(3rd Person's POV)

"I beg of you. Please, just leave the city!" Nagisa pleaded, looking desperate.

"Wh-Where did this come from...?" Komaru wondered nervously.

However, unbeknownst to the girls and the kids, a Monokuma Kid was recording the entire thing.

---

"Aww, I knew this would happen..." The Servant said, watching the recording on a small tablet.

---

"In order for the new society of children to be calm and peaceful, I need to create paradise. Everyone has high expectations of me... I cannot fail." Nagisa explained. "So please! Get out of our town!"

"Hmm..." Akira mused, twirling some of her hair around her finger.

"B-But..." Komaru stuttered.

"O-Omaru, Aki, don't be tricked! You don't have to actually accept that offer..." Toko said.

"No, this is not an offer. It's an honest request." Nagisa responded as he went down to his knees and pleaded. "Please. I'm begging you, please leave..."

"H-Hey!" Komaru exclaimed.

Toko narrowed her eyes. "I-I wouldn't trust a kid, even if he's kneeling on the ground! He's obviously tricking us!"

"I do not intend to trick you...I'm serious!" Nagisa said.

CLICK, CLICK!

"...Huh?" Both Komaru and Akira wondered in unison as they looked on their wrist to see the wristbands release their grip.

"And now...you two are free." Nagisa took the wristbands off.

"Hmm..." Akira grabbed her wrist. "It feels kinda weird having it off now..."

"N-Nagisa!" Kotoko looked worried. "If you do this, you're gonna make Monaca super sad!"

"I know that! But it has to be done!" Nagisa shouted back with a pained expression. "Monaca has high expectations of me! I'm sure she'll understand!"

"..." Kotoko said nothing, but nodded reluctantly.

"I'll take you to the secret passageway. It's the only way to get out of town. I can guarantee your safety until you reach it. The Monokumas won't attack with me here. ...C'mon. Let's go." Nagisa began to walk away.

"H-Hey! I told you to wait!" Toko yelled.

Nagisa stopped, turning his head back to her. "...What? Do you have another objection?"

"D-Do I...? Um..." Toko lightly bit her thumb before turning to Komaru and Akira. "O-Omaru! Aki! Are you two really okay with this!?"

"...Huh?"

"Of course they are, this is what they wanted all this time." Nagisa replied.

"I-I wasn't talking to you! I'm asking them!"

"..." The two girls stayed silent, but their looks implied that they were considering Nagisa's offer.

"The two want to leave this town, why are you getting in their way? You're on the same side, right? Then you should respect their feelings." Nagisa advised.

"Her feelings...?" Toko widened her eyes before turning her head away from him. "Sh-Shut up, you have no right to say that..."

"It's going to be alright. I will personally guide you to the secret passageway. No need to worry." Nagisa assured them.

"..." Komaru silently nodded.

"...Let's go." Nagisa turned to leave.

"Nagisa!" Kotoko called as he stopped and turned his head back to her.

"...Don't follow us."

"B-But..."

"...You don't want Monaca to hate you, do you?"

"..."

With that silent response, the four left the arena, leaving Kotoko there alone.

Walking out, Nagisa was in front of the three girls. "Let's go. The secret passage is this way."

---

"This way! Follow me closely!" Nagisa was running, with the three girls close behind.

However, suddenly a group of Monokumas appeared and approached the four.

"Hold on! Why are you attacking me?" Nagisa looked flabbergasted as he fell down to his knees, clutching his head in fear. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

As the Monokuma robots keep advancing, the Monokuma Kids controlling them looked on. Based on their body language, they seem very pleased with this devlopment.

---

Eventually, the girls defended Nagisa as the Monokuma Kids ran off.

"I thought you said the Monokumas wouldn't attack us if you were here..." Komaru mumbled.

"This is...strange... What in the world is this?" Nagisa muttered to himself.

"Hey, you weren't lying when you said you wouldn't trick us, right?" Komaru asked.

"Of course! If I wanted to deceive you, I would not have removed your wristband." Nagisa pointed out.

"Then... They must have found out you betrayed them." Toko assumed.

"B-Betrayal? Me!?" Nagisa frantically shook his head as he went on the defensive. "N-No! That's wrong! I'm no traitor! I am the leader of the Warriors of Hope! I care about making paradise more than anybody! The reason I'm letting you guys go is because I care so much!"

"It appears your allies aren't taking it that way."

"Ugh... I'm sure she'd understand if I explained it to her properly... Monaca has such high expectations..."

"Yeah, keep on saying that, Mister Genius Grade-schooler."

"..."

---

"S-So cruel... This is too cruel..." Komaru said, her face paling as the four came across a pile of bodies.

"Jeez..." Akira mumbled, gramacing.

Toko had her eyes shut. "I won't look... But even if I don't see it... I can pretty much figure out what happened..."

Komaru looked to Nagisa. "You really don't feel anything seeing this?"

"These people...are Demons. Our enemies..." Nagisa mumbled in a low tone.

"...That's not what she asked." Toko frowned.

"You said it before, right? It's because you're afraid of adults?" Komaru recalled.

"...Yeah, that's right." Nagisa nodded. "We can't help but be terrified around adults... If the adults just didn't exist, we could live peacefully... That's what I believe."

"Why are you so afraid of adults?" Komaru asked.

"..." Nagisa took a deep breath before he began. "We Warriors of Hope were classmates in the Hope's Peak Elementary program. We were in the classroom where they put all the troublemakers. But I resented being called a "troublemaker." It makes it sound as if we ourselves were the cause of the trouble. But that's not right. Our troubles were created by adults. By our parents. They say kids can't pick their parents... Well, we were the unluckiest ones of all. My parents were, without exaggeration, the worst... Like Demons." Despite how calm he looked, Nagisa clenched his fist lightly as he forced himself to remember. "My parents raised me like they were leveling me up in some game. They didn't treat me like a person. They probably even forgot I was their child. From morning till night, study, study, study... When I got sleepy, analeptics. Even if I faint, "HP" is fully restored with a handy I.V. in my arm... three to four days straight. And If I showed even the slightest resistance, they'd use "items" to neuter my spirit. And by doing so, as long as they steadily racked up "XP," I'd level up to their expectations. And it wasn't just at home. I received the same expectations at school as well. My father was a teacher at our school. He was a researcher of children's talent." He mentioned. "He used his own son to research the growth of a child's talent. He wanted to see what the growth curve would be like if he pushed a child to the breaking point." He let out a humorless chuckle. "...Isn't that funny? I was the subject of such an amusing experiment."

"That...doesn't sound all that funny." Akira commented.

"But even with all that, I was still better off than the others. You saw Monaca's legs, right? That...was done to her by her family. Her father and older brother were jealous of her talent, and that's how she ended up like that..."

"Th-That's horrible!" Komaru exclaimed.

"Because we had talent, because we were superior, we were treated like we were in Hell. But during it all, we didn't hold a grudge against our parents. We accepted how we were treated. Because we weren't aware that it was okay to hate our parents. We trusted the "common knowledge" that kids must love their parents, so we didn't fight it. Instead, we bonded over our struggle. And those discussions led us to the same conclusion." Nagisa closed his eyes. "We had to escape from the horrifying world that made us suffer. We were desperate to run away from our scary parents, scary adults, the whole scary world... And we thought there was only one way out. But...that's when it happened. There was someone who taught us to have courage, to fight back instead of running away." His face softened as he made a faint smile. " That was Big Sis Junko. Big Sis Junko told us how."

---

"If you don't want it...give it to me."

---

"She wanted the thing we were going to dispose of... ...Our lives." Nagisa let out a deep breath before continuing. "And so, Big Sis Junko abducted us. Our disappearance didn't make much news. This was around the time the incident was growing. Ever since then...the days have been so much fun. Big Sis Junko showered her possessions with love and affection. She gave us not only love, but a dream as well. The dream of creating a "children's paradise," where the children can live peacefully. We also learned from Big Sis Junko the beliefs required to build that dream." He then made a dark smirk. "The belief that adults are Demons. It was as if we saw the light... Thanks to her, we finally realized... The common knowledge we had known up until then were lies adults created for their own benefit. Children cannot defy their parents, everyone must get along, violence can never bring peace... To destroy the world based on such lies, we decided to fight against the adults. As far as I can remember, the first adult we defeated was a random person we didn't even know. We learned that kids can kill adults if they wanted to, and we were encouraged. From there, we leveled ourselves up by killing Demons. We learned that kids can kill adults if they wanted to, and we were encouraged."

"That's...just insane..." Komaru muttered, a few beads of sweat rolling down her face.

"J-Just as I expected, you guys were just tools to her... She was using you..." Toko said. "The way she took you in... It's no different than a cult. You bring in the weak people and attach them to your own dream... The revolution you're talking about... It's all just another piece of despair to her." She looked at Nagisa in the eye. "You guys...were completely deceived by Junko Enoshima."

"And what's wrong with that? Did I not tell you that we are her possessions? We would rather her take advantage of us than horrible adults." Nagisa reminded her. 

"Sounds like it's too late." Toko countered.

"Say what you like. Big Sis Junko...gave us hope. That's the truth. And because of that hope, we were able to defeat the Demon Boss."

"Demon... Boss?" Komaru repeated in confusion.

Nagisa darkly smirked again. "...Our parents."

"You killed your parents!?" Komaru gasped in shock and horror.

"Well...I guess that makes sense." Akira rubbed her back of her neck. "I mean, you guys did slaughter an entire city's worth of adults so it makes sense that you'd kill your parents, too..."

"That was a special battle that can only be fought once... That made us level up even further." Nagisa said. "From there, "Operation Children's Paradise" began, and we started freeing other children... By doing so, the advance of the Warriors of Hope seemed unstoppable. But..." He frowned. "Just when things were going so well, Big Sis Junko died. Killed by some idiot."

"..." Komaru stayed silent. Even if Nagisa didn't know the identity of the one who's responsible, she sure did.

"When she died and we lost our guide, we didn't know what to do... But... Monaca didn't despair."

---

"All we gotta do is fulfill the hopeful dream Big Sis Junko gave us. We shouldn't give up. We can't abandon hope."

---

"At that moment... Monaca looked just like Big Sis Junko in our eyes. Things that didn't matter vanished... And we felt ourselves rising up again. Come to think of it, that moment... That was the real beginning of the revolution. And this time around, I swore an oath." Nagisa noted. "We, the survivors, will fulfill the dream, and prove how amazing Big Sis Junko is. We would leave lies like education and love for family in the past, and create paradise. That is our hope!"

Komaru blinked, struggling on what to say after a story like that. "You guys... You really don't understand that you're doing something very wrong."

Nagisa clicked his tongue. "Justice and evil, these are beliefs that adults have defined, are they not? First off, pure evil simply does not exist. In all evil there is something good. And in the same way, "justice" always hurts someone. There is no pure justice, either."

"Hmph, are we really gonna stand around waxing philosophical with some little brat!?" Toko rolled her eyes. "I wanna know why you guys chose Towa City. And not only that, how did you guys get that army of Monokumas?"

"Is it because...you guys live here?" Akira guessed.

"Of course. The one who chose this city and prepared our Monokumas was Monaca." Nagisa smirked. "Isn't she amazing? She created them with her special magic."

"...Magic?" Komaru wondered.

Toko shook her head. "Don't take any of this seriously, it's just some kid talking." She advised before narrowing her eyes. "Basically, Monaca's the mastermind, and to save Master, I gotta deal with her."

"Monaca is our princess! I will never allow that!" Nagisa lowly growled.

"...H-Hey!" Komaru cut through a potentially argument. "Earlier, you said that there is no such thing as pure justice or evil... But even if that's true, a dream that requires you to hurt someone... I think it's wrong."

Nagisa scoffed. "Hmph, after all this time, still saying something so naïve... It seems as though we really don't have much in common. I was right to ask you to leave."

"..."

"So let's go already. The secret passageway is right up ahead."

---

"We're here." Nagisa declared as they arrived. "It's at this shrine."

"We should get going..." Komaru said as Akira nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Omaru, Aki..." Toko softly called them. "Do you have a second?" 

"Huh? Y-Yeah..." Komaru nodded

"What's up?" Akira asked.

"Are you really sure this is okay? To end it like this, running away..." Toko muttered.

"You're asking this now? All this time, we've been trying to escape..." Komaru pointed out. "And not just that, I'm still worried about my Dad and Mom... And I'm sure Aki feels the same way..."

"...Sure." Akira said, her voice lowering a bit.

"..." Toko stayed silent, but nodded in understanding.

"What are you gonna do, Toko? Are you really gonna stay here?" Komaru asked.

"O-Of course. I have to save Master Byakuya."

"Right... Hey... What do you think, honestly? Is it better for us to stay in this city?"

"Wh-Why are you asking me?"

"I mean, if we go...you'll be alone. Toko... Do you want me and Aki to stay?"

"Y-You two...have no reason to worry about me. I'm capable of surviving on my own..."

Komaru giggled. "Yeah, you're right. When I'm around, I'm just a burden to you. Unlike me, you're truly amazing, Toko."

"...Hey, Omaru..."

"...Hm?"

"Sorry...for getting you involved in all this." Toko apologized. "You too, Aki..."

"Involved...? What do you mean?" Komaru inquired curiously.

"...N-Nothing." Toko sighed. "Just...leave. Before he changes his mind."

---

"This is it." Nagisa said as they arrived at a small shrine. He then shoves it over, showing downwards stairs.

"Stairs?" Komaru wondered, tilting his head.

"This is the secret passageway we've prepared in case of emergency. Go through here, and you can get outside the town."

"..." Komaru looked down at the stairs, looking hesitant.

"...What are you doing? Hurry up and leave." Nagisa demanded.

"..."

"Hey, what's the hold up? If you just go through here, you'll be outside of the city. Didn't you want to run away!? Didn't you want to escape this town!?"

"Th-That's right, that's...what I've always wanted. At least that's...what I thought..." Komaru mumbled, turning to Toko. "Toko... Is it really okay for us to go?"

Toko quietly huffed. "D-Do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me... Not anymore."

"..." Komaru stayed silent before sighing. But before she couldn't do anything...

"Oh my! Seems like I made it just in time!" A voice said as the Servant walked over. "Man, that was close. Truly a last-minute save..."

"You? Why are you here?" Nagisa wondered.

"Why does he have a bunch of drawings on his face...?" Akira whispered to Komaru, only to get an "I dunno" mumble from her.

"Why am I here...? To persuade her to stay, of course." The Servant responded, looking at Komaru. "So that our boring and common protagonist who has no distinct characteristics doesn't just quit. And if she doesn't quit, then I'm confident that our deuteragonist will follow the lead, too."

"...Huh?" Komaru and Akira wondered in unison.

"..." Toko grimaced, avoiding eye contact with the Servant.

"Komaru Naegi and Akira Shirayuki... Though you two are "normal," not an Ultimate, or even a part of Future Foundation... I really do think quite poorly of the idea that you would abandon your friend and run off alone." The Servant sighed, sounding disappointed. "Are you really going to just run away like this? Is your conscience clear?"

"Stop it! What are you saying!? She's about to leave for good!" Nagisa yelled.

"That would be quite bothersome for me, y'know? That is why I must convince her to stay."

"...Huh?"

"It would be disappointing if she did not see the game through to the end. How it was meant to be."

Nagisa growled. "D-Don't just go speaking your mind without permission! You're a servant! Listen to me! In order to see our paradise, this girl cannot stay here!"

"So then I must ask, which is more important to the Warriors of Hope? Paradise or the game?" The Servant asked.

"Wh-What are you talking about? It's obviously--" Nagisa tried to say.

"The game, of course." The Servant finished.

"What?"

"You're a smart one, you must be at least vaguely aware. Otherwise, you wouldn't be sneaking about. You could have openly proposed a halt to these slayings, to focus entirely on building paradise."

"..."

"And the reason you did not do exactly that, and are instead going behind their backs... Is because you realize your favorite Miss Mage would choose the game over paradise." The Servant pointed out.

"...Ugh..." Nagisa grimaced, knowing that he's right.

"Do you know what you call someone who behaves like you're behaving? A traitor." The Servant said.

Nagisa shook his head. "You're wrong... I care about them more than anyone... They all have high hopes for me... I mean, I am the leader..."

"Nagisa..." The Servant sighed. "Isn't it best if you just calm down a little? You can leave the rest to me." He said, though it sounded more like a demand.

"Ugh!" Nagisa grunted.

The Servant made a sickly soft smile. "Okay? I really think you should."

"...D-Dammit!" Nagisa cursed as he ran off.

The Servant made a small chuckle before shifting her gaze to the girls. "That's right... People who are not needed in this scene should go and make their exit."

"..." Toko shut her eyes, looking dreadful.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Komaru asked, looking a bit nervous by the Servant's sudden appearance.

The Servant sighed. "I must admit, I am a little disappointed. When I heard that she was his little sister, I was intrigued... Not to mention that her little twin sister was here as well..."

Both Komaru and Akira perked up at this. "His...? Makoto? Do you know him?" Komaru looked interested.

"You said her... Do you know my big sister...? Akira muttered.

"Now listen, since I've planned the game out this far... I would like it to be completed." The Servant explained. "Of course, perhaps I am being somewhat unfair to you two."

...

...

...

"Rather, the one who disappointed me was Toko..."

"...Huh?"

Chapter 17: End

To be continued...?