[ Hiyori watches as Komaeda works through each and every statement, offering no complaint nor resistance as his hand is pulled away and he watches the complex set of emotions. It's like looking into a mirror, though he had been far more cynical. He had expected that the esteemed Hope's Peak would be a place where he could thrive. Instead, Hiyori had expectations thrust upon him. The faculty viewed him as the result of two of the world's greatest minds. The students clung to him for his charisma and leadership, for his unmatched wit and charm. None of them challenged him. It was boring, so boring, so droll, worse than the dull majority who at least were told from birth that their efforts meant nothing.
It was only the two he'd met there that had saved him. He had won them over easily, too, with the false face of a humble prodigy that he had worn then. They despised him now, having seen his true face, but the three of them still worked well together. Three brilliant minds that had been wasted on a toxic cesspit, just as all young talent there was. Just as his precious Komaeda was. So he handles the entire affair with patience until the final question comes, and he offers a gentle laugh in return. ]
As I thought, you're still a bit too young to understand, Komaeda-kun.
[ Whether Komaeda chooses to see it as hope as despair, there's no denying the affection in his voice - a love that reaches his eyes. He had no respect for that school, nor the riff-raft that had clung to him so pitifully, but those few that had garnered his attention still held his adoration. Those he had killed, too, were the deepest objects of his affection for the good they'd done him. They were worthless creatures, good only for the action that they spurred. Ah, such pleasant, wonderful memories... He etched each and every one into his mind so that he might remember it always, locked it away in his heart, and he shares it now because he's finally found something that equals the love her felt back then. ]
No, it was because I could overcome my despair that I acted. Despair is paralyzing, it locks you in place and shackles you down like a disease. That, too, is why you must be vigilant, so it doesn't creep in and eat you away from the inside.
[ But he does nod now. ]
I can't tell you why those few failed, but I believe they were there for a purpose. I believe that they were there so the collective could succeed. If you were to look them up now, you would see that those of my class have been among the most successful, Komaeda-kun. They have succeeded, the school has far more stringent measures now, and I traded my life amongst them for a life that nonetheless satisfies me. Would you call that a sacrifice?
[ Hmmm... ]
But if I were to explain my motives... I can only say that it was an act of love. I loved each and every one of them with my whole being, so much so that I would kill for them. So much so that I despaired for them, and so much so that I overcame that for them. Not a single one of them could reach my level, and yet that only made me love them more. I wanted to protect those precious people.
[ He could kill for them, and he had, in the most gruesome ways possible. Komaeda, he thinks, is too young to understand that those Ultimates were human too. He was too broken to recognize that they would flounder and panic when confronted with such a great talent as the three of them had been. But love was a universal force, just as hope was, and Hiyori hopes that this alone will be understood.
He repeats himself once more: ]
You may judge me if you wish. I stay silent out of respect, not regret. That, too, is my love.
[ Love is gracious, love is kind, and love offers no apologies. In that, he supposes that perhaps Komaeda is the yin to his yang. Komaeda destroyed himself out of love, Hiyori destroyed others out of love. One saw it as the birthplace of hope, the other saw it as a shackle that tied talent down. ]
komaeda just accept his love already, every last drop of it
It was only the two he'd met there that had saved him. He had won them over easily, too, with the false face of a humble prodigy that he had worn then. They despised him now, having seen his true face, but the three of them still worked well together. Three brilliant minds that had been wasted on a toxic cesspit, just as all young talent there was. Just as his precious Komaeda was. So he handles the entire affair with patience until the final question comes, and he offers a gentle laugh in return. ]
As I thought, you're still a bit too young to understand, Komaeda-kun.
[ Whether Komaeda chooses to see it as hope as despair, there's no denying the affection in his voice - a love that reaches his eyes. He had no respect for that school, nor the riff-raft that had clung to him so pitifully, but those few that had garnered his attention still held his adoration. Those he had killed, too, were the deepest objects of his affection for the good they'd done him. They were worthless creatures, good only for the action that they spurred. Ah, such pleasant, wonderful memories... He etched each and every one into his mind so that he might remember it always, locked it away in his heart, and he shares it now because he's finally found something that equals the love her felt back then. ]
No, it was because I could overcome my despair that I acted. Despair is paralyzing, it locks you in place and shackles you down like a disease. That, too, is why you must be vigilant, so it doesn't creep in and eat you away from the inside.
[ But he does nod now. ]
I can't tell you why those few failed, but I believe they were there for a purpose. I believe that they were there so the collective could succeed. If you were to look them up now, you would see that those of my class have been among the most successful, Komaeda-kun. They have succeeded, the school has far more stringent measures now, and I traded my life amongst them for a life that nonetheless satisfies me. Would you call that a sacrifice?
[ Hmmm... ]
But if I were to explain my motives... I can only say that it was an act of love. I loved each and every one of them with my whole being, so much so that I would kill for them. So much so that I despaired for them, and so much so that I overcame that for them. Not a single one of them could reach my level, and yet that only made me love them more. I wanted to protect those precious people.
[ He could kill for them, and he had, in the most gruesome ways possible. Komaeda, he thinks, is too young to understand that those Ultimates were human too. He was too broken to recognize that they would flounder and panic when confronted with such a great talent as the three of them had been. But love was a universal force, just as hope was, and Hiyori hopes that this alone will be understood.
He repeats himself once more: ]
You may judge me if you wish. I stay silent out of respect, not regret. That, too, is my love.
[ Love is gracious, love is kind, and love offers no apologies. In that, he supposes that perhaps Komaeda is the yin to his yang. Komaeda destroyed himself out of love, Hiyori destroyed others out of love. One saw it as the birthplace of hope, the other saw it as a shackle that tied talent down. ]