Torment and Lies (New Danganronpa V3 x OC)

[32] Epilogue

"Are you okay...?"

"...Yeah, somehow."

"..."

The shelters cover was pushed off, and the three remaining students emerged into the now completely destroyed academy, reduced to nothing but rubble.

"We... survived..." Maki trailed off.

"So Aki-san was telling the truth... The outside world and Kiibo-kun wanted us to survive." Shuichi said.

"But why?" Maki inquired. "Why would the outside world want that?"

"I supposed... the outside world wanted this lie to become the truth." Shuichi looked at the ground with hesitance. 

"Saihara?"

"...Was this really all worth it? 14 people... We started with 17 people, now we're down to three..." Shuichi clenched his fist. 

Maki's eyes drifted to the ground. "We won...but the price for winning..."

"It's too great. How can we consider this a victory when so many people have died?" Shuichi's eyes grew warm. "We were all supposed to escape together but..."

"Stop it!" Shuichi and Maki froze. They turned to Himiko, who had tears streaming down her face, yet looked absolutely infuriated.

"Y-Yumeno-san...?"

"Y-You... You two need to stop your whining!" Himiko yelled through her tears, tightly clutching the blue badge. "It wasn't worth it...? What are you talking about!? Of course it was worth it!"

Maki blinked. "It... was?"

"Yes, yes it was! Ichika and Kiibo... they both kept us alive because they wanted us to be alive! They sacrificed themselves for us! If it wasn't for Ichika... I wouldn't be alive right now... I don't think any of us would be... If only I moved out of the way, then she'd still be here..."

"Even if Aki did survive, she said that she'd only live for a week." Maki said bluntly.

"..." Shuichi looked at the ground.

"Even so, I'm still alive thanks to her! So that's why..." Himiko's grip around the gem tightened. "There's no way I'm going to let you two just stand there and question if it was worth it or not! It was worth it! It was definitely worth it! Ichika and Kiibo died because they knew it'd be worth it! And it's not just them..." Her hands started shaking. "It was Akamatsu too... And Gokuhara, and Momota... everyone..." More tears fell down Himiko's face. "They all gave their lives because... Because they know it would all be worth it in the end, didn't they!? They wouldn't have done what they did otherwise!"

"Yumeno-san..."

"So... So that's why-!" Himiko stood up straight with tears still streaming down her face, still tightly clutching onto the badge. "We need to live! We need to go to the outside world, to prove to them that it was all worth it! Because it was! So please..." Himiko sunk to her knees. "Don't say it wasn't worth it... because if you do... they aren't you just throwing away their sacrifices...?"

"..." A small smile grew on Shuichi's face. "Yeah... I'm... I'm so sorry, Yumeno-san. This was all definitely worth it."

"I'm sorry too. After all, I didn't think we'd even survive the explosion..." Maki's expression grew soft. "...But I guess the impossible is possible. All you gotta do is make it so, right?" Maki gave Himiko and Shuichi a soft smile.

Shuichi chuckled. "Yeah..." he then turned to Himiko and gently took the badge from her, then clipped it onto her coat.

"Nyeh?"