#chsix

OO6 . just a picture — previous | MASTERLIST | next

Otoha's voice cuts through the trial room.

"Ain-Nikolaievich-san, you're kidding me, right? This is all some big elaborate joke to clown on me, right? Like, ha ha, Otoha Higashiyama, untouchable princess that she is, trusted someone again, let them hold her hand and comfort her. It's just a joke, right? You didn't actually kidnap me and put Ruri-chan in danger, right? Well, I'm not laughing."

Suddenly, it was like she was back at home, patronizing gaze of her parents looking down at her, admonishing her for placing her trust in someone of her own accord, while Michiru stood in the back avoiding eye contact.

If Atsuko was behind all of this, that meant- that meant that she was prepared to let Otoha die. All of their conversations about understanding each other because they lost someone important, comforting each other when they could have died at the party- it was all fake, wasn't it?

"Mother was right. I....I am a horrible judge of character."

Letting go was difficult. As much as a part of her held an intense hatred towards the murderer in front of her, the other part, the part that was desperately clinging onto him, masked as an act of malice, just wanted a hug from her friend. It was difficult, but eventually, the pianists’ hands drop from his shoulders, his apologies repeating over and over in her head (or maybe he was just really doing so over and over) and she felt… nothing.

Takaku’s final words wash over her without fanfare. She can’t feel the tips of her fingers as she tries to focus on them (they’re real, they’re real and they’re about to…) and even when they’re taken away, Mayura doesn’t flinch.

She isn’t sure if she watches the knives pin them to the still wheel one-by-one-by-one (like—). It’s really all a blur, and nothing is shaking her from her current distraught position as she can’t feel anything until the elevator opens.

The elevator opens and inside is…

This doesn’t make any sense.

Mayura stares in disbelief, unblinking and nearly horrified as this… this corpse was walking and talking in front of them like she… like she never…

Mayura doesn’t understand. Not even a breath leaves her lips before she witnesses the next horrifying thing. Everything is slow motion as Monomi takes the bullet for Himawari and Monokuma rushes to her side (even if she knew he would, because of course he would, ever since that conversation it was obvious he wouldn’t do anything else, it was just almost odd to see it actually happening—) and it’s the deafening silence of once they’re left all alone that finally brings Mayura to the present.

She just stares at Himawari, a million thoughts going through her head, and even though everything is screaming at her to leave it be, to let everything go despite how difficult it was, the pianist moves. She steps towards her late (late?) friend (friend?) and forces her tongue to speak.

“N...Nezumi-san?”

You jolt awake, as if you had just woken up from a bad dream. You were pretty sure that you had just died moments ago but here you find yourself in the confines of Neo Hope's Peak Academy once again.

What about the explosion? Shouldn't this place have been reduced to rubble.

Upon meeting up with the other students you realize two important things. The first being that everyone is here now, it's as if the killing game had never happened and that it all really had just been a bad dream. But more importantly, everyone there seemed to have a similar uneasy feeling that they had all been through this before.

In that moment Daichi introduces himself to the two classes for "the first time". Everyone immediately begins to interrogate Daichi, flustering the poor AI.

"Ch-Children... You know I would never try to hurt you, right?"

Yeah, sure.

It's a bit hard to notice at first with everyone bombarding the AI with questions, but there seems to be a lot more than just 14 voices echoing through the halls of Neo Hope's Peak Academy.

After the confusion dies down it becomes apparent that despite being separated across 14 years in time the two classes of Neo Hope's Peak Academy have gained the ability to hear one another speak.

At this point Rosalia, or rather Catrina, explains that this was her ultimate goal all along. With the two classes in sync of one another they have the ability to change the past. Thus she puts forth the ultimatum to her 2028 classmates that they must help to prevent the deaths of the 2014 class. Otherwise they would once again die in the explosion alongside the 2014 class and she would have to prepare a third killing game in 2042 to continue the infinity loop.

Once you get over the shock of all this information you try your best to cooperate with the other class to exchange information that may help bring these killing games to an end. The first thing you are able to piece together is the emergency shut down sequence to eliminate the AI Daichi and gain access to the rest of the facility without his permission.

"Farewell everyone. I never got to know you very well, but from the sounds of it we had some great memories in this alternate timeline."

With Daichi out of the way it becomes time to search for the bombs hidden within the academy.

After some searching the two groups are both able to locate the bombs but a new issue arises... The bombs require a password to deactivate.

HOSHI, or rather Junko Agatsuma, reveals that only her and Jin are in position of the password and trying to look for it is a waste of their time. Ultimately it is up to Jin and Namiko whether they want to bring the two killing games to an end or follow through with their original perspective plans.

Ultimately the two input their passwords at the same time, deactivating the bombs.

YQYQ-ZFA-YADU

QJBA-EFR-MOFA

With the two bombs disabled the killing games have officially come to an end and with it so has the infinity loop.

But just what was with that infinity loop business anyway?

----

Back in 2014 the students all leave Neo Hope's Peak Academy for the first time in what feels like months, but in reality was only just a couple of weeks.

With Agrippa's plans in tatters Junko Agatsuma and Jinrui Shakai are ultimately arrested and the other 12 are still left with a lot of questions.

Is it true that they were really immortal now? And just what are the implications of that?

And what of the 2028 class? Now that the killing game had never actually happened what will happen to those in the future.

You can only hope that they might actually be able to lead a normal life without having to go through this traumatizing killing game.

----

With the 2014 killing game officially prevented Catrina allows you and the rest of your classmates to leave Neo Hope's Peak Academy.

Once outside the group is able to meet the real Catrina Edna Monroe in the flesh. Here she gives her fellow students a more in depth explanation on what had just happened and how they were able to communicate with people who had died 14 year in the past.

She explains that the incident that had destroyed the original Hope's Peak Academy in the year 2000 resulted in a 4th dimensional being slipping into our own dimension. Existing on a completely different plane of existence this creature is able to exist in multiple points of times at once. In the search for the truth of what had happened to her classmates in the 2014 class she came in contact with this 4th dimensional being and ultimately worked to use it's powers to attempt to change the past.

By organizing a similar killing game 14 years to the date after the event, which in itself was organized 14 years to the date after the explosion in 2000, she was able to trick the 4th dimensional being into thinking that they were the same event. Thus she could harness it's abilities to link the two events in time and allow them to communicate across time.

But still... So we managed to save the people in the past... What exactly did that mean for us?

In our timeline the 2014 class is still dead and despite our brief time communicating with them we'll never be able to live in a timeline where that tragedy had never occurred.

The carriage doors slide open and six people emerge.

The flickering railroad lights posted at both ends pause, as if dragging out the results.

One moment.

Another.

And…

A blue signal light flashes on.

“Four successes and two failures. The score is now 3-2, with Team Equinox in the lead. This means that one more win for Team Equinox will end this game. Team Solstice, be extremely cautious of who you choose to place your trust in if you do not wish to see the game end this coming week.”

The votes are in. Gio fixes you all with an eye.

“The team of of Virgo, Leo, Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, and Libra, although contested, has enough votes to proceed. Try not to struggle too much on your way out.”

The inky tendrils once again slither out and take ahold of your six companions before dragging them back into the carriage. The doors shut with a slam behind them.

...