Saihara's POV:

Maiko didn't return to her job after the attack, I got a note delivered from her saying she got hurt and she was taking time off to recover which makes sense and I wish I could have told her to get better soon.

But then her replacement came in.

Unlike with Maiko who seemed to have actual empathy for what we went through, and being able to recognize the terror that was the killing game, who knew that we got messed up inside of there regardless of the fact we technically signed up for this.

Her replacement...was the opposite.

When he first entered he started...what's the word? Fangirled over me, and asked for my autograph and that's when I knew he wasn't going to be my therapist. I wasn't expecting much at all...but at least I thought he would know what I wouldn't want to do at all costs.

Yet here I am, sitting in the same room as Shirogane.

I didn't know what to expect when I saw her, I knew that when I last saw Akamatsu she didn't want to see her at first, I could understand why though, from what I've been learning from Ouma...from myself...is that I shouldn't just yell at people, I should try and find a middle ground despite my feelings and anger at the person.

It's easier said than done.

She looked like a wreck, everyone seemed to look like a wreck, and I barely could see her as the same person who had revealed herself as the mastermind, as the girl who had killed Akamatsu and Amami, she just looked like the girl I knew for that entire game, only looking slightly older. 

And that is what hit me harder.

What if I end up like you? What if I end up becoming a mastermind? If I lose myself and become a mastermind...? I don't want to become like her, I don't want to become a murderer.

"Hey...Saihara..." Shirogane called breaking the silence, "I...I don't know how to say this but...I'm sorry about what happened during the game...ok?" she told me, I nodded, "I...it wasn't you right? You weren't in control of your actions, right? They programmed you to act like that right?" I asked.

She nodded, "it's true...my personality was more or less the same...but any sort of empathy or sympathy I had, and all my hatred for Danganronpa after I woke up from my game was twisted my sadness and pain into despair...that made me want to make others feel exactly what I felt..." she told me.

"Oh..." I mumbled, "thank you...thank you for telling me that...just...I wasn't ready to see you Shirogane, I...I don't think I hate you, I did in the game I won't lie about that, but knowing that you weren't in complete control of your action helps...but forgive me if I can't stop remembering what happened in the last trial and what you told us" I said calmly.

"I would be surprised if you didn't hate me..." Shirogane admitted, that just made me feel worse. I don't know what I can even say though...I don't want to lie...I also don't want to tell her the truth...

Why am I like this?

Afterward, we didn't speak for what seemed like an hour, we mainly just seemed to be lost in our worlds. 

CLICK

Shirogane and I turned around to face a television screen that was revealing itself as it came out of the wall...it turned on.

And I saw a nightmare.

I didn't recognize where this was being taken from at first, the room was blurry as it faded into the library, opening the large library doors...was Amami. It was that library from the Academy, my eyes widened as I shook my head, "no...no...no" I whisper/yell backing away from the wall, Shirogane sat there petrified for a while before she started shaking as she ran over to the door only to tug on it hard...

It was locked.

Amami walked up towards the hidden bookcase as a flash of a camera's light...a shot put ball would then roll off the prepared path...and miss. Amami looked at it confused as the bookcase opened quietly as Shirogane walked right up behind Amami a shotput ball in hand..."STOP IT!" Shirogane screamed as the volume only seemed to increase.

Shirogane would slam the shotput ball into Amami's head, a wave of blood emerged from his head as he fell onto the floor, and she ran back into the hidden bookcase, I turned over to Shirogane as she sobbed on the floor closing her eyes tightly and covering her ears with her hands.

The trial room. I felt tears brimming as I saw the conclusion of the trial...no.

I looked over to Shirogane and got up to-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice rang out, a click sound made the television retract itself back inside of the wall...I turned over to see Maiko looking at us concerned as she mouthed sorry before running into the side room her face looking enraged and bitter.

She had a new scar on her face as she dragged out a man from the room, "WHAT THE HELL? I didn't authorize this! HOW DARE YOU SHOW THEM THAT?!" she screamed, I looked over to Shirogane who was still shaking...I walked over.

"Shirogane..." I whispered, "it's over...it's over...the game is over...isn't it...?" I asked she looked over at me confused, "Shirogane...I might become like you next season..." I told her, she looked down. I guess she wanted to avoid this like me.

"So...if I'm destined to end up like you...I don't want our last conversations with each other to be with me despising you, or hurting you...so...can we...can we try and maybe become friends...? Because...I want to get to know the real you...not the mastermind...just you" I told her.

"I...I would like that..." she told me, I glanced over at the argument Maiko was having as she walked back inside looking at us concerned..." we...we have a lot to discuss Saihara...Shirogane..."