Kyosuke Munakata’s goals in life included, mainly, possessing ambition and achieving all that he could. However, it was not enough for this ideal to be only his. Kyosuke saw weakness all around him and had lamented, even in middle school, that any individual who aimed for less than he did was simply lesser. The world could not afford such weakness, especially as it hurtled toward certain destruction.
His views had only hardened upon being accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy, where he was named the Ultimate Student Council President, an ultimate title that seemed luxurious among ultimate titles. Hope’s Peak Academy recognized him as a leader, which Kyosuke had felt only natural considering the kind of man he was. He achieved great things during his time at the academy, but still, he looked to heighten his status further. With rumors that the leaders of Hope’s Peak Academy were failing their students, Kyosuke believed they hardly deserved the position over himself, a man who was a leader among men.
Kyosuke knew this was a goal he could achieve alone, but he found himself with allies to his cause. What Kyosuke had not counted on during his life was making friends; real friends and not just men and women loyal to him. That was not to say that Chisa Yukizome and Juzo Sakakura were not loyal to a fault, but the pair were Kyosuke’s treasured friends nonetheless. At some point after meeting them, he had added them to his vision of the future without even realizing it and could hardly think of achieving anything without the two of them by his side.
Not to say there were no hitches in that vision. He had counted on others, only to see them fall.
It had infuriated Kyosuke to no end to believe that his treasured friends had fallen away from him, shattering the ambitions he had set out for all three of them. Chisa had fallen to despair, while Kyosue could only believe that Juzu had as well after protecting Junko Enoshima’s identity as Ultimate Despair. The pain had festered in his heart, giving birth to new ambitions, one that Kyosuke believed were now free of naivety. He had to destroy despair at every corner; destroy it for darkening the world and taking his treasured friends away from him.
The Final Killing Game had been where it all came to a head. Chisa had died, an outcome that Kyosuke had not even conceived. Feeling like despair was at every corner, Kyosuke had gone on a rampage, hunting down Juzu for his betrayal, and needing to snuff out Makoto Naegi for letting despair thrive. In the end, Kyosuke yet lived, but his friends were dead. Despair had taken them in one way or another, and yet Kyosuke was not sure if it was an ending he could have prevented.
The former leader of the Future Foundation, Kazuo Tengan, had disappeared mysteriously during the Final Killing Game, but as it turned out to be an elaborate machination on the old man’s part, his disappearance was not surprising. Though Ultimate Despair had been snuffed out, the war against despair was never over. The Future Foundation lived on with Kyosuke at its head, combatting despair in every dimension possible.
The Future Foundation did work all over, but it was the Coalition force they formed that had become the head in the fight against threats to the well-being of the multiverse. Kyosuke had left the Coalition largely in the hands of the 13th Division, having expected Kyoko Kirigiri, the daughter of Hope’s Peak Academy’s old headmaster, to lead the Coalition well. She had, for a time, until she too disappeared, leaving the organization in the hands of Makoto, a boy Kyosuke had never been terribly fond of. Kyosuke expected him to crack soon enough, but Makoto had gone on to lead the Coalition in defeating threat after threat, no matter the bumps along the way. Kyosuke had even come to respect Makoto now for being able to do what needed to be done.
Still, Kyosuke never felt whole, no matter how much was achieved these days.
The wonders of the multiverse were vast indeed, and Kyosuke had never anticipated there would be a concept such as reviving the dead as living and whole as they had been before they died. The idea had nagged at Kyosuke for a long time. He did not believe a man who looked only toward the future as he did should be mired in the events of the past. However, there was that feeling of not being whole that never left, and Kyosuke had come to understand what was missing.
***
“I’m not the Composer, nor his Conductor,” said the woman sitting across from Kyosuke. Apparently, her name was Lucy. Her blue hair and pale, icy skin made Kyosuke feel chilly, even though his office was warm. She had sat only very reluctantly after Kyosuke had insisted, seeming to feel both awkward and unsure about this meeting. He had not been sure why before, but her explanation made him understand.
“He did not see fit to speak with me himself,” Kyosuke said in response. Inwardly, he grew annoyed, but this woman would have no idea. “That’s no matter, as long as he heeded my request.”
“Here's the thing…” she started slowly, her eyes wandering a bit as she seemed to search for how to word herself, “the Reapers are no longer Coalition allies. We are not obligated to respond to requests. I mean, I doubt the Reapers ever even get requests.”
The Reapers were an isolated group but still allowed themselves to be contacted by the Coalition. They had been allies during a time of great strife but wished to be independent now that it was all over. The group was an odd one, consisting of undead entities known as “Reapers” who put chosen beings who died through games in order to try and win their lives back. As Kyosuke understood it, they had a limit on the number of people they could bring back. Made sense, or else death would not be what it normally was.
“Is this your polite way of telling me my request has been rejected?” Kyosuke asked. He managed to contain his anger and disappointment.
“No,” Lucy said. Kyosuke believed she looked sad. “I would love for more deaths to be reversed than the few that do, but there is a limit. However… the Composer believes the Coalition is owed a debt for what they have done. Your request would fulfill that debt.”
Kyosuke was not the leader of the Coalition, nor did he really work with Makoto when it came to running the group, but he believed that without him, the group certainly would not exist. The Coalition themselves owed him and could use the great people that Kyosuke wished to bring back to life.
Without hesitation, Kyosuke said, “it is a deal. You will receive no more requests from myself or the Coalition.”
Lucy seemed surprised. “Oh. Uh, okay.” She nodded her head. “Very well. We’ll, uh, put Chisa Yukizome through first. Then, after an unspecified amount of time, Juzu Sakakura. It may take a short amount of time, a very long amount of time, or…”
“It will happen eventually,” Kyosuke said. The idea that either of them would not be able to beat the game put forth in front of them was laughable. He allowed himself an outward smile at that, for he was quite pleased with himself.
Lucy started getting out of her seat, probably very thankful this meeting was so short. Kyosuke said nothing as she bowed politely in his direction. He imagined it was only out of nervousness. "I'm glad you saw eye to eye on this matter."
"I as well. Give your Composer my thanks."
Judging by the aghast expression on Lucy's face, Kyosuke doubted she would bother. He had a feeling the Composer was not very kind to this woman, for whatever reason.
He waited patiently for her to go and tapped at the top of his desk for a long while after she was gone. Eventually, Kyosuke got to his feet and walked over to the side of his office. He ran his hand along the wall until it pressed against a small button. Pressing it opened up the wall, revealing a dazzling display of the night sky. Kyosuke watched the stars gleam, his mind filling with thoughts of hope. What better way to destroy despair than to fill one's heart with hope? Perhaps that was something Makoto would foolishly say, but at this moment, Kyosuke did not care.
He waited for the day he would be reunited once again with his dear, treasured friends.
His views had only hardened upon being accepted into Hope’s Peak Academy, where he was named the Ultimate Student Council President, an ultimate title that seemed luxurious among ultimate titles. Hope’s Peak Academy recognized him as a leader, which Kyosuke had felt only natural considering the kind of man he was. He achieved great things during his time at the academy, but still, he looked to heighten his status further. With rumors that the leaders of Hope’s Peak Academy were failing their students, Kyosuke believed they hardly deserved the position over himself, a man who was a leader among men.
Kyosuke knew this was a goal he could achieve alone, but he found himself with allies to his cause. What Kyosuke had not counted on during his life was making friends; real friends and not just men and women loyal to him. That was not to say that Chisa Yukizome and Juzo Sakakura were not loyal to a fault, but the pair were Kyosuke’s treasured friends nonetheless. At some point after meeting them, he had added them to his vision of the future without even realizing it and could hardly think of achieving anything without the two of them by his side.
Not to say there were no hitches in that vision. He had counted on others, only to see them fall.
It had infuriated Kyosuke to no end to believe that his treasured friends had fallen away from him, shattering the ambitions he had set out for all three of them. Chisa had fallen to despair, while Kyosue could only believe that Juzu had as well after protecting Junko Enoshima’s identity as Ultimate Despair. The pain had festered in his heart, giving birth to new ambitions, one that Kyosuke believed were now free of naivety. He had to destroy despair at every corner; destroy it for darkening the world and taking his treasured friends away from him.
The Final Killing Game had been where it all came to a head. Chisa had died, an outcome that Kyosuke had not even conceived. Feeling like despair was at every corner, Kyosuke had gone on a rampage, hunting down Juzu for his betrayal, and needing to snuff out Makoto Naegi for letting despair thrive. In the end, Kyosuke yet lived, but his friends were dead. Despair had taken them in one way or another, and yet Kyosuke was not sure if it was an ending he could have prevented.
The former leader of the Future Foundation, Kazuo Tengan, had disappeared mysteriously during the Final Killing Game, but as it turned out to be an elaborate machination on the old man’s part, his disappearance was not surprising. Though Ultimate Despair had been snuffed out, the war against despair was never over. The Future Foundation lived on with Kyosuke at its head, combatting despair in every dimension possible.
The Future Foundation did work all over, but it was the Coalition force they formed that had become the head in the fight against threats to the well-being of the multiverse. Kyosuke had left the Coalition largely in the hands of the 13th Division, having expected Kyoko Kirigiri, the daughter of Hope’s Peak Academy’s old headmaster, to lead the Coalition well. She had, for a time, until she too disappeared, leaving the organization in the hands of Makoto, a boy Kyosuke had never been terribly fond of. Kyosuke expected him to crack soon enough, but Makoto had gone on to lead the Coalition in defeating threat after threat, no matter the bumps along the way. Kyosuke had even come to respect Makoto now for being able to do what needed to be done.
Still, Kyosuke never felt whole, no matter how much was achieved these days.
The wonders of the multiverse were vast indeed, and Kyosuke had never anticipated there would be a concept such as reviving the dead as living and whole as they had been before they died. The idea had nagged at Kyosuke for a long time. He did not believe a man who looked only toward the future as he did should be mired in the events of the past. However, there was that feeling of not being whole that never left, and Kyosuke had come to understand what was missing.
***
“I’m not the Composer, nor his Conductor,” said the woman sitting across from Kyosuke. Apparently, her name was Lucy. Her blue hair and pale, icy skin made Kyosuke feel chilly, even though his office was warm. She had sat only very reluctantly after Kyosuke had insisted, seeming to feel both awkward and unsure about this meeting. He had not been sure why before, but her explanation made him understand.
“He did not see fit to speak with me himself,” Kyosuke said in response. Inwardly, he grew annoyed, but this woman would have no idea. “That’s no matter, as long as he heeded my request.”
“Here's the thing…” she started slowly, her eyes wandering a bit as she seemed to search for how to word herself, “the Reapers are no longer Coalition allies. We are not obligated to respond to requests. I mean, I doubt the Reapers ever even get requests.”
The Reapers were an isolated group but still allowed themselves to be contacted by the Coalition. They had been allies during a time of great strife but wished to be independent now that it was all over. The group was an odd one, consisting of undead entities known as “Reapers” who put chosen beings who died through games in order to try and win their lives back. As Kyosuke understood it, they had a limit on the number of people they could bring back. Made sense, or else death would not be what it normally was.
“Is this your polite way of telling me my request has been rejected?” Kyosuke asked. He managed to contain his anger and disappointment.
“No,” Lucy said. Kyosuke believed she looked sad. “I would love for more deaths to be reversed than the few that do, but there is a limit. However… the Composer believes the Coalition is owed a debt for what they have done. Your request would fulfill that debt.”
Kyosuke was not the leader of the Coalition, nor did he really work with Makoto when it came to running the group, but he believed that without him, the group certainly would not exist. The Coalition themselves owed him and could use the great people that Kyosuke wished to bring back to life.
Without hesitation, Kyosuke said, “it is a deal. You will receive no more requests from myself or the Coalition.”
Lucy seemed surprised. “Oh. Uh, okay.” She nodded her head. “Very well. We’ll, uh, put Chisa Yukizome through first. Then, after an unspecified amount of time, Juzu Sakakura. It may take a short amount of time, a very long amount of time, or…”
“It will happen eventually,” Kyosuke said. The idea that either of them would not be able to beat the game put forth in front of them was laughable. He allowed himself an outward smile at that, for he was quite pleased with himself.
Lucy started getting out of her seat, probably very thankful this meeting was so short. Kyosuke said nothing as she bowed politely in his direction. He imagined it was only out of nervousness. "I'm glad you saw eye to eye on this matter."
"I as well. Give your Composer my thanks."
Judging by the aghast expression on Lucy's face, Kyosuke doubted she would bother. He had a feeling the Composer was not very kind to this woman, for whatever reason.
He waited patiently for her to go and tapped at the top of his desk for a long while after she was gone. Eventually, Kyosuke got to his feet and walked over to the side of his office. He ran his hand along the wall until it pressed against a small button. Pressing it opened up the wall, revealing a dazzling display of the night sky. Kyosuke watched the stars gleam, his mind filling with thoughts of hope. What better way to destroy despair than to fill one's heart with hope? Perhaps that was something Makoto would foolishly say, but at this moment, Kyosuke did not care.
He waited for the day he would be reunited once again with his dear, treasured friends.