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DRT1.5.10: Me and the School and I (The Second Half), section 10
(Nearly a week later... I will try to get the next section out tomorrow as scheduled, but I wouldn't be surprised if I were you if it turns out to be delayed again. Hopefully I will get back on track!
Content Warning: Graphic descriptions of physical violence/brutality.)
Find previous chapters at the Navigation Index.
Danganronpa Togami Volume 1: Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination
Chapter 5: Me and the School and I (The Second Half)
10
I finally made it across the traffic jam to the nearest city, but there was just another traffic jam on the way to the hospital. Were they bringing in survivors from the satellite crash? Or was it that another outrageous situation was blowing up without my knowledge? Well, the important thing was to not give a shit. I parked the jeep right in the middle of the road and dashed into the hospital by foot.
I guess I should say it was no surprise that there were a ton of casualties lolling about. It looked like the inside of a field hospital, although I'd never seen one in person to say for sure. It was so packed with people with injuries on their arms or legs, or on even more vital places than that, that I couldn't put my foot down without stepping on one.
There were doctors there, but they all looked like they had their hands full. Even if I gently set Aoba down in the hospital, her chances of receiving any medical attention were low. I could try using threats, but that'd just get me smacked down by security.
I left the hospital in a rage.
They must have been able to tell that I'd had no luck. The President shrugged his shoulders, almost as if in sympathy.
I kept driving after that, and checked in at hospitals along the way, but the beds were all full of casualties, and if not, there were signs up saying that they were closed temporarily.
What the hell? What kind of plot development was this? I'd finally started going out to find my hope like I was supposed to, so why wasn't the world doing its part in return?
Nothing ever goes your way. It's just the same as it's always been. I could almost see the Outside saying that, bursting into laughter.
In the end, I couldn't find any open hospitals.
"What will you do?" the President asked me. "How are you going to bring this battle to its close? I don't think driving recklessly is going to accomplish very much."
"I so hate guys like this though," snorted the Vice President. "It's like, y'know, some guys will just lose it all of a sudden. You see it all the time—they were always calm and peaceful, and then they snap and do a 180. I haaate that."
"You mean like the Bakayaro! series?"[1]
"I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Yoshimitsu Morita? Pride of Japan?"
"Well, anyway, I dunno about how guys who keep losing all the time always end up becoming the crazy ones and shocking everyone."
"That is not exactly a revolutionary opinion, Vice President."
Just a bunch of idiots yapping. But I felt pretty laissez-faire about it, so to speak. Do as you like.
Now that I'd given up on looking for city hospitals, I'd switched my focus to local private practitioners. As I drove down the highway for a bit, I could see the airport far in the distance.
Ahh, the airport.
The airport!
I had never had as strong or passionate feelings about the word "airport" as I did now. Airport. A place to bring us somewhere that wasn't here, and the place where Aoba and I had been planning on going in the first place. Emphasis on the had been.
"Are you sure this is the road you want to take?" asked the President. "I don't think even for a second that you're going to get yourself out of this situation."
Don't ask me.
"What are you even driving for, exactly? For yourself? For the idol? Either way, that looks like a boring way to go."
Don't ask me.
"Well, don't say that, Prez. The more unpopular a guy is, the more he's gonna wanna cling to the first love he gets his hands on. There's this one weirdo who keeps talking to my friend, about some badass moment way back in preschool..."
"Nyahaha~. 'Cuz you're a self-styled popular guy, right Vice Prez!"
"Whaddaya mean, self-styled? I'm freakin' hot. I'm so popular that come chocolate season I'm gonna have to get a truck again to carry all the..."
"Is it true you still have the chocolate I gave you in the fridge?"
"When'd I ever get chocolate from you?"
"Heeey Teach, can I make a Comăneci joke?"[2]
"Hell no. And I'll seriously take even Tirol-Choco, so just get me something next year."[3]
"Uwawah. What a sudden confession~"
"It's not a friggin' confession!"
"Wanna see my sports bra?"
"Yes, please, I beg of you!"
Having a bunch of rowdy schoolkids around made it feel like I was driving through a downpour. Listening to their young voices was making something sink in my stomach. Acrimony. Melancholy. Frustration. The release of negative energy made my thoughts and feelings and reality all mixed up. I could feel the puppet strings controlling my body getting tangled.
My head felt dizzy. My eyes felt tired. I didn't know what time of year or time of day it was. I wasn't sure how old I was, or where I was, or whether it was day or night, but the one thing I did know is that despite all this, everything outside of me was continuing on just fine.
But ain't that how it always goes?
So...
A woman was walking down the one-lane road. Her face was familiar. Back when I was living my merry life as a mole, I wasted all my time looking things up about Hope's Peak Academy. Her face had shown up in the search results. Therefore, she was a Hope's Peak Academy student.
With an unhealthy complexion on her face, the woman said,
"B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama..."
Yikes. Scary! What's with her?
Hm. Hope?
Hope, you son of a bitch.
Before I knew it, I'd stepped on the gas and rear-ended the Hope's Peak Academy woman. I'd fucked the shit out of that hope ass. She was thrown off to the riverside, looking as vulgar as a porn mag as she was blown away.
I burst into laughter, but the MRS was shocked that I'd just run over a student from the main course without warning.
Hey now. Heeeey now! Why are you acting all surprised? If you didn't want me doing something like this, you wouldn't have tried to make me read the Despair Novel.
The world hasn't made me crazy. I'm not gonna kill anyone. But, when it comes to a Hope's Peak student—you're an exception, motherfucker.
I hopped out of the jeep, and watched her convulsing in pain, my eyes devoid of all emotion. At least, it felt like they were.
"Oohh... Ugghhh..."
She was moaning. That was fun. No, that was a lie. It wasn't fun. It wasn't fun at all.
I stepped on her head. I stepped hard enough that the word grind had never felt more appropriate and vivid. Right down to the sound of the word itself. Grind, grind, grind, grind.
I was disappointed that she just gave an average scream in response. What the fuck did she think she was doing? Wasn't she supposed to be Super High School Level? I was offended. I couldn't forgive her. If you have a talent, then the least you can do is have some kind of extraordinary scream. Like, hhmyoooohh! Or pkyewkyew! I don't fucking know. Just, something.
Next I tried stepping on her stomach. Again and again. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again. She spat out a single spew of blood mixed with vomit. But I still didn't stop. I stepped again and again and again and again and again and again. I could feel her organs being crushed underfoot, and it was such sweet, sweet bliss.
Oh. Now that I think about it, don't we have a knife?
I took the survival knife from the dashboard and, without a single moment of hesitation, stabbed it into her arm. It was all too easy to do, so I jabbed the knife in again and again and again and again and again. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, like when you buy shaved ice at the convenience store and it's all frozen together when you eat it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I kept on stabbing. I cut off flesh, I cut off muscle, and I cut off fingers. Her arm was like a mole caught in a trap—covered in blood and covered in holes. Fucking ridiculous. You have talent but you get shanked the same as anyone else. Fucking ridiculous.
The blade's assault soiled her arm with greasy blood.
Oh man, that's filthy. Ohh, gross. Can't believe even a Super High School Level student has the same red blood as me, and it still feels this filthy when it's spilled.
I grabbed hold of her wrecked arm, that was now missing muscle and flesh and fingers, and pulled with all my strength. With an audible rip, after some resistance, I plucked out her arm like a vegetable.
Next, to slit that pale throat of hers. I'll kill you—as soon as I thought that, she reached out her remaining arm and—did she just steal my knife? Whoa. Wait—
I immediately pulled my hand back, but the attack came even faster. She kicked up between my legs. A splitting pain coursed through my balls, and then through my whole body. It was so painful that I couldn't stay upright, and my body fell forward. She caught me, and then tossed me backwards over her head like a judo throw.
The world turned upside down. My head hit the ground. I blacked out.
I only lost consciousness for a few seconds, but in those few seconds, the situation had flipped completely. I was collapsed, while she stood over me.
What? Is this where it ends? My time on this mortal coil?
She glared at me. There was a huge amount of blood flowing from where her arm had been torn off, and the mix of blood and vomit teased out from the corners of her lips, her body covered in wounds. And yet, she had... indescribable power. Her remaining arm grabbed me by the neck, pulling my body up.
Squeeze.
Squeeeeeze.
Squeeeeeeeze.
My trachea constricted with a squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeze. I couldn't breathe. Squeeeeeze. I became lightheaded from all the squeeeeeeeeezing. My vision grew dim with a squeeeeeeeze, and there was a terrible squeeeeeezing ringing in my ears.
"Gabbh!" I heard that sound, and was crestfallen to know that it came from my own throat. I was drawing closer to a mortal crisis, and yet, all I could do was make such a pointless sound. I felt the despair.
"What is this..." She strangled me. "What is this. What is this?"
"Gabbuuuhh, gggeh, gggguhh—"
"Do you think you can just do this to someone's arm?"
"Gbuh. W-Weh. Gbuh!"
"What is this? Who is this?"
Even if I had wanted to answer, she was strangling me too much for me to use my voice. The best I could do was let out a croak from my throat.
Aahh... Is this it?
My vision grew hazy. My consciousness drifted far away. My thoughts became indistinct. I lost myself.
"Who are you?"
"I—I—I-I—"
"Name yourself."
"I'm—I'm..."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"I-I'm, Suzuhiko Ootsuki!"
Translator's Notes
[1] Bakayaro! - a movie series of vignettes about people who tolerate everyday social irritations until they hit their breaking point and start chewing people out, with the acclaimed director Yoshimitsu Morita serving as the executive producer.
[2] Comăneci - Nadia Comăneci is a gymnast, but the joke was popularized by a Japanese comedian. It's a gag where you put your hands around your crotch as illustrated here to simulate a gymnast's leotard.
[3] Tirol-Choco - a cheap brand of chocolate.
Stay tuned for the next update next Sunday (PST)!(?)
Feel free to comment, keeping these rules in mind!
Content Warning: Graphic descriptions of physical violence/brutality.)
Find previous chapters at the Navigation Index.
Danganronpa Togami Volume 1: Multiple Counts of Attempted World Domination
Chapter 5: Me and the School and I (The Second Half)
10
I finally made it across the traffic jam to the nearest city, but there was just another traffic jam on the way to the hospital. Were they bringing in survivors from the satellite crash? Or was it that another outrageous situation was blowing up without my knowledge? Well, the important thing was to not give a shit. I parked the jeep right in the middle of the road and dashed into the hospital by foot.
I guess I should say it was no surprise that there were a ton of casualties lolling about. It looked like the inside of a field hospital, although I'd never seen one in person to say for sure. It was so packed with people with injuries on their arms or legs, or on even more vital places than that, that I couldn't put my foot down without stepping on one.
There were doctors there, but they all looked like they had their hands full. Even if I gently set Aoba down in the hospital, her chances of receiving any medical attention were low. I could try using threats, but that'd just get me smacked down by security.
I left the hospital in a rage.
They must have been able to tell that I'd had no luck. The President shrugged his shoulders, almost as if in sympathy.
I kept driving after that, and checked in at hospitals along the way, but the beds were all full of casualties, and if not, there were signs up saying that they were closed temporarily.
What the hell? What kind of plot development was this? I'd finally started going out to find my hope like I was supposed to, so why wasn't the world doing its part in return?
Nothing ever goes your way. It's just the same as it's always been. I could almost see the Outside saying that, bursting into laughter.
In the end, I couldn't find any open hospitals.
"What will you do?" the President asked me. "How are you going to bring this battle to its close? I don't think driving recklessly is going to accomplish very much."
"I so hate guys like this though," snorted the Vice President. "It's like, y'know, some guys will just lose it all of a sudden. You see it all the time—they were always calm and peaceful, and then they snap and do a 180. I haaate that."
"You mean like the Bakayaro! series?"[1]
"I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Yoshimitsu Morita? Pride of Japan?"
"Well, anyway, I dunno about how guys who keep losing all the time always end up becoming the crazy ones and shocking everyone."
"That is not exactly a revolutionary opinion, Vice President."
Just a bunch of idiots yapping. But I felt pretty laissez-faire about it, so to speak. Do as you like.
Now that I'd given up on looking for city hospitals, I'd switched my focus to local private practitioners. As I drove down the highway for a bit, I could see the airport far in the distance.
Ahh, the airport.
The airport!
I had never had as strong or passionate feelings about the word "airport" as I did now. Airport. A place to bring us somewhere that wasn't here, and the place where Aoba and I had been planning on going in the first place. Emphasis on the had been.
"Are you sure this is the road you want to take?" asked the President. "I don't think even for a second that you're going to get yourself out of this situation."
Don't ask me.
"What are you even driving for, exactly? For yourself? For the idol? Either way, that looks like a boring way to go."
Don't ask me.
"Well, don't say that, Prez. The more unpopular a guy is, the more he's gonna wanna cling to the first love he gets his hands on. There's this one weirdo who keeps talking to my friend, about some badass moment way back in preschool..."
"Nyahaha~. 'Cuz you're a self-styled popular guy, right Vice Prez!"
"Whaddaya mean, self-styled? I'm freakin' hot. I'm so popular that come chocolate season I'm gonna have to get a truck again to carry all the..."
"Is it true you still have the chocolate I gave you in the fridge?"
"When'd I ever get chocolate from you?"
"Heeey Teach, can I make a Comăneci joke?"[2]
"Hell no. And I'll seriously take even Tirol-Choco, so just get me something next year."[3]
"Uwawah. What a sudden confession~"
"It's not a friggin' confession!"
"Wanna see my sports bra?"
"Yes, please, I beg of you!"
Having a bunch of rowdy schoolkids around made it feel like I was driving through a downpour. Listening to their young voices was making something sink in my stomach. Acrimony. Melancholy. Frustration. The release of negative energy made my thoughts and feelings and reality all mixed up. I could feel the puppet strings controlling my body getting tangled.
My head felt dizzy. My eyes felt tired. I didn't know what time of year or time of day it was. I wasn't sure how old I was, or where I was, or whether it was day or night, but the one thing I did know is that despite all this, everything outside of me was continuing on just fine.
But ain't that how it always goes?
So...
A woman was walking down the one-lane road. Her face was familiar. Back when I was living my merry life as a mole, I wasted all my time looking things up about Hope's Peak Academy. Her face had shown up in the search results. Therefore, she was a Hope's Peak Academy student.
With an unhealthy complexion on her face, the woman said,
"B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama Byakuya-sama..."
Yikes. Scary! What's with her?
Hm. Hope?
Hope, you son of a bitch.
Before I knew it, I'd stepped on the gas and rear-ended the Hope's Peak Academy woman. I'd fucked the shit out of that hope ass. She was thrown off to the riverside, looking as vulgar as a porn mag as she was blown away.
I burst into laughter, but the MRS was shocked that I'd just run over a student from the main course without warning.
Hey now. Heeeey now! Why are you acting all surprised? If you didn't want me doing something like this, you wouldn't have tried to make me read the Despair Novel.
The world hasn't made me crazy. I'm not gonna kill anyone. But, when it comes to a Hope's Peak student—you're an exception, motherfucker.
I hopped out of the jeep, and watched her convulsing in pain, my eyes devoid of all emotion. At least, it felt like they were.
"Oohh... Ugghhh..."
She was moaning. That was fun. No, that was a lie. It wasn't fun. It wasn't fun at all.
I stepped on her head. I stepped hard enough that the word grind had never felt more appropriate and vivid. Right down to the sound of the word itself. Grind, grind, grind, grind.
I was disappointed that she just gave an average scream in response. What the fuck did she think she was doing? Wasn't she supposed to be Super High School Level? I was offended. I couldn't forgive her. If you have a talent, then the least you can do is have some kind of extraordinary scream. Like, hhmyoooohh! Or pkyewkyew! I don't fucking know. Just, something.
Next I tried stepping on her stomach. Again and again. Again and again and again and again and again and again and again. She spat out a single spew of blood mixed with vomit. But I still didn't stop. I stepped again and again and again and again and again and again. I could feel her organs being crushed underfoot, and it was such sweet, sweet bliss.
Oh. Now that I think about it, don't we have a knife?
I took the survival knife from the dashboard and, without a single moment of hesitation, stabbed it into her arm. It was all too easy to do, so I jabbed the knife in again and again and again and again and again. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch, like when you buy shaved ice at the convenience store and it's all frozen together when you eat it. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I kept on stabbing. I cut off flesh, I cut off muscle, and I cut off fingers. Her arm was like a mole caught in a trap—covered in blood and covered in holes. Fucking ridiculous. You have talent but you get shanked the same as anyone else. Fucking ridiculous.
The blade's assault soiled her arm with greasy blood.
Oh man, that's filthy. Ohh, gross. Can't believe even a Super High School Level student has the same red blood as me, and it still feels this filthy when it's spilled.
I grabbed hold of her wrecked arm, that was now missing muscle and flesh and fingers, and pulled with all my strength. With an audible rip, after some resistance, I plucked out her arm like a vegetable.
Next, to slit that pale throat of hers. I'll kill you—as soon as I thought that, she reached out her remaining arm and—did she just steal my knife? Whoa. Wait—
I immediately pulled my hand back, but the attack came even faster. She kicked up between my legs. A splitting pain coursed through my balls, and then through my whole body. It was so painful that I couldn't stay upright, and my body fell forward. She caught me, and then tossed me backwards over her head like a judo throw.
The world turned upside down. My head hit the ground. I blacked out.
I only lost consciousness for a few seconds, but in those few seconds, the situation had flipped completely. I was collapsed, while she stood over me.
What? Is this where it ends? My time on this mortal coil?
She glared at me. There was a huge amount of blood flowing from where her arm had been torn off, and the mix of blood and vomit teased out from the corners of her lips, her body covered in wounds. And yet, she had... indescribable power. Her remaining arm grabbed me by the neck, pulling my body up.
Squeeze.
Squeeeeeze.
Squeeeeeeeze.
My trachea constricted with a squeeze. Squeeze. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeze. I couldn't breathe. Squeeeeeze. I became lightheaded from all the squeeeeeeeeezing. My vision grew dim with a squeeeeeeeze, and there was a terrible squeeeeeezing ringing in my ears.
"Gabbh!" I heard that sound, and was crestfallen to know that it came from my own throat. I was drawing closer to a mortal crisis, and yet, all I could do was make such a pointless sound. I felt the despair.
"What is this..." She strangled me. "What is this. What is this?"
"Gabbuuuhh, gggeh, gggguhh—"
"Do you think you can just do this to someone's arm?"
"Gbuh. W-Weh. Gbuh!"
"What is this? Who is this?"
Even if I had wanted to answer, she was strangling me too much for me to use my voice. The best I could do was let out a croak from my throat.
Aahh... Is this it?
My vision grew hazy. My consciousness drifted far away. My thoughts became indistinct. I lost myself.
"Who are you?"
"I—I—I-I—"
"Name yourself."
"I'm—I'm..."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"I-I'm, Suzuhiko Ootsuki!"
Translator's Notes
[1] Bakayaro! - a movie series of vignettes about people who tolerate everyday social irritations until they hit their breaking point and start chewing people out, with the acclaimed director Yoshimitsu Morita serving as the executive producer.
[2] Comăneci - Nadia Comăneci is a gymnast, but the joke was popularized by a Japanese comedian. It's a gag where you put your hands around your crotch as illustrated here to simulate a gymnast's leotard.
[3] Tirol-Choco - a cheap brand of chocolate.
Stay tuned for the next update next Sunday (PST)!(?)
Feel free to comment, keeping these rules in mind!