(3rd Person's POV)
"We're almost there..." Komaru said as they walked ahead. They saw three Monokumas a few feet ahead, but Komaru would shoot a nearby car with the "Move" setting to have the car run the bots over.
After dealing with that, the girls continued the path before stopping at seeing two dead bodies leaning against each other.
Komaru's face paled in horror. "Why do they do such cruel things...?"
Toko shrugged, doing her best not to look at the bodies too closely. "They probably don't have a real reason. From what I can tell, they're just doing it for fun."
"They're doing something like this...for fun?" Komaru looked appalled. "What are these kids...?"
"They did say that this entire thing was a game to them..." Akira mused.
"When I got here, they were already wearing those helmets and marching in the streets." Toko recalled. "Killing the adults...and bringing Monokumas with them like a parade..."
"Why do they hate the adults...?" Komaru asked.
"L-Like I said, I have no idea! I'm just as confused as you are! Stop asking me about every little thing!" Toko barked in irritation.
Komaru whimpered. "Jeez... You don't have to be so angry..."
"I-It's because you nag just like those brats!"
The three proceeded to go forward again. They encountered some Monokumas along the way, but they were quickly shot down in succession by Komaru. After heading down the stairs, they finally made it to the bridge.
"Yes!" Komaru beamed. "All we gotta do now is cross the bridge! We did it, you gus! Just a little more! We're going to be alright!"
Toko lightly bit her thumb. "I wonder...if it will really end this easily..."
"...Huh?" Komaru turned to her confused.
"I-I have a bad feeling about this... This bridge has...a dangerous scent..."
"Heeey! You three girls over there!" A voice called as they turned to see a sporty-looking boy running towards them. "You guys don't look like you're with those kids... That means...you're on my side, right? Right?"
"Huh? Uh...yeah." Komaru nodded.
The boy's face lit up with happiness as he grabbed Komaru and Akira's hands. "I knew it! Yes! Oh, this is fantastic! Man, it's been forever since I've seen normal people! I'm so happy!"
Toko frowned. "I hate this kind of guy... Just walkin' up and talking to a girl like it was nothing!"
"Ah... I think this handshake is over now..." Komaru sweatdropped.
"..." But they boy would just continue holding their hands, staring at their wrists.
"H-Hey! How much longer are you gonna hold their hands!?" Toko narrowed her eyes. "You're like a creepy fan meeting an idol!"
The boy frantically shook his head. "No! It's not like that... It's just, this wristband... Could it be...? Were you two also captured by those kids who call themselves the Warriors of Hope?"
Komaru's eyes widened. "Huh?"
"And then you got thrown out here, and told it was part of some game, right? Well, look! Me too!" The boy showed them his wrist where he had the same black wristband as the two girls.
"Ah! That wristband!" Komaru exclaimed.
"It's the same as..." Akira trailed off.
"Oh, this is great!" Yuta smiled before awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Well, not...completely great. I'm already at my wit's end trying to figure out what to do... I guess I was just so relieved to see someone in the same spot I'm in. Still...could be better."
"I sorta understand. I'm also a little glad to know that we're not alone in this situation." Komaru made a smile of her own.
"Right!? Right!? Oh, that reminds me, I never told you my name! I'm Yuta Asahina!" The boy introduced.
"Ah!" Toko placed her hands on her chest.
"I'm Komaru Naegi. Nice to meet you, Yuta." Komaru said.
"And I'm Akira Shirayuki, but you can just call me Aki." Akira greeted.
"Okay..." Yuta nodded as he placed a finger on his palm. "Komaru... Naegi... Akira... Shirayuki..."
Komaru tilted her head. "...What're you doing?"
Yuta chuckled lightly. "Oh, this? If you wanna really remember a name, write it down on your palm three times."
"Oh, I see. I've never heard of that." Komaru scratched her cheek.
"Ah, but seriously, it is so reassuring to finally have some friends to work together with!" Yuta grinned before whispering to the girls. "Oh hey, by the way... Who's that?" He pointed to Toko. "She's been, um, glaring at me this whole time..."
"..." Like he said, Toko stared at Yuta, looking to be deep in thought.
"Oh, this is Toko. Toko Fukawa." Komaru said.
"I-It's fine, you don't have to make introductions like this... Not for an outcast like me." Toko mumbled before smirking. "Listen to you two, going on like you're lovers already! And you j-just met!"
Komaru blushed. "I-It's not like that!"
Yuta laughed. "Well, come on, I'm sure we'd all be happier on that side of the bridge. Now let's hurry up and get out of this town!" He said as he ran off.
"Toko, we should go too!" Komaru said.
"..." Toko looked nervous.
"What is it?"
"Like I said... I-I don't like it. I have a very bad feeling about this..."
But Komaru would just make a dismissive wave. "Oh, you're just being paranoid! Come on, if we don't hurry, Yuta will leave us behind!" She grabbed Akira's wrist and took off.
"Woah!"
"H-Hey, don't just run off! Hold on!" Toko said as she ran after them.
---
"So he's athletic, too..." Toko mumbled, seeing Yuta running a few feet ahead of the other girls. "Must be in the genes."
"Huh? W-Wait, hold on..." Yuta suddenly stopped as they reached a dead end, the only thing ahead being the ocean. "Are you kidding me...? What's goin' on here?! The bridge collapsed!"
"N-No! Isn't there something we can do?" Komaru asked.
Yuta shook his head. "There's nothing we can do... It's impossible to get over the bridge now!" He grit his teeth and frustration. "Dammit! We were almost there... Stop screwing with us! What the hell is this!?"
"Hmph, how pathetic..." Toko scoffed. "Giving up right away just because things got a little screwed up. If you have the energy to shout and scream like that, use it to move your weak ass instead!"
"Huh? M-Move...?" Yuta looked at her in confusion.
"Just go back to the city." Toko suggested. "This part of the bridge might be unstable, as well."
"Go back!?" Komaru looked at Toko like she was insane. "You want us to actually go back there!?"
"Yes. That's the only way... If you wanna live, you can't always take the easy path. Sometimes, you gotta take the painful ones." Toko's eyes darted down as her expression softened. "On that path you might suffer and writhe in pain, but at least you'll survive."
Yuta blinked. "...You say that as if you've experienced it before."
"...Hmph." Toko turned her head away from him.
BOOOM!
Everyone in company jumped up in shock. "Wh-What?!" Komaru yelled.
Under the bridge, explosive charges has been set...and now they're going off. Back in Towa City, the Monokuma Children were cheering with demented joy as they witnessed the development, with one of the kids having a detonator.
The four, having a good idea what's going on, decide that the best thing to do would be to get the hell out of dodge.
"Dammit!" Yuta cursed as they ran for it. "If this keeps up, the entire bridge is gonna collapse!"
The group keeps running for it, with a Monokuma charging towards them, but Akira would just slap it in the face, sending it flying a few feet far enough for them to keep going. Though when trying to go further, a trailer full of Monokumas block the way, with the Monokumas mockingly laughing at them.
Yuta growled. "What's their deal?!"
"Omaru! Do something!" Toko demanded as a Bomber Monokuma popped up, with Komaru shooting the Bomber Monokuma into the trailer, the entire thing exploding.
The four pass the segment, only for another trailer to block their way, with even more Monokumas on it. "Oh, come on!" Toko yelled.
Another Bomber Monokuma popped up. "I got you!" Akira said as she delivered a hard kick to it, sending it flying into the trailer and it exploding on contact, opening the path.
Seeing their chance, the four ran as far as their legs could carry them as they narrowly managed to escape the bridge right before the entire thing collapsed behind them.
"Ha...Ha..." Komaru panted.
"I-I thought we were gonna die..." Toko coughed.
"..." Akira let out a tired breath, simply staring at the destroyed bridge.
"We're safe for now... But with the bridge like this, there's no way we can get across." Yuta frowned.
"N-Now we have...no chance of escape..." Komaru lamented.
"..." Toko stayed silent.
Yuta shook his head angrily. "No! Not yet! I'm not gonna give up yet!"
"Wh-Why are you yelling!?" Toko said.
"How do I explain it...?" Yuta mumbled before turning to the girls. "Well, with all the despair I've felt so far, I've prepared myself. And if I don't do everything I can, I know that nothin's gonna get solved!"
Komaru lifted her head up to see Yuta walked towards the destroyed bridge. "What're you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'll swim!"
"What!? Swim!?"
Yuta nodded. "Yeah! I mean, my specialty is more track and field... I'm not that confident in swimming... Well, it's not that I'm not a good swimmer, it's just... There was always someone better." He mentioned before his lips pursed in a determined manner. "But now's not the time for that! Can't chicken out now!"
"Wait! Even if you are gonna swim... It looks really far to the other side." Komaru pointed out.
"...Yeah, that looks pretty tiring." Yuta admitted, but he still walked forward.
"But the water is freezing, and with all the pollution, there are weird creatures in there..." Toko trailed off.
"Not to mention the possibility of all the dangerous sharp objects that there might be..." Akira added.
"Then I guess I'll just be extra careful." Yuta narrowed his eyes.
"No, it's not that! I'm telling you not to try it, you idiot swimmer! D-Don't be a hero!" Toko grit her teeth.
"Idiot swimmer...?" Yuta tilted his head. "But I'm on the track team!"
"Grr, anyway!" Toko shook her head. "This isn't the time to rush into things. Let's think this out."
"I'm honored that you worry about me, but I've already made up my mind." Yuta pursed his lips.
Toko let out a frustrated groan. "S-So you're just going to refuse to listen to reason!?"
"Look, all I have to do is ask for help from those Future Foundation guys after I cross, right?" Yuta smiled. "I'll bring back help, I promise. No matter what it takes! So just wait for me until then, okay?"
"Ah, Yuta!" Komaru outstretched her arm.
"Hm?" Yuta turned his head back.
"Um... Be careful... I-If you run into any trouble, come back right away, okay?"
Yuta chuckled as he faced the ocean ahead of him. "Hey, no need to worry! I'll get to the other side any way I can!"
With that, Yuta jumps into the ocean. The other girls look on, Komaru looking unsure, Toko biting her thumb anxiously, and Akira folding her arms with a stoic expression, thought a bead of sweat appeared on the side of her head.
---
SWIMMING TO SAFETY!
---
"..." Komaru's face went blank. "...What...? N-No, what's happening!?"
"..." Toko shut her eyes tightly, her face turning a bit blue.
"..." Akira's expression was covered by a looming dark shadow casted over her face, but her breath hitched slightly.
"T-Toko! A-Aki!" Komaru snapped her head to them, looking scared and desperate. "What do we do!? We've gotta hurry and save him! Yuta is--"
"Are you serious?" Toko slowly looked over to her.
"Huh?"
"What we just saw... Do you seriously think that it's possible for him to be alive after that!?"
"...He's dead, Komaru." Akira said as her body slightly twitched.
"No... Nooo... Ugh..." Komaru tried to deny as tears threatened to flow down her cheeks.
"You gain nothing from averting your eyes from reality. No matter how horrible or painful." Toko harshly told her, though she looked to have a hard time accepting it herself. "Listen. We saw Yuta Asahina, and we saw that huge explosion." She let out a rough sigh. "Akira's right. He's dead."
"He...died? Y-Yuta died? But... B-But... Why?" Komaru stuttered.
"The reason...doesn't matter. Even if we refuse to accept or understand it, it's the truth. That's reality." Toko averted her eyes from her.
With that, it was too much for Komaru to take. She went down to her knees as the dam in her eyes gave way, the tears pouring down her cheeks. "Ugh... Ughhh..."
"Y-You... N-Nothing's going to change, no matter how hard you cry..."
But Komaru didn't seem to be listening as she continued to sob in despair at the lost of her fallen newfound friend. Akira crouched down to her knees and looked at Komaru with a soft, but sad look on her face. Komaru opened her eyes and stared at the blonde before the latter opened her arms and Komaru took it, hugging her in an embrace as she cried on her shoulder.
A few moments passed before Toko sighed and spoke up. "Come on, that's enough. I-If you're done crying, we should get going... If we stay here, we're going to be an easy target for Monokumas."
"I-It's impossible..." Komaru sobbed.
"Impossible? What are you talking about? If you just give up now, you're going to die." Toko stated for a matter of fact.
"Well...I'm just gonna die anyway..." Komaru said. "Unlike you, I'm... I'm just some normal, regular girl. I-I can't even do anything... No matter what I do, or how hard I try, I'm... I'm just gonna die here..."
"So you're saying you're just giving up?" Toko frowned as she grit her teeth in anger. "Stop screwing around! I won't let you!" She glared at her. "You wanna die, huh? Well if you really wanna die that much, I won't stop you... But are you really sure you want to die? Y-You wanna die right here? In this place? Not seeing your family or friends ever again? Are you really just gonna accept that!?"
"Of course not... I want... I want to see my family... But we've been separated for over a year. I don't even know where they are... It's probably too late, anyway... I'll probably never see them again." Komaru assumed through a few hiccups.
Toko sighed. "Can't you just be a little more positive instead of giving up right away all the time?"
"No, you don't understand..." Komaru shook her head. "The worst despair of all comes from having hope like that. Having such strong hope and just losing it in an instant... Like what we just saw."
"So why don't you just overcome that despair as well?" Toko responded. "Although I doubt you're even willing to listen, in your state. If that's the case, at least run. You're saying that you're going to die anyway... So you're at least prepared, right? If you think you're going to die, at least run away. If you're wrong, you live. If you were right, then at least you die on the run and not just standing here, suffering."
Komaru looked up at her. "... Why...? Why do you bother trying to cheer someone like me up...?"
"Because she cares." Akira responded as she held Komaru shoulders and looked deeply at her. "And I care, too. We can't give up right now, Komaru. We didn't know Yuta that much, but I'm sure if he was here, we'd want us to get out of here. If not for yourself, can you at least do it for him?"
"I...I..." Komaru sniffled.
"See? Even she thinks you shouldn't give up." Toko said. "I told you before, I'm a member of Future Foundation, and I can just...abandon you. But if you keep up that sniveling and crying, I'll start to seriously consider it."
Komaru nodded as Akira grabbed her hand and helped her stand up. "O-Okay... I'll try. At least a little bit longer."
"Jeez, you're such a burden." Toko rolled her eyes.
"You said to just run, but what are our options at this point? The bridge is a no-go, and there's no other way to get out of town, right?" Komaru pointed out.
Toko groaned. "Did you forget what I just told you? You can't just give up right away! Anyway, now that I think about it, I remember a subway running through this town."
"Huh? A subway? Did the subway line go out of the city!?" Komaru asked.
"Y-Yeah, I think it did."
"You should have said that before!"
"Well, s-sorry! I just remembered it right now! And besides, there's no way the trains work..."
Komaru sighed as she admitted. "You're right, if the power's out, they definitely won't be working... We're trapped."
"Ugh, like I said, you can't give up so easily!" Toko repeated, looking annoyed. "Even if the trains stopped working, we can get out of town if we just walk along the tracks! So don't give up, and let's go!"
"Y-Yeah... Okay!" Komaru nodded before turning towards the ocean and Yuta's grave.
Akira noticed this and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
"N-Not really, but...like Toko said, I can't give up so easily." Komaru replied before making a small smile at Akira. "But...thank you, Akira. For comforting me when I needed it the most."
"Hey, don't mention it. What're friends for, right?" Akira returned with a small smile of her own and Komaru hugged her.
Seeing this, Toko shook her head. "Jeez, your simple-minded. Getting all riled up from a half-assed speech like that..." She mumbled before she whispered. "But still, I... The way Yuta died... There's no way I can just keep it secret from that idiot swimmer." She grimaced, dreading how she'll take it. "Well, either way, first Master and I need to get out of this town."
"So, where's the subway?" Komaru asked as she and Akira approached her. "We didn't see it on the way over here."
"I-I'm not sure, exactly. We'll just have to find it ourselves." Toko said.
"Well, Toko... I'm starting to think that, if we work together, we can find it for sure." Komaru smiled.
Toko scoffed. "Stop wasting your breath on sentimental crap and let's get moving already."
"Toko... Let's get out of here together, okay?" Komaru made a determined smile.
"..." Toko didn't respond.
"C'mon, you two. Let's go." Akira said as they walked off, heading back to Towa City.
Chapter 4: End
To be continued...?