Danganronpa Ultra Despair Hagakure

Chapter 5 [Nakajima Kanon (3)]

I turned my head from Hagakure’s back. Scarlet and white–two robots were chasing after us with loud, metallic footsteps. Soon they’d be less than 20 meters away from us.

“Th-This time, you’re not getting awayyy!”

“Right, that’s right! C'mon and let us stick it in you already–!”

After those grade schoolers’ awful voices, I could hear Hagakure’s erratic breathing. If normal breathing is 4 beats, Hagakure’s right then wasn’t even 32–he sounded like he was about to collapse–before I realized it, I was shouting at him.

“Put me down! If you’re carrying me, then both of us–”

“*wheeze*, I, hah, hai’m oookay, f'serious…”

“You’re not okay at all! Put me down, I said!”

“Y, You, tried, to kill, me, so, what’re you, talkin’ about…”

…He was right. Just what was with me?

Just a little while ago I’d been trying to kill Hagakure, so now, why was I thinking something like, as long as at least Hagakure–

With that pitch just then, had I achieved my final goal in life? Was I conflating Hagakure with Leon-oniichan? Was I trying to return the favor for when he saved me before? …None of those were right. It was more simple than that–

I didn’t hate him. I didn’t hate Hagakure. At some point, I stopped hating him. I didn’t want Hagakure to die, because I didn’t hate him. I didn’t want him to die like Leon-oniichan. I didn’t want any more of that. I didn’t want to see it happen even if I died too.

“I TOLD you to put me dooown!”

But my voice didn’t reach him.

“D, Don’t, worry, about, me…”

“Why are you overworking yourself this much–”

“This should be the right time and place.”

“Right for what?!”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

The robots reached out their hands towards us. They touched the tips of my hair that were fluttering in the air. They were about to crush the life out of me–out of us.

And this is where my–our story ends–

–Or it should have been.

An explosive sound reverberated.

As if someone had put in the wrong film–

I was struck in my soul by a scene with no context.

“…Huh?”

Right in between us and the robots–

A piece of rubble the size of a truck fell down.

As if that was some kind of signal–

There was a loud rumbling noise–

And plenty more rubble of all sizes came raining down.

Just like in a video game–

The rubble piled up into a high stack.

Like the pixels on a monitor dying out bit by bit–

On the other side of the rubble–

The two robots disappeared from view.

“How utterly disgraceful! Not only once, but twice–”

“I’m the leader! This isn’t where I–”

Like static–

The sound of the downpour of rubble–

Erased–

The voices of the two grade school kids–