Heir & Heiress

End of Hope's Peak Academy

We had locked ourselves up. We had agreed to lock ourselves away, in an attempt of preserving the last shred of hope left in the world. And Junko tarnished it all. I wasn't sure who was still alive outside, or if anyone we knew was still alive. An entire year of school memories had vanished, because of Junko and her sister. Asking why had proven pointless; Junko was insistent in her tangent about how boring the world had been and how despair has given her everything she could ever want. Why do we want to leave? I kept repeating the question. I had given up on being helpful in this trial. I played my part and still managed to only fuck things up further.

"We can't stop now! We can't give up," Makoto said.

"Why?" The question fell out of my mouth. Makoto stared at me, severely concerned about the downtrodden faces surrounding him. "What's the point? If I've realized anything is that she is always ahead of us," I pointed to Junko. "She's a manipulative force who has managed to not only ruin our lives but throw the entire world into chaotic imbalance. So, why? Why leave behind our friends? Why escape the sanctuary we gave ourselves?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Junko said, grinning madly.

Makoto froze, contemplating carefully. "Because our lives aren't ruined."

"How can you say that?" My voice strained. "What about everyone who's died here? How can you walk away from that?" I glanced around the room. "Sure, it was extremely lucky that nothing happened to Sakura. And sure, I got away from Toko, but I almost killed her in return. Hell, she could have killed Byakuya, if the scissors were a few inches to the left."

"How can you say that we have no chance?" Makoto asked.

"Because we don't! We ran when our classmates were left to die outside! Kyoko's father knew that! They weren't given a chance, so why should we?!" Makoto didn't respond. My eyes fell to the floor. We listened to the television screen audio; the screaming, blazing gunfire, and sobbing.

"So, what do you guys say? Stay here for the rest of your lives and we can put all of this behind us," Junko mused.

"I'm not giving up," Makoto murmured. "I refuse to lose to you. I refuse to let any of us lose to you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Junko scoffed. "Look around. You've already lost."

"Living trapped in here isn't living. It's hiding. Hiding from the truth and giving into despair." Makoto pressed into his podium, verbally pressing into Junko.

"But if you vote hope, and I die here, Hope's Peak is finished. You'll be forced to leave and into the dying world". The grave reality pressed back, into all of us. "Pollution, murder, suicide, unbridled chaos and terror."

"If despair is contagious, then so is hope!" Makoto blurted.

We collectively glanced at him, at the one person who hadn't left any one of us behind. Not even the ones we'd lost. "You know, my third eye keeps telling me not to leave. That the outside really is as bad as she says. But...you're right. Living here isn't living. We gotta move forward, yeah?" Hiro's voice shook, but he forced himself to stand tall. "I'm gonna get out any way possible!"

Hina and Sakura looked at each other, exchanging a single solemn nod. "I'm...grateful that Sakura is with me. With her, I know I won't go through the future alone."

"I feel the same way. Even if I lose my family's dojo, I will rebuild it in grander glory. For the honor of escaping here signals my hope," Sakura smiled at Hina, who smiled back at her.

Byakuya took a moment to breathe and recollect his thoughts. "You're wrong," he said to Junko. "The Togami lineage hasn't truly ended, not while I still live." I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't look. "Karen, if you give up now, everything you've done will have been for nothing. Don't give up on our future."

I looked up, glancing around the room. The others gave encouraging smiles, prompting me to face Junko. "You've manipulated me and made me question my sanity. I fucked up. I'm aware of my mistakes and will make no more excuses. No more hiding, no more killing game. Because I choose my real friends and the people who care for me. I choose to live for our future." I forced a weak smile, though the words felt genuine.

Kyoko still remained silent, even while listening to our hopeful rambling. She had been watching, listening, and debating. Any one of us could witness the conglomeration of emotion enveloping her eyes. Until she closed them. Kyoko paused for a moment and re-opened her eyes. "I didn't know my father well, but...I can say with near certainty that he would never want us to give up and remain here in total despair. We would never ask any of his students to live in anguish. Because of you, Makoto, I've come to this realization," she grinned. "So, that begs the question. Were you only accepted for your Ultimate Luck, or were you brought here to face the Ultimate Despair?" We glanced between Kyoko and Makoto. "Rather, we should refer to you as the Ultimate Hope, wouldn't you agree?"

"What?" Junko blurted. "What the hell is going on!?"

"We've decided to not give up, Junko," Makoto said. "We refuse to fall into despair!"

"We just have to pull the lever?" Hiro asked, at the ready.

"Let's put an end to this. It's time to end this killing game," Kyoko pulled her lever down. We each followed suit, one handle clicked after another.