Double your chances

About two months after the killing game has ended, a white letter arrives in the mail to the current address of Horus Pleasant with no return address. If Horus decides to open the letter the contents of it are as follows:

“To my older brother Horus,

I hope you are doing well from last I saw of you. I was going to write to you sooner however I wanted to wait for my new body to be finalized, as the old prototype didn’t meet my standards, however this new body suits me just fine. It is closer to my old body, with the exception of the face, which was replaced with a permanent plague doctor mask. The technomancer was the one to suggest that, I said yes.

I’m not sure what to say in this letter. There is much I can, but the people working here are keeping a strict eye on me. They are even watching me while writing this. How fun.

Though there is a reason for all that. They want to keep everything a secret, including your little brother. I was not lucky enough to survive while I was still my fleshy state so I am now stuck in this facility, with no hopes of getting out. 

But that is not a bad thing. In the end this is probably what is best, and I can’t complain. The government gave the resources to our mutual acquaintance to rebuild me. I would hope you can pass my thanks on to Kiryuu for rescuing my chip. I would probably still be in that dreaded bunker collecting dust, or worse, destroyed. Speaking about the other survivors, tell them that I am still here. Except for Kyoda, I heard they had their memories erased of the event.

My whereabouts are unknown as of now. It’s like a jail here, but all the other cellmates are other researchers and government officials. The lab here is nice, I hope you can come see it. The view is also nice, but I cannot go outside. Or open a window. They have monitors of the mountains we are close by, not sure if this is cruel or not. You never know what you miss until you lose it. Could this be karma for killing Lily? 

I also have visits from the self proclaimed technomancer and their minions from time to time. I cannot say their real names, for some reason, but you know who they are. Their company is nice when they come, though the red one can make fun of me when she is there. The technomancer and I have been talking and getting along very well, we even joked that if it wasn’t for the game we could have been friends. Honestly, that is still on the table.

I’ve been talking to some of the higher ups to see if you can visit. I would like to see you again, I miss you. I’m sorry for my mistake in the game. I can’t take what I did back.

This letter is becoming too sentimental for my liking. I’m going to stop for now. We will keep in touch, I hope. I’m sure the people running the facility will be fine with sending out these letters, as long as I’m keeping in government secrets. Until the next time I write, I wish you well Horus.

[♫♫♫]

River O’Connor was in a practice room when she got the news. Her phone was silenced -- when she checked it later, she would find that she had 17 missed calls from her brother -- but a third of the way through a concerto she was working on, she couldn’t ignore the horrible feeling in her gut. It was distracting; she kept missing cues she knew and her fingers just kept slipping in a way that they never did, and her eyes stung.

Then Canyon flung the door to the room open, breathless and with a face splotchy from… had he been crying? Canyon wasn’t a crier, but there was no other explanation.

“They’re dead. Jazz, Shiloh Lee -- they’re, they’re gone.” 

It felt like a part of her died.

----

The O’Connors were the only family that either of the two had, and so it fell to them to make the funeral arrangements. It went without question that there would be a joint funeral service -- the months that Jasper and Shiloh Lee spent dating left no question in River and Canyon’s mind that they would want to be remembered together. It made it easier on the two. 

Canyon wasn’t sure that River would’ve been able to last through two services. 

It was small, intimate, and nice, but then it was over and the twins were standing in a crematorium, filling a single urn with what it left of both of them. River felt like she didn’t have tears left. 

Jasper and Shiloh Lee wouldn’t have even been in Japan to be on the bus that crashed if it weren’t for them. Both of them knew it; neither said it. That was really the part that hurt the most.

River finished out the semester, barely. As soon as it was over, the O’Connors went back to the United States, carrying their friends with them in an urn and in two memorial necklaces. 

----

There was never a question of it, really. Neither Canyon nor River even thought for a moment about replacing Jasper and Shiloh Lee, and it didn’t feel right to use the name for themselves as a duo. The two spent a few months sifting through everything that they could, finding every scrap of music that had been written, listening to every recording on the handheld device that they could find, and finally, they released one last album.

It was full of raw and lower quality recordings, some from practice sessions, with the voices and talents of two ghosts with them. Laughing, talking over some of the breaks, when the four had been together and happy, before everything had gone so wrong.

And then, Possum Holler Garage was over.

River ended her musical career, choosing not to return to school. In a few years, she would end up going back, ultimately becoming an elementary music teacher, with a photograph of two smiling boys framed on her desk. Canyon himself pressed on, more determined than ever to carry the dream forward and have a career in music. He succeeded, and Canyon O’Connor became a household name, but despite pressure to form into a steady band, he refused and stuck to his solo career. Song after song kept popping up with lyrics about those he had lost, one ballad even named “Jasper” directly. River occasionally returned to the stage or recording studio for her brother’s sake, keeping a few duets alive as they tried to keep the memories alive.

----

The twins hadn’t kept the ashes, though, aside from the ones that were in their necklaces. They took a trip out to Kentucky, back to Mammoth Cave National Park. Shortly before going to Japan, Possum Holler Garage had gone together for a full week of camping, and Shiloh Lee had jokingly proclaimed that he wanted to die there because it was the nicest place he’d ever seen. It felt like the right place. 

As River and Canyon spread the ashes, it felt like they weren’t alone.

Years later, probably inspired by Canyon’s hit song “Legend of Mammoth Cave,” a ghost story grew around countless campfires. Of course the park was haunted. If you went out in the woods alone, campers claimed, you might hear folk music, identified in most accounts as banjo, fiddle, or harmonica. Sometimes you could hear voices or laughter; sometimes you could feel a warmth. 

And sometimes, if you left a bottle of whiskey outside of your tent at night, half of it would be gone in the morning. 

Officially (or at least unofficially), Ika Yukimura had been imprisoned, and being held in private locations for his association with both disrupting a government project and causing the deaths of numerous people. It was iffy at best to claim that he knew what he was doing, or to be able to pin down who’s fault things truly were, but legalities weren’t particularly important.

The public hadn’t been told about what had happened to him at all, and only the survivors of the game and the government officials and agents with direct knowledge of what had happened knew exactly what he had done. No one had heard anything about what had happened to him after the fact though, or if he had even survived after all that. It was like the existence of Ika Yukimura practically vanished off the face of the earth, or at the very least the face of Japan. 

After Ika’s life had been saved by intervention in his execution, recovery had been… interesting. Moreso on the mental side of things than the physical health side of things. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been through similar near death experiences in the cold after all. But perhaps, that was part of the issue.

When Ika had first been brought under government custody years ago, before the killing game had ever began and before he’d been accepted at Hope’s Peak, they hadn’t truly bothered to do much in the way of mental training with him. He had already been obedient to a fault and easy enough to manipulate after all. Unfortunately, what hadn’t been taken into account had been the way that his past experiences and what had happened to his research team had shaped his thought process, in particular when it came to death. He needed a therapy badly for that.

A lot of therapy.

And he’d gotten that! Even if he hadn’t recognized it as what it was, lots of nice people had come to talk to him about things while he was being held in various government facilities. Really, he was pretty much never alone down here, which was great! Asuta got to come by sometimes too, and that had been pretty nice! Even if he never got to see the outdoors of Japan much, he was fine with that. It was what he’d been used to for a long while anyways, so that meant it was probably fine. Being indoors a lot was something he liked to.

…Or not really. He had been trying to work on that actually, over the last few years now. About assuming that the things he was most familiar with were good, or that the things he was around most were what counted as things he ‘liked’, instead of actually picking between things. His therapists had needed to be pretty patient with him on that, but he was getting there. Or getting better at recognizing when he slipped back into that way of thinking at least.

He’d been surrounded by death both times he’d had friends die around him. That didn’t make it normal, or alright. He’d never been happy about it, but it had been familiar. And that’s why things had happened like they did. He almost understood that now. And that didn’t make him feel any better about things that had happened, but apparently suppressing grief and trauma hadn’t been doing him any favors either. He was… starting to accept that, even if it had taken a year or two to get there.

But he did actually like penguins, he’d discovered! And dogs too! He wasn’t allowed to be outdoors ever in Japan to be able to see them, but he’d been permitted to continue research after awhile. Zoo trips where fun, even if he couldn’t enjoy the full range of things. Sometimes though, years later and with an escort by officers in charge of his custody of course, he’d be allowed out of the country to (near) freely experience the outdoors again, see the penguins in the wild. As much as he was slowly discovering that he disliked being confined, he was also learning just how much he appreciated the chance to travel like this. He was an adult now legally, but only barely. He still didn’t have a lot of agency allowed to him, but maybe with more time and work…

He thinks he’d like to move out here one day, to an island full of penguins. There were a lot of places beyond Antarctica that he was growing legitimately fond of too. He remembers when Thomas would take him to Australia to see the little penguins, or any of the other places he’d sometimes gotten to go to. He’s learning not to get too caught up in the past as much, but he still likes to think that he can recall the good things fondly, as long as he doesn’t think of the bad in the same way. It was complicated.

"Hey, check this out." Naomi sat on the desk, gesturing to the part of the desk that displayed her name. N. Ikari. "I started going through the processes, but it's finally a name I can be proud of, I think." She sighed as her thoughts went to her old mentor. She had a picture of him propped up in the corner: Hanbei Ikari, Japan's finest detective.

Naomi wondered if it was right to do; the grizzled detective had been more of a family to her than the literal one she'd recently left. She wouldn't miss the Nojiris, but she questioned if these new shoes of her weren't a tad too big. "I think I'm finally at a point where he'd be proud of me. The kind of detective he was. Someone who's for the people." A snort. "That's a bit egotistical, I'm sure…" She put up her hands. "I'm sure all of this is coming from my ego, somehow." She placed the nametag back down, hopping off the desk. 

"You didn't know him long, but he was… different. From me, from you… from everyone. It wasn't about ambition, or money or anything. A total earnestness to his desire to help people." She was working on that. "Sorry, you're not here to listen to me reminisce." 

Kyo had never been one to reminisce, so they couldn’t quite relate, but they sure weren’t about to shame Naomi for doing so. They waved dismissively. “Don’t apologize — picture wouldn’t be there if y’ weren’t...”

It was an important step in Naomi’s life, and one Kyo was happy to be there for. Following whatever had happened with their classmates, that everyone — Naomi included — seemed intent on keeping from them, Kyo felt... more of a disconnect than usual from them, and it was frustrating, but moments like these reminded them that it wasn’t all lost.

“Naomi Ikari’s got a nice ring to it...” Kyo leaned against the edge of the desk, studying the plaque. It was their space as much as it was Naomi’s, but they were still careful to touch it — it felt like something beyond them, that they shouldn’t be a part of, but they’d been learning to shake those thoughts away. Regardless of how competent they were, Naomi wanted them around, and they weren’t about to deny their friend support when she needed it.

“...didn’t know him as well as you, ‘course, but he was a good guy. You’re lucky you had a mentor like that.” They’d reach over to pat Naomi on the shoulder, but she’s just out of arm’s reach. The thought is there. “He’d be proud... y’ grew up real good.”

Flashes of trauma came back to Naomi frequently. She thought about the friends she'd lost. Aite, Kaguya… A part of her wanted to be able to talk about it with Kyo, but she thought about their choice, their wish to forget. She couldn't subject them to the pain of remembering. She was changed, Kyo probably found her recent behavior jarring, but it'd take more than that to break them apart.

Her lips quirked upwards. "Thanks, partner." The department was used to her and her informal partner's quirks by now; since returning, she a far stronger espirit de corps. They stood up for her as the people who had once been her parents tried to get her sacked for spurning them. If she kept on rising like this… maybe she'd be able to reach a position where she could make some real change. Government be damned, she'd lead the force to do what was right. 

The incident had largely taken Naomi out of the public eye, a relief. The government didn't want to use her as propaganda now that she had dirt on them, how they knew the locations of 20 HPA students and somehow either failed or chose not to help until only a quarter of them was alive. No, she'd have to give up on being the mouth for the regime she hated and have to focus on actually helping people. Pity. 

Kiryuu had waited. He could have dropped out immediately after his release, wasted no time in escaping the rigorous surveillance provided by the government. But preparation took time. Planning, building, and developing all took long enough to justify Kiryuu simply finishing school.

The diploma served as nothing more than a wall decoration now. It was amusing to have been presented a document ascertaining that an online persona had graduated Hope’s Peak Academy. 

Takumi Oshiro had technically already graduated all mandatory levels of school. Hope's Peak was meant to serve as a substitute for university, one that would give him ample time to manage his family’s company and pursue useful knowledge. Instead, it was a hotspot for environmental fanatics and other murderous characters. They had stolen precious time, his memories, what little freedom the government allowed, and his rival. 

As Aite slowly turned to dust 6 feet underground, Takumi’s hatred grew. In part towards the already deceased murderers whose funerals he hadn’t deigned to attend, but more so towards the government and it’s incapable leader who had let a hateful toad and an empty-headed penguin override a government operation. As far as Takumi was concerned, Kiryuu died with Aite, and so both faded from online notoriety without explanation. 

To infiltrate the government and gain secret influence from afar became Takumi’s goal. A side project, to fill the time he used to spend debating with Sorano. 

Under his supervision, the Oshiro household became a fortress of security on both a physical and online level. A small army of trusted and deadly armed-guards were dispersed about the manor, while each member of the Oshiro family was followed by at least two guards at all times. 

No one was allowed in or out of the confines of the Oshiro manor without a full body search, metal, explosive, and chemical screening and the confiscation of all electronic devices. 

A multi-level underground base now lay beneath the Oshiro manor. Takumi’s sister ‘joked’ that he was recreating the scene of his trauma. Perhaps she was right. But at least he wasn’t going to install on-demand natural disasters beneath their house. There was a block of holding cells though, just in case. 

*** 

Deep below 110,000 square metres of Chiyoda, Tokyo real estate covered by well-kept turf, gardens, ponds, a huge manor, and meticulously paved roads, a door was unceremoniously opened. 

“Ta- Kumiiiiii! Why are you still standing here? Kazuo says the jet’s ready and Keiko’s already strapped in!” The click of heels against dark mahogany floorboards echoed about the two-storey library/office. 

At the sound of the voice, an older Takumi wearing a tailored dark-byzantium designer suit quickly flicked away the window he’d been scrolling through with a wave of his ring-covered hand.

“Sending” he cleared his throat, “instructions to the foreign board members for our arrival.”

Then, two black-lace gloved hands landed firmly on Takumi’s shoulders, “Nice try, you did that last night,”. The harasser was strikingly similar in appearance to Takumi, with dark purple eyes, and a heart-shaped face with defined features, though the girl was slightly taller and sported carefully-styled long platinum blonde hair. Takumi’s twin sister waved her hand and reopened the tab: a real estate website showcasing an abandoned two-storey building on the outskirts of town, with vines twisting up the off-white walls. It was the perfect location for a cafe.

Yuzuki paused. “We could buy it now? Send someone out to negotiate.. start renovating.. it’ll be ready by the time the plan has been executed.” Her tone was soft but hopeful, apologetic almost, for circumstances she had no hand in creating. “We’ll have something concrete, not just a vague idea,”

Takumi shook his head slowly, “It would become a liability, sitting there for so many years without use,” he inhaled, “Perhaps dreams are best left as they are; mental safe havens unscathed by the natural disorder of the world.” 

Yuzuki hugged his back. “Don’t lose yourself to melodrama Takumi. Surveillance is a minor setback, a couple years tacked on to the master plan at worst.” 

Takumi rested his hand on hers, attempting to give some comfort to her doubtlessly worried mind. “Our dreams can wait a moment longer Yuzuki, there’s a great deal to be done.” With a few waves of his hand he pulled up the profiles of 7 individuals. Each was around high school age with listed talents and skills. “For now, we must focus,” 

“Some of them will be won over quite easily. Their sentiments towards the current government or those like it are evident, even if they use aliases. Hope’s Peak have expressed interest in some of them already, and if not, they will eventually, with or without our help. 

However you must bewa-” 

“Beware of that one because she might try to recruit me, and don’t offer to be a test subject for them,” Yuzuki smushed Takumi’s cheeks from behind, “Pieces of cake, all of them! Leave the charming to your big sister.”

“Ah yesh because being one minute my seniow will help you win the heawts of potentially dangerous individuals,” 

“Soon to be allies you mean.”

Takumi lifted her hands from his face and turned towards her. “Give me your word that you will be careful,”

“I always am, when have I ever not been careful?” 

“Yesterday when you tried to toast bread with a blowto-,” 

“SHHHH,” 

Takumi looked down at her hands, feeling the absence of a certain piece of jewellery. “And you’ve forgotten your anti-surveillance ring. I’ll have you know I endured a killing game for those things,” 

Yuzuki gave a sheepish laugh, “It’s probably in my bedroom.. must’ve taken it off before I put my gloves on,” 

Takumi held his hand up and a moment later a guard appeared by his side, “Have Akane locate and deliver Yuzuki’s ring to the runway,” 

As the guard stepped backwards to execute their task, Takumi turned back to his desk. “In the meantime, I have our second round of prototypes here. They’re far from perfect and only work on normal photography, but they’re much prettier,” Takumi lifted a black velvety box from his desk and plucked one of 10 rings tucked within. “Don’t forget this one,” 

Yuzuki made a show of rolling her eyes as she slipped the band onto her index finger, “Thank you Kumiiiiii,”  

Then she clapped her hands together and smiled, “Come on, you can debrief everyone on how to handle slash approach your special 7 again on the way. We can’t leave Keiko to endure Kazuo’s disastrous small-talk for too long now can we?” 

"You look like you're about to pass out, do you wish to take a break? We're nearly done." 

Horus huffed in mock offence, "It was one time please, I'm hardy." 

"One time today," Parsei hummed, voice matching the whirr of their machine. "And thrice last time." They returned to their work regardless. "Still, it has been quite a whi since then. You certainly seem to have grown some." 

"Mm, guess so." Horus sighed, adjusting his blindfold with his free hand. "'Graduated, got a degree n' everything now." 

"Ah, congratulations. I was wondering why you were wearing pants. A fancy lad now, hm?" They chided, "You still working at the Beaucat?" 

"Resigned last week." 

"Oh." Their pen paused for just a moment, "I cannot say I saw that coming. What is next for you then?" 

Horus exhaled gently, settling in his seat, "There's this new volunteer thing, Cross Country Healing. They're looking for doctor's to teach folks medicine in rural areas." He smiled, "I'm getting shipped out to █████ on the fourteenth." 

"I'm about done here." Parsei wiped his arm down and admired their work. "I sincerely hope your trip goes well, are you quite certain... well- it's a long way away, will you be alright?" 

Horus removed his blindfold and looked down at the signatures now immortalised on his flesh, topped with a wreath of black feathers. "Yeah, I think I will be."  

He still wrote letters, and called when he could, constantly, to check in on his classmates, his voice always jovial. He posted pictures online, selfies from his travels. As if trying to prove he was still alive, still there, as he moved further and further away. 

It was years before he stood on Japanese soil again, booted feet tapping nervously as he waited for someone to answer the door. 

6 left. That was how many of you were left in class 1-A. Class 1-B had lost Kaeru and Ika, of course, but in comparison, you’d been left with a miniscule number. It felt more like a group study session than a class at that point, and, well… You were granted a couple of weeks as a mourning period. 

It was much harder for you than it was for your classmates that had chosen to forget. That back-to-back funerals were haunting, even if you didn’t attend every single one. Of course, there were some funerals you had no interest in attending. The bodies were retrieved from the cryolab, where they’d been kept in surprisingly good shape. For those that opted for burials, the majority were still able to use open caskets.

Once the mourning period ended, it was back to the old textbooks. For awhile, it was cramming hell to make up for the month and a half of work you missed. Once that settled down, however, a portion of class 1-B transferred to 1-A in order to balance the amount of students left. It was an awkward adjustment, but having some less… heavy atmosphere helped out a little.

As promised, the rewards requested on your waivers were delivered in full, despite the derailment of the initial intended study. As far as you knew, the study was canceled entirely from that point, so no one else would use that facility.

For those who chose to remember: Tadao, Naomi, Kiryuu, Horus, and Keiko

You awoke with memories you lacked from a previous time. All of those moments from class, those seven months of memories you lost, flooded back into your head. The cliques you had made. The friendships that were made in classes that weren’t in the game. The connections you lost, perhaps the date you went on. The cultural festival, sports day, summer vacation, all of it.

Many of those school connections and friendships would not be regained. You looked around you, head foggy from just waking up. There was a dull pain as your eyes focused back on the white scenery of the trial room. Five others surrounded you. Just five. Five was all that was left.

Decked out strong-looking agents had apprehended Kiki, Konan, and Asuta. Presumably Asu upstairs was also secured. Asuta, surprisingly, didn’t seem to be fighting back any. Kiki, on the other hand, was practically snarling, desperately flailing in a pitiful, panicked effort to break free. Konan, while not struggling, forced the agents to kneel down with them, well they tried to sooth Kiki with promises of everything being okay.

Once you’d managed to process the surroundings, you found yourself face-to face with the Prime Minister of Japan: Hitomi Ikeru.

“Well. I’m glad you all are safe and sound.” Hitomi hummed, her hands busy with what looked like a small tech chip. She looked to Kiryuu as she fiddled with the chip. “To know that is solace enough for me… And understand we will be keeping this safe, as well.” She motioned her head towards the chip before placing it into her pocket. 

“You mustn’t worry about this situation anymore, alright? As I always say, we must take confident strides into Japan’s future. Trust that all of the wrinkles are being ironed out by us in the meantime. That is the least we can do for you.”

She quieted for a moment, her eyes scanning over you and your fellow classmates. It was strange, it almost felt… Serene.

“...... Well. Duty calls. I should be on my way.” The Prime Minister bowed her head before turning on her heel. She only made it a few feet before pausing, and turning back.

“Oh, and… Try to keep this on the low, alright? I want you to all remain safe.”

12 of your classmates had died. That was so hard to swallow, so unexpected. 12 members of class 1-A had passed away. After a couple of weeks as a mourning period of back-to-back funerals, you began to attend school again. Awhile later, you discovered that two members of class 1-B also disappeared. 

You spent a little time with your teacher cramming materials you missed during your month and a half period of disappearance, before members of class 1-B shifted over to 1-A to balance the roster sizes. The change was uncomfortable, but it was easier to deal with than the deaths from before.

Some of you found yourself with odd gifts. Money, promotions, sudden surgeries for loved ones… you weren’t sure what happened exactly for you to receive those gifts, but you were grateful. Reparations, probably, from the government due to the trauma you allegedly experienced. You didn’t remember any of it though, and it seemed like you never would.

For those who chose to forget: Kyoda

You didn’t remember why or how you got here, but you were here. The last thing you remembered was leaving class at HPA after having a guest speaker. You couldn’t quite recall what they were talking about, but maybe your head was just fuzzy after waking up in a strange location.

You didn’t recognize the three people in handcuffs, being escorted away by some fairly strong-looking law enforcement, but… that was two children and one adult. Handcuffing children? What was going on?

You DID recognize, however, the five classmates sitting around you, equally confused by the situation. What a strange assortment of classmates, too. It wasn’t like all six of you were particularly tight-knit or hung out in a group too often. Where was the rest of the class? A Tadao without a Kama was nigh unheard of, too.

The next person you recognized was… well…. The prime minister of Japan, Hitomi Ikeru. Why was she here?

“Well. I’m glad you all are safe and sound.” Hitomi hummed, her hands busy with what looked like a small tech chip. She looked to Kiryuu as she fiddled with the chip. “To know that is solace enough for me… And understand we will be keeping this safe, as well.” She motioned her head towards the chip before placing it into her pocket. 

“You mustn’t worry about this situation anymore, alright? As I always say, we must take confident strides into Japan’s future. Trust that all of the wrinkles are being ironed out by us in the meantime. That is the least we can do for you.”

She quieted for a moment, her eyes scanning over you and your fellow classmates. It was strange, it almost felt… Serene.

“...... Well. Duty calls. I should be on my way.” The Prime Minister bowed her head before turning on her heel. She only made it a few feet before pausing, and turning back.

“Oh, and… Try to keep this on the low, alright? I want you to all remain safe.”

Wait… What? Prime Minister Hitomi Ikeru? To some of you, this came as a surprise. To others, it didn’t. But there she was, standing in the middle of the execution, surrounded by guards in coats, as a medic loaded Ika into a stretcher to receive urgent care.

She opened her mouth slightly to speak at the camera again, before shaking her head. No more speaking through cameras. She motioned for a few of the men to follow her, and a few moments later the execution room door opened once more and a billowing frost sweeps the room. It quickly shut after, and you found yourself face to face with your prime minister.

“Ahem. Apologies for the strange entrance, Students, but this was the easiest way to by-pass the security here.” Hitomi explained, narrowing her eyes at Konan.

“I am absolutely disgusted by you, I hope you know that. Sending children off to die, even if it wasn’t your idea… I expected different from you, of all people.” Her voice remained sturdy and business-like, yet disappointed. “I will deal with you later, Konan, but suspect that it will not be pretty.”

She pulled down the hood of her fluffy parka before clasping her gloved hands together.

“What is important now, however, is your safety.” She called towards you, the remaining students. “You all did very, very well. I’m proud of you.” Her voice was warm and sweet, almost motherly. “Safety is, and always will be my priority, for anyone and everyone. Maybe some of you wanted Mr. Yukimura to meet a demise, but… His life is just as important as yours. All lives are important, but also understand that he is not going without punishment. Suspect that he will be put in confinement once he is taken out of critical care. Now the important issue is how, exactly, to transport you all back home as smoothly as possible.”

Kiki had been pacing restlessly during the Hitomi’s speech, not really paying much attention to the Prime Minister’s words until the very end. She was practically bouncing at finally having the opportunity to contribute an idea of her own.

“Well, you already took their damn memories once. Why don’t we just, like, take their memories again so they can forget all of this? That way you won’t have to blow resources on making sure they don’t blab about this, and they don’t have to live with all the trauma or whatever! It’s a fucking win-win!”

Asuta perked up. Memory wipe? He immediately looked over to Naomi with a frown. While he didn’t give a rat’s ass about the others losing their memories, he did… kinda feel bad about losing the memories of his one-sided friendship with Naomi. Still, though…

“Yeah, let’s do it. It’s the best idea we’ve got… Dang, why didn’t I think of that?”

He hopped off of his podiums and opened up one of the hidden doors, before whipping out his tablet once more and fiddling with a few controls.

Konan glanced at Asuta and Kiki briefly, an odd blankness in their stare. They looked down at their device before looking to each member of the class left. Their eyes stopped on Okubo and they smile sadly. “Well, there wasn’t much time was there… Hope you’re at least glad he made it to the end. Better to get this done now, all quick like.” They gave their device a few quick taps, and paused for a moment, finger hovering just barely above the screen. They grimaced slightly, perhaps hesitating for a moment. “That’s, the last of them... It’s time to go now. Sorry, for now this is where the cards lay, it won’t be pleasant.” They pressed gently against the screen, eyes still on Okubo.

There’s a brief silence, followed by a rattling sound of metal clanking up against each other.

Robokubo clattered to the floor, pieces scattering across the trial room. Looking down at his feet… Kiryuu stealthily picked up what appeared to be a data chip and pocketed it, before feeling a shock jolt through his collar, causing him to land on the floor.

Followed by Naomi, followed by Tadao, by Kyoda, by Horus, by Keiko. Everyone participant left crashed to the ground in pain.

Asuta wandered out of the trial room. It was a strangely long wait before he returned. His hands wrapped around the legs of a hefty chair as he dragged the thing in one scoot at a time. Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak. All the way until the thing into the center of the room.

“Ok, ok, it’s here. We have six people to get through and I dunno how much time to do it so we gotta make it snappy. I’ll carry people, Kiki and Auncle can work the thingy?”

Konan remained silent for a moment before shaking their head. “No I… That was a very clever idea Kiki, and very short work to make it happen Asuta, and I’m so very proud but… I can’t do that. It hurts a lot to lose people and never know what really happened to them, more than knowing something bad happened to them. It’s better, to know and remember, it helps. Getting rid of those memories, that’s not our choice to make, and it’s not a choice I want to make. It’s smart, very good problem solving, but… I’d hate to forget what happened to… Well, it’s just not something we should do, okay? We can ask, but if not… We won’t.”

Kiki let out a dramatic sigh.

“Ughhhhh. Fine! Remember everything if you want to, but you better bet your butts that if you choose to remember this they’re gonna be watching you to make sure you don’t get any bright ideas! Personally, I dunno why you’d wanna live with even MORE surveillance on your ass but fucking suit yourself! See if I do anything nice for you again!”

Ika takes a step forward and is suddenly surrounded by bright white. Confused and disoriented for a moment, he squints directly into it, trying to make it out. It’s…? Snow! Ika is elated to see what he’s been sorely missing over the last few weeks, even months… Only rarely had he been able to get a brief trip to it. Where there penguins too?? At first, Ika smiles brightly!

Rather than this being any sort of gentle winter wonderland however, around Ika now is what could easily be called a storm of billowing snow and cold winds. He can hardly see through the blanket of white, and although he’s only just arrived, he can no longer sense any form of direction for where he’s come from when he looks around, as if any door had entirely disappeared. Oh.

A moment later it’s not Ika’s eyes that notice something, but his ears. He hears voices in the distance, ones he can vaguely recognize even through the howling wind. Could it really be…? Concerned and curious, he walks forwards into the storm. Its hard fighting his way through it, but he’s all but used to it this sort of thing, even if his friends generally told him to stay in doors when it got this bad. But there’s no ‘inside’ to retreat to this time. And he wants to find them.

Ika zips up his jacket a bit for warmth he can’t feel, and allows his snow boots to get traction through the freezing snow on the ground, in pursuit of the voices he can hear calling out to him from far away.

On his way, Ika stumbles over something, then looks down. Small rocks have been laid out on the snow in the shape of a circle, covered with snow and ice that must have been falling for quite awhile now. There’s a mound in the middle too covered in snow to really see, partially buried into the ground. He carefully moves around it with a respectful nod, and continues on through the storm.

A little farther, and he can see another circle of rocks on the ground, long dark hair and blood soaking some of the white snow red. He stops for a moment this time, just looking as snow and ice billow around him, but nods again and continues on.

The storm is getting worse, a full blown blizzard now. Moving forwards is getting harder and harder, but he doesn't let up. He feels like there are less voices in the distance now to guide his way.

Soon there’s a third circle of rocks, and a fourth just beyond it. In the center of one is a taller snow covered figure with once more a small bit of blood in the snow. The other has a pair of glasses that must have fallen off besides the center mound, just barely peeking out of the snow. 

Ika takes a moment to bow his head to both of them, but the storm is getting worse, and now he can hardly see anything at all. If he were anyone else, the biting cold at his face and hands would be painful, and the sharp pieces of ice cutting his cheeks would have elicited more of a reaction. But Ika just continues on. The small drips of blood from his cuts freeze on his face.

He tries to put his goggles over his eyes to protect them as he walks, as he’d been taught to, but apparently his fingers are too cold and blue to get them on properly, so they slip down again after a bit more fighting through the snow. Ika continues on, determined to follow the sound of a now single familiar voice he can almost make out calling his name somewhere here, even as he shivers from the intense cold that even he can feel now.

He takes one struggling step after another, determined to find his… and… Ika can see another person shaped mound of snow right in front of him, this one without a circle of pebbles around it. ...He doesn’t know why, but his eyes begin to water just a little, tears freezing as soon as they form. Ika can’t move his arms up fully to wipe them aside. 

His body has apparently had enough as the cold increases yet again to the point where he can no longer stand, and Ika collapses onto his knees in the snow, trying to crawl forwards and reach the mound of snow and shake what might be a shoulder, might be someone who’s still-

His freezing hands sink into it and it breaks apart and blows away in the storm. It was just a mound of snow. There’s nothing there.

Ika falls over, unable to get up again from the intense cold that’s overtaking his body and slowly freezing him to death. And then-

“Not so fast.”

Asuta flipped on his tablet and squinted at the time, glancing once to Konan, and once to Kiki. He opened his mouth to speak.

“Kay, 2 minutes left before uh… You’re executed, Ika. Did you have any last things you wanted to say? This is your floor, I guess.”

He turned off his tablet again and fiddled with his friendship bracelet. The one Kama gave him.

“...Oh. Ika’s gonna be executed too?”

Somehow, despite everything, Ika hadn’t expected that he would be executed. He though about it for a moment, then seemed to accept it.

“That’s okay, he thinks. When Ika dies, can you maybe all do the honor circle thing? It doesn’t need to be right away, he thinks, and it’s okay if you don’t too... Ika knows that it helped Ms. Kaeru Kaeru a little about her little sister, and Ika thinks maybe it helped all of Ika’s friends become bright stars too.”

“Jiji, then Ms. Marissa, and Mr. Thomas, and Okuma-san, and maybe Mr. Yukimura… Do you think… Ika can see them again? Ika doesn’t know what happens after. He didn’t know the stars could talk before, like Robokubo-san and Ms. Kaeru Kaeru... It’s okay if he can’t, he thinks too. It’s nice when stories have good endings.”

He was rambling a little, a slightly faraway look in his eyes. He softly shook his head, refocusing.

The screen, once again cleared of your usual trial fairs was back to the black and white text of Kaeru. 

changetheworld02: Ika, please don’t bring her up. changetheworld02: These people don’t need to know about her, they have no right to know. changetheworld02: Things would be different, in the world I want to make, in my utopia. changetheworld02: If things stay like this, there won’t be a good ending Ika Ika.

The words were still being typed when a loud boooooooooo erupted from the mascots position. Konan, hands cupped over their mouth, let out the loudest and longest sigh yet. “Snooooooore, this is a snooze fest. Blah blah blah new world order, blah Utopia bluh.” One hand slipped into their jacket well the other poised itself daintily below their chin. “Hun I got news for you, so listen good cause I’m only going to get to say this once.” They pulled their coms device out of their jacket and typed something rapidly, the smarmiest imp smile yet gracing their features. “Otaki Kaeru, you, are cancelled.”  

There was an audible thunk as their fingers slammed against the device in their hands, and the large display screen blinked white then black once more. Konan sighed, content and relieved before running a hand through their hair. “Prismara’s Light that felt good, felt organic. Sorry squirt, what were you saying?” They blinked at Ika expectantly. 

Ika’s attention immediately turned to read what ‘Kaeru’ had been typing once she begins to, nodding along, before he blinked at her sudden disappearance, then again at Konan before nodding back. He didn’t really get what her cancellation (…deletion?) meant. He continued.

“Oh, alright. Um. Death is real sad, Ika knows, and it can make people upset. But Ika thinks… that it’s just like a story that ends, and he doesn’t really know about any bad ones. And that even after it’s over, you can look back and think about all the parts you liked, and the fun times you had, and be thankful for that if you want to. Even if you can’t say goodbye then in person, you can after too!”

He nodded, content. He’s not afraid, really. Even having only just been told that he was about to die, Ika was already at peace with it.

“Thank you for all being good friends to Ika! He guesses this is a goodbye? Ika thinks maybe no one else had too much fun in the end, but he had a lot of fun with everyone anyways! He really liked talking with everyone and doing lots of fun things, like making food, or drawing, or doing puzzles… So… now he guesses it’s time for Ika’s story to end too.”

Kiki nodded, satisfied that Ika’s speech has ended, and hopped over to the execution door. She didn’t have the personal connection to the players that Kino did, but it seemed that at the very least she had enough respect to be dutiful about this. The door effortlessly slid open and immediately, a freezing draft swept through the trial room, bringing a small drift of snow with it.

“C’mon, Pingu, it’s time to end this. You better get going so everyone can have their grand finale, yeah?”

She hums for a moment, noncommittal and vague as to what it’s an answer to, but there is a small smile on her face. Whatever this means is a mystery, but it’s Konan so it’s unsurprising.

Okubo should've expected he wouldn't be able to go home. Not in this body. "I have no qualms about going with you." He looks to the mascots and Konan his cameras. "Even if I did, I'm sure you will just take me regardless. We can discuss living arrangements after we get the hell out of this place." He was surprisingly okay with this. 

[tw: mentions of transphobia]

"Horus…" His attention turns to his brother. He has been through a lot in this place. While Okubo died before the worst of it all happened, Horus was there from the start. He wasn't the brother who killed first or tried to manipulate the room and died due to his failure. No, Horus was the brother who cared for his little brother so much that even when he was a killer he tried to sacrifice himself. "This is probably for the best. If mother and father cannot accept their oldest son, I'm sure they wouldn't accept a robot as a son either. I'm sorry after meeting you for a second time will end with me leaving but I will make sure I'm able to write to you."

[/tw end]

They don't think they're even sad anymore.

Listening to Kaeru's bullshit, Ika's skewed recollection of all of this, the anger in Naomi's voice... disbelief quickly turned to frustration, and frustration to fury. Kyo knows, rationally, that if Ika understood the gravity of the suffering he'd caused the people he called friends, he wouldn't have done any of this. He wasn't a bad person - just one with the maturity and stability you'd expect of a kid raised by penguins. He was taken advantage of, and had no cruel intentions towards anybody.

But right now, as they stand before the person behind one of the most depraved acts they'd ever witnessed, Kyo finds no room for rationalizing it. It doesn't matter if Ika was aware or not, or how good he truly is, because the damage had been done. They hate to think it, because they can't let go of one of the few people they could call a friend in this hellhole, but they're awaiting the end of this awful game with great anticipation.

Kill Ika. Erase whatever remains of Kaeru.

It doesn't matter anymore. None of it matters anymore.

Help was coming - the family would soon let them all go after the masterminds' punishment, and then they would live with whatever hawk-eyed surveillance system the government would put in place. At first, Kyo wanted to live up to the wishes of people like Naomi and Possumhead - get out of here and live a life for everyone that couldn't live theirs. Tell the world, spread the word of what happened here - never let anyone forget the talented young people that Hope's Peak had so tragically lost.

Now, though... they can barely manage anything to say to Ika, or Kaeru, or their captors. After all of this, they're just so tired. Telling the world would only draw it here, spread the infection - allow society to use the dead for whatever agenda they wanted to push, just as Kaeru had. Kyo's dealt with publicity, good and bad, but a Hell perhaps greater than the killing game would await them outside. They would never live normally again. None of them could.

Kyo feels like they should scream like they so desperately want to, do something now that they're right next to the literal actual masterminds of the killing game, give Ika and Kaeru the lashings the departed students couldn't, but all they can do is hold their head in their hands at their podium, exhausted with it all.

"Fuck this place," is all they can get out, voice shaking with the fury they don't have it in them to unleash. "fuck you both." They can barely raise their head in the direction of Kaeru's screen, knowing their words are falling on completely deaf ears. Even if the girl herself was alive, somewhere, to hear them, there was no changing twisted killers like her. "You're the worst humankind has to offer. We didn't do shit to you."

Kyo's hands tremble, simultaneously drained of all feeling and the most furious they'd ever been. "Don't care. About your plan." Their glare meets the uncaring screen - despite it all, they can't direct their anger completely towards Ika. Their breath comes hard and fast, as saying it all out loud finally allows them to let out the righteous fury they'd been repressing so long. "Sick fucks like you don't do this for a message, or for an experiment, or... whatever. You do it because you like seeing people suffer."

With a sudden shout, their fist bangs against the podium. "Because you're fffucking pathetic and can't make a name for yourself like a regular-ass human being!"