One-off short stories

Danganronpa: Simulation of Hope and the Hunter of Despair

The title is named after the Japanese title for DR1, the Academy of Hope and High-School Students of Despair. Which is way cooler than Trigger-Happy Havoc in my opinion.
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He had killed someone. With his own hands, he had killed someone. And now he was on trial for it. Well, not that they knew yet. Hopefully they wouldn't. Rex didn't want to die. But, wouldn't everyone else did instead. He looked around at their faces. Although he felt horrible, his face stayed emotionless. He couldn't let them know, the other 13, about the turmoil going through his heart. He looked over to the bear behind it all. The thing that convinced him to kill. All because he couldn't help but want to escape. To see her again. He didn't know. That he would be getting everyone else killed. And yet the trial went on. The trial went on and they didn't accuse Rex. He wanted them desperately to accuse him. He was the murderer after all. But they couldn't figure it out. He covered his tracks, but he had to have made a mistake, hadn't he? They could see through it, they were all the ultimate students right?
Rex wanted desperately to scream that he was the murderer. But he couldn't make his voice come out. Something terrified him too much to tell the truth. Even if he knew they would die instead, he was too scared. Too scared to tell the truth. Too scared to die. So he just let the trial go on. In lack of figuring out the culprit the classroom went over to the most suspicious person and accused them. Rex didn't say anything. He didn't say that he planted that evidence. He didn't say anything. And then voting came. He voted for himself, of course. But it wouldn't matter. He didn't tell anyone the truth. And everyone had believed a fabrication because of it. And so everyone else voted wrong.
"Upupupup~ I hate to tell you, but she was not the murderer! Whoops! That means, it's time for a class execution!" Monokuma said, laughing all the while.
Rex watched as the students faces dropped into fear and despair, as they broke because of knowing their death would come soon. And Rex was silent. He couldn't let them know he did it, even after it didn't matter. He couldn't take that hatred. So he stayed silent, stayed a coward. And then they were all pulled in. Rex watched, as one by one they were executed. They couldn't see he wasn't with them. None of them ever knew the truth.
After everyone's execution, Rex stood alone in the trial room. And he finally screamed,"BRING THEM BACK! BRING THEM BACK YOU MONSTER! PLEASE! I DESERVE TO DIE! I WAS THE KILLER! IT WAS ME, THE ULTIMATE HUNTER! BRING THEM BACK!" His face, which had been emotionless almost all the trial, was covered in tears.
Then, Rex heard a voice,"Don't worry, they aren't really dead."
"W-what?" Rex was shocked.
"They're simply trying the killing game again. It's a cycle. But you, you broke the cycle in a completely new way."
"What do you mean?"
"This whole world is fake. Made for the purpose of creating hope."
"Hope? How could murder create hope?"
"As the trials go on, people grow stronger, eventually becoming Ultimate Hope's. I supervise this place. But you, I've never seen something like this happen. In all 16 simulations, nobody has ever gotten away with murder. And to react that way too. I think I can see hope in you."
"W-what? But I got them all killed."
"Still, you want the world to be a better place, don't you? I'm sure you can."
"Y-yes! I want to become a better person, so I can better this world." The man's voice infected Rex with hope. If they weren't dead, and instead it let him make the world better place. He couldn't ignore that option.
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It had been two weeks since Rex left the simulation. His teacher, Makoto Naegi, along with his partner, Kyoko Kirigiri, had explained to him what happened to the world. Although he had originally felt hope, his emotions were starting to conflict. Naegi was using a simulation to alter kids memories and make them hope. To fix the world. His goals were good. But did the ends justify the means? Rex wasn't sure.
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Rex got his hands on a real gun for the first time since waking up. Naegi gave to him as a birthday present. His 18th birthday, Rex was given two things. A Colt Single Action Army revolver, and the news he would succeed Naegi as the "builder of Hopes". He said I was an adult now, and revealed to me his plan. He wanted me to be his successor. He knew despair was constantly trying to stamp him out. That him and Kirigiri were relics from a generation that lost to despair. And that it was up to Rex's generation to save the world now. He believed that Rex's generation, through the help of the Neo World Program making them into Hopes, could rebuild the world. He never quite realized that Rex's hand was shaking due to holding the gun not because Rex was nervous. But because Rex was holding back his want to shoot Naegi. He couldn't stand the simulation. The more he saw of it, the more he saw the lives of children like him eaten up in an eternal killing game.
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It had been almost two more years since then. Rex had never shot Naegi. On some level, he admired Naegi. He was truly trying to do what he believed in, even after he already lost to despair. But he also know things would change soon. Soon, he had a plan. Kirigiri said she would help. But that she couldn't fully betray Naegi. Rex understood. People grew attached to each other. They did have a right to side with who they wanted. Even if they were crazy, and had lost themselves. But he'd convinced Naegi to let him have complete oversight over a simulation run. He chose the students, everything. He chose the students he believed would reject Naegi's beliefs the most. That would side with him, and could destroy the simulation. Because it was wrong. Hope forged through a machine. A machine that would wipe memories and force people to kill over and over again to make them hope in the future. Nobody could truly accept that, right? Not after experiencing it. And it's pain. He wasn't sure what he would do after he ended the simulations. Everyone would be free. That would be enough, wouldn't it? That mattered more than anything else. People needed to be living their own lives. Naegi, he wasn't letting that happen. And, even if his way couldn't rebuild the world. He would at least be giving his generation freedom. And there were people who were with him. So he could live a real life, not decided by anyone. But first, he just needed to end the simulation. Rex looked down at the revolver in his hands. Part of him realized. Soon, he might finally fire it at him.