[31] The end

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"My inner voice is telling me I need to... remedy this situation." Kiibo's voice broke through the silence. "That is why I will not give up! I will not give up hope until the very end!"

Junko gave him an annoyed look. "What?"

"We can't give up. No matter what, hope is always within reach. We must keep our heads high and search for hope, especially in our deepest despair."

"Huh...? What hope...?"

"...You said so yourself – this killing game is the Ultimate Real Fiction. If this is both real and fiction, then logically it can't all be fictional. Even if this world is fiction, even if we're fiction, there must be something we can do. So there must be a way to break through this! I won't give up hope! Not ever!"

"Oh geez... how annoying..."

"The outside world doesn't just want despair... It wants hope, too. If our voices have reached the outside world, then what my inner voice is telling me is-"

Junko changed back into Tsumugi. "Oh, your inner voice? That's the voice of the outside world!" She chirped.

"...What?"

"I know cuz I wrote your plotline, too. There's no way I wouldn't know who that is your hearing. That's the voice of the outside world."

"The voice of the outside world...?"

"From the start of this killing game, you've had a unique role. You're the audience surrogate."

"A-Audience surrogate?"

Tsumugi transformed into the girl with lavender hair. "Your inner voice allows communication between yourself and the audience." The girl changed into the boy with the orange tie. "That function exists to keep the audience entertained." He turned into the boy in the white uniform. "Now tell me – what is your inner voice!? Speak clearly and enunciate!"

"An... audience survey?"

The boy with the magenta scarf returned. "Mwah-hahahahahaha! Well done! Yes! Indeed, that is the truth!" He transformed into the girl with the green shirt. "It's a two-way communication that lets you participate in the program from home." She changed into the girl riddled with scars and white hair. "That is your inner voice's true nature. The results of an audience survey."

"The voice I relied on for guidance... was just the audience... answering survey questions!?"

The eyepatch boy came back. "And every move you made was dictated by the audience's answers to that survey." He transformed into the boy with shark teeth and pink hair. "For this season of Danganronapa, the main gimmick is audience participation!" He went back to Tsumugi. "That antenna on your head lets you receive their answers."

Kiibo pointed at his ahoge. "Th-This is an antenna...?"

"When your antenna broke and you went crazy..." Tsumugi continued. "That was a big problem for us. We got flooded with complaints from the audience." She changed into the girl with the red jumper and pony. "But that's not your only role... You're also the audience's camera."

"C-Camera...?"

Tsumugi pointed at Kiibo's electric blue eyes. "Your eyes... are the eyes of the audience itself!"

"The... audience's eyes?"

"The outside world has been watching from your eyes the whole time! It lets them feel like they're really a part of the Danganronpa world!" Tsumugi smiled at a shaking Kiibo. "That's why I'm so glad you survived all the way through! Cuz now I can use you to plunge the outside world into despair!"

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