Part 138: Super High-school Level Update #124

Trial 17 (Youtube via Polsy)

Even if you don't usually watch the trial videos, please watch this one. If your brain can handle it, I'd even say you should watch it while reading the update for the first time.



YES / NO



Oh. You thought I was serious? I apologize. It was a joke.
This is the first time in a while I'm standing in front of other people. I almost forgot my own personality.



She's... She's the mastermind...?

She's...



...The real Junko Enoshima...?



Nevertheless, freedom sure feels good.
Day in and day out, I had to act the part of Monobear.
I'm the type that gets quickly fed up with everything in a fit of Despair. It was more akin to suicide than asceticism for me.



M...More importantly, your face...



Oh? What about my face?
Is something wrong about this lovable face, praised for being a match to a hundred chihuahuas?



I remember it from somewhere... I think I've seen your face before.



Now that I think about it, I also remember this face.

I've also seen it somewhere before. Um, I think that was...



At the entrance hall / In the headmaster's office / During my preparations for entering the school





That's right. I've seen it on the covers of magazines before I came to this school...



Your face was on them...!



Huh... You have an admirable memory. No wonder you managed to survive until now.



So, I'm right.
In that case, those words she said at the entrance hall back then...



You give a different impression in real life.
Huh?
Are you talking about my magazine cover shots?
Isn't it natural? They were modified by the editors, of course!
Modified?



Photoshopped, y'know? You've never heard of image editing?
Photoshopped... I see...



From time to time, a self-directed lie is a necessity. I think it's just a type of optimism.



She was a different person, so it's natural she gave a different impression. I see...



I am me. Mukuro is Mukuro.
No matter how well she's disguised, it's impossible for her to become a "Super High-school Level Fashion Girl".
As long as the walls of flesh and spirit stand between us, two people can never become one.
Even if they are twins.



T...Twins...?!



It's a well trodden trope. I feel embarrassed even repeating it here.
Yes. Me and Mukuro share a blood relation as twins.
Taking the part of the athletic older sister, Mukuro Ikusaba. Taking the part of the genius cute little sister, me.



HYAHAHAHA! Junko Enoshima-chan!!
"Super High-school Level Despair", both of us! We were The Despair Sisters!



Um... did you just change your personality?



How about fuckin' listening for once?! I get quickly fed up of with everything in a fit of Despair! That includes my personality!!



B...But, if you're twins, why is your family name different...?



That question again? I get asked that a lot!
I know this is the first time you're asking it, but I'm already fuckin' fed up with it! Why should I answer the same question over and over?!!



It's the kind of thing you see all over, so try to think of a reason on your own! That's all I'm gonna say!



But... if you were twins, does that mean you killed your own sister...?



I had reasons deeper than the deepest ocean! That was a fuckin' lie! I had no such reasons!



I guess it can't be helped... Allow me to explain.
Our plan required a person to control this school life of mutual killing from behind the scenes.
They had to control Monobear, and keep a watch on the students. Putting it simply, they had to play the role of the mastermind.
However, according to my own calculations, it was not possible for Mukuro Ikusaba to fill that role.
The reason is that she was a very pitiful sister.
A very pitiful sister who went and joined a mercenary group all by herself.
Therefore, we decided to have me take control and for her to remain as an observer on the site.
We had the option of playing the mastermind together, of course, but she wouldn't have been much help to me even if she was there.
The fact that "15 participants" has a nice ring to it sealed the deal.
However, there was a conundrum we had to solve. Mukuro Ikusaba's title was "Super High-school Level Soldier".



That title is a prime example of the "three D's" principle. Despairingly stinky, Despairingly shabby and Despairingly gross.
We understood that, since it was so far removed from society's needs, it would be best to exclude it from the plan.



Conversely, my own "Super High-school Level Fashion Girl" has much charm. I couldn't bear it being left unused.



And that's why you switched identities...?



However, she wasn't anything like me at all. It was all so very Despair-inducing.
She acted like your standard small fry character. "Student A" in the credits roll.
If you add her unfortunate outward appearance, I am sure many predicted she would be one of the firsts to die.



That is why I killed her. I wanted to measure up to expectations.



You killed her for such a flimsy reason...?



That was not the only reason, of course. I had also grown tired of her.



You know? I haven't followed a plan to the letter since the day I was born...
I get bored of plans as soon as I'm done making 'em...
So I decided to go off script and make an example of Mukuro-chan!



In other words, Mukuro Ikusaba's death was an act of betrayal.



That's exactly what I thought.
When Mukuro Ikusaba was killed, it was obvious what happened betrayed her expectations.



..........
Huh.............?
What............?
Isn’t.... that....... strange.....?
Why...... was.... I........?



Tee-hee, So you noticed?
I guess it can't be helped. Mukuro-chan just wasn't a very good actress.
But, thanks to that, she made a splendid example, dont'cha think?



............
Why are you so calm...?



You turnes your own sister into a victim... How can you be so calm...?!



Eh?! Are you mad at me for making Mukuro-chan a victim?
Oh no! You're so scary when you're wrong!!
We're both "Super High-school Level Despair", aren't we? We don't feel any Hope just because we're alive...



We've been in Despair all our lives. From our very first moment we wished we hadn't been born.
The tears I cried when I left my mother's womb were the tears of Despair, y'know?
So, dying or getting killed isn't such a big deal for us.
That's just the kind of humans we are. It's also why we can do anything we want.



We're already in Despair, so we don't care about losing our lives. We can, like, go full throttle!



You really think it's nothing...? That's your own sister you killed...!



you've got it all wrong.
we were twins. how could i not mourn her...?



but, that's exactly what's so "stimulating" about it.



...Huh?



killing my beloved sister with my own hands...
it's so very Despair-inducing, isn't it? the kind that makes you want to slap the word "super" in front...



"super-super-super-super Despair-inducing". no. that's not enough.
not even "super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super Despair-inducing" can cover it.



such a nice feeling.



W...What the hell are you saying...?



i think Mukuro was also Despairing the moment she died...
i mean, she was being killed by her own little sister. and for no reason other than to serve as an example...
i'm sure she died full of Despair...
i'm jealous. super jealous.



I knew she wasn't a normal person, but that's going into abnormality.



It's the worst kind of abnormality. She has the ultimate despair fetish. It includes even her own despair.



Genocider is wrong in the head, but this is a completely different kind of madness, 'right?



um... please don't compare me to a serial murderer who does nothing but kill weaklings...
i have a Despair-inducing fair body and a Despair-inducing clear mind and a Despair-inducing model physical ability...
i'm a Despair-inducing perfect superwoman, am i not...?



No, you're a long way from being perfect.



T...That's right! Byakuya-sama is the perfect one...! He's even part of a noble bloodline...!



but... that's just a "former" noble bloodline, isn't it...?



What does that mean?



Upupu... Do you still not get what's going on? You bastards really are slow!
You just keep yapping like dogs despite not solving all the mysteries yet!



Are you talking about our memories...?



Don't tell me you think you're free because you figured out I was the culprit?
Let's postpone your winning ceremony until after you bastards figure out the secret of your lost memories.



We were just about to do that. We'll show you - we are going to solve all the mysteries...



And then we will win!



Upupu... I'm looking forward to that...



Okay! Let me ask you point-blank, then! What memories did you take from us?!



............



There were the group photos and the interviews... which means...



I...I got it! You made us forget our entrance exams...!!



............



Now you're playing dirty! At least give us a hint!



You bastards' minds are like a sponge. I already gave you one.
Don't you remember what I said your lost memories are related to?!



That's right... Monobear did say something like that before.

Our lost memories are connected to...



The school trials / The secret of Hope's Peak Academy's founding / Monobear's motives





Our lost memories have to do with the motives you gave us for killing each other, don't they...?



I see you remember. Well, it's not like it's easy to forget such an important thing.



Let me first offer my sincere apologies for the silly questions that are about to follow.
Well, here we go.
Have you noticed each of the motives I gave had its own unique concept?



Concept...?



Yes. Very much so. Let me go ahead and present it in the form of a quiz.
What was the concept of the motive I gave you when Sayaka Maizono got murdered?

The first murder... What concept is she talking about...?



International relations / Love triangles / Human relations





The first motive you gave us was all about "human relations".



Bingo. A perfect answer. Those DVDs I gave you back then...
They had footage of everyone's most import human relations being destroyed.



One's family, for example.



Or, perhaps, one's beloved friends.



By destroying those things, and showing them to you...
I tried to stimulate your desire to leave this place, which ended up in mutual killing.



It was a very cruel thing to do, wasn't it?



You have no right to say that! It was you who did it, after all!



Yes. I will gladly accept such constructive criticism.



Yeah! On to the next motive!
Um, um, do you know what the concept was the second time, when Oowada-kun did his thing?!

The second murder... What was the concept behind that motive...?



Strength / Memories / The meaning of life





It was "memories", wasn't it?



Wow! Naegi-kun got it right again! That's it! The motive back then was...



..."embarassing memories" and "hidden pasts"! Tee-hee!
Oowada-kun murdered because he didn't want them exposed, right?!



Why are we doing this...? How long do you plan to keep this charade going?



Don't worry about it! Next question!!
Who can tell me what the concept for the motive of the third murder was?!

The third murder... What was the concept behind that motive...?



Politics / Popularity / Desire





Money. That is, "desire".



DESTROY! You fuckin' got it again?!



Yeah! It's all about the money! Celes killed Yamada and Ishimaru just to get some.
Yeah, "desire" was the motive for the third murder!



...So what?! Why are you just asking the same question over and over...!



HYAHAHAHAHA!! Don't get all impatient on me! This is the last one!
It's about that slightly irregular fourth murder. Do you get what concept my motive had back then?!

The fourth murder... What was the concept behind that motive...?



Blackmail / Betrayal / Secrets





It was "betrayal", wasn't it?



yes. that's correct. the reason that murder happened...



...was because i revealed to everyone that Oogami-san betrayed you.



you got all four questions right. how very gratifying.



What about it? What was the meaning of all those questions?



Human relations, memories, desire and betrayal...
Those are just four staple motives, aren't they? They're all a cliche... It's really very boring, isn't it!



Those are not the only four motives one can find in this world, of course.



This world we live in is full to the brim with countless motives that make men kill one another.
They entice people to murder their peers, and bring Despair upon the world.
I call them "The seeds of Despair"



The seeds of despair?



Much like people need food and water, the seeds of Despair need a certain something in order to grow.
That "something" is Hope. Despair thrives precisely because Hope exists!
They're the front and the back of the same sheet of paper. That's what Hope and Despair are!



...How long are you planning to go on with this inane speech?
What about our lost memories? Are you trying to distract us away from the subject?



I am trying no such thing. I am simply explaining about your memories.
What I am trying to say is, there's a direct connection between those memories and the seeds of Despair.



W...What kind of connection...?



By taking away those memories, I have given you Hope.
That is, Hope that could later be consumed by Despair, of course.



W...Why would taking away our memories give us hope...?



I don't remember ever getting any hope from you...



...Is that so? Isn't the desire to escape this place still dwelling in your mind?
That desire itself is what I call Hope.



What... are you trying to say?



Had you not aspired to leave this place, no mutual killing would have taken place.
That is why I stole your memories. I bestowed upon you the desire to leave!



Do you mean we wouldn't have wanted to leave if you hadn't taken our memories away?



Upupu... Exactly.



So, if we our memories had stayed in place we wouldn't have thought about escaping?



W...What's going on...?! Why would those memories make us want to stay here...?!



Upupu... You seem to be stumped.
But that's not enough! I must make you Despair even more...
I worked so hard to give you bastards Hope and make your Despair grow so big...
Therefore, here's a gift from me to, given with great effort at my own personal expense! Let me give you another hint!



Eh?! Really?!



G...Go on... Hurry!!



They say a picture is worth a thousand words...



I think I should show you bastards the outside world now.



The outside world...?



Are you talking about what's going on outside the school?



Just as I thought. Did something happen out there?



...Are you worried? Do you want to see?
Upupu... I want to see something too.
I want to see your faces, as they sink into Despair...



Ahahahaha! Here it is!!
This is the outside world! The world outside this school!
The world you bastards wanted to escape to so desperately!!













............



............



............
...Huh?