning in a love comedy, Naegi Makoto is that kind of plain bread protagonist that somehow can win the affections of a lot of women. To you, your feelings are motivating you to do other things.”

“It’s thanks to both Yasu, and Komaeda for pushing me so hard. If they weren’t here, I’d probably still be in that dream ripping my hair out.”

“You may be right, but you were the one that decided to take the manliest of routes. I’ll remember that spirit that overcome those feelings of embarrassment. Especially since I’m used to dealing with embarrassing guys like Kumagawa. But… isn’t april of next year too late? That seems like too long even coming from me whose the most willing to wait. After all, you can finally see the goal. There’s also the business, of Hanten making the skill, and Yasuke-chan completing the surgery procedure for it.”

“But… isn’t it dumb to speed up now, Anshin’in-san? The election date has already been decided.”

“So why don’t you just change it? Just leave that to me with Hansode-chan, we’ll do something. We’re going to already change things to give the reserve course a fair vote after all… hmmm, I’ve got a good date. How about December 24th, that would really annoy somebody that I hate.”

Just then something unexpected happened. Kumagawa who had jumped into the air to dodge a set of knives thrown at him, landed his foot on Ajimu’s head and pushed off once more to continue his jump with a double jump. Usually such a thing was impossible in real life unless you hit the b button twice.

Ajimu stared in shock for a moment, having been caught completely offguard by this new development even her white hair messed up. A moment later, Junko arrived on the scene chasing after him. “Oi, get back here!” She shouted. “That guy has no consideration at all making a cute girl like me run around everywhere in heels.”

“What was that?” Zenkichi muttered… not understanding at all the strange dance that was being played out by the two in front of him as they both left him behind in the dust.

“That was….” Matsuda led off.
“...An annoying girl.” Ajimu finished for him.

『Ah! Let’s talk this over! I think you got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. You just want to start from scratch now that we know each other’s secrets right? Be honest. Come now! You know I think our personalities are really compatible, that’s why we should get along instead of you trying to kill me. I’m much more fun alive than I am dead. 』Kumagawa continued to shout frantically as he fled away from Junko. He stopped for a moment when there was a wall in front of him and turned around on his heel to face her.  『Why are you trying to kill me, Junko-chan?』

“Because despair!” Junko said with a smile painted on her face, and her tongue hanging out as her appetite for despair increased.

Kumagawa slammed his hands on his face and seemed to fall into despair for a moment.  『I knew you’d say that!』The next moment he suddenly cahnged though, he just jumped into the air and started to run up the side of the wall which had been a dead end to him a moment ago. The same way he ran up the wall during his fight with Medaka.  『Time to be a coward!』

Junko simply observed his path and predicted where he would go next deciding to just meet him there rather than try to climb up the side of a wall in heels.

『Kuma-dash! I gotta run beary fast!』

“As if you could run as fast as a bear!”

『There's no way I can die here!』

“Yes, die!.” 

They continued to talk as their paths converged and they met up again. Kumagawa leaned forward and ran as fast as he could, hoping to outdo her in physical ability at least.

“Oi! Quit running! Oi! You even run like a loser!”

『You can tell she’s mad because she keeps saying ‘oi!’』

Just then when he thought he had finally made a break for it, Kumagawa tripped over his own feet and fell forward. It was okay though because he broke his falll with his face. He immediately punched hard into the ground and pushed himself upward once more, turning around to see Junko already standing over him.

“You almost look cute underneath me like this.”

『Are you phrasing it that way on purpose because umm...』His cheeks turned a little bit red.

“A girl likes to be wooed you know. Why don’t you show me some flowers, I want them to bloom for me bright pink.” She said as she flicked a knife forward, and let it hover at his juggular.

『If I gave you flowers they’d probably just wilt. Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re standing over me like this, or if you have a knife to my throat. I won’t let you land another scratch on me, I don’t even need all fiction to stop a boring girl like you.』

“Upupupupu, upupupupupu! The look on your face it’s incredible! This is… this is incredible! Getting close to you really was worth it after all, I want to keep having fun like this every day! It’s so fun to watch and laugh at that kind of face only you can make when you’re cornered. You really think you’re going to get out this huh?  You've always got this 'I won't lose to tragedy this time' look on your even though your record says others. Upupupupupupuu-ah…” She cut off suddenly reaching down for her own waist. Underneath the brown unfiorm jacket she was wearing, pink seeped deep into her clothing was staring to bloom. “Aaaaaaah! Ouch! Ouchie ouch ouch! Kumagawaaaaa you big meanie! All that running around you made me do reopened my stitches.”

『Wait, let me get this straight. Are you saying it’s my fault for running away from you trying to kill me?』

Junko did not back down at all. Nor did she seem to have a shred of self awareness as usual. “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”

『Well, good luck with that. See you back at the dorm.』Kumagawa stood up once more and began to walk away before suddenly he was grabbed by the sleeve of his shirt.

“Kumagaaawaaaa!” She whined a second time, before batting her eyes. “Carry me.”

『Why would I carry you when you just tried to kill me?』

Her face shifted into a much more cutsey personality, as she brought up a curled paw to the side of her mouth. “Because you wuv me!”

『I should stop telling you things from now on, they’re only going to become blackmail.』

“It’s not blackmail! I’m giving you the chance to be useful to the person you love, you should thank me!”

『Fine, fine, thank you. You’re right, this is a nice chance to have the girl I love in my arms.』Kumagawa said as he casually went to pick her up. Usually he carried Junko on his back, but this time without thinking he put one hand on her back and slid another underneath her knees and scooped her up bridal style.

“Ah…” She said, shocked for a moment her face turning red.

『S-sorry. Do you want me to put you down?』

“N-no it’s fine…” She stuttered awkwardly for a moment, trying to regain her composure. The sudden closeness had been enough that she dropped her cutesy persona, her act, and spoke with her real voice for just a moment. She really hated being this close to Kumagawa, not because of the disgust she was supposed to be feeling right now, but rather how he made her heart beat so fast.

It was starting to become a problem. It was even hard to concentrate around him. She kept sneaking glances at his face, wondering what he might be thinking, wondering if she acted in a certain way, if she got farther away or closer to him how he would act next. Pushing buttons and imagining the results, a plain old loser like Kumagawa was not supposed to take up this much of what she was thinking about.

She decided to distract herself then by teasing Kumagawa again. A new bad habit that she should not have been enjoying as much as she did. She rested her head against his chest, and hummed softly, and then looked out of the corner of her eye when she felt him stiffen, how quickly his face became right red.

He carried her all the way to the hospital, even though he was a weak and unreliable guy. The two of them even put up with getting lectured together for reopening her stitches just a few days after she had been discharged.

Kumagawa was somebody who everything seemed to fall out of his favor, whereas Junko was somebody who everything seemed to fall in her favor. So one has to wonder who influenced the meeting by chance they had when they noticed who was sharing the room with them as they waited for the doctor to get back to Junko.

“Ah… so you two are still together?” Ezumachi Fude said, sitting up from where he was resting. His side of the room was covered with sketchbooks, all laid open and having brillaint lifelike colorless sketches written upon them.

『Yes, we’re together.』

“We were never together.”

Kumagawa and Junko said at the same time, and then glared at one another. A few minutes later Junko set Kumagawa to go looking for the nurse for her. Only then, did the person hiding finally reveal themselves behind the curtain.

“Gosh, I can’t  stand being in the same room with that guy now even months later.” Jakago Aki said, leaning against the wall.

“You’re right, Senpai is the worst.” Junko tilted her head realizing she did not recognize the other person in front of her. “Huh-wha, who are you? Are we the same character archetype both blondes? I don’t think there’s enough room in this academy for the two of us.”

“I’m just visiting. I wouldn’t want to stay anyway. It’s nice to meet you, Jakago Aki to you. I’m this one’s girlfriend.”

“She finally started to see me again only after I was hospitalized. Suffering only to find new inspiration, that’s so artistic….” Ezumachi Fude said, his eyes clearly covered in rose colored glasses still even after Kumagawa had removed his ability to see color.

Junko really did not care about spending her time around such minor characters and hoped Kumagawa would get back already. “Uhh… so, you’re the class president from Senpai’s last school? The one that he screwed real good.”

“Please don’t say it like that, it’s unpleasant.”

“He screwed you from behind right? After counting to ten and warning you but then he went and did it too early.”

“Stop!” She fell to Junko’s bullying way too easily, so she could not even be fun that way. “I was like the monarch of that school yes, but I wasn’t the real ruler. There was somebody else behind the scenes, Sukinasaki Saki…. You should pray you never encounter her. There’s a reason why Kumagawa still wears his Fish Tank  uniform. The real ruler of Fish Tank from back then is the natural enemy of blonde alpha bitches like us.”

Junko wanted to ask a follow up question, but the moment that Kumagawa returned to the room, Jakago screamed and ran off terrified from his mere presence. Kumagawa shrugged use to that kind of thing, and shoved something in Junko’s face.

『Here, flowers just like you wanted!』

“These are dead.”

『Huh? Weird, they were alive when I ripped them out of the ground.』

After her stitches were redone, and she was warned again to take it easy, Ensohima Junko found herself doing the opposite of that. Kumagawa found several more attempts made on his life. Howeve, as things usually went unexpectedly when she was around him, most of those attempts blew up in her face rather than his.

He would forgive her every time and carry her back to her dormitories. At nights he always tried to sleep alone, and some nights she would just leave him, some she would drag him back into her bad and then some… he would ask to stay up talking to her and wind up there by accident.

Those were the nights she liked the most. As the days turned into weeks she started to learn more and more details of Kumagawa’s terrible life. There seemed to be a reason that the writers kept it vague with what exactly happened to him in the past, as there was simply too much to contain to a simple backstory flashback.

She would fall asleep listening to his horrifying memories, and hope for nightmares just like that sos he could feel the pain and suffering Kumagawa felt so easily all on his own. Somehow, through this strange everyday routine it was almost like the two of them were getting closer.

Then, the day of the school festival arrived. Both Junko and Zenkichi decided right then, that the school festival was the place to turn the tide and gain popularity in their favor. Both sides decided to start their campaigning there. However, despite the life or death battles, as they went about the first day of their school festival, they looked unmistakably like normal highschool children.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ajimu Najimi sat on the edge of the building. She swung her legs causally as she watched the school festival that spread throughout all of hope’s peak beneath her. Behind her, a girl in an elegant dress with long drill shaped pig tails had decided to  duck away from the festvail activities.

“I brought you tea, Anshin’in-san.”

“Ahhh, how relaxing.”

“Aren’t you going to go down there?”

“There’s no need to. I can see the whole festival from up here.”

“Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you don’t have any friends to enjoy the festival with?” Celestia Ludenberg asked as she sipped at her own tea.

The only friend that Ajimu Najimi had was a man in a white jacket who was facing away from her with her arms crossed. He did not seem to be enjoying himself particularly though. At her question, Ajimu merely smiled. “I have lots of friends. After all I’ve been watching so many people here for so long, I could fall them all my friends.”

She raised a finger in the air.

“For example, my first friend is filled with boredom. My second friend is a terrorist with a sister complex. My third friend is completely ordinary, and my fourth friend is an absolutely gruesome person.”

Despite having literal weeks to do it, Junko had been procrastinating on Makoto’s suggestion that she ask Kumagawa to go to the school festival with her. Now, it was the day of the school festival and she had been dragged into actually having to participate by being a waitress at the shop her class showed up.

Really, what a boring event full of hope. There was no reason at all for her to participate in such a thing. She should not have even been considering asking Kumagawa to go with her as long as she had been.

Well it was fine, at least working here with her class she was unlikely to see his face again for the rest of today. That might make the day somewhat tolerable. Just when she had let her guard down she looked up and saw Kumagawa waiting for her at one of her tables.

Junko put on a fake smile, and curled up her hands like paws near her face in a cutesy way. “Welcome, stranger! Have we met before? Well even if we have I’ve forgotten your face already. WHat would you like? Dinner? A bath?... Or me?”

『What?.There aren’t any baths here, this is the dining hall. Wait, Junko-chan did you really forget about me? You really do get bored way too easily it’s only been a few hours.』

“Teehee… Geez, Kumagawa, you’re so shy! Since I greeted you all lovey-dovey, ordering me is an actual option, y;know.” She rested her chin on her hand and started to turn red, giving a much more tsundere kind of looking.

Suddenly, Kumagawa slammed his fist down on the table and gave her a determined gaze she was not expecting.  『Fine then, I’ll order you.』

“It’s a limited time menu item, so I’ll be gone if you don’t order in the next 10 seconds. 10, 9, 8… wait what?”

『You’re the only one I want, Junko-chan.』

“W-wait a sec! Don’t you know if you order me I’m going to show you hell! Actually hell isn’t right, I’’ll make you despair so much you’d wish you were in hell.”

『Sounds fun! I don’t mind seeing hell as long as I’m with you.』

“D-don’t say corny stuff like that in public! Ugh, whatever.” She grabbed the apron she was wearing and threw it off. Oogami had suggested (read intimidated) she wear a full maid outfit but Junko refused, saying that she would have to get paid as a model if she was going to dress up at all. She pulled up a chair and sat next to Kumagawa, officially declaring herself off duty. ‘Hey… Kumagawa, let me guess this is your first school festival? Because all of your other schools like blew up or whatever before you had the chance?”

『Yep, pretty much. That’s why I want to have looooots of fun.』Kumagawa said with a smile, once again ignoring his own tragic past.

Junko felt unbelievably charmed by that smile again. It was almost annoying, since she knew the smile was fake as her own. She put a hand to cover her face, and thought about it fo a moment. “H-hey…” Perhaps she really was lucky he had shown up here, she would get one last chance to ask him. “If you promise it’s not going to be boring then, do you want to maybe… look around the school festival together?”

『Nope!』

“What?” Junko once again did not comprehend rejection. “W-why wouldn’t you want to spend the school festival with me? I’m me? You'd really blow me off for some other losers?”

『I know you’re you, Junko-chan, but I already promised to go around looking at the exhibits with some other losers.』

Those other people were standing in the corner of the room. Mukuro had her cell phone out, as she was trying desperately to take a picture. “Ah, stay still. Makoto stop moving around and stay still, I need a picture of this it’s so cute!”

Naegi Makoto had somehow been intimidated into wearing a maid costume too. Mukuro who was working alone as the cleaning staff for this cafe, did not even notice her boyfriend in such an outfit until she came out to collect plates. The moment she did she dropped everything and had an out of character cute freak out as she tried to get a picture of the event to immortalize it on her phone.

“Well I’m glad you like it at least… I dunno… I don’t think I look as cute as everybody else in their maid outfits. I’m probably just an average amount of cute…” Makoto said, feeling insecure about his normalcy as usual. In his mind there was nothing wrong with wearing a maid outfit and he was enjoying being helpful to his class outside of that.

“You want to hang out with those losers over me?”

『Junko-chan have you forgotten that you yourself are a loser?』

“Name one example.”

『You made me stay up all night last night watching anime with you again when I told you I never watched the animated version of Jojo’s Bizarre adventure.』

“You can’t just read the manga! Adaptations make interesting changes for the medium! You need more hobbies than just one anyway.”

『And you haven’t managed to kill me once, except that one time that I asked you to.』

“That’s just because you keep cheating.” Junko stomped her boot on the ground in a mini tantrum, before deflating over the table.

Kumagawa shrugged and stood up once more. He went over to Makoto and Mukuro’s side and appeared behind Makoto, pinching his cheeks and pulling his face into a smile for one of Mukuro’s pictures. Mukuro uttered a soft ‘cute’ at this before snapping another.

Junko watched them for a moment, playing their characters how they usually would in this scene, just looking like normal boring teenagers enjoying themselves. The sister she loved more than anything, the guy she found interesting, and then some dude who was dating her sister. None of them could make her feel anything though, even if she thought they looked nice having a bit of fun. She’d only feel what they were feeling right now if she pushed them to the brink of absolute despair and shattered the happiness being shared between them like glass.

Makoto looked back to her staring in obvious envy, and called out to her. “Junko, do you want to come with us? We’re about to go find Toko’s booth.”

Junko said nothing for a moment, pretending to look away and ignore them. She saw Kumgawa already starting to turn his back to her, and got annoyed in a how dare this person ignore me I’m the only one allowed to ignore him sort of way. “W-wait! Kumagawa, can I come with you guys?”

『Huh? Sure. Just don’t cause too much trouble for your sister and Makoto-chan. I don’t care if it affects me, but for them...』

“What are you going to do, protect them? Play hero again?”

『Nah, I’ll get jealous. I’m the one who wants to get killed by you after all.』

Makoto put his hands on his hips, looking quite like the authority in his maid’s outfit. “Would you two quit flirting!”

“We’re not-”
『We’re not-』

Junko and Kumagawa answered at the same time and then looked away. Junko cursed herself, knowing she should have been more trope aware and not responded to an accusation of flirting with obvious denial, that would only make it look like she had been flirting with him more.

Makoto went to get changed, and Mukuro appeared in the middle of the two of them dragging them both along, and a surely disastrous first day of the school festival began.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“I have four other friends you see. My fifth friend works hard all the time for no reward. My sixth friend is the type who just gets lucky. My seventh friend was in love with a terrible girl. My eighth friend swallowed too many lies and it made her sick to her stomach.”

There were a few game and prize booths set up in between all of the other exhibits of talents. Perhaps because this was the one festival of the year the reserve course was invited onto the campus usually occupied by only the privileged main course students.

Which was why side by side, Komaeda and Zenkichi were currently competing with one another to see who could win the most useless stuffed animal prizes. As usual, Zenkichi gave it his 100 percent effort.

However, completely different from usual Komaeda had not won a single time. Usually these carnival games where it only came down to luck were one of the few places that his useless and uncontrollable talent could be relied upon.

“Hyaaaaa! That’s another bear, do you think teen girls like bears Komaeda? Because I’m going to give these all to Medaka-chan.”

“I’m not sure… I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what girls like.” He said, as he looked at his own empty hands. He wondered if perhaps he was just in a bad luck phase right now. If that was the case he should be happy because it meant good luck would be coming soon. He tried to smile but… well… it was only natural to feel bad about losing.

Zenkichi seemed to notice right away, leaning forward to read the complex expression on his face. “Oh, man are you upset about losing?”

“Why would I be upset about losing a carnival game for children? You should just take a moment to appreciate your victory because it’s only in useless games like this that you’ll ever stand a chance of besting an elite.”

“Awe, Komaeda lost and now he’s getting all pouty!” Zenkichi said, smiling at the other as he teased him.

Komaeda crossed his arms and looked away. “I am not getting pouty. Trash like me doesn’t need to pout, that would imply I am at all dissatisfied for what I’ve gotten in life in spite of being trash.”

“I can tell you’re upset! You say trash a lot when you’re upset! So cute!” Zenkichi continued to tease him.

Komaeda sighed. Really calling him cute, when all he cared about right now was giving those stuffed animals to his precious Medaka. Even nice straight forward guys like Zenkichi could be cruel sometimes.

“Yo, heat.” Matsuda said, sitting as far from them as possible without losing sight of them and staring into his manga volume rather than making eye contact with the crowd. “Why exactly did you want me to come to this stupid festival? It’s just a bunch of elites pretending to be normal.”

“Oh, are you still calling me heat?”

“It suits you since you’re so hot headed. Maybe I should call you shit instead since you’re also shit headed.”

“No, don’t call me that that’d be mean!” Zenkichi said, getting worked up way too easily as usual. “Come on, it wouldn’t kill you to have a little fun with your friends.”

“It quite literally did kill me last time.” Mastuda said gloomily, as he buried his nose even further in his book.

Zenkichi walked over and used brute force to push him over, as Matsuda was quite skinny, and more of the handsome guy with a sharp tongue and good smarts type of character than a fighting type like Zenkichi. He looked up in annoyance as he was dragged all the way to the booth. Before he could say anything though he saw a stuffed hedgehog sitting on the top shelf. “That ugly little bastard… I want it.” Matsuda said, transfixed.

“Let’s go for another round, Komaeda!”

“Fine, fine. If you want to be crushed by my luck that badly when it returns let’s go!”

All three of them started to enjoy themselves in their own way, and in the background the fourth member of the friend group Shiranui Hansode watched them with a smile. She jumped up and sat on the corner of the table all four of them were playing on, waiting for them to be finished.

“We gotta go to the food booths after this, Zenkichi. You promised.”

“Of course! I want you to enjoy yourself too after our manly showdown is done!”

Shiranui sighed at how hard he was trying as usual. Even if they did spend the rest of the day at the food booths though, she was guaranteed not to enjoy herself. Eating, spending time carelessly with friends, school festivals, this school in general, they were all things she hated, yet all things she forced herself to swallow as well.

As she looked at the smile of a carefree boy she happened to befriend, Shiranui wondered for a moment if it was really all that bad.

“Oh, I shouldn’t think about it too hard. Boys are dumb after all, even ones who pretend to be smart and above it all like Matsuda-senpai.”

All of them there were just kids after all. All of them except for her.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“Finally I have one last set of friends. My ninth friend is a stalker. My tenth friend only ever looks out for himself. My eleventh friend plays too many games. My twelfth friend is loved by talent. My thirteenth friend, she’s unique, she’s loved by everybody and because of that she’s all alone.”

“Byaaaaakuuuuuyaaaaa can we take a break please? I’m used to writing books and having other people sell them for me. I don’t even go to book signings because I don’t want to see people’s grubby hands all over my precious literature.” Toko said, laying exhausted over the table of the booth the two of them had set up to sell her books.

Togami crossed his arms, as usual having absolutely no patience for anyone especially her. “Do you think I would agree to run a stand if I didn’t have a hand in making it the most profittable stand in all of the school festival!”

“Did you really have to make it so we have a line this long though? I need a break, I’m going to faint from exhaustion.”

Toko suddenly looked at her with serious concerned. Not because he cared about her health and well being, but rather her second more useless personality was a threat in this kind of situation. “Toko, Toko, listen to me you can’t fall asleep no matter what.”

“This is your fault for keeping me awake all night last night by going at it too hard!”

“Don’t say misleading things on purpose! We were just picking up your books from where they were being printed and unpacking them from their boxes!”

Togami looked at the line, and Toko who was about to bcome useless for him and made a split decision. “Fine, we’ll take a five minute break. That’s all you’re getting for the rest of your life.”

“Ahhh, master’s relentless quality is so hot. I’m feeling refreshed already.”

Noticing that the line had disappeared, Kumagawa, Makoto and Mukuro walking side by side, and Junko looking bored at the end of the group with her hands crossed behind her head.

“Hey, Fukawa-san. How has your book been selling?” Mukuro was the first to ask.

Toko lifted her head up from where she had been resting it on the desk. Even though her and Mukuro had talked a few times since the school trip, she still felt the need to be defensively unpleasant. “I didn’t know a girl like you was interested in romance… you look to uh… boring to ever get into one of those kinds of relatinoships.”

“Actually I have a boyfriend.”

“Who? I thought you were on the side of plain and dull girls like me! What is this betrayal?”

Mukuro raised Makoto’s hand that she was still holding to signal who she was talking about. Even Toko who was bad at reading social signals, understood almost immediately. “Oh, it’s just Makoto. Wait, how are Mukuro and Makoto of all people living out their best love story’s while I’m not.”

“You could try pursuing somebody other than me? You know… somebody who would actually be interested.” Togami suggested helpfully behind her.

Toko looked back up at him through her glasses. “Let’s not get crazy here master. If you didn’t have me pursuing you than what would you do? There’s no way I could leave you all alone.”

“Enjoy my life more, probably…” Togami muttered, but that was also most likely a lie as Togami rarely enjoyed anything.

Makoto in the middle always feeling the need to play peacekeeper let go of Mukuro’s hand and raised his in the air. “Come on guys, let’s all get along. We were going to ask if you wanted to come with us, since we’re all in the same alliance and all.”

“You mean the alliance with the ridiculous name?” Togam said.

『Hey, the naked apron alliance is a good name. You should wear your naked apron with pride!』

Junko in the background sighed. “Well even if we’re in the same alliance I don’t really plan on doing anything until tomorrow, so you guys can all enjoy your boring and stupid school festival if you want.”

Toko hissed in the background. “Why is she coming with?”

“Obviously so I can make fun of you peeps.”

『She’s wonewy..』Kumagawa said, appearing next to her and imitating her cutesy voice. For that he got an elbow in the side.

Just as Togami stepped out from behind the booth another new player arrived on the scene. He had uncrossed his arms just for a moment when suddenly somebody was grabbing at his hands. “Amazing! Togami-san as usual full of talent and confidence has turned even Fukawa-san’s trashy novels into the best sellers of the school festival. I’m getting all choked up just thinking about it!”

“Your words ring hollow. It was a simple task of advertising. DOn’t waste my time.”

“You’re right… scum like me has no place talking to someone like you, but.. When I thought about how someone like you would never lose to despair… I couldn’t help myself.”

Togami turned away trying to shake himself free. “Your opinion of me is irrelevant. I will continue to succeed, now shut your mouth.”

“Did he just call my novels trashy?” Toko said in the background.

『I think your novels are nice, Toko-chan.』

“Shut up Kumagawa-kun, you can’t even read.”

Junko laughed at Kumagawa getting insulted so badly by Toko of all people, which really must have marked him the lowest of the low. However, Kumagawa did not mind because that laughter was the first time Junko had smiled the whole festival.

Suddenly Zenkichi appeared, grabbing Komada by the hood and trying to gently pull him back. “Come on man we talked about this, you gotta give people personal space. Especially if you don’t know them that well.”

Sensing Junko around the corner, both Shiranui and Matsuda had already split upt from them. Zenkichi looked and saw Kumagawa, and realized most of the student council had already gathered. “Oh, hey, since we’re here we should get a job done early. Fukawa-san, Togami-san do you two mind taking a break?”

“Yes!” Fukawa said happily.
“I’m going to deduct all of the time wasted from your salary.”

“I was getting paid a salary?” Zenkichi wondered aloud for a moment before turning his attention back to the others. “Medaka-chan gave me an important job. All of us need to go meet with the music group that’s going to be performing at the festival. We got invited to their concert today.”

『Ah, sorry Junko-chan looks like I need to-』Before he could even finish his sentence, Junko latched on possessively to his arm.  『I guess she’s coming with then.』

Across the hallway in a booth that was not doing nearly as well as Togami and Toko’s collaboration, the ultimate gamer was watching a match between two people who far surpassed her own one and only talent.

Kamakura Izuru and Kurokami Medaka were currently fighting again, but only in the context of a fighting video game. Still their hands were moving so fast that Chiaki could no longer make out the images of their fingers moving and she worried for a moment if they might break the controllers.

Finally, Medaka’s character kicked Kamakura’s all the way off the map. “Awww, you lost…. But it was a close battle. I bet you had lots of fun.”

“Fun? Even though I lost with talent, the only thing I have?” Kamakura asked, glaring at her with red eyes.

“Hahaha! You’d definitely make a good enemy, Kamakura! If you ever want to fight again let me know! It’s not about winning or losing, fighting is the most fun of all!” Being a good sport, Medaka rose up from her chair and vanished to enjoy the rest of the festival.

“I really don’t understand that woman…” Kamakura muttered underneath his breath.

“Are you saying you don’t understand women? I can help you with that.” She said suddenly getting in his face, holding her hands balled up close to her in excitement.

“Ah no I… what…”

For a moment he regretted not just lying in his hospital bed all day, watching the shadow that his window cast slowly move as time passed for the rest of the day. While he was being forced to go to this fair by Chiaki of all people though he supposed time would pass regardless of where he was.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Well, alright we’re all here! And Junko too I guess…” Zenkichi said as he stretched himself excitedly, ready to begin work now that he had spent almost half the day fooling around.

Zenkichi had already explained on the way. The band Medaka had booked for them completely at random by drawing lots with the names of people on a list was called Japan Jack. It featured three extraordinary individuals who could easily have fit in among the weirdoes of either Hope’s Peak or Sandbox academy. The first literally remodeled her vocal chords so she could play any role. She could sing with any kind of voice and produce any kind of character song by remodeling her organs. The self mutilating voice actor Hachinin-Gatake Juujika.

The second was a musician who had rose to greatness without any kind of connections to others or sucking up once, the talented musician of the gods Furousan Zoemelki.

Finally the third was a mysterious girl who appeared half a year ago with an evil grin. SHe was called an urban legend, and flashes her fangs in a smile while performing on stage. They called her the beast idol… but uh… he had forgotten the name.

All three of them together formed the band Japan Jack. While the four student council members, plus Junko who had come along because Kumagawa could not say no to her, something Zenkichi sympathized with at least, sat in the absolute back of the audience watching the concert as it unfolded.

It was an abnormal concert to be sure, the band used strange instruments, and the trio was constantly pulling surprises out in order to keep the audience on their toes. However, most abnormal was how the audience got into it.

The faceless crowds were all doing exactly as the band asked, responding exactly with how much enthusiasm was needed for a moment. They all had a strange look in their eyes too.

“H-hey guys… I’m really only into music a normal amount but, don’t you think these guys are really good?” Zenkichi said, suddenly getting fired up.

“This band isn’t just good! This band is perfect!” Togami who never enjoyed himself, smiled widely. He got fired up right alongside Zenkichi, even though he usually ordered the other not to come within five meters of him. The two of them right next to each other started to cheer.

Junko had not been paying attention to the music so much, as the colors that were playing on a big plasma screen behind the band (though that in itself was not too odd a lot of concerts used lighting projectors, videos and equipment in order to enhance the concert), and the sound itself. Her eyes darted back and forth analyzing, while she heard the sound far different than anybody else in the audience. There was something familiar about all of this.

Kumagawa himself too was distracted.to. He could not help  shake what was familiar about the lead singer, but sitting all the way in the back it was hard to see her from this distance. However, since his brain was on a different wavelength than literally everybody else he was not getting caught up in the music like everybody else seemed to be at all.

“Hey, Kumagawa-senpai. Isn’t there something familiar about all this?”

『Yeah, I feel weird.』

“I feel weird too. I mean weirder than I usually feel when I’m around you.”

Zenkichi and Togami continued to sing together in the background behind them. When the band started to reach the climax of their song, they wrapped their arms around each other’s shoudlers and chanted. “Japan Jack! Japan Jack! Japan Jack!”

“Those two are acting weird too.”

『Awe, they’re finally getting along as friends.』

“I don’t even think the music is that good, why is everybody losing their shit over it?”

“Are you kidding? This music is perfect! It’s so despairingly perfect!” Toko said, suddenly raising her eyes to reveal two sets of black and white spiraling eyeballs.

『Junko-chan...』

“What?”

『What did I tell you about brainwashing?』

“Look it’s not me!”

『It’s always you! Literally, you boast about being behind everything all the time!』

Before they could get into the swing of their argument, the lead singer grabbed the microphone. “Heeeeeey, you consumers don’t be slacking! In our live shows even the audience seats are the stage. We! Are! We should! Ki! Wo! Te! Rae! Aaaaaahhhh! It’s too hot! I can’t be wearing a shirt!”

At that the lead singer grabbed her shirt and threw it off into the audience. Before Kumagawa could even see though, he suddenly had a pair of clawed fingers digging into his eyes.  『Ah! Ah! Ah! Junko-chan! What’s happening! Why?』Junko merely covered his eyes from behind though so he could not see, holding the back of his head while he still looked up on stage.

The lead singer grinned her fang toothed grin. “Ahhhhh! It seems like we have a special guest her tonight! Enoshima Junko! Hello again, friend of a friend!”

Kumagawa recognized the voice finally.  『Oh no.』

“Oh yeah.”

『Oh no.』

“Oh yeah! It’s been awhile since Fish Tank Academy, Kumagawa-kun. Let’s meet up after the show!”

As she tore into her next song, the two of them did not even need to ask her name as the audience started to chant it.

Sukinasaki Saki.

Sukinasaki Saki.
Sukinasaki Saki.
Saki. Saki. Saki. Saki. Saki. Saki.

It seemed this time rather than a person from Junko’s past, it was Kumagawa’s past that was coming back to haunt them.  In anticipation of this, Kumagawa let a terrible scowl escape his face, and Junko for the first time that day smiled.

Something interesting, this way comes. She thought.

Chapter 40: Fighting is Just so Useless

Summary:

I can't think of anything witty to say this chapter.

Rewinding time slightly, just a week before the story began.

Chisa Yukizome sat strapped to a chair. All around her, anime memorabilia hung on the wall, dvds lined the shelf, there were figurines set up in their stand. It looked like a normal and liveable room, except for the fact that she was currently being tortured inside of it.

Junko’s torture philosophy, the contrast between the normal everyday and the pain they were subjected to made the despair all the stronger.

She shook against her restraints, as she watched in front of her teenagers on screen turning against each other, devouring one another, splashing the screen with pink again and again and again.

She wondered how many times this had been the video replayed itself? A thousand maybe? She felt so tired. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep, but metal restraints ketp her eyelids open.

“Weird. It worked on the remnants we were testing it on. What’s the deal here?” Mukuro wondered, sitting with her arms crossed gloved hands touching her elbows.

Enoshima Junko shrugged, already looking bored. “Yeah, that kinda sucks. Listen sis, I gotta go. Riff for awhile and see what you get.” She waved off her sister, before leaving the room. The moment her presence left the whole room seemed to quiet down from absence of her.

Mukuro walked over to the corner and picked up the written instructions that had been left to her, written in bright pink pen of course because Junko was the one who wrote them. “If the subject should resist the imprinting, use external stimulation. Okay.” She read aloud in a voice without any inflection.

She picked up two metal rods, and dug them deep into Yukizome’s head until she heard a squishing noise of flesh from within.

“Stop it, pease. You don’t have to do this.” Still conscious, Chisa started to beg.

“Closer.” Mukuro moved one up, and then the other down in a mechanical way. Unlike Junko she did not take any pleasure from dealing out this torture, it was simply fulfilling something her sister told her to do. She shut it out, the despair video in front of her, the sounds of flesh and brain mixing, churning as she pulled her rods up and down, and most of all the begging of Yukizome. She heard none of it in her world. Her world was empty of sound and sight, except for her sister. Her world was completely dark and that was why, oblivious she could do such things.

“Please no more.”

“Now we’re talking.”

“No more…. Kyo… suke…”

Chisa Yukizome’s  hand opened one more time and finally closed.

“How pedestrian,” Kamakura watching the entire thing snidely closed his eyes. He was already getting bored of this, even though following Junko so far had allowed him to feel his first flash of emotion in so long.

『You’re right, mind control plots are so lame. I just can’t feel for a character who doesn’t make their own decisions, ya’know?』An insincere voice spoke up next to him. Kamakura could not detect that person’s presence at all. It was like the shadows themselves were speaking to him.

Then he saw it, the first thing to appear was a pure white smile that spread slowly across the shadow man’s face. Kamakura thought of the Cheshire Cat in the books he had been reading alone up until this point, the first thing to appear, and the last thing to disappear from that invisible cat was it’s smile.

“Who are you?” Mukuro was the first to react, using what was in her hands the iron rods as a weapon as she lunged at him.

『Why would you ask that?』Kumagawa caught her wrist easily.  『How could you forget about me, Mukuro-chan? I was your childhood friend since we were two years old.』

“What?” She said flatly, as the strange intruder that Junko’s plans had not anticipated or told her  he was coming smiled back at her. He twisted her wrist slowly, forcing her to let go of one of the rods. It slid across the floor as she jumped back.

Casually, he walked over and bent over to pick up the metal rod. When he looked at her next, tears were streaming down the side of his face.  『I can’t believe you’ve forgotten about me! This is despair! My friendship, all of my feeings, they’ve become nothing! I’m in despair, I’m in despair, I’m in despair!』Franticaly he grabbed metal rod and jammed it hard into his own head the same way he had seen Yukizome be subjected to that injury just a moment ago.

“You… fucking… weirdo… are you a reserve course member? Are you one of Junko’s test subjects? Who the fuck are you?”

『You’re really cute when you get all worked up like that, now I want to agitate you some more. I’m not good really...』He shook his head.  『Who am I? Dunno. That’s kind of a stupid question, I am who I am obviously.』

She decided not to try to get anything from him anymore, deciding he must have been a renegade reserve course student or a failed test subject. She reached underneath her skirt and drew out a knife instead to put him down.

『Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m doing down here? Well I was curious. You see if you had a pair of twin sisters, and you cut their guts open and let it spill out, then slowly unwound their small intestines and laid them out straight do you think the length would be exactly the same? I was going to go find a pair of twins to test that out on, it’s been bugging me all day.』

“You bastard!” I don’t know who he is, but this person is going to kill Junko, they’re a threat to my world. Mukuro said as she rushed forward anger carrying her as she brought her knife in an upward arc right towards his neck. A moment before she was about to strike, her target suddenly disappeared. She felt a terrifying aura behind her, and suddenly her forward motion was cut off and she was slammed against a wall. The last time she had been beaten so easily was against Kamakura, but this person did not seem to be as talented as Kamakura was.

No, he looked to be the exact opposite. If Kamakura was somebody with every talent crammed inside of him, then this stranger was completely empty on the inside.  『Hey, since you stuck something metal inside that lady’s head and spun it around like you were making cotton candy then… it’s only fair… if somebody does the same to you, right? It’s not my fault, right?』Mukuro felt a hand against her neck and she could see it coming, suddenly in that hand, spinning all on its own was a screw that moved closer and closer to her eyes. She closed her eyes just before the tip pierced her eyelid.

Ikusaba Mukuro collapsed on the ground.  『I’m not sorry because it wasn’t my fault, but let’s become friends next time, Mukuro-chan.』He looked back to the silent observer in the room. He felt a pair of red eyes focusing on him and immediately became annoyed. 『Don’t look at me with those ugly red eyes or I’ll be tempted to gauge them out..』

“Identify yourself.”

『You’ve forgotten me already, Izuru-chan? Even though I was your first love?』

“Your attempts at humor are as tiresome as Enoshima’s.”

『I’m nobody, don’t worry don’t worry. You can tell in an instant can’t you? There’s no talent at all hidden inside of me. There’s nothing at all. There’s no way somebody like me could ever throw off Enoshima-san’s plans so there’s no reason for you to waste your effort dealing with me.』

“Hmm. You have a point, taking you down right now would be so easy I wouldn’t derive any feeling from it at all. Just go find some gutter to die in like a dog so I don’t have to bother with you.” Kamakura said as he turned around and left the room, refusing to even acknowledge the other.

The moment Kamakura left the room, the screw in Ikusaba’s skull, the metal rod jammed into his own head, and the pink blood of Chisa Yukizome’s that had gotten on the floor all disappeared. Kumagawa walked over and put a hand on her head brushing her hair lightly with his fingers. 『All the damage done to your brain has become nothing but… I’m a new student and I need your help Yukizome-sensei. Do you think you could pretend to get along with Junko-chan for a little bit longer?  I’m waiting for just the right moment to stop her. You’ve got to build the tower high enough before lightning strikes and it comes collapsing down.』

“Who… who are you?” She asked, a question oft repeated in his presence as he had a forgettable face, and an indiscernible character.

『Kumgawa Misogi, a new transfer student. I just transferred here from weekly shonen jump into this spinoff manga.』He overlaid his hands on top of her restraints, erasing them and freeing her hands. 『So… I won’t force you to or anything. I think choices are important. You can choose to help me out, you can run away, you can charge in and help your class by yourself. Whatever you want just be sure no matter how regretful your choices are you’re able to smile at the end of them..』

Kumagawa moved around to the front of her chair and smiled at her. Even though he had come down here to save her, appearing from nowhere like a true hero,  even though he called himself opposed to Enoshima Junko, Yukizome could not shake the feeling that the person right in front of her was a true villain.

“I… uh… thanks…” Still it’s not like she was going to be rude to the person who saved her.

『What are you thanking me for? I haven’t done anything at all.』He put his hands in his pockets and left the room just like that, leaving her alone. That should at least throw Junko off of mind control, what a lame plot device. He walked forward alone in the hallway before stopping for a moment. Kumagawa brushed a hand through his hair.

『Wait… am I forgetting about someone?』 

The moment he stepped outside, rain started to fall on him. He raised his hand up to block it from hitting his face, and looked out from under his arm to see a completely gray sky. 『Rain… I hate it...』

Mitarai Ryota ran through the rain, faster, harder and farther then he had ever run before. Even pushing himself to the absolute limit was not enough, and the talented elite stumbled over his own feet and as his teeth hit the stone paved pathway he tasted absolute failure in his mouth. Quickly, he tried to crawl up again only to see reserve course students already moving to surround him in a circle.

Mitarai sat back up, eyes bulging in shock. “Wh-what…? What’re you gonna do?”

“Way to leave a girl high and dry, pal.” The crowd split at the call of her high pitched and obnoxious voice. Enoshima Junko stepped forward, two other people behind her carrying two umbrellas over her head to shield her from the rain. Enoshima was such a person though that I am sure even if she was standing in the rain without an umbrella not a single rain drop would fall on her. 

“I-I panicked! Please, just--!” Mitarai desperately tried to crawl forward.

Her eyes narrowed as she stood over him. “I guess it’s time we said our goodbyes, huh?”

“And… after goodbye?”

“ Oh! You think I mean it figuratively, like I’m going to murder you! Trust me, if I wanted to rip your face off I so would’ve done it already. Seriously I owe you one. Thanks to you,  my plan is chugging along way smoother than I ever could have hoped for.” She smiled at him, and her tone shifted like she was talking with an old friend.

“What plan is that?”

“Duh! To spruce up that video footage I brought in. Way to knock it out of the park, Mitarai. In fact, I’m gonna make the whole reserve course watch it, start to finish! Just think of it! Our little collaboration will change the very wiring of their brains. Your tricks are gonna cut through their free will like a knife!” She gushed about her side project, folding her hands together in her excitement and moving her head back and forth. She looked like some normal teenage girl, fangirling over her favorite anime. Her hands folded over her cheeks, as they turned red with her swooning. “Soon I’ll make creatures that wanna plunge the whole world into despair more than they’ve ever wanted anything ever!”

Now centimeters from his face, she closed her eyes and gave him a bright, girlish smile. “Dig it?” As his only response to her was his own shaking, Junko turned around and threw her hands up in the air. “Let’s hear it for Mitarai! Give him a big hand, everyone!”

“That was different!” He finally snapped. “I was gonna use all those techniques to bring about a better world. Using them for the sake of despair… that’s terrible!”

“Oh please you can play the victim all you want, but you were president of the Enoshima Junko fanclub like twenty minutes ago.”

Mitarai grabbed his own head. “My-my life was in danger. I was being held hostage!”

“Oh right that is so what happened to you. We threatened to kill you so you ran with whatever we said. You haven’t been responsible for your actions since we met. You can run off this campus with your tail between your legs and nobody would blame you in the least. ”

He struggled to look up at her, but no matter how hard he tried he could no longer meet her eyes. “I really thought I was helping people.”

“Upu…” Junko chuckled, before her face suddenly changed entirely and she spoke in a completely serious voice. “Run, coward.  For that despair is yours and yours alone.”

He pushed through the  reserve course students, and ran, faster, harder than he had before. The person he was running from was his own weak self, that was why he could run so fast now when he did not before.

He was terrified, not of Ensohima Junko but what he had done personally. They would hate him, they would blame him, he would be kicked and scorned for the rest of his day. This was all his fault, he thought. Then a moment later he had a familiar thought, it wasn’t his fault.

 Rocked by this fundamental paradox, he ran screaming until his throat was dry and made it through the brush of the academy campus’s edge, before he ran in his blind desperation off a cliff and plummeted to the water.

As he sunk, it was his fleeting thoughts that sunk him even further. He desperately wished to drown, but at the same time, he wished to break the surface and breathe again more than anything else. Why, why was he so conflicted right now? He had lived his entire life avoiding conflict, locked up alone in his room. He tried to make people better without having to speak to them at all, he could just speak through his art.

All this…
Just because I loved anime.

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
In this case perhaps it’s better to say for want of a waifu.

I just wanted to make the world a better place with my talent.

Perhaps it was better Kumagawa Misogi did not come across him. He would have thought this person arrogant beyond all belief.

Mitarai washed up on shore, some distance away. He did not even know how far he had drifted, or where he had landed. He had no idea even where he wanted to go. He coughed and hacked against the mud, tears still streaming down his face.  “Why did I run away? Why didn’t I try to fight back? Why am I useless? Damnit, Mitarai get up! Be brave just this once!” He grabbed onto a piece of the vegetation trying to pull himself up, only to collapse again when he tore it out.

“I can’t… I’m nothing but a weakling.”

Mitari said, just before he lost consciousness.

A week later, three girls who just happened to be walking alongside the river talking about their plans almost walked by him without noticing.

“Oh, we’re by that one school. Hope’s Peak isn’t it? Weren’t they making a big deal on the news about it a little bit ago? Seems like everything went quiet.” Forousan Zomeki said, pulling her sunglasses off to get a good look.

“Hope’s Peak Academy. I heard that there were many strange things going on but, it just seems like a normal school. It’s a farm for raising humans.” A razor toothed grin spread across Saki’s face.

“Weren’t you in high school until recently? How is it? Is it nostalgic?” Zomeki asked her again.

She let her gaze wander elsewhere, as suddenly she could feel a screw grinding against the back of her skull. “Well, I can’t remember anything. I know that I enjoyed going to highschool but when I began to work I forgot all that happened in highschool.”

It was looking off into the distance she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. Zomeki followed he gaze. It was a boy unconscious by the river side. At first they thought he was dead, but Saki quickly jumped down, skidding the rest of the way on her boots. When she nudged him, she saw his features move as if he was still asleep and did not want to be woken up. “Hey, he must be one of those weird kids rom that weird school. Let’s ask him, if he’s enjoying the springtime of his youth.”

Saki said, a razor sharp smile spreading across her face.

Shortly after, the rise of the newly formed trio of idols into a band could be described as nothing short of meteoric. It was said that Sukinasaki Talent as a lead was something that even rivaled the legendary Super Highschool Level Maizono Sayaka. However, that girl did not care much for the comparison, because of the meddling of a boy with a forgettable face who had screwed her out of her memories she had already left her high school days behind.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

『Then we decided that during the day at one o’clock Saki-chan will be on stage, and at two o’clock hachingatake-san will have her talk show, and at four o’clock foursan-san will have her live mini concert. Do you have any problems with this? 』

Kumagawa Misogi said, having to do all the talking now that both Togami and Zenkichi were standing staring into space their pupils still swirling with black and white. It was a rare situation where he had to be the responsible one.

He did not even want to go meet with them backstage. He had tried to run away, only to be caught by Junko’s clawed hand, and dragged their against his will. “Like hell I’m missing out on something potentially interesting just because you’re too much of a coward to face your problems.”

『I’m the super high school level coward, Junko-chan. You shouldn’t look down on my talents.』

Which is why Kumagawa was in the middle of this awkward situation, sitting on a couch fully straightened up while Junko sat next to him with her hands on her knees, absolutely giddy and leaning into the conversation with the hopes that something interesting might happen.

“No, there are no problems. While I feel we aren’t getting enough airtime we will try to do our best during the time allotted.” She wore a medical mask that covered most of her razor fanged smile. In fact, as long as she had it on she still looked like the timid and polite girl Kumagawa had known her as when they first met. “Hey, Kumagawa-kun. It’s been awhile.”

『Mmhmmm.』

“Mhmmmhm…”

He looked back at Junko. 『I think we should get out of here.』

Junko ignored him. “So, you really whipped the crowd into a frenzy huh? Hey, you put a little something something in your music to spice it up didn’t you? Admit it!”

“I didn’t do anything that’s not basic economics and trends. Marketing is all about manipulating the human psyche without them realizing it. It’s the same as what you do when you predict fashion trends and use that to put yourself ahead of the curve, Miss Super Highschool Level Fashionista. Idols are savages to economics. We can only think about bringing smiles to customers.”

『So, just to be clear you’re not plotting some elaborate revenge scheme against me with mind control?』Kumagawa asked, barging into the conversation.

“You have nothing to do with this, Kumagawa-kun. I only came here to see Junko-chan so I could appraise her of her skills for manipulating the market. I based my idol career off of her you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever I’m touched I guess. Still back on the mind control-”

『No stay away from the mind control!』

“You can’t tell me what to do, senpai! It’s wrong to control others free will like that!”

『That’s literally what I’m trying to prevent you from doing!』

Junko grabbed the side of his face and pushed it away. “I noticed there’s something really familiar about the techniques you were using on the crowd. How much were you inspired by me, really? Hey, hey, hey….”

“Well, you’re right I could use my music for that. If I wanted I could use my music to get everybdoy to vote for your candidate at that upcoming silly school election. You’d have to make me want that though… how about, we talk?” Sukinasaki offered.

Before she could say anything else Kumagawa pushed back grabbing the side of her face as well.  『What is with you and mind control? I thought you liked narrative integrity! Every time it gets mentioned though you start drooling over that lame plot device!』

The two of them fought like they were a pair of children, pushing at each other, right in front of Saki who simply watched hiding her smile behind her hospital face mask.

“So, Junko and Kumagawa, eh?” She closed her eyes. Both of them froze and looked back at her. “You two make a cute couple you know. Suit each other.”

Junko stopped pinching one of Kumagawa’s cheeks and looked back at her. “Eh???”

Saki pulled down her mask and showed the corner of her razor sharp smile. “Enoshima-chan I like your outfit. It looks… affordable.”

“This outfit costs more than your immortal soul!” She snapped at her, before grabbing Kumagawa by the hand and dragging him out with her. She slammed the door, only to open it once more. “And we are not a couple!” Before slamming it a second time.

Zenkichi, Toko and Togami tilted their heads, and then followed after them zombie like.

『Junko-chan wait…!』Kumagawa’s voice cried out, before it faded down the hallway.

Sukinsaki Saki was a musician with the exact same mentality as Enoshima Junko took to modeling. To her, her fans were merely customers. That was why this girl… For a long time musicians have been called artists but if their art was thought of as a product then her words ring with a hollow truth.

Buying, selling, working, eating, those are her goals. Sukinasaki Saki had a mentality of a pro and has most adapted to conquer this harsh world. For some reason though, unlike Enoshima Junko after coming into contact with Kumagawa she had lost all desire to destroy the world. Even if people’s hearts moved just as easily around her as they always did.

She pulled out a mirror, and pulled her mask off, observing her teeth in it once more deciding if she needed to sharpen them again soon.

One of her bandmates watched her. “Do you really want to let them get away like that?”

“Oh, it’s fine. We just came to this school to play music after all, I don’t really care what else happens as a result of us being here.”

“It’s too bad they didn’t stay longer then. Our sound manager didn’t get a chance to say hi to one of his old friends.”

“He’s too shy for that. He told me though, how he’s been waiting a long time to meet with that girl Enoshima Junko-chan again. I’m sure even if they don’t get to see him in person they’ll see his work.” Saki said, before closing her mirror.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ensoshima Junko pushed a plate of takoyaki balls near Kumagawa Misogi. The next day the two of them were sitting together in the same classroom cafe they had met in yesterday, trying to go over again the last day’s events.

“Hey… Kumagawa-senpai, feed me.” She said, before holding her mouth open in a cutesy way.

『Do it yourself, lazy.』At least Kumagawa was attempting to discuss Saki’s sudden appearance at the school. Junko seemed to have already gotten bored of the topic, and was trying to distract herself by teasing Kumagawa again.

“C’mon…I bet the people seeing us will fall into despair over how cute we’re being.”

『You’re just going to bite my hands. I can’t trust you you’re too much like a cat..』

Junko whined. “Seeeenpaiiii, I might starve.”

Kumagawa finally gave in as he always did, picking up a Takoyaki ball and holding it out to her. Without hesitation she chomped down on his fingers, hard enough to draw blood and he immeidately withdrew them. Junko swallowed the ball whole, with a satisfied smile on her face. “See, cute.”

『Can we talk about this? I want to tell you about Saki-chan she was the last person I met before coming here and the reason Fishtank closed.』

“Oh, I already know about this. It’s boring to repeat the same exposition twice, you gotta think about keeping your audience’s attention Kumagawa-senpai.”

『My audience is just you, and you get bored with superhighschool level speed!』Kumagawa snapped at her, before catching onto what she said a moment later.  『Wait, Anshin’in-san told you?』

“Hey, quit referring to her so familiarly. The only nickname you need to call to somebody with affection with is Junkin’in-san.”

『What did she tell you?』

“She showed me your last standoff, and also my memories of meeting you as Ryoko that you erased.”

『Oh no, I was hoping you’d forget about me asking you to marry me when we first met forever because that’s so embarrassing.』Kumagawa said as he sank forward and let his head hit against the table.

“Wait, that’s why you erased them!”

Kumagawa suddenly looked up at her again, his usually wide eyes sharpening.  『Saki-chan has a skill that’s called 『Error Message Plate』that would be trouble for you.』

“Me? Please. Even with weird x men powers, most of you guys turn out to be chumps anyway. There’s not a single person that I can’t make move in the way I want them to.”

『That’s exactly why it would be trouble,  『Error Message Plate』is a skill that rules the rulers. It’s a mind controlling skill that only works on people who try to control others, that’s why you miss-pathological-need-to-stick-her-finger’s-in-everybody-else’s-pies would be especially vulnerable to it. On the other hand, the skill never worked on a person like me because I don’t desire for anything.』

Junko batted her eyes at him, bringing her hand to her uniform shirt where she subtly undid one of the buttons. “Are you sure about that, seeeenpaaaai?”

『Junko-chan stop screwing around! This is serious you could be in danger right now.』

“Oh, screwing around. Is that what we’re doing right here together?”

『Tw-twisting my words! You’re twisting my words!』Kumagawa said, the temperature in his face rising. He slammed his head against the table once more to focus, before thinking again to Saki.  『Well, she might not even have that skill anymore. Ajimu might have gotten rid of it. Though, for somebody who claims to be unbiased she’s a bit arbitrary on what skills she lets other people keep and what ones she nerfs.』

“Accusing me of being arbitrary? Coming from Kumagawa-kun, the most fickle and impulsive person in this room of all people, that’s a laugh. Ufufufu.” Ajimu said, sitting on the other side of the room like a normal student waiting for her table to be served except for the fact that there was a screw in her chest with her hand screwed down tight underneath it.

『It’s not nice to eavesdrop, Ajimu.』Kumagawa said, picking up a menu to cover his face but glaring at her from behind it.

“I’m not eavesdropping. I’m just the kind of girl that can hear a pin drop from one hundred miles away.”

“Hey, that’s one of my lines!” Junko snapped at her. Before she turned her head back around her pigtails whipping behind her. “No, nevermind, I was doing a good job not acknowledging your presence I’mma go back to that.”

If Junko had been paying attention to somebody besides herself, she would have noticed that Shiranui returned to the table, with her plates stacked high with food.

“Why are you acting like Sukinsaki-san showing up is such a big deal, anyway? If she got defeated by a person like you to begin with than she can’t be that much of a threat.” Junko said as she idly stabbed into her takoyaki balls and started to munch on them.

『Umm… well...』 You can’t have your ex girlfriend and your current girlfriend in the same room together. Do you want the whole universe to explode? Kumagawa thought, but if he said something like that, or if he told Junko how he used to feel… still felt… about Saki then even somebody as short sighted as him could see danger on the horizon.  『I… I uh...it’s sad, we used to be such good friends and then we got in a fight. It was like that at every school I went to,when I came here I thought that as well that I’d only be here for a month or two before I erased all your memories and left. Do you think, we’re going to end up like that one day? It’s not like our current relationship is stable.』

“How are we not stable?”

『You constantly try to kill me?』

“Meh.” Junko shrugged. “Well I’ll probably just ditch you if you start boring me, you’re right about that…” You haven’t started boring me yet, though. Misogi. She left the last part unspoken. In fact, if she ever did say something like that, she would be too mortified to continue living. Just thinking about it made her heart race a little and she desperately wished for a distraction.

Just then, as if the world really did revolve around Enoshima Junko’s twisted desires her phone started to ring. Not only her phone, every single phone of the other cusotmers in the cafe started to ring. When Shiranui reached for hers, an older model flip phone Ajimu held a hand out. “Wait, you’re going to want to let that hit voicemail.”

“Nya?” Shiranui paused for a moment tilting her head.

Kumagawa and Junko both answered their phones. A video played onscreen for them with a spiraling black background, and a picture of a Monokuma laughing at them. Both of them blinked, a bit confused.

However, for those who did not have brains that were wired completely for despair they found themselves completely unable to look away from the horrifying video in front of them. Their entire world started to spin, and then just their eyes. Black despair, and white hope, swirled together in their eyes and their consciousness was lost in the spinning.

“Monokuma is announcing a new game for the school festival, Monokuma’s head hunt. The first student to bring the beautiful and vivacious Enoshima Junko-chan back to your beloved headmaster Monokuma, wins a prize! Well, actually not a prize, I mean you’re just doing what you’re told like an obedient dog so you shouldn’t expect to be rewarded…’ Junko read aloud, before throwing her phone angrily against the table. “Who even wrote this garbage!? Monokuma is my original character do not steal! I’m going to make a callout post on the internet about this blatant plagiarism.”

『Ummm… Junko-chan not to tear you away from your one true love Monokuma-chan but… why are they all glaring at us?』

“Oh shit. I knew this was familiar…”

They looked to their sides as several pairs of black and white swirling eyes focused on the two of them.

“It’s Mitarai’s brainwashing!”

『Junko-chan I said no brainwashing!』

“Hey, I don’t need brainwashing. I manipulated those fifteen class 77-B chumps on my own, I just dabbled in it a little bit as a hobby. Mitarai’s the one who did it, I’m innocent.”

『Yeah, I’m sure this is the one time in your life where you’re innocent.』Kumagawa rolled his eyes, before realizing something. 『Wait, whose Mitarai?』

“The super high school level animator.”

『The uh… the big guy?』

“No that’s Imposter-kun. I guess you never saw him because I kept him locked in a basement the month you were here before we met officially.”

『So you weren’t innocent!』

“Uh, no duh?”

『Wait, the guy we’re facing is an anime fan? How laaaaaame. I don’t want to fight a nerd.』

“Hey, that’s my line and also. I don’t think the guy who never shuts up about manga has any room to talk. Isn’t that the same thing?”

『Manga and anime are two completely different mediums, and I don’t even watch most anime it’s better to just read the manga. Anime fans are just idiots who want everything spelled out for them.』

“You’re the last person on earth who should suddenly be acting like an eltist-huh?” She looked around and saw that the people had gotten up from their chairs and moved to surround them in a circle. “Oh shit, they got us while we were arguing.”

『How rude! Don’t they know this is one of those works of fiction where the characters talk too much? We need to be given time for our trademark banter.』Kumagawa stood up and immediately moved across the floor to stand in front of Junko, holding an arm protectively in front of her. 『Ajimu-san help out, we’re surrounded.』

“Nu uh. I don’t feel like it.” She said, before leaning an elbow on the table and perching the side of her face on it. “I just want to enjoy my nice meal with Hansode-chan.” Behind her, Hanten was standing facing the wall with his arms crossed, so he was not going to be much help either.

『Ugh! You’re no help at all during situations like these, just like Junko-chan!』

“Hey, it’s rude to compare the despairingly perfect me to that mary sue character!”
“Hey, it’s rude to compare my relaxing presence to that fussy girl.”

Junko, then Ajimu said at the same time. Kumagawa started to kick back the others that were zombie walking close, but found himself quickly overwhelmed by the numbers of the mob. They surrounded him from all sides, hands reaching him from every angle, wishing to do him harm. The image was a metaphor for his painful life up until this point really. He closed his eyes not to look at it.

“Aaaah! Don’t touch me, reserve course trash!” Junko cried out in her normal arrogant way.

However, hearing Junko cry out in pain made something snap within him. Suddenly the people around him were thrown against the wall, all of them screwed down with the screws he made appear.

In a moment it became a scene of brutal slaughter, the same kind of that Junko saw when she met Kumagawa just before the destruction of Hope’s Peak. She saw a flash of the Kumagawa from back then in his eyes too.

She wondered… just for a brief moment. What the old Kumagawa, the one who appeared at Fish Tank, the one who sent Medaka into despair, what he would be like? He had changed since meeting her right? The one who only lived to send the elites into despair she wondered if he would be a bit more fun. Or perhaps, she just mourned the fact that she had met him so late in his life she knew almost nothing about his older self… but that would be what a normal girl might feel in this situation not Enoshima Junko.

Then, the wounds disappeared and the screws were simply holding them to the wall by their clothes. “Why you always gotta be so disappointing?” Junko whined.

『Why you always gotta be such a pain?』He mirrored back at her.

Before they could argue any further, the door started to open with several other despair zombies trying to push their way through. Kumagawa threw his hand forward and several screws appeared screwing the door down. The moment he sealed it though, he sealed their only route of escape.

Kumagawa was terrible at planning, but he was alight at thinking on his feet. 『Junko-chan, can you jump?』

Junko as dusting herself off from being manhandled by the mob. However, she looked down at her uniform and saw pink appearing right at her stomach. “Whoopsie…”

『Ah! Oh no… uh… I got it.』Suddenly, he appeared next to her and swept her off her feet again as he picked her up in the air bridal style. Junko realized he must have been using his ability to erase the time in his movements, because he disappeared and reappeared faster than her eyes could track. One moment she was standing clutching her side, and the next she was being held in his arms and lifted gently. SHe felt her heart beat rocket like it always did when she was close to him, and the sound of her heart pounding in her ears made it annoying difficult to hear what was going on.

“H-hey! Don’t pick a girl up without permission, at least tell me what you plan to do next before just going ahead and doing it!”

『That’s impossible I don’t make plans..』Kumagawa said as he carried her to the window and shattered it with his foot.

“Hey, wait a second-”

The next moment Kumagawa jumped out of it bringing Junko along for the ride.

“You iiiiiiidiiioooooooootttttt!” Her voice trailed across the sky as they fell down, but at last moment the splat sh was expecting never came.

They landed perfectly on the ground. As Kumagawa had erased the inertia they experienced from falling down. At this, Junko gave a small smile. “Wow, you really are playing with the cheat codes on, aren’t ya pudding pop?”

Just as she said that though, several more reserve course students who had been staring at their cell phones a moment ago turned their heads to acknowledge them.  『I really do hate to say this but, this is no time for playful banter!』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go after them? Shiranui asked, munching on her own Takoyaki balls as she looked across the table to Ajimu between the several plates of food she had stacked up.

“I’m sure they’ll be okay, or maybe just Junko-chan will die since the message was only a head hunt for her. Either way it’s a win win for me.”

“Ha ha ha! Seems like you’ve got an issue with princess, I guess I can understand that.”

Ajimu looked down at the paper in front of them. “Well anyway, back to business. For a letter I don’t think there’s a problem with this but… even though it’s just for moving the election from april to december and allowing the reserve course students to participate for the first time, I feel like you used up too much power.”

Shiranui laughed with food in her mouth. “Ha ha ha! There’s no helping it. It’s not like Kirigiri Jin can complain too much, the man owes me a favor for watching over his daughter for so long. He’d bend over to save his daughter from anything, even talent is more important than her, I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“I doubt adults are so simple.” Ajimu said, leaning back in her chair.

“I guess you wouldn’t know, you’re more like a kid, isn’t that right? But Anshin’in-san, how do you really think matters are going? If it’s going to come down a to a showdown do you think Hitoyoshi can win against two princesses?” Shinraui said, pausing from her eating. She paged threw a few of the documents she had collected for Ajimu, and pulled out one. “Enoshima-senpai already registered for the election for Naegi-kun’s sake. You know she’s surprisingly good at paperwork even though she did all of this in hot pink pen.”

“He’ll win. The reason being that in an election it’s a fight that uses influence rather than ability.” Ajimu leaned in with confidence. “Of course it won’t be easy, however calling it an election seems kind of stiff. It’s easier to understand if you think of it as a popularity contest. They even have it in weekly shonen jump right, the phenomenon is where a supporting character… leaves the main character behind and comes out at the top in the voting polls. If, for example this world was a manga where you guys were the main characters. If there was a vote for the favorite character, someone like Kumagawa-kun may unexpectedly come out and take 1st place.”

Shiranui smiled as she swallowed her food. “So, it’s like the underdog effect.” In japanese it’s the hougabainiki. The phenomenon where the masses are affected by feelings of sympathy which introduces the feelings of wanting the less adept one to win. “Even though it seems like it was made for Kumagawa-kun, it’s possible that in an election the one with no ability will have greater command of the people’s feelings. That’s why if Junko-chan say wanted somebody to unite the feelings of her class against the unbeatable mastermind that is her, she’d rely on Naegi-kun the least likely candidate to do it.”

Shiranui stuck a straw in her juicebox. “Will it realy go that well… putting aside the popularity contest. It’s a known fact that in the april election the princess was the top candidate. The masses may be ordinary but they aren’t idiots, or are you insinuating the princesses’s votes were just the result of the bandwagon effect?”

The bandwagon effect, the feeling of the masses that approves the advantageous and the well accomplished. A state where popularity becomes the reason why one is popular. Human beings have a tendency to act in mobs, as I am sure Junko and Kumagawa were fully aware of right now.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Junko grabbed her side and leaned against the wall where they were hiding out. “Wow, you really are a coward aren’t you Senpai, if you’re cowering from a wimpy little anime nerd like Mitarai.”

『I’m proud of my cowardice, it’s what’s allowed me to live for so long..』

“Then it’s even more of a shameful trait.”

『Anyway!』Kumagawa snapped at her, pointing at the pink stains in her shirt.  『This is your fault for not healing in the hospital properly. You keep popping your stitches. I can’t risk a direct confrontation when you might bleed to death.』

“Fine, fine, you’re right I am the most important person here.” Junko pursed her lips and pouted for a moment. “Don’t get mad at me just because I’m not one of those Sandbox freaks that heals in a few days.”

『You’d heal just fine if you could sit still for five minutes, instead of constantly breaking your stitches.』

“I don’t wanna! If I stay still I might miss something interesting!” She reached up and unbuttoned the rest of her shirt, causing Kumagawa to suddenly start freaking out.

『Ah! Ahahahaha-what is happening?』

“Don’t get too excited super virgin. I just had a thought, why don’t you use that stupid cheating power of yours to make my wound as if it never existed?” She said, revealing the ugly scar on her otherwise perfect body.

Kumagawa reached forward, his hand shaking with his own hesitation. Everything about Junko, beautiful, confident, untouched, it was the complete opposite of him. He knew it wasn’t true, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was staining her by even getting close to her, like his touch would blacken her. Even though her heart was already black, for some reason he enertained such a stupid fear.

Junko-chan is just a normal girl. He told himself, before softly caresseing the scar on the lower part of her stomach that dipped down into her hip. He kept his hand there for a long while, wishing over and over again the wound would go away.

“Oi! Are you just using this as an excuse to feel up my perfect body?”

『Huh? No, it’s not working.』

“I thought you could make everything like it became nothing.”

『Well, the truth is all fiction always had a weakness. It’s hard to erase sentiment, strong emotions that might tie events that happened to this world. The all fiction I have right now isn’t the original skill but a deteriorated version I kept after I traded it away to Ajmu.』

“So wait, you could have used all fiction all along? Like that time you were dying on the school trip and made me beg Ajimu to revive you.”

『Oh, haha! I was just joking. I got you pretty good.』

Junko grinded her teeth. The idea that somebody like Kumagawa could trick her in any way was almost completely unacceptable to her, but she found him doing it far more often than anybody else who had ever challenged her in her life. “So, wait you’re saying that if somebody dealt a wound to you that caused an extreme amount of emotion you wouldn’t be able to undo it.”

『Yeah, why?』

Junko unzipped her skirt pocket and drew out a knife, slamming it hard right towards his chest. “Soooo, liiiike, if I were to suddenly plunge you into the depths of despair and then kill you, you wouldn’t be able to revive because you’d be awash in your own despair!”

However, Kumagawa caught her by the wrist before the tip of the blade could reach his chest, and he played a game of strength with her for a moment as she pushed and he pushed back.  『Junko-chan can you try to kill me after… Oh… I dunno we’re done running away from the whole school trying to kill you?』

“Ugh, but I hate being patient most of all!” Junko said, as her hand was bent back and the knife went flying back out of it and embedded itself in the ground.

『Well I hate mind control most of all so it seems we’re both equally dissatisfied.』

“Why do you even hate mind control so much, besides the fact that you hate fun?”

『It’s bad writing!』

“This isn’t a manga Kumagawa, it’s reality.”

Kuamgawa grimaced, letting his smile fade for a moment. 『I just don’t like the idea of it. Even though I’m living the most miserable life imaginable, I don’t want to ever have somebody else control it for me even if it would bring me peace of mind.』

“Why?”

『Well, then I’d stop being myself. Maybe nobody would miss me but I’d-』

“I would miss you.” Junko said clearly. “A Kumagawa with self control would be boring after all. Though, if I could change you into being a person with even less self control than you usually had then that’s another story… oh a despair filled Kumagawa how fun to fantasize about.”

Kumagawa drew out a sewing kit from his pocket, his expression looking unbelievably warm. 『Look, just sit still for a few minutes and I’ll redo your stitches.』

“Fine, but you better show me an even worse despair than slowly bleeding to death later on. Promise?”

『What’s that supposed to mean- but yeah whatever I promise. Tell me more about Mitarai-kun in the meanwhile.』

So, their brief reprieve from the mind controlled masses that had infected the school while they hid from the consequences of their own actions like cowards continued. After she explained all she had done to Mitarai Ryota, Kumagawa sighed.

『Gosh, Junko-chan can we go one week without somebody you pissed off in the past trying to kill both of us?』

Enoshima Junko smiled at this. “I hope not, then life would be way less fun.”

At least she’s having fun. Kumagawa thought with a fleeting comfort.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Ajimu and Shiranui had changed their eating location to a picnic outside, near the central plaza. In a few minutes Medaka would be making her announcement for the second day of the school festival. Ajimu wanted to watch such a plot critical moment.

As they ate their conversation continued. “As I was saying earlier, it’s probably not the bandwagon effect. Even if Medak-achan is a monster, in april she was just a no-name freshman. If you think about the number of known upperclassmen, the percentage of winning was despairingly low, and yet Medaka-chan still overcame that despair and won with an overwhelming 98% approval rating too.”

“Then, how did she overcome it? Hope?” Shiranui asked, before draining all the contents of her juicebox and flattening it.

“Fufu, well. It’s nothing like that hope nonsense this school spouts so much. Medaka-chan’s approval rate is just screwed over by low voting percentages in the election. It was at the beginning of the year so newly enrolled freshman had no interest in it, and there were the hundred plus students in class thirteen who never showed up to school. In truth only about half of the people showed up for the election, which would change her approval rating from 98% to 49%. In that case, most of her votes were specials from classes 10 to 12. Not the normal student body.”

“If you think about it, people like specials and ultimate talents are the perfect distance from Medaka in the sense that she is too far from the ordinary people, but too close to the class 13 abnormals that it causes them to hate each other, and too far away from the minuses and despair s in the fact that they are enemies.” Shiranui said, as she started to chew on a piece of of chicken, tearing the flesh from the bone easily.

“And so, Junko-chan is getting the reserve course involved in the election because she believes she still has an iron fisted control over them, but they’ll really be the ones to swing the vote. Ordinary people, minuses, and abnormals, those are our targets while Junko-chan will definitely win the votes of the hope filled ultimate talents that she embodies with her talent that falls in line with this school’s silly philosophy.”

“Well, putting philosophy aside.”

“Awe, come on. Argue your point a little more.” Ajimu whined with a playful grin on her face.

“I think your impossible plan will work, so I’ll hand this to old man Kirigiri like you asked.”

“That being said… are you really alright with this? Shiranui-chan? This battle has turned into one to realize Hitoyoshi-kun’s love. For one who thinks so highly of him, you don’t have any reason to help anymore.”

A smile spread across Shiranui’s face. It was perhaps her genuine smile. “Ahyahya! Even though you have lived for billions of years, it seems like you don’t understand anshin’in-san.”

At this, Ajimu’s face did not show any emotion at all.

“All crushes will be fulfilled. If you think like that, then you’re in for some disappointment. Unrequited love is a part of romance, if you’re a girl then you will have known that since elementary school.”

Ajimu closed one eye, letting a puff of air escape her lips. “Komaeda-kun always says the same thing. But are you really alright with this? I can make a harem ending possible. Naegi-kun already made on by mistake.”

“I said it’s fine. Unlike justice and hope which must otherwise win, love does not have to win. You believe the same thing don’t you? That’s why you’re letting your first love play around with Junko-chan.” Shiranui might have even been telling the truth as she spoke her resolve.

“...” She was taken aback for a second, before letting both of her eyes closed. “Oh my, a point taken from me. As expected of Hanten. So this is your so called double.” Ajimu called out to her companion.

Hanten said nothing in return, keeping his head turned away from her.

Shiranui scratched at her face. “Uh… so should I leave?”

“No, wait a little longer. An interesting show is about to start here.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Kumagawa pulled Junko along by her hand as they fled the mob. The moment she told him the place where she kept Ryota Mitarai captive, he had a hunch that was where he was hiding right now pulling the strings.

Especially if this was a revenge situation, as it would be the perfect place to turn the odds on his captor. He headed towards the direction of the old Izuru Kamakura statue, but the fact that they were being chased by several reserve course students at once made it difficult.

Kumagawa suddenly had an idea and turned around to run backwards for a moment.  『Just think perverse thoughts, Junko-chan in a naked apron, Junko-chan in a naked apron, Junko-chan in a naked apron.』

“Hey, who gave you permission to fantasize about my perfect body? You belong to me you know, which means your fantasies belong to me as well.”

『My fantasies have always belonged to you, but that’s not it. I’m trying to scare them away with my aura.』

“Ahhhh, it’s leaking out all gross…’ Junko said, as she somehow saw a physical manifestation of a terrifying aura for half of a second before it became invisible. Still, her hand started shaking against his as an after effect. She looked to the mob and saw a few of them immediately collapse just from being in Kumagawa’s presence. However, they stood up again just as quickly.

『Oh no, they’re already too much in despair. My despair inducing aura has no effect!』He turned around again and started to pull Junko by the hand once more. The exact moment they arrived at the Kamakura statue they noticed themselves surrounded by people all around them.

“Everyone it’s a festival! Dance! Why aren’t they dancing?” A booming voice came out from a girl who stood at the very top of the Kamakura statue, before jumping down to land in front of Junko and Kumagawa.

“Oh of course  Miss Sunshine is immune to the video too. Why does nothing good ever happen to me?”

『You’re the last person who has a right to complain about that-!』Kumagawa suddenly turned his attention to the other, who was still staring at the crowd confused. She was not used to other people not immediately listening to her.  『Medaka-chan. The whole school got whipped into a frenzy by videos they saw on their phones.』

Medaka tilted her head looking a bit confused. “You mean the videos with the stupid bear in them?”

“It’s not a stupid bear! He’s amazing, handsome and very marketable! You wish your series had a great mascot like him? What do you have, just a stupid box.” Junko said, apparently a nerve had been touched.

『Yeah! I’m going to go stop the source of the problem but the student body is hunting down Junko-chan right now, could you hold them off for us?.』

At this, Kurokami Medaka smiled. The blust lust was apparent in her eyes, and the way her smile bared her teeth like fangs. “Sure!”

As Kumagawa and Junko disappeared in the secret passageway of the statue, Ajimu Najimi smiled and relaxed and Shiranui turned her head at the same time. Over them, to help her relax Shiranui Hanten opened up an umbrella to shade her.

“She’s really going to fight the whole student body at once?”

“Ufu! Of course! This is Medaka-chan’s loss, it’s perfectly understandable not being able to fight off a thousand people at once.”

“Awe, poor princess.”

“Don’t worry, if things actually get out of hand I can just use my ability to subdue them. I just thought this would be a fun exhibition match.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Enoshima Junko and Kumagawa Misogi arrived in a room with anime posters lining the wall, several boxed dvds stacked up on the shelves, and even more figurines. It looked like any normal person’s room, except for the fact that it had been a prison cell at one time.

Ryota Mitarai spun around in the chair he was working in, glaring at them through sunken in eyes. At this hostile glare, Enoshima Junko only cracked a smile and waved at him with her free hand. “Yo, Mitarai-kun. How’ve you been?”

『Oh, so it was that guy I forgot about.』

“...”

『Well anyway, time to beat up this anime nerd until he admits that manga is way better.』

“If this turns into some geek slap fight I’m just going to leave right now. Seeing you act that pathetically might just be too much despair for me.”

『Junko-chan you can’t just leave, not when you’re the one who caused this problem!』

“Sh-shut up both of you! Anime is an important part of our culture! Wait, that’s not what this is about give me a second I was p-p-pracitcing. I’m not… I’m not going to run away from you anymore and I…”

“You really suck at the whole villain speech thing you know that, Mitarai-kun?”

『Ssssh, Junko-chan be nice. He put a lot of hard work into trying to kill you I bet.』

“I-I’m not going to kill her. I’ll do what you did to me, force you to live with your regrets.”

At this Enoshima Junko parted her lips into a smug grin. “Yeah, fat chance of that happening.”

He slammed his had on the keyboard. Immediately a pair of scissors flew out at Junko’s head. The one who had thrown them, a brain controlled Toko immediately rushed in her direction. From behind her, a brain controlled Togami tried to grab her.

『Oh. We really shouldn’ve left them like that last night...』Kumagawa said for a moment as he watched Junko easily step out of the way of a few of Toko’s slashes with her pair of scissors.

Mitarai watched from his desk, his hand still shaking. He was hoping the shaking came from determination, and not from the fear of being in the same room with Junko again. “I’ve been working on a new video it’s the opposite of my old one. Instead of rewiring a brain to only crave despair, it rewires it to only crave hope. I’m going to use all of these puppets to force you to watch it. You’re right, I’m weak and cowardly, that’s why this time I’m going to rely on numbers.”

Enoshima Junko continued to dodge both Togami and Toko’s double teaming attacks on her. For a moment she wondered where Zenkichi was. If he was trying with them, then maybe they might actually land a single scratch on her.

However the moment she started to get confident, she stepped wrong on her heel causing her ankle to twist and the heel to break off. It must have been Kumagawa’s presence, that gave the normally perfect her this spot of random bad luck. Oh. She thought. They might seriously have a chance of rewriting my brain if Kumagawa loses again here. Then, the current me will disappear.

Kumagawa seemed to come to this conclusion too, as he appeared behind the falling Junko to catch her. When she looked up at his face, she saw the expression of a demon cloaked in shadows. In the next moment, Toko and Togami were screwed to the wall in an instant. 『You’re pretty good, for a talented elite. However, if your talent couldn’t overcome a spoiled girl like Junko-chan’s despair than it sure as hell won’t mine.』

“Sh-shut up! What do you know calling me an elite? I… I have a plan for dealing with you too, Kumagawa-kun.”

『Ah? Go ahead. I don’t care what you do to me, but changing Junko-chan’s personality is completely unacceptable.』He helped Junko stand up on her own once more, as she balanced herself on one foot. Then slowly he approached the fumbling Mitarai. Ryota knew almost nothing about Kumagawa, as even Saki the person who had found him and protected him all this time barely remembered a thing about him. However, at this moment as he approached his whole body covered in shadow except for his glowing eyes and smile, Mitarai could not help but find him terrifying in the same way Junko was to him.  『I really do like playing around with the villains of the week Junko-chan sends my way, it’s looooots of fun, but this time I’m going to end it quickly. If your past memories are too much for you, then I’ll just make you forget.』

He picked up a screw about to ram it into Mitarai’s head. “W-wait no. Don’t make me forget my classmates, even if it was brief I don’t want to make it as if the time we spent together never happened.”

Feeling sympathy, remembering his month wit Saki-chan, Kumagawa hesitated for a second. In that time another door opened, and Sukinasaki Saki appeared casually leaning against the wall. “Yo, Mitarai-kun, are you still playing around with your old friends? We need your help with the sound check.”

“Uhhh… sorry about that… I’m kind of losing right now because I’m so pathetic.” Mitarai said, his expression and posture sinking even further as he admitted that.

“That’s fine, Mitarai-kun I already told you. If you’re not confident to rule on your own you should just rely on others more. Well, I wasn’t going to get involved but… Enoshima-san would be a good market draw for a fourth member of our band, since she’s already a model-”

Junko, who had been watching from the stands as an audience member as usual while Kumagawa did all the work, saw something flying in her direction. It looked like nothing more than a paper card. Is she just going to throw playing cards at me like Hisoka? Lame, I don’t even need to bother to dodge. This is reality you can’t slit somebody’s throat with a joker card.

However, before she could react a screw hit the ground. It fell to the ground because it was dropped, as Kumagawa had dropped everything to lunge in front of Enoshima Junko. Just as usual, without thinking, like the time with Matsuda he always seemed to jump and protect her on instinct alone. Even though he had to know she was not a person worth protecting.

Kumagawa Misogi pushed her to the floor. As her eyes peeled open again, she saw the card had dug into the back of his head. Oh, so it was not a card after all but an ability. Kumagawa already told her what it did,『Error Message Plate.』, the ability that controlled those who were controlled by their desires, and those who desired to control others,  and that he was immune to it. Lame. Don’t play hero when there are no stakes at all. Junko was just about to complain about that to him, when Kumagawa pushed away from her and up off the ground.

He rose up like a man possessed. She had seen similar gruesome standing up scenes in zombie movies. It occurred to her, as she always figured out things far too quickly that Kumagawa had probably underestimated his own desires. Perhaps it was true that months ago when he was still wandering from school to school he had faced Saki with no desires in his heart. However, since coming to this school he had finally begun to desire for something. What a mistake on his part.

She wondered, what possible desire could be controlling him at the moment. As she was part cat in nature she had a fatal curiosity. “Kumagawa-senpai? I know you’re dumb but you could at least pay attention to the wonderful me, what are you staring into space for?”

The zombie like Kumagawa was being puppeteered and finally rose his eyes to look at her. 『Junko』The smile he gave her looked like a beast licking its fangs.. 『Those eyes... I want to gauge them out.』

“What did I tell you about having dreams about my perfectly cute body?”

『You’re right… you’re too cute. You’re a model you know, it’d be easy to project feelings on you like loving some idols that’s why I...』His eyes reopened, black despair and white hope swirling around in them. 『I... I want to rip your face off and see the real you. Let me rip it off. You don't need to be Enoshima Junko anymore, you can be nobody, and I'll still love you.』When her name left his lips, all she could make out of his face were his teeth.

His hand reached out slowly for her face, and even though his aura was making her shake she easily slapped it away. Well, perhaps being forced to fight against somebody who you were close to was a despairful enough climax for this sort of deal but… she felt like winning against Kumagawa was too easy.

If only there were a real challenge. She saw him rushing her to punch her hard and knew even before he threw the punch where to move her head to dodge it. However, when she moved her head there she was caught by him twisting his body around in an awful way and bringing a foot into the side of her face sending her flying.

Junko after skidding across the floor came to a stop. Kumagawa smiled at her. 『So, even ultimate analysis has blind spots. How fun.』He immediately followed up with a stomp down on the ground where she was forcing her to roll away. She kicked up, slamming her boot with the broken heel into his face and then losing the boot when he grabbed it.

As she stood up once more, she kicked off her other boot and decided she was going to punsih Kumagawa later for ruining her precious boots. Kumagawa smiled at her and then kicked his feet on the ground. 『Come to me, spears of Gugnir!』

Junko knew instantly what he was referencing and jumped back without a moment to spare. Several screws grew up out of the ground from where she had been standing a moment ago. When she landed, Kumagawa appeared at her side screws in hands. She had to jump back and stay on the defensive the entire time just to keep dodging him.

She was not a fighting type at all. Normally this should not have mattered against somebody like Kumagawa, but she realized the part of him that held back in fights had been shut off the moment that card entered his brain. Now, he was giving everything he had into trying to kill her.

As she continued to dodge his blows she considered for a moment which option would lead her to more despair. If she let Kumagawa kill her, the despair would probably be so great that he could not undo that event with All Fiction. Which would mean that her last action would be plunging his heart which had seen the absolute worst the world had to offer into an even further despair.

Though she was tempted by that option something in her brain reminded her of the obvious. If she was dead, she would hardly get to enjoy Kumagawa’s despair at her death. She would miss out on the face he made as he cradled her dead body. She wanted to stay alive to taste his despair at least…

Since when had she thought about living side by side with Kumagawa as a positive? As she thought about that she fell into despair again. Kumagawa’s body suddenly twisted in an unpredictable way, and he hit her in the side where she was stitched, a wound only he knew about, causing her to cough up blood and stagger.

He did not relent then either, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her down hard again the ground. He loomed over her, that smile of his the only visible part of his face. 『I’ve caught you now, Junko-chan.』

In the background, Saski leaned against a wall her, scowling in a way that still showed her pointy teeth. “She might lose to Kumagawa-kun of all people How disgusting.”

『Hey, Junko-chan? What’s wrong? Why couldn’t you dodge me back then? I don’t think it’s because your intuition’s been dulled but… no, no, this won’t do.』He reached forward, and wrapped his fingers around her neck. Slowly, he started to strangle her. 『Your skin really is so soft. Come on, fight back more, show it to me, show me your face...』

Junko instead of struggling against him, reached up slowly and touched his cheek in a gentle caress. She cracked a smile that she would show only him. “Ell oh ell, evangelion reference.” Before Kumagawa could react to her obvious clowning around, she suddenly grabbed the side of his face with her nails and pulled him in close and whispered.

"You're just pretending to be mind controlled aren't you?" 

『No duh, though, I really do want to kill you sometimes.』

The moment he let his guard down, a screw embedded itself in the wall again Mitarai.

Those two understood each other well enough to work together without words. It was like they were just playing a game between the two of them that nobody else understood. 

Seeing the approach of the other and realizing he had run out of cards to play, Mitarai began to panic once more. He doubted this time he would be allowed to simply run away, but… the idea that this person might kill him was strangely comforting. He would not have to live hating himself anymore.

However, Kumagawa stopped just short of doing anything to him and stood right in front of him, looking at Mitarai with his terrifying face, and terrifying eyes.『Ryota-chan, why are you trying to get revenge on Junko-chan?』

“She made me live with my despair. She made me realize how much of a coward I was, how weak I was, how I couldn’t do anything when people needed me the most, how I only ran away to save myself.”

『Eh, so what’s wrong with that?』

“I… I shouldn’tve ran away. I hate myself who can only run away and I hate what I’ve done.”

『Why do you hate yourself?』

“Isn’t it obvious? I couldn’t do anything! I couldn’t do a single damn thing.”

Kumagawa still looked at him with those blank eyes of his. 『From my perspective it’s a good thing though. It’s because you were a coward that you were able to live. Even if it was only living in despair and hating yourself, you were still able to live right?』Kumagawa reache dforward and pulled Mitarai into his embrace. 『You should stop running from yourself, do you know why you’ll never be able to escape it? It’s because… yourself, your past self, your weak self… they’re both oh so lonely. If they’re lonely, you should just embrace them instead.』

Kumagawa said, wrapping his arms tight to embrace Mitarai’s despair for a moment. 『I don’t think despair is so bad. Even those who are completely in despair can still smile. I don’t care if you’re a coward or you’re weak but… you should stop looking at everything with such gloomy and sad eyes and try to smile more.』

Ryota decided in an instant. This person really was a villain far worse than Junko. After all, he did not care if the smile belonged to the most evil human being on earth, or the most kind one, they were all the same to him as long as things ended in a smile. Trembling in his embrace, he felt just a little bit warm before Kumagawa finally let go.

Junko had made her way to Saki who was still screwed to the wall. “It’s not nice to play with other people’s toys without permission, you know.” She said, looming over her.

Saki cracked a razor sharp smile. “Hey… Ensoshima… Fighting is… just so useless don’t you think?”

“Nope, I don’t.”

Before Junko could act though she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see the beast like Medaka, covered in bruises with her clothes almost torn to shreds. “I do! Let’s become friends instead, Saki-chan.”

“Yep, definitely friends! I just want to have a nice school festival, I’m not lying at all.”

“Of course! Let’s all go back then!”

They climbed out of the secret hideout. Junko refusing to walk without her high heeled boots was carried on Kumagawa’s back, Medaka carried Ryota, and Saki walked by herself as she had been mostly untouched by the fight.

Outside, Ajimu Najimi stared at 1,000 unconscious reserve course students. All of them defeated in a non fatal manner and would at worst wake up with a headache tomorrow. “Is this for real… no… no… Even I, Anshin’in-san can’t laugh about this…” She said complete shock painted across her face as a bead of sweat rolled down it.

The only one of the reserve course that had put up a fight, was Hitiyosho Zenkichi, who was still struggling to stand even in his brainwashed state. Ajimu whisked herself to her side, and when he fell finally caught him by the best. “Let’s just call this an exhibition match, Zenkichi-kun. This was a nice performance for the election in december.” She said, her confidence returning.

Before she could fully walk away though, Enoshima Junko could not resist trying to taunt her. “I thought you said this was a love comedy now? Did you see all of that despair, it was more like a zombie movie than anything else.” She said, glaring at Ajimu from behind Kumagawa’s back.

“It’s still a love story. How do you think the conflict was solved today?”

“Umm… me kissing Kumagawa because of his stupid feelings for me?”

Ajimu shook her head. “I already showed you the weakness of 『Error Message Plate』Junko-chan, did you get too self absorbed and forget? That ability only controls things as Saki-chan likes. When she saw you kiss him, she didn’t like it.”

“Well obviously because who would want to see somebody gross like Kumagawa-kun kiss the-”

“Before you launch into more self love, you’ve got it wrong again. She didn’t like seeing Kumagawa-kun being kissed, because she loves him.”

“What…”

“Unlike you she doesn’t want to destroy everything she loves. What an interesting rival you have now. Well, anyway bye bye. I hope you’ll have fun deciding all this election stuff on December 24th, that’s your favorite day isn’t it?”

With that, Ajimu Najimi disappeared her taunt hanging in the air for a long time afterwards, haunting Junko like a laughing ghost.

Chapter 41: You Are No One but Yourself

Summary:

Junko Enoshima is definitely big in Japan.

Notes:

Time to play guess the references!

“Band trial? Ahhhh even though juries have taken into account the opinions of civilians which was made for in reality, the judicial system is still deeply rooted in corruption.” Medaka opened her fan and fanned herself casually as both Kumagawa and Zenkichi made their case to her in the student council office filled with flowers.

After yesterday’s mess, Sukinasaki Saki had surrendered and offer they settle their differences non violently with a battle of the bands in the one hour free time they had scheduled. As the world was moving away from the simplistic style of a shonen manga where everything was settled by being strong enough to protect your friends or whatever nonsense that was, Medaka easily agreed to the terms of surrender. It was not just physical battle she wanted, she was the type of opponent that always wanted to meet you on an equal playing field so they could surpass you at what you were best at.

It seemed she was born to prove to others their efforts were inferior. At least, she thought so in the back of her mind. As she fanned herself, Zenkichi reacted to her in quite a normal fashion. “No, Medaka-chan that’s a court battle… Eh!? Wait a sec, why’d you say something so boring!?”

『A battle of the bands is where many bands perform against each other live on stage… but you already knew that, right Medaka-chan?』

“Yes, I just wanted to see what your reaction would be if I said something randomly boring.”

“You’re one curious little kitten aren’t you!?” Zenkichi snapped in his usual way at her.

『You should be more careful, Junko-chan might attack you if you suddenly start boring her.』Kumagawa said, sighing as if he was speaking from experience.

Medaka snapped her fan closed. “So ‘this’ is what the cultural festival entertainment guests have proposed to the student council executives. Is that what all that ruckus was about yesterday? I’m surprised. I don’t know much about these things, but are those three in a band?”

『Eh…? ‘I don’t know much about these things’』Kumagawa tilted his head and pointed at his own cheek, 『Is that another joke so you could get a reaction from us, Medaka-chan?』Kumagawa Misogi went over again the three legendary people they had invited, the Self Mutilating Voice Actor Hachiningatake Juujika, the Musician of the Gods Furousan Zomeki, and the Beast Idol Sukinasaki Saki, only hesitating a little bit again when he spoke Saki’s name. He even went into detail about the Super Highschool Level Animator Mitarai Ryota and how he was most likely influencing their sound design.

However, as he went through the explanation Medaka’s expression looked utterly bored. “Yeah, I don’t really care much about that kind of stuff so I drew lots with the names of people on a list I found.”

『You were somehow able to draw the most outrageous people!』

“You drew lots for something like this… since it’s you, that explains the impossible odds. I was wondering why they were so aggressive when we were the ones who invited them here, but it must be revenge for their hurt pride so we’ll have to go with it. Besides, even if this Hope’s Peak is a prestigious school among prestigious schools those girls don’t really seem like the kind of people who go to highschool culture festivals. That, and there’s the lead singer’s grudge against Kumagawa, so they have plenty of reason to despise us.”

『That wasn’t my fault.』Kumagawa spoke up to defend himself.

Medaka listening to their explanations, crossed her arms. “...I don’t like it.”

“Eh?”

“I don’t like those that think everything should go the way they want it to!” Medaka raised her head in full force, suddenly roaring out in anger.

Only for Zenkichi to roar back at her. “Take that back! You are the one person in the world, in the universe, of all living things, that does not have the right to say that!”

『Awe, you two have finally reached that level in your relationship where you can bicker like an old married couple how cute.』He put a hand down on Zenkichi’s shoulder and held him back. It was nice for once, being able to tease others about being a couple rather than being on the receiving end.  『Calm down Zenkichi-chan leave this to me. Think carefully about this, Medaka-chan, a battle of the bands is a fight between bands. They’re challenging you to even more violence, a brute like you loves that kind of stuff right? We can probably even turn it into another three way battle between the factions.』

At this, Kurokami Medaka smiled.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“I’m so late, I’m so late!” The ditzy blond girl said, as she burst through the door and slid the last few feet on the heels of her boots. She looked up to her manager and gave them a charming smile. “I’m safe, right?”

“You’re out completely.” The faceless adult in black sunglasses and a black and red V neck shirt said.

Turning back the clock slightly, two months and two weeks before the story began Enoshima Junko was going through the motions of another autograph signing. Behind her plastered to the wall were images of herself from different photoshoots. One large photo of her face with a flower in her hair, another of her in a black bra and a black jacket, one of her in a punk looking hoodie with a V neck and a cross zipper making a peace sign over one of her eyes, and the last one with her dressed up in an elegant bow on her head with an eyepatch against her face. The text underneath that one read ‘The world’s cutest girl with the world’s cutest eyepatch.’

As she waited for autographs with the collage of herself behind her most of the people who were in line were entirely faceless to her. SHe could derive their entire identities in a moment and thus they were not even worth the small amusement of people watching. All of them were charmed by her ‘real self’ whatever that meant.

That was the daraw of the model Enoshima Junko. That was her appeal. She was known for being ‘real’ showing her genuine personality when all other models were a construction, or at least that was what her fans felt.

Of all the people who had waited in line that day, only one had a slightly interesting face. It was a girl in a green uniform who wore a medical mask. Underneath the mask, Enoshima Junko could tell her smile was razor sharp.

“I’m a big fan of yours, Enoshima-san! I’ve never seen a model manipulate the market as ruthlessly as you have. You went to Gunma Prefectural Shibutani High School right, man I wish I had gone there instead of getting stuck at Fish Tank with my creepy friend.” As she described said friend, her innocent seeming face twisted in disgust without her realizing it. “Hey, hey how do you do it? You see trends coming before they happen don’t you? I bet if you can see everything coming, you must live a really peaceful life. The world must already be a utopia for you.”

Enoshima Junko was used to fans saying strange things, most of them were creeps who thought they knew her and did not actually care about her. She sensed a spark of something interesting in this person, though. However, still on the job she could not quite do anything about it. “Upupu, I dunno. I’m just trying to be myself, and apparently a lot of people like me!” She said, before flashing the girl with the razor sharp smile a smile of her own, one that could cut through glass.

Before Saki could say anything else she was told by the manager in sunglasses that her time was up. Junko watched carefully as the other girl left. A moment later she blinked and saw most of the line had cleared out. “Huh, where did they all go?”

“Thanks for scaring them away with your dismal persona, Kumagawa-kun.” Saki said, as she went outside. “Are you sure you didn’t want to go in? I know you look like one of the guys security would tackle on site but you went through the trouble of walking me all the way here I’d feel bad if you got nothing out of it.”

『That’s mean, Saki-chan. I don’t even like idols, they’re all fake, meant to be projected upon. The emotions behind them are fake as well. At least the sentiments behind shonen jump manga, friendship, effort and victory are all real.』

“No, I’m pretty sure shonen manga are fake as shit too.”

『I’m going to cry, I’m going to cry for real!』He cried out, tears streaming down his face.

“Anyway, Enoshima Junko-chan’s supposed to be real, y’know? That’s her whole thing that resonates with people, she’s not fake.”

『Ehh?? Is that so? To be honest I didn’t go in there because every time I see her face in a magazine I just think ‘what is it about this girl that makes my skin crawl’.』

“Do you think she’s fake?”

『No, it’s different. She’s like a still piece of water that’s never been disturbed even once, so when you look in it, the surface is crystal clear and rigid like a mirror. You don’t see what’s underneath you only see what you want reflected back to you. In that case, can she really be called fake?』

“I don’t get you, Kumagawa-kun. Maybe you should keep your unpleasant thoughts to yourself.”

『Sooo meaaaan.』He whined again.

Junko heard the rustling of fabric, as she grabbed Kumagawa by the arm and leaned against him. He made a soft confused noise, before she explained herself. “Here, then I’ll do this to thank you for walking me all the way down here.”

『You don’t need to thank me. I have lots of fun just being with you, general affairs manager, Saki-chan. The misfortunate me couldn’t possibly ask for anything more.』

Junko watched the two from afar as they left, her enhanced vision perceiving them perfectly. Yet, no matter how she tried she could not get a look of the boy with the strange voice’s face. Then, a few minutes later the line came back having no idea what scared them away and she grew so busy that she forgot about the event entirely.

In two weeks, Sukinsaki Saki and Kumagawa Misogi became fast friends. In two more weeks they would try to kill each other. For just this one moment both of them existed in the fragile period known as the springtime of their youth. Kumagawa tried to smile and enjoy it, even knowing eventually he would lose this pleasant feeling, but as he always did he felt the full despair of losing her when it came to an end.

In the present, Kumagawa Misogi most presumptuous person of all who had no problem standing in the likes of Enoshima Junko and Kurokami Medaka could barely stand to be in her presence for a few minutes.

Enoshima Junko watched him from afar, and bit her lip hard when she noticed that his body was shaking. Normally she was quite adept at reading lips, but something distracted her and she could not tell what they were saying. She really wished her heart would stop bating in her ears at times like this.

She wondered too, why she was reminiscing about such a useless detail. Perhaps because her mind always had to figure in every detail even useless ones, that had to be it. That day they had a meeting just by chance where they brushed shoulders but did not look at each other, she had seen Sukinasaki Saki and Kumagawa Misogi holding hands, but really what did that have to do with her?

As she was lost in her thoughts, Kumagawa Misogi’s face suddenly appeared in her vision. He gave her a wide smile with equally wide eyes as usual.  『Sorry to keep you waiting, Junko-chan.』

Junko rolled her eyes. Even after all this time Kumagawa Misogi had no sense of personal space and had gotten within a few centimeters of her face. “As if I’d be waiting for a person like you,” She said, before poking him on the forehead with her nail to push him back. Her next words, she spoke faster and in a lower voice. “So-what-were-you-talking-about-with-her-anyway?”

『Nothing, just the rules of the contest Medaka-chan agreed to. I’d rather not talk to her at all, I can’t tell what she’s feeling or thinking. Girls are scary.』

“You realize you’re talking to a girl right now, right?”

『Junko-chan isn’t scary at all. She’s soft and cuddly like a bear.』

“Bears eat people, you know, and some rare species of bears are known to force teenagers to kill each other.”

『Why are you so curious about Saki-chan suddenly?』

“Do you have to call her that? You only knew her for a month and that -chan habit of yours is so annoying.” Junko avoided the question, sulking as she rested her chin upon her drawn up knees. “Who even thought a lame battle of the bands was a good idea to settle things anyway? At least there’s a chance for bloodshed watching you lame Sandbox kids fight each other. Just playing music center stage in the ‘celebrating all hope till we puke’ cultural festival is way too boring.”

Kumagawa tilted his head, not understanding. He was used to Junko’s frequent mood swings by now, though and met them as always with a smile. 『That’s a bad habit. You’re never going to have fun if you say everything’s boring before you even try it.』

“I’m not going to have fun regardless,” She said, blinking her dull red eyes at him.

『Come on Junko-chan. It’ll be fun I know it. I know it will.』

Enoshima Junko sighed as Kumagawa started to turn around. “Yeah right, I’ll just take the word of the guy whose whole thing is being wrong about everything.” As she was his hand hanging at his side though, she was tempted and immediately fell to the temptation of reaching for it. Even if it was sweaty, and Kumagawa’s skin always had an unpleasant feeling to it, she wanted to grab at his hand, not his wrist or his sleeve like she usually did.

However, at that exact moment Sukinasaki Saki threw a water bottle from across the room nailing Kumagawa in the head. He moved his hands away from hers to rub at his head.  『Ow!』

“You brought me the wrong water! Is this how you treat a rockstar?”

『You’re only a J-rock star...』

“What did you say!?”

『Just a second!』Kumagawa dashed away like the coward he was to avoid the conflict, bringing her a different brand of water than the one she had asked for.

Suddenly sitting behind her, Ajimu Najimi whispered. “Kumagawa-kun really goes for the diva types, huh? Diva-of-Despair-chan?”

“Don’t you have better things to do? Like finding a black hole to die in, maybe…?”

“I’ll think about it.” Ajimu Najimi said with a smile. “I suppose you don’t have anything better to do than Kumagawa-kun though, that’s why you’re stuck in a romantic comedy right now. I hope you enjoy it a little, even though you’re a lover of tragedies.”

She disappeared as quickly as she appeared and Kumagawa returned again looking at Junko.  『Huh? Is something wrong?』

Junko stared at her empty hand for a moment, and then Kumagawa’s hanging uselessly at his sides. She stuffed both her hands into the pocket of the school uniform jacket she was wearing and stood up. “Yeah, you, cuz ya bore me.”

Kumagawa stuffed his hands into his own pockets as he walked alongside her. 『Who knows, maybe something amazing will happen. Maybe I’ll win finally for the first time.』

“Nothing amazing ever happens,” Junko said, letting her ‘true’ bored voice slip out because it didn’t matter really whether Kumagawa saw her real self or not. Though, real, true, applying those terms to self when every part of her was a deliberate performance begged the question of if a true self existed in the first place.

Hmm, couldn’t that apply to us all though? Oh, sorry you don’t want to read another of the narrator’s tangents even thematically relevant ones. I must always strive to be unbiased. Skipping ahead slightly, when Kumagawa and Junko gathered the rest of their naked apron alliance to explain the situation.

Mukuro summarized it at the end quite flatly. “So we’re definitely going to lose this time.”

Makoto behind her put a hand over his face. Merciless as usual. “You could have phrased that a little nicer.”

Kumagawa smiled, but from the way his gloomy aura leaked out from him, it was obvious he was already sulking.  『Why do you say that, Mukuro-chan. We’ve all been through so much together I’m sure we could band together and make a great band.』

“This isn’t a manga though we can’t solve everything with the power of friendship. None of us even know how to play instruments for one,” Mukuro explained in an even voice.

Makoto behind her scratched at his cheek. “I used to play the recorder in primary school when it was popular among the other kids.”

『That’s the most average result possible.』

Kokichi excitedly raised his hand. “Oh, oh, I can play the kazoo!”

『That’s the most annoying result possible.』

Kokichi put his hand over his mouth to just barely disguise his laughter. “Nishi-nishishishihi.”

Takumi raised his hand. “I’m an instrument of murder, does that count?”

Before anybody could reply, Shuuji grabbed his arm and lowered it for him.

“All of you losers are way too incompetent. The only person we can rely on is Big Sis Junko.” Monaca said proudly, before Kokichi took his hat off and put it over her face to tease her.

Junko sat in the corner of the room her arms crossed, completely withdrawn from the conversation. She only looked up when she heard her name. At that, a smile spread across her face she teasingly directed at Kumagawa. “I don’t need an instrument, I’m the sex appeal.” She unbuttoned her shirt one more button down than usual. “I’m big in japan.”

『We’re already in Japan!』Kumagawa snapped, turning his face away before it turned too red as he did not want to give Junko the satisfaction.

“Junko’s just saying that because she can’t play any instruments. Well… she can but…” Mukuro’s gloves tightened at the sleeve of her shirt  as she kept her arms crossed, unconsciously wrinkling it.

“I’d have to take my fake nails off.” Junko said, with a flash of her red nails.

Toko who looked like she had been excitedly waiting to say something for a long time, but too nervous to try and talk over anyone finally exploded. “Byakuya is a classically trained pianist! He could win the whole contest by himself!”

Byakuya readjusted his glasses looking away from all of them. “Hmmph. That is true but nobody here could possibly afford the rates that I charge for a performance.”

『In other words he’s completely useless too.』

“Silence! Being called useless by a person like you is an insult I cannot stand!”

『Then sit for it, jeez!』Kumagawa walked over the room to sit next to Junko who was still lurking in the corner. He thought deeply for a moment and she turned to look at his deep thinking face, just because of how stupid she thought it looked. 『We’re such a ragtag group already we could probably just invite another member in who actually knows how to play an instrument.』

Makoto, friend to all living beings was the first to speak up. “Oh, oh I know! We can invite Maizono-san to join us. She’s an idol, and she’s the top idol in Japan so she’d probably want to have some friendly competition against a newcomer like Sukinasaki-san.”

『Makoto-chan, don’t you think bringing Maizono-san would be a little awkward?』

“Huh?” Makoto tilted his head not quite getting it. He had yet to grow out of the oblivious harem protagonist aspect of his character. “Why?”

At this, Mukuro reached forward and wrapped herself around one of his arms. Even going so far to intertwine her gloved hand, with his. “You have such a bad habit, Makoto.”

“Oh, sorry…” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand, his face turning red. Makoto was kind to everybody around him, and because of that he earned the interest of three girls, but he had already chosen and been chosen by one of them.

『Besides, if we had Maizono-san around, Junko-chan couldn’t be her true self.』

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Makoto said. Only to get his arm tugged again by Mukuro.

“No, it’s not.”
『It’s definitely not!』

Mukuro and Kumagawa, Junko’s two biggest fans answered at the same time. Makoto thought about saying something, but decided to let it slide again for the sake of the group getting along.

“Besides, I doubt Maizono-san could handle my real personality if we decided to let her in on the secret. She’s not as open minded as the rest of you.” Junko said, gesturing at all of them with her hand.

『By that she means you’re all weird sociopaths.』Kumagawa said with a smile.

“Wha? Even me?” Makoto looked actually offended.

『You’re the weird hope sociopath, the weirdest one of them all.』Of course Sociopath was not a correct medical term, and Kumagawa was being incorrect as usual but the truth still remained that all of those present were far too abnormal already to reject somebody like Enoshima Junko.

Even Naegi Makoto the ‘always normal and average’ type character among them, was average to an abnormal extent. He was the kind of person who could accept almost anyone. He had only ever hated one person in his life, but Enoshima Junko was the sister of the person he loved, and the love of the person he was starting to care about like a strange older brother and because of that he was struggling for the first time to try and accept someone.

Junko observed all of this, because people like Makoto were so easy to read for her. She looked at the complicated web of relationships in the room and wondered for a moment when her life had become like this. Despite having been by Kumagawa’s side for quite some time now, she still mentally felt exactly the same as she did on the eve of the destruction of Hope’s Peak.

To her, the destruction of this school was still an inevitability, as fixed as the stars in the sky. Enoshima Junko would always win she was born under such a star. So she wondered why she was even bothering engaging in a situation like this even partially. Who was the hand that pulled her into this world?

Before this, the steering committee, the student council, the madarai brothers were all faceless obstacles to her that she knew for certain she would overcome. She still believed she would overcome people like Ajimu Najimi and Kurokami Medaka but they were no longer faceless to her. Not only that but the amount of time she was distracting herself before completing her objective had lengthened. She had already started a new semester she never meant to, she stayed at this school over the whole summer break even taking a hiatus from her modeling, she even participated in the school festival for real this time and not as a part of her act hanging around in the background and hiding her face so any photos taken of the event could serve for foreshadowing in the future when she enacted her plan.

The old school building she had put so much time into remodeling was closed for deconstruction, and currently sat gathering dust. She considered all of this and still could not really comprehend the change in her life, or why it had changed.

Or who had changed it.

Kumagawa Misogi got within a few centimeters of her face again.  『Junko-chan, can’t you think of anybody who can play an instrument? You’re supposed to be our leader you know, even if you never act like one.』

“I led a cult perfectly fine, and a terrorist group, and also an entire class of traitors turned towards despair in infiltrating this school.”

『Yes, but did you lead them or just tell them what to do and force them to carry out all of your orders perfectly?』

“You say that like there's a difference.” Junko said quite rudely answering a question with a question. However, to get Kumagawa to stop pestering her she decided to think about it for a second. “Well there is… no not her, definitely not her.”

『Is it another person from your past that’s going to try and kill us? 』

“No, she’s just really annoying.”

『Then she’s perfect for us!』

“I don’t really know where she is though. Mioda Ibuki, the Super Highschool Level Light Music Club member. I kind of lost track of the ultimate despairs awhile ago, most of them are still in the hospital right?”

『Take better care of your toys! It’s no good to leave them lying around like that』Kumagawa said, leaning in close and pushing his forehead against hers to lecture her.

Junko merely smiled at this, bopping her forehead against his as well. “Oh, there’s no need to worry Kumagawa, since you’re mine there’s no way I’d just leave you lying around. You can’t escape me that easily.”

Toko leaned against Togami who was still crossing his arms to be strandoffish to the whole ground. She whispered to him and only to him as she usually did. “Those two know they’re still in public, right? You can’t just obviously flirt where everybody else is watching especially if you have some weird twisted master and servant dynamic going for you.”

Togami glanced back at her through his glasses. “You are the last person on earth who gets to complain about that. Apologize now, and have all your descendants from this point forward continue to apologize for your sake.”

“But master, all of my descendants are going to be your descendants too so they’ll be apologizing for the both of us.”

Makoto decided to speak up and be the reasonable one as always. “I’ve heard from Chisa-sensei that a few of her class members were cleared for regular classes again. Well, just Saionji-san and Mioda-san. Apparently the five that are still in the hospital are extremely special cases they’re considering alternative medicines up until this point.”

Mukuro tilted her head. “Alternative means?”

“Yeah, you know like weird sci fi stuff. I heard the program they’re going to use is pretty cool it’s like a dating sim. N-not that I’d ever need to play one of those.”

Junko looked away pretending she did not know anything about that, and she had not told Mukuro about that particular back up plan either. “Well, we can’t possibly invite Saionji-san, because there’s only room for one mean girl with blonde pigtails archetype in this group.”

Makoto commented passively, “If that’s the case are you sure we can’t make a trade?” Mukuro and Kumagawa both shot him puppy dog eye glances at the same time, which made him feel a little bad.

『We just have to find her then and recruit her to our side. We’ll convince her using our three core messages of friendship, effort and victory.』

Junko poked Kumagawa’s cheek with her pointed nails. “Hopefully she’ll just show up again and try to kill you the same way that all of the other Ultimate Despairs have so far. That way she can find us.”

“That’s a terrible thing to hope for!” Makoto said, raising his voice.

『That’s okay, Makoto-chan I’ll be fine. The only person I’ll ever allow to kill me is Junko-chan, she gets jealous way too easily otherwise.』

“That doesn’t reassure me at all, dude!”

Their conversation continued on like this for a little while longer, but Enoshima Junko returned to her thoughts. Even with her ability that could predict absolutely everything though, she did not expect that for a second time karma would have her number.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Kumagawa! Aaaaaaahhhhh! Kumagawa! Come here quick!!!” Junko’s voice pierced through the early morning air, causing Kumagawa to drop the manga he was reading. He jumped to his feet and rushed over.

Of course, being Kumagawa and the fact that Junko’s room was cluttered with unnecessary furniture, stuffed bears, and half assembled schemes while running he slammed his leg into a chair on the table. The fact that Junko was still screaming though made him recover in an instant and rush to throw the door open.

『What is it Junko? What’s wrong?』

“Listen to this -”  Junko sat perfectly content in the bath water with her knees drawn up to her chest. She sunk all the way until her head was halfway submerged and let a strange noise escape from her mouth in her Monokuma voice. “Mleb.”

Aware he was being teased again, Kumagawa sank against the open doorway.  『Junko-chan, don’t tell mean jokes like that I was really worried.』

“Your entire life is a mean joke, Kumagawa and you shouldn’t complain. I’m the one who should be complaining, after all some pervert just burst into my bathroom and started staring at my glistening, perfect body as it soaks in the bath water.”

At that, Kumagawa slammed the door shut but it did little to stop him from hearing Junko’s laughter on the other side. A while later when they were both dressed and waiting at the doorway, Kumagawa tried again.

『You should really clean up this place more, what if I can’t get to you on time because I tripped on one of your thirteen hundred stuffed bears.』Junko had a habit of ordering things off of amazon thinking they might satiate her boredom, only to get bored of them and leave them half opened on her floor.

“I thought you were trying to defeat me Kumagawa, why are you suddenly so worried about protecting me too?” Junko changed the subject not wanting to acknowledge her hoarder tendencies

『I can’t defeat you if somebody else defeats you, or you defeat yourself. That’s why I have to both protect and defeat you at the same time, you really are a high maintenance person Junko-chan you always require so much out of others.』

“Yeah but outside of protecting me or whatever shonen manga bs, how do you really fe-” Usually the two of them split up and met up later, Junko using the front door and Kumagawa climbing out the window. This was because they were in the female dorms, and Kumagawa was technically not even supposed to be staying here or on campus. It was also because neither of them wanted any rumors starting about them, albeit for different reasons. Kumagawa because he thought it might make things awkward and Junko because she did not want other people to think she was really doing something like that with somebody so out of her league.

On this day however the two of them were so caught up in their conversation and they were up early anyway due to the school festival that they decided to walk together. As they talked, Enoshima Junko saw Kumagawa’s hand dangling uselessly at his side again and reached out to take it, only for both her words and actions to get interrupted.

“Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-” One student who had not been back to formal classes yet and was hanging around the dorms spotted them and exploded right at the moment Junko was about to grab Kumagawa’s hand. ‘THIS IS WEIRD! EXTREMELY WEIRD! SINCE WHEN DID THE FAMOUS JUNKO ENOSHIMA GET ALL CHUMMY WITH SOME GUY!”

MIoda Ibuki crossed the distance between them in a second, appearing in Junko’s face, and then Kumagawa’s, and causing Kumagawa to pull away from her to put two hands in front of his face.

『Umm.. We umm...』

“Kumagawa-senpai dropped off homework for me because I had to skip class last week to help set up with the school festival,” Junko lied flawlessly in an instant. Sometimes it paid to be a lying, liar who lies.

“Shenanigans, I detect shenanigans! There’s no way I can let this slide!” She said, continuing to float around the both of them.

『Well, we found Ibuki-chan at least...』Kumagawa muttered, leaning in closer to Junko to whisper hoping to avoid being heard any further by the nosy girl. It was only then he noticed that Junko’s red eyes were glaring not at her, but at him in anger.  『Huh? What’s wrong?』

“Twice you’ve failed to grab the hope that was offered to you, fail to grab it a third time and there will be only despair left in your future.” Junko muttered before walking ahead of him.

『W-what? There’s only going to be despair in my future regardless, did you forget who I am...』 He looeed to Ibuki, still obviously confused.  『Ibuki-chan can you help us out with something? It’s something only a despairingly perfect musician like you can do.』

“Yeah sure, anything to help the new happy couple.”

『You stop that. It’s only just begun and I can already tell that that’s going to get annoying.』

At this, Ibuki’s pierced lips parted and she stuck her tongue out at him. Kumagawa considered for a moment that he would have rather had a fight scene to convert Ibuki to his side, even one where he got beaten, thrown around and half broken, instead of whatever awkward situation had transpired right now.

That was Kumagawa’s life though, he thought as he went chasing after Junko. Things never went the way he wanted them to, and he never got what he wanted.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“So let me get this straight, you guys want to make a band that can defeat a nationally famous idol group in a battle of the bands, but none of you can play instruments and you’ve only got one day to learn?” Ibuki said in front of the naked apron alliance once she had the entire situation explained to her.

“Affirmative.” Mukuro nodded.
『Yep.』
“P much.” Junko said with a shrug.
“I’m sure we’ll have lots of fun,” Makoto was the only one who remained optimistic.

Toko, Togami, and the middle schoolers had all been sent out to do more campaigning which left the group with its four core members, and Ibuki the ultimate despair that had been recruited to help their cause.

“Awesome! Everyone starts at some point! As long as you feel the love, there’s no problem! Just let the goddess of music Ibuki guide you, Junko-chan, Mukuro-chan, Makoto-chan, Misogi-chan! We’re totally a band now!”

“What if we don’t want to feel the love?” Junko said, raising her hand up in the air.

“You especially need to feel the love, Junko-chan!” Ibuki winked at her, which made Junko look away in dsgust.

Kumagawa  stopped paying attention to both of them to sulk.  『She’s calling everybody -chan now, that’s my speaking style, but she does it way cuter than me so everybody is going to like her more..』

Makoto decided to reign everybody in before they started to get too off topic again. “Umm… Mioda-san, how exactly are we going to form a band though with no instruments, or experience playing?”

“A band isn’t just about the technical details like, having a song to play, or having instruments. A band is more like a state of mind. I think, there I am. I rock, therefore I’m in a band.” Ibuki declared with pride with her hands on her hips.

『That was total nonsense, is she still in despair or not, Junko-chan?』Kumagawa leaned in close to Junko to whisper.

Junko in return, leaned in close to him as well. “Dunno. I think Mioda-san is like Owari-san in that they’re both too stupid to realize whether they’re in despair or not.”

“What’s the official couple whispering about together, is it something juicy? C”mon tell Ibuki.” Ibuki said appaering between the two of them.

Junko glared for a moment, before turning around. “I suddenly want to stand on the opposite side of the room from you, Kumagawa-senpai.”

Kumagawa’s features sank as he gave up.『That’s fair.』

Once things settled down again, Mukuro spoke up to get the attention of the rest of the group. “If it’s instruments we need then we already have them. I acquired some yesterday.” Mukuro said, as she opened up the closet allowing a few instruments to spill out onto the floor.

“Wicked! These are all top of the line where did you find them?” Ibuki said, immediately buzzing over to the instruments to start picking them up and setting them up.

“Umm….”

Makoto narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. “Mukuro, did you steal those instruments?”

“Maybe.”

Makoto looked back to the other despair sister. “Junko, did you tell Mukuro to steal those instruments for you?”

“Maaaaaaaaaybe.” The other despair sister said batting her eyes at him.

“Music belongs to everybody it’s no big deal man!” Ibuki said as she finished assembling everything. The talented light music club members apparently did not even need a stage hand, though if she did it was most likely Mukuro who would have ended up with the job.

“I don’t think it works that way…” Makoto said, pushing a hand through his hair knowing this was only the beginning of what was sure to be another long day of dealing with eccentrics. He reassured himself that he would just tell Mukuro to bring the instruments back later and it would probably be fine.

Though the fact that he still took orders from Junko worried him a little bit.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

 

“Alright, forget about the song for now we’ll figure it out when we’re on stage!” Ibuki said, erasing the board once more. “What’s the next most important thing we should focus on!”

“I really think we should just pick a song to practice and start practicing right now so we can put in our most honest effort…” Makoto said, but everybody ignored him.

“Our merchandising? We should get a mascot and then t shirts printed and pick out our album cover so we can start selling the moment we hit the stage.” Junko said, sliding a pair of glasses on her face as her personality shifted.

“Wrong! We need to know what instruments we’ll be playing, and then smashing later!  Everybody just choose the musical instrument you wanna use! Ah, Ibuki has dibs on the guitar though, so you can’t use that!”

Junko kicked her feet idly on the desk she was sitting on. “Well, Kumagawa is the weakest link of the group so we should probably figure out what instrument he’s going to be on first and then compensate so he doesn’t drag us all down.”

“Weird how the first person you thought of was Kumagawa, Junko-chan.” Ibuki said, smiling at her.

“Weird how you won’t ever shut the fuck up.” Junko snapped back at her, physically snapping her teeth hard in the process.

『I’ve never played any type of instrument before, so it really doesn’t matter… I guess I’ll play bass then...』Kumagawa walked over to a rickenbacker 4001 and picked it up off of it’s stand.

“Nope! Denied!” Ibuki said suddenly, closing her eyes and putting two fingers on her forehead one from each hand as if she was reading some kind of psychic signal.

『Why? I thought it was fine as long as I didn’t pick the guitar?』

Ibuki scratched at her head with one hand. “Hmm… Your voice causes despair as easily as Ibuki’s, so if you play in a position like that you might steal Ibuki’s spotlight. She’s supposed to be the main event, y’know. I think the best person to put on bass is a plain guy like Makoto who exists to only make others look better.”

Makoto looked up from the instruments he had been trying to decide on. “Umm… thanks, I guess?” He did not know whether that was a compliment or not.

『What a selfish reason..』He wandered over and sat in the chair just behind the drums.  『Then I guess the drums...』

“That’s awesome! All right, it’s decided! Drums are great ‘cause you can just hit ‘em to the beat, and you don’t even need to know how to read music! The drummer is always the stupidest member of the band, it’ll be easy for you!”

『Every drummer in the world would hate you for comparing them to trash like me...』

“Don’t look so boring and depressed Kumagawa. Look, see the drums are perfect for you.” Junko picked up a pair of drum sticks and then casually batted them against the back of Kumagawa’s head, giggling as she did so. “You always make such lovely sounds when you’re beaten just like them.”

『Now Junko-chan is bullying me too...』Kumagawa said, sinking further into his sulking state.

Ibuki immediately appeared between the two of them again. “No, don’t worry Misogi-chan. She’s not bullying you I think she’s just giving you attention because she likes you!”

『Wait, what?』

“That’s pretty unmistakable from actual bullying…” Makoto sighed in the background.

Junko, getting increasingly annoyed that Ibuki seemed to pop up every time she so much as got within a meter of Kumagawa, kicked his drum set over in anger and walked back to the opposite side of the room.

“Yeah! Way to go! Destroy the instruments already now you’re getting it Junko-chan! Rock and roll!” Ibuki said, clearly not able to read the mood of the room.

She went back to the center of the group and looked around trying to assign roles to all of the others. She flitted about between all of them, Kumagawa trying to fix the drum set that Junko broke, Makoto trying to learn how to hold a bass guitar, and Mukuro looking worriedly at the steaming Junko before standing in front of Junko herself.

“Alright, Junko-chan I’ve decided. You don’t need an instrument you’re just going to sing for us!”

Junko blinked again. Somehow it was hard for even her to keep up with Ibuki’s strange whims. “Huh, why me?”

“Well, if a beautiful and empty headed girl is the lead singer you’ll perfectly compliment my spotlight without taking it away from me.”

Junko’s eyes narrowed but she did not say anything. Rather it was Mukuro who spoke up. “I definitely think my sister should get along and play with us, but it’s a bad idea to make her the singer…”

“Why? Whazzat? Can she not sing? It doesn’t really matter even if she sucks…” Ibuki said looking back at Mukuro.

Mukuro shook her head. “Actually, my sister has perfect pitch with her singing and even play any instrument she wants perfectly well. It’s just….”

“Ugh this is too much of a pain in the ass to explain, let me just show you.” Junko said as she swung her legs out from under her and stood up again. She picked up the microphone and sang whatever came to mind. “Hope and despair are two sides of the same coin-"

As she continued to sing though, the expressions of everybody listening slowly drained away until they all wore masks of total apathy over their faces.

“This sounds kind of…” Makoto began.
“Yeah it’s totes…” Ibuki continued.
“Whenever my sister tries to play music it always ends up sounding…” Mukuro trailed off.
『Boring.』Kumagawa summarized in one word.

At this, Junko lost her temper and threw the microphone at the ground stomping on it. “Shut up, shut up, shut up, I know. Nobody bores Enoshima Junko-chan more than Enoshima Junko-chan herself.”

Still unable to read the mood at all, Ibuki smiled. “Whoa awesome. Now Junko-chan is copying Ibuki’s refer to herself in the third person gimmick! We’re already getting along so well.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

The moment they had decided upon a battle of the bands, Medaka excitedly dragged Zenkichi away to the gymnasium. She noticed most of the instruments kept on campus had went missing but thought nothing of it as all she needed was a drum set.

Komaeda, Zenkichi and Matsuda stood as her audience. After she took a few minutes to change into a more punk looking outfit, doing her hair up in a side pony, and wearing a cross around her neck as well as a tattered jacket she stood ready at the drums smiling with anticipation.

“What a dream scenario. Who would believe those three amazingly talented idols would form a band up on stage and compete against us in a contest of pure talents. If the battle of the bands is a success everyone will enjoy the cultural festival even more…” Komaeda said, absolutely giddy at the thought of the musical talents facing off.

Yeah… it would be great if they enjoyed this but…” Zenkichi scratched at the back of his head.

Komaeda immediately noticed his lack of enthusiasm. “Hm? You don’t seem too happy about this? Are you afraid of being beaten on stage in front of your superiors in the battle of the bands, Hitoyoshi-kun?”

Zenkichi continued to scratch, averting his eyes slightly from the scene Medaka was about to play. “I’m not against it but… you’ll see, or rather you’ll know when you hear.”

Medaka raised a single stick. “It’s been a while since I played an instrument… 3…. It would be good if my senses… 2… and my skills… 1 haven’t…. DULLED!” She slammed the stick hard on the drum set just once.

Matsuda was the first to react having the sharpest senses of all of them. “Eh… What was that? She only brought her arm down one but it sounded like many sounds overlapping each other like a machine gun? The human ear and brain shouldn’t be able to perceive music that way.”

“She hit in in succession with small hits.. She only swung her arm down once but at the point of impact her wrist hit it five times. Playing while moving her body at sub-light speeds is Medaka-chan’s style.” Zenkichi said looking over to Matsuda.

Matsuda’s expression quickly sank into one of despair. “How can this girl be even more unreal than Junko… that’s not possible right…”

“Looks like there are not problems then yaaaay! Do not tell me to cry!” Medaka said as she started to beat the drums moving so fast that nobody present could make out the movements of her arms.

Komaeda’s hair was blasted back by the force of her drumming, his eyes widening in amazement. “Such godly drumming skills… the drums seem to be dancing… yes this is true hope! No other weak hope will be able to stand up to this kind of drumming they’ll all want to band behind us.”

“No, it’s the opposite Komaeda, just keep listening. You really will understand soon enough.”

Komaeda could not understand what Hitoyoshi was talking about. ‘How can you not be satisfied with such a perfect display of her talent?’ However he soon realized the reason. He was rather observant on his own after all. He did not want to, but he understood. No matter how many times he listened to Kurokami Medaka’s mperfect drumming. Although he thought it was the most amazing drumming ever, althought he thought it was a perfect display of talent, his heart was not emotionally moved by it. He could not even feel hope coming from her music.

Why does it feel like I’m listening to a noiseless explosion? Ah, this reminds me of when I heard Kamakura singing once. My heart isn’t being moved by hope at all, I’m just feeling empty, and filling the blank spaces up with sad thoughts. Komaeda thought as he was overtaken by melancholy.

“To quote my mom when she was making lunch for us today, ‘A tasty dish’ and  a “well made dish’ are different. It’s the same thing, ‘very skilled’ and ‘very enjoyable’ are different. It doesn't have to be horrible but everything needs its perks. All art has a small mistake which gives it its greatness, but Medaka-chan’s ‘perfection’ erases those mistakes and in this case it’s negative.” Zenkichi explained calmly, as the two other boys looked to him in confusion.

“I get it. If you erase all the mistakes and flaws, then it’s very easy to fall into boredom with whatever is left. She’s just another dumb empty headed girl…” Yasuke said, making it obvious that he was thinking about Junko once more.

“In brain surgery it’s good to be as perfect as possible, but if the perfection can’t be calculated with numbers, or can’t be described with words, then it’s no good. Of course if you aren’t skillful then it’s bad, but just being skillful isn’t good either.”

Komaeda still did not understand and stood in complete silence. Even though his life was ruined by too much luck, he did not comprehend the possibility that there could be such a thing as too much talent. Or, he did comprehend it but did not want to lose the ideal that gave him something to strive for.

Matsuda was the first to respond again. “Then, what you’re referring to is the ‘uncanny valley.” That was a term used in robotics, the phenomenon when robots become too human-like but are still non human to be point of being uncanney. That border experiences a dip as it approaches perfection called a valley.

“It seems similar but it’s the exact opposite, it’s more like Medaka-chan is becoming more inhuman.”

“Then, what she lacks isn’t failure, but rather the human element. She’s just an airhead then is that what you’re saying?” Matsuda replied.

“I don’t mean it like that… it’s not like Medaka-chan doesn’t have any musical sense. Medaka-chan has made many ‘artists’ retire. There are people who can understand Medaka-chan’s style, but the reserve course is mostly made up of normal high schoolers. Even though she’s a transfer student, Medaka-chan and the student council have a lot of admirers in a school like Hope’s Peak where the students mostly keep to themselves. If they heard this kind of ‘too good for you’ playing though the community mood that we’re aiming for between the reserve course and the ultimates would suffer. What we want to show isn’t an exhibition but a concert, it’s better to play a more idiotic concert that people will like."

Komaeda listened to the whole speech but could not digest it. All he could observe from it was that Zenkichi really did know Medaka well, dowen to her soul. In fact he probably understood her more than anybody else.

He longed for that kind of understanding, even though he knew there was nothing he could do in his highschool years to masure up to the years before this that Zenkichi and Medaka had spent together.

“So, we can’t have Medaka-chan on the stage. She isn’t the type who will lower her level for the sake of getting along with others.” Zenkichi said as he began to walk forward.

Matsuda thought of Ensohima Junko who would never lower herself to just living out a normal high school life even if the days he spent by her side in their childhood still were unbelievably happy memories for him and scowled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“But to refuse a challenge goes against the student council executve’s code.” Zenkichi cupped his hands at both sides of his face. “Medaka-chan! Can you leave this even to me? The opposing band for the battle of the bands is made up of three people, so just let me choose three people to send you. You’d only get in the way so please withdraw from this Medaka-chan.”

“You’re right… we should fight with three people. But Zenkichi, I love to stand out, so why should I step out of this?”

Zenkichi smiled at her baring all of his teeth like a dog rebelling against his master. “Because you will get in the way so in order to win, step out of this Medaka-chan!”

“W-wait Hitoysohi-kun you should watch what you say. You can’t look down on a superior talent…” Komaeda said, starting to worry.

“Zenkichi… Zenkichi said such a thing to me… You’ve grown! How old are you now? God I’m soo happy! I’m boiling!” Medaka stepped away from the drums, her face blushing bright red and smiling from ear to ear.

I don’t understand them. I don’t understand them at all. Komaeda thought, feeling even more out of place than he had a moment ago.

“Alright, if you say so then I will step down. I have a mountain of things I need to do anyways. I will leave this matter to you, Zenkichi.” She slowly picked up her drumstick and then bent it an illogical way until it completely looped around. “But you must carry the title of the student council executives on your back, I’m not saying don’t lose but… if you lose I will bend all 206 bones in your body ‘like this’ without breaking them.”

Zenkichi merely smiled at this threat. “Devil fine! I am a relebellious spirit, all the bones in my body are already bent!”

It feels like not only Kurokami-san but… even Hitoyoshi-kun enjoys having enemies. Yasuke observed with a tilt of his head. “Medaka-chan, can I talk with you later?” Yasuke Mastuda asked, his eyes suddenly becoming serious and even dropping his usual unpleasant language. “You threatening a stupid looking puppy like Heat like that doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Huh? Sure? Fine.” Medaka did not even seem to perceive that what she had said was a dangerous threat. “You have to tell me then why Zenkichi’s hair suddenly looks so different.”

Zenkichi was the one who spoke up after that. “I shaved it all off a few weeks ago and it grew back… are you seriously telling me you didn’t notice that?” Maybe Yasuke is right when he calls these girls empty headed and inconsiderate. Zenkichi looked to Komaeda next to him and finally noticed how out of it he was. “Komaeda, hey Komaeda!”

“Eh? Uhmmmm? Eh? What?”

“We’re deciding the positions right now so listen. Kumagawa-senpai went off to form his own band to settle things with Sukinasaki-san, and I can ask anshin’in-san to help me learn to play so we have some semblance of a band. I’m sure Yasu is just going to play something that will require him to participate the least.”

“I’ll be the DJ. All you have to do is stand in the back and press a button. I can even read manga while I’m on stage.”

“Yeah, just like I said, but in order to win we need your voice.” Zenkichi leaned forward meeting Komaeda’s eyes even though he usually avoided eye contact. Their faces a few centimeters away he spoke directly as he always did. “You have a voice that everybody needs to hear, both ultimate talents and reserve course understand?”

“N-no way, there’s no way that trash like me could possibly stand on the same stage as talented people.”

“You are not trash, Komaeda. You are no one but yourself, and I want my friend Komaeda to sing along on stage with me.” Zenkichi really was relentless. Komaeda could not understand him at all, even after they had apparently become friends. But it was exactly that relentless quality that made his heart start beating so fast as he silently nodded along to the other.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The alliance had taken a break from not practicing with their instruments and instead brainstorming what kind of band they wanted to be, and Junko and Kumagawa sat in the corner of the room arguing over the lunches that Kumagawa had packed.

“There’s no way any of this is edible.”

『I followed all of the instructions I swear.』

“Really? Because it looks like you melted plastic in the microwave and then tried to serve it to me.”

『Junko-chan you should just do it yourself if you’re always going to complain about the results when you make me run errands for you.』

“I thought you wanted to be useful to me, Kumagawa? After I order you around from the kindness of my heart so you can think you’re a part of my life way this is the thanks I get.”

『Junko-chan I think I’m already a part of your life that’s why we’re sleeping in the same place together.』

“S-stupid! It’s not like being around you sends me into despair, or anything…” She said crossing her arms and looking away from him.

『Why are you switching into tsundere-mode over something like that?』

While they had been fighting, Ibuki hovered around them observing them and slowly getting closer until she boiled over with excitement once more. “What is this? What is happening? You were acting like an old married couple just now!”

“God, can you get any more annoying?” Junko said, dropping the molten looking food that Kumagawa had prepared in the trash and glaring at Ibuki once more.

Ibuki smiled back at her. “Yep!”

Makoto finally put the lunch he had prepared for both Mukuro and himself down and spoke up. “Actually, I have a good idea on who can be our lead singer. It should be Mukuro, I went to Karaoke with her and her voice sounded great and she’s also the type of lowkey personality that won’t take too much attention away from Mioda-san.”

Ibuki turned around, immediately getting in Mukuro’s face and investigating it. “Oooh, the kind of girl who looks like nothing at all but then she gets on stage and starts singing and she has an amazing voice! Ibuki loves that kind of trope we should definitely do this!”

“Wait… what…”Junko blinked as if she could not even see the reality in front of her properly. “Are you saying you’re picking my sister over me for who gets to be center stage? How can you be a rock star Mioda-senpai if you don’t have a functioning pair of eyes or ears.”

“Junko! I’m not trying to steal the spotlight from you. I just think we should go along with what the others think is best so we can cooperate and win together.”

“What’s best is me, obviously. Shouldn’t you know this by now? Hey it’s natural for siblings to compete but have you ever once done better than me in a single thing in your whole life, sis?”

“...No.”

“So what are you suddenly getting a swollen head from? Don’t tell me you really think you’re special now because Makoto believes in you, that you can just leave your poor younger sister behind.”

“No, that’s not it. Junko listen I-”

“This is the thanks I get for trying to lower myself down to your level and cooperate with you guys. Well whatever, we should just disband this naked apron alliance now to spare you from having to put up with anymore of your terrible younger sister-”

“Junko! Grow up already!” Mukuro finally snapped.

“Eh…?” Junko tilted her head, confused that her sister was somehow raising her voice to her.

“Everybody is trying to help you have fun, and you’re the one ruining it! Quit blaming everybody else for what’s wrong with you, that’s what a child does.”

At this, Enoshima Junko’s expression darkened. “How exactly am I supposed to grow up? I’m the younger sister you know…”

Mioda jumped in between them before the fight could get any worse. “Hey, hey it’s no big deal guys. Junko-chan’s just all worked up because she wants to beat Saki-chan on stage, the rival for her love.”

“Will you quit it! I’ve told you guys so many times that Kumagawa and I aren’t dating. If you keep insisting two people are dating when they’re not that’s not cute, that’s not going to push them into dating, you’re just making them uncomfortable. That feeling isn’t even worth despair…” Junko bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. She looked to the bass next to her and picked it up. “You’re right we should get along using these instruments to communicate better, big sis.”

Junko said, just before she picked up the bass  and in a fit of anger slammed it hard down on Mukuro’s head, hard enough to split the bass itself in half. The movement was so sudden nobody could stop her, Makoto could only move quick to catch Mukuro before she fell back. Junko tossed her broken half of the bass to the side. “Whatever… this is boring..” She said in a dull voice that sounded too much like Izuru Kamakura’s. “I’m outtie.”

Kumagawa looked to the hurt Mukuro and storming out Junko for a moment, his eyes racked with indecision.  『Umm… Um… Whatever I’m going after the blonde.』He yelled as he ran after her.

Mukuro cracked open one eye, rubbing her head. “This is my fault. I should be the one going after her not Misogi-chan. I’m Enoshima Junko’s big sister after all.”

Makoto shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I think it’s a great idea for you to be the singer. You are no one but yourself, Mukuro.”

Ibuki fawned over the couple in front of her for a moment before she was overcome with a tremendous feeling of remorse. “This might be Ibuki’s fault. I have really great hearing but for some reason I’m terrible at listening to others.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Junko walked for an immeasurably long time, until her anger boiled over and she found an abandoned booth of anime memorabilia. She kicked, and kicked, and kicked until the booth was entirely destroyed in front of her. “Goodbye garbage anime!” She yelled, trying to enjoy herself from the random destruction.

Behind her a voice squeaked. “No, not again! What are you doing to my anime collection?” Mitarai Ryota appeared, grabbing the sides of his face as he easily fell back again into despair.

“Oh, Mitarai-senpai. Have you been enjoying the school festival so far?” Junko said, ane entirely fake pleasant smile spreading across her face.

Mitarai Ryota tightened his hand in order to stop himself from shaking too much in front of this terror from his past. “Yeah, well I was enjoying it until I saw you again.”

“Wow, somebody’s finally starting to grow a spine. You’re not completely terrified of my presence anymore, good for you.” She said as she walked forward to pat him on the shoulder like they were old friends.

“Th-that’s just because I found somebody even scarier than you.” Ryota said, as he recalled when the shadowy Kumagawa embraced him on the second day of the school festival. He had never felt such a despairful embrace before even when he was kept prisoner by Enoshima Junko. “What did you do to Kumagawa-kun anyway? How’d you brainwash him that well? It’s like his entire existence is despair itself. If you despair ultimately then he despairs perfectly.”

Junko narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t know you were such a big fan. I should tell Kumagawa he has a pathetic little fanboy now.” Junko said, before crossing her arms and averting her gaze again. “I didn’t even do anything to Kumagawa, he just came to me like that. I doubt… all the brainwashing and manipulation in the world could make another person exactly like Kumagawa.”

Ryota leaned in now noticing the complicated expression on Junko’s face. He did not understand other people, or girls, and especially did not understand the girl known as Junko but he felt like saying something. “You said you wanted to make people who only crave despair just like you do… in the end, haven’t you found something like that?”

“No, I haven’t…” In the end, Kumagawa Misogi is going to change. He’ll grow up. He was a different person when he was with Saki, then when he was with me. He’s been changing slowly all this time and I haven’t changed at all, I still plan on enacting my plan to slaughter the whole school and start the killing game.

There was no way somebody like Mitarai could understand such despairing thoughts. There was perhaps no one in the whole earth who could. However, another person just so happened to stumble upon the booth which Junko had destroyed.

“M-mitarai-kun what happened to our anime booth!?” Tsumugi Shirogane cried out in surprise. A moment later though she seemed to forget about the destruction and honed in on Junko instead. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see a model like Enoshima Junko here. Are you interested in cosplay?”

“Uhh… I guess…” Putting on masks and cosplay weren’t really that different to her, and Junko did not particularly want to get chewed out for destroying the booth on a whim. “Who are you exactly?”

“That’s Tsumugi Shirogane. She’s the ultimate cosplayer, she’s going to be attending here next semester with Shuichi, Kokichi and the rest of the 79th class. They let a few students in early for the festival as a way to promote the school… she started talking to me about making a costume of a character from one of my anime projects but… well I guess that’s not going anywher.” Ryota said as he stared at the ruins of his booth.

“You’ve got a bunch of clothes and wigs here… Did you really make ‘em all?”

Tsumugi raised one of her fingers. “Yeah, I did. I actually like making cosplay more than I like wearing it.”

Junko recalled many of her useless internet searches from times in the past where she tried to relieve her boredom. “I’ve seen you online, you got big a few months ago. Actually it was right around the time Kumagawa transferred. You do wear them, right? It’s like you become those characters. I wonder if someone like you… could become more like someone than even themself.”

As usual, Junko seemed to understand the person in front of her more than they understood themselves in an instant. However, Tsumugi seemed distressed at these accusations and waved her arms around. “Please don’t be msitaken! COsplay is different from disguises! In my case, I can only do fictional characters!”

“Hmm… then if I was a character from something, you could cosplay me?” She said, leaning in to observe the other with red eyes. Maybe I should dial it back a little with the fourth wall shit before I start sounding like Ajimu.

“Of course. You’d be quite a flashy character to cosplay, Junko…” The nervous Shirogane, suddenly looked her straight in the eyes.

Junko did not notice this change too busy thinking of herself. “Of course, my design is so marketable, if I were fictional I’d probably be the most cosplayed character in the whole world.”

“It’d probably be fun figuring how to do the makeup just like you and making a wig. Oh, and you’re a model I’d probably get fired up studying model poses.”

“I see… If I was going to have you become me, I’d want you to have that much passion. I wish that a certain disappointing big sister would try a little harder.” Junko sighed, looking off in the distance.

Before she could continue her conversation, she heard footsteps behind her and the sounds of people hurriedly getting out of the way and avoiding him. THe only person who could make that much noise was Kumagawa. “There’s that loser man of mine finally.” She said looking back to him.

Because she was paying attention to Kumagawa she did not notice the obvious scowl that had crawled upon Tsumugi's face. Even if she had she would not have thought much of it. It was only natural to scowl in Kumagawa’s presence.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kumagawa and Junko found a place to talk alone, but the moment they were alone both of them forgot how to do this whole talking thing.

Junko remembered the conversations she had had through the past few weeks. Grow up. You could at least throw them a bone once in awhile. You’re too fussy. She reached into her pocket and clamped her clawed hand around a rabbit charm she had bought while thinking of him. It was not like there was no part of her that did not want to just do these things normally.

She fundamentally could not. She could not change herself without full on giving herself a lobotomy, and even then some portion of her original personality remained intact. That annoying me had to get in the way and insist I keep on being me. Wait, wasn’t I the one who planned for that though? I need to stop referring to myself in the third person while splintering myself at the same time this will get confusing otherwise.

Everything was a plan or scheme, everything was a performance, and thus the real Enoshima Junko never existed in the first place. Yet, there was that boy next to her who desperately wanted to see that real her anyway. “Kumagawa, can I hold your hand?” She finally asked, looking at him with an almost completely out of character childish innocence to her eyes.

『Yeah. They’re yours, aren’t they?』

“Even if your hands didn’t belong to me, would you still let me hold them?”

『I’ll give them to you as much as you want.』He said as he held his hand out to her.

“You’re going to regret saying that.” Junko said, taking it.

『You should apologize to Mukuro-chan.』

“I should apologize to a lot of people, doesn’t mean I’m gonna.” Kumagawa sighed, but he did not let go of her hand. After a few minutes of them akwardly standing there alone, Junko finally spoke up again. “I was right your hands are too sweaty.”

『Then just let go!』

“I dun wanna!”

At that point Mioda Ibuki finally caught up to the both of them. She stumbled in upon them holding hands and arguing again but this time she did not immediately jump to the conclusion she did earlier. Unlike Junko some people could actually learn. “

“Hey, sorry for all that stuff earlier. Ibuki thinks she was projecting her desires onto the two of you. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic couple but… I’ve always dreamed of somebody to play music with who trusts me as much as I trust them.”

“What?” Junko said, tilting her head.

“I mean… you play too perfectly and Misogi-chan plays too imperfectly right? So if you played together wouldn’t that even the both of you out? That’s why I think you should just be on percussion with Misogi-chan instead of trying to be center stage.”

“... Our sound is going to be a little complicated if we do that.”

“Who cares? We were never going to sound good to begin with! I think we should just go full grunge and try to sound terrible on purpose at this point!”

Junko sighed, at Ibuki who was trying too hard to make up for her past mistakes. “Mioda-senpai you know I’m the reason you were in the hospital, right? Even if Kumagawa erased your memories from back then the despair I caused you has to remain. I haven’t changed at all from the person I was back then either, I’d probably throw you right into despair again. You should stop trying to get along with me it’s tiresome.”

“Huh?” At this Ibuki swung her head back and forth. “What does it matter what you did it the past? Or whether I remember it or not? Cause… Junko-chan is already standing right here. You’re like one of those musicians that always disappears trying to find yourself… but your true self doesn’t actually existing anywhere. There’s no way you can’t change, because you change every day don’t you?”

“Did you just say something smart?” Junko said, genuinely astounded her expectations were surpassed.

“Juuuuust kidding! Ibuki was trying to say things she wouldn’t normally say!”

Kumagawa tugged at her hand.  『Well I think we should just go along with whatever strange wavelength she’s riding on. There’s no way we can win against Zenkichi, not to mention Sukinasaki-san and a professional idol group. So, just this once why don’t you take a page from my book and try losing in style? C’mon, it’ll be fun.』

“Mmmm…Sure. Why not? Only if we get to make the audience taste true despair with our sound!”

『I'm already starting to feel pity for whatever we're going to subject that audience too.』

Chapter 42: A Love Song for You

“Everyone it’s a festival, dance!”

Kurokami Medaka dressed in her cheering uniform shouted loud enough for the entire school to hear her. The roars of the reserve course and the ultimate talents mixed together for their first ever shared school festival.

While she waited alone in the tents after the kickoff of the final day a voice called out to her.

“Yo, Kurokami. For an empty headed bitch you sure are good with your words,” Somebody who was not at all good with words called out to her.

She turned her head to see Yasuke Matsuda, wearing a dirty school uniform and a loose fitting tie as usual. “Third year Matsuda! You came to talk just like I said.”

“Don’t call me third year I shouldn’t even be in this school anymore. It’s all that damn hag’s fault for her meddling.”

“Haha! That’s right you’re on Ajimu’s side right? I know we’re busy fighting but for now we can stay and relax, right? “ She said, leaning over the desk with one hand and turned to face her.

“No, it’s a shame but I am only staying for a bit. I made a promise to Kamakura later to help him with something. I need to find something to do after the election is through and that hag has no use for me.” Damn, why is she acting so friendly? Yasuke knew that Medaka and Junko were entirely different people. Ajimu would not let him live without pointing this out to him several times, but the similarities and the differences they both only served to frustrate him. “You should stop…”

“Stop what?”

“Just stop your fight with Zenkichi. If things go too far and one of you gets hurt it will be a result that nobody can take back. You shouldn’t enjoy it, you shouldn’t enjoy fighting against somebody you love. That’s really no better than enjoying despair.” Yasuke crossed his arms, and looked away.

“Hey, third year Matsuda, I don’t know the whole story but… that Junko of yours do you ever regret that she was born?”

“What…”

“It’s because she was born that you suffered greatly, right? Because a brilliant and inhuman person was born, she could not understand others and therefore all she ever did was walk all over others. As if she was born just to prove that their efforts, their hopes for a better future, it was all worthless. Do you think she feels like that?”

“I… it sure ended up that way. I don’t know how she feels anymore though, I thought I once did but…”

“That girl isn’t a human being, just like Ajimu, and just like me. I guess I can’t fault her for not even wanting to bother to pretend to be human though, after all Zenkichi never showed up for her when she was two years old and gave her a purpose in life. As to your question though I can’t answer them, any of them.”

He un-crossed his arms and got closer. It was a strange sight, the Medaka that Zenkichi described at the one that he had observed was peerless, indomitable. “What do you mean? Aren’t you the girl who knows everything?”

“I only know what’s been explained to me and what I’ve experienced. So, when you warn me about hurting a person who you love I can’t understand how it feels. In sixteen years of life, nobody has ever looked at me like a woman. There was Miyakonojou but he gave up on me as soon as he saw I was superior. Kumagawa confessed to me in front of the whole school it was embarrassing but, he only saw me as a savior and I only saw him as a human being. Then there was Kouki but he only misinterpreted his feelings. Being separated from the student council due to his injuries must have caused him to realize that.”

“No, Kurokami I meant…” He thought about it for a moment and realized she might be completely oblivious to Zenkichi’s affections. It was a level even beyond Junko who only cared about despair and only used his own feelings for despair. Those feelings never even reached Medaka in the first place. Was it better or worse? He did not know. “Nevermind. I guess you don’t have time for silly things like romantic comedies. Hey, you have to know Junko is a threat by now, why haven’t you dealt with her yet? You don’t seem to be the type to procrastinate.”

She put her hand on her hip, and looked away from him pausing. “...I’ve just had my birthday. I am now sixteen years old. It has been decided that when I’m twenty years old, I will succeed as the president of the Kurokami group. That means I only have four years left, when that time comes I will probably be a different person from now. So for a little longer please let me be myself. I really enjoy this very much, this so called springtime of youth.”

“I see. I thought I was lecturing some idiot, but really all I did was spout unnecessary bullshit.” Yasuke ran a hand through his hair, unable to look at Medaka’s smile directly. “You know right now, the strong guys and the weak guys, the great ones and the failures, the good guys and the bad guys, people who understand and people who don’t, the ultimates and the reserve course they’re all intermixing because of you. This place is just a research institution but right now… it feels like a school.”

I can’t blame her. I can’t blame her for wanting to cling to the current moment even if it means repeating the same mistake that I made… Hey, I just came here to follow you, I didn’t connect with anybody inside my class, I didn’t make any precious memories but… for some reason… I don’t regret coming to this school Junko.

“Hey, third year Matsuda is the reason you want me to deal with Junko because you want her to be saved as well? Do you want her to join in this school like atmosphere.”

“...”

“Well, as I said before I can’t answer things I don’t know the answer to. I don’t know what Junko thinks, or what she would say at a time like this. I feel like the one you really want to talk to is her, right?”

“...Yeah. It’s going to be a pain in the ass when I do, though. I probably won’t get anything out of it.” I want to try and be more like Zenkichi and Kumagawa though. Not for the sake of despair, not for the sake of hope, just to follow these feelings inside of me. “The atmosphere is too nice right now though. After the school election I’ll talk to her. You’re right… we should just remain high school students for a little longer.”

Hands in his pockets, Yasuke Matsuda walked away. As he did he caught a glance of a trio of girls walking by him. One of them as she walked, sharpened her fangs with a metal file the same way one might file their nails.

Weirdo. He thought, as he made his way back to Zenkichi and Komaeda.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

"Doesn't it seem like there are more people than when we perform individually? The student council seems really popular... My pride as a pro is hurt," The bandmate in pigtails said.

"There are a number of people here that don't have any interest in music, anime and idols. Those people came here because of the student council. Isn't it our job to draw in even those people?" The girl in the moose hoodie put a hand on the railing as she looked to her other bandate. "What's wrong Sukinasaki? Is there someone you know?"

She looked at the fleeting image of Kumagawa for a moment, pulling her medical mask back over her mouth. "...There are many dangerous people in this crowd. Drawing them in is going to be difficult."

As a group she could see them clearly. Yasuke, Maguro, Koga, Munakata, Komaeda, and Shiranui were all hanging out before the show, like they were just a normal group of friends and not in an alliance with a woman trying to take over the school.

Similiarly in a different end of the crowd, Toko, Togami, Shuuji, Takumi and Kokichi all played around with each other like they were normal students and not elites and not unstable and dangerous people.

Both groups had a similiar question on their mind. 

Who is Kurokami Medaka?

Koga looked excitedly at the set list in front of her. Three groups, Japan Jack, Medaka Box and finally Kumagawa's Group which had not decided on a name yet were going to play right in a row.

"Looks like the student council goes afterwords. Playing after the professionals is hard! I wonder what kinda perforamnce they're going to do!" Koaga said excitedly. 

"But to start a band to win over Kurokami. That Hitoyoshi-kun is pushing his luck to the breaking point..." Komaeda muttered. Behind him, Shiranui looked to the side and sipped from an extra large soda drink. 

Koga turned her head when she noticed Munakata stepping forward. "Asexual. It describes someone who does not have feelings of love toward any gender. I think... that Kurokami-san is asexual. When Miyaknojou brainwashed Kurokami-san didn't he fail to get her to fall for him? If Kurokami-san wasn't capable of falling in love in the first place that would explain everything." He closed his eyes looking completely resigned. "Truthfully I don't like the way things are going. The road that Hitoyoshi-kun is following will only lead to sadness."

"Messiah complex..." Naze suddenly spoke up. "When a person feels they must help others, I think Kurokami has a messiah complex." She crossed her arms, the scarf she wore in her casual wear falling over her crossed arms. "You attribute this to those who feel they must exact their own feelings of justice. They feel that they only have worth if they help other people. Even though they might not become happy. I helped another person ->That person is happy so I do it-> That is why I am happy... These are the three things that they believe. They make themselves think that because other people are happy, they themselves are happy it's quite easy to understand what this is about."

She thought of her sister who allowed her to inject her with poison. Who allowed her to brainwash her. Who forgave her without even needing apology. There was only one way to explain why her sister had been so good to an ungrateful older sister. "In order to become a great person I must have a harsh past, the harsher the more unhappy I was, the happier I was. Even a person like me who thought that, can easily understand this."

At the thought of his two sisters, Kurokami Maguro worried but chose to say nothing. "...."

"I'm not really hoping that all goes well between Kurokami and Hitoyoshi, but I believe that things are going well. I think this really will bring happiness to Kurokami Medaka."

Koga who looked like she had been boiling over with anticipation finally spoke up. "Chronostasis! The phenomenon where the second hand on a clock seems to stop for longer than a second..."

"No, Koga-chan! We're not playing name that phenomenon! Or do you actually believe Kurokami is like that. At this point it's not just the lock that slows down for her... Time seems to stop for her."

Who is Enoshima Junko

"This is a detested gamble that Kumagawa is making, believing Enoshima can just participate in school activities normally like this..." Togami said as he readjusted his glasses.

From behind him clinging to his sleeve, Toko spoke up. "Sadist! It describes someone who has a tendnecy to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification from inflicting pain and humiliation on others."

"Toko, really we're in public."

"Are you going to say that kind of talk is best left for the bedroom?"

"No, please don't talk to me at all."

Toko shook her head suddenly. "No, no I was talking about Enoshima Junko. If you enjoy yourself too much, too much unchecked pleasure quickly becomes sadism. She probably, lived too happy, too spoiled a life and because of that her happiness overflows the boundaries and causes pain to others." She reached forward and adjusted her own glasses to mirror Togami, trying to look smart. "Considering that Kumagawa-kun is a total masochist though, he must believe himself weirdly suited for her. He might be a bit too naive... those two aren't a s and m soul mates like me and master. They're just two people who met by coincidence right?"

"God complex." Togami spoke up again, leaning away from her. "The god complex is defined as a psychological state of mind in which a person genuienly believes they are above others or society. A god complex is an unshakeable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility."

"I thought we were talking about Enoshima Junko, not yourself To! Ga! Mi!" Kokichi said, smiling at both of them. 

"Tch, brat! Why did Enoshima stick us on middle schooler baby sitting duty? There are several things that are more worth my time, quite literally." 

"Awe, c'mon Master! Consider this warm up for the fourteen kids we're going to have to raise by ourselves. Besides they're kind of cute. Especially the ones that are all murdery."

"That's nice coming from you, murder-senpai!" Takumi smiled, looking up at her with genuine admiration.

"That's terrible coming from you, murderous-bitch-senpai," Shuuji on the other hand scowled. 

The two of them had been clinging together like this for quite some time, as if the presence of one neutralized the other, or perhaps they were just working on a two person comedy routine. 

"Geocentrism! Also known as the ptolemaic system, is an old description of the universe with the Earth at the center!" Kokichi said, jumping up in the air and raising his hand. "I'm lonely without Monaca, I want to play name the phenomenon too!" 

"We're not playing such a game!" Togami snapped at him, before looking out at the crowd. "Unless you seriously believe that she thinks that way, not just the world, but the whole universe revolves around Enoshima Junko."

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

 『Hmm, what is it Monaca-chan? Did you come back here looking for an autograph?』Kumagawa Misogi was stopped from the corner where he was sitting and told to stop helping set things up because every time he tried to help, he only ended up knocking things down and making things harder for everyone.

"Don't even joke about that, I don't want your name on anything at I own Naked Apron-senpai." Monaca said. She had been forced to wear more casual clothes as this was the one day a year students did not wear uniforms, but borrowing from Kokichi meant she was wearing a T shirt with a stupid clown face on it. 

『Did you want something from me then?』He tilted his head curious. 

"No!"

『Okay I'm going then! Have a nice day!』

She immediately grabbed onto his arm possessively the exact same way that Junko did. He turned around tilting his head in the exact same way as he had before. Kumagawa barely understood people, or girls, so asking him to understand a child even tough he mentally was one was too much for him. 

"Everybody's finally enjoying themselves but... Monaca still can't smile and I feel like Big Sis feels the same way."

『...Ah』

"You want everybody to smile right? Even if they're the worst villain, an evil overlord, or a final endgame boss right? So, if you make Big Sis Junko smile Monaca will think you're a little less worthless."

『Well then, I have to for sure so I can finally be admired by my cute kouhai. It's a promise.』

"I said only a little bit! Tiny! Marginal!"

He reached out and patted her on the head, messing up her green hair. Normally it was a contact that would disgust her, but she allowed it just this once. 『You're a good little sister, but you're the youngest one as well so it's okay if you want to be a brat. Ah, well you're already a brat but you don't have to worry about Junko-chan so much... I'm bad at phrasing these things aren't I?』

"You sure are, naked apron senpai! In fact you're bad at everything please never talk to me again."

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Wooooow, you’d never qualify as a main character Naegi-kun but you make a pretty good pack mule.” Junko said, applauding as Makoto struggled to carry a speaker. It was just a little above what the average amount of weight somebody his age was expected to be able to carry so for him it was a herculean effort.

“Junko, you know you could help.” Makoto said, not even bothering to disguise the annoyance in his voice.

“Or I could make things worse, and the latter is always more fun for me.” She put a finger on her lips and dragged her bottom lip out, smearing her lipstick slightly. “You know liiiiiiiiike, it was so sweet how you want to put your cute little girlfriend out in the spotlight, Makoto. I bet you wouldn’t feel that way if you knew all of what she had done.”

“I know…”

“Hey, I’m intentionally trying to sabotage your relationship here you shouldn’t make it that easy for me!” Junko snapped, slamming her boot against the ground in a miniature tantrum, before she got bored of doing that and got over it. “Come on fight for your love.”

“No thanks.” Engaging Enoshima Junko was just a guarantee of defeat after all. He thought for a moment that perhaps she really was best dealt with like a bratty younger sister. “I don’t want to know anymore. Everything that Mukuro did in the past, what she was going to do to us our classmates, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Wow, you didn’t seem like the type to be all ‘Let’s not talk about our problems’ isn’t that off message? Ajimu worked really hard to put me into this current narrative hell you know where we all hold hands and talk about or feelings or some bullshit.”

Makoto’s policy was always to be honest, even when he knew he would regret it. It was a flaw but he hoped at least that Mukuro could forgive him for it. “The moment that Mukuro tells me everything, when all her sins are off her shoulders I have this feeling that she’s going to disappear and die. Like her penance will be to kill herself once she’s confessed...I can’t let that happen. Even if it means just being an oblivious idiot like usual I don’t care anymore.” Makoto put the speaker down and picked up his bass guitar instead. The instrument that was best for supporting others.

He wondered if he was still staying true to his character right now. If he was doing this for others, or for himself. Forgive me for this small amount of selfishness.

“There’s no way that’s going to end well, you know…” Junko said, her voice shifting into something more serious lacking its usual teenage mannerisms.

“Junko, I think Kumagawa and Mukuro are both the same. That time in the student council battle, that time against Yasuke, that time where you killed him. All three of his deaths he killed himself right in front of you, right? I don’t think he’s actively suicidal but he probably doesn’t see much worth in his own life if he’s willing to do something like that.” Makoto picked up a keychain from his pocket, a wolf one that he had once given to Mukuro. He had a matching one now. “The’re completely empty on the inside, that’s why if they don’t have something to chain themselves too, they’ll disappear and die. That must be why they both worship you so much too…”

He looked at Junko who had gotten bored and started staring off into the distance. “Are you even listening? Whatever… it’s worthless trying to talk to you. Let’s just have fun and forget about all the fucked up stuff that transpired until now, Kumagawa erased it with all fiction anyway.” He left dragging his bass guitar behind him.

Junko waited in the long silence. Then, a smile spread across her supposedly bored face. “No, I think you’re right Naegi-kun. Kumagawa wants to be chained to me and I’m willing to accept that because… because…” She picked up the rabbit keychain from her pocket and raised it far above her head. “I’m sure that those chains once formed, when they break… something amazing will happen.”

Before she could get into the swing of monologueing to herself though, she saw the back of Kumagawa crossing her in the hallway. Strange though, he was not wearing the uniform that he always wore pitch black of Fish Tank academy. Instead he just wore a plain white T, and carried something wrapped up in his arms.

Perhaps it was none of her business, but that was not going to stop Enoshima Junko from eavesdropping anyway.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“So? Why are you here Kumagawa? You seem way too into participating in the springtime school life of your youth to come make fun of me.”

『Haha, you’re angry when I avoid you, and you question me when I confront you some people are impossible to please. I suppose that’s my fault though, Saki-chan.』He held one hand on his hip and gestured out with his other hand, as if to hold it out to her.  『You came all this way to this strange school for eccentric elites to see me again, so I wanted to return the favor.』

He knew. “Shit… You’re not a student of Fish Tank anymore and neither am I you know. So why are you still carrying around that uniform?”

Kumagawa looked to the side avoiding the subject for a moment. His uniform jacket he always wore on him, he had it bundled in his hands around something like the wrapping of a bocquet. The three other members in the room looked around awkwardly.

The one wearing a moose hood the singer of the group suddenly headed towards the door. “Oh yeah I forgot. Ryota wanted to talk to me about the acoustics on stage. Anyway make yourself at home. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about with Sukinasaki.”

The voice actor sat eating the snacks she had been provided by the school before the show. While she munched away both Kumagawa and Saki stood there awkwardly glancing at each other.

Until finally saki snapped. “He! Get the hell out of here hachininngatake! Take a hint and get out of here!”

The voice actor fell back in her chair. “Huh? What are you suddenly getting mad for?”

When she had left, Saki drew up an empty chair. She sat into it, and immediately swung one leg over the other. “...So? What did you really come here for? You’re not the type to actually confront your problems I at least remember that about you.”

Kumagawa Misogi laughed carelessly.  『Ahahahaha! I suppose I deserved that. If it were up to me I would have just avoided you the whole cultural festival. To get to the point, this is gonna be a bit about the past. Do you remember my skill all fiction?』

“Uh? Yeah that thing that makes it so everything didn’t happen or some whatever thing like that right? What about that magic trick.”

『It’s the reason you’ve forgotten your memories, but, I was going to offer to get on my hands and knees to beg Ajimu Najimi to bring your memories back. She’s the kind of existence that can even redo things that have been undone by all fiction.』

“What are you offering a chance at atonement? Quit it, it’s not like you. Some admirable desire like that isn’t gonna last long anyways.”

『Yup… I wanna say something like ‘I’ve finally found a home at Hope’s Peak after transferring to so many schools’ but the truth is if I get bored I’m just going to quit again. Who knows how long this unnaturally chummy atmosphere of the academy will last. So how about it, before I get bored and while you’re still here… let’s remember the precious days of our youth.』

“Why?”  She asked, scowling at him.

『Because I love you. I loved the time we spent together. They were precious memories to me, so I want to restore them to you again and ask you to go out with me.』At this Kumagawa Misogi undid his uniform jacket and held out a bocquet of screws in front of her.

She turned around to look at him, her eyes looking at sharp as her teeth. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

『...Fast response. I thought you’d say that.』

“Are you an idiot confessing to an idol? You trying to mend the damages, it’s annoying and pushy. So what if another ability can fix it, there are some things that can’t be undone. I’m sure it’ll catch up to you sooner or later.” She said standing up from her chair again. “Reformed or not, you’re still just a guy who does whatever he wants. Even if sometimes you happen to get good results if your intentions never align with them, you’re still vicious and evil to the core.”

『Well to tell the truth that’s exactly what I expected. Most of the time when I apologize to people they don’t even want to see my face, and when I speak my true feelings I just make others sick..』

“Heh… I’m not surprised your unliked. All of my memories aren’t gone you know, all I forgot about was how our confrontation ended. BUt if you’re standing right here, then my trap to kill you must have failed and I fucking lost to you.”

『Saki-chan you didn’t lose.』He said, as he put the bocquet aside on one of the dressing tables and turned around with his hand in his pocket like always.  『Alright, alright before you call security on me and call me a stalker I’ll leave. Sorry for disturbing you, it was nice talking to you after such a long time.』

“Wait, Kumagawa…” He turned his head around for just a moment. “Good luck at the show, I hope it’s a good loss. For some reason I feel like it’s the last time we’ll be seeing each other.”

『......................』 Kumagawa said nothing in return. He simply walked out and looked to the side to see Enoshima Junko had been eavesdropping on him.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Look up, Kumagawa. To the white clouds, the clear skies… and all the couples milling about before your eyes enjoying the school festival.” Junko said, as both her and Kumagawa sat just outside where the stage was being set up watching the rest of the festival pass them by.

Enoshima Junko kicked her legs from where she was sitting, absolutely giddy with despair. “Even as countless boys all over the world are experiencing love at this very moment, there’s no a single girl who would choose you, huh? God just isn’t fair you know.” Junko covered her hand with her mouth, as laughter started to leak out from the cracks in her current persona. “Upupupfffffft. Upupfffffftttt! Are you kidding me, did any part of you think that would go well? You looked so stupid, Senpai. If word of this gets out the whole school is going to think you’re a creep!”

Kumagawa simply looked on at the crowd smiling as he usually did. Junko felt agitated by his lack of reaction and pinched at one of his cheeks. “You’re supposed to feel despair right now! Come on, being a sad sack of human misery  is like the only thing you’re good for.”

『I am in despair isn’t it obvious?』Kumagawa said as he kept smiling at her even as Junko pulled his cheek to make his expression beyond recognition. 『I wanted her to turn me down. Going to see her again wasn’t an attempt at redemption it was just my own selfishness. I wanted to feel that uniqueness of hers. That uniqueness that is so different from Medaka-chan and Anshin’in-san. Back then, I wanted to find someone who could beat Anshin’in-san. I thought she could be the one. Even with  『Error Message Plate.』her personality was so striking, having the guts to use me as her pawn and all. The suicida tendencies of Anshin’in-san that can’t be stopped even with bookmaker, I hoped Saki-chan would be the one to stop it but… that too was just me running away again.』

“When you’re so honest about your pathetic feelings it makes it hard for me to hurt you with them.”

『Yes, that is the point my dear Junko-chan.』

“I’m just going to beat Anshin’in-san to get her out of my way. I don’t care really about your personal feelings for her.”

『I know.』

“Hey, you should fight back a little more, otherwise it’s uninteresting!”

『I will win. This time I won’t lose anybody, Medaka-chan, Anshin’in-san, and especially not you. 』

“You realize the moment that Anshin’in-san is out of the way I’m going to destroy the world right? The first school that you’ve spent more than a month in in three years will disappear too.”

『That’s fine. I don’t mind my three years of traveling because I got to meet you. If the world gets devoured by despair, I won’t mind either as long as you don’t disappear on me.』

“Oho, is that a confession?”

『I’ve confessed to you several times already Junko-chan you’re the one whose never responded. You haven't even rejected me yet you just keep me hanging.』

“That’s because it’s more fun that way, to watch you dance around on your little puppet strings.” Kumagawa was about to retort with something when he noticed Junko standing up next to him. He saw her red clawed hand offered out to him. “That’s why… if you’re going to dance anyway then let’s dance together. Let’s dance like the world is going to end tomorrow.”

Kumagawa felt something foreboding about the whole scene, but that was how he had lived his whole life up until this point. He knew every road he took, would lead to a loss eventually. A loss he could not stand. A loss he fought back against but failed to stop in the end. A loss that meant losing a part of himself. He was so accustomed to loss that he was able to ignore that feeling.

In that moment he just wanted to take Junko’s hand, that was all he cared about. Like the first time they danced in the rain together. He just wanted to laugh and enjoy his youth again. While the two of them started to spin around each other in a terrible dance half resembling a tango that Junko led, the music started in the background.

“God that Japan Jack band sounds weird.”

『Junko-chan be nice and respectful to your compettitors.』

“Nah I’m gonna tear them all to pieces and eat them. He, Kumagawa stop grabbing my wrist so hard it hurts don’t you know how to treat a lady?”

『I see that knife you’re holding. Don’t you know hot to dance with somebody without trying to stab them..』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As Japan Jack began their set, in the middle of the crowd ignoring all of them Kumagawa and Junko danced by. Two of the people they happened to dance by, wearing casual wear  that they were allowed to wear on the final day of the festival was Kurokami Medaka and Ajimu Najimi.

“May I stand here… Medaka-chan?”

“Ajimu Najimi… you seem to have more freedom with your clothes, and your limbs.”

“Ufufufufu of course. It’s all thanks to that useless girl Junko spoiling Kumagawa-kun.” She looked back and saw them dancing in the middle of the crowd and her expression suddenly became much more tired. “Though, I wish those two could be a little less shameless together. Oh well, the last one isn’t coming out so easily. It’s as strong as the seal on tartarus. By the way are those clothes a disguise?”

While Ajimu Najimi was wearing her usual hair back in a ribbon she wore a light blouse that exposed her shoulders and a short skirt, the complete opposite of the traditional wear she usually wore. However, Medaka’s outfit stood out more, as she wore loose fitting pants and a large hoodie the kind that hip hop artists would wear. She reached up and gripped the brim of her baseball cap. “Not a disguise but the proper attire. If Zenkichi’s concert goes bad then there’s a plan B. When that happens I will go up on stage and breakdance. I will dance with background music ti will at least keep the crowd interested.”

Ajimu gave a relaxed smile. “Good idea, but there’s no need. I made sure to train Hitoyoshi-kun really well, and… Kumagawa always does something interesting in the end. So sit and relax Medaka-chan. Cheer them on… this is why bystanders like you are so..”

The first set of entertainers had already taken the stage. Kiyoterae, Japan Jack. They did something eccentric as expected of them. The middle had a timpani instead of a drumset, Zomeki instead of a bass guitar had a double bass cello and Sukinasaki Saki played with a huge tuba.

A classical band, with no reason for being that way at all they simply wanted to do something unexpected.

“They’re okay I guess…” Ajimu Najimi sighed. “They were able to get rid of the stigma of being the away tea by surprising everybody, but what are they going to do with the lowest sounds in the drums and the bass and string family.”

A girl who was able to sing like a piano, a girl who could play a double bass cello like she was happily rocking out on a bass guitar. Their cheerful eccentricity seemed to draw everybody in, even the painfully normal reserve course students.

“Has your appetite increased, you consumers? Then you may eat m!” Saki called out, before putting her everything into playing that tuba of hers.

“The tuba is the hardest out of all the brass instruments, and it’s not really meant for classical music, so you can’t ‘trick’ the audience. However, she is able to get her feelings across more than sounds. Her feelings reached the crowd’s hearts, and they’ll cheer for her.” Ajimu stopped for a moment noting a strange hint of melancholy to the classical music being paid. “She must have gone through a breakup recently… what a somber note-”

“Why do you keep talking over the music?” Medkaa asked, looking to the side at the girl who was leaning against the same wall she was.

Ajimu answered her with a friendly smile. “I’m narrating, duh. Now, I wonder if this hurts the ears of Medaka-chan whose music is respected but not enjoyed. It must be impossible for you to achieve that kind of performance that pleases the audience.”

Medaka pulled her cap over her face. “That’s true. There’s no way I can perform that way even if I do a handstand. I’ve been wondering about this, they seem focused on surprising the audience but… maybe it would have been better if they just played normally. It’s not like I’m saying eccentric, mysterious things are bad… I enjoy them too.. And people like that too… but why do I get the feeling that it won't last forever.”

Ajimu eyed Junko who was currently yelling at Kumagawa for stepping on one of her toes. As somebody immortal who lasted forever though, she did not have an answer to the others question. It seems there are some things that even a narrator does not know, even an especially exception and unbiased narrator.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

As they waited for the next band to get onstage, Ajimu Najii looked to the middle of them and noticed a third person in between them. “You really are talented if you managed to sneak up on us, Kamakura-senpai.”

Izuru Kamakura, who had also stuck around this school far longer than necessary crossed his arms together. As they watched, Yasuke Matsuda stepped on stage. The only people that seemed to be anticipating him were several students from the reserve course. All of them girls who found that despite his constant bad attitude and scowl, he had a handsome face.

He walked up to the back of the stage, and pressed a single button before raising his manga volume to his head. Despite how low effort his performance looked, suddenly an explosion of sound reverberated and crashed down like lightning.

“They do studies on which music the brain responds to most, you know. He must have custom designed this tune using digital media with that in mind.” Ajimu said as the crowd first looked confused by the sudden presence of electronica, but then slowly began to get into it. “He looks aloof and like he doesn’t give a damn while secretly giving it his all. That’s the kind of guy Yasuke-chan is. I was wondering how he would react to not being under Junko-chan’s thumb anymore but it’s reassuring that my worries were groundless. He looks fine… no even better like he has something to look forward to for the first time in awhile. Did you do have anything to do with that?”

She looked past Kamakura to Medaka. She shook her head. “I haven’t done a thing. I just said some stupid and self righteous things as usual.”

Kamakura finally spoke up. “I’m really proud. I hated all of the scientists who raised me, but I’m proud of the fact that there was a time I considered that man a father.”

“Wahahahaha, ufufufu. That’s true. I think you inherited his worst qualities though, Kamakura-senpai. Both you and him can’t forget the love you held in the past. Love is like that, you confess, and you don’t. You get happy, you get mad. You get lovey dovey, you hate. You get rejected and you reject. You break up, you forget, you fight, you lose interest. It all ends and you think back about it.”

As she spoke that incredibly appropriate narration, both Komaeda and Zenkichi walked up on stage.

“Hey it’s Hitoyoshi! The usurper who always protects the president! The guard dog who became the opposition! The hero even if he changed sides.”

Several voices cried out, even acknowledging talentless Zenkichi’s presence.

“Hey it’s that annoying guy Komaeda who won’t leave me alone.” One ultimate talent called out for Koameda, and Komaeda felt honored just to be remembered.

In the crowd, Kaga pointed at the both of them holding onto microphones. “Hey, why does Hitoyoshi have a mic? Does this mean this is a dual vocal? But after seeing that performance without the mic it won’t look very good. Or is this some kind of plan?”

Naze put her hands back behind her head. “Plan? He doesn’t have a plan, Koga-chan. Since Hitoyoshi is too stupid to have on. He goes with pure effort.”

The moment that Komada began to sing, Zenkichi was right behind him. He pulled out a harmonica and perfectly harmonized to amplify the sound of Komaeda’s voice.

“I wish I meet the biggest hope, glistens more than others which, I want to see a desire that glistens more than anyone else”

“I love, and want to understand him more than anyone else, more, more than anyone else.”

“I have no need for worthless things, anything ordinary and oring. What meaning is there to words that will neither be deadly poison nor cure?”

“I don’t care if nobody understands me. It’ll only take on second for the world of our  『Beliefs』 to fall apart, after all. I 『believe』 that hope will overcome despair and shine. And will offer my pulsating heart for the sake of that brillaince. I’ll tear apart my chest, until the very last drop, trickles down and wets my lips.”

“Ordinary and boring people are the majority because the world is filled with weaklings.You can only make a giant killing once you stand before the abyss of despair.”

“There’s no way for everyone to soar, because the world of our  『beliefs』is cruel and takes but a second to change. Believing that hope will overcome despair and shine. When drinking poison poured into a glass will you drink it immediately or throw it away?”

“I  『believe』 that hope will overcome despair and shine, and will offer my pulsating heart for the sake of that brilliance. I’ll tear apart my chest until the very last drop courses through my body and overwhelms me.”

Ajimu Najimi listened impartially while the crwod responded. “What a strange song. Normally people reject such ugly sounding feelings, but… the harmonica is made to support the mood. Of course it’s a fine instrument on its own, but when a person like Hitoyoshi-kun who works well with partners, plays it, it’s on a whole different level. Hitoyoshi-kun’s role in this concert is tuning the chords of his friends. In other words the maestro, he draws out the skills of his friends 200%.” She closed her eyes letting the music carry her mood carelessly. “I was thinking of getting rid of that part of Hitoyoshi-kun and never allowing him such a strange performance but… this is the result of talking it out. He asked me to strengthen that part of him. The ability to get his friends into the zone, he said that this skill will play a great role in this event.”

While she continued to talk carefree Kamakura was completely unable to say a thing. He was as silent as Shiranui Hanten who had his arms crossed and was facing his back from most of the crowd.

Medaka pulled her hat over her eyes, speaking up just barely. “Skill…? Then is it the skill I heard that Shirnaui Hanten made for Zenkichi?”

“....Did you edit him into an artificial human with artificial skills just like me?” Kaakura spoke up, his hair falling in front of his eyes as well.

“Ahh, that is something else. Theat skill is the one they HItoyoshi-kun will only use to defeat you, Medaka-chan.This time it’s not really a skill. Being able to guide others is Zenkichi’s personality. No more like his nature. Kamakura, even with every talent and the ultimate hope you can’t create a harmony like that. Well, for Medaka-chan who doesn’t differentiate between enemies and friends and has powerful charisma, you could use ‘the end’ to copy his ability to guide but…”

Medaka raised her head. “Yeah I have a feeling I could but… But I wonder if it would be difficult? I can only think that it’s from some strange phenomenon.” As she let go of the brim of her cap Ajimu could see it, tears were streaming down her face from both eyes.

“I’ve never been able to play music that well anyways...It’s always bored me before this so why…”  Kamakura raised his head as well, and from his bright red eyes tears streamed freely.

“I wish I meet the biggest hope, glistens more than others which, I want to see a desire that glistens more than anyone else. I love, and want to understand him, more than anyone else, more, more than anyone else.”

“.....” Watching the both of them, for the first time in long awhile again Ajimu Najimi was completely at a loss for words.

The only one who noticed was Medaka. Kamakura seemed too swept up in his temporary emotion. “Hm? What’s wrong Ajimu Najimi? You got quiet all of a sudden are you plotting something?”

“... No it’s nothing. I’m not plotting anything, but isn’t music something you should listen to? I think you should stop talking and keep listening. That song is definitely a love song…”

Perhaps the narrator should shut up for awhile then too.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“Hey, dudes what’s up where did Kumagawa and Junko go? We’ve gotta get on stage these instruments and the audience’s eardrums are not going to destroy themselves!” Ibuki yelled from the back stage.

Makoto looked up from his search for Mukuro and spoke his honest thoughts. “Those two are either hurting themselves, each other, or someone else…”

“Oi, quit making that wrinkly dog face we’re right here.” Junko said dragging Kumagawa back in by the collar of his shirt. Makoto gave them a thumbs up, but only to Kumagawa and not to Junko. He hoped she would understand that.

He went looking backstage around a few more corners, before he finally found Mukuro huddled in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest. “Mukuro, pull yourself together. Since when are you the type to get nervous you’d never act this way before a combat situation.”

“S-s-s-inging and fighting are two totally different things!!!” Mukuro turned around the complete opposite of her normal self. Her kicked puppy self that she usually only showed around Junko. “This is a bad idea, we shouldn’t even be performing like this Junko is going to get bored. She’ll blow something up. She’ll hate me for stealing her spotlight. This isn’t going to help anything, we never should have pretended to be normal students.”

Makoto listened to all of her emotions, keeping the smile on his face. “Oh, so you’re just worried right. That’s no big deal.”

“How do you stay optimistic about literally everything? Sometimes I think your brain is just as broken as Junko’s.”

Makoto put his hands up in the air to declare is innocence. “No, no, no! Don’t say it like that. If you are going to say that, then shout! You’re always too quiet Mukuro, but the truth is there is nobody that your shout won’t reach! Just this once, forget about Junko’s emotions and just make her listen to how you feel.”

“...” She reached up  and put the microphone back in Makoto’s hands. “Here… put this away.”

“You don’t need it? Even though you’re a quiet girl.”

Mukuro stepped forward with determination. “I don’t need it. You don’t need a mike to talk to your sister.”

The final band, name unedecided because Junko refused to play in a band called ‘The Naked Apron Alliance’, and everybody else refused to call themselves ‘Junko and the Junkettes’ stepped on stage.

Ibuki Mioda stood in the center as lead guitar, Makoto supporting her as base guitar, Kumagawa on the drums, Junko right next to him on the tambourine (and as the sex appeal she wanted to be sure that I mentioned that she’s big in Japan) and finally Mukuro standing at the front as the singer.

It looked almost like a normal band, except for the fact that Ikusaba Mukuro had come on stage in her flack jacket, and navy seal boots for the sake of confidence. Before the music started playing, she took a deep breath and shouted out.

“Junko is stupid! You don’t think about others! You always hurt others and cause trouble for me! You get fired up about despair and expect me to follow along in your plans but you never played with me even when we were young...It’s because of people like you that wars are never going to end. Hey, listen!!!”

The entire crowd stood silently, completely confused. Only one person in the crowd clapped, and that was because Yasuke Matsuda had moved into the crowd to listen to the rest of the show.

Sitting there leaning against Kumagawa’s drum set, Enoshima Junko merely cracked a smile. Quietly and only to hi she said. “How cheeky. The younger sister is supposed to be the cheeky brat not the older one.” She shook her tambourine then smacked it against Kumagawa’s head. “I guess she doesn’t need me anymore.”

At that, Mioda Ibuki began to speak in a strange whisper of a language as she pounded hard on her guitar. Kumagawa drummed like he was attempting to beat up the drum set itself, and pounded so hard he even borke a few of the drums. Makoto just tried to keep up with everybody else, and Junko sat in the background, mostly just watching and laughing, hitting her tambourine half heartedly on occasion.

In other words, they played so disastrously horrible that the entire crowd itself fainted from the despair. Whether it was the result of Ibuki remaining a remnant of despair and playing her despair inducing J-rock, Kumagawa’s aura, or just the combination of all of their unfitting and lopsided personalities was unknown.

When they were finished, the only three left conscious in the crowd were Ajimu Najimi, Kamakura, and Medaka. Though, Kamakura already started to walk away wanting to avoid Kumagawa through whatever means possible.

“You… you’re kidding me right?” Ajimu said, genuinely impressed for the second time in two days. After that, the school festival would go down in history for having two mass fainting spells that were completely impossible to explain but half heartedly blamed on the heat.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

“We finished…” Mukuro said, drowning in sweat from the military gear she had put on.

Makoto scratched at the back of his head. “I think I butchered it… but we finished at least.”

Just then, Junko heard somebody coming at the door and Kumagawa followed her gaze. Komaeda and Zenkichi walked in, as well as the three from Japan Jack. “Well, great job ruining the fight for everybody else. We were going to judge the winner based on audience vote but everybody’s unconscious now so that whole thing was pointless.”

『That’s alright, everything I do is pointless in the end anyway.』Kumagawa said with a friendly smile.

“Well, since the stage is empty anyway how about we all go out and play?” Saki offered, medical mask still on her face as she looked directly at Kumagawa.

『You’re not angry that we couldn’t declare a winner in the end, Sukinasaki-san?』

“Yeah, how are we going to decide who wins the match.” Zenkichi said, wiping the swat from his brow.”

“We need a winner! That’s how we determine whose hope won or not.” Komaeda said, leaning up against Zenkichi and towering over his shoulder with superior height.

“Ahahaha! A match, huh? It’s so kid like that it’s cute, but in the real world we say a match yields only one victor! But as long as you enjoy life you can both be winners and sip tea together!”

『How about that, Junko-chan? Did you make a fun memory with your school friends just this once?』

Junko said nothing in return. She merely smiled. She already had in mind, the perfect ending that all of them could enoky. Even with an empty audience, and even when barely any of them knew how to play instruments they went back on stage one more time.

And so, Hope’s Peak had its cultural festival come to a close as a big success, with no clear winner. It was not like the fight with Medaka-chan was one where Zenkichi and Medaka could both win, but when the fight was over he wanted to play in a band with Medaka-chan, Kumagawa, and everyone else. Even Junko could come along if she wanted.

Kumagawa wished for that too. Even though they seemed so different, just for that one moment their hearts were completely aligned.

It was too bad, they never got to stand on that stage again. But next year, looking at the ruins of that stage Zenkichi would definitely remember that he once wished for that.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

After the competition on stage and Saki left, Kumagawa found himself to be unbelievably tired. He had no idea how, but somehow he ended up sitting on the same bench with Junko, resting his head against her shoulder.

『Junko-chan, what are we doing staying up this late?』

“Do you know what day it is?”

『Uhhh… the day of the election? December 24th?』

“No, now that midnight’s past it’s officially the worst day ever. The day that Enoshia Junko was born crying tears of despair.”

『Aren’t most babies born crying?』 He asked, and then slapped at his pockets. 『Sorry, I didn’t know… I would have gotten you a gift.』

“Mmm it’s okay. If anybody tried to give me a gift on this day I’d burn it and possibly them too.” There was not anything she particularly wanted anyway, besides despair, and maybe a new monokuma. She fished in her pocket and puled out a small rabbit charm, of a cartoon rabbit looking bandaged up and beaten beyond belief. “You already got me a present too, so I thought I’d provoke you in return.”

Kumagawa reached up and grasped at the charm. He had no idea at all what Junko was thinking at the moment. 『Is this going to explode?』

“Just take it, gosh.”

He wrapped his fingers around it. For a moment he held it out in his palm feeling the weight of it. 『It feels heavy for some reason.』

“Well, let’s trade then.” She pulled the bear charm off her phone and then switched it, giving hi her bear while she took his rabbit. “This way it’s like we both have something that represents each other.”

『What are you doing?』

“I’m just giving you a gift, gosh Senpai there’s no need to be suspicious. Aren’t you a little bit happy?”

He held it in his hand, before wrapped his fingers around it slowly. 『I’m happy, I’m definitely happy. It’s heavy though, this feeling is so heavy. I feel tired.』

“That’s because these are chains to bind us together.”

『Hmm.. Chains. How comfortable…why now though...』Kumagawa said, as he drifted off to sleep finally, his head falling unintentionally onto Junko’s lap.

Junko simply let him fall asleep there. Even going so far to softly brush her fingers through his shaggy black hair. Only when she was completely sure he was asleep and would not hear her even in the furthest reaches of his dreams did she finally wake up again.

“Hey, I was happy. Back then, in the eye of a storm of despair. I got to meet you! Suddenly, out of nowhere you came to stop me you were just like a grim reaper. I felt so pleased, when your screw tore through my flesh, when I was stabbed from behind. I thought I was going to die for sure. But you always gotta mess things up, Senpai. You let me live for some dumb reason.”

『...』

“Ever since then my life has been completely insane. A girl just like Kamakura who believes in justice and helping others above all else, a literal demigod who uses all of her powers to make my life a living hell by undoing the consequences of every single attempt of despair I tried to spread, until I mistakenly began to think I might just be a normal highschool girl after all.”

『...』

“If the world is a romantic comedy right now then it’s definitely a living hell for Enoshima Junko. Everything worked out exactly as Ajimu expected, or at least that’s what I thought. But, I was glad that I got closer to you and I accepted you. Because at that time Yasuke showed me your memory of your past trauma with Ajimu, and I realized. It’s really foolish to assume just because you’re in a romantic comedy that you’ll automatically get a happy ending.”

『...』

“There are plenty of romantic stories that end terribly. It’s not because they were miserable the whole time, but rather it’s because they were happy once that despair caught up with them and hit them all the harder later. That’s why.. I’m glad I let you in, I’m glad I got so close to you… I”

『...』

She picked up the gun she stole from Komaeda that she had been hiding in her skirt pocket and spun the revolver effortlessly around one of her nailed fingers. She stopped it right then and pushed it to her temple for a moment. “Now that I’m senpai’s most precious thing, this will hurt all the greater. I’m going to show you a despair far worse than what you experienced three years ago, and that neither of us have changed. Enoshima Junko will always live to spread despair, and Kumagawa Misogi will always live to lose.”

She tilted the gun back, as if to say not quite yet. “Ohhh, I wonder whatever you’ll do. Will you go mad and die? Will you try to rip my face off and seal me away like your precious Ajimu? Will you try to destroy the world? I can’t wait to see!” She kicked her legs on the bench giddy, the emotions she felt at the moment could only be described as a young girl in love.

Hope was a poison. That was the only part of Ajimu’s lesson that Enoshima Junko ever lsitened to. The fact that she could use hope to cause despair too, gave her so many interesting new angles.

Just in this one moment, she gave Kumagawa Misogi the tiniest fraction of hope. She knew that later on she would use it to hollow him out entirely, and leave it so there was nothing left of him on the inside, and as for her she too would be hollowed out in turn. He would curse the fact he ever met her, curse the fact that he ever tried to be happy in the first place, he would regret and become miserable for ever wanting or desiring more than he already had.

Kumagawa was right, participating in school events, actually trying to have fun was worth it, because now she could just imagine how miserable she would be later once she realized she had actually tried to change and failed.

Oh, what self loathing!
Oh, what self rejection!
Oh, what despair!

Fleetwood Mac was wrong, breaking the chain was going to be the best thing she ever did with her life.

She stopped to think for a moment. “Man, until the end I never really figured out what her deal was…” She thought about it…Ajimu constantly made manga references, talked about narrative structure, referred to herself as a narrator, her two minions were a liar, and a girl obsessed with gams, she convinced Celeste another liar who loves games to her side, her ultimate plan was to make the world into a romantic comedy…

Suddenly, an impossible connection clicked in Junko’s mind, like lightning crossing her synpases. “Wait… you’re shitting me. You’re shitting me, right??!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Even I'm not crazy enough to believe something like that!”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda turned around as the cat he was chasing had run away. He sensed and immense presence behind him and turned around to see. Kamakura Izuru watched him with red eyes that glowed in the night.

“Oh. Running into you again without meaning to, I wonder if that’s good luck or bad luck…” Komaeda said aloud. Even though his voice sounded happy as usual, both of his hands were shaking.

“Your song… I heard it.”

“Ah, it was terrible right? I have no idea who thought it would be a good idea for me to go on stage.”

“It was better than I could sing.”

“What.”

“All of my attempts at singing always come out sounding boring. However, the strange scratchy texture of your throat, the odd way your pitch wavered back and forth it gave a character to your voice that I could never match.”

“...”

“So, you’ve exceeded my expectations just this once.”

“I… you shouldn’t be saying something like that to trash like me, I’m unworthy.”

“Don’t worry, in all other ways you’ve failed my expectations.” Kamakura knelt down next to him. They both watched the cat that Komaeda had been chasing scamper back and forth for a moment. “After all, you failed to improve yourself, and then you failed to truly support Zenkichi. Now, Zenkichi is about to accomplish the end of his romantic comedy on his own and what is there left for you?”

“I… I’m Zenkichi’s friend.”

“What kind of friend doesn’t notice another’s romantic feelings? Don’t you think his kindness is a little bit cruel. It helped you at first, but now all it serves to do is hurt you.”

“N...no. Why do you care so much about my life anyway!? I’m worthless trash you should just step over me and move on.”

“The feelings you communicated in your song, I liked them a lot. I think we really are similar. Neither of us wants Ajimu Najimi to win really. I can’t stand an ending where neither hope nor despair triumph.”

“Wh-what are you saying? There’s nothing we can do right now I have to support Zenkichi and-”

“Zenkichi didn’t become beautiful until he betrayed Kurokami. Isn’t that just how it is? Humans cannot get close unless they show vulnerability and hurt one another. Freedom for you… and for me as well, must stem from betrayal. If you yearn for it now, then tell me who shall you betray?”

“My… my heart has been set from the beginning. You should know. This school. My class. My friends.”

“Let’s show them all a beautiful betrayal. If Enoshima Junko won’t give me what she promised me, then I’ll just use her like she used me in the past.Using people can be a talent too. Let’s see, hope and despair clashing one more time, I need to know what is strong enough.”

He wrapped his arms around the shaking Komaeda then. There was no warmth in the gesture, but Kamakura performed it anyway knowing it was what one was supposed to do at this time. “Strong enough to free me, and also… if you’re lucky, you as well.”

He felt only a tiny amount of regret.
As going this route meant, he would forget about Komaeda once more.
In a way he would be erasing himself the same way Kumagawa Misogi did, and he would become a pathetic person like the other.
This was the only way forward though, this was his only way to witness the clash between hope and despair.

However, that regret, just like the tears he had cried listening to the concert even the tiniest of feelings, he was willing to betray the whole world to feel that sensation again.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Kurokami Medaka sat relaxing in her office with an old friend. If everything went well she would stay here for the next three years, if everything went poorly she would need to clean up. Kikaijima Mogana watched her, coming to hang out even though she was not a part of the student council anymore.

“So, was it part of your plan to get challenged by Kuagawa too? If you lose the election on purpose then Naegi Makoto will become the school president and since he’s an average person he’d probably bridge the gap between the reserve course and the ultimates even more.”

“You misunderstand, Mogana-chan. I will never lose on purpose regardless of the situation. I have no plans of hogging the presidential throne but I will still fight Zenkichi and the trainees with all I have. A short term solution won’t work on Ajimu Najimi. Even if we win this year, Ajimu Najimi has an infinite number of do-overs. She has next year, the year after, and a hundred more. I can only hold her off until I leave this academy and in the end rely on somebody in the future to continue my work. You musn’t forget that neither Enoshima Junko or Ajimu Najimi are fighting at their full strength. They are leisurely kicking back and relaxing at this point. Ajimu especially is just passing the time playing around with me, Zenkichi, Kumagawa and Junko. If either of them were to get tired of playing around there would be a great amount of sacrifices.”

“That’s right… even Misogi-chan’s seal has gone from six to the last screw. I’m not sure how long he’ll be able to keep Junko-chan distracted either, she seems like she’d get bored of a romantic comedy pretty… I guess neverending fighting is kinda rough… hope and despair are just going to clash forever. Still I have to wonder, why does Anshin’in-san want so badly to create the perfect human anyway? If she is so much like Junko-chan it’s weird she’d choose a goal that’s the polar opposite of hers.”

“Haha, I told you about this before. I’m not sure but I think that, like me, she wants to do soemthing because it’s impossible-”

At this, Medaka froze and all of the disconnected events finally came together in her head. Her face was completely blank for a moment as it felt like gravity had tripled on her and wanted to squeeze her internal organs and compact their bones until they broke. “D..a...Damn…” She muttered under her breath gripping at her head. “GODDAMNIT! WHY DIDN’T I REALIZE SOMETHING SO SIMPLE BEFORE?”

Mogana simply watched, her hands reaching to cover her mouth. She had never seen such self loathing in her friend.

“How  could I have misunderstood so much… terrifying.. Not it’s imbecillic… I’m the imbecile no one is stupider than I. I should have realized it much sooner. Quadrillion skills! Immortality! I was only paying attention to the flashy details, and didn’t see the most important fact. I didn’t see Ajimu Najimi’s real intentions...and it’s likely that Enoshima Junko has grasped them before I have and already made up her mind.”

“Medaka-chan?”

She unfolded her fan in front of her face. “This isn’t a joke, our resistance won’t even hold for next year much less one hundred years. It won’t be today but it will be soon.” She fanned herself so hard, that a storm seemed to be kicking up from her presence alone. That was Kurokami Medaka’s newfound determination. “I take back what I said, Mogana-chan. I will defeat Ajimu Najimi this semester!”

And so the die is cast.
Ala iacta est.
It was a popular phrase when I lived during Caesar’s time.
The event that has happened or a decision that has been made cannot be changed.
Another from shakespeare's time.
Men at some time are masters of their fate.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Either way from the perspective of the unbiased narrator there’s no such thing as destiny in this world. However, the way things clicked into place from this moment on, it was almost as if they believed it to be.

Chapter 43: I Thought it was Wrong for Me to Live

December 24th.
Many people came to witness, what they thought might be a miracle.
For the first time ever Hope’s Peak Academy was holding free elections for it’s student council rather than scouting them from outisde schools.
Even though it was in the middle of winter vacation, all the students came to the election to see the never before event.
Because of this there was a 100% voter turnout. This was the night’s second miracle.

Tokemichi sitting in the middle of it all gestured to the crowd. “Then, let us begin the student council election. We will have all the candidates give a speech and after that we will take the votes. Then, let’s start first person Naegi Makoto. The time limit will be five minutes.”

Makoto Naegi wearing nothing more than his usual school uniform , with a hoodie underneath his blazer walked up onto the stage. Junko had been drilling him on how to make this speech as well as several other aspects of his campaign for weeks. All he really learned during that time was that Junko was a very controlling person and he felt even more sorry for Mukuro than he usually did.

Now was not the time for that, now was the time to speak. He had no idea if he wanted to become the student council president. All he knew at this moment was that he did not want to lose to Enoshima Junko.

“Umm… for the past two semesters, I was invited to this academy not because of any incredible talent I had, but because I was chosen as the Ultimate Luckster. Even though I got in with no merit of my own, I basically lived as a student of Hope’s Peak Academy. There were some fun times, and some hard times. I made lots of friends and now after all this time I’ve come to realize..”

He gave a smile only a disney princess like himself could give, one that took in the best intentions of everybody who saw it and reflected it back at them. “That getting into this academy was the worst luck I’ve ever experienced in my life. I should be called the ultimate unlucky student.”

As he made this declaration he scratched the side of his face innocently as if he did not realize what he said. “It’s an absolute monarchy where the elites rule. Half the student body is terrified of the other half. There’s a difference in treatment between special students and the normal students. It’s just a microcosm of our warring society. I’m pretty sure the old school building got remodeled into a giant death trap and nobody noticed. Students go missing. Some of them are even kidnapped by the school itself to run horrible experimentation on. Teachers tell you not to to look at the troubles that occur and to call them by fake names instead. A board of education that just sees us all as guinea pigs, and teachers that see themselves as the watchers of lab rats. But what’s even worse is, nobody could accept these things. None of us could see the cracks form until somebody else started trying to break everything apart.”

Makoto, the optimism fairy that everyone thought was too soft suddenly spoke with a strange clarity. However, as he spoke he still smiled the same as ever. Nothing changed about his demeanor, nothing of this seemed to shake him. “I remember it all. I remember how the academy almost came apart, and yet we’re all walking around like it never happened. If you had taken some action, you could have resolved all these problems before they exploded but instead we pushed all of the burden on a bunch of new transfer students who just had their school destroyed. It’s not just the faculty, we as students weren’t ever trying to make our academy a better place.. But…”

He stepped out to the very edge of the stage. “Just because we’ve let ourselves fall this far. Just because we’ve been ignorant, terrible, and the worst all this time doesn’t mean there isn’t still hope. Hope isn’t sitting down waiting for a second chance to be offered to you. Hope is taking a second chance, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth, and a seventh. You can have as many redoes as you want, but you have to believe. You have to take them. Even if we aren’t acting like hope now. Even if all of us are hopeless. Hope means that one day, we can strive to be better than what we are right now. We can become an academy that benefits everybody, not just the elite or the average. No matter what, we will all discuss a problem until we reach a conclusion. By uniting everybody, we can strive to create a truly equal academy. We will take into consideration every single individual’s opinion, to make an academy that everybody loves. As long as that idea exists in our mind, as long as we keep moving forwards towards it. Then hope will remain with us. That’s why I ask you, from the bottom of my heart, please vote for hope. I don’t want to be your president, I just want us all to come together and figure this out.”

Ajimu Najimi listened to the crowd hearing no applause at all. She leaned in to watch Naegi Makoto as he walked off the stage. “Nice sophistry. As expected of somebody who became Enoshima Junko’s puppet. She still hasn’t let go of that hope and despair nonsense, her ideal hero or heroine or whatever is still just an empty mouthpiece for hope in the end.”

Tokemichi waved his hand to clear the air. “Yes, thank you very much Naegi-sama. It was just under five minutes as well, now let us go to the next person. First year, class one, Hitoyoshi Zenkichi-sama. Again, please follow the five minute rule!”

Zenkcihi unlike Makoto lacked any kind of humble regard for himself. He immediately snatched away the microphone and began to talk. “So, about this academy being the worst I had the same opinion. I know I’m a newcomer to this school, but nothing will be done if I hold back for the sake of being a good guest. Thank you for bringing that up, buddy!”

Naegi Makoto was still his friend after all even when they were competing on the same stage. He walked over to the suggestion box that was being used to collect votes. “When we came to this academy there were so many hidden secrets, the Kamakura Project, the steering committee, the disappearance of the old student council we’ve had to work night and day to clean all of it up. Because of that the student council has become an incredibly popular group for the first time in this academy’s history. The suggestion box that Kurokami Medaka set up has colelcted many of your problems, the number is no less than 4822 requests. With the student council election battle getting in the middle of things, I can’t say how many requests we had per day but… up until now there hasn’t been a day when the suggestion box was empty. Medaka-chan’s dream was to turn the academy into a flower garden, when she came to this barren and lifeless place she wanted that as well, and with 4822 requests it came true just as our year here was less than halfway over.”

He paused, the fond smile on his face quickly turned to anger. “Aren’t you ashaed of yourselves!? Shouldn’t you be ashamed that you all, all of you ultimate talents, the best f your field, all sought the help of a single freshman girl? Don’t you feel useless for having a single girl represent you all in war? Don’t you feel like disappearing for sending a girl into battle? Don’t you feel any guilt for having a fellow classmate do all those impossible requests of yours? Do you think that it’s okay to rely on somebody because they are strong? That talented people owe something to somebody else just because they exist? Did you think it was right to to indulge the kindness of a person just because they were generous? Do you think it’s alright to take a person just because they are rich? Who do you think you are?”

He stopped for a moment, Unzen, Nabeshima, Kumagawa, and others flashed through his head. All people that he had watched hurt Medaka. All people he had been envious of up until this point. “Medaka-chan has fought with many different kinds of enemies, delinquents, cruel senpai, opposing factions, cheaters, mirage walls, rich people. Justice, abnormals, minuses and not equals. But to Medaka-chan they weren’t really enemies, and to tell the truth they never were from the beginning!”

He stood in the center of them all to accuse the entire crowd. “It’s people who seek the help of others, they were Medaak-chan’s true enemies.”

Munakata, Maguro, Shiranui all paused.
Komaeda Nagito froze and thought three simple words. Kamakura was right.

“I always wondered why Medaka-chan insisted on helping people.. Why she was so right. I didn’t know despite being next to her for 13 years. But when I stepped back I finally understood. By helping other people Medaka-chan was always fighting against you guys. To Medaka-chan, helping people was one long fun battle. In order to defeat you, Medaka-chan had to be overly perfect even if she was wrong.”

Slowly, he started to reach up towards the crowd. “I wanted to change Medaka-chan. I wanted her to quit her dangerous way of living, but that wasn’t right. The one that needed to change was the other side. The world was wrong, not Medaka-chan. And it’s not that hard to do. It’s easy to destroy a world. You resolve your own proble,s you decide your own course of life, that’s all you have to do, with just that your fight against Medaka-chan, Medaka-chan’s own world will end.”

He had walked away from the suggestion box entirely now. “Yes, we don’t need the suggestion box. Just grow up, and let Medaka-chan live in peace. Let’s all defeat Medaka-chan.” His open hand he extended towards the crowd, as if they all could take it.

Once again there was no response at all. Naze, Medaka’s older sister let a terrifying rin spread across her bandaged face. “BuYou gave up on having a speech that convinced them they should vote for you, and just said what you wanted to say… but it was well said. Even though you hung yourself, that was well said Hitoyoshi Zenkichi.”

“Hmmmhmm…” Ajimu Najimi conisdered by herself as she watched the strength of Zenkichi’s back as he walked away. “It’s a little strange to Anshin’in-san. His reason for entering the election is Medaka-chan, and I think it was alright to let it all out without hiding anything. But if that was the core idea of his agenda, then I doubt many of the ultimates will vote for him, and even the transfer class students will be hard… so his target must be the normals… hmm…” Even with nobody but Hanten around her she continued to narrate because it was an important job after all. As long as she kept her iron grasp around the narration things would always go her way. Enoshima Junko would remain boring. Kurokami Medaka would cease being a main character. This would be a story where everything was resolved with friendship.

Her eyes darkened as she considered that ideal with a twisted amount of glee. Nobody needed hope or despair, not when she could offer the a lovely status queue. They could all go back to their useless slice of life adventures, and stop pretending they were important, that the stakes in their lives mattered, that they could distinguish amongst themselves by things like talent, ideals, aspirations whatever.

It was all the same to her. If she was going to be bored than everybody else would be as well. Her shadowy glare fell on the audience. She fully expected what would happen next. “Well, Medaka-chan will be the most troublesome. After having the system set by the student council and the suggestion box criticized, speaking won’t be the hardest thing, wahahaha.”

She laughed her strange laugh, looking down on absolutely everything with her red eyes. “After cutting down your enemies bit by bit, all that’s left is to make a mountain with their dust.”

Kumagawa Misogi and Enoshima Junko watching together from the farthest corner of the stadium where they were all gathered had no comment. That was, until Junko spoke up and drew his attention.

“Really, talking about destroying the world like it’s some easy thing to do. How arrogant can you get?”

『Don’t you talk about destroying the world all the time?』

“Well, it’s easy for me.” She said pushing against him playfully.

He looked carefully at her face. As usual though he could not understand people well, and Enoshima Junko who was far more complicated than most people, and at the same time far more simple did not betray any detail at all of her true emotions.

Yet, he still found himself wanting to know.  『Are you feeling anything yet?』He asked, nudging at her slightly.

“Anticipation.” She spoke honestly for just a moment. Even as she was speaking honestly though, he had absolutely no idea what she meant. “Naegi-kun went totally off script you know. I told him not to blather on about hope, and guess what he did? He blathered on about hope anyway! Probably twice as hard as he was going to originally.”

『Isn’t that a bit hypocritical? I bet if somebody told you to give up despair, you’d just despair twice as hard anyway.』

“Yeah but that’s different because hope drools and despair rules.”

『Do you think we might actually have a chance at winning? Zenkichi-chan seemed to speak with a lot more force than Makoto-chan, and he spoke directly as well whereas Makoto used the same lofty ideals he always had.』

“Well, if you’re on our team we’ll probably lose.”

『Hey!』

“It’s just the truth. I doubt even my amazingness can overcome your sheer dedication to being the worst failure ever. Having Makoto as president might be kind of a pain too.”

『You really do get bored and give up on all of your schemes halfway through.』

“That’s not it! I was just wondering, do you really think everything will be solved with this election. It’s a weird place to put the climax. What matters is what comes after right?”

『Junko-chan, I think you’re the one being weird right now...』Worry seeped into Kumagawa’s voice again. Even with Junko right next to him for some reason she felt miles away from him. The two of them were the closest they ever were and yet at the same time the farthest. Perhaps Ajimu Najimi had been correct since the beginning.

There was no difference at all in human relationships. People did not change and relationships did not change, friends and enemies, rivals and lovers, there was no way to tell the difference anymore between two distant people and two close people. No, he should not try to think that way… if he started to think like Ajimu he would slip back into his old way of thinking and this time he genuinely did want to change. He wanted to believe that he had gotten closer to Junko somehow throughout all of this, that he could reach a point where he could understand her more without ripping her face off.

As Medaka stepped back onstage, his attention naturally was drawn to her. “Yes, yes that was exactly five minutes. I’m relieved that we’re all following the rules.” Tokemichi said before gesturing to the center stage. “The current president! First year, class thirteen Kurokami Medaka-chan! Please give a grand speech!”

She stood up walking in front of them hair flowing behind her like a lion, she had the pride of a lioness as well. Unlike their male counterparts lionesses did all the work after all.

In the crowd, Uzen was the first to sit up and take notice. “Oh, it’s quite rare for her to not be posing or in cosplay. At least it looks like she’s taking this election seriously.”

“First, I would like to thank Naegi, and Zenkichi for their words. Their concerns are born from my failure, because of that I would be proud to let either of them take the seat of president but…” She locked eyes with Ajimu Najimi, who smiled back innocently at her as she sat in the stands.

“Unfortunately I can’t let that happen. It’s really unfortunate! Unfortunately, I don’t intend on letting them win. I am going to say that I will have to win. I will take responsibility for all their concerns and solve them myself. I want you all to understand this.”

She closed her eyes feeling complete confidence. “...’How am I going to do that’ you may ask,but I don’t have time to discuss all of my plans.Just know this, this school once attempted to bottle up talent and create the Ultimate Hope to be of use to others. While I disagree with the methodology of that project, I don’t think their intentions were wrong. Talents were given to others to serve mankind, and in the place of the artificial Ultimate Hope you have me. I will say as I always say.”

She opened her eyes and gave the crowd a pleasant smile. “I am Kurokami Medaka. I was born to be of service to strangers.”

Again there was no applause.
Nobody was able to break the tension that rested on the stage.
The more reasonable Naegi Makoto, and Hitoyoshi Zenkichi sounded the more eloquent they just made her own speech sound. In the end the speech finished without any applause. It moved onto the anonymous voting of the entire student body, with all that had happened the voting didn’t stand out.
This might also have been a miracle.

“Calling herself the ultimate hope, how arrogant really,” Junko said, crossing her arms in annoyance.

『Calling yourself the Ultimate Despair is much more humble..』

“Well anybody can spread despair. If an idiot like you can do it as easily as he breathes, then it can’t be that hard.”

『Are you devaluing your own work?』

“No, I’m just saying. It’s easier to tear stuff down that it has been to build things up. If Naegi-kun had suggested that they tear down the school rather than try to build it up to the reputation that this place is supposed to have I think he would have gotten more support.”

『You’re just bitter he put the word hope in his speech when you told him not to.』

“Still…” She gripped at her sides, pulling tight the fabric between her red nails. The idea of sending Kurokami Medaka into the depths of despair was something that still made her drool. However, she learned the same way she dealt with Kamakura that because of Medaka’s overwhelming prowess one had to use alternative means of controlling her rather than manipulating her straight up.

Part of her wondered why Kurokami Medaka had not directly come after her or declared war on her yet. That was probably more the fault of Kumagawa Misogi or Ajimu Najimi, but if it was Medaka’s own self confidence than that would please her just a little bit.

She already knew the best method to stain Kurokami Medaka’s heart. Kumagawa Misogi had tried it, but he lacked the courage to go all the way. He accused her of giving up too easily but he was the one with the weak tie to despair after all.

Sure he was constantly in despair, but that just made him want to get out of it. She was the only one that could genuinely enjoy it, and that's why she pursued despair with such purity, why she had the resolve that he lacked.

That was why she could make the decision that she had made without any regrets at all.

Except for this one. “Still, it’s too bad I never got the chance to fight Kurokami Medaka directly again. She would be somebody fun to face off against in a final trial and make a debate against. I was expecting to have to argue with somebody that I had to explain and piece together everything for because they were just some hapless idiot main character. That and designing an execution that could kill a beast like her, both of those would have been fun.”

Kumagawa tuned out most of her death game talk as he was used to doing, but he noticed one significant detail.  『What do you mean, it’s too bad? You said it yourself can’t we just challenge her again when this is all over. This is just to get Ajimu out of the way, right?』

“Hmmm…” She hummed softly.

Kumagawa was terrified of what might happen if Junko stopped talking to him.  『O-oh the skill. The skill that Hitoyoshi Zenkichi has, what do you think it is? We didn’t get that revealed yet.』

“Knowing him he probably picked something predictable that allowed him to accomplish this all on his own without anything else interfering, like luck or destiny.”

『W-wait what? If there’s no such thing as luck then how is Makoto-chan going to win?』

“How indeed.” She hummed again.

Hey, Junko I was going to explain that.

“Tsch, it’s difficult. It seems to be leaning towards Kurokami, she has it doesn’t she, that bastard of a sister.” Naze youkai complained, her mouth scowling underneath her bandages. “Ah, but you also have something right anshin’in-san. A unique skill made for Hitoyoshi Zenkichi in order to beat Kurokami.”

“... Do you mean devil style?”

“Yes, yes, yes,! What if you used that?” Naze asked with increasing desperation.

“Technically speaking, ‘devil style’ is a skill that only does one thing. It nullifies any coincidence. It nullifies exactly the ‘it’ you were referring to. It prevents the whims of fate from interfering with the battle. The enemy’s special attack won’t miss a vital area. You won’t bump into a girl around the corner. You won’t discover a body. You won’t be given clues by the mastermind. You won’t be called the Ultimate Lucky Student. You won’t have your younger sister turn into a hero in her own right. You will never form a special bond with the rival character who ruins trials and exists to make everybody second guess themselves. You won’t wake up on an island with no recollection of who you are. You won’t fight from weakest to strongest in a tournament. When all is lost, you won’t all find your reason to keep hoping. It’s the complete opposite of a conventional main character. It’s a devil like skill that degrades the hero, as if they were just really lucky… so it’s the perfect counter to Naegi Makoto-kun. You should just consider him already out of the race.”

She opened her red eyes, looking fondly back into the past. “...’Instead of by luck or some miracle, I don’t have to be the same as myself anymore so, I want to win against Medaka-chan fair and square’ is what he said. Because of devil style the guests for the cultural festival were the three with the most professional mindset. Their grudges against Kumagawa worked out just fine without any further complications. I Made Hitoyoshi-kun the main character of the true flask plan but… he disposed of all the merits of being a main character.”

“... What the hell? That’s such a disadvantageous skill!”  Naze shouted out into the otherwise quite crowd.

“Yes, isn’t he stupid? Without any plus and without any minus. He doesn’t have anything. In exchange there won’t be a strange twist of fate. Hitoyoshi-kun has that right. Everything will proceed straightforwardly from now on without any last minute saves or last ditch turnabouts. No matter how much you beg god, he won’t interfere or give you a boost of strength. He isn’t a plus, or a minus, but z ero. My new world main character.”

On this night there were many miracles, for the great number of people here. However, the conclusion that this story was meant to reach, can’t be changed by any power at all, love, hope, despair or even fate’s fickle hand.

“The voting has now ended, will all the candidates gather on stage. I will announced Hope’s Peak Academy’s new student council president!”

Zenkichi, Makoto and Medaka all stood up on stage.
Both of the timid boys however, were already accepting their defeats in their heart.

Zenkichi thought. I know that Medaka-chan likely got the most votes. Saying that I don’t have any regrets would be a lie. At least I know in my heart that I did the best I could do. I lost to Medaka-chan.

Makoto thought. I know that Zenkichi most likely won. All I can do is spout empty platitudes at the end of the day. I know Zenkichi is somebody who will carry both my message and Medaka’s on his shoulder to the best of his ability. I lost to Zenkichi already.

“Medaka however, was completely confident. “It was a good match. Let’s do it again sometime. I will take you on anytime.”

Zenkichi started to lower his head. “Yes, it was Medaka-chan.”

“The voter turnout was 100% and the person with the most votes… ah… it was a tie! 49% of the votes goes to Hitoyoshi Zenkichi and 49% of the votes go to Naegi Makoto!”

『A tie? Wait is that a win or lose for me?』

Everybody seemed to stop and gasp at once, and nobody was more surprised than the two who had seemed to win the entire election.

“Hey, hey what is this… Of course even I voted for HItoysohi, but what is with these messed up results. Not only did Kurokami lose to both of those losers, even if all the reserve course went against her why is there such a difference?”

“Was this according to plan, Anshin’in-san.” Shiranui said, sitting up suddenly next to Ajimu, while Shiranui Hanten still kept his arms crossed and his face away from the crowd.

“No, no, this is a far greater gap then I expected. I thought Junko-chan’s meddling would interfere a little bit but… the ones who are most surprised are the two who got elected.”

Elected…
This is…
We won against Medaka-chan?
Even though nobody could ever win in a real fight against Medaka-chan, we did?
We defeated somebody who had an infinite amount of talents and brains…
And this easily?
And by this much?
A total win?

Both of them stood in shock completely unable to process what to do next. The two uselessly straightforward boys stared to each other and then looked away.

Between them. Kurokami Medaka was fanning herself to get rid of the sweat that had pooled on her face. “It… It looks like there was a big difference between us. Hah...haha… You both did well… I’m proud of you… Wow who am I supposed to give this band too now I’m so confused?”

To all present, it was an ending that somehow disatisfied all of them.
Exactly as Enoshima Junko intended.
While even Kumagawa was caught up in the surprise and panic, a smile spread slowly across her face as she watched Kurokami Medaka come to pieces.

“Is she okay, dude?” Makoto asked, noticing first between the two of them.

“... Medaka-chan?”  Zenkichi turned his head around slowly, like he was witnessing some monster in a horror movie.

It was merely Medaka barely able to keep standing though, all of the confidence draining from her body at once. “OO… oops… th-there is no need for this uniform. I need to take it off. Since I am no longer the student council president.”

However the moment she stepped forward, she fell face first on the ground. A moment later in front of the two of them, she raised up her arm band. “He-here… You two take this and fight it out. From today on, this has nothing to do with me anymore.”

“...” Zenkichi looked on in abject horror.

Giant killing.
It’s when a much weaker person defeats a stronger opponent. Sometimes that’s what it’s even called in sports. The applause that usually accompanies such a feat did not happen. It seemed like the bad taste of bullying a girl just because she seemed godly, filled the mouths of the audience.

“Then, Ajimu’s strategy worked from the start. She became too distant from the normal human, and became somebody like Enoshima Junko with no attachment to this world at all. Animals have been avoiding that girl, now even humans have begun to avoid her. In the end cutting off Zenkichi-kun was the cause for Medaka-chan’s downfall. With that, Medaka-chan finally became completely unhuman. She did that because she wished to become of use to the many strangers that needed help. She became… obsessively driven towards hope. But for that sake, she beat up and tossed aside her childhood friend. Who would vote for someone like that…” Maguro said, coldly analyzing his own sister.

He moved in his seat when he anticipated Ajimu Najimi’s arrival. She appeared right next to him, her robes graciously trailing behind her as always. “Well, it might be like that but… that analysis lacks some love for your sister, that’s not like you and I don’t like that.” She turned her head back towards him and gave him a bright smile, for somebody who looked above such a thing she was absolutely filled with hope. “I wish to think of it this way. The students of this academy have finally released Medaka-chan. After Hitoysohi-kun’s speech they finally realized, they were depending too mcuh on her, and after Makoto’s speech they realized that it’s good to always hope for a better future instead of just accepting the current circumstances.”

Maguro looked at her face. The same way that Kumagawa had felt unnerved by Junko’s sudden change in behavior, he too, with his skill at analyzing others could tell there was something off about this not human at this moment. Even if she lacked a real face, even if she lacked human emotions, he could not help but feel genuine concern for her. “... ‘I was born to be of use tos trangers. They finally realized how wrong it was to make a girl say that. ‘Even if you raen’t helping others we still love you’, the results of this election might even be love. When there is too much love, too much compassion, too much understanding, too much kindness, too much thankfulness, too much heart, then it becomes an act of cruel violence. Hope is a slow but kind poison. That is actually what I prefer, ufufufu.”

Of course Medaka would not think like that. She was not helping others for respect or for them to love her in return, she did not have any deep motivation the same way that Enoshima Junko pursued her despair without any real reason, or grudge against the world, or instance of trauma in the past.

At this moment she felt like she was rejected by the humans she loved. Of course it wasn’t just a loss. It was not like she was some kind of spoiled brat who could not even comprehend losing. Rather, it was the worst possible kind of loss. Her entire being was rejected.

Medaka’s entire life was to make people happy. She even cut off her childhood friend, the only person that could ever truly become hers for that sake. But now, that is all lost, yes, like thirteen years ago.

Medaka was born into this world and killed her mother.

Not only that but she continued to take victims. Hard working people left the field. New people refused to get involved because they would never measure up to her. Medaka had, her entire life spread as much despair as she did hope.

Simply by existing, she disproved the idea that hard work and effort could get you what you wanted. She was living proof of the wall called talent that the normal people dreaded more than anything else.

She never wanted any of this.

She never asked to be born.

She wanted to believe in a world where people could work hard and uplift themselves more than anything else. So she labored, with all of her being to make that into a reality. If that were the case than it would not be wrong for her to exist.

The problem would not be with her, but with other people for refusing to work hard and try to keep up with her. If only the word genius did not really exist in this world. Then she could believe that it was an excuse that others used to fall down instead of keep trying until they made it.

For Medaka, hope was not something warm and comforting like it was for Naegi Makoto. Hope was a labor that she would endure until the end of time. If Hercules for killing his wife and children was punished for thirteen labors even though technically it was a fit of madness brought on by a cruel god. Then Medaka, for unintentionally killing her mother, by being given a blessing by a kind god, would be given an infinite amount of labors.

She wanted to spread hope pathologically. She wanted to save every single person, whether they wanted to be or not. Not because she truly believed it was best for them, but because she herself wanted to make up for the despair she caused just by existing.

Just like everyone else… she just wanted to continue living. However, to justify that she ran herself through endless hoops. Those who thought her simple, a straightforward character, a good girl, a beacon of hope had it wrong from the beginning.

Just like Enoshima Junko her mind was far too complicated, and that was the reason why she pursued hope with such purity. Just like Enoshima Junko though… she fell straight into an abyss of despair once the president’s chair was no longer under her. This was also what Enoshima Junko and Ajimu Najimi anticipated at the same time. However those two characters are nothing alike because Junko is stupid and smelly.

“Hey… tell me Zenkichi. Hahahaaha. Tell me, for what reason was I born?” She asked, forgetting the presence of Makoto on the stage entirely. She was not the student council president anymore, she was not playfully challenging Zenkichi to a fight anymore, all she wanted was to be comforted by her best friend.

For an instant he had a cheap thought. If he wanted to confess it would be now. If she was not anybody or anything, she could become his. All he had to do was speak his true feelings. You don’t have to fight anymore, you just have to become a normal girl and live with me. However, he became filled with disgust when he saw his childhood friend shivering in despair and only thought of himself.

These dark feelings of love, he finally realized how evil and possessive love could be. Just at the completion of his love story, he realized that perhaps… love should not conquer all after all.

Thirteen years ago, she lost her reason to live and he gave her a purpose to her life. WIth pure and innocent thought he put her on the road to hell. Everybody had analyzed Medaka to hell and back by this point, I even spent a good time on it, but Zenkichi was willing to accept all the blame on himself.

If he wanted, Medaka could be the best girlfriend imaginable. GOing to school together, home together, and talking on the phone at night. Making lunch going on dates while holding hands, filled with joy and living peacefully.

That kind of Medaka-chan is not the one I fell for.

He shattered, the beautiful smiling images he held of her in his mind. One by one, every single childhood memory for thirteen years in which he had idolized her.

“Medaka-chan. Nobody can tell you the reason you were born for. I don’t know what you’re meant to live for. You need to find the answer yourself, since you aren’t the president anymore start from there. Just observing won’t be enough. If you reach the same conclusion, that you do want to make people happy, and that you wish to fight for that then I will root for you at the time. However, Medaka-chan don’t say such lonely things like, you have been born to be of use to strangers. Everyone here doesn’t think of you as a stranger anymore.”

Even though she was a transfer student, she looked around and saw nothing but friends watching her. Her face slowly turned red and her eyes opened wide for what seemed to be the first time. Zenkichi stood right in front of her. The friend she had thrown away so easily came back to her just like this.

It was like she told Kumagawa so long ago. Just because you have lost things, does not necessarily mean you cannot regain them back.

“This is my last duty as the student council president. I will combine the Kamakura Project and the flask plan, and leave the completion of the project to Kurokami Maguro and Naze Youka, Kamakura Izuru should be given special permission to attend this school and all his past crimes pardoned, and I will leave the regulation of the system not to the teachers but to future student councils.”

It seemed like Makoto had disappeared from onstage. He really had though, because he went to go check on something with his own alliance. That, and he like any normal person would felt a little awkward for being a third wheel.

“Ending the fight against the flaks plan...  letting the Kamakura project continue after everything it did, are you alright with that Medaka-chan?”

She tilted her head and smiled at him. “Of course it’s alright. The plan that gave birth to a guy like you clearly isn’t bad.” With that, simple girlish gesture she knelt down in front of him. “I thought that it was wrong for me to live if I couldn’t be of use to others and couldn’t stand above others. But I was wrong. It is my loss, I am very sorry.”

To the whole school she bowed her head.

At the moemnt though Makoto could not care less about the school. He rushed up to where Kumagawa Misogi had been standing with Ensohima Junko to watch the results and saw his friend collapsed on the floor a knife clearly in his back.

Makoto without hesitation ripped it off of him and then kicked Kumagawa’s body for good measure. “Hey, hey, wake up! Just pop back alive like you always do, I don’t have time to deal with a corpse right now!” He said, forgetting his own squeamishness. He would probably remember it though.

Kumagawa’s eyes flickered open. Junko had seriously killed him this time, the fourth time since he had entered the academy. That was probably only because she wanted to buy time in the few minutes it would take to revive.  『Ah..』He said, before he realized what had happened. 『What happened, is Junko-chan going to go blow up the stadium now or something?』

Makoto shook his head. “No, I think… it’s far worse than that. It must have been because something I said to her earlier, or maybe she was just planning to do it all along and she laughed at me when I was talking with her about it…”

『What?』

“Nothing, you just gotta save her man! Get going! Who cares about the main character bullshit the hero is you this time!”

Naegi Makoto.

Had just tied for an unexpected upset election.
Rather than getting a heartwarming moment with his childhood friend (he didn’t have any remaining they all went to different schools or moved but… it still would have been nice) he was instead trying to save the girl that he hated the most.

He really did have the worst luck.

Ignorant to this small scene playing out, both Maguro and Naze were feeling like they had reached the happy ending forgetting about their past tension and worries. Maguro even crossed his legs and leaned back to relax.

“COming up with the blueprint and then completing it… my my… Having to fuse the work of these two distant schools even more, and Medaka-chan left us with quite the heavily load.”

“Congratulations Anshin'in-san. You really did win against Kurokami Medaka.” Naze said crossing her arms again.

“Naze-san the one who won was HItoyoshi-kun. I simply gambled on him. The results of the gamble were in my favor. Medaka-chan retires! The flask plan is revived! And on top of that I already have the data to complete the flask plan.”

Shirnaui Hanten turned his head away, while Ajimu stood up in the middle of the crowd slowly.

“Wahaha really. Three trillaint, four hunred and two billion, one hundred ninety three million, eight hundred and twenty two thousand, three hundred and eleven years and two hundred and eighty seven days.”

She pointed her index finger and thumb in the shape of a gun at her head. “I lived a uselessly long life.”

Kumagwaa remembering the day he had run up the stairs to see Ajimu Najimi and opened the door to find her hanging herself, ran as fast as he could. He erased large portions of his journey again and again, crossing the campus in what seemed to be seconds a minute at most.

Yet somehow he felt like he was going to be too late this time like all the othrers. He was terrified of throwing the door open only to see what was on the other side was just another loss.

Yet, he pushed straight through the door.

Ajimu Najimi’s suicide at her victory, was also something that Enoshima Junko had predicted. That way the best possible win for her, would be a tie. A win and a loss at the same time. An ending which dissatisfied everyone.

Just as she watched the cards fall into her favor, and knew that Ajimu would commit suicide soon after this, she thought about how despairingly perfect things had went.

Then.

She realized, she had easily overcome a trillion year old demigod with a quadrillion skills, just with a small group of teenagers.

Even the ultimate final boss was somebody she knew and predicted perfectly.

If she tried to fight seriously, she would always win, like it was some fact of the universe. Only when she purposely sabotaged herself would she ever lose.

That only confirmed what she expected from the beginning though. So she decided from the beginning, in Medaka’s moment of weakness she would split up the people who needed to be saved.

Make it impossible for her to save both.

She expected too, that Kumagawa Misogi would understand part of this and rush over. He was just such a good and loyal dog after all.

Which is why when the door flew open, she just greeted him with a smile and a wave as a gun was pressed to her head.

『J-junko-chan what are you doing? H-how, how did it end up like this this time, how does it always end up like this? I’m sick of this!』

“Didn't I tell you? I’m already fed up with the world. Nobody’s sicker of this than me.”

It ended with a-

Bang.
Just like Enoshima Junko wanted it too.

 

Chapter 44: Life is Epic / Life is Tragic

Notes:

The ending scene is inspired by Kind of a mix between End of Evangelion and Tokyo Ghoul, kind of a mix between Shouwa Genroku Rakuho Shinjuu and A silent Voice.

I…
It’s getting difficult for me to narrate.
It’s embarrassing really.
I’m remembering how I felt then.
How I failed.
Telling it all to you.
I think I was remembering at the same time that you are right now. That’s why my narration came across as so haughty.
This is only half of me after all.
I’m probably the half that has common sense and self awareness.
Yeah, that’s not an excuse.

There’s no choice but to get back to it.
This is the story of two empty headed selfish girls.
One of them lives and one of them…
Don’t look at me like that you have to remember even if it’s painful.

Where to begin from with this one.
I waited 3,000,000,000,000 years for the creation of the universe.
Then I waited 10,000,000,000 years for the earth to form.
I waited another 600,000,000 years for things that seemed to be living beings to emerge.
From the end of the dinosaurs I waited 550,000,000 years.
For the first man-like things to come about.
Only very recently 150 years ago have I met one like myself. I can say it was a great reward for having waited for so long.
The first time I met a human being that I had expectations for was five years years ago when he was 13, but I soon found my expectations on Kumagawa to be misplaced.
When I first met Medaka-chan was two years after that… that was three years ago so…

For this day of all days I have waited 3,402, 194, 822, 311 and 287 days.

The moment Ajimu Najimi thought that, she saw Medaka on her side, gripping her wrist and redirecting her had pointed at her head pointing it up towards the sky. She looked brilliant, moving faster than sound, hair flowing behind her, blood covering her body as it broke from how fast she forced herself to move.

“Kurokami phantom original version looks nice in color… you look great covered in blood Medaka-chan.”

“Ajimu Najimi… you… I knew it!”

What Enoshima Junko and Kurokami Mdaka had realzied at the same time. The great secret to Ajimu Najimi’s aloofness, her genre savviness, the reason she could control the narrative so well.

“Eh? What just happened now?

“Ajimu Najimi tried to kill herself? She tried to commit suicide…”

“And Kurokami-san stopped it with sonic speed…?”

“Eh? But why? Anshin’in-san won right!?”

“Wahaha the reason is obvious. I’m sure Junko-chan is thinking the same thing right now too. It’s too bad she doesn’t get to see this scene. At the end of the story, the undefeated antagonist commits suicide and suffers the ultimate execution.” SHe sighed still hanging there off of Medaka’s arm as she lifted her white, phantom like body up into the air. Ajimu Najimi murmured to herself. “We really are alike huh…”

“Don’t screw with me, what ultimate execution? Your problem isn’t the same as Enoshima Junko’s! Simulated reality! That’s your disease!”

“Simulated…” Naze Youka said.

“Eh? What? What did Kurokmai say?” Her BFF Koga behind her felt a little behind.

Sitting behind both of them, Yasuke Matsuda began to explain. “SImulated reality, or simulation complex. The complex in which I would just be a character in this made up fictional world.” He sat with his chin resting on his closed fist. “When you get lucky, don’t you ever think ‘it’s just like in a manga’? When you see a beautiful scene, have you ever thought ‘it looks like a drawing’? Have you ever seen a fight and thought ‘dramatic’, and have you ever seen a cute girl and thought ‘she looks just like a doll’. When those thoughts prevail and become your religion that’s what is called simulated reality. When life goes too well, they won’t be able to tell the difference between reality and their beliefs. They think they are living in a game, and begin to see the buildings and pixels and the people as NPC’s. People who are really gifted often develop this dorder and become people who try to change reality, they think they’re main characters in an already prepared world..”

He shrugged, lifting both of his hands in the air. “But sooner or later they relaize they’re wrong. Either when something goes bad or they make a mistake, they realize that reality is real and their beliefs were just their imagination going berserk. Even Enoshima Junko was not enough of a crazy bitch to genuinely believe that the world was a manga written just around her.”

“Exactly, it sound so stupid! Even though you kept saying things like main character, and lost boss, and end of the series I only thought you were joking. Who would have thought that this not equal would actually believe this world was a manga.”

“Actually, it’s a fan fiction right now…” Ajimu Najimi said with a sly smie.

“I only found out by coincidence. You’ve been leaving hints all alongs. The trainee who is obsessed with games Monaca, the trainee who constantly tells lies, Kokichi. You convinced Chiaki Nanami who only cares about games to help with their training. You sent the gambler Celeste to test them.”

She winked at Kurokami Medaka. “Just look at all the coincidences. Just like a manga.”

“Now, simulated reality is nothing to joke about! Just as Matsuda said as long as someone experiences misfortune or realizes they cannot achieve something it will be cured. That’s why the despair loving Enoshima Junko who purposefully sought out misfortune never fell into a similar madness. Something along the lines of ‘even if I work hard I won’t level up” if the person realizes this then they will realize that this world is not dragon quest. But unfortunately this girl is a note equal! An immortal with over a quadrillion skills and the wisdom of 700 people. She’s never experienced anything bad or discouraging. So she tried to do ‘the impossible’ and that’s the flaks plan, the attempt to try to create the perfect human.”

Both the heads of the flask plan, Naze and Maguro stepped back in shock.

“It was just as she said. She was doing it because it was hard. She was delving into the impossible. She never had a goal! She actually hoped to fail, to confirm that it was was impossible, she wanted to prove to herself that the world was real.”

Koga stood up suddenly, raising a fist in the air. “Wait a second what’s up with that? Then the flask plan we tried so hard to defend was just a product of your disorder?”

“We were guinea pigs in an experiment in order to fail?” Munakata said, standing up with his arms’ crossed.

“No, it’s not just Sandbox’s problem! She made our two academies mixed together in order to further than plan, right?” Togami said, standing up.

“Even class minus thirteen is involved.” Shibushi Shibuki said.

Gagamaru scowled behind her. “Are you saying that us transferring to this school was just your imagination…?”

“There’s no way this world is just a magna! Stop screwing around Ajimu Najimi. Who the hell do you think you are?” The entire crowd, reserved course, sandbox, ultimate talents, special, normal, abnormal, all of them at once shouted out to reject her.

At this, she took a relaxed look around and then smiled. She closed her eyes, and then when she reopened them her entire face darkened with terrible intent. “Call to me with affection, with the name Anshin’in-san. Well, I don’t really care what manga characters call me. Are you sure you should be spending time with me that means leaving her in the hands of that loser… well… I don’t care if manga characters live or die either.”

She looked to the stadium, at all the people faceless because the aritst was too lazy to draw them, or the author was too lazy to describe them.

“I am the one who can see the difference between reality and not. So, I don’t feel any reality from you people. Punishments, and rewards, insults and praise, to me is all the same ink on paper. I was ‘gifted’ for having been born from nothing, and I was even more ‘gifted’ whent he universe was made. For such a wish to have been fulfilled there was no way this could be real. I thought that since it was all fake, the masses and events were all irrelevant. Really, you are all too ridiculous.”

She looked over at the crowds watching her. “An older twin that just forgives her sister no matter what and puts up with legendary amounts of abuse without hating her, a girl who can learn and master any skill perfectly and wants to use that perfection to benefit mankind, a girl who understands and predicts everything ahead of time perfectly and has no motivation or shred of decency about her and only wants to spread despair, a perfectly normal guy who somehow lucks his way out of every situation and can outsmart the smartest person in existence, what I’m describing aren’t real three dimensional human beings. They’re just 2d tropey anime characters written by some hack writer. None of you… none of you… none of you are real. A world where some blonde chick working all by herself can seriously end the world is a world too absurd to even be real.”

Those who knew what she was talking about, felt her absurdity. Though a majority of the crowd did not know who the blonde chick was.

“From then on my goal was to find the “impossible’ and during my journey I accumulated all these skills. Everything I thought I couldn’t do, eventually became easy to do, and all the chances I had during pinch situations were obvious occurrences. As you can see, the seal from ‘book maker’ is weakening. Resurrecting people and beating the main character, I accomplished such impossible things by manipulating a few dumb teenagers. I even stopped Enoshima Junko and countered all of her actions perfectly, even though her character is that of the perfect mastermind. I forced you all into a love comedy just to mess with you. And finally I have seen the completion of my last ‘impossibility’ I have seen Zenkichi-kun beat Medaka-chan. It’s boring to do what you know you can do and a fake world is even more boring. For me a world where I am too gifted was the worst hell.”

She smirked at Kurokami Medaka. “You can all have a taste of just how bored I was...  and see if you can really keep living your stupid and boring lives after that. That’s what pissed me off about Junko-chan so much, seventeen years, she couldn’t even handle seventeen years of boredom. She thought she could escape? She should just remain bored forever just like me… I’d give her an immortality skill if I could just to torment her but... well I guess I’ll never see her again.”

Kurokami Medaka scowled, blood still dripping off her face. “I was able to figure all of that out, but I didn’t think you would try to commit suicide. Were you going to kill yourself out of boredom? Ajimu Najimi?”

“Of course. It is better to be dead, than not living. I fyou don’t want to see me dead, then I can go die in a black hole or something…” Just as she was about to nonchalantly disappear, she was struck hard on the head.

Medaka swung her fist down hard, and slammed her head into the bleachers below.

Komaeda, Munakata, Maguro and Naze all thought the same thing. She hit… Anshin’in-san.

“Shut it you little baby! What do you mean immortal? What do you mean three trillion years? What do you mean you lived a uselessly long life. It doesn’t matter that you have lived for such a long time, you’re nothing more than a kid like me…”

As her fist smoked from the pure effort of the punch, Ajimu stared at the Medaka looming over her in complete shock. She really did look like a child who was being scolded, perhaps this was her first scolding in several trillion years.

“Don’t involve my Zenkichi! In such a stupid delusion!”

In the background, Zenkichi took a step back in shock. “Medaka-chan?”

“Of course I’m grateful fighting with Zenkichi for the past two semesters was fun, although it is foolish of me, I am very thankful to you for making this come true! But this and that are completely different stories! You were relying on Zenkichi in order to lose! Even if Zenkichi forgives you I won’t!”

She unfolded her fan once again. The symbol of her place as president, she defiled it easily with permanent marker, drawing a name across the open fan. “Today I have learned of my own naivety. But I don’t plan on giving up, I will start from square one, and I won’t be alone I am dragging you with me, Ajimu Najimi. Don’t think you can die in peace after angering me. Your “impossibility” is committing suicide. I will forever get in your way so prepare yourself.From now are you are going to start over as a first year as my classmate I will teach you about reality!”

Ajimu Najimi
Transfer Class 13
Blood Type AB
Mental Not Equal!

 

As the fan was held out in front of her, she could only let her mouth hang wide open in shock.

“Is the world too peaceful? Is the future bothersome? Is reality your enemy? Don’t worry, even if it is life is epic!”

As she said that, as Medaka stood over her with the entire cosmos looking like they were at her backing. She looked and saw that the last screw over her heart was distintegrating.

“Is being relieved all I can do as Anshin’in-san. Ahhh I thought I could finally die. I see, for me dying is till an impossibility. Life is hard to stop, just like a weekly serialization.”

“Yes that’s it. THis is the one thing you can’t just stop.” Medaka smiled back at her.

Ajimu reached up to touch at the tears streaming down her face. SHe was so distracting by the wave of her own emotion, that she forgot about something critical.

“Oh no…”

She said a phrase often repeated by teenagers who were pretty much mentally her age.

“I fucked up…”

It’s ridiculous don’t you think?
A total farce.
A trillion year old entity was saved, but a seventeen year old girl was not.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

The moment before her finger could flex and pull the trigger, a screw shot from across the room and pierced through the flesh of her palm screwing her to the wall.The gun itself fell from her hand and spun across the floor before Kumagawa Misogi stepped on it.

『How, how can you be sick of it?』

“The fuck are you doing Kumagawa! Do you really think you can show up and save me in the middle of my perfect suicide? Do you think you’re going to win my heart or something? Are you really that fucking self important-”

『Shut up!』Kumagwaa had moved close to speak with her but in an instant he lost his temper and slammed his forehead into hers at full strength. He heard a loud sound, and saw both his and her foreheads were being drenched in their own blood from the impact.  『Answer my question, why?』

“You shut up! Don’t you dare take this away from me! I’ve wanted to bite the dust before the idea of mortality even dawned on you. When I was born I cried tears of despair, the only thing I’ve had to look forward to my entire life was tasting the once in a lifetime final despair of death! The greatest despair I’ll ever feel.” Even with her hand bloodily screwed to the wall, even bleeding from her forehead she shouted back at him moving right into his face. After her anger though she shifted just as easily into a calm personality. “What’s wrong Kumagawa? Are you holding back from snapping? You want to rip my face off don’t you? You want to shove bookmaker into me, and seal me away in some room so you can protect the person you love from their own suicidal tendencies.”

『No.』

“Huh?”

『I don’t feel that way, because I hate you.』

“Excuse me, please repeat that?”

『I hate you! I hate you because you’re arrogant! I hate you because you’re always acting like you hate your life so much even though I have far more reason than you ever would to hate being born, to regret living. You have so much more than me! I’m not just talking about talent, you have two people who loved you more than anything else! I always thought, I always thought if I just found one person to love me then my life would be a little easier. I thought… even someone like me… could have worth in somebody else’s eyes... 』

“Oh my god can you just let me kill myself so I don’t have to listen to your sob story-”

『Shut up! You’re not the despair queen you’re just a spoiled brat! Don’t assume you know everything! How could you possibly know? How could you know that right at this moment is the most despair you’re ever going to feel for the rest of your life? How do you know you’re not missing out on some worse kind of despair just around the corner!』

“I do know everything because my brain-”

『Shut up about your stupid talent for once! You’ve only been to a small portion of the world. You’ve only seen a fraction of humanity. How could you possibly know for sure? How could you know that this is the most you’re ever going to get out of life? Every single time I think I’ve hit my lowest point I’ve fallen further, that’s how I’ve lived my life up until this point. I know more than anybody else there are an infinite amount of ways to be miserable!』

“Yeah, and so what should I end up like you? Newsflash asshole you’re not enjoying yourself any more than I am, you’re faking it! Do you know how I know I’m never going to find anything interesting about life? It’s because there’s a trillion year old entity that’s been haunting our asses for the past few months who is just as bored as I am and has likely seen every corner of the universe and knows it’s just as boring as I predicted.”

『Ajimu’s not omniscient! And she’s not a model for how to live your life anyway she’s way too immature! J-just listen to somebody else for once in your goddamn life. I thought… I thought you were getting better.』

“That’s just what you wanted to think.”

『I thought we were getting closer.』

“That’s just what you wanted us to be.”

『I thought you trusted me.』

“That’s just what you wanted me to do.”

『Y-you didn’t enjoy your school life even a little bit?』

“You just liked it, because being in a romantic comedy made you slightly less miserable than being in a tragedy like the rest of your life was, so you pushed all your expectations onto me. You even said you thought if you could find love it would ease your suffering.”

『That’s not what I… I really do...Junko-chan are you really saying that all that time we spent together is nothing to you? Is that why you can throw people away so easily, I don’t understand it.』

She looked up and smiled at him, with a face as sincere as an angel. “Kumagawa, you became closer to me in a few months than anybody else did, you stuck around after everybody else left me. You forgive me over and over again, even when I torment you to relieve my boredom. You try harder than anybody else to understand me… all of those things are true but… I can’t feel those feelings at all. There’s no difference at all to me, if they were sincere or if I’m faking them. The only way I can feel anything at all from this, is if I hurt you in the worst way possible and then hate myself for it afterwards, just like Matsuda, just like Mukuro. You’ve become at least as precious to me as one of them, do you understand?” Straightforwardly, she spoke her feelings and she reached out and touched his face to caress it, but only because she knew those actions would hurt him more.

As he would piece together right at this moment, the reason she wished to kill herself. To inflict the worst of all possible pains on him, and drive the unstable wild card with reality bending powers mad, like setting off an old bomb that had been buried and untouched for years until a civilization grew around it.

Even so, his eyes sharpened. 『It doesn’t have to be that way..』

“What?”

『Anything you would never want to lose will be lost. It is given that everything that is worth desiring will be lost the moment you obtain it. There’s nothing worth pursuing at the cost of prolonging a life of suffering and that’s why… life is tragic! Life is unceasingly unendingly tragic! That’s why you should keep living it.』

“....”

『With me… you’ll become the misfortunate person in the world. I’ll spend the rest of my life making you as miserable as possible.』

“...”

『Let’s play a game for the rest of our lives okay? I’ll defeat you over and over again, as many times as it takes for you to taste despair! We don’t have to be normal, we don’t have to enjoy our school lives! Let’s just be miserable together!』

“Misogi.”

Junko finally spoke up, and at that instant the screw keeping her hand to the wall disappeared leaving only the bloody hole in her hand behind. She could care less though as she had suddenly realized it.

She did not need a long meandering internal monologue to spell out what her feelings were. “Misogi, I love you…r despair.” She said it clearly, before wrapping her arms around him and locking her lips with his.

『Huh? What is happening?』

“Do you mean it? Do you mean it about making me miserable? Then, I want you to do the single worst, stupidest thing that two teenagers can do when they’re both running high on emotions.”

Kumagawa Misogi did not get it, until Junko Enoshima pushed him back against the wall and started to straddle him.  『Wait.. Is this happening… is this really happening to somebody like me? Is this real?』

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

“You know, Senpai. Losing it… well that counts as a loss too…”

He had blue eyes.
So she wanted to sleep with him. 

She did not need a reason other than that.
Reasons were unnecessary for them.

Blue eyes. Water so still, and so silent that it’s surface shimmered like glass. Glass that could fracture, break into tiny little pieces that tore her up.

Water is vast. Boundless. On the surface, all seems still. Yet, beneath that stillness it is unfathomably deep. Staring into those eyes it was impossible to catch more than a fleeting shadow.

It had her curious. The sights he saw behind those eyes. The person that existed behind them. So curious. She wanted to scratch those eyes out. She wanted to be the only thing that appeared in those eyes. She wanted to drown in them. 

 

A brilliant blue. A pure blue. Deep blue..
He had blue eyes, and a melancholy blue filled her insides like being with him made her swallow seawater, and feel salt sting the corner of her eyes, and she wanted to sleep with him even more.

Kumagawa Misogi. He stopped wearing that black jacket, so his uniform is just a white button up shirt. His hair a mess, because she was just pulling it a moment ago, because kissing him was like slowly sinking in water and it made her desperate for air. His lips were pulled into a hesitant, unsure, smile wavering somewhere between comedy and tragedy. Her lipstick smeared all over his pale lips, and it looked like his mouth was bloodied and raw.

Those rotten eyes of stared at her in confusion. Rotten. Malignant. Malformed. Disgusting. Depraved. Reviled. Filthy. Wrong. Empty. Damaged. Disturbing. Empty. Empty. Empty.
They stared at her.
As if they despised everything.
As if they desired everything.
As if they wanted to ruin everything. 

Unwanted eyes.
But, she wanted them.

『H-how is this even happening?』

“Kumagawa, we’ve gotten to the point where I will sleep with you just to shut you up.” But that was a lie, because her pale skin was the moon and she wanted him to howl at her. 

 

『W-what if I screw something up?』And she was on top of him, because she practically threw herself on him. She straddled him with both of their clothes still on, and the friction of it is rubbing against her and irritating her even worse.

“Well, that is the point. Idiot.” Junko smiled at him, a picture perfect, but fake smile. “It’s just killing time, or maybe it’s just killing each other. Just imagine a girl it’s a fantasy with a girl from a magazine. Oh wait, I happen to be a super popular super model on the cover of every magazine ever!”

『Hey, Junko-chan. I don’t want that. I want it to be you.』

He just had to go and say that. He always made things so confusing. It could never be just killing time, everything became blurry, hazy, uncertain even this feeling in her chest. The way he looked at her, like he was staring up at a real girl.

Kumagawa reached for his buttons and tried to undo them on his own. His fingers were covered in scars, strange circular marks where people’s teeth cut into his knuckles, saw toothed cuts clearly left by knives, and seeing those clumsy fingers trying to undo one button made her so frustrated because she knew what those fingers could be doing right now.

She dug her claws into his shirt and twisted it, until the buttons just broke. She pushed him, and Kumagawa fell back, and she fell on him. ANd for a moment she imagined the both of them drowning in water, drowning together. If only a wave would hit them and was away. That was all she wanted, for the feeling of him, to wash all over her, to enrapture her.

Kumagawa, frustrating, annoying, rotten-brained, worthless, maddening, so much so that it drove her mad, so much so she was slowly going insane with thoughts of him. He still hesitated. She kissed him, and his first thought was that it hurt. She tasted blood in the corner of his mouth, and let her tongue lick it up. 

 

The moon, and the water. The moon pulling the water, into unpredictable ebbs and flows. She crashed on top of him, and into him, and he shivered like he was freezing. He kissed her back, and the feel of him made her imagine some wounded beast covered in its own blood.

He was tame for her, but that wasn’t what she wanted. There was someone hiding just beneath his skin. Kumagawa Misogi, bright eyes, and a dark streak deeper than the sea itself. If only she could push him a little further, what ecstasy it might be to be broken by him. 

 

She sat up on him and pulled her jacket over her head. All that was underneath was a black bra. He reached up, and his fingers are like a spider crawling up her back with creeping sensation, but his fingers slipped once again.

“Wouldn’t it be funny if I just stared at you for the next twenty minutes while you failed to get my bra off? Huh? Loser-boy?” 

 

『It wouldn’t be comedic! It would be tragic! The worst most awful tragedy in human history! 』

The look in his eyes right now.
It’s almost apologetic.

 

『 Sorry about my bony elbows. 』

『 Sorry about the scars between my thighs. 』
『 Sorry about this disappointing love scene. 』
『 Sorry I ruin everything. 』

And that’s just stupid. Stupid. Dumb. Rotten-Brained. Idiot. Shouldn't it be obvious what she wants? Hasn’t she lowered herself to his level? Hasn’t she started sinking together with him. She took the bra off for him, and there was nothing but her pale skin in the moonlight, and a white unbuttoned shirt around her shoulders like a veil.

Just want me a little bit. The same way I want you. Want me to the point of despair. She pressed her palm against his flat stomach, and it finally hit her why he shivered so much. She was cold. Her body. Her eyes. All of her. Her fingers. Five. Against him. Her lips she brought down on his chest.

She kissed one of his scars. She was capable of being gentle, when she wanted to be, she wanted to build up his expectations a little bit, give him a little bit of hope before he came crashing down. She did not want rock bottom, she just wanted to keep falling after that.

Her lips graze his many scars. He looks so pathetic. Even she wanted to pity him. If she had broken one of his ribs, he might have thanked her, but softly touching him made him stare up at her like he was a virgin. Touch-starved. Unwanted. Unloved. Every single part of his body was marked with how much others hated him. They left their sloppy hand prints all over, tears in his flesh where parts of him had been taken away.

How desperate he must be for just one person to touch him in a way that did not hurt, and how scared he must feel of anything other than pain. An unfamiliar touch. A gentleness that was entirely alien to him. He could cut his skin on cotton like it was sharp glass.

She forgot to take her makeup off.
Suddenly, the thought hit her and she felt embarrassed. Her hand suddenly shoved him away. Her hands groped around, clumsily, and no this was not her. She was always in control. She always knew what to do. And something so simple throws everything off, like Kumagawa Misogi's mere introduction to her. Nothing was right around him. 

"Um... here, make yourself useful." 

She said as she started to wipe her face. Kumagawa recovering from being pushed to the floor looked up only to see her ankles wrapping around his shoulders. Her thighs touched both of his cheeks, inviting him in closer. If he turned his head back now he would see black panties dangling off one foot. Her red skirt, folding back like a curtain. Her ankles crossed behind his neck. 

A long moment of silence. Too long. Ugh, take the hint already. She expected this to be smooth and seductive, but suddenly her face is reddening. Not like she's embarrassed or anything, maybe she's just allergic to loser boy. Just when she was about to give up, Kumagawa turned his head and kissed the inside of her thigh. Ah that. She wished he would bite her. Ah, and then he did. 

Her heart beat in her ears. 
It turns out I do have a heart after all. 

When he was finished he crawled on top of her, but she just slammed his bed back on the bed. She liked the red marks her running lipstick had left all over his stomach, like a new set of fresh wounds. When she felt him seize up underneath her as if desperately trying to hold something back, she dragged her tongue along right where his hips started to divet.

What would this boy do?
If just one person truly cared about him?

She giggled as she kissed him at the thought, absolutely tickled, and all she can think about is how he’ll never get that because she was not going to let anybody else ever have him again.

She placed her hand over the front of his pants. It sounds absolutely painful to be holding back as much as he was. How fun.

No one else can have him. No one else deserves him.

This strange boy hated by everyone. This boy who could not hold onto anything. This boy who could not love or be loved. This boy who nothing ever went as expected. The boy who made a mess of everything. The boy she wanted to mess her up, so, so badly. They could not understand him like she could, they did not see his worth. They did not see how unique, how unpredictable an existence he was. 

She pried him loose from his boxers. 

Mine.

She was over him, and crashed into him like a wave.

Mine.

She rushed over him like running water. And for a fleeting moment thought of the little mermaid. Why did people say that tale was tragic? A happy ever after, the same life every day with the person you love, seeing the exact same face and having to love that face, what a snooze fest. All she wanted was to turn into seafoam. To melt away. To dissolve. To stop existing as the same dead end person for five whole fucking minutes.

She would do it under a guillotine.
She would let the boy cut her head off.
If she could just stop thinking for five minutes.
They could become happy together.

I’m not the kind of girl to share. 

So that's what it was like to have another person inside of her. She felt every twitch of his body like it was her own. The waves that started with her ran through the both of them. The clothes they had lazily discarded without thinking wrinkled underneath them. There are scars between his thighs and they rubbed against hers as she positioned their legs, and slowly hooked hers around his. 

His body so battered, and rough, and bony, and there’s nothing soft about pressing her chest so hard against his at all. Except, she can feel it inside of him. Ripples that move within him. Happiness, sadness, and pain. They were all amplified exponentially for Kumagawa, and he kept it all buried far deeper than a normal person would.

And she wants to feel a little bit of what he feels.
His skin is so scarred, but at the same time so sensitive.
So responsive to her touch.
Each touch a new feeling, a new way his body twists inside of her.

And she wanted that.
As if two people could understand each other.
As if two people could feel the same way.
As if two people could overlap their limbs. 

Mine.

And she squeezed him like she was trying to strangle him. His her tights, his hips, his spine, her arms, her hands, his neck. She would never let go. He would be hers forever.

She was curious. And afraid, just a little. Of that melancholic look in his eyes.
If he did not want her.
How would that make her feel?
Of course he wanted her. She was gorgeous, and amazing, and the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Senpai, a super cute girl is basically throwing herself at you, even though you don’t deserve her, and she’s way out of your league. Hey, Senpai. Why do you look so sad?” 

『I’m afraid.』

To want anything.
To want you.
To hurt you.

Hurt her? How ridiculous. She was the one hurting him. She was the one who deserved to be hurt. A girl like her who did not care about the pain of others. A girl who felt no pain herself. A girl who felt nothing. Why was he... so worried about her? She was just using him and he still. He always thougt of her. He was the only one.

He was the only person stupid enough to worry about her. 

“Senpai, maybe it’ll be. A good kind of hurt.”

Someone. Somewhere. Would pull their bodies out of the lake and see them entwined together. Or maybe they would wash up on the shore after their burial at sea. These. Our bodies. She never wanted to get used to this feeling.

Eventually love is going to be taken away.
And then he would fall to the floor crying.
He was scared. And she could understand, because her love was…
Something that slowly died away.
And she couldn’t love.
In a way anybody wanted her to.

And that was why, it would make her happiest.
If she died in his arms tonight.
Tell me we’re dead, and I’ll love you even more.

Because it would all fade away eventually. Her curiosity for him. Her affection. All of the time they spent together. The colors would bleed out and it would go gray. Even if he broke one of her bones she would not feel it because she already went numb. And she did not want to become bored of this person, because that would be losing him, and she could not lose him because he might belong to someone else and he was hers. 

Mine. Mine. Mine.

And her head was run-on sentences. And when she closed her eyes she saw the images of her lover destroyed. She painted them again and again in her mind.

“Mi…”

And it was heavy.
Too heavy for her.
And she was so fragile. The baddest bitch on the earth, but fragile. 

“Mi… Mi… Mi…”

She rocked back and forth like the waves as she tries to tell him that he’s hers, tries to form the words with her lips, but the feeling inside of her right now is formless.

Then her heart, which she did not even know she had, was tied into knots. She tensed. She pushed him further into the sheets, her fingers tightening their grip in his hair like she actually wanted to hold onto him. And her penetrated by him.

A feeling like.
Breaking the surface of water and breathing for the first time.
Turning into foam.
A feeling of falling apart.
A feeling of breaking within.

“Misogi…”

She said, looking stupidly happy. Ah, ah, ah, it was probably wrong for someone like her to feel this happy. Wet. Dripping wet. No her eyes, her eyes were wet. Tears from nowhere, flooded all falling down on top of him.

“Misogi… why won’t they let me be normal? Why can't I be me?”

She asked, desperate. She fell on top of him like a lifeless doll. She had no idea, if the tears were real or fake, but for some reason she could not stop them. She was so cold. Frigid. And alone. And even now she was alone. In the whole world she was alone, and it was impossible for her to connect with others even like this.

Why was she?
Why was she the one crying? He was the one who was just being used. He was the one who she hurt. She knew good and well she could not accept anything from him. Not the weight and depth of his feelings. She had nothing to give him in return. A snow globe with no one inside. A cold room. The frost on her skin that slowly melted as she tried to touch him. 

Everything.
Everything. 
Everything.

Spoke to her profound loneliness. She was closer to him than anybody else, but her heart was more disconnected from her than anybody else. So why were these tears falling? These selfish, selfish tears rolling down her cheeks. I'm just cruel. Even though I'm bound to get bored soon. I'm getting close to you like this. Because. Even though love means nothing to me, I feel unbearable loneliness. 

But Kumagawa.
Leaned up, and kissed her where her tears were falling.
His arms were around her. 

『It’s alright, Junko.』

Empty words of comfort.
Meaningless.

『I like that you're you.』

Just saying.

Warm arms around her. She really, really, really, really, wanted to die in these arms.
He held onto her.
She saw them, his blue eyes, and wanted to dye them even bluer. 

As his entire world drowned and became sensations alone, Kumagawa Misogi forgot what he had gotten riled up about a moment ago. For the first time in his life he felt entirely relaxed. He slept completely peacefully next to another person. The awkwardness that had plagued their relationship, disappeared in an instant.

As time too long for words to describe passed between the two of them, Kumagawa eventually spoke up when he noticed even while resting against him she had not fallen asleep yet. “That noise what is it..?” He used his genuine voice.

“A river runs by these dorms… it eventually flows out of campus… how nice a river just like your name. I've always liked your name... bear river... what nice characters." 

"Your name has always sounded lonely to me... Island Shield... No Junko is an island you know... quit going off on your own from now on dummy."

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Of course that was exactly what Enoshima Junko intended from the start. To become as close as physically possible to him. To let him believe he had finally achieved his happy ending. She took one last look at his stupidly happy sleeping face, and wrapped a robe around herself.

Easily she climbed the balcony and stood on the edge of it. Just as she had always known, only when standing on the edges of this, on the edge of hope and despair, life and death could she feel anything at all.

This was not her hand hovering over a button preparing for the ultimate execution, but as long as Medaka and Ajimu still existed in this world she would have to give up on this dream. She had already decided that staining both of their hearts pitch black with failure was enough.

A final kiss my ass to both of them for assuming they could lock her in some stupid school comedy, or some dumb romantic comedy where there was no consequences, no death and no despair.

Just as she fully stood up and held one leg teetering off the edge, she heard a voice speak up behind her. “Mmm… Junko is it morning already?”

It was 11: 58. She had timed it almost perfectly so the day of her birth, the worst day ever, could also become the day of her death.

“...It’s so bright… oh they must be having fireworks for christmas eve…” As he stood up from the bed, he noticed something was off about the way she was standing on the balcony. She was not standing on the balcony, but rather the railing, and she was teetering off the edge at that. The two of them were on the highest floor possible of the dorms, and because of that one could easily fall into the river that ran right side by side with the dorms.

“W...wait a second… didn’t we…what is she doing?” He rolled out of the bed in a panic and jumped into a pair of loose fitting pants. As he made it through the door to the next room and got a clearer picture of where she was standing, what edge she was hovering over, he hesitated “....Ah…”

“No, don’t!” The moment he realized, every single muscle in his body screamed and he rushed forward. Only to immediately trip over a bear that Junko left lying on the ground, and slam head first into one of her table’s. He collapsed forward gripping his stomach, before slamming a fist into the ground and forcing himself to stand up once more. “Don’t go! Junko! "

From a start on the floor, he sprinted forward. However, by the time he reached the edge of the balcony, she already dispapeared off of it and he threw an empty hand into the space where she had been a moment ago.

Kumagawa Misogi looked down and saw that he was gripping the wooden railing with one hand, and the other just barely caught Enoshima Junko’s clawed hand.

She stared up at him, expression completely blank. As if she thought nothing at all of his current struggle to save her, as if nothing at all reflected in those eyes. Red eyes, bored with the whole world.

“You have to…. You have to… grab on… to the railing… Junko you’ll die…” He struggled and saw her do nothing but hang there watching every detail of his face, every twitch of his muscle as he tried to lift her back up. When his hand failed to grip the railing and slipped off of it, he reached out with two hands locking them around her one.

Please god, let me unlock hidden strength that I never had before.
I won’t ever ask for anything again.
I don’t need happiness.
I don’t need to be loved.
I don’t even need to win.
Just let me accomplish this one thing...

Tears streamed down his face, as he remembered the tomorrow he thought was a given until it suddenly was not.

Starting tomorrow I’ll face it all seriously.
Starting tomorrow I’ll stop trying to make everything disappear.
Starting tomorrow I’ll work seriously even if I think I’m going to fail.
Starting tomorrow I won't rely on an evil power like all fiction.
Starting tomorrrow… please… please..just one more tomorrow. 

“Jun… ko…"

Did I… did I ever even apologize for trying to force her to be happy?
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry for everything.
Are you mad at me?
I’m so dumb.
I should have just asked you what you really think of me when I had the chance…

As he begged and pleaded, sadly it did not matter if there was a god in this world or not. As there was a skill in effect, Devil Style, which prevented all last minute saves, and prevented destiny from interfering.

He pulled back and lifted with everything he had to save her, his back arching and his spine becoming visible through his skin from how emaciated his body was. However, the situation could only play out realistically.

Kumagawa Misogi would try to save her, and he would lose.

Enoshima Junko made no attempt to climb up she only sat there watching his face as he pleaded with her.
Then suddenly, just as his grip was about to give out.
A balcony railing not meant for supporting two people snapped.

Kumagawa Misogi fell forward.
He fell, fell, fell, fell, fell, fell, and fell into the river below.
As he fell, by instinct alone he wrapped his body around Enoshima Junko’s.

The two of them broke the surface of the water at the same time, and sunk within it.
Pink blood, bubbled from the impact alone.
Then, it was washed away.

All fiction failed to activate.
Why would it, though?
He could not undo the total despair he had fallen into.
That too, was just as Ensohima Junko intended.
It was all so despairingly perfect.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Senpai.
It's so warm when I'm around you.
But so cold. 

Enoshima Junko's’ red eyes peeled open.

In her last moment of consciousness, she felt her skull crack open, and tasted jelly in her mouth. Now as she looked around she was not in fact in water, but in the middle of a city. As she started to walk forward she saw familiar sights.

This street.
That’s right this is…
Where Mukuro and I used to live right around primary school right?

The direction she was heading was a playground that sat in the middle of an otherwise completely ordinary and boring city. In the center of that play ground, a girl sat in a sandbox all alone.

Using basic tools made of plastic, shovels, rakes, and some water she had in a bucket she was recreating a sand castle to exact detail, a perfect model constructed of the flimsiest material possible to challenge herself.

That girl hunched over the sand castle had red hair and red eyes. She worked on it all alone, as she did not need any help and knew perfectly what to do. Sagarada Famiglia, that was the name again she remembered.

Enoshima Junko slammed her boots into the sand castle, destroying it easily. The child working on it finally looked up at her.

Waiting for Yasuke to come out of his house.
Playing in a sandbox alone.
What a bored looking child I was. 

“Hey, what’d you do that for?” The child said looking up at her.

“It’s more fun to destroy things then it is to build them, especially if you do it with your own hands.”

“Why is that?”

“Dunno, just is.”

She knelt behind the child and pulled out two bands from her pockets, and easily did the child’s hair up in a pair of pigtails. It looked better that way as well.

Enoshima Junko flopped back and laid down on the wreckage of her own sandcastle. She spread herself out starfish style and laid their, while her childhood self stared at her in confusion still.

“Are you me?”

“Mmm…”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Mmmm…”

“When we grow up, do we have any fun at all?”

She thought about it seriously for a moment. The student council, the student council battle, the hot springs trip, her day off at the amusement park with Misogi, her time with the naked apron alliance, forming a band together… did she have fun at least once? After all of that time?

“Yeah. Of course I did. That’s why I can taste such despair now, because I threw away those fun times with my own hands, before I grew boring because of them.”

Her childhood self smiled at her. “I’m glad then. I want to have lots and lots of fun, just like everybody else.”

Junko Enoshima closed her eyes.
Just then as her consciousness faded, she remembered something. Apparently even with her skull cracked open her brain wanted to draw connections and make predictions. A detail she had missed in the past finally occurred to her.

“Shuichi Saihara… huh?”

Oh.
Misogi fell together with me.
That was unexpected.
Unexpected until the very end…
I should have gotten a good look at his face.
Too late now I guess.
I don’t even know why I remembered that name.

I don’t know what meaning it holds when I’m already d-
Is this the afterlife? 
Whoa, there’s a lot more sand than I was expecting.

Chapter 45: 『Thank You』

Summary:

This is meant to be a brief epilogue so sorry for the brevity.

I told you it’s not a fun story to narrate anymore.
Yet you insist I continue.
I told you from the beginning this was a story that ends in despair. 

The next morning, the day after the election when everything was settled Yasuke Matsuda made his way to Enoshima Junko’s dorm room. As he had been relying on Ajimu’s supposed omniscience to take care of everything for him until now, only to realize she was just as mistaken as Junko was he had no idea what to do with himself.

He wanted to try to talk things out properly with Enoshima Junko. Just one more time. When he reached the door though he noticed immediately it had been left unlocked. His alarm was raised but he thought it could just be that girl being an airhead.

Slowly, he opened the door a crack and peered through it. When he saw no movement in the room his suspicion jumped and he crept through it. Junko’s dorm was a disaster as he expected but the fact that nobody was in here made him worry.

Where had she gone?
He came early in the morning specifically because he knew she was the type to always get her twelve hours of beauty sleep in.
He knew her.
He knew something was off.

He walked all the way to the balcony, before he saw it. The wooden railing that served as a guard from falling off had broken into pieces. In the pieces, a torn off piece of robe, the expensive brand that Junko wore.

He did not even need to figure it out from that point forward as his mind jumped to the worst possible conclusion, and he was right.

No.
I lost her again.

He felt the exact same crushing gravity that had kept him in that hospital room for so long. His world had been destroyed twice right in front of his very eyes. Who knew, world's were so easy to destroy. Again and again, ad nausea. He was getting sick of it. 

I went with Ajimu.
I betrayed you.
I tried to attack you.
I fought and killed someone.
I made new friends.
Nothing changed at all though.
I lost you again.

After Matsuda’s discovery of the scene, news spread fast throughout the academy.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

A few weeks later, Naegi Makoto was greeted outside of a hospital room. “Oh, the puppy-chan is back again today?” Hitoyoshi Hitomii said with a smile.

The nickname Puppy was given to him because every single day without fail, he had come to visit Mukuro in the hospital. Whether she was in a good mood that day or not, whether she responded that day or not.

Today, as he completed his visit and finished changing her flowers, he saw Hitoyoshi Zenkichi waiting around for him in the hallway.

“Yo!” His friend greeted him.

“Yo!” Makoto raised a hand happily in return.

A single ‘yo’ was worth a thousand words between friends. However, they were both the talkative type and despite the heavy atmosphere between the two of them, they both easily sat down next to each other.

“Is Ikusaba-san doing okay?”

“More or less. What about Kurokami-san?”

“More or less.”

The moment she heard the news that two of her three most precious people had disappeared in an instant, with no warning at all Ikusaba Mukuro’s health started to plummet. The doctors were just calling it a nervous episode.

Makoto was pretty sure that dying of a broken heart was impossible, and that kind of stuff only happened in fiction. If he was paying attention during the Ajimu fight, then they definitely proved the world was real, as absurd as it was.

“She’s rich right, so she probably doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of her actions just like Togami-san.”

“Yeah… even though she busted up a school building they only have her on house arrest.”

Kurokami Medaka when she heard of the news, lost her mind far worse than three years ago when she discovered Kumagawa standing over Ajimu’s torn off face. There was no enemy to vent her anger at though, besides herself for letting it happen.

She was given a formal suspension from school for everything she had broken apart in her rampage, and sent back to the Kurokami family for a short while. Zenkichi knew she would be alright again as long as Maguro looked after her.

“We really date troublesome women, huh?” Makoto said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. A moment later he heard a rustle from the nearby hospital room.

Mukuro appeared in the doorway, leaning out of it and gripping the side for strength. “Are you two gossiping about me again?”

“No way!”
“No we swear!”

Even Mukuro in her weakest state he had ever seen her in, still had the energy to get up and move around like that. She dragged the IV stand with her, and sat at the end of the bench. She probably had not been given permission to leave her room but neither boy could speak up against her.

At the end of this, Makoto at least finally realized why he loved her so much.
She needed more than anything else somebody to chain herself down to.
It was why she had become like this, losing those two precious chains.
That’s why he was happy to be with her.
He’d chain herself to her again and again.
He just wanted to be part of that amazing strength she had.

“Why are you staring at my face?”
“I was just thinking your freckles are cute.”
“Oh…”

"You doing okay?" Zenkichi asked, getting in her face.

"Uh... I guess... I thought things were finally improving with Junko, and then this happened...my life is one of constant disappointments I guess."

"Hey, but... the only reason you're disappointed is cuz you were trying for something right?" Zenkichi said.

"Yeah, and the only reason you're trying is because you still have hope right?" Makoto said.

"I need to stop complaining around the two optimists." Mukuro sighed. 

While they talked about Komaeda, somebody else wandered by. He hoped he would not be noticed, but he froze when his name was called out by a friendly Makoto.

"Hey! Togami-san! Are you here to visit Toko in the hospital again?"

Byakuya Togami turned around, trying to kill with his looks. Of course, the aura of sunshine that surrounded Makoto at all times even protected him from such a dark look. "...None of your business."

"How has she been doing since the leak anyway?" 

The leak as it was being referred to coloquially among the students, was several bytes of blackmail about this school that was leaked onto the internet. Apparently, Enoshima Junko had collected it all herself and then set it to leak on her computer with a device that was isometrically linked to her heart. 

One result of such secrets being linked, was the cover up for Toko's killings done by the academy was exposed. As they decided what to do with her, she was kept restrained in the hospital, a few rooms away from Mukuro. They must have been in the more dangerous ward.

"How am I supposed to know. That girl is always gloomy," Togami said avoiding the question. 

"Hey, I'm sure she'll cheer up just from seeing your face! It's good when friends come to visit one another and support each other in dark times."

Togami averted his eyes from the brightness of Makoto's gaze. "Toko's not a friend... if anything she's more like family..."

"What?"

"Nevermind, your dull and ordinary brain can't possibly comprehend the relations of your betters. Don't give yourself a headache over it."

Zenkichi got in between the two of them, and tapped Makoto on the head. “Shit I forgot to ask, did you see Komaeda lately?”

“Huh? No, why?” Makoto turned his head back to Zenkichi.

“I haven’t been able to see him at all since the election. I thought he was busy at first but…” Zenkichi worried.

Makoto once again, spoke in the most generous way possible. “Well, Komaeda was infamous for disappearing for long periods of time. Even I heard about it and I’m just a first year. He’s kind of like a cat I’m sure he’ll wander back eventually on his own.”

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

Komaeda Nagito had been missing.
However, he was not the only one, Matsuda Yasuke was added to that list soon.
Even Kamakura Izuru who had been more and more frequently been spotted around campus, stopped appearing entirely.

Komaeda stepped over the wires that seemed to cover every inch of the floor. He had been warned several times to be careful in this room, as tripping over the wires and pulling some out at random could undo a week’s worth of their work.

He put a foam cup of cup ramen own in front of Izuru as he was working and offered him a smile. The other could not return the smile, but he muttered out a quick thank you which was more than Komaeda thought he deserved.

“Hey, can you quit arguing with that stupid laptop I’m trying to read in peace.” Yasuke shouted from a corner, with a manga volume hanging over his head.

“You should deal with her instead if you think it’s so easy,” Kamakura replied.

“No thank you.” He dropped the manga over his face. "Shit... I just remembered something. Did we ever figure out who the real main character was? I'd ask Anshin'in-san but she's been super depressed lately, whiny old hag."

Komaeda was about to say something when he heard the door open. In the doorframe, Chiaki Nanami stood.

“Izuru… is this what you wanted me to see? What’s with all the wires it’s all cyberpunk in here.”

Kamakura Izuru stood up from his work. His red eyes locked on Nanami Chiaki. “It’s for a game I want to play. I need your help for it.”

Chiaki Nanami who was terrible at reading social signals, somehow felt a strange amount of unease. “What… what kind of game?”

“It’s a game that takes place on an island…”

Soon after that conversation, Chiaki Nanami would be reported missing as well.

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Ouma Kokichi sat in a room with seven other children. He really hated to be the adult in situations like these, but technically he was the oldest child in the room. An adult was just a grown up child right? Or was there a difference? He really was not the person to ask. Ever since the news broke, those kids he had been watching over so diligently that he even sold his soul to a person like Ajimu Najimi were inconsolable. 

Now he, strategizing to survive as always was going over his options. Technically Ajimu Najimi could still protect them but he wondered if with her recent hit in confidence if she would be as stable as the other options. 

With Enoshima Junko out of the picture he knew there would be a power vaccuum at the academy and somebody would rush to fill it. Despite the hope the student council represented, the dark side of this academy still existed. It was just momentarily sealed away by a magic trick like all fiction.

The rather silly Kokichi was suddenly having serious thoughts. Behind him, on the wall stood pictures of every single major player. Including members of his own class, class 79. Several of them had red x's over the photoes, a few of them had question marks drawn. His room looked like a hoarder's nightmare, but all of it was plot critical materials, evidence he had stolen in his attempts to figure out this situation while playing the fool at the same time. 

He looked up from his thoughts and counted the children in front of him once more. "Masaru, Nagisa, Kotoko, Jataro, Shuuji, Takumi... where did Monaca go?" 

A few minutes later he found her sitting alone. He expected her to be crying, but a girl like Monaca who felt nothing for this world could not cry, not really. Crying after all required catharsis, an emotion, an investment. 

"Are you..."

"This is Monaca's worst worst worst worst worst day ever."

"..."

"I knew I shouldn'tve trusted that worthless senpai. This is Monaca's fault, she should have tried harder to get Big Sis Junko to notice her, to make things fun and despairful for her. "

"Monaca, do you even like despair that much?"

"No, but Big Sis liked it... Monaca just wanted to enjoy herself like Big Sis did! But that worthless senpai failed-"

"I don't think he failed. If anything, him interfering may have given them a chance for an unexpected result." He moved forward and held his hand open. A pair of bear hair bands, monokuma style, one black and one white that he had stolen from Junko's room. "I think you're fine Monaca, as long as you're not boring." 

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

Somewhere in the hidden corner of the academy, a girl sat in a perfect Enoshima Junko costume.

Her accomplice knocked three times, their secret code and then entered the room to join her. He nervously reached for the brim of his hat and then pulled it over his face. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? You’re Junko’s biggest fan after all.”

“Hmmm? What are you talking about? Didn’t you watch any of the material I showed you? It doesn’t matter if Junko dies at the end of not because she’ll always find some way to come back! Even if it’s tired! Even if it’s predictable.”

“Yeah, yeah, chill. It’s just the world would be pretty boring without Junko right? What’s a Sherlock Holmes without their Moriarty?”

The girl in perfect Junko cosplay laughed at this. “That’s fine, that’s fine! Even if Junko doesn’t come back somehow we can make another one! That’s what we at the Shiranui Village do, perfect reproductions!”

“Speaking of the village they’re going to be grumpy if they know what transpired. We’re supposed to be preserving unique things after all.”

“We were preserving things! Junko should stay Junko forever. If she changes at all she’s not worth observing and therfore she’s not Junko anymore!”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get your twisted logic, but whatever. You’re the boss. Since you’re the one who knows Enoshima Junko the best after all.”

The perfect reproduction of Junko, smiled at her subordinate as she removed her contacts and revealed a pair of glowing red eyes.

 

(ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ)

 

I can’t…
I can’t narrate anymore.
The world is real after all.
I was a fool for thinking otherwise.
This narration this entire time it just reeks of my self importance.
Telling this story again just reminds me of how I failed.
I failed to change Enoshima Junko’s heart.
I failed to save your heart.
Yet, I had the gall to complain that I lived a life without failure, without setbacks, that I was too good, too perfect.

Why are you looking at me like that?
Did you forget why I was telling you this story?
The two of this meet in this classroom every time you die.
However, this time was different as upon impact with the water your heart shattered into a million pieces.
All fiction failed to activate because it could not undo the terrible emotions you were feeling.
I could not even intervene to stop your body from going into shock in time.
When I reached you, you were already like this.
You always appear in this room in your full human form.
Now you’re just like a walking shadow.
A shadow of your former self.
Literally.
Your body is made up of darkness, and you have no distinguishing features. You don’t even wear that school uniform anymore.
I don’t know if you’re dead or alive, but this is whatever shred of your consciousness remains.
After I gathered up all the pieces of you.
I tried to teach you who you were again.
I told you about your past but you didn’t pay attention at all.
You only started to listen when I started telling you of that Hope’s Peak Academy again.

Well, that’s the end of it.
That’s the story of how you ended up here, narrated by me.
As for who’s fault it is.
I suppose it would be only natural to blame Enoshima Junko but…
It’s my fault.
For finding you in the alleyway that day.
For giving you hope to keep on living.
For taking that hope away just because I was bored.
For making you spend three years trying to save me.
For sending you to Junko’s side, knowing you would get hurt exactly like this.
It’s all my fault.

The memory of Ajimu Najimi’s middle school self (that’s me) walked across the room and huddled over Kumagawa Misogi’s last shred of consciousness. Even though it felt like there was nothing there at all she embraced him.

“I’m sorry.”

『...』

“I knew you were going to live the most miserable life possible.”

『...』

“But all I did was lengthen your suffering.”

『Thank you.』

The shadow spoke. Ajimu Najimi raised her head up from her tears, looking ta the shadow as it’s eyes opened up.

“Why… there was nothing good about your life. There’s nothing to be thankful for. You lived miserable and died miserably.”

『I know, but, I’m happy I got to live. Even if it was the worst, most miserable life possible. I got to live just a little bit longer because of you, so thank you.』

Kumagawa Misogi slid out of her embrace and stood up once more. She watched him head towards the door, and reached out for him. “Kumagawa wait. There’s nothing out there. All fiction won’t activate even if you leave this classroom!”

『That’s fine. I don’t need a magic trick like all fiction.』He stepped out into the nothingness in front of him. However, it was not nothing. What he saw was a hallway extending in front of him. The moment he took a step though, the hallway started to glitch.

With each step, the image quality got worse, the screen shook, and he lost a footing of what direction was what. Just when he thought he might never reach the end, he was suddenly at the end, and the door swung open.

He saw.
Nothing…

A bright light…
Several images flashing by…
Nothing…

Then his eyes opened again, and he saw sand all around him. He opened his mouth and tasted salt in the air. A few meters away he saw the ruins of a broken sandcastle. He walked forward without particularly thinking too hard about it, until he stepped on something.
“Ow, rude!”

『Hmmm?』

He looked down and saw Ensohima Junko asleep in the sand. Well, asleep until a moment ago when he stepped on her. He knelt over her for a moment, his face relaxed just taking in what was in front of him and nothing more. 『What have you dragged us into this time?』

“Hmmm… beach, ocean, island in the middle of nowhere. I’m guessing my plan B kicked in and we’re on Jabberwock Island.” Just as she said that, the rest of Junko’s awareness with what her brain had put together for her processing much faster than her as usual. “Wait, we’re no jabberwock that means! Killing game! I finally get to have a killing game! Happy ending for Enoshima Junko-chan, finally it’s my time to shine!”

『A happy ending for the person who deserves it the least, you mean.』Kumagawa Misogi said, snarking at her words without thinking. His brain had not entirely caught up to the present situation.

“Shut up, Misogi! If you're going to be my accomplice from now on you need to stop talking back so much. I'm the witty one between the two of us.”

He had no particular reason to.
He had just endured something horrible after all.
If she was correct and this was a killing game, he was also going to endure something horrible next.
Yet, at that moment he could not help himself.

As always, Kumagawa Misogi smiled.

Notes:

Medaka box makes a lot of references to shonen manga so in the spirit I hid a few. Try to spot the references!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Dangan Box