(3rd Person's POV)

6 Months Before the Killing Game....

The entirety of Japan was chaos. Multitudes of people were out causing senseless violence, mayhem and destruction, which had become the daily norm. The state of the country was so bad that somehow the atmosphere turned the sky from peaceful blue to blood red.

And in the center of all this anarchy was Hope's Peak Academy. Despite the entire world being thrown into chaos and many establishments looked to be on the verge of collapsing, the academy seemed to look just fine, being in the same state that it was before all this began. 

On the roof of the prestigious academy was a young woman. She was a short and pale-skinned woman with a curvaceous build, bearing an... above-average chest and a sizable rear. Her facial structure and skin was very soft and smooth, as if she took a lot of time taking care of it, along with rose red cheeks, which makes it look like she's always blushing.

She had messy and unkempt golden blonde hair, which reached to her buttocks. She had light blue eyes and an ahoge in the shape of a question mark. She wore a white t-shirt, covered by a light blue sweater vest, along with a grey wrist-length glove on her left hand, a dark brown skirt with yellow stripes, beige-colored stockings and cyan blue Mary Janes.

The blonde sighed while sitting on the edge of the roof. "Good grief... So this is what the world has come to... Nothing but senseless violence and destruction."

"What are you doing out here?" An emotionless voice said as the blonde turned around to see a tall young man with crimson red eyes and unnaturally long black hair that reached his feet.

The blonde's bored expression didn't falter as she stared at him. "Oh, Izuru Kamakura. Have you been there the entire time? How'd I not notice you...?"

"Stealth is one of my many talents. You, of all people, should know this." The man, apparently named Izuru Kamakura, responded.

The blonde let out a sardonic chuckle. "I was being sarcastic. What, did the scientists not implement you with the Ultimate Sarcasm Detector?"

"...That talent does not exist."

"...Guess that answers my question." The blonde rolled her eyes before turning her head and looked forward, watching the ruined world. "So...this is a world that's fallen to despair. The majority of the population has turned into violent, sadomasochistic animals. It's a dog-eat-dog world..." She made a small frown. "Japan is in utter ruins, and the entire Earth will follow in its place. My upperclassmen are really something special..."

"Speaking of which..." Izuru approached her, standing next to her. "Why aren't you joining them in causing despair? ...Though, I suppose it makes sense. Your situation is quite different than theirs..."

 "Oh?" The blonde looked intrigued. "Is Izuru Kamakura actually...confused about something?"

"No." Izuru shook his head. "I already know the answer. I just want to hear it from you."

The blonde let out a sigh. "Who knows...? Even after she showed me that "video", I'm still the same as I've ever been. It's only after she gave me that ultimatum that I agreed to join her. I may not take part of the activities of the other Despairs, but I don't exactly have a problem with it, either..."

"What are you saying?" Izuru asked.

"I'm saying that...I'm bored. Bored of this destructive, despair-filled world." The blonde closed her eyes, pursing her lips. "It's strange. I have the same ability she does, yet I don't have the same fetishistic obsession with despair like she does..."

"I suppose in that aspect, we're somewhat alike." Izuru said. "Our talents have caused us to become bored with everything the world has to offer, but instead we chose to watch and observe, rather than take action."

"Yeah... Anyway..." She looked at Izuru. "Did you hear what she has planned?"

"Yes." Izuru nodded. "She plans on having another killing game."

"Except this time, it's gonna be a little bit different. Instead of forcing mindless killing, this one's gonna have some order." The blonde explained. "I assume that she's doing this because she wants to feel the participants get their hopes up before a killing inevitably happens...and the fall into despair. And rinse and repeat..."

Izuru sighed. "How boring..."

"And you wanna know the best part?" She looked at him in the eyes. "She's gonna put Class 78th in it..." She shook her head. "I think she even plans to bring me into it, as well... Good grief..."

"You sound...troubled." Izuru noticed. "Are you hesitant in going along with this...?"

"Of course I am. She's been lying to me this entire time, and now this? Good grief... She told me she'd leave them alone if I joined her..." The blonde grumbled. "Guess that means I gotta do this myself, then..."

"What exactly are you planning?" Izuru asked.

"Don't you already know the answer?" The blonde made a small smirk. "If this world refuses to end this hopeless cycle of violence, then I'll do it for them. I'll enter myself in the upcoming killing game and defeat the mastermind responsible for all of this. Perhaps then this world will start healing and begin a new age of hope..."

The blonde smiled before instantly frowning as she tapped her index finger on her chin. "Oh, but first I have to get rid of a few things. With my talent, I could end the game within days, and that wouldn't bring any hope." She pointed out. "Our memories are going to be erased, so I should go the extra mile and erase any knowledge of my talent, therefore it won't be as potent. That way, it'll be fair..."

"And what will be your talent in its place? The other students in the game will most likely be suspicious of you if you're the only one without a talent." Izuru pointed out.

"Don't worry, I got a cover. My true talent isn't what I was known for in Hope's Peak." She said. "But disregarding that for a brief moment, I already have a feeling on how the killing game will go down. If my predictions are correct, which they always are, this killing game will end a few weeks after it begins. With that, despair will be greatly weakened, and hope will make its grand stage..." She mumbled. "However, since I won't have my talent, I'll need some help...and I think I have just the people in mind..." She took out a photograph of her class.

"Who will you choose?" Izuru asked.

"That's the best part of it. I'm not gonna pick anyone. Instead, I'll have the killing game do that for me." She responded. "This may be a bit harsh for me to say, especially since they're all my classmates, but whoever dies was too weak-willed to defeat true despair. Whoever makes it to the end will earn their title as a Remnant of Hope, and I'll help them every step of the way, no matter what challenges we face. I'll treasure them forever, from when we escape this place to the day that we fade away and ascend from this earth..." She smiled.

"..." Izuru stayed silent, watching the blonde as she stood up from the edge of the rooftop.

"Usually, I'm not that interested in hope and despair. Not as much as she is, anyway... But while she says that despair is unpredictable, I'd like to think the same applies to hope." She turned her head to Izuru. "Everyone needs hope in their lives, whether we know it or not .It's what makes us human beings. But now...there's no such feeling in my heart anymore. The despair this country is in...it's so boring..."

"Then what do you intend to do about it?" Izuru folded his arms.

"In order to save everyone from this boring despair, and purge it all and transform it into an unparalleled hope...!" The blonde declared.

"...Unparalleled hope?" Izuru raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly that. If creating hope is what it takes to save me from a despairing future, I'll do it without a second thought!" The young woman raised her voice as she hyped herself up. "I will defeat the mastermind who orchestrated the end of all humanity, and escape the school of despair! I shall be remembered as the great woman who brought about a new age of hope that will last for generations to come!" She formed a wide grin as she spread her arms wide open. "When I conquer despair in human form, I shall become the Ultimate Perfection!"

A silence breezed through as Izuru stood there and stared at her in silence. If he was capable of showing any other emotions, he'd probably be sweatdropping right now.

The blonde realized what she did and awkwardly coughed into her fist and turned away from Izuru.

"But...does that mean you are going to betray her?" Izuru asked.

She chuckled. "That's interesting, Kamakura. After all, after what she did to Nanami..." She turned her head and gave the man a small but smug smile. "Don't you plan on doing the same?"

In a brief moment of emotion, Izuru stiffened, which made the girl laugh. "But...you aren't gonna try and stop me, right?"

"Of course not." Izuru shook her head. "In fact, I want to see where this little plan of yours goes."

"...Are you gonna help me, Kamakura?" The blonde asked. "Are you gonna assist me and creating a new age of hope?"

"No. Not until you prove to me that hope is worth my time."

"Then that's exactly what I'll do. I promise you, Izuru Kamakura, I will bring an end to this despair..." She sighed. "I guess this is where we part ways. But I image we'll be seeing each other again in the near future. Goodbye...Izuru Kamakura."

With that, the young blonde stood up from her seat on the rooftop and walked past Izuru and opened the door to the roof before heading inside, disappearing from the man's sight.

"Hmmm... Despair or Hope? Which one, I wonder? Which will become more unpredictable?" Izuru mused. "I suppose I'll leave that to her..."

...

...

....

...

...

"...I'll be seeing you again, Sora Shirayuki , the Ultimate Supergenius..." 

Chapter 46.5: End

To be continued...?