The morning after "that incident," Hinata stepped into the dining hall as promised to the others the day before—and froze in shock.
"...W-What is this!?"
In one corner of the dining hall stood a bizarre arrangement that radiated an eerie, almost funereal air: rows of candles, grim decorations, and in the middle of it all, a large panel looming stiffly in place.
'Those photos...'
The panel was plastered all over with cut-out pictures of Kyoko Kirigiri and K, like someone had clipped them from group photos and pasted them on by force.
"Hinata... good morning... Kyaaaaaahhh!! What are those terrifying pictures!?"
"W-What happened!?"
"What the hell!? What happened now!?"
"Again...? What's all the commotio—ugh!? What is that!?"
As the children trickled into the dining hall one by one, each of them caught sight of the grotesque display and recoiled in horror, shrieking in turn.
"I-I saw something like this in Serial Killer X Files... It's definitely some kind of ritual that uses the lingering spirits of the dead to cast a curse..."
"Ugh... this is an obvious insult to K and Kyoko Kirigiri...!"
"They cut out only those two from the group photos...? That's unbelievably cruel..."
Just as the atmosphere was turning uglier by the second, someone began walking toward the panel.
"...Saionji?"
Ignoring every stare fixed on her, Saionji stopped in the very center before the panel and pulled something from her arms.
"...These are the prettiest flowers Saionji picked herself from the farm. They're a gift for Kyoko Kirigiri and K."
She gently set the flowers on the floor, then knelt and began murmuring something under her breath. Standing behind her, Koizumi spoke to the others in a quiet voice.
"I gave Saionji the photos. Of course, I only picked ones where I'd taken multiple shots of the same scene, so the group pictures we all took together are still safe."
"K... Kyoko... I'm sorry..."
"This is a memorial Saionji made by herself last night for K and Kyoko Kirigiri. I offered to help, but she said she wanted to make it with her own hands, so I left it to her."
"....."
Silence swallowed the room. Seeing that, Koizumi smiled brightly despite the tears welling faintly in her eyes.
"So... no matter how it looks... could you please be a little forgiving...?"
At Koizumi's words, the children's eyes changed as they looked back at the display. Meanwhile, still bowed low, Saionji began to sob.
"I... I was wrong... I'll never... act bratty again... I won't get mad... I won't say mean things anymore... so..."
"Saionji. Did you know?"
"...Huh?"
"Kuzuryu woke up this morning."
".....!"
Tsumiki spoke carefully as she watched Saionji's eyes go wide and round.
"After we put him on an IV and took the proper measures... his condition improved really quickly. So, if you have time, maybe you should go see Kuzuryu..."
"I-I'm going right now..."
Saionji sprang to her feet, then started staggering toward the dining hall exit.
"I-I'm gonna apologize to Kuzuryu until he forgives me... and then come back and tell those two..."
"Saionji, I'll go with you."
"K-Koizumi... th-this is my fault, so I have to..."
"You can barely walk. How are you planning to make it all the way to the hospital like that? Come with me. Hurry."
"K-Koizumi... ugh... hic..."
Koizumi led the finally breaking-down Saionji out of the dining hall, then spoke to the others.
"Since we're going anyway... I'll tell Kuzuryu what happened yesterday."
"I-I'll come too..."
"...Okay. Pekoyama."
With that, the three of them left through the dining hall doors, and a brief silence settled over those who remained.
"Then... shouldn't we offer something too...?"
The one who shattered the stillness was Sonia, her face thoughtful and solemn.
"...What do you mean?"
"This memorial was made for them... so I think it's only proper that we offer something as well. So that they can watch the path we're about to walk with glad hearts."
Sonia spoke with grave sincerity, and Nanami, who had been listening quietly, nodded in agreement.
"I think that's a really good idea... Everyone, how about we each bring something meaningful and mourn them together... and use that to renew our resolve...?"
"I'm in favor. We can't stay depressed forever. That'd be disrespectful to them, wouldn't it?"
At Hinata's agreement, the others began nodding too. Then Pigami, who had been standing in silence, spoke in a low voice.
"Then... let's split up for a little while and bring something to offer them. What do you think? Do you all agree?"
Pigami paused, swept his gaze over the children, then continued.
"Good. Then... ah, before that... there's something I want to say to you."
"What is it, Togami?"
"I failed to keep my promise to save everyone. So... I no longer have the right to order you around, or to force anything on you."
Pigami spoke calmly as he headed for the dining hall exit.
"So... from now on, I won't give orders. I'll make requests. As your... friend."
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"Kyoko Kirigiri and K... the finest serial killer hunter and the greatest detective duo of all... please, may you find peace in a better place..."
"O maiden of overwhelming magic, and thou, her familiar... I shall never forget your noble sacrifice. To ensure such tragedy never happens again... I, the sovereign of the dark dimension, shall step to the forefront myself. So if it is not an affront, lend me your strength."
"...Haaah. I took some time to make these in your honor... They're crude, sure, but I hope you'll like them."
Sonia placed Serial Killer X Files from the library on the floor, clasped her hands together, and prayed for the two of them.
Tanaka drew an elaborate magic circle on the floor and muttered some kind of incantation. Somehow, the sight of it worked in eerie harmony with the memorial's atmosphere, deepening the solemn mood.
Souda brought handmade miniature dolls of K and Kyoko Kirigiri. The others decided to display them in the dining hall so they could remember the two of them.
"You two... did what I should have done... in my place. I'll remember you for the rest of my life. And to honor your final words... I'll do everything I can as everyone's manager. So... rest now."
"Yeah...!! We can't just stay crushed like this forever...!! So from now on, any obstacle standing in the way of moving forward... I'll smash every last one of 'em...!!"
Nidai set down the whistle that was always tied to the chain he wore, while Owari placed a huge slab of meat she'd brought from somewhere onto the floor.
"Yup... staying this down in the dumps would be rude to them...! So, specially for the two of them, I prepared a memorial song of my very own...!"
"Mioda, let's save that for a little later."
Mioda had barely managed to pull herself out of her gloom and return to her usual bright self. Though admittedly, the others had to break into a cold sweat stopping her from launching straight into song.
"I-I hope... wherever you are... nothing... hurts anymore..."
Tsumiki brought over a first-aid kit set, placed it on the floor, and sat there sniffling. She cried for a long while, and only stopped after the others helped her back to her feet.
"This is an offering table I made with all my heart... After the memorial, we'll share it and eat together with everyone... but if you feel like it, you can sneak a bite or two and I'll pretend not to notice... haha... And if you show up in my dreams sometimes, maybe you can tell me what angels look like, what kind of clothes they wear, and just how beautiful they are..."
Hanamura carefully arranged a full memorial feast on the table, then paid tribute to the two of them. Even if he drifted off in a strange direction at the end, his effort and sincerity came through clearly enough to everyone.
"...Come to think of it, I don't really have anything meaningful of my own. So... I asked Koizumi to bring a group photo with you in it. This picture has you two, me, and all the others together... so I suppose this is the most meaningful thing I could offer.
K... just like you advised me."
Pigami placed the group photo on the floor and quietly took in every face captured in it, with the kind of gaze one reserves for something more precious than anything else in the world.
"...K, it's the coffee mix you liked. I brought every kind I could find, so... I hope you're satisfied."
Remembering the piles of coffee mix stacked in K's room, Hinata gathered every variety he could find from the supermarket and placed them beneath K's photo.
"...Kyoko Kirigiri, K once said... cup ramen suited you... Of course, he said that when he had the Despair Disease... but even then, he cared about you just the same, so... I thought I'd bring some."
After a brief hesitation, Nanami carefully took out a cup ramen from her arms and placed it beneath Kyoko Kirigiri's photo.
"And these... are things Kuzuryu and Pekoyama asked me to pass on to you. Kuzuryu sent the group photo from the Twilight Syndrome Murder Case play, and Pekoyama sent her wooden sword. I'll place them here."
After carefully setting the items they had entrusted to her at the side, Nanami looked toward the camera and spoke softly.
"...Please watch over the path we take from here."
When Nanami finished speaking, the children standing behind her quietly closed their eyes and observed a silent prayer for the two of them.
Completely unaware that, in real time, the boy with the awkward expression and the girl seriously pondering why cup ramen supposedly suited her were watching their own memorial service unfold.
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"...By the way, have any of you seen Komaeda?"
After the memorial ended, the children were savoring a fullness they hadn't felt in ages after eating the meal Hanamura had poured more effort into than ever before. In the middle of that rare, fragile calm, Hinata suddenly asked the question.
"That guy... now that you mention it... I haven't seen him at all..."
"I did see him coming out of the Funhouse yesterday with this totally vacant look on his face..."
"Actually, once a few of us—including me—got our strength back by eating yesterday, we went looking for Komaeda. He'd been quiet for a while, sure, but he's still dangerous, so we wanted to catch him again and tie him up. But even after searching every inch of the island, we couldn't find him anywhere."
As Pigami said that with his arms folded, Souda spoke with visible unease.
"That's bad... Most of what's happened so far has involved that guy somehow, right? What if... he's off somewhere trying to pull something again..."
"What's he gonna do all by himself? Besides, Nanami said the no-violence school rule is gone now, right? If he tries anything, we'll just beat him flat."
Owari's words were blunt, even violent, but they weren't entirely wrong, and the others nodded. But among them, Nanami alone was frowning darkly.
"...Those two kept warning us over and over to be careful of Komaeda..."
"Nanami? What did you say...?"
"...Everyone, I have a bad feeling. I think we need to find Komaeda."
Nanami's expression had gone grim, and the others picked up on the ominous weight in her voice at once.
"Yeah... I mean, sure, maybe we can just knock him out if it comes to that... but this still feels wrong... You never know what that guy might do..."
"Come to think of it... a new island opened up... maybe he's there...?"
"What? A new island opened?"
After discussing it for quite a while, the children concluded that Komaeda was probably on the new island. They decided to split up briefly, get ready, and then head there together.
One by one, they began leaving the dining hall. But Nanami still couldn't hide the anxiety on her face.
"...Nanami, are you okay?"
"Hinata..."
Nanami took Hinata's hand as he approached her with quiet concern, and as they walked out of the dining hall together, she thought to herself:
'I won't allow any more deaths... Because that would be real death... So no matter what, I'll stop it... even if I have to give my life to do it...'
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"It's over... This time... it's all over..."
And at that very moment, Komaeda was busily preparing something.
"Murder, slaughter... [Class Trial]s... none of it matters anymore..."
"It's all over... haha..."