Danganronpa IF

The next day, the dormitory area Makoto Naegi's room

Makoto Naegi lay on his bed, his mind lost in a desperate struggle between despair and hope.

Monokuma had given each student a DVD. Naegi's showed a scene insinuating that his parents and younger sister were in danger, and so he found himself with the determination to leave this school. It seemed as though the other students had also been shown shocking videos of their own. Something so shocking that they seriously began to contemplate the idea of escaping the school, even at the cost of a life.

But it was also clear that Monokuma was laying out a trap. If a student was to kill another, he or she would graduate and leave the school. It looked like the mastermind behind Monokuma would do anything to start off this game of murder. But what worried Naegi the most right now was the state of Sayaka Maizono, who seemed to have been hit the hardest by the DVD.

Maizono was a Super High School Level Idol who was also Naegi's classmate from Nekuro Roku(2) Junior High. They had only really spoken in the past few days, but her optimism was a constant support for Naegi--and it went the same way for her.

If nothing else, I have to save Maizono-san... Naegi thought, when he was suddenly struck by a light headache.

...?

Was it the shock of being punched by Mondo Oowada the previous day, or an aftereffect of pressing the escape switch? Naegi ran through the possibilities in his mind, but soon the pain dissipated and he found himself even more determined than before.

Anyway, we have to all work together and- huh?

He realized that his determination was slightly different.

We 'all' have to...?

Naturally, escaping the school with all of his classmates was the most ideal scenario. But other than Maizono, he had never met any one of his classmates before, and he had no idea if he could trust them. Yet for a moment, he found himself believing that they were people worth helping even at the cost of his own life, just like Maizono.

Why?

The headache struck again. It was a strange sensation, like an artery in his brain splitting open.

Why did I just think that... I could trust everyone as much as Maizono-san...?

Naegi tried desperately to figure out why his mindset had shifted. Something was off. The pulsating pain in his head seemed to be going hand-in-hand with the sensation of something approaching him little by little. And just as he began to see a ray of light inside the fleshy darkness within his own skull, the doorbell rang.

Someone's here...

He quickly clambered off his bed, but the headache only worsened, He gave security no thought as he opened his door defencelessly, and came face-to-face with Sayaka Maizono.

"I'm sorry for bothering you so late..."

"Maizono-san...?!"

The pain.

"Why are you here at this hour...?"

The moment he caught sight of her, the pulsating pain grew quicker and quicker. It felt as though his world was being torn down from the inside out.

"I'm sorry... Something strange just happened... Naegi-kun? What's wrong? You don't look well..."

Maizono had been trembling and pale when she appeared before Naegi, but she looked like she was surprised by Naegi's even worse complexion.

"Oh, yeah... I... I'm fine... It's just... a head-"

Naegi was unable to finish his sentence. His eyes rolled back as he slowly collapsed on the carpet, Sayaka Maizono's beautiful scream ringing over his head.