#dr2 x reader

Here is the worst thing about being inside the Neo World Program, everything feels too…real.

Every item as weight corresponding to their size. Every bite of food provided by Hanamura and the kitchen are textured correctly. The sand on the beach is artificial, yet it still somehow gets inside your shoes and sandals. The glistening blue sea is made up of zeros and ones and yet you can still drown in it.

The sky in the simulation is a obnoxiously bright cerulean, but in your mind it’s remains as a sickly red. It still is, out there.

You often find yourself wondering how Ryota would feel about this marvel of technology. Would he even enjoy such a place to it’s fullest or would he find away to hide away in his room to avoid any social interaction with his former classmates. Would he enjoy the graphics of the simulation or prefer never stepping inside the simulation ever in his life.

It would probably be the latter for both statements, you muse as you watch everyone chatting with each other from afar, and frankly who would truly blame him?

Even if he was friends with the 'Ultimate Imposter’, To see their former classmates returned to a untouched state to before everything went down the gutter, would be incredibly jarring.

Especially when they had a hand to play in it. Especially when they were all trying to survive a killing game just a few days ago.

And yet in some strange ironic twist, like Komaeda stated, they all rose above the despair. If you weren’t too busy trying to fight the urge to not have a break down at this party, you would think it was funny.

Five out of the sixteen students persisted, and succeeded in defeating the beast of despair lurking within the code, and unlocked 'Island Mode’. The simulation reset, returning to the original goal of collecting Hope Fragments and creating 'positive memories’. No one remembers the horrors the monochrome bear had forced onto them, and no one knows

Well, all except you, you suppose. And Usami, and maybe Chiaki.

They decide to host a beach party, which was Usami’s idea of a reward for the students working together on gathering and filling the orders on time.

Hanamura is cooking some delicious food while the Ultimate Imposter and Owari feasted. Nidai laughing encouragingly as he talked to the young Gymnast. They had carried extra tables for everyone to sit down while eating.

At one of these tables, Koizumi is gently scolding Saionji for cruelly teasing Tsumiki. The nurse in response starts endlessly apologizing. In the end Saionji gave something that resembled an actual apology, small steps towards a kinder personality. Mioda is spending time with the group of girls, cheerfully chatting with both Koizumi and Tsumiki.

At another table Tanaka and Nevermind were talking amongst themselves about the occult while Soda watched in jealously. Kuzuryu and Pekoyama watching from afar with some expression that was a mix of un-amusment and pity.

Everyone is enjoying themselves, laughing and conversing amongst themselves

Everyone, except you.

You are watching from a secluded area, close enough to be included but far enough to be easily ignored. You found yourself occupied with fiddling with the radio dial in your mind.

Ever since you were born, your memories have been jumbled. Hard to make out, a hazy mess. Like a utility radio on an incorrect channel, both nobs for one side of you and both equally busted. Some phrases or words make sense, but key information gets lost in the soft buzz of white noise.

Hinata noticed you sitting by yourself, and wave you over to come sit next to him. You gently shake your head, and make no movement to get up from your spot. Realizing you had wordlessly turned his offer down, He awkwardly turns back to face Chiaki and Komaeda. The two of them look at you for a moment with a curious expression before talking to Hinata. You can’t make out what they are talking about, but Hinata looks sheepish, so they are probably just teasing him about something.

The horrors of both inside and outside of the simulation are stuck in your brain for the foreseeable future, and you will keep that way for as long as possible. They will remember, they will have to deal with the consequences of their actions under the influence of despair and their actions in the simulation, but for now…they are happy.

No one is dead. No trials and unfair circumstances forced upon the students by a (rather comically evil) stuffed animal. The blood, the tears, and the mental anguish that plagued these students have melting into ocean waves, as if it never existed for them.

It’s only you who remembers now.

So you choose to remove yourself from the equation, and slink away from the party before anyone else could notice. There’s no point in bringing down the mood when everyone is enjoying themselves.

You decide to explore the islands, not really caring where your impromptu walk takes you. It’s late, its dark, and yet you feel strangely at ease by yourself. There is no need for performance, no need to guard yourself from any attack.

You find yourself in front of that stupid statue in the middle of the island. The one that was replaced by that awful looking timer the 'first time’ around.

The bear would love making itself an annoyance during peaceful moments like these, poking its monochrome head around the corner to 'spook’ you. It never worked, but that seemed to incentive the bear even more. But, he (she) isn’t here anymore, so you let your shoulders relax.

You can smell the sea salt in the air and feel the sand stuck in your sandals ('It’s all ones and zeros’, a shadow whispers, 'don’t be fooled’). You fiddle with the radio dial again, trying to recall the ache for a life you can barely remember at this point.

You can’t even feel the debilitating existential dread about being isekai-ed into a Danganronpa franchise that used to weigh down every action and step you took.

Well, except for the fact Danganronpa 3’s Future Arc is probably happening while you are stuck in here, but that can be ignored for another day. ('can it?’, a classmate asks weakly, 'can it really?’)

Well it doesn’t matter for now, none of your classmates have noticed you gone missing after you went to 'go use the restroom’. Maybe they will look for you later, but now it’s just you. It’s just you, watching them enjoy their last days on this “heart-throbbing school trip” from afar.

It’s nice, this is nice….So why do you feel like there is something your forgetting to keep track of?

“There you are!”

You flinch before turning around, coming face to face with the frilly white rabbit mascot of the game; Monomi, or more better known as Usami. She is the virtual “teacher” for the class of 77-B, and is one of the AI programs meant to keep the students safe. She seemed to be pouting, given by the fact she was raising her hands as she shouted. You can’t recall if that was a sprite or not.

You keep your voice casual and steady, hiding your shaking hand behind your back. “Hey there teach.”

Usami seemed to have noticed, as she immediately made a grab for it, and succeeded. “ "Where did you go?” The stuffed rabbit huffed in a worried tone as she held your hand in her plush paw gently, “Everyone’s is getting worried looking for you!”

You wanted to snort at that, but held it in. You don’t have to heart to tell her no one probably noticed.

“Got lost looking for the bathroom…and I don’t really feel like going back.”

“Oh no! Do you feel sick?” Usami questioned, now fussing worriedly over you as she tugged on your hand. Probably trying to bring you back to party you are currently missing out on, “We can ask Mikan to do a check up, or I can use some of my magic to heal you!”

You feel an involuntary chill run up your spine at your fellow…'classmate’…doing a check up on you, and shake your head. You know Tsumiki’s doing a lot better now, but you rather have her nowhere near your body for as long as possible. Not until your sure the her influence is fully gone.

“I’m fine, no check up or magic required.”

Usami pressed with a fretting tone; “Are really you sure? I can use a magic spell to take away all the ouchies!”

“Positive,” you insist with a tense grin, “But thank you for the offer.”

Usami continues to look at you worriedly, before her rabbit ears drooped “If your really sure…”

Both of you stand awkwardly in front of the statue, the sight is almost comical with how worried Usami looks next to you. If any of the other students saw this, they might assume you were teasing the poor thing. You let out a small awkward cough before asking a question. A attempt at changing the subject from yourself: “So…how many more days of this?”

Usami seemed to perk up at the question, eager to help a student in need; “It is currently Day 33!”

Seventeen more days until the end of the simulation, seventeen more days until the start of the Future Arc. You run a hand through your hair, muttering calculations to yourself. That’s not really a lot of time, all things considered. The radio dial in your memory moves slightly to the left, trying to gain any new information.

“Ah…Is everyone making good progress then?” You ask carefully.

“Everyone has been doing so well!” Usami said as she puffed her chest out with pride, “I’m sure they will get enough Hope Fragments in no time!”

“It makes sense, they have a good teacher guiding them,” You say as you attempt to distract plush rabbit, “They aren’t alone anymore, they have you and each other to rely on.”

You chuckle, watching as the rabbit proudly praised her students despite them not even being there to hear her. What a spirited little thing, even in the face of the killing game, she never lost that passion for her students. The radio dial in your memory moves slightly to the right, and a hazy image of the Ultimate Therapist in a wheelchair comes to mind. ('enemy’ the shadow hisses from underneath your skin, 'wears the face of an ally’)

“They also have you to help, the Ultimate Tutor!” Usami adds cheerfully, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“…Former Ultimate Tutor, but yes.” You confirm after a moment, “They have you, Chiaki, and me. And the other survivors at the Future Foundation.”

Usami looks down at the hand in her paw, carefully examining it, before looking up to you face and calling your name.

“Are you biting your nails again?” She asked worriedly, “Is something bothering you?”

You looked at your nails and grimaced, you didn't even notice. You pull your hand away from Usami to inspect the damage. It's not that bad, not as bad as when you were on the streets, at least.

You still remember Munakata lecturing you about self-care, especially during the apocalypse of monochrome bears and killing games as used as grotesque entertainment.

"You can't let her win, you need to take better care of yourself," Munakata ordered, "If you don't, then you have already lost yourself to despair."

You wonder if Makoto had Alter Ego programed Usami to keep an eye on you specifically. She must have noticed your stand offish behavior when interacting with the other students. Not too close to be overly friendly, but not too far to be considered a stranger.

It makes sense, Your 'avatar’ is the only one programed to keep their memories in case of emergency.

“Nothing,” you state vaguely, “Just thinking about what when I get out of here.”

This topic seemed to interest the stuffed rabbit, if her excited expression was anything to go by.

“Ooo!” Usami says with a curious tone, “What do you plan on doing?”

You sit with that question, trying to find a answer to satisfy Usami’s curiosity and avoid Kirigiri’s possible suspicion.

She may not be currently watching, but Usami is meant to log everything she sees and hears, and Makoto (unintentionally) might screw you over your plan if you tell Usami or Chiaki the truth.

That plan being to (somhow) take Kirigiri’s place in the next killing game, (somehow) survive long enough to (somehow) convince Ryota to not to air the 'Hope’ video.

If you succeed, you return to your goal of rehabilitating the Warriors of Hope, and wait for what comes next.

Unfortunately, you weren’t a 'super-fan’ of the series, you only played the mainline games and read a few of the novels, so some details are going to fall through the cracks. You don’t even know if V3 is applicable to this 'timeline’, and if it is, your next goal is to figure out how to stop it (somehow).

You fiddle with the radio dial. The shadow is silent, mulling over your options.

“Probably stick around and help everyone readjust, make sure everything goes well before I head back to the Future Foundation.” You say finally, lying with ease as Usami’s rabbit ear twitches from the cold. ('good' the shadow notes, 'keep it vague.')

There is a lot of 'somehows’ in your barely understandable plan, and yet Usami is blissfully unaware of your inner turmoil.

(she’s also blissfully unaware of the fact you hacked the student handbook so that everyone’s had your hope shards, a gift for surviving the killing game.)

(They don’t need to worry about talk to another 'classmate’ when they already have fifteen others to worry about.)

(None of them seemed to have noticed, if they did, they didn’t say anything. Maybe Hinata will say something, or maybe Chiaki will. But for now, no one has brought it up to Usami, so you can only assume you’re in the clear.)

“That’s a good plan!” Usami assured, “Chiaki and I do everything I can to help you, even if after everyone leaves the simulation!”

There’s something so…unsettling, hearing her speak like that. It’s at moments like theses, she remind you of your old academy teacher. It must be a intentional feature by the designer.

The radio dial turns the the left, a hazy memory of your first meeting resurfaces. ('gone’ the shadow says and the classmate mourns, 'one of the Tragedy’s greatest losses...’)

you walk over to the base of the statue, and feel your legs give out from the weight. Under the shade of the statue, you slowly sink to the floor and pull your knees to you chest. You wrap your arms around them as you whine.

“Awaha?!” Usami said with a startled scream before calling your name, “Are you ok?!”

“Ughhhh Munakata is going to kill meeeee the moment I get out of here….~”

He probably will get the chance too, given that you are about to throw yourself into another killing game to save your other classmate. And possibly your teacher (somehow, but honestly you don’t have much hope for that).

“I won’t let that happen to any of my students!” Usami said confidently as she held up her magical girl staff, “If he dares to try, then he will have to get through me!”

The mental image of the small magical girl rabbit fighting Munakata with her magical girl staff made you snort. Your muffled chuckle caused Usami’s ears to perk up.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get anyone?”

“I’m fine Usami,” you sniffed in a muffled yet warbly tone, “I…I just want to be here for a moment.”

You let out a sigh, looking up at the statue again. The bird, the tiger, the snake and the horse standing proud along side the human with a trident, all of it looking down on you. Judging you, every action you took, all leading up to the here and now.

Despite what one might gather from your internal musing, you don’t hate your classmates.

It’s quite the opposite actually, you love them so much you’re willing to spend more than fifty days in a digital simulation for the slight possibility that they may be rehabilitated. You go back to hugging your knees, and feel yourself shake.

Usami, unable to ignore her student’s obvious distress, sat down next to you on the floor. She leaned on you as she gently patted your back with her paw.

Ever since you were a child, your memories have been jumbled. Hard to make out, a hazy mess. Like a radio on an incorrect channel, but even then, you still loved them. You loved them before entering before even entering Hope Peak Academy’s campus, it was as if you knew them before even talking to them.

You gently give Hajime a orange juice box as a child, you calculate gacha percentages while watching Chiaki play video games by the water fountain. You slowly grow fond for each and every one of your classmates and their strange quirks.

You hear loud white noise static whenever you see an oddly familiar strawberry blonde underclassmen stalking through the halls of the academy. Her smile too sharp to be genuine, her eyes too haunting to be real.

“There there…its ok…” Usami said softly as she wrapped her paws around your body, “It’s okay to cry…shh…”

“I’m fine….I’m not..." you sniff, "I'm not crying….” Your voice sounds horse and dry, “I’m fine…”

“It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone.” Usami said gently, “Your teacher is here to help…It’s ok to let it out once in a while.”

So yes, you felt despair when you slowly watched as her ’s wicked influence started to spread to your unfortunate classmates. Anyone would.

It hurt to watch as the sky turned red, bleeding from the despair that filled the lungs of the students, both Ultimate and Reserve. And slowly the whole world, like a unending virus spreading its tendrils.

It hurt to watch from afar as Ryota confronted the teenager responsible for the destruction of humanity, the parade, and the dull yet violent march to despair. Forced to take part by creating a video to expedite the wicked plot under duress.

Your memories were too jumbled to help, too loud to make sense of the white noise that would bring you persistent migraines. The white noise from the radio was screaming for you do something, but you couldn’t even figure out how.

It hurt to watch Hajime Hinata desperately pursue talent, even at the cost of his old life. It hurt to watch Chiaki die at the 'hands' of her own classmates. It hurt to watch as your classmates became enamored with the women that destroyed the world for her own childish ideals.

So yes, it hurt to see Junko be proven right.

You were stumbling in the dark, and every action felt like it was the wrong one. Every twist of the radio dial felt like the incorrect choice.

…And yet you persisted (somehow).

You’re crying, your crying in the arms of a stuffed rabbit plush dressed as a magical girl. Something in Usami’s words made you feel safe enough to drop the facade and feel real. You feel so stupid yet so liberated.

its no zeros and ones, this is real. So long you have been carrying a burden too great to hold alone.

Munakata had asked one day, about how the two of you survived. It was a quiet day at the Foundation, a uncommon experience. Some part of you wonders if he was asking out of genuine curiosity or if he was trying to search for something in your response. You tell him what he needs to know, and keep the rest to yourself.

But even then, you can never put into words on how you did it, how you overcame the claws of despair.

But here is what you remember; You grabbed Ryota and you ran away. Far, far away from the campus built on wicked lies of prestige and false promises of talent.

You couldn’t save Hajime Hinata from his fate, but you could save Ryota.

Both of you fell into the river got wept up into the current. And only in that moment, you gained a horrible sense of clarity as you gasp for air.

The radio dial has finally reached the correct channel, but nothing good comes out of it.

Truly, there are only two sides of you;

The 'hopeless classmate’ (the one who couldn’t prevent the upcoming tragedy or the corruption of their classmates and childhood friend) and the 'hopeless shadow’ (the one knows too much but never had enough time to reverse the damage.)

These two halves formed 'you’; Unlucky Number Seventeen, the 'former’ Ultimate Tutor.

It was never a question of effort, you did everything you could, and you still failed to prevent the downfall of society at the hands of (a rather comically evil) high school girl.

…And yet you persisted (somehow).

You and Ryota ending up on the river bank, just like in the anime. The two of you must have wandered for days in the streets as the flames of the Tragedy raged on. A cacophony of red and magenta.

The 'hopeless shadow’, finally able to breathe after being suffocated in the body of a teenager for so long, used their knowledge to keep the duo alive. What areas were safe, who to talk to. It was as if you were on auto-pilot.

Somewhere along the beaten path, you ran into Munakata and he convinced the two of to join the Future Foundation. Years passed afterwards, working to mitigate the damage caused by your classmates. ('penance' the classmate whispers, 'we couldn't stop it, so we have to save what remains.')

After hearing whispers of what was happening in Towa City, you start scheming. After crunching the numbers and considering every possible variable, you decided to go against Munakata orders. You sneak onto a plane carrying Togami and support Naegi's little sister; Komaru.

The 'hopeless child’ refuses to remain stand still in the face of despair, unable to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people around them. Child or adult, guilty or not, no one deserves to rot in this world without a fair chance at redemption.

So, when Makoto Naegi later approaches you about possible participating in the Neo World Program, the 'hopeless shadow’ thought Junko Enoshima had finally succeeded in her goal of driving him insane with Despair. Or joking.

Because you were so sure you got isekai-ed into the 'Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School', and not 'Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair'. You attended Hope’s Peak Academy as a Ultimate student, you attended Yukizome’s classes along side the rest of Class 77, you witnessed the horrors of Junko’s terror first hand.

So when you realized he was serious about your participation, the 'hopeless shadow’ wanted to cry because you know the 'hopeless classmate’ is going to jump at the chance to see your classmates again. Just like how they jumped at the idea of helping rehabilitate the Warriors of Hope.

('We can see everyone again, even Chiaki and Hajime!’ the hopeless classmate cheered, 'Even if it’s a simulation, we can see them, we can all be friends again!’)

And predictably, you take the offer.

('It’s all zeros and ones’ the hopeless shadow snarks, 'All of fake regardless of if we go into the simulation or not, we are stuck in a mystery visual novel about a evil care bear.’)

Some days you can’t tell if you make the right call or not.

But you don’t regret going into the Neo World Program, even if it’s all zeros and ones, so that has to count for something.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to call over Chiaki at least?” Usami asks again long after you stop sobbing.

“No,” You said, denying the request almost immediately, “Let her spend time with her classmates.”

The 'my classmates and Hinata need her more than me’ is left unsaid. Even if she's made of zeros and ones, she's still (or was) the beloved class representative of 77. To take her away from them would be cruel, so you decide against it.

Even if she is meant to be an 'observer', she deserves to spend time with her classmates.

So here you were, inside the Neo World Program, recoving in the arms of a silly magical girl rabbit teacher from a murder mystery Japanese visual novel by Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft.

Away from anyone who could help you and stuck with your classmates were used as the dominoes for the horror show that was the Tragedy.

Stuck with your childhood friend who can barely remember who abandoned the memories of you in his desperate clamor for Talent.

Stuck watching as everyone enjoys their time together, blissfully unaware of what happened inside of the simulation.

They will know, you know that to be true, but it hurts being the only human who knows.

If you tell your fellow classmates, tell them what you experienced, would they believe you? Or would they call you a traitor? You saw how they acted, how they questioned and scrutinized Monomi during the killing game. You feel queezy, sick in away that you thought you would never feel. You can't remember where or when this feeling started to ravaged your mind. Could it be a remnants of the despair disease motive? That can't be possible, everything related to Junko's madness has been erased from the code. And yet it still bothered you. It's the type of 'sick' that makes your brain grow numb and shaky.

The type of sick that you felt on the streets with Ryota, watching as they destroyed the world. You have been feeling it the entire day.

Was it when you were helping Hanamura with kitchen prep? Or was it when you were helping Nidai and Owari carry chairs and tables to the beach? Maybe started to slowly consumed your thoughts when you handed out plates with Chiaki and Nevermind.

Or maybe it was when you pressed the button for the shut down sequence. The moment you realized there was no going back. You had warned Naegi about the possibility of Junko's AI ravaging the simulation, he and Alter Ego created a fail safe during the killing game. Instead of Junko's AI overwriting the original data of your classmates, she only overwrote a copy that was made beforehand.

The original data hidden deep within firewalls set up by the digital version of the Ultimate Programmer. Once Junko's AI was gotten rid of for good, All Naegi had to due was add back the original data and everything was working back to how it was supposed to.

Somhow, with the combined effort of your foresight and Naegi's luck, you managed to get rid of the malicious AI and save the other students. Yet it feel like you cheated, like you ripped some emotional weight from the survivor's choice, all for the sake of your guilty conscious.

Everyone's alive, Junko's dead for good. So why do you feel sick?

“Would you like to go back to the cottage?”

“…Yeah.”

It’s funny, the goal of this program is meant to facilitate the growth of bonds between your fellow classmates, but you can’t find it in yourself to close the gap between you and them. You want to, but have no clue how. You went through all this trouble to 'fix' the issue, and yet something still feels missing.

The years have been unkind to both Ryota and your social skills it seems.

The hopeless classmate muses that 'maybe you should have let Makoto erase your memories. Let you enjoy the trip without any guilt holding you down',

The hopeless shadow scolds the hopeless classmate, 'that endeavor would lead to nowhere, only more despair. There is a reason you told him to leave your memories untouched'.

Usami lets you get up from your spot in front of the statue and leads you back to where all the cottages were. As you walk, she comforts you with silly magical girl phrases and assurances. You fumbled with the key to your cottage and flopped onto the bed. It’s code, you know that, and yet it still feels comforting. It’s nothing like your bed at the Future Foundation.

“I'll make sure to tell everyone that you were feeling under the weather and went to bed early!” Usami said in a hushed yet cheerful whisper as she pulled the bed sheet over your body.

Once Usami succeeds in doing so, she waddled her way up the bed, and patted you on the head.

“I hope you create strong bonds with the rest of your classmates the on the island,” Usami said, “It might be scary, but I know you can do it!”

"...You mean it?"

You hate how weak your voice sounds. Any sign of weakness means death, and death means despair.

Death means Junko won, and you refuse to let her win.

"Of course!" Usami says confidently, "I give you my word as Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami!"

You stare into her little black button eyes as you rest your head on your pillow, your mind wandering to a old memory stored away in the back of your mind. Like a Hope fragment that resides inside of you, a memory no one can look at but you.

When Ryota was secretly briefed about the Hope Cultivation Program, he was understandably worried. Especially when you revealed you would be spending atleast 50 days or more days to ensuring the plan moved smoothly. This was all behind Munakata’s back, which was already risky.

In the anime and game, it doesn’t go into detail, but you can confidently say the entire experience was indeed very nerve-racking and tense. Especially with his right hand man, the Ultimate Boxer, was lurking in the halls of the foundation, badgering anyone who dare spoke up against the Former Ultimate Student Council President.

Despite knowing all of this, Ryota decided that if he couldn’t participate in an official capacity, would at least contribute something. They were his classmates as well.

You remember watching him scribble on a piece of paper during your nightly meetings in his room. You two were meant to be working on extra paperwork, but got sidetracked when Ryota showed you a strangely familiar looking rabbit.

“What…what do you think of it?” he said sheepishly as he held it up for you to see.

the radio dial in your head went haywire the moment you laid eyes on it, both sides of you utterly flabbergasted by the reveal.

The soft snow white plush rabbit and light bubblegum pink magical girl get up. It was rough, a little wonky due to how late it was, but you could recognize that rabbit anywhere; Usami*.

(The hopeless shadow was too busy going insane over the implications.)

(The hopeless classmate thought the rabbit was adorable and wanted merch of it immediately.)

“I love, love it,” you gushed in a sleepy daze after you sipped on your juice box. Despite your calm tone, the pink-haired male could tell the design clicked with you. “How did you come up with it’s design?”

Ryota perked up the moment you asked. It was as if the exhaustion of endless paper work melted away in that moment “I was looking back on some old magical girl manga! And while I was, I thinking about how many of their central themes revolve around hope, and I started by sketching out my idea….”

You let him ramble as the orange juice taste lingered on your tongue. In the game and wiki, it states Alter Ego was the one who created the AI, so this entirely caught you off guard.

“…I started by looking at old recordings of Sayaka’s old concerts, because people said they used to inspire hope through her music, and took inspiration for the skirt from that and then the staff was….”

Your eyes flicker down to the doodle again as Ryota rambled on. His excitement for his craft is strangely magnetic, it’s enduring listening to him going over design notes or little secrets or easter eggs he left in his animations.

“….And then I came to the idea of a mascot that was the entire opposite of Monokuma. He’s a bear obsessed with despair? So she will be a cute bunny that uses her powers to get rid of despair from all over the world. She's a symbol of hope for the world, our symbol of hope.”

The way his tone fluctuates based on how he feels about the topic, the way he becomes more confident about manga or anime to genuinely invested. His desire to share it with the world.

He’s very expressive and honest, and that’s something you envy the older you become. The idea that Junko took advantage of him and talent, sickens you to your core.

“That’s my idea of hope, a world without despair.” Ryota whispered to himself as he tightly clutched the doodle in his hand. His voice became shaky as he continued. Too enraptured in his rant to think through what he was saying. “A world where no one will pick despair over hope. A world where everyone can finally be free. Doesn't that sound nice?" He says your name to make sure your paying attention, "Freedom from her shadow hanging over the world. Over us.”

You stared at him, letting that statement simmer in your brain, choosing to ignore the emphasis on ’us’ in favor of the more concerning implication.

('dangerous’ the hopeless shadow notes, 'already showing signs of….’)

“…That sounds like a plot of a Saturday morning cartoon” You quip as you ramble, “… Each episode has her teaching the future youth how to cope in a post-despair world. How to treat people with respect, What coping strategies to use when feeling overwhelmed… The episode ends with Monokuma and his minions getting blasted into space…”

Ryota seemed to snap out of his thoughts, and starts nodded along with your statement, becoming more confident in his idea with each word.

“Are you going to show it to Naegi?” You ask after a moment, “…do you have a name for her yet?”

Ryota felt his grip on the doodle weaken.

“…I was going to just have him name it.” Ryota admitted, “But…I am open for suggestions…if you want?”

“She’s your character,” You urged as you leaned back in your chair, “Was there anything that stood out to you when designing her?”

Ryota looked down at character design as he muttered to himself "Shes..a rabbit..and she's a magical girl…so maybe something ethereal?"

"Maybe a rabbit pun?" You nudged, "Monokuma is literally 'monochrome bear'."

"Doesn't seem like creativity is a requirement for being the Ultimate Despair." Ryota muttered to himself, causing you to snort in surprise. He's cheeks burn slightly after realizing you heard him, but you assured him it was fine as you threw your orange juice box in the trash.

"How about…Usamimi**?" You offer, "It means rabbit ears….I think?"

You use your hands to mimic having rabbit ears, which causes Ryota to smile. Good, you cheered him up.

"Usamimi….hm." Ryota repeats before writing it on the doodle. He looks at the name for a moment before erasing a part of the name, "Maybe lets get rid of the extra 'mi' and… Just...Make it Usami."

"She's needs a cute magical girl name." You remind him in a joking tone, "You can't just make a magical hope rabbit and not give her a magical girl name."

After Ryota finishes, you lean over to get a good look at the doodle. Right next to the concept art, the name 'Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami' is written next to it. You silently admire Ryota's handwriting, each line used in a way that is specific to him.

"I think it's good," You said, "How do you feel about it?"

"I..I…really like it." He flustered, "We should probably ask Naegi if he likes the name when we see him again…"

Naegi loved the name, predictably. He has Alter Ego create the AI based on the design notes that very day. Sometimes you catch Ryota doodling her on his sketch layer. He smiles whenever you place a sticky note drawing Usami telling the overworked animator to 'take a break! or I will use my magic power to make you fall asleep!'

Ryota retaliates by making an quick fully colored and rendered animation of Usami scolding and dragging to sleep when you predictability forget to follow your own advice.

Ryota wasn't there when you headed to Jabberwock island. Munakata had ordered you to create create a series of fliers to encourage civilians to join the Future foundation, but since you would be in the simulation during that time, Ryota secretly decided to take on the extra work.

Before you left with Naegi, Kirigiri and Togami, he pressed a folded sticky note into your palm. He told you to read it before going inside the pod, and you do just that.

You gingerly open it once the time comes, and you are greated by see a small yet lovely drawing of him and Usami, a small message written on the top as clear as day:

'Save our classmates. Come back safely.' it's written in his handwriting, his lovable yet messy handwriting.

The radio locking the memory deep in the confines of it's wiring. A memory filled with hope, a fragment meant to be discovered later.

You didn't have time to ponder the implications, but you placed the sticky note in the breast pocket of your Future Foundation uniform in hopes that it would come with you into the Neo Program.

It didn't, your avatar already dressed in clothes you wore before the tragedy, and yet you still feel warm thinking about it. the fact that is still with you in the pod makes you smile weakly.

The pressure caused by your strange ailment slowly starts to subside.

Maybe that why you feel more at ease with rabbit, because it reminds you of your friend outside of the simulation, the one that held your hand as both of you traversed the ruins of society. Both of you fighting despair in your own unique way. A symbol of hope, for him and you.

You know you will have to confront Ryota in the future, a endeavor that haunts your every step and sentence. The orange juice leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

But right now he believes you can help them, your classmates. So you have to try. It’s scary, it might be all zeros and ones at the end of the day, but the memories remain.

Slowly, the sickness wrecking your thoughts starts to fade into the back of your mind. People believes in you, you can't let everyone down. Your classmates mean so much to you, so you have to try and reach out.

You have to pull yourself out of the muck of despair and genuinely reach out to them. Even if it hurts, especially if it hurts.

You have no other choice, not if you want to create a 'world with hope'.

"Thank you Usami," You say gently, "I'll try...maybe not today...but..."

You let out a tired yawn.

"I'll...try..."

The white rabbit seemed to beam in response, and patted your head. Like a pleased teacher praising her student.

"That's good!" She silently cheered before whispering your name, "Have a sweet dreams, love love!"

Usami gets down from the bed before heading to the door. She then comically struggles for a moment to turn off the lights to the cottage before locking the door behind her, letting you finally drift off to sleep. The exhaustion after today's events must have taken a larger toll than you thought, because your out like a light.

(You dream of a world with hope)

( a world where Usami gets to uses her staff like a baseball bat, sending Monokuma and Juko flying into space like it a Saturday Morning cartoon. The only thing that remains of them is a little star that fizzles out of existence. A fitting end for someone like her)

(You and Ryota are in your Hope Peak uniforms, cheer her along side the rest of the class.)

(Hajime is standing next to Chiaki and Nagito, who stand by his side. He's proudly wearing his Ultimate student uniform, finally rewarded for his hard work.)

(Sonia and Gundham include Soda into their conversation while Peko and Fuyuhiko finally get to share a moment with each other.)

(Ibuki is jamming to her music as Hyoko and Mikan cheer her on in their own way.)

(Nekomaru laughs as Akane cheers Usami on from the sidelines, swearing to work hard in becoming just as strong as the white rabbit.)

(Teruteru cooks a big feast for everyone to take part in, and the Ultimate Imposter has already started to eat. His plate filled to the brim with all his favorite foods.)

(The rest of the Future Foundation is there enjoying the feast. Munakata and Sakakura watch from afar with amused expressions as Yukizome celebrates along side her lovely students.)

(Mahiru walks over to you, and hands you a photo with a bright smile on her face.)

(You hold it gently in your hand, a sweet dream indeed.)

⟢ author's note: Just some silly bitter nostalgia from the perspective an isekai-ed person + Monomi/Usami appreciation??? Don't take this too seriously chat I just got a bit too silly.

Me to near tears: don't make me get attached to these nerds again *sob sob*

Kodaka in Japanese and threatening to release Danganronpa 2x2: you have no choice in the matter.

Hello! thank you so much for reading my first ever fic lmao. to quote the wise wise words of Junko Enoshima; (in my best Junko Enoshima voice) I was just...goofing around?

This is SUPER self-indulgent and made it only for myself (don't take it too seriously just enjoy the ride)

If anyone is curious about the timeline/some info here:

POV character is a (isekai-ed) ex-class 77 student who got taken in by the Future Foundation and got yeeted into the Neo Program by Makoto “Hopeless Child/Student” is the memories(?) of OG body while “Hopeless Shadow” is the information Isekai-ed person has about the story/game these parts make up Student Seventeen (you 🫵). They got isekaied a few years before Despair Arc -> childhood friend Hajime Hinata + Befriended class 77B -> escaped Hope's Peak with Ryota Mitarai -> Ends up at Future Foundation -> goes to Towa City and helps Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa + Warriors of Hope -> Ends up in the Neo World Program -> Survived SDR2 (17 days?) -> Hope fragment/Island mode time bbyyy (50 days?)(we are here) -> Now they are mentally prepping for Future Arc (they are going to *try* and take Kyoko Kirigiri's place) -> they have no clue after that!

Anywho stan Ryota for clear skin and good animation skills and I might feel compelled to add more to this concept if (politely) asked. I just needed this out my head so I could focus on my college work lmao

*This is a dumb head cannon that I decided to incorporate into this silly story. Thought it was lame that Ryota barely had a role in the game despite playing a major role in the anime, so I gave him something to do for the Neo World Program.

**Apparently, according to user nerankori on [reddit], it "It's a play on "usamimi", rabbit ears.". idk if this is right so I'll check it later.

As the youth say: no beta read (or proofread) we die to Junko Enoshima!

EDIT: fixing some of the tags, some unsorted thoughts:

Student Seventeen is a very silly goober who separated their existence into two halves because if they didn't they would have never survive

Header is from Danganronpa 2x2 Nintendo Trailer

☆Mondo Owada would always stay close to you incase you trip, and when you do he catches you before you hit the floor, holding you close to him and making sure you're okay. With your low self-esteem he makes sure to tell you that you're beautiful, gorgeous, smart, incredible and all of the above. He makes sure that you know that he wants and loves you for you and not your looks and that he really does love you and all of your flaws.

He also doesn't mind your stuttering, he tells you that it's okay and to take your time, he doesn't mind waiting for you to tell him what's on your mind. He's also fairly patient and thinks your shyness is adorable, how you blush when you're nervous and how you turn your head away from him when you get slightly embarrassed. He loves it all and loves all of you.

☆Byakuya Togami doesn't really stay as close to you like Mondo. He stays in his space, but when you trip and fall into a revealing pose he's immediately by your side and covering you up with his jacket. He'd glare at any person laughing or looking at you. He'd deal with your low self-esteem by also giving reassurance. If you think a certain outfit would make you feel more confident in the way you look then he'd buy it for you, he feels as though if something makes you feel better about yourself or if a certain clothing brand would make you feel confident in your skin then he'd buy it immediately just for you.

But that doesn't mean he'd do it all of the time. He'd sit you down and have a heart to heart with you, he'd ask you why you think so badly about yourself and help you overcome that feeling and he'd keep doing it until you can look in the mirror and whole heartedly appreciate yourself. Now, with your stuttering. He's not a patient person, but he'd try to be and he's trying really hard to be patient. It's a work in progress but he's progressing really well, overtime he became extremely patient and would much rather wait for you to speak before speaking himself. Let's be honest, your shyness is what drew him close to you. I don't make the rules, he absolutely loves your shyness and the habits you do. Would he actually say this out loud? Hell no. But everyone with eyes can tell that he's absolutely smitten about you.

☆Kazuichi Souda is like Mondo, always around you and by your side. If you trip he'd catch you, but he's also pretty clumsy himself so he'd fall on top of you. But his body is covering you so anyone that passes by just thinks he stumbled onto you, which embarrasses you both even more. But as long as you're covered and not in any revealing pose, he's fine with getting teased about falling on you. If I'm being honest I think he'd absolutely suck at helping you with your low self-esteem only because he has the same problem. He'd try to help but he's scared that he'd accidentally make it worse. So your best bet is for the both of you to help each other and grow together.