"Why are all you skinny bastards so damn slow?"
"Th-that's just because Mr. Togami is way too fast..."
After chasing after Pigami as he moved with startling agility, we arrived at Jabberwock Park—only to be greeted by a gigantic bomb-like object and a countdown ticking away on the monitor embedded in its center.
"Wh-what is that...?"
"I have no idea what it means..."
"Something pretty hard to even guess just popped up..."
"Could it be... a bomb...?"
"A b-b-booomb!?"
Souda's shriek drained the color from everyone's faces, but since I knew what that thing was, I couldn't muster much of a reaction.
That thing? It's nothing. Just a timer Enoshima threw in for fun to test whether she could kill all of us within the time limit.
No. Bad idea. I'd already decided not to trust my game knowledge anymore, so I couldn't rule out the possibility that it was a real bomb. Yeah. Better stay at least a little cautious.
"How mysterious..."
"Yeah! It's a mystery all right!"
"".....!?""
Monomi suddenly popped out of nowhere, and the others—who'd apparently assumed she was dead—jumped in shock. Well, Monomi did have a few spares. But Monokuma could generate himself endlessly, so she still wasn't much help.
The students steadied themselves and started asking Monomi about the countdown, but there was no way she'd know anything.
With sweat pouring down her face, Monomi babbled that she didn't really understand either, but we should all do our best anyway. The moment everyone glared at her, she wilted on the spot and sank back into the ground.
No matter how I looked at it, Monomi really was useless.
"As I thought... there are far too many unanswered questions in our current situation."
"Unanswered questions...?"
Before long, everyone started debating how a massive device like that could have been installed overnight, how all eighteen of us had been brought here, and why Jabberwock Island—a famous tourist destination—was completely deserted.
Well, the answer was simple: this place was virtual reality, so of course all of it was possible. But there was no way the others could infer that. In the end, they arrived at the most reasonable conclusion available—that some enormous organization was behind all this.
"...So for the time being, we search this island and gather information. The E-Handbook says island exploration is unrestricted."
"Explore... the island..."
"That's right. All of you just follow my lead. If you do, I'll return every last one of you to your normal lives. This is a leader's order."
"Whoa! That was seriously cool just now!"
"You're so dependable and squishy that I'm gonna call you Mr. Pork Cutlet from now on, okay?"
"M-Mr. Pork Cutlet...?"
At Saionji's words, Pigami looked flustered for a moment, then started repeating the nickname "Mr. Pork Cutlet" over and over under his breath.
At a glance, it looked like he'd been stunned by a malicious nickname. But the truth was the exact opposite. As the [Ultimate Imposter], he'd lived a life where he couldn't even possess a name of his own, so being given a nickname at all was moving him.
Being happy over a nickname that nasty... I couldn't even imagine how twisted and miserable his life must have been up to now.
His leadership and his fundamentally kind nature were absolutely necessary for us, so maybe later I should talk to him—give him a little counseling, help lift his spirits.
"Then from this point on, everyone will begin searching the island."
And just like that, we split up for a while and began exploring the island.
.
.
.
.
.
"Hey... K, you said you're the [Ultimate Counselor], right...?"
"Huh? Yeah, that's right...?"
"Uh... actually, there's something I kinda wanted counseling for..."
I already knew all the island's secrets, so I had nothing to investigate. I was just taking it easy by the beach when Souda crept up to me in secret.
"S-so... the truth is... I..."
"What? Don't tell me you're into Sonia Nevermind or something?"
"Gyaaaah! H-how the hell did you know that!?"
Seeing Souda panic made a laugh slip out of me. I mean, honestly, you didn't even need game knowledge to figure that one out.
"Whenever Sonia Nevermind's around, you're always sneaking glances at her. The second you get a chance to talk to her, you pounce on it. And just a little while ago, when Tanaka Gundham and Sonia Nevermind were chatting, you barged in with your eyes bulging out of your head, didn't you?"
"A-as I thought... is this the difference between amateurs and someone who's actually in a relationship...?"
"No... at that level, even a kindergartener could tell..."
"Anyway! Help me out, man...! I can't stand watching that chuuni freak Tanaka Gundham laughing and getting all friendly with Lady Sonia anymore...! I can't even talk to her properly...!"
Honestly, there was a high probability Souda would remain hopeless right to the bitter end... but I couldn't let a golden opportunity to build rapport slip away.
"Hmm... well... I can help, but... what exactly am I supposed to do...?"
"Isn't it obvious!? You're dating that detective, aren't you!? Gimme some tips...!"
"Hmm..."
My memories had been wiped clean, so my actual romantic experience was basically zero. Still, Souda's problems were so glaringly obvious that I could point out at least a few things.
"You're too much."
"Huh...!?"
"Way too much. You just keep charging straight at her—who's gonna like that? Especially not an actual princess."
"Th-then what am I supposed to do...?"
"Just get her interested by talking about things Sonia Nevermind actually likes."
"But how am I supposed to know what she's interested in..."
Sonia Nevermind's tastes were a little unusual. That was because the Novoselic Kingdom, where she served as princess, was an extremely eccentric country.
In the Novoselic Kingdom, things like elementary schoolers driving tanks, people hunting or raising animals for coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings, and Japanese anime pulling over ninety percent viewership were apparently completely normal.
So naturally, Sonia Nevermind herself was deeply obsessed with Japanese anime, dramas, and that whole subculture scene. I figured I'd let Souda in on that little secret.
"W-wait, what...? Lady Sonia likes stuff like that...?"
"Believe it or don't. But doesn't it make perfect sense when you look at how well Sonia Nevermind gets along with Tanaka Gundham?"
"Huhhh... is that so...? Man, you're amazing, though. How'd you even know something like that...? No, wait. Your girlfriend's a detective. Right... I guess lovers really do start to resemble each other..."
Every time he called Kyoko Kirigiri my girlfriend, I felt my face heating up. No, wait. Maybe it was already bright red.
"All right! Then I'll go study up on subculture stuff too... except where the hell am I supposed to learn it...? You know anything about that kind of thing?"
"Uh... not as much as Sonia Nevermind, but I know a little...?"
"Then let me take you as my master of love! Teach me, man! I'm begging you!"
I had only meant to build a little friendship, but somehow this had turned into a pretty awkward mess. Yamada, are you watching? Looks like your successor has arrived...
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.
Ding dong, bing bong!
"Ahem, this is an announcement from the Hope's Peak Academy School Trip Executive Committee."
I was in the middle of giving Souda a completely unplanned lecture on subculture when an announcement began echoing across the entire island.
"Yahoo! It's time for a fun-filled recreation event! You'll find out just what kind of fun it is soon enough, so everyone please gather at Jabberwock Park!"
"W-was that just now...? Recreation? In a situation like this...? Ugh... I seriously don't wanna go..."
I dragged the whining Souda with me to Jabberwock Park, where the others had already gathered.
"That bastard's late again? What a coward."
"B-but how am I supposed to know what's gonna happen...!?"
"Then don't come at all, dumbass. Go crawl into a hole somewhere by yourself."
"Hey, you know every single word out of your mouth is annoying? You came here because you're scared of dying too, didn't you?"
"W-what...!?"
That was all it took for Koizumi Mahiru and Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko to start snapping at each other.
"U-um... hey... both of you, calm down..."
"Stay out of it, asshole..."
"Could you not butt in?"
The atmosphere was turning ugly, so I tried stepping in to stop them, but both of them whipped around and barked at me at the exact same time.
"B-but... fighting among friends is..."
"What? Don't get the wrong idea, moron! Since when the hell did you become one of our friends?"
"...What?"
"Yeah... might as well make this crystal clear while we're at it... I could kill someone anytime I want, got it?"
The moment he said that, a chill spread through the air.
Right. Before Pekoyama Peko's death reformed him in Chapter 2, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko really was this kind of character. Of course, I had absolutely no intention of "awakening" him through death. I'd have to find some way to turn his heart around before then.
After Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko's declaration, the hostility between him and the others only deepened, but Pigami managed to calm things down through sheer force of mediation. As expected of our group project team leader. I should get him a gift sometime.
"Um..."
"Wah! There he is!!"
The instant the argument ended, Monokuma popped out wearing some kind of host outfit he'd apparently scrounged up from who-knew-where.
"You were all fighting, so I was hoping maybe it'd escalate into a murder right then and there... what a shame..."
"We are not going to kill each other over something like this!"
When I shouted that, Monokuma muttered under his breath.
"Who knows... this time might be different, though...?"
"What...?"
"Now then, anyway! It's time to begin the uproarious Monokuma Comedy Live Show!"
As soon as he said that, Monomi came stumbling out in a dress with a tearful expression and got dragged onto the prepared stage.
"Fwahwah... I can walk by myself! Don't drag me around!"
"Upupupu... you need to be punished a little... sneaking around all night doing bad things over and over... Monomi is such a naughty little sister...!"
"Fwahwah...!"
Once he took the stage, Monokuma cleared his throat and launched into a comedy routine with Monomi.
And weirdly enough, it was actually pretty funny. Why did Monomi have such bizarrely good chemistry with Monokuma? At this point, maybe she really was his secret little sister.
"...So yeah, you all need to be careful around Monomi too, okay? Because the one who stole your memories and trapped you here is Monomi herself!"
Monokuma's bombshell, dropped right in the middle of the routine, left everyone reeling. I mean, sure, our memories had been taken—but it was all to rehabilitate a bunch of people who'd become [Ultimate Despair], so what exactly was so wrong with that?
"N-no way... amnesia...?"
"Liar... that's a lie..."
"But... didn't all of our memories cut off the moment we stepped into the entrance hall...? If you think about that..."
"That's right! You've all completely forgotten the memories of spending several years at Hope's Peak Academy! Upupupupu...!"
"F-fwahwah..."
That second bombshell sent the students spiraling into panic. And without giving them even a second to breathe, Monokuma pressed harder and harder.
"So no, you aren't freshmen at all! You just made that assumption on your own because your memories got erased...!"
"P-please stop...! The children are getting confused..."
"That's your fault, you moroooon!"
"Ugyahhhhhhh!"
Monokuma's uppercut sent Monomi flying into the distance.
"".....""
As everyone fell into stunned silence, Monokuma grinned and continued.
"Well...? Shocking, isn't it...? Losing years of your memories—pretty horrifying, right? But... there is a way for you to get those memories back..."
"Th-that method is...?"
"That's right! This is your very first murder motive! Commit a murder, and I'll restore your memories! Upupupupupu...!"
"Cut the crap! Do you seriously think we'd commit murder over some idiotic fantasy like that...?"
"To begin with... I don't even believe this amnesia story..."
The others pushed back at his words, but right beside me, Hanamura Teruteru gave a huge start and began trembling all over.
In the original game, Hanamura Teruteru panicked after realizing that years might have passed while he'd left his mother alone to run the family restaurant by herself. Then he heard Komaeda's murder plan, half-lost his mind, and ultimately committed murder in order to regain his memories.
Which meant the two people I needed to watch most carefully right now were Hanamura Teruteru and Nagito Komaeda. I had to stop Komaeda's trolling and Hanamura Teruteru's panic somehow.
I was briefly lost in thought, trying to figure out how to stop them, when Monokuma looked at me with a grin and started addressing everyone again.
"You can't believe in amnesia...? But the thing that's even harder to believe... is everyone standing here, isn't it...?"
"Wh-what are you talking about...?"
"You don't know a single thing about each other... which means... you had no idea there were traitors mixed in among you either, right? Upupupupupu..."
Right. This was the part where Monokuma revealed the existence of the traitor and planted the seeds of distrust. But the traitor wasn't actually our enemy. Because the traitor's true identity was Nanami, an AI from the Future Foundation...
"A traitor...? What are you talking about...?"
Chiaki Nanami asked Monokuma. Wait. Chiaki Nanami...?
"Tell me something... why do you think there are eighteen of you here...?"
Right. Come to think of it, Chiaki Nanami wasn't an AI right now—she was a real person, and she'd lost all her memories. Of course she'd question Monokuma. She didn't know she was a Future Foundation observer.
But... traitors? Plural? The traitor was supposed to be Chiaki Nanami alone... ah, damn it. Kyoko Kirigiri and I were with the Future Foundation too.
"The number of Hope's Peak Academy students originally scheduled to come to this island... was supposed to be fifteen in total, you know...?"
At Monokuma's sudden declaration of hell difficulty, my mind went completely blank.
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