Stella Ethereal has enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy as the Super High-School Level Crystal Gazer. Rumors say that if you're to make eye contact with her, you will be blessed with good health, wealth, and luck.
SEASON 1, AKEDO CITY DESPAIR, EPISODE 1 (1992)
āAn Ultimate Crystal Gazer Is Born!ā
Usou Tsukino is a 17-year-old overachieving student council vice president of her school with more secrets than she lets on. After a rough day of school, she receives a letter from a prestigious academy to recruit her--- wait, Stella Ethereal?! Will Usou attend this mysteriously cool new school, even after receiving strange visions? What will the student council without her?
I wanted to babble about Stellaās (or rather, Usouās) life after escaping Akedo City and how that all affected her in the long run, so here we go;
In the end of it all, Usouās parents are extremely unhappy with Hopeās Peak Academy and attempt to pin the blame of what happened on the headmaster and everyone responsible for allowing such matters to happen with no one to supervise over it. Itās upsetting to Usou, but she is allowed to at least try and get the Hopeās Peak student experience before being pulled out half-way into the semester.
Her parents are just not comfortable at all with the idea of their daughter being in that setting. However! She is able to finish schooling, and with some strings and dedication, she still manages to get scholarships to continue studying in a university setting. The fact that she had attended Hopeās Peak at all helps with making enrolling way more easier, but her grades are impressive nonetheless.
Does she try to keep in contact with the other survivors? Yes, to some extent. Itās a mix of trying to stay in touch with people, then being also too busy with her own personal life to try and maintain conversation. Those who understand that sheās busy leave her be, while others might try to keep some communication going, which is cool. It doesnāt make her mad.
She has a lot of personal therapy sessions with her grandmother over the whole situation, because a lot of what was drilled into her head by the AI projections and Otome still affects her and makes her feel some survivorās guilt. Sheāll sayĀ āI know it wasnāt real but--ā but in some part of her, she feels like thatās what they would say to her and everyone. She tries to work through it by just studying and training and working. Throws herself into improving herself instead of sitting around and moping.
Because Usou hates doing that. She likes to have a reason to keep going, and in some part of her, sheād like to think that no one would have wanted her to escape to just sit in the dark and cry. She has hope for herself, and she does want to bring change to the world in some way or another.
After she enters university, Stella Ethereal becomes a thing of the past. She stops doing any sort of livestreams or giving any media attention to that. Itās really Obvious at this point that she was involved in Akedo , so continuing that persona while knowing people are going to be only interested in just questioning her about that part of her life is like, nah.Ā
She decides to study in the medical field at first, then changes her major to mathematics, then ultimately falls on education. With her scholarships and whatnot, sheās able to move out of her Chiba to Tokyo, specifically to enroll in Hokkaido University where she ends up jumping between majors.Ā
First she tries to go for Mathematics education, then dives into school nurse training, then finally settling on clinical psychology education. She just wants to learn as much as sheās interested in (knowledge is power, kids) and ends up focusing the majority of her time as to how to she can help kids and understand them and help them grow.
She wants to help kids like Otome, in short.Ā
Usou also ends up working out a lot more and eating healthier foods while living on her own, helping her lose a lot of weight that she had. People occasionally question about how the whole crystal gazer thing is supposed to work out for her, and she admits that she doesnāt really know where that will take her. Sheās just certain that itāll be weirdly involved in her career as an adult. She doesnāt fully understand how, but she knows that she isnāt going to fully dedicate to it like how her grandmother did.
Then, lo and behold, she graduates and goes off to become a school counselor at Hopeās Peak Academy! It upsets her parents, of course, but she feels that itās important for her to be there and watch it grow and help the Super High-School Levels. Not to better their talents, rather, but try and save them from that stressful life that Otome had endured. Not everyone there is living happily as where they are, you know?
she just wants to try and help bring a difference to someoneās life; thatās always been her dream.Ā
ā¦Of course there was no way her real name was Stella- not every Japanese kid had weird parents who gave their kids names in English. Still, though, heād gotten so used to calling her Stellaā¦ itād be difficult to adjust.
Well, not as hard as it could be - her name was Usou, after all. He wondered how sheād felt when heād been stating how much he hated lies, back in all those trials. And now, his best friend was named Usou. The irony was so thick, you could cut it.
āThatāsā¦ kind of cute, actually.ā
While Jack was talking to Usou, his mother had reached into her picnic basket for two more scones - one for each of her parents.
āItās definitely all right! We didnāt approach anyone until now because we werenāt sure who were parents, andā¦ we didnāt want to make anyone feel bad.ā
Even for people as eccentric as Jackās parents, they still had common sense (or at least, his mother did) - and it probably wasnāt the best idea to draw attention to the fact that they were the parents of one of the survivors when the parents of those who died might be in the audience. Now that everyone had emerged, though - Ā how could they not?
Jackās dad merely grinned.
āItās great to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino. I donāt know how you managed it, butā¦ somehow, you managed to raise someone who could get Jack to question himself in a way I couldnāt.ā
That grin widened, and he crossed his arms, laughing.
āNow, if you could just get her to get him to like British literatureā¦ā
āDad! No!ā
Well, wasnāt that precious? It was nice to hear that someone like Jack would find something like as cute. Almost a relief, actually, considering how closely her entire name sounded out as being a lie or a liar. āNo way, your name is Usou? Are you kidding me?ā was what she had been almost expecting, but this was good too! His reaction though was sweet, and Usou was sure to smile back and thank him for such a silly compliment.
ā... W-...ā Or, or stare at Jack, rather. In actuality, not many people had called her cute outside of girls or her own family. A boy? Saying such things?! It was too easy to make her heart swoon-- until realizing where it was coming from. She blinked a few times before shaking her head and laughing, shoving at his shoulder.
āShut up, stupid.ā What a completely mature way to respond, from going googly-eyed to playful insults.
Mitsuo hadnāt noticed their weird bickering, instead focusing on maintaining a somewhat respectful conversation with Jackās parents. As respectful as he could manage, what with his wife being trying to obviously not speak too much to them. He laughed at Osamuās comment, not exactly getting it or Jackās negative reaction to it.
āI- I mean, sure? Usouās pretty good like that, having that sort of affect on people and whatnot. Sheās actually been looking for universities to apply to, to start studying as a teacher--ā
ā---Counselor, Papa. Remember?ā
... Yikes. Why did that correction sound so terrifying? It was as if just messing up that one piece of information brought something out of Aya that was indescribably scary. Her glare sat on her Mitsuo for a while, making even him uncomfortable. He laughed nervously, nodding as he said,Ā āR- Right. Sorry.Ā K- Keheh...ā Jesus, man. Usouās mother huffed, rolling her eyes until looking at the scones that Minori was attempting to offer.
Her anger was immediately discarded, waving a hand to it.Ā āN- No, thank you, I donāt eat sugar. My apologies.ā She sighed, resting a hand on her cheek.Ā āThe stress ruined my appetite some...ā No kidding. The amount of people around them was surprising, and the varied amount of emotions in the air was nerve wrecking. And a kid had a bunch of animals come at him out of the blue.
That scared Aya the most. Super High-School Level kids were odd.
His parents wanted to see his classmates? Wellā¦ there was only one person to go to first, and it looked like her own family had made their way to her as well. This would be a fun introduction session. With a smile, Jack told his parents who he was about to take them over to, then grabbed their hands and began dragging them through the crowd toward the now-familiar figure in the black sweater.
āā¦Hey, Stella. These are my parents.ā
He gestured to the taller man in theĀ ā#1 Sonā sweater who only seemed too happy to meet his sonās friend, and the blonde woman with the picnic basket who was already reaching into it and causing a delicious smell to waft out.
āOsamu and Minori Kawamugi. My dad teaches at Tohoku University as a professor there, so weāre all from Sendai. Just warning you, donāt get into any literature discussions - youāre way outclassed. IāmĀ way outclassed.ā
Jackās dad, or Osamu, covered his face to hide his laughter. And, just before his mother began handing a scone out towards Usou, Jack leaned in to whisper in her ear.
āAlso, be warned - theyāre massive Anglophiles.ā
Usou blinked as she was now faced with these two strangers, both about as quirky as the concept of a Super High-School Level student. Her eyes went from one adult to the other as Jack introduced them, and a smile grew on her face as she felt entertained by his introduction of them. She hid her smile behind a hand, but her giggling was apparent.Ā
āG- Geez, uhm-- itās very nice to meet both of you!ā She laughed, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand and reaching out with her other to take the cookie. Her smile suddenly dropped when Jack whispered at her, her eyes widening before looking at him to say,Ā āW- Wait, Iām sorry--?ā
Then her own dad came into the mix, interrupting Usou from saying anything more. It looked like he had calmed down supremely from before, smiling and all. He looked to Usou and Jack, amused by their behavior.
āYou both can stop keeping secrets, you know. Donāt be rude, Usou,ā he said, then placing a protective hand on her shoulder. Understandably so, considering the context of the situation. As her mother came closer curiously, he looked to Jackās parents with a big grin that made apparent where Usou got most of her looks from.
āWeāre Usouās parents-- er, Stellaās? Parents? I suppose? Is Usou fine?ā He laughed, looking down at the seer who immediately began to sweat. She was about to become defensive until remembering that there was no threat of her name being out at this point.Ā āY- Yeah! Usouās fine, keheh...ā she assured her dad before looking at Jack with a sheepish smile.
āUsou is, er, me! Yeah. Uh-- this is my dad and my mother! I, uh--ā
āMitsuo Tsukino,ā he interrupted Usou, most likely trying to ease her away from stammering into a mess. It was clear that she was feeling a little bit pressured about revealing so much of herself all at once, especially with her odd little identity that she had been carrying. He gestured to his wife, continuing off with,Ā āAnd this is Aya, my- ahem, sorry, my wife...!ā
ā... ... ... Yes...ā Usouās mother was clearly lacking in excitement that her daughter and husband were carrying. She could only stare at Jackās mother and father before glancing to Jack himself awkwardly, unsure how to speak. She wasnāt one to socialize with other parents- in fact, the very idea annoyed her. She didnāt have many friends to begin with...
But it was only natural to be polite to your daughterās friendās parents, right? Aya reached out a hand to shake theirs, smiling,Ā āS- Sorry that we hadnāt introduced ourselves, earlier, I didnāt know you were his relatives...ā No, no, she knew. It was kind of obvious.
Among the hubbub of it all, Usouās entire figure were being inspected by her tearful parents, as well as several kinds of words being shared. Her mother still in tears over the idea of her daughter being caught in the perils of danger so many times, while her father trying to stay cool and keep face in front of Usou. The seer had imagined herself shedding more tears when reuniting with her loved ones, but she couldnāt find it in her to squeeze any out. Maybe the city had gotten all of her crying out of her?
Perhaps, she thought to herself. She tried to reassure her parents that she was fine, that she hadnāt suffered any sort of serious injuries, amazingly. It didnāt stop her mother from checking her head for any sort of physical trauma while scolding her for... some reason she didnāt understand...
But beyond that, another person came into the mix of Usouās family with a smile and a laugh. She had almost entirely forgot about her grandmother, and the fear that she during one of the motives came back to Usou at the sight of her.
āHahahaaa! There she is! Weāve been waiting for you, Usou~! Look at your Mama and Papa; they havenāt stopped crying since we got here! No one wanted to listen to me, I kept telling them, over and over--!āĀ
āāHey! Why are you two freaking out?! Of course sheāll make it out of there! Seven, I told you, the big seven!ā But whatās a girl to do when everyone keeps turning an ear away from her...ā She sighed, shaking her head.
...
All the while, Usou could only stare in shock. She had thought the worst when MonokumAI had threatened to take away their loved ones. Seeing the picture of her grandmother with no context given had made assume that she couldāve been kidnapped, tied up, tortured, readied to be killed... Yet here she was, in front of her! Spouting things the way she always did!
Usou tore herself away from her parents, burying herself into the arms of her grandmother with a tight grip. Her grandma yelped, looking down at her as she began to tear up into her sweater.
āS- Soba--!! Soba! I thought- how did you- ?!ā She began spitting out questions without thinking, before saying,Ā āI- I missed you so much! So, so, so much!! Iām so sorry, I didnāt--ā
āUsou! Stop that! This is supposed to be a happy moment, and youāre crying all over me! Look at you!ā She then held Usouās face in one hand, squishing her cheeks,Ā āYouāve gotten so skinny! You need to eat more-- what have you been doing in there? Eating just Macdollyās??ā She clicked her tongue, wiping the tears off Usouās face.
ā... ... ... Y- yes... ?ā
āYouāre such a troublesome girl! Haha! Iām so proud of you though- youāve really gotten stronger, havenāt you? Just like I thought you would! You saw things that I never thought you would be able to see! Haha! Iām kidding, of course; I knew you could do that too!ā
āS- Soba... b- but how? You...ā
āAnd how, what? Come now, Usou! Just because youāre one of those fancy little Superity Duperidy High-School Levelidys--ā
ā--doesnāt mean youāre anywhere near my level, you know! At least... not yet, anyways! Ha!ā
āEnough of that, though! Introduce me to your friends!! Iāve been wanting to meet these kids ever since I saw them!ā
The sun felt almost foreign, for a solid moment. The grip of silence came undone when everyoneās breathing quickened, going closer and faster to the threads of sunlight, and... they were finally outside. Cool, fresh air accompanied by the setting sun in the horizon. Everything so vibrant and real in their natural colors, like out of a dream... Seeing the dome from the far distance felt entirely unreal.
It was quiet, peaceful, save for the few sounds of distant car engines. The seerās eyes had widened at the sight of cars and emergency personnel, waiting just outside of the dome. She breathed out a soft,Ā āWoah,ā completely shocked by it. The thought came to her, wondering how long had people been trying to rescue the class? There were nights where she slept, wondering if anyone even knew if they were gone, knowing that they were in danger. The seer held onto these thoughts as she followed a few of the survivors, nearing the crowd.
Surely, they noticed. People were able to point out the kids from a distance, and there was an immediate rush as the survivors came closer. She felt so tired, immediately feeling even more exhausted by the adults. Her head buzzed with static, trying to make sense of the noise around her in order to hold back a headache. ... Actually, there was a specific noise that stood out from the rest of the chatter, and her eyes widened as she picked out a body running towards the group.
Running towards her, actually.
The familiar voice of her mother screaming became all the more real, and panic began to set in immediately.Ā ā...ou?! ...sOU!! ... USOU!!!āĀ
Surely, no one in the group would know who this woman was referring to. Not unless they could hear Stella mumbling to herself, her panic becoming loud.
āWoahwoahwOAHWOAH M- MOM-- MOM---ā
Usou was quickly taken aside from the group of people, her mother grabbing her into a tight hug. While the woman was only a few inches taller than her and much skinnier than the seer, she had a powerful strength that was able to lift her daughter from the ground. All the while, Usou was still repeating in a squeaky voice,Ā āMOM!! MOM!! MOM!!!ā
It didnāt look like her mother was planning on listening to her pleas. She weeped angrily into Usouās neck before pulling away and glaring at her with wet eyes.Ā āY- YOUU!! YOUUU!!! HOW DARE YOU KEEP YOUR MOTHER WAITING!!!ā Usou looked a mixture of terrified and shocked when hearing those words, practically speechless. Naturally so; this was the most emotion she had ever seen her mother possess. Her mom was usually a strict woman that often offered kindness to her daughter in certain moments of the day.
āW- Wh--ā
āT- THE TRAVELLING! WE HAD TO TRAVEL!! THE SICKNESS!! AND YOU!! YOU JUST-- YOU-- YOUUU- YOUUU--ā
āY- YOU COULDāVE DIED... YOU... I... I donāt...!ā
āI- I donāt know what... I wouldāve done... if you had... !!ā
The tears were streaming at this point as she held onto Usou for dear life. Her words were terrifying along with watching her usual stoic form crumbling to that of a child. She kept whimpering while combing her hand through her daughterās hair, refusing to let to go of her. Usou lip quivered, but she sniffed before trying to comfort her mom.
āM- Mom, itās fine! Itās fine now! L- Let me go, okay??ā
Then another voice came in; her father, attempting to comfort his wife as well.Ā āCome on, Mama, youāre scaring her with all your yelling!ā he said with a slight crack in his voice.
Yes, he completely was in tears at the sight of his only daughter. The grown man sniffled before rubbing his face into his arm, trying to wipe off the tears with a hearty laugh. He was, however, still completely in tears, but his sharp teeth shined in his smile.
āAm I? Kahaha! ā Well, look at that, I really am...Ā Iām sorry, Usou, I guess I just canāt contain myself then... I hope weāre not totally embarrassing you in front of your friends or anything, kahahaha!ā
āNo, uh... no, itās fine, Dad. Youāre both fine... I get it...ā She smiled limply in her motherās arms.Ā
Deprived of the guidance of lanterns, the sudden extinguished light, and the hope, of the survivors stopped them. Directionless, the movement stopped, silent and thoughtless.
The stillness last for a lifetime in the darkness, seemingly the survivors having stopped in their graves permanently.
And then slowly at first, and then rhythmically moments later, the sounds of shuffling and movement continued. The students trekked forward in the darkness.
As the surviving students were forced to navigate the tunnel in complete darkness, and for many of them, complete silence, their continued stride into the darkness cemented their decision. PDAs had since been rendered useless; the port had gone offline with the rumbling of the city in the distance.
However, this miserable journey took a sudden turn when, in the distance, traces of light became visible. For a change, it wasnāt neon lighting; it appeared to be sunlight, filtering in through the entrance at the other end of the supply tunnel.
After more than a month of imprisonment, death, neon lights, and the endless sound of casino games ringing in the distance, the surviving students emerged from the tunnel and laid their eyes upon a sincere sunset on the horizon, and the quiet sound of wind blowing through the grass in the nearby field. They stand on the paved side road, and some take a moment to look around.
Despite the chaos inside of the city, for a moment, everything out here seems peaceful. As they climb the hill behind the tunnel, students can see the dome of the city off in the distance. Its outward appearance showed no signs of the horrorā and now the destructionā that lie within.
Around the dome, as the studentsā eyes reach the grounds around it, catch another miraculous vision. Stationed all around the dome, waiting near the train tunnels, are dozens of tents and encampments of people. There are cars and emergency personnel, all standing in breathless anticipation for the return of the survivors.
And for once, itās simply up to them.
The surviving students from the 84th class of Hopeās Peak Academy, and the lone survivor of the 81st class.
The survivors of the net idolās plot lingered, emotions spilling of all kinds. From bitter regrets to consuming guilt, the students froze with their obstacles in place. Entranced by the words from the AI projections, some sang tunes of sweet comfort to bitter guilt, all with the final intentions of one Otome Ito; prevention of their escape. With the remorseful pleas, and the poisonous hindrances spit by the AI figments, the barren wills of the remaining students were tested, one final time. But somehow, miraculously, every single student found the strength and willpower to carry on. Quietly, like a knife creeping against the skin, the continually luminous city flickered, at first almost unnoticeable to the students, too preoccupied with their unfortunate affairs. Quietly flickering, and then beaming quickly before going out, the lights of the dome quickly cut off, one at a time, then in pairs, and groups at a time
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The bulbs quickly burning up and bursting in sparks gave students a taste of something real, someone absent from nights taken for granted. Stars. Spectacularly illuminating the screen of the dome with bright flashes of static, seams like lightning burnt across the screen. Fire, coasting across the pixelated clouds, consuming the twilight sky. Something beautifully absent the students never thought to witness; a sunrise, burning over Akedo City.
The pale, blue illuminous glow of the Hotel withered in flickers, dying with the last sputters of neon tubing. With it, studentsā rooms, the rooms of the 81st class, the hallways that had seen traffic from so many, the gym where Ryoheiās life was taken, the lounge where students had so recently enjoyed a small karaoke party, and the ballroom where Di-xiaās life was cut short. The living areas were as lifeless as the students who were being projected, and soon the rest of the city would follow.
With the absence of generic twinkling above, the streets where Masae had met her end grew darker, illuminated only by the soft glow of burning rafters, looming overhead and fluttering by as more and more pieces came undone, embers and ashes painting the air. The last building to shine the cold synthetic lights, beckoning flies to the lantern, stood estranged against the city to be reclaimed by darkness and fire. The towering building stood as one final beacon of hope, inviting students to take the quickly dwindling chance to escape. The purple glow clashed against the growing stacks of red light, fading as the consuming fires burst through the buildings; a fleeting chance at escape for those who still wished to claim it.
Everything inside of the mall was untouched by the chaos outside. There were no bots in here, urging the students to remain behind. The sound of alarms was fainter, and the entire interior remained well-lit, as it remained the sole user of the entire reservoir of power within the city. The determined survivors, those who chose to make their escape, approached the General Store as they were instructed to do. Stepping past the freshly stocked aisles, ignoring the faint humming from the refrigerators in the back, the students approached the door in the very back of the store.
Just as promised, it was open.
Behind this door was a small, clean storage room, with a few empty shelves designated for extra stock. And, just as promised, there was a large hatch in the floor, opening wide and revealing a ramp, large enough to fit shipments of supplies though. And, of course, large enough for the survivors to escape through.
Stepping down into the tunnel, the students spot the long, dark tunnel, periodically illuminated with small work lights. As the final students made their way inside the tunnel, the lights from above the hatch opening began to flicker, and Hoshi wisely pulled the hatch closed behind them. With no other options, most of the survivors began the slow, uncertain trek down the tunnel. After some unknown amount of time, not much more than five minutes, even the guiding lights in the tunnel flickered out.
The sudden darkness in the tunnel was closely followed by a distant, but distinct sound. The ground beneath them trembled, and a loud rumbling echoed down the tunnel in one final act of destruction.
The crystal gazer grew immediately tense by the projections, still shaking from her emotional breakdown in the courtroom. The robotic hums and distortions around them made her head ache with pain, pulsing through her body. She couldnāt find emotional stability quickly enough, and that much was obvious by her eyes continuously glowing in array of pinks and purples. It was when she heard her surname called that she felt something drop in her stomach, staring at a projection of a boy that she had brutally embarrassed herself over on the first day.
She had been so excited to play the role as Stella Ethereal, that she had forgotten about her personal feelings, as Usou Tsukino. Right, right, those two were separate at that time, werenāt they? Usou hadnāt truly acted as herself not until she tried to comfort Jack during investigation, or when she spoke Masae for the first time in the diner. Stella wasnāt the type to blush, cry, or panic. Usou also wasnāt the type to get angry usually either.
She winced at the sweet words and how the unreal hand moved towards her, trying to coax her closer to a permanent stay. Her breathing was quick, and as the AIs harassed her, she found herself mumbling to herself. āG- Guysā¦ Guysā¦ ?ā
The final straw was hit when Hotaruās voice distorted itself into an empty tone, turning her once pure and magical image to that of horror and fear. āG- GUYSā!!ā Usou shrieked, finally finding the strength in her to turn herself away from these flanderized versions of people she had known. Her heart was aching, and surely, she was conflictedā but this couldnāt be it for them. These were programs altered by someone who wanted to bring everyone down to her level of suffering, and there was just no wayā¦ that they would ever actuallyā¦
āTheyāre NOT REAL!!ā She yelled desperately, almost trying to convince herself as her hand flew out into Hotaruās projected image. Naturally, her hand went right through, but it didnāt seem to disturb anything but that. The crystal gazer looked to everyone else, her eyes watering up with angry tears as she said, āCOME ON!! We have to go!! S- Sheās trying to kill us!! PLEASE!!ā
Once she everyone got moving, Usou was able to feel more relaxed to head to the general store. God, she hoped that everyone would follow; she couldnāt take anymore tragedyā¦
The bots continued their relentless projections of the dead, following the survivors as far as they could if any of them tried to walk away. The weight of their survival would not be so easily forgotten by the AI of the city, it seemed, and even in death, Otome would not give them unconditional peace.
Around them, areas of the city slowly began to go dark. The buzzing of neon lights grew quieter, allowing the sound of the alarms to take the forefront of the ambience of the city.
First, the downtown area went dark. With it, the jewelry store, the 1-up cafe, the boutique, the salon, and the museum were all shrouded in the same darkness from weeks before. The jewelry store, where Makoto had found one of the tipping points of evidence that would spur her and her friends to begin their final hunt for the mastermind. The cafe, where many friendships were forged, and where the body of Ryohei was so unceremoniously left to be found by his classmates. The boutique and the salon, which had been so integral to the cover up of Di-xiaās death. And the museum, where Otome Ito had gathered many of the materials needed to craft the deadly explosion from earlier today.
Next, the administration area went dark. The police station and admin building had only been powered for a short time, it seemed, and now their hallways and rooms were once again void of light. These buildings had been essential in solving the mystery of the mastermind. Each and every room contained evidence of the 81st class, evidence of the city itself, and the final nail in the coffin for Otome.
Afterwards came the casino. The centerpiece of the city, and one of the first buildings to regain power, the golden dome, and the beacons surrounding it went dark. The top floor, where the first and most innocent of the victims met his untimely end and triggered the start of the mutual killing game. The games, which were a source of fun and bonding for many in the first few weeks of this catastrophe, went silent.
Then, the entrance plaza went dark. Where this had all started. There were still faint scorch marks on the ground, acting as a reminder of Ikumoto Shirosaiās gruesome demise. Mere weeks ago, twenty students had arrived in this plaza, full of excitement for an adventure in Akedo City. They had stood, confused by the absence of the 81st class, but ultimately comforted by the warm reception and guidance from one of the AI bots. And now, seven remained, surrounded by these same bots, who were now projecting images and messages of the deceased in one final effort to take the survivors down with them.
The alarms continued to blare, and time was running out for students to make their decisions.
Who would stay behind, too buried in their grief?
And who would leave, coming too close to freedom to allow it to slip away?
With the sharp break of static and the shimmering figure pixelating into form, a grin, telling with all its exuberant and insidious intentions, was the first form distinct from the mass. Distorted chuckles echoed back and forth, disharmonious as they slowly pulled together to a sound bittersweetly familiar to the crystal gazer.
āOh, kohai, look how far youāve come~. Itās such a big accomplishment, really, Tsukino-chan.ā
With a rusty hum, riddled with static noise, the form strided beside the girl, twiddling fingers through Usuoās dark locks, despite simply fading through as it made contact with something physical. The cycles of the technicianās movements flickered back and forth, and the unsettling form of produced an inviting smirk Ikumoto has so intimately shared before. With a tilt of a head and a sway of silver locks falling per frame, the technicianās tone slid between octaves, settling on something rich and deep with cajolary.
āYouāve really become a confident person, Tsukino-chan, and I think Iād like to see more of this side of youā¦ no, I *must* get to know more of this person youāve become. If you leave now, thereāll be others whoāll notice your beauty and whisk you away, andā¦ā
Pulling in another step, Ikumotoās breath hitched. The form of the technician flickered as he rested hands against Usuoās, once again fading through her skin, sullen eyes betraying the technicianās reassuring smirk.
āI canātā¦ stomach the thought of someone else falling for you. Please, kohai, stay and I promise you all the wonders Iāve built. Itāll be like a dream~.ā
A series of holograms, each one resembling one of the students who had died in this city, stood in the streets and surrounded the survivors. Most of them did not appear initially malicious, injured, or otherwise angry. In fact, most of them looked as normal and alive as they did before the game had started.
There were, however, some exceptions.
Perhaps the most distorted of them all glitched in place. Katashiās face was a multitude of un-synchronous emotions. Elation. Dismay. Fury. Forgiveness. Each flashed across his computerized features in a matter of milliseconds.Ā
The Katashi program glared at the remaining students.
āYOU DIDNāT DESERVE HER. NO ONE DID. SHE GAVE YOU A FINALE AND YOU WERENāT EVEN WORTH THE ADMISSION FEE.ā
This projection flickered again, noticeably Komet, stable yet sobbing digital tears.
āOTOMEā¦ DONāT GO. WHERE ARE YOU!? OTOME DONāT GO-O-O-Oā¦ Iā¦ I miss youā¦ā
Katashi resumed his fury.
āSHEāS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU-OU-OU, AND YOUāRE GOING TO P-P-PAY.ā
As did Komet with is pain.
āSHE DIDNāT DESERVE TO DIE. I-IāD DIE AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR HER,ā
āYOUāRE GOING TO DIE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR HER.ā
āTHEREāS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME.ā
āTHEREāS NOTHING LEFT FOR YOU.ā
āIāM GOING TO R-R-R-ROT.ā
āY-Y-YOUāRE GOING TO ROT.ā
The two warred back back and forth with and without one another. Their words mixed into an unintelligible cacophony shrieking. Further and further, the hologram twisted and expanded apart until finally pulling themselves together for one last one sentence, two voices in one agreed singularity.
Otome Ito was dead. Anyone looking at the screen would know that there had been no trickery, no body switches, and no more games. She followed her own rules, and not even the AI programming could break those rules. And now, of the twenty students who boarded the monorail into this city, only seven remained.
The room was still, as the world around them processed the gravity of these recent events. Could a monthās worth of despair truly be over? The screen above MonokumAIās throne was turned off, and the despicable bear was no more. There would be no announcement of the end of the trial, and no jovial dismissal. Instead, the elevator doors simply opened, silently inviting the survivors to climb aboard.
Before anyone could move, Hoshi spoke up in his usual soft and tired voice.
āā¦if my idea workedā¦we should get out of here immediately. Guysā¦get to theā¦general store. The door in the backā¦leads to a storage tunnel in the floorā¦thatāsā¦the emergency evacuation. If youā¦didnāt bring your important items with youā¦I donāt know if thereāll be time to get themā¦canāt beā¦much more than ten minutesā¦butā¦if you wanna risk itā¦ā
He shook his head and said no more.
As the survivors disembarked from the elevators, some part of them had been programmed to expect another part of the map to light up. Just as with every previous trial, the power always came on once they were back out into the streets. This time, however, was different. Everything outside felt similar to how it had been during the last motive. All of the lights on the buildings burned even brighter than usual, and even the false stars seemed to be shining with everything they had in them. Overhead, alarms began to sound, and rotating emergency beacons shone from somewhere near the top of the dome.
Before any of the surviving students could begin to walk toward the mall, and hopefully toward their escape, a small army of floating bots approached and surrounded the group, blocking their escape. Before anyone could move, these bots began to extend odd mechanisms toward the students.
But these mechanisms werenāt weapons. Lights flickered inside of them, and soon projections resembling their deceased classmates became visible.
Where to start? What to ignore? Stella had revealed so many parts of herself to the world, still keeping vagueness to parts of her identity. Otomeās explanations and behavior was frightening, downright angering to hear. It didnāt feel like enough, and while her empathy levels were high, she wanted to throw mud on her like everyone else. Yet, the seer held herself back, shaking behind her podium.
Then Otome took it to a whole new level of getting personal. Like the previous times before in this maddening game, her final reveal became grand and extravagantā¦ and sickeningly disturbing. It was natural for Stella to recognize Hime when she had first arrived to Akedoā Stella had discovered her videos when she was fifteen. Getting home from school, working on her homework, then watching them as she would study.
It was a thing to do. A normal part of her uneventful, everyday life.
At some point, Stella had thrown her arms over her head to cover her ears, trying to push away the disturbing sounds that Otome played. She kept her eyes closed tightly, refusing to see it. She didnāt want to feel for the mad man that sent more than half of her class to their graves. She didnāt want to understand her pain. It was a natural part of her life to wake up and find her personal email littered with messages, telling her to go kill herself and threatening her livelihood.
That wasnāt comparable though, because she had always ignored it.Ā
Stella clenched her teeth before laying her head on her podium, wanting for this final death to end. She didnāt want to hear anymore of this sort of talk about despair, tragedies, and pain. Why was she feeling for her?! She just wanted to be angry and celebrate that they had finally sent the killer to their grave. That wasnāt an event that Stella ever wanted to experience. She didnāt know where her moral compass was anymore, as Otome had been toying with it to the end.
It was over though, right?
The ride to Hell was over now.Ā
Almost in tune to Basilās question, though, Stella bursted out into a loud, violent sob. She shriveled up into herself, all of her emotions coming out at once. Her anger, her confidence, her fear, and the trauma coming out in snot, tears, and saliva. She wanted to hate Otome once and for all, but she just couldnāt bear herself to with her inner frustration.
All Stella wanted to was make sure that no one like Otome would have to bear through that weight; was that too childish to dream of?
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