#connection arc

No, no, it’s nothing like that. It’s kinda complicated, but I’ll give you an overview.

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“Maeda Yuki was and has always been a regular guy, but he was accepted into Class 79 of Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Lucky Student. The person we know as Utsuro was born with Divine Luck, which granted good fortune to both him and everyone around him.”

“They’re two fundamentally different people who just happened to be born at the same time and look quite similar. The difference is that Divine Fortune made Utsuro’s life a living hell, always drawing in people who want to exploit it, while Yuki’s luck was fairly low-key and never caused him much trouble. In fact, it’s what allowed him to join Hope’s Peak...and that’s where the trouble started.”

“You’ll probably remember Utsuro was turned by enoshima, and with him and Akane, they hatched a plan to serve as infiltrators. This involved kidnapping Yuki and allowing Utsuro to take his place. He became the mastermind of the Proto-Killing Game and he didn’t even remember it. Meanwhile, our Yuki was left comatose and abandoned after the Proto-Killing Game ended.”

“Then he got wrapped up in Sannoji’s plans...”

“See, Utsuro died at the end of the Proto-Killing Game and Sannoji, who wanted the power of Divine Luck for himself, hatched a plan: he was working with Kokoro to recreate Utsuro as an alter ego in the hopes that would restore Divine Luck and allow Sannoji to steal it. It didn’t work at first, since they were trying to build it from scratch, but that’s when they made a discovery.”

“Thanks to the scanning chip in Mikako’s brain still sending data to Kokoro’s computer, along with an attempt by Kisaragi to keep their memories somewhat preserved after they were captured- the dreams our Mikako has been having- they managed to retrieve data from her brain to start creating an Utsuro alter ego properly.”

“The problem was that they needed a physical body to upload the alter ego into in order for Divine Luck to manifest. Well, not so much a body as a functional brain, so...”

“...Yeah.”

“Of course, what Sannoji didn’t take into account is that his test run- making an alter ego of himself- also meant that he’d created an AI that wanted Divine Luck as well. And that was the Sannoji we came to know in the simulation. With that, he hatched a new perspective on the plan: escape.”

“Since Yuki had been stripped down to a brain, he needed a functional but inactive body to upload into. In this case, he was planning on using Akane’s body; she’d been brain dead since the end of the Proto-Killing Game and Sannoji’s goal was to take Divine Luck and then escape into her body.”

“It’s a complicated and awful plan, but the method they decided on was simple: in order to upload an Utsuro alter ego into Yuki’s brain, they needed to destroy his old personality. The way they’d do that was subject him to so much trauma and depression that he broke down and became...basically like Hibiki’s puppet state. You know what happened after that.” 

“So no, Yuki didn’t have dissociative identity disorder. It’s more that Sannoji was trying to wring out every bit of his personality through trauma and then upload the Utsuro alter ego into him. All just so he could bring back Divine Luck and kill him again.”

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To think that bastard almost pulled it off...

Yuki...Master Utsuro...I’ll never forgive Sannoji for it!

Yeah...if we ever find this guy, I swear.

The whole reason it failed was because Utsuro had actually transferred Divine Luck into Akane. That’s what was keeping her body preserved.

And by extension, that let me use it and allow everyone to escape.

You really let Yuki have my body.

Please don’t say anything perverted...

I’m not, I promise.

It’s just a bit of a nice thought.

Parts of me and Master Utsuro lived on and helped Yuki got save tons of people during and after the Tragedy. After all that, he got the greatest gift of all.

"ok it's happening, everybody stay calm, stay fricking calm!"

Gundham needs all the love

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Very well. I shall tell you the tale.

In the time before time, there was an angel. Wise, noble, compassionate...but who fell into the sway of a devil. A wretched being who took advantage of the angel’s kindness for his own ends.

They bore a child, a wretched being born of heaven and hell, with ice in place of a heart.

The devil, fearing the child’s power, abandoned them both. The angel brought the child before the empyrean, but upon seeing him, the orders of angels within too rejected them. They were cast out, rejected by both sides.

Thus, the angel brought the child to this world and used what power she had to raise him. She could have simply abandoned the child who had brought her nothing but pain, but she choose not to. She would not reject him, even if all the world would.

The child found the earth a confusing and repulsive place. It was a realm in which his very existence drew the ire of humans. Where he was exposed to so many poisons that his very blood became infested by a foul curse.

And yet, he found kindship with the beasts of this world. They would not reject him, they would not look down on him. Likewise, he would not harm them. Instead, he saw their power. He had finally found others with whom he could find peace.

And together, their combined power allowed them forge an empire of their own. The angel smiled down upon the child, as she was pleased to see him forging his own path.

But as time went on, the Child came to realize something. The angel was growing weaker. She had given him so much and done so much work to ensure he could realize his power that it had weakened her considerably. A truth he was confronted with when the angel fell ill.

And for all his power, the child could do nothing to save her.

And with her death, the child realized his destiny. He was now fated to be rejected by all things. Having lost the one thing he loved, his destiny was to spend his final days being devoured alive by demon beasts.

Perhaps he would not wander this world alone, but he would remain the walking cataclysm. The enemy of man, gods, and devils alike.

Such is my fate.

Gunny…

Oh yeah, she called us around 9 and Hajime had the expected reaction.

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

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Oh yeah! Makoto, you also might wanna go up to your room. There’s another surprise waiting there.

Another one?

Go take a look.

*Curious, Makoto climbs the stairs and reaches his door*

*He slowly opens it and finds...a trail of flowers on the floor leading to his bed*

*And there, lying on his bed, surrounded by flowers...*

Zzzz...

Uhhh....Iroha?

H-Huh? Wha...? M-Makoto...?

Makoto! Umm....

*She quickly tries to strike a seductive pose*

Hey, handsome~ Fancy meeting you here~

I mean...this is my room.

Also, did you...pick a bunch of dandelions from outside?

I didn’t have rose petals or anything fancy...

But who cares?! I heard you’re gonna be a Hope’s Peak student! We should celebrate!

Now c’mon, I’ve been waiting for you all day!

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*Yamato finds himself on a green grassy field with Hope’s Peak Academy field not too far off*

Hey, wait! I still haven’t field tested it yet!

*Haruhiko puts on a rocket pack*

Then this’ll be your test! C’mon! C’mon! Let’s do it!

Oh dear...

Well...alright. First, you firmly grab both handles. Make sure you have both of them.

Got it.

Next, remember that moving them both will change your direction. Move both left to turn left, both right to turn right, both down to fly up, and both up to fly down. To launch, press both buttons on each handle.

Got it!

Wait, wait, I wasn’t done!

*SSHHHH!*

WOOOOOO!!!!

*Haruhiko flies up a burst of white smoke*

…And I didn’t tell him how to land.

I-Is there anyway to get him down safely?

What da heckin’ a han’basket’s goin’ on round ‘ere?!

What’s Haruhiko doing now?

He stole my jetpack before I even told him how to use it!

Oh, so he’s...probably gonna die then?

Haruhiko, bro! Noooo!

*He flies by overhead*

Hahahahaha! Don’t worry, bro! I’m havin’ the time of my life! Woooo!

Gah! Please, not so close to the ground! You’re going too fast! 

Um, Mr. Kisaragi, h-how much fuel is in that rocket pack?

It isn’t built for trips longer than 25 seconds. How long has it been?

15....16....17...

Bro, you’ve gotta land!

Why?! What’s wrong?!

You’re running out of fuel! Quick, you need to hit the-

*The jetpack suddenly starts sputtering bursts of black smoke*

Wait....mayday! Mayday! We’re going down!

Aim for a tree! It’ll break your fall!

Aaaggghh!

*Haruhiko glides the failing pack into a large tree and braces himself*

*CRASH!

*BREAK!*

*SNAP!*

*CRUNCH!*

Guuughh....

*He ends up dangling upside-down by his ankle from a branch*

I’m ooooo-kay!

Woo! Ten-point landing!

Really had us worried there.

Not to worry! I’m the Ultimate Pilot for a reason!

Gravity doesn’t hold me back! I can fly anything! Any-

*Crrrck!*

Wait, wait, wait, wait! Noooo!

*The branch snaps and he hits the ground hard*

*WHAM!*

*Sigh* Please...come with me to the nurse’s office.

And gimme my pack back, please.

Well...on the upside, we know it works!

Yay us, hehehe....

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Alright, scanning now. You ready, Sora-san?

Ready as I can be.

*He scans the brochure’s QR code and steps back from the computer*

So, do you know where Sunny Days Vacation Island is?

I’ve never even heard of it until now.

Yeah, I’ve never heard of it either.

W-Where do you think it might be?

Doesn’t matter, we just gotta work on finding it, right? You guys have done it before.

Okay, so...I watched it in fast forward. It’s safe to watch, but uh...you guys might wanna see this.

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*The video opens up on a view of a man standing at a podium in a plain-looking room. The camera pans up and zooms in on his face*

Our world is a scary place, isn’t it? I think we’ve all felt that way lately. I know I have. Have you?

Have you ever felt...unhappy? Dissatisfied? Worried? Worried about your future? Worried about the state of the world? Worried about worrying even? I know that feeling. Where you might feel like you’re a disappointment to your family. A disappointment to yourself. You have all these dreams, desires and aspirations in your mind, but you just never have a chance to seize them.

And if you’ve ever felt that way, then maybe it’s true. Maybe it’s time to just...call it quits, you know? Life today’s just gotten to complicated, too many humans with too many expectations and too little resources to go around. Maybe we’re destined for another big earthquake or a war, or maybe you just don’t feel like you measure up to what life’s asking you to endure.

What if I told you that it’s okay to feel that way. What if I said that it’s okay to cry, that it’s okay to worry. And what if I told you that, in doing so, you could begin moving on from that? To a place where you won’t need to cry or worry about anything again. Where every single one of your desires can come true.

Sounds like paradise, right? Well, that’s exactly what I’m offering.

*He kicks his leg back and the wall behind him falls away, revealing a beautiful tropical landscape*

Sunny Days Vacation Island! Heaven on earth, or at least the next best thing, hehe.

What we have is a place where you can live free of worry, free of pressure, free of expectations. School, work, money, taxes, obligation after obligation. Who really needs it? What good does it do you? When was the last time you let loose and indulged yourself?

I’m not offering you any obligations. All I’m offering you is freedom from modernity. Can you imagine life where all you need to do is enjoy yourself? Sunny Days has all of that and more.

And if you’re watching this, know that you’ve been selected to join us here. All we ask is that you keep it secret, keep it confidential, and stay with us as long as you like. No money need. Who needs money when your only obligation is fun?

If all of this sounds like the kind of life you’d want, just tell us. Say yes. Free yourself of the chains of obligation and start a new life of peace and happiness with us.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything. We’ll come for you.

And your future will be full of nothing but...Sunny Days.

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Okay, I’m here! C’mon, c’mon...

Huh?

*Sora zooms the security camera onto Yuki’s house*

!!!

!!!

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*His mother stands in front of their house, talking to Tsurugi and Kouhei, looking very distraught*

No....nonononononononononononononoNO!

*Sora zooms in on Yuki’s room and the windows...*

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*But he’s nowhere to be found*

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*The world blurs and Kokoro suddenly finds herself someplace else*

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*She suddenly finds herself in another room- like a doctor’s office with a large window to her side. She’s looking down at a clipboard with a small medical report*

I’m certain it’s nothing to be worried about.

But if you do experience any allergic reactions, please let us know.

Please do. Allergies to vaccines can be very serious, especially at your age.

Okay. I still don’t get all this medical stuff...

It’s alright. No more shots for today, I promise.

And for being such a good patient today, why don’t I give you a lollipop?

Ooh! Yes! Yes! Yes! Do you have the green ones?

They’re the best, right?

*As Kanata hands her one, the door opens up and there’s a knock from the other side* 

You seem excited. About ready to go, Sayuri-chan?

Ready, Big Sis!

How is she? 

An overall clean bill of health, and she’s received her vaccinations. While there was some minor swelling, that’s normal. Still, please let us know if she does experience any signs of an allergy.

Will do.

You were a good patient for Dr. Komaeda and Dr. Kurokawa, right Sayuri-chan?

Mhmm! Mhmm!

Guess who got a lollipooooppp~

I still don’t like needles though.

Not to worry, Sayuri-san. We should be getting some new oral tablets within the next month.

Aww, but medicine tastes gross too.

You have to pick one or another, you goober.

Well...maybe I can deal with the taste. No more needles please.

Good girl. Now c’mon, our moms are waiting for us. Sayuri, what do you say?

Thank you both so much!

Bye, Sayuri-chan! Have a good day, you two!

*The two of them head out of the office and into a long carpeted hallway*

She takes a bit after her mother.

Heheh! Just a bit, yeah.

You know, umm...Nagito and I have been thinking about having a baby of our own.

You have?

Yeah, it’s just...I dunno, I guess I’m worried I wouldn’t be around much for them. And Nagito’s...well, you know.

Have you considered adoption? Maybe of an older child if you’re concerned about it?

That’s certainly an option.

I wouldn’t mind either way. I’d be nice to come home to those sweet smiling faces every night.

You’d be an excellent mother, I’m certain of it.

You think? I...really hope I would.

I felt much the same way when I reconnected with Mikako. But now I feel she and I are closer than ever. The only thing holding you back is your self doubt.

Yeah...maybe you’re right.

When I get home, I’ll talk to him about this.

I hope that all goes well for you.

“...well for you.”

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“...well for you...”

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“......w e l l  f o r  y o u ......”

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*The Kisaragi Household suddenly phases back into existence around her*

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Are you alright?

Kurokawa-san? Hellooo? Is everything alright?