Chapter 77: The occasion involving Komaeda and Chiya. ...

They were trapped on the first floor.

The main door and classroom doors on the first floor are locked. And if you try to climb the stairs to another floor... you will be teleported back to the first floor.

If it was magic, then it was far too sophisticated. However, even though they had only experienced the teleportation and hadn't actually witnessed the strange phenomenon, Komaeda Nagito's quick acceptance of the supernatural event still made Tsukino and Chiya sigh inwardly.

When Wang Ma first heard about the mark, he remained very calm... So, is this the average mental fortitude of Hope Peak undergraduates?

That's very calm.

Although rather than being described as "calm," Komaeda Nagito seems... more like he's anticipating or even excited about it.

Did he really realize the seriousness of the problem?

No… perhaps it's because he possesses a talent like “luck” that he's so fearless now. Since he knows that because of his miraculous “luck,” things will never turn out the worst, does he actually enjoy experiencing paranormal events more than facing danger?

...Such a talent for cheating!

Such composure reminded Tsukino and Chiya of another person they knew.

The infamous Black Goat in the world of Calamities... is also the woman who gave Chiya the task of retrieving the Spirit Tool, leading to Chiya's encounter with Yashiki Kazuo and his companions. She possesses the Calamity that "devours other Calamities and takes them for herself"... so sometimes, the Calamities that others avoid are the ones she actively pursues.

"Wow, that's amazing," Tsukino and Chiya thought to themselves.

Compared to them, I, lacking any unique talent or calamity, am indeed just an ordinary person.

However, such abilities may not necessarily be a good thing for them.

Think of the black goat who was constantly hunted down because he came from the Salvation Ranch, and then think of Komaeda Nagito's talent, which wasn't all good...

—It's definitely best to be an ordinary person like him.

At this moment, Tsukino and Chiya could clearly feel that Komaeda Nagito's enthusiasm for them had increased significantly, and his tone of voice was much friendlier.

While it's more accurate to say that this Ultimate Lucky Guy's enthusiasm and friendliness are "towards Tsukino and Chiya" rather than "towards the paranormal events he himself doesn't understand."

Even those enthusiasts of strange events that Tsukino and Chiya knew before still felt tense and fearful when they actually arrived at a supernatural location that might pose a life-threatening danger... After all, people always have a physiological resistance when faced with the threat of death.

But Komaeda Nagito...

Although there's a suspicion that he hid it too well, in any case... indeed, until now...

Tsukino and Chiya did not sense any negative emotions from Komaeda Nagito due to his involvement in the strange events.

Even after explaining the mark and its potential side effects, it remained the same.

"In other words, when the time limit represented by the mark is reached, although something terrible will indeed happen, it is not necessarily death?"

Komaeda Nagito thoughtfully touched his chin. On the back of his left hand, there was a mark resembling a wild beast's claw that looked familiar to Chiya.

"It's not death..."

Tsukino and Chiya: "Yes. But thinking about those who seem to have gone mad because of the mark's time limit... it doesn't matter whether they face death or not." And is it just an illusion? Your tone seems to carry a hint of regret?

"Perhaps I have a stereotype about paranormal events. Because whether in books or movies, in order to create a sense of horror, 'death' is used to threaten the characters in the story."

As if sensing the unspoken meaning in Tsukino and Chiya's words, Komaeda Nagito said this.

"The endings of such works are generally divided into three categories. One category is that people's efforts are all in vain, the monsters in the story are not something that can be stopped by human power, nor can they be redeemed by humans, so they meet their final end in despair."

"The second type is the so-called open ending. It leaves all the suspense to the readers or viewers, and no one can say for sure what will happen in the end. There may be a possibility that the monster will return after the hope. There may also be a last glimmer of hope in the midst of despair... It's really a cunning way."

"And then there's the third one." Tsukino and Chiya listened quietly to Komaeda Nagito's explanation before finally speaking up to ask, "Are you talking about a happy ending?"

Generally speaking, when someone lists a series of situations, the last point is usually what they really want to say.

Tsukino and Chiya wondered, "Could it be that Komaeda Nagito also likes happy endings?" But then again, it didn't seem like that was entirely the case...

"More or less."

Unlike his initial aloofness, and unlike the enthusiasm he later displayed due to his interest in paranormal events, Komaeda Nagito's tone was noticeably more impassioned when mentioning words like "hope."

"The third type is where the characters in the story go through countless hardships and finally escape from terrifying despair... Although there may be the death of important people along the way, and although they may experience many trials that can be described as despair, the hope they bring out of such despair is what is truly precious!"

"...Yes, it is hope."

"So, Kazuki Tsukino, tell me a little more? I want to know more about strange events. This is a field I've never been in before... I see, that explains the misfortunes I experienced this evening."

"It was because of those things that I ended up accidentally violating school rules by exceeding curfew hours, which led me to meet Wang Ma, who was going to the old school building, and then I learned about a field I had never encountered in this world from you!"

"I really am... very lucky!"

Tsukino and Chiya, noticing the strange blush appearing on Komaeda Nagito's face, were speechless.

From childhood to adulthood, Tsukino and Chiya had encountered countless strange people, but they had never met anyone like Komaeda Nagito, whose obsession with the concept of "hope" reached such an extreme. Although he wasn't actually that surprised, he couldn't help but feel a pang of admiration inwardly—

Komaeda Nagito... So this is his personality?

"Tsukino Kazuki should be able to understand, right?"

Nagito Komaeda, his face still flushed, trembled as he crossed his arms.

"There is a difference between a person without talent and a person with talent. No matter how hard a person without talent tries, in the end, that's all they will ever be."

"No matter how hard a small dog tries, it can never become a large dog; and no matter how hard a penguin tries, it can never fly. That is to say... so-called incompetent humans are those who are useless no matter what they do. Capable humans are not made, but rather possess the capacity for so-called talent from the moment they are born." (*)

"This is also true for Tsukino Kazuki, who is a preparatory course student, isn't it?"

If other students in preparatory courses heard this, it could easily sting their hearts.

In a sense, Komaeda Nagito's words were truly merciless.

Tsukino and Chiya did not answer immediately.

Before they could speak, the two of them flashed and were teleported back down the stairs to the main entrance on the first floor.

When they first entered the old school building, Tsukino and Chiya were worried that "there were too many floors and rooms, and it would be too slow to investigate them one by one." So, they decided to walk through the floors first to look for any unusual or obvious places.

As a result, now that they are forced to stay on the first floor, the number of classrooms they can investigate is limited, and even if they explore them one by one, it won't take too long.

So just now, Tsukino and Chiya were explaining the strange setting to Komaeda Nagito, who was completely unfamiliar with it, while checking out the classrooms on the first floor one by one—however, those classrooms looked ordinary and were no different from regular classrooms.

After thoroughly searching all the rooms on the first floor, including the bathrooms, and confirming there were no clues, Tsukino, Chiya, and Komaeda Nagito repeatedly went through the process of "going up the steps," "being teleported to the main entrance," and "investigating the classroom again."

This is the second time they've been sent back to the door on the first floor since the process began.

Komaeda Nagito looked at Tsukino and Chiya.

Komaeda Nagito didn't think there was anything wrong with what he had just said, but he was aware that its content might have been a bit harsh. He had made similar remarks to other people before, and he could roughly imagine the reactions of those who heard him…

...But this time it seems a little different?

Tsukino and Chiya: "Finally..."

Nagito Komaeda: "Finally?"

Finally, someone bluntly told me, "You're just an ordinary person," when we first met.

Tsukino and Chiya were slightly moved.

That is to say, he really is just an ordinary person with no special talents, but I didn't expect Wang Ma's classmate to have such good taste.

Tsukino and Chiya: "No, it's nothing. I just think Komaeda, you're quite good at talking."

Komaeda Nagito: ?

If Komaeda Nagito were to continue with lines he hadn't had a chance to say earlier, such as "But talented people are different," "This environment is perfect for nurturing hope," or "I want to see talented people emerge from the despair of strange events and create even brighter hope," it would sound disjointed and strange.

So, Komaeda Nagito, whose emotions were not as agitated as before, swallowed his words for the time being.

"Actually, I wanted to say this earlier... but at that time I was more concerned about the new world that Tsukino Kazuki described—although I still am now. By the way, I didn't expect Tsukino Kazuki to be able to pick locks."

Komaeda Nagito looked down at Tsukino and Chiya, who, after being teleported, continued to fiddle with the door lock again using the small wire.

"Could it be that Wang Ma taught you that?"

Tsukino and Qianye: "..."

Tsukino and Chiya fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

Wang Ma, what exactly have you been doing in class? School life is different from strange events where lock-picking skills are likely to be required, so why do your classmates know that you have extraordinary lock-picking skills?

Despite their inner grumbling, Tsukino and Chiya still answered Komaeda Nagito's question: "No, I knew this skill before I met Ohma. But I don't use it much... and I'm not very proficient at it, so I can't always successfully activate it."

Komaeda Nagito said knowingly, "Yes, Tsukino Kazuki's lock-picking speed is indeed not as fast as Ohma's."

Tsukino and Chiya: "Komaeda, you really are a straightforward person."

Komaeda Nagito: "Really? This is the first time I've heard someone give me such a compliment."

As soon as they finished speaking, Tsukino and Chiya finally managed to unlock the door and push it open.

"……oh."

This time, the situation in the classroom was different from before.

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Author's Note: (*) This is from the Danganronpa 2 game. Komaeda, the small dog/large dog, has such classic lines that I couldn't resist using them here. [cat emoji]

Komaeda: Hope, hope, hope

Qianye: Uh, no, no, no.

Komaeda: A mere preparatory course

Chiya: Oh right, right, right