"What... the... fuck?! I have no idea Kiibs had it in him!" Miu shouted.

"Oh come on! All I wanted was a rocket punch, but then Kii-boy gets upgraded and I can't witness it myself in all it's glory! Why did he have to be super cool after I 'died'?!" Kokichi shouted, when Kiibo continued shooting down the school.

"I know right?!" Miu agreed with Kokichi, "I mean... why can't I test out those sweet inventions on Kiibs now?! Just imagine-"

"Please cease all this shouting," Korekiyo said, looking a little dark, which promptly made both Miu and Kokichi shut up.

However, the reactions weren't all too surprising. What they were witnessing... was unbelievable.

When Kiibo just went into destruction mode and landed in front of the remaining students... declaring to destroy the school.

"Was it because he lost his ahoge? I have never seen him like this... what-" Miu said, looking at Kiibo and then in his pod, where his ahoge was still attached in real life although not in the simulation...

"That doesn't matter," Ryoma said, looking over at the screens as Kiibo continued destroying the school.

"Because with the way things look, everyone is going to die," Ryoma said.

Everyone's eyes widened, as some even edged closer to the survivor's pods, Tenko for Himiko, Kaito for Maki, Kaede for Shuichi, Miu for Kiibo and Rantaro for Tsumugi. The rest seemed prepared to get everything else ready, but it proved unnecessary.

The rest called out for Kiibo to come down, as he did and announced his reasons to why he was doing this. To fight off the despair. To follow Kokichi and Kaito's example...

"We didn't mean like this, Kiibo!" Kaito exclaimed exasperatedly. He didn't know about Kokichi, but this was just ridiculous.

"I don't remember Kiibo-kun being like this..." Kirumi said to herself.

"Because he usually fucking ain't. I think the despair has finally gotten to him or shit. Plus, we've talked to Kiibs with that AI of his and he didn't act as different as this," Miu said.

"Wait, you talked to Kii-boy's AI?" Kokichi asked, narrowing his eyes at Miu which she took the wrong way as she flinched away from him. So, Miu decided to explain the deal with Kiibo's AI to Kokichi, and Kaito who had no idea as well.

"Huh? Then why isn't he here with us watching?" Kaito asked.

"He didn't want to. He told us that he rather just retrieve the memories straight up from himself rather than watching and getting some fucking double memory. The risks of it," Miu said.

"Huh? What risks?" Kaito asked.

"Are you fucking dumb?" Miu said exasperatedly, "Imagine yourself seeing what you have been up to, and then imagine yourself actually doing those things at the same time. It would be as confusing as hell no doubt and there's no idea how Kiibs' AI will take it. He already told us, and it's better safe than sorry."

Despite not completely getting what Miu meant, the conversation was stopped shortly when they continued to listen the conversation between the remaining survivors.

"Huh? His inner voice is gone, is that it?" Kokichi asked thoughtfully.

"Oh Kiibo-kun..." Kaede said sadly, "I don't really think that's the way to not submit to despair."

Because that was the reason why Kiibo wanted to destroy the Academy, even with everyone else's lives on the line. Yet...

Shuichi spoke up, saying that Kiibo was wrong.

"Shuichi..." Kaito just said, only wondering what he was about to say next, which was a really compelling case that there was still hope due to Kaito's claim from Kokichi's theory back then about a game's audience that meant people were still out there and with that possibility comes a hope...

"So that possibility is a hope, huh?" Rantaro asked.

"To find the answers and not give up the truth," Kiyo mused.

"Gonta glad that Kiibo agreed. Gonta know no one really die but Gonta hope everyone survives."

"But they have until dawn, and then..." Kaito pointed out, which nothing more needed to be said because they heard it from Kiibo himself. Investigate everything until then, and when time runs out, the Academy along with their lives will be destroyed.

Of course, it was only afterwards that Monokuma decided to show up... with the Exisals, like putting a cherry on top in a bad way. The only option left... against such enemies in this crux of the moment was...

"Thus the war between Kiibo VS Monokuma and the Exisals begins," Kokichi declared, once the first laser was shot by Kiibo, "If you asked me before, I would say the Exisals win hands down, but with Kiibo finally being a cool robot with those awesome upgrades, this is anyone's game. Popcorn, here I come."

"Why are you taking this so casually?" Kaede asked Kokichi out in exasperation as he indeed went to get popcorn and watched the war between robots begin.

"Do you really think of me that way?" Kokichi asked back, batting his eyelashes, as the remaining survivors took cover at the entrance hall and discussed their next options, "No one said I have to take this seriously. Plus, this is no longer our battle."

People shot him dirty looks at his callous and uncaring words once again but did not speak out as they continued watching, seeing the rest of the survivors preparing their next plan of action.

"That may not longer be our battle," Ryoma spoke up, "But this one is. It looks like things are going to end soon for all of them."

"Hmm, what are you implying, Ryoma?" Angie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Kukuku," Kiyo piped up, "Are you saying that we should get ready too?"

"Get ready for the mastermind and the others, correct?" Kirumi asked, "After all, whichever way this goes, the killing game will end. Kiibo-kun will destroy everything or Saihara-kun and the others solve this killing game, reveal the mastermind and end it in their own terms."

"Exactly," Ryoma said, "After all, when they wake up, we will have to expect them, right? It was a good thing that Kiibo didn't immediately destroy the school. Otherwise..."

Otherwise, all the survivors would have woken up. They would have to pacify Tsumugi, bring the survivors up to speed and prepare to face them.

But all in that moment? Impossible. They didn't prepare the rope, the masks, any hypnotism tools and that USB they needed to use for the killing game's pods for the next stages of their plan. There were also a few things to check up now that more of the 'dead' woke up and able to lend their skill set that they didn't have before.

"Ah, I agree. We gotta be prepared for those eventuality. Let's not waste any time," Kaito said, pumping both fists together.

Thus, while keeping an eye on the monitors, everyone began moving. The endgame is going to come soon...

***

"So this is Ouma's Lab, huh?" Ryoma asked as Shuichi unlocked Kokichi's Lab for the rest to see from the screens. While Ryoma was watching over the screens, along with Angie as the rest had been doing their own thing.

Rantaro and Kokichi have been hunched over their computers, trying to find anything that could help them. Miu had been inspecting the pink USB that would run the AD program as she looked through the pods and monitors of the killing game, wondering where would be the optimal place to insert it and download everything as well as reprogram it for their further plan.

She already had her tools ready and made up with whatever found here for such eventualities. That also included when Kiibo woke up, inspecting his pod the longest and examining him through the glass for anything odd as is.

Gonta and Tenko surrounded the locked door that could be their only way out, inspecting every inch to prepare for any eventuality if things went down sooner or later. Kiyo had been looking through the notes left by the A2DH, checking whether he missed anything. Kaito and Kaede had been running around people's rooms getting the Monokuma masks to wear for the eventual meet with them.

Kirumi was looking through her phone, as well as rummaging through the storage they had to find anything that could help with Tsumugi's hypnosis, just like a pendulum was used to will the patient into hypnosis. She had asked the others to send whatever they could about Tsumugi so she could understand her psyche through other's perspective that could give her the edge to figure out the problem Tsumugi might face in becoming a Despair Minion from her mastermind stint and solve it before it is too late.

But now, with everyone including Kaede and Kaito in the main room, the latter whistled, "Not bad actually. You think anyone could have actually taken the car for a spin?"

"Fucking childish in my opinion. Why the heck does it look like Batman's cave?" Miu asked, looking up from her work at Kokichi's Lab just to comment on it.

"You take that back! It's an original Lab about my beloved organization. Apologize to all the supreme leaders in the world," Kokichi argued, out of his own work so he could shoot down Miu's statement.

"Fuck that, and what does that have anything to do with this?" Miu shot back.

"Hmm... what's that book doing around?" Kirumi asked, ignoring the childish argument between Miu and Kokichi.

"Hope's Peak... huh?" Tenko asked.

"There's something... not right," Angie hummed.

They had all been watching Shuichi investigate Kokichi's Lab that was honestly as childish as he was and finding a lone book left. Unfortunately, they couldn't see the tittle but it somehow made Shuichi questioned Maki who came afterwards about Hope's Peak, comparing with the book, The Complete History of Hope's Peak Academy.

Afterwards, Shuichi declared he needed to go to Kokichi's room to check his truth and lies, including whether he was a Remnant of Despair. Maki insisted Kokichi was a Remnant of Despair because of the fake memory but later conceded to Shuichi.

"My room? Privacy is dead," Kokichi said dramatically.

"Well, it is not unexpected," Kirumi said, "You have hidden a great many things from them, and after the stunts you pulled along with you being a Remnant of Despair to them, it is not surprising they want to dig deeper into you. Although whether they will actually find anything in that mess of your room..."

Kokichi's room was no exception to the surveillance that let all the 'dead' monitor the killing game and they have seen him hoarding plenty things into his room from all the crime scenes before, which led to this question...

"Actually, I always wanted to ask... why did you even bring my effigy to your room?" Rantaro asked. The question wasn't unreasonable. Even though back then, everyone chose to dismiss Kokichi's hoarding as his usual antics since it turned out harmless, the fact that Kokichi even dragged Rantaro's effigy and hang it over his bed was beyond weird.

"Isn't that fucking obvious? Ouma didn't have the chance to fuck Amami when he was alive at the game so he thought he could-"

"Burn your kinks in hell, Iruma-chan," Kokichi cut in coldly before switching to a pouty tone and ignoring Miu's frightened yelp, "What's so wrong about a man hanging his friend's effigy over his bed anyway?"

"Did you even have to ask that question in the first place? There are so many things wrong even saying that question," Rantaro said bluntly, "So you don't want to answer my question... Are you embarrassed about it?"

"Embarrassed. Psh, do I even look like the kind to be embarrassed?" Kokichi snorted.

"Too true. If that male had some shame, he might not have done such degenerate deeds..." Tenko muttered under her breath to no one's notice.

"Ah, it seems they are remembering something from the Flashback Light," Kiyo then piped out, meaning Kokichi successfully bought enough time avoiding the question entirely. Why he brought Rantaro's effigy to his room... will truly be unknown.

"Ah, Kiibo-kun, watch out. Dangerous!" Gonta shouted at the screens.

It was sudden when all the survivors suddenly stilled for a while before coming back to reality, having claimed they remembered something suddenly, from the Flashback Light that Monokuma flashed on them after Kaito's execution. That almost caused Kiibo's life when the Exisals tried to crush him in his distraction but luckily he managed to move away to a safe distance in time.

Eventually, Shuichi and Maki went inside Kokichi's room, as shocked as Kirumi predicted them to be before moving on. Kokichi had a lot of stuff in that room of his, from blueprints to evidence. He even kept his motive video, which turned out to be his own...

"You had your own motive video, Ouma-kun?" Kirumi asked, shocked.

"And unlike Kirumi, you didn't do anything about it?" Angie asked.

"Unless you count that Insect Meet and Greet as doing something," Tenko murmured.

"But it was fun, wasn't it?" Kokichi chirped up, "Right, Gonta?"

"Yeah, lots of fun, but it bad no one appreciated it because Gonta messed up. Gonta make up for it next time," Gonta said.

"And how are you going to make up for it?" Miu asked, already fearing Gonta's next words.

"Insect Meet and Greet II!" Gonta declared, "After everything over, Gonta show everyone bugs again and everyone have fun this time!"

"Y- yeah, sure Gonta-kun..." Kaede said, having no heart to deny Gonta. Neither did the others. Miu did try but her mouth was slapped by Kiyo who was the closest to her at the time. At least it shut down anymore inquires about Kokichi... until Maki found his will.

"You left a will?" Kaito asked, "Did you know all that time that you were going to die?!"

"Did you really leave it for the others in case your plan failed?" Kaede asked.

"How much did Kokichi know, I wonder?" Angie asked.

"Your still going on about that?" Kokichi asked, eyebrows raised, "I thought it was all over and done with. What else do you really need to know when that killing game is all over for us?"

"Kukuku, can you blame human's natural curiosity over your mystifying actions, Ouma-kun? And the more you refuse answering us, the more people would want an answer," Kiyo said.

"Yeah, it's weird you even left a will," Rantaro said.

"Like you knew you were going to die," Kirumi said.

"Nishishi," Kokichi laughed, "But are all your eyes blind? It said plainly that 'This isn't a will.'

"That's a lie," Miu said.

"Hey! What's with that automatic response? Do you seriously think that everything that comes out of my mouth is a lie? Wahh, your so mean!"

Cue rolling eyes for the dramatics and sighs from all them. Of course Kokichi won't give them a straight answer, as Kokichi's actions continued to elude the rest of them who wanted to know, who wanted to at least understand considering all the sins he committed. Sure, there were sone people who committed unforgivable sins but at least everyone understood where it came from. It was a different story for Kokichi who wouldn't even explain it himself when they can only speculate and the unknown makes them more wary than the known.

"This may be farfetched," Ryoma started saying after a long silence, "And I thought I was seeing things back then but Ouma... before you actually woke, did you already know that we were all already alive right here? If that's the case... were you planning to die at some point and that's why you left the will?"

"You are saying he really planned his death all along?" Kaito asked, shocked.

"What do you mean Ouma-kun might know we were all alive before he woke up, Hoshi-kun?" Rantaro asked.

"You remember when he knock himself on that floorboard after Chabashira's death and we all thought he was dead? I even saw him blink and thought he was about to wake up with us. When he pulled that stunt to Harukawa and Saihara, I thought I was just seeing things, but maybe..."

"Oh, that time wasn't a fever dream after all," Kokichi said softly to himself, unheard by many others except Gonta who had sharp ears. Because Gonta heard it, he responded to it.

"What? Ouma-kun actually...!" Gonta exclaimed, not knowing what to think.

"Fucking hell!" Miu shouted, now thinking about everything that happened afterwards and had many conclusions to spit out, "If you knew all that time, then wouldn't you know that the end of the world you saw was fake? Then, what was the point of insisting a mercy kill on everyone back then with Gonta because of the end of the world? Was that a lie? Was your-"

"Shut up, you blabbermouth," Kokichi interrupted sweetly, unkindly slapping his hand on Miu's mouth. He did not want anyone to know about that breakdown, as he continued, "I might be a liar but even I would rather you not go on believing in such bad lies that you made up."

"If you do not want us to believe in such lies, Ouma-kun, isn't it about time you open up a little about your actions. Without any answers and only knowing your actions from our side, we could only do to speculate and we will continue making those bad lies you don't want us to think until you tell us the truth to dispel them," Kirumi said.

Kokichi was a distrusting principled liar with a modus operandi and bothersome attitude that he kept up all this time. Whenever a lie no longer suited him, he would cover it up with more lies or half-truths, but never tell the whole truth. It was always interesting to see the interpretations people came up with and use it however he liked, with only DICE ever figuring out his true intentions from get go. Still, rather that than  wholehearted trust which could be twisted and broken that would harm him somehow. Rather that for the hidden cards that can save him one day. 

"... Fine, I will tell you this before you go off anymore speculations. Everything I done up until the very end... was never a lie. From the intended mercy kill to masquerading as the mastermind," Kokichi said.

'And that breakdown,' Kokichi left unsaid but Miu and Gonta could hear it as clearly as he did. The shared secret between the three and that's why, for Miu and Gonta, whatever doubts they had because of the will were dispelled when knowing the raw emotions back then without any masks were true. It did not hold the same for others.

"But what about knowing we were all alive back then? You admitted that you had saw us back then. So you should know that the end of the world back then might be a lie and then what happened with Iruma-san and Gonta-kun wouldn't happen just because of that end of the world," Rantaro mused.

"I thought it was a fever dream from near death. I didn't think it as true only until after Gonta's trial and the pieces all fell in place. Like I said, everything I did wasn't a lie. Mercy killing because I thought the world ended and masquerading the mastermind to end the game and piss off the audience that I realised far too late," Kokichi elaborated.

"And your will? Why would you leave that?" Angie asked.

"Who wouldn't leave a will in a killing game? If we are all going to die soon, I might as well leave something behind, am I right?" Kokichi said.

"Is that even answer?" Gonta asked.

Kokichi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Do I even need to answer that? Are you happy now? Now that all the bad lies are done and over it, I will let you believe in the good lies~"

"Good lies... did you lie to us?" Kaede asked.

"Did I?" Kokichi hummed, "That's for me to know and for you to find out~"

Of course, he ends it like this. Despite all that, whether there were any lies or not, Kokichi did open up. With what they know and what they could speculate, maybe... maybe, they will begin to understand his actions. Understanding one's actions does not mean that there will be any forgiveness and the ruthless and merciless actions Kokichi did during the killing game will always be a bitter pill to swallow. It was strange that he did not open up like all the others before him, but Kokichi was seemingly more closed off than anyone else. Maybe it would take time for him to open up to them one day. Was this because of the experience within the killing game?

But it would be hypocritical for all of them to alienate Kokichi when they had their own terrible actions that were tolerated enough in favor of moving forward and making this apocalyptic world a better place for all of them. In the end, understanding may not lead to forgiveness, but it does lead a path for all of them to move forward and to know better so maybe such terrible things could be prevented as they all start towards their paths of redemptions.

***

"Twins b? Something like horse a, huh? Is it incomplete?" Ryoma asked, still watching everything unfolding. Unfortunately, there was nothing of note on their side to even comment on.

Listing what else they could do at this point, was to wait for the survivors, prepare to tie up and hypnotize Tsumugi (the rope never ceases to fail them), prepare reboot Kiibo when he wakes up and prepare to inform the rest of the survivors of their dilemma, well... it was basically just waiting it out in the end. Time was better spent watching what's unfolding with the survivors (with popcorn for Kokichi, although the others were disapproving of that, and they were not his parents!).

For this part, Kirumi was trying her best organizing and interviewing people personally about Tsumugi for more data to find any blind spots. She was now talking with Kiyo, as they discussed the cosplayer's psyche and the measures they should have. Miu was still working hard on the USB and periodically checking Kiibo's pod, muttering to herself all the way. The words 'Flushing out despair', 'giving a good time' and 'can't wait' could be heard out of the inventor's mouth.

Kaede, Kaito, Angie and Tenko were also engaged with their own work, checking their phones and muttering to themselves, at least quieter than Miu's. Although Tsumugi and Kiibo were top priority, Shuichi, Maki and Himiko weren't forgotten. Depending on the outcome the survivors' would face after this challenge against Monokuma, the possibility of Despair Minions isn't void. Sure, survivors won't become Despair Minions but who's to say that no one will get killed in the middle of that heated battle? Those four, worried for their friends and the ones to know the trio best, are trying their best thinking what to do if such a problem arises. After all, only Maki had a video, and they wouldn't have much time after this to convince them better.

As for the rest, they are all watching the killing game feed, to get more intel of the going-outs and hope it provides anything useful for them to prepare for when the rest wake up.

"No, I think I know where this is going," Rantaro said, answering Ryoma's previous musing as if remembering something.

"You do?" Kaede asked, curious that she looked up from her phone to Rantaro.

"Yeah... it has something to do with my Survivor's Perk in the game," Rantaro admitted.

"You had what now?" Kaito asked, also looking up from his phone and surprised among with the rest except for Kaede who already knew and for some reason, Kokichi who was looking at Rantaro with only an eerily neutral expression.

Rantaro understood where the surprise came from. Since working on the plans that their past selves left behind, the only times they brought up the killing game was in context between small groups and just having a 'talk'. They also commented on whatever happened in real time but never delved into its past. So until now, there wasn't any reason for anyone to inquire about Rantaro so they wouldn't know about the Survivor's Perk.

So Rantaro explained about it until he touched upon what he thought about those words.

"They are probably a part of the Survivor's Perk. A riddle for me to solve so I can get something, but well... I died before that could happen, so there's that," Rantaro said sheepishly.

"So... it seems that Ouma-kun might have found it out instead," Kirumi muttered to herself before looking at Kokichi.

"Kami-sama agrees with that," Angie piped up, "And there's no use lying under Kami-sama's all-seeing eye~"

"Seriously, how much did you know? It kinda pisses me off..." Kaito muttered.

Kokichi just smiled in return to annoy everyone.

All of a sudden, the survivors were remembering again from the Flashback Light... which caused Kiibo to crash near where Shuichi was. At least, they were alright. The narrative this time was about the Gofer project, which Kiibo thought Monokuma made them remember because of despair.

Eventually, Shuichi, with the help of Kiibo, decided to go investigate Rantaro's Lab.

"Now, it's my Lab, huh?" Rantaro mused.

"I'm actually curious what your Lab would look like, Amami-kun," Kirumi said.

"Haha, it won't be as cool as my Lab," Kokichi puffed up.

"Hmm... I wonder if Amami-kun's lab had anything to do with the Survivor's Perk," Kaede mused.

"Huh, you thought so too?" Rantaro said, "It's likely, considering my position in the game. It wouldn't be surprising if my Lab had any relation to the Survivor's Perk for me."

"But you couldn't even make it that far, even being the 'first' to die there. What irony," Angie cheerfully said.

Rantaro, to his credit, snorted back, "I know right. The irony is hilarious."

"Glad to know you are fine if you can take a joke like that," Kaede said. Meanwhile...

"Woah! What a badass entrance!" Miu hollered.

"Is it just me or Kii-boy got cooler?" Kokichi whooped.

"But that still dangerous," Gonta fretted, "What if anyone hurt?"

"Don't worry, as if any glass would hurt Kii-boy's metallic body~" Kokichi said.

"If Kiibo-kun were here, he would undoubtedly called out your robophobia," Kiyo quipped.

Such were the reactions of Kiibo's one hell of an entrance to meet Shuichi near Rantaro's Lab. And blasting open an entrance. It makes one wonder... do weapons just make the robot cooler or was it just Kiibo?

Soon enough, Shuichi entered Rantaro's Lab, and Himiko later too. His Lab looked nothing like anyone expected.

"This looks more suited for Shinguuji's Lab," Ryoma noted.

"What is with that eerie and mysterious vibe?" Tenko asked.

"Haha, I never imagined my Lab to be like that," Rantaro laughed.

"Yeah, compared to your Lab, Ouma's fits him to a T," Kaito said.

"Why, thank you," Kokichi said.

After all, Rantaro's Lab indeed exuded mysterious vibes but in a dark fashion that didn't feel at home with him. Rantaro would think his Lab would have a more... wild side to it, considering his own crazy adventures. Compared to Kokichi who was ecstatic over his own Lab, Rantaro was disappointed even if it didn't matter considering they weren't 'alive' there to enjoy them in the first place.

The only thing to care about was the fact that his Lab unlocked something very... outstanding... to the survivors.

"Well, we all knew that Amami-kun was in the killing game before," Kaede said in light of Rantaro's message in the killing game.

Because of that, for the 'dead', this was nothing new, not even close to a revelation. In fact, it was pretty anti-climatic.

To the survivors, it was a revelation.

"For this to even be revealed? What is Shirogane-san aiming for?" Rantaro said aloud.

"What do you mean, Amami-san? Explain for all of the girls to understand," Tenko said.

"Haha, I will explain so everyone can understand," Rantaro said easily, "Eventually this game will end after a battle between survivors and mastermind but how will it all be played out would be the question. There are so many things going on I can't predict what Shirogane-san would pull out for the grand finale. But if Shirogane-san bothered to show the idea about another killing game before this one... the one I was in, then there is the risk that her entire story will unravel itself to the rest."

"But why take that risk?" Rantaro wondered aloud, "The story of this killing game, about the Gofer Project, if she revealed about a past killing game, that has nothing to do with the Gofer Project because how relevant would my killing game be in the face of the end of the world they are experiencing... what is she planning?"

"Hmm, maybe she is taking this risk because it isn't a risk at all," Kiyo interjected, "After all, it is not out of the norm for a story to divert out of it's course, a so-called plot twist, if you say. Considering Shirogane-san's personality and actions thus far of the killing game, there had always been plot twists throughout the killing game and what is one more with the addition of Amami-kun's past killing game?"

Kiyo said this with confidence because having observed his classmates for the years of his school days spending time with them, he had a good grasp of what they are as a person although Kiyo would never claim to understand humanity fully.

The only people he lacked sufficient notes for their unpredictable eccentricities would be the people that his class dubbed 'The Chaotic Trio', Miu, Kokichi and Angie. Although their personalities were easy to discern, their actions have always leave a deeper impression harder to figure out. 

Miu's eccentric inventions and vulgarness were simply best left unearthed because even for someone as open minded as Kiyo with S & M, sometimes there were things that were still too much. 

Angie's deep roots to her own religion and the cheer she always kept up because of it always felt like a facade to Kiyo for something deeper and even after all those years, Kiyo barely scratched any surface of what was a complicated subject. 

Finally, Kokichi who was a pretty unpredictable enigma with his lies and tricks. It could be easy to call him out as a compulsive liar but more often than not, his lies had reason to be which had some weight behind them at the weirdest of times. That was what made Kiyo dismissed the compulsive liar angle and try to unravel a deeper reason for lies, unpredictability and tricks but it was webs upon webs.

"Hmm... I should take a note of that concerning Shirogane-san's psyche," Kirumi noted down, "Although this does make me worry how the killing game will all end. How will this affect the others?"

"Well, for better or for worse, Shirogane-san is in charge of writing the end of this killing game, but it seems that she is going for an unconventional route to her ending," Kiyo said.

"But that does not answer how it will affect the others," Angie said, as she clasped her hands in prayer, "For better or worse, the killing game leaves deep impressions in us. Depending how Tsumugi wants to end the killing game, there might be some things afterwards that would bee difficult to clear up."

"Yeah, the worst they could do is make the whole thing meta so that the survivors wouldn't believe anything is real anymore, especially if they wake up later to this surreal situation. But what are the odds of that happening?" Kokichi said casually.

"Did you have to jinx this?" Tenko rounded on Kokichi.

Kokichi, for his part, just smiled.

"Well, it's only a worst-case scenario," Kaede said, "It still doesn't change what we have to do, right? That just means we have to try harder, with what will come next."

In determination, Kaede threw herself in more work, in the hopes of making progress that would make all the difference for the aftermath of the ending. Slowly, one by one, everyone else followed her example, knowing she was right. As the killing game progresses, so do they.

***

"Why did you jinx this? Why did you have to jinx this?!" Tenko now shouted, shaking Kokichi instead of the usual flipping after she was stopped by Kaede, but that did not stop Tenko from letting out her feelings by shaking the degenerate that had to say the worst case scenario out loud and now...

After Rantaro's Lab, there were many developments concerning the mastermind's secret room, Rantaro's Survivor Perk Pad, Motherkuma, the classroom that was used to make those fishy Flashback Lights, Kiibo getting his ahoge back and finally the ongoing class trial where they finally proved the real truth behind the first ever case and... Tsumugi's hand at it. And the result?

"They made it meta after all," Angie hummed as Tsumugi continued showing off the 53rd killing game and the audience watching over them with this real fiction killing game for something called 'Danganronpa'. That Ultimates were fake, they were normal people who wanted this and the reactions to all of it...

"This is so sad," Gonta simply uttered, unable to say anymore when the audition videos (obviously fake) are shown to the cast. It was weird to see Shuichi, Kaede and Kaito even say anything like that, to accept and want the killing game because of hopeless reasons.

"What is Shirogane's endgame in all this?" Ryoma mused to himself as this kept going, breaking the spirits of the survivors even more.

"Despair, what else? Isn't it the mastermind's job to make everyone else in the game despair through fear and death in order to give rise to new Despair Minions?" Kiyo asked a rhetorical question, where everyone knew the answer already without saying.

"It might be harder to hypnotize Shirogane-san after all. Sure, I have collected a lot of information about her and even about the experiences in the past killing game from Amami-kun, but this... Shirogane-san might truly despaired," Kirumi sighed.

"But even so," Kaede protested, "There's no way I am going to give up because of that. After this, we don't even have much time left. Shirogane-san, Kiibo-kun, Yumeno-san, Harukawa-san, Saihara-kun..."

"No one said we were going to give up on anyone," Angie said in a soothing tone, "But it will certainly be a trial to undertake especially with limited time."

Unlike with the others before them, there was barely any time to process, to collect thoughts, to accept the reality before them. After a lot of deliberation, they all collectively agreed on telling the mastermind and survivors of something extremely important to quickly earn their trust and then go with the 'But trust me, I will explain everything later' approach. Considering the time frame, what else they can do? Just for a spectacular performance when they show themselves.

The exception to that plan is Kiibo, as Miu confidently said she could upload the AI Kiibo into the real Kiibo without both clashing with each other and save them all the fuss of a Despair robot. In that way, it's people that are harder to deal with. Go figure.

They could only plan until the very last minute, but as far as the more technical issues are concerned, they are more or less dealt with. As well as the arrangement of who were to go with the Despair Minions and back to the base. Everything that started with Rantaro waking up in this place and started finding his own memories, along with the many others who woke up with him later one by one, is soon reaching it's climax. Now...

"In the end, this is the path they chose," Kiyo mused.

"Shuichi, bro..." Kaito said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"For them to reject hope like that," Tenko wondered.

"Nishishi, wouldn't you say that it's more or less like us now, to choose neither hope or despair and thus the foundation of A2HD," Kokichi said brightly. 

"Haha, this reminds me of the old killing game," Rantaro said, nostalgic. Throughout the time he regained his memories, he also started remembering the killing game before this one, unpleasant memories that aren't still all there. Maybe because a part of him doesn't want to remember, but enough to remember a similar trial that he faced... long ago, of hope vs despair. 

"This might be the first time in any killing game that both hope and despair is rejected. If this was chosen during that trial at that time..." Rantaro continued.

Indeed, the choice between hope and despair in front of the 'audience'. For Kiibo to gun after hope and Tsumugi to not care, and for Maki to come round in Kiibo's way of thinking after everyone else gave up at the despairing thought of their lives being fake, of the outside world making them suffer as such... and finally for Shuichi to shoot it all down, bringing up Rantaro's past killing game and making a theory, almost correct, about how anyone choosing hope and surviving will only be subjected to another killing game. What Shuichi got wrong was the fact that Tsumugi would even be the mastermind again when hope meant the end of masterminds and becoming a Despair Minion themselves. There was also the case with Kiibo, but the idea in and of itself is correct. But that's why the rest, the 'dead' were here. To prevent that.

In any case, Shuichi continued making his case... because despite everything Tsumugi said, he...

"Saihara-kun," Kaede whispered, feeling touch about his heartfelt feelings towards the rest of them, of what had come to them because of the killing game and whatnot.

Everyone ended up moved somewhat by the compelling trial that continued, with the determined resolve of the survivors against the mastermind.

In the end, no one voted. Neither hope nor despair was chosen and all that was left was the Ultimate Punishment. But in a way, the survivors won. Because they refused to follow along with the whims of the 'outside world'. They chose their own paths, for their own beliefs and after all the experiences they had in the killing game.

Just imagine... how they would react when they wake up after all this.

"It's time," Kirumi said steadily, having paid attention to every word Tsumugi said, and hoped that a fellow classmate will not fall to the depths of despair. Sure Tsumugi had done a lot of things and no matter how it's put, she had masterminded all their deaths up until the very end. But...

"Cosplaycat criminal, huh?" Rantaro asked after Tsumugi's declaration. There were certainly a lot of lies and maybe a sprinkle of truth in everything Tsumugi said, but those two words and with all the killing games before them... the killing game that they both participated in together. Rantaro smiled, knowing that the Tsumugi he knew was still not gone.

The rest also went about, preparing for the ending, and onto the next sequel. It was time to tie up the loose ends.