Sixteen children stood there with blank faces, staring at the switches before them.
The lively kids from just moments ago—the ones who had raged at the Mastermind, the ones who had trusted each other—were gone now. All that remained were hollow shells, stuffed to the brim with despair.
"Okaaay... all you have to do is vote for yourselves with the switch in front of you. Easy, right?"
"Yes."
The scene of battle-hardened survivors, warriors who had clawed their way through countless ordeals, suddenly getting brainwashed by some video and trying to commit suicide was now being broadcast across the entire world. What were the people watching this feeling right now?
Would they feel hope, watching [Ultimate Despair] herself die?
Or would they feel despair, watching all sixteen people who had fought against despair until now die together?
Or maybe, like me now, sick to death of both hope and despair, would they simply let go of everything?
No matter what happened, it had nothing to do with me anymore. Here, in this place, everyone—including me—would be meeting the end of their lives.
At the very end, I looked at the boy quietly staring down at his switch with that soulless expression. A faint smile tugged at my lips, wondering if I had finally grown tired of even him.
The past few years had still been... kind of fun, I guess. From the moment he looked at me so meaningfully on the day of the entrance ceremony and piqued my interest, he had always managed to satisfy me.
That satisfaction lasted all the way until he was defeated and dragged into the killing game—but then he satisfied Enoshima too much. In other words, he made me despair too deeply.
Just as despair blooms from extreme hope, hope also blooms from extreme despair. Before I knew it, Enoshima had fallen into the hope of wanting to keep watching him forever—and despaired because of it.
And those feelings fused with her dizzy, fractured mental state, driving things to a point where even Enoshima herself couldn't contain it anymore.
So Enoshima decided to end everything.
Even so, dying together with him sounded just a little entertaining. The instant I pressed the switch with a faint smile, a voice rang out from the front.
"E-Everyone... snap out of it...!"
It was Makoto Naegi.
.
.
.
.
.
Thinking back on it, my life had been absolute garbage. My parents' business failed. That tore my family apart. I was a child who grew up without love.
I became timid and introverted, an outcast at school. Then came the bullying, the abuse. Because of that, I shut my heart away even tighter, until I was completely isolated. A pathetic, miserable life.
To someone like me, living a life like that...
"Snap... out... don't... lose... hope..."
Yeah. More than hope...
"Please... wake up... K... don't... lose hope..."
Despair...
"Please, snap out of it! K, don't lose hope!!!"
That desperate voice jolted me awake. When I came to my senses, Naegi was shouting at me in a strained, ragged voice.
"You can't fall into despair...! I don't know what kind of trick Enoshima pulled... but what you're feeling right now is fake...! It's not your real heart...!"
I glanced down.
My hand was already moving the switch, just a heartbeat away from voting for myself.
"Wh-What!? Are you kidding me...? Since when...?"
"K! You came back to your senses...!"
Watching that happen, Enoshima screamed in complete confusion.
"W-What...? You beat the brainwashing video...? Hooow!?"
The moment she finished, the brainwashing video crackled with static, and a familiar face appeared on-screen.
"Everyone...! I'm late, aren't I...!? I'm so sorry...!"
As the Alter Ego Fujisaki had planted appeared on the screen, the children who had been about to operate their switches began to falter in confusion.
"Despair... only despair... in this world... huh...? Wha...?"
"Nothing matters... let's end this... huh...?"
"...What is this feeling...?"
Watching the scene, Enoshima spoke in a voice as cold as dry ice.
"You're just a scrap of data... and you think you can ruin my plan? No matter how hard you struggle, you haven't fully seized control of the system... so you can't stop the brainwashing video...!"
Enoshima wheeled on the students still frozen in confusion and screamed at them.
"Vote! Right now! Vote for yourselves!!!"
Ignoring her, Fujisaki's Alter Ego looked at us and began speaking in a frantic rush.
"Ugh... Mr. Naegi! Mr. K! I took over the data processing room and tried to send out an interference signal to break everyone's brainwashing, but Enoshima Alter Ego's resistance was too strong...! Right now, I can only send out a signal strong enough to block the brainwashing affecting you two!"
The image of Fujisaki Alter Ego began to blur and break apart. Gathering its last strength, it forced out one final plea.
"According to my calculations... you two... can persuade everyone... So please... give everyone... hope...!"
With those words, Fujisaki Alter Ego vanished, and the brainwashing video began playing again.
The students' eyes started to glaze over once more as they turned back toward their switches. In that razor-edge moment, Naegi urgently called out to me.
"K! Lend me the power of your [Ultimate Counselor]! We have to persuade everyone and help them reclaim their hope! I can't do it alone... but if it's the two of us, I feel like we can do this!"
"...At this point, it's all or nothing... Got it...!"
"Like hell you will...! I may be sick of everything, but I refuse to accept some nauseating ending where hope wins in the end...! If nothing else, then at the very end, all of you die in despair!!!"
And so, the true final showdown with Enoshima began.
"Byakuya Togami, your family has already disintegrated! Which means the [Ultimate Heir] title you worked so hard to earn has lost all meaning...! Right now, you're nothing but the [Ultimate Nobody]! Puhuh...! Puhup...!"
"That's wrong! Even if your family collapsed, your abilities are still yours, Togami!! You can rebuild the family with your own hands...!"
"Yeah, Naegi's right. And if you fall into despair here, wouldn't you be too ashamed to ever face 'her,' the one who threw away her life for you?"
At the word "her," Togami's face twisted for a moment. But somehow, the corners of his mouth seemed to lift into a smile.
"Genocide Jack... no, should I call you Fukawa? Doesn't matter! Either way, you're still just a serial killer who murdered innocent people, aren't you...? Do you really think someone like you deserves to hold onto hope...?"
"That's wrong! The fact that you're a serial killer may never change, but that doesn't mean you can't become a better person! In fact, you haven't killed anyone this whole time, have you? That means you absolutely do deserve to hold onto hope...!"
"...That's right. People really can be fixed. And I don't know if you're listening, Fukawa, but if Togami falls into despair, you'd better brace yourself."
The instant I brought up Togami, Genocide Jack flinched, then started letting out a sinister little laugh. I had no idea what was going on in there, but it was probably a positive reaction.
"Aoi Asahina, you always act cheerful... but deep down, you're crushed by the burden of being an Ultimate, and by the guilt that your own existence kept your little brother's talent from shining, aren't you...? Accept that feeling... and let it burn into despair...!"
"That's wrong! Even if your cheerfulness was a mask to hide that burden and guilt, all of us were always happy because of you! So this time, all of us will help carry your burden and guilt with you!"
"Mm... when we get out of here, how about taking a look at your brother's swimming? Like sister, like brother—maybe we'll discover some incredible talent. Right?"
Asahina listened to us, her face tightening before hardening into resolve.
"Yasuhiro Hagakure, from start to finish, there isn't a single part of you that isn't pathetic! Your fortune-telling barely ever hits, and all you do is run scams day in and day out! How are you the [Ultimate Clairvoyant]? You're just the [Ultimate Pathetic]...!"
"That's wrong! Sure, you're a little weird and all over the place, but you really do have talent! Every fortune you've mentioned in a critical moment has come true, hasn't it? You can have confidence in your own ability...!"
"Exactly. If your fortunes hit at around thirty percent, that's enough! If the odds were any higher, that wouldn't be fortune-telling—that'd be psychic powers! More importantly, are you getting out of here or not? If you're not, that contract's void, you know?"
The second Hagakure heard the word contract, he snapped back to himself and put on a deadly serious expression. Yeah. He really was the same idiot from beginning to end.
"Sayaka Maizono, the selfish, underhanded attempted murderer who made the very first move to kill. You even approached Naegi calculatingly on the very first day... and even now, once you've used him up, you're probably planning to toss him aside the second you get bored, right? And that side of you has already been broadcast to the whole world... so do you really think any 'fans' still exist who'd believe in you...? Hahahahahaha!!"
"That's wrong! No matter what you felt for me, I don't care! Because I love the you who exists right now! And no matter what happens... I'll stay your fan to the very end... and your boyfriend too...! So have hope!"
"...I'm still your fan too. You still have to keep that autograph promise from last time, okay?"
Maizono looked at Naegi through tears, then finally broke into a radiant smile and nodded.
"Leon Kuwata, even though you were born with a talent people spend their whole lives chasing and never attain, you hate that talent. By doing that, you've inflicted frustration and despair on everyone who spends their lives striving for what came to you naturally...! Does someone like you really deserve hope?"
"That's wrong! Even if you have an Ultimate talent, that doesn't mean you have to stake your whole life on it! You have the right to live the life you want—not be dragged around by your talent and forced into misery!!"
"Yeah, and come to think of it... you confessed to your cousin the other day, didn't you? After agonizing over it for that long, after finally scraping together the courage to say it, you can't give up here. You need to get out there, meet her, and see it through to the end, don't you?"
At the mention of his cousin, Leon Kuwata's usual sloppy, carefree attitude vanished. He clenched his fist, wearing a seriousness I'd never seen on him before.
"Chihiro Fujisaki, no matter how much you pretend to be strong, you'll never really become strong inside... It's obvious you'll crack before long, start sniffling, trail off at the end of your sentences, and go right back to imitating a girl...! Honestly, despair suits you perfectly...!"
"That's wrong! Fujisaki, out of everyone I've seen, you've grown more than anyone else! You bravely revealed your secret, you always kept trying to become stronger, and you created Alter Ego for everyone's sake! Because of that, we're able to strike back at Enoshima right now! You are strong!"
"...You asked me before how you could become more manly, remember? And before I could even give you an answer, you'd already found one on your own. So if it's you—if it's the strong you—you'll be able to find the answer to what you need to do right now too."
Fujisaki stopped sniffling. He stopped twisting his body nervously. He stopped looking afraid. He simply stood up straight and glared at Enoshima.
"Mondo Owada, you sacrificed your brother, covered up the truth, and climbed to the top of your gang because of it. In every possible way, you're the worst! You scream and scowl obsessively just to hide the weakness in your heart. A face like yours suits despair way better than hope!!"
"That's wrong! Owada, you're already strong enough! The way you protected K in the dining hall, the way you always stepped forward first whenever strength was needed, even the way you rallied everyone and stormed the headmaster's office... those were all the actions of someone truly strong!"
"See? I told you if we just left you alone, you'd grow strong on your own. You just needed a little time. So now it's time to show everyone how strong you've become."
Owada flashed his usual delinquent grin and gave a thumbs-up.
"Kiyotaka Ishimaru, you poor fool. Your family's downfall made you believe effort alone is the absolute truth of the world... but the world never runs on effort alone. Deep down, you know that too, don't you? So why not try putting all that effort into despair instead...?"
"That's wrong! It's true that effort alone can't change the world, but we can still make the effort to build a world where it can! If you keep trying, then even if you can't reach the whole world, you can still spread the power of effort to a great many places!"
"...Your effort is contagious. No matter how drained and helpless things get, the second you start lecturing beside us like always, it makes people want to give everything they've got. So don't give up here. Let's keep moving forward, Ishimaru."
Ishimaru straightened his disheveled clothes with crisp, disciplined movements, then stood tall and fixed Enoshima with a burning glare.
"Hifumi Yamada, you look like you smell bad just standing there... and your creepy, skin-crawling works are exactly the same! You... there's not one single cool thing about you. You're nothing but disgusting despair made flesh!!"
"That's wrong! Yamada, you trusted me and K once before. That made you seriously cool! And your work isn't disgusting at all! There are tons of people who enjoy it and cheer for it—that's why you were able to become an Ultimate in the first place, right? You have to keep fighting for their sake too!"
"You said before that you wanted to try making original work, not just doujin stuff, right...? After living through something this bizarre, you've got enough material piled up to the ceiling. So shouldn't you hurry up and get out of here, Yamada?"
Yamada suddenly adjusted his glasses and began muttering with a meaningful smile. Well, whatever. He seemed to have broken free of the brainwashing, so I'd call that a win.
"Celestia Ludenberg... no, Taeko Yasuhiro. You always keep your poker face and act like some lofty queen, but deep inside, you still carry a festering grudge against the tacky, penniless self you used to be... So how about this? Why not elevate that resentment into despair...?"
"That's wrong! You don't reveal your true feelings easily, so it can be hard to keep up with you... but when you had no choice but to vote for K in the last Class Trial, you were clearly drowning in guilt! Which means you're one of us too—our companion, someone who cares about her friends! The inside of you isn't tacky. It's beautiful!"
"That wish you wrote down before... you couldn't accept it either, could you? Right. Then let me make another wish. Overcome despair and keep your hope for your dream alive. Celes."
Celes closed her eyes for a moment, then returned to her usual poker face and shot me a haughty glare.
"Sakura Oogami, in the end, you couldn't protect the people at your dojo, and you couldn't protect Kenichiro either—the only man you ever loved, and the only one you could never defeat...! By now, he's probably coughing up blood as he dies, don't you think...? So why not die now and meet him in heaven? Puhuh... puhup..."
"That's wrong! In that video call, he believed in Oogami and entrusted everything behind him to her! To worry about him like this is an insult to both him and Oogami! And someone strong enough to fight Oogami wouldn't lose to some petty illness! Once all this is over, he'll overcome it and meet you again!"
"I'll tell you this much, just to you... the people precious to us who were kidnapped are probably fighting the Mastermind with everything they've got right now. So shouldn't you hurry up and get out of here to help them?"
Oogami took a deep breath, then snapped her eyes open and let out a fierce kiai. It felt like a declaration that no matter what happened, she would never waver again.
"Mukuro Ikusaba, you've lived your whole life like a machine, carrying out other people's orders because you could never choose anything for yourself, right...? So this time too, all you have to do is obey the order you've been given. It's the perfect ending for someone like you...!"
"That's wrong! Ikusaba, I still don't know everything about you, but when you saved K, you were sincere! You're not some machine that moves only when ordered around—you can make the right choice on your own!!"
"...Thank you for back then, Ikusaba. Even if this is all I can say right now... I'll remember for the rest of my life that you saved me."
Ikusaba flinched at my words of gratitude, then quietly lowered her gaze to the switch with a calm expression.
"Kyoko Kirigiri, a detective who's supposed to maintain objectivity and composure, yet gets dragged around by subjectivity and emotion like an idiot. You came to this academy to sever ties with your father, but in the end you couldn't cast him aside. You took pride in being part of the Kirigiri family, yet you broke who knows how many of the family's unspoken rules... In the end, you turned your back on the family. You act cool and detached, but really you're indecisive to the core! I bet you won't even be able to make your choice in this vote!! Puhuhuhuhup...!!"
"...K, I'll leave this to you."
"That's wrong! So what if you're swayed by subjectivity and emotion? That's normal! People are supposed to be swayed by their feelings! Sure, when you're doing detective work, staying calm and objective is the right call. But if you lived like that every second of every day, you'd rot from the inside out!"
"..."
"And you're not indecisive! You just made the right choices! Reconciling with your father wasn't compromising with reality—it was understanding each other's circumstances and clearing away your misunderstandings. And breaking the Kirigiri family's unspoken rules wasn't betraying a detective's creed—it was part of a bigger picture! In the end... you've always been right...!"
"...!"
"Then right now too... you have to make the right choice, don't you...?"
"...Pretty arrogant for K."
Kirigiri looked at me and smiled.
"Despair over tomorrow... despair over the unknown... despair over your memories...!!! Everyone, vote for yourselves right now!!!"
"No one here is going to despair anymore!! The answer's already been decided!!"
"Despair is nothing but fertilizer for an even greater hope! Everyone! Show her the hope you've made bloom!"
With those words, Naegi and I cast our votes.
"...Right. The Togami family still has me. In that case, I'll simply rebuild the family with my own power."
"B-B-Byakuyaaa... if you're going to rebuild the family... you'll need a wife, r-right...? D-D-Don't tell me... m-me...?"
"I don't care what anyone says—I've already decided!! When we get out of here, I'm going to help my little brother's talent bloom!! Guys! Let's finish the vote!!"
"Yeah... I'm sick of living like some pathetic scam artist... For the people who believe in my fortunes... I'm gonna study fortune-telling more and raise my accuracy! And I just did a reading—nobody's gonna die anymore."
Togami, Genocide Jack, Asahina, and Hagakure each voiced their revelations and finished voting.
"No matter what anyone says, I believe in Naegi, I believe in K, and I believe in all my fans around the world. If my fans are disappointed in me, then all I have to do is work even harder and satisfy them again! Everyone, finish your votes and let's get out of here!"
"...Yeah. If I give up here, that'd just be too pathetic... Once I get out, I'll stop chasing girls around and seriously think about what I want to do with my life..."
The two people who had once been destined to kill and be killed were gone now. In their place stood two people moving toward a hopeful future, finishing their votes with the switches before them.
"...I'm not going to cry anymore, or be timid anymore, or use feminine speech anymore! I promised everyone I'd become stronger!"
"Yeah! I wanted a strong heart like that...! I'm still not there yet... but I guess I've managed to catch up a little...!"
The two who might once have met ruin because of the strength and weakness inside them were gone now. At last, they had fully obtained the strength they had always longed for, and they cast their votes proudly.
"...Yes, effort alone will not change the world overnight! But if that's true, then all the more reason to strive, and strive again! If we continue to do so, then surely we can at least lay the foundation for changing the world!! Everyone, finish your votes!!"
"The words of Sir Makoto Naegi and Master have moved my heart...! Yes, for the sake of the countless readers who love my work... I absolutely must survive and leave this place!! Voting for myself is utterly absurd!!"
"My, how shameless of you. But a wish that's already been written can't be helped, can it? Well, I suppose I could grant it once... provided you're willing to enter as a candidate for B-rank servant."
The horrific chain of murders born from distrust and greed was gone now. The three of them finished their votes, clinging to the dreams they would fulfill once they escaped.
"...My heart has not changed. Once I leave this place, I will save everyone's precious people—including Kenichiro—with my own two hands."
The saint who had once intended to sacrifice herself for everyone smiled as she looked upon the children who had grown so strong that her sacrifice was no longer needed, then quietly cast her vote.
"Enoshima... you never understood why I betrayed you, did you? Want me to tell you why...? The answer's simple. Back then, I understood what hope was. Yes—'hope,' the thing you hate so much and will never, ever understand. You really are... one disappointing little sister."
The girl who had spent her life as someone else's pawn, only to be betrayed and killed for being deemed useless, was gone now. Filled with the hope her sister loathed so much, she said the words she'd always wanted to say—and cast her vote.
"My memories are still hazy, so I don't fully understand my father's heart yet... but... piecing together the fragments that are coming back to me, I know at least this much: he would never want me to do something as idiotic as vote for myself and die. I don't know why... but when I look at you, I feel strangely certain of that."
"Kirigiri..."
"Naegi, and K. One of you came to this academy through sheer luck, and the other because of extraordinary talent... but I think there was another reason both of you were brought here..."
Kirigiri continued, wearing a brighter smile than I had ever seen from her.
"K, who always took the lead in smashing through [Ultimate Despair], and Naegi, who supported K, rallied everyone, and united their hearts... Even in the final moment, when everyone else had fallen, you two still refused to give up and stood against 'despair' to the very end... Couldn't you be called [Ultimate Hope]?"
"No."
"...Hm?"
"[Ultimate Hope] isn't just us... All of us endured this despair-filled school life without surrendering to despair until the very end. Instead, we used despair as fertilizer, made the sprouts of hope bloom, and nurtured them into the most beautiful tree of hope imaginable... So wouldn't all of us... deserve to be called [Ultimate Hope]...?"
"...You're arrogant after all."
With those words, Kirigiri pressed her switch, and the vote was finally complete.
"W-What... is this...?"
As she watched the hope of those children, grown so beautifully before her eyes—
"You... you all...!!"
At last, Enoshima...
"What the hell are yooouuuuu!?"
...fell into perfect despair.