Danganronpa: Goodbye Despair

Chapter 68: BACK TO BASICS

All that could be seen was darkness, completely and utter darkness. Hajime felt like he was sleeping, but he had no clue why he would be sleeping at a time like this. Annoyed with all the confusion, Hajime opened his eyes and immediately noticed that his head was laying on something. When he moved his head up, he saw that he was resting his head on a desk.

Hajime: "...Huh?" He also couldn't help but notice that he was sitting in a chair. Hajime moved his head around some more and saw that he was in a room by himself. There were multiple desks placed around the room, not just the one he was sitting at. A clock with no hands was located above a big blackboard, and the windows were boarded up with iron plates. "Is this... a classroom?" But even if he was right, it's a very strange classroom.

He remembers going inside the ancient ruin with everyone else, and then he arrived at a place that looked like a trial ground. But then, he suddenly fell asleep. None of these events were connecting, and he had no idea why he was here. But then he realized something, this isn't the first time it happened. When everyone gathered in a classroom similar to this one back when their time at school should've begun, they suddenly appeared in a classroom just before they arrived at Jabberwock Island.

Hajime: "But... where is this place? Is it somewhere... on Jabberwock Island?"

*Ding dong, bing bong*

Monokuma: "Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system! Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay!" placed on the wall near the classroom's exit, a monitor was located, and it showed Monokuma on screen. It was the same as his announcements back on the island. "Welcome to Hope's Peak Academy, you guys! At this point, I shall explain the graduation exam to you all... so please assemble at the gymnasium immediately."

Hajime: "...Huh?" Monokuma's announcement ended pretty quickly, and he didn't really explain what's going on. 'Did he say what I think he just said?' He definitely did. Without hesitating, Monokuma pointed out that Hajime was at Hope's Peak Academy. 'Why would this place be... Hope's Peak Academy? And not just that, what... is the graduation exam? Isn't the killing over already?'

Upon further investigation, Hajime came to the only logical conclusion that this classroom was the exact same one that everyone gathered in before they went to Jabberwock Island. But unlike last time, the door leading out of the classroom was unlocked. Even the hallway didn't feel like a school at all, Hajime was starting to get creeped out. The very idea of this place being Hope's Peak Academy just wasn't something Hajime could accept right now, he needed to find everyone else and get their opinions before drawing any conclusions.

Monokuma told everyone to go to the gymnasium, so Hajime chose a direction and just started browsing. He ended up passing a few different rooms, but he wasn't able to check them out since they were all locked. After walking down a long hallway, he found a door leading into the gymnasium. Something might be waiting, but he wasn't going to cower away anymore. And so, Hajime braced himself and cautiously opened the door.

Hajime wasn't prepared for what was waiting for him on the other side of that door. But thankfully, his expectations and suspicions were demolished when he saw that it was just a normal gymnasium. And not only that, but the others were here too, and they were relieved to see that everyone's back together.

Fuyuhiko: "Y-Yo, Hajime!"

Akane: "You heard the announcement and came here too?"

Hajime: "Yeah, I'm glad you guys are okay."

Kazuichi: "H-Hey... what do you make of all this? Monokuma said this place was Hope's Peak Academy or something, do you... believe him?"

Sonia: "T-That cannot be possible!"