-TRIAL, ALL RISE!-

"Since this will be the final class trial, I've come up with a special rule ! So listen up! If you can figure out Mukuro's killer, and go on to solve the mystery of this school... you guys win! But if you can't... .then I win! And of course, waiting for the loser is the super exciting, super heartpounding punishment!", Monokuma explained.

"Are you saying that if you lose, you'll execute yourself?", Kyoko asked.

"Yup, sure will!"

"...And that's final? No loopholes? No wiggling out of it later?"

"Of course not! Bears never go back on their word!"

"Never mind all that. I just have one question for you...", Hiro spoke up.

"Ohh, you're taking this seriously, huh? Are you feeling okay?"

"Is the mastermind...only one person ?"

"...Hmm?"

"Don't bother. I already know the answer. You're all the mastermind, aren't you!? You're all out to get me! I'm right, aren't I!? I knew it!"

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Yasuhiro Hagakure: You guys have all been working together, haven't you!? I have evidence, so I know I'm right!

Kuno Sawa: Hey, let's slow down a bi--

Aoi Asahina: Hey! You stole my line! You're all out to get me, I'm sure of it! I have evidence of my own!

Byakuya Togami: What a coincidence. I too have evidence to present. Evidence that proves everyone other than me has been working together...

Yasuhiro Hagakure: Wh-What...? Wait, hold on... This doesn't make any sense... How can the three of us each have that kind of evidence!? (COUNTER WITH "Group Photo")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"It's not just you three. I have evidence, too.", Makoto stated.

"What!? You too!?", Hiro gasped.

"The evidence you're all referring to is this group photo , right?"

"W-Well, yeah...", Hina muttered.

"Hey, I have one of those too...!", I mused as I pulled out my photo to show.

"...Huh? Wait, but mine's different! With the picture you have...I'm in it! But that can't be right! Cuz in my picture...", Hina showed us her photo, and it was true; she was the only one not in the photo she had. "See? I'm the only one not in it!"

"... Hiro, show us your photo!"

"O-Okay, but be careful with it. It's pretty important evidence...", Hiro handed me his photo, and as I predicted, he was the only one not in it. I showed it to Makoto

"So the secret in these pictures has been revealed...", Makoto mumbled.

"Secret or whatever, I don't care! You guys are all in on this together! That's why I'm the only one missing!"

"But you're in my picture! You're the ones trying to trick me!", Hina retorted.

"So the whole purpose behind these photos was to get us questioning and fighting with each other... The mastermind laid a trap to make us each think everyone else was working against us!"

"Huh? I laid a trap? A trap!? How rude! What grounds do you have for such audacious accusations!?", Monokuma growled.

The proof I need to reveal Monokuma's trap... Each photo has a certain something in common. There's a connection regarding what person isn't shown in the group photos. And that person is...

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! In each photo, the only one not in it is the person who received it .In the picture I got, I'm the only one missing. In the picture Hina got, she's the only one missing. And in the picture Hiro got, he's the only one missing.", I explained.

"As long as we're talking about it, I suppose I should show you my photo, as well.", Byakuya showed us his photo, which did not include him.

"In other words, Monokuma gave each of us a group photo in which that person wasn't included ."", Makoto nodded.

"And when we each saw our picture, we just assumed everyone else was the enemy...?", Hiro huffed in disbelief.

"Puhuhu... Figured it out, huh?", Monokuma chuckled.

"Yeah, I thought that must be it. But how was that a hint?", Kyoko asked.

But you know...there might be more to this than just Monokuma trying to confuse us... There's something else that bothers me about everyone's pictures...

"Listen, can I see everyone's group photo one more time? It's not directly connected to what we're talking about, but I'd like to double-check something...", Makoto interjected my thoughts.

"Alright.", I shrugged and gave Makoto the photo.

"Sure, no problem.", Hiro gave his photo to Makoto as well.

"Yeah, I don't mind.", Hina gave hers away as well, Byakuya following suit.

" Can you just forget about the photo already? Grr... Trying to trick me with such an obviously fake photo... I'm still pissed about that!"

"And on top of that, they went to all that trouble to make it look like we were wearing matching uniforms!"

"Hmm? So you think they're fake? No no no, I assure you, they're quite real .", Monokuma grinned.

"Wh-What are you talking about!? There's no way!"

"Yeah! I don't remember ever taking a picture like that! So it's gotta be a fake! I'm sure of it!", Hiro huffed.

"But you know... Can we really be so sure?", Makoto asked.

"...Huh?"

"What do you mean, Makoto? We've never taken these pictures together...", I pointed out.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't remember taking this picture, either. But... Is that really enough to be absolutely positive they're fake?"

"Wh-What do you mean...?", Toko stuttered.

- HANGMAN'S GAMBIT -

AMNESIA

NOW I UNDERSTAND!!

- COMPLETE -

"Let's say that somehow...we'd all lost our memories . That could explain it, couldn't it?", Makoto pointed out.

"Oh, I get it! So we all just lost our memories at the same time and forgot about the photo. Makes sense! ...As if! You expect me to believe such an unbelievable occult-type story!?", Hiro scoffed.

"Y-Yeah! We all lost our memories? That's just...crazy!", Hina shook her head at Makoto.

It's only natural that they wouldn't believe it... But no matter how much they refuse, if that's the absolute truth, they have no choice...! We can't move forward until they accept it!

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Yasuhiro Hagakure: You're saying we all got spontaneous amnesia? Since when did this turn into some kind of sci-fi fantasy!?

Aoi Asahina : I promise you I haven't lost my memory! Ever since I got to this school ...I remember everything that's happened! (COUNTER WITH "Interview DVD")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Those photos aren't the only things that point to memory loss. This DVD does the same thing.", I pulled out the DVD I had.

"You're not g-gonna show us something indecent, are you, Mistress~!?"

"Uh, No, it's not that. It's a video of all of us being interviewed by the Hope's Peak Academy headmaster."

"When you say "all of us" you mean...", Hina trailed, off.

"I mean all of us. Including everyone who is here and everyone who died."

"You lie! I never did any kind of interview!"

"No, it's not a lie. Just watch the DVD and you'll see for yourself. The headmaster did, in fact, interview you.", Kyoko explained.

"... What are you saying!?"

"You don't remember, right?", I asked.

"It's not about whether or not I remember...! You expect me to believe all this? That I...I lost my memory somehow...!?"

"Well, we don't have any way to refute it, so we have no choice but to accept it as reality.", Byakuya stated.

"How can you say that!? We're talking about living, breathing amnesia here!", Hiro sputtered.

"To be honest, I have something else on my mind right now."

"Something else...?"

"You said the DVD contains recordings of us being interviewed by the headmaster, right? What were the interviews about?"

"The headmaster sat each of us down, one at a time, and asked us if we could accept the idea of spending the rest of our lives in this school .", I explained.

"What kind of qu-question is that...?", Toko grumbled.

"And? How did we answer?", Byakuya interjected.

"We'd say no, obviously!", Hiro pointed.

"Actually, we all agreed. I heard myself say yes as well, I could spend the rest of my life at this school."

"Wh-Why!? Why would you say yes to s-something like that, Mistress!?", Toko shrieked.

"I don't remember why, stop yelling!"

"The same goes for everyone else? Nobody remembers...? You don't remember choosing to live here forever. Or even talking to the headmaster about it at all...", Kyoko asked.

"It doesn't matter if I remember or not. Even if I bought the whole amnesia thing, the idea that I would want to live here forever... That's just insane! How can I believe that!?", Hiro questioned.

"Insane or not, we can't move forward until you accept it. Am I right?"

"You sure are! Cuz it's all true !", Monokuma cheered.

"Whaaaaaat!?", Hiro yelped.

"I know it sounds absurd, but...if it's the truth, there's nothing we can do about it.", Kyoko shrugged.

"Indeed. We only have one path in front of us.", Byakuya nodded.

"Th-Then...we really...?", Toko stuttered.

"Yup! You all totally lost your memory at the same time!", Monokuma snickered.

"This is all...making my head hurt...", Hina muttered.

"And this isn't like some normal kind of memory loss. You stole some specific memories from us.", I stated.

"Oopsie! You figured that part out too, huh?", Monokuma confirmed my suspicions.

"Of course. There's no way we would all just happen to get amnesia at the same time.", Kyoko pointed out.

"B-But...how could someone just s-steal our memories?", Toko asked.

"How...? Come come come, that hardly matters right now! If I said it was hypnotism, would you believe me? Or we opened up your skulls and messed with your brains? Would you really believe anything I said? How it happened doesn't matter right now!", Monokuma huffed.

"What matters is figuring out what memories you took from us. That's what you're trying to say, right?", Byakuya asked.

"Puhuhu! I knew I could count on you!"

"The interview with the headmaster, taking that group photo... Those can't be the only memories we lost. There must have been a purpose to it all. A reason for taking away our memories..."

"Of course there was a purpose! It all has to do with the original motive !"

"You mean the "motive" you came up with to try and get us to all kill each other?", Makoto asked.

"That has something to do with the memories you stole from us?", Kyoko continued.

"Puhuhu! It sure does! But that part's still a secret...! Anyway, I'm sure it's not easy, but let's all focus on the class trial for the murder of Mukuro Ikusaba !", Monokuma cheered.

"Okay, so you want us to figure out who killed her before we do anything else...", Byakuya agreed.

So until we do that... Well either way, we have to explain every last remaining mystery. So...

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Monokuma: So who did it...? Who killed her?

Kyoko Kirigiri: Whoever did it is the same one who's behind everything . That much I'm sure of.

Yasuhiro Hagakure: But when you think about it... Is the mastermind really here in the school?

Aoi Asahina: Of course! They hafta be here somewhere !

Byakuya Togami: What makes you so sure?

Aoi Asahina: Umm... what *does* make me so sure...?

Toko Fukawa: Exactly. You're j-just making stuff up. There's no way the m-mastermind is here. The mastermind is p-probably a million miles away ... (COUNTER WITH "Monokuma Control Room")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"The mastermind is somewhere in the school .",  Makoto stated.

"How do you kn-know? Did you find s-some evidence or something?", Toko asked.

"In the back of the data center, Makoto, Hina and I found a panel that controls Monokuma .The mastermind must have been using that to control the monochrome shitstain all this time. the mastermind has been inside the school all along!", I explained.

"There can't be any doubt... In which case, there also can be no doubt that the mastermind is one of us.", Byakuya revealed.

"What? Why?", Hina questioned.

"Recall what Makoto told us Monokuma said to him earlier..."
--

I'm sure I told you this already, but...this killing game began with seventeen participants, all of them high school students. And the only people to take a single step in Hope's Peak since the killing game began...are those seventeen students.

--

"So if the mastermind *is* in the school, we have to assume it can only be that 16th student ."

"But...how'd they m-manage to survive all of this?", Toko asked.

"So we're the only ones here...? I-It's not me! I'm not the mastermind!", Hiro declared.

"Well it's not me!", Hina shrugged.

"I blame M-Makoto!", Toko declared.

"What!? Why me!?", Makoto sputtered.

"C-Cuz! It's super weird how you're the o-only one who survived being executed!"

"Oh, I get it! The only way he coulda survived is if he was actually the mastermind himself, right!?", Hiro snapped his fingers in a "aha" way.

"Aww nuts! Ya got me!", Monokuma went along with it.

"Oi, it isn't Makoto, shut it, all of you!", I snapped.

"Everyone, calm down. There's no reason to panic. The mastermind's true identity will become clear soon enough. Just as soon as we find out who killed Mukuro.", Kyoko explained calmly.

"That's a good point. Rather than wasting time bickering, we should put our minds to work solving this mystery.", Byakuya sighed.

"Yeah, well, how much time have we already spent talking about the murder?", Hiro refered to the class trial I didn't attend.

"He's r-right. What more is there to t-talk about?", Toko mumbled.

"If you want something to talk about, I think there might be one thing... We haven't fully established what Mukuro's fatal injury was.", Kyoko revealed.

"Huh? But...I thought we figured that out. She died when she got hit in the back of the head .", Hina pointed out.

"No, that isn't actually what killed her. It was something entirely different. Wouldn't you agree, Makoto?"

"I GOT IT!! All of the wounds covering her body... That's what really killed her .", Makoto stated.

"Hey, now hold on a second! You did read the Monokuma File, right?", Hiro pulled out the Monokuma file and read it out. " "The body was covered with other wounds, but these were at least several days old." It made it pretty clear. Those wounds were made *at least* a few days ago. So they can't possibly be what killed her!"

"Consider this--what if the murder itself took place at least a few days ago?"

"Wh-What...?"

"What if, when we discovered her body, she'd already been dead for several days? If that's true, then naturally the wounds that killed her would appear to be however many days old.", Kyoko explained the theory.

"Th-That doesn't make any sense! Because...because she had all th-those wounds before she ever c-came here!", Toko said with huff.

"Huh? How do you know that?", Hina asked.

"Isn't it o-obvious? She was the Ultimate Soldier , right? So that means...y-you know..."

"You're wrong.", Kyoko immediately denied Toko's idea.

"Ahaha... She d-denied me... Hahahaha... Before I could even s-say anything... Hahah...ha...ahe...hehehe...! Come on--I mean--you think I'm--? I'm not weird, okay!? At least l-listen to what I have to say b-before you deny me!"

If you're so sure we're gonna deny you, why bother saying it in the first place?

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Toko Fukawa: Mukuro w-was the Ultimate Soldier . She must've been in a h-hundred different battles. So when you th-think about it... Obviously she g-got all those wounds in battle ! (COUNTER WITH "Mukuro Ikusaba's Profile")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"No, Mukuro didn't suffer those wounds in battle. The file we found in the headmaster's room said so. Despite the time she spent in battle after battle as a member of Fenrir...when she first came to this school, she hadn't sustained a single injury .", I explained.

"T-To be denied so completely... Actually, it's k-kind of refreshing! *gasp* M-Maybe it's cuz of all of Master's t-training!", Toko muttered happily. Byakuya just rolled his eyes.

"Anywho... We can be sure that Mukuro suffered all those wounds after coming to this school . In that case, they could be the very thing that killed her!"

"As a matter of fact, it's hard to imagine any other possibility. When examining her body, I found that her stomach and head wounds came after she was already dead .", Kyoko backed me up.

"Unless anyone has any better suggestions, I think we can say this with confidence... The wounds Mukuro sustained all over her body are what ultimately killed her!

-- Mukuro's Fatal Injury had been added as evidence --

"But if that's what killed her... then does that mean she's really been dead for who knows how long!?", Hiro gasped.

"That's exactly what it means. When we found her body in the garden, she'd already been dead for several days .", Makoto nodded.

"So then, what about the little matter of what happened last night? Makoto, you said you were attacked in your room by a masked assailant . If Mukuro had already been dead for several days, certainly it couldn't have been her. So who was it that attacked you?", Byakuya asked.

"I GOT IT!! The one who attacked me...was the true mastermind . When we discovered Mukuro in the garden wearing the same mask...I naturally assumed she must have been the one who attacked me. But I was wrong. It wasn't her at all. It was the mastermind!"

"Ahaha! Hahahaha!", Monokuma was laughing his ass off.

"Wh-What are you laughing at...?", Toko grumbled.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just getting a little impatient sitting her listening. I think I'm gonna jump in! Let's start off with a nice, easy question. Your assumption that I attacked Makoto is just that, right? An assumption . You can't really know who was under that mask, can you? I mean, that's the whole point of a mask! The true identity of the masked attacker is Mukuro Ikusaba! At least, that's what I think! Puhuhu... Do you have any evidence that might convince me otherwise?"

No, there's no way Mukuro is the one that attacked Makoto... Even if he didn't see their face...If we compared what we know about Mukuro to the masked attacker...it should be obvious!}

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Monokuma: You never saw their face, right? So you can't have any idea who was under that mask! I'm telling you now, it was Mukuro Ikusaba ! (COUNTER WITH "right hand")

Kyoko Kirigiri: You're wrong. Even without seeing their face...there's another part of the attacker we can use to prove it wasn't her.

Monokuma: Oh? And what is this other part? Is it the right hand ? Or the left hand ? Maybe the right foot ? Or perhaps the left foot ? (TAKE "right hand")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Mukuro had a tattoo on her right hand , if I remember correctly. A "representation of Fenrir"... In other words, a wolf tattoo . But I saw the right hand of the person who attacked me... and there was no such tattoo. So there's no way the person behind the mask was Mukuro!"

"Y-Yeah, well, okay... Ya got me, I guess it wasn't her... But that still doesn't prove that it was me! It could have been, ya know...someone else, right?", Monokuma huffed.

"Hiro, Toko, Hina and I all have solid alibis for that entire night. And Kuno was out like a light until a few hours ago.", Byakuya explained.

"Yeah! We were in the gym tearing you apart! So it couldn't have been any of us!", Hiro nodded.

"O-Okay, sure, it couldn't have been any of you... But...what about Kyoko!? It totally could've been her!", Monokuma pointed at the detective, leading to silence. " Uh-oh! No snappy comeback? Did I score a bull's-eye?"

"... If you insist, I don't mind showing you."

"Huh? Show me what...?"

"What do you think? I'll show you the one thing that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt it wasn't me." Before anyone could say anything... Kyoko was removing her gloves. Her hands had burn scars all over, making me gasp.

"Your hands...!", Hina muttered in shock.

"Awful, isn't it? It happened when I was first learning to be a detective. I was inexperienced..."

"I thought you didn't want anyone to see those scars...", I muttered,

"If it means we get another step closer to unmasking the mastermind, it doesn't really bother me.", Kyoko seemed to savor the words as she said them. Then she put her gloves back on. "My scars should suffice as proof. Makoto, did the person who attacked you have scars like mine?"

"No...not at all, I'm positive.", Makoto nodded, still shocked.

"Then this much has been made clear... There can be no doubt that the one who attacked Makoto is the true mastermind."

"Puhuhu... This is just awful! On top of my secret being revealed, I had to look at those positively grotesque scars of yours! Ah, sorry! Did I say that out loud? I do hope I didn't hurt your feelings...!"

"Take it back, you bitch!", I shouted, but Kyoko raised her hand to signal me to calm down.

"Not at all. You can say whatever you want.", Kyoko answered.

"Sure, as long as it means pushing me farther into the corner, right? But I'm not cornered just yet! Because if you hadn't noticed, the circumstances surrounding Mukuro's death are totally unknown!"

"That's true... All we know right now is she was killed a good while before this morning.", Hina pointed.

"On the contrary, we don't know anything other than that!", Hiro shrugged in defeat.

"You're not going to tell us she was already dead before we arrived here or something, are you?", Byakuya scoffed with an eye roll.

"Puhuhu. In that regard, you have nothing to worry about! I promise you, without a doubt, she died after our little killing game began here!", Monokuma confirmed.

"Then somehow, she was killed in secret, without any of us knowing."

"And after she died, who knows how much time went by before we found her, right? Did the culprit stash her somewhere? She couldn't have been in the garden the whole time, could she?", Hiro asked.

"If she was, she w-would've been totally decomposed... Just like your b-brain!", Toko sneered.

"Then...she was being stored somewhere?"

"But...to hide a body here...to just store it somewhere...?", Hina mumbled.

"I GOT IT!! Mukuro's body was probably kept hidden in the bio lab .", Makoto revealed.

"The b-bio lab...? You mean, on the 5th f-floor?", Toko muttered.

"That's right. It's actually set up for use as a morgue . So it's the perfect place to hide a body, and it'd keep the body preserved at the same time."

"Then you're also saying the body was moved from the bio lab to the garden...", Byakuya continued.

"And I have no doubt that that's exactly what happened. In fact, I have proof ...", I interjected. "I KNOW THE TRUTH!! I'm sure the body was carried from the bio lab to the garden using the tarp that we found in the garden. When I was checking it over again, I noticed that some text had been stamped on one corner of the tarp.", I explained while I showed a picture of the tarp.

"Oh! It says bio lab !", Hina pointed at the corner of the picture.

"Holy cow... How'd you notice that tiny little thing?", Hiro awed.

"Kuno's nit-picky nature seems to have surfaced with perfect timing...", Byakuya smirked.

"Wow, you gave me compliment, Byakuya. I must have done something absolutely ground breaking in a past life!", I grinned.

"This is a *one* time thing!"

"We'll see~!"

"This proves that the tarp originally came from the bio lab. In fact, there's a whole stack of tarps just like it in there.", Makoto commented.

"So when the killer moved the body to the garden, they must have grabbed a tarp to wrap it in. Then they simply left it as it was to protect against the sprinklers, and put the coat on it afterwards.", Kyoko continued.

"Wow...you m-made everything sound so amazingly c-consistent!", Toko said with an impressed look.

"B-But that's just a wild guess! Where's your evidence!? Prove that the body was wrapped in a tarp and moved!", Monokuma growled.

"There is no evidence. I was simply explaining what I think happened. But you seem to be getting pretty worked up about it, wouldn't you say?", Kyoko smirked.

"...Worked up!?"

"Now that the conversation has turned to the topic of the bio lab, you must be getting pretty nervous. Because the key to uncovering your secret identity is hidden within that room, isn't it?"

"Are you talking about unmasking the mastermind!?", Hiro asked.

"You see, the bio lab contained an inconsistency --one so major it can't be overlooked."

"La-la-la! I can't hear you! La-la-la!", Monokuma covered his plush bear ears in defiance.

"Such a child... Oh well, just ignore him."

"Hey, by the way, Makoto! What about that one thing!?"

"... What...one thing?", Makoto asked.

"Puhuhu...What do you think? I'm talking about... your family. Puhuhuhu! Don't tell me you forgot about that video message! So what do you think? Are you sure your family's still okay?"

"Wh--!? Why are you bringing that up now!?"

"Yeah, why the hell are you bringing his family into this now!?", I snapped with Makoto.

"Your mom, your dad, your little sister... What do you think has happened to your family? Are they really as safe as you might have assumed?"

"S-Stop talking about that!"

"Calm down, Makoto, Kuno. He wants you to get upset.", Kyoko instructed.

(Monokuma - Kuno)

-THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!-

"That's impossible!"

"We have proof!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"100%!"

"I'm not listening!"

"Would you stop acting like a child!?"

"You're getting all riled up!"

"This is the finale, I can't back down!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The truth!"

"Proof! Proof! Proof!"

"We have it all!"

"The end is nigh!"

"It's not the end yet!"

"LA-LA-LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LA-LA-LA-LA!" (COUNTER WITH BIO LAB LIGHTS)

"THIS SHOULD PROVE IT!!"

-SUCCESSFULL-

"The inconsistency Kyoko's talking about is...the lights !", Makoto revealed.

"Ga-haaah! Wh-What are you talking about? What about the lights...?", Monokuma sputtered.

"Like I said before, the bio lab also acts as a morgue. And as part of that, a giant refrigerator was installed in there. That's where everyone who's died is stored."

"And it was set up so that when a slot had a body in it, a blue light would turn on .", Kyoko pointed out.

"In other words, if the blue light is on, that means there's a body in that slot.", Byakuya went along.

"But I counted up the number of blue lights that were on, including the one Mukuro was in...and there were only nine !", Makoto stated as I pulled out a photo of the morgue.

"Why does that matter? You gotta give me the bite-size version here, man!", Hiro huffed.

Nine lights doesn't make sense. The number of lights that should be on is...

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! Ten of the lights should have been on. Any other number is suspicious!", I explained.

"S-Suspicious...? Why?", Toko asked.

"That's simple. Just recall who's died here so far, and it should become clear."

"That's right... That's the key to solving this mystery... Sayaka died first... Junko was second... Leon was third... Chihiro was fourth... Mondo was fifth... Taka was sixth, then Hifumi was seventh... Celeste was eighth... Sakura was ninth... And victim number ten was Mukuro.", I counted.

"Hm... So ten people in all?", Hina confirmed.

"That's right. Any other number should make you immediately suspicious. But according to the lights in the bio lab, only nine people were being stored there...", Makoto trailed off.

"Y-You're saying a dead body just...up and disappeared!?", Hiro gasped.

"I got it! The mastermind destroyed one of the bodies to get rid of evidence!", Hina suggested.

"But if they wanted to do that, they would've destroyed Mukuro's body, since they actually killed her. And yet...her body was left alone.", Makoto pointed out.

"Then...whose body disappeared?"

"It may very well be...that none of them disappeared.", Kyoko whispered.

"B-But if that's true, then why doesn't the b-body count match...?", Toko stuttered.

"Including Monokuma's executions, there have apparently been ten deaths. But there were only nine bodies. That's the point I'm trying to make."

"I'm completely lost! How can the number of victims be less than the number of murders!?", Hina asked.

"I GOT IT!! What about if...the same person was killed twice ?", Makoto suggested.

"Huh? Killed twice...?", Hiro muttered.

"Officially, ten murders have been committed so far. But one of the victims may have been murdered...and then murdered again."

"Murdered and...m-murdered again...?", Toko stuttered.

"If that's the case, there could have been ten killings but still only nine victims, right?"

"T-Technically you're right I guess, but still...something like that--", Kyoko cut off Hina.

"Could easily have happened. No, it *is* what happened."

"Sounds like you're already convinced. Then can you tell us who was killed twice?", Byakuya asked.

"Before she was killed as Mukuro Ikusaba, she was killed as someone else. And that's why the body had to be stored in the bio lab until the moment we found it in the garden..."

"No no no, that's crazy talk! She was killed as someone else? Come on! Besides, who could that "someone else" even have been!?", Monokuma snarled.

"All you have to do is look at those bodily injuries of hers and that will become obvious."

"Nothing's gonna become obvious...! Because Kyoko's totally delusional!"

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Monokuma: Who is this "someone else" that Mukuro was killed as? Was it... Sayaka Maizono ? Junko Enoshima ? Leon Kuwata ? Chihiro Fujisaki ? Mondo Owada ? Kiyotaka Ishimaru ? Hifumi Yamada ? Celestia Lu--whatever? Or maybe Sakura Ogami ? No no no... There's no way anyone was murdered twice ! (TAKE "Junko Enoshima") (COUNTER WITH "Junko Enoshima")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Junko's fatal injury was pretty similar to Mukuro's...", I whispered.

"What do you mean...?", Hina questioned.

"Remember what happened to her... She was impaled by a bunch of spears, all over her body."

"And Mukuro died from a number of wounds across her body... When you compare that to the stab wounds Junko suffered...", Byakuya began.

"Then the s-similarities...match...?", Toko finished.

"Yes, and those are the *only* fatal injuries that match up. That explains why those "two" bodies are actually one and the same.", Kyoko explained.

"So let me see if I have this straight... Junko, or someone going by that name, was stabbed to death with multiple spears. Then her body was kept in the bio lab for however long, before being dragged out again. Only this time, it was presented as the corpse of one Mukuro Ikusaba.", Byakuya explained.

"It all matches up, right? Those wounds Junko suffered could easily be these same injuries.", Makoto pointed out.

"Then...it's really true? Mukuro and Junko are the same person...? Wait, so then... Nng! What does it all mean!?", Hiro groaned.

"It means that there haven't been ten victims, but nine. Which also means that among the people we thought were dead...one is still alive.", Byakuya explained.

"...And that's the true identity of the mastermind!?", Hina muttered.

"Who is it!? Who's behind all this!?", Hiro asked.

"We already kn-know the answer to that... It's Mukuro! Sh-She's still alive! She took J-Junko's body... and made it look like she was th-the one who died! S-So Mukuro is still alive. She's g-gotta be!", Toko put out her theory but was met with silence. "Total silence...? Then I m-must be right...! I'm right, aren't I?"

Mukuro...alive? The one that's still alive is Mukuro...? But... Can we really believe that?

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Toko Fukawa: The body we f-found in the garden... It wasn't Mukuro ! (COUNTER WITH "Mukuro Ikusaba's Profile")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"No, the body we found in the garden was Mukuro that's one thing we can be sure of. The body's appearance and measurements are consistent with her records. Right, Kyoko?", Makoto asked.

"She was 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighed 97 pounds. Her vitals were 31-22-32. Everything in her profile is consistent with that corpse.", Kyoko confirmed.

"And then there's the matter of the Fenrir tattoo. So there's no question it's her."

"B-But...if Mukuro's not the mastermind, then...who's actually still alive...?", Toko questioned. Right as we were about to talk about it... The levator made a sound, as if someone was coming down. Before long, the elevator soors opened... And G was there. The masked shadow ran in and shouted.

"WHAT'S UP, FUCKERS!?", G ran next to me to join me in my spot.

"GAH! Why are you he--!!", Monokuma got cut off by G throwing another mask from their coat straight for the monochrome piece of shit. 

"Shut it, Junko."

"G, I-- wait, the mastermind is Junko!?",  I sputtered.

"Yep."

"Wait, who *is* that!?", Hina shrieked.

"Is that the mastermind!?", Hiro gasped.

"Uh, no, guys, this is G, a friend on the inside. G, this is everyone."

"Hey.", I began explaining G's whole story while Monokuma grumbled in the back. Once I was done, Monokuma interjected.

"You can't just barge in an--"

"You are Junko."

"You don't have any proof!!"

"I do.", G pulled out a long letter and handed it to me. "Read it."

"Alright, listen up Junko!"

You met the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima right after you all arrived here... But that wasn't the real Junko. The girl you saw before you was actually the seventeenth student, who had taken Junko's place. And that girl's name was Mukuro Ikusaba . But it wasn't long before she died at the hands of Monokuma. In other words, the mastermind ...Junko Enoshima. Her body was kept in the bio lab , which had been converted into a morgue. Until Junko decided to put her body to use . Junko dragged the body out of the bio lab, using the tarp to carry her to the garden . She fabricated the murder to try and frame Kyoko, who'd proven to be one big thorn in her side (No offense Kyoko, it's a compliment). Meanwhile, she wanted you all to think Mukuro was still alive, and hiding somewhere inside the school. So she put on a mask and then attacked Makoto (Also Junko, your mask is trash. Ask me next time to make one, yours is shit). After making sure Makoto had gotten a good look at the mask, she left the room... Then she put the same mask on Mukuro's body . This was all to make you think the person who attacked Makoto and the corpse were one and the same ... She wanted you to believe the murder had only recently taken place. Finally, by strapping a bomb to the body, she was able to destroy any remaining evidence. She needed to hide the body's true identity. She had to make sure you didn't find out it was actually the same person you'd met in the beginning. This is the truth behind Mukuro's murder. And the one who carried it all out is the true mastermind, the one controlling Monokuma...The real Junko Enoshima !

"Can you deny any of this, Junko?", I stated. Monokuma stood still, not making a single sound.

"What, are you broken again?", Byakuya scoffed. Silence.

"You can't get out of this, so don't even try!", Hina huffed. More silence.

"Come on! It's time you finally revealed yourself!", Hiro challenged. Even more silence.

"It's not like y-you're an endangered species or something! How l-long do you plan to keep hiding?", Toko stuttered angrily. Silence.

"Give it up, Junko. The game's over.", Kyoko stated. That's when Monokuma snapped.

"...Over? Puhu... Puhuhu... Did you really think the story would end once we reached the climax of the case? Wrong! There's still plenty more to go!", Just then, a bunch of smoke filled the room, making me go into a coughing fit. When the smoke cleared... The mastermind appeared proudly; Junko Enoshima Herself.

"We have been waiting! Waiting so very long for peasants like you to appear! If you swear your fealty to us, we will reward you with half of the entire world! We've even drawn up the deed already! We will grant you honor, status, and some of our home cooking! Have you made your choice? Will you serve under us?", Junko asked, speaking in a strange, over-the-top british royal accent.

"No!", Makoto and I immediately answered.

"Oh, did you think I was being serious? Sorry, I was just messing with you. It's been so long since I've had an audience, even I'm not sure what kind of role I'm supposed to play.", Junko sighed, her demeanor switching into a flamboyant pose with her hand covering her face, her voice going monotone.

This...is the mastermind! She's... The real Junko Enoshima...

"Anyway, looks like I've finally been set free. Having to play Monokuma all the time, day after day... It was like I was stuck in purgatory, or like a slow suicide. I get bored so easy, ya know?"

"Y-Your face...", Toko muttered.

"Huh? What about my face? What's wrong with my beautiful face? People have told me I'm cuter than a hundred chihuahuas combined."

"I feel like...this isn't the first time I've seen you .", Hina mumbled.

"I GOT IT!! That's right! It was before I ever came to this school. I remember seeing a magazine cover ... And...you were on it!", Makoto pointed.

"Wow, you have a pretty good memory. I guess that's why you've made it this far, huh?", Junko almost stated, her tone not really changing.

"So I was right... Then what you, or what Mukuro, told me in the main hall when this all began... ", I muttered.

--
"Um... Not to be rude or anything, but you look a bit different on the cover pictures of your magazines. Not that I really pay attention to the looks of the models, but something isn't sitting right with me."

"Oh, are you talking about my cover photos and junk? Ahaha, well of course! Those are totally photoshopped."

"As in changed?"

"Yeah, you know-- edited to hell and back. With like, computers and junk?"

"I guess I should have known..."

"Come on, don't act so surprised! You're gonna make me all depressed. It's totally normal these days to photoshop the crap out of cover photos. If you're surprised by that, you'd be totally blown away by a certain dangerous little diva of ours... They make the eyes and junk super big, and tweak the skin so it looks all ceramic and porcelain."--

"Sometimes a little lie is necessary to keep things moving along, wouldn't you agree?", Junko shrugged, still in her strange pose.

"That explains why she didn't quite seem the same. Because she was a different person all along...", Byakuya mused.

"I'm me, and Mukuro is Mukuro. She tried her best, but there's just no way she could have passed as the Ultimate Fashionista. Two people can never become one as long as the walls of mind and body exist... Not even if they're twins."

"T-Twins!?", Toko gasped.

"I know, it's such a cliche, right? I'm almost embarrassed to admit it. So basically, Mukuro and I had your stereotypical "twin" relationship... The older sister, tough and proud--that was Mukuro. The younger sister, smart and cute--that was...", Junko switched again, going into an almost raging maniac. "Hyaaaahaha! Me! Junko fucking Enoshima! And together, we were the Despair Sisters! AKA the Ultimate Despair !"

"Whoa, she's a totally different person now!", Hiro sputtered.

"Like I said, I get bored easy as hell! I even get fuckin' bored with myself!"

"B-But if you're twins, why do you have d-different last names?", Toko asked.

"Ugh, that again? You have any idea how many times people ask me that shit? Maybe it's new to your dumb ass, but it bores me to tears! Answering the same questions, over and over! Just make up whatever answer you want, I don't give a shit! The truth's fuckin' lame, anyway."

"But...if she was your twin, that means...you killed your own sister?", Hina mumbled in horror.

"And for reasons deeper and darker than the ocean! ...Hah! As if!", then out of nowhere, Junko flicks her hair to one side, pulls out a pair of reading glasses and a clipboard and switches to a more mature, professional persona. "Well, I suppose I'd better explain... For my plan to work, someone had to be able to control the killing game from behind the scenes. The so-called mastermind had to operate Monokuma, keep an eye on everyone, things like that. But after looking at the situation, I determined it would be impossible for Mukuro to perform such duties. Because naturally, she turned out to be the letdown of the family. Leaving me behind to run off and join some band of mercenaries... Such a disappointment. So, I decided to play the role of director and have her join the rest of you in your school life. I could have let her work alongside me, but she would have been useless to me that way. Besides, 16 students seemed like a solid number to start with. Side note, Kuno was a last minute addition to the killing game, I never planned on her to be a part of it, so having G sneak in, I decided to kidnap the rat and have them watch over her to make sure all basis are covered. Of course, the fact that Mukuro was the Ultimate Soldier posed something of a problem. She had what I call the "three atrocities"--atrociously rank, atrociously filthy, atrociously repulsive. It was atrociously clear just how out of touch she was with the rest of society. Meanwhile, my "Ultimate Fashionista " status has an undeniable appeal that I didn't want to go to waste."

"And that's...why you switched identities?", Kyoko asked.

"And I... wasn't planned to be here?", I whispered.

"Yes, Kuno. You were an anomaly with G, so I decided to use you both. As for Mukuro, Sadly, her inability to match my personality was even greater than I'd calculated. It was a lost cause... She was nothing more than a bit player, an extra unworthy of lines. Being the utter disappointment that she was, anyone would have expected her to get killed off right away. Which is precisely why I killed her--to meet everyone's expectations."

"That... can't be your only reason, can it?", Makoto mumbled.

"Well no, of course not. I also did it to avoid becoming bored.", Junko switched, again, into a sickeningly cute persona. " I've never been a stickler for following a plan to the letter, ya know? If I planned everything out and knew just what was gonna happen, that'd be sooo boooring! So, I changed things just a bit, and decided to use Mukuro to make a little point !"

"In other words, Mukuro's death was a one-sided, premeditated act of betrayal . Just as I suspected... When Mukuro was killed, she must have been as surprised as anybody else.", Kyoko pointed out.

--
...Wh...? H-Huh? This wasn't...supposed to... Why...me...?--

"Eh-heh! So you figured it out? Well you're right! There's no way Mukuro could have pulled off such a convincing performance! But she did teach you all a very valuable lesson, don't you think?"

"...How can you talk like that...? You sacrificed your own sister... How does that not even bother you!?", Makoto yelled.

"What? I sacrificed her? That's what's got you so hot under the collar? Jeez, misunderstandings sure are scary! We were the Ultimate Despair, ya know? So we never had any kind of hope, or expectations. No, I've felt despair as long as I can remember, like I never should have been born at all. When I was born, I cried tears of total despair. So that's why for us, it's not a big deal whether we die or kill! We're just those kinds of people. We can do anything! We've always been filled with despair, so when we do something, we go all the way and live without regret!"

"So you just murdered your own sister, and didn't think anything of it...?", Hina muttered in disgust. Junko switched into a more depressed persona, fake mushrooms growing on her head.

"That's not true at all... That's why it gets me so...excited ."

"...Huh?"

"Killing my precious sister with my own two hands... That act is filled with so much despair, you can't help but put a "super" in front of it. It's like super super super super super despair. No, more than that... Super super super super super super super super super super super super super super super despair... It just feels...so...good..."

"What the hell is wrong with you...?", Hiro growled, yet he was shaking.

"And my sister, too... In that moment of death, I think she must have felt that despair. After all, to be murdered by your own sister, and only as an example to someone else...? She must have died feeling such excruciating hopelessness... I'm so...jealous of her. Super jealous..."

"I knew you couldn't be just some ordinary person. You're some kind of...abnormality.", Byakuya rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Turning your own despair into some kind of fetish... Abnormality doesn't even begin to describe it.", Kyoko scoffed.

"Like, Genocide Jill is crazy for sure, but...this is a whole 'nother level of nuts!", Hiro pointed at Junko in fear.

"You're saying I don't compare to some lowly beast that can only kill the weak, right? So I'm hopelessly attractive? Hopelessly brilliant? Hopelessly athletic...? I'm the hopelessly perfect ultimate human?", Junko mumbled.

"No...I don't think there's anything "perfect" about anything you just said.", Byakuya huffed.

"Yeah! Master's way more p-perfect! Cuz on top of everything else, he's got that n-noble blood!", Toko interjected.

"Huh? Don't you mean...*had* that noble blood?", Junko asked in her depressed tone.

"What did you just say? What do you mean by that?", Byakuya asked, looking confused and panicked. Junko switches her persona, grabbing a still Monokuma and talking as if she was still Monokuma.

"Puhuhu. You still haven't figured that part out yet? Man you guys are so sloooow! You haven't even solved all the mysteries, and yet here you are, yap-yap-yapping away!"

"Are you talking about our memories...?", Kyoko asked.

"You've already solved this mystery, right? I'm the killer. So how about the next one? Maybe you should solve the riddle of your missing memories, *then* you can start gloating."

"Damn straight! That's exactly what we're going to do. We're going to solve all these mysteries... And then...we'll have our victory!", Makoto swore.

"Puhuhu. I can't wait..."

"Alright! Then let's get straight to the point! What memories did you steal from us!?", Hiro asked. Junko stayed silent.

"When the g-group pictures were taken... A-And those interviews... It must mean... I g-got it! It must have s-something to do with our entrance e-exams!", Toko declared.

"Hmmmmmmm...", Junko hummed loudly.

"No fair! At least give us a hint!", Hiro huffed.

"Your brains are like sponges, all drippy and leaky. I already gave you a hint before! All the memories you lost share something in common with a few other things... Do you recall?"

Thinking back to what Monokuma's told us... The memories that were stolen from us, and what they must be related to...

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! You're talking about the motives you provided to try and get us to kill each other, right?"

"So you do remember, after all. Well, I would hope you wouldn't forget something so important. It was stupid of me to even ask. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for my bad manners.", Junko apologized in her monotone demeanor again. "So then, let me ask you another question. Did you notice that each motive I presented you had a specific theme to it?"

"A th-theme...?", Toko stuttered.

"Yup, you got it. So that's my question to you all... When Sayaka was murdered, what was the theme of the motive I presented?"

"I GOT IT!! The driving force behind the motive you presented us with at that point was human connections .", Makoto stated.

"Ding ding ding! You got it. Remember those DVDs I gave you guys? Each video showed the total destruction of your most important relationships. For example, your family... For example, your friends... I ruined all those relationships, and showed you the results. It was to motivate your desire to escape, and kickstart your urge to kill. But still...what a cruel thing to do."

"You're the one that did it!", Hina shouted.

"Yes, well, I'm perfectly happy to accept your disapproval.", Junko switched into her cute persona again. "Okaaay! Time for the next question! Umm, so...what was the theme for the second motive!?"

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! It was...our past.", I answered.

"Yaaay! Kuno got it right again! That time, the theme was... embarrassing memories and secrets! Kyah! And the whole reason Mondo did what he did was to protect his secret!"

"So...? How long do you plan on dragging this out?", Byakuya grumbled.

"Relax, relax! Okay, on to the next question! Sooo, what was the motive for the third murder!?"

"I GOT IT!! It was money, wasn't it? Greed .", Makoto answered. Junko switched to her crazy persona once more.

"Seek and destroy! Hell yeah, you got it again! Goddamn straight it was money! Celeste killed Hifumi and Taka for a little personal gain! Her greed led to all kinds of death and destruction!"

"What's the point of all this? Why are you making us go through this case by case!?"

"Haahahaha! Don't worry, sweet cheeks! Just one more to go! Now, can you tell me the motive behind crazy-ass Sakura's crazy-ass death?"

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! It was betrayal.", I mumbled out the last part. Junko switched to her depressed persona, almost mirroring me.

"Precisely. You see... Once I revealed Sakura's betrayal, that led to everything that came afterwards... Anyway, it looks like you answered all of my questions correctly. How painfully delightful..."

"But what's the point? What meaning is there in asking those questions now?", Byakuya asked with annoyance in his voice. Junko switched into her cute persona as she turned to Byakuya.

"Relationships, secrets, money, betrayal... These are all pretty standard motives, right? The most normal of normal, totally middle of the road!", Junko then switched to her royal persona. "But of course those aren't the only motives that exist in this world... In fact, there are as many reasons to kill a there are people on Earth. They compel humans to kill each other, bringing despair to the world. This is what we refer to as the seed of despair !"

"Seed of despair...?", Kyoko echoed.

"Just as water, air, and food promote growth in living things, the seed of despair also needs nourishment ... And that nourishment...is hope ! Despair can grow only in the presence of hope! Two sides of the same coin, divided by a razor-thin line... Such is hope and despair!"

"...How much longer is this stupid speech of yours? Weren't we discussing our missing memories? Why are you trying to change the subject?", Byakuya questioned. Junko switched to her professional demeanor once more.

"If you would listen, you would see I'm *not* changing the subject. We *are* discussing your memories. What I'm trying to say is, the "seed of despair" is closely tied to your memories."

"H-How so...?", Toko asked.

"You see, by taking away your memories, I gave you hope. Of course, that hope merely existed to be consumed by despair ."

"How could taking away someone's memories...give them hope?", Hina mumbled.

"And plus, you haven't given us any hope anyway!", Hiro scoffed.

"Is that so? All you've been able to think about during your time here is how to escape, right? The mere fact that that's what you want proves I gave you hope.", Junko shrugged, tapping her clipboard lightly.

"What are you talking about...?", Byakuya asked, his eyes going more and more panicked. Junko switched to her royal demeaner as she fixed her tacky crown.

"If none of you wanted to escape this school , the killings never would have taken place. That is why we took your memories--so that you would have the desire to leave !"

"The only reason we want to leave is because you took our memories... Is that what you're saying?", Kyoko confirmed.

"Puhuhu... Correctamundo!", Junko chuckled in her Monokuma persona.

"Which means, if we *did* have our memories, then we *wouldn't* want to leave. Do I understand that right?", Byakuya continued.

"Wh-What!? Why the HELL would having our memories make us not wanna leave!?", Hiro questioned.

"Puhuhu... A most troubling thought, isn't it? But it's not enough. I want more distress, more despair...! I put so much effort into creating hope in order to feed your despair and make it grow... So, just like Crazy Eddie slashing his prices and passing the savings on to you, lemme give you a hint!"

"Huh? Really!?", Hina gasped.

"Then h-hurry up and tell us!", Toko demanded.

"Okay dokey! Like they say, seeing is believing! I'd like for you to see...the outside world ."

"You mean the world beyond the school walls ?", Makoto asked.

"So something really did happen out there...", Kyoko whispered.

"Now are you interested in what I have to say? You wanna see what's out there? Puhuhu. I wanna see, too... See your faces sink into despair...! Ah-hahahaha! Now then, OPEN SESAME!!! Behold, the world beyond the school walls! This is the outside world you've all been so anxious to claw your way back into!", Junko grabbed a remote and pointed it to the screens on the walls. Once they were on, we all went silent in shock; the world outside was hanging by a thread. Fire everywhere, buildings broken, people wearing Monokuma heads and causing chaos, dead bodies littered on the ground, so much genocide...

"... What the... hell...?", I whispered, finding my voice gone in seconds.

" ... ... ... ... ...What the...?", Makoto mumbled, his face struck with pure fear.

"Dangerous... The world has grown so very dangerous. That's what this means.", Junko said in her depressed persona.

"That's... real?", G muttered in disbelief next to me.

"What are you talking about!? None of this makes any sense!", Hiro yelled out.

"Wh-What am I looking at?", Byakuya questioned with rage.

"This is a scene f-from a movie or something, r-right?", Toko stuttered.

"What you just saw... All of you should recognize it.", Junko muttered.

We should...recognize it? What about it should we recognize? This whole thing is not even real to me...

"That world...is locked away within the memories that were taken from you. If you can't remember, please just try... Do your best to try and recall...", Junko switched her crazy persona as she cackled."Haahahaha! Better kick your brain in the ass, cuz it's up to that grey lump whether you live or die! "I don't remember" ain't a fuckin' excuse no more! Cuz now it's time... for the final class trial !"

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Junko Enoshima: Come on, bitches! Remember or die! What the fuck happened outside!?

Yasuhiro Hagakure: You want us to remember or whatever, but... When it comes to that crazy confusing video you showed us... I don't understand a damn thing!

Byakuya Togami: What's the meaning of the footage we saw ...? Is this another one of your practical jokes?

Aoi Asahina: I mean, you're telling us to remember, but what am I supposed to be remembering!?

Toko Fukawa: I-If nobody can remember anything ... this is the end f-for all of us! What other ch-choice do we have!? (COUNTER WITH "Genocide Jack's Memory")

Makoto Naegi: NO, THAT'S WRONG!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Actually...she might remember.", Makoto stated.

"Wh-Who might remember...?", Toko asked.

"The other Toko...Genocide Jack !"

"What?"

"The two of them share certain kinds of knowledge, but their memories aren't linked, right?"

"I see... If their memories are separate...then even if one personality's forgotten, there's a chance the other may still have those memories.", Kyoko mused.

"Whaddya say, Toko!?", Hiro grinned.

"Are y-you telling me to swap places...w-with HER!? N-No! Absolutely not! That'd be like f-forfeiting my entire identity!", Toko shook her head, refusing. I sighed and looked her in the eye.

"Toko, please, you and Genocide Jack are our only hope!", in that second, Toko sneezed and switched to Genocide Jack.

"Dun dada duuun! It's me, your friend neighborhood serial killer!"

"Boy, she just gave in like it was nothin'...", Hina muttered.

"I'm going to ask you a question. And I want to have it answered immediately. Do you know anything about this video?", Byakuya asked.

"Huh? What video...!?", Genocide Jack questioned, looking left and right.

"The video that's playing right now...", Junko muttered in her depressed persona.

"Who the hell are you!?"

"Oh, um...I'm the mastermind."

"Oh! Nice to meetcha!"

"Ah...nice to meet you, too."

"That's enough! Just look at the stupid screen!", Hiro huffed while pointing at one of the screens.

"Aye aye! Roger! You got it, captain!", Genocide Jack stared at the destruction on the screen, silent for a while, which was rare for the serial killer.

"Well? Does it look familiar?", Kyoko asked.

"I don't have all the details, but... Of course it does!"

"Then you remember all the stuff it's showing?", Hiro mumbled in surprise.

"Of course I do!"

"So you didn't lose your memory, after all...", Makoto smiled.

"Then why didn't you say something earlier!?", Hina and I asked at the same time.

"I only answer questions when someone bothers to ask me! I'm the quiet type, ya know?", Genocide Jack giggled.

"Oh my god! She's the worst liar in the world!", Hina huffed.

"More importantly...if you really do remember, what is it?", Byakuya asked.

"Huh? What's the matter, Master? Do you really not remember The Tragedy?"

""The Tragedy"...?"

"Oh no! You seriously forgot!? Maybe I can help you remember...with a kiss!"

"Just answer the question! What happened out there!?"

"Well, I can't really say if it "happened" or if it's still happening... But it was the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history"

What...?

"Why is that phrase coming up now?"

"Cuz it's all because of that event."

"What is...?", Hina questioned.

"Are you serious? I'm talking about the way the world is now."

"Is...now?", Hiro echoed.

"The world's been destroyed, get it!?", Junko huffed in her crazy demeanor.

"Destroyed...?", Kyoko mumbled.

"Explain yourself! Tell us everything you know!", Byakuya turned to Genocide Jack and demanded answers.

"Copy that, darling! Okay, so, this big, awful, tragic event--they started just calling it the Tragedy--happened about a year ago! It was so big and bad that even this murderous fiend went pale at the sight of it. I guess you could say what happened was man-made... But it was more on the level of a worldwide natural disaster! Either way, there's no doubt that it was the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. And as a result, in basically no time flat... the world turned out the way it did. And that's that."

"That's all there is to it!? Come on, there wasn't a single concrete description in there!", Hiro pressed.

"Well it just so happens I don't know any of the specifics! Miss Morose saw it all play out in real-time, so why don't you ask her?"

"We already did, and she didn't know anything! That's why we're asking you!", Byakuya spat.

"Ahh! I couldn't live up to Master's expectations! To die, to die...! This is the true tragedy!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough of your little lover's quarrel. Whatever happened, it doesn't matter at this exact point in time, right? The end justifies the means. Everything serves the outcome. In other words... The world has ended. That's the important thing.", Junko huffed in her monotone voice.

"H-How can the world just end!? It's...it's the world!", Hiro stated.

"Calm down, it's okay. There's no need to panic. Every living person will be dead in a hundred years anyway, so the world ending isn't that big a deal."

"Oh, come on... Now you're just being ridiculous!", Byakuya huffed.

"Well, as long as we're being ridiculous, I have another ridiculous story to tell you. It's the story of the Togami Corporation, which has given Byakuya's life all its meaning."

"What...? What did you say...!?"

"I'm glad to see you took the bait. You bit into it like a middle-aged secretary at an all-you-can-eat cake buffet.", "Mature" Junko smirked as she switched to her "Cute" persona. "Hey, hey! So? What do you think happened to the Togami family, hm!?", a huge screen appeared behind Junko, showing the options. All of them said. "The Togami Family Fell". One of them dinged correct with a bunch of confetti flying everywhere. "Correct! Well done, peasant!", "Royal" Junko cheered.

"W-We didn't choose anything...", I muttered weakly.

"I just got so fuckin' bored waiting, I couldn't help it! Even if you're wrong, eventually you'll figure it out, right? Till then, you're just goin' in circles!", Crazy Junko laughed. "So no matter what you pick, you get the right answer! Pretty innovative, don't ya think? Oh, Oh! Let's do one more! For Kuno!", Cute Junko suggested.

"M-Me!?"

"Yep Yep! So, what happened to Kuno's family?", the answers all changed to... "They Died In The Tragedy". I stood there, hearing something in my head snap...

"Wh...", One of the answers dinged correct again, more confetti flying out.

"Correct again! Well done, peasant!"

"... How? How did they die...!?"

"I'll explain later, jeez, you are impatient!", Cute Junko switched to her depressed persona. " But...do you think it might be a disease? Getting bored so easy, I mean. Do you think I might be sick?", Depressed switched to the Monokuma persona. ""Anyway, like I was saying...Byakuya's entire lineage has been totally annihilated! And the Sawa family is no more!"

"What? What the hell are you talking about!?", Byakuya sputtered. I was just shaking, I didn't want to be there anymore...

"I can confirm that his entire family has died, even the distant relatives. The Togami name...has perished.", Mature Junko stated.

"S-Stop with these idiotic jokes!"

"Stop? And said with such authority. A peasant would dare challenge us, the avatar of divine punishment? You must learn your place, peasant! You are no longer the Ultimate Affluent Progeny!", Royal Junko spat.

"Th-They couldn't possibly be gone! The Togami family is destined to guide the world!"

"Hell, there IS no world anymore, remember? It got fucked a full year ago!", Crazy Junko cackled.

"H-Hold on! That doesn't make any sense!", Makoto interjected.

"Huh? I don't make sense?", Cute Junko repeated.

"There's no way that happened a year ago! I mean, we only came to this school a few weeks ago! If some kind of world-ending event happened a year ago...then how do you explain the totally normal world we were living in up till then!?"

"Puhuhu... Have you considered the possibility that you're mistaken about that?", Monokuma Junko suggested.

"Mistaken...?", Kyoko mumbled.

"Well, if I'm understanding you right...it sounds like you think The Tragedy happened a year before you arrived here!"

"W-Well, yeah! I mean, like he said, we just got here a few weeks ago !", Hina stated.

"A few weeks ago...? Ohh, I get it! You're saying that what happened two years ago actually happened more recently! Right?"

"Huh? Two years ago...?"

"Well, I mean...you guys all started attending Hope's Peak Academy two years ago ."

"Wait, what...?", Makoto muttered in shock.

"Hah...hahaha. What the hell is this chick trying to say?", Hiro questioned while shaking.

"I understand why you'd have trouble accepting it, but in the end, you can't deny the truth. And the truth is, everything is cause and effect. Deny that, and you may as well give yourself up to God.", Monotone Junko shrugged. "So, you must surely understand all the hints I've given you so far, right? What are the memories I took from you?", Mature Junko quizzed. "Come now, answer us. Answer with all your heart and soul!", Royal Junko smirked.

"H-How are we supposed to answer...?", Hina mumbled.

"I...I just don't know what's going on anymore...!", Hiro shrieked.

"I GOT IT!! If we accept that what you say is true...then we've all lost our memories of the last two years , after coming to this school.", Makoto suggested.

"No. No no no no. Nope! No. I mean, no matter what anyone says...uh-uh...", Hiro shook his head while plugging his ears.

"Kh--! Another correct answer...! Well done, peasant...", Royal Junko scoffed.

"Seriously!? This routine again!?"

"We've lost two years' worth of memories...?", Hina muttered with a hand over her mouth.

"That's right! You've already spent two full years here at Hope's Peak Academy! And that entire period of time...is precisely what you've forgotten! In fact, Kuno, your family died during those 2 year gap and decided to live on your own!"

"That... what...?", I mumbled.

"I don't remember the last two years of my life...? That...that's not possible!", Hiro yelled.

I want to think that, too. I don't want to believe it. But that's nothing but our desire. I don't want to believe... I want it to be impossible... But if it's the truth...then we have to accept it...

-MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!-

Aoi Asahina: Two years' worth of memories... I could never lose something like that!

Yasuhiro Hagakure: We've been living here for two years...? Hell no! That's impossible! I mean, I haven't gone to any awesome school events or anything... Heck, I've never even gone to a single class ! (COUNTER WITH "Locker Notebook")

Kuno Sawa: OBJECTION!!

-BREAK SUCCESSFUL-

"Actually, Hiro...", I collected myself from my shock. Yes, it was devestating to hear my family's passing, but this wasn't the time to mourn, as much as it hurt. "This notebook right here proves you have.", I pulled out the notebook with Hiro's name on it.

"Huh? Hey, why's my name written on it?"

"I found it in the locker room on the 2nd floor. If you don't mind, could you take a look inside?"

"Sure, whatever you want. But I've never seen this notebook before in my life.", Hiro opened the notebook and read through it.

"Wuzza wuzza? Is something wrong?", Genocide Jack questioned.

"It's kinda similar... No, even more than that... What the--? This is absolutely my handwriting, without a doubt! But how is this...? I don't remember ever writing in this thing! N-No... No way!"

"It looks like you actually did attend class here at Hope's Peak. But you forgot all about it.", I explained.

"Lies... It's all one big lie...!"

"I don't want to believe it either... But there's also no explanation for this pocketbook.", Kyoko pulled out the pocketbook that had her writing on it.

"Hm... And whose pocketbook is that?", Genocide Jack asked.

"It's mine. And the handwriting inside is also mine, there's no doubt about it. But just like Hiro, I have no memory of ever writing in it."

"And the reason for that...is the two years of missing memories?", Byakuya mumbled.

"Puhuhu. After seeing all the evidence, do you have any choice but to acknowledge the truth?", Monokuma Junko chuckled. "Isn't it just so desperately dark? The mystery's solved, but it's like a goddamn funeral in here! Shit man, I've never been to a funeral. Hell yes!", Crazy Junko cheered. "Two years of school life. How many moments of blossoming youth have you missed out on? How many fun classes? How many school events? This was your chance to build lasting friendships, right? And on top of that, something tragically sad happened one year ago... The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. "Right before everyone's eyes, the world came crashing down... You absorbed all that despair, but then you forgot it all. And once you'd forgotten, you made the choice to subject yourselves to this killing game. Oh, and there's one other thing. To be even more precise, the memories you all lost were... ...", Monotone Junko stopped. "Actually, never mind. I'm bored. Explaining stuff is boring...", Depressed Junko sulked.

"What...?", Hiro mumbled.

"We are bored of this world! Everyone always talks big, declaring all the great things they'll do! But then they always fizzle out...", Royal Junko huffed. " This world is just so desperately fucking boring!", Crazy Junko cussed out.

"What are you talking about?", Kyoko questioned, getting sick of all of this.

"In a way, I'm jealous of all of you. To give yourself over so completely to such stimulating despair...", Monotone Junko muttered. "Yeah, so figure out the rest for yourselves! I'm sick of expositioning all this shit!", Crazy Junko yelled.

"Figure out...what?", Makoto asked.

"Figure out where your memories come apart . That's at the heart of all of this.", Mature Junko explained.

"I GOT IT!! The moment I lost my memories... I can't think of any time other than...that day . When I first came to the gates of this school, and stepped foot in the main hall... When I passed out ...I was overcome with a strange sensation...", Makoto pointed out.

"Wow! You still have enough spirit to keep on talking, huh? Umm, so I don't know much about the details, but it seems like everyone remembers passing out, right? And your sense of time got all messed up because of the memory loss after that...? I guess it musta been something like that!", Cute Junko shrugged.

"After I passed out, I woke up in a classroom, with my head on a desk... I assumed not much time had passed since I'd collapsed in the main hall."

"Ahaha... But instead, two whole years had gone by!"

"The reason it felt so short was because...our memories of the time in between had been completely removed?", Kyoko confirmed.

"You got it, honey! Two years of memories, poof, gone! Which means, of course...", Crazy Junko stopped and switched to Mature Junko."When everyone met for the first time, it wasn't actually for the first time. Unaware of this fact, you took the time to introduce yourselves to each other. But..."

"But by that point, we'd already spent two years together at the school. That's what those photos reveal, isn't it?"

"Puhuhu... Yup! That's what they reveal! You were all such close friends. You spent two years together. And then you started killing each other! And it was all so you could escape into a world that's already been annihiliated! Puhuhu. What a terribly tragic tale... Even if you left now, there's nothing you could do to fix it!", Monokuma Junko laughed.

"You're the one who set things up to be like this!", Makoto shouted.

" ...I love you all so much...", Depressed Junko muttered.

"...What?"

"Once your school life here began, I thought about you constantly. It's only natural that I would...fall in love.", Junko then went Cute again. "So since I love you guys so much, I'll tell you all about it! All about the idea we came up with as the Ultimate Despair--our plan to bring despair to all mankind ! Let's go back in time two years, okay? Back to when everyone first came to this school... School life during that first year overflowed with hope and happiness! Oh boy, it was just the worst! Everyone was enjoying themselves so much. You were all having the time of your lives!", Cute Junko then switched to Mature. "But that couldn't last forever, of course. The peacefulness only made it through that first year... Because of that, an event unfolded that hammered a soul-crushing despair into all of humanity. The biggest, most awful, most tragic even in human history... The Tragedy . All too soon, the world's days of peace came to a bloody end. And as you can imagine, the school was no exception. The Tragedy even made its way here, leading to the extermination of most of the students."

"What...are you?", Kyoko growled.

"Hm? What do you mean?", Junko muttered in her monotone voice.

"The most tragic event in human history, and the "Ultimate Despair" that caused it... I can't believe it's all because of just you and Mukuro. Was it some kind of organization? An angry mob? An incredibly motivated family?"

"You have a point. If I had to describe it, I'd say... It was none of those. How can I put it? It was more of an ideological thing. Despair is contagious you know. It's almost like...a natural phenomenon. Everyone is capable of it. And now the entire world has fallen into despair.", Junko switched to Royal Junko again. " In other words, if you see despair as the enemy, then your enemy...is the world itself !"

"I just don't understand why..."

"We didn't ask you to try to understand. This was a tangent anyway, unrelated to the matter at hand.", Royal switched to depressed. "Okay, so let's get back to the story... Hope's Peak had taken so much damage. You guys were the only survivors. The members of the 78th class of Hope's Peak Academy were the only ones left...", Royal switched to Cute. " And then, something super neat happened! Now pay attention, cuz this is important and I'm only gonna say it once! So guess what! To protect everyone who had survived, Hope's Peak was transformed into a shelter . That's right! It was transformed into a shelter ! Ahh! I said it twice!", Cute switched to Mature. "Now, someone was responsible for that transformation, for creating what would eventually become your prison. Do any of you know who that might have been?"

The one who turned Hope's Peak into a shelter and isolated us here...

"I KNOW THE TRUTH!! It had to be... the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy.", I stated. Kyoko went rigid at that, but I had to tell it how it was. "He wanted to turn the school into a shelter to try and protect us. To protect us...from the despair and tragedy taking place outside. That's why he asked us to make that promise... To say that we were willing to live in this school forever."

"We believe he had something like that in mind, yes. If you, the collective hope of a new generation, could survive, maybe the world could have a fresh start.", Royal switched to depressed. "Yeah...the headmaster put that much faith in you."

"And because we had that same hope... That's why we all agreed...to live here forever .", Makoto muttered.

"But creating the shelter was also his single biggest mistake. Puhuhu... It's laughable, really. He was the headmaster, but he had nooo idea. He had no idea that we, the Ultimate Despair had already made our way into the school. So what was supposed to be a shelter to keep you safe...became a cage that made it impossible for you to escape despair. Puhuhu. I have to say, it really helped me out a lot! It saved me a ton of time.", Monokuma Junko switched to Mature Junko. "By the way, it was you yourselves who blocked off the windows, the doors, all the exits. Under the headmaster's direction, you all went about your work like obedient little sheep. Kuno was actually the one who made the metal sheets, a request from the headmaster."

"You mean...we trapped ourselves in here?", Hiro yelped.

"... I knew the metal sheets looked familiar, but I didn't know... I made them.", I whispered. G put their hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"And then you forgot all about it, and started bitching about how you were trapped in here!", Crazy Junko switched to Monokuma again. "Once you'd finished building your little shelter, it was time for me and Mukuro to get to work. And thus began the killing game!", Monokuma switched to Depressed. "Me and Mukuro had come here, spending the last two years waiting for that moment...", Depressed switched to Royal. "That moment where you all began killing each other served as the climax of our global despair plan!", then Royal switched to Mature. "And the only reason you survived The Tragedy was so that you could be a part of it..."

"You only let us live...so we could go around killing each other. Is that what you're saying?", Hina mumbled.

"Why...? Why would you do that?", Makoto shouted.

"Because this was so much more than a simple high school death match... Rather, it was a method to hunt down and destroy every last remaining speck of hope in the world.", Royal Junko grinned.

"What are you saying?"

"Well, it would seem that there's a little bit left out there, a few souls unwilling to give up hope... So I thought I should show them. Which is why I...", Monotone Junko stopped and switched to Monokuma again. "Puhuhu... Well, why don't you tell me?"

- HANGMAN'S GAMBIT -

HIJACK

NOW I UNDERSTAND!!

- COMPLETE -

"You're talking about you hijacking the airwaves , aren't you?", Makoto pointed at the screen.

"Uh-huh. That's exactly what I'm talking about. To show the world the murders taking place at this school, which was meant to be a symbol of hope...", Monotone switched to Crazy. "That was the whole point of the Ultimate Despair! When I said "climax," THAT was what I was talking about!", Crazy turned to Royal again. "The world watched as you fell into despair , and began to kill each other one after another... Despair is as contagious as any disease; any hope left turns to despair.", Royal turned to Monokuma. "Puhuhu. Isn't the power of television just amazing!? By the way, since we started broadcasting, a whole bunch of people have tried to come and rescue you."

"A-Are you serious!?", Hina gasped.

"But utilizing the heavy weaponry I installed around the school grounds, I had no problem expelling them.", Mature Junko shrugged.

"You...expelled them?"

"I have to thank you all. They were a relentless bunch, refusing to give up on hope and trying to force their beliefs on the world. But in the end, I was able to give them the final despair--death ."

"So you just used us? To bring despair to everyone in the outside world...?", Makoto gasped.

"Well sure, but I also gave you a second chance at life, right? So it's like...give and take!", Cute Junko giggled.

"Give and take!? You're so full of...shit!"

"And there's a reason I chose you guys to survive, when all the other students were dropping like flies... I mean, we built up two years of memories together. You were all my treasured classmates...", Cute switched to Depressed. "Sorry, that's a lie. I just figured you'd despair even more when you found out a friend had betrayed you.", Depressed switched into Royal. "And that's the truth! Which is what you wanted, right? So? Does it make you feel utterly lost and hopeless? You solved the mystery but despair at the truth, right!?"

"Don't tell me... Did you seriously count on the possibility that we would solve your mystery?", Kyoko muttered in shock.

"And if we did? Then what? Our final desire for creating this world of despair was so we could experience one last class trial. If you were bold enough to solve the mystery, only to discover that the truth was utterly hopeless...how would you react? What would you do?", Royal switched to Monotone. "See? Discovering the truth doesn't necessarily lead to a sense of hope.", Monotone switched to Crazy. "Truth can be full of despair, too! Like right fuckin' now!"

Truth...full of despair... That's...!

"Not to mention, all those motives I talked about were totally meaningless. I mean, with the world having ended and all..."

"Meaningless? Then we... We've been murdering each other...for nothing?", Hina whispered.

"And think about it. You chose to lock yourselves up here, then started murdering each other to get out...", Depressed Junko mumbled.

"We weren't just random strangers, either. We were classmates. We'd spent two years together...", Kyoko mumbled.

"Kh--!", Byakuya grit his teeth in disgust.

"All this... for nothing?", I said with tears in my eyes.

"Kyeeha--! No, even I can't laugh at that.", Genocide Jack stopped her cackling and shut up.

"We get it... We get it, okay? You're totally awesome, right? We get it already! So help us! I'll do anything! Just help me!", Hiro begged.

"A peasant begging for his life? How delightful! We've never witnessed such a travesty firsthand...", Royal Junko laughed as she switched to Monokuma. "But I'm sorry to say, begging doesn't work on me. All I want is despair. And there's no reason for it. And since there's no reason, there's no argument against it. There's just no understanding it. No argument, no understanding... What better definition of ultimate despair could there be!?"

"Wait, hold on... You've just been going on about whatever you feel like, but... But there's no real reason for us to believe anything you have to say!", Makoto yelled.

"...Huh?", Junko's voice went... normal. No persona, just... her.

"You say the world's fallen apart. But I haven't seen it for myself. So I don't acknowledge it...! I don't accept it as the truth!"

"Until you see it with your own eyes, truth and falsehood overlap one another. In other words, you're not unlike Schrödinger's cat right now. Is that what you're saying? If so, what then?", Mature Junko asked, switching to Cute. "Are you saying you won't accept the truth until you can go outside and see for yourself!? Well you better not! You go out into that world, and you're all goners for sure! Trust me, I'm not lying about any of this!"

"W-Well...even if it's all true... I refuse to give in! I refuse to lose to you! For the sake of everyone you've killed...!"

"Huh? Everyone I've killed? What are you talking about? You're the ones who killed them.", Monokuma turned to Mature. "I didn't kill anyone. I simply gave you a little nudge in the right direction.", Mature turned into Depressed. "And that's all it took for you to start killing each other. You're nothing but bloodthirsty animals...", Depressed turned into Royal. "That's why anyone was murdered here, peasant!", Royal turned to Cute. "Say what you want about hope, but we're all creatures of instinct, right? Despair comes naturally!", Cute turned to Crazy. "Hell yes! That's funny as shit!"

"No...! This isn't just some game to us! It's murder, plain and simple! You stole our memories, invented reasons for us to do it... You pushed us all into a corner...!It's all your fault!"

"You certainly have a talent for passing the buck, don't you? That must be your hope , huh? But we don't have much time left to keep up this banter. We have to draw things to a close soon...", Monotone Junko huffed.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the vote , of course! You didn't forget about that little rule, did you? Oh! And also, since this'll be the last vote, I decided to change the rules!", Cute Junko giggled.

"What...?"

"You guys so full of hope... And me so full of despair... I've decided to have you vote which one will be punished! If even one of you votes to punish hope , well then...I'll consider that a win for me, and punish everyone on the side of hope!", Monokuma Junko explained.

"Even if it's just one person...?", Hina muttered.

"Oh, but don't worry. I won't be voting, of course."

"Even if you don't, you've still got the upper hand in all this!", Hiro scoffed.

"It's okay. Nobody would actually vote to kill themselves, right?", Makoto stated.

"Oh, let me just mention one more thing. When I win, to punish you guys... You'll have to stay here till you grow old and die. No fighting, no killing. That's your punishment .", Monokuma Junko revealed.

"You mean...we'd just...", Hiro trailed off.

"We'd have to just...live here?", Hina finished.

"She's saying she'll let us live!", Genocide Jack stated in surprise.

" If you're not happy with that...then go ahead and punish me , and make your way to the outside world.", Depressed switched to Mature. "Enter a world fallen from grace, where only despair exists. Where you'd likely be dead within a day."

"Wh-What are you saying? So no matter what, we're doomed...!", Makoto sputtered.

"Wait a sec! I just got hit with an inspiration bomb... Dying of old age is boring as shit, right? The audience at home isn't gonna dig that at all! So, here's what'll happen! One of you will get to experience an instant, super impressive punishment !", Crazy Junko declared.

"What!? Y-You can't just--!", Hina yelled.

"Do you mean to say...you'll execute one of us?", Byakuya questioned.

"And I get to decide...who's gonna hafta suck it down! Makoto! You're up!", Crazy Junko pointed at Makoto, Making him grow pale in fear.

"...M-Me?"

"Yeah! You've been acting up, causing all kinds of trouble! I haaate you!", Cute switched to Monotone. "So, let me make this clear. Everyone has two choices in front of them. If a single person votes for "hope" to be punished ...then only Makoto will receive a harsh punishment , and the rest of you will live here in peace.", Monotone switched to Royal. "If, on the other hand, you desire to see us punished , then you must all leave this place.", Royal switched to Mature. "I will force you out, ensuring you all die horrible deaths in the outside world.", Mature switched back to Crazy. "What I'm saying is, if you sacrifice Makoto, the rest of you will get to live out your lives."

Sacrifice Makoto...? B-But that's--!

"What, has your resolve softened? Have you lost confidence? Are you afraid of being punished? Don't you have faith in your friends?", Monokuma Junko cackled.

"N-No, that's not it...!"

"It's okay. You're right to be afraid. It would seem all of those around you have realized the futility of going against me.", Mature Junko pointed at the others... All of them were silent, as if actually wanting to be stuck in the school.

"G-Guys...?", Makoto mumbled in shock.

"H-Hey, I never said I'd go with this! I'm sticking beside Makoto!", I declared.

"Maybe, but what about the others? It's so beautiful... Your lovely faces, eroded by despair, have come together as one...", Depressed turned into Monokuma. "Besides... Kyoko, you could never betray your father, could you?"

"...What?", Kyoko muttered in shock.

"I mean, the headmaster's only wish was that all of you would survive, right? That's why he tried to trap you all here, after all! The least you can do is try to honor your dead father's wishes. Puhuhuhu!", at that, Kyoko went silent.

"Kyoko!?", I snapped, but it was like she couldn't hear any of us.

"One person's despair is enough to seal your fate. Isn't that just the most hopeless outcome ever!?", Crazy switched into Cute. "So who do you think's gonna give in? Whose despair is gonna sign your death warrant!?", Makoto went silent, so close to giving up.

"NO!", I yelled out. "I haven't given up! I don't care what happened out there, my friend is in danger, I can't leave him hanging like that! So no, no one is falling into despair!"

"Yeah... No one... Nobody's gonna give in to despair! We're not gonna lose to you!"

"...So boring. Stubborn till the very end, huh? Well, that's fine. Then let's just hurry up and get it over with. It's time for the final vote. Everything will come to an end. Your stupid hope... And your stupid life!", Junko, the real Junko, spat.

The final vote... This is it... The ultimate confrontation... We have to show everyone... We have to make them remember! We have to convince them not to give up. To live in despair... Is not living at all!

"We won't give up...! As long as there's hope , we'll never give up!", Makoto declared.

"If I were to die...that would be the end of Hope's Peak Academy.", Junko stated. Hiro looked down at the floor.

"Hiro, don't lose hope now! You are important to us all!", I yelled.

"All my fortune-telling senses are telling em to not leave this place... Ngaaaaaahh! But to live means moving forward, right...? So even if it's hard...even if we're scared...we don't have any choice, do we? I want to keep on living! I want to open the next door! There must be something new waiting for me! So that's why... That's why...! No matter what, I need to get out of here! The whole fortune-telling thing doesn't matter anymore! What matters is my own gut feelings!", Hiro declared with a determined grin.

"By the way, the air outside is totally polluted, ya know. The only reason we're okay in here...is thanks to the air purifiers in the physics lab.", Junko pointed out while looking at her nails. Hina looked around, scared.

"Hina, Sakura wouldn't want you to give up like this!", I pleaded.

"...I've been thinking about all this... And I was thinking...at a time like this, what would Sakura do? You only get stronger by taking adversity by the horns! Confront that thorny path with enthusiasm! That sounds like something she'd say, right? No, I think that's definitely what she'd say! Which is why I...I...! Yeah! I've made up my mind!", Hina nodded.

"If I die, the purifiers will screech to a halt. In other words, as soon as I die...the communal life you've all been living will come to an end.", Junko shrugged. Genocide Jack scratched her head in thought.

"Jack, Toko, I know you two wouldn't want to be stuck here! What about Byakuya, what about me!?", I begged.

"... Kyeeehahahaha! I don't care either way! I'm fine with whichever one is more interesting! Actually, I may not look like it, but I've always hated school! Hell, no matter how I look! Still hate it! Kyeeehahahaha! Oh, but... no matter what, Master and Mistress have to come along with us!", Genocide Jack giggled.

"All of you will have to leave. You'll have to go into the world outside, where only death and despair are waiting...", Junko stated. Byakuya crossed his arms in thought.

"Byakuya, your family won't be restored with you staying here! You are their last hope!", I shouted.

" ...What's the matter? You're not actually trying to encourage me, are you? Hmph. Ridiculous. It never even crossed my mind that I might give in to despair. But don't misunderstand me. I couldn't care in the slightest what happens to you. I just have to keep my word. I swore I would end the life of the mastermind. Besides, the Togami family *isn't* dead. Because I'm still alive... So until I can restore the Togami family, and bring it greater glory than it's ever known...!", Byakuya smirked.

"So? What are you gonna do? Will you just die? Is that what you want?", Junko scoffed. Kyoko had her hands clenched while gritting her teeth.

"Kyoko, you can't give up now! I believe in you!", I declared.

"... I didn't really know my father, so I can't pretend to know what he was thinking. But even if we're just connected by blood, there's one thing I *am* sure of... He would never want us to abandon Makoto and choose to stay here. I can't explain why, exactly. But if I'm sure of anything, I'm sure of that... Just because we don't actually know anything, does that mean we can't understand...? Could it be that...? ...No, never mind. Thank you for everything, Kuno. You kept me grounded... And Makoto... I don't think you wound up at this school because you had good luck or bad luck ... I think you came here for a different reason entirely... You came here to bring down the Ultimate Despair . You came here to confront despair without ever giving up. And if that's true, I think we could call you...the Ultimate Hope . What do you think?", Kyoko smirked. I turned to G, who looked at me through the small eye hole they had.

"I swore... I would get you... and everyone out... I'm sticking to it."

"Wh...what the...? What the hell are you !?", Junko shrieked in disgust.

-- The Ultimate Hope has been added as the final truth --

"So uncool... Your stupid faces... The stupid things you've said... The stupid way you all treat each other...! It's all SO uncool! SO unhip! Shut up shut up shut up shut up SHUT UP! Lame lame lame lame LAME!"

"... Kuno, can you help me, one last time?", Makoto asked with a smile. I grinned.

"Wouldn't end this any other way, Makoto."

(Junko - Kuno)

-THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!-

"You suck!"

"We're winning here, give it up!"

"Whaddya want!?"

"Freedom and hope!"

"SO uncool!"

"We're fighting for our lives!"

"Suffer from despair!"

"Never!"

"Everything is pointless!"

"Not to us!"

"DESPAIR INTO TOMORROW! DESPAIR INTO YOUR MEMORIES! DESPAIR INTO NOTHINGNESS!(COUNTER WITH "The Ultimate Hope")

"HOPE KEEPS ON GOING!!"

-SUCCESSFULL-

"We refuse to give up. We refuse to get bored! We refuse to throw it all away!", I yelled out.

"We refuse to despair! Because all We have going for us is the desire to keep moving forward!", Makoto continued with just as much determination.

"What's...going on...? What's happeniiiing!?", Junko shrieked.

"It looks like we've reached the end. I think it may be time to vote...", Byakuya smirked.

"We just gotta pull the lever, right?", Hiro confirmed.

"Good! I'm ready to go!", Hina nodded.

"Kyeeehahahaha!", Genocide Jack cackled in glee.

"Let's put an end to these trials. Put an end to the killing... with our own hands.", Kyoko declared. G and I nodded as we both grabbed the lever and flicked it towards Junko's name, the others following suit. A few moments later, a slot machine came out of nowhere and began spinning. It stopped when pixelated pictures of Junko came up in a row. It was correct... Flowers, monocoins, and confetti filled my vision for a bit before things died down.

"The hell...?", Junko huffed in annoyance,

"You've lost, Junko."

"I...lost? Me...? N-No way... It can't beeeeee!"

"Y-You still don't accept it...?", Hiro grumbled.

"Even the Ultimate Despair herself is vulnerable to the onslaught of despair, it would seem.", Byakuya smirked in triumph.

"But there's no use trying to fight it now!", Hina huffed.

"There's no running away from this, Junko.", I stated with a glare.

"Well that's juuuuusst...! Totally the best!", Junko cheered out of nowhere.

"... Pardon?", G mumbled.

"...Huh?", Makoto muttered in surprise.

"This...this is despair...! We came to this school two years ago, created our incredibly detailed plan... I even killed my own sister for it... To come this far, and fail at the very end...! It's the most ultimately ultimate despair!", Junko laughed with drool rolling down her chin.

"Wh-What are you talking about...?"

"Don't you see? I was so hopelessly desperate! I was bored of the world the moment I was born! That's why I've been looking forward to this so desperately. This once-in-a-lifetime experience... It is my first and last colossal despair, here at the moment of death! To have the chance to taste of the highest grade despair--the utter failure of my dreams! Ahhh! I am so hopelessly happy right now!"

"Wait, is she...enjoying this?", Hina whispered.

"Anyway, so are you prepared to admit defeat?", Kyoko asked with a raised brow.

"Haha...hahahahaaahahaaa! You think I care whether I won or lost? Either way, it doesn't change a thing! Outside is only despair, inside is only despair! No matter where you go, despair awaits you!", Junko declared with joy.

"Th-That's not true...", Makoto huffed.

"You're wrong!", Byakuya declared with narrowed eyes.

"Huh...?"

"Let me tell you this right now. We no longer fear despair."

"Because we've decided to enter the outside world with hope !", Hina nodded.

"Yeah, Makoto and Kuno totally seduced us over to their side!", Hiro laughed.

"Kyeeehahaha!", Genocide Jack cackled as she put her arms around me with a huge grin.

"I don't... think I need... to say who... I am with...", G muttered while scooting away from Junko, as if she was a virus.

"Me too, I'm sticking to Hope until the end!", I smiled.

"E-Everyone...!", Makoto smiled with joy in his eyes, something I hadn't seen in a while.

"You said that despair is as contagious as any disease. But the same is true of hope. All you have to do is look at us to see how true that is.", Kyoko smiled as well.

"Well said, Kyoko!", I nodded.

"... Ahh, stop it! Stop! I hate those faces you're making! To see those awful looks causes me nothing by pain... Fine, let me just say one last thing... If you guys wanna get all hung up on the word hope , that's no skin off my nose... But just be warned... From this point on, one despair after another will stand in your way. No matter where you run, no matter where you hide... Maybe you'll find some hope, but there is a very fine line dividing that hope from bitter despair. Knowing that, you still plan to cling to your hope?", Junko grumbled.

"Of course! Because we--", I was cut off by Junko yelling.

"Shut up, shut up! That was a rhetorical question. You interrupted my monologue! I'm almost done though, so whatever... Because it's almost punishment time , right!?"

"Do you really intend to go through with this?", Kyoko asked.

"That was the agreement, right?"

"H-Hold on! It's not like I *want* you to die! You don't have to--", Makoto muttered.

"I do.", G mumbled.

" Stop it stop it stop it STOP IT!", Junko snapped.

"What!?", Makoto gasped.

"How many times do I have to tell you!? The act of living brings me no hope at all! All I want now is to taste that despair of death that you only get once in life. So... Don't get in my way!", Junko sprinted to the button that activated the execution. Her hand hovered over the button as she grinned maniacally. "Puhuhu... Puhuhuhu! So this is how the despair of death feels... Ahh, it's so wonderful! Even a tenth of this despair... Even a hundredth...! I want every last soul on this planet to taste such despair! I want the entire world to die with that despair in its mouth! Okay, let's do this! I've reserved an extra special punishment for last!", Junko's eyes were practically swirling with mania. "Let's give it everything we've got! It's...PUNISHMENT TIIIME! Haahahahaha!", Junko cackled as she pressed the button, taking position on the execution site with Monokuma by her side. The whole thing was being built right in front of us; every single execution site from before interweaving with one another to make one giant punishment chain. First, getting hit with 1000 baseballs... riding in the sphere on a motorcycle while getting electrocuted... Getting burned while being crushed by a fire truck... getting slammed by the claw of an excavator and finally, Junko was slowly going towards a compactor. She was smiling, hugging her Monokuma plush with a crown on her head, giving us all a peace sign. On the last second, it stopped. The second Junko looked up, it crushed her. Her blood sprayed everywhere, leaving behind a remote. And that's how everything came to an end... The final class trial... Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair... Life at Hope's Peak Academy...

CHAPTER 41, END!!

(A/N: DAMN THAT WAS INTENSE! I love this trial to death, Junko is a treat to watch :3 Expect 2 more chapter before I put the COMPLETE tag on this ;) )