Post-game Ultra Despair Girls

A new beginning

1

=Komaru's POV=

"Komaru! KOMARU! WAKE UP!"

I open my eyes to Toko's calls. "Jeez, Toko..." I say, weary. "Can't I sleep for a bit longer? We literally just arrived here!" I look at the digital clock on the nightstand. "See? I only slept for two hours."

Toko sighs. "It's been 26 hours already, actually. You sure are a heavy sleeper..."

26 hours? "A-Ahaha, really?" I laugh, embarrassed. To be honest, I'm not too surprised. After all, I haven't had a good rest in quite some time by now.

My name is Komaru Naegi. I'm not anyone special at all; I'm just an average high-school girl. Well, maybe I'm a bit more passionate for manga than others, and my brother went to Hope's Peak Academy as the ultimate lucky student, but that doesn't make me special or anything. Though I do have a special past. For the previous year or so, I was imprisoned in a small apartment until a cyber bear - a Monokuma - broke through my door! After that, I was captured by five kids who claimed to be the "Warriors of Hope", and Toko Fukawa, the former ultimate writing prodigy, rescued me. We fought a lot of Monokumas and met many different people along the way. In the end, we were able to stop both Haiji and Monaca from causing any more unnecessary conflicts between the children and adults of Towa City.

Pretty cool, right? It's like something straight out of a superhero movie!

Yesterday, Toko and I finally came back from that exhausting but memorable journey, back to Future Foundation's headquarters. The headquarters is HUGE! There are dozens of offices with all sorts of technology devices and machines, and an internal apartment block. I briefly greeted my brother, Makoto, before heading to a three-story apartment with Toko.

Guess this is where I'll live from now on, then, I thought to myself. I wasn't as homesick as I thought I would be, but after all, I haven't even been to that house in an entire year. It's probably destroyed by those Monokumas already.

In fact, there's only one thing I miss about my home - my parents. If it's really like Monaca said, they're probably... dead by now. But there's no way I, as a daughter, would believe in that. Makoto doesn't believe either. I simply can't accept it, if that's really the case.

All my thoughts disappeared as I drifted off to sleep. I don't think I've ever slept for so long, but I've never been through anything like this either. To be honest, I'm still kind of proud. I'd never thought someone like me could do something so incredible!

"H-Hey, K-Komaru?" Toko's trembling voice cuts through my thoughts.

"Hm?"

"Oh c-come on, Komaru! Were you seriously spacing out just then? I thought you got p-possessed again or s-something!"

"Ehehe, sorry Toko..." I say. "Anyway, what did you wake me up for?"

"Hehehe... so you still remember, huh..." says Toko, pointing her fingers together. "T-Take a look at this, then," she says, handing over a blue envelope.

I read the envelope. Byakuya Togami.

"Is this from - Togami-kun?" I ask.

"O-Of course! Can't you r-read?" says Toko, now blushing. "Are you p-perhaps jealous that B-Byakuya-sama specially wrote me a letter?"

"What? That's not it at all!" I say. "It's just - why doesn't he just come and talk to you himself?"

"You surely don't get it, Komaru," says Toko, smirking. "Letters are always the most romantic form of communication! Byakuya must be t-too shy to approach me directly, he even chose to write a l-letter! Isn't that s-sweet?"

Yeah, she's daydreaming again, I think, sighing. I unfold the letter; in cursive, it reads:

Dear Ms. Fukawa,

The completion of your mission in Towa City has proved to Future Foundation that you are capable of the position of a 14th Division member. I, Byakuya Togami, as the acting head of the 14th Division, invite you to join us as an official member of the Future Foundation.

"Ehehe... Byakuya must be so impressed by me, right? Right? Ahhhh, Byakuya-sama..." Toko mumbles. "Should I play hard to get? He seems pretty into me, i-isn't he? Ehehe..."

"I - don't think that's a good idea," I say, continuing reading.

In addition, we wish to invite Ms. Naegi to join Future Foundation as well. Please inform Ms. Naegi that we would like to know her opinion.

A reminder that Hope's Peak Academy will reopen soon and that Mr. Naegi will become the new headmaster of the school.

(Ms. Fukawa, now that you are a member of the Future Foundation, please follow our instructions when in doubt. We will be unable to support any uninformed missions in the future.)

Sincerely,

Byakuya Togami

Acting head, 14th Division

"Mr. Naegi? Is he talking about Makoto?" I whisper to myself. "Of course," replies Toko. "W-Who else would be better for the position of the headmaster of Hope's Peak than that optimistic brother of yours?"

I gasp, surprised. Makoto's going to be the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy!

"That's... that's brilliant!" I say with a wide smile. "I knew he would become someone worth looking up to."

"Well, well... your big brother complex's coming back, isn't it?" Toko says.

"Hey, I don't have a big brother complex!" I say, blushing. "Ah, and... Byakuya wants me to join Future Foundation?"

"Seems like it," says Toko. "So, yes or no?"

"Of c-"

...

"...Hey, what's wrong?" asks Toko.

"Ah, I just... I'm not really sure," I say, lowering my head. "I thought I'd - want to join, but...

"Well, Future Foundation is supposed to oppose despair, right? If not representing hope itself, that is. But, wouldn't opposing despair only cause more despair and more conflicts?" I mutter.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Ah, nothing," I say. "I mean, I'm just an average girl. Not hope, but not despair either."

I look out of the window. The watery sunlight filters through the olive green leaves, casting translucent squares of brightness on the window, swaying lazily with the wind. Beyond the leaves is the cerulean sky. Cloudless, as beautiful as it has always been.

I smile. "Staying like this doesn't seem so bad to me, Toko."

"Well, you do you," says Toko. "Have a couple of days to think about it though, okay?"

I nod. "I'll write back to Byakuya-sama then! He's going to go crazy if I don't reply soon," she says, blushing, before storming off clenching the letter. She surely ignored the last paragraph, I think.

Well, at least it's reassuring to me seeing Toko simply being Toko.

The Tragedy really has ended.

Now it's time for the future. For a new beginning.

(Word count: 1115

Saturday, 20 March)