Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Part #76

Part 76: Blind Faith

Good morning! Did you hear the announcement?

Yeah. We gotta meet up in the gym, right? What's going on so early in the morning? Well, I guess we got no choice but to go. You go on ahead, bro.

What? You're not going?

Kaito pointed at the door to Maki's room. I suppose he's going to take her.

They said everybody's gotta be there, right? Who knows what'll happen if some of us don't show up.

Yeah...you're right.

It would be nice if he could help her get along with everybody.

Ah, yes...I was about to head over just now. I overslept a bit today, you see.

Kehehe... Of course, the one time I do that, we are summoned, so I panicked a bit. I am normally ready to leave my room by 7:30 am.

That early? I usually wake up at the Monokubs' announcement.

Why does it take so long? Isn't that even longer than what a girl takes? Well, Kiyo does have a pretty elaborate uniform. Perhaps that's why.

In any event, we've no time for idle chats. I shall go on ahead to the gym.

Nyeeeh...

Did that mean..."good morning"?

What a pain... Why do we have to go to the gym so early in the morning...?

I don't know...but I don't think it's anything good.

An important meeting?

Nyeh...

Hey, about this "meeting"... Are you planning something?

Oh, yeah, sort of... Angie said we should have a party.

I see...

Atua said he wanted to play in the pool.

...What a peculiar request for a god to make.

If we don't hurry to the gym, our faces might get peeled off like mandarin oranges!

I don't like mandarin oranges. Peeling off all the white stuff is a pain...

...

Wh-What? Do you want something from me?

...

Monokuma stared at me silently, intensely, as though he were trying to tell me something.

...

Suddenly, a thought flashed into my mind!

Not from my mind... From my heart?

That estimation is still a bit too high.

...

I understand now, Monokuma. You're telling me...that it's time.

The girls are going to go play in the pool, which means they'll be in swimsuits.

...

Yes, I can't back down now. The power of love in my chest has filled my throbbing heart! Full charge! I have no choice. I *must* go!

Good morning, Keebo.

Shuichi...doesn't this summons give you an uneasy feeling?

Well, yes...I suppose it does.

The timing is similar to when we received the Monokub Pads.

Yes, I think that may be the case.

But it's alright! No matter what kind of motive is prepared for us...

Huh?

Don't worry. We won't allow the killing game to continue!

What did he mean by "won't allow" it to continue?

It was the same way when we went to the library after Rantaro's class trial. ...All clean.

I was up all night fixing that computer.

Ah, you took a look at the computer on the 4th floor? What do you think?

Yeah...I only just started working on it so I don't know the full Specs, but...

...

Kehehe...are you jealous?

...Of course not. I would never be jealous of a computer.

A robot jealous of a computer? It seems just plain possible.

...

Don't say something so stupid. You'll never get to know her better if you never talk to her!

Maybe everyone would prefer that! Maybe everyone would prefer that this dangerous killer stays far away from us!

Of course, I wouldn't prefer that at all!

He's right. Murder and death have no place in a peaceful academy life.

Huh?

Oh, no... The Colossal Insect is on the other side of the wall, isn't it!?

No, not that. Gonta went to courtyard before coming here and—

MUSIC: Rise and Shine, Ursine!

LET'S-WORRY-ABOUT-MONOTARO...LATER, AND-PRESENT-THE-MOTIVE-NOW.

So it is a motive after all.

Th-That's right! We aren't afraid of anything anymore!

...What?

But it's no ordinary motive. This motive will inspire fear like never before.

Fear like never before?

NOW, FOR-THE-MOTIVE-THAT-WILL-CAST- YOU-DOWN-INTO-THE-DEPTHS-OF-TERROR...

MUSIC: Mr. Monokuma After Class V3

AUDIO: A Shocking Motive!

This time, the motive is a transfer student! Yep! A new student is transferring! And not just any transfer student...

You get to resurrect one of the four people who've died so far...and welcome them back to the academy as a transfer student!

The instructions for the resurrection ritual are written in the Necronomicon.

But only one of the four who have died so far can become the transfer student. Whoever you choose, that person will be considered part of the killing game semester.

Y'know...if you wanted to use it like that.

Monodam...let's forgive Monotaro. Forgiving is what friends do, y'know.

MONOPHANIE...YOU'RE-NICE. BUT...THERE-IS-MORE-TO-FRIENDSHIP-THAN-BEING-NICE. FRIENDS-ALSO-PUNISH-EACH-OTHER-WHEN-THEY-DO-SOMETHING-WRONG.

...What!? Me!?

Please, no! Not Monophanie! I'm always mocking her when she's not looking! I don't wanna be punished by her!

NO MUSIC

...

We were all completely dumbfounded. I feel like this academy has prepared me for absurd situations... But what I just heard was the most absurd thing so far.

MUSIC: Rise of the Ultimates

I-It just can't happen...

Sh-Sheesh... Wh-Who the fuck would believe that load of unscientific bullshit?

This ritual...or rather, resurrection ceremony, stems from funeral ceremonies the world over. See? They are similar, yes? The act of sending the dead to the next world is a sort of ritual. Through rumors and legends, that ritual twisted into a way to return the dead to this world.

Since you keep rambling about it, I'm guessing you really believe all that stuff, huh, Kiyo?

Kehehe... What are you saying? There is no way the dead can be resurrected.

Without a doubt, the souls of the dead exist, but they cannot be brought back to life... Dead flesh cannot be restored, just as broken glass cannot be mended...

So you believe in souls, but you don't believe those souls can be resurrected?

That seems confusing, but I know if we ask, this conversation will just go on forever...

And if this idealistic degenerate can't believe it, no reasonable girl would believe it, either!

Hah-hahaha! The kooky bitch is finally talkin'! But too bad! No one's interested in your bullshit cult!

Cuz...that's what Atua desires.

I can't follow this conversation at all...

This resurrection ritual sounds stupid... I got dragged here for this? I should've ignored you guys after all.

Does that bother you? As an anthropologist?

No, I have no interest in gods. But I have great interest in their creators... Humans are the ones who created gods...and I am very interested in humanity. I wish to know the causes and reasons why human beings create gods.

Because it is during times of great crisis that humans create gods...

Kehehe... Maybe a god shall be created here as well.

...I get where Angie is coming from, but you, Kiyo?

Bring dead back to life...? Gonta no can believe that. Forest family teach Gonta... Everything that born and everything that die...is part of grand flow. And flow never rewind...

But even Gonta know, there no way to take back what already happen...!

H-Huh? Why...the fuck is everyone listenin' to this crap? Am I...the only one not fallin' for this? And I was so sure of myself, too...

Nee-heehee...it's getting kinda weird now, but at least it's not boring.

What's wrong, Kaito? You don't look well...

N-No...it's nothing. I'm just...not feeling so good.

All of a sudden?

...Let's listen to what Angie has to say.

Wh-What? Do you think it's strange that...I *want* to listen to Angie?

So what? It's also important to listen to others, so we can work together.

If Angie is saying it...a dead person might really come back.

Hey, let's hurry up and ask her.

What? Don't talk to me about that. I...want to hear Angie talk.

Umm...I don't think the resurrection ritual can really bring the dead back to life.

...What do you mean?

Y'know how the bodies of all the victims have been cleaned up? So clean, it's like there was never a dead body to begin with? So maybe...

They were never dead to begin with?

No, that's not possible. We inspected all of the bodies ourselves—

But, but it might've been a very accurate imitation!

An imitation?

So it may be possible for them to create extremely convincing imitations.

If that's what Angie says... Then I'm starting to plainly agree.

I've always supported Angie...

What? No, wait a minute! I saw them with my own eyes—

Hey, you don't want them to be alive, Shuichi? You don't want the dead to be alive?

I-I do! I do want that! I wish they were still alive... Even now I think that. But no matter how much we want that...

If everyone alive, that mean they're somewhere in school, right? So...maybe one of them write message in courtyard?

They were imitations!? I-I see... I never would have thought of that!

Yeah...all the dead bodies up till now must have been fake. No one's actually died. That's what Angie's saying so it's probably right...

I...support Angie. She'll...make everything good.

Why do you deny me so fiercely, Shuichi? Do you not care about those who have died? I didn't realize you were so heartless.

That's...not...true. I still want her...I want everyone to be alive. But no matter what we do, we can't...get them back...

The writing in the courtyard...

Oh, yeeeah! I completely forgot about that!

Graffiti in the courtyard? Why's he bringing that up now!? I don't take ideas from giant mongos!

"Returning the dead to us" is a different way of saying the same thing. We know Rantaro is dead, and we saw Kaede and Kirumi die right in front of us, too. How can they deny what we all saw? Don't they realize how weird that is?

Imitations...?

Aside from Ryoma, who we couldn't directly examine, Rantaro's corpse looked very real. Kaede and Kirumi were both "punished" right before our eyes...

In addition, it iS unlikely they were switched with a fake corpse right before their demise.

Yeah...but it sorta different now. On way here, Gonta go see writing in courtyard...

MUSIC: Nightmare in the Locker

SHUICHI: More writing?

GONTA: Gonta no could understand what writing mean, but maybe... Maybe it message from dead? Maybe everyone leave message for us that say, "Hey! We alive!"

Cuz no one here write it, did they? So someone else musta write it, right?

Are you saying a dead person hiding in the School wrote that message?

W-Wait...a message from the dead!? What the actual fuck...!?

...

Either way, there's nothing more divine than being reunited with a friend.

As she spoke, Angie picked the Necronomicon off the floor.

Are you...actually planning to perform the ritual? You do know it's a motive, yes?

But perhaps it's a motive that's dangerous to ignore, rather than dangerous to use.

For example, maybe the people who've died are actually alive...

Hm, it would be a problem if we allowed four potential survivors to die.

...Huh?

Angie approached Gonta with her usual wide smile and...

MUSIC: Moon on the Water

AUDIO: God's Gift

...Ack!

You work so hard, Gonta. You're always trying to keep everyone safe. Even when you go berserk, you're still considerate of everyone else, aren't you? I know this...because Atua is always watching you.

A-Always...watching...Gonta?

...Don't worry. You're not alone, Gonta. Atua is like a gentle grandmother, watching over you and keeping you safe.

Grandmas...are nice...

MUSIC: Beautiful Lie

Angie's Atua changes his appearance depending on who's looking.

Well, that's not suspiciously convenient at all.

Yeah! It'd be really reassuring if you were part of the student council, Gonta!

Mhm...you will use your power for the peace of the academy.

Nyahaha! See how much everyone needs you, Gonta? You should definitely join.

...You need Gonta?

W-Wait, before all of that, what exactly is this "student council"? Is that why you've been acting weird—

Me, Keebo...Tenko, and Tsumugi.

And we arrived to a conclusion!

MUSIC: Finding Peace Party

AUDIO: Student Council

SHUICHI: ...Ultimate Academy Student Council?

We've all banded together under the leadership of President Angie!

Our platform...is the wholesale eradication of the killing game.

Nyeh... Our student council promises a killing game-free Ultimate Academy.

Yes, there can be no harmony between us if we keep saying different things.

Well, it's called the student council, but all the decision-making is done by Atua.

But since Angie can speak with Atua, she's the only one worthy of leading the council.

Nyeh...that's right.

Yeah, I'm going to follow Angie, too.

Ah geez, they've been totally brainwashed.

Kehehe... Angie has spread her influence before we'd even realized.

But it makes sense if you think about it. This place has all the conditions for a cult to form. The fear of a death that cannot be avoided... Cults are born from a desire to escape that.