Chapter Text
06/05 - 06:50
While he doesn't remember the evening before, as he wakes up he still somehow remembers that he dreamed again. He dreams of gunfire, and blood, and Junkos hands. The sharp feeling of her nails tugging at his skin. The burning feeling of a bomb going off just a little too close to him for comfort.
He dreams of Peko and Fuyuhiko stood amongst the carnage, swords still dripping and clothes stained with ash, blood, and god knows what else. Of Sonia and Mahiru stood above a crowd as chaos and riots broke out below. Both of them in beautiful pristine dresses, freshly ironed and laundered with their hair styled to perfection. And he dreams of Kazuichi still stained with oil, but his face twisted and contorted as he looked upon his monstrosities.
But even when he opens his eyes the nightmare doesn’t end. His head throbs, and aches, and he’s pretty sure he can smell vomit coming from somewhere but he doesn’t think he wants to know where. At least not quite yet.
Instead he half crawls and half drags himself up off the couch, trying his best to steady himself with one hand on the arm rest. Motion sickness wasn’t something Hopes Peak thought he needed so the feeling has always been somewhat foreign but apparently not any more. Every slight movement of his body makes his head burn like it’s being split open yet again and his stomach sways and churns dangerously.
Whoever’s idea it was to drink needs to die right now. Murder might be frowned upon but he couldn’t care less.
Doing his best to maintain his flimsy sense of balance he creeps across the room towards the kitchen sink, searching for any kind of liquid that isn’t going to make him want to pitch himself off a cliff.
As he shuffles by, he gets a better look at his friends who are sprawled across the room. Fuyuhiko is still curled up on the couch he’d been on the night before. Someone must have gone to their room to fetch a blanket at some point because the boy is wrapped up in the fabric. Arms and legs sticking out at odd angles. He must have been too out of it properly prepare for bed as his eye patch has been knocked askew revealing the slightly gray tinted skin that surrounds Junko’s eye.
Akane had been banished from the couch some time after Fuyuhiko passed out and she’s now laid on the floor next to sofa, her hair wild and knotted but a smile still ghosting her lips. A single empty bottle of wine is still clutched in her grip as she snores loudly.
Even in spite of the copious amounts of wine she had drunk, Sonia is still somehow lying perfectly on a couch at the side of the room. She doesn’t have a blanket but her arms are neatly resting on her stomach. Gently clasping one another as if she was trying to cosplay sleeping beauty. In the back of his mind he vaguely remembers holding her hair back as she threw up into a toilet at some point, but just looking at the way her hair fans around her now it seems hard to believe.
To her side, on one of the small armchairs, is Kazuichi. He’s splayed across the armchair, his arms and legs thrown haphazardly across the place. His hair has somehow been knocked over his face, strands stretching over his face and drooping into his mouth.
Apparently at some point they decided to look through all of their old Hopes Peak files, as the contents are still scattered around the room for everyone to see. Corrections have been scrawled all over each one in red pen, not to mention the ‘artistic’ doodles of shit he assumes Akane added to every page. Just the thought of the look on Togami's face when he sees this is enough to make him grin. Years worth of one of a kind documentation straight from Hopes Peak, defiled in a single night by a gaggle of drunk young adults.
When he finally makes it over to the kitchen he sees glasses and bottles strewn everywhere. With the entire sink filled with dirty glasses - and a few charcoal covered pans that contain god knows what - he can barely even fit a glass under the tap to get water. Even so he gives it his best shot and chugs the water like his life depends on it. And then he downs another, and another, and another, until he physically can’t bring himself to take another sip.
As usual he has no idea what time it’s supposed to be right now. His gut instinct is that it’s early morning but with this amount of alcohol pumping through him he doesn’t think he would trust anything his gut is telling him right now.
Sighing to himself he drags himself away from the sink and goes into each of the dorms in search of blankets and pillows. He gathers as many in his hands as he physically can and drags them out to throw them over each of his sleeping friends. The only exception being Fuyuhiko who is already wrapped up in what appear to be Hajime’s blanket based on the bare bed he found when he stepped into his room.
Doing his best not to wake them he slips a pillow under each of their heads before stepping back to admire his handy work. Sure, they still look a million miles away from comfortable but at least it’s somewhat better than before. At least, that’s what he tells himself.
As he finished tucking Sonia in, his foot hits the corner of a file he hadn’t noticed earlier. Curiosity blazing he bends down as best he can - trying to avoid throwing up all over the room - and gently lifts the file. Flicking it open as quietly as he can.
Just like all the others it’s been lovingly annotated with red pen and the aforementioned poop drawings, but instead of being one of their folders the name inside reads: ‘Mikan Tsumiki’. Judging by the swirly cursive writing Sonia must have been annotating this one, small comments about things Hopes Peak missed out or got wrong. It's not just hers either. Looking closer he notices there’s others. Amongst the files for himself and the others are the ones for the rest of them that are still resting in the other room.
Being led on by nothing but instincts he trails around the room, slowly gathering each one. One by one they stack up in his arms until there are too many even for him. He sets each one on the kitchen table until there are sixteen piled up. Sixteen...they must have fished out Chiaki's from the bin when they grabbed his.
After making sure everyone is still asleep he flips the page and begins studying each and every page of Mikan’s file. And then Nekomaru’s. And then Teruteru’s. Each comment is short - normally more words than sentences - and yet they somehow a single one contains more information than the countless number of one he had read before this.
Nekomaru always sleeps with the window open so he can always smell and feel the fresh air. Where the file had once read: Teruteru insists on not utilising boarding facilities, it now reads: he refuses to leave when she needs him. A large chunk of Peko’s file that once listed all the things she needs to improve upon is now covered up with a list of all her favourite things in the world (number one being Fuyuhiko which based on the handwriting, he thinks Akane snuck in without the boys approval). Beside a section of Hiyoko’s file which lists all her graded live performances that year are small comments from his classmates where they described how each and every dance looked.
As he reads he can’t help but imagine how different things would have been if he hadn’t added Junko’s AI to the program. Would he have gotten to be a part of a school life just like this one with them all? Of course the old versions of them are gone - even if all of the surviving members did undo what Junko made them, they can never really be those people again. But inside the Neo World Program, even if only for a little while, they had been those people once again.
The concept of Sonia wanting to find a way to wake everyone up had seemed foolish before. A far flung dream that would only hurt them. But after everything, can he blame her. He was literally made to push the bounds of human ability. In the Neo World Program they had been lead to believe that waking up as they did would mean they could never find their way back to the people they used to be. And yet here they are.
So maybe….maybe…
There’s only one place he can go.
He doesn’t waste any time, he doesn’t even bother closing the door files around him he just sprints out of the communal area and across the hallway. It’s barely even 10 steps away and yet somehow every step feels like it lasts a life time. Every cog in his brain is turning. Thinking. Churning.
There has to be someway. Somehow. There just has to be. As Hajime he must have chosen to go through with Hope’s Peaks damn plan for a reason. They might have been useless pieces of shit but they gave him this one thing and for once he is going to make that mean something. For once Hope’s Peak needs to not let him down.
There’s no one in the room as he enters but that doesn’t stop him. He’s seen Kirigiri start this thing so many times now that he doesn’t even need to think twice before he dashes over to the terminal. It feels strange being on the other side of it for once. A million lines of codes and commands rush across the screen, overloading it with flashes of black and green. And yet, just like with everything else, it just clicks in his mind. Just like when he made the Junko AI, every line fits perfectly inside his head. Jigsaw pieces working together to build up the image in his mind.
Within seconds he’s located the right button. He has no idea if you can preemptively begin the program before you put on the headpiece but he supposes there’s only one way to find out. What’s the worst that can happen?
As pulls himself back into his bloodstained pod and holds the headpiece over him, a million worst case scenarios play inside his head. His mind getting erased. Him accidentally beginning the program for real. His mind breaking once more. The bleeding… But the longer he waits the worse the tension will be. Gritting his teeth as hard as he possibly can, he pulls the headpiece over him and immediately is swallowed into the darkness.
It turns out being dragged into a virtual reality isn’t a great cure for a hangover. Breaking news. He had no idea what would happen if he threw up in the program but he certainly didn’t want to be the one to find out. Here he was thinking the program is supposed to separate your mind from your body but the unending hangover still clings to him like a leech.
By now he’s done this so many times that the strange moment between when he enters the world and when he steps onto the island usually feels entirely familiar. However, this time that short moment when he is floating in the void before anything else has loaded in, sends a shiver down his spine. Sending his stomach spinning. It only lasts for the briefest moment, and yet he can feel every single millisecond drawn out for what feels like eternity.
He so focused on keeping his stomach settled that he barely notices Alter Ego popping up beside him, its gentle hand resting on Hajime's back.
“Are you okay? I was so worried you were still sick!” Alter Ego’s words fly out of its mouth with an unprecedented speed, like bullets firing from a machine gun.
“I’m doing peachy.” He gives a weak thumbs up and he doubles over, his hands on his knees.
“What happened?!”
Now he has to explain to the AI that he got black out drunk the night before. Of course the AI is going to judge him…
“I just - have a bit of a stomach bug. Nothing major, my own fault really. It’ll be fine by the end of the day.” He mutters, keeping his expression as flat as possible. Given he’s in the system itself he has no idea if its even possible to lie to Alter Ego but he’s certainly going to give it his best shot.
After a few minutes his stomach slowly begins to settle and the throbbing headache he had grown a little too accustomed to vanishes entirely. You know what, he might just have to stay in here for the rest of the day.
Once he’s finally regained the energy to stand upright without wanting to die Alter Ego tentatively approaches him, “Ummm, I noticed your hair has changed…” It gestures up and down dramatically as if Hajime had grown a second head or a third eye.
“Ah, so it has.”
He hadn’t even noticed the difference. Reaching up he can feel the same shirt spikey texture. Every strand perfectly mirrors the very cuts Akane had made. Down to the last strand.
Now he thinks about it, if his avatar had been uploaded as Hajime how had he appeared as Izuru in the first place? Shouldn't his hair have always appeared this way?
“How come it changed here?”
“Since the program isn’t actually running whenever you enter the program it creates an avatar from your most recent memories.” It makes sense he supposes. Where else would it get his avatar from besides his own head?
“Ummm…Kyoko mentioned what happened after you left last time.” Alter Ego mumbles cautiously, its hands knotting together in front of him, “She mentioned you weren’t doing to good but that it might be related to the memories.”
“Yeah, I think I got my memories back from the time I spent here.” He readjusts his posture, standing up a little straighter.
At this point there’s no point in trying to hide it. If he wants to get Alter Ego’s help then maybe it would actually help. Besides, this is the whole reason Alter Ego, Kirigiri, and the others are here in the first place. Who would have thought they would have been this successful?
“Really?! That’s amazing.” Alter Ego claps, beaming the entire time, “What do you need this time then if your memories are all fixed?”
“I just need to know…” The words catch in his throat as he tries to find the right way to ask them.
What can he possibly say without sounding sounding completely naive?
“…I just want to ask if there’s a way you can work with me to upload the memories saved here into their bodies.” He hardens his gaze, refusing to break eye contact with Alter Ego.
“If I could just upload them then I would have already -”
“I know, I know.” It’s not like he thought it would be an easy process but still… “What about if I helped alter the pods to jolt their bodies with an electric shock at the same moment as you try to push their memories through. If I could shut down their bodies for a moment and bring them back at the same time as their memories come through maybe it would be enough to shock their body into accepting the memories.” The slightest tinge of hope marrs his voice as he speaks.
It is a bit of an archaic idea but maybe it’s just enough to work. Turning things off and on again is statistically the most common solution to most issues. The human body has a surprising way of bouncing back after all.
“The problem is the level of trauma they’ve all been through. Their minds and memories might have been saved but that was only after they died. The amount of stress and trauma means it will be difficult to make their minds actually connect to their bodies - their brains truly believe they died. They would have to be somewhat stable for that to work in the slightest.” Alter Ego lowers its head and chews on it bottom lip as if this is somehow bad news. The only thing he hears is that it could work. If they were just able to stabilise their minds then theres a way for this to work. There’s a way for the others to come back.
“But if we could make them stable?”
He can feel his heart thundering in his chest and his arms and legs tingling to the tips of his fingers as if running on nothing but adrenaline. Alter Ego hasn’t even replied and he’s already letting his mind speed ahead. Every possibility is crashing through his mind, no idea too stupid or small to consider.
But instead of answering Alter Ego narrows his eyes, “Why, do you have an idea?”
Like a light bulb has gone off in his head he pauses, grinning to himself.
“I think I might…”
~~~
06/05 - 10:12
“I have a plan.”
Everyone is gathered in front of him at the dining table, heads hung low as they nurse glasses of water. They’re still in the same clothes from last night, hair rumpled and clothes creased awkwardly. The only person that looks mildly put together is Sonia but even her eyes are bloodshot as she cradles her head gently.
Juxtaposed to her is Akane who has completely given up, her head laid on the table. Hair is splayed in front of her mouth and it floats up gently with each of her breaths. It's a miracle it can even move that much when it's knotted and matted together.
When he woke them up and dragged them off the couches he offered no explanation - after all it was easier to explain all at once - but their glares now make him regret it.
“This better be fucking good.” Fuyuhiko glares at him before digging the heel of his palm into his eye. With his other hand he lets his fingers curl into his hair tightly, as if trying to yank it out.
“Let him speak.” While still keeping one hand against her temple, Sonia manages to hold out an arm in front of the others. It looks more like she’s trying to hold back a rabble instead of a groggy crowd of young adults.
He rests his hands on the table in front of him so he can lean forward towards them. “This is going to sound crazy, but I think I can wake up the others.”
Adrenaline is still coursing through his body at a rapid pace. He wants to scream it out. He wants to shout and cheer and let the whole world know. The others on the other hand…
“Sure you can.” Fuyuhiko shakes his head slowly, letting his hands hit the table loudly. At least the hangover has seeming burned away in the rage.
A sea of unimpressed faces. No, not unimpressed - they’re distrusting. Hopeless. After everything he doesn’t blame them. He only knew them for a few weeks in the Neo World whereas the others were all close for years. He already saw how they reacted when Sonia suggested it just a few days ago so he shouldn't be surprises but…
“Iz-Hajime, they’re brain dead…the others already explained that they’re effectively dead.” Kazuichi lowers his voice to a whisper. Tentatively explaining as if its some forbidden secret.
“Yeah, you heard ‘em. We can’t just wake ‘em up.” Even Akane uses the big sister voice on him. Much to his surprise she seems to actually be following the conversation somewhat.
If circumstances were different he would find their lack of faith offensive. His talents stand for nothing…huh? It doesn’t stand for anything to them all at least.
“What do you mean, Hajime?”
Her arm is still spread out, a shield against her three compatriots, but her other hand has dropped to her side now. Unlike the others, her face is steely. Determined. For the first time in days, she looks like the queen she is. The queen she never was.
“I know what the others said but they’re not the experts. They might be brain dead for now but all their data is still in the computer. Usami did the only thing she could and saved everyone’s data right before they died so it’s all there and waiting. I just need to jump start their minds and bodies as the system uploads the memories.” He maintains eye contact with them. Pleading that his confidence will seep through into them.
While Sonia immediately breaks into a brilliant childish grin, the others look between themselves. They’re all ringing their hands and biting their lips. Both straining to believe and holding themselves back from the edge.
“How do you know it will work?” Kazuichi's voice hitches ever so slightly. His eyes are swimming with every emotion he’s been holding back. Tittering right on the edge.
“I am the expert. The others just used the research of ultimate programmer and neurologist but I actually have their talents. I’m certain it will work.” He turn to them each, trying to hammer the point in, “Even if it doesn’t, what's the harm in trying.”
“I -” Kazuichi looks down. Every inch of himself tensed until he seems half the size.
It only looks worse when juxtaposed to Sonia beside him, “They might really wake up…” Despite the sharp angles of her face now, she looks soft and round. Colour and life has flooded back in almost instantaneously.
At least Fuyuhiko seems to be more closely aligned with Kazuichi's reaction. His expression growing steelier still. His normally rounded cheeks sharper. Tougher. If looks could kill…
“We've been told they can be brought back before. How do we know this time is any different.”
Fuyuhiko… some inexplicable part of him wants to reach forward and rest a hand on the smaller boy’s shoulder but he doesn’t. Not now. Not after everything. That isn’t what he needs right now.
“I know you’ve been burnt before but I’m not Junko. She’s proven time and time again that she’s ultimately useless. I’d have no reason to drag her life out any longer.”
“That could be a lie.” Fuyuhiko simply glares.
Hajime’s memories overwhelm him from all sides. He sees the boy who giggled like a school girl. The boy who bled for his friends and redemption multiple times. The boy with the eye patch. The lonely anxious child. The same boy who handed him a shard of their glass.
Despite everything, when he looks now, that boy from those distant memories is still sat here. Under the bags, and scars, and angles, those chubby rosy cheeks are still there. Those same cheeks that remind him so much of someone else.
“Then you’re just going to have to trust me Fuyuhiko. I was never under Junko’s influence like you were. She doesn’t have her claws dug in my psyche in any way.”
But Fuyuhiko’s expression doesn’t give an inch. Has he even blinked? Their gazes have never broken but he’s acutely aware of the other three still crowded around him. Fuyuhiko can’t be unaware either.
“Akane.” He doesn't move his head but he calls out nonetheless, “What was it you said at the very end?” He asks somewhat uncertainly. Honestly, he still has no idea if she even does remember - it could just be him and Sonia that do, but he risks the question anyway.
Something changes in Fuyuhiko’s eyes at that moment. They twitch ever so slightly. It's barely noticeable but he doesn’t miss it.
“What're you talkin’ about?” Akane finally drags her head up off the table, craning her neck back as far as she can to meet his gaze.
“Right before the Neo World Program shut down and we all returned to reality you told me something. I don’t know if you rem-”
“I said I’d beat the shit out of you if you started talkin’ crazy.” She shoots upright and puffs her chest out at the declaration. Arms fly to her hips and she gives him a shining smirk.
Still nothing. The darker more impatient part of his mind asks why he’s even trying to reason with Fuyuhiko here. In reality, it’s not even a question. No matter how he feels about the world, those memories from the Neo World program, he can’t be the one to make this choice. A few weeks in the Neo World Program is nothing compared to everything they went through in school - not to mention all the years Fuyuhiko and Peko spent together. If he wants to do this then he has to do it with everyone’s approval.
“Do you trust me Fuyuhiko?”
Silence.
Fuyuhiko's soft green eye still doesn’t drift. Hajime gets the distinct impression the boy is trying to read him. Slowly and methodically deciphering every line. He wants to believe there’s still some hope in Fuyuhiko somewhere. Some part of his mind where he can never truly let Peko go. He can still see the last moments Fuyuhiko and Peko shared together in his mind. After listening to how Sonia explained love he struggles to believe Fuyuhiko could ever walk away from this.
Sure enough, the smaller boy takes a huge gulp of his water before smashing it back down onto the table with as much force as he can. Him, Akane, Sonia, and Kazuichi all sit there, frozen and silent waiting for Fuyuhiko to finally speak. Hanging off his every word.
“What do we have to do then?” Fuyuhiko growls but that doesn’t stop them all from smiling.
Hajime wipes the smile off his face and curls his hands into fist, pressing even harder into the table. Now isn’t the time to celebrate - now is the time to get to work.
Everyone, even Akane, listens with rapt attention as he begins going through all the steps they’re going to need to take to make this work. As he’s explaining Sonia grabs a nearby pencil and sheet of paper, writing out a neat to-do list.
1. Modify the pods
2. Create an AI to assist Alter Ego in stabilising each of them
3. Finding a way to coordinate with Alter Ego from outside the program
4. Stopping and then restarting each of their classmates hearts in turn
It looks so short when they have it written out like this. Just four nice little steps. All so simple. And yet…
“Okay, how the fuck are we going to do any of this?” Fuyuhiko crosses his arms tightly.
“Well Kazuichi can modify the pods and I can build the AI,” The ‘I’ve done it before’ goes unsaid, “but we need someone to deal with coordination and we need people to help actually carry out the process when we do it.”
“Ah, is that all?” Fuyuhiko scoffs with false bravado but its not fooling anyone in the room. No matter how hard he tries to hide it, they can still make out the rapid pace of his chest rising and falling. Sure, he could pretend his pallid skin is from the hangover but it most certainly wasn’t there a few minutes ago.
“That’s all.” He says it as casually as he can because he’s fully aware of how insane this all sounds.
For all he knows the second they attempt this it will go horribly wrong and they’ll never be able to fix it. The calculations and logic should settle his dancing stomach but they are doing very little to help. At a certain point he just has to rely on hope. He chuffs to himself - oh if Junko could see them now.
“I must say that I do not quite understand how this will all work but it is more than we have had so far.” Sonia gives them all an encouraging nod. Her hand is still subconsciously moving up and down the list, as if trying to print every word onto her skin.
“Me neither. You and Kazuichi just gotta tell me whatcha need me ta do.” Akane folds her arms and leans back in her chair.
Realistically he isn’t sure what Akane can do - especially now when she can’t even lift heavy things for them. Regardless he gives her a firm nod. Surely they’ll be able to find something.
“I don’t know how much I can really do but I’ll do my best.” He can see Kazuichi’s smile wobble with every word. As he speaks he twists a single lock of hair tightly around his finger, subtly pulling on it. It must be pulled incredibly tightly as the skin around the lock has turned harsh white.
“You’re the ultimate mechanic, I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.” They aren’t his most convincing words but for now they will have to do. Knowing Kazuichi the only way he’ll be truly convinced is when he begins pulling it apart himself and gets lost in the moment. Hajime’s job is just to bring him to the machines to get started.
All of them - even Fuyuhiko - happily sit there, divvying up the roles between them as they decide what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. Sonia agrees to coordinate with Alter Ego since, after him and Kazuichi, she is probably the best with computers. It turns out the Novoselic royal curriculum covers almost everything under the sun. Before they’ve even set off to start working she’s already started coming up with a laundry list of ideas in her little notebook.
Although Hajime offers to be the one dealing with killing and reviving their classmates - how could he ask anyone else to push the button - Akane steps forward, volunteering herself. Should he have shut her down? Maybe. But instead he notes her name down beside his own. He could refuse but it is probably better for two of them to do it so he keeps his mouth shut. They’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.
Without much else to do, Fuyuhiko agrees to work as an assistant for Kazuichi. It might be grunt work but he doesn’t seem all that bothered by the thought. Grunt work is still work after all.
“So when are we supposed to start?” Sonia asks as she gently tucks her pen behind her ear. Pinning her hair back with it haphazardly so strands stick awkwardly out place.
“The sooner the better, right?” Kazuichi clears his throat, straightening up clenching his jaw tightly.
Given how long they have already been ‘dead’ it probably is best they sort it out as soon as possible. If they’re already unstable when they die then how bad would it get after a few days or weeks? But is it really fair for him to put all this pressure on everyone? He’s already been pushing some of them into this. What if the added pressure only makes them work less effectively?
No, if they’re going to do this and be successful then he needs to be honest. There will be time to worry about these guys when they’ve sorted out their sleeping classmates.
“Yes. The longer they’re in that state, the harder it will become.”
Sonia tentatively raises her hand like they actually are in a classroom, “I know we probably do not want to be thinking about this but: who should we be waking first?”
Sucking in a deep breath, he looks around the table. His eyes catch on Fuyuhiko who is biting his lip, head turned to one side to study the inside of his now empty glass. It must be taking everything he has to stay quiet. Peko. Gundham. Nekomaru. Mahiru. Ibuki. The names flash through his mind relentlessly. But no matter what anyone wants he can’t pick and choose, there is only one logical and fair choice.
“We should wake up Bya - I mean, the Ultimate Imposter first.” He answers firmly, leaving no room for argument.
He half expects someone to speak up and try to change his mind but instead they all nod. Not one of them even shows the slightest hint of resentment. Of course they wouldn’t, they were their friend too. No matter who they wake up, its still going to be one of their friends.
“That makes sense. They were the first one to die right? That means them and Teruteru have been in that state for the longest so they need to be brought back the fastest.” Kazuichi mumbles, leaning back in his chair until the front two legs are lifted off the ground and he is resting all his weight on the back two.
“Well, if that’s sorted I’m goin’ ta bed. I’m gonna need energy for the upcomin’ battle. Come get me when ya ready..” Akane yawns softly, stretching her arms up. As she slides out from her chair she offers them a toothy grin and begins hobbling back to her room, walker once again in hand.
Almost as if she’s running after the gymnast, Sonia jumps up from her chair and runs across the kitchen to grab an apple from a fruit bowl on the counter, “Before you head to bed take one of these. As you said, we need you at full power for the next few days and perish the thought we eat them all before you had a chance to have one.”
Although she frames it as an offer she doesn’t give Akane any chances to refuse. Before she can even get a word out Sonia has thrown the apple across the room. Fortunately either luck or reflexes kick in just in time to save Akane from getting pelted right in the middle of her face.
“M‘kay, thanks.” Akane tilts her head slowly but keeps a tight hold of the apple anyway. It’s progress…progress…
Although they all go back to finalising ideas as Akane shuffles away, each and every one of them refuse to turn away until the door has sealed behind her.
Without having her directly in his line of sight he can feel his stomach drop slightly but he does his best to pull himself together. Her wanting to go to sleep and taking the apple are good signs - she needs to be looking after herself and she had been exhausted yesterday even before the drinking began.
Rubbing his face, Kazuichi is the next one to get up. He stretches wide and runs his hands through his hair one last time before speaking, “Well, if time is important then I’ll grab my stuff now. I can start seeing what I can do.” Walking around the table he grabs onto the back of Fuyuhiko’s shirt and drags him up, “You can help me bring stuff.”
“Fine, fine. You don’t need to drag me along fuck-face.” Fuyuhiko slaps Kazuichi’s hands away and straightens his collar but follows Kazuichi along anyway.
With all the others gone, Sonia and Hajime gather up the papers and stock up on some snacks. The kitchen is barely even a stones throw away but there’s no harm in coming prepared with food - especially when they’re all still nursing churning stomachs. Sonia helps stack his arms up with any food that doesn’t need to be prepared and they make the short trek across the hall.
As they wait for Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi to reappear they drag an extra chair over to the desk, setting up their work station with snacks coating the desk completely. Okay, maybe it was a little much but knowing Sonia and Kazuichi’s work ethic when they get in the zone he wouldn’t be surprised if the inside of this room soon becomes very familiar.
Once the snacks have been ‘appropriately’ laid out, they finally take their seats behind the computer, once again staring into the bright flashing lines of code currently being monitored on the screen.
Sonia is resting her head in her hands, leaning over the keyboard quietly. Every ounce of energy drained out of her at once.
“Are you okay Sonia?” He tentatively taps her back in what he hopes is a soothing way, “You don’t need to be here right now. You can take a nap and I’ll get you when you can start working.”
“No, it is fine. I just forgot how painful computers can be on the eyes. My headache does not appreciate it very much.” She tries to wave it off casually but unfortunately he knows her too well by now.
But before he can drag her away from the desk, a figure comes running past, almost missing the doorway and slamming into the frame. Sonia jumps, almost knocking the chair backwards as she guards against their newest intruder. However, in less than a second both her and Hajime relax. Raising their eyebrows as none other than Naegi himself stumbles into the room. He bends over, resting his hands on his knees, as he pants loudly.
“Ah, you’re here. I was just coming to speak to you.” He just about manages to say the words between heavy breaths. Even from across the room Hajime can see the thin layer or sweat that’s coating his exposed skin.
He shares a tense look with Sonia, both of them stiffening uncomfortably at Naegi’s appearance. Sure, he might not be the biggest fan of the guy and he normally wouldn’t care that much about him being around, but this time its different. If this somehow manages to be good news then he’ll eat his own shirt. Naegi isn’t exactly the type to go racing around the facility for no reason.
“What is wrong? Are the future foundation on their way?” Sonia clings to the edge of the desk, her knuckles turning white as she squeezes the life out of it. He wishes he could write it off as nothing but her over analysing, but…
“Not quite but it's related to that. Where are the others? I need to speak to everyone.” Naegi barely even looks at them, instead searching the room as if Akane, Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi are just hiding under the furniture waiting to jump out at him.
“Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko will be here soon. Akane is resting in bed and it’s probably not a good idea to wake her up again.”
“That’s okay. You can explain the situation later when she’s awake.” Naegi nods and that seems to be enough to settle his breathing ever so slightly.
However, even as they wait patiently for the others to finish whatever they are doing in Kazuichi’s room (I mean, how long does it take to grab some tools and materials?), Naegi refuses to sit down or rest. Instead he paces back and forth slowly. Even though before her head had been dropping, now Sonia is sat up fully alert, carefully observing every single step Naegi takes. Between the two of them it's an absolute relief when Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko finally decide to grace them with their presence once more.
Both of them are carrying large cardboard boxes which jingle and rattle with every step. Have they just settled on bringing every single scrap of metal from the rooms? He must say, the wait wasn’t worth it.
“Hey guys, I wasn’t sure what -” Kazuichi saunters in until he finally catches sight of Naegi pacing awkwardly. At once he stops in his tracks, staring as if he had stumbled upon a dead body, “Ummmm…Naegi?”
“What the fuck are you doing here?! Did something happen?” Fuyuhiko slams the box down, scowling at Naegi as if whatever is going on is somehow his fault specifically.
Both of them slowly creep towards him and Sonia by sticking to the wall, putting as much space between them and Naegi as is physically possible. If you accidentally stumbled upon the room you wouldn’t be crazy to assume Naegi was infected with some deadly contagious disease.
“He has not told us yet.” Sonia mutters as Kazuichi and Fuyuhiko join them in their secluded corner of the room.
They must look an absolute state right now, huddled together like children with bloodshot eyes, day old clothes and haggard faces. A far cry from the formidable faces they’d been just a few weeks ago.
“I’m sorry, I just wanted everyone to be here for the conversation.”
Patience rapidly running out, Hajime spits out the question they’ve all been demanding the answer to, “What happened?”
Before Naegi can even answer his mind has already run through a million ideas. Maybe it’s not what they’re all expecting, perhaps something is going on out in the wider world. Who knows maybe they’ve just been cut off from their supply of spices. Why does it have to be bad news? It’s a stupid question of course but just for a few seconds he’s allowed to indulge in those thoughts.
Of course, it could never be that easy though.
“The future foundation has made it’s move. They’ve called for a trial -” Naegi can’t finish his sentence before Fuyuhiko steps forwards, forming a wall between them and Naegi. He has no idea what Fuyuhiko thinks he’s going to accomplish but he can’t exactly blame him.
“Well we’re not fucking going! They’re just going to find us guilty and kill us.” Fuyuhiko shouts over Naegi, spitting the words across the room at the younger boy.
He wants to disagree but they already know exactly how the organisation functions. They’ve been out for blood for years now, they won’t pull back at the last second. Blood is in the water and the sharks are circling. ‘Fair trial’ isn’t exactly in their repitoire. Besides, even if it was a fair trial would thar change anything? They really did do all those things that they're being accused of.
However, much to his surprise, Naegi shakes his head and waves his hands frantically, “No, no! Not for you guys. They’ve demanded I stand trial for going against the organisations orders.”
“You? Wh…I don’t…but that makes no sense.” Kazuichi splutters, blinking rapidly.
No sense? Not quite. While he never actually infiltrated the organisation himself he didn’t need to to know personal loyalty isn’t one of their mottos.
“No, it does. They’ve never really liked me and this is their chance to try and deal with me. It makes sense.” Naegi mumbles, scratching the back of his neck as if he had merely been called into the head masters office. He does realise what the stakes are if they actually do choose to arrest him, right? It’s not like he has had the highest opinion of the ‘ultimate hopes’ intelligence but this would be a whole new low. Hope and trust is one thing, but at what point does it become outright naevity? Even that word is too generous.
Hajime slowly gets up off his chair, gently pushing Fuyuhiko to one side so he can properly address Naegi, “Well what are you going to do? You’re not going to let them arrest you or kill you.” He folds his arms tightly, doing his best to supress a scowl.
If it was just Naegi’s life and well being on the line then that would be one thing - after all, you can’t control what someone wants to do with their own life - but all of them rely on him too. They might not admit it but he’s almost certain that Naegi’s classmates rely on him just as much. Surely it is far dumber to just lay down on the wire and take what is dished out.
“I’m not too sure yet. I’m not just going to let them arrest me for no reason but I haven’t figured out the best plan yet. I am - no, we are - going to leave now though. The longer we stay here and ignore them, the bigger the chance that they’re going to get impatient and storm this place themselves. If we leave and enter discussions then we can probably stall them for a few days or weeks, depending on how lucky we are.”
He wants to disagree. He wants to tell Naegi this is all absolutely stupid but how can he? Short of actually taking down the organisation - he has a sneaking suspicion that’s not an option for these guys - there isn’t much more that can be done. Nothing that will please both parties at least. So they’re all just going to have to sit here and pray that the foundation isn’t feeling particularly blood thirsty at the moment. That sounds…safe…
“But they will still eventually come for us.” Kazuichi finishes the thought succinctly. It’s not exactly new information, they knew this from day one, but having it finally placed on a timeline feels somewhat different. He can finally see the guillotine hanging over each of their necks.
“Yes. If they’ve issued this arrest warrant then its clear they’re getting impatient. Sooner or later they will be coming for you guys. I can delay them but not stop them.”
“Of course…” He doesn’t even need to be looking at Fuyuhiko to be able to hear the eye roll.
“Look, we all caught snippets of what you guys are planning. You deserve a chance to get to save your classmates. If I -” For the first time since that first killing game Hajime gets a glimpse behind the smiling mask of hope. Regret and grief and even maybe a little bit of despair clings to him like a ghost. Wrapping itself around him tightly. Even the ‘ultimate hope’ is not completely immune it seems.
But within a second it has been brushed away. Once more the firm and smiling has been pulled back on. The shadows and darkness are chased away. No, not quite…they still lie there, patiently waiting beneath the surface.
“We will do everything in our power to draw their attention away for as long as possible but the sooner you can get it done the better.” Naegi keeps his smile strong the entire time. Pure hope personified once again. It’s surprisingly sickening.
For as long as possible. They’d have to be insanely lucky to even be able to get a few days out of this insane gambit. He finds himself bringing up the image of Nagito. They could really do with some of his messed up luck right now, he mutters to himself. According to Hopes Peak he should have been given the very same talent as the boy but it certainly hasn’t felt that way. Maybe just this once though… They deserve it this one time.
Examining the faces of his friends around him, he’s not greeted by the same kind of desperate hope though. The desperation maybe but nothing else. Fear running hot through each and every one of them. Any kind of positivity they were feeling just a few minutes ago as they came in here has been promptly washed away.
“How the hell are we supposed to know if something goes wrong though?!” Fuyuhiko growls, his already sickly pale skin only getting lighter and lighter. Even his usually bright flushed cheeks have been successfully drained, leaving nothing but grey and white behind.
“We have arranged for the doctors who were working with us before to return. If anything happens or if they arrest me then Kyoko has ways of secretly contacting those doctors. They will let you know if you need to leave this place but unless you hear anything it is probably safer to stay here.”
He can feel his heart beat steadily growing faster and faster but he resolves himself. Softly evening out his breathing as much as possible. Just like before they’re just going to be sitting here. There’s nothing they can do. Their entires lives and futures sitting in the palm of Naegi and the others. It’s not like he felt free here but at least for a little while he could pretend they had some say in what happened. It was just a pipe dream though.
Ripples of discontent and terror move through the room like a plague. It’s not just Fuyuhiko, Kazuichi’s leg bounces loudly as he hisses at Naegi, “And just wait like sitting ducks?”
“They have eyes everywhere. It’s better to be here where we can hide you rather than out there where you could accidentally stumble into their hands.” He doesn’t miss the way Naegi’s voice slows and lowers, as if he was pleading with toddlers rather than fully developed adults. But before Hajime can get too angry, Naegi throws something small and white at him without any warning, “Take this, it will give you access to the rest of the building in case you need to leave or find any other supplies.”
He turns the small card over in his hand as delicately as he can manage as if a single wrong touch will suddenly cause it to explode. Of course, it’s not like they even really need it - not when they have tools - but the gesture sends a shot of warmth through him anyway. They all know its more symbolic than anything else.
“Thank you...” Sonia mumbles weakly. The words are so soft that he’s not even sure if Naegi can hear them.
“I know we have put you on a time crunch here but I am certain you’ll be able to help your friends. Don’t lose hope because of this, we’re all fighting for you even if it doesn’t always seem like it.” Naegi stands tall but Hajime doesn’t miss the way he glances over at each of the pods in turn.
He wants to not believe the boy but he simply can’t sense any dishonestly. He’s almost too pure. When he’d first woken up he hadn’t quite understood how this boy had taken down Junko but he gets it now.
“I doubt this will mean much to you of all people, but I believe in you too. If anyone can make them see sense it is probably you.” Hajime thinks back on the everything that happened in that first killing game. The way Naegi had managed to wrangle everyone - even Togami and Fukawa - under one banner. At this point it would probably be dumber for him not to put some faith in the guy. At least a little.
“Ka - Hinata…”
He quickly raises a hand cutting Naegi off, “It’s not a compliment. It’s an observation. Look at everything you’ve already done. I doubt the future foundation can be reasoned with but if anyone could it would probably be you.”
“Thank you. It seems we’ll both need all the luck we can get.”
It’s only then that Hajime remembers he too had once been known as the ultimate lucky student just like Nagito and supposedly himself. By now he doesn’t underestimate the power of luck, let’s just hope that Hope’s Peak was right giving him that title.
None of them say anything more as Naegi vanishes, probably slipping away down the sealed stairway. In fact they don’t even speak after the sounds of his footsteps have long since faded away. Instead they all tense and dive straight into their work. No one is sleeping tonight.