~ Forgotten ~【Komahina】

Chapter 39 - Reunion

'Hey, can you hear me?'

'N-Nagito?'

I sit up and look at my surroundings. It looks like some sort of makeshift hospital.

Memories come flooding back to me.

The killing game, Nagito's death, the executions, the game collapsing...

'Are the others alive?' I ask worriedly.

Nagito chuckles softly. 'Yeah... We're the last to wake up.'

He extends a hand and I grab it, shakily standing up. 'Is it true? The whole killing game was...'

'A simulation,' Nagito says, finishing my sentence, 'But... Chiaki...'

'What about Chiaki?' I ask, 'I know that we voted wrong, but...'

'She was never alive.'

'H-Huh?'

'Well, she was once...' Nagito says, 'But she died... before the killing game started... The Chiaki we knew was just an AI.'

My heart sinks. 'S-So... I'll... never see her again?'

'Sorry...' Nagito says, nodding.

'N-No! Don't be,' I say, smiling sadly, 'It's not your fault. She's gone and... nothing can change that...'

'Do you want to see the others?' Nagito asks.

I nod. 'Yeah, that would be... great...'

*****

Nagito opens the door to an apartment. All 13 heads in the room turn to us.

'Hajime! You're awake!' Sonia says, standing up, 'Are you feeling okay?'

'Y-Yeah, I'm fine,' I say, looking at the people in the room. Everyone was in the room except for...

'Where's Byakuya?'

Ibuki giggles. 'The Byakuya you know isn't the real Byakuya! The real Byakuya is ill and the not Byakuya- Byakuya is here!'

She points to a person with pale brown hair down to their shoulders. The person chuckles. 'I am what you knew as Byakuya. However, I'm just the Ultimate Impostor. I do not have a name, and I am not a true person unless I'm impersonating someone...'

'Well, it's nice to see you again... uh...' I pause, not knowing how to address them.

'You can just call me Ryota,' they say, 'I am just impersonating him as well, but since he is at Future Foundation, there will not be much bother with mixing us up.'

As I open my mouth to say something else, I get interrupted by a voice at the other side of the room. 'Nice reunion... or some shit... but Makoto said he wanted to see us or something.'

'Makoto? Who-'

Fuyuhiko interrupts me again. 'He's part of Future Foundation. He's also a survivor of a killing game. There were others, but they all died... recently.'

'A killing game?' I ask, 'I didn't know there was another...'

'There was a killing game before ours,' Nagito explains, 'Except it wasn't a simulation and everyone actually died.'

'I'm sure that I would have remembered if something like that happened...' I mutter.

'Oh, some of your memories have been erased,' Kazuichi says, 'Just ask us if you need anything explaining.'

'Heh, I'm glad his memories got erased,' Hiyoko giggles, 'Izuru was scary!'

The room goes silent.

'Who's-' I begin, but I get cut off.

'I think it is time for us to see Makoto,' Peko says, standing up. The rest do the same and leave the room, leaving just me and Nagito.

'What was that about?' I ask.

'I'm sorry, but... I think it's best you don't know...'

*****

We all enter an apartment where Makoto is sat on a couch, legs crossed. 'Take a seat guys.'

Everyone sits down, and Makoto speaks up again. 'So, all of you would now know that the old Hope's Peak Academy got destroyed.'

'What?' I ask indignantly, 'It-'

'Everyone except Hajime,' Makoto says, cutting me off, 'Anyways, there's been a new project going on to build a new Hope's Peak, and it's finally finished!'

'Wait, does that mean...' Nagito asks, trailing off.

'Yep!' Makoto says excitedly, 'You guys are going back to Hope's Peak!'