Kero-stion + Answer || Trial 6 || RE: Chouko, Shinobu
“I mean, yeah, sure, whatever. Y'might as well give yer’ monologue. Not like we got much of a choice right now, right?”
FrogBot pouted at Chouko’s question. “You’re no fun, kero! You always have a choice. The choice here is whether you want to die or have a chance to live, kero!”
“What h-happened to our families? All of them. Hers, mine, the ones on the ships, and the ones not on ships.”
Then, they heard Shinobu’s question, and their exaggerated mannerisms fell away. They looked at them with an expression that was almost… sad.
“I wouldn’t know, kero, what happened to your family, Matsuba-kun. Yours or anyone’s not on the ships, kero,” FrogBot said. “I wouldn’t know for sure, at least.”
They glanced at WellnessBot, and they said, loudly, with all their usual affectations, “But WellnessBot would know, kero! Wouldn’t you?”
WellnessBot stilled, facing the class with a steely, clinical resolve; they had no guilt, no shame, and no pity.
“Many of your families are likely dead, beep,” WellnessBot said, their chipper tone a stark contrast to their unsmiling expression and dour words. “As you all put together, the world you all know is dead.”
“Kero-trastrophic climate change!” FrogBot chimed in with a shrill bitterness. “Nuclear war will do that to you, kero!”
“Yes,” WellnessBot continued. They clasped their hands behind their back. “Before your boarding, the world above was caught in a new arms race, beep.
[Dear Diary] In the Lab Hallway is a journal containing a person’s thoughts on everything from action movies to political dramas as well as speculation on international tensions and… cold…. warts? The handwriting is pretty terrible.
“And then the cold war turned hot, and the earth was destroyed. There was nuclear winter, mass extinctions, uninhabitable land, unbreathable air, beep.” They smiled, sardonic. “WellnessTip#000: Don’t blow your neighbors up.
[It’s Always Snowing In Posidonias] On FrogBot’s desk is a snowglobe with what could be the Empire State Building if it were up to its pits in ashy snow.
[Un-bear-able Conditions] A pair of taxidermied polar bears have been put on display in the Bedrock Floor below the Subsoil Floor. According to the accompanying digital plaque, their natural habitat has been destroyed and this species is now extinct.
“Prior to that, beep, Hopes’ Peak Academy had developed cutting edge submersibles, including the Posidonias Atlantica, meant to hold expeditions of scientists and researchers. The Posidonias Atlantica, beep, specifically hosted a group of scientists meant to study the feasibility of sustaining long-term life underwater and the efficiency of extracting and producing certain necessities such as breathable air, beep.
[Hacker Voice: I’m In] On the Lichen Lab computer is a folder labeled “IMPT; send to HPA.” In it are three subfolders: AQ_ALL, PLNA_COS, IMPCT.
“Aware of the imminent appocalypse, they also developed technology meant to suppress memories of trauma and preserve people for years so that they could sleep throughout the danger and wake when the world was alright, again, beep.”
“As selected students of Hope’s Peak Academy, you were sheltered on the submersibles just before the world was, essentially, destroyed, beep. Furthermore, anyone who had the funds or connections to pay for safety was also allowed to live on the submersibles.”
They stopped, having said their piece.
“But that’s not all, kero!” FrogBot said urgently. “What WellnessBot isn’t saying is that anyone who couldn’t pay was left to die and suffer, kero! Who cares about anyone besides the top percentage? The richest of the rich, kero! Not Hope’s Peak, kerohoho!”
“And that’s not all either, kero,” they repeated savagely, clutching their own shoulders. “How did they survive on the surface without any resources? Without arable land or breathable air, kero? Spoiler alert, my cute, little tadpoles: they didn’t! People died in droves, suffering, choking, starving — there was so, so much of it, kero!”
“And what did Hope’s Peak Academy do?” they said this time, screaming, almost. “Tell them, WellnessBot! Kerohoho!”
WellnessBot’s demeanor was a stark contrast to FrogBot’s unhinged mannerisms. “Hope’s Peak Academy provided for those above, beep, for a price. Each of the submersibles was equipped with massive farming areas.
[Like The Amazon! But Not On Fire! Anymore!] The Greenhouse is a massive, two-tiered floor with climate-controlled chambers, allowing a vast variety and quantity of crops to be grown under the sea.
“Each of the ships was equipped with the ability to extract large amounts of oxygen from the surrounding waters.”
[Diagrams] Pinned up one one of the walls are several diagrams of the ships and sketches of additions to the exterior. According to the notes, the apparatuses allow the ship to extract oxygen from water quite efficiently and should be a white color.
“What was the price, kero?” FrogBot said, interrupting them. “How did stupid, awful people do it back in the good ‘ole days, kero? Work, kero! You’re worth as much as you work, and if you can’t work, then you don’t deserve to live! If you can’t be exploited, then you aren’t worth keeping alive, kero!”
[Special Delivery Incoming!] A delivery log on a tablet in the Cargo Hold reveals that the PA received materials and human labor from locations on the surface in exchange for unnamed shipments.
“Hope’s Peak Academy would provide people with fresh food and air in exchange for labor, beep,” WellnessBot confirmed. “Not all resources the ships needed to continue functioning could be found underwater, but all the resources needed for people to maintain their wellness could almost only be found underwater, beep.”
[Apples to Apples] Some of the empty crates in the Cargo Hold have been stamped with labels like “APPLES” or “VEG.” On one tank is a sticker label; though most of it has been ripped off, the remaining scrap says “XYG.”
[Shipping: Don’t Like, Don’t Read] In the Cargo Hold are logs tracking the delivery of unspecified shipments to various locations around Asia and Oceania.
“So there you have it, kero! Esperance-chan’s family is living in luxury and safety — for now. As for the rest of you poor, little tadpoles, they’re long dead, or hopping along at Hope’s Peak’s command, kero.”
“So don’t,” FrogBot said sharply, still beaming with off-kilter energy, “don’t blame Akatsuki-chan, kero. Or blame her, but can’t you see why she would’ve done this, kero? If you’ve lost everything, everyone — if everyone you loved was either dead or suffering because someone decided they weren’t worth keeping alive, because someone decided their lives were lesser and useless, then wouldn’t you be angry, kero? Wouldn’t you want them to hurt?”
