Chapter Text
Hajime turned his attention to the clock on the wall. Eleven thirty. He’d lost track of time and stayed at the hospital much later than planned. He stood up from the chair with a sigh, he sat in it so often he was surprised he hadn’t left an imprint.
“I guess I should say goodnight then.” he said, fully aware he wouldn’t receive a reply from the boy spread out on the hospital bed. He leant over him to straighten the covers, even though he wasn’t awake he didn’t want him to be cold. When moving the sheets, he was careful not to touch the stub where the boy’s left hand used to be. The sight of it still sent shivers down his spine.
“Same time tomorrow.” Hajime mumbled. Only recently had he started talking to the patients, it made him uncomfortable but Sonia insisted it was a good idea. He didn’t see the point in talking to someone who couldn’t reply. It just left him feeling frustrated.
He let out a deep sigh as he switched off the light, it was a lonely feeling spending all day with someone who believed they were dead. He didn’t see much of the other four survivors anymore because they were always busy visiting someone. Private hospital rooms seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Hajime was beginning to realise how isolating they were.
Once in the hall, Hajime briskly made his way to the staircase. Though he didn’t mind the patient rooms, the hospital itself gave him the creeps. He was living on the real Jabberwock Island, it was practically identical to the one he’d experienced during the Neo World Program. Being in the same hospital just reminded him of the despair disease and what Mikan had done, it wasn’t something he enjoyed reliving every day.
He wished he could escape Jabberwock Island altogether. He couldn’t go anywhere without being haunted by a dark memory from his time in the game. The old building where Byakuya died, the beach house where Mahiru was beaten to death, the music venue where two innocent lives were taken, the hotel lobby where Nagito set off a bomb. There was no escape. He’d asked several times if he could leave the island, but Kyoko always rejected his request. Future Foundation still didn’t trust him, or the other survivors, his safety couldn’t be guaranteed off the island.
Hajime pushed opened the main doors, letting in fresh air from the island. There was a depressing cloud that took permanent residence over the hospital, it was nice to get outside.
"Hajime!"
He heard a voice calling him from behind, someone still inside the hospital. There was a time where he would have gotten his hopes up and presumed it was one of the ten comatose students. However, he'd learned his lesson. He wasn’t so naive anymore. It had been two months since he'd woken from the simulation and there had been no sign of progress at all. Every day his hope would shrink even further.
The voice belonged to Sonia, she waved at him to wait up. He kept his hold on the door so it wouldn’t slam shut in her face - the last thing he would want to do to a princess. He hadn’t expected anyone else to still be at the hospital so late. “I didn’t know you were still here.” he admitted.
Sonia nodded, passing through the door “I like to stay for as long as I can, but seeing you leave reminded me that I should probably get some sleep for myself.” her hand grazed across her face, gently touching her scars. A visual reminder of her time as an ultimate despair.
They walked side by side back to the central island. Hajime couldn't remember the last time he’d had a proper conversation with her. Sonia spent most of her time at Gundam's bedside, Hajime never wanted to intrude. “I hate leaving them behind in that place.”
“Me too.” Sonia sighed “It is like we're abandoning them."
Hajime decided to ask Sonia something since he had her alone. It was something he hadn’t asked anyone, not even the trio from Future Foundation. He wasn’t sure why he suddenly felt like talking to Sonia about it, perhaps it was the presence of the night which always encouraged him to expose the most intimate parts of his thoughts. “Sonia...do you think they’re ever going to wake up?”
“We can only hope.” Sonia nodded with determination and a broad smile.
Hajime shook his head, he didn’t want to be palmed off with an answer that was so contrived it sounded scripted. He wanted honesty. “Is that what you really think?”
Sonia lowered her head “It is what I like to think.” He knew that was her way of saying no to his original question.
He didn’t enjoy being so negative. At the beginning, he was full of false hope, convinced the students would wake up within days. The idea of them never waking hadn’t even crossed his mind. Unfortunately, the days began to pass, leaving him with nothing but a dampened spirit. It was a torturous feeling, knowing all he could do to help was wait.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
His life consisted of nothing more than waiting. From the minute he woke up to the second he went to bed, endless, endless waiting. It was a miserable existence. Barely even an existence at all.
The rest of their journey was taken in silence, from the central island to the hotel. It wasn’t an awkward silence, it was a comfortable one. Just having the company of someone else was enough. For once, Hajime didn't feel so alone. He found himself disappointed when they finally arrived at the cottages.
“It was nice speaking to you.” Hajime said, despite not having said more than a few words to the princess.
“Likewise.” Sonia smiled graciously “We must make the effort to talk more often.”
Hajime nodded in agreement. He often thought it would be a good idea for all the survivors to meet in the restaurant every morning like they had done in the game, even if they spent just a few minutes together it would better than not seeing each other at all. No one else seemed interested in the idea, the others just wanted to spend their free time at the hospital.
Sonia said goodnight and disappeared into her cottage, leaving Hajime all alone outside. It reminded him of the night after his first trial, how he'd looked up at the stars with the uneasy feeling that someone was watching him. For old times sake, he turned his head towards the sky, feeling different this time. He didn’t feel like anyone was watching him at all, and that was the problem. He felt entirely alone on a gigantic island. A loneliness hit him from deep inside his chest.
With a sigh he retreated to his cottage, he couldn’t stay outside all night. He clambered into bed with little excitement, knowing tomorrow would be exactly the same. Waiting, waiting, waiting, sleeping. Even if his life in the Neo World Program had been filled with constant paranoia and terror, it was more exciting than the life he led now.
***
“HAJIME! GET UP!”
He woke with a start, alarmed by the shouting and loud knocking at his door. The person on the other side was using so much force he thought it was going to cave in. He jumped out of bed immediately, he wasn’t sure of the time but the lack of sunlight helped him estimate that it was three or four in the morning. What someone needed him for at that time he didn’t know.
He didn’t hesitate to unlock the door. Thankfully the killing school trip hadn’t left him completely paranoid. He knew there was no one to be feared on the island, no one who would want to hurt him. He yanked open the door, before it gave way, to reveal a red-faced Akane. Her fists were clenched, ready to punch the door another time.
“Finally!” she exclaimed “I thought you were never getting up.”
“What’s going on?” Hajime frowned, he couldn’t understand how the girl had so much energy that early in the morning.
Fuyuhiko, who stood at the edge of the pathway, stepped forward to answer his question “Future Foundation are here. They want to see us.”
“Future Foundation?” Hajime raised his eyebrows. Makoto, Kyoko and Byakuya had left the island within a week of the Neo World Program coming to an end. Besides from the occasional email, Hajime hadn’t heard from them since then. “What do they want so early in the morning?”
Akane shrugged her shoulders “I dunno. Their helicopter is over at the beach on the first island, go meet them there.”
Hajime nodded, closing the door behind him.
“You two go ahead, I’ll finish waking up the others.” Akane said.
Hajime followed her instructions and left with Fuyuhiko. They didn’t have far to go. They jogged briskly, not leaving time for any speculation. Hajime spotted the gigantic helicopter instantly. He was surprised he hadn’t heard it land.
“Do you think they’ve found a way to wake everyone up?” Fuyuhiko whispered to him.
Hajime didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it's what he’d been thinking too. He couldn’t conjure up any other reason for Future Foundation to arrive so suddenly at such an inconvenient time.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that no one was inside the helicopter. There was a note taped to the door, telling them to meet in the conference room at the hospital. It wasn’t Hajime’s prefered choice of location, but he wasn’t in the position to be fussy.
They reunited with the other three on their way so they could all arrive at the hospital together. There was an excited tension among them, none of them had felt that much hope in weeks.
As suspected, it was Byakuya, Makoto and Kyoko who were waiting for them in the conference room. The three of them were sat at one end of an oversized table. The five survivors took the seats opposite, with a clear understanding from the tension in the room that it was going to be a serious meeting.
“Thank you all for coming.” Kyoko said, she was holding onto a clipboard with the Future Foundation logo printed on the front “I apologise for getting you up at such an early hour, but I figured this is something you’d like to know right away.”
Makoto smiled at them, the only one to try and attempt a warm welcome “Don’t look so worried, this is good news.”
“You’ve found a way to wake them up?” Sonia cried out, almost falling off her seat in excitement.
Byakuya glared at her for the sudden outburst “Don’t get so carried away with yourself."
The smile quickly disappeared from Sonia’s face. Souda jumped to her defense immediately “Hey, don’t talk to Miss Sonia like that.”
Kyoko cut in before an argument could unfold “In theory we have a way to wake everyone up, but it’s not as straightforward as we'd like it to be.”
Fuyuhiko leaned forward in his seat “Whatever it is we’ll do it.”
“Don’t go making any rash decisions until you’ve heard what we’ve got to say. You might change your mind.” Kyoko said sternly.
Makoto reached into the inner pocket of his suit and pulled out a memory stick. He held it up so that everyone could see. There was nothing special about it, just an ordinary, plain memory stick “This here is a backup copy of the Neo World Program. It contains all the data from your time in the virtual world.”
“A backup? I thought everything was deleted.” Souda said, saying exactly what everyone was thinking.
“So did we.” Makoto replied, “But Future Foundation managed to salvage this somehow.”
Byakuya cut in “Don’t bother asking how they did it because we don’t know. Just appreciate the fact it exists.”
Hajime gulped, trying to piece together what he was being told. “So if you put that data back in the system…”
“Things would run exactly like they did when you were in the simulation.” Makoto said “The same people would have the same conversations, the same murders would happen. Everything would run exactly the same.”
“We have the chance to overwrite the data.” Kyoko said, “If you change just one thing, you’re changing history.”
“If we load the backed up data into the system and send you back into the simulation, you can change history and stop the murders from happening. That will save your friends.” Makoto smiled as he spoke, obviously eager to share the good news.
“We...can save them?” Hajime stuttered, he couldn’t believe what they were telling him.
“If you can help your friends survive the program, then they’ll no longer believe they’re dead and wake up from their comas.” Kyoko explained.
“How is this possible?” Fuyuhiko asked “I mean, their brains have shut down. I don’t understand how they can even be entered back into the program.”
“That’s not for you to worry about.” Byakuya said. He was tapping a pencil impatiently on the table as if he had a million other places he’d rather be.
“The backed up data contains their avatars which we thought were deleted.” Makoto said to make up for Byakuya’s curt answer.
“This is amazing! I didn’t know something like this was possible.” Souda grinned from ear to ear, showing off his shark-like teeth.
Kyoko frowned “You should take some time to think about this before you agree so quickly. Being entered back into the program won’t be easy, it means reliving the killing school trip all over again.”
“I dunno know about you guys, but I’d be willing to do anything to get my friends back.” Akane said, pumping a fist into the air.
“There’s also a catch…” Makoto mumbled, uncomfortable having to tell them.
Fuyuhiko narrowed his eyebrows at him “What kinda catch?”
Makoto took a deep breath before answering “Though all five of you will be entered back into the program, only one of you will be able to keep your memories and rewrite history. Four of you will need to have your memories wiped.”
“Wiped?!” Akane yelled, she jumped up from her chair
“You will forget your previous experience in the Neo World Program and everything which has happened since waking up. It will be like your first day on the island all over again.” Byakuya explained.
Hajime shook his head in disbelief, surely it wasn’t necessary for their memories to be taken.
“Isn’t there another way around this? You can’t just wipe our memories.” Fuyuhiko snapped, slamming his hands down on the table.
“Your avatars in the game are constructed around specific memories which result in your appearance. If we don’t erase your memories then you’re going to enter the simulation looking how you do now.” Kyoko said, "To look like your high school selves we must take your memories back to the first day at Hope's Peak Academy."
“You only need to look at yourselves to realise you don’t look like normal high school students. You’ll stand out like an eyesore.” Byakuya said unkindly.
Hajime took a second to stare at his friends. Though Byakuya had been rude, he made a valid point. Not only were they all noticeably older, but their bodies had seen better days too. Sonia’s face was covered in deep scars, Fuyuhiko’s eye was missing from where he’d tried to replace it with Junko’s, Akane was still recovering from starving herself and Souda had covered his body in dark tattoos. There was no way they could blend in with the others.
“You still don’t have your school memories, and by taking your island memories your avatar will revert back to your high school self.” Makoto said, “We’re able to add one of you to the system as an observer, just like Monomi and Chiaki were.”
Hajime flinched hearing her name, no one had spoken about Chiaki since waking up. "But won't that person's avatar stick out too?"
“As an observer, we can easily customise your avatar so we don’t have to worry about taking away your memories.” Kyoko said, “Of course we’d like to make all of you observers, but the program just wouldn’t handle it.”
“Then how do we decide which one of us gets to keep our memories?” Hajime asked. It was a big decision, not the sort of thing to draw straws over. There would also be a serious amount of pressure on that person since it would be down to them to change everything.
“You don’t get to decide, that decision has already been made by us.” Kyoko said sternly “We watched you all during the game so we know how you behave. We’ve decided that for your best chance of survival, the observer is going to be Hajime.”
“Me…?” Hajime cried out. He hadn’t even thought of putting himself forward. He wanted to do it, it would mean getting to see his old friends again, but it would also mean losing his current friends. If everything went to plan, Akane, Fuyuhiko, Sonia and Souda wouldn’t remember the time they’d spent together during the events of the game and the aftermath. It also put an incredible responsibility on his shoulders.
“You have to do this.” Sonia pleaded with him, on the verge of tears.
“Come on Hajime, I trust you.” Akane said.
“You guys understand how dangerous this is, right?” Hajime raised his eyebrows at them “If one of you gets killed, you might never wake up again.”
“That’s a risk we have to take.” Souda said, his voice shaking slightly.
“I don’t mind if it means Peko gets to wake up.” Fuyuhiko said.
Hajime knew it was risky, if he messed up everyone could end up brain dead. The idea of it terrified him, but he knew the reward outweighed the risk. For two months straight he’d sat by the bedside of his friends, waiting aimlessly for the impossible to happen. Now he had finally been given the opportunity to try and save them. He wasn’t sure if he could do it, the only way to find out was to try. He had to do it, he owed it to his friends. He knew they'd do the same for him.
“I’ll do it.” Hajime said, confirming his decision. He tried his best to sound confident.
Kyoko opened up the folder she’d been holding and pulled out five pieces of paper, she handed them out to the survivors. Makoto provided them with pens.
Hajime looked down at the document, it was a contract. Kyoko explained that they wouldn’t be able to go any further unless all of them agreed to sign it. It stated that Future Foundation could not be held liable if Hajime failed to wake everyone up and that it was a risk they had to take upon themselves. It didn’t put Hajime off, he signed his name at the bottom of the paper.
With all the signatures collected, Makoto led them to the control room on the central island - one of the only things which hadn't existed in the Neo World Program. None of them had set foot in the building since waking up on the real Jabberwock Island. It’s where the simulator was stored, along with the pods that entered them into it. Ten of the fifteen pods had their lids closed, their friends had been brought over from the hospital by doctors whilst the survivors had been in their meeting. Hajime was surprised that action was being taken so quickly, he thought things were going to take weeks. He was partly glad, by getting on with it right away he wouldn’t have the time to worry himself out of doing it.
“We’re going to set these four up, and then we’ll run things through with you.” Byakuya explained to Hajime.
“I suggest you say goodbye to your friends.” Kyoko said “No matter what happens, they’ll have different memories of you when they wake up.”
Hajime felt a pang in his throat, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He first approached Fuyuhiko who was hovering by Peko’s pod, he hadn’t left her side once.
Fuyuhiko shuffled about awkwardly, his hands stuffed in his pockets “I...wanna apologise in advance. You probably remember, I’m kind of a dick at the start of this whole thing. So sorry if I say anything too harsh.”
Hajime gave a small laugh “It’s okay, I’ve gotten to know the real you.”
“Don’t worry about me, just keep Peko alive okay?” Fuyuhiko looked him sternly in the eyes.
Hajime nodded to reassure him “I promise, I’m not going to let anyone die.”
Fuyuhiko pulled free his hand and held it out for Hajime to shake “It’s been a pleasure knowing you.”
Next up was Akane, she’d somehow snuck a sandwich in with her and was eating it happily, perched on Nekomaru’s pod. “So I guess this is our goodbye.” Akane said, spraying Hajime with crumbs “Don’t get all soppy on me or anything, cuz I’ll have to hit you if you do.”
Hajime laughed “I definitely won’t then. I guess goodbyes don’t have to be sad.”
“Just...just being serious for a minute.” Akane paused “Keep Coach Nekomaru safe, okay. Don’t let him become a robot because of me, and don’t let him die either. He’s a good guy.”
Hajime nodded “I’m going to help everyone survive. I promise.”
“Are you going soppy?” Akane narrowed her eyes, clenching her fist at the same time.
“What?! No!” Hajime exclaimed in alarm. He decided to move on before he ended up with a bruise.
Souda hadn’t formed any tight relationships in the game so there was no one particular he stuck by. He stood awkwardly been the pods of Ibuki and Mikan “You better start talking to me in the game.” he said, “Because we’ll need to be friends again.”
“Of course, I will.” Hajime grinned. The mechanic always put a smile on his face.
“Soul friends!” Souda pulled him into a firm hug.
“Soul friends.” Hajime repeated.
Sonia didn’t say anything, she simply threw her arms around Hajime. It seemed like she was doing everything to keep herself together. Hajime didn’t want to let go “I’ll keep Gundam safe for you.” he said softly, she hugged him tighter.
The final checks had been proceeded. Souda, Sonia, Akane, and Fuyuhiko stepped into their respective pods. Kyoko and Byakuya helped set them up while Makoto took Hajime outside to talk. Hajime took one last look at his friends through the doorway, he was going to miss them.
“Since you’re an observer, you won’t have lost any of your memories. It’s really important you don’t say anything to the others about the previous game or let them find out about their history as ultimate despairs.” Makoto instructed.
Hajime nodded “I wouldn’t tell them, I think it’d send everyone over the edge.”
“Everything is going to play out exactly how it did in the game until you change that first murder. Then things might become a little unpredictable.” Makoto said. “Just because you’ve stopped one murder from happening, it doesn’t mean you’ve stopped all of them.”
Hajime knew he was going to have to keep a watchful eye, he wouldn't have a minute to rest. "How long will this last for? When does everyone get to wake up again?"
"To complete the overwrite you must spend the exact same amount of time in there as you did the first time around." Makoto answered. "Which is twenty-three days."
It didn’t sound very long, but Hajime knew a lot could happen in that time. He gulped, it was a lot of pressure. Would he still be alive in twenty-three days?
“You won’t be totally alone.” Makoto said supportively. “Being an observer means you’ll receive help from Chiaki and Monomi since they’ll be in on eve-”
Hajime cut him short “Wait, Chiaki is going to be there?!”
Makoto nodded “Of course, she was recovered in the backup too.”
Hajime couldn’t help but smile. He thought he’d never see her again.
Kyoko popped her head around the doorframe “We’re ready for you now, Hajime.”
Makoto and Hajime headed back into the control room. He noticed his four surviving friends peacefully sleeping in their pods, they would have already forgotten him.
“This is the only backup, Hajime. So we can’t try again if anything goes wrong. What happens this time around is permanent.” Kyoko said sternly to emphasise the severity of things.
“But we understand if you can’t save everyone. It’s going to be tough.” Makoto added to reassure him.
“Just try and not get yourself killed, that would ruin everything.” Byakuya said.
With the final words of warning out the way, Kyoko guided him to his pod. He stepped in hesitantly, his nerves were starting to get the better of him. There was no going back now, everyone one was waiting for him in the simulator. He laid flat on his back, his arms pressed down either side of him. Makoto knelt beside him to attach several wires to his head.
Kyoko towered over him “Are you ready?”
Hajime nodded, his throat too dry to talk.
“Then let’s begin.” she pulled across the lid to the pod, whispering as she did so “Good luck, I believe in you.”
The lid closed, surrounding Hajime in nothing but darkness. The outside world was no more.
The time had come, he was going to save his friends.