Chapter Text
“Voting complete! And no recounts, y’hear?!” Monokuma cackled, feasting his eyes on the results and salivating all the while. “Now THIS is what I like to see! An uneven split! A class divided! I’m so proud of you bastard kids!”
“E-Enough already,” Hinata griped. “You... You got your damn votes... And Tsumiki won, right? There... There won’t be an execution.”
Monokuma paused. Monokuma gave him a look. A strange, familiar look.
“Tsumiki-san could be considered the culprit, right?” Nanami asked slowly. “Or...are you going to tell us that’s wrong?”
Mioda shuddered, but Monokuma was only looking at him. And after a while, Monokuma sighed dreamily.
“Oh, Matsuda-kun. Matsuda-kun, Matsuda-kun, Matsuda-kun, my beloved!” With a gasp, the vile thing gushed with a grotesque gurgle from that muzzle. “What a show you’ve put on! And now, we’re in for quite the sweet treat!”
To Matsuda, everyone else sounded far off and distant.
“Hey! Y-You! You rotten beast! Stay away from him!”
“So. Was Matsuda the one who...?”
“Matsuda-nii? H-Hey... Hold on actually...”
It didn’t really matter anymore, did it?
He knew this would happen and he’s just...so tired.
It’s over. It’s finally over.
Souda pulled down his beanie without a word. Even Tanaka turned away. Unfortunately, others couldn’t give Matsuda Yasuke that same courtesy.
“N-No!” Sonia cried. “This cannot be! We voted for Tsumiki-san, didn’t we?!”
“H-Hold on!” Mioda cried next. “Hold on, hold on, hold on! I—I voted for myself! Shouldn’t I have enough votes?!”
“Wait.” Souda snapped up with shock. “WHAT?!”
“You did what, Mioda-san?!” Sonia gasped.
“YOU HEARD HER!!” Monokuma bellowed with the utmost fanfare and delight. “But get this! The votes were tied! Between Mioda-san and our prickly Matsuda-kun!”
“Tied between...?” Hinata repeated. “But... What about Tsumiki?”
“Yeah, she also got the same amount of votes, but...” Monokuma snorted. “She’s DEAD, you idiots! I can’t execute a DEAD person, silly billies! Maybe if she got the most votes, I’d consider that absurdity, but the votes were evenly split! Because someone didn’t vote.”
Komaeda perked up. His expression shattered as if surprised by this turn of events. It’s funny. Even for idiots, the one who didn’t vote was obvious.
“Y-Yasuke-chan,” Mioda stammered, voice breaking. “Y-You... You didn’t...vote...?”
“To think my Matsuda-kun would abstain from voting,” Monokuma sighed. “You’re really pushing the favoritism! Guess I ought to punish ya, then!”
“Wait,” Nanami said. “You’re saying Matsuda-kun ordered those murders after all? We never proved that...”
Souda snorted. “W-Well, it was obvious no matter how you looked at it! I mean, seriously? Tsumiki ordering them? That didn’t make any sense at all.”
“I mean, Matsuda-kun didn’t order any deaths either,” Monokuma interjected. “That was in fact Tsumiki-san.”
A deep chill descended upon the class, or it would if Matsuda didn’t feel so numb already. As if sensing this and delighting in it, Monokuma snickered softly.
“Alright, you adorable kiddos, don’t get too excited now! The votes were split, remember? You’re all safe!” Hoping down from its high chair, the mascot toddled like a drunk child but it radiated such glee and euphoria. “Exceeeeept of coooourse...” Practically salivating, it ended up tripping under its own feet. “Upupu...” It vibrated intensely enough to shake the very ground. “Upupupu... Uwahaha...”
Pekoyama already had a sword pointed at it.
“What are you planning, you vile creature?” she spat out.
Monokuma wasn’t looking at her. In fact, Monokuma ignored her in favor of its one—its only—
“Matsuda-kuuuun,” it purred. “Finally... Finally, you’ll be mine...”
Matsuda flinched.
“...is what you thought I’d say, right, you creep?!” Monokuma bounced back to his feet with a laugh, smacking his belly a few times. “Nah, I’m only punishing you because I have to! That’s what it means to get the bad ending!”
“What are you talking about?!” Hinata interjected, getting between them. “You said it yourself! Tsumiki was the culprit and she got the most votes! Even if she wasn’t the only one, that has to count for something! You can’t just execute someone because you feel like it!”
“Yes, that’s right!” Sonia agreed. “So! Back the hell off! There shall not be an execution!”
“Huh...” Monokuma blinked once. “Huuuuuuh.” Monokuma blinked twice, grinning widely. “Huuuuuuh?! That’s adorable!” With a gleaming stare, it jerked towards the bamboo blade still pointed in its direction. “Are you going to protect him too, Pekoyama-san? Even though you haaaaate him so much?”
Pekoyama gritted her teeth. Her grip on the sword trembled.
“...you’re punishing him for not voting, right?”
“That’s right!” Monokuma chirped. “Completely understandable! There shouldn’t be any complaints!”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Saionji exclaimed. “Since when was that sort of thing punishable by death?!”
“What mockery is even this?!” Tanaka demanded. “This is nothing more than a corruption of your own decrees, you abhorrent cur!”
“I-I don’t get it,” Souda whimpered. “Why didn’t you vote to save yourself, Matsuda?! T-This isn’t right!”
“I don’t really get it either,” Monokuma said, looking around blankly. “Some of you bastards did vote for this, remember?”
“I-I did, but,” Souda stammered. “That’s because I thought...he was guilty...!”
“I wanted him dead,” Pekoyama admitted. “However, I object to these means.”
“It’s not right, Monokuma-chan!” Mioda yelled. “Even you must know that!”
“Not right,” Nanami muttered. “Not right at all...”
“...Matsuda-kun,” Komaeda spoke up next. “Hey.” Komaeda turned to him with the most stricken face. “You couldn’t have...fallen into despair, right?”
“Ah.” Matsuda opened his mouth. “Huh.” He shut it again. “Hm.”
“M-Matsuda?” Hinata asked, looking towards him too, and wasn’t that—wasn’t that a fucking riot?
“Aha...” It was so fucking funny that he had to crack a smile. “Hahaha.”
“M-Matsuda-kun,” Usami sobbed, struggling. “No... Please... No...” That pitiful piece of fluff was in tears. “N-No...”
Monokuma, of course, looked so expectant. How disgusting.
He really did hate her so much.
He just—hated all of them, actually.
He hated them all so much.
Hope, despair, future, remnant... Regardless of who or what it was...
“That’s right,” Matsuda Yasuke breathed. “I...wanted it all to end from the start. I remember now.”
With that, he weaved his way around—or he would’ve, if not for Hinata gripping his arm.
“R-Remember?!” the idiot burst out with. “What do you mean remember?!”
Matsuda stared at him. But it wouldn’t be accurate to suggest he was looking at Hinata Hajime. Not at all.
“You know,” he snarled, breaking free of that grip. “Don’t play fucking stupid with me. I know you. I know you’re still there.”
“What?” the idiot choked out next. “W-What do you—urgh, it doesn’t matter!” Said idiot looked like he was in pain. “Please, Matsuda!”
Please what? It’s not like you to ask for anything.
“So tiring,” Matsuda muttered, stepping away. “Why would you even bother with this farce in the first place? If it was just to get us all killed, there were better ways about it.” Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he reached out to grip that stupid olive tie. “If it was your idea of a sick joke, then I hope you had your fucking laugh. But, I’m out. I don’t want to play anymore.”
“W-What are you...?” It’s funny. This ‘farce’ suddenly looked like it was suffocating. “H-Huh?” The color was draining from that obnoxiously ordinary freckled face. “Huh?”
Matsuda let go. As if its strings were cut, the puppet before him suddenly collapsed. A name was called. Over and over. The crowd gathered. As if they were players on a stage. This was the scene where the protagonist was surrounded.
What a fucking joke.
...but...it would’ve been nice to pretend, right?
Komaeda is still looking at him.
Nanami goes to Hinata, but she also looks at him.
They’re not the only ones looking at him.
The faces all blur into a grotesque mass. Pulsing. Throbbing. It’s like the amalgamation finally figured out that he didn’t fit with the rest. The resulting rejection shuddered through the ground. Matsuda shuddered alongside it.
But, it’s funny.
“This isn’t despair,” Matsuda whispered, gripping the front of his shirt. His fingers dug in viciously as if with the intent to claw his chest cavity wide open. “This isn’t anything.”
This is just—
“It’s the end,” he realized. “It’s the end—it’s nothing.”
Claws latched onto his wrist. Matsuda turned his attention back to the other puppet with ire.
“Matsuda-kun,” Monokuma cooed, but that malicious gleam in its stare betrayed such anger. “I just can’t contain myself anymore.” With that, he happily waved at everyone else. “Don’t worry, you bastards! For the kids who can’t bear to watch—or are unable to watch at all—I’ll make sure you all hear the despair in Matsuda-kun’s precious screams!”
“That’s right,” Matsuda said. “You love me, don’t you?” It was almost something to smile about especially in how the program froze. Stuttered for a moment. “That’s how I know...you’re nothing more than a hollow replica.”
Those claws dug into his wrist. Carved ribbons out of his veins. The next words came out in his scream.
“That’s right! Enoshima Junko never cared about me at all! Even though I could never let go of her, even with my memories erased—those feelings would forever remain unrequited!”
He screamed, over and over, and he found he couldn’t stop grinning.
“That’s truly despair-inducing, right?! Wouldn’t you agree, you imposter?!”
Monokuma flung him into the gaping maw as if he were nothing more than a doll that a girl had grown tired of. That was the intent, but Monokuma was seething. And through gritted teeth, Monokuma declared,
“It’s Punishment Time.”
So, so!
What do you think makes up love? Do you want to know? Don’t you want to know?
“...not real...”
Is it simply high levels of dopamine and norepinephrine and the reduction of serotonin? Or the presence of oxytocin and vasopressin? Oh, but I’m talking about attraction and attachment! Which you best not mix up lest you end up blinding yourself!
But don’t they say Love Is Blind?
“It’s not...real...”
What would you say, Beloved? Goodness, you’re getting so chatty! And yet you’re so closed off! It’s heartbreaking!
Let’s open you up, shall we?
Aah, your body’s wonderful!
Don’t get so tense now. Let the Love Doctor take goooood care of you!
“None of this...is real...”
First, let’s slice through the first layer. Don’t flinch! Don’t want to cut through something I shouldn’t, tee-hee!
Red! The color of passion, the color of love! It’s also the color of life because don’t you know? Blood gets its bright red color from when hemoglobin picks up oxygen from the lungs.
Goodness, your breathing has gotten harsher. Poor Beloved.
Let’s go deeper.
“I-I... I-I just...”
Shhhh. Shhhh.
There’s a pesky cage in the way! Let me just break you out! Bam, bam, bam!
And then we’ll snap off the bars! Snap, snap, snap!
Oh, it’s supple!
Did you know? This bone marrow contains stem cells.
The stem cells can develop into the red blood cells that carry oxygen through your body, the white blood cells that fight infections, and the platelets that help with blood clotting
Gosh, it’s really getting everywhere...
“I-I just wanted...!”
Shhhh. Shhhh.
Please don’t cry, Beloved.
Oh! I see the problem! It’s gushing because it’s pumping!
See, everyone? This is the cause of love! It’s not?
It has nothing to do with it? Then why do people talk about it like it is? That’s so annoying!
Beloved, you’re moving around too much.
And I can barely hear you over the screaming...
Shut up, shut up, shut up...!
“...so stu...pid...!”
Shhhh. Shhhh.
Please don’t cry, Beloved.
This is causing you pain, isn’t it?
This suffering...
I’ll stop it once and for all!
Stab!
Stab!
Stab, stab, stab!
A gurgle.
“...rry...”
Huh?
Beloved? What are you trying to say? Oh dear, it’s everywhere! It’s even clogging up your throat!
Oh, but you look beautiful in red...
Your eyes...they’re not as sharp as they usually are...
...Beloved?
Beloved, what are you trying to say? Your lips are moving but the words—
Is it...
“I’m sorry...?”
I forgive you! Because I do love you very much!
Stab!
This is love, right? This is definitely love! Right?
RIGHT?!
Stab, stab, stab!
Shouldn’t this feel hotter? Shouldn’t this feel...like something?
Instead, I feel hollow...
Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab!
Hey...
Hey...
Is this what love is?
Is this what AI (love) really is?
Is this is really the despair that comes from losing your Be(love)d?
It—
it
doesn’t
seem
ŗ̸̝̞̻̤͔̗̞̫̟͋̒͗̋͒͛̿̎̌̑̋̃͂͊͜͝ͅ ̵͚͕̜͇̖̦̯̗̳̥̰͒͐̈̓̽̃̒͝ ̷̢̟͍̼̳͖̤̇ ̵̛̻͚͚͚̜̯̐͊̎̓̽̎̅͝e̴̮͖̙͓̳̰̜̩̲̻̟̜̥̫̿̉͂́͋̎̋͋̅̾̽͘͠ ̴̢̜̅͐̐̃͘ ̵̪̓ ̵͚̜̝̞̃̄͑̒̂͐̂̀̃͘ͅa̷̡̧͓͔̙͔̠̳̓͂̅̚ ̸̨̧͚̗̼͎͆̐͊͌̐̈̐͊̉̚͝ ̵͖͐̾̈̂͋̈͛̂̈́͆ ̶̢̡̪̝̯͕̲̠͉͚̀̿̾̈́͜ ̴̢̨͔̟̥̲̲̣̫̯̑̉͐͊͜͜͜l̷̻͉̺͖̳̬̏̿̃̍̓̎̌̍
Upupupu...
Monokuma was laughing. Twirling around and sending droplets flying and dancing through the air. Droplets of a crimson more brilliant than even his malicious evil eye.
Some irritating bastards were still screaming and Monokuma only stopped when they stopped. The droplets came raining down, creating grotesque rivulets of blood that decorated the mascot’s body.
“Not enough,” he muttered. “Not enough, not enough. I need more...”
He turned back to the corpse, flexing his claws. Perhaps, that pretty face was in need of marking up? After all, the heart was little more than a useless lump impaled by scalpel upon scalpel upon scalpel. Almost looked like a real bad apple.
“Stop!” Monomi cried. “Please, please, please just stop! How could you even do this?!”
“URGH!” Monokuma exclaimed, even more furious from that screeching. “Shut up, shut up, shut up! You stupid ugly sister! You fat ugly cow!”
As Monokuma tackled his unfortunate sibling, the class of students was clustered together. Several of them had thrown up. Quite a few were still sick. Still crying.
One in particular had turned so pale, he looked like a corpse.
“Hinata-kun,” Nanami said, rubbing his back reassuringly. She was the only one physically unaffected.
She—she didn’t even look human, Komaeda couldn’t help but think.
But...Hinata Hajime wasn’t looking very human either. His expression looked terribly vacant.
Suddenly, that gaze rose to meet Komaeda’s own.
“...your reaction.” Hinata’s chin rose, too, but that face remained blank. “You’re horrified. How quaint.”
“H-Huh? Huh, huh, huh?” Komaeda sputtered. “H-Hinata-kun... A-Are you okay?”
“That’s...such a boring question...”
“Hinata-kun?” Nanami wondered but her brow pinched in a very particular way. Like she understood something about this incomprehensible situation.
Before she could speak or perhaps explain, Hinata gripped her skull.
“Boring,” was the only word he gave before he crushed it. So easily. Like a soda can.
“How boring.”
It was unbelievable.
Completely unbelievable.
Komaeda has seen many unbelievable things, but this—his wretched, rotten brain can’t even register this. In his defense, the rest of the class is stunned as well.
“...s-soul friend?” Souda squeaked out weakly.
“He does not seem like himself,” Pekoyama remarked quietly and tensely.
“What a boring response,” Hinata said as he got to his feet, leaving Nanami on the floor. “All of your dumbfounded faces are so dull. But, I’m not surprised. I had expected it, after all.”
Komaeda blinked. No matter how many times he blinked, the scene didn’t change. Hinata’s fingers were dyed a deep, deep red.
Ah, come to think of it—
Hinata was staring him down with a crimson gaze.
“Who...are you?” he couldn’t help but wonder. “Who is... Enoshima Junko?”
His head hurt, but the not-Hinata remained upright and silent. It was then that Komaeda Nagito realized.
“You strike me as someone who doesn’t play along well with others,” he inhaled sharply. “Aah, what a cold gaze!”
“Eh, eh, ehhhhh?” Monokuma toddled up, still stained with red, red, too much red. “Izuru...?”
The remnant directed his attention to the mascot. He raised his hand, pointed two fingers like one would a gun.
The following sound was a deafening shot. Monokuma fell over.
The remnant looked upon the rest with disinterest.
“In the end, there really wasn’t any point to any of this.” He pointed at Komaeda Nagito next. “I’ll cease everything here.”
Bang.
Bang, bang, bang.
Bang, bang, bang.
“The game is over.”
Bang.