Goodbye, Miss Despair

**Goodbye, Miss Despair** (サヨナラ, ゼツボウ-ミス, *Sayonara, Zetsubō-Misu*) is the final execution in one of Yuhun's short stories, with Seere of Sweet Despair being successfully executed by Akane Owari upon Seere's request.

## Sequence

After confessing to having caused the deaths of the victims for which the "blackened" could not be found, Seere decides to allow herself nineteen days more, announcing to the shocked students that she will wait for them somewhere and request that someone execute her after those nineteen days have passed, using her own weapon: the **Despair's Tact** (ゼツボウ・ノ・タクト, *Zetsubō no Takuto,* lit. *Tact of Despair*). During that period of time, Seere polishes the Despair's Tact for the day of her death, and spends more time with the one student that she considered her close friend: Akane Owari, who seems extremely distraught by what Seere has decided upon doing with herself, and sorry that she has to do such a thing; however, Akane also ponders over how much of a burden it must have been for her friend to hide her guilt, if she had any in her when she killed someone.

The day on which Seere wished to be executed eventually arrives, and the surviving students find her at the beach where Akane Owari's failed execution was carried out. Akane arrives later than the other students do, and recognises the location, fearing the worst; that Seere is hinting at having Akane execute her by having them meet at the place where she was almost executed. Seere then turns, revealing her red-ring iris, black sclera eyes- and true identity. The other students gasp, and Maki Harukawa turns to Akane and asks her whether she knew the whole time who Seere really was, to which Akane replies that she did find out eventually.

Ultimately, after some tear-shedding and talking to the students, Seere confirms Akane's worst fear much to the horror of both, handing her friend the Despair's Tact and telling her that she wishes for Akane to find it in herself to forgive her for what she has decided upon and for what she must do. The two then stand apart on the beach, and Seere tells Akane to "do her worst" when she puts her hand to her heart and then spreads out her arms as if she were to hug someone.

Seere does both actions, and, after some hesitation, Akane, with tears in her eyes, charges at Seere- or rather, the Despair's Daughter, running her through on the spot, stabbing her in the chest near her heart and impaling her. Seere falls to the ground, a great pool of blood- which turns out to be black and red instead of the usual pink- already gathering underneath her. In her shock, Akane lets go of the Despair's Tact, leaving it wedged in Seere's body. She cries, her face streaked with tears, as she holds a slowly dying Seere in her arms, and the surviving students voice that they feel sorry for Akane, because even though her friend turned out to be the Despair's Daughter, she was kind and caring towards her.

Seere gently wipes Akane's tears away, telling her quietly that she is forgetting that she can return under the mentioned circumstances, and gently removes the Despair's Tact from her body, resting it on her chest. Her last words to Akane were to take care of herself even if she is not there for her, and to always believe in herself. She then entrusts her wolf plushy to Akane, and then, Seere, truly the Ultimate Secret Daughter of Despair- after thanking Akane- finally passes away peacefully in Akane's arms.

## Trivia

* The title of this execution is, in Yuhun's own words, "an incredibly blatant reference" to Japanese manga series Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. Funnily enough, *Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei* translates to *Goodbye, Mr. Despair*, while *Sayonara, Zetsubou-Misu*, the Japanese title of Seere's execution, translates to *Goodbye, Miss Despair*, with both translations being very similar.