Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Everyday Life at the Ultimate School
Hello Dear Readers!
This is my first attempt at a Danganronpa fic so I hope you will all enjoy it. As you have probably guessed from the title it is a non-despair au, Naegi harem fic. I plan to keep it pretty tame, but we'll see what happens. This idea came to me after watching "Everyday Life with Monster Girls" and reading "The Luckster and his Luck" by Jibster; "The Unlucky Luckster and the 77 th Class" by Veos G17; and "King of Hope" by Putain de Plagieur. If you have yet to check any of those out I highly recommend all of them, just in case you didn't catch that.
I wish I owned Danganronpa, but maybe it's better that I don't.
It's been a while since my last fic, so I hope I remember how to do this.
"And that should do it," a young man said as he finished piling pancakes onto a plate. I know they said I don't have to do this anymore, but I like taking care of them, he thought as he carried the plate into what looked like dining room. Before setting it down he yelled, "Breakfast is ready girls!"
A large group of girls took a place at the table and with a chorus of "Itadakimasu!" they joined the young man for the meal.
About halfway through breakfast the young man, remembering that they all had the day off, asked what everyone planned to do that day.
An innocent enough question, with innocent intentions, but it started of a series of demands from everyone else present.
"Actually, Naegi-kun, could you come with me to the pool? I need you to time my breast stroke."
"I was going to ask Naegi-kun to model for a photography session today."
"Tsh, if it's modeling he should spend the day with me. Naegi-kun, join us at the mall, your queen will model any outfit that you desire."
"Know your place. Naegi-kun, we should plan for our trip to Novoselic. Once there we will capture the Golden Makango and be acknowledged as the Royal Couple."
"But-but Ibuki wants Makoto-chan to listen to her new song, she was thinking of him the whole time she wrote it."
"Naegi-kun, wouldn't you rather hear me sing for you than listen to a loud electric guitar?"
"No, Naegi-onii should watch me dance."
"Naegi-kun, I'd like it if you came to the arcade with me…I think."
"I have found a casino with no minimum gambling age, my precious B-rank and I will be relieving people of their money there."
"Naegi-kun, I think you should take this time to learn a method of self-defense. I would be more than happy to show you the finer points of swordplay."
"Naegi-kun, if you practice with me I could teach you self-defense and all sorts of survival techniques."
"If it's fighting, Naegi-kun should just throw down with me. Winner gets to cop a feel."
"I-I w-was hoping Naegi-kun and I could restock the infirmary. I'm sorry, please forgive me!"
"I have some cases I need to go over. I'm sure we could solve them together, Naegi-kun."
"Sorry my little rotten oranges, Naegi-kun and I are going to do a one-on-one evaluation, that just so happens to take the form of a romantic picnic."
More demands were made and the young man, Naegi Makoto just shook his head and smiled. These girls were his closest friends and it had been like this every morning for some time now. These girls, his dorm mates, would argue for a while and then everything would work out somehow. He wasn't sure what he did that was amazing enough to gain the attention of these girls and when he met them, he wasn't sure that they would ever like or trust him given the circumstances at that time. Everything leading up to this was a precious memory and he remembered it so very clearly.
Naegi Makoto's First Day
In front of a school in the center of a large city a young man stood at the gate.
Hope's Peak Academy. The school that brings the best students from every field imaginable.
If you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. It was built to raise hope in the nation's future, which makes Hope's Peak a perfectly fitting name."
"There are two things you need attend this school. One, you need to be a high school student already, and two, you need to be the best at what you do. No ordinary student can come here. In order to be enrolled, you have to be sought out.
So how does someone like me got into a school like this? Well…
"Hey buddy, are you just going to stand there staring or are you going to go in?" a voice said, interrupting the boy's inner monologue.
The boy in question had thin and petite build, being a little on the short side. He had spiky, desaturated brown hair with a prominent ahoge, and washed-out hazel eyes. He wore a zipped-up dull green hoodie with a red stripe along the zipper, an open black jacket with gold buttons over the hoodie, black jeans, and red sneakers with white toes.
Feeling embarrassed, the boy turned to apologize. When he did he was met by the sight of two girls his age. One was a girl with black hair in a bob, pale blue eyes, and freckles in a basic school girl uniform. The other was a girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes in a dark cardigan and mini skirt.
"Sorry about that. My name is Naegi Makoto, I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student and I guess I'm just nervous about my first day," the boy, Naegi, said as he smiled nervously and extended his hand in greeting.
"It's our first day too, but you don't see us gawking," the strawberry blonde said, not moving to take his hand. The other girl just stood there watching, not showing any hint of emotion.
When he realized neither girl was going to shake his hand he let his arm fall to his side. Taking a good look at the girls, he realized that he recognized one of them.
"Hey, you're Enoshima Junko, aren't you?" he asked.
"That is correct mortal, we are the Ultimate Fashionista. Blessed with an adorable face and a perfect body, Enoshima Junko-chan!" the blonde, Enoshima, said as she struck a pose.
"I thought so, I doubt there's anyone out there who doesn't know who you are," Naegi said. He then turned to the other girl and continued, "I'm afraid I don't recognize you. I tried to research all of my classmates online but I'm drawing a blank."
Just as the girl was about to introduce herself, Enoshima answered for her, "This is my disappointing older sister, you can call her 'Girl-X' or 'Hey you' or whatever."
The girl didn't seem to mind what Enoshima said, but Naegi did. "Enoshima, just because she's you sister doesn't mean you can bully her." He asked again, this time with a kind smile and an understanding look in his eyes, "Now, what is your name?"
Whether it was how Naegi looked at her or that he had stood up for her, the girl went from a stoic sentry to blushing, stuttering mess, "U-ultimate Soldier, the I-ikusaba Mukuro, I mean…"
Oblivious to the effect that he had on her, Naegi said, "Ikusaba Mukuro. I think that's a really cool name." He continued, "I feel your pain, I have a little sister myself. We should definitely swap older sibling stories sometime."
Not trusting her voice, Ikusaba just nodded.
"Great, I'll see you both inside. I really hope we'll be friends," Naegi said as he hurried inside the school building.
From the moment Naegi had reprimanded her, Enoshima had a mortified look on her face. Now that he had left she was able to collect herself and she started ranting, "That hopeful little shit, how dare he?! How dare he think he can correct my behavior?! I'm Enoshima Junko, the Ultimate Despair! I treat who I want how I want! With my analytical abilities I will bring him to his knees! I own him! I own this school! I own this planet! In fact, fuck this plan-"
Not really listening, and still staring at where Naegi had been, Ikusaba said airily, "I think he was really cool."
"What?! And what the hell were you doing?! A mindless murder machine like you should kill people for less than that!" Enoshima screamed before she tried to kick her sister in the stomach. Tried being the operative word, as for the first time in her life, Ikusaba, without even acknowledging the world around her, blocked a non-lethal attack that her sister directed at her.
"What. The. Actual. Fuck," Enoshima said, unable to believe any of what was happening.
Finally noticing that her hand was wrapped around something, Ikusaba came out of her trance and saw her hand on her sister's foot. Horrified, she let go and tried to stammer out an apology, "J-junko, I-I didn't mean-"
"Forget it, I will deal with you later. If we don't hurry we'll be late," Enoshima said, her voice and face completely void of emotion.
"R-right," Ikusaba agreed as the two went inside for orientation. Their minds, however, were less on orientation and more on the boy they had just met.
Naegi Makoto, he could be a problem for me. Oh well, I guess it will be more despairful for me if he is.
Naegi Makoto-kun, I want us to be friends too. Junko-chan won't like it but even so…
Orientation took place in the gymnasium of Hope's Peak Academy's main building. As Naegi listened to the Headmaster, a man in his mid-thirties named Kirigiri Jin, make his speech, he also looked around at his future classmates.
Let's see: the one in the crisp white uniform is Ishimaru Kiyotaka, the Ultimate Moral Compass. He looks pretty intense. The big guy with the pompadour is Owada Mondo, the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. note to self: stay on his good side. I don't think I found anything about that girl with the lavender hair, but she seems to be trying to glare a hole through the Headmaster. The tan girl in the red tracksuit is Asahina Aoi, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Okay, yeah, she is as attractive as the forums led me to believe. That tall muscular girl must be Ogami Sakura, the Ultimate Martial Artist. I should probably stay on her good side too. I'd recognize that blue hair anywhere, Maizono Sayaka, the Ultimate Idol. Never thought I'd be going to the same school as her again, but I'm not complaining. I think that heavy set guy is Yamada Hifumi, the Ultimate Fanfic Author. He may be the only one in the world who loves manga and anime more than Komaru. The girl with the dark cloud hanging over her head is Fukawa Toko, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. She seems so scared, I hope she's alright. That blonde guy is Togami Byakuya, the Ultimate Affluent Prodigy. If the Togami family is as wealthy and as powerful as everyone says he could probably just buy out and shut down this school if he doesn't like it. The world only knows that girl in the gothic lolita clothes by her pseudonym only, Celestia Ludenberg the Ultimate Gambler. She really does look like she'll take your money and laugh while she does it. There are Ikusaba-san and Enoshima-san. That older looking guy is probably Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. The psychic community calls him "Supernova" but he looks too relaxed to be compared to an exploding star. The guy with red hair must be Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star. He doesn't look a thing like his picture, he looks more like he's going for a punk rocker look. The bishōnen guy over there has to be Fujisaki Chihiro, the Ultimate Programmer. Yeah, he, as in a guy, still really hard to believe.
It was fairly recently that the Fujisaki-kun shook the world by announcing that he had always been male. "I can't lie anymore. I'll never get stronger, and I'll never be comfortable with myself unless I tell the truth." That was how the announcement started. I have to admit after hearing his story I can sort of understand, when we're younger we all think there is only one correct way to be manly, or feminine, or anything really. He must have been terrified that people would say how sexist he was, but with a few exceptions the tech community and the world as a whole were pretty understanding. How even if they couldn't understand though it would be nearly impossible to stay mad; I mean, boy or girl, Fujisaki is so cute he could probably be mistaken for a baby panda.
"Now," the voice of the Headmaster shook Naegi from his thoughts, "students will be given keys to their dorm rooms by the teacher in charge of the boys or the girls dorms. These teachers have agreed to live in the dorms with you for the duration of the school year. Gentlemen, this is Kizakura Koichi, he will be in charge of your dorm. Ladies, this is Yukizome Chisa, she will be looking after you at your dorm."
Kizakura looked to be a man the same age as the Headmaster. He was a relaxed-looking man with blue eyes and ragged blond hair. He had a pencil-thin mustache and goatee. Yukizome Chisa was a young woman, she looked like she was barely out of school herself. She had bright orange hair in a ponytail with green eyes. She wore a light blue suit and wore a frilly apron over it.
"Alright, you rotten oranges listen up: I'll be calling out the girls' names and Kizakura-san will call out the boys' names, when we call out your name come up and grab the key to your room. When we're finished we'll take you to your respective dorms," the young woman, Yukizome, said.
The two alternated after calling out a name and everything proceeded smoothly until the very end.
"Naegi Makoto!"
Naegi heard his name but he couldn't believe who had called it.
"Naegi Makoto!" Yukizome called again.
"Uh Sensei? I think there's been some kind of mistake," Naegi said, slightly embrassed by what was about to happen.
"Huh? What do you mean young man?" Yukizome asked innocently.
"Well, um, I'm Naegi Makoto," he said.
Present day
At any other school it probably would have been corrected right away. In fact, I thought it would have been corrected right away here too. But this is Hope's Peak Academy was so, of course it wasn't that easy. Hard to believe that it's been so long since that day. I honestly never thought this would work and I still remember the girls' reaction to this becoming a co-ed dorm, Naegi thought as he started cleaning up after breakfast, ready to take another trip down memory lane.
That's all for now.
So, what did you think?
Some notes:
1) I don't think that I will put Sakura or Toko in the harem. I can't really think of a way to get Toko to switch the object of her affections and Sakura has Kenshiro. That and I would like to give Naegi dorm mates who aren't infatuated with him to talk to. That being said, if you really want them in, I would be willing to change my mind. I let you know in the future because I might need suggestions.
2) I won't be taking votes now, because there are a few girls I want to start off with (Maizono, Ikusaba, maybe one or two more) but I will let you know when voting for the girls starts.
3) I want to focus on Class 78's first year so there will not be any V3 characters, unless at the very end you want me to continue and add them. (I do kind of want to think of what the girls will do if Tenko calls Naegi a degenerate male. I assure you it would only happen once.)
4) I don't really have an update schedule, but I'll try to put out a new chapter every month or two.
5) I know this idea seems weird but Makoto is an androgynous name. Check TV Trope under tomboyish Names if you don't believe me. Okay, I'm done being defensive.
6) Not so much a note, but in case you caught it: I don't know about you but Junko using some of DBZ Abridged Frieza's lines just seems so fitting.
Go easy on me, I haven't written anything in a long time.
Next time: How did this happen? Why didn't they check to make sure Naegi was male? How does he know about the parts he wasn't there for? The answers to the first two questions and the reactions for his classmates and the 77 th class will be revealed in the next chapter.
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Everyday Life at the Girls' Dorm
Hello Dear Readers and welcome back.
I've noticed that most of those who comment on it (three of you as of this writing) say to add Toko to the harem but leave Sakura out, it's 2 to 1 right now. If Toko receives continued support I will add her, but it won't be for a while if I do. Not gonna lie, I might require assistance with that one when the time comes.
Second point, I usually take it for granted that non-despair AU means that Natsumi and Sato never died, and the Hope Cultivation Project never happened but I will clarify anyway. In this story, Natsumi and Sato never died; the Hope Cultivation Project never happened; no brainwashing videos of any kind (those were really weak plot devices if you ask me) (no flames for that one please); and no killing games. Hajime, Natsumi, and Sato will show up, but they might not have much of an impact outside of chapters focusing on Chiaki, Mahiru, and possibly Peko, but we'll see where the story takes us.
Junko is still going to try to cause despair, but since she has been presented with the opportunity to make Makoto's life hell 24/7 she'll limit herself to him. Not to spoil anything but she'll soon find out she'll have to. That is until he brings her around.
Now that we have that out of the way, let's have Makoto meet the people he'll be spending his high school life with.
(Edit: 12/10 7:21 Not even a whole hour and I've had to repost this chapter. Note to self: take your time and Undo is not always your friend.)
(Edit: 12/11. I would like to thank a guest reviewer who told me that I have screwed up the count among students. The ratio was not skewed to begin with, I skewed it. I have changed it to reflect that Makoto's living situation is now a product of "that" student's luck. As for your other point: While it is true that in the games they were living communal lives without separate dorms, though the separate bungalows in SDR2 seem pretty close, I would argue that the living arrangements in the DR and V3 had more to do with the apocalypse and being a reality show respectively. That and Hope's Peak Academy, in the canon, while willing to commit crimes against humanity (human experimentation), they also like to project an image as a squeaky clean learning institution (they did cover up a lot of messed up shit) and I think separate dorms would fit with that attempt at protecting that image. Couple that with the lack of information regarding the living situations during the students' time as actual students and you have just enough wiggle room for this story (I remember only seeing where the Imposter and Mitarai lived.) Anyway, I didn't mean for this to turn in to me being overly defensive, in fact I thank you for pointing out what you did because now I have a bunch of new ideas, so thank you. But as far as separate dorms go I don't think I'm on shaky ground, that and AU's allow for things like this.)
Present Day
While the girls got ready to enjoy their day off, and hoping a certain Luckster would spend it with them, Naegi continued to clean up after breakfast. While he was gathering up utensils and plates he soon realized he was not alone.
"Need some help Naegi-kun?" a sweet, bubbly voice asked. When Naegi looked at the source of the voice he saw the former Ultimate Housekeeper herself, Yukizome Chisa, coming towards him.
"I'm fine, Sensei, but thank you," Naegi answered.
Yukizome started to pout, leading Naegi to conclude that he had done something wrong. His fears were soon put to rest when she said, "I hope we can go on that picnic and be on a first name basis again soon."
Naegi's face grew red at that comment, but he soon recovered as another voice chimed in.
"Is that something that a teacher should be saying?"
The girl with short red hair and freckles was standing at the entrance of the dining room. Even if she hadn't had a camera in one hand Naegi and Yukizome would have known she was Koizumi Mahiru, the Ultimate Photographer of Class 77-B.
"There's nothing wrong with skipping him ahead a few years, Koizumi-san," Yukizome answered before sticking out her tongue.
"I came to help and now I get teased by my own homeroom teacher. Naegi-kun what have you done to us," Koizumi sighed, but the smile on her face showed that she was joking.
Soon Naegi started to laugh, something that confused Yukizome and Koizumi.
"What?" they both asked.
"It's nothing, just I never thought we would all be at this point. When it was first announced that I'd be staying here, Yukizome-sensei, Ikusaba-san, and Maizono-san were the only ones who wanted to give me a chance at first," Naegi explained.
"Of course, it's the job of any teacher to believe in her students," Yukizome said with pride.
"Although, if I remember correctly, you still seemed to think I'd do something untoward," Naegi said, deflating the poor teacher.
The First Day of School
The silence was deafening…for about ten seconds. It didn't take long for some of the male students of the incoming class to voice what they thought of the situation.
"Oh, haha, my, haha, God. I can't, haha, br-breathe," Kuwata Leon managed to get out as he hunched over from laughter.
"I never, snicker, could have predicted this," Hagakure Yasuhiro said trying and failing to muffle his laughter.
"Oh man, I don't know whether to call you a poor bastard or a lucky bastard," Owada Mondo added. He seemed to be able to control his laughter better than the others, but he still found Naegi's current situation entertaining.
Ishimaru Kiyotaka did not find the situation humorous and asked the question on everyone's mind, "This is highly inappropriate for a school environment, how did something like this happen?"
All eyes turned to the headmaster, and to the man's credit he did not wilt under the gazes he was getting. As calmly as he could he started to explain, "Well, for this year, the lottery to choose the Ultimate Lucky Student started late, the Steering Committee was very adamant about luck not being a talent. As soon as I reminded them of Komaeda Nagito and his luck they relented. Originally, this year's Lucky Student was a high school girl but, if you'll pardon the expression, as luck would have it, the mail truck containing her invitation was caught in an accident and the invitation burned up."
"I might know something about that," Naegi interrupted sheepishly.
"Well regardless, the drawing had to be done again, because as I saw it, and I think you'll all agree with me, that such a misfortune would disqualify someone from being the Ultimate Lucky Student. When we drew Naegi-kun's name, we saw his first name, Makoto. I don't mean to embarrass you, Naegi-kun but I think you know as well as I do that it is an androgynous name. Although, that should not have stopped Kizakura-sensei from getting me your file. Great scouting by the way," Headmaster Kirigiri said, dropping his professionalism at the end to take a shot at his longtime friend.
"Hey, you didn't seem too worried about it either," Kizakura defended himself.
"Well this shouldn't be too hard to fix, should it?" the lavender haired girl asked.
"Ordinarily it wouldn't be, but there are certain factors preventing it," the headmaster answered. He then began to explain, "Last year, Class 77-B was set to have 16 students; 8 males and 8 females, however only 15 had ever shown up for class. Towards the end of the first year, Yukizome-sensei had informed us that one of her student had been skipping class for a personal project, one that he has since cancelled and started attending class."
"One of my rotten oranges eluded me," Yukizome said bluntly as she stuck out her tongue and bopped herself on the head.
"That alone wouldn't have been a problem since even if there had been a skewed ratio of study's we always keep one extra room you've probably grasped by now, we usually try for a 1:1 ratio between male and female students and with Fujisaki-kun's recent announcement we gave the last available room in the boys' dorm to him so…" Headmaster Kirigiri explained before trailing off at the end.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any problems," Fujisaki said, trembling.
"Don't worry Fujisaki-kun. This might be awkward, but it's not the end of the world," Naegi said, trying to cheer up the smaller ultimate and put a positive spin on his current situation. If he was honest with himself, he was worried. He had really wanted to make a good first impression with all of his classmates and now it seemed like he would have to deal with half of his classmates and his upperclassmen constantly being suspicious of his motives.
"Wait, you said the last available room, but there should be two more: One for Naegi-kun and one extra. So what happened?" The lavender haired girl pressed.
"Well..." the Headmaster began.
Hope's Peak Academy-Boys' Dorm
"How? Just how? We didn't even get back until today so how?" a boy with pink hair asked looking at the two rooms on either side of a certain white haired student's room.
"How unlucky for me, I won't have a shining light of hope for a neighbor this year," the white haired student said calmly.
"How are these two unlivable, while the rest of the dorm is fine?" A boy in a chef's outfit asked.
A blonde boy in a suit pointed to the white haired boy and said, "When that crazy fucker is involved, anything is possible."
"I hope this doesn't cause any problems," A portly boy in a white suit said.
The rooms could only be considered wrecks: somehow the ceilings on either side of the white haired boy's room had caved in while the rest of the building was still structurally sound. Pipes were sticking out of where the bathrooms would have been, and light fixtures were damaged beyond repair. It was as though an addition had been put on a house that was intended to be three rooms side-by-side but only the middle one had survived. In a way, that is what this was what this was the newest dorms on the campus were a joint project between the former Ultimate Architect and the former Ultimate Construction Worker. The rooms in question were on the ground floor, three side-by-side, jutting out. No rooms over them, no basement under them, so there would be no danger to the rest of the building.
"Well the water and electricity going to those rooms have been shut off, so as long as your room is okay," the blonde boy said.
"Oh absolutely, you shouldn't doubt the talents of the wonderful school's alumni," the white hair boy said.
"Except when those talents are up against your luck," the pink haired boy said.
"Well they did have someone come inspect it and they gave it the okay," a tall muscular boy said.
This is going to be a weird year I can already tell, most of the boys thought.
"You're joking," the lavender haired girl said bluntly.
"Nope, saw it myself. Even when that kid's not around his luck still does these things," Kizakura said.
"Well, we'll just have to make the most of it, I mean, I'll be there to keep an eye on him if anyone is worried," Yukizome said, smiling.
"Yeah kid, hell, this may be how you meet your future wife," Kizakura added. Naegi knew the man was joking but couldn't help being embarrassed. If anyone had been paying attention to them, they would have noticed that Kizakura's words also managed to elicit a blush form Ikusaba and Maizono.
"I'm not sure that helps, Sensei," Naegi said. What scarred Naegi the most about his situation was how quiet the girls had been. They all seemed to be looking at him as if trying to determine whether or not he could be trusted.
Ogami was the first to speak about the situation, "Naegi-kun, you appear to be trustworthy at first glance, but I will still be keeping an eye on you."
That declaration, more so than Yukizome's, put the girls at ease.
"Well, if Yukizome-sensei and Ogami-san are going to keep an eye on him, I suppose we have nothing to fear," Celes said. To her this was just something she would have to adapt to.
"I feel kind of bad for him, but what else can we do?" Asahina asked rhetorically. Even if Naegi was a pervert, and she would believe he wasn't until she gave him a reason to think otherwise, it was not as though he could have planned something like this out in advance.
"Y-yeah r-right. I'll bet he's just waiting for us to drop our guard," Fukawa chimed in.
"No, I would never-" Naegi started.
"Well we should probably continue this at the dorm," Yukizome interrupted as she gathered up her charges and led them to their new home.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
"What!" It wasn't anymore than two voices but Naegi wouldn't have been shocked if the whole campus heard that yell of indignation.
"What do you mean a boy is going to be living with us?!" a redhead shouted.
"Eww! I bet he's a pervert like Hanamura!" a petite blonde girl in a pink kimono added.
"No, I swear I'm no pervert," Naegi responded.
"I understand everyone's concerns, but it isn't like we're leaving you students unsupervised," Yukizome said in an authoritative voice.
"But Sensei, what if-" the redhead started.
"No buts, Naegi-kun will be treated like any other student," Yukizome said cutting her off. Naegi, relieved at the thought of someone on his side let out a sigh before Yukizome continued, "Of course, if he does step out of line, well…" she trailed off before she drew a wakizashi.
Naegi turned deathly pale at that warning. Forget graduating, I may not even survive this school, he thought.
The only one who seemed to be enjoying the situation was Enoshima. She hadn't forgotten Naegi admonishing her earlier and she was enjoying watching him squirm. A despair/revenge cocktail, my favorite. Shame I'm not the cause, but don't worry my little hope bagel, we'll have plenty of time for more of both.
"I think you all have the wrong idea about Naegi-kun," a sweet, melodious voice spoke up. The Ultimate Idol, Maizono Sayaka continued, "He and I went to the same junior high for three years and he never caused any problems."
Naegi, who was both relieved that someone had spoke up for him and surprised that Maizono had remembered him, whispered a quiet, "Thank you," to the idol.
Maizono gave him a wink in response.
"Whether we have the right idea or not hardly matters right now," Celes said. Seeing some confused looks she continued, "We will all be living together for the foreseeable future so we may as well put the matter aside for now."
"She raises a good point, for now we should try to be civil about this," the lavender haired girl agreed.
Seeing that no one else wanted to argue, Yukizome took that moment to say, "Since we are all going to be living together, let's introduce ourselves. I'll start, my name is Yukizome Chisa, the Ultimate Housekeeper of Class 74 and homeroom teacher of Class 77-B. In fact let's have my class go next."
"Oh! Oh! Me next Sensei, Mioda Ibuki the Goddess of Music. Ibuki is the Ultimate Musician on Class 77-B," the girl who spoke had long hair. While most of it went down her back there was also some that was styled into two horns on top of her head. She had multiple piercings, and her outfit screamed punk rock.
"I'm Koizumi Mahiru, the Ultimate Photographer. If a boy is going to be living here then I hope you're dependable," the redhead said, more in resignation than acceptance. In addition to having red hair, Koizumi also had freckles and wore a plain school uniform. To Naegi, she looked more like Ikusaba's sister than Enoshima.
"I'm Saionji Hiyoko, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. I'd prefer you stay away from me. In fact, how about you sleep outside until your living arrangements are fixed?" This was the blonde girl in the kimono. She had a cute face but it appeared she had a cruel streak.
Are the others going to take shots at me too? Naegi asked himself.
"Pekoyama Peko, the Ultimate Swordswoman," a girl with red eyes, glasses, and silver hair said simply.
"Z-z- huh, Oh, I'm Nanami Chiaki, the Ultimate Gamer. I'm Class 77-B's Class Representative," A short girl with pink hair said sleepily. She wore a hoodie much like Naegi's only it had cat ears on top.
"I'm Owari Akane the Ultimate Gymnast. I love to eat and I love to fight," a tall, tan girl with untamed brown hair said. She wore a white shirt, a short plaid skirt, and as ashamed as Naegi was to admit that he noticed this, she had a very large chest.
"Greetings, my name is Sonia Nevermind, I am the Ultimate Princess. I hope our time together is 'hella tight,'" a pretty blonde girl said. Naegi had no doubt about her claim, she exuded the beauty and elegance one would expect from a princess.
A terrified looking girl with purple hair and a nurse's uniform went next, "I-I-I'm Tsumiki M-m-mikan, the Ultimate Nurse. With your per-permis-mission, could I remember your names?"
"Okay, Class 78 your turn," Yukizome said.
Since Naegi had researched or met most of his classmates already he only really listened for one introduction in particular.
"My name is Kirigiri Kyoko, I am the Ultimate Detective. Before anyone asks, yes, I am the Headmaster's daughter and no I don't want to talk about it," the lavender haired girl said.
Finally, it was Naegi's turn, "I'm Naegi Makoto, the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78. I'll try not to make our current situation any more awkward than it already is."
"Oh great, a pervert like Hanamura and a weirdo like Komaeda," Saionji said.
"I think that's enough," Yukizome said before Saionji's comment could incite anything. Continuing she said, "Now I'm sure you're wondering where the other students are. The students from Class 76 are preparing for graduation. There are also other dorms and that is where they are staying. Those dorms are rather old though and I have heard talk about expanding this one. So like it or not, it may be a very real possibility that Naegi-kun will be staying with us for at least this school year."
When no one said anything Yukizome said, "Good, now that we all understand let me tell you about this dorm and its rules. There is a kitchen and dining area but you are more than welcome to eat in the cafeteria. There are washers and dryers but I expect each of you to do your own laundry. Trash day is every Tuesday and trash bags are to be placed in the trash cans outside on to the left of the building. Understand? Good, now how about we order out for dinner? Anyone have any idea?"
Later
Dinner had gone well, at least there had been no further complaints about Naegi's presence. That didn't really put him at ease though, he could tell his being there had made most of the girls at least a little uncomfortable. Afterwards he had stepped outside and called home, he had promised to tell his family how his first day had gone. He had expected them to put him on speaker phone, he had not expected his sister to laugh at him. At least mom and dad seemed sympathetic, he mentally sighed. "Well, everyone hates me, so it can only get better from here right?" he asked no one in particular.
"Nobody hates you, at least I don't," a voice said. Naegi looked to his side and saw Maizono coming out to check on him.
"Oh Maizono-san, thank you for earlier. It's nice to know not everyone here thinks I'm some pervert," Naegi said with a tired smile. Today had really take a toll on him.
"You couldn't have possible known this would happen, but I do wonder if this is some form of your luck," Maizono mused.
"My luck seems to lean more towards bad, so maybe," Naegi agreed.
"Hey. cheer up, the others will warm up to you eventually," Maizono assured him.
"Yeah, until then I guess I'll just have to show the others I mean no harm," Naegi agreed, smiling.
Unbeknownst to either of them, there was someone else listening. Ikusaba had wanted to check on Naegi too, but unfortunately, she had no idea what to do. She had never comforted someone before and no one had ever comforted her. So, while she was jealous that Maizono was having the moment she had wanted for herself, she was glad that someone had brought back Naegi's smile.
Present Day
"It didn't take you long to win us over though, Naegi-kun," Mahiru pointed out. Remembering some of the more difficult girls, Koizumi soon corrected herself, "Well, most of us anyway. Now, we really don't know what we'd do without you." Koizumi's blush at the end of her comment could have illuminated any dark room.
"I don't know about that, but I am glad you all decided to give me a chance so soon," Naegi responded, blushing himself.
"You certainly earned it. It was nice to have help with the domestic chores and not have to worry so much about things breaking down," Yukizome added.
Hope's Peak Academy – Girls' Dorm
First Day of Classes
The dorm's kitchen was being put to good use this morning. Naegi had decided as a good will gesture to make breakfast for the girls. So, he got up earlier than he was ordinarily comfortable with, when through his morning routine, and got straight to work. It was not long before the smell had attracted the attention of some of the girls.
The tall, tan girl, Owari if he remembered correctly, was the first in the dining room and exclaimed, "Something smells great!"
She was followed by Ogami, who had just returned from her morning workout, "Indeed, I had been under the impression that we would be responsible for our own breakfast, so this is a nice surprise."
"Just give me a few more minutes and it should all be ready. Could you two make sure everyone is here?" Naegi asked.
Owari, who never passed on food when offered, was more than happy to collect the other girls. Once everyone had arrived, Naegi had placed everything on the table, turned and smiled and said, "Breakfast is ready."
"Naegi-kun, did you do all of this?" Yukizome asked.
"Yes Sensei. I know that this situation isn't ideal, and I know everyone has already formed an opinion of me, but I want everyone to know that I won't cause problems while I'm here," Naegi answered.
"Thish ish sho ghood," Owari said through a mouth full of food.
"Agreed, it is quite good. Where did you learn to do all of this?" Celes asked after a few dainty bites.
"I used to help out around the house all the time. I can cook, clean, do laundry. I can even do a lot of handy stuff," Naegi answered.
"If you take care of all of that, then maybe I'll consider giving you a chance, Servant," Saionji said.
"Now Naegi-kun don't feel like you have to do anything," Yukizome told him. Although, it would be nice to have some help taking care of everyone, and it is nice to be the one being taken care of for a change, she thought.
"Well, I mean I wasn't planning on doing it regularly, but I guess it's okay. If I'm busy then at least no one will worry about me doing something perverted," Naegi reasoned. "While we're talking about that, I am aware of how to wash underwear but maybe everyone should handle their own, just so there's no misunderstanding," he suggested.
"Huh, what kind of misunderstanding?" Asahina asked innocently.
"Yeah, if you know how shouldn't you just do it," Owari asked, oblivious to what Naegi was getting at.
"No, just no," Koizumi said in answer to both of them.
Later
Class 77-B's Homeroom
When the girls of Class 77-B arrived at their homeroom they had expected a few questions about the Naegi's presence at their dorm. They had been told about how his male classmates had found his situation humorous and were sure that word of it had reached their own male classmates.
"So, how is the poor bastard?" a boy with short blonde hair and gold eyes asked. He wore a suit and had what could only be described as a baby face, not that anyone would say that last part out loud. This was Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko, the Ultimate Yakuza and heir to the Kuzuryuu Clan.
"He seems harmless," Pekoyama answered simply.
"He seems to be dependable, but I still don't like it," Koizumi added.
"Be wary, thou may have an incubus in thine midst," a boy who appeared to have heterochromia warned. He wore along black jacket and a purple scarf. His hair, which was black and gray, was slicked back with the exception of a poof of hair in the middle that stuck up and is fairly curly. This was Tanaka Gundam, the Ultimate Breeder, and a chuunibyou if his language was any indication.
"He-he seemed really nice," Tsumiki responded.
"Indeed, more than an incubus, he much more closely resembles the legendary hero of my country. I must see what color shirt he wears under his hoodie to know for sure though," Sonia added.
"Ahh, Sonia-san are you really okay with this?" a boy with pink hair and a knit cap wailed. This boy was the Ultimate Mechanic, Souda Kazuichi.
"Ibuki thinks Makoto-chan is nice," Mioda said happily.
"I like him too, I think," Nanami added sleepily.
"A boy in your dorm, and another Ultimate Lucky Student at that. Maybe his luck exceeds mine. But more importantly, will his hope shine from this? Or perhaps you don't wish for a trash lucky student to disgrace your dorm?" a tall, pale boy with white hair asked no one in particular. This boy was wearing a hoodie, not much different from Naegi's although it was longer. He was the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 77-B Komaeda Nagito.
"As long as he keeps making food like he did this morning, he can live anywhere he wants," Owari said, drooling a little bit from the memories of meals past.
"If that's the case Owari-san, how about he and I trade living spaces," a short boy in a chef outfit suggested. This boy was Hanamura Teruteru, the Ultimate Cook according to his file, but the Ultimate Chef if you ask him. The Ultimate Pervert if you asked anyone else.
"Yeah, no, I'll take the servant that isn't an open pervert," Saionji said, shooting her classmate down.
"SO HE'S WORKING TO EARN HIS PLACE? I THINK I LIKE HIM ALREADY!" yelled a large, muscular young man in a black jacket with black hair. It almost looked like his sheer intensity was causing sparks to shoot out of his eyes. This young man was Nidai Nekomaru.
"I admire his dedication I suppose but don't you think you are being unfair to him? He couldn't have known he would be placed in the wrong dorm," a boy in a white suit pointed out. This boy would have been a dead ringer for Togami Byakuya except for one thing, he was rather fat. This boy was the Ultimate Imposter.
"Right, you might even like him if you gave him a chance," a short, sickly boy added. He had short, light brown hair and wore a brown suit. This was the Ultimate Animator, Mitarai Ryota. Mitarai was the missing student on Class 77-B. He had placed creating anime over people in his first year but with some coaxing from his friend, the Imposter, and his classmates he had been set straight.
"This isn't some pervy harem anime. Geez you're almost as bad as Hanamura," Saionji said.
"Okay, that's enough," Yukizome said as she entered the room. "Naegi-kun and his living arrangements won't be on any tests so let's get started on our lesson, shall we?"
At the same time
Class 78's Homeroom
"So, I see you survived your first night," the haughty voice of Togami Byakuya stated.
"Morale was low, but I think they give me a chance," Naegi responded.
"Yeah right morale was low, if you are a man this should be a dream come true," Kuwata said.
"You most certainly fit the profile of a harem manga protagonist Naegi-dono," Yamada added.
"Whatever you guys are thinking, stop. This isn't some fantasy world, it's real life," Owada told the two.
"Correct. Also, polygamy is not welcome in a school environment," Ishimaru added.
"I totally predicted that he'd be fine. Hey Naegi-chi, want to know this situation will affect your future?" Hagakure asked.
"I think it can only end one way of two ways: If I stay on everyone's good side I live and if I do something I shouldn't I'm dead," Naegi told him.
Too late to stay on my good side buddy, not that I have one to begin with, Enoshima said to herself.
"We're not that scary, are we?" Asahina asked.
"It's not so much a matter of being scary as it is I don't feel welcome. Koizumi-senpai and Saionji-senpai in particular seemed to be waiting for me to do something," Naegi explained.
"Don't mind them, I'm sure they'll come around," Maizono said in an attempt to reassure him.
"Why shou-should they h-h-have to? He's the one intruding," Fukawa said.
"It isn't really his fault though," Ikusaba responded. She couldn't really understand why she wanted to defend this boy, but she knew she had never felt this way before. She would never tell her sister, but she decided that she liked this feeling.
"Ikusaba-san is correct. Naegi-kun is living with us and we will be adults about it," Ogami added.
"If he can fix me Royal Milk Tea from now on, I have no objections to him," Celes stated.
"I don't know if I agree with what you are basing your approval on, but you have a point; whether or not we trust Naegi is ultimately something we will have to decide for ourselves," Kirigiri said.
"I'm sorry I put you in this situation Naegi-kun," Fujisaki told him.
"It's not your fault, Fujisaki-kun. How long do you think you could have kept your secret living with the girls?" Naegi asked.
"Probably not long," Fujisaki admitted.
"Most likely, I think it's better that I have pressure on me now than if you had been found out in the future. I'll find a way to make this work, so don't worry," Naegi said with a reassuring smile.
Present Day
"I can't believe we all remember it so clearly," Yukizome said.
"I can't believe you called out Hiyoko-chan and I by name," Koizumi said to Naegi, pouting a little.
"I'm sorry Senpai, but you have to admit you and Saionji-senpai had had the worst reactions to me living here," Naegi said with a laugh.
Koizumi couldn't deny that, but her face still sported a pout. Naegi, nice guy that he was, started to apologize, "I'm sorry Senpai, really."
"If you want to make it up to me, model for my photography session," Koizumi said.
"Oh no, Naegi-kun and I are having lunch together," Yukizome countered.
The two started to argue but soon they both just started laughing, their earlier reminiscing still fresh in their minds. They had to agree with Naegi, when they had started the school year they never thought that they would be here.
Looking back, it wasn't always easy, but that was how it started. That was the start of my everyday life with ultimate girls, Naegi thought as he finished cleaning up.
Hey, a title drop, never done that before.
I think that should do it for world building for now. There might be more later but next chapter we get the first girl. We'll start with Ikusaba, mostly because I think her chapter might be the easiest, barring Maizono's.
A few things:
1. I know most of you probably know about "Makoto Naegi's Worst Day Ever" it is a 25 page booklet that came with Volume 1 of the Danganronpa: The Animation DVD. It does state that the original pick for the Ultimate Lucky Student was female, I can't find her name though.
2. I'm conflicted about my explanation for Mitarai. I feel like I cheated you guys out of a proper, possibly lengthy explanation for why there will be no brainwashing anime but at the same time I know this isn't a story about him, so I don't know. I don't like talking about him anyway, honestly Danganronpa 3 characters are my least favorite. Most of them anyway, I kind of like Yukizome. But DR3 really lowered my opinion of already established characters too, *cough*Mukuro*cough*, which sucks because I really did like her, but thinking about that one part of Side: Despair episode 9 still makes me nauseous. You know the one. That won't stop me from doing my damnedest to give them fair treatment. I still remember the opinion of Mukuro I formed from DR: IF so I can give her fair treatment. Sorry, ranting. I'll stop.
3. I think Mahiru made a good foil for Chisa, don't you? Actually, considering the larger than life/completely insane personalities of most of the other characters she is really a good foil for all of them.
4. I know canon Fujisaki kept his secret, but the student's living arrangements during their time as actual students wasn't elaborated on. Something tells me he would have been caught when one of the more forceful, energetic girls broke down his door to get him.
5. Jealousy is coming, right now they boys know Naegi is having a hard time. When the girls warm up to him then he'll be a lucky bastard.
6. Did I make Nagito's luck too powerful in this story, maybe, but I think it fits. It raises some interesting questions though. Would he want another lucky student living next to him? His past self may not, so good luck for him right. If Makoto does things worthy of the title of Ultimate Hope then Nagito misses out on having him around, so bad luck for him right? But my question is: does he have to be present for his luck to affect anything, I think if he's involved at some point then there should be no reason for it not to. Also, this gives me a chance for some fun cutaway gags of people working on those rooms and falling prey to Nagito's luck. I hope that isn't to flimsy of a pretense, but I've read fics where people use Nagito's luck in crazier ways I suppose.
Until then, read and review. No flames please. And please no reviews about how I'm wrong and DR3 was the greatest thing ever with the best new characters ever.
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Soldier
Hello again everyone! I hope your New Year started off well. I hope you will all continue to enjoy this story in 2018. I've been replaying the games to refamiliarize myself with the story of Danganronpa so let's hope that makes for a better story.
This time we will explore Makoto's relationship with the Ultimate Soldier herself, Mukuro.
While I have stated in the past that I do not own Danganronpa, I must also point out that I do not own Red vs. Blue either, Rooster Teeth owns that. Don't worry, I haven't decided to write a DR/RvB crossover or anything like that (I don't believe that I could anyway), but I must confess that a character in RvB reminds me of Mukuro. Try and guess which one while you read this note and see if you're right. Anyway, that character and how they developed will be a part of this chapter, I think you will enjoy it.
Also, as hinted at in the first chapter, Naegi will show Ikusaba what it means to be a good older sibling.
Fair warning: I will be using pieces of RvB transcripts, but just the parts I think parallel Mukuro, and in some cases Junko and their relationship. Those will read like a script. So, spoilers for the Chorus Trilogy if you haven't seen it. Go ahead and watch it now if you want, I'll wait.
Are you back? Good. I'm going to assume that many of you know who the characters of Red vs Blue are, so I apologize if this seems a more than a little esoteric.
Present Day
The dishes were done and Naegi had just made his way to the common area of the dorm when he spotted one of his first friends at Hope's Peak watching something on her phone.
"Hey?" one of the characters in the video asked.
"Yeah?" the other responded
"Do you ever wonder why we're here?" the first asked.
"It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it, Ikusaba-san?" Naegi answered as he came up behind the girl, Ikusaba Mukuro.
"Were you waiting for that, Naegi-kun?" Ikusaba asked, while pausing the video and trying not to laugh at her friend and crush.
"No, I had no idea that you would be watching Red vs. Blue. I didn't think you would like it this much when I showed it to you," Naegi answered.
"It's funny; the stories are good; and watching it together is kind of our thing," she told him, although she said that last part too quickly for him to catch and blushing all the while.
"What was that last part?" Naegi asked.
"Nothing," she responded.
Naegi looked at her with a smile. The one that says everything will be alright; that she was accepted; the one that she fell in love with.
"What?" Ikusaba asked, blushing.
"Nothing, I just noticed how much you've changed since we met," Naegi told her.
"That's all thanks to you, Naegi-kun," she said.
"I don't think I did anything special. We would talk about the responsibilities of being the older sibling and we would watch Red vs. Blue," Naegi said honestly while scratching the back of his head.
"To me it was special. I've seen many places but my world and my understanding of it was very small before I met you. Before meeting you and all of our friends, my world only had two people in it," Ikusaba explained.
"Oh, well I'm glad I helped you Ikusaba-san, but I still think you could have done all that on your own," Naegi said.
As humble as ever. So cute, Ikusaba thought. Shaking her head, Ikusaba said, "I don't think so. In fact, I owe you more than you could possibly know." If it hadn't been for you, she thought, Junko-chan and I would be doing God only knows what and I would still be her slave.
Hope's Peak Academy
Third Day of Classes
Naegi had no idea what to expect when classes had started. Hope's Peak Academy is the school that is above all others after all, so it would follow that the course work would be difficult, right? Wrong. Not only did the course work seem to be the same as one would find at any other school, but attendance was optional. If it hadn't been for Ishimaru, Naegi doubted that half of his classmates would have shown up at all.
I really don't understand how a school can function like this, Naegi thought as he sat listening to his teacher's lecture and taking notes.
Naegi wasn't the only one distracted during the lecture though. The Despair Sisters as they called themselves were thinking of other things as well.
Focus on the lesson like a good student, you hopeful little shit, soon I give you a crash course in Despair 101, Enoshima thought as she glanced at Naegi.
Ikusaba, following her sister's line of sight, saw that Enoshima had been looking at Naegi. An unfamiliar feeling had begun to overtake the Ultimate Soldier, a feeling of dread. Is Junko-chan planning to do something to Naegi-kun? But why? He's just one student. And why do I feel so scared, is this despair? But Junko-chan said it was supposed to feel good, so I must be feeling it wrong. I'll keep trying Junko-chan, I'll try to feel despair the way you do. I'm the only one who can understand you, I'm a good big sister. But I don't want anything to happen to Naegi-kun, maybe I can convince him to side with us. He invited me to talk to him about being the older sibling maybe I can convince him then. The poor girl's thoughts continued on like that until the lesson had ended for the day.
Hope's Peak Academy – Girl's Dorm
Evening
Dinner had been good, in Ikusaba's opinion at least. Koizumi and Saionji were no longer suspicious of everything Naegi did, even though it was clear they both hadn't completely accepted his presence yet. The other girls either seemed to enjoy his company, or they didn't really feel too strongly about the situation anymore. She couldn't help but feel angry at Saionji and, to a lesser extent, Celeste. While Celeste acted like Naegi was a live-in servant at least she appreciated what Naegi was doing for them, she especially appreciated the tea he made her. Saionji seemed to want Naegi to act like her slave. For the second time today, Ikusaba had a strange feeling come over her. Of course, I shouldn't like that one of my upperclassmen treats my classmate like a slave. I especially don't like that Naegi-kun just takes it. So, why did Junko-chan laugh so hard when I said that? I know Naegi-kun offered to do all of this but still…
After shaking her head to clear her mind for the task ahead, Ikusaba knocked on Naegi's door. Soon enough Naegi opened the door and although he was surprised to get a visitor, he was clearly happy to see Ikusaba.
"Ikusaba-san, good evening. Is everything alright?" he asked.
"No! I mean yes! I mean, I just wanted to talk," Ikusaba said, flustered. I thought I was ready for this, what's wrong with me? she asked herself.
"Okay, I'm free to talk, just let me close this," Naegi said as he grabbed his phone.
"Oh, if you're busy I can come back later," Ikusaba told him. Truth be told, she was torn. She did not want to leave but she had no idea how to start a conversation with Naegi now that she was here.
"No, it's fine. I've already seen this episode anyway," Naegi said. Before he closed the app on his phone, a thought struck him. "Hey Ikusaba-san, do you want to finish watching this with me?" he asked.
"What is it?" Ikusaba asked back.
"Red vs. Blue, it is a great show about two groups of soldiers. Well, that's how it started out anyway," Naegi explained.
"Okay," Ikusaba said simply. Naegi wasn't exactly selling her on the idea of this show, but she sat down on his bed anyway. At least this should give me time to think of what to say, she thought.
"Well, it's better when you watch it, I promise," Naegi assured her. He then asked, "Do you want me to start the episode over?"
"No, but could you set up the scene for me?" Ikusaba asked.
"Sure. The one in the steel colored armor with yellow trim is Agent Washington. He's about to fight a mercenary called Locus. Locus, his partner, their men; and their boss started a civil war on this planet called Chorus to wipe out the population so that they could then plunder the alien weaponry; reverse engineer it; and then sell it on the black market," Naegi explained as he sat down next to her.
That sounds like a mission Fenrir would have taken. Maybe not wipe out a planet but incite a civil war, Ikusaba thought. After pushing that thought aside she said, "Okay, start it."
Washington: (to himself) Last mag, Wash. Make it count.
He runs out of cover, but Locus is nowhere to be seen.
Locus: (offscreen) Why do you continue to help these people, Agent Washington?
Washington: (softly) Where are you? (he walks forward slowly)
Locus: (offscreen) You have nothing to gain from them. No reason to fight for them. And yet, here you stand with your life on the line for them.
Washington: Is that so hard to understand?
Locus decloaks and fires at Washington, who dives for cover. He runs back out, but Locus has cloaked again.
Locus: (offscreen) You used to be so much more.
"What does he mean?" Ikusaba asked as the video continued to play.
"That's kind of a long story, but here's the short version. Washington was originally a part of a super soldier program, Project Freelancer. The Red and Blue armies were really just for training purposes. Part of simulations to train the Freelancers, but that eventually fell apart and Wash settled in with the Blue Team."
"Wash?"
"Every member of the main cast calls Agent Washington, Wash. If you want, I could send you a link to the channel for the entire series," Naegi suggested.
"I'll think about it," Ikusaba said before returning her full attention to the video.
Locus: (offscreen) You were once an enemy to these men. You were ruthless! You were a survivor!
Washington: I was a different person.
Locus: (offscreen) No, you were a soldier.
Wash notices the air shimmer and watches it suspiciously.
Washington: You say that like they're two different things.
Locus: (offsceen) When a true soldier is told to kill, he kills. He does not question why, he does not mourn the fallen; he fulfills his role and moves on to the next.
Washington: Is that what you want to be? A true soldier?
Locus is revealed to be cloaked and standing on a catwalk above Wash, his gun aimed at him. He decloaks.
Locus: No, that is what I am!
Locus fires, but Wash avoids it. He aims back at Locus, but he's disappeared again.
Washington: Damn it!
"What are they talking about?" Ikusaba asked.
"Well, Project Freelancer was a group of elite soldiers, as I mentioned. Wash was in the top six, although he was the worst member in his squad, he actually got a grappling hook stuck to his crotch, or so he said." Giving Ikusaba time to giggle, he continued, "What he and many of the Freelancers didn't realize, at least not until it was too late, was that they were working for the bad guys. Later we find out that they were fighting even worse guys and that their boss, the Director, started out with good intentions, but that would take us through seasons six through thirteen. Anyway, something happened to make Wash a lot like Locus, and some, possibly all, of his actions during that time are not something he's proud of. If Wash had continued the way he was going, he would have turned out a lot like Locus, at least I think that's the conclusion we were supposed to draw here."
"I'm not sure I follow," Ikusaba admitted.
"Well, you'd have to watch the whole series to get the whole picture, but Locus thinks that Wash choosing the path that he did made him weak, while Wash thinks that this true soldier that Locus claims to be is nothing more than a monster," Naegi explained.
For reasons she did not understand Ikusaba was afraid of his answer, but she still managed to ask, "What do you think?"
"Well, I think Wash will explain most of it pretty well, but I know that things are more complicated in the real world. I also realize that having compassion for the enemy in the middle of battle would be a dangerous thing, but even in the middle of battle soldiers are still human. Humans can think and reason, but we also feel. I think having empathy is a good thing, it allows us to reach out to others and understand them and they in turn can understand us, although I realize some people don't want to understand or to be understood," Naegi said, before he realized that he was going off on a tangent. "Sorry, I guess that didn't answer your question, but I will say that I think Locus has the wrong idea about what it means to be a soldier," Naegi apologized.
"No, I think I understand what you mean," Ikusaba said. It wasn't like what Naegi said offended her. She knew that someone who had never been a soldier couldn't really understand what it meant to be a soldier, only now she was beginning to think that she didn't either. It's just a show on the internet, why is it bothering me so much? I follow orders, I complete my mission, what else is there? she asked herself before focusing fully on the video again.
Locus: (offscreen) I'm a professional, Agent Washington. I complete my-
Washington: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you complete your missions at all cost. You can say that as many times as you want, but I know what you really are. You're a coward.
Locus: (offscreen) Ridiculous.
Washington: You keep trying to play yourself off as some sort of weapon. That you don't care about anyone or anything. But the fact that you're trying so hard to understand me breaks your entire act! No matter how hard you may want to be, you're not a machine, you're a murderer. But you hide behind the idea in your head, because you're too afraid to take responsibility for what you've done.
The air shimmers behind him.
Washington: I know, I used to be a real piece of shit. But at least I'm trying to do something about it.
Locus decloaks and tackles Washington. Cut to the capital, where Kimball is hunting Doyle. She finds him in the command center, alone. They aim their guns at each other.
Doyle: Stop right there!
Kimball: (angrily) You... (she advances on him)
Doyle: (scared andretreating backwards)D-don't make me use this!
Cut back to the beach. Felix picks up his pistol, and Tucker holds himself up, clutching his side.
Felix: You still don't get it, do you? The entire reason you sim-troopers were allowed to live this long, (chuckles) is because you're all losers! Control was confident that you'd do more damage to these people than they could ever do to themselves. I mean, a bunch of idiots in charge of an army? Come on, it was a recipe for disaster! Locus and I figured we'd let you rack up the casualty count then kill you after a few weeks. Oh, but then you did something special! You gave these people hope! And with that came a new level of motivation. To fight harder, to die faster! All with the belief that their sacrifice might actually mean something. But you know what? It all means nothing! At the end of the day, if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster than you, then I can kill you! And that's better than anything money can buy! (he aims the pistol at Tucker)
While Felix was speaking Naegi heard an unintelligible noise beside him. He looked to the side and saw a shocked look on Ikusaba's face. That almost sounds like something Junko-chan would say, she thought.
Worried for his friend, Naegi paused the video and asked, "Ikusaba-san are you okay? Is the video bringing up bad memories?"
"Sort of, but I'm okay, we can keep watching," Ikusaba told him, although she didn't quite believe it herself. Talk about art imitating life, this is just eerie, she thought.
Naegi didn't really believe her either, but he acquiesced, his favorite part of the episode was coming up after all.
The rest of the episode didn't seem to bother Ikusaba, but she still tensed up when Locus and Felix were in the scenes. Once it was over Naegi said, "I always enjoy how the Reds and Blues outsmart the mercenaries. As good as I think it is, this episode wasn't really a good place to start for new viewers, so I'm sorry if you were lost."
"It was fine, you explained things well enough that I wasn't completely lost," Ikusaba assured him. Once she said that she got up, surprising Naegi.
"Wait Ikusaba-san, didn't you want to talk about something?" Naegi asked, standing up as well.
"I did, I mean I do but it can wait, it's getting late," as she reached for the door.
"Well, if you're sure," Naegi said hesitantly.
"Yeah, we can talk some other time," she assured him.
"I hope the video didn't upset you."
"It didn't. I mean Locus and Felix remind me of people, but it's not a big deal," she said, putting her hand on the doorknob.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I was actually kind of happy to watch it with someone."
"I'll just come see you earlier next time, we can still watch more episodes and still talk," Ikusaba said as she opened the door.
"Sure, it's a date," Naegi said, the last part much more quietly than the rest, his eyes looking beyond Ikusaba.
Ikusaba turned and saw what made Naegi go quiet. She herself became terrified as she saw her younger sister standing in the hallway.
With a wide smile Enoshima said, "Oh please, do go on."
"This isn't what it looks like," Naegi said quickly blushing.
"Are you sure?" Enoshima asked.
"We just watched something on the internet," Ikusaba said, just as flustered as Naegi.
"Something to set the mood?" Enoshima asked, enjoying herself immensely.
"Junko-chan!" Ikusaba shouted, something that surprised her and Enoshima.
She's never done that before, she always just takes it, what kind of effect does this hopeful little shit have on her? Enoshima thought.
Oh God, I yelled at Junko-chan. Why did I do that? Ikusaba asked herself.
"I never meant to monopolize your sister's time Enoshima-san," Naegi assured the younger of the twins.
"Oh, it's fine Naegi-kun. Come on Muku-nee, tell me everything that happened," Enoshima said as she put her hands on Ikusaba's shoulders and led her to her room with a plastic smile.
"I guess I should consider myself lucky Komaru isn't here," Naegi said, knowing full well that his little sister would misinterpret what had just transpired the way he believed Enoshima had. Silently wishing his friend luck, Naegi went back into his room and got ready for bed.
"So, did you have fun?" Enoshima asked, still keeping up the act.
"Junko-chan, I-," Ikusaba started.
"Forget it, I don't care. Do you think I don't know what you're doing?" Enoshima asked.
"I just watched a show on the internet," Ikusaba said, trying to pacify her sister.
"Oh, not that, you think that there's actually something you can do that will make me leave him alone. That I'd actually let that hope boy live after he disrespected me. Maybe you thought that I'd even let you keep him as a pet or something if you convince him to side with us. Do us both a favor Muku-nee, don't waste your energy thinking, you suck at it. And the part that disgusts me the most about all of this is that you were hoping you could succeed. One of the Despair Sisters had hope in her heart," Enoshima said in a grave voice with no emotion whatsoever.
"Why are you so fixated on Naegi-kun, he's not even a threat to you," Ikusaba said, now terrified, both for her sake and Naegi's.
"Oh, I don't know, I can't actually get a proper read on him. And whether he is or not, so what? If I'm smarter than him and if I'm more talented than him, then I can do whatever I want to him, even kill him. And that feeling, as hope dies and only despair remains is the most wonderful feeling in the world," Enoshima said with a look of euphoria on her face as she finished.
At the end of the day, if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster than you, then I can kill you! And that's better than anything money can buy! Felix's words echoed through Ikusaba's mind as her sister finished speaking. It's a work of fiction! Ikusaba told herself, I'm not Locus and Junko-chan is not Felix. We are not monsters, Junko-chan always knows best and I'm a…soldier following orders, that last thought, the way she had just tried to justify her own and her sister's behavior terrified her.
"Hmm, you know what, I'm feeling generous. You have fun with the little hope bagel. I plan to take my time with him anyway. Your despair will be that much greater when he's gone so I guess it's fine with me. Just don't ever forget your place. You are just some disappointing murder machine that is only fit to follow my orders," Enoshima said before she left her sister's room.
Ikusaba felt confused, usually she took Enoshima's insults happily because of the attention but now she just had a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. After Enoshima had left, Ikusaba curled up on her bed and started shaking. She was so glad that the rooms were soundproof, she felt like she could cry. Something that Naegi had said earlier crossed he mind, I think having empathy is a good thing, it allows us to reach out to others and understand them and they in turn can understand us, although I realize some people don't want to understand or to be understood. Upon remembering those words, Ikusaba thought, Maybe I don't really understand Junko-chan. Maybe she doesn't want anyone to understand, not even me.
A Few Days Later
After Class
Ikusaba was heading back to the dorms after classes were over for the day. Her time with Naegi and her conversation with Enoshima afterwards had shaken her. Naegi and some of her other classmates had asked her what was wrong, but she kept assuring them that she was fine. As she was passing by the fountain in the courtyard she saw Naegi sitting at the bench talking to someone on his phone. Naegi, upon seeing her, patted the spot next to him. The smile he gave while doing so melted any resistance Ikusaba may have had and she joined him. From her spot next to him she could make out what the person on the phone was saying.
"Onii-chan, when can you get me Maizono-san's autograph? You know I'm her biggest fan," a young female voice said.
"I know you're her biggest fan Komaru. I'll ask her, I just don't want to bother her with this right away. I have to go though. I love you." Naegi said.
"Onii-chan," the girl, Komaru, said. Ikusaba could hear the embarrassment in her voice, but then, "I'm just kidding, I love you too."
She sounds so happy to hear that and to say it in return, Ikusaba thought. She sat there remembering the last time she had told Enoshima that she loved her. The response she got, in its entirety was, "Love. Sure. Great." She couldn't help but be jealous of Naegi at the moment.
After he ended the call, Naegi turned to his friend and asked, "Are you alright Ikusba-san? If there's something bothering you I'd be happy to help if I can."
"I know you would Naegi-kun, but I'll be alright," she answered. Attempting to change the subject Ikusaba asked, "Were you talking to your sister?"
"Yeah, that was my little sister Komaru. She wanted to know if I could get her Maizono-san's autograph, but I'm trying to tell her she needs to be patient," Makoto explained.
"I'm sure Maizono-san wouldn't mind," Ikusaba countered. The idea of making Enoshima wait was unthinkable to the soldier.
"While I think you are right, I'd like to give everyone a chance to settle in before badgering her for an autograph. Plus, it wouldn't hurt Komaru to have more patience," Naegi explained.
"I'm not sure I follow," Ikusaba told him.
"Well, back when Komaru was born, I was determined to be the best big brother ever. I spoiled her far more than I should have. I wasn't the only one spoiling her of course but I think I was the worst. Once she was old enough for school I learned that I had to stop and how selfish I was being," Naegi told her.
"Selfish?" Ikusaba questioned.
"Well maybe this will help it make sense: Like I said, I had wanted to be the best big brother ever and as a little boy that meant giving Komaru everything she wanted. I felt like what I was doing was right because Komaru kept telling me that I was the best big brother in the world. I wanted my little sister to love me the most because that would be proof of how great of a brother I was, at least that was how I saw it as a little boy. When Komaru started throwing tantrums when she didn't get her way and I had to correct her I realized that I had the wrong idea about what it means to be an older sibling. I was supposed to teach Komaru: what I was teaching her was that she could hold people's emotions hostage to get her way. Thankfully, she was too young to realize that and Kaa-san, Tou-san, and I could correct that behavior, but she was actually trying to pick friends based on what they could do for her. My parents explained that things like friendship and love are supposed to be unconditional, you don't love someone just because you want something in return and you shouldn't befriend someone just because you want something from them," Naegi said.
"So, what happened?" Ikusaba asked.
"Well, I realized that I couldn't let Komaru act like that. She may have been very young, and her behavior wasn't unusual for kids that age, but she was old enough to learn that she was wrong. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. She first asked if I didn't love her anymore, that hurt but I told her it was because I love her that I had to tell her no, that she could not get her way all the time," Naegi explained.
"That sounds rough," Ikusaba said.
"It was: she kicked; she screamed; she told me she hated me, but I was firm. She ran to her room crying after saying she wished she didn't have a brother. To tell the truth, I was ready to give in, but my parents told me that it would be fine. Komaru was too young to understand but she would eventually. They were right of course, Komaru gave me the silent treatment for a while but she came around pretty quickly. Her behavior improved, she made a lot of friends, and she eventually told me she still thought I was the best big brother ever," Naegi said with a smile.
"That's great," Ikusaba told him. Honestly, she felt a little jealous, it sounded like Naegi and his sister were very close.
"Yeah, but I'm sure you know all of this already. Being an older sibling isn't easy: We need to know when to step back and let them make their own mistakes and face the consequences; and when to step in to protect them, from themselves and others," Naegi said.
"From themselves, huh?" Ikusaba questioned.
"Well yeah, I mean you wouldn't let Enoshima do something you know is wrong, right?" Naegi asked. It was meant to be rhetorical, but he wasn't aware of just the kind of relationship the Despair Sisters had.
"N-no, of course not," Ikusaba stuttered. Have I been a bad sister? she asked herself.
Seeing that his friend looked distressed, Naegi tried to change the subject. "Ikusaba-san," he said, "I was watching an episode of Red vs. Blue before Komaru called. Do you want to finish watching it with me?"
I guess that would be alright, I'm sure the similarities I noticed last time were just a coincidence, she thought. "Alright," she answered, "but you'll need to set it up for me again."
"Gladly. Felix and Locus are at an alien temple that Tucker accidently activated. All of the equipment that Charon Industries, that's the company paying Felix, Locus, and the space pirates, reverse engineered, the alien tech/human tech weapons, blew up," Naegi explained.
"Why?" Ikusaba asked.
"It turns out that the alien weapons that they had been collecting weren't broken, they were just deactivated. Tucker's sword activated the alien temple and now the Reds, Blues, and the people of Chorus have a chance to beat the space pirates who have lost their superior weapons."
"What about the alien weapons?"
"Charon probably didn't keep many because they thought the weapons were broken. The temple that Tucker was at when he activated all of the temples on Chorus had a vast arsenal of alien weapons and now the Blues are trying to get them for the people of Chorus. The space pirates and Charon scientists are at this temple they received coordinates for and are investigating. There is a teleporter at the temple and supposedly they need a 'true warrior' finish the process of activating the temples across Chorus. Felix sent one of his men through the teleporter and the man had visions of everyone he had ever wronged. Since they don't have a lot of time, Felix and Locus just went through the teleporter and now we get to see what Locus is afraid of," Naegi finished.
"O-oh," Ikusaba said, a little less inclined to watch the video now that Naegi had said that last part.
"You don't have to watch it if you don't want to," Naegi told her. He didn't understand the cause, but he could tell his friend was distressed.
"No, it's fine. Let's get started," Ikusaba told him. With that, Naegi un-paused the video.
Locus ends up on some form of space platform. He is alone. He tries to cloak, but the module malfunctions and he is thrown out of stealth. Locus walks down a nearby ramp.
Locus: Felix, I've made it through the gateway, equipment is malfunctioning. If you can hear this-
Locus is interrupted by a booming alien voice.
Alien Voice: SHALOUKUUAA. SURAKIE SUTO YOH?
Locus: I don't understand.
Alien Voice: WHO ARE YOU?
Locus is suddenly surrounded by a squad of four UNSC soldiers wearing Aviator, Warrior, Recruit and Scanner helmets respectively. All four have their guns pointed at him.
Aviator Soldier: Freeze!
Locus: What?!
Aviator Soldier: Don't move!
Warrior Soldier: Don't you fucking move!
Recruit Soldier: Lower your weapon or we will shoot!
Warrior Soldier: Put the weapon down!
Locus lowers his shotgun. Another UNSC soldier walks into view.
Captain: What do we have here, men?
Aviator Soldier: Caught us a monster, captain. I think it understands what we're saying.
Captain: Really? Then how about you tell us what you're doing here?
Locus: I... came through the gateway.
Warrior Soldier: Speak English, motherfucker!
Locus: What? ...Wait... I know you.
Warrior Soldier: (distraught) Why is it looking at me?!
Past Felix: (mockingly) Maybe you're just its type.
Locus: No... Felix...
Felix shows up, wearing the tan and green armor the mercs wore back during the Great War.
Past Felix: I say we blow its brains out.
Past Locus: That's your answer to everything.
Locus: (mutters) Impossible!
Captain: Hey! You quit eyeballing my men and give me some answers. Are you alone?
Locus: I- I don't understand. You're all supposed to be dead!
Aviator Soldier: What's it saying?
Locus: (to his past self) You're me.
Past Locus: Sir, I think it's trying to surrender.
Past Felix: Bullshit, I think it's stalling! Sir, this feels like a trap.
Locus: Why don't you recognize me?
Captain: Private, I did not ask you for your opinion-
Locus: Listen to me!
Warrior Soldier: Hey, watch it!
Aviator Soldier: It's getting hostile!
Past Felix: Sir, this thing's wasting our time and we're in no position to start taking prisoners.
Captain: (sighs) Fine. (to Felix and Locus) You two, move into one of these buildings and take it out. Quietly.
Locus: What?
Past Locus: Sir, it's scared.
Captain: If it's smart, it should be.
Past Locus: If we could restrain it, we could-
Captain: (interrupts) Son, you listen here!
Locus: No.
Captain: You're a soldier! In this war, you are nothing but a suit of armor and a gun! So when I give you an order you damn well follow it! Do I make myself clear?!
Locus: (raises gun) NO!
Past Felix: Drop'em!
All soldiers open fire on Locus. A bright flash and Locus is back at the Temple.
Ikusaba clutched her head as she was hit by a number of memories: Every instance of her sister's verbal and physical abuse from a young age until the present played out right before her eyes. A mindless murder machine like you should kill people for less than that! her sister's voice echoed. You are nothing but a suit of armor with a gun, the Captain's voice followed.
"Ikusaba-san, are you alright?" Naegi asked, worried for his friend's well-being.
"I-I'm fine, the Captain reminds me of one of my old commanding officers," Ikusaba lied. She then asked, "What did we just see?"
"We just saw how Locus was broken during the war," Naegi explained.
"What exactly do you mean?" Ikusaba asked.
"Locus's ideology stems from the punishment for insubordination he endured under his commanding officer during his time as a soldier of the UNSC. We've just seen that Locus was once a more compassionate individual, but when Locus tried to show compassion to a "monster" he and his squad were supposed to interrogate, his commanding officer snapped at him, explaining to him that he was nothing more than a suit of armor and a gun who should follow orders without question. The trauma of having his values shattered in front of him broke Locus. To cope, he tried to become what his superior had demanded from him all along; a living weapon that carried out all orders regardless of their consequences," Naegi explained.
"Are you sure you aren't the Ultimate Armchair Psychologist?" Ikusaba asked jokingly.
"I've binge watched this series more times than I care to admit," Naegi said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Getting serious again, he asked, "Are you absolutely sure you're okay Ikusaba-san?"
"I am Naegi-kun, don't worry," Ikusaba assured him.
"Of course, I'm worried. We're friends, aren't we? Plus, we're classmates and we live together," Naegi said. After he realized what he said, Naegi followed up, "That last part sounded more innocent before I said it."
Laughing a little at how cute Naegi was, Ikusaba said, "I know what you meant Naegi-kun, and thank you."
"You're welcome. I might not have some amazing talent like the rest of you, but I think if I can help out amazing people like you Ikusaba-san even a little, then accepting the invitation to Hope's Peak was definitely the right decision," Naegi said with conviction.
"I'm not amazing, I've always been a disappointment, at least according to her," Ikusaba meant to say the last part quietly but Naegi still heard her.
"According to who? A former commanding officer?" he asked.
"Something like that," Ikusaba said.
"Then I'll say it until you believe it too. You're amazing," Naegi told her.
If you knew what I have done and what Junko-chan wants to do you wouldn't say that, Ikusaba thought. Still, with a blush on her cheeks and a tear in her eye she said, "Thank you, Naegi-kun."
"You don't have to thank me, Ikusaba-san," Naegi said with a kind smile. Then he noticed that the episode had ended and said, "Looks like we missed the ending."
"That's fine, we can watch it again whenever," Ikusaba told him.
"Are you sure? Out of the two episodes we've watched, both seemed to make you uncomfortable," Naegi pointed out.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just a show on the internet, nothing to get so worked up about," Ikusaba said. Even if it is raising uncomfortable questions and digging up unpleasant memories, she thought.
The Following Weekend
Girl's Dorm-After Breakfast
The uncomfortable questions and unpleasant memories that accompanied them did not subside before the weekend and Ikusaba was not sure how she felt about that. She wasn't sure how she felt about anything anymore but what did it matter. She was not the smart sister, that was Enoshima. Enoshima telling her to do something she didn't agree with; she'd do it in a heartbeat. Junko-chan is always right, had been her motto for as long as she could remember, why was she having doubts about it now? But the fact was that she was having doubts and she didn't know what to do. Who could she talk to? Who did she trust enough to confide in? Though she wasn't expecting answers it seemed the universe was prepared to give her one: Naegi Makoto happened to be sitting on one of the couches in the dorm's communal area, with his phone in his hand and the YouTube app open.
Resolving herself, Ikusaba called out to him, "Hey, Naegi-kun? Can I tell you something?"
"Just me? What is it?" Naegi asked.
"To be honest, I'm getting fed up with all of this." Ikusaba said softly.
"I don't understand. Fed up with what?" Naegi asked.
"We're all ultimates, right? So, we get carried away and rush face-first into stuff. Even I have to wonder if it's okay to live like that. Dreams are meant to change as you grow up, right? Depending on where you're at- kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, high school…. but I've had the same dream since I was a little kid, and I've been rushing towards it ever since. So, I've never really had to think all that hard about my dreams." Ikusaba finished off with a bit of frustration in her voice.
"But what's wrong with that?" Naegi asked curiously. "It just means you still feel the same way, right?"
"That's what I used to think." She admitted. "But if it doesn't change, your possibilities can't grow, right? That's how new opportunities are born. And up until now, I never did that. I never let my dreams grow. All I saw was that one dream. I put everything I had into that one narrow little world. I feel like there's so much more I could be doing that I'm not, and I don't like that feeling. So, I think I'm going to start looking for it. Is it childish of me to think like that? Am I just being a baby?"
"No, not at all." Naegi replied. "I'm the same way. I'm still trying to figure out what it is I want to do. And sometimes I feel like I'll never find it. I feel like maybe I'll spend the rest of my life looking for it. But I'm not sure it's even about finding it or not finding it. Maybe the important thing is that you're looking for it."
A new voice said. "Wow Naegi-kun, you actually sounded kinda cool just now!"
That voice filled Ikusaba with dread, but she still managed to get out the owner's name, "Junko-chan!"
Naegi, embarrassed by Enoshima's comment stammered, "N-No, that's not what I was trying to-"
"W-when did you get here Junko-chan?" Ikusaba asked, fearing the answer.
"Right at the end, why? Were you discussing something I shouldn't have heard?" Enoshima asked while looking very much like the cat that caught the canary.
For some reason that sounds like a lie, but why would Enoshima-san lie? More importantly, why would it be a problem if Enoshima hears it? Naegi asked himself.
She's lying, she heard everything. The question is, what is she going to do now? Ikusaba wondered.
"Well, who cares when I got here or who said what," Enoshima said suddenly. She then asked, "What's that you're watching Naegi-kun?"
"I was watching an episode of Red vs. Blue. Ikusaba-san and I have been watching it together every so often," Naegi explained.
"I've heard of that show. Is it any good?" Enoshima asked. Ikusaba was the only one who could tell but the interest Enoshima was showing was completely false.
"Oh absolutely. It started out a comedic series, but it got more dramatic as time went on. There are still plenty of moments of levity but what really gets me is the characters; the themes surrounding them; and how they've grown," Naegi said.
"That's good, because there really is nothing worse than a character that is the same joke over and over," Enoshima said.
Odd, for some reason that sounded like the most self-unaware comment I will ever hear. I wonder why? Naegi asked himself. Ignoring that feeling, Naegi asked, "Would the two of you like to watch this episode with me or did you have plans?"
"Not that I know of," Ikusaba said, hoping against hope that her sister had shown up simply by random chance.
"I've got nothing better to do. Set it up and let's watch," Enoshima said, surprising Ikusaba.
What exactly are you planning Junko-chan? Ikusaba wondered.
Naegi didn't really think much of it though, and after giving Enoshima a basic overview of Red vs. Blue and the Chorus Trilogy, he eventually got to the episode that he had planned to watch. "So, at the end of the last episode Locus asked the Counselor about the Meta," he explained.
"What's the Meta?" Ikusaba asked.
"The Meta was a Freelancer code named Agent Maine. He received and A.I. fragment from Carolina, Sigma the fragment that represented ambition. The Counselor will explain a lot of it, but Sigma used Maine to kill other Freelancers to take their A.I. fragments and equipment. I guess a good way to describe him would be an Ultimate that could steal talent from other Ultimates," Naegi explained.
"Like an Ultimate that could possess all talents?" Enoshima asked.
"Pretty much," Naegi confirmed.
"Interesting," Enoshima said. More like useful. In a world that sees talent as hope, the corruption or destruction of something like that would go a long way in advancing despair. I wonder if Yasuke-kun could do something about that? she thought.
Hope's Peak Academy Courtyard
The Fountain
A boy that looked like a taller version of Naegi and Nanami Chiaki were sitting at the water fountain playing video games when suddenly the boy sneezed.
"Are you feeling alright, Hinata-kun?" Nanami asked.
"I'm fine Nanami-san," the boy, Hinata Hajime, said. I wonder what that was about? he asked himself.
"Yeah, he was a good villain, but the Meta had his weaknesses too. The armor enhancements were meant to be paired with an A.I. and couldn't run on one suit of armor without requiring large amounts of power," Naegi said, not realizing that he and Enoshima were thinking about two different things.
"Why did Carolina give Maine an A.I.?" Ikusaba asked.
"He was shot in the throat on a mission and lost the ability to speak. Since the A.I. can manifest themselves as holograms and speak and Maine needed a way to communicate it seemed like a good idea at the time. Carolina thinks the Director had some idea that things would play out the way they did since each A.I. was paired with the Freelancer that the Director thought suited them best, but I think that was just resentment talking," Naegi explained.
"Ah," was Ikusaba's simple response.
"I still clutch my neck every time I watch that episode," Naegi admitted.
"Alright enough background information, are we watching this or not?" Enoshima said impatiently.
"Sure, I wasn't very far in, would you like me to restart the video?" Naegi asked.
"No, it's fine," Ikusaba said.
"If you aren't that far in, I'm sure we won't be too lost," Enoshima told him. Not that I couldn't figure out what had already happened anyway, she thought.
"Okay," Naegi said as he tapped his phone and resumed the video.
Counselor: (off screen) The Meta?
Locus: (off screen) Yes. (Cut to the interior of the Tartarus where the Counselor is seen talking to Locus through a screen) Any additional information we can gather on our enemies is vital to success.
Counselor: Would it not be more beneficial to discuss Agents Carolina and Washington?
Locus: No. I have a full understanding on Washington. His background no longer interests me. The same can be said for Carolina.
Counselor: Very well. What would you like to know?
Locus: The Meta had the potential for perfection. How was it possible that he was defeated by a group of incompetent simulation troopers?
Counselor: Agent Maine survived numerous injuries during his time with the Freelancers. Most would have been lethal had they been inflicted upon any other man. However, in the end, four puncture wounds in his suit resulted in asphyxiation by liquid. He drowned.
Locus: I'm aware of how he died, I want to know why he was unable to prevent it.
Counselor: As did the rest of us. It seemed impossible at the time but as you've already seen, the simulation troopers are extraordinarily resilient.
Locus: He had every possible advantage.
Counselor: But they had each other. They had what our agents never fully achieved: complete and total faith in one another. I think it's important to note that had the Reds and Blues combated Agent Maine prior to the destruction of his A.I., it's possible events may have played out differently.
Locus: Why is that?
Counselor: You must remember that Agent Maine and the Meta are two distinctly different psyches. The Meta was the result of the Sigma A.I. manipulating Maine. His sole objective was perfection. (as he speaks, outside, two asteroids float towards each other slowly) When the A.I. fragments were destroyed by Agent Washington, the Meta was destroyed along with them, (the smaller asteroid smashes into the larger one as he says this, breaking it into pieces) leaving behind a damaged shell of a man. Unlike Sigma, his only remaining goal was to obtain power. His actions were more reckless. His behavior, more sporadic.
Locus: (cut back to the Counselor) And before Sigma? What was he like then?
Counselor: A brute. Strong. Unrelenting. Fearless. He had no qualms when asked to do the unpleasant. The morally questionable. Because, despite what many thought of him, he knew he was, at his core, a soldier, and his actions inevitably served the greater good.
Locus: The greater good is irrelevant. His actions should have been his orders. Nothing more.
Counselor: No. That would make him a slave.
Locus: (looks away momentarily) Would you say Maine performed at his best when controlled by Sigma? When the Meta strove to be the perfect weapon.
Counselor: You're mistaken in assuming Sigma's definition of 'perfection'. The Meta never wanted to be a weapon. The Meta wanted to be human. (a moment of silence between the two) Is there anything else you wish to discuss?
Locus: ...No.
Counselor: Have you noticed a change in your behavior since entering the gateway? I understand the portal attacked the minds of its inhabitants; confronting them with their greatest fears. That could have lasting effects on an individual.
Locus: (defensive) I'm fine.
Counselor: I'm inclined to disagree.
Locus: You're overstepping your boundaries, Counselor.
Counselor: I'm merely doing my job.
Locus: Your job is to -
Counselor: (interrupts him) Would you like to know what Felix is afraid of?
Locus: ...I –
"Wow, way to tease us, am I right?" Enoshima said as soon as Felix interrupted the Counselor.
"Well yeah, they can't give everything away mid-season," Naegi defended.
"Fair enough," Enoshima conceded. She continued, "That guy, I believe you called him the Counselor, he's pretty creepy."
"A little. I suppose in most characters always holding an even tone would be, but I would think an even, calming voice is a good characteristic for therapists and counselors to have, particularly if they exclusively treat soldiers," Naegi said.
Ikusaba, meanwhile, was thinking back on her time in Fenrir and the times she had followed Junko's orders, A soldier's actions serve the greater good. Simply following orders makes one a slave. Am I a soldier or a slave? Her sister's voice soon snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Boring, I really thought you two were up to something and all you've been doing is watching videos on the internet," Enoshima said while sporting a pout.
"I believe we told you as much Enoshima-san," Naegi responded.
"Yeah, but come on, you could at least lie and say you were doing something else. Give me something to actually tease you two about," Enoshima half pleaded.
"Romance, real or imagined, isn't something someone in my situation can indulge in Enoshima-san. You know boy in the girls' dorm?" Naegi reminded her.
"Ugh, I guess," Enoshima huffed in mock frustration.
Noticing that Ikusaba had been silent, Naegi turned to her and asked, "Ikusaba-san, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ikusaba answered. Not that she could say much else with her sister there and she dare not tell Naegi what was really on her mind.
"Ikusaba-san, I know I ask this every time but are you okay to watch these? The parts with Locus and Felix really seem to upset you," Naegi said.
"And I answer every time, I'm fine," Ikusaba said more forcefully than she meant to. Realizing this she immediately apologized, "I'm sorry Naegi-kun, I know you want to help but it's not something I really want to talk about."
"Well, it's not really good to keep things bottled up, but I won't force you," Naegi said with a hint of resignation. He then said, "If you ever do want to talk though, I'm more than happy to listen. I might understand better than you think. And not just me, our class, our senpai in this dorm, Yukizome-sensei, and Enoshima-san, we're all here for you."
"Yeah, Muku-nee, spill your guts," Enoshima said with what Ikusaba knew to be a fake smile while flashing a peace sign. Really, do it. I could use some despair after spending all this time with the two of you, she thought.
"I'll think about it," Ikusaba said slightly hesitant, while Naegi may have been right about the others Ikusaba knew that even if Enoshima couldn't read her, confiding in her sister was the worst thing she could do.
Looking at his phone, Naegi noticed the episode had ended. "It never fails, when we watch Red vs Blue we start some conversation and miss the episode," Naegi said, laughing.
"Sorry Naegi-kun," Ikusaba said.
"Yeah sorry. Oh, I know, how about a date to make it up to you," Enoshima said.
Blushing like mad, Naegi still managed to keep his composure and say, "N-no, I mean, it's really no big deal, I've seen all the episodes and can watch it again later whenever I want. There are some things I need to take care of but if you two are interested we could meet up after lunch and watch some more episodes."
"I'd like that," Ikusaba said.
"I thought you were turning down my offer of a date and you turn around and make one of your own," Enoshima said, giving Naegi an incredulous look.
"No, I just-," Naegi stammered.
"You are so easy to tease. I'll think about it, feel free to start without me though," Enoshima said.
"Okay, until then," Naegi said as he got up and went about his business.
Once she was sure Naegi was out of ear shot and that there was no one else around, Ikusaba attempted to talk to her sister, "Junko-chan, I-"
"Shut up, we are not talking about your feelings," Enoshima barked. Gone was the false image of the teasing yet kind high school girl, the real Enoshima Junko had taken her place.
"I wasn't going to," Ikusaba said as she tried to make herself smaller, as if that would protect her from her sister.
"No, that's what you have Hope Boy for. You know what, I've changed my mind; let's talk about what you said to him. You're getting fed up with all of this, huh? What else can you do though? What else is out there for someone like you? My ugly, plain, idiotic, smelly sister. You are my own, personal killing machine. You think someone like Naegi-kun can change that for you? How willing would he be to help if he knew the real you? A disappointment that only knows how to kill," Junko said.
"You don't know, you said you can't read him," Ikusaba had not meant to say that but it still slipped out and she immediately covered her mouth in shock when she realized that it had.
"You're right, I can't, but I don't need to. Not to know this. He may know that you are a soldier, but have you told him about your time in Fenrir? You can't hide behind some claim of 'the greater good.' You were a mercenary; you operated out of the Middle East in conflicts that even if they had anything to do with Japan you wouldn't have known, and your group probably didn't care. It didn't matter why you did it, all that mattered was how much money your boss could get," Enoshima told her.
Ikusaba had no response.
"I don't know how that hopeful little shit can inspire that defiance in you but do something about it. We both know nothing is ever going to come of that type of attitude, not from you," Enoshima said a she got up and left the room.
Once she was sure she was alone, Ikusaba started to sob as the empty feeling she felt after her last conversation with Enoshima had returned. She knew she was feeling despair after what Enoshima had said. It didn't feel good, it never did, not for her. She never got to ask why Enoshima showed up when she did. Had Enoshima been keeping an eye on her? Why? Enoshima had said she didn't care what she did with Naegi. Was there something Enoshima was afraid of? If that was the case, then why had Enoshima allow her to continue to spend time with Naegi alone until now? Ikusaba did not have any answers, she wasn't sure there were any. She also no longer felt like meeting with Naegi after lunch, but she had promised after all, and it would be nice to spend time with someone who admitted that they enjoyed her company. She just hoped she wouldn't look like she had been crying when the time came.
Later that day
Girls' Dorm Common Area
Ikusaba did not look like she had been crying when she met up with Naegi again, but he was still able to tell that something was wrong. She was distracted, jumpy, and more quiet than usual. She assured him nothing was wrong, and although Naegi was not convinced, he let it slide. He hoped that she would open up to him as they passed time together. They had watched two episodes and had just begun the third when Naegi attempted to improve the mood with a joke, "Two episodes in and we haven't gotten side-tracked by a conversation, that's a personal best for us."
"Sorry," was all Ikusaba said.
"No, I'm sorry Ikusaba-san, that was a poor attempt at humor. I shouldn't be joking when one of my friends feels bad," Naegi told her, pausing the video to give her his full attention.
"I'm alright," Ikusaba responded.
"No, you aren't, I can tell. Did you and Enoshima-san have a fight or something?" he asked.
"Sort of," Ikusaba told him, it wasn't exactly true, but he was close.
"It might be none of my business, but you know you can talk to me, right?" Naegi asked.
"I know," Ikusaba said. Do I? What if Junko-chan is right? Will Naegi-kun think I'm a monster? I mean Junko-chan is always right, isn't she? But she can't properly analyze Naegi-kun so what if she isn't? Ikusaba thought. She was being forced to question so much of what she thought that she knew so quickly, and she had no idea how to deal with it.
"Well you don't have to tell me the details, but just know that I understand how hard it is when you have a fight with a loved one," Naegi told her.
"Yeah, it is," Ikusaba responded, not that she would know. Just taking verbal abuse could hardly count as a fight, but that was hard too.
"Do you want to stop so you can get things sorted out?" Naegi asked.
"No, I'm okay to keep watching," Ikusaba assured him.
"Alright," Naegi said, figuring it was best to go along with Ikusaba for now.
Cut to the Jungle Temple. Felix is seen activating the sword.
JUNGLE TEMPLE
Felix: (laughing) Oh, I will never get tired of that.
Locus: We lost too many people.
Felix: Fewer people, bigger cuts. Besides, we have all we need right here. (to someone else) Isn't that right?
Santa: If you now possess the key, then you have proven your worth.
Felix: That's what I like to hear. So, when we activate this Purge-
Santa: The Purge should only be activated as a last resort, if the inhabitants of the planet are not worthy.
Felix: Buddy, trust me, I've meet the guys, sooo not worthy. I just wanna double check and be sure that we won't be wiped along with them.
Santa: (sighs) Those residing within the temple will be spared.
Felix: Perfect! Now how exactly do we activate-
Locus: What about our remaining forces? They'll be killed guarding the communication temple.
Felix: Look, they were good men. ...Well, actually, they were disgusting, murdering bastards! But the point is what they don't know won't hurt 'em... until they're dead.
Locus: Some of them are former partners.
Felix: But orders are orders.
Locus lowers his head.
Felix: (sighs) Locus, when have we ever looked out for anyone other than ourselves?
Locus: They trust us.
Felix: And what, that gives them some sort of immunity? Survival isn't a right, it's a privilege. It's earned. That's the one thing we've always agreed on. If they deserve to live, then they'd be strong enough to stop us and smart enough never to trust anyone. Hmm, we'll need to come up with something to tell Price on the Tartarus, you know, once it's done. Maybe the money will be enough.
Female Space Pirate: Sirs, Control just sent us a new transmission. They don't sound too happy about losing Armonia's artifacts.
Felix: (scoffs) Great. You wanna take that?
Locus: I thought you were the people person.
Felix: (scowls) Man, you suck. Just ask this thing how to activate the temple, then let's go. (walks off then stops) You know, I wonder how much Hargrove would pay... for an alien A.I.? (leaves)
Santa: My creators believed the key and their gifts could only be wielded by a true warrior. I was skeptical of the first human... and then even more so of this one. I shall prepare all necessary data for the activation of the Purge.
Locus: You guard these relics. You spoke to me in the gateway. Created the things I saw.
Santa: Correct.
Locus: Then can you tell me... what did Felix see? What is it he's afraid of?
Santa: ...Is it not so obvious? (disappears)
Santa disappears. Locus ponders. Cut back to Crash Site Bravo where the Blood Gulch Crew are seen formed in a huddle.
"I didn't expect that," Ikusaba said.
"What?" Naegi asked.
"I thought Locus didn't believe in compassion anymore," Ikusaba answered.
"Locus cares about those who put their trust in him. Even at his worst, he had a few redeeming qualities. He understood that even though those serving under him pledged their loyalty to Felix, him, and Control, he has a duty to them as well. I think it is important to remember that loyalty should go both ways. The commanders need to know that the troops will do their job and the troops need to know that their commanders won't be careless with their lives. I mean I know that war isn't that simple: There may be times when disobeying an order may lead to a major victory and unfortunately there will be missions that go horribly wrong despite even the most careful planning or are suicide missions. That said, troops shouldn't go out of their way to disobey orders and commanders shouldn't go out of their way to endanger the lives of those serving under them," Naegi explained.
"Loyalty should go both ways," Ikusaba repeated.
"Loyalty, respect, trust. I think any unit where a chain of command or any type of relationship for that matter similar type of structure exists like, say, a family or like Owada-kun's gang needs to understand that to function. I mean you can you really be loyal to someone you can't trust or respect? Can they be loyal to you if they don't trust or respect you? I think partially, maybe, but is that enough? I really don't think that it is," Naegi said.
Ikusaba did not voice her response, but Naegi had given her something to think about, Loyalty, respect, trust. Junko-chan is my little sister but is that enough of a reason to follow her?
Realizing that he had gone off on a tangent and believing that he had made the girl uncomfortable, Naegi quickly apologized, "Sorry Ikusaba-san, I got carried away."
"No, it's fine, I thought that you raised some good points," Ikusaba said, trying to reassure the boy.
"Yeah, but it's still the perspective of a civilian though, you can't really understand these things the way a soldier does, let alone the Ultimate Soldier," an all too familiar voice added from behind them.
Turning around the two were met with the smiling face of Enoshima Junko.
"Well, I guess I can't really say that you're wrong Enoshima-san," Naegi conceded. He then asked, "When did you get here?"
"Right when you started talking about loyalty, I thought it was pretty good, it is such a wonderful thing after all," Enoshima said as she looked at Ikusaba out of the corner of her eye.
Even though he thought that that last part had sounded weird, and maybe threatening, Naegi brushed that off and said, "Sorry to leave just as you arrived Enoshima-san. I know lunch wasn't that long ago but I'm going to see if I can come up with any ideas for dinner. Making enough portions for all of us takes a while, after all."
"I don't doubt it, especially when you factor in how much Owari-senpai eats," Enoshima added.
"Yeah, so I'll see you both at dinner. Ikusaba-san, I hope you feel better," Naegi said before he left to dig through the kitchen for ideas.
Ikusaba had been silent since Enoshima had shown up, preparing herself for another verbal onslaught. However, that is not what she got.
"How naïve can someone be? Respect and trust are required for loyalty? Bullshit, you just need to let people know how superior you are. Isn't that right Muku-nee?" Enoshima asked.
I used to think so, but now I don't know, Ikusaba thought.
"No answer? Come on, it's yes or no. I believe in you! Actually, no I don't, but still even you should be able to give a one-word answer," Enoshima mocked.
Ikusaba stayed silent.
Giving up, Enoshima just said, "Fine don't answer. I didn't think it was possible but you're more boring than usual." Enoshima got up and left. To do what, Ikusaba wasn't sure, but she soon realized something. She had just ignored her sister and she was surprised by how little she cared.
That Evening
Ikusaba Mukuro's Dorm Room
Ikusaba Mukuro was restless.
In her short time at Hope's Peak Academy, Ikusaba had learned a few things but not from the faculty. Her friendship with Naegi had been forcing her to question a lot of what she believed and of what she thought she knew. She had found some answers; answers she knew Enoshima would not like, but to her shock she was not as concerned with her sister's opinion as she once was. That said, she still did not know what to do. Following the orders of her superiors had been all she had known, whether they were her commanding officers or her sister.
From her first conversation with Naegi to the present, Ikusaba felt as if her mind had been in a fog. It was not a feeling she enjoyed. She had always believed that Enoshima was right; that no matter how terrible her actions were, no matter how much she disagreed with them, as long as they led to Enoshima's love and respect nothing else mattered. That was the perfect sister she had strived to be since a young age; but was that right? She wasn't sure anymore, she knew her own sister well enough to know that they loved each other in their own way but did Enoshima respect her?
She doesn't, does she? Blindly following her hasn't changed that, if anything I think she respects me less. I think I've always known, but I didn't want to admit it, Ikusaba thought.
She may not have had all the answers, but she knew where she could get some, perhaps all of them. She got up and made her way to Naegi's room with a question that she thought would help her understand everything.
Knock, knock.
Opening the door, Naegi peeked out and saw his friend with a serious look on her face. "Ikusaba-san?" he asked, surprised by her sudden visit.
"What is Felix afraid of?" Ikusaba asked.
"Huh?" was Naegi's response.
"I need to see that, and I need to talk to you," Ikusaba said.
"I'm not sure I understand but okay," Naegi said as he picked up his phone and pulled up the episode with the information Ikusaba wanted. Both took a seat on Naegi's bed and watched the episode in silence. Ikusaba's did not take her eyes off the screen once and her focus only increased when Felix and Locus were on screen.
Felix: Wake up! (he throws the SAW into Locus' arms.) I told you we'd make it.
Locus: (groans) Felix... it's over...
Felix: (activates his sword) Run your camo, and stick to the shadows. I'll draw them out.
Locus: The Tartarus is destroyed, our numbers are falling, the mission-
Felix: FUCK the mission! Jesus Christ, for once in your life, would you forget about following god damn orders! I'm not doing this for Hargrove! I'm doing this for me.
Felix trudges off. Cut to Washington at the battlefield.
Tucker: (over radio) Wash! Locus and Felix are alive! And they're here!
Washington: What?!
Tucker: (over radio) We need help.
The Mantis faces Washington and charges its weapons.
Washington: (noticing the Mantis) Damn it!
Washington runs off as the Mantis fires on his position. Cut back to the temple control room where the Blues and Doc are seen hiding from Felix.
Washington: (over radio) Tucker, I hate to say it but you're on your own.
Tucker: But-
Washington: (over radio) I believe in you...all of you. You can do this.
Doc: He thinks we're gonna die...
Sarge: (over radio) No. That time… he meant it.
Felix: Tucker! Where are you?!
Tucker, Doc, and Caboose silently stare at Felix, who walks past.
Caboose: So...are you gonna answer him?
Cut to Locus, who struggles to walk. He finally falls over and rolls himself onto his back in exhaustion.
Santa: (appearing) Why have you come here, meddler?
Locus: To kill the simulation troopers.
Santa: Will this secure your victory over their forces?
Locus: No...
Santa: Then what purpose will it serve?
Locus: I don't know...
Santa: Then why are you trying?
Locus: I don't know...
Santa: What do you know?
Locus: I don't know!
Santa: Then what do you want to know?
Locus: I-I want to know...what Felix is afraid of.
Santa: You were broken by war. It was his goal to see you never healed...because despite what he may claim, only one of you needs the other to survive.
Locus: (groans) What are you saying?
Santa: Ignorant creature. Your partner is afraid of you.
That seemed to be the answer that Ikusaba was looking for since she started nodding.
Naegi, still not sure of what was going on turned to her and tried to get her attention, "Ikusaba-san?"
"I'll explain after the episode, just know that watching this series and talking to you have been oddly cathartic," Ikusaba told him.
"Okay," was all Naegi said in reply.
Felix: Locus, what are you doing? You're supposed to kill them!
Locus: No.
Felix: (shocked) What?!
Sarge: (confused) What?!
Tucker: (confused) What?!
Locus: No more killing.
Felix: What are you talking about? You're a soldier, remember?!
Locus: I'm not a soldier. I'm a monster... like you.
Felix: (standing up) Locus, we're...partners. Survivors. We need each other. Wh-what about our orders? Our reward?! Becoming the ultimate weapon.
Locus: I'm not doing this for the reward. I'm not doing this because someone told me to. I'm doing this for me.
Felix looks around and sighs.
Felix: (darkly)Then you can die with the rest of them.
"Good for Locus," Ikusaba said.
"Ikusaba-san, this visit had nothing to do with you enjoying Red vs Blue did it?" Naegi asked.
"No, I mean, I have enjoyed it, it's just-," Ikusaba started.
"And the reason you've been freezing up during these videos has nothing to do with your as a mercenary, does it?"
"I don't think I ever told you I was a mercenary," Ikusaba said surprised.
"I mentioned your tattoo and Togami-kun explained what it meant," Naegi explained.
Accepting his explanation, Ikusaba then admitted, "Somewhat, but not completely,"
"Why don't you tell me?" Naegi suggested.
And so, she did: her abuse at Enoshima's hands from an early age; her time as a mercenary; her missions; everything. Well not everything, she left out Enoshima's plans to use Hope's Peak Academy for despair, she wasn't sure how to explain that and since nothing had happened yet, she figured there was no need to. When she was done she looked at Naegi, who had been silent throughout her story. She was afraid, in the short time that she had known him, Naegi had become important to her. If he thought that she was a monster she was not sure she could handle it.
Letting out a breath Naegi said, "Wow, that's a lot to take in."
That wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. Ikusaba started to worry.
There was no need. "I never thought that Enoshima-san was that kind of person. I just thought that she was milking being a younger sister and took it too far, but this is awful," Naegi said.
Ikusaba just stared at him with a confused look on her face. She finally managed to ask, "Did you hear everything else I said, Naegi-kun?"
"I did, and it's not good Ikusaba-san, but do you remember what you told me earlier today? About how you were fed up?" Naegi asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"You meant that, right? That's not who you want to be anymore?"
"Yes, I did mean it. I didn't just mean that but, you are right," Ikusaba told him.
"Well, you can't change the past. If you believe that you were wrong, then you should find a way to do something to atone. Who you were is important, but so is who you are and who you will be," Naegi explained.
Ikusaba shook her head and said, "Every time we talk you make me see things in ways I never thought to before. Thank you, Naegi-kun."
"Don't mention it, we're friends right? And like I told you before, not just me: our classmates; our senpai at this dorm; Yukizome-sensei, I'm sure they would all be willing to help you when you need it, even if you just need someone to listen to you," Naegi reminded her.
"Yeah, I think you're right. It doesn't just have to be me and Junko-chan anymore," Ikusaba said.
"I'm glad we had a chance to talk Ikusaba-san, I'm happy you trust me enough to let me in," Naegi said.
"Me too," Ikusaba agreed. Looking at the clock, Ikusaba said, "I'll let you go to bed now Naegi-kun, I need to talk to my sister."
"Are you sure she'll even be awake, it's almost lights out?" Naegi pointed out.
"She's been waiting for me to finish up in here, her true talent allows her to know things like this," Ikusaba told him.
"Her true talent?" Naegi asked.
"Junko-chan is the Ultimate Fashionista, but her real talent is lies in her analytical abilities. They are so great that she can predict the outcome of everything with perfect accuracy and know everything there is to know about a person after just meeting them," Ikusaba explained.
"That's, pretty terrifying actually," Naegi said.
"There is one exception, Junko-chan has admitted that she can't analyze you, or at the very least, not to the degree she can others," Ikusaba told him.
"Why not me?" Naegi asked.
"I don't know but be careful. Junko-chan hasn't forgiven you for trying to correct her behavior on the first day," Ikusaba warned.
"She's mad about that? What does she plan to do?" Naegi asked. If he did not know what he now knew he would think he should just be wary of a prank. Ikusaba did not convey just how horrible Enoshima could be so Naegi could not truly know the danger he was potentially in, but he was now expecting something painful.
Ikusaba, who did know what Enoshima was capable of, just smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you. I'm a soldier after all."
Naegi noticed her smile and said, "I think that is first time I've ever seen you smile, it makes you look cute."
Ikusaba's face turned scarlet. After calming herself down she got up to leave but before that she needed to ask Naegi for a favor, "Naegi-kun, about Junko-chan-."
"Don't worry, I won't act any differently around her, but for your sake not hers, not yet anyway," Naegi assured her.
"Thank you. Good night Naegi-kun," Ikusaba said as she opened the door.
"Good night, Ikusaba-san. Oh, Ikusaba-san, what if any of the other girls find out you were in my room until now?"
"Don't worry, I'll tell them what happened. I'm pretty sure they'll believe me."
"Good. I'm sorry it has to be like that but most of the others don't completely trust me."
"They will, good night."
As soon as Ikusaba closed the door she heard the voice of her sister ask, "Did you two talk about anything interesting?"
Turning to Enoshima, Ikusaba just said, "Not here," and motioned for Enoshima to follow her.
Angry at being ordered around by her sister, Enoshima nevertheless followed. The soon arrived at Ikusaba's dorm room and went inside. The first thing Enoshima did was try to attack Ikusaba for daring to give her an order. Aiming a kick right at her sister's stomach, Enoshima soon found her foot caught in Ikusaba's grasp.
"No more Junko," Ikusaba said.
"No more what?" Enoshima asked, seething.
"No more causing pain, no more killing, no more despair," Ikusaba answered.
"A gross murder machine like you doesn't get to decide that," Enoshima countered.
"Murder machine, yes I suppose I was, maybe I still am since I haven't done much to change. But you heard what I told Naegi-kun, I'm fed up with it, so no more," Ikusaba said.
"Mukuro, you can't be serious. You're my sister, we're the Despair Sisters," Enoshima said, sounding desperate.
"Yes, we are, and it's because I'm your sister that I'm saying this now. I love you Junko, and you've been using that love to blackmail me. Well, I'm finally going to act like an older sister and keep you from causing trouble for other people," Ikusaba told her.
All emotion leaving her face and voice, Enoshima said, "Wow, I thought the sister card would pull you back in. You're acting like you're going to stand on your own but you're just going to lean on Hope Boy instead of me."
"You're right, but I still think it's an improvement. Even after I told him what I could: about us; about Fenrir; about your true talent; everything except your plans for despair, he said he'd help me if I needed it. That's more than you've ever done."
"I thought he also told you love was supposed to be unconditional?" Enoshima asked mockingly.
"Mine has, you've been doing everything to convince me that I have to work for yours. Well now Muku-nee has decided a tough love approach is needed because she didn't correct your behavior long ago," Ikusaba said, not even surprise that Enoshima knew about that conversation with Naegi.
"Can you let go of my foot?" Enoshima asked. Once Ikusaba let go Enoshima said, "Mukuro, I love you. I hope that all of your dreams come true one day."
Ikusaba knew what Enoshima was trying to say with that and responded, "You can try to cut ties with me Junko, but I'm not going to cut ties with you. I'll always be your sister. And it's because of that that I hope you'll understand that I'm saying all of this for your own good, I have to protect you from yourself. I'm just going to protect everyone else from you too."
"Oh, I'm so scared of the Ultimate Soldier," Enoshima mocked. "This isn't that web series you two were watching, I'm not afraid of you," she continued.
"I know. I also know it isn't me you're afraid of," Ikusaba said. Thinking of something, Ikusaba asked, "Just curious, how many of your plans don't rely on me being the muscle?"
Enoshima had to think about that one and responded with a childish, "None of your business."
"Thought so, good night Junko. I love you," Ikusaba said.
"Piss off," Enoshima said as she left. As she made her way to her room she thought, I never really thought that Hope Boy could cause that to happen. Mukuro is so full of shit, me afraid of Naegi. Still the despair of having my sister bail on my plans; needing to scrap them completely; and the sickening realization that I actually did need her. I guess the little hope bagel can live while I break him slowly. How to do it though? I need some time, oh well, I've never had a challenge before, but I've never had someone I can't analyze before. Coming up with plans on the fly could be pretty interesting. Naegi Makoto, your fall into despair has shot to the top of my list of priorities.
Back in her room, Ikusaba let out a long, tired sigh. I hope you will understand Junko-chan. Maybe then I can finally understand you. For real this time, not as a lie I tell myself. An image of her and Naegi flashed in Ikusaba's mind. I know that Junko-chan was telling me she was cutting ties with me, but I hope my dreams come true too. I think I've finally figured out what it is that Naegi-kun makes me feel. Love definitely feels better than despair.
Present
"You don't owe me anything, Ikusaba-san, we're friends right?" Naegi asked.
"Yeah, friends," Ikusaba agreed. Though if it were up to me, we'd be more than that, Ikusaba thought.
"Naegi-kun! Don't just pay attention to Muku-nee," a voice the two were very familiar with said. Behind Naegi, with her pigtails smoothed out and her eyes unusually big was Enoshima Junko.
"Junko-chan," Ikusaba warned through gritted teeth.
"Enoshima-san, how are you?" Naegi asked.
"Vewy bad, Muku-nee is trying to take Naegi-kun for herself," Enoshima said, still in her cutesy persona.
"You said that you hoped all my dreams came true," Ikusaba reminded her.
"Just not the ones with Naegi-kun, duh," Enoshima responded.
While the sisters argued, Naegi said, "I have to go take care of something girls, I'll see you both later. As he left, Naegi thought about his relationship with the twins formerly known as the Despair Sisters, When Ikusaba-san and Enoshima-san finally told me everything, I was shocked, but I guess by that point I was mostly desensitized to it. Hope's Peak has been through a lot and so have I. I guess we should all feel lucky that no permanent damage has been done. A lot of good came out of it so I guess it's alright. I'm amazed at how much those two have grown since the beginning of the year. Ikusaba-san is her own person now, and Enoshima-san has become a much better person. He was soon shaken from his thoughts by two voices.
"Sayaka-chan, you and Ibuki can change the entire world of music if we team up," the ever energetic Mioda Ibuki said.
"I'm not disagreeing with you on that point Senpai, but I don't know if our two separate styles can properly reconcile," the sweet and melodious voice of Maizono Sayaka responded.
"Mioda-senpai. Maizono-san," Naegi greeted.
"Naegi-kun!"
"Makoto-chan!"
The Ultimate Idol and the Ultimate Musician. Ikusaba may have been my first close friend here but these two certainly weren't far behind, Naegi thought as he approached the two girls.
Well this chapter was a lot longer than I expected it to be. A good bit of that is the transcripts from episodes of RvB but I still thought it would be shorter.
Now I believe I owe you all an explanation: I'm sure some of you are wondering about my thought process with the Mukuro-Locus Felix-Junko connection. To be honest, I don't remember when that first started, but I think it was definitely after Felix revealed his true colors. I realize that the parallels are not perfect. But they were both broken and unable to function without orders, and both, at some point realized there was more out there. Sadly, Mukuro would never get the chance to act on that.
The Felix-esque line I gave Junko was for more than just story reasons. A lot of what she did and how she thought leads me to believe that while she wants to do these awful things due to boredom, she may also think she has a right to do it because of her analyst talent and if she could get as far as she did then that was proof she was correct.
"…if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster than you, then I can kill you! And that's better than anything money can buy!"
Now compare that to her claims of perfection in DR1, her reasoning for causing the Reserve Course suicide when asked why she didn't keep them around as more brainwashed minions and I think the line I gave her makes sense:
"If I'm smarter than him and if I'm more talented than him, then I can do whatever I want to him, even kill him. And that feeling, as hope dies and only despair remains is the most wonderful feeling in the world."
Kind of makes sense now doesn't it?
Don't get me wrong, if I had to pick a Rooster Teeth villain to compare Junko to it would be Salem from RWBY, but that's another discussion for another time.
I hope I portrayed the Despair Sisters well enough, I know I made that joke about Junko being one-dimensional, and her motives may be, but she really isn't. Mukuro was even harder, but I guess that's what I get for making a chapter about her breaking free from Junko's control. We already had Naegi smile at her in Chapter 1 so rather than when she fell in love with him, it had to be a chapter about Naegi helping her break free.
Don't worry, I don't plan to do other chapters the way I did this one, where I switch to a transcript format, but I wanted it to be clear that they were watching something, not that I was writing two stories in one chapter. Also, I'll try to keep esoteric references to a minimum in the future.
I wanted to explore what it means to be siblings a little more, but I realized there are a lot of things Mukuro could not tell Makoto and then I remembered that she was the Ultimate Soldier and how I drew parallels between her and Junko and Locus and Felix.
Also, that using a loved ones' own emotions to blackmail them or to hold them hostage, trust me when I say I do know how that feels. My younger sibling was suffering from benzo addiction and they attempted to dictate terms to us because we were afraid of what would happen if they left home.
Sorry for bringing down the mood like that.
Let me know what you think in the reviews.
If you liked it, tell me.
If you didn't like it, tell me what I can do better. Don't just say I suck, give me an example, I don't want this fic's review page to turn in to the review page of my old Naruto fic.
If you really, really hated it, make your worst enemy read it or tell me if you'll use it to cause despair.
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Idol
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 back again once again.
I'm really glad that you all seemed to enjoy the previous chapter, I was a little worried it wouldn't be well received, but none of you are here to read about how insecure I can be about what I write, you're here to read this chapter.
Before you begin this chapter, there is a story I highly recommend that you all look into if you haven't already. "Be More Proactive This Time Around, Luckster" by jean010. For those who haven't read it yet, it is an excellent Naegi time travel story. I always check my email for news of updates and you will too by the time you get caught up on it.
Ah Sayaka, what is our favorite Luckster going to help you with? Will love blossom or a crush fizzle out? Why the hell am I asking a fictional character these questions when I'm writing the story and already know the answers?
Answers to all these questions and possibly more, right now.
Present Day
After he closed the distance between himself and his musically inclined friends, Naegi asked, "So, what was it you two were talking about?"
"Mioda-senpai wants us to form a group," Maizono told him.
"It would be a-maz-ing, amazing. Ibuki and Sayaka-chan could turn the whole world of music upside-down," Mioda said.
"I can't really disagree with that," Naegi said as he nodded.
"I can't either, but we practice two very different styles, reconciling them would be difficult enough, but what has me worried is how audiences would respond to a new type of sound," Maizono explained.
"That's a fair point too. A never before heard genre of music may not be well received at first," Naegi agreed.
"Makoto-chan, tell Sayaka-chan that Ibuki is right," Mioda half-whined half-pleaded.
"Well Mioda-senpai, I don't think that you're wrong, but I don't know if now is the right time to be experimenting with new types of music. You and Maizono-san have been through a lot these past few months," Naegi explained, attempting to pacify the Ultimate Musician.
That's true, I had to reevaluate what being an idol means to me and just what type of idol I wanted to be. But now, I really am the idol everyone admires, and it was all thanks to you Naegi-kun, Maizono thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Kitchen
Third Day of Classes-After Breakfast
Naegi had just finished cleaning up after breakfast, thanking whatever higher power was out there that he did not have to hand wash everything. Owari-senpai eats enough for both Class 77-B and Class 78 put together. I should probably be grateful that I was able to keep my hand when I gave Senpai those thirds she asked for. I guess being an athlete means she can burn it off quickly, but still, Naegi thought, as he walked out of the kitchen to collect his things for class.
"Asahina-san can be just as ravenous, provided donuts or ramen are involved," a sweet, familiar voice said.
"True, and it's not that I don't appreciate a healthy appetite, but we're only a few days in and I'm already questioning if I can keep up," Naegi responded before realizing that the owner of that voice had somehow read his thoughts. Wide-eyed and confused, Naegi looked over and saw Maizono Sayaka approaching him with a smile on her face.
The way she moves is positively mesmerizing. No matter how you slice it, she's really beautiful. Almost like a doll or something, Naegi thought.
"I'm not a doll, you know. I'm alive!" Maizono suddenly said, startling Naegi.
"How are you doing that?" Naegi asked, impressed.
"I'm an esper," Maizono told him with a serious look on her face.
"What?!" Naegi exclaimed in shock.
"I'm just kidding, I just have really good intuition," Maizono explained with a laugh.
"So that comment earlier…," Naegi started.
"You seem tired and looked like you were thinking about something and we've only just had breakfast. It couldn't have been anything else. The rest really was just my intuition," Maizono explained.
"That's some impressive intuition," Naegi said. Really, what else could he say to that. Changing the subject, Naegi asked, "Were you waiting for me, Maizono-san?"
"Yes. I thought we could walk to class together," Maizono answered.
Blushing, Naegi said, "I think I'd like that." Soon the two set out from the dorm to the main building of the school side-by-side.
They walked in silence a short distance before Naegi spoke up, "Maizono-san, I know I thanked you already, but I just want to say thanks again for speaking up for me on the first day."
"Don't mention it, I was more than happy to do it," Maizono said with a smile. "Like I said, I remember you from Blackroot Junior High. Class 2 if I'm not mistaken," she added.
"That's right. You were in Class 4. I'm surprised you even remember me, back then you were already both the school's idol and a celebrity," Naegi admitted.
"Gee Naegi-kun, you make me sound like some snob," Maizono said, sounding put out.
"No, I just meant that-," Naegi started before Maizono's laughter interrupted him.
"I'm just kidding, Naegi-kun. But I still don't understand why you would think I wouldn't remember you," Maizono said.
"It's just you were so popular and I'm so normal. I never really stood out," Naegi explained.
"That's not true. In fact-," Maizono started before the two were interrupted by a loud, authoritative voice.
"Naegi-kun, Maizono-san, cease dawdling and take your seats before Sensei arrives!" Ishimaru yelled. The two were so focused on the conversation that they had apparently reached their classroom without realizing it.
"I guess we'll talk later," Naegi said. He was really curious about what it was Maizono was going to say.
"Yeah, we'll certainly have plenty of opportunities," Maizono cheerfully responded as the two entered their classroom and took their seats just as Ishimaru had instructed.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Kitchen
Third Day-After Classes
"What to make? What to make?" Naegi asked himself as he looked through the available ingredients trying to decide what to make for dinner. Spying a grater and some nagaimo Naegi thought he had found his answer until…
"Okonomiyaki for everyone seems a little ambitious, don't you think Naegi-kun?" a sweet, melodious voice asked.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Naegi conceded. Eyes widening at the realization that he was no longer alone, Naegi turned and exclaimed, "Maizono-san?!"
After laughing at Naegi's expense, Maizono greeted him properly, "Hello Naegi-kun."
"I'm sorry Maizono-san, I didn't hear you come in," Naegi apologized. Something suddenly occurred to him, "Maizono-san was I thinking out loud, I don't remember saying I was that thinking of making okonomiyaki."
"I'm an esper," Maizono said as if it were the most natural response in the world.
"'Just kidding,' right?" Naegi asked, hoping to beat her to the punch.
With a straight face, Maizono answered, "What if I wasn't kidding."
"Huh?" was Naegi's intelligent reply.
"I'm just kidding, I swear I just have really good intuition. However, you were looking at the grater and the nagaimo like you had an epiphany of some kind though," Maizono told him.
"Like I said this morning, that is some good intuition. Especially since you got the dish right," Naegi said.
"You don't need to go overboard, I'm sure everyone will appreciate whatever it is you make for dinner," Maizono told him.
"Maybe, I guess cooking for this many people and the situation as a whole makes me feel like I need to go the extra mile," Naegi responded.
"I guess I can understand," Maizono said, acknowledging the awkwardness of Naegi's living situation.
"I mean I guess hot pot or curry rice would be good," Naegi said more to himself than Maizono.
"I like hot pot, sukiyaki sounds great in fact," Maizono said.
"Okay, it's a little late but to celebrate our new school year we will be having sukiyaki for dinner," Naegi said as he started collecting what he needed.
"Do you want help?" Maizono asked. "I may not look like it but I am a good cook."
"Really? Do you have a specialty?" Naegi asked.
"Yep, chili oil," Maizono said with a smile.
"The condiment?" Naegi asked.
"Just kidding. About the chili oil I mean, I can cook," Maizono clarified, laughing.
Naegi let out a few low chuckles of his own before saying, "I appreciate the offer Maizono-san, but I did agree to handle the meals and chores. I'd at least like to make it through the first week before asking for help if that makes sense."
"I suppose it does, you think the other girls will doubt your sincerity or commitment if you have help right?" Maizono asked.
"That intuition of yours is fearsome, that's it exactly," Naegi confirmed. He then said, "I wouldn't mind a little bit of company though, if you want to stay and talk."
"Sure, I'd be more than happy to," she said, and from the tone in her voice Naegi could tell she meant that. Maizono soon continued, "I never thought I'd get a chance to really talk to you like this. All through junior high, you never talked to me. In fact, you never even looked at me."
"Like I said this morning; you were already popular and a celebrity. I couldn't just go around staring at you," Naegi explained. Then once Maizono's words had completely registered he asked, "Wait, how do you know I never looked at you?"
"Because I looked at you all the time," she answered.
"Huh?"
"I was always looking for an opportunity to talk to you," she clarified.
"You...wanted to talk to me?"
"But since I always had so many people around me, we ended up graduating without saying a word," Maizono said in disappointment before she continued, "And honestly, that was one of my biggest regrets."
"But…why me?" Naegi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Do you remember during our first year of junior high, that huge bird wandered into the school pond?" Maizono asked him. "It was like out of a fairy tale. The turtle once every million years, the bird once every thousand."
"The crane, right? It just walked right into the pond." Naegi remembered.
"That's right! It was so big; the teacher had no idea what to do." Then she smiled. "But you led it into the forest behind the school. You helped it find its way out."
"Well yeah, but only because I was already in charge of taking care of animals at school. They made me do it," Naegi explained.
"I don't know, I think it would have been enough to lead it out of the pond. And the look on your face back then said you cared a lot about its well-being," Maizono countered.
"Well like I said I was in charge of the animals, but I think anyone in my position would have done the same," Naegi said, thinking Maizono was making too big a deal out of one act of kindness.
"I wonder about that. But-," Maizono started.
"But, what?" Naegi pressed.
"I should have said thank you then, but….is it okay if I do it now?" Maizono inquired.
"Thank me?" Naegi repeated in confusion.
"I'm that crane, you see," Maizono declared. She continued, "I've come to return the favor. Here, let me make you a cloak."
The look on Naegi's face at that statement was priceless.
Having had her fun, Maizono said, "Just kidding!"
"Y-Yeah, I kinda figured," Naegi responded, finally starting to get used to Maizono's sense of humor.
"Honestly though, I was so impressed," Maizono continued, "That's why I wanted to talk to you, even just once. I never imagined this would be how I got my chance."
"Yeah, being classmates would have been one thing, but this feels like something out of a manga or anime or even a sitcom," Naegi said, starting to laugh. When he didn't hear Maizono joining in he turned and saw a pout on her face. Realizing he may have ruined the moment, Naegi started to apologize, "I'm sorry Maizono, I know you were serious, I just thought that-." He stopped once Maizono's mask broke and she started giggling.
"I'm sorry, Naegi-kun I couldn't resist. You're right I was serious but you're also right that this situation is just so ridiculous," Maizono said once she calmed down. She then continued, "Yamada-kun may have been right, you do seem like a harem manga protagonist."
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Naegi said, blushing.
"Really because once the girls warm up to you you'll meet most of the criteria: You live with a bunch of girls; you're taking care of them; you're always so kind-," Maizono started.
"I don't think girls are going to start fighting over me though, Maizono-san," Naegi countered.
They better not, Maizono thought angrily, she had been having fun but the idea of other girls being attracted to Naegi did not appeal to her. Pushing that anger down and putting on a smile, she then said, "I'm just kidding, Naegi-kun. You're just so fun to tease."
"If you say so Maizono-san," Naegi said shaking his head. He then said, "Maizono-san could you tell everyone dinner will be ready in…give me twenty minutes."
"Okay, I'll go get everyone," Maizono said as she left the kitchen. As she left she thought, All kidding aside, as much as I want the other girls to like Naegi-kun, I don't want them to like him too much. I suppose if they do I can handle it. I hate doing it, but I've ruined other girls before. It will be easier than with other idols. In this case all iIneed is a few catty remarks here, a few rumors there, and their reputation is beyond saving. When those thoughts started to make her feel sick, Maizono tried to brush them aside, It was all for the dream. As long as I'm number one it's all worth it. If I have to play dirty; if I have to pose in revealing clothes even if I'm underage; I'm the Ultimate Idol and the dream will continue. This is a different dream, a different goal, but as long as I succeed it's worth it. Maizono had managed to settle herself down somewhat, but there was still a slight hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach and a nagging feeling in the back of her head; both of which had become all too familiar recently.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Second Week of Classes-Wednesday
As Naegi made his way back to the dorm, he was remembering a conversation that he had with Komaru the last time they spoke. The topic: Maizono Sayaka's autograph. "I guess we've all had time to settle in; it is the second week of classes," he reasoned. As luck would have it, he noticed Maizono close by and in the middle of a conversation with Kuwata Leon.
Naegi had made it a point to try to get to know his classmates as best he could and Kuwata was someone he had been able to connect with right away. The Ultimate Baseball Star had found Naegi's living situation a source of entertainment at first but recently he was showing another emotion that Naegi could not quite place whenever the topic of Naegi's relationship with the girls came up.
Seeing the two conversing, Naegi thought that they could be discussing one of two things: Kuwata's attraction to Maizono, or Kuwata's desire to pursue a career in music. Now, Naegi liked Kuwata, but he doubted that Kuwata was serious about either. If Kuwata's comments about a girl he spoke to at a hair salon were any indication, Kuwata was too focused on appearances and not the actual girl. Funnily enough, the story of the girl at the salon was also why Naegi doubted Kuwata's commitment to a music career, she had told Kuwata she only dated musicians. That was not the deciding factor in Kuwata's decision, that was the sole reason for it. Kuwata had claimed he came to Hope's Peak to become the Ultimate Musician, and to his credit, discovering that Mioda Ibuki already held the title did not discourage him as much as one would have thought. Even with that knowledge, Naegi was still convinced Kuwata would drop the idea of being a musician when a prettier girl caught his eye and said she only dated athletes. But Naegi was not here to question Kuwata's motives, he was here to ask Maizono for an autograph for Komaru.
"Maizono-san! Kuwata-kun!" Naegi called out.
"Ah, Naegi-kun!" Maizono responded happily.
"Hey Naegi," Kuwata said.
"Maizono-san, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
"What is it?" Maizono asked.
"Well, my sister is a huge fan, a Sayaker, if you ask her, and when I told her that we were classmates she asked if I could get your autograph," Naegi explained.
"Absolutely, in fact, I can give you an autographed photo to give her. We just need to go back to my room," Maizono said as she grabbed his hand.
"Right now?" Naegi asked, surprised.
"I still have some questions," Kuwata said, both indignant and jealous.
"I'm sorry Kuwata-kun, but my knowledge of Punk is very limited. You might have better luck asking Mioda-senpai," Maizono explained as she led Naegi by the hand back to the dorm.
"But she already said that-," Kuwata tried to say before the two were out of earshot. This wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. When he had gone to Mioda earlier, he ran his plan past her and even offered her the lead guitarist spot in his as of yet unformed band, she rejected him outright. And just now, Naegi shows up and Maizono dropped everything to give him an autographed photo.
On the first day, when it had been discovered that Naegi would be living at the girl's dorm, Kuwata had been the first one to laugh. He certainly wasn't laughing now. Between how close Naegi had become with Ikusaba; all the times he and Mioda would "play"; just now with Maizono; and Kuwata had even noticed that Enoshima had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Naegi. Now, one question was plaguing Kuwata's mind.
"What does he have that I don't?" Kuwata asked no one particular.
A Few Minutes Later
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Maizono still had Naegi by the hand as she moved a little too quickly towards her room. The other girls that the two passed seemed to have varying opinions on the sight of the two: most wondered what was going on; Saionji and Koizumi looked as though their concerns about Naegi had been vindicated; and Ikusaba had shot Maizono the iciest glare that the idol had ever seen.
Naegi had missed all of that, his focus was on the idol pulling him along. "Maizono-san, you could have finished up with Kuwata-kun. When I said my sister wanted an autograph, I didn't mean right this minute," Naegi explained. Even though he wasn't sure he had done anything wrong, he made a mental note to apologize to Kuwata-kun later.
"It's fine. I wanted to do this before I forgot," Maizono explained. I also wanted out of that conversation. Kuwata-kun is nice enough, but Mioda-senpai was right about how draining he can be when you see how unmotivated and uncommitted he really is, Maizono thought, remembering a conversation she had early on with Mioda who was uncharacteristically lethargic after discussing the topic of a music career with Kuwata.
"Do you usually keep a stack of autographed photos close by?" Naegi asked. He had heard of celebrities doing such a thing before, but he had never believed it was a real thing, even if it did sound convenient.
"It is convenient, I usually keep them for things like concerts and hand shake events, but I thought I might run into a few fans here," Maizono explained, once again reading Naegi perfectly. "I'm sorry, that sounds conceited doesn't it?" Maizono asked as soon as her explanation registered with her.
"Not at all, you're the Ultimate Idol, the idol that everyone admires, I think you would have more than a few fans at Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi assured her.
"That's sweet of you to say Naegi-kun," Maizono said as they reached their destination. Naegi, remembering that this was Maizono's room, realized that there was a slight problem.
"Maizono-san, I don't think I can go in there," he said pointing at her door.
"Huh? Oh. Oh!" Maizono said as she realized the implications of Naegi entering her room given his situation. "Sorry, Naegi-kun I forgot. Oh, and the others saw me dragging you here. Don't worry, I'll explain everything to them," Maizono told him.
"Thank you, Maizono-san. I don't mean to cause problems, but I need to be very careful about how I act right now. Although, since I plan to mail the photo to Komaru I could just make sure everyone sees the photo while I address the envelope. Provided I do that right away," Naegi reasoned.
Maizono had gone into her room, leaving her door wide open while she went through her things. "You really shouldn't have to though," she said. Once she found what she was looking for she took the photo over to her room's desk to sign it and continued, "I'd still feel better if I told explained what was going on myself." Once she finished, she took the photo and handed it to Naegi.
"I appreciate that Maizono-san," Naegi said. Reading the message Naegi said, "'To Naegi Komaru. Never give up on your dreams! I'm always rooting for you! -Maizono Sayaka.' That's beautiful Maizono-san, she'll really appreciate it."
"Does Komaru-chan already have a dream she's chasing?" Maizono asked.
"Yeah, she wants to be a mangaka," Naegi told her. Looking off to the side he then said, "I kind of envy her."
"Why is that?" Maizono asked.
"Well Ikusaba-san and I were talking about this not that long ago; I still don't know what it is I want to do," Naegi admitted.
Feeling more than a little jealous of the Ultimate Soldier, Maizono still managed to smile and ask, "Is that so?"
Sensing something was wrong but not sure what, Naegi simply continued, hoping that it would work itself out, "Yeah, she said she wanted to chase a new dream but wasn't sure what. I told her I have the same problem." Then deciding that it would be a good opportunity to learn about his classmate, Naegi asked, "What about you Maizono-san? Has your dream always been to be an idol?"
A smile formed on her lips as she began, "Pretty much. For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a star. Let me start at the beginning. I grew up without a mother, you know, and my dad worked really late every night. I was always home alone. I was just a kid, you know? So, I was really lonely."
Naegi simply nodded, he could certainly understand.
"But that all changed when I saw an idol on TV for the first time. She was so pretty, like a princess. And she could sing, and dance, but more than anything else, there was her smile. Looking at her smile, I could feel my loneliness melting away. I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others. Eventually, that became my dream."
Naegi smiled, Maizono's motivation sounded so pure. She really deserves to be the Ultimate Idol, he thought. What Maizono said next though made him worry.
"I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that," she paused before saying, "weren't so pleasant."
"Oh God, you didn't have to…" Naegi started, trying to think of how to ask the question and afraid of the answer.
Maizono hardly needed her intuition to know what Naegi was thinking and frantically said, "No, no, no, no no! Nothing that bad, but some of my photo shoots have me in outfits that showed off more skin than I was comfortable with at the time. Sadly, gravure modeling comes with the territory. Thankfully, junior idol merchandise is highly regulated even if it is on legally ambiguous grounds, so we were okay on that front."
"Okay," Naegi said as he calmed down. Once he had calmed down completely, he said, "I guess when the sweet and pure Maizono Sayaka says she had to do things that 'weren't so pleasant' it just sounds really bad."
Sweet and pure, that's the image isn't it. But I'm not always sweet and the methods I use against rival groups are hardly pure, Maizono thought sadly. She pushed those thoughts aside and continued, "I honestly believed that as long as you kept chasing your dreams, someday they may come true. But to do that, you can't take your eyes off that dream, not even for a second. Even if sometimes it's a bad dream…whether you're awake or asleep, to make your dream a reality, you have to keep your gaze fixed on it no matter that world, if you lose focus for even a split second, you get left behind. You have to keep on swimming against the current, without even taking time to breathe. That's the kind of world my dream lives in."
"Is it really that tough? Is it no fun at all?" Naegi asked.
"Oh no, don't get the wrong idea. It's super fun! But that's exactly what scares me," Maizono said.
"I'm not sure I understand," Naegi admitted.
"Well, I enjoy every single day I wake up and get to do what I do. Everyone in our group is amazing. We're rivals in a way, but they all mean so much to me. We've performing together since we were young, so they're all like family to me. Without them, I would've given up on my dream a long time ago. To work together, and fulfill our dreams together, has brought me so much happiness," Maizono explained with a smile.
But then the smile soon disappeared as she said, "But that's the thing that scares me the most. If the world gets tired of us, then what happens? What happens to us? Then the dream dies, those wonderful days come to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways." All the backstabbing, the planted rumors, the girls whose reputations that I've helped to ruin, it would all become worthless, Maizono thought grimly.
Noticing that Maizono was upset, Naegi attempted to get her attention, "Maizono-san?"
"So that's the reason I decided to come to Hope's Peak," Maizono said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Naegi asked.
"Well...they say that if you graduate from here, success is basically guaranteed. Which means I could keep on performing with my best friends, forever and ever," She explained. That's right: if the dream is alive then there is no reason to feel guilty. Everything wass worth it, she thought, not that she entirely believed it.
"So what kind of idol do you want to be?" Naegi asked.
"Huh?" Maizono asked, confused.
"Sorry, maybe it would be more accurate to ask, 'What kind of star do you want to be?'" Naegi clarified.
Maizono still looked confused.
"What I mean is groups like Arashi are still idols even in their mid-thirties. And some idols from the golden age in the 1980's like Matsuda Seiko are still active. But some idols go on to become models, singers, or actors and actresses since their time as idols gave them experience in all of those areas," Naegi explained. I really hope you don't become an AV idol Maizono-san, Naegi thought, hoping that this would be one time Maizono couldn't read him.
"Well…" Maizono started. To be honest, she had been so focused on her current career that she hadn't thought about what was next for her or her group. Staying an idol group would mean that they would always be together but for the first time Maizono began to question whether or not that was realistic. If Hope's Peak guaranteed success that might be possible for her but what about the others? Her fears seemed closer to becoming a reality than before.
Sensing her distress Naegi said, "I'm sorry, Maizono-san, I didn't mean to upset you with that question. Like I said earlier, you are the idol everyone admires, and when you said you had always wanted to be a star I got curious about what was next for someone who has already come so far. But it's okay if you don't tell me. It's fine if you aren't sure yourself, you have time."
"Yeah, you're right. You're right," Maizono said, calming down. She knew Naegi didn't mean to upset her. She also knew it was a legitimate question, but she wanted to enjoy her time as an idol for as long as she could without worrying about what came next.
"Well, thank you for the photo Maizono-san, Komaru will love it," Naegi said. As he headed to his room for an envelope and a pen, he turned and said, "Maizono-san, it might not mean much coming from me, but I don't believe that anyone will get tired of you. And even if you and your friends go your separate ways as stars, from what you described your bonds aren't so fragile that those wonderful days will ever really end. They'll continue because you are like family; because just as that idol from your childhood inspired you, you've done so to countless others, your fans and the next generation of idols alike, so you shouldn't worry."
Maizono simply said, "Thank you Naegi-kun." But as beautiful as she thought what Naegi said was, she still thought, I'm sorry Naegi-kun. I appreciate what you said but that's not how it works in my world.
Hope's Peak Academy-Outside the Main Building
Second Week of Classes-Friday
It was lunch break for the students of Hope's Peak and Maizono was on her phone. Her group's manager, a woman named Oumi Kanami, had called her to inform her of an upcoming interview that an up-and-coming junior idol was giving that evening and said it would be a good opportunity for opposition research.
"Yes ma'am, I'll be sure to watch," Maizono said.
"Have you finished that new song?" Oumi asked.
"Not yet ma'am, I seem to be having some trouble," Maizono reluctantly answered. The truth was she had no idea what kind of song to write.
"Sayaka we don't have a lot of time. That interview you and the girls have scheduled is next weekend and it was agreed that there would be a live performance with a brand new song before the end of the show."
"I know ma'am. I don't know what's wrong, I've never had trouble with this before," Maizono said. She knew what her manager was going to say next and she was not looking forward to hearing it.
"Well you need to figure it out if you want to stay on top. The other groups won't just wait for you to finish a song."
"I know ma'am, it will be done in time to rehearse for the show," Maizono assure the older woman.
"I'll see what I can find out about this new girl."
That caused Maizono to shudder. Watching interviews was one thing, learning about new idols always motivated her to work harder. Her manager's opposition research made Maizono uncomfortable in ways she didn't know were possible before becoming an idol. Oumi would find dirt, usually about a secret boyfriend; it would get leaked to the media; pictures would surface and even if the rival idol's career survived it would be badly damaged. If there was one thing about being an idol that Maizono hated it was this. Even the most innocent gestures of affection were considered a scandal in this line of work. She couldn't understand it; people fall in love; she was sure even the most hardcore fans understood that. If she was being honest, lately even she…
As if responding to those thoughts, a certain luckster appeared and greeted her, "Oh, hey Maizono-san."
Maizono waved to respond, but there was one problem. Her manager had heard Naegi's voice.
"Sayaka, who is that? Please say you don't have a boyfriend. If this gets out then-," Oumi started to say frantically.
Cutting her off, Maizono explained, "That was my classmate. Another ultimate. Naegi Makoto, the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 if you need to look him up."
"Oh. Oh alright. Thank God for that," Oumi said.
"I'll get the song done by tomorrow and I'll be sure to watch the interview this evening," Maizono said.
"Good, we can start rehearsing tomorrow afternoon then. You know the time and the place," Oumi said hanging up.
Maizono let out a sigh. She wasn't lying when she told Naegi being an idol was fun, but he was right, it was tough.
"Whoever that was on the other end of that call, I hope I didn't upset them too badly," Naegi said as he got closer.
"That was my manager, Oumi-san, and I think she'll be fine. She thought I had a secret boyfriend and started to panic," Maizono explained.
"Oh, I wondered why you told them my name and title. I couldn't make out the words, but your manager did sound upset," Naegi said.
Noticing Naegi's slightly disheveled appearance and that he was sweating Maizono asked, "Are you alright Naegi-kun?
"Huh?" Naegi asked back before he looked at his clothes and said, "Oh that, after I finished lunch Mioda-senpai came over and wanted to play tag."
Noticing how happy Naegi looked when he was talking about Mioda caused that jealous feeling that had been inspired by Naegi's relationship with Ikusaba to resurface. Pushing that aside, Maizono decided that there was something that she needed to ask. "Listen, may I ask you just one question?"
"There's no need to be so formal Maizono-san. What's the question?"
"Well, it's not something I can just blurt out," Maizono admitted. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked.
That threw Naegi for a loop, "Wh-What?!"
"Huh? Are you embarrassed?" Maizono asked. "Does that mean you do?" A slightly disappointed look was etched on her face as she asked.
When Naegi saw that look he managed to calm down and say, "I don't have a girlfriend Maizono-san. Like I told Enoshima-san, romance isn't something someone in my situation can indulge in being a boy in the girls' dorm and all."
"Enoshima-san?" Maizono questioned. The jealousy had come back and much worse than before; if Enoshima Junko had taken an interest in Naegi then Maizono may have a real problem.
Figuring he should explain, Naegi said, "Ikusaba-san and I had been watching Red vs. Blue together. Enoshima-san said she wanted something to tease us about and I reminded her of my situation." Well, that's true enough, Naegi thought, remembering his promise to Ikusaba.
"Oh," Maizono said, she calmed down thinking that she didn't need to worry about Enoshima, but she still didn't like the idea of Ikusaba spending too much time with Naegi. "Then….do you at least have a crush on someone?" she asked hesitantly.
Caught off guard again, Naegi exclaimed, "J-Just wait a second! What's going on here? Why are you asking me all these questions?"
"I was just curious, so I thought I'd ask," Maizono explained with a smile. "Is that bad?"
"It's not that it's bad…." Naegi said, a bright blush on his face.
The two were silent for a moment before Maizono spoke up again, "So? Aren't you going to ask me?"
"Huh? What?"
"No, not what. Aren't you going to ask if I have a boyfriend or not?" Maizono asked.
"Well since you said your manager was panicking at the thought of you having a secret boyfriend, I'd guess not. Although, I doubt you'd have trouble finding one," Naegi said honestly. He had no doubt that Maizono could have any man she set her sights on.
"That's sweet of you to say, but the truth is I'm way too busy for things like that," Maizono said blushing.
"Then do you have a crush on someone?" Naegi asked. Turnabout is fair play Maizono-san, Naegi thought. He may have to miss out on romance for the time being, but everything else that made high school memorable was fair game.
"Hmm, I wonder…." Maizono said with a smile on her face. "Let's just say…there's someone I'm interested in," she finished as she stared right into his eyes, her cheeks red.
Wow, she turned that around quick, I guess I can't beat her when it comes to teasing, Naegi thought.
"I'm not just teasing, there is someone I'm interested in," Maizono said, displaying her amazing intuition again.
Not just teasing, huh. So, it could be me or it could be someone else. Probably someone else, Naegi thought. "Well Maizono-san, I guess we're in the same position. If we have crushes, we'll need to stick to subtle ways of getting our feelings across for now," Naegi said.
Maizono knew that Naegi was semi-serious but a lightbulb still went off in Maizono's head when Naegi had finished, "Naegi-kun, I think that you've just helped me write a new song."
To that, Naegi's intelligent response was, "Huh?"
That Evening
Girls' Dorm Common Area
Getting the remote had not been easy, but Maizono had gained allies in Mioda and Yukizome when she said that she had to watch something for her idol work. Maizono, Naegi, and some of the girls were now watching the program that Maizono's manager had mentioned. About halfway through, the host began introducing the junior idol.
"And now, we have a very special guest. Here to hippity-hop straight into our hearts, going by the stage name Rippyon, Momose Riyu!"
A young girl, no older than twelve-years-old, with pink hair in pigtails and pink eyes. She wore a white blouse that puffed up at the shoulders and a red skirt with red suspenders. What stood out the most about her, and what made her introduction make sense, was her hairband with white rabbit ears on it and her white rabbit purse.
"Hello everyone, it Momose Riyu. Let's hippity-hop straight into your hearts!" the girl, Momose greeted.
The first thing that Maizono noticed, and that everyone else noticed, was that this girl was adorable. She would have no problem making it as an idol.
"Riyu-chan, may I call you Riyu-chan?" the host asked.
"Oh yes. I must say it is an honor to be on your show," Momose said with a bright smile.
"So polite. Riyu-chan, let me start with the obvious question: What made you want to be an idol?"
"Well, I think that all girls want to be idols at some point. As for me, I saw other idols singing and sparkling on my TV and wanted nothing more than to stand by their sides. Although it wasn't until my older sister got tickets to see my favorite idol live and in concert that I made my decision."
"Would you mind telling us who this mystery idol is?"
"I don't want to embarrass her, but I will say that all junior idols admire her. I need to work even harder so that I sparkle and shine just as much as she does. One day I hope to meet her face to face and thank her for what she did for me."
The interview continued but the sound was soon drowned out by a voice of one of the dorm's more problematic residents.
"She's so sugary sweet you'd probably get cavities just being around her," Enoshima said.
"That might be a bit excessive, don't you think Enoshima-san?" Naegi asked.
"My sister's hyperbole aside I have to agree, she does seem like a sweet and kind little thing," Ikusaba stated.
Maizono had been silent since the interview had begun. She was so focused on Momose that she didn't hear the others until Mioda tapped her shoulder.
"Is Sayaka-chan alright?" Mioda asked.
"I'm fine Senpai, just-," Maizono started before Enoshima interrupted her.
"She just thinks that her position as top idol is in danger as long as Rippyon is an idol. You should probably nip this in the bud as soon as you can Maizono-san," Enoshima said. She still had yet to come up with a plan to cause Naegi despair, so she would have to settle for his friends for now. The Ultimate B-List Celebrity is on the fence right now, but all she needs is a little push and she'll destroy that girl's career. She can lie to herself all she wants but she hates that she's help ruin so many other potential idols. Making her hate her own career, I wish I could taste that kind of despair for myself. If I get proof that she did those things then there's no limit to what I can do with her afterwards, Enoshima thought.
One look at her sister was all it took for Ikusaba to know what Enoshima was thinking. She wouldn't say she and Maizono were close, but she wouldn't let Enoshima drive anyone to despair. That said, she wasn't sure what to do about it. Talking someone back from the brink wasn't something she was good at. Thankfully there was someone who was next to her who was. Although the thought of it made her jealous, she knew that she could leave Maizono to Naegi.
Maizono, who had gone silent again when Enoshima interrupted her. The truth was she was afraid that some new idol would replace her one day, and there was a chance that Momose Riyu was that idol. Could she do go through with it this time? Could she help to ruin someone as young as Momose Riyu? The others had been full-fledged idols, not junior idols. With these thoughts swimming around in her head, she got up and went outside.
"Sayaka-chan seemed pretty out of it," Mioda said.
"Naegi-kun, maybe you should talk to her," Ikusaba suggested.
"Yeah, I'll go see if she's alright," Naegi said as he got up and followed Maizono. When he found her, she was hugging herself with an expression that Naegi knew didn't belong on anyone's face. Naegi didn't have Maizono's intuition, but if he had to guess, he would say that was a look of someone contemplating doing something they knew that they would regret. It was then that he remembered the words Maizono had said when he got that autograph for Komaru. I did whatever it took to reach that dream. I mean it. Even some things that weren't so pleasant. Recalling Ikusaba's warning about Enoshima's talent and considering Enoshima's recent words, Naegi was forced to consider something: Would Maizono-san really do something to sabotage Momose's career? Did she do that to anyone else? No, Maizono-san isn't that kind of person.
Managing to push those thoughts aside for now, Naegi asked, "Maizono-san, are you okay?" Surprised, Maizono turned to look at Naegi. The look on her face from before was gone but Naegi still thought that she seemed upset.
Forcing a smile onto her face, Maizono said, "I'm fine, Naegi-kun, thanks for asking."
"Are you sure? You looked like you were thinking about something unpleasant until just now?"
"I was," Maizono admitted, knowing she couldn't hide this from Naegi.
"Is it about Momose-san?" Naegi asked.
"Yes. She's so cute and she carried herself so well in that interview. What if-," she began.
"Your fans aren't going to switch to another idol Maizono-san," Naegi assured her.
"You don't know that!" Maizono practically screamed.
Naegi didn't waver however and said, "Well, just to be sure, let's ask the Number One Sayaker." With that Naegi pulled out his phone, pulled up his contacts, and selected the one labeled "Komaru." Before his sister picked up however he put his sister on speaker phone and put a finger to his lips.
"'Click' Onii-chan? Is everything alright?" the voice of Naegi Komaru asked.
"Everything is fine Komaru, I just wanted to know if you saw that interview with Momose Riyu?" Naegi asked.
"Rippyon? She's so cute. I think she's going to be great," Komaru said.
Maizono looked downcast but what Komaru said perked her back up.
"Of course, she's no Maizono Sayaka, no else is that good. Did you know that all my friends are jealous of that autographed picture you sent me? They can't believe that my brother got to go to junior high and high school with Maizono Sayaka," Komaru bragged.
"Really now?" Naegi asked, seeing a slightly relieved look on Maizono's face, Naegi allowed himself an uncharacteristically smug tone.
"Is this all you called about?" Komaru asked.
"Maizono-san was a little worried that her fans would switch over to Momose-san, so I wanted to check with her biggest fan," Naegi explained.
"Well, let her know that she has nothing to worry about. No matter how popular Rippyon becomes, Maizono-san will still be number one!" Komaru exclaimed.
"I appreciate that Komaru-chan," Maizono said, breaking her silence.
"Onii-chan, i-is th-that really-," Komaru started.
"I've heard that you're my biggest fan, Komaru-chan. I'm glad I finally get a chance to speak to you," Maizono said.
A loud thump was heard on the other end of phone.
"Komaru? Komaru?" Naegi asked. When he didn't get an answer, he hung up and said, "I guess she had a fangirl overload and fainted."
Maizono giggled in response.
Happy that his friend seemed to be in better spirits, Naegi knew there was one more thing he had to do. "Maizono-san, I owe you an apology," he said.
"For what?" she asked, confusion apparent on her face.
"When I was coming out here I was thinking about what Enoshima-san had said and I was sure that it had upset you. I also remembered that you told me that you've done things that 'weren't so pleasant' not that long ago. I was worried that you'd take her words to heart and do something to sabotage Momose-san."
Maizono looked worried. Please tell me he hasn't figured it out. I couldn't take it if Naegi-kun knew! she thought.
Luckily for Maizono, Naegi couldn't look her in the face for having doubted her so he did not notice her worried look and continued, "But I realize that you aren't the type of person who could do that to someone. I don't think that you could be the idol that everyone admires if you weren't a genuinely good person."
Maizono was slightly relieved that Naegi was none the wiser to the things that she had done to stay on top, although she felt disgusted with herself hearing Naegi praise her when she knew the truth.
"Let's go back inside, it's getting late," Naegi said.
Maizono nodded and the two walked side-by-side to their respective rooms.
"It's kind of funny," Naegi mused.
"What is?" Maizono asked.
"Remember when I asked you what kind of idol you wanted to be? Well, I think that when I said you were a genuinely good person I answered my own question. I mean the kind of star you want to be is an important part of that answer, but the kind of star you want to be; the kind of idol you want to be; the kind of person you want to be; maybe they all have the same answer," Naegi explained. Thinking about it he then said, "Sorry, I guess it doesn't make sense when I say it out loud like that."
"No, I think I know what you mean," Maizono said as she stopped at her door.
Naegi turned to her and said, "I should call home and make sure Komaru didn't hurt herself. Good night Maizono-san."
"Good night, Naegi-kun," Maizono responded. As soon as she was inside her room she threw herself onto her bed and started to sob. She had no idea how she kept it together once Naegi had finished his thoughts. A genuinely good person, that was the phrase that echoed in her mind. Lifting her head from the pillow she had buried it in she looked to the side at some sheets of paper. It was the song that Naegi had inspired her to write. What good will that do me now? If Naegi finds out what I'm really like then he won't want anything to do with me, she thought. Squeezing her eyes shut, but unable to stop the tears Maizono's final thoughts before she cried herself to sleep were, I'm sorry Naegi-kun! I'm sorry I'm not the person you think I am!
Third Week of Classes-Saturday Evening
Television Studio-Dressing Room
The past week had been difficult. Maizono and her group had been practicing every day after classes and finally they were ready for their appearance. Rather, everyone but Maizono was ready, she had not been able to get it together. She could coordinate with the others; she knew the words, she wrote the song after all; but she was just going through the motions. Her group and her manager knew that she was just going through the motions. When asked about it, she would always reply that she would be ready for their television appearance.
Her conversations with Naegi had made her question if being an idol was worth it. She had always feared that her desire to stay an idol had made her a worse person, but she had always managed to convince herself that she was worrying too much. As long as she stayed on top, as long as she could continue performing with her friends it was worth it. Only now she was beginning to think maybe it wasn't. At the same time, she had been doing things the way she had for so long and ruined so many potential idols that she didn't think that she could change. This inner conflict had been the cause of her poor performance and it didn't seem to be ending anytime soon. She didn't understand though; whatever she may have felt for Naegi, she didn't understand why his words had shaken her so much when no one else's words had.
That's a lie though. I've had people tell me how great I am; how amazing I am; how wonderful; how I deserve to be number one, but no one has ever really told me how good I am. I'm not a good person, no matter how much I wish I still was, Maizono thought sadly.
"Sayaka, are you listening?" Oumi's voice shook her from her thoughts.
"Yes ma'am," Maizono answered. Her full attention now on her manager.
"The show starts in 45 minutes. The performance is scheduled for the final segment. I trust that you are all ready?" she asked.
"Yes ma'am!" the group answered.
"I'll be back soon with what I was able to find on Momose Riyu, then we can decide what to do with it," she said as she left.
Once she was gone Maizono sank into her chair. It was always like this; their manager would find things out through these unnamed sources and the group would decide what outlet to leak the information to.
"Sayaka-chan, are you alright?" a voice asked. It was Aoba Satomi. Aoba was a girl who looked a lot like Maizono just with shorter hair.
"I'm fine Satomi-chan," Maizono answered.
"Of course you are, that's why your performance has been so poor this past week," another girl said. This was Haneyam Ayaka. Haneyam had long, dark brown hair divided into two batches on the back and cut in neat bangs on the front, covering her forehead. Her eyes were a dark grayish-green and very thin. Her ears were kind of big and her nose was a bit plump.
"Ayaka-chan!" Aoba scolded.
"No Satomi-chan, she's right. I'm not okay," Maizono admitted.
"What's the matter?" Aoba asked.
"I've been thinking of all of the information we've leaked on other girls and groups and it's finally caught up with me I suppose," Maizono said.
"Well, to be honest Sayaka-chan, we've been discussing that for a while," Aoba said as the other girls except Haneyam nodded.
"And?" Maizono asked.
"We think it's been tainting the whole experience for us. We'd really like to stop," Aoba finished.
"Do you all feel this way?" Maizono asked.
Again, three of the girls nodded but Haneyam answered, "Not me."
"Ayaka-chan," Aoba said sadly.
"What? We aren't the only ones who do it. We agreed that when we made it to the top we would stay there, no matter what we had to do," she said that last part with her eyes and her tone downcast. If Maizono's intuition was correct, and it was correct 99.9% of the time, Haneyam felt the same way she did, that they had been doing this for too long to stop now.
Maizono stood up and said, "I'm going to get some air." Aoba raised her arm as if to stop her but seemed to decide against it at the last minute. Once the door closed Maizono let her mind wander and let her feet take her wherever. She didn't get very far until she bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," Maizono said as she got up and went to help the person she bumped into.
"No, it was my fault, I was a little distracted," the other person, a young girl said as she grabbed Maizono's hand. It was then that the two got a good look at each other.
"M-momose Riyu?!" Maizono exclaimed.
"M-maizono Sayaka-senpai?!" Momose shouted.
To say Maizono was shocked would be an understatement. She never expected to run into Mimose Riyu.
Mimose, however, was now sporting one of the brightest smiles that Maizono had ever seen before she remembered something. "Oh, my bag," she said as she picked up her bag and the outfit that had fallen out of it.
Maizono managed to get a good look at the outfit and her shock only increased. It resembled an outfit she and her group had worn for their first major performance only smaller. It didn't look new, but it looked well taken care of. Curiosity getting the better of her she said, "That outfit."
"I made that myself actually. I know it sounds weird, but I was hoping that you would sign it," Mimose said blushing.
"You made that yourself?" Maizono asked. For a girl as young as Mimose to make something like that and have it look so professional was impressive.
"Maizono-senpai, I did you see my interview last week?" Mimose asked.
"I did," Maizono said.
"Well, there's much more to the story if you'd like to hear it," Mimose said.
Maizono just nodded, not really sure what else to do, the situation she found herself in was just so surreal.
"Like I had said, I think all girls want to be idols at some point, but in my case..." Mimose trailed off.
"In your case?" Maizono asked, urging her to continue.
"I'm the youngest in my family by far. I have a much older brother, and a much older sister. So naturally, I grew up wearing out-of-style hand-me-downs. I never really had anything fancy. So, whenever I saw idol singers on the other side of my TV screen, I'd marvel over their pretty outfits. You know, the sort of thing any kid would do. At first. I wanted to sparkle too. I wanted to wear pretty clothes. So, I started learning to sew, hoping to make my own. I scrimped and saved for fabric and learned to use my kaa-san's sewing machine. But no matter how hard I tried to imitate the clothes I saw on TV, I could never capture that same sparkle. I kept wondering why mine were so wrong. But it was around that time that my sister got tickets to see my favorite idol live in concert. And when I saw her perform in person, that's when I finally understood. It wasn't the clothes that made her sparkle, it was the fans. We cheered for her, and she supported us right back. Those smiling faces were what made all the difference. I thought to myself, yes this is it! This is the sparkle I'm looking for! And from that day on, I devoted myself to becoming a great idol, just like her! That's my greatest hope and dream! My tou-san was against it, though, so convince him, I studied late into the night, every, every, every single day! And finally, after a whole lot of hard work and persistence, I was finally walking the path to becoming a real idol."
I decided that's what I wanted to be someday. I wanted to give that kind of encouragement to others, Maizono's own words to Naegi echoed in her head as Mimose finished her story. She's a lot like me, Maizono thought.
"Maizono-senpai, I've never told anyone outside of my family this, but it was you who made me want to become an idol. To me, you're everything an idol should be. That's why I begged my manager for this chance to talk to you. They pulled some strings to get me back here. So that I could thank you for everything that you've done for me," Mimose said sincerely.
Maizono knew that every word Mimose spoke was the absolute truth, she was an esper, after all. It was then that Maizono heard Naegi's voice repeating words he had said to her when she had given him the autographed picture for Komaru, Maizono-san, it might not mean much coming from me, but I don't believe that anyone will get tired of you. And even if you and your friends go your separate ways as stars, from what you described your bonds aren't so fragile that those wonderful days will ever really end. They'll continue because you are like family; because just as that idol from your childhood inspired you, you've done so to countless others, your fans and the next generation of idols alike, so you shouldn't worry. That was when Maizono had made a decision.
I can't do it anymore. I won't do it anymore. Not to Riyu-chan. Not to anyone else, Maizono thought with conviction. She then looked at Mimose and asked, "Riyu-chan, would you like to perform a song with us?"
Mimose felt as though she would faint from happiness, but kept her composure and answered enthusiastically, "Yes! Yes! That would be a dream come true."
"Let's go tell the other girls," Maizono responded as she led the way back to the dressing room. When she entered all eyes were on her and Mimose. Her group members were confused, while Oumi, who had returned in her absence, looked at her as though she had lost her mind.
"Girls, I'm sure you've heard of Mimose Riyu-chan, she's going to be performing with us," Maizono said as if nothing were wrong.
"Are you sure Sayaka-chan?" Aoba asked.
"Are you insane Sayaka-chan?" Haneyam asked.
"I'm sure and I'm entirely sane. We became idols to give encouragement to others. If our juniors want to do the same then I don't see a problem with performing with them," Maizono explained.
Collecting herself, Oumi turned to Mimose and asked, "Mimose-san, could you wait outside for a minute?"
"Oh, of course," Mimose answered. As she turned to leave Maizono handed her the sheets with the song lyrics on it and said, "Here you go Riyu-chan. Do you think you could memorize that?"
Looking it over, Mimose nodded and said, "I won't let you down Maizono-senpai."
Once the door had closed, the Oumi turned to Maizono and asked, "Sayaka-chan, what is this about? What about everything we've done to keep this group on top?"
"I can't do it anymore. An idol isn't supposed to crush people's dreams, they're supposed to encourage people to follow their dreams. I'm not the only one who feels this way right girls?" Maizono asked.
Three heads nodded while Haneyam said, "If Sayaka-chan says so, I guess I have to go along with it." Despite her tone, it was clear that she was relieved.
"Don't misunderstand ma'am, I think all of us are grateful for all that you've done for us. But we didn't become idols to crush people's dreams. If we really are the idol group that everyone admires then we need to act like it. We wouldn't do this to people in our everyday life and we shouldn't do it just because we're afraid of a little competition. We'll stay on top the right way from now on," Maizono said with conviction.
"I don't know about this, but we'll discuss this more after the show," Oumi said.
Later
The performance was about to start. They had practiced one final time with Mimose, who had pick up the routine in an amazingly short amount of time and they were ready. Before they started, Maizono announced, "We ran into a special guest before the show and she agreed to help hippity-hop straight into your hearts tonight. You may have heard of her, the up-and-coming junior idol, Mimose Riyu-chan!"
Those in the audience and at home couldn't help but erupt into applause at that announcement. One group in particular was very happy with this development.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Naegi and some of the girls had promised Maizono that they would watch the show tonight. Some were more enthusiastic about it than the others, but whether it was to support their friend or to listen to her new song they still watched.
When Maizono had introduced Mimose, Mioda was ecstatic, Ikusaba smiled, Naegi felt proud, and Enoshima s happy.
Mioda was ecstatic, but that was her default reaction to just about everything.
Ikusaba smiled because to her this proved that Naegi had managed to outmaneuver her sister with Maizono.
Naegi was proud because it seemed that with this, Maizono had overcome her fears of being forgotten or replaced.
Enoshima looked happy but that was just a mask, inside she was furious. The Maizono who had seemed lost all week would have fallen into despair easily. She was already feeling guilty about how she had ruined so many other idols, she just needed that final push. Ruining Mimose Riyu's career would have been perfect. Destroying the dream of a young girl who admired her, what could have been better than that? Enoshima didn't know how but she knew Naegi was involved somehow. How did he do this? She should have been too far gone. Even that cliched, "She's just like me" bit shouldn't have worked. Mimose couldn't have been the first to feel that way. Whatever Naegi said to her last week must have stuck with her. That hopeful little shit, how does he do it? This should have been a win for me.
I hope you're listening, Naegi-kun, Maizono thought as the music started.
"Don't decide where to meet tomorrow."
"Would you mind if I called you?"
"Pounding as I hear it ring, until I finally hear your voice."
"Whisper something soft in my ear."
"The love of Monochrome is wrapped in two people."
"Can you feel the temperature rising?"
"Can you feel the love between you and I?"
"Monochome View is just as colorful, but the only shade I see is you."
"It looks like a Monochrome Two way."
"Is this really happening? Can you see me?"
"If a Monochrome dream is with you it's a rainbow color."
"That's a clear feeling."
"Black and white in a monochrome world."
"Your vivid color flows through my veins."
"I'll run to you."
"It looks like a Monochrome Two way."
"Is this really happening? Can you see me?"
"If a Monochrome dream is with you it's a rainbow color."
"That's a clear feeling."
"Black and white in a monochrome world."
"Your vivid color flows through my veins."
"That's a clear feeling."
"You and I can be a spark."
"If you merge it with a monochrome distance, it is colorful."
"Don't decide where to meet tomorrow."
"Would you mind if I called you?"
"Be clear. Just give me an answer."
As Maizono sang and danced she was thinking, trying to get another message across, one not contained within the song. Are you watching Naegi-kun? Are you listening? On this song and on the feelings held within it, I make this pledge. I will change. I will be the idol that everyone admires. I will become the person you believe me to be. And I will be someone worthy of your love. Because you believe in me. I didn't realize it before I got the chance to talk to you, but I was trapped. Trapped because I had lost my way and did not think that I could change. Just like that crane in junior high, you showed me the way out. Riyu-chan may be the reason that I took the first step, but I think I needed you to lead me back to the correct path. Thank you! Thank you so much!
After the show
The show was over and Mimose had left, but not before thanking Maizono and the others for the opportunity to perform with them. After they had said their good-byes the Oumi approached them.
"Girls, I've been with you since the beginning. I think this is the best performance that I've seen you girls give yet," she said. Turning to Maizono, she said, "Sayaka-chan, I've never seen you shine as brightly as you have tonight. There have been glimpses of it since you've entered Hope's Peak Academy, but tonight it was there for all the world to see. I don't know if it's the school, one of your classmates, or for all I know it was that boy I heard talking to you." Maizono blushed at that last part. "What I do know is that that something in you changed. I think I realized it the minute you told me we weren't leaking information about other idols anymore. So fine, if it means more performances like this, we'll stop. It's one less thing for me to do anyway," Oumi said.
The girls' faces lit up at that, even Haneyam's. There was still one thing that Maizono needed to discuss with Oumi.
"Ma'am, about Riyu-chan-," she started.
"I'll destroy this when I get home," Oumi said, holding up a manila envelope. "Don't worry, Riyu-chan is still so new there was hardly anything. Mostly rumors that amount to little more than junior high gossip. Her agency could easily deny them if they think Riyu-chan is a good investment, so she'll be fine."
Maizono felt immensely relieved after hearing that.
"We're going to have to work that much harder from now on, but for now you girls deserve some rest. I'll be in touch when I have your next appearance scheduled," Oumi said.
"Yes ma'am," the girls responded.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Later That Night
Maizono returned a little before lights out, so she hadn't expected to find anyone still in the dorm's common area. She was surprised to see that Naegi had waited up for her.
Her surprise must have been rather apparent because Naegi said, "I wanted to congratulate you on your performance. I think that was your best yet."
"My manager said something similar," Maizono responded. Dreading what she was about to do next, but believing she needed to do it to change, Maizono started with a question, "Naegi-kun do you remember last week after watching Riyu-chan's interview?"
"Yes," Naegi said.
"Remember when you said that you were worried that I was going to sabotage Riyu-chan's career? Well, I was thinking about it, in fact my manager had said that she would find something my group could use to do it. I've done it to so many other idols just so I could stay on top," Maizono confessed.
"What changed your mind?" Naegi asked.
"Between talking to you and meeting Riyu-chan face-to-face I realized that I couldn't do it anymore. I don't think I've ever really wanted to do it, but I still did. I'm sorry Naegi-kun, you've been thinking I'm a good person but I'm just not the person you think I am," Maizono said sadly. She knew just how big of a risk she was taking with her friendship with Naegi. She realized that he may want nothing to do with her after this, or that anything beyond friendship would be impossible for her after this. Hopefully Naegi could forgive her one day, after she became a good person.
"Maizono-san, you are the good person I believed you were," Naegi said.
"How can you say that?" Maizono asked.
"I'm sure it was hard for you, to sabotage or ruin the careers or potential careers of other idols just to stay on top. I think that the fact that you felt bad about it, that you wanted to stop and did stop means that you were and are a good person. I know that it may not make sense but that's what I think," Naegi explained.
"Naegi-kun," Maizono said, tearing up. Why was I worried? This is who he is, Maizono thought.
"Performing with Riyu-chan was your first step towards change right?" Naegi asked.
Maizono didn't trust her voice just yet so she just nodded.
"Then it's fine. Well, not fine, you have done wrong and I don't know if there will come a time when you don't feel guilty, but if you've resolved to change then you should keep looking forward," Naegi said.
"Naegi-kun. Thank you," Maizono said quietly.
"You're welcome Maizono-san," Naegi responded. As soon as he finished speaking he got up and stretched and said, "I think I'm going to bed, good night Maizono-san."
"Good night Naegi-kun, I'll be up shortly," Maizono said.
After Naegi left the room Maizono heard him speaking with someone.
"Ikusaba-san what are you still doing up?" Maizono heard Naegi ask.
"I wanted something to drink." It was a lie, Maizono could tell, but she knew Naegi would just accept that. Maizono had a feeling that Ikusaba wanted to talk about Naegi. Steeling herself for a confrontation with the soldier Maizono sat perfectly still and waited. When Ikusaba walked past her into the kitchen, Maizono felt relieved, but slightly confused, her intuition was almost always spot on. It wasn't until Ikusaba called out, "I'll be back in a second Maizono-san," that Maizono realized she'd been right.
Ikusaba soon returned with two glasses of juice and set them down before taking a seat right across from Maizono and spoke. "He saved you too, didn't he?" It was in the form of a question but Maizono knew that Ikusaba didn't really need an answer.
She responded anyway, "Yes, he did." Her curiosity getting the better of her she asked, "How did he save you?"
"I may tell you someday, but not now," Ikusaba responded.
"I guess that's fair," Maizono said, although she really did want to know.
"Maizono-san, do you know why we're having a conversation right now?" Ikusaba asked.
"You aren't going to threaten me to stay away from Naegi-kun are you?" Maizono asked back.
"Two weeks ago I might have, but not now. That said, I'm not just going to let you have him either," Ikusaba told the idol.
"Thankfully, his placement in our dorm gives me time. He thinks he can't pursue a romantic relationship and as an idol I can't have a boyfriend. I won't be forbidden from dating forever though, I'll mature into a full-fledged star soon. Of course, I assume we'll both be vying for his attention until he can date," Maizono said.
"Absolutely, graduation isn't that far away after all," Ikusaba said.
"Well then, En Garde," Maizono said as she raised her glass. Ikusaba raised hers in response and with a 'clink' the two girls had declared themselves rivals for Naegi Makoto.
Present
I was worried about being Ikusaba-san's rival, now I wish I could go back to being just Ikusaba-san's rival, Maizono thought as she finished reminiscing. It wasn't easy having to worry about most of her female classmates, the female half of Class 77-B, and Yukizome-sensei taking Naegi before she got her chance. Naegi-kun, you may be the only person in the world who makes me regret being an idol, she thought jokingly. She knew that if she weren't an idol she would not be as close to Naegi as she is now. She smiled at that thought.
Naegi and Mioda both noticed this and Naegi said, "You seem happy Maizono-san."
"I am, I'm just remembering how you helped me through some rough times at the beginning of the year," Maizono told him.
"Makoto-chan has helped Ibuki through hard times too. Makoto-chan became Ibuki's best friend almost as soon as he arrived at Hope's Peak," Mioda said. Ibuki always thought she just wanted a platonic relationship with true bandmates. She never really planned on falling in love. Now, she never wants to let go of this feeling, the peppy musician thought.
It's true, Mioda-senpai didn't have it easy either. I'm glad I was able to help though, a sad Mioda Ibuki-senpai just doesn't seem right, Naegi thought as he remembered how he had come to know the Ultimate Musician.
And done. That took longer than I thought it would. Do me a favor: next time I write in one of these notes that I think a chapter will be easy, remind me of this and the previous chapter. I will be grateful for it. I mean I probably could have these out sooner but after work on the weekdays I can't bring myself to type. Is that weird?
Questions from me aside, I like this chapter, even if I think it is a little too similar to the last chapter but that may just be me. I constantly found myself wishing Sayaka had been fleshed out a lot more as a character in the first game, but it is what it is. Although, and I know I'm beating a long dead horse here, even if the developers got sick of looking at her and Leon would it have killed them to give them six free time events (and let's not forget Mukuro. She deserved more love too). I mean Teruteru and the Imposter died first in SDR2 and they got six. And I'd believe that the developers got sick of looking at them more if Sonia didn't look like a blonde Sayaka and Souda didn't remind me so much of Leon when I first saw him. Sorry, I know I complain a lot, I never mean to going in, it just turns out that way. Back to the end of chapter notes.
Ah Leon, it's not that Naegi has something that you don't, it's that he doesn't say things like "Her face is okay, but she's got a smokin' hot body. I gotta get me some of that!" Joking aside, was that good as a first glimpse of the jealousy that will inevitably be aimed Makoto's way? I thought so, but still not much has happened and not much time has passed, so more will be on the way.
I wish I could claim credit for the character of Riyu but she comes from the game Akiba's Beat and is owned by Acquire, which I own about as much as I own Danganronpa, which is to say not at all. The character Kanami Oumi is just a character whose name I came up with by using the names of two fictional idols Kanami from Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Megumi Oumi from Zatch Bell. Man, I really showed my age with that reference, didn't I?
I hope the research I managed to do on idols made for a better chapter: the things they go on to do after their time as idols is at an end; their demanding schedules; the image that they try to project; the taboo on dating; the things that they are required to do.
I tried to keep Sayaka's "not so pleasant things" tame, I think the cast of SDR2 and UDG have the really dark back stories and I wanted to keep it that way. This unfortunately goes back to Sayaka not having been fleshed out enough and me using my best guess on what those "not so pleasant things" were. I mean some can point to that photo book in Side Despair as an example, but that's kind of expected of idols if what I managed to find was correct, gravure photos are apparently expected of them. Which is weird: they can pose in skimpy outfits but holding hands and kissing a boy is apparently what shatters the pure image they need to project; how does that work?
Back to what is important. The Ibuki chapter is next.
Chapter Text
Chapter 5: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Musician
Hello again oh readers, mine and welcome back to "Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls." I'm your host, er, writer wesst1.
Wow, can I just say that I am grateful for all of the feedback I am getting from all of you. I was a little worried about writing again after being gone for so long, but you guys made it all worth it. I hope you'll all continue to support the story as much in the future as you do now.
I have been asked, only twice but still, if there will be any lemons in this story and I feel like that deserves an answer. Well, the truth is I don't know. Given the situation I've put Makoto I don't think it would fit, not that some of the more daring girls won't try or at least think about it. Sex might be out, but this type of story demands awkward situations, once all the world building and such is done of course, we still have flashbacks to go through. I hope you'll all bear with me on that. That having been said, I do plan to do epilogue chapters, you know what-if futures, where he ends up with one girl or another, for each girl, I might even do a harem ending if you guys want it and I feel daring enough, but that's a long way off. If there are to be lemons it will be in those chapters.
Now on to what you all clicked on this for.
Here it is the Ibuki Mioda chapter. I hope you'll all enjoy it. I must admit it gave me trouble, but I think it turned out okay. I hope I got her speech pattern right.
How will our little Ultimate Hope go from Ibuki's straight man to the object of her affection? Read and find out.
Present Day
At Mioda's declaration of Naegi being her best friend, Maizono smiled although if one looked closely they could see her eye twitch. At the beginning of the year, such a statement would not have bothered her, Mioda Ibuki had said that she had no interest in a romantic relationship. Maizono knew that that had changed, and it was because of Naegi.
"Oh, you two hit it off right away then?" Maizono asked.
If Naegi had to describe Maizono's tone, he would call it "scary calm." Whether she was oblivious to this or simply ignoring it, and Naegi was convinced it was the latter, Mioda responded.
"Yep, yep, yep! Ibuki and Makoto-chan have had a special bond ever since she gave him a tour of the school," Mioda said happily, as she remembered all the time she spent with Naegi. Makoto-chan became Ibuki's friend right away, then he made her fall in love with him. Ibuki always knew her destined one would be special, but she never expected this, Mioda thought happily.
Special bond? Yeah, I guess we have. Mioda-senpai has let me see sides of her that she has never shown anyone else. I certainly didn't expect that when I bumped into on our second day, Naegi thought, as he unknowingly joined Mioda in her trip down memory lane.
Hope's Peak Academy-Class 77-B's Classroom
First Day of Classes (Second Day of School)-Midday
"I think that's enough for today," Yukizome said to her class.
To say the students were shocked would be an understatement. This was the woman who had hunted them down on her first day as their teacher and made them attend class.
"Sensei, the day is only half over…I think," the class representative, Nanami Chiaki said.
"I'm well aware of that Nanami-san. I am also aware that your kōhais' classes are ending early," Yukizome stated.
Most of the students caught on to what Yukizome was getting at, although some did not. "Alright! Old man, I want a rematch!" clearly, Owari fell into that second group.
"Actually, I was thinking that this would be an excellent opportunity to get to know some of your kōhai by showing them around the school," Yukizome suggested.
"Is this an order Sensei?" the Imposter, Twogami, asked.
"More like a suggestion," Yukizome answered.
Just don't forget who's making it, right? some of the more cynical members of her class thought. Still most where happy with this turn of events, one student in particular was ecstatic.
"Awesome! Ibuki will show them the music room and then Ibuki can have them listen to her new song!" Mioda cheered.
Her classmates felt bad for whoever met up with Mioda but stayed silent. They were fond of Mioda, it was difficult not to be really, but she could be, and usually was, exhausting. That, and Mioda Ibuki's music was something of an acquired taste and sadly, few people ever acquired it.
"Well like I said, it is just a suggestion. If your kōhai don't want a tour or want to explore on their own then don't force them," Yukizome said. Seeing that her students understood, Yukizome said, "Dismissed!"
Elsewhere
Naegi's homeroom teacher had ended classes early and had suggested that the students take the time to familiarize themselves with the school. Naegi had certainly appreciated that, he had wanted to explore the school before orientation, but given the sheer size of Hope's Peak Academy that would have been impossible. Not only was he grateful for the chance to explore the world's greatest school, but he was also grateful for the opportunity to think. Today had been light on lessons, it had been mostly introductions, but there was one thing that Naegi learned that he couldn't quite understand.
I thought Ishimaru-kun was going to explode when we were told that attendance wasn't mandatory. It doesn't bother me the way it bothers him, but I would think that a school like Hope's Peak would take attendance much more seriously. I mean this could be considered the Ultimate School, once we actually get to school work I'm sure we'll need to attend class to understand it. I get that some students are working on various projects, Fujisaki-kun is a good example of that, but he and the other students in his situation must have been balancing those projects with school work already. I feel like there's something I'm not getting. Figuring that he would understand better the longer he was at Hope's Peak Naegi pushed decided it would be best to focus on exploring the school.
By this time Naegi had unknowingly wandered close to Class 77-B's classroom just as they were being dismissed. What happened next was something Naegi could only attribute to his luck: the door to the classroom had burst open and a pink, black, and blue blur crashed into him.
Ow, what happened? Naegi wondered. Once Naegi managed to get a good look at what hit him, he realized that it was Mioda Ibuki and asked, "Are you okay Senpai?"
"Makoto-chan? Yeah, Ibuki is alright. She didn't expect you to be there. Well played Makoto-chan," Mioda said.
"Well played?" Naegi asked as he got up and went to help Mioda. His tone made it clear that he had no idea what Mioda meant.
"Ibuki thought she would surprise one of her kōhai, but Makoto-chan surprised her first. It's 0-1 between us but Ibuki will catch up soon," Mioda declared, her tone told Naegi that she was serious. About what, he had no idea.
Surprised you? I think you may have that backwards Senpai, Naegi thought. It wasn't the first time that he had run into someone and he was sure it wouldn't be the last, but Mioda was acting like it was a game and Naegi was confused.
"Naegi-kun? What brings you here?" Yukizome asked. She and the rest of her students had come to the door when they heard the crash.
"Nothing in particular, Sensei. Since my class was dismissed early I decided to explore the school and just ended up here," Naegi answered.
"It's a lucky thing you did then. I'm sure one of my students would be more than happy to show you around," Yukizome said with a smile.
"Oh, oh, pick Ibuki! Ibuki will show Makoto-chan all the best places at Hope's Peak Academy!" Mioda exclaimed.
"Really! Thank you Mioda-senpai. Like I said, I was just wandering around and I was worried that I might get lost," Naegi said, relieved.
"One Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour for Makoto-chan! On your mark!" Mioda shouted as she got ready to take off.
"Wait, what?" Naegi asked, once again confused.
"Get set!" Mioda continued.
"Get ready to run little guy," Nidai said.
"Go!" Mioda finished as she shot off like a rocket.
"Senpai! Wait!" Naegi shouted as he ran after her, somehow able to keep up, if only barely.
An hour and a half and one lecture from Ishimaru about running in the halls later, Mioda and Naegi had finished the tour of the main building. It probably would have taken longer had Naegi had a tour guide interested in giving him a proper tour, but at least he had a general idea of the layout of the school. Naegi would have said something, but Mioda seemed so happy that he just couldn't bring himself to complain. He made a mental note to take a better, and more thorough, look around later, but for now he decided that it would be alright to just go along with whatever it was that Mioda was doing.
Mioda soon stopped in front of another building on campus and said, "Here we are Makoto-chan, the best place on campus is inside here: the old school building. And what is the best place on campus you may ask. Why the Music Room, course!"
Naegi who had managed to catch his breath said, "I guess it makes sense that the Ultimate Musician would want to show me the Music Room. Are you going to play something, Mioda-senpai?"
"Does Makoto-chan want to hear Ibuki's music?" Mioda asked. She was excited, none of her classmates, not even Saionji, the only one who seemed to enjoy Mioda's style of music, ever asked Mioda to play something.
"Sure, I'm actually curious about what kind of music the Ultimate Musician plays," Naegi admitted. That was true, while Naegi had researched his own classmates he did not do any research on his upperclassmen and therefore had no idea what to expect.
"Then let's go, go, go!" Mioda shouted as she grabbed Naegi by the hand and prepared to drag him to the Music Room.
"Before that though Senpai, could we finish the tour?" Naegi asked. He genuinely wanted to hear Mioda play, but he also wanted to learn more about the school.
"Right. Okay we'll upgrade the "Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour" to the "Mioda Ibuki Special Hope's Peak Tour/Private Concert Package!" Invite friends to take advantage of Ibuki's group rates," Mioda said.
"Lead on then Senpai," Naegi said as he smiled. He quickly got used to Mioda's randomness, although he wasn't sure if that was something to be proud of or if he should be terrified.
After the Tour
Once the tour was over Mioda led Naegi to the Music Room. Even with the brief glimpses that Naegi got of the other various rooms in the old school building he could see just how well equipped those rooms were to suit the needs of the students and he was expecting the Music Room to be the same. He was not disappointed. Not only did the Music Room in the old building at Hope's Peak Academy look like a small concert venue, it came with everything a musician could ever need for practice and for live performances. From a plethora of instruments to state of the art sound equipment, the Music Room seemed fitting for a school like Hope's Peak.
"You weren't kidding Senpai, this place is great. All it needs is a place to sell t-shirts and I might forget I'm at Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi said.
"See, didn't Ibuki tell you? This place is G-R-E-A-T, great. Now what does Makoto-chan want Ibuki to play?" Mioda asked, barely able to contain her excitement. Maybe Makoto-chan will understand Ibuki's music, she thought.
"Whatever you want Senpai, I'm sure I'll enjoy it," Naegi answered.
"Okay, Ibuki will play "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is" just for Makoto-chan. Just give Ibuki a minute or two to warm up," Mioda said as she grabbed an electric guitar, checked her mic, and then made sure guitar was in tune. Once she was satisfied she screamed into the mic, "Hello Makoto-chan!" Then she started to play.
Now when Naegi had met Mioda, he noticed her appearance and thought that she was into heavy metal. It had turned out that he was right, so he was able to prepare himself for the volume of Mioda's music. Even though Naegi thought that the Music Room was too small for Mioda to play so loudly, he couldn't help but enjoy himself. Naegi could hear the passion in every note Mioda played and every word she sang. This is the Ultimate Musician. She may be the greatest musician in the world, but more than that she's the one who loves music the most, Naegi thought.
Mioda's performance came to an end far too soon for Naegi's liking, but he knew that it had to eventually. He also knew that they both had other responsibilities, so it was probably just as well. Once the last note had died down, Naegi's applause was so loud that Mioda could have sworn he was clapping in front of the mic.
"Makoto-chan liked Ibuki's song?" Mioda asked. She had hoped that Naegi would enjoy her performance, but experience had told her not to expect too much.
"Absolutely, you were amazing Senpai," Naegi responded.
"What did you think of it?" Mioda asked as pride swelled in her chest. Makoto-chan enjoyed Ibuki's music, she thought happily.
"Well I'm no expert on music Senpai, and while there where parts that were hard for me to follow I could feel your love and passion for music coming through. And I might be missing the point of your song, but to me it was like your song was saying 'I am an individual,'" Naegi answered honestly.
Mioda was so happy she thought she could cry, Makoto-chan gets it. Makoto-chan gets Ibuki. "Alright, how about an encore?" Mioda asked.
Naegi hated to disappoint her, but he said, "I'd love to hear more Senpai, but I should probably get back to the dorm and get started on dinner, I did agree to do it after all."
"Oh right," Mioda said, slightly disappointed, but she understood.
"Of course, I'll be happy to listen to your other songs when I have the chance Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.
That perked Mioda right up. "Alright, it's a promise between Ibuki and Makoto-chan!" she happily exclaimed as the two made their way out of the old school building.
Hope's Peak Academy
Second Day of Classes-Lunch Time
Mioda's classmates had noticed that she had been in a good mood all day, more so than usual. When asked about it, she had said that she had had fun with Naegi the previous day. When Mioda had mentioned that Naegi had enjoyed the song had played her class was happy for her, although some members of Class 77-B wondered if there was something wrong with Naegi.
Mioda herself was excited to see her new friend again, so much so that when the lunch break started she had bolted from her classroom the very moment Yukizome dismissed them. For the first time in Class 77-B's history someone had beaten Owari and the Imposter to the cafeteria as Mioda searched for Naegi.
Naegi's only warning was a loud, excited, "Makoto-chan!" before the pink, black, and blue blur from yesterday tackled him.
As soon as his shock, and the pain from the impact with the floor, wore off, Naegi cheerfully said, "Hello Mioda-senpai."
Most of their respective classmates had made their way into the cafeteria at this point and most of them found the scene in front of them amusing. Had Mioda been paying attention however, she might have noticed the glares being shot her way courtesy of Ikusaba and Maizono.
Still not moving from her spot on top of Naegi, Mioda declared, "Ibuki is super excited for you to try come of Teruteru-chan's food. Ibuki means hellaaaaaa stoooked! And Makoto-chan will be thirty-one flavors of stoked for all of the deliciousness."
Naegi had been interested in trying food prepared by the Ultimate Cook, so he was kind of excited too.
"And when I'm excited, I get hungry-mungry!" Mioda shouted.
Realizing he was in for another Mioda Tangent, Naegi just smiled and decided to listen.
"I-I don't understand it myself... Why do I get hungry when I'm excited? Why do I get excited when I'm hungry?" Mioda asked herself out loud. Then she suddenly exclaimed, "Kyahaha, the human body sure is a mystery!"
Assuming Mioda had finished, Naegi asked, "Senpai can I get up?"
As if she had had forgotten the position the two of them were in, Mioda looked at Naegi and said, "Makoto-chan, you can't eat while flat on your back. Or can you? Ibuki has never tried it personally."
"I think it's bad for you, maybe we can ask Tsumiki-senpai later," Naegi suggested, still as polite as ever. It's not like going along with Mioda-senpai's randomness is hurting me or anyone else, so why not? Naegi asked mentally.
"Right get food from Teruteru-chan and talk to Mikan-chan, Ibuki is all for it!" Mioda shouted as she leapt off of Naegi and pumped her fist in the air.
"Preferably in that order Senpai, it is lunch time after all," Naegi said as he got to his feet. Some pleasant aroma soon assaulted his nose from the kitchen and Naegi soon asked, "I wonder what's on the menu today?"
Recalling her first year, Mioda said, "As long as it is not nikujaga, Ibuki recommend whatever it is Teruteru-chan makes, Makoto-chan."
"Why not nikujaga?" Naegi asked innocently.
Every member of Class 77-B that heard that question screamed, "Don't ask!"
After they had finished eating what was not nikujaga, much to Class 77-B pleasure, both Mioda and Naegi spent the rest of their lunch break talking. Rather, Mioda did most of the talking, Naegi would respond when he believed it was appropriate, but he mostly just listened, not that he could make much sense of most of it. The break passed too soon for Mioda's liking, she really enjoyed Naegi's company.
As if he had read her thoughts, Naegi said, "I wish the break were longer."
"Ibuki does too," Mioda admitted.
"I'd have liked to have listened to another one of your songs today Senpai, but more than that, you're a lot of fun even if we just talked," Naegi said with a sincere smile.
It would be nice if Makoto-chan could spend more time with Ibuki, Mioda thought. As soon as she thought that, a lightbulb went off in her head. Once it did she jumped up and shouted, "Ah! Yes, yessss!"
Naegi, who had no idea what Mioda had been thinking simply asked, "What?"
With the most serious look Naegi had ever seen on her face, Mioda asked, "Um, um, were you ever in any school clubs?"
"Not really," Naegi said with a shrug of his shoulders. He then explained, "I thought about it, but none of the clubs really appealed to me back in junior high."
"Hyaaaaha! That's a major bingo!" Mioda happily exclaimed.
"Hmm, what is?" Naegi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Well, isn't it obvious!? Makoto-chan should be part of Ibuki's music club from now on," Mioda stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"For a while, everyone thought music clubs were outdated because the rock-and-roll boom was dying off..." Mioda explained before she trailed of. To Naegi, the serious look Mioda was giving made him feel like he was listening to a lecture on the history of music clubs.
That feeling disappeared with Mioda's next sentence, "But now, music clubs are super popular with boys for some reason! We should jump on the bandwagon, too!"
"I'd be happy to join your club Senpai, but I don't know how to play any instrument," Naegi explained.
"Nooooo problem! Makoto-chan can just pretend he's playing an instrument while a music track plays in the background," Mioda said with a wink
I really don't think that's something the Ultimate Musician should say, Naegi thought. Still, the idea of learning to play a musical instrument seemed appealing, but Naegi needed Mioda to understand one important detail, "I don't know Senpai, I wouldn't mind learning, but when I say, 'I don't know how to play any instrument,' what I mean is, 'I've never even held a musical instrument.'"
That didn't deter Mioda, who with a sage look on her face said, "Everyone starts at that point. As long as you feel the love, there's no problem."
"'Feel the love?' Okay I guess I could give it a try," Naegi said. Although he was still a bit uncertain, he could tell that this meant a lot to Mioda, so he would do his best.
"There ya go! Jamming out is sooooo much fun! Makoto-chan will be so popular with the ladies! Chicks go out with guys who pretend to be musicians all the time!" Mioda shouted. Although her tone didn't change, Naegi noticed that she didn't look happy with the idea of someone using music to pick up girls. As much as Naegi hated himself for it, an image of Kuwata popped into his head.
"Now choose the musical instrument you wanna use," Mioda said excitedly. Suddenly, the serious look found its way back to Mioda's face as she shouted, "Ah, Ibuki has dibs on the guitar, so you can't use that!"
I'm pretty much a blank slate so I suppose there's really no wrong answer, Naegi thought. Not realizing that he had started to think out loud, Naegi asked himself, "I wonder if I'm coordinated enough for drums?"
Taking that as his answer, Mioda exclaimed, "That's awesome! All right, it's decided! Drums are great 'cause you can just hit 'em to the beat, and you don't even need to know how to read music! As long as you can move your arms and legs independently of each other, even a novice can play them real easy!"
I don't imagine many drummers would agree with that, Senpai, Naegi thought
"Now that we've decided on an instrument..." Mioda started.
"Yeah?" Naegi asked. He was actually starting to look forward to this.
"We'll start with learning how to use a loudspeaker!" Mioda shouted.
"Hold on a second! Why would you need a loudspeaker!?" asked the now confused luckster. He knew that Mioda would want to practice eventually, but why start with a loudspeaker?
"What are you saying? It's a must-have item for live performances," Mioda stated matter-of-factly.
"Well yeah, but…" Naegi started. He had thought that he was getting used to Mioda's randomness, he realized that he was wrong.
"It doesn't mean you just hold it and scream into it. If you don't put your soul into it, the loudspeaker won't respond to you," Mioda explained. Then, as if coaching him she started yelling, "Gyahaha! Put your soul into it! Shout! Shout!"
"Just name a time Senpai, I'll be happy to join you," Naegi said. He was hoping it would all make sense when he started. I've been hoping a lot of things will make sense eventually recently, Naegi realized.
"Maybe Sunday at 9 in the Music Room? Yeah, Ibuki thinks that works," Mioda said.
"Okay, I'll be there. Should I do anything to prepare?" Naegi asked. While he was excited he still had some misgivings, he wasn't sure he was musically inclined. I guess if Mioda-senpai is happy then I guess there is no harm in going along with it. Provided that she never has us work with pyrotechnics or anything else dangerous, Naegi thought.
"Ibuki is glad that Makoto-chan is getting into it," Mioda stated happily.
"Of course, Senpai. You're inviting me to be a part of something that means so much to you, so I'll do my best," Naegi said.
"Huh?" Mioda asked.
"Well, like I said I never really thought to learn to play an instrument before and I really don't know if I'll be any good, but since you asked me to join your music club I just couldn't say no," Naegi explained.
"Why is that, Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked. It wasn't often that people went along with her schemes, so when Naegi did Mioda decided that she wouldn't question it. Now, however, she couldn't help herself, she had to know why he seemed so gung ho.
"Well, I have to admit that the idea of learning to play an instrument is appealing but more than that, it's because you asked me to," Naegi told her.
"What does Makoto-chan mean?" Ibuki asked.
"We're friends right Senpai?" Naegi asked back.
"Yes," Mioda answered simply. Mioda didn't know what Naegi was getting at. By this time, her usual energy was gone, and she was unusually focused. Her classmates that were still in the cafeteria had been listening in had wondered how Naegi had managed to do that, and if he could show them how to do it.
"Well, if being in this club will make my friend happy, what more reason do I need?" Naegi asked with a smile.
Mioda didn't answer, the question had been rhetorical after all, but she did turn red and felt something in her chest.
Catching sight of a clock on the wall, Naegi said, "We should probably get back to class Senpai."
Calming herself down, Mioda said, "Y-yeah, Makoto-chan is right."
"Are you okay Senpai?" Naegi asked, oblivious to the effect he had on the older girl.
"Ibuki is a-okay Makoto-chan!" Mioda said as she got up. Fortunately, she managed to collect herself enough to get some of her usual pep back.
"Okay, I'm looking forward to our first club meeting. If anything changes, or if you want to hang out later, well, you know where I live," Naegi said jokingly before he headed back to his classroom.
"Sure thing, Makoto-chan," Mioda said as she did the same. On her way back to her classroom, Mioda tried to figure out just what it was that her kōhai had made her feel.
Hope's Peak Academy-Music Room
First Weekend-Sunday at 9 o'clock
Mioda wasn't able to figure out what Naegi made her feel, so she put it out of her mind. She had other things to do after all, and it was something she had been looking forward to all week.
"Okie dokie! Let's start the club!" she shouted happily.
"Hai, Senpai!" Naegi responded, trying to match her enthusiasm. He had arrived early so that he could attempt to set up everything that he thought they would need. He had no idea how he did it, but somehow, he managed to set up the drum set properly. Naegi had wanted to do a sound check for the loudspeakers that Mioda had been so eager to practice with, but he figured that he should leave that to an expert.
"Um, today's training is...badum-badaum-badum-badum-tish!" Mioda started as she made a thinking pose. She soon pumped her fist in the air and happily exclaimed, "Racing! Aw yeah!"
"Wait, I thought you wanted to practice with the loudspeakers. Does racing have anything to do with music?" Naegi asked. He was confused, he had been prepared for Mioda's club activities to be unorthodox, but this still caught him off-guard.
"Hell to the yes!" Mioda shouted with glee. Then crossing her arms and adopting a serious look and tone, she explained, "If you wanna learn proper music theory, training yourself in the rhythm of racing is a must. Music has its own language too, y'know. It's always nice to hear music that adheres to the principles of music theory... And it's easier to make people feel the beat as well."
"Wow, that's deep Senpai," Naegi said, impressed.
"...But Ibuki doesn't care about that at all though!" Mioda added.
Okay, maybe not, Naegi thought.
"Come on! LET'S GO!" Mioda shouted as she took off.
"W-wait, Senpai!" Naegi shouted as he ran after Mioda as fast as he could.
Five laps around the Hope's Peak campus later and Naegi's chest felt like it was on fire. Naegi didn't think he was in terrible shape, but he didn't think track star was in his future either. As he tried to catch his breath, he looked over at Mioda who was completely fine.
"Man, that was really fun, Makoto-chan!" Mioda shouted.
"If you *huff* say so *puff* Senpai. How *huff* are you *puff* so *wheeze* energetic?" Naegi managed to ask.
"What are you saying? There's no way you could go through a live performance if you get winded by something like this," Mioda said as if the answer should be obvious.
I guess that makes sense, Naegi thought. He then asked, "Senpai, do you usually train like this all the time?"
"Ibuki don't do it for training. Running is her hobby," Mioda said in all seriousness.
Wait, what about proper music theory? No, wait, she said she didn't care about that, Naegi thought.
"Ibuki also likes playing one-person tag and one-person hide and seek too! It's a lot of fun! Have you ever found an eight-leafed clover by the riverbank? It's seriously sooooo hard, Ibuki definitely can't find one at all," Mioda said, going off on one of her tangents.
I would ask Obara Shigeo-san about that Senpai. He did find a 56-leafed clover after all, Naegi thought.
Oblivious to Naegi's thoughts, Mioda continued, "Also, it's fun to play a game called, 'Will I Get There?' It's super thrilling! Ibuki forgets lots of stuff really fast, so she tries to write memos for important things."
Figuring that it would be best to just listen to Mioda, Naegi nodded and did his best to focus.
"But on days Ibuki plays that game, she goes outside without thinking about anything. And when she does that... Surprise, surprise! No matter how long she's out, she can't get back home! Ibuki just thinks of fun stuff all the time, and after she's taken a bunch of shortcuts and detours... She usually ends somewhere she's never been before," Mioda said.
Unable to keep himself from commenting, Naegi said, "That sounds kind of dangerous." Naegi was hoping against hope that nothing bad had happened to Mioda when that happened.
Ignoring Naegi's comment, Mioda continued, "One time, Ibuki nearly walked onto a fishing boat and almost ended up in a foreign country."
Should have known. Well, if she's here then I guess nothing too bad happened to her, Naegi thought.
"Ah, but sometimes Ibuki likes to spend time relaxing, too. The other day, she woke up in the morning with a powerful hankering to look at the stars. So, she just waited all day till the stars came out!" Mioda gleefully exclaimed.
At this point, all Naegi could do was nod.
"Also, also...!" Mioda started.
Naegi just stood there and listened with a smile on his face. Like he had said earlier in the week, if this made Mioda happy that was good enough for him. Though, something Mioda had said earlier had stuck with him so the next opportunity he got he asked, "Mioda-senpai, when you say you play one-person tag and one-person hide and seek…?
"Everyone is usually too busy to play with Ibuki. She understands that everyone has their own things to do but…" Mioda never finished her explanation because at that moment, Naegi had poked her on the nose.
The only thing Naegi had said was, "Tag, you're it!" as he ran as fast as he could away from Mioda.
A smile much different from her usual one had made its way onto Mioda's face before she shouted, "No fair, Makoto-chan! Ibuki wasn't ready!" and chased after her kōhai, no, more than her kōhai, her friend.
Their game of tag had ended a while ago and Naegi was putting away the drum set that he hadn't gotten to practice on. Maybe next time, he figured. While he was thinking of next time, he turned to Mioda and asked, "When is the next club meeting, Senpai?"
Mioda thought about it for a while and finally said, "Let's not worry about that, Makoto-chan."
"Huh?"
The only explanation Mioda gave was, "Improv isn't just limited to the blues, jazz, and jazz fusion. It has been a big part of music since Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt."
"You mean the club meeting will be whenever?" Naegi asked, somehow managing to get Mioda's point. Given how spontaneous Mioda-senpai is, I guess that makes sense. Well, it's not really a problem since it's just the two of us, Naegi figured.
"Right, right, right!" Mioda happily exclaimed.
"I suppose that works. Even with my responsibilities at the dorm and my assignments, I do have a decent amount of free time," Naegi said. As he finished putting the drums away he said, "You know Senpai, I may not have learned anything about playing the drums, but I had a lot of fun with you today. I'm really glad you invited me to join your music club."
Mioda felt that feeling in her chest again as a smile made its way onto her face before quietly saying, "Ibuki is glad too."
Hope's Peak Academy
Second Week of Classes-Monday
Lunch had arrived for the day and Mioda was looking forward to seeing Naegi. In almost no time at all, the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 had become her best friend. As soon as her class was dismissed for lunch she ran as fast as she could to the cafeteria to meet him, but on her way there she soon ran into another student of Class 78.
"Oh, Mioda-senpai! Heeey!" a voice called out.
Immediately stopping, Mioda turned and greeted the voice's owner, "Heeeeyyy! That's me! Mi-o-da I-bu-ki!" As it turned out, the voice belonged to Kuwata Leon. Mioda recognized him from descriptions from the girls of Class 78 and her own male classmates
"Hehe...I wanted to talk with you at least once!" Leon exclaimed, looking rather pleased.
"Ooh? And what business does Kuwata Leon, the Ultimate Baseball Star, have with me?" Mioda asked, her curiosity apparent.
"Forget about baseball! I'm gonna explode onto the stage as a musician!" Kuwata shouted.
Slightly intrigued, Mioda asked, "Huh? Leon-chan, you know how to play an instrument?"
"Nah. I'm gonna be vocals," Kuwata said as he rubbed the back of his head.
Still curious, but for a different reason, Mioda asked, "Hmmm...then how about writing lyrics and composing?"
"Not really. I'm gonna have one of my other members do that pain in the ass stuff," Kuwata admitted.
"W-Wow...so does that mean that Leon-chan already has band members ready to go on stage with him?" Mioda asked in shock due to both Kuwata's lazy attitude and at the possibility that he could have band members with said attitude.
"That's what I'm recruiting people for right now! So..Mioda-senpai, you wanna join my band?" Kuwata asked nonchalantly, or from Mioda's perspective, shamelessly.
"Huh?"
"You're guitar, right? Well, I don't have any instruments yet, so anything's fine," Kuwata explained. He went on to say, "Me and the former star Mioda Ibuki... The both of us will get a lot of attention from our debut! And our fans probably won't overlap, so I'll let it slide if you stand out a little!"
"Hu...huhuhuhuhu... Haaa..." Those noises sounded like a mix of Mioda's desire to laugh and her best effort not to. Then she simply said, "Ahhh...Ibuki doesn't even have a face for this. She's never felt this un-pumped up...Not bad, Leon-chan! Not bad!"
Whether he was in denial of how badly this had gone, or he simply hadn't been paying attention Mioda didn't know, but Kuwata then asked, "Then you're gonna be the guitarist for my band, right!?"
"Nooope! Not even if Leon-chan paid Ibuki a million, a billion, or a gajillion yen!" Mioda shouted. She looked like this conversation had become painful for her. Although, part of her was impressed, she didn't think anything could bring her down like this, but it had happened. Kuwata looked discouraged but he wasn't ready to give up just yet. However, before he could attempt to persuade Mioda further, the Ultimate Musician saw salvation in the form of her favorite kōhai.
Deciding to go for it, Mioda yelled, "Makoto-chan!" to alert Naegi to her presence.
Turning towards the voice of his senpai, Naegi raise a hand in greeting before shouting, "Mioda-senpai! Kuwata-kun!"
Running over to Naegi, Mioda said, "Sorry Leon-chan, Makoto-chan and Ibuki need to discuss club business."
"We do?" Naegi asked.
"We do. Makoto-chan is gonna be Ibuki's new drummer after all," Mioda said hurriedly.
Attempting to salvage his "bright" future as a musician, Kuwata started to say, "Well maybe I could-,"
"Makoto-chan and Ibuki are gonna go play now, let's pick up this conversation again never Leon-chan," Mioda said as she grabbed Naegi and ran.
Mioda had said the last part so quickly that Kuwata couldn't tell what she had said. He did however hear the word "play" and it didn't sound like she meant music. This led Kuwata to ask, "Wait 'play'? What kind of club activities are those two up to?"
Once Mioda thought that they were a safe distance away, she stopped, turned to Naegi, and asked, "So Makoto-chan, what do you wanna play today?"
"Well there are a few songs I'd like to learn to play, but I don't know if I've practiced enough," Naegi admitted.
"No, no, no! What do you want to play… Wait, Makoto-chan has been practicing the drums by himself?" Mioda asked.
"Whenever I get a chance. Playing with you is great Mioda-senpai, but I want you to know that I am serious about the music club too," Naegi explained.
"But Makoto-chan, playing is a big part of music clubs! Do you know what's the most important thing about playing music in a band?" Mioda asked.
"Well if you're playing in a group then I guess you would need a sense of unity," Naegi said, not really sure if that was the answer Mioda wanted.
"Ding ding ding! You got it right, Makoto-chan!" she exclaimed happily. Mioda then adopted a serious look before continuing, "Yep, that's correct. It's all about that! The band members performing as a singular unit on stage... That is the ideal live concert! That's where the greatest music is made!"
Naegi was nodding in agreement, everything Mioda had said had made sense.
It didn't last long though. "In order to do that, it's particularly important to eat cake with everyone after school!" Mioda exclaimed happily.
I'd be all for that right now, Naegi thought. Cake sounded good, but that was probably because it was lunchtime.
"Sooooo your training today is for Makoto-chan to roll his eyes to the back of his head!" Mioda shouted. She soon demonstrated what she meant. Naegi was a little unsettled when she started foaming at the mouth.
"I'm not sure I'm able to do that Senpai," Naegi said, trying his best to be diplomatic. He really wasn't sure he could do it, but he also wasn't in a hurry to try.
Ignoring what Naegi had said, Mioda excitedly exclaimed, "Also, Makoto-chan will need to learn how to break guitars, and how to splatter pig guts! Those are the three basics!"
"I don't think I'm comfortable with that last one Senpai." Naegi told her. In truth, he didn't really want to break guitars either, but he was very much opposed to the idea of splattering pig guts.
"Oh my-my-my-my, are you gonna give up before you even do it? Ibuki has a reward for Makoto-chan, y'know," Mioda told him. She then said, "If he's able to withstand the training, Ibuki'll make his stage costume!"
"You know how to sew Senpai?" Naegi asked, a little surprised.
"Of course! Sewing is a minor necessity when you're in a band!", Mioda exclaimed proudly.
Naegi had seen Mioda in her current outfit a few times, but this was the first time he had taken a good look at it. He soon said, "Now that you mention it Senpai, all of your clothes look really unique. You must put your heart into making your clothes so they're not just another commercial product. It's very you Senpai."
"What do you mean, Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked.
"They say, 'I am Mioda Ibuki and I am an individual'" Naegi answered.
A soft smile appeared on Mioda's face as she said, "Ibuki was right about you Makoto-chan, you do get it."
A smile that matched Mioda's soon made its way onto Naegi's face. The moment was soon interrupted when both of their stomachs let out loud growls simultaneously. With an embarrassed blush on his face, Naegi said, "Looks like our stomachs get each other too Senpai. We should probably go get lunch before we need to get back to class."
Mioda just laughed and said, "Ibuki thinks Makoto-chan is right. Maybe Teruteru-chan will have made cake! Ibuki isn't sure why, but she really wants cake."
All Naegi could do in response to that was laugh.
Hope's Peak Academy-Music Room
Third Week of Classes-Thursday
Classes had ended for the day and Naegi had met up with Mioda in the Music Room in the old building. As much as Naegi had enjoyed spending time with Mioda, he didn't think he would be good company today, as Maizono Sayaka had been on his mind for the past few days. Maizono had been out of sorts all week and having no idea how to help her, Naegi was worried. She refused to even admit that something was wrong and continued to go through the motions of daily life as a high school girl. At this point, Naegi could only hope that it didn't affect her performance as an idol.
I hope Maizono-san can get through her show Saturday night. I just don't get it, she seemed fine after I talked to her the night of Mimose-san's interview. Maybe she's still worried about her future. I certainly hope it wasn't anything I said to her. I should figure out a way to get her to open up about whatever is wrong, Naegi thought.
Mioda had noticed that something was wrong with Maizono too. Mioda wanted to help the young idol, of course, but since Maizono had a show to prepare for, Mioda hardly saw the younger girl. When Maizono wasn't in class she was rehearsing with her group and did not return until it was almost lights out. Lunch hardly offered enough time to make any sort of progress, and so Mioda had decided to wait until after the younger girl's performance to try and confront her.
Mioda had also noticed that whatever was bothering Maizono, it was affecting Naegi. It was clear to everyone that he was worried about his friend, but for reasons Mioda didn't understand, she was jealous. She had grown so accustomed to Naegi's undivided attention whenever the two of them were together that it bothered her that he was thinking about someone else, another girl no less. Mioda was by no means a selfish girl and she hated that she was jealous when something was bothering Naegi and Maizono. She couldn't figure out why it bothered her that Naegi was thinking about another girl, after all Maizono was his classmate and she was upset, but the fact remained that it did bother her. That was part of the reason she decided to have club meeting today. She wanted to take Naegi's mind off of the problem, but she also wanted him to herself.
With that thought in mind, Mioda adopted a thinking pose and asked, "Now then, what should Makoto-chan and Ibuki play today?"
"I don't know if I'll be much fun today Senpai, I've got too much on my mind," Naegi said. He felt bad that he would be disappointing Mioda but couldn't lie to her either.
"Ibuki has decided! Today we're gonna do 1000 practice head swings!" Mioda exclaimed. This always helps Ibuki when she has a lot on her mind, Mioda thought.
"You mean headbanging?" Naegi asked. He still had reservations, but he figured Mioda was going somewhere with this.
"Ibuki will start us off!" as soon as she said that, Mioda started swinging her head back and forth with amazing speed.
"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Mioda shouted. Whether that was supposed to be something he could understand or if it was a noise Mioda made when she was excited, Naegi didn't know, but he was too focused on Mioda's speed.
She's so fast that her head is a blur. I can't believe her tiny neck can keep up with that, Naegi thought, impressed.
"You do it too, Makoto-chaaaaaan! It's fuuuuuuuun! GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Mioda said without stopping.
Naegi wasn't sure, but he trusted his friend, so he started headbanging too.
M-My head is ringing. Make it stop, he thought.
Mioda's condition wasn't much better as the only sounds that came out of her mouth were, "Da boom na da mmm dum na ema..."
When his head finally stopped ringing Naegi noticed something. I feel like all the stress from this week has been lifted off my shoulders, Naegi thought.
"Oh my, Makoto-chan. You look pretty refreshed. I feel like we were playing pretty well together just now," Mioda said.
"Yeah, I do feel refreshed Mioda-senpai. Thanks for putting up with me," Naegi said. He wasn't sure he'd have been as patient with himself as Mioda had been.
As if she had an epiphany, Mioda then said, "Ibuki just realized it. When she's with Makoto-chan…Ibuki plays really well."
"And we haven't even eaten cake after school yet," Naegi laughed. After he stopped, he said, "I really do appreciate you putting up with me Senpai. I've been worried about Maizono, I keep wondering if it's my fault that she's been so out of it this week."
"O-oh really," Mioda said as she forced a smile. Makoto-chan, Ibuki is worried about Sayaka-chan too, but pay attention to Ibuki now, she thought.
Naegi didn't notice and kept talking. "I can't think of what I might have said. Maybe I didn't do anything, and work is just getting to her. She's said that she enjoys being an idol but she's also afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Mioda asked, her jealousy momentarily forgotten.
"Well, I don't know if I should say anything, but maybe you can help. Senpai, you saw how she was after watching Mimose-san's interview, right?" Naegi asked.
"Ibuki remembers," Mioda said simply. It wasn't easy to forget and not just because it was recent. Maizono looked as though she had gone completely numb after that interview segment was over, Mioda had been one of the first to comment on it.
"Well last week Maizono had told me she was worried about being forgotten or that her group would go their separate ways, maybe she's afraid Mimose-san will be the reason," Naegi finished. The more he thought about it, the more likely that conclusion seemed. As Naegi had told Mioda, he couldn't think of anything he had said that would cause Maizono any distress.
"Well, Ibuki has never been an idol, but she would imagine that the destiny of an idol group is the same as that of a band," Mioda said, not sounding too worried.
"The destiny of a band?" Naegi asked, not entirely sure what Mioda was getting at. One thing is for sure though, I don't think telling Maizono-san that will make her feel better, he thought.
"Sit down Makoto-chan and Ibuki will tell you a tale," Mioda started dramatically.
Naegi did as he was told. In truth, he was looking forward to hearing more about Mioda. He had realized that even though he had been spending all this time with her, he knew very little about Mioda's past.
"Before Ibuki attended Hope's Peak Academy, she went to an all-girls school called Shiba Academy. There, she joined a light music club named 'Black Cherry'. We had a rival named 'Summer Tree', they were a boy band. Ibuki wrote the songs we performed, and our hit single was called 'After School Poyoyon Hour,'" Mioda said.
I think I remember hearing that song somewhere before, Naegi thought, but soon returned his focus to Mioda.
"When a talent scout was going to be watching one of our performances, Ibuki refused to play more traditionally appealing pop music, as she was much more into the heavy metal genre," Mioda continued.
"So, you split with your band due to creative differences?" Naegi asked, even though he pretty much knew the answer.
"Hmmm, how should I put it? Creative differences...? Personality differences...? Well, it's not that big of a deal. That's the destiny of a band member after all!" Mioda said.
To Naegi, it sounded like she wasn't too sure how to explain it. Even though Mioda hadn't told him anything that might be able to help Maizono, he was glad that his senpai trusted him enough to tell him all of this.
"Like Ibuki said earlier, what's most important is a sense of unity. Technique is something you gain just by practice. But you won't know if the group really meshes well together until you try it once... And if it's no good, that's something you can't really help. That's why Ibuki doesn't really regret leaving the band." Mioda said with a serious look on her face.
Naegi nodded, what Mioda said made sense. I know that's what Mioda-senpai has been trying to tell me, but it wasn't until just now that I realized just how important that connection between band members is. I guess that's why Maizono is so worried about losing it and why Mioda-senpai is able to discuss it so casually, he thought.
"But being alone...is a teensy bit lonely," Mioda soon admitted.
"As long as we're friends Senpai, I won't let you feel lonely," Naegi told her.
A blush erupted on Mioda's face as Naegi's words caught her off guard. Once she got her blush under control and was back to her peppy, happy self, Mioda then shouted, "Theeeeen I shall keep playing with Makoto-chan today!"
"Yeah!" Naegi shouted as he pumped his fists. It was out of character, he knew, but he was more than happy to play along for Mioda's sake. I may not be able to help Maizono with whatever is bothering her, but I can at least keep Mioda-senpai from feeling lonely, he thought.
"Let's continue our headbanging. This time it's for the championship! Whoever loses has to steal food from Akane-chan or kick Nekomaru-chan in the shins!" Mioda shouted. Naegi swore he had yet to see her look so serious about anything else.
Either way, losing is a death sentence, Naegi thought. He didn't know for sure that Nidai would kill him, but Naegi knew that the most dangerous thing, or at least one of the most dangerous things, to do at Hope's Peak Academy was to come between Owari and food. With that thought in mind, and the desire to prolong his life by however much he could, Naegi decided to ask a question, "Hey Senpai?"
"What's up Makoto-chan? Do you want Ibuki to give you a handicap?" Mioda asked.
"That would be appreciated Senpai, but I wanted to ask something else," Naegi told her.
"What is it?" Mioda asked, her curiosity clearly piqued.
"I know you said that you don't regret leaving your old band, but would you ever consider playing with them again?" Naegi asked. Naegi may have asked this question to stall for time, but he was genuinely curious about the answer.
Mioda adopted a thinking pose before she said, "Ibuki has thought about this before. She knew she was being stubborn back then, but she won't play a different type of music just to be popular."
"I understand Senpai, you can't feel the love if you don't love the genre," Naegi agreed.
"Exactly Makoto-chan. So, while Ibuki has thought that she wouldn't mind playing with Black Cherry again, she doesn't feel a need to either. Although, sometimes Ibuki does wonder if she made the right decision," Mioda admitted.
"I think you did Mioda-senpai. After all, you're the one who became the Ultimate Musician, not one of the other girls," Naegi reminded her.
"Wow, now Ibuki feels bad for the other girls. Careful Makoto-chan, you hit below the belt again and Ibuki will have to give you a penalty," Mioda joked.
"Okay, okay, I'm already at a disadvantage going up against a pro," Naegi said with a laugh.
A soft giggle escaped Mioda's lips. Something about Naegi brought out this side of Mioda, one that was different from her usual loud, energetic self. She was still random, but she was calmer. Mioda actually kind of liked it. Almost as much as she liked that feeling in her chest that she got whenever Naegi was focused on or would praise her. What is it you do to Ibuki, Makoto-chan? Mioda asked internally.
As the two started headbanging, with Naegi praying that those stakes were just a joke, neither of them noticed was a strawberry blonde pigtail poking out from behind a corner. A devious smile was on Enoshima Junko's face as she pulled out her phone and started typing something.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourth Week of Classes-Sunday
It was the morning after Maizono's televised performance and Naegi and the girls were happy to see that she was back to normal, although some thought she seemed happier than usual. Of course, Mioda was happy too: happy that the younger girl had apparently resolved whatever issues she had been having; and happy that Naegi would no longer be distracted the next time they played.
Breakfast had proceeded the same as any other day, or it did until Enoshima spoke up.
"Mioda-senpai, do you know that you're trending on Trigger?" she asked.
That question put Ikusaba on guard. Enoshima wouldn't bring something like this up if she didn't have a plan of some kind.
"Ibuki is trending? She can't imagine why, she barely uses Trigger," Mioda said.
"Well to be more accurate the idea of a Black Cherry Reunion Concert is trending," Enoshima said. Seeing everyone's confused looks, she showed everyone her phone. In a post, Enoshima had typed: Just listened 2 "After School Poyoyon Hour." Am dorm mates with the writer and Ult. Musician Mioda Ibuki. Wish I could hear it live at least once. #blackcherryreunion.
There was a follow-up: Mioda-senpai is still writing songs. Am sure those are great too. If only Black Cherry would play them live. #blackcherryreunion
It looked like all of Enoshima's followers liked and re-fired both her original shot and the follow-up and the responses ranged from simple agreement to demands for a reunion concert.
"Ibuki feels bad that she'll have to disappoint everyone, but she hasn't seen her old bandmates in a long time," Mioda said as she shrugged her shoulders. Ibuki would love to perform in front of a live audience again though, she thought.
Just then, Yukizome's phone rang. "Yes, this is Yukizome Chisa," she said.
"…" The person on the other end was clearly speaking, but no one but Yukizome could hear what they were saying.
"Yes, she's here."
"…"
"Hold on," Yukizome said as she turned to Mioda. She then said, "Mioda-san, it seems like there are people for you at the front gate. They said to tell you that 'Yamamoto Rin and the girls want to talk to you.'"
"Rin-chan and the girls! Ibuki's old bandmates have come to see her!" Mioda shouted. Contrary to what she had said when she and Naegi were discussing the subject, she seemed pretty excited at the thought of seeing her old band again.
"Should we let them know you're coming?" Yukizome asked, both for her and the security guard on the other end of the phone.
"Ibuki isn't sure," Mioda said. She wasn't sure what to tell her old bandmates. Even if they wanted to, they didn't have the means set up a reunion concert.
"You should go, Senpai. I'll even go with you," Enoshima offered.
"Junko-chan?" Mioda asked, still not sure.
"It's my fault this started, If you do decide to do a reunion concert I know people that can help set everything up," Enoshima explained.
"Okay! Ibuki and Junko-chan will be right out!" Mioda exclaimed. She still wasn't sure what she would say to her old band. She couldn't even be sure that they had come to discuss a reunion concert, but Mioda figured it would be nice to see them again.
"She says she'll be there right away," Yukizome told the guard.
"…" *click*
"Let's go Junko-chan!" Mioda said as she jumped to her feet and ran over to grab Enoshima's wrist.
"Let's," Enoshima said with a smile as she got up and she and Mioda left.
Something about that smile made Naegi uneasy. He wanted to ask Ikusaba about it, but he wasn't sure if he was just worrying too much.
"I didn't know those two were close," Maizono said.
"They aren't, we've lived together for almost a month and I think this is the first time my sister has said anything to Mioda-senpai," Ikusaba explained.
That was all Naegi needed to hear. He turned to Ikusaba and asked, "Ikusaba-san can I speak with you? Alone?"
"The kitchen?" Ikusaba asked.
"Yes," Naegi said as he got up. Ikusaba soon joined him and the two walked into the kitchen. Thankfully, everything went back to normal at the table. It seemed that even some of the more distrustful girls decided that Naegi wasn't going to attempt anything: maybe it was how serious he seemed or maybe it was because Ikusaba was the Ultimate Soldier, Naegi didn't know and right now it hardly mattered. All that mattered right now was the answer to this question, "Ikusaba-san should I be worried about this?"
"Junko-chan wouldn't have done this if she didn't know that it would end badly for Mioda-senpai," Ikusaba told him.
"What should we do?" Naegi asked. Then he said, "I'm sorry Ikusaba-san, being suspicious of Enoshima-san makes me feel like I'm breaking my promise."
"Don't be and you're not, you said you wouldn't act differently around Junko-chan and you really aren't. When she does something that raises red flags I fully expect you to notice," Ikusaba said. She then smiled and said, "As for what 'we' should do, you just work your magic when the time comes."
Naegi, having no idea what she meant by that just let out a confused, "Huh?"
Mioda was happily chatting away as she and Enoshima made their way to the front gate: about her old band; about how she wanted them to meet her new friends and classmates; and sometimes something completely random. Mioda would not have noticed but anyone else looking would have seen Enoshima's head bow and her shoulders slump, clear signs of boredom, until Mioda turned her way. Then she perked up and smiled like she was actually interested in what Mioda was saying.
"Ibuki doesn't regret leaving her old band, but she has wanted to make up with the girls for a while," Mioda explained as she turned to look at Enoshima.
"I'm sure that you'll get your chance Senpai," a smiling Enoshima responded. As soon as Mioda turned, Enoshima slumped again.
"Do you think that the girls will like Ibuki's new friends, Junko-chan? Does Junko-chan think that they will like Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked.
Perking up again, Enoshima replied, "I'm sure they would."
"I wonder if the girls have been practicing their headbanging? Do you practice headbanging Junko-chan?"
"Never really had a reason to." Wanting Mioda to stop talking, Enoshima tried to see if she could spot Mioda's former band. Thankfully by this time Mioda and Enoshima were close to the front gate and as soon as Enoshima pointed the other girls out, Mioda took off running.
"Rin-chan! Hikari-chan! Mebuki-chan! Chinatsu-chan!" Mioda shouted as she approached the group of girls.
"Oh, hey Mioda-san!" A tall girl with black hair and green eyes greeted. This was Yamamoto Rin, the keyboardist from Black Cherry.
"Look at you. You made it to Hope's Peak Academy. I'm impressed," a girl of about Mioda's height with pale skin, red hair, and hazel eyes said. This girl was the drummer, Takamine Hikari.
"Guess we should have listened to her when we were all together, eh Natsu?" another girl asked as she looked at the last girl. The girl asking the question was about as tall as Naegi, had dark skin, bleach blonde hair, and was wearing colored contacts that made her eyes blue, a ganguro gal. She was Kazama Mebuki, the bassist.
"It certainly was fun. Playing together, I mean," the last girl said. She was a little shorter than the others; had strawberry blonde hair; and brown eyes. Her name was Kanzuki Chinatsu, the former rhythm guitarist, and current lead guitar.
"Ibuki agrees, it was fun. We just wanted to go in different directions," Mioda said as she nodded.
"Well, that's kind of why we're here," Yamamoto started.
"When we mentioned that were in Black Cherry with you the shots just pouring in," Takamine added.
"Yeah, sorry. When I fired that shot I didn't really expect it to catch on the way it did," Enoshima lied as she spoke up.
"I'm impressed that our single caught the attention of the Enoshima Junko," Kazama said.
"Did you really think it was that good?" Kanzuki asked.
"It was like nothing I had ever heard before. I just wanted my followers on Trigger to listen to it too. Like I said, I didn't really expect to reunite a band," Enoshima answered. This was a lie too, but none of the other girls could tell.
"Wait a minute, pause, Ibuki never said she was reuniting with her old band," Mioda said.
Tensions had been high when Mioda had split from Black Cherry. The other girls had been desperate to make a name for themselves when they knew that a talent scout would have been listening. It had been years and Mioda hadn't forgotten how angry the others had been when she said she would not play more traditional pop music just to be popular. Even when the others tried to say that once they were famous they could switch to whatever genre Mioda wanted, Mioda stood firm. Mioda was not opposed to becoming famous, but she didn't want to sell out to do it.
"Mioda-san, we did come to ask if you would play with us again, but we also came to apologize. It seems that you were right. You stuck by your principles and now people want to hear your music," Yamamoto said.
"Ibuki accepts your apology, but she doesn't know. Isn't this another way of selling out?" Mioda asked.
"Mioda this is your chance. You wanted to play the kind of music you wanted, and now people are demanding it," Kazama said.
"Mioda-san when you left we started to wonder what would have happened if we had listened to you. Now we have a chance to find out," Takamine added.
"It would be fun to play together again," Kanzuki said.
"Do you girls really want to play with Ibuki again?" Mioda asked.
She received four nods in response.
"Ibuki is happy to hear that but…" Mioda trailed off.
"If you want to schedule a show I can make it happen as soon as you want," Enoshima said.
"Enoshima Junko is going to book us a gig? That's pretty cool," Kanzuki said.
"Let's see if we can still play together, then we'll let you know," Takamine said. The others looked expectantly at Mioda after that.
"Ibuki isn't sure, are Hope's Peak facilities even available to the public?" Mioda asked.
"Both the Headmaster and security like to know about visits from the public ahead of time from the student receiving the guests. Although if it is for the purpose of developing your talent exceptions may be made. If you want, I can call and check," the security guard, the one who had phoned Yukizome earlier, said.
"Would you?" Enoshima asked, a little too sweetly.
While the guard called the Headmaster, the members of Black Cherry were already making plans. Mioda had still had mixed feelings, but she knew she'd come to a decision if she could play a song with her former band.
"Well it's all settled, you can go on in," the security guard said.
"What's all settled?" a new voice asked.
"Makoto-chan, what are you doing here?" Mioda asked, although she was happy to see him.
"I wanted to be sure everyone was getting along alright," Naegi said. It wasn't a lie, Naegi knew that Mioda left her old band, although her wasn't sure if they were on bad terms. The one he really wanted to keep an eye on was Enoshima, he had no idea what she was trying to accomplish and that worried him. Ikusaba had made it sound like Enoshima was planning something cruel and he would do whatever he could to make sure Mioda was alright.
"We're fine Naegi-kun, why wouldn't we be?" Enoshima asked sweetly.
That's what I came to find out, Naegi thought.
"Girls, this is Ibuki's new best friend, Naegi Makoto-chan," Mioda said as she ran over to Naegi and introduced him. Turning to her old bandmates, she introduced them each in turn, "Makoto-chan this is Rin-chan, Hikari-chan, Mebuki-chan, and Chinatsu-chan!"
"Hi, as Mioda-senpai just said I'm Naegi Makoto, I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 and I'm a member of Mioda-senpai's music club," Naegi said.
After they had all greeted him, Enoshima said, "Mioda-senpai and the other girls were just about to see if they could still play together like they used to."
"Makoto-chan should come and listen! Oh, we should see if Hiyoko-chan will want to hear this too!" Mioda exclaimed.
"Okay, Enoshima-san and I will go ask her while you get set up in the Music Room," Naegi said, wanting to keep a close eye on Enoshima.
"Sounds like a plan. Girls follow Ibuki!" Mioda said as she ran off towards the old school building.
40 Minutes Later
Saionji had come along to listen to Mioda and Black Cherry and Naegi could tell that she was enjoying herself, no matter how hard she tried to pretend otherwise. She wasn't the only one, Naegi thought that Black Cherry sounded amazing, like they had never stopped playing together. As for Enoshima, after the performance she made some calls.
The band seemed happy, Mioda certainly was, but she was always happy when she could perform. The other girls seemed genuinely happy too.
"We've still got it," Yamamoto said.
"That makes it sound like we're coming out of retirement," Kazama responded.
"Having Mioda-san as lead guitar and vocalist again is kind of refreshing," Kanzuki added.
"If we do go on stage together again we should do great," Takamine said.
"Well I've got good news on that front, after making some calls I managed to get you booked at a nearby club, Black Box, on Saturday. You're the opening act," Enoshima said.
"This Saturday? Can they be ready by then?" Naegi asked. He had faith in Mioda, but that was not a lot of time to prepare.
"Ibuki and the girls will be fine, we have 'After School Poyoyon Hour' down, we just need to practice the other two songs," Mioda said optimistically.
"So you'll come back?" Kanzuki asked hopefully.
"Ibuki's hands are kind of tied now that Junko-chan made those calls. She did have a lot of fun though, so she figures why not?" Mioda explained. Despite her words, Naegi could tell she was looking forward to this, maybe even more than the other girls.
"We can also throw in a few covers, but we'll be fine," Yamamoto said.
"Yeah, but we really do need to practice though, would you three mind leaving us to that?" Takamine asked.
Saionji huffed and said, "You've got a lot of nerve for a guest. Oh well, come on Servant."
Naegi, having learned to just play along with Saionji, just said, "Okay then." He turned to Mioda and said, "Good luck Senpai."
Before Naegi got to the door Mioda asked, "Makoto-chan, you'll be there Saturday right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Senpai," Naegi answered.
That put a smile on Mioda's face and made her more motivated than ever.
Saionji, feeling left out, yelled, "What about me?"
Enoshima said, "I'll get you two in if that's what you want. I'll also spread the word on Trigger, I want this to be a night you never forget Senpai." With that she left.
Naegi thought that sounded rather ominous, but he had faith that Mioda would be fine. What am I worried about? Mioda-senpai is great, she'll be fine. Ikusaba said I was right to worry but maybe I'm worried about nothing, Naegi thought as he left the Music Room.
Club Black Box
Fourth Week of Classes-Saturday Evening
This is it, the night Ibuki and the girls have been practicing for all week, Mioda thought as she tried to psych herself up. She was a little nervous which was unusual for her, but Black Cherry hadn't even had a whole week to practice. "After School Poyoyon Hour" and the cover songs were no problem, these were songs they were very familiar with. She did notice something was off when they practiced "From Me To You Too" and "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is." Every time they practiced those songs Mioda would notice a grimace on at least one of the girls. The songs sounded fine when they played though, and Mioda figured that they would warm up to those songs come show time.
"We're on in five," Takamine said.
"Wow, the club is packed," Kanzuki noted as she peeked through the curtain.
"This is it girls," Kazama said.
I sure hope Makoto-chan is here for this, Mioda thought. No matter how well the show went Mioda knew it would only be perfect if Naegi were present for it.
"…" Yamamoto didn't really say anything, she seemed the most nervous about their upcoming performance. Mioda thought that there was something else, but she couldn't quite place it.
"It's showtime girls," a member of the club staff told them.
"And now tonight's opening act, Black Cherry!" a voice announced as the curtain rose.
"Hello Black Box!" Mioda screamed into the microphone.
Once Black Cherry started playing things seemed to be going well, the audience seemed to enjoy "After School Poyoyon Hour." Things were still going well when Mioda announced that they would be playing "I Squeezed Out The Baby But I Have No Idea Who The Father Is."
When they started playing it however, that was when it all ended. They barely made it thirty seconds in before the audience started to complain.
"Boo!"
"This sucks!"
"What is this crap!
"Get them off the stage!"
The curtain came down and the manager, a woman in her thirties, approached them. "It seems that it was a mistake to book you girls. Get your things and leave this establishment," she said with a cold look in her eyes before she left.
"Ibuki doesn't understand what happened, we sounded great," Mioda said.
"I knew this was a mistake," Yamamoto said.
"Rin-chan?" Mioda questioned.
"Why did we think that performing with you again was a good idea?" Yamamoto asked angrily.
"This should have been our chance, our second chance, to make it big since you ruined the first one!" Takamine shouted.
"What you girls wanted to play wasn't our music Hikari-chan! What we played tonight was…" Mioda said attempting to defend herself.
"We thought you being the Ultimate Musician would make up for your awful songs!" Kazama screamed.
Mioda felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Her old band was just using her, she had to admit she had feared that might have been the case, but she didn't want to believe it. "But, but I-," Mioda started, the words catching in her throat.
"Your style is too wild," Kanzuki added more quietly but just as angrily.
"Everything about her is too wild. Remember how she tried to turn our band into her own personal circus act?" Yamamoto asked.
Mioda couldn't take it anymore, she ran out of the club as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear the voices of her former band mates and the jeers of the audience.
"Us splitting with her was the best thing we ever did."
"Ultimate Musician? More like Ultimate Has Been."
"Try Ultimate One Hit Wonder."
"Maybe Ultimate Never Was, heh heh."
As soon as she got outside her legs gave out and she curled herself into a ball and tried her hardest not to cry.
"Mioda-senpai, are you alright?" a worried voice asked. Mioda had never been unhappy to see Naegi, but right now she wished that he hadn't come tonight.
"Oh, h-hey Makoto-chan," Mioda said. After looking around she asked, "Where's Hiyoko-chan?"
"Backstage probably, when we came to see you after the curtain dropped we saw you run out. I went after you and I think Saionji-senpai wanted to 'talk' to the other girls," Naegi said. Both he and Saionji had heard what the other girls had said. Naegi couldn't remember feeling that angry at anyone in a long time and if the look on Saionji's face was anything to go by, she felt the same.
"O-oh, she doesn't have to do that," Mioda choked out.
She tried to keep her voice even, but Naegi knew she had taken what had happened pretty hard. He wasn't sure about what he was about to do, he had gotten odd looks when he took a bouquet of roses into the club and when he and Saionji forced their way backstage, and he wasn't sure how Mioda would feel about receiving it now, but he knew she needed some support. Holding out the bouquet, he said, "I know roses are usually given after a theatre performance, but I didn't know what else to get you. If you still want them, of course."
"Why do you have those, Makoto-chan?" Mioda croaked out. Holding it together was clearly getting harder for the poor girl.
Not wanting to upset the girl anymore but realizing that she needed to let her feelings out, Naegi said, "I got them because I wanted congratulate you on a great show. I for one loved your music as much as I always have."
That did it. The tears came and Mioda couldn't do anything to stop them. Pulling her into a hug, Naegi tried to soothe her as best he could. He couldn't blame her really, he knew just how much she was looking forward to this show and for her to get booed off the stage, for her old band to talk to her like that… Naegi couldn't imagine how she felt right now.
"It's okay Senpai. I know you had a bad night, but everything will be okay," Naegi said in a soothing tone.
When she was calm enough to speak, Mioda managed to choke out, "Makoto-chan, I worked so hard for this. I didn't reach anyone else tonight."
She's not speaking in the third person, this is bad! Naegi thought.
"If I can't reach people with my music then I guess I have no business being a musician. You and Hiyoko-chan have been great but it's only just you two. No one else cares," Mioda said in between sobs.
Having heard enough, Naegi shouted, "You've got that wrong!"
That shocked Mioda enough for her to stop crying momentarily, but it didn't really make things better. "What did I get wrong? Do you and Hiyoko-chan hate my music too?" Mioda asked cynically.
"That's not what I mean, and you know it!" Naegi shouted.
"Makoto-chan?" Mioda asked, as she cried harder. Naegi felt terrible, but Mioda needed to hear this.
"Musicians have bad nights, not every performance can be a winner. If a musician never has a bad performance, then they aren't really performing. As the Ultimate Musician, you may have more bad nights than any other musician out there. I believe in you though, Mioda Ibuki-senpai is someone who can bounce back from anything. Maybe this audience didn't get your music, but there are people who will, Saionji-senpai and I are proof of that!" Naegi continued.
"I-I need time to think Makoto-chan," Mioda said, her eyes downcast and her usual energy nowhere to be found.
"Okay, I'll go get Saionji-senpai and we'll head back to campus," Naegi said.
They both soon heard, "Alright, I'm leaving. Get your hands off me! This club sucks anyway. Not a single person in there would know good music if it bit them in the a-,"
"Saionji-senpai!" Naegi called out with a wave.
"Servant! Ibuki-nee!" Saionji responded as she ran over as well as she could in a kimono.
"I think we better head back," Naegi said as he helped Mioda to her feet.
"Yeah fine, this club sucks anyway," Saionji said as she joined them and helped lead Mioda back to Hope's Peak. Thankfully it wasn't very far.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fifth Week of Classes-Saturday
Mioda had not gotten any better on the way back. She thanked Naegi for the roses before dropping them in the trash. "These were supposed to be for a musician, you shouldn't have wasted your money," she had said when she saw the shocked look on Naegi's face. Mioda had not gotten any better as the week went on. She had not attended class, she hadn't even left her room. Naegi had explained what had happened to Yukizome, so she did not force Mioda to attend class, but she was worried, everyone at the dorm was. Or at least all but one was worried, but that one gave a very convincing performance of a concerned friend.
Naegi had done his best to console Mioda. He and some of the girls had spent as much time with her as they could, attempting to cheer her up, not that it seemed to do much good. Mioda was grateful that she had friends who cared so much, but she couldn't get past what happened at the Black Box.
Naegi had just gotten back to the dorm that day with Yukizome in tow. There was something that he had been working on that he had hoped would help Mioda feel better and Mioda's homeroom teacher was more than happy to help him do it.
"I really appreciate what you're doing Sensei, I just hope this gets through to Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.
"I'm more than happy to help Naegi-kun. It's for one of my students after all," Yukizome responded.
"Well whatever the reason is, between helping me with this and letting us into her room, you've been an invaluable ally," Naegi said.
"You think we'll be ready soon?" Yukizome asked, worry clear in her voice. Mioda Ibuki's energy was infectious and Yukizome firmly believed her class benefited from it. If the mood in class this week had been anything to go by she was absolutely right.
Before Naegi could answer, another voice asked, "Uh, Naegi-kun? Yukizome-sensei?" It was Maizono and she looked worried.
"What's wrong Maizono-san?" Naegi asked, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Whatever you two have planned, could you do it soon? It hurts to see Mioda-senpai like this," Maizono said sadly.
"Has she gotten worse?" Yukizome asked.
In response, Maizono answered, "She's wants to throw out her guitar."
"Sensei, I don't think it matters if we're ready or not anymore. We should do this before Mioda-senpai does something she regrets," Naegi said, finally able to answer Yukizome's question.
"I agree," Yukizome said simply.
"Maizono-san, could you tell the girls to meet in the Music Room in the old building, in say an hour? And, I hope it's not necessary, but you may want to take Ikusaba-san with you when get Mioda-senpai," Naegi said.
"Sure," Maizono said. She was a little confused, but she trusted Naegi.
"Yukizome-sensei, could you tell the rest of you class to do the same and meet me in the Music Room ahead of them?" Naegi asked.
"Can do," Yukizome said with a nod.
"Naegi-kun, where are you going?" Maizono asked.
"I'm going to get everything set up. Oh, and make sure Mioda-senpai brings her guitar," Naegi said as he ran out of the dorm.
It was only a few minutes later and Maizono and Ikusaba were standing outside Mioda's dorm room with the master key Yukizome had given them. It had hardly taken any time to spread the word among the girls, so Maizono couldn't understand why Naegi needed an hour.
"Whatever Naegi has planned I hope it works," Maizono said as she put the key in the lock.
"You aren't doubting him, are you?" Ikusaba asked playfully.
"Of course not. I think it's really sweet of him that he's working so hard to cheer up Mioda-senpai," Maizono said.
"He's sweet like that," Ikusaba added.
"Think it will make things hard for us later?" Maizono asked.
"Yep," Ikusaba answered.
"Me too. But that hardly matters right now," Maizono said as she opened the door.
The lights were off, Mioda must have turned them off when Maizono left the room last. Mioda was there lying on her bed, curled up and holding a pillow as tightly as she could, just as she was when Maizono left. Her hair was down, and she hadn't changed out of her pajamas since she got home last week.
"I'm starting to think that Naegi-kun wanted that hour for us," Ikusaba whispered, this was the first time she had seen Mioda this week. She had taken it upon herself to keep Enoshima away from Mioda, a full-time job if there ever was one. She never realized how annoying her sister's gloating was until she came to Hope's Peak.
Maizono nodded and then turned to Mioda and asked, "Mioda-senpai, will you come with us?"
"I don't want to," Mioda answered.
"It's just to the Music Room. Naegi-kun has a surprise for you that he thinks will cheer you up," Maizono said.
"He doesn't need to waste his time."
"Senpai, come on get ready. Get dressed and grab your…where is your guitar?" Maizono asked.
"Where it belongs," Mioda said as she pointed at her guitar. It was sticking out of her small wastebasket.
This caused Maizono to shudder and caused Ikusaba to lose her patience. "I think I've heard enough," Ikusaba said as she went over to Mioda and picked her up. Mioda didn't even try to fight back.
"Ikusaba-san, what are you doing?" Maizono asked.
"I plan to bathe and dress her in time for whatever Naegi-kun has planned. You grab the guitar and her hairpins and whatever else she needs for her horns," Ikusaba said as she carried Mioda into her bathroom and shut the door.
"I'm sorry, I just can't get them right," Maizono said as she gave up trying to get Mioda's hair into its usual style.
"Just bring the hairpins and everything, she can style it herself if she's feeling better," Ikusaba said.
"Okay, now let's go Mioda-senpai," Maizono said as she got up and reached her hand out to Mioda.
In response, Mioda just fell back on her bed. She had let her body go limp.
Ikusaba sighed and said, "Fine, if she's going to be difficult then I'll just carry her to the Music Room too. Maizono-san grab her guitar." Ikusaba lifted the older girl over her shoulder and left the room. Maizono soon followed with the guitar and everything for Mioda's hair.
Class 77-B and the female half of Class 78 were gathered in the Music Room of the old school building. No one was sure what was going to happen, but that didn't stop them from guessing.
"Is Mioda-san going to play? Is she feeling better?" the Imposter asked.
"No, she's still really depressed. Plus, this was Naegi-kun's idea," Koizumi said.
"What is he going to do?" Asahina asked.
"I cannot say, but it would appear that it involves Yukizome-sensei as well," Ogami answered.
"Even with Sensei's help, I doubt a mere Lucky Student could do much good," Komaeda said.
"If I were you Senpai, I wouldn't insult Naegi-kun where I can hear," Ikusaba said as she, Maizono, and Mioda arrived.
"Yeah, if anyone can help Mioda-senpai, it will be Naegi-kun," Maizono agreed.
If Komaeda was going to respond, the lights going down cut him off. The curtain on stage rose and Naegi and Yukizome were set up with their instruments. Naegi with his drums and Yukizome with her guitar.
"Mioda-senpai, would you join us?" Naegi asked.
Mioda, who was still slung over Ikusaba's shoulder, did not answer. So Ikusaba carried her on stage with Maizono close behind. Maizono plugged Mioda's guitar into an amp and Ikusaba set Mioda down and helped her to her feet. When Maizono attempted to give Mioda her guitar, Mioda would not take it.
"Senpai, please, just a few songs. If you don't feel the love anymore we'll stop," Naegi begged.
Mioda just sighed and grabbed her guitar from Maizono. Maizono and Ikusaba then left the stage to join the others as Naegi grabbed his microphone.
"Hello Hope's Peak Academy!" Naegi practically screamed into the microphone. Those who knew him were a little shocked, as they knew how out of character this was for the young man.
Naegi continued, "Today we will be treating you to some of the most amazing songs, all of which have been written and performed by our very own Ultimate Musician, Mioda Ibuki!"
That got some applause, but Mioda believed that everyone was just being nice.
"Let's start things off with 'From Me To You Too.' One, two, three," Naegi said before he Yukizome started playing.
Makoto-chan wasn't lying when he said he had been practicing, Mioda thought as the music started. While he wasn't close to being a professional, he was doing pretty well. Both Naegi and Yukizome sounded pretty good in Mioda's opinion. What really caught Mioda's attention was Naegi's expression, he looked like he was having the time of his life.
Mioda remembered her own words, "As long as you feel the love, there's no problem." Looking out at all of her friends in the audience she thought, Makoto-chan got everyone together to listen to my songs. Even if my classmates and the girls don't love my songs the way Hiyoko-chan and Makoto-chan do, they came. A soft smile made its way onto Mioda's face as she started to play like herself again.
The gathered students started cheering as Mioda started to play like herself. Naegi and Yukizome would have gladly joined them had they not been playing with her. As soon as the song ended the applause was deafening.
Enoshima was not taking this well. She was glad that the music and the audience were so loud when Mioda started to bounce back, she was sure everyone would have heard her grinding her teeth otherwise. This was the second time Naegi had brought someone back from the brink and it was getting old, the despair of failure could only satisfy her for so long after all.
When the small concert ended, Mioda askedm "When did Makoto-chan and Yukizome-sensei learn to play my songs?"
"I found the sheet music you and Black Cherry used to practice and thought that we could help you put on the show you wanted. I figured that your own music was the best way to reach you," Naegi explained. Naegi then said, "Senpai, I know what happened at the club and with your old band hurt you, but please don't give up. When I met you I realized that you, Mioda Ibuki, aren't the Ultimate Musician just because you're the greatest musician in the world, but also because you're the one who loves music the most. So, don't let anyone or anything make you forget your love of music because, and I know this may not make much sense, but music is always on your side. I am too if that helps."
"Makoto-chan," Mioda said, touched by the sweetness of Naegi's words and by how far he was willing to go for her.
While the Mioda everyone knew and loved seemed to have returned, Naegi had to make sure. "Mioda-senpai, are you feeling better? Are you still feeling the love?" Naegi asked.
Mioda just smiled and said, "Sayaka-chan could you bring Ibuki her hairpins, she's not herself without her horns." As Mioda styled her hair she thought, Ibuki is feeling the love alright. For her music and for Makoto-chan. Would even a true band mate go as far as Makoto-chan goes for Ibuki? Ibuki doesn't know the answer to that, but she finally realizes what Makoto-chan is to her. He's more than just a band mate and friend. Wait a minute…
"Ibuki is feeling the love again Makoto-chan! So much in fact that she has an idea for a new song already! She thinks she'll call it 'Cupid's Arrow is Made From the Wood of an Honest Sapling'!" Mioda exclaimed.
"I'm so glad. I can't wait to hear it," Naegi said happily. He thought it was odd that the meaning of his name was in the song title, but he didn't think much of it. Ikusaba and Maizono did catch the point Mioda was trying to get across and planned to talk to her later.
Present Day
Ibuki didn't expect Sayaka-chan and Mukuro-chan to declare themselves her rivals after they helped her so much, but Ibuki doesn't mind. Makoto-chan is worth it after all, Mioda thought happily.
I'm glad I was able to help Mioda-senpai, I hope she never has to go through something like that again. Even if she does, I'll do what I can to help her through it, Naegi thought.
Wanted to get Naegi's attention, Maizono asked, "Hey you two had a music club, whatever happened to that?"
"Oh, Mioda-senpai called it off. She's been devoting a lot of her free time to writing songs since we had that concert to cheer her up," Naegi explained, sounding disappointed. He may have had to teach himself how to play the drums, but he had a lot of fun with Mioda. Well, it's not like I don't get to see her anymore, Naegi thought, trying to look on the bright side.
"Ibuki found a great muse," Mioda added as she glanced at Naegi, something that didn't go unnoticed by Maizono.
"It must be the same as mine, because I've never written songs so quickly or performed so well before," Maizono said through gritted teeth.
"Girls," Naegi said, getting the girls' attention and unknowingly diffusing the situation, "I need to get going, I'll see you both later though."
"I'll hold you to that Naegi-kun," Maizono said.
"Ibuki will miss you when you're gone Makoto-chan," Mioda said dramatically.
"I'm not going that far, there's just something I need to take care of in the main building," Naegi assured the older girl. With that done, he resumed his walk to his original destination, but he didn't get that far before someone called out to him.
"Naegi-kun darling!" a voice filled with the utmost joy called.
"Sonia-senpai," Naegi said as he looked and saw the Ultimate Princess herself, Sonia Nevermind.
And scene, I mean chapter.
As you've all noticed the girl with the most votes was Sonia Nevermind. I personally was pulling for Akane, but the people have spoken.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it started off a little slow and the problem Naegi helped with didn't seem to last too long. Ibuki isn't easy to write for, but that's just my opinion. Giving someone who seems so happy a problem that would make her fall for Naegi and getting everything where it needed to be this chapter gave me more trouble than I thought it would. Thankfully, our very own Putain de Plagieur was there when I needed advice.
The inspiration for Ibuki having a bad show came from Rock Bottom on Youtube posted by tomatokind (redasatomato) (I don't know who illustrated that comic) and Remnants of Hope by jheyjette. Those two give a more satisfying reason for Ibuki's fall into despair that DR3 ever did.
I honestly do believe that a combination of a bad show and her bandmates turning on her would cause Ibuki to fall into a deep depression if not despair. And I know that Makoto was out of character at times, but I don't know, I can see him going along with Ibuki, he has been translated as saying he is more gung-ho than most. Plus we all know he's the type to do anything for anyone. He'd probably humiliate himself if he thought it would cheer someone up. Hmm, I may use that.
I'd really like your feedback though. What did you think of this chapter? Do I rely on the free time events too much? Was Junko too involved in this chapter? Should I take more time on these chapters to let the characters develop more? Point about that last one, I do plan to give the girls, at least some of them, more chapters so I can develop them and the relationship/dynamic between them and Naegi and the other girls there.
Anyway, read and review and I until next time stay frosty.
Chapter Text
Chapter 6: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Princess
Hello again oh readers, mine, allow me to welcome you to another chapter of "Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls." I hope everyone is ready for this chapter about your favorite princess and mine, Sonia Nevermind.
Before we get started I would like to thank all of you who reviewed the last chapter, you were all great. I would also like to thank everyone who messages me regarding this story, your suggestions help immensely. Even what I don't use makes me think of things differently and helps me move forward with the story. You are all great!
I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Shadow-DJ and Ark19 for their new fanfics. "Danganronpa Ultimate Academy" from Shadow-DJ and "Ultimate Secret Friends" from Ark19, if you haven't check them out, I would certainly recommend doing so.
Present Day
The Princess of Novoselic soon closed the gap between her and the average young man from Japan. Naegi, whose face was red from being referred to as "darling," was mesmerized by not just her movements but the regal aura she exuded. However, Naegi knew he had to compose himself for what he knew Sonia wanted to discuss.
"Naegi-kun we must discuss travel arrangements at some point. My parents are 'hella stoked' that I have met the legendary hero. I just know that they and the people of Novoselic will absolutely adore you," Sonia said with stars in her eyes.
"I'd be honored to go to Novoselic to meet your family and your people Senpai, but…" Naegi started before he got cut off.
"No buts, Naegi-kun," Sonia said with authority.
No matter how many times she does that it's always impressive, sweet and calm to regal in less than a second, Naegi thought. Sonia's authoritative manner couldn't stop Naegi from completing his thoughts though, I was going to say you may not want to introduce me as your country's legendary hero. I've never really done anything all that special. I just afraid that I'll embarrass Sonia-senpai by not being what she expects me to be.
"Naegi-kun, you need not worry. You may not believe in your greatness, but I do," Sonia said with a sweet smile. I simply cannot understand why my destined one refuses to acknowledge how amazing he really is, but that humility is part of his charm, she thought, remembering how she discovered Naegi's true identity as her "destined one."
Sonia's words brought a soft smile to Naegi's face, but it didn't ease his concerns. If clumsiness, bad luck, and being in the right place at the right time makes one a legendary hero then shouldn't there be more? There's not much I can do about it though, Sonia-senpai won't hear a word against me, not even from me, Naegi thought as he remembered how this all started.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Sixth Week of Classes-Sunday
It was the first time in a week that Mioda had joined the others for breakfast and everyone was in high spirits. One of the girls in particular wanted to express her happiness.
"Mioda-san, I am glad to see that you are back to your old self," Sonia said.
"Thanks Sonia-chan, Ibuki is sorry she made you worry," Mioda responded.
"Oh no, I am the one who should be sorry. I apologize that I couldn't help you more," Sonia said. Sonia had taken a few turns keeping Mioda company, but she had been unable to think of ways to help her out of her depression.
"It's no biggie, Makoto-chan took care of it," Mioda said happily, a blush adorning her cheeks at the mention of Naegi.
"I was happy to help Mioda-senpai, we're friends after all," Naegi said as he entered with a plate of what appeared to be french toast. This was a regular sight by now, but there was something different about Naegi this morning.
"No hoodie or jacket today Naegi-kun?" Maizono asked when she saw Naegi in a plain white shirt.
"Huh? Oh, I got my jacket and hoodie wet this morning, so I took them off to dry," Naegi explained as he started loading plates with food.
Ordinarily that would have been the end of the matter, but Sonia had a question for Naegi. "Do you always wear a white shirt, Naegi-kun?" she asked.
Naegi thought it was an odd question, but he answered anyway, "I do actually. It's kind of a weird quirk of mine, but it feels weird if I wear anything other than a white shirt under my hoodie."
A white shirt, a plain, if not rather cute, face, and an antenna. Although I believe the others refer to it as an ahoge. I wonder if Naegi-kun could be…, those thoughts were interrupted as soon as Sonia took a bite of breakfast. Surprised, she asked, "Naegi-kun is this…?"
"While not as noticeable as Mioda-senpai, it did seem like you weren't quite your usual self either Sonia-senpai. I figured maybe the taste of Novoselic might make you feel better," Naegi explained.
"So, this isn't french toast?" Celes asked. Not that she or any of the other girls actually minded, whatever it was called, it was good.
"It is, but there are a few extra ingredients and it requires more prep time. I guess it's kind of like how you like your Royal Milk Tea. I've read that this was how the people of Novoselic enjoy french toast," Naegi explained.
"I do not believe I ever mentioned Novoselic," Sonia said, slightly shocked, not just that Naegi knew where she was from, but that he had ever heard of Novoselic to begin with.
"You haven't but when you gave your name and title on the first day I put two and two together, House Nevermind has ruled Novoselic for many generations," Naegi said.
"You seem rather knowledgeable about Novoselic. Even cartographers often overlook my homeland," Sonia stated, it made her happy that someone had heard of her country when most of the world had not.
"Well, I wouldn't say knowledgeable. I did a report on Novoselic in my second year of junior high and I thought it sounded like a fascinating country," Naegi clarified. Remembering what he had said that had started this conversation he asked, "Sonia-senpai, I know I already said this, but you seem like you've had something on your mind, is anything the matter?"
"It is nothing much, it is just that I have been informed that Novoselic will be opening an embassy in Japan very soon," Sonia said.
"I think I heard about that on the news, rather than in the capital they decided on a location close to…," Naegi trailed of as he realized what was bothering Sonia.
"Close to Hope's Peak Academy, correct," Sonia finished for him. Continuing Sonia said, "I believe that this may have less to do with foreign relations and more to do with monitoring me."
"Well, I guess I can understand. You are the only daughter of the royal family," Naegi said. Naegi may not know much about royalty, but if his parents were anything to go by then he knew how much parents worried when their child left home.
"I realize that, it is just that when I came here I wished to be treated like a normal Japanese high school girl and I don't know if that will be possible now," Sonia said sadly.
"Well, it could just be a coincidence. Embassies are usually placed in a nation's capital city, but there have been cases where they've been placed elsewhere," Naegi said, trying to cheer her up. He doubted that would convince her, but he wouldn't be Naegi Makoto if he didn't try to look on the bright side.
"Perhaps, but it is unlikely," Sonia responded.
"Don't let it get to you Sonia-senpai, I'm sure everything will be alright," Naegi said with a reassuring smile.
"Maybe you are right Naegi-kun," Sonia said, feeling better. She had not interacted much with Naegi before this morning, but for some reason she felt like she could believe him. She wasn't sure why she would feel that way, but she decided that she would like to know more about the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78.
Hope's Peak Academy-Cafeteria
Sixth Week of Classes-Monday
Sonia's first opportunity to learn about Naegi came at lunch time the very next day. As Class 78 and Class 77-B were gathering in the cafeteria, Sonia spotted Naegi sitting at a table with Ikusaba, Maizono, and Mioda. After she had gotten her own lunch she made her way towards that Naegi's table, ignoring one of her classmate's attempts to get her attention.
"Sonia-san! Over here! It's a private table for you and me!" Souda yelled, while waving one arm frantically in the vain attempt to catch Sonia's attention. He stopped when Sonia stopped in front of Naegi's table and then curled up in a fetal position as tears streamed down his face.
Naegi, who had a perfect view of Souda, asked, "Is Souda-senpai going to be okay?"
"Kazuichi-chan always gets like that when Sonia-chan ignores him," Mioda explained.
It may be better if I just let that go, Naegi thought to himself. Turning his attention to Sonia, he asked, "Would you care to join us Sonia-senpai?"
"I would be delighted," Sonia answered before taking a seat at the table. While the others were focused on lunch, Sonia was trying to think of a way to phrase the question she wanted to ask Naegi.
It seemed that Naegi had questions of his own as he asked, "Sonia-senpai, is it alright if I ask you about Novoselic?"
"Yes, you are more than welcome to," Sonia answered, always happy to sing the praises of her homeland.
"As I said this morning, I did a report on Novoselic in junior high, but there was not much information," Naegi said.
"Yes, that is understandable, I believe I mentioned that even cartographers overlook Novoselic," Sonia said. Though she did her best to hide it, Naegi thought she sounded disappointed by that fact.
"How about I start by telling you what I learned and maybe you could give me more details?" Naegi suggested, hoping to improve Sonia's mood.
"Oh yes, that idea sounds 'totally sweet,'" Sonia said.
I guess she really is trying to be a normal girl. She's overdoing it, but it's actually kind of cute, Naegi thought. Pushing that thought aside, Naegi said, "I had read that Novoselic Kingdom is an extremely small country that is governed by an absolute monarchy. Though it possesses a small population, it enjoys a thriving economy. I had also read that for generations, the royal family has protected the kingdom and its people from neighboring countries and it is thanks to that, the people still have a complete trust towards the royal family."
"Yes, that is all correct," Sonia confirmed with a nod.
"Oh, and I also read that Novoselic's specialties are wine and chocolate," Naegi quickly added.
"Yes, all who have tried our wine, or our chocolate swear it is the greatest in the world," Sonia said with pride.
"It sounds like a fairy tale come to life. Now I really want to visit someday," Naegi said as he scratched the back of his head.
"You would be more than welcome, Naegi-kun," Sonia said with a smile. Figuring now would be a good time to ask her question, Sonia asked, "Naegi-kun is it all right if I ask you something as well?"
"I'd be more than happy to answer your questions, Sonia-senpai. Provided I can answer, I mean," Naegi said, before he took a bite of his lunch.
Taking a deep breath, Sonia asked, "Who did you have your heart set on initially, and who do you intend to switch to later?"
Shocked by that question, Naegi started choking. Fortunately for him the other girls had been paying attention to the conversation between the two. All three reached for their respective drinks, but Maizono was the quickest. After Naegi gulped down what Maizono had passed him, and completely missed the smug look Maizono directed at her rivals, he asked, "What?!"
"Did I do something wrong?" Sonia asked, confused. "After watching 'The Story of Seven Men and Women' I thought it was a standard tactic to start wavering and swapping partners," Sonia explained.
The other girls were trying their hardest not to laugh. They were not laughing at Sonia, even Ikusaba and Maizono had interacted with the young princess enough to know Sonia was naïve about many things. No, they were trying not to laugh at how uncomfortable Naegi looked as he attempted to string words together.
"Um, well, uh…girls a little help," Naegi pleaded.
"Oh, no, no, no. I'm sure we all want to hear this," Ikusaba said, teasingly. The other girls nodded in agreement.
Naegi sighed, he probably would have found this funny if Sonia had asked anyone else that question. Before he attempted to explain he figured he needed to get clarification, so Naegi asked, "Sonia-senpai, you're talking about that Trendy drama from the late 1980s, right?"
"Yes! It is amazing! It starts off really upbeat, but then it gets really serious, I never expected that to happen... It was all like, 'Seriously, what is going to happen?' I just could not take my eyes off the screen! Momoko's feelings at the time were... My goodness! So intense!" Sonia raved with sparkles in her eyes.
She's a total J-Drama fangirl, Naegi thought, before saying, "I'm sorry to tell you this Senpai, but that was just a TV show, I wouldn't count on anything like that happening."
"Oh," Sonia said, sounding slightly disappointed. It seems I still have much to learn about Japan, Sonia thought.
"I have to admit Sonia-senpai, you scared me with that question in the beginning," Naegi said.
"I assure you that was not my intention," Sonia said, her tone heavy with guilt.
"No, no, I understand. It's just that "The Story of Seven Men and Women" involved the main cast having one-night stands with each other. It's not behavior I would engage in normally anyway but given my current situation it could cause a lot of problems. Not just for me, but the school and possibly you and the other girls. At first, I thought you were accusing me of something," Naegi explained.
"I asked you without even considering that," Sonia said surprised at herself. A princess should never cause trouble for others like this, Sonia thought.
"No harm done, but like I said, that was just a TV show. Real life is different. Although, I suppose that there is a certain irony in me saying that, since my current living situation is like something out of an anime," Naegi said.
When Sonia didn't respond, Naegi said, "I'm sorry Senpai, I didn't mean to upset you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it."
"Since it seems that I still have much to learn about Japan, could I come to you if I have questions?" Sonia asked.
"Of course, Sonia-senpai. You can come to me for anything," Naegi said with a kind and sincere smile.
That put a smile back on Sonia's face. "Have you always been such a kind, caring person Naegi-kun?" Sonia asked.
"It's the only way I know how to live my life, Senpai," Naegi answered.
Sonia could tell Naegi was completely serious when he said that. For the second time in as many days, she found herself impressed by the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm Common Area
Sixth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Classes had officially ended for the day but for Sonia Nevermind, there were still lessons to attend. True to his word, Naegi had been more than happy to answer any and all questions she had about Japanese culture. Of course, she wasn't the only one learning. Naegi had the occasional question about Novoselic too, and Sonia had been more than happy to answer.
They had discussed many things: cultural norms and mores; landmarks and the history behind them; attractions like amusement parks (in Novoselic's case, the lack thereof); and the current subject of education.
"…and that is why children as young as six learn to operate a tank in Novoselic," Sonia finished.
I kind of understand, but I still can't say I approve, Naegi thought. The two had been discussing education in Japan and Novoselic. When Sonia mentioned grade school children driving tanks, of course Naegi requested an explanation. Still, he voiced his appreciation by saying, "Thank you Senpai, I appreciate you telling me about Novoselic."
"No thanks are necessary Naegi-kun, you have been doing the same for me with Japan," Sonia responded happily. And why shouldn't she be happy, not only did she get to learn about Japan, but she was given the opportunity to teach someone about the country she would one day rule, something that even her own classmates had shown little interest in.
"By the way Sonia-senpai, this is a bit more of a personal question, but the other day I noticed how passionate you are about Japanese dramas. Do you have a favorite?" Naegi asked.
Sonia's eyes lit up before she exclaimed, "Yes! I do not know how many times I have seen 'I Will Arrest Your Eyes!'! In fact, when I arrived in Japan, the first thing I did was run across the Spain-zaka!"
I know that show took place in Shibuya. And Shibuya is a tourist hotspot to be sure, but I don't see much point in running across the "Spanish Hill." Well, if it makes Sonia-senpai happy then maybe the "why" doesn't matter, Naegi thought.
"Hmm, in my opinion, I believe the best Japanese dramas were... The ones aimed at women between the ages of 20 to 34, just before Japan's economic bubble burst! The trendiness, energy, and quality... Entertainment was truly at its zenith during this period," Sonia continued.
Naegi nodded. He wasn't big on dramas, but there were a fair share of anime and manga from that time that he had a great fondness for. He was also impressed that Sonia even knew about the Japanese asset price bubble. She's really done her homework, Naegi thought.
"Like all entertainment, Japanese dramas heavily reference their native culture and because of this, slang expressions were often used, so there are some things foreigners may not understand..." Sonia said, trailing off.
Naegi, realizing what Sonia was getting at, said, "If there is anything you don't understand, I'd be happy to explain."
"Thank you very much! Um, so for example: When lovers go on a ski trip, they always end up trapped by a blizzard, right? In that situation, what do you call the ritual where they warm themselves under a blanket while naked?" Sonia asked innocently.
I agree with you that one can learn a lot about other cultures through their entertainment Senpai, but I think you may be learning the wrong things, Naegi thought uncomfortably as he struggled to find a way to explain. When he finally did find the words, he said, "W-Well...that's not really a ritual, it's...um, how should I put it? It's more like a cliché, maybe even a trope at this point."
"Oh, is that so? I certainly thought it was something known in my country as 'Makango,'" Sonia said. Naegi thought she seemed disappointed, whether it was because of his explanation or that she had misunderstood, he did not know.
"Makango? Oh, I recognize that word. I had read that Novoselic has traditions that involve the local wildlife, but I couldn't really find anything specific about the makango," Naegi said, wracking his brain to try and recall anything else.
"Y-yes, that is true. According to tradition, lovers cannot become one until they show each other the mankangos they have grown," Sonia started as she turned red.
Wait…grown? I thought that they were animals, Naegi thought as he tilted his head in confusion.
Sonia must have mistaken it for a gesture urging her to continue because she soon said, "I-It is too embarrassing, so please do not make me say it."
"Embarrassing?" Naegi asked more confused than ever.
"You will get a nosebleed!" Sonia exclaimed.
Nosebleed? Wait… "become one," does she mean…? Oh crap! Naegi thought as realization dawned on him. He quickly said, "Okay, I'll drop it." The last thing I need to do in my situation is talk about sex. Especially not with a foreign student, and especially not with a princess, Naegi thought, hoping no one had heard their conversation. He was right, although the girls were beginning to understand that Naegi was harmless, he didn't want to risk someone thinking he was trying to take advantage of Sonia's naiveté.
Sonia sighed in relief and with a smile said, "Good. I do apologize Naegi-kun but…"
"No, I understand. I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable Senpai," Naegi said. He was, more than what that conversation could mean for him, he hated that he made his new friend uncomfortable.
"It is fine Naegi-kun, you did not know," Sonia said with a kind understanding smile.
Remembering the other day, Naegi started chuckling and asked, "I guess that makes us even for Monday, huh Senpai?"
It took Sonia a moment to recall what Naegi meant, but when she did she started giggling before saying, "I suppose it does, Naegi-kun."
"And you were worried," Naegi said, done laughing but with a smile still on his face.
"What do you mean, Naegi-kun?" Sonia asked, confused. I do not believe that I have mentioned being worried, she thought.
"You were worried you wouldn't be able to be a normal high school girl. Laughing with friends about things like this, I think that's pretty normal," Naegi explained.
Sonia started to laugh and said, "I do believe that you are right, Naegi-kun". She was touched that Naegi had bothered to remember that. Her classmates mostly treated her like a normal student, and she was grateful for that, but right now she felt more like a normal Japanese high school girl than she ever had. It feels good to feel this way, Sonia thought happily. For the rest of the evening the other girls would see the Ultimate Princess wearing the biggest smile they had ever seen from her.
Hope's Peak Academy-Behind the Old School Building
Seventh Week of Classes-Tuesday
Classes had ended for the day, and most of the students went about their business. Naegi would have been one of them, but for a note he had received last evening. It read:
Naegi-kun,
Please meet me behind the Old School Building at 3:30 tomorrow. There is something I wish to discuss with you. Tell no one and make sure you are not followed.
Yours,
Sonia Nevermind
Receiving a note from a pretty girl that asked to meet in secret would have made Naegi nervous regardless, but the fact that it was from an actual princess made it that much more nerve-wracking. Being alone with his thoughts wasn't exactly helping either, What could this be about? It couldn't be… No, "tell no one and make sure you are not followed" makes it sound too urgent. But then why wait at all?
"Naegi-kun, you're exactly thirteen minutes early. Excellent!" an excited voice exclaimed. Naegi turned and saw that Sonia had arrived.
"Senpai, is everything alri-," Naegi started.
"Shush! Lower your voice! We do not know who might be listening in!" Sonia warned.
If Naegi hadn't thought something was wrong before, Sonia's words and serious expression would have convinced him.
Sonia must have sensed Naegi's anxiety, for in a calm, soothing voice she soon said, "Now then, come closer. ...No need to worry."
That managed to calm Naegi down, who soon did as he was asked. Still, Naegi couldn't help but wonder what it was that Sonia needed to discuss that required this secrecy.
He wouldn't have long to wait, because as soon as Sonia deemed him close enough she asked, "Naegi-kun, do you happen to know a lot about the occult?"
That had not been what Naegi was expecting, but he still answered, "Uh, I know a few things about ghosts and fortune-telling if that helps."
"Ah!" Sonia exclaimed happily.
Deciding he needed to clarify, Naegi continued, "My sister, Komaru, believes she can see ghosts, although the first 'ghost' she claimed to see belonged to someone who was still alive. That said, she still seems to be able to see things no one else can, so I believe her. It was because of that that I tried to read up on ghosts when I was younger."
"And fortune-telling?" Sonia asked, making a mental note to get the full story from Naegi one day.
"When I learned I was going to be classmates with the Ultimate Clairvoyant I tried to learn about the different methods of fortune-telling. I did it so that way Hagakure-kun and I had something to talk about, but it turns out he'd rather talk about aliens and OOPart," Naegi explained. Mentally, he added, I also learned that he doesn't believe in the occult, but unless Sonia-senpai or anyone else wants to get a reading from him, I think I can keep that to myself.
Sonia didn't ask for more details. Instead, she asked, "Do you know much what about cults?"
"Not very much, I'm afraid," Naegi admitted, not really sure what it was Sonia was getting at.
"Hmm, well I suppose that will do for now. Let us disperse," Sonia said.
"Wait, Senpai, what were all these questions and all the secrecy about?" Naegi asked.
Sonia seemed to weigh the decision of whether or not to answer Naegi's question before she said, "I can see no harm in telling you. Though I understand it is a forbidden interest for a princess, I am quite interested in Freemasonry!"
Naegi gave confused look, that really didn't answer his question.
"Of course, my interest is purely academic. I have no intention of conspiring to overthrow the government," Sonia elaborated.
I can see how that could be awkward, Naegi thought.
"But when I think about Freemasonry, my chest begins to hurt," Sonia added.
She's passionate, but I think she might have the wrong idea, Naegi thought.
"However, it seems not many people understand this feeling of mine. And because of that, I feel quite lonely. Sometimes I feel like I could just cry," Sonia said sadly.
Naegi put his hand on Sonia's shoulder and gave a kind smile, both to comfort her and to urge her to continue.
It worked because she soon gave a resolute smile and said, "However, expanding my knowledge like this is the duty every member of the royal family. And that is why I am interested in the occult, cults, and popular dramas!"
That's an admirable attitude, but those sound like the interests of high school girl, not the research of a future head of state, Naegi thought.
"I have always believed that dismissing a different set of values due to ignorance is foolish. I asked you here because I believed that you would understand, and I am pleased to see that I was right," Sonia said happily.
Yeah, I guess I do, Naegi thought. That he had bothered to learn about ghosts and fortune-telling was proof of that.
"I do not know how many foolish wars have be fought on the basis of that ignorance. Of course, my country is no exception. We still have many unique traditions that other cultures would not truly understand," Sonia finished.
"Like the makango and… I believe they're called skong?" Naegi asked.
"Yes, in Novoselic you are not acknowledged as an adult until you consume a skong," Sonia confirmed.
I've never seen a picture of either of these animals, but for some reason that sounds unappetizing, Naegi thought.
"However, I think my generation should be objecting to these traditions," Sonia said. She continued, "Although it is nice to retain makangos and skongs as a symbol of high status, auctioning them to the highest bidder goes against the spirit of animal conservation. I am not suggesting that we end this tradition completely, I shall simply find new uses for makangos and skongs."
"Like what?" Naegi asked, he thought maybe he could find out more about these animals if Sonia explained her plans.
"They grow when they're scared and shrink when angered. I plan to harness the energy they release in this state. By using the knowledge of the past, we shall develop a new energy source from our old traditions!" Sonia's voice was full of conviction as she exclaimed this.
That really just raises more questions. I wasn't aware animals like that actually existed, Naegi thought.
Sonia continued, "I understand that it may be a difficult path. However, I shall accomplish it by any means! After all, guiding my people along the right path is the duty of a ruler!"
"You're really amazing Senpai. Your people are really lucky to have you," Naegi said.
"Thank you Naegi-kun, but to me, I am simply doing my duty as a princess," Sonia said, humbly.
"Maybe, but I still think it's amazing that you would want to embark on such a task when you know it's difficult. Change is hard, and those who have benefitted from those traditions aren't going to be so willing to embrace it. I know there probably isn't much I can do to help you, but I will be hoping for you to succeed," Naegi said.
Sonia felt her cheeks grow warm for some reason and said, "Thank you Naegi-kun." Sonia didn't know why, but that difficult path of hers felt less difficult now.
"I don't think I did anything worth your thanks Senpai, but you're welcome," Naegi said. As the two made their way back to the dorm, Naegi turned to Sonia and asked, "Sonia-senpai, after last time I won't ask you about makangos, but could you tell me skongs?"
Sonia nodded before saying, "Well, skongs look a great deal like…"
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Sunday
It was after lunch when Naegi found himself in front of the door to Sonia's room. He had been invited here after a brief conversation earlier in the day. He and Sonia had been talking and he had asked what he thought was an innocent enough question: "Why had Novoselic been overlooked for so long?" He had been expecting a history lesson, but what he got was a serious look from Sonia before she told him to come to her room later so she could explain.
I've never seen Sonia-senpai look so serious, Naegi thought before knocking on the door. He was glad most of the dorm's other occupants knew where he would be and why, it would save him awkward explanations. Although, perhaps explanations were no longer necessary, as it seemed that even Koizumi and Saionji no longer believed that Naegi would try something if he and girl were alone in his or her room together. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he was grateful for it. He was so distracted by this line of thought that he almost missed Sonia saying, "Come in."
Naegi did as he was told, and when he had entered he saw Sonia sitting on her bed with the same expression she had worn when she had told him to come to her room.
"Ah Naegi-kun, please have a seat," Sonia said as she motioned towards the chair at her desk. After Naegi had done so, Sonia took a deep breath and Naegi decided to speak.
"Sonia-senpai, if you don't want to discuss this we don't have to," Naegi told her.
"No, no, it is not that. It is…Well, once I have finished I am sure you will understand," Sonia said. She soon stood up and started pacing before she stopped and asked, "Before we begin, are you familiar with the phrase, 'damnatio memoriae?"
"'Damnatio memoriae' is a Latin phrase literally meaning 'condemnation of memory', it means that a person must not be remembered. It was a form of dishonor that could be passed by the Roman Senate on traitors or others who brought discredit to the Roman State. The intent was to erase all memory of the malefactor," Naegi answered.
"Correct. Do you know which two countries border Novoselic?" Sonia asked.
"There is the Republic of Borginia that almost completely surrounds Novoselic to the south and in the sea to the north there is the island nation of Fortuna," Naegi answered.
Sonia had one more question, "Have you ever heard of the 'Divine Right of Kings?'"
"That's the political and religious doctrine of royal and political legitimacy that asserted that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God." Naegi wasn't sure of the point of any of these questions, but he was sure Sonia would explain.
"Good, this will save us some time. I need you to understand all of these before I tell you Novoselic's history," Sonia began. Sonia sat back down on her bed before continuing, "As you know, my family has ruled Novoselic for the longest time, and the story of how that came to be is part of the reason why Novoselic has been overlooked for so long. Though, overlooked is not the word I would use."
For the first time since he had known her, Naegi thought he had heard bitterness in Sonia's voice as she said that last part.
"Before House Nevermind ruled Novoselic there was only one other royal family, that of House Dosinmatter. My family simply served under them until sometime in the Early Middle Ages when King Eric Dosenmatter ascended to the throne. The reign of Eric the Depraved and what happened next would shape the course of Novoselic's history for centuries," Sonia began. She saw that Naegi sat and listened with rapt attention and she continued.
"Whether it was madness or cruelty, no one can say, but Eric Dosinmatter more than earned his moniker, the Depraved. When farmers had a poor growing season a member of their family would be executed; he would demand tribute from random citizens and if he found it lacking he would leave them to rot in the dungeons, where it is believed that he would personally torture them; any of his men that would take pity on the citizens would be executed for the 'crime of weakness.' There are other examples that I will not go into as I believe you understand."
"As I said before, my family served House Dosinmatter since the beginning, and at first this was no different. When my ancestor Viktor Nevermind became Eric's advisor, he attempted to reign him in, but to no avail. Eric would not stop, and I imagine he saw no reason to. This was before the Social Contract Theory, kings were, as you stated, 'subject to no earthly authority.' However, as time wore on and Eric's depravity grew, Viktor and others who could not stomach his evil began to see no other way. They would commit regicide to save Novoselic, not matter what happened to them. It was rather one-sided, Eric had not done much to endear himself to his subjects, and few rallied to his side. You had said that those who benefit from traditions are likely to oppose change, well those who had benefitted from Eric's rule, and there were a few ministers who had, were all who would oppose my ancestor and his men. In a matter of days Eric was dead and his loyalists and his wife were placed on a ship and would be left on an island to the north, present day Fortuna, which at the time was where Novoselic exiled repeat offenders that were undeterred by the stocks."
"With Eric gone a new king would be needed and as he was the one who had taken Eric's life, my ancestor Viktor was made king. For the people of Novoselic, this made sense: an unjust ruler would be replaced by a just one. I believe that in China and East Asia such a thing is called the 'Mandate of Heaven.'"
Naegi interrupted, "Yes, while the divine right of kings granted unconditional legitimacy, the Mandate of Heaven was dependent on the behavior of the ruler, the Son of Heaven. Heaven would bless the authority of a just ruler, but it could be displeased with a despotic ruler and thus withdraw its mandate, transferring it to a more suitable and righteous person. This withdrawal of mandate also afforded the possibility of revolution as a means to remove the errant ruler."
"Correct, but sadly, revolt was never legitimate under the European framework of divine right, in fact such a notion was sacrilegious," Sonia said. Then, picking up where she left off she said, "When word of this had spread to other kingdoms, it was believed that it was only a matter of time before divine punishment would be visited upon Novoselic. As you can plainly see, that did not happen. In fact, Novoselic seemed to enjoy even greater prosperity than before the reign of Eric. As such, accusations of witchcraft and deals with the devil began to circulate among the neighboring kingdoms to the point where even associating with someone from Novoselic was severely punished. It was through this that a name and a moniker were born: Fortuna was given its name for it was fortunate that those loyal to Eric would not share Novoselic's fate. This name was conceived by those loyal to Eric who had been banished to the island. They also came up with a moniker for the newly crowned King Viktor. He who had gone against Heaven would be known as Viktor the Forsaken. That was fine for Fortuna, but the rest of Europe had a different idea. Perhaps you wondered why I asked if you were familiar with damnatio memoriae? I realize that it must seem odd since the Fall of Rome had already happened, but Rome's influence is still very much a part of Europe today. Think of how much more noticeable it was in the time of Viktor. It was decided in order to protect their kingdoms and the rest of Europe, the knowledge and memory of Novoselic must be erased, a different type of damnatio memoriae."
"Of course, as with the actual damnatio memoriae, it was difficult, to implement the practice completely. Just look at Rome. The Roman Senate had wanted to condemn the memory of Caligula, but Claudius prevented this. Nero was declared an enemy of the state by the Senate, but then given an enormous funeral honoring him after his death by Vitellius. And so, it was for Novoselic, as other Europeans would unknowingly associate with its people," Sonia said.
"They would, of course, not refer to themselves as people of Novoselic, as anyone from Novoselic and those associating with them would be executed. For their safety, people of Novoselic that did business with those from other lands would say that they were from a kingdom called Borginia. I doubt that they could imagine that many centuries later this lie would become the truth."
Sonia stopped, reached for a glass of water she had on bedside table, and took a sip. She then continued, "My apologies, where was I? Oh yes, Borginia. Novoselic was once much larger than it is today: Both the Republic of Borginia and Fortuna had both once been a part of it. You have heard how Fortuna had come to be and you have heard the origin of the name Borginia. Between present day Novoselic and Borginia, there is a large mountain range that surrounds Novoselic on three sides. For centuries, the only way through was a narrow pass. While Novoselic has the natural resources to be self-sufficient, on the other side of those mountains, the land that would become Borginia had to trade with neighbors to survive. However, that is not what caused Borginia to split off from Novoselic, that is merely how and why the use of the name Borginia began. For though Eric's cruelty did not reach them as often as it did those inside that mountain range, it still managed to reach them. They agreed that Novoselic was better off without Eric, but like I said, they still needed trade to survive. With this in mind, the position of Earl of Borginia was deemed necessary, and so in one of his last official acts as king, Viktor appointed one. House Cudhaben was known for its prudence, wisdom, and generosity, they were seen as excellent for their role as Earls and Countesses. For a time, things proceeded smoothly, until the Black Death swept through Europe."
"By this time many generations had passed and Novoselic was ruled by King Abram. While the Black Death was decimating the people of Europe, those with limited trade managed to avoid the worst of it. It was perhaps because the rest of the continent had blacklisted Novoselic that it passed the northern part of Novoselic completely. Those in Borginia were not so fortunate, not even House Cudhaben, which had been completely wiped out."
"With no heir to take over, Abram called his two sons Alexander and Albert. Alexander, the older of the two was charismatic and it was well known that he knew how to fight, but his leadership skills had been untested. Albert was more a thinker than a fighter, and although less charismatic than his brother, his kind and generous nature made him popular among the people. With no one to succeed the Earl of Borginia, King Abram appointed Alexander as the Duke of Borginia."
"Instead of seeing this for what it was, a way to test him for his future as king and an act of trust, Alexander saw this as a plot to make Albert the king. Once he had made the journey into Borginia, he declared the new 'Duchy of Borginia' a sovereign nation and gathered an army to take what was his. It was easy enough to gather an army, with his aforementioned charisma he told the people he was sent to govern that Novoselic had escaped the effects of the Black Death because they had the cure and were withholding it. A simple lie and perhaps even back then it may have been considered transparent, but to those still reeling from loss and looking for someone to blame, it became a rallying cry."
"I cannot imagine the pain of Abram and Albert at the thought of fighting their son and brother, but they understood their responsibility to their people, so fight they did. Both made repeated attempts to reason with Alexander and the opposing army but to no avail. Although Alexander could fight, it turned out he could not lead, and his already small force was repelled back to the other side of the mountains. As a final act of malice against the family he believed had wronged him, he had a gate erected between the mountain pass of Borginia and Novoselic and encouraged the people of Borginia to tell of a land of desolation and evil within the mountains to all who would listen. Who would correct them? Europe had almost completely forgotten about Novoselic by this point, the only evidence that it existed was the worn and well-traveled mountain pass."
"As you have noted, my family has protected Novoselic from neighboring countries for generations. It is the people of Borginia and Fortuna that we have been protecting them from. These old grudges lingered for the longest time and those claiming to be descended from Eric from Fortuna and those descended from Alexander from Borginia would come and try to take what they believed was rightfully theirs."
"Thankfully, that is not so much a problem today, or rather we do not have to fear invading armies. During the Enlightenment, specifically the spread of the idea of the Social Contract Theory, both those claiming to be descendants of Eric and the descendants of Alexander had been deposed by their own people. For the most part, Fortuna no longer bears Novoselic a grudge and when the true cause of the Black Death and how to avoid it had been discovered, Borginia finally made peace with Novoselic. There are still groups that claim they are loyal to the true royalty of Novoselic that are supposedly led by the descendants of Eric and Alexander and have conducted acts of terror to achieve their goals."
"It was not until the late nineteenth century that all of Europe once again acknowledged the existence of Novoselic, the rest of the world had at least heard of us by the early twentieth, but somehow we are still often overlooked. I believe that our location combined with our ability to remain self-sufficient has led to isolationist tendencies, considering what Novoselic has gone through I cannot say I blame those who wished to remain isolated from the world. Though after the Cold War this sentiment has changed as we have realized that Novoselic must keep up with the rest of the world or we will not survive," Sonia said.
It seemed that Sonia had finished, so Naegi asked, "Thank you for explaining all of this, but why the secrecy, shouldn't everyone hear this?"
"You are right Naegi-kun, there is no need to keep this information secret. I do it so that the others will not see me so…so…" Sonia said as she struggled to find the right word.
"Bitter?" Naegi suggested.
"Yes, I am bitter. I know that all of this is in the past and that it is time to move forward. I want to move forward, but when I think about what happened I cannot help it. Whether or not other kingdoms believed that what Viktor did was justified why force the people of Novoselic to suffer for it? Because they rebelled with him against an unjust ruler? What would they have had them do? Suffer until Eric wiped them all out? Alexander was no better. He wanted to rule but suspicion and jealousy cost him his chance and he made two nations suffer for it. Would it not have been better to talk to his father and brother? Was it so hard to try to understand? Albert tried again and again to get him to return. Why would he not listen?" Sonia vented with tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Seeing that Naegi was looking at her and not missing his sympathetic gaze, Sonia broke down and between sobs managed to say, "I'm sorry, Naegi-kun, but now you understand why I speak of foolish wars and ignorance. This is why I believe that understanding is so important. Perhaps it is foolish of me to speak of such things while I hold these feelings when I think of the past. Do I even have a right to talk about the future when I hold these feelings?" She probably would have kept going but Naegi had come over and pulled her into a hug.
"It's okay Senpai, this is just proof of how much you love Novoselic and its people," Naegi said as he rubbed her back soothingly. Sonia continued sobbing for a few more minutes before she finally calmed down.
"I am sorry you had to see me like that, Naegi-kun," she apologized.
"It's alright, Senpai. Honestly, seeing how much you love your country and its people make me think of how lucky they are to have a princess like you," Naegi said.
"I appreciate that Naegi-kun, but what would my people say if they saw me like this?" Sonia asked.
"If they saw just how deep your love for them, their history, and Novoselic is, it could only make them love you more," Naegi responded.
Sonia blushed and said, "Th-thank you, Naegi-kun." My heart is beating so fast, she thought.
"You're welcome, Senpai. Don't worry, I won't tell the others about this if you really don't want me to, but I know none of them would fault you for feeling the way you do," Naegi said.
"Do you really think so?" Sonia asked.
"Of course, normal high school students have strong feelings and get emotional all the time, it's okay to let your friends help you when you feel this way. If something happened or there is something bothering you, I'll help. In fact, you have a lot of amazing people willing to help you. But I understand why you're worried," Naegi said.
"You do?" Sonia asked.
"It's because you're a princess, right?" Naegi asked back.
"Yes, it seems me being a normal Japanese high school girl is just a fantasy," Sonia said sadly.
"Well, I can't make you Japanese," Naegi said as he scratched the back of his head before continuing, "but I don't think you have to give up on being a normal high school girl. I understand that you are a princess. You have a weight on your shoulders that I couldn't possibly understand, and that for your people's sake you must be perfect. Maybe you think that if you are seen as fallible that they will lose their faith in the royal family. I can't say for sure if that is true, but I don't know why you can't be both a princess and a normal high school girl. It's okay to feel, it's okay to not be perfect, as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties I think everyone would understand."
Sonia just stood there with a contemplative look on her face.
Naegi, thinking he had crossed some line said, "I'm sorry, Senpai. I know I can't really understand since I'm not royalty."
"You have done nothing wrong Naegi-kun, but you have given me something to think about," Sonia said with a bright smile.
Relieved, Naegi said, "I'm glad to hear that Senpai. Thank you for the history lesson." When he had put his hand on the doorknob, he stopped, turned, smiled and said, "For what it's worth, even when you're the Queen of Novoselic, you'll still be Sonia-senpai to me."
The red came back to Sonia's cheeks and she swore her heart beat even faster than before. All she said in response was, "It's worth more than you can imagine. Thank you, Naegi-kun."
Present Day
BOOOOMMM!
The two were brought back to the present by a loud explosion close by. The force so great that it knocked the two off balance with Naegi colliding with Sonia knocking them both to the ground.
"Sonia-senpai! I'm sorry, I-," Naegi was soon cut off by a loud thud. A large piece of metal had fallen out of the sky. From her position, Sonia was able to see that had she and Naegi not fallen when they had, she would have been struck by it. It was incidents like this that convinced the young princess that she was correct in her assumptions, that Naegi was indeed the legendary hero.
"Darling, you saved me again! See, you really do possess the ability to sense danger!" Sonia practically cheered.
Naegi laughed nervously, he knew no matter what he said to the contrary Sonia would not believe it. Soon though, after getting to his feet and helping Sonia to hers, he asked, "What was that?"
Pointing in the direction the metal had come from Sonia said, "I believe it came from that direction."
"I hope no one was hurt," Naegi said as he started off in the direction Sonia had pointed.
"Yes, we must ensure that there were no casualties," Sonia said as she followed.
As the two got closer to the site of the explosion they heard another loud noise. This time it was two people yelling.
"Look at this! Look at this! I don't know how, I don't know when, but I know it was your stupid rats that did this!"
"Lies! The Twelve Zodiac Generals have not left my presence! The nature of our dark pact is such that-"
"Then what else could have done it!"
Both Naegi and Sonia recognized those voices as belonging to Souda Kazuichi and Tanaka Gundham. Souda looked furious. He was covered in oil and dust and was holding out what looked like wires. Tanaka looked better but seemed just as angry. The Generals, Tanaka's hamsters, were on his shoulders and head and were cowering, Naegi couldn't tell if it was because of the noise from the explosion or their master's and Souda's tones. Deciding that it was best to defuse the situation Naegi drew their attention.
"Tanaka-senpai! Souda-senpai!" he called.
"Ah, the Light-Born, how fare you?" Tanaka asked in greeting.
"Sonia-san!" Souda called out, his anger completely forgotten.
"What has happened here?" Sonia asked.
His anger returning, Souda said, "This asshole's rats chewed on these wires and caused my machine to blow up!"
"They did not!" Tanaka yelled.
"Souda-senpai, may I see those wires?" Naegi asked.
Souda grumbled but complied. Naegi had to admit that he was right, it did in fact look like something had chewed on the wires. Without the coating the current must have jumped. So Souda-senpai was most likely right about that causing the explosion, Naegi thought. Still, something was bothering him. Turning to Tanaka, or rather his hamsters, Naegi gently asked, "Could all of you show me your teeth?"
The Twelve Zodiac Generals did as they were asked. Early on, the Generals had become quite fond of Naegi and listened to him almost as well as they listened to their real master, it certainly came in handy at times like this.
"Hmm, yeah I thought so, but I had to be sure. Souda-senpai, it's clear that something chewed on your wires, but these teeth marks are too small to have been caused by the Generals," Naegi said.
"What else could have done it?" Souda asked. He still wasn't convinced.
"I wish I could tell you Senpai. I think that we would probably notice if Hope's Peak had a problem with mice or rats," Naegi said, trying to think of an answer.
"Excuse me, but could you help me?" a new voice asked.
"Kimura-senpai, whatever is the matter?" Sonia asked the newcomer. Kimura Seiko was a short woman with purple eyes and a sickly complexion. She had a pale grey hair and a respirator mask covering her mouth.
"I'm sorry to bother you but some of my test animals have escaped. It seems that I forgot to lock their cages last night," Kimura explained.
"Impossible!" Tanaka exclaimed.
"Why is it impossible, Tanaka-senpai?" Naegi asked.
"Earlier this year a dark bargain was struck. Your familiars should be forever bound to your realm," Tanaka said to Kimura.
"Yes, earlier this year I requested Tanaka-kun's help in training my research animals so that they wouldn't run away, but…" Kimura began.
"If Tanaka-kun trained them to not leave your lab then they should not have left your lab," Sonia stated. She was right, animals trained by Tanaka Gundham always behaved the way they were trained, everyone knew that.
"The ones he trained are still there, but a month ago some of my hamsters gave birth. I thought I could hold off on requesting Tanaka-kun's help until they were older, but that seems to have been a mistake," Kimura said sadly. She didn't want to bother Tanaka again. She hated to be a bother at all, but it seems things were going to turn out that way no matter what.
"Souda-senpai, I believe we now know what chewed your wires," Naegi said.
Souda just growled.
"What's this about wires?" Kimura asked.
Naegi showed her the wires and said, "We aren't sure when this happened. Souda-senpai thought Tanaka-senpai's hamsters chewed them but now I think it might have been your baby research hamsters."
Kimura looked at the wires and sighed, "Yes, I've seen them chew enough things to recognize their teeth marks. I'm sorry for the trouble, Souda-kun."
"It's fine," Souda said, although he still seemed angry. Part of him had wanted Tanaka's hamsters to be what had chewed his machine's wires.
"Would you like us to help you look for your hamsters?" Naegi offered
"No, if this happened a while ago then they are probably long gone," Kimura said in resignation.
"If you're sure, Kimura-senpai, but I'll keep an eye out anyway," Naegi said.
"As will I," Sonia added.
"I as well," Tanaka said.
"Thank you, I'm going to look a little longer then head back," Kimura said as she left.
When Kimura was out of earshot, Souda yelled, "It's a conspiracy, you Lucky Students have it out for me!"
"Souda-senpai, it was all just coincidence," Naegi said in an attempt to defend himself. Naegi had often heard that Komaeda's bad luck always seemed to draw Souda in, but to Naegi's knowledge, his luck had never affected Souda one way or the other. Naegi supposed that this had more to do with the amount of time he and Sonia spent together than any perceived problems his luck had caused Souda.
"Do not yell at Naegi-kun!" Sonia ordered. The regal aura she gave off let everyone know she would not tolerate any arguments.
"I-er, yes Sonia-san," Souda said, dejected.
"It's fine, Sonia-senpai," Naegi said, trying to calm the princess down.
"It is most certainly not, you have done nothing wrong. I believe that Tanaka-kun is owed an apology as well," Sonia said, still irritated by Souda's behavior.
"Sorry," Souda said as quickly as he could. Apologizing to Tanaka was not something Souda really wanted to do, but if Sonia wanted it, he would do it. It would be the bare minimum, but he would do it.
"I suppose that is the best we can expect," Sonia said as she finally calmed down, disappointment clear in her voice. It is not just that poor apology. I would have thought that after all that Naegi-kun has done for us, that Souda-kun would show him at least some respect, she thought.
This did not go unnoticed by Souda, who hung his head. I liked it better when it was just the hamster-humping chuuni I had to deal with, Souda thought.
"As long as the Generals have been proven innocent then I will not visit my wrath upon anyone," Tanaka said. It seems that I, the Overlord of Ice, am once again indebted to the Light-Born, he thought.
"That's very gracious of you Tanaka-senpai," Naegi said, not that he had expected anything else. He had gotten to know Tanaka and Souda pretty well in his time at Hope's Peak. Now that I think about it, these two are part of the reason Sonia-senpai thinks I'm some kind of hero, Naegi thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Monday
Breakfast time at the dorm seemed unusually quiet today. It was the morning after Sonia had told Naegi of Novoselic's history and she seemed distracted. This did not go unnoticed by the other girls or by Naegi as they all sat at the table. The first to speak up, however, was Mioda.
"Is Sonia-chan alright?" she asked.
That question brought Sonia back to reality as she said, "What? Oh, Mioda-san, yes, I am fine. I am just preoccupied."
"With what?" this time it was Yukizome who asked, concern for her student was clear in her voice.
"I received word last night that the Novoselic Embassy will officially open in two weeks. I am to attend the ceremony as the Princess of Novoselic," Sonia explained.
"That's great…I think," Nanami said.
"It is good news, it is simply that I have never attended such an event without another member of the royal family present," Sonia said.
"Is that bad?" Asahina asked.
"Not bad. However, in my entire time attending Hope's Peak Academy, that is all I have done, attend Hope's Peak Academy as a student. I have not met with the representatives of another nation in some time, I simply fear I am out of practice. I must push that feeling aside though, I will never be fit to be queen if I cannot even do this," Sonia said, sounding determined at the end.
"You'll be fine Senpai," Naegi said.
Sonia's cheeks turned red as she nodded.
Enoshima didn't miss this and decided to speak up, "It sounds like you don't want to go by yourself though. Why not take Naegi-kun? Aren't you two BFFs now? Plus, isn't he a nerd for Novoselic?"
Three glares were directed at Enoshima in response to her words. Ikusaba, Maizono, and Mioda were not happy. Ikusaba didn't know what her sister was planning, but the thought of Naegi spending too much time with another girl irritated her. It irritated Maizono and Mioda too, they may not have known Enoshima's true nature, but they were pretty sure she was having fun at their expense.
This was confirmed for them when Enoshima just folded her hands and made herself look as innocent as possible. It wasn't what she wanted, but it would do for now. After all, jealousy was just another path to despair.
"That is an excellent suggestion, Enoshima-san!" Sonia exclaimed. The others could swear they saw her eyes sparkling. The young princess turned to Naegi and asked, "Naegi-kun, will you join me at the ceremony?"
"If it will make you feel better Senpai, then of course," Naegi said with a smile.
"Excellent, afterwards we can tour the building. I will tell you all you want to know about Novoselic. It will be 'totes awesome!'" Sonia exclaimed, eyes still bright and sparkling.
Everyone else had had gone back to eating, but there were three people who did not think it was "totes awesome."
Later
The mood in Class 77-B was rather subdued and the cause was not what anyone had expected. Mioda Ibuki, the ordinarily happy, peppy, Ultimate Musician, had come to class with a dark cloud over her head.
"Do Sensei and Naegi-kun need to put on another concert?" the Imposter asked, his voice heavy with concern.
Yukizome had heard the question and responded by saying, "No, this is… this is something else. She should be alright in a little while."
"Are you sure about that Sensei?" Nidai asked. No one could blame him for having doubts, even Mioda's horns were sagging. Her head was resting on her desk and she was tracing circles with her index finger while mumbling.
"Fuck it, I give up. what's wrong?" Kuzuryuu asked.
"Sonia-san needs to be at the opening of the Novoselic Embassy in two weeks and she asked Naegi-kun to go with her," Pekoyama answered.
"WHAT!" Souda shrieked.
"I told the girls and my 'biff' that I was worried about being the sole representative of Novoselic. Although Naegi-kun cannot join me for official business, simply knowing he will be there is reassuring," Sonia explained with a smile. She felt bad for Mioda, but she couldn't understand what Mioda was getting upset over. Naegi would be present as her friend, that was all. For the first time ever, the word "friend" left her with a bit of an empty feeling and she was not sure why.
"What's a 'biff?' Is that Novoselic for 'boyfriend?'" Souda asked in a whine, with tears streaming down his face.
"She means BFF, stupid virgin grease monkey," Saionji answered.
Yet another dark cloud had made its way into Class 77-B's homeroom as Souda hunched over in a corner. The knowledge that Sonia would be spending time with a boy who was not him and Saionji's insult had greatly upset him. The others occasionally heard things like, "Some guys have all the luck" and "The Lucky Students are against me, they have to be."
Yukizome, who had decided that it would probably just be better for them to get it out of their systems proceeded with the lesson. She was half right. Mioda perked up as the day went on, but Souda had not.
When the class was dismissed for lunch, Sonia stood up and said, "I cannot believe I forgot. I must check to see if Naegi-kun knows proper etiquette. Please excuse me everyone." With that she left the room in a hurry to look for Naegi.
That depressed Souda even more. Komaeda, who had been observing both Souda and Mioda, said, "Don't worry, Souda-kun. When you bounce back from this your hope will shine even brighter just like Mioda-san's."
That didn't cheer Souda up. In fact, it seemed as though he completely ignored Komaeda as he asked, "How do we know Sonia-san is safe with that kid? What if he tries something?"
"Impossible. He is Light-Born, there is nothing to fear," Tanaka said. A chorus of squeaks from the Zodiac Generals let the class know that they agreed with Tanaka's assessment of Naegi. Though their interactions had been limited, both Tanaka and the Zodiac Generals had taken an immediate liking to Naegi, Jum-P in particular seemed especially fond of him.
"Did your rats tell you that?" Souda asked with pure snark.
"How dare you!" Tanaka shouted back as his hamsters tried their best to look threatening and growl at their master's classmate.
"If you don't believe him then believe me. I'm from a yakuza clan, I've learned to read people over the years and I'm pretty damn good at it. That Naegi kid, he's good people. I've never met anyone that I believed to be less capable of dishonesty or ulterior motives in my life," Kuzuryuu said.
That was not what Souda wanted to hear, but he realized that he was not going to win this argument. He simply got up and stomped out of the room, grumbling about "Lucky little bastards."
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Building Hallway
Eighth Week of Classes-Tuesday
It was a good thing Sonia had checked if Naegi knew proper etiquette for state functions. While not completely clueless he still needed a bit of polishing before he would be ready. Naegi was actually grateful that Sonia had brought it up so that he, as he put it, "wouldn't embarrass her or make a complete fool of himself". Sonia assured him that he would be fine, that he was a fast learner. She did appreciate that he was taking this seriously.
They had agreed to meet up for lunch so that Sonia could instruct him further. Had she not been so focused on making her way to the cafeteria, she might have looked out the window and see a glint on a building in the distance.
There was someone who noticed though, Enoshima Junko was ahead of Sonia and she clearly saw light reflecting off of something in the distance. Her analytical abilities brought her to one conclusion: a sniper. Even if she hadn't been the Ultimate Analyst, she could have figured out their target: Princess Sonia Nevermind. Deciding the death of a senpai was just the type of despairful pick me up she would need, she decided to make the would-be assassin's job easier.
"Sonia-senpai, do you have a minute?" Enoshima asked after she turned around to face the young princess.
"Of course, Enoshima-san. How may I help you?" Sonia asked, suspecting nothing.
Each step Sonia took towards her only served to elate Enoshima further as she could practically feel the mysterious sniper get ready to make their shot.
Just when everything had seemed to be going Enoshima's way, it all came crashing down. Naegi had just appeared at the top of a set of stairs to make his way down for lunch and called out to the two girls, "Sonia-senpai! Enoshima-sa- Ahh!" Naegi had somehow managed to trip on thin air and fell down the stairs. Somehow one of his shoes had even managed to fall off.
Turning abruptly, Sonia called out to her friend, "Naegi-kun!" before proceeding to help him. This was fortunate for her, as the sniper had been anticipating and timing her movements and had taken the shot that had been aimed at where Sonia would have been standing had she not abruptly turned. The window had shattered and there was not a bullet embedded in the wall, but Sonia was still alive, much to Enoshima's displeasure. Failure, while a new and refreshing type of despair for her the first time, now only left her annoyed and disappointed. What had made it worse was that it was someone like Naegi who was causing it. Hope could not be permitted to overcome her despair. That could wait for now though, as she still had to keep up her act. To that end Enoshima let out a loud scream of terror at the scene before her.
Sonia and Naegi had also witnessed the window shatter. Naegi was shaken up but seemed unable to make any noise. Sonia, however, just had a serious look on her face. I suppose it was only a matter of time, she thought as faculty and students began to arrive to see what all the commotion was about.
Later
As the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Kirigiri Jin had believed he had seen it all. Given the talents and personalities of some of his students, he could be forgiven for thinking that. Class 77-B alone had caused more than their fair share of incidents: from food spiked with aphrodisiac; to all manner of wild animals wandering the school, trained or not; to the regular destruction of school grounds by only two students; and one could not simply forget about the wonder of nature that was Komaeda Nagito's luck. Even though he knew he probably should have been prepared for it when Sonia Nevermind came to the school, he never expected matters that could impact the future of international relations to be discussed in his office. That is what was happening though, as Sonia was speaking with members of the Novoselic Diplomatic Mission. Though there was time before the official opening of the Embassy they still had to move in to what would serve as their residence for the foreseeable future. They had been contacted as soon as the Jin had learned of what had occurred and were now discussing with Sonia what would be done in response to the attempt on her life.
"Princess Sonia, we only have your well-being in mind," a tall, red-haired man said to Sonia.
"I realize that, but I believe that the Embassy must open as scheduled with me present," Sonia responded.
"I think the Japanese government will more than understand if there is a delay because of this. But we can talk about that later what about-," another man, a blonde, blue-eyed man of average height and build began.
"Do not suggest that I withdraw from Hope's Peak Academy. Novoselic will not be intimidated by such actions and neither will I," Sonia said with authority.
The third man, a black-haired, bearded man that somewhat resembled a bear, sighed and said, "If Princess Sonia feels that strongly about it then it can't be helped. We will move forward as planned. Charles, Stanley as soon as we get back we should inform the security team of the changes that need to be made."
The redhead, Charles, and the blonde, Stanley, had no choice but to relent and said, "Yes Sir, Ambassador."
"Headmaster Kirigiri, can we leave the safety of Princess Sonia to Hope's Peak Academy?" The Ambassador asked.
"You can, Ambassador Wudagest," Jin said. His tone let everyone know he understood the gravity of the situation.
"Excellent. By the way, I've been wondering for a while now, but who is this boy?" Ambassador Wudagest asked as he pointed to Naegi, who up to that point had remained still and silent off to the side of the room.
"My name is Naegi Makoto, Sir. It is a pleasure to meet such distinguished individuals," Naegi said as he bowed. Naegi's tone made it clear that the shock of what had occurred earlier coupled with the severity of the situation and meeting members of the Novoselic Diplomatic Mission had him scared and nervous.
"Naegi-kun is the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78. He is my friend and it is thanks to him that I am still alive. I have asked him to attend the opening ceremony as my guest," Sonia told the men.
"Is that so? Well then, on behalf of the people of Novoselic, I thank you Naegi Makoto," Wudagest said as he bowed.
"It was really just dumb luck that everything worked out," Naegi said as he waved his hands in front of him. Clearly, being thanked for being clumsy and having bad luck was a foreign concept to Naegi.
"Well, whatever it was, Princess Sonia is still alive, and she tells us we have you to thank for it," Wudagest said. Turning back to Jin, he said, "We'll be taking our leave Headmaster, we need to discuss finding this assailant with local law enforcement and with your government."
"Of course," was all Jin said.
"Alright, once we take care of that, it's back to the chancery to finish moving in," Wudagest said to the other two as he motioned for them to follow him out.
Once they were gone, Jin turned to Sonia and said, "Princess Sonia as the Headmaster, I realize I should not encourage my students to skip class, even if school policy permits it. However, because I am Headmaster, I must also do what is necessary to keep my students safe. I plan to speak to Yukizome-sensei and-,"
"That will not be necessary Headmaster, I intend to attend class as usual," Sonia said, cutting him off.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Jin asked.
"I am," Sonia said.
"Very well. You two should get back to your dorm. Be careful on the way back," Jin warned.
"Yes Sir," Naegi said.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Sonia said.
Once the two had left Jin's office and were on their way back to the dorm, Naegi asked, "How are you feeling, Sonia-senpai?"
"I feel fine, Naegi-kun. Why wouldn't I?" Sonia asked back.
"I just think everyone is shaken up by what happened. I can't blame them, I am too. I guess I'm just amazed that you're handling it so well," Naegi admitted.
"Do you think I am a cold woman?" Sonia asked, a very serious look on her face.
"No, Senpai, I think you are just far too used to situations like this. What I find amazing is that someone can get used to something like this," Naegi explained.
"You are right, I have gotten used to situations like this. This is not my first brush with death," Sonia said. Seeing Naegi's questioning gaze, she continued, "Though the royal family has governed for many years, coup d'etats and terrorism still occur in our land. I have even been abducted twice by insurgents in the past. Had I shown fear, it would have filled my people with despair. So that is why I waited in silence until rescue arrived."
"Senpai," Naegi said sadly.
"There is no need to feel sad for my sake Naegi-kun. I actually think this situation is easier, since I can honestly feel fear for a change," Sonia explained.
"Princess or not that isn't fair! For someone as kind as you to have these things happen and not be allowed to feel fear is too much! Someone like you doesn't deserve this kind of hardship!" Naegi shouted.
A sad smile made its way to Sonia's face as she said, "I appreciate that Naegi-kun, but I will endure it. I will endure it because I must. One cannot go against one's destiny."
"Destiny?" Naegi questioned.
"Yes, the lives of humans are shaped by destiny. Just because we make an effort to prevent danger, it does not mean we can defy destiny," Sonia explained.
Naegi didn't say anything to that. What could he say to that? Whether or not he believed in destiny, could it really be so cruel?
Sonia just continued, "Besides, my life belongs to my country and its people. If I were to die, it would be for no other reason than the sake of my country and my people. If I die, it would be meaningful to my country and my people. So, I do not fear death. The moment I was born into the royal family, I was destined not to die a meaningless death."
This is so wrong. It's wrong, but Sonia-senpai has just accepted it. No, surrendered to it might be more accurate. But she's able to endure it because it as long as it is for her people, Naegi thought. It was that last thought that made him say, "You...really are a princess."
That sad smile was still there as Sonia said, "Yes. Since the day I was born. When I am in my country, I am a princess before I am a person. And because of that...I was truly looking forward to this visit. I thought when I came to Japan I could be a regular girl, but in the end, no matter where I go, I am nothing but a princess."
Some slight movement caught Naegi's eye as she said that. Sonia's hands were shaking. Of course she's afraid. It would be impossible not to be. It just that she's good at hiding it, Naegi thought. "When you're in your country, you're a princess before a person," Naegi repeated.
"Yes," Sonia confirmed with a nod.
"Then I guess it's a good thing that we aren't in your country," Naegi said.
Sonia tilted her head in confusion but said nothing, so Naegi continued.
"No one else at this school is a citizen of Novoselic. So, when it comes to me and everyone else at Hope's Peak, you're a classmate, a senpai, a kōhai, or a student. Like I said before, you'll always be Sonia-senpai to me. You're a regular girl first, so you don't need to try so hard," Naegi said.
Tears started to pool in the corners of Sonia's eyes, but there was gratitude in her voice as she said, "Naegi-kun…thank you."
Noticing that her hands were still shaking, Naegi reached out and grabbed them. When Sonia gave him a questioning look, he said, "It's a little chilly today, your hands looked cold." Naegi thought it was lame, but he figured it was the best way to support Sonia without stepping on her pride as a princess.
Sonia was confused. What does he mean? The temperature is quite comfortable, she thought. Her confusion cleared up when she saw her hands. Even in Naegi's gentle grip they were shaking. Sonia's cheeks turned red as she thought, He noticed that my hands were shaking, but he is pretending not to know why. He is trying to help while considering my feelings. Sonia then shyly said, "Yes, I had not noticed until now. Thank you for warming them up."
They just stood there for a while until Sonia said, "I think I will be alright now."
Naegi let go and said, "Right, I'm sorry I didn't give you any warning." He scratched the back of his head, a sure sign that he was embarrassed.
"It is quite alright Naegi-kun. I do appreciate it," Sonia said, her cheeks still red. From the very bottom of my heart, I really and truly do, she thought gratefully. Sonia then asked, "Naegi-kun, if I need it, would you warm my hands again?"
"Whenever you need it Sonia-senpai. That's what friends are for," Naegi said.
Yes, Naegi-kun is a friend. One I can confide in, one who understands, one who is very sweet. Sonia's blush came back full force at that last thought. She didn't know why she thought that, even if she did believe it. She didn't know why the word "friend" felt so oppressive either. Do I…? No, now is not the time to think of such things. But, whatever my feelings toward Naegi-kun may be, perhaps it is alright to indulge myself, even if it is just for today, Sonia thought. She shyly held out her hand and asked, "My one hand is still cold, could you warm it up on our way back to the dorm?"
Naegi, oblivious to Sonia's true reasons, just said, "I'd be happy to Sonia-senpai." It's not much, but she's being a little more open with her feelings. I guess this is how Sonia-senpai is and I should respect it. I don't know if I can accept what Sonia-senpai said about destiny though. I can't just accept how cruel and unfair it is to her, but at the same time, I don't know what to do. Maybe even if the only thing I can do is hold her hand when she's scared, that's good enough for right now, Naegi thought as the two made their way back to the dorm.
Downtown-Near Hope's Peak Academy
Eighth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Souda Kazuichi was not having a good week. First, he finds out that Sonia had invited someone, another boy, to the opening of the Novoselic Embassy. That was a date in his eyes no matter what anyone else said. Then she runs off to spend time with that other boy, to "check if he knew proper etiquette." The next day, a sniper tries to shoot "his" Sonia, and just because that other boy tripped down the stairs at a convenient time, Sonia thinks that boy is a hero. And he didn't miss how close they were acting on the way back to their dorm, the little shit actually held Sonia's hand!
His class had noticed his irritation and asked about it. When he told them what he had seen Sonia and that kid, Naegi, doing he thought that they would finally come around. The response he got however ranged from: "He was probably just trying to comfort her, she did almost die," to "Well that was sweet of him, to try to comfort her like that," and finally, "This stalker-like behavior is why you're going to die alone." Even Mioda, who he had expected at least some jealousy from, had said, "Makoto-chan is like that with everybody. He probably just wants Sonia-chan to know he's there if she needs him." Although her eye did twitch when she said that.
It got worse when they had told Sonia what he had told them. She had said, "That is really between Naegi-kun and myself, but yes, that did happen. He was trying to help in his own way."
Souda couldn't understand it, what did some kid have that he didn't? As if Tanaka hadn't been enough of a problem. He'd dreamed of a beautiful blond girlfriend since he was a kid. Okay, so maybe he didn't know the first thing about Novoselic. And maybe he actually didn't like some of her personality traits or interests, the occult thing was creepy after all. That didn't mean that some kid who just happened to know a few things about Sonia's country could come in and try to sweep her off her feet like that. It was an act, it had to be, people like that Naegi kid just didn't exist in real life.
He had come downtown because he thought a run to various part stores would calm him down. It really didn't though, he'd found some things he could use to make something cool he guessed, but it wasn't enough to take his mind off of his problems.
"Excuse me, are you a student of Hope's Peak Academy?" A voice called to him.
"So what if I am?" Souda asked, his bad mood still very apparent.
"Yes, I thought I recognized you. You're one of Princess Sonia's classmates, correct?" The owner of the voice, a tall, official-looking man with brown hair and a bushy beard asked.
"Sure am, Souda Kazuichi, the Ultimate Mechanic!" Souda said, his mood having improved at the mention of Sonia. He had also assumed that this man was from Novoselic Embassy if he was using Sonia's title and thought that if he played his cards right, this man could talk him up to Sonia.
"Yes, I know. The King and Queen had us do background checks on all of Her Highness's classmates. Even as they rule Novoselic, they still find time to be such doting, devoted parents," the man explained. One could almost feel the admiration in his voice when he spoke of King and Queen Nevermind. As soon as he calmed down the man said, "My apologies Souda-kun, but the reason I stopped you is that I have a request."
"For the sake of deepening relations between our two countries, I will gladly help," Souda said. What he was thinking though, was slightly less noble, Two can play at this game kid, I'll help this guy and Sonia-san will see how great I am.
"We seem to be having trouble with the sound system we will be using for the ceremony," the man stated.
"Let's go take a look at it then," Souda said.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple, we were going to use it as an opportunity to show off Novoselic technology, but a key part has stopped working. There is simply no way to get word back to Novoselic and get it here on time. We were hoping that someone could recreate it from these blueprints," the man explained as he showed Souda the blueprints.
"Nice, I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before. Seems simple enough though," Souda said as he examined the blueprints.
"Then you'll do it?" the man asked.
"Sure, it may take some time, but you'll have it before the ceremony. Of course, I won't be able to test it," Souda told him.
"That won't be a problem, just bring on the day of the ceremony and we shall test it as we do a sound check. That way you can make adjustments, if necessary," the man said.
"Sounds good, I'll see you then," Souda said. Sonia-san is going to see just how great I am after I save the ceremony. I wonder how she'll thank me, Souda thought happily.
"Yes, and Souda-kun if you could keep this a secret, we would really appreciate it," the man said as he handed Souda a card with the address and time that they would meet written on it.
"I guess I could do that," Souda said. That sounded a bit weird.
His concern was put to rest when the man said, "Like I said, we want to take the opportunity to show off a bit with this new sound system. It was designed and built in Novoselic, and we don't want anyone to know that we're having problems. It's simply a matter of national pride."
"Okay, that makes sense. I won't tell anyone," Souda said as he nodded in understanding. He grabbed the blueprints and his bags and then hurried off in the direction of Hope's Peak Academy. This is my big chance, I can't mess this up, he thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Boys' Dorm
Tenth Week of Classes-Sunday
It was still early in the day, but Tanaka Gundham was just coming back to his dorm after ensuring that his "dark army" of animals were fed and properly groomed. Just because he was the "Overlord of Ice" didn't mean he had a heart of ice.
As he headed for his room, he saw Souda leave with something in hand. That wasn't unusual, it was Sunday, and everyone usually did their own thing today. Though for some reason, the Twelve Zodiac Generals seemed to want to follow him.
Tanaka would be lying if he had said that he wasn't curious about what Souda had been up to in the past week and a half. He and his classmates had honestly expected Souda to be either depressed or angry until the day after the Novoselic Embassy officially opened. That wouldn't necessarily guarantee that Sonia would be spending less time with Naegi, he was living at the Girls' Dorm after all, but the class figured, or rather hoped, Souda wouldn't dwell on that. Much to their surprise, on the Thursday after the attempt on Sonia's life, Souda had come to class looking rather pleased. When asked what had happened, all he had said was, "Just a job someone asked me to do." That made sense to the class, Souda enjoyed working with all things mechanical. They did think it was a little strange that he was being so secretive about it. After classes had ended, he would immediately head back to his room to work on whatever this "job" was, but other students had been approached with work and been bound by non-disclosure agreements before, so they didn't dwell on it too much.
Tanaka was more than willing to just ignore this but for some reason, the Twelve Zodiac Generals wanted him to follow Souda. That got Tanaka's attention. The Generals did not like Souda, a feeling the mechanic reciprocated. So them wanting to follow Souda was definitely out of the ordinary, and certainly worth looking into. Never one to disappoint his most loyal familiars, Tanaka complied.
It wasn't long before Souda got to his destination. The Novoselic Embassy was indeed rather close to Hope's Peak, even if it was in a rather secluded area. He hadn't noticed Tanaka following him, he was too focused on his objective. Going around back, as per the agreement, he soon came to the gate and saw the man he had met a week-and-a-half ago waiting for him.
"Ah Souda-kun, welcome! Just a moment, I'll let you in," the man said as he unlocked a smaller gate near the main entrance. "You'll have to forgive the lack of security personnel right now, any and all available personnel are preparing for the ceremony," the man apologized.
Souda may not have thought that was odd, but Tanaka did. And if the shaking from the Generals was anything to go by, this man was not a good person, possibly more dangerous that his demeanor was letting on.
Despite Tanaka Gundham's attempts to portray himself as a "Demon Lord" "Tanaka the Forbidden One" and "The Overlord of Ice", his kind nature always found a way to shine through, that was why animals loved him so much. Despite his personal feelings towards Souda, usually annoyance, he would never allow anything to happen to him. It was because of this, that he called out, "Comrade, that man is not what he appears to be! He-." Tanaka didn't get much farther than that after another shorter, bald, but rather intimidating looking man had come from behind and knocked him out.
Seeing that, Souda started to panic. He tried to yell, but his fear only allowed him to ask in a timid voice, "Tanaka? What the hell's going on?"
"So sorry Souda-kun. We do appreciate what you've done for us, but I'm afraid now you're a loose end, so for now, I need you to go to sleep" the man, the same one who had requested his services, said before knocking Souda unconscious as well.
"What now?" the bald man asked.
"Well, this lovesick fool managed to do what we needed. If only he hadn't been followed," said the other.
"You got in touch with him because he'd be easy to manipulate, there were bound to be some complications."
"Well, we have to take them with us now. Perhaps we can use them as leverage later," the bearded man said as he went to pick up Souda.
As the other man reached for Tanaka, he saw the Zodiac Generals attempt to protect their master and friend. "Oh, so this one brought guards," he mocked as he pulled out a handgun.
The Generals were not willing to abandon Tanaka to his fate, but they knew there was little they could do. So they scurried away hoping that they could find someone who would understand their plight.
"You aren't getting away," the bald man said as he took aim.
"Leave them," the other man said. "If you fire that you may draw attention to us. Plus, there's no point in wasting ammo on a bunch of hamsters, it's not like they can do anything."
Later
It was a little bit before 2:30 in the afternoon as Naegi made his way to the Novoselic Embassy. Sonia had gone earlier to make sure that everything was going well and had sent transportation for him. He was grateful for that, as he didn't think he would feel comfortable walking there in formal clothes, even if it was close by. I guess it is a good thing Kaa-san made me take these clothes to Hope's Peak too, he thought. Naegi was wearing a light grey suit with black dress shoes and a tie that was a similar green to his favorite hoodie. He hoped he wasn't underdressed, Sonia had approved of this outfit when he had asked, but when he saw what Sonia would be wearing it was hard not to feel underdressed. Maybe it was because she would be acting as Novoselic's Princess today and not his senpai.
With time to spare, he arrived at the Novoselic Embassy. I wonder if that rule about being exactly thirteen minutes early applies for this, Naegi wondered. It was fine if it did, it the trip hadn't taken long. The ceremony was scheduled to take place at 3:00, this was so that it could be broadcast to Novoselic where it would be 8:00 in the morning. That seemed early to Naegi, but he thought that with the sniper still at large, maybe the security team wanted this done while no one could hide under the cover of night. Ikusaba-san would know more about this than I would, Naegi thought as he stepped out of the car.
"Naegi-sama, I will be taking both you and Princess Sonia back to Hope's Peak Academy when the ceremony concludes," the driver said.
"Thank you, Sir," Naegi said as he bowed in thanks. Not really comfortable being called Naegi-sama, Naegi thought, embarrassed. It was a good thing that he was outside the gate: reporters and camera crews had already gathered and were attempting to interview dignitaries from both Japan and Novoselic. Sonia was already standing in front of the Embassy entrance, and Naegi had to admit, she looked stunning in her golden dress and white crown. She spotted him and nodded with a smile, the most she could do considering the circumstances. He in return waved, his way of saying "I'm here if you need me!"
Naegi soon found out that Sonia wasn't the only one who noticed him as he felt something tugging on his pant leg. Twelve somethings in fact, as he looked down and saw Tanaka Gundham's hamsters. The poor things had been looking for help but had been unable to get close to Sonia. They had almost given up until they saw Naegi. Of course, Naegi had no way of knowing this, animals may have liked him, but he didn't have Tanaka's gift with them. He knew something was wrong though, Tanaka was nowhere in sight, and that set off alarm bells in his head. He knelt down and keeping his voice low so as not to draw more attention to himself asked, "What are all of you doing here? Is Tanaka-senpai in some kind of trouble?"
They all nodded, an action Naegi would have called cute if he hadn't been concerned. They then frantically pointed towards the Embassy.
"You want to go inside?" Naegi asked. He had no idea why or how Tanaka would be inside the Novoselic Embassy, but he trusted the Twelve Zodiac Generals. He knew how weird that would have sounded if he had said it out loud, but the fact remained that these hamsters were highly intelligent. He lowered his hands and said, "Alright, but you need to stay in my pockets or something until we can ask Sonia-senpai for a tour. I don't think pets of any kind are allowed here."
They all complied, the youngest eight going into his pants pockets and the eldest four: San-D, Jum-P, Maga-Z, and Cham-P, hid around his shirt collar. It was snug, mostly thanks to Cham-P, but there was no danger them choking him or of being spotted.
Over on Sonia's side of the crowd, she saw Naegi crouch down but didn't think much of it. Ambassador Wudagest soon came and stood beside her with two men she didn't recognize. One was tall with brown hair and a bushy beard, one was shorter and bald. "Where are Charles and Stanley?" she asked quietly.
"So sorry, Your Highness. Something came up that required their attention," Wudagest said.
Sonia nodded in understanding.
Back with Naegi, there was a bit of a problem. As soon as the two men with Ambassador Wudagest appeared the Zodiac Generals started to freak out. It didn't take Naegi long to figure out what this meant. "Those two took Tanaka-senpai." It was a statement, not a question, but the Generals confirmed it. As soon as they had, Naegi tried to get to Sonia. If they took Tanaka-senpai, then Sonia-senpai is in danger too, he thought. He had no plan for when he got to her, but he knew that if Sonia saw the Generals she would know something was wrong. Thankfully, there was no shortage of security personnel if things turned violent, although Naegi being Naegi hoped it wouldn't come to that.
Sonia saw Naegi trying to approach and had a guard bring him closer. When he was in front of her, she asked, "Naegi-kun, whatever is the matter?"
"Sonia-senpai, those men with Ambassador Wudagest, they did something to Tanaka-senpai," Naegi said, trying to keep his voice down.
Unfortunately, the men had heard him. The bald man sighed and asked, "Now why would you say that young man?" The bearded man pulled out what looked like a remote of some kind and pushed a button.
A high-pitched whine filled the air, it was coming from the earpieces of the security personnel but was loud enough for everyone present to hear it. The Generals covered their ears and the guards dropped to their knees in pain.
The two men pulled out handguns. The bald man fired a shot and screamed at the crowd, "Put your hands behind your heads and get down on the ground!" Shots came from two windows to ensure that no one would doubt the severity of the situation. While the other said, "Hands behind your heads and get inside," as he ushered Naegi, Sonia, and the Ambassador inside at gun point. Once the bald man joined them inside, sturdy looking metal shutters lowered over the doors and windows. The Novoselic Embassy had become a fortress for terrorists.
As the three captives were led through the hallways, Sonia asked a question. "May I ask who you are affiliated with?"
One of the men, the bald one, said in a mocking tone, "You're the Princess, why not order us to tell you?"
The bearded man said, "Please forgive Niels, he's not quite right in the head. I'm Vadim from Borginia, my associate is from Fortuna."
"Why would terrorists from Fortuna and Borginia work together? Even if what you are planning worked, you could not possibly install both of your leaders as rulers of Novoselic." Sonia said, confused.
The bald man, Niels, started laughing and asked, "Who wants to tell her?"
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Princess," Vadim said.
When Sonia didn't say anything, Niels said, "Stupid girl, not everyone from our countries who comes after you is loyal to some dead royals."
"We and our associates aren't affiliated with any terrorist groups, we are, we'll say freelancers," Vadim explained.
"I'm sorry, Princess Sonia," Ambassador Wudagest said as they entered what appeared to be a conference room. Sonia opened her mouth to reassure him but stopped when she realized something: he had never put his hands behind his head. Everything clicked when Wudagest said, "I'm sorry, but the question and answer session is over." Once he finished saying that, he turned and had pulled out a handgun of his own.
"Ambassador, you have always been loyal to Novoselic," Sonia said, shocked.
"I am loyal to Novoselic, this is all for its future," Wudagest said. He turned to Niels and said, "Put the boy with the others. I'm sure you two have much to discuss since he ruined your perfect record."
"This little bastard is the reason I missed my shot two weeks ago? Perfect," Niels said as he grabbed a larger gun from the corner of the room.
"You can't kill him Niels, we need him and the others to negotiate passage out of Japan," Vadim said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, yeah. C'mon you," Niels said as he ushered Naegi down another hallway. Naegi looked back to see Vadim cover Sonia's mouth with duct tape before proceeding to tie her up.
As Niels led him through the hallways, Naegi remained silent. His friend was in danger and he didn't know how to help. Niels must have sensed Naegi's distress because he took the opportunity to gloat.
"I never imagined that I'd actually get to meet you, shame I can't make you pay for tarnishing my perfect kill record just yet," he said.
"What's all this about anyway? Why bring in mercenaries from Borginia and Fortuna?" Naegi asked, finding his voice. Naegi had no experience with these matters, but a group, he assumed, of Novoselic dissidents bringing in foreign mercenaries just seemed to serve to overcomplicate things.
"Well, I suppose it's all a matter of what our employer wants. If Wudagest to reveal himself for what he is, then we are simply highly paid mercenaries. If he feels the time is not right, we're blinds. Think about it, if Novoselic and Japan were to learn that there are Borginians and Fortunians in here, what would they think?" Niels asked.
"That terror groups from those two countries had planned this would most likely be their first guess," Naegi said.
"It's a simple plan, granted some of the agents in Novoselic would need to fall on the sword for that to work. There are files to fake; information to doctor; and of course, someone needs to be blamed for no one noticing any of this. But I tell you kid, nothing could cover our tracks better than the chaos it would cause," Niels said happily. Vadim was right, Niels was not right in the head.
"Still, I wanted to shoot the girl and be done with it. Then we could fake a message from foreign terror groups or our employer could announce their intentions if they believed that they were in the right position. I don't think it's the best way to conduct this type of business, but they pay was excellent so whatever," Niels said. Arriving at a door, he opened it with his free hand and motioned for Naegi to go through.
"Is this the basement?" Naegi asked, seeing stairs leading into total darkness.
"Yeah, hope you aren't afraid of the dark kid. Don't worry if you are though, there are plenty of people down there to keep you company," Niels said as he made to forcefully shove Naegi down the stairs.
Instead, Naegi had taken the first step on his own and had once again managed to trip on thin air. Thinking of the hamsters with him, Naegi had managed to remain collected enough to attempt to grab the railing and stop himself. I knew I'd get it right one of these days, Naegi thought, relieved. He then felt something go over him.
It seems that Niels had put a great deal of strength behind that shove as he fell forward and tripped over Naegi and fell head first down into the basement. He had managed to lose his grip on his gun, which Naegi had picked up before going to turn on the lights. I have no idea how to use this, but he doesn't need to know that, Naegi thought as he made to point the gun at Niels.
He needn't have bothered, Niels lay in a heap at the bottom of the stairs with a large gash in his head and bruises on the visible parts of his body. He made his way down the stairs, careful not to take his eyes off of Niels. Out of the corner of his eye though he saw four people as did the Generals. The hamsters made their way over to the four, rejoicing at the fact that one was their master. Four hamsters each untied three people, one of whom came over to Naegi and said, "I believe he is unconscious Naegi-kun."
"Charles-san?" Naegi questioned, not sure who he could trust right now.
"It's fine Naegi-kun, both Charles and I are not with these terrorists," Stanley said as he untied and ungagged Souda, under the disapproving gaze of the Generals.
"What's going on? Are we gonna die?" Souda asked in a panic.
"Souda-senpai, I didn't expect you to be here," Naegi said in surprise.
"Let's restrain this man and then we can get each other caught up," Charles suggested.
After Niels had been relieved of his handgun and restrained, the group huddled in the middle of the basement to compare notes. It didn't take them long to exchange information: Vadim approaching Souda; Tanaka following Souda and their capture; Charles and Stanley discovery of some strange mechanism in the security room; Souda's realization that what he was working on had been part of what was used to cripple security and put Sonia's life in danger; and finally, what Wudagest had said.
"The man is insane! Novoselic has no future without Princess Sonia!" Stanley said.
Naegi didn't disagree but he more than that, to him at least, Sonia-senpai was a friend. Before Naegi did anything else though, he needed to know something. He noticed that someone had been rather silent, and it was rather unsettling. "What's wrong with Tanaka-senpai?" he asked. Tanaka hadn't just been silent, he had not even blinked once since the Generals had untied him.
"They pulled handguns and parts for that gun and others like it out of a bunch of stuffed animals down here and assembled them in front of us," Souda said, who still looked ready to freak out.
Naegi turned and saw a bunch of animals that he had never seen before, makangos and skongs he guessed, in a heap in the corner of the basement. Taxidermy, Naegi thought. That made sense, for someone who loved animals as much as Tanaka Gundham, taxidermy was probably one of, if not the most evil thing in the world to him. Sonia-senpai was right. This time at least, the treatment of makangos and skongs is definitely against the spirit of animal conservation, he thought.
Naegi shook his head, they all had something more important to focus on. "We need to save Sonia-senpai," Naegi said simply as he turned back to face the others.
"Are you nuts! They have guns! And we don't know how many other guys are out there! And I didn't want this! I just wanted to impress Sonia-san! I just wanted a hot, blonde girlfriend!" Souda shouted in a panic before he broke down into a sobbing mess.
"I want to save Princess Sonia too, Naegi-kun, but this boy is right, we are at a disadvantage," Charles said.
"I would feel better about our chances if we could at least acquire another Khvostov," Stanley said as he pointed at the large gun Niels had dropped before his fall.
"Well, this is a reckless and rather cliched idea, but my friends and I may be able to get another," Naegi said, trying to put on a brave face.
Both Charles and Stanley looked at Souda and Tanaka before Charles said, "I don't see how your friends will be much help here, Naegi-kun."
"I meant my other friends, Charles-san," Naegi said as he started to tell the two men what he had planned.
"This is why I hate Fortunians," Vadim said to himself as he made his way towards the basement. Niels had been given more than enough time to do put Naegi with the other Hope's Peak students. They allowed for extra time for him to make threats; scare Naegi with his Khvostov rifle; or whatever else it was he may have wanted to do. So when he didn't come back after all this time, of course, Vadim had to go looking for him.
"Squeak!"
"What the-?" Vadim asked as he looked ahead and saw two very familiar hamsters at the end of the hallway. They squeezed through a crack in a door that had been left ajar and disappeared from sight.
"Is Niels chasing these stupid things? I'm impressed they got in but still…," he started to say. He thought about what this could mean, chastised himself for being paranoid, but still proceeded to check the room. He opened the door and said, "Someone's seen too many movies. Was I supposed to come in and have you knock me out?" He then fired a few shots into the room before turning on the lights. Empty. There was no one in the room, not even a sign of the two hamsters. Then the world went dark for the Borginian mercenary.
"Something like that, yes," Charles said as he lowered the fire extinguisher he had used to strike Vadim over the head with. The two hamsters came out from their hiding place behind the door and climbed onto the hand Naegi had put out for them.
"You two were very brave," Naegi praised. He had not been aware that hamsters could blush until that moment.
Stanley came out of the room that they had been hiding in with some of the ropes that had restrained him and the others earlier and after securing Vadim's weapons, proceeded to tie him up.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Naegi said as he and the others were joined by Souda and a somewhat recovered Tanaka.
"But it did, and we are now in a better position," Charles said.
"Can you two handle these?" Naegi asked as he pointed towards the rifles.
"It's a little late to be asking that question, but of course. Young children in Novoselic take classes on warfare. If our six-year-olds can drive tanks, we can handle these rifles," Stanley said.
"Alright then, I know that we're at a disadvantage but all of you need to get to the security control room. We've been in here long enough, I'm sure that law enforcement has managed to get or will soon get permission to enter the embassy from Novoselic, so you need to make sure that they can get in. If Vadim was the one who came looking for Niels, then maybe something is up with the security cameras. Hopefully, you'll have the element of surprise on your side," Naegi said.
"What about you Naegi-kun?" Charles asked.
"I want to try and get Sonia-senpai away from Wudagest," Naegi said.
"How come we have to go up against the mercenaries while you get to go play hero?" Souda asked.
"Charles-san and Stanley-san are going with you and have those rifles while you two can use the handguns. I'm going to be completely unarmed," Naegi declared.
"Oh. Well, good luck with that," Souda said, realizing just how good he had it by comparison.
"Naegi-kun, be reasonable. At least come with us until we can get you a weapon," Stanley pleaded.
"I appreciate the concern Stanley-san, and that's definitely better than my suicidal plan, but we don't know what Wudagest plans to do. Every second may count," Naegi said.
The two men from Novoselic saw Naegi shaking, but they also saw the resolve in his eyes. Charles sighed and said, "Very well, you haven't steered us wrong so far. Perhaps your Ultimate Luck will keep you safe.
There's a first time for everything I suppose, Naegi thought. He felt tug on his pant leg again and looked down to see San-D, Jum-P, Maga-Z, and Cham-P looking at him expectantly. "Is something wrong?" Naegi asked.
"Light-born, my greatest servants, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, wish to lend you their aid," Tanaka said, finally back to normal, for him at least.
"I appreciate that but there's a good chance none of us are getting out alive. That said, I think they have a better chance of survival with the rest of you," Naegi said. He was grateful, but he didn't want to put anyone, man or hamster, in any danger.
"They are well aware of the risks, I could not dissuade them. Perhaps your light and their dark power will make a miracle happen," Tanaka said. Naegi almost missed it, but he could hear the worry in Tanaka's voice.
"I'll make sure they stay alive Senpai," Naegi said, trying to put Tanaka at ease.
"All of us will stay alive, such is the will of the Overlord of Ice," Tanaka said.
"If we're going to do this, we need to start," Stanley said, bringing focus back to the situation at hand.
"Right, good luck you guys," Naegi said as he and the Devas headed for the Conference Room.
"You too, Naegi Makoto," Charles said as he and his group headed for their destination.
Back in the Conference Room, Wudagest was waiting for Vadim to return with Niels.
"Where are those two?" he asked. He knew he wouldn't get an answer, the only other person in the room was bound and gagged. All Sonia could do was glare, and it looked wrong on the ordinarily kind princess's face.
"There were those shots earlier, but I assumed that Niels wanted one last bit of fun with that boy you invited. I need them present before negotiations can start," Wudagest said, continuing their one-sided conversation.
Sonia still kept glaring at him.
"Don't look at me like that Princess Sonia. What I do, I do for the good of Novoselic. If it means staining my hands with evil now, then so be it," Wudagest said.
Naegi, who was outside the door, listened and waited for his chance. The security system's controls were on the opposite end of the building. He would wait and listen for gun shots in the distance before he put his plan into action. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long as he heard the sound of gun fire coming from the other end of the building.
"What was that?" Wudagest said as he threw open a door on the opposite side of the room and looked in the direction of the noise. He stepped outside only to have the door close and lock behind him. "What?!" he yelled in confusion before attempting to force the door open.
Naegi couldn't believe his good fortune, he guessed Wudagest had been feeling overconfident. Or maybe he just never expected someone to do something this dumb, Naegi thought. Whatever the reason, he was grateful, for that and sturdy oak doors that locked from the inside.
The Devas had managed to untie Sonia, who then removed the duct tape covering her mouth. "Naegi-kun? What's going on? Why are Tanaka-kun's hamsters with you?" she asked.
"I'll explain later, right now we need to run until help gets here," Naegi said as he picked up the Devas and grabbed Sonia's hand before running out towards the entrance. He was glad that the Conference Room seemed to be in the center of the building, he hoped that Wudagest would at lose time following them as he picked between the he hallway they were in and the hallway Naegi had come from. Just to be safe though, he handed the Devas to Sonia and got behind her so that Wudagest wouldn't have a clear shot at her.
They got to the foyer only to find that they were still trapped, not that Naegi expected any different. "Where to go?" he asked as he, Sonia and even the Devas weighed their options. Did they hide behind the desk or keep running?
Just then, Naegi felt something. He wasn't sure how, perhaps spending time with Ikusaba, someone who was skilled at hiding her presence, had sharpened his senses, but he knew something was wrong. He also knew that he wasn't the one in the most danger. That feeling turned out to be justified because a shot rang out. Naegi pushed Sonia out of the path of the bullet and behind the large desk and out of the line of sight. The bullet still hit something though as Naegi felt searing hot pain shoot through his left shoulder. Better my shoulder than Sonia-senpai's heart though, Naegi thought as he clutched his shoulder in pain before falling to his knees.
"This thing has good range," Wudagest said as he entered the foyer, his eyes on the gun in his hand. Turning his attention to Naegi, he asked, "Tell me boy, where is Princess Sonia?"
"She's not here, she ran down another hallway," Naegi said through gritted teeth. He hoped that the pain he was in would cover for any vocal tells he might have had when he lied.
"I can't tell whether you're brave or stupid, but I have to admit, boy, you've caused me a great deal of trouble. I had hoped to use you and the others to secure passage out of Japan, but it seems all I can do now is kill the girl and be done with it. Shame, I was hoping to see the future Novoselic our leader dreamed of become reality," Wudagest said.
"If you're acting out of concern for Novoselic's future, why do you want to kill Sonia-senpai?" Naegi asked. His only hope now was to keep Wudagest talking. He hoped he could stall long enough.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand, boy. While the rest of the world has changed, Novoselic has refused to see a simple truth. A nation with something as corruptible as a monarchy simply can't work," Wudagest said.
"I don't understand, not at all. Sonia-senpai is always thinking of Novoselic's future. She told me of changes she wants to make; of how important she believes it is to understand other points of view-," Naegi began.
He never got to finish as Wudagest began raving, "Do you not realize how much of a danger House Nevermind can be? Sonia Nevermind can say she 'wants to understand,' but that's a bold-faced lie dressed up in pretty words. She and any other member of the royal family can tout that meaningless message all they want, but it won't change how Alexander Nevermind was anything but understanding centuries ago. If someone from House Nevermind wasn't understanding back then, what's to stop his brother Albert's descendants from acting like that in the future? Albert shared Alexander's blood, didn't he? What if there was nothing to stop them from picking up their own dangerous, radical ideals!? What happens then? Who takes the blame for that!? There is no excuse not to know just how hazardous an absolute monarchy is. House Nevermind's authority is not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs. Even knowing that, the people of Novoselic follow House Nevermind like sheep. That is why I will carry out our leader's will and put a stop to that threat. It is our mission! Our true calling to protect Novoselic and the world and in doing so ensure true peace for all!"
He's not lying, Sonia thought, shocked, he truly believes that what he is doing is the right thing. Is there a way to stop someone so driven? Do I even have a right to try?
"Ambassador Wudagest, I will admit that there is always that possibility, but that's all it is a possibility. You can't know what will happen in the future and neither can I. Just saying, 'It happened before so it will happen again at some point,' is a fallacy and I think you know it," Naegi countered.
"Don't try to delude me boy. You aren't from Novoselic. You've never lived under an absolute monarchy, so you can't understand," Wudagest said. It was clear he was losing his patience with Naegi.
"If you're being deluded, it's your leader doing it, not me. How can you and your leader claim to do anything out of love for Novoselic when you can't even have faith in its people? The royal family isn't the problem. Your leader just can't believe in anyone but themselves. But Sonia-senpai believes. That's the difference between your leader and Sonia-senpai. Even though she knows the road ahead is hard she'll never give up faith in her people. And after spending so much time with her, I now know that's the greatest pride a ruler can have," Naegi said. A little more, just need to keep Sonia-senpai safe for a little while longer, he kept repeating in his head.
Any doubts Wudagest caused Sonia to have had been swept away completely by Naegi's absolute faith in her. Naegi-kun, thank you, she thought with tears in her eyes.
"You, you. STOP TRYING TO DELUDE ME, BOY!" Wudagest screamed as he took aim at Naegi.
"STOP!" Sonia screamed as she came out of hiding, drawing Wudagest's attention. Her timing couldn't have been better as the metal shutters were raised and a blur rushed in, grabbed Wudagest and held a knife to his throat.
"Hey Ikusaba-san, you saved us," Naegi said as he recognized the blur.
"You're hurt," she said as tightened her grip on Wudagest.
"Get off of me girl, I'm still the Ambassador. An attack against me is an attack against Novoselic," Wudagest said. Naegi's words and his failures must have shaken him more than he realized, because he forgot one important thing about his diplomatic immunity.
"Ambassador Wudagest, as Princess of Novoselic I hereby relieve you of your status as ambassador," Sonia said.
Now knowing he'd been beat but refusing to go quietly, Wudagest took aim at Naegi again before pain shot through him. Enoshima Junko had somehow snuck in and planted one of her high-heeled boots right between Wudagest's legs. She mouthed the words, "Only I get to kill him," before stepping back.
"I appreciate the save, Enoshima-san, but even I feel bad for him now," Naegi said as he saw Wudagest collapse.
"I could shoot you if it would make you feel better," she suggested.
"No thank you, just my shoulder is enough for today," Naegi said as police and members of the Embassy's security team came into the building. An EMT who had also come in, helped Naegi to his feet. Naegi turned to the EMT and said, "The police and security need to find Souda-kun, Tanaka-kun, Charles-san, Stanley-san, and the other Generals. They should in the security control room. They can lead them to the other terrorists."
"We'll take care of it young man, don't worry," a member of the security team who had heard Naegi said.
"This boy and the others took back the Embassy in a few hours that's pretty amazing," Naegi heard an officer say. Naegi looked outside and sure enough the sun was setting. Time sure flies when you're life is in danger, he thought.
"I'm sorry young man, but you named four people and then said something about generals?" another member of security questioned.
"They're eight hamsters that look like these four," Sonia said as she held up the Dark Devas of Destruction.
"We'll check on them too," another police officer said, not really sure what else to say to that.
As Naegi and the girls were led out of the building towards the nearby emergency vehicles they saw their friends waiting for them.
"Makoto-chan! Sonia-chan!" Mioda shouted as she waved to get their attention. She, Yukizome, Class 77-B, and Class 78 had gathered behind a police barricade.
"Hey everyone," Naegi said. "I'd wave but it hurts to move my arm."
"What happened?" Maizono asked. She saw Naegi's shoulder and lost some of the color in her face as did some of the other students.
"The Former Ambassador attempted to shoot me, Naegi-kun knocked me out of the way," Sonia explained.
"The boy is a hero," a familiar voice said. They all turned to see Charles and the others accompanied by police and EMTs. The Novoselic officials appeared to have been grazed in a few places, but they had fared better than Naegi. Tanaka and Souda looked shaken up, but otherwise fine.
"Charles! Stanley!" Sonia exclaimed happily.
"Souda-senpai, Tanaka-senpai, are the Generals alright too?" Naegi asked.
Eight little hamster heads popped up out of Tanaka's scarf in answer to Naegi's question. Sonia handed the Devas off to Tanaka and the Twelve Zodiac Generals were once again complete.
"We were fortunate that our adversaries were distracted by problems with the surveillance cameras," Stanley said.
Naegi saw Fujisaki sigh in relief and asked, "Do we have you to thank for that, Fujisaki-kun?"
"The ceremony was being broadcast live, so Ikusaba-san came to me right after you and Sonia-senpai were taken into the building. She asked me if there was anything I could do to get you out," Fujisaki told him as he pointed towards a laptop he had with him. The smaller boy then looked down and said, "I wish I could have done more, but all I was able to do was stop surveillance before they noticed."
"You did plenty young man, they had three people trying to counter you. It was all they could do to keep the building on lockdown," Charles reassured the small boy.
"Young man, we need to take a look at that shoulder," the EMT who had been escorting Naegi reminded him.
"The rest of you should get checked out too," one of the police officers with the other former hostages said.
"If you can remove the bullet from Naegi-kun's shoulder, I have something that will take care of the rest," a new voice said. The owner of the voice was a girl slightly older than the students present. She had pale grey hair and sickly complexion.
It seemed that many of the medical personnel recognized the girl as many of their faces lit up in recognition and one said, "Kimura-san. You're lucky, young man. We'll still need to take you to the hospital, but the medicines made by the Ultimate Pharmacist will heal that shoulder up in seconds."
"Alright, now we just need to check the rest of you. With any luck, you won't even need to come to the hospital," another EMT said before they and four others checked the former hostages for serious injuries.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Later That Evening
It was late evening at the dorm and four girls were still waiting for Naegi to come back. Tsumiki had said she was going to wait for him at the front gate. She trusted Kimura's abilities, but as a nurse she felt it was her duty to check Naegi's shoulder for any problems. So that left Sonia with Ikusaba, Maizono, and Mioda. Sonia told the others what had happened: about Wudagest's betrayal; his motivations; and what Naegi had said in response. For the longest time after that, no one said anything. Sonia seemed to be deep in thought, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others. Mioda, who by this point had had enough of the silence, decided to speak up.
"Sonia-chan are you okay?" she asked.
"I am quite alright, Mioda-san," Sonia said, finally looking up.
"Are you thinking about what happened?" Maizono asked.
"In a way. I have come to a realization," Sonia said.
"And that is?" Ikusaba asked.
"I finally realized just who Naegi-kun is. I had my suspicions, but I am now convinced that Naegi-kun is legendary hero spoken of in my country!" Sonia exclaimed.
"Say what?" Mioda asked, confused.
"The legend goes like this: The hero wears a white shirt and possesses an antenna that can sense danger. With a face lacking distinguishing characteristics, he shall bring light to the tropical land," Sonia explained.
"Are you serious?" Ikusaba asked, incredulous.
"There is no mistake. This legend must be speaking of Naegi-kun! His hair looks like an antenna and he can sense danger. Just think of how often he has saved me! I had my doubts because of his cute face and his hoodie covered his white shirt, but now I am sure," Sonia explained.
"She is serious," Maizono said.
"According to the legend, the hero will stand alongside the princess and freely swing the Golden Makango," Sonia continued. If she heard the other girls, she had stopped paying attention.
"I think Makoto-chan said makangos are animals," Mioda told the others.
"That sounds awful," Maizono said, thinking of the poor makango.
"And then, the legend says they will establish something resembling order and prosperity to the kingdom!" Sonia finished.
"Wait, not actual order and prosperity? Just a resemblance?" Ikusaba asked. She knew from experience that it didn't take a legendary hero to create the appearance of order and prosperity.
"After all this time…Naegi-kun was my destined one. He must come with me to the Novoselic Kingdom! And then, when the time comes, we shall capture the Golden Makango!" Sonia said with stars in her eyes.
"H-hold on, Sonia-chan," Mioda said.
"Then, and only then will he be formally acknowledged as the legendary hero and be able to rule the Novoselic alongside me," Sonia continued, ignoring her classmate.
"Senpai," Maizono growled out, not really enthusiastic about another rival.
"However, he might need to study a bit more before he can become my husband and the King of Novoselic. He will need to know 30 foreign languages, economics, international law, diagnostic medicine…" Sonia said as she listed what Naegi would need to learn.
"Sonia-senpai, maybe you have it wrong," Ikusaba said, trying to dissuade the young princess from pursuing Naegi.
"Yeah, Makoto-chan hasn't brought any light to any tropical lands," Mioda added.
"I understand what you are all trying to say. I am not oblivious to how you all feel about Naegi-kun," Sonia said.
If Sonia had said that to put them at ease, it didn't work. The other three girls were now bracing themselves for what was coming next.
"I believe that it would put my people at ease if the bloodline of the legendary hero were to continue. So, when I am his lawful wife, you three can be his mistresses," Sonia said. If she hadn't looked so serious when she said it, the other three would have thought she was making fun of them. But since Sonia was serious, the three girls gave her an answer that was just as serious.
"NO!" all three of them yelled at the same time.
Meanwhile
Naegi had arrived back at Hope's Peak a little while ago and met up with Tsumiki. The Ultimate Nurse had looked at his shoulder as soon as she saw him. She hadn't noticed anything wrong, but Naegi had told her that it was still sensitive. She said that she would be more than happy to take a look at it if the problem persisted. After he had thanked her, the two of them made their way back to the dorm.
The had just been about to open the door when they heard three voices scream, "NO!"
Naegi who had been frozen in place by that screams just thought, I wonder if I should be worried about that?
Present Day
I never did find out what that screaming was about, Naegi thought. He had been afraid to ask when he had entered. The next day everything had pretty much gone back to normal, the only difference was that Sonia was now tutoring him in foreign languages, economics, international law, diagnostic medicine, and a number of other subjects. He didn't mind too much, he wasn't afraid of self-improvement. He wasn't sure he could handle it, but Sonia had said, "I have absolute faith in the one who has absolute faith in me."
There was one thing that Naegi couldn't help but be curious about though. "Sonia-senpai, did your government find out anything about this 'leader' Wudagest mentioned?" he asked.
"I am afraid not. Whoever they are, they and their people have been quiet since the events at the Embassy," Sonia said.
"Well, they can't hide forever," Naegi said trying to remain positive.
"Yes, with the help of the legendary hero we will find them," Sonia said, the sparkles back in her eyes.
"Hey, we helped too," Souda whined.
"Oh, that reminds me, Tanaka-kun, will you be able to come to Novoselic over break? I have heard that the twelve hamster-sized medals I requested should be done by then," Sonia informed the breeder, while completely ignoring the mechanic.
"The world must know of the greatness of the Twelve Zodiac Generals, no force on earth or demon in Hell could stop us," Tanaka replied.
"Isn't that great you guys? You'll be recognized as heroes," Naegi said to the Generals. In response, the hamsters puffed out their chests in pride.
Souda, upset at being ignored, just pouted off to the side. Naegi was going to try to cheer him up before a loud crash interrupted him.
"What was that?" he asked.
"It came from that direction," Sonia said as she pointed towards the large P.E. building. Some trees and shrubs were obstructing the view, so no one could see what it was that had made the noise.
"I'll go check it out. We'll talk later okay Senpai?" Naegi asked Sonia.
"Do what you believe is best Naegi-kun, that is what a ruler must do," Sonia said.
Naegi thought that bit at the end was odd but just said, "Thanks Senpai, I'll see you later." With that he ran off towards the noise.
"He's trying to make the rest of us look bad, I know he is," Souda said.
Tanaka just gave him a look that said he didn't need help with that.
Okay, now where did that noise come from, Naegi thought as he looked around. He heard something that sounded like a stomping noise and turned towards that. His view was obstructed by bushes though, so he was unable to avoid what happened next.
Something soft and then hard collided with his face and knocked him flat on his back. He had shut his eyes from the impact, but he didn't need to see to know what had hit him.
Hands where she can see them, keep your eyes shut. She may not care, but you will not take advantage of that, he told himself. After a mental sigh, he thought, Owari-senpai and I really need to stop meeting like this.
And done! Whew, that chapter was kind of all over the place in the second half wasn't it?
That brief history of Novoselic is mine as far as I know. Borginia and Fortuna belong to Capcom though. I didn't think I did too badly with it, but what do you guys think. My biggest concern with it was "Am I trying to be too clever?" Even though I think the Danganronpa fandom is one of the smartest out there, that was a very real concern of mine.
Don't give me that look, that offer Sonia made the other girls totally sounds like something a naive princess might suggest. Okay, maybe not but it was too funny not to use. Just like that thing with Junko and Wudagest.
Did you all know hamsters could growl? I didn't until I started doing research for this chapter.
I would like to thank Putain de Plagieur once again for helping me with this chapter. You're the best, Pupla!
I also have to thank Jibster and jean010. Jibster for the idea with Tanaka's hamsters, I got the idea for Jum-P being attached to Naegi from "Royal Touches." And I would like to thank jean010 for how Junko has been portrayed in "Be More Proactive This Time Luckster," specifically, how possessive she is of Naegi. I need to thank Pupla for one more thing. That part where Junko kicks Wudagest, her line was inspired by jean010's portrayal of her, but I was tempted to give her this chapter off until Pupla made me think better of it. So special thanks to all of you.
I hope Souda's fans aren't too upset with me. I didn't mean to make him look too bad, but whether you call it being a Zoidberg or a butt monkey that's pretty much what his character is. He's kind of like Hagakure from the first game in that respect I guess.
Did I make Naegi too knowledgeable? I don't think I did. Given that his classmates would quiz him in their free time events I can only conclude that he: a) Is a must have for team trivia, or b) studied anything related to his classmates' talents prior to attending Hope's Peak. It could be the first, but I feel better about the second. I mean he's smart, but I wonder if I overdid it. I think I might have made him too brave, but then again he did go after Munakata when he was on a murderous rampage.
You guys probably figured it out already but in case you aren't sure:
Dosinmatter-Doesn't matter
Cudhaben-Could have been, Could happen (I still haven't made up my mind on that one)
Wudagest- Would have guessed
I figured I needed surnames that fit with Nevermind, but I think this is a sign that I like Ace Attorney a little too much.
Originally, I wanted to use Russian and Scandinavian names to fit with Sonia but as you can tell I scrapped that idea.
As always read and review and I will catch you next chapter. Next up Akane Owari.
Chapter Text
Chapter 7: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Gymnast
Hello again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 back again, once again!
I was glad to see that you all enjoyed the previous chapter. Honestly, I was afraid that the hostage situation might have been too much. But then again, if there isn't some fear for one's life or over-the-top ridiculousness or even some combination of the two, it's not Danganronpa is it?
So far, I've only gotten two reviews and one PM on the Danganronpa-Destiny crossover idea, but that's okay. It's a little out there I know, but now I think it could be a fun idea. Maybe I'll put up a test chapter after Forsaken launches and I get the Grimoire Anthology.
But none of you came here for that, you're here to read about Naegi and Owari. Now, parts at the beginning of this chapter are intended to whet your appetite for the Asahina chapter that is coming next, so please bear with me. Yeah, I could have done Asahina first, but this way I know some of you will come back for her chapter. With that out of the way, let's get to it.
Present Day
Naegi recalled that earlier today he had believed that he had gotten desensitized to just about anything that could possible happen at Hope's Peak Academy. He now realized that maybe that had been a bit premature. If what he believed had happened had actually happened, then there would be no getting used to it. He didn't dare check if he was right though, not until the weight on top of him had moved off of his face.
The weight soon did get off of him and a female voice said, "Heya Naegi-kun. You know you can look if you really want to." Naegi opened his eyes and came face-to-face with a smirking Owari Akane, who was now propping herself up with her elbows.
This wasn't the first time Owari Akane had crashed into Naegi, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. He had no idea why but whenever this happened his head either ended up in her cleavage or under her skirt, it seemed that this time it was the former. Naegi did his best to keep his cheeks from turning red, both from those thoughts and Owari's comment.
"Owari-senpai, you really shouldn't say things like that so casually," Naegi told her. He had a feeling he already knew, but he asked anyway, "What happened?"
"The Old Man and I are fighting Ogami-san. Asahina-san's watching too if you're interested," Owari said. I could fight better if you're cheering for me, she thought.
"Owari-san, what's the hold up?" a female voice asked as Nidai Nekomaru, Ogami Sakura, and Asahina Aoi came upon the sight of Owari on top of Naegi. Asahina face turned red in embarrassment and jealousy. The other two just looked apologetic, they knew what happened when their training sessions met Naegi's luck.
"My apologies Naegi-kun, I used to much force," Ogami said.
"What exactly happened? I heard a loud crash or something a minute or so ago and came running over," Naegi explained as he and Owari got to their feet.
"Owari-san thought that if she and I teamed up we could beat Ogami-san. That crash was probably me when I collided with the building," Nidai explained. Nidai had opted for a blue tracksuit as opposed to his regular outfit, a wise decision since his tracksuit was sporting a large number of rips and tears. I doubt that tracksuit is going to survive this match if he crashes into the building again, Naegi thought.
"I tried to distract Ogami-san to give the Old Man an opening and got thrown into you," Owari said with a laugh.
"You're not hurt are you Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked.
Before Naegi could answer Owari said, "Course not, there was plenty to cushion him," while pointing at her chest.
Asahina turned red again, both in embarrassment and anger. Naegi was sure he imagined it, but he thought he saw Asahina hike up her own breasts in response to Owari's statement too.
"Our teamwork still needs work. It might be my fault, I guess I still have a hard time believing that this is the same Owari-san who always charged ahead by herself," Nidai admitted.
"Hey, I can change too you know. Besides, aren't you always saying how people can overcome anything by working together?" Akane asked indignantly.
"Yeah, I've been saying that to you since last year, and it wasn't until a few months ago that you decided to finally listen. Not that there weren't exceptions, but you were usually too stubborn or too proud to accept help when offered it," Nidai countered. After a brief pause, Nidai continued, "Come to think of it, you started listening to that advice after you started hanging out with Naegi-kun. Didn't you two start getting close after he got caught in one of our training sessions?"
"Yep, crashed into him back then too. That time his face was-," Owari started before Naegi cut her off.
"I believe it was right around here too," Naegi said. I know Owari-senpai is okay with saying these things so openly, but I don't think I can handle it. It's not her fault though, that's just the world she used to live in. I'm glad I was able to help in some way though, Naegi thought, as he remembered how he and the Ultimate Gymnast had become friends.
"Yeah it was. That was a pretty good fight that day," Owari stated. It was just a good day. Getting close to Naegi-kun was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Because someone finally came to help me, she thought looking back on how far she had come since that day.
Hope's Peak Academy-Near the P.E. Building
Sixth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Classes had ended while ago, but Class 77-B was still together. Owari had challenged Nidai again and had been looking forward to it all day. Nidai had happily accepted, whatever the reason, he was always happy to help anyone with their training. The rest of the class, well…
"I didn't think any of you would want to watch this," Nidai said.
"Yeah, we don't," Saionji responded.
"Every time you two fight or train or whatever, you destroy the school grounds and the rest of us have to help fix it," Souda added.
"We're just saving ourselves some time," the Imposter finished as he pointed towards some shovels behind him and the rest of the class.
"HAHA! Sorry about that," Nidai laughed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Despite laughing about it, Nidai did feel a little bad for causing his classmates trouble.
"C'mon Old Man, let's go!" Owari shouted as she charged at him. She was fast, but Nidai was faster as he easily sidestepped her.
"You've gotten faster, but your style is still too straightforward," Nidai noted. Owari never changed up her tactics, she always tried to charge in and overpower whoever her opponent was, something that was definitely not going to happen against Nidai.
"You'll see that I got stronger too!" Owari shouted as she charged again. Nidai didn't dodge this time. He decided that it would be better to show Owari the flaws in her tactics. To that end he caught her and fell back. Using her momentum, he rolled back and sent her flying upside down through some nearby bushes. All of Class 77-B soon heard what sounded like two people colliding, a muffled grunt, and the sound of someone falling and hitting the ground. They all ran to see what had happened and saw Owari sitting on someone's face. Even though that someone's face was hidden under Owari's skirt, they were recognizable thanks to a very familiar green hoodie.
Mioda was the first to find her voice after witnessing this awkward scene and shouted, "Akane-chan, get off of Makoto-chan!"
Owari gave a confused, "Huh?" before looking at what she was sitting on. She got up as soon as she saw that she was in fact sitting on someone.
Naegi felt the weight leave his face but had his eyes shut tight. He closed them because of the initial impact but closed them again when he realized what had landed on him. This is it, this is how I'm going to die, he thought before he started apologizing, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see anything! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"
"Don't tell me this is your first time seeing panties…uh, Nēju-kun?" Owari questioned.
Who is Nēju? Naegi thought before he opened his eyes. "Actually Senpai, it's Naegi. How am I still alive right now?" he asked, his face was red from embarrassment and he couldn't look Owari in the eyes.
"Just let it go kid, that's just how she is," Kuzuryuu said.
"Why are you embarrassed? I mean, this morning you saw Asahina-," Owari started.
"I didn't mean to do that!" Naegi shouted cutting her off.
"Ultimate Lucky Pervert," Saionji said.
"No, I swear both that and this were accidents and bad timing," Naegi said. By this time he had gotten to his feet and was frantically waving his hands in front of him.
"Well, 'bad' is really a matter of opinion. Incidentally, what did happen this morning with the lovely Asahina-san?" Hanamura asked, his nose bleeding as his imagination went into overdrive. He learned early on not to perv at Asahina when Ogami was around, but he figured what Ogami didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"Nothing! Don't ask!" Naegi shouted, hoping that this would end the conversation. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and embarrassment, an action that Tsumiki took as a sign that he was in pain.
"A-are you o-okay, Naegi-kun?" Tsumiki asked. She didn't wait for an answer as she held his head still so that she could examine him properly.
"I'm alright Tsumiki-senpai, I just really want to drop the subject. Thank you though," Naegi said as he gave Tsumiki a reassuring smile.
"He's right. Anyway, Old Man, we're still supposed to be fighting!" Owari said looking at Nidai.
"I guess if Naegi-kun is alright. If we kept going after hurting him it would have left a bad taste in my mouth," Nidai said.
"Let's get this over with. The sooner you two are done the sooner we can get clean up your mess," Kuzuryuu said as he headed back to where the match between Owari and Nidai began. Others soon followed, all of them silently agreeing with him. Before Owari left however, Naegi stopped her with a question.
"Owari-senpai, do you like donuts?"
Naegi thought that he heard one of the members of Class 77-B ask, "Did he seriously just ask that?" Whoever it was, it was hard to blame them, while Owari Akane loved meat the most, she had never met a type food she didn't like.
"Love'em. Why? Do you have any?" Owari asked as she started drooling. All thoughts of fighting Nidai had been momentarily forgotten.
"Just needed to check. Sorry again," Naegi said as he left to do whatever it was he had been trying to do earlier.
Owari gave a disappointed, "Aaaahhhh," before she left to continue her fight. Her annoyance at not getting food had caused her attacks to be fiercer than before. Something that didn't go unnoticed by her classmates, especially since it made a bigger mess for them to clean up.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
That Evening
Dinner had been ended a while ago. Poor Naegi hadn't been able to look two of his dormmates in the eyes. Saionji and Enoshima kept poking fun at him, but most of the other girls, even Koizumi to Naegi's surprise, seemed to understand that Naegi was not a pervert and defended him. It felt good to know that the girls were finally coming around, even if the situation was still far from ideal.
Think about that later, he told himself, you still have something to do. So with a box in his hands he looked all through the dorm until he found who he was looking for. "Owari-senpai," he called out, alerting her to his presence.
"Oh you're…? Wait, what's your name again?" Owari asked when she saw him.
"I'm Naegi Makoto, Senpai," Naegi gently reminded her. I know we haven't interacted much, but I have been living here for a while. I even reintroduced myself a few hours ago, Naegi thought.
"Oh, right! That sorta sounds like your name. Sorry, sorry. I keep forgetting somehow. I'll remember it easier if you keep givin' me food or something," Owari told him with a laugh.
I'm the one who cooks the meals in this dorm! Naegi thought. Granted he had volunteered to do it to put everyone at ease, but Naegi couldn't help feeling unappreciated. Pushing that feeling aside, Naegi said, "This works out well then. I bought you these as an apology and a peace offering." Naegi held out the box he was holding which Owari soon grabbed.
Owari opened the box as quickly as she could and saw, much to her delight, "Donuts!"
"Yeah, I was going to get a box for Asahina-san to apologize to her for what happened this morning. After what happened this afternoon, I got decided to get one for you as well. I wasn't going to feel right until I knew that there was no bad blood between us from what happened," Naegi explained.
"Huh? Oh, when you saw my panties? Yeah, we're cool. Later," Owari said as she set the box of donuts down and prepared to eat.
"Wait Senpai, can we talk for a little bit?" Naegi asked. Does she really not care about that? he thought. It didn't make sense.
Owari took a closer look at Naegi before she said, "Look, you seem nice, but I'm not interested in someone who looks like they have low fighting power. Just from lookin' at you, you're probably around a 2. I don't deal with anything lower than trash, y'know?"
Okay, I know I don't fight but ouch. I mean, I guess in a roundabout way, she compared me to Son Gok- Wait, fighting power? Naegi thought. Then he realized something seemed off about what Owari said. "Why are you focusing on fighting power? That doesn't matter in gymnastics, right?" he asked.
In response, Owari asked, "Gymnastics? What are you talkin' about?"
The fact that he could tell that it was a serious question confused Naegi, so he asked, "Aren't you the Ultimate Gymnast? I mean, that's how you introduced yourself when I first got here."
"Oh, that. Setting records and winning competitions is easy money," Owari said happily.
"Easy money?" Naegi asked while thinking, Yeah, I don't think most people would say that setting records and winning competitions is exactly "easy" money, Senpai.
"Yeah, that's right. I've been doing it since this really persistent old man convinced me to give it a try. I've been runnin' and jumpin' all over the place ever since I was a kid," Owari told Naegi.
"That sounds a lot like parkour," Naegi said. He supposed that made sense, given what parkour required and what gymnastic required it didn't seem like much of a stretch.
"Yeah, that's what the old man called it, too! Well, it doesn't matter what it's called. When you got people chasin' ya, you just naturally end up doin' parkour when you're runnin' away from them. You should try chasin' me sometime. I seriously won't get caught!" Owari happily proclaimed.
"People chasing you!" For what? I'm sure there's a story there, but maybe I shouldn't pry too much right now, Naegi thought. Still, he couldn't help worrying. What kind of life had Owari lived? Was there anything he could do to help? She seemed so carefree though. Figuring he could always ask Owari for details some other time, Naegi just said, "Well, I'm glad we had this chance to chat Senpai. I hope can do it again soon."
"Huh? Oh, sure. I'll try to remember your name for next time, Neji-kun," Owari said.
"It's Naegi, Senpai. I'm Naegi Makoto. Until next time then," Naegi said as he left.
Finally getting the chance to eat the donuts Naegi brought, Owari dug right in. These are good. That guy, uh, Naegi-kun, he seemed nice. I wonder if he'll bring more food next time? Owari thought as visions of various foods filled her mind.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Sixth Week of Classes-Thursday
Naegi had the strangest feeling that he was being watched. He was standing in the dorm's kitchen making dinner, same as he did every day at this time, and he never had this feeling before. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he usually felt a presence when he was cooking, but it was always brief, and he always just assumed that someone was just checking to see what he was making. He believed that was the case this time too, so he tried his best to ignore it. He grabbed a meat thermometer and checked the deep-fried pork that he was had been preparing. It was around this time that he felt something press up against the back of his shoulders. What is that? Something feels soft, he thought as he turned and saw Owari pressed up against him, looking over his shoulder longingly at the pork cutlets. Realizing what it was that felt soft, Naegi started blushing before he turned back to the food and said as calmly as he could, "Owari-senpai, could you step back a bit. I know it's almost dinner time and you're hungry but it's very hard for me to focus when you're looking over my shoulder."
"Huh? Oh, sure thing, um, Naegi-kun! Hey, I got it right this time!" Owari said happily.
Naegi could tell she felt proud of herself. He just smiled and shook his head before saying, "Yeah, you did Senpai. So, did you come to see what was for dinner?"
"Yeah, I always come to check on the food," Owari said, as if it should be obvious.
So I was right, Naegi thought. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay Senpai, but I need to be able to move around," Naegi told her.
"Is anything ready now?" she asked as she eagerly looked at everything in the kitchen.
"It should all be ready soon, I thought that katsu curry would be good tonight," Naegi said as he got back to work.
Owari looked like she didn't want to wait, mostly because she didn't, but she knew she had to, so she stood off to the side and admired the food.
Figuring that this would be a good opportunity to learn about Owari, Naegi asked, "So Owari-senpai, where did you grow up?"
"A trashy place where crappy people are all swept together. Where I'm from it's not that strange to find a dead body at the dump in the morning," Owari said, her tone was that of a person talking about the weather.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Naegi said, not that there was much one could say to that.
"Huh, why?" Owari asked, confused.
"It's just, I'm sure it made you tough, but still that must have been really hard," Naegi explained. I can't tell if she really doesn't see anything wrong with it or if she's just desensitized to it, he thought.
"Yeah, we never had any money, so I did whatever I could to earn cash. I even sold my used panties to this noisy pig who kept oinkin', 'Panties! Panties!' By the time I was able to legally work part-time, I didn't hafta run away anymore," Owari told him.
Owari may not have found anything odd about that, but Naegi was mortified. That's the worst thing I've ever heard in my life. On the one hand, I'm glad she got money, but buying an underage girl's panties is just wrong, Naegi thought. Deciding to change the subject, Naegi asked, "What kind of part-time jobs did you do?"
"Well, I did a lotta things. For some reason, my mom's boyfriends always pushed me into doing weird jobs," Owari began.
I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this, Naegi thought.
Owari continued, "At first, one of them told me all I needed to do was serve food. But I never expected he'd tell me to do it like 'that'."
Okay, nothing wrong with being a waitress, but...what…did…she…? They didn't… They shouldn't have… They told her to…, Naegi was having trouble forming coherent thoughts as realization dawned on him.
Owari seemed to notice that that something was troubling Naegi and asked, "Hm? What happened?"
Maybe I have it wrong, Naegi thought. He was afraid of the answer, but he asked anyway, "Owari-senpai, did they ask you to…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish.
When it seemed like Naegi wasn't going to finish his question, Owari said, "Well, anyway, I didn't know what to do. I mean, he told me to do it without my panties, y'know? That doesn't make sense, right? There's no way I could do somethin' like that."
"Absolutely!" Naegi said as he nodded. He was relieved that it seemed that Owari had not been exploited.
Naegi's relief was short-lived as Owari said, "I know right! That would definitely make your stomach cold!"
"That's not the point! That's sounds like a JK business. That means it was child grooming! No one touched you did they!?" Naegi shouted.
To Owari, it seemed like Naegi had lost it. "What? Man, you're annoying. Is the food ready yet?" Owari asked. Naegi knew she wasn't kidding, he could hear the irritation in her voice, but he wasn't ready to let this go just yet.
"Senpai, after that happened, did you tell the police?" he asked.
"I didn't need to. I'm not weak," Owari said.
"I never said you were, Senpai," Naegi said, defending himself.
"I don't need someone to protect me and I don't need people to worry about me!" Owari shouted. That's right, no one would have helped anyway. And if no one would help then, they won't help now. I'm the only one I can depend on, Owari thought as she started to leave.
"Senpai, wait. I-I'm sorry I reacted like that, but believe me I have a reason," Naegi said. He wanted everyone to get along. He didn't want to give Owari a reason to dislike him, so there was something he had to tell her.
"What is it?" Owari asked, still clearly annoyed.
"Well, I've never really told anyone this story before. It happened years ago, my sister Komaru was in the third grade. We aren't really sure what happened, but we saw one of her teachers from cram school, I can't recall his name, in our house in the middle of the night. It was a good thing Tou-san caught him. Even though he was caught coming out of Komaru's room, the teacher swore to us he didn't do anything to Komaru. I'd never seen my parents so angry at anyone before. If Kaa-san hadn't called the police, I'm sure Tou-san would have killed that man. Anyway, the teacher was arrested, the cram school told the students he quit, and to this day Komaru believes that the teachers feelings became a living spirit that visited her that night. It wasn't until I was older that I realized the danger Komaru could have been in, I mean usually when some pervert like that breaks into a house, he doesn't usually stop at watching little girls sleep. So I guess in a way we got lucky, but it left a lasting impression on me. I feel very strongly about people taking advantage of young girls because someone I love could have very easily become a victim. I don't want my friends to be in that position either, no one should ever be put in that position," Naegi told Owari.
Owari's eyes softened at Naegi's story. "Well, I guess I get it, but I'm fine. I'm strong after all," she said, no longer annoyed.
"I know you are Senpai, I didn't get angry because I think you're weak, I did it because I care about you. I know we don't know each other that well, but I really do want us to be friends," Naegi said.
"We can be friends, but I don't need someone to worry about me," Owari said. It did feel kind of nice though…NO! I'm fine on my own, she thought.
"I can't promise I won't worry Senpai." Naegi said with a smile, the previous conversation almost forgotten. Naegi then remembered that he still needed to get dinner ready and asked Owari, "Senpai, dinner is just about ready, can you go get the others?"
"Sure can! Hey everybody, come and eat!" Owari shouted as she left the kitchen. That warm feeling of knowing someone cared confused her, and when she got confused, she got hungry, and Owari Akane was not about to let anyone hold up her next meal.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Seventh Week of Classes-Sunday
It was that time of the week again. Every Sunday morning after breakfast, Owari would raid the dorm's fridge for leftovers to take home. Feeding her seven younger siblings was a difficult task for a myriad of reasons. Half of them were too young to cook for the rest and the ones who were old enough never made anything edible, not that she was much better. Since Naegi had arrived at Hope's Peak Academy there were now enough leftovers to supplement their food situation each week. Most people thought of Owari Akane as a ravenous eater that wouldn't leave a scrap of food behind, and that was true. What most didn't know was that she was protective of what she would refer to as "small hungry things." She never touched food once it was on another person's plate during meals. Eating was the most important thing after all, so stealing food that someone was going to eat was wrong. It was a rather simplistic way of thinking, but that's just how Owari saw it. She also believed that once food qualified as "leftover" it was fair game, and that's why she was in the kitchen now.
Oh, this was good, they'll love this. Some of that too. Can't forget about dinner from last night, Owari thought as she looked at all of her choices. She was interrupted when a voice called out to her.
"Owari-senpai?"
Owari whipped her head around and saw Naegi standing there looking at her. "Oh, hey Naegi-kun, how's it going?" she greeted.
"Alright. I just came to get something to drink," Naegi answered. Looking at the food Owari had taken from the fridge, he asked, "That's a little much for a snack isn't it Senpai?"
"Of course not. This is normal back home. You can't survive if ya don't eat when you can," Owari answered.
Since Owari had mentioned her home, Naegi decided now was a good time to ask, "Owari-senpai, I've been wondering about this for a while, what's your home like?"
Owari, who saw no harm in answering, said, "Hm? It's not that big of a deal. The only major difference is that I have about seven little brothers and sisters, and my parents don't work."
While Naegi was curious about what Owari had said about her parents, there was something else he was curious about. "I didn't know you were and older sister, Senpai. Seven huh? That's a lot," he said.
Owari just shrugged before explaining, "Y'know how every time you get a new mom or dad, you get new siblings too? Well...that's why I don't really know exactly how many siblings I have."
No Senpai, I don't know, Naegi thought sadly. Naegi was grateful for this glimpse into Owari's personality, between this and their previous conversation, he was beginning to realize just how difficult Owari's life had been. Naegi pushed that feeling aside and asked, "Then...you took on part-time jobs to help support your family?" Well, if it's true her parents don't work, then she'd be the sole provider, but I probably should tread carefully with that, Naegi thought.
"Yep. I gotta feed the little ones, y'know. When I had my waitressing gig, I'd sometimes steal...I mean, borrow leftovers to bring home. I got paid an hourly wage and I also got tips too, which was pretty sweet," Owari said proudly. Remembering other details, she added, "Oh, and I got to keep my panties on, too. I didn't let customers motorboat me either."
"I certainly hope not. You really shouldn't talk about keeping your panties on so casually," Naegi did not raise his voice, but it was clear that he was angry.
Why is he so mad? Oh, right! That thing with his sister's perverted teacher, Owari thought. "Oh...I-I see... U-Um...s-sorry..." Owari said.
"You aren't the one who should apologize, Senpai. Your mother's boyfriends; that guy you sold your panties to; anyone who would ask you to wait tables without panties or to motorboat them, they owe you an apology. And I'm sorry I keep getting angry. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at them, even though it doesn't do any good now," Naegi explained. Just because this all happened in the past doesn't make it any less infuriating though, Naegi thought.
"Y'know, I've been scolded like this before. Back when I was waitin' tables, there was this weird old dude who used to come all the time. He was a gymnastics coach. I wasn't really into sports, and especially not gymnastics, but no matter how much I punched and kicked him, he was pretty persistent. In fact, he looked like he was enjoyin' it. He kept tellin' me I had an amazing body. He was seriously a gross old dude, but thanks to him, I was able to move out with my siblings and find a new home for us," Owari said.
I don't think it's appropriate for a grown man to tell an underage girl she has an amazing body, but as long as that's all he did…, Naegi thought. Naegi then said, "Yeah, he sounds like a dirty old man, but I'm glad that things worked out for you. As long as he kept his hands to himself."
"Huh? Oh, yeah he did," Owari said.
Naegi gave a sigh of relief before saying, "Good." Looking over at the food Owari had gotten out, Naegi asked, "Is this food for your brothers and sisters?"
"Yeah, I've been taking them whatever is left over every week. They really like your food," Owari said.
Naegi couldn't help feeling a bit proud when he heard that, even if he never really made anything too fancy. Looking at the leftovers again, Naegi couldn't help but ask, "Senpai, this food may last a day or two, but what about the rest of the week?"
"We usually fall back on cup ramen, food that can be microwaved, food that doesn't need to be cooked, or order takeout," Owari answered with a shrug.
Owari hadn't given any specifics, but an image of seven mini-Owari's eating Doritos for dinner floated through Naegi's mind when she said, "food that doesn't need to be cooked." It was partly because of that, and partly because Naegi was a helpful person in general, that Naegi said, "Owari-senpai, if you want, I can come with you and maybe see if I can prepare your siblings' meals for the week. I've got nothing planned for today and would be happy to do it. Maybe I can even teach some of the older kids a simple recipe or two."
Most people probably would have taken Naegi up on the offer right away, and Owari was tempted. However, most people didn't have Owari's childhood experiences and the strange sort of independent streak that they gave her. As a child Owari was regularly starving and as a result she learned to constantly search for food, often from trash she had to fight for with other people, and from anywhere else such as nuts and bird eggs from trees and small animals she managed to catch. She used to get beaten up at times and was often chased by men and one time a stray dog, though this stopped after she became stronger than her pursuers. Since her own home was so poor, she had a habit of resting in libraries during winters and summers, because there was proper air conditioning, free water, and bathrooms unlike in her home. Through all this, no one helped her, and she learned to rely on herself. Doing something out of the goodness of one's heart was not something that happened in her world.
On the other hand, Owari had a deep love for her little brothers and sisters. She would always go to great lengths to make them happy, and it was clear from the first weekend of the school year that food cooked by Naegi Makoto made them happy. To be fair they had enjoyed the food from the restaurants she used to work at and Hanamura's food when she had been able to bring it home. It broke her heart to see how disappointed they were when she stopped bringing home leftovers, but she no longer worked as a waitress and thanks to Saionji, most of Class 77-B wasn't allowed in the school kitchen anymore. Even now, Hanamura was carefully supervised when he was in the school kitchen and his ingredients were subject to random checks. Naegi's leftovers had brought smiles back to their faces, something Owari cherished. If Naegi was offering to cook for them, it would probably make them very happy, and she wouldn't have to worry if they were able to eat or not. So Owari decided, The lil' ones would probably enjoy it, so fine I guess. If it makes them happy then I'll just give him whatever he wants later. With her decision made, Owari turned to Naegi and said, "Alright, let me finish up here and then we'll go."
"Okay, let me just grab my wallet and phone and then I'll help you carry all of this. Maybe there are some coolers or something we can put the leftovers in. All of it should keep, but when it comes to food safety, better safe than sorry," Naegi said as he left the kitchen. Going by what Owari-senpai said, we might need to do some grocery shopping, Naegi thought, grateful that his parents sent him money.
Outskirts of Hikarimachi
Higashi Ward, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture-Later That Morning
It didn't take long to reach the area of Owari's neighborhood by train, but the trip to her actual home felt long to Naegi. The two of them were carrying a cooler of leftovers each, but that wasn't what made the trip feel long. Naegi had suspected it but now he knew for sure, Owari's siblings didn't exactly live in the nicest part of town. It wasn't a slum but there was a red-light district nearby, making it a tough place. Once people spotted Naegi, their eyes were glued to him. Is it really that obvious that I'm not from around here? Naegi asked himself. He supposed that if he lived around here, then he would be wary of outsides too, but he didn't think that he looked like he'd cause trouble. "I guess they don't like strangers around here," Naegi mumbled. He didn't mean for anyone to hear that, but Owari did.
"You'll be fine if you're with me, they know what I'll do to them if they try anything," Owari said as they approached an apartment building.
The building looked like it had seen better days but didn't look like it was in danger of being condemned. Paint was peeling off; light bulbs needed replaced, and the windows were scratched to hell and back, but there was nothing that seemed to be cause for immediate concern. The only real problem seemed to be the location, it was right on the border of the red-light district.
Owari led the way inside and up a few flights of stairs before stopping at a door. She placed her cooler of to the side before fishing a key out of her pocket. After she had unlocked and opened the door she said, "Hey you little brats, I'm back."
Naegi heard seven voices shout, "Akane-nee!" followed by the sound of running. It turned out Naegi's mental image from earlier in the day had been pretty accurate, Owari's brothers and sisters did in fact look like smaller versions of her. There were differences in eye color and miniscule differences in facial features, but no one could deny the family resemblance. Same messy hair, same tanned skin, they were definitely related to Owari Akane.
The excitement the kids had at seeing their sister was tempered by their wariness of Naegi. The oldest, a boy of about thirteen who looked like a male version of Owari, but with brown eyes asked, "Akane-nee, who is that?"
"Pleased to meet all of you. I'm Naegi Makoto, and I go to Hope's Peak Academy with Owari-senpai," Naegi said. He would have liked to wave of offer a handshake, but the cooler he was holding prevented that.
"He lives at the dorm with me and the girls, something about his luck I think. He's the one in charge of the food," Owari explained.
"I cook, keep house, and occasionally act as a handy man, but I'm supposed to be the Ultimate Lucky Student of my year," Naegi added.
The youngest child, a five-year-old boy that also had brown eyes asked, "Are you Akane-nee's boyfriend?"
"No, he's just here because he offered to cook for you," Owari said with laugh.
The children's eyes lit up when she said that. A few even excitedly asked, "Really?"
"Yeah, Owari-senpai told me that you liked what I made at the dorm, so I thought that you'd like it even better fresh. I'd also like to prepare meals for you kids for the week and maybe teach some of you to cook simple things on your own," Naegi explained, suddenly feeling pressure from their excitement.
Any uneasiness the children may have felt because of Naegi must have disappeared after he had told them that because the oldest boy came forward and said, "I'm Owari Sadaharu, I'm thirteen and I'm in charge when Akane-nee isn't around. Nice to meet you Makoto-nii."
"Nice to meet you too, Owari-kun. I just realized, this might get a little confusing," Naegi said as he realized that he couldn't refer to all of the kids by their surname. Makoto-nii huh? They warmed up to me pretty quickly, Naegi thought, not that he minded.
"You can call me Sadaharu-kun, Makoto-nii," Sadaharu said. He motioned towards his other siblings and said, "From oldest to youngest there is Sayuri,"
"Hello," a girl of eleven with the same eye color as Owari greeted.
"Natsuko,"
"Hi," a girl no older than ten said shyly. She looked like her eldest sister too, but her personality was certainly different.
"Tatsunori,"
"Nice to meet you," a boy with blue eyes said. He looked to only be nine.
"Mari,"
"Can we call you Mako-nii?" a seven-year-old girl asked. The biggest difference between her and her eldest sister was that her eyes were black.
"If that's what you want, Mari-chan," Naegi told her. He got a sweet smile in return.
"Ataru,"
"Mako-nii is gonna cook for us, that's so cool!" a boy of about six exclaimed. His eyes were hazel.
"And the youngest is Suguru," Sadaharu finished.
"What are you gonna make for us, Mako-nii?" Suguru asked.
"Well, I'll need to see what I've got to work with. How about all of you help your Nee-chan unpack what's in these coolers, and I'll let you know," Naegi said.
"Okay," Suguru said.
"Follow me to the kitchen," Owari said as she started walking with a cooler in her arms. Naegi followed her with the other cooler and the children followed after them both.
The kitchen was smaller than the one back at the dorm, but it had everything Naegi needed. Now he just needed to see what was on hand. As the Owaris unpacked the leftovers, Naegi looked over at the food that was already in the apartment. Once he was done he said, "The food situation isn't bad, but it still looks like we need to make a trip to the store before I can do everything I promised."
"You heard him. Let's finish up. The sooner we're done, the sooner we can eat," Owari said as she and her siblings picked up the pace.
A few minutes later, after Owari, Naegi, and the children had made their way to the nearest supermarket, Naegi pulled out a few pieces of paper and said, "Owari-senpai, Sadaharu-kun, Sayuri-chan, let's split up and get everything on one of these lists. There's one for staple foods, fruits and vegetables, meat, and fish."
"Mako-nii, what about drinks and snacks?" Mari asked.
"I put drinks on the list with the staple foods, Mari-chan. Before we get snacks though, I think we should see how much everything will cost," Naegi explained.
"Okay," she said.
"I want to go with Mako-nii!" Ataru shouted.
"Calm down Ataru," Sadaharu reprimanded.
"It's okay. Ataru-chan, you're more than welcome to come with me," Naegi said.
"Can I come too?" Mari asked.
"You most certainly can, Mari-chan," Naegi answered. Holding out the lists he let the other groups choose first. Sadaharu would get fish; Sayuri and Tatsunori were in charge of fruits and vegetables; Owari, Suguru, and Natsuko would get meat; and Naegi would get staple foods.
"Okay, let's join up with each other as we finish," Naegi said as he, Ataru and Mari left to shop for what was on their list.
"Well, you kids heard him. Get to it. And don't talk to anyone you don't know who isn't wearing a nametag," Owari said.
"Okay Akane-nee," Sadaharu, Sayuri, and Tatsunori answered before they left to shop.
A few minutes later and Owari, Natsuko, and Suguru had finished getting the meat Naegi had put on their shopping list. "Okay, let's go find the others," Owari said, before she and the other two set out to do just that.
Suguru, who had been quiet for a while, asked, "Akane-nee?"
"What is it Suguru?" Owari asked.
"Is this what it's like to have a kaa-san and an otou-san?" Suguru asked.
All Owari could say in response to that was, "Huh?"
"If Akane-nee is our onee-chan and takes care of us like an okaa-san, does that make Mako-nii like an otou-san?" Natsuko asked. She and Suguru had been thinking the same thing apparently.
"I mean, I guess, but why bring this up? I thought I was doing a good job of taking care of all of you myself," Owari said, a little defensively.
"You do Akane-nee," Suguru said.
"We just think it would be nice if someone took care of you too," Natsuko said.
Owari probably would have blown up at anyone else for suggesting such a thing, but her siblings brought out her calmer, softer side. "I really don't need someone to do that, I'm strong enough on my own y'know," she said. That does sound pretty ni-no! No one took care of me before, I had to do it all by myself. I'm fine, I can take care of my family on my own. If Naegi being around makes the kids happy, then fine, he can come around, but I don't really need his help and I don't need someone to take care of me. I'm strong, Owari thought stubbornly.
"Senpai!"
"Natsuko-nee!"
"Suguru!"
Three different voices called out and Owari saw Naegi and the rest of her family coming towards her. Apparently, they had all finished up before her.
"Hey," Owari greeted back. What her brother and sister had said had shaken her up a bit, but she pushed through it.
"Alright, now we can get snacks!" Ataru happily exclaimed.
"Just let me check a few things Ataru-chan," Naegi said. He took out his phone which had the calculator app open and added the cost of the meats to the total. "And the 8% sales tax and we've got…okay, let me check my wallet," Naegi said as he checked how much money he had on him. "I think we have enough to get each of you something you want," he told the kids.
Three very young voices exclaimed:
"Cookies!"
"Candy!"
"Ice cream!"
"We'll get them, but everyone only gets one thing, otherwise we won't have enough," Naegi explained.
"Is your family rich or something?" Owari asked, wondering how Naegi could afford the four carts of groceries.
"Huh? Oh, no it's just that since I'm not home, my parents have been sending me generous amounts of money. I had some savings before coming to Hope's Peak though, and the only thing I've bought were those flowers for Mioda-senpai's show. I just thought that I should pay this time because I wanted to get extra for when I show some of the kids how to cook," Naegi explained.
"As long as you aren't treating us like some charity case," Owari said. She was grateful, how could she not be, someone was buying her and her siblings food, but she didn't want any pity.
"I'm sorry if I gave you that impression, Senpai. It's just that when I heard about your siblings I just couldn't help myself. I have a soft spot for kids and I wanted to be sure they were eating right. Scurvy, beriberi, rickets, and the like are still real," Naegi said.
"What, what, and what?" Owari asked.
"Well, Tsumiki-senpai and possibly Hanamura-senpai, could tell you more, but the short answer is those are illnesses caused by vitamin deficiency, often times resulting from poor eating habits. Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C. Beriberi, is the severe and chronic form of thiamine deficiency, a medical condition of low levels of vitamin B1. Rickets is a condition that is most commonly caused by a vitamin D deficiency. We don't see much of them anymore, at least not in Japan, and your siblings probably aren't in danger of getting any of those, but it's still probably not the best idea to live off of cup ramen, frozen dinners, and food that doesn't need cooked," Naegi explained.
"I didn't know that, I thought it was enough to just have food," Owari said sadly. She felt bad that the health of her siblings could have been in danger from not eating right.
Naegi put his hand on Owari's shoulder and said, "Senpai, you're a sister who has been promoted to parent. You've managed to raise seven wonderful children by yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and like I said, we don't think about these things because they are so rare in Japan. It doesn't make you any less amazing, so don't go thinking that it does."
Owari didn't know if it was those words or Naegi's hand but she couldn't help thinking, He's so warm. Maybe it's okay to depend on…NO! Despite her internal reprimand of herself, she still said, "Thanks Naegi-kun. You're a really nice guy."
"I only spoke the truth Senpai," Naegi told her.
The rest of Owari's family saw this and couldn't help but feel happy that someone like Naegi Makoto had come into their lives.
After checking out and heading back to Owari's home, everyone set about putting food away. Once this was done, Naegi pulled Sadaharu, Sayuri, Natsuko, and Tatsunori aside for a quick lesson.
"Okay we have basmati rice, water, beef fillets, red and green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, and dashi stock. Anyone want to guess what we're making?" he asked.
"Gyudon?" Natsuko asked.
"That's right Natsuko-chan. Now, the recipe usually calls for sake and mirin for the sauce, but it can be just as easily made without it. Which is good because none of us can legally buy sake or mirin," Naegi said.
"Why gyudon though?" Sadaharu asked.
"Well, it might not be the easiest place to start, but it isn't the hardest. Plus, even though I prefer curry, gyudon has a lot of sentimental value to me. My Otou-san used to make it whenever Okaa-san was sick, and we had to fend for ourselves. He'd always sing this short little song from this anime he watched as a little kid," Naegi said fondly.
"What song?" Tatsunori asked.
"Let's see if I remember, I think it went:
"All I need is gyudon for the next 300 years…Fast, delicious, and cheap too!" Naegi sang, much to the delight of the kids in the kitchen.
"That's funny," Sayuri said through her laughter.
"Yeah, he always did it for Komaru and me, it always put a smile on our faces," Naegi said as he recalled all of his fond memories with his family. He stopped when he considered the Owari family's situation, these kids had never had real parents, Owari had to pick up the slack. Naegi always knew he loved his family, but he never knew how much he could appreciate them until now. Getting back to the task at hand Naegi said, "Okay Sadaharu-kun, you make gyudon; Sayuri-chan will be in charge of miso soup; Natsuko and Tatsunori, you two need to make enough cabbage salad for everyone. Now I'm going to explain everything step-by-step and then I'm going to prepare meals for you for the rest of the week and leave cooking instructions on them. If you get stuck or seem to be having trouble don't be afraid to ask for help. Is everyone ready?"
"Hai, Mako-nii!" three loud voices exclaimed while the shy Natsuko just nodded.
While Naegi was busy in the kitchen with some of her older younger siblings, Owari was keeping the other three company. All of them had warmed up to Naegi rather quickly, but Mari, Ataru, and Suguru seemed to really enjoy having Naegi around. Owari wouldn't have minded that, but for the fact that her siblings seemed to be under the wrong impression about her relationship with Naegi.
"Akane-nee, are you gonna marry Mako-nii someday?" Mari asked.
"No Mari, I'm not. What is it with you kids today? He's not my boyfriend, he just lives with me and the girls at our dorm," Owari explained. It seemed to be futile to tell them otherwise though, the younger children really seemed to want their sister to be together with Naegi.
"Don't let the other girls beat you Akane-nee!" Ataru exclaimed. If he hadn't been six-years-old, one would have reason to believe he was trying to appeal to his sister's competitive nature.
"If we were competing I wouldn't. Do you kids really like him that much?" Owari asked, receiving three nods in return.
"He's really nice," Suguru said.
"He's knows how to cook," Ataru added.
"He knows how great you are, Akane-nee," Mari finished.
A blush made its way to Owari's cheeks as she remembered what Naegi had said at the store. Owari would be the first to admit that she didn't like to think very hard, many people thought that she was dumb, but she knew that there was something different about Naegi. Sadly, her stubbornness, born from her rough life, wouldn't let her accept that completely.
"Food's ready!" Sadaharu's voice called out.
As Owari and the kids made their way into the kitchen to get their lunch they noticed just how good everything smelled.
"Did you kids make all of this?" Owari asked seeing the food spread out.
"Mako-nii helped, but we managed to do most of it," Sayuri said with pride as she placed her hands on her hips.
"They picked everything up rather quickly, I was impressed. I was able to finish up the prep work for their meals this week earlier than expected because of it," Naegi said. One could tell by his voice that he was proud of the kids too.
As soon as everyone was ready there was a chorus of "Itadakimasu!" before everyone dug in. to everyone's surprise, even the kids who had cooked the food, everything was delicious. There may have been room for improvement, the sauce was a little unevenly mixed in, but now there seemed to be one less thing for Owari to worry about when she was at Hope's Peak.
"You four did an excellent job for your first time, you should all be proud," Naegi said after lunch.
"I don't know if we could have done it without you, Mako-nii," Tatsunori said.
"Everyone needs at least a little help their first time, but I think you kids are off to a good start," Naegi said. Looking at the time, Naegi then asked, "Owari-senpai, do you think we should be getting back soon?"
"Probably, let's gather up the coolers and the containers I brought last week," Owari said as she got up from the table.
"Will you come back, Mako-nii?" Suguru asked.
"I'll try Suguru-chan, but I might not always be able to," Naegi said.
Naegi was treated to a chorus of disappointed "Aww's" in response.
"I promise to send you kids meals for the week every week that I can't make it though," Naegi said.
That seemed to pacify the younger Owaris. With that out of the way Owari and Naegi gathered up everything that needed to return to Hope's Peak and after saying their good-byes, went on their way.
"You have a wonderful family, Senpai. You should be proud," Naegi said as the two made their wat to the train station.
Owari blushed at that and gave a shaky, "Y-yeah," in response. Thinking that now was a good a time as any to bring it up, Owari asked, "So what do you want?"
"I don't understand," Naegi said.
"Do you want my panties? You can feel me up if you want. You made my brothers and sisters happy, so you can name it," Owari said.
Naegi didn't know what he found more disturbing: Owari's offers or the fact that she didn't seem bothered by them. Rather than resigned she seemed almost, not happy, but it sounded like a proud parent asking a small child what toy they wanted as a reward for good behavior.
"You don't owe me anything Senpai, I'm the one who offered," Naegi said, hoping that would be the end of it. Naegi couldn't deny that the temptation was there, whatever else he might be, Naegi was also a teenage boy and Owari was a very attractive teenage girl, but Naegi also knew the difference between right and wrong.
"C'mon, I'll even let you motorboat me if you want," Owari said. Even after hearing Naegi's thoughts on the subject, Owari thought that Naegi deserved some kind of reward.
"Senpai, you shouldn't make those offers so casually. You should only do things of this nature with the person you love," Naegi tried to explain.
It seemed to have at least some effect as Owari relented and asked, "Well what do you want?"
"I don't really want anything, Senpai. I just wanted to do something nice for my friend and her family," Naegi answered.
"C'mon, you must want something," Owari pressed.
"Could you grab me a Coke from the fridge when we get back then? I'll worry about putting everything away," Naegi said. He really had no desire for any sort of payment for doing what he thought was right. Hopefully this would be enough to convince her that they were even. I guess Owari-senpai and I live in two very different worlds, Naegi thought.
"Fine," Owari relented. Someone's easy to please, she thought before the two of them purchased the tickets that would get them back to Hope's Peak.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Wednesday
It was after midnight but sleep eluded Naegi Makoto. A sniper had made an attempt on Sonia's life only hours ago and they were still at large. Naegi didn't think Sonia was in any danger at the moment, but he was still rather shaken up by the event. Currently he was making his way to the kitchen for something that might help him sleep.
Maybe warm milk will work, he thought as he made his way from his room to the kitchen. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye he turned and saw trees swaying in the wind rather violently. Never been more grateful for soundproofing in my life, I can't imagine how loud the wind is if it's shaking the trees that much, Naegi thought. As he approached the kitchen, he sound found that he wasn't alone.
"Owari-senpai?" Naegi asked sleepily. It was in fact Owari Akane in the kitchen.
"Oh hey Naegi-kun, just came for a midnight snack," Owari said, as she dug through the fridge.
"Couldn't you sleep either Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"Nah, guess I was still too hungry to sleep through the night," Owari answered. When it seemed like she found what she was looking for she said, "Haha, score. When things don't make sense, the only thing I can do is stuff my face. As long as I can eat and move my body, that's when I feel like I'm alive. That's all I need."
"When things don't make sense?" Is she talking about what happened with Sonia-senpai? At the very least it sounds like she might have something on her mind, Naegi thought.
"Are you worried about Sonia-senpai?" Naegi asked.
That caught Owari off guard as she stammered, "Huh? Wh-What are you talkin' about? I don't really worry about things. There's no way I'd ever worry about anything!"
"Really? Sonia-senpai is your classmate, no one would blame you for worrying about her. That's part of the reason I'm down here, I was too worried to sleep," Naegi said.
"I'm not worried, alright!? I'm not weak!" Owari yelled. Naegi was right but she'd sooner stop eating meat than admit it. Death never bothered her before, back when she was much younger, she lived in a very poor area where people were dying frequently. In the mornings, it wasn't that rare to find dead bodies. It was because of this, she never bothered to make close friends, or even learn any names. She couldn't do that anymore though, she had become quite attached to her classmates and now someone out there was after one of their lives. Stop worrying dammit! Worrying is for the weak! Owari mentally reprimanded herself.
Naegi had no way of knowing about that part of Owari's childhood so all he could say was, "I'm not calling you weak Senpai."
"Good, because I'm not," Owari said as she went back to looking through the fridge for a snack. It seemed like she finally found what she wanted as she pulled something out to heat up. As she headed for the microwave and Naegi went about getting his warm milk, Owari saw something tapping the window. It looked to be a pale, white hand. Owari paled herself before she let out a scream.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Naegi, who had just gotten a glass, turned suddenly and asked, "Senpai what's wrong!?" All he saw was Owari crouched on the ground, shaking like a leaf and pointing a trembling finger at the window.
"Gh... Gh-Gh...Ghost," Owari stammered.
"Ghost?" Naegi asked. He looked to where Owari was pointing and said, "That's not a ghost, some paper just got caught in that tree branch. It happens a lot when it gets windy."
Owari wasn't convinced. "Liar," she said.
"Really Senpai, I'm not lying. I know it kind of looks like a hand but if you look closely you can almost make out the writing on the paper," Naegi said.
Owari did just that and her face turned red in embarrassment, she couldn't believe that Naegi had seen her like this.
When she didn't say anything, Naegi asked, "Are you okay, Senpai?"
"Forget about what you saw just now!" Owari ordered.
"Huh?" Naegi asked
"I-If you tell anyone, I'll kill you! If I even catch you thinking about it, I'll kill you! I'll...get you for this!" Owari stammered out, embarrassment and angry clear in her voice. Naegi wasn't sure if she was mad at him or herself, but she was apparently worked up enough to forget her food.
Naegi was frozen in place, he never expected to see that side of Owari. He never expected Owari to forget about food either. He had wanted to call after her but figured it would be best to give her space. Little did either of them know that a third person was present for all of this.
Enoshima Junko had thought that maybe if she ate something it would help her Despair Withdrawal. Maybe she would put on a little weight and make her agent panic. It wouldn't have been much, but she'd take it. Now after hearing that exchange, she wondered what she could use Owari's fear for. She'd need time for this, her track record with hastily made plans was very poor when Naegi was involved. Fear of ghosts wasn't much to work with though. Oh well, Enoshima Junko was nothing if not creative.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Ninth Week of Classes-Sunday
With breakfast and the dishes done, Naegi waited in the kitchen for Owari to come and gather leftovers. He wanted to see if would allow him to join her when she visited her family. The children may have liked him, but he couldn't just invite himself after all. He didn't have to wait long as Owari came in after only a few minutes.
"Owari-senpai, would you mind if I joined you when you visit your family?" Naegi asked.
"Huh? Sure, it's fine" Owari said, not making eye contact.
Naegi had noticed that Owari had been trying to avoid him all week and he had a feeling he knew why. "Owari-senpai, are you alright?" he asked.
"You made sure you forgot what you saw...right?" Owari asked back finally making eye contact.
I knew it, Naegi thought. He had a feeling that was the reason being Owari's behavior, and now he knew for sure. As much as Naegi wanted to do as his friend had asked, what he saw was not something one would easily forget. There was also one more reason Naegi could not forget what he saw, "I'm afraid I haven't Senpai," Naegi said honestly, leaving out that even if he had, Owari had just reminded him.
"I'll kill you," Owari growled out.
I should have known that answer would have made her mad, but I don't think it's just embarrassment behind that anger, Naegi thought. "Owari-senpai, everyone has something that they're afraid of, it's really not a big deal. I happen to be afraid of…" Naegi stared before Owari cut him off.
"Stop it! Just...stop it. Don't treat me like I'm weak!" Owari shouted.
"Senpai," Naegi said, concern clear in his voice.
"I-I'm not weak... Being weak is bad. If you get kicked around and beat up, or cry and scream that there's no food or medicine, no one'll help you. And the next time I say someone's name...I might be talkin' about a dead body... That's...the kinda place I grew up in. Weak people die and there's nothin' you can do about it! No matter what happens, you can't complain!" Owari didn't even seem to be talking to him anymore. To Naegi, it looked like she was forcing herself to remember the lessons her life had taught her.
Hearing all of that broke Naegi's heart, he never realized just how badly Owari's past had affected her. I have to say something, anything that can make her feel better. Something to let her know that things are different now, he thought. "Senpai," Naegi began, "you are not weak. You're one of the strongest people I know. But everyone has moments of weakness. Humans feel overwhelmed sometimes or cry. I know I do, but I keep pushing forward. Real strength isn't about rejecting your weaknesses, it's about overcoming them."
That seemed to calm Owari down a little bit, as she said, "It's weird... When I talk to you... I feel like...I'm getting really weak or something." It didn't take long for some of the anger to come back though, since she then said, "I was much stronger when I was alone! Stop sayin' things that don't make sense!"
"Senpai," Naegi said, momentarily discouraged. Naegi perked himself up though and then tried again. "Senpai, you don't always have to go it alone. I know that attitude sounds like it makes you brave and strong, but taken another way, it also sounds like you can't bring yourself to completely trust others. Think about it, you have lots of people who will help you now, you just have to let them in."
Naegi's words had an impact on Owari, she had calmed down at least. Still Naegi could see that she wasn't ready to accept that way of thinking, and after the life she had lived, he couldn't blame her. So he thought that maybe the best course of action was to apologize.
"Senpai, I-," Naegi started.
"You sound a lot like the Old Man," Owari said. Naegi wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not, but if Nidai had said something similar to Owari than Naegi figured he would be okay, those two were still friends after all.
"Senpai, do you not want me to go with you?" Naegi asked.
"No, you probably should. You can't make it next week, right? You and Sonia have to go to that thing. The lil' ones will never let me hear the end of it if you don't come for two weeks in a row," Owari said.
"Right, the Novoselic Embassy," Naegi said. The conversation he had been having with Owari caused him to momentarily forget he would be preoccupied next week. He was still worried that the atmosphere would be too tense if he joined Owari, but Naegi thought he might have a way to fix that.
"Senpai, I'm not really all that worried about people knowing that I'm afraid of things, but there is something I don't want people to know. That should make us even, right?" Naegi asked.
"What is it?" Owari asked, curious.
Naegi motioned for her to come closer and then whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it caused Owari to laugh the hardest she'd ever laughed in her life.
"You're kidding. Until the fifth grade?" Owari asked through her laughter. She wanted to be absolutely sure she heard him right.
"Yes I did, and I'll thank you to not tell anyone," Naegi said, his face red with embarrassment.
Owari kept laughing for a little while longer before she said, "Alright it's a deal, I won't tell your secret if you won't tell mine."
That had been the response Naegi had been hoping for. "Sounds like a plan Senpai," he said. Well, I managed to lighten the mood. I'm glad the children won't see us behave awkwardly around each other. I'd have preferred a different way, but I know I can trust Owari-senpai. I hope one day she realizes that she can trust me too, Naegi thought.
Naegi had no way of knowing, but Owari was beginning to warm up to the idea of trusting him, if only just a little bit. He's a dead man if he says anything, but for some reason I don't think he will. Still, I can be strong on my own. I'll accept his help because of the lil' ones but that's it. I don't need someone to be strong for me, Owari thought.
The two then gathered up what they would need and headed to the train station to spend the day with the rest of the Owari family.
Hope's Peak Academy-Class 77-B's Homeroom
Tenth Week of Classes-Monday
The day after the hostage situation at the Novoselic Embassy had been a hectic one. The press where at the main gate attempting to get interviews with Sonia, Naegi, Tanaka, and Souda. They had gotten a few words from Naegi, but that just made the reporters want to interview Fujisaki, Ikusaba, and Enoshima too. Yukizome had received more than a few calls from the head of security, a former classmate and close friend of hers named Sakakura Juzo, the former Ultimate Boxer, asking her to "Send your damn students out here to talk so these jackasses will leave." Those were his words. He had screamed them loud enough for the class to hear it. Yukizome and her students had a feeling that Hope's Peak security, Sakakura specifically, wouldn't be getting any positive press anytime soon.
Though she hadn't played any real role in the hostage situation Owari had her share of problems because of it. She had been with her brothers and sisters when everything had started, and when the news broke the younger children had begged her to go and save Naegi. The news of Naegi being shot must have been reported sometime early this morning because before breakfast she received a call from Sadaharu asking if Naegi was alright. She spent almost twenty minutes trying convincing Mari, Ataru, and Suguru that Naegi wasn't in any danger so that they would stop crying. When that didn't work, she just handed her phone to Naegi. He probably would have had an easier time convincing them if Sonia hadn't kept trying to feed him.
That wasn't the only problem, at least not as far as Owari was concerned. Maizono had insisted on taking care of breakfast for the week even though Naegi trying to tell her he was fine. Kimura's medicine had healed his shoulder, but he made the mistake of saying that it was still sensitive. That was all Maizono need to hear, she insisted that she would take care of breakfast and dinner and that Naegi would rest. Maizono may have been a good cook but Mioda had volunteered her services too. The result this morning was an unrecognizable mess, but it seemed Maizono had managed to somewhat salvage it, so at least it was edible. Unfortunately, it just didn't taste as good as anything Naegi had made. The one silver lining in this was that Ikusaba was the one watching Naegi at the request of Maizono, Mioda, and Sonia, all to ensure he didn't overexert himself. When it seemed like the girls would not be convinced that there was nothing wrong with his shoulder, Naegi had attempted to go behind their backs and take care of things at the dorm. It was kind of funny seeing him try to outmaneuver the Ultimate Soldier, Owari had to admit.
Still, Owari hoped that it all blew over soon.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Tenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
It did not blow over soon. In fact, the more time went on, the more details emerged about the terrorists. The more details that emerged, the more questions the press had. Members of various media outlets from Novoselic now joined their Japanese counterparts outside of Hope's Peak. Those involved in the incident wouldn't have minded answering questions, except that they were questions that had been answered earlier in the week. Naegi, Sonia, and the others had told the press everything that they knew. They had even given statements to the reporters from Novoselic.
It makes sense I guess. The story would have been big news regardless, but Hope's Peak Academy also has a certain mystique about it. I guess when its students make the news like this, the story just sort of sticks around, Naegi thought.
It was almost dinner time and the residents of the dorm were waiting for Yukizome to come back. Headmaster Kirigiri had called a staff meeting to discuss what to do about the media. It had become clear after just two days that the press being at the main gate was making life difficult for security. A few younger reporters had even tried scaling the walls around the school in an attempt to get a major scoop.
Just as Maizono and Mioda were putting dinner on the table, Yukizome returned. "Well my little rotten oranges, I have some news," she said.
"What news Sensei?" Nanami asked.
"Since it doesn't seem like the media frenzy is dying down anytime soon, and since it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold classes with reporters distracting the students, the Headmaster has decided that we should all have some time off. So, no class next week," Yukizome said.
"How will that help Sensei, won't we all still be here?" Naegi asked.
"Well that's another thing we discussed at the meeting. The Headmaster thinks it would be best if everyone involved in the hostage situation would go on a trip next week," Yukizome said.
"So that would mean my sister, Naegi-kun, Sonia-senpai, Mioda-senpai, Maizono-san, Fujisaki-kun, Souda-senpai, Tanaka-senpai, and myself need to leave campus?" Ikusaba asked. She understood the Headmaster's reasoning, but it still felt like they were being chased out of Hope's Peak.
"I have a wonderful idea!" Sonia exclaimed. When everyone turned to look at her, they swore she had stars in her eyes.
"What is it Sonia-senpai?" Naegi asked.
"As thanks for what you all did at the Novoselic Embassy, we should all take a trip together. Class 77-B and Class 78 will spend a week at a hot spring inn near Mt. Fuji!" Sonia said.
"Both classes? As in every member of our classes?" Maizono asked.
"It is true that only a few members of each class had in active role in capturing the former ambassador and foiling his plans, but you all did come to make sure we were alright. I would feel awful if anyone were to be excluded," Sonia said.
"That's very generous of you Senpai," Naegi said.
"It is nothing Naegi-kun. To be perfectly honest, I have wanted to stay at a hot spring inn since I first arrived in Japan," Sonia said.
"If Yukizome-sensei and a male teacher chaperone us then I think this is a fine idea," Ogami said.
"I'll ask around and see if anyone is free," Yukizome said.
"Excellent, I will make reservations. If all goes well, we will leave Sunday morning and spend the whole week near Mt. Fuji," Sonia said.
Naegi noticed Owari looked like she wanted to say something, and he had a feeling that he knew what it was. She would either miss the trip or not visit her family that week. Naegi didn't think either option was fair, so he decided to ask, "Sonia-senpai, would it be alright for any of us to bring family members on this trip?"
"I hadn't expected to meet your family so soon, but never fear Darling, I have studied the basics of dating in Japan and I am sure that-," Sonia said before Naegi interrupted.
"Oh, I don't think that they'll be able to come Senpai, work and school keep my parents and sister pretty busy," Naegi said, more than a little embarrassed at being referred to as "Darling" in front of everyone and at causing such a misunderstanding.
"Then, I am afraid that I do not understand," Sonia admitted.
"Owari-senpai, don't you have seven younger siblings?" Naegi asked. He knew the answer, he just hoped Owari caught on to what he was doing.
"You know I do, I'm the one who takes care of them since my crappy parents don't live with us," Owari said, not sure why Naegi would ask something he already knew.
Owari might not have been able to guess what Naegi was trying to do, but it had the desired effect anyway since Sonia said, "Owari-san, you are more than free to invite your siblings if you want. The more the merrier after all."
"Huh? Oh yeah I guess I'll do that," Owari said, relieved. She knew that if she didn't bring them she would either be leaving them to fend for themselves for a week and worry the whole time, or she would be alone at the dorm with no one to cook for her and no leftovers or prepared meals to take home. Neither scenario was particularly appealing. The only thing she had to worry about now was the children missing school. They hardly ever miss school, so a week couldn't hurt, Owari thought. Owari may not have been the best student, but that didn't mean she didn't take her brothers' and sisters' education seriously. She then realized that Naegi asked about inviting family for her sake. She was grateful, but she still didn't get it. Naegi cared about her family even though he didn't have to, and he never wanted anything, no matter what or how many times she offered. Seriously, does he not know how the world works? Or does he think I can't do it on my own? Owari asked herself.
"Sounds like a plan. Sonia-san will you inform us when the reservations are made?" Yukizome asked.
"Of course Sensei. Next week will be 'hella cool!'" Sonia exclaimed happily.
With that dinner proceeded, with everyone looking forward to next week.
Yamanashi Prefecture-Road to the Inn
Eleventh Week of Classes-Sunday
Sonia had managed to make the reservations just as she had promised. Yukizome had also found a chaperone for the male students in the form of Kizakura, who many suspected just wanted to drink sake in a hot spring.
Naegi and Owari had split up from the group earlier in the morning to gather up her siblings for the trip. They had all met up again at the train station in the Yamanashi Prefecture and were now in buses on their way to their destination. Part of the deal allowing Owari's siblings to join the students of Hope's Peak was that Owari and Naegi would keep an eye on them. It could have been any male student that would watch Owari's brothers when circumstances would not permit her to do so, but it was clear that they respected their "Mako-nii" almost as much as their sister, so the job fell to Naegi, not that he minded.
"Are we there yet?" Ataru asked impatiently.
Well, there were times when he minded, like when Ataru asked that question for what felt like the millionth time. "Not yet Ataru-chan, but it shouldn't be that much longer," Naegi said as he showed him a brochure from the inn that everyone would be staying at and then pointed out the window. "See that forest? That's Aokigahara Forest and the inn we're staying at is just on its outskirts," Naegi explained.
"Wow, there are so many trees!" Mari exclaimed happily.
I wonder if this is their first time outside the city? Naegi wondered. Whether it was or not, he would make sure that they had many happy memories to take home with them. The "mini Owaris" as some of the members of Class 77-B and Class 78 had called them had grown on him in the short time he had known them.
The buses soon came to a stop, thankfully before Ataru asked if they had arrived again, and the teacher, the scout, the students, and the younger kids grabbed their luggage and made their way to inn's front desk. The inn was large, if Naegi hadn't known better he'd have thought that once it was a Japanese castle that had been converted into an inn. No one doubted that they would all be comfortable here for the next week.
"Welcome to Minato Inn, your port in the Sea of Trees! I'm the innkeeper, Mamiya Asuka! How may I help you?" a rather energetic woman asked.
"Hello Mamiya-san, I am Sonia Nevermind and we are the party from Hope's Peak Academy," Sonia said.
"Ah yes, you're fortunate to have made the reservations when you did otherwise we wouldn't have been able accommodate all of you," Mamiya said as she checked her records. She then looked at the group before looking back at her computer screen and said, "That's odd, I have honeymoon suite also reserved by Sonia Nevermind, but most of you are still children. Unless…," she trailed off as she looked at Kizakura and Yukizome.
"No, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not!" Yukizome shouted in embarrassment, and Naegi thought there was a bit of disgust mixed in.
It seemed that Naegi wasn't the only one who thought he heard disgust in Yukizome's voice as Kizakura joked, "Geez Yukizome, tell me how you really feel."
"I wonder how this happened then," Mamiya wondered aloud.
Three of the girls at least knew exactly how it had happened and those three glared at Sonia, who looked a little disappointed, her plan to be alone with her "destined one" having failed.
"Well, I'm afraid I can't cancel it at this point. Is there some way that you all could work this out?" Mamiya asked.
"I don't know how, but one of those lucky bastards is responsible for this," Souda groused as he and his roommate, Kuwata, tried to make the best of sharing the honeymoon suite. Souda would have been in a bad mood regardless of who his roommate was; before it had been decided that the boys would draw straws, Sonia had made one last attempt to get the room for her and her "destined one." The words "destined one" were still echoing in Souda's head.
"If that's true then I'm gonna go with Komaeda-senpai. Naegi-kun's luck only ever seems to affect him," Kuwata said. He wasn't happy about this either, he just knew the other guys would never let him forget this.
"How is this gonna work, there's only one bed?" Souda asked.
"I don't know, but when this week is over let's never speak of this again," Kuwata said.
To that, Souda just nodded so hard and so fast that Kuwata was amazed he didn't give himself whiplash.
Later that evening, the group decided to enjoy the open-air baths before bed. While the girls enjoyed themselves, Maizono decided to ask something that many of the girls who knew about Sonia's interests had been wondering since they learned that they would be staying at an inn near Aokigahara.
"Sonia-senpai this is very generous of you, but I've been wondering, did you pick this inn because Aokigahara is supposed to be haunted?" Maizono asked.
That question caused Owari to tense up. She had heard the stories about Aokigahara, but she had been trying not to think about it. She was hoping that there would be no test of courage. She wasn't sure she could think an excuse to get out of one if there was and she dreaded the thought of anyone knowing that she was afraid of ghosts, especially her siblings and her classmates. Naegi was the only one who knew about her fear as far as she knew, and she had every intention of keeping it that way.
"I must admit that the proximity to Aokigahara played a large role in my decision, There were many inns to choose from and all were rated very highly, but yes, I was hoping to see ghosts, I still am," Sonia said.
"G-g-ghosts?!" a male voice shrieked.
"Hagakure-kun, quiet. Don't do anything that will draw their attention," another male voice reprimanded. The girls of Class 77-B recognized that voice as belonging to Hanamura. It seemed that some of the boys were hoping to peep at them.
"You guys should be glad he drew their attention and ruined your dumbass plan. If you got caught you'd be dead," the voice of Kuzuryuu reprimanded.
"It probably wouldn't have worked anyway," Nidai's voice added.
"Just because their plan would have failed does not make it acceptable. We are representing our school and as such must not commit perverted acts!" Ishimaru shouted.
"Is the forest really haunted Mako-nii?" a young voice asked. Owari recognized it as her little brother Suguru.
"Supposedly it is, many people have taken their own lives in that forests. Recently local officials have stopped publicizing the numbers to try to decrease Aokigahara's association with suicide, but I don't know if it has made a difference since Aokigahara is already known as the Suicide Forest all over the world," Naegi's explained.
"I'm not scared, Akane-nii is tougher than any stupid ghost!" Ataru exclaimed.
"Ataru-chan, show some respect for the dead," Naegi said firmly. Not that any of the girls could see him, but at least four girls were picturing Naegi trying to look stern and finding the image amusing.
"Sorry Mako-nii," Ataru said.
"It's fine. Just remember, the people who died in that forest took their own lives, I think they deserve sympathy," Naegi said.
The girls heard Nidai ask, "You kids really admire your sister, don't you?"
"Yeah, we all want to be like Akane-nee," Sadaharu said. He probably would have gone on, but Suguru interrupted.
"Mako-nii. I'm tired," the five-year-old said sleepily.
"I guess it is a little late for you to be up, let's head in. Ataru-chan, you too" Naegi said.
"Ah Mako-nii, come on, just a little longer," Ataru complained.
"I'm sorry Ataru-chan, but kids your age need to be in bed early," Naegi said.
Ataru grumbled a bit but it sounded like the three boys got out of the water. The girls then heard a rustling followed by Ataru saying, "Catch me if you can Mako-nii."
"Ataru-chan! Give me my towel back!" Naegi yelled sounding mortified. The girls heard two sets of rapid footsteps a small set followed by a larger set. After a few minutes it seemed that Naegi managed to catch Ataru and get his towel back. "Ataru-chan, you know your sister is going to hear about this. I know you still want to play, but it's almost your bedtime," Naegi said sternly.
"Sorry Mako-nii," Ataru said in defeat. After that the girls heard three sets of footsteps head inside.
A moment of silence passed before the girls heard the voice of Togami say, "That was more of Naegi than I needed to see."
"So that's why the kid is always tripping. He always says it's clumsiness," the slightly tipsy voice of Kizakura said.
"I didn't want to say anything, but from what I've seen, his form while running always seemed off. I guess now we know why," Nidai's voice added.
"Can we please stop talking about it. It's bad enough that he's a chick magnet, now he has that going for him," the annoyed voice of Kuwata said.
"Some guys have all the luck," the girls heard Souda whine.
After that the girls stopped eavesdropping, but at least four of them made sure to remember what they heard at the end. Most of the girls were too embarrassed to say anything, at least if their red faces were any indication. Still there were those who couldn't leave well enough alone.
"That runt?" Saionji asked without a hint of irony. No one bothered to remind her that before her growth spurt she would have passed for an elementary school student.
"They say good things come in small packages. That small package apparently has a big package too," Enoshima responded. It wouldn't cause despair, but it was funny at least.
"Need I remind you girls that there are children present!" Yukizome reprimanded, although she wasn't faring any better than her students. It hadn't been long since she was a student herself after all. Still she had to act like the adult for Mari, Sayuri, and Natsuko at least. Thankfully, Mari seemed too young to understand what was happening, and if Sayuri and Natsuko did, they didn't show it.
Four girls in particular stayed silent, but their thoughts and feelings on the matter were soon clear.
"Sonia-san! Mioda-san! You're both bleeding!" Tsumiki shouted. It was true, they both had nosebleeds.
"Oh my, it would seem that Ikusaba-san and Maizono-san are too," Celes added. She was right, Ikusaba and Maizono had nosebleeds too.
"Excuse me!" all four girls shouted at once as they hurried out of the bath.
That had managed to break the tension. The girls probably weren't going to forget what they had heard anytime soon, but they were at least able to resume relaxing in the baths. Most of them at least, as Owari remembered what had kicked off the series of events on the mens' side that resulted in them hearing all about Naegi's "equipment." If it was time for Suguru and Ataru to go to bed then it was Mari's bedtime too.
"Naegi-kun had a point Mari, it's time for you to go to bed," Owari said to her youngest sister.
"Okay Akane-nee," Mari said, slightly disappointed that she couldn't stay up later.
There was one more bit of information to be gleaned from their time in the baths, but the only one who realized it was Enoshima. Enoshima knew that Owari was afraid of ghosts. Now that she knew for sure that Owari's siblings were unaware of that fact, a plan began to form in her mind. There would be a test of courage during their stay here, and she knew of three potential candidates. If things went well for her then perhaps the local officials would get their wish and Aokigahara would be known for something other than suicides.
Eleventh Week of Classes-Wednesday
Minato Inn
It was already evening in the middle of the week, which seemed to pass far too quickly for everyone's liking, as vacations are wont to do. Still, one particularly large group of guests decided not to dwell on that. They all found ways to occupy their time and relax. Some even formed bonds in the strangest ways.
Owada and Ishimaru, who had seemed like they would kill each other one day, had participated in an endurance contest at the inn's sauna. Somehow, Naegi had been the poor soul who had been picked to serve as witness and judge of that contest. A few hours in, Naegi had become so bored that he had fallen asleep only to be woken up by Owada and Ishimaru, who had finally gained respect for each other. No one was quite sure what had caused it, and given the odd behavior of the two participants, it was silently agreed that ignorance was bliss. It wasn't anything major, really, but something about a biker gang leader and a prefect going from bitter enemies to the best of friends in a few hours and then lecturing others on how they should not fight over petty matters just felt wrong.
That wouldn't be the strangest sight that Naegi, Owari, and the others would see though. Or rather, not see. Mari and Ataru had not been seen since dinner.
"Owari-senpai, have you seen Ataru?" Naegi asked.
"I was just coming to ask if you had seen Mari," Owari said. She tried not to show it, but Naegi knew she was worried.
"I'll go ask Mamiya-san and the other members of the staff if they've seen either of them. I hope they aren't outside, it's getting dark out," Naegi said as he headed towards the front desk.
Twenty minutes later and still nothing. Owari was now asking her other brothers and sisters if they knew anything.
"Do any of you know where those two went?" she asked trying not to sound worried. Most of the kids shook their heads or said that they hadn't. All except Suguru.
"I think they went into the forest Akane-nee," he said.
"What! Why?!" Owari asked, unable to keep her composure.
"Mari and Ataru wanted you and Mako-nii to think they were grown up enough to stay up with all of you. The three of us were thinking of ways to do that when we heard Enoshima-san talking with someone about tests of courage in the forest. Ataru and Mari said that if we showed everyone that we weren't afraid of ghosts then that would prove we were grown up. I didn't go because Mako-nii said we should respect the dead, but Mari and Ataru went into the forest right after dinner. They told me not to tell anyone, but I'm scared that something happened," Suguru said before he started crying.
"Dammit, I can't believe those two," Owari said in frustration. She knew she had to find those two, haunted forest or no haunted forest.
"Should we go get Mako-nii and everyone else?" Tatsunori asked.
"No. I've got this," Owari said. I've got this, it's just a forest. A haunted forest, but it's still just a forest, Owari thought. Try as she might, she could not forget that Aokigahara was supposedly haunted even as she ran out of the inn and headed towards the forest.
It wasn't even ten minutes later when Naegi came back from speaking with the members of the staff. No leads, not that he was surprised, the staff couldn't be expected to know where every guest was at any given time. Naegi was trying to think of what to do next when he heard a child crying. Never one to ignore someone in need, he headed towards the crying and heard a familiar voice.
"It's okay Suguru-chan. Akane-nee will bring Ataru and Mari back soon."
That's Natsuko-chan's voice, Naegi thought. "Bring them back from where?" Naegi asked as he entered the room.
"Mako-nii!" Suguru cried as he ran to Naegi and latched onto his leg.
"Where is Owari-senpai bringing Ataru-chan and Mari-chan from exactly?" Naegi asked. He was starting to get worried, a crying child was never a good sign at times like this.
"Ataru and Mari went into the forest after dinner and Akane-nee went after them about ten minutes ago," Sayuri answered.
"I'm sure they're fine, Aokigahara is pretty big, even Akane-nee might not find them right away," Sadaharu said. He was trying to keep everyone's spirits up, but Naegi could tell how worried he was.
That's true, but there's something else working against her, Naegi thought, as he remembered that Owari was afraid of ghosts. "Did Owari-senpai take a flashlight with her?" Naegi asked. It was a dumb question, at least he thought it was, but he wasn't going to tell these kids that he was going to go help their sister because she was afraid of ghosts.
"We didn't see her take one," Tatsunori said, while the other kids nodded in agreement.
"Okay, you kids go tell Mamiya-san and everyone from Hope's Peak what is going on. I'm going to grab a flashlight and go help your sister," Naegi said. He freed his leg from Suguru's grip and said to the small child, "Everything is going to be alright, I'll find your sister and then the two of us will bring Mari-chan and Ataru-chan back safe and sound."
"Promise?" Suguru said, calming down a bit.
"I promise," Naegi said with a reassuring smile before heading to his room. Good thing Sonia-senpai told me we were coming here. I hadn't planned on going into the forest, I just brought this to enhance the atmosphere if we told ghost stories. Funny how things turn out sometimes, Naegi thought as he pulled a flashlight out from among his belongings and headed outside and towards Aokigahara.
Aokigahara was known for being a particularly quiet forest, mostly due to it having a small number of animals. While that might have been fine during the day, it only served to make what was believed by some to be a haunted forest that much more terrifying at night. If the sun had been out at least there was a chance to see where an unexpected noise had come from. That was not the case at night, as Owari had soon discovered.
Snap!
"What was that," Owari said as she looked around frantically. When she didn't see anything she slapped her cheeks a few times and thought, C'mon Akane, Mari and Ataru are in here. Get it together. She began calling out for them.
"Ataru! Mari! Where are you?!"
Aokigahara may not have had many animals, but that did not mean there weren't any. Bats made this forest their home and they were hunting for their next meal. Owari had no way of knowing this, so when she heard a squeaking sound she panicked again and took off running.
She wasn't running for long before she stopped and dropped to her knees. Tears she had held back for years had begun to force their way out. Don't cry, no one is going to come and help you no matter how much you cry, she told herself. It didn't do any good, the tears started falling as she said, "Mari, Ataru, I'm sorry. Akane-nee is weak."
"No you aren't," a voice said.
"Huh?" Owari looked up and saw Naegi through her tears.
"Owari-senpai, you're one of the strongest people I know, but even you can't do everything yourself. You've had to do so much on your own, but things are different now. Last time we talked about this, I wanted to let you know that just because no one helped you in the past doesn't mean they won't help you now. I may not have been clear back then so let me say this now. I will help you Senpai, whenever you need me. All you have to do is ask," Naegi said as he held out his hand to help Owari to her feet.
The tears didn't stop, but they were no longer tears of sadness and frustration. That warmth Owari felt from Naegi returned as soon as she grabbed his hand, pulled herself to her feet and embraced Naegi. He's so warm, almost like the sun. He came to help. I was crying, and someone came to help me, she thought. "Naegi-kun, I need your help," she said as she began to calm down.
"I'd be more than happy to help Senpai," Naegi said as he rubbed her back to calm her down. Owari seemed to have forgotten about the difference in height between the two, but Naegi knew now was not the time to get flustered.
"Senpai, I'm sorry," Naegi said suddenly.
"Huh? For what?" Owari asked. To her knowledge, Naegi hadn't done anything wrong.
"About what I said a few weeks ago. I mean I stand by it, you don't have to do things alone, but I realize that neither way is really wrong, they're just different attitudes," Naegi explained
"No, I-I get what you were tryin' to say. When everyone's together, they can make up for their weakness... That's what you meant, right?" Owari asked.
Naegi nodded and said, "You're strong Senpai. Like I said, you're one of the strongest people I know. That won't change just by accepting someone's help."
"The Old Man said somethin' similar. But I didn't understand so I didn't listen, but I understand now. Your words make sense to me," Owari said after she had released Naegi from the embrace but didn't let go of his hand.
"I'm glad. Now let's go find those two," Naegi said as led Owari by the hand through the woods.
"Mari! Ataru!" Owari called out as she and Naegi made their way deeper into Aokigahara. It seemed like they had been walking for a long time, even though it had only been ten minutes. "Where are they?" she asked out loud, even though she knew Naegi couldn't answer.
"I don't think two small children could have made it too far," Naegi said, thankful that the children in question were only six and seven. Still, if the children had managed to get all the way to Mt. Fuji, he and Owari would have to be ready to explore the caves. Pushing that thought aside, he called out, "Mari! Ataru! It's Mako-nii and Akane-nee! Where are you!?"
"Akane-nee! Mako-nii!" a young girl's voice called out. The two of them heard the sound of a child running towards them and soon Owari Mari was in front of them, looking sad and scared.
"Mari-chan, thank goodness you're alright. Is Ataru close by?" Naegi asked as Owari embraced her younger sister.
"We thought we heard a ghost and started running. Ataru tripped and fell into some thorns. He says it hurts to move," Mari said as she started crying.
"Where is he?" Owari asked, any relief she felt from seeing Mari had disappeared when she heard about Ataru.
"I'll show you," Mari managed to say through her sobbing and hiccupping.
After a short walk they came across Ataru who was sitting against a tree. He was scratched up, and although it looked painful, he wasn't in any serious danger.
"Ataru, Akane-nee and Mako-nii are here," Mari told her brother.
"Are you okay to walk back Ataru-chan?" Naegi asked.
"Mako-nii, it really hurts," Ataru said as he started crying.
"Can you hold onto me?" Naegi said as he crouched down to give Ataru a piggyback ride.
"Here, let me help," Owari said as she picked up her brother who then latched onto Naegi. Once he was properly situated, Naegi stood up. Somehow, he managed to carry Ataru will holding the flashlight he had brought in one hand and while Owari grabbed onto the other.
Whether it was because she wasn't afraid of ghosts when she held Naegi's hand or because of the warmth he gave off, Owari didn't know and she didn't care either. Since meeting up with Naegi she had not let go of his hand until he had to pick up Ataru and she had no plans to let go until they were out of Aokigahara Forest. Owari caught herself thinking that if it were not for Ataru's scratches, she wouldn't mind being lost for a little while. Those thoughts were interrupted when Mari grabbed onto Owari's free hand and the four of them started walking back the way they came.
It wasn't long before they found the path and made their way out of Aokigahara to find their friends and most of the Inn's staff preparing to go into Aokigahara.
"Now I know it's dark, but we have two missing children in the forest. Their sister and a young man are looking for them-," Mamiya was saying to everyone, before Naegi interrupted her.
"Actually Mamiya-san, we've found them. Ataru-chan has a bunch of scratches, but otherwise everything is alright now," he said.
"Thank goodness," Mamiya said letting out a sigh of relief.
As the gathered staff started to disperse, Tsumiki came forward and said, "I c-can patch u-up Ataru-chan. B-bring him inside."
Once the group from Hope's Peak had gone inside, Tsumiki set to work. "And that should do it," Tsumiki said as she stepped back not even four minutes later. Ataru's scratches had been cleaned and bandaged, and both he and Mari had calmed down.
"So, he's okay?" Owari asked.
"I feel much better Akane-nee," Ataru said.
"Good," Owari said as she then smacked Ataru and Mari upside their heads.
"Ow!" Mari cried as she rubbed the back of her head.
"That hurt Akane-nee," Ataru wailed as he did the same as Mari.
"Good, I'm glad. Maybe you two won't do something so stupid ever again. Do either of you know what would have happened if Suguru hadn't said anything?" Owari asked.
"Sorry Akane-nee," they both said, looking at the floor in shame.
"Akane-nee, why are you still holding Mako-nii's hand?" Suguru asked.
Four sets of eyes glared at the linked hands. Sonia, Mioda, Maizono, and Ikusaba had been so worried about Ataru and Mari and so relieved when they had been found that they hadn't noticed until Suguru had mentioned it.
Owari looked at her hand and, sure enough, her hand was still in Naegi's. She was not looking forward to telling her family that this started because she was scared. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to.
"Your sister was helping me. I was so worried about Mari-chan and Ataru-chan that I ran into the forest before I remembered that I'm afraid of ghosts," Naegi said with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head, trying to look embarrassed.
Owari blushed at that, first he cooked for her family, then he helped her find her brother and sister, and now he was helping her save face in front of them. He's so awesome, she thought. She remembered something that Mari had asked, "Akane-nee, are you gonna marry Mako-nii someday?" You know something, that sounds pretty good.
"I guess Mako-nii isn't as cool as I thought," Ataru said. That earned him another smack from Owari. "Ow! What did I do that time?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
"That's for being rude. Naegi-kun had done a lot for us, so show him some respect. Besides, everyone's afraid of something," Owari lectured.
"Even you Akane-nee?" Suguru asked.
"Yeah, even me. But I can still be brave because I have a lot of people who will help me when I get scared," Owari said. I just refused to accept that until tonight, she added mentally.
"So Akane-nee and Mako-nii are still cool, even if they can get scared?" Suguru asked.
"Do you think we're cool Suguru-chan?" Naegi asked as he knelt down to get eye level with Suguru.
"Akane-nee and Mako-nii are the coolest!" Suguru exclaimed without hesitation.
"There's your answer than," Naegi said with a smile as he ruffled Suguru's hair. After he stood up he said, "Come on kids, time for bed."
"Yes Mako-nii," the younger voices said as Owari's three youngest siblings followed Naegi who had been tucking them in every night since they arrived at the inn. Owari's other four siblings just made their way to their rooms, but all seven were ready to put tonight behind them.
Owari was about to head to bed too, when Ikusaba came up to her and asked, "Owari-senpai, can we talk for a bit in my room?"
"Are you finally ready to fight me Ikusaba-san?" Owari asked, her fatigue forgotten.
"Actually there is something we need to discuss," Sonia said as Mioda and Maizono nodded in agreement.
Once the five of them arrived in the room that Maizono, Mioda, Ikusaba, and Sonia shared, something they had agreed to in order to keep their eyes on each other, Sonia asked, "Before we begin Owari-san, how would you feel about being Naegi-kun's mistress?"
"Huh?" Owari asked. If she wasn't confused before, she was now.
"Don't mind Sonia-chan, Akane-chan," Mioda said.
"She made us that offer too, and we turned it down," Maizono added.
"It is a very generous offer, I am agreeing to share my future husband with all of you," Sonia defended.
"Future husband?" Owari questioned nervously, if Naegi was already taken then there wasn't much she could do.
"What Sonia-senpai means is that we all feel the same way about Naegi-kun as you do. Thanks to his living situation he can't pursue a romantic relationship, but…," Ikusaba started to explain.
"Oh, I get'cha," Owari said with a feral smile. The other girls briefly wondered what exactly Owari "got" before she charged at them.
Maizono, Mioda, and Sonia grabbed onto each other while screaming in terror, when Owari got that look she was like a rampaging beast and they knew it. Ikusaba, who had experience with sudden attacks, charged to meet Owari and wrestled her to the floor. Once Owari had realized she couldn't overpower the Ultimate Soldier she calmed down and Ikusaba finished what she had been trying to tell her.
Owari had listened, but still said, "My way would have been faster and more fun."
That got a laugh out of all the girls present. It was nice to know that they could be love rivals and still be friends.
Eleventh Week of Classes-Saturday
Minato Inn
The day had come, the day when the group from Hope's Peak Academy and Owari's family had to return home. They had wished that they could have stayed longer, but they had to go back to being students at some point.
Naegi was helping Ataru and Suguru get their things together when he bumped into someone. That someone was Nidai Nekomaru.
Nidai had noticed how Owari had been acting towards Naegi and put two and two together. While it may not have been his place to interfere, his classmates were like one of his teams and he cared about their well-being. Owari was one of his favorites because of how hard she was willing to work to improve herself. While he still believed Kuzuryuu's and Tanaka's assessments of Naegi as a good person, he wanted to check for himself.
"Hey Naegi-kun, when you and Owari-san get back to the Academy could you come see me? There's something we need to discuss," Nidai said.
"Okay," Naegi said, slightly confused.
Present Day
I'm still not clear on what Nidai-senpai wanted. He asked me questions about Owari-senpai and when we were done he just smiled and nodded, Naegi thought as he remembered his conversation with Nidai after he and Owari had taken her brothers and sisters home.
"Hey Naegi-kun, this isn't for a while yet, but would you come to the lil' ones' sports day? They'd really like to see you there," Owari said. I'd like that too, she thought as she blushed.
"Sure, I'd be more than happy to go. I'll make us all lunch," Naegi said with a smile.
Owari blush didn't fade as she started drooling. Even if she had to share him with her brothers and sisters, she'd still get Naegi without her rivals around, and now he had promised to make lunches for them too. Wiping her mouth, Owari pulled Naegi into another hug.
Naegi had gotten used to it, so Owari's hugs didn't fluster him like they used to. What he didn't know was that Owari was very much aware of the difference in height, now she did this to try to get an advantage over the other girls. It's not cheating, I'm just playing to my strengths, she reasoned.
What Owari forgot was that in addition to Ogami and Nidai, one of her rivals, Asahina Aoi, was present too. She was more than capable of rivaling Owari's "strengths." That isn't what she did however as she tugged on Naegi's sleeve to get his attention and said, "Naegi-kun would you come to Yuta's sports day too, he really wants to see you again."
"I knew that Naegi-kun had met your brother Asahina-san, but I was unaware that they were that close," Ogami said.
By this time, Owari had released Naegi so she could devote all of her energy to glaring at Asahina. Naegi did not notice this and said, "Yeah, I met Yuta-kun when Komaru and I ran into Asahina-san a while ago and the four of us meet up for lunch when we can. Now that I think about it, I seemed to meet up with Asahina-san a lot back then."
"Is this related to that morning Naegi-kun wouldn't talk about?" Nidai asked. That was still something he and the other boys of Class 77-B and Class 78 wondered about.
Naegi and Asahina both turned red form embarrassment before Naegi started stuttering, "W-well, a-about t-t-that…"
Want to know what happened, you'll have to come back next chapter to find out.
Ah, another chapter done. I think this one is pretty good. I just hope I kept Akane in character. She did freak out in her free time event when she thought she saw a ghost, so I guess I got that right. And she seems pretty stubborn. Yeah, I think I'm okay.
Jokes about sizes, I probably shouldn't have done that but I couldn't resist, it just seemed too funny.
I didn't forget to write Junko's reaction. I just thought maybe I should save the reactions for her chapter from now on. Don't worry, I have a plan.
For all of you Kazuichi and Leon fans, I'm gonna give those two a break, I just wanted to mess with them one last time before I did. I was thinking I could have put Mondo and Taka, Hifumi and Teruteru, or Byakuya and the Imposter (with Byakuya mask) in the room together, but the first one is too obvious and the other two sound like ideas that could be given their own chapters. Could you imagine Hifumi and Teruteru beginning to disgust each other with their perverted tendencies? I sort of can.
Oh man, JK businesses. Did you ever learn about something you'd just like to forget? That's how I feel about learning about all the ways underage girls can be exploited. I know it isn't just Japan, don't get me wrong, but for the purposes of this chapter I limited myself to just Japan.
I thought linking Makoto's outrage at the men who harassed Akane to that perverted teacher who watched Komaru sleep was a pretty good idea. That is the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression on not just the victim or almost victim (I hope that doesn't sound like I'm making light of situations like that, it's just that, canonically, he apparently just apologized and left after Komaru woke up), but the whole family so I would imagine Makoto has some very strong feelings on the subject.
In case anyone is wondering, Akane's siblings' names were taken from Kinnikuman characters. I know that she likes Dragon Ball, she mentions it twice in SDR2, but I couldn't get too many names out of that, so I went for another series that involves fighting and power levels. And once I did that, I had to include the "Gyudon Ondo" the jingle Makoto sang to the kids. I didn't have him do the dance, don't worry. Look it up on YouTube to see what I mean.
Should I keep having Sonia ask the new girls if they want to be Naegi's mistresses or has that joke run its course?
Once again, I thank Pupla for all the help he has given me when coming up with ideas. And I'd like to thank both Pupla and KnightSpark for proofreading this chapter. I hope I didn't make too much work for you two.
On another note, I got three reviews about the Danganronpa-Destiny idea and all of them wanted idea three (Naegi was brought back as a Guardian and his Ghost gets sent back in time to before the Tragedy). So after Forsaken and the Lore Book come out I'll see what I can do about a test chapter or two.
Before that though, Aoi Asahina is next. I hope you'll all come back for that chapter.
Read and review and I'll see you next time.
Chapter Text
Chapter 8: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Swimmer
Hello again, oh reader, mine, and welcome back to another chapter of "Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls."
It's the moment you've all been waiting for: Aoi Asahina's chapter. What did our Luckster see that Tuesday morning? Well, now you'll know, and I hope you'll like it.
A very special guest may appear in this chapter, not a Danganronpa character, but a character who shares Aoi's love of ramen (not Naruto, but that's a good guess) (Hint: he likes chickens).
To the Guest Reviewer who left that note about the Mikan chapter: I'd like to address what you wrote at the end of the chapter. Don't worry, I think you'll like what I have to say, so please stick around.
Well, I think I've addressed all I need to address, so let's get started.
Present Day
Naegi and Asahina were both still attempting to form coherent sentences after Nidai asked his question. Naegi would have appreciated if Owari had not mentioned it at all back then, but given her life, Naegi did not blame her. He had also hoped that those not involved would have forgotten that anything had happened. He wished that he had forgotten it, not because it was unpleasant, but because it was a source of embarrassment for himself and Asahina.
Asahina wasn't faring much better. How does Nidai-senpai know about…Owari-senpai, of course. Dammit, learn to feel shame, Asahina thought as she cursed her senpai. Asahina knew that Owari never meant any harm, but right now that hardly made her situation any less embarrassing.
Thankfully, they both had an ally in the form of Ogami Sakura. "Nidai-senpai, I believe that is something both Naegi-kun and Asahina-san would like to forget, perhaps it is best to respect their wishes," Ogami suggested.
"Yeah, it does seem to be making them uncomfortable. I guess I can live with not knowing," Nidai said as he attempted to let the matter drop.
Owari, however, did not pick up on why it was making the two uncomfortable and asked, "What's the big deal? Naegi-kun just saw you without-,"
"Owari-senpai, could we please not talk about that?" Naegi begged. I managed, but it was still difficult to look Asahina-san in the eye for a while after that, he thought.
"Y-yeah, it's just too embarrassing," Asahina managed to say. I wish that hadn't been my first big memory with Naegi-kun, but I guess even something like that can be special. I wonder, if that hadn't happened, would I still be trying to become something I'm not0? Asahina thought as she reflected on her memories of the Luckster, embarrassing moments and all.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Sixth Week of Classes-Tuesday
It was a little before 5:00 A.M. Tuesday morning and Naegi was taking out the trash. He usually wasn't up this early, but he figured since he was, he might as well get an early start. After finishing with the trash, he began to head back inside to think about what to make for breakfast, when he heard a window open and a voice speak.
"Okay, time to get fired up for a new day!"
Naegi realized the voice belonged to his classmate Asahina Aoi. Being polite, Naegi looked upward to greet her. "Good morning, Asahin-AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Naegi began to scream. Standing at the window of her room, with the light on making her that much more visible, was a topless Asahina Aoi with a towel in her hands.
Asahina heard Naegi, looked down, and screamed, "EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKK!"
"Okay, explain it to me again," Yukizome said. She and the girls had woken up and instead of the sound of breakfast cooking, they heard Naegi apologizing to Asahina over and over in the dorm's common area. After managing to get answers out of the two deeply embarrassed students, Yukizome and the girls were still as confused as they were at the beginning.
Naegi, face still red from embarrassment, explained, "I woke up early and took out the trash. I heard a window open and heard Asahina-san's voice. After that, well, I didn't mean to-."
"I understand that Naegi-kun," Yukizome interrupted. She then turned to Asahina and asked, "Asahina-san, why did you open your window when you were naked from the waist down?"
"Actually, back home, I did it every morning. I just strip down to my waist, then take a dry towel and start rubbing down my bare skin," Asahina meekly admitted, looking at the floor.
"You do a towel treatment every morning?" Yukizome asked for clarification.
"Yeah, I loved going out on my apartment balcony, stripping down, feeling the wind on my skin... I would never let a morning pass without getting in a good rubdown. Since we don't have a balcony here, I had to make do with opening my window," Asahina said, still not able to meet anyone's gaze.
"Wait, so you went out on your balcony, and... stripped down? And you were okay with that?" Koizumi asked, incredulously. None of the other girls could really blame her, even if they did admit that it sounded like a very "Asahina" thing to do.
"Someone was popular with her neighbors," Saionji joked. Needless to say, that earned her a glare from Ogami.
That served to embarrass Asahina further. Oh God, who else has seen me? I thought I got up early enough that no one would. Why didn't I think of that before I started doing it? she thought, not sure she could look her neighbors in the eye anymore.
Naegi turned to Asahina and tried to apologize again, but still had trouble looking at her and forming sentences, "Asahina-san, I never meant to… I mean, I didn't know that… I promise I'll be more careful from now on, this won't happen again." I'm probably going to get expelled for this if someone reports me to the Headmaster. I guess I can't blame them, even if it was an accident, Naegi thought. He needn't have worried.
"Well, since it just seems like bad timing, I guess we can put it behind us," Yukizome said, much to Naegi's shock.
"None of you are going to report me?" Naegi asked in disbelief. He had already been wondering if he would even be allowed to finish up the week at Hope's Peak Academy and now, he was finding out that he wasn't in trouble.
"Naegi-kun, all of us, especially those of us that are your classmates, know about your luck," Ogami said.
"If you were going to peep at Asahina-san, you wouldn't have announced yourself," Koizumi said.
"Makoto-chan is no pervert, he wouldn't do something like this on purpose," Mioda said as Ikusaba and Maizono nodded in agreement.
"Can we eat now?" Owari asked, not really seeing what the big deal was about any of this.
"My, what an interesting start to the day," Celes added.
Relief washed over Naegi, but he still felt like there was something else he had to do. I should still make this up to Asahina-san. She likes donuts, maybe it will be easier for me to apologize if I have some with me when I do, Naegi thought as he tried to remember where the nearest bakery was.
That Evening
Dinner had come and gone, but Naegi was hoping that two of his dormmates would still have room for sweets. A box for Asahina-san and a box for Owari-senpai, I hope they like the assortment. I wonder who I should talk to first? Naegi wondered as he looked for signs of his classmate and his senpai. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to either of them, but he had hope that he would when the time came. It would come rather soon, because he saw Asahina sitting in the dorm's common area. Naegi was slightly grateful that Ogami wasn't there, he was embarrassed enough by the morning's event, having someone there when he tried to make peace with Asahina might have been more than he could handle at the moment.
Steeling himself, he called out, "Asahina-san."
Asahina looked up, but when she saw it was Naegi, she suddenly took an interest in the floor. She wasn't mad at Naegi, she knew what had happened was an accident, but that didn't make her feel any less embarrassed. "H-hey Naegi-kun," she said shyly.
"Asahina-san, I wanted to apologize again for this morning," Naegi explained.
"It wasn't your fault. I know it was an accident," Asahina said, trying to make eye contact with Naegi, but unable to bring herself to do so.
"That's true, but I still feel like I owe you an apology. I really want to be friends with everyone and I can't do that if you and I are uncomfortable around each other," Naegi said. Uncomfortable was right, all of Class 78 noticed something different about the two of them. Asahina and Naegi might not have been particularly close, but they usually got along quite well. That was not the case today as they not only consciously tried to look anywhere but at each other, they also tried to put as much space between each other as possible. They both wanted to give each other space, but being classmates, that wasn't an easy thing to do. When the boys of Class 78 asked what was going on with the two of them, the best answer they got was for Naegi and Asahina to each turn into a blushing, stuttering mess.
"We're friends Naegi-kun, don't worry about that," Asahina said as she managed to regain some of her usual confidence. She managed to meet his gaze for a little bit before looking to the side. It was progress at least.
"Well, even so, I got you something. I thought I would have an easier time apologizing if I brought you donuts," Naegi said as he held out one of the boxes of baked goods.
"Donuts!" Asahina cheered, all embarrassment momentarily forgotten as she happily examined the contents of the box. Jelly donuts, cake donuts, plenty of frosting, sprinkles, and powdered sugar. "Ah, thanks Naegi-kun," Asahina said as she hugged the young man.
Naegi stiffened at the contact. He was happy he and Asahina could look at each other again, but he might need a couple days before things were back to normal between the two of them. Not that either of us is likely to forget this morning, he thought.
As soon as Asahina let go of Naegi, she dug in to the box of donuts. It was hardly ladylike, but Asahina didn't care. Or rather, she wouldn't have cared, except she remembered Naegi was there. Between Naegi seeing her and Saionji's joke, Asahina had been particularly self-conscious today. With a blush on her cheeks she looked at Naegi expecting to see at least a little disgust. To her relief and surprise, she saw him smiling.
"I'm glad you like them Asahina-san, I was worried that I might have gotten some donuts you didn't like," Naegi said.
Looking shocked at such a suggestion, Asahina said, "I-impossible, no one on Earth - no, no one in the whole universe can say they hate donuts."
"I know I like donuts," Naegi said in agreement. Maybe not as much as you do though, he silently added.
Asahina seemed to go off into her own fantasy world as she continued, "Think about the sensation of biting into a donut... First the sweetness floods your mouth, then the soft dough cushions you... Next you get that hint of egg and butter, right? Your whole body starts to melt... You feel like you're falling into the center of the donut itself! When people talk about the donut effective, that's what they're talking about...!"
"I don't believe that's true," Naegi said, trying not to bring down Asahina's mood, but attempting to correct her all the same.
"Ahh, I can't take it anymore! I'm drooling like Niagara Falls over here! I'm sorry Naegi-kun, but I can't hold back, I need to finish these donuts," Asahina declared.
"Well they are yours. I guess I should give Owari-senpai her box now," Naegi said.
"Owari-senpai?" Asahina asked coming out of her donut frenzy.
"She and I ended up in an unfortunate position today too. I'd prefer not to go into details," Naegi said as started blushing again.
"Everything will work out, no one can stay mad at someone who gives them donuts," Asahina chirped happily before she turned back to her box of donuts.
"I hope you're right Asahina-san. I'm glad we can look at each other again," Naegi said.
"Me too, I really like you Naegi-kun," Asahina said. When she realized what she had said, she blushed and began to try to explain, "I-I mean, not "like" like, but I think you're a really sweet guy. I-I mean, you're really nice."
Naegi just smiled and said, "I really like you too Asahina-san, I'm glad we can still be friends." With that, Naegi turned and left to go find Owari.
Downtown-Near Hope's Peak Academy
Sixth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi was usually grateful for the half-days on Saturday, but no more so than today. Today, his sister, Komaru was visiting. He regretted that he couldn't spend as much time with his family as he did before he became a student at Hope's Peak, but they all understood that it came with being a student of the most prestigious school in the world.
Komaru missed her brother as much as he missed her and their parents, so today was already a great day in her book, no matter what happened. As a Sayaker, she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get a chance to meet Maizono, but other than that, she had no complaints.
Given that this was set up at the last minute, Komaru's visit was not cleared with the school, so she couldn't receive a tour of the campus, but as with meeting Maizono, the Naegi siblings knew that there would be other chances.
I'm glad that I get to spend time with Komaru, but I wonder why she's asking all these weird questions, Naegi thought. It was true, Komaru hadn't stopped asking how her brother had been doing given his current living situation. Naegi thought he might have imagined it, but when he had mentioned his friendship with some of the girls, Komaru's questions seemed to get a little more…aggressive. Almost like she didn't trust these strange girls around her brother after doubting him. Naegi thought that it was strange considering that when this had all started, Komaru had laughed at him the moment she found out.
Thankfully that line of questioning stopped when Naegi decided to show Komaru around town. They had gotten to the shopping district just before Naegi saw a familiar face.
"Asahina-san!" Naegi called out with a wave.
"Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked as she turned and saw her friend.
"Aoi-nee, who is that?" a boy around Komaru's age, clearly Asahina's brother, asked.
"Yuta, this is my classmate, Naegi Makoto. Naegi-kun, this is my little brother, Yuta," Asahina introduced. Seeing Komaru, she asked, "Naegi-kun, is that your little sister?"
"Yeah, this is my little sister, Naegi Komaru," Naegi said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Wait, how do you spell 'Naegi?'" Yuta asked.
"It's really just spelled the way it sounds, N-A-E-G-I," Komaru said.
"Ah, thanks," Yuta said as he traced something on the palm of his hand.
"What are you doing Yuta-kun?" Naegi asked.
"You don't know? If you want to remember someone's name, you need to write it on your palm three times," Yuta explained as Asahina nodded in agreement.
Okay, that's a new one, Naegi thought. He decided it would be best not to question it. If it worked for the Asahina siblings, then who was he to argue? "I didn't know you had a brother Asahina-san," Naegi said.
"Did I forget to mention that?" Asahina asked with a contemplative look. She couldn't really remember if she had or she hadn't. Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off, she pounded he fist into her palm and said, "Now I remember, I was going to mention it during introductions, but the I got sidetracked when talking about those six sports clubs I used to belong to."
Yuta shook his head and said, "You are such a spaz, Nee-chan."
"Yuta!" Asahina shouted in embarrassment. It was one thing for Yuta to call her a spaz at home, not that she enjoyed it there either, but it was another to call her that in front of her friend.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not any better, but I always remember to mention you. You're my goal after all," Yuta said, sounding more like he was addressing a rival than his own sister.
"Are you an athlete too, Asahina-kun?" Komaru asked.
"Yep. I'm on my school's track and field team and while I may not be as good of a swimmer as Aoi-nee, I think I'm still pretty good!" Yuta proudly exclaimed.
"Hey Naegi-kun, as long as the four of us are together, how about we hang out downtown together?" Asahina suggested.
"Well, it's alright with me. How about you Komaru?" Naegi asked as he turned to his sister.
"Sounds like fun. I wanted to meet some of the Ultimates but didn't get permission to go on campus, so this works out," Komaru said. She did want to meet some of the Ultimates of Hope's Peak Academy, but more than that, she wanted to meet the girls her brother was living with. As Naegi Makoto's little sister, she had a responsibility, if you asked her, to make sure that those girls were good enough for her brother. Naegi hadn't mentioned being particularly close to Asahina, but Komaru knew there was a chance that could change.
"Alright, let's go!" Yuta shouted as he pumped a fist in the air and he and his sister took off.
Komaru was dumbfounded. "Aren't they the ones who invited us? Shouldn't they stay with us?" she asked.
"Komaru, if you want normal, you don't come to Hope's Peak," Naegi said as he grabbed his sister's hand and ran after the Asahina siblings.
It took a while for the Naegi siblings to catch the Asahinas. Naegi thought that maybe his friendship with Mioda had helped make him faster until he heard Asahina say, "Ahhh... so hungry..."
"Asahina-san, is everything alright?" Naegi asked even though he knew what the problem was.
"Naegi-kun, help me... I'm huuunnngrryyy...!" Asahina wailed.
"Aoi-nee, I'm hungry too, but you don't hear me whining," Yuta said before his stomach started to growl. He might not be whining, but his stomach sure was.
If Asahina heard her brother, she didn't show it as she continued, "I need food... Anything... I don't care if it's a stack of paper... Need foooood...!"
"Maybe there's a place we can get donuts close by," Naegi suggested.
"I can't! If I kept gorging on something with that many calories, I'd get fat in no time!" Asahina shouted, as if she was explaining something obvious for the millionth time.
So even she cares about that kind of thing. Well, she *is* an athlete, Naegi thought. He felt a little bad, but he had seen how much Asahina could eat, especially if donuts were involved.
"Besides, I don't want anything sugary. Right now, I want a salty snack..." Asahina trailed off.
"Like potato chips?" Komaru asked.
"Like ramen," Asahina said.
"I don't think that really qualifies as a snack," Komaru said.
"Huh? How is it not?" Yuta asked, sounding genuinely confused.
"Speaking of which... What's your favorite kind of ramen? Asahina asked.
"We're both partial to Shoyu," Naegi answered.
"Ah, good choice! Definitely the most refreshing option," Asahina said with a nod.
"What about you two? Asahina-san is worried about calories and you're both athletes, so..." Naegi started.
"We're porktastic tonkotsu fans through and through!" Asahina said happily.
Or you don't care about calories at all, Naegi thought. Naegi didn't mind though, this was who Asahina was and there was nothing wrong with it.
"The key element of any tonkotsu ramen is the butter and the extra fat," Yuta explained.
"If you want the best ramen in town, I happen to know a place," a new voice said. The group looked at the newcomer. He wore a hoodie with the hood up so no one could see his hair. He was a tall man with blue eyes. Had it not been for the newcomer's tone sounding rather jovial, the group of four might have been suspicious of him.
"Sorry, I couldn't help eavesdropping and when it comes to ramen, I feel the need to spread the word about this place. Spicy Ramen, once you eat there, no other place will do," the man said.
"Spicy Ramen?" Naegi asked.
"What can I say? A classy place for classy people. I'll try to make time to explain why Spicy Ramen is the one and only ramen shop that you and yours will ever want to eat at," the man began. Seeing that he had the group's attention, he continued, "First, the food. Those fresh golden noodles swimming in rich flavorful broth. There's something almost other worldly about that recipe. That combination of salt and the spice just—BAM!—hits you right in the mouth. And those pork dumplings? W-O-W! Don't get me started on those dumplings. Where did they even find the pork? And how about that ambiance? There's the downtown. Love the downtown. And the people walking around. Who doesn't like people?"
The group seemed to like what they were hearing so far, in fact the Asahinas started drooling.
The man went on to say, "Cons? Heard folks say the prices are a bit high. Look, I get it. Unlike yours truly, maybe you aren't sitting on a pile of money. If you need to scrape money together maybe we can work something out, I've got some caches that need to be found that are muy caliente… I'm getting sidetracked here. Look, if you know me, or know my chicken… well, maybe not the chicken, but if you know me—and trust me, I know me—you will love Spicy Ramen. Just tell them I sent you. Give them this coupon. I'm good for it." As he said that, he gave each of them a coupon, that was valid of one free bowl of ramen with a side of gyoza before he left.
"What a nice guy," Yuta said.
"I was nice of him to give us these coupons," Asahina added.
"Maybe not," Komaru said.
This got a confused, "Huh?" from both Asahinas.
Naegi held up his coupon, pointed to the valid date and said, "I don't know about any of you, but the one he gave me expired a few weeks ago.
Expired coupons or not, the group did go to Spicy Ramen. When the chef-owner had asked how they had heard of the place, the group told them about the man who gave them the expired coupons. A look of understanding crossed the man's face before he laughed and said, "Yeah, I know that guy. He's a little strange, but he means well. How about I give you kids a discount to make up for the trouble?"
"Are you sure sir?" Naegi asked.
"Yeah, you didn't give us these expired coupons," Asahina pointed out.
"No, but I always feel bad when he does this. I guess I feel a little responsible that my best customer is spreading the word about this place through expired coupons. I'll just add what I don't charge you to his tab," the owner said.
"I'd feel bad if you did that," Komaru said as her brother nodded in agreement. It sounded like the whole thing was an accident, and neither the Naegis or the Asahinas saw any reason to punish the man they met earlier since it seemed that he was trying to help.
"Don't worry about it, he did say he was good for it, didn't he?" the owner asked. After the group of four nodded, the owner said, "This happens a lot. He is good for it, and this is also why he says the ramen is a little pricey. I keep thinking he'll learn, but he doesn't." Since there didn't seem to be any more objections the owner asked, "Now, what can I get you kids?"
"Shoyu," Naegi said.
"I'll have shoyu too," Komaru added.
"Porktastic tonkotsu!" the Asahina siblings happily exclaimed.
"Coming right up. I'll even throw in a side of gyoza just like the coupons say," the owner said as he got to work.
"Hey Naegi-kun, do you think your luck had anything to do with this?" Asahina asked.
"I don't think so. My luck tends to be pretty bad," Naegi answered.
"It does, his misadventure before getting his invitation to Hope's Peak is proof of that," Komaru added.
"Komaru!" Naegi shouted, mortified at the thought of having to tell that story.
"What? You're the one who said the invitation made up for all the misery you went through that day," Komaru reminded him.
"What misery?" Asahina asked.
"Please no," Naegi begged.
"He didn't tell you? Well what happened was…" Komaru began as she went into excruciating detail about what Naegi called his "Worst Day Ever."
Asahina was listening to the story, but she noticed how red Naegi was getting. Wow, I thought Yuta was bad, but Komaru-chan seems like a master at humiliating her brother. I hope nothing happens to Naegi-kun if he gets any redder, Asahina thought. She was glad when Komaru stopped talking, more for Naegi's sake than any dislike of the story. In fact, she thought the story was good, it had everything: stolen jewels, a hostage situation, a police chase, and a happy ending. That being said, she didn't think it was worth humiliating her friend for.
"That was pretty bad Makoto-nii," Yuta said when Komaru had finished.
"The funniest part was when he called and told us that he had been placed in the Girls' Dorm by mistake," Komaru said while trying to stifle her laughter.
"It wasn't funny for me, most of the girls treated me like public enemy number one for that and it wasn't even my fault," Naegi stated.
"It all seems to be working out though," Asahina pointed out.
"That's true. You didn't seem thrilled with the idea, but you at least considered giving me a chance Asahina-san, I appreciated it," Naegi said.
Asahina's cheeks turned red before she looked down bashfully and said, "N-no p-problem, Naegi-kun."
Komaru recognized the beginning of a crush when she saw one but figured she could let it go for now. Asahina seemed nice enough, and maybe those feelings would fade. If the crush lasted long enough, then Komaru would have a chat with Asahina and the other girls her brother had mentioned. Getting back to the topic of her brother's luck, Komaru said, "I think Asahina-san is right Onii-chan, this is probably because of your luck."
"How do you figure?" Yuta asked, honestly curious.
"Well, we got ramen at a discount even though we were given expired coupons, that's a little too strange of a coincidence to happen to most people," Komaru explained.
"But didn't Makoto-nii say his luck tended to be bad?" Yuta asked.
"For him it is, he's going to feel guilty that our discount is going to be added to that guy's tab for at least the rest of the day. So really, our ramen is costing him his peace of mind, even though the owner told us that this happens a lot," Komaru explained.
Naegi wanted to refute that even though he knew Komaru was right, he did feel bad that the man who had given them coupons was going to be partially charged for their ramen, it was just how he was.
Komaru knew that too, and although she would never admit it, her brother's kind heart was one of the reasons she looked up to him. Before she could say she was just teasing him though, Asahina spoke up first.
"How about if we run into that guy again, we'll just give him the money? Would that make you feel better Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked.
Komaru was impressed. Not only did Asahina also have a kind heart, but it sounded like she understood that his kindness was one of Naegi's best qualities. She still wasn't sure this girl was good enough for her brother though.
Before Naegi could answer, the ramen had arrived and with a chorus of "Itadakimasu!" the four enjoyed their "snack."
After enjoying their ramen and a little more sightseeing, Naegi realized that he would soon have to head back to the dorm to prepare dinner. Both Komaru and Yuta had to be heading home as well so the group made one last trip together to the train station. On the way, it was agreed that the four of them had to do this again sometime. Once both younger siblings had safely boarded their train, Asahina and Naegi made their way back to Hope's Peak Academy.
"Thanks for spending time with Komaru and me today, Asahina-san, she really enjoyed it and so did I," Naegi said.
"Well thank you for spending time with me and Yuta, we both had lots of fun too!" Asahina happily exclaimed.
"What should the four of us do next time?" Naegi asked.
Asahina adopted a thinking pose as she walked and said, "I'm not really sure, maybe we should AAHH!" While she was thinking, Asahina had stopped paying attention to where she had been going and tripped. Naegi had tried to catch her and she had tried to catch herself, but the result was her falling in such a way that she ended up spraining her ankle.
"Ooowww!" Asahina hissed.
"I'm so sorry Asahina-san, if I had caught you this wouldn't have happened," Naegi said sadly.
"It's not your fault, you did try to catch me," Asahina said with a reassuring smile. I just need to see Tsumiki-senpai when we get back, but it really hurts to put weight on it, the swimmer thought.
"Let me see," Naegi said.
"Huh?" Asahina questioned.
"I'm not Tsumiki-senpai, but maybe I can do something that will make the trip back less painful," Naegi said as he pulled out a handkerchief.
Asahina seemed a little shocked to see this side of Naegi but complied. He's pretty cute when he takes charge, she thought. After removing her shoe and her sock, Naegi examined her ankle. Asahina was glad that Naegi was focused on her ankle, because having Naegi touching her caused her face to heat up.
"Yeah, Tsumiki-senpai should be able to fix this up in no time at all, but until then…" Naegi trailed off as he tied his handkerchief into a makeshift brace for Asahina. Satisfied that it would work, Naegi replaced Asahina's sock and shoe for her, which had the effect of making Asahina's face redder. "Okay, try to keep weight off of it on the way back. You should probably lean on me," Naegi said as he offered Asahina his shoulder.
Asahina, who had just gotten her blush under control, turned red once again. "O-okay," she said as she leaned into Naegi. This feels nice, Asahina thought as she latched onto Naegi for extra support.
The two continued on their way, and although the pain was still there, Asahina was preoccupied with a different feeling. Once they reached the main gate, Naegi asked, "Are you alright, Asahina-san?"
Asahina had actually slipped off into her own little world without noticing and Naegi's question had just brought her back to reality. "Huh? Oh, I'm okay. I feel pretty good all things considered," Asahina said. I'm also really happy. Not sure why though, she thought.
Before the Naegi and Asahina arrived at the dorm, they met up with Ogami. After explaining what happened, Ogami picked up Asahina and carried her the rest of the way. Asahina was grateful that her best friend cared about her so much, but for reasons she didn't quite understand, she found herself missing Naegi's warmth.
Hope's Peak Academy-Track Field
Seventh Week of Classes-Monday
Naegi didn't really have a strong opinion one way or the other about P.E. He never stood out, but he never performed badly either. His results were average through and through. He wouldn't have minded doing better, but he could live with these results. There was something about this class that bothered him today though. One look at Asahina was all anyone needed to see how upset she was that she couldn't participate.
When Tsumiki had finished treating Asahina's ankle, the nurse had told Asahina, Ogami, and Naegi that although Asahina would be back to normal soon enough, but as it was a Grade 1 sprain, the swimmer needed to refrain from anything that would strain her ankle further for the next two to six weeks. To that end, Tsumiki wrote an excuse to get Asahina out of P.E. For good measure she gave copies to Ogami and Naegi, a wise decision because Asahina did not give the teacher the excuse Tsumiki had written for her. She was upset, but both Naegi and Ogami had managed to convince her that it was for her own good. That didn't keep Asahina from making her frustration apparent to anyone who looked her way though.
Hoping that he could help his friend and classmate, Naegi went over to Asahina and asked, "Asahina is there something I can do for you?"
After giving a frustrated sigh, Asahina said, "I've reached my limit... With my ankle like this I can't do any sports! I can't do anything! I'm sick of it! I wanna get out there and do some laps! Run a marathon! I wanna do some real SPORTS!"
Naegi realized that he probably should have been prepared for that but Asahina's outburst still caught him off guard. He composed himself enough to say, "A-asahina-san. Please calm down. Getting worked up won't help."
If Asahina heard him, she didn't show it as she continued, "I can't do ANYTHING right now! If I can't move around, I'm gonna DIE, like a BUNNY RABBIT!"
"But... I always heard rabbits die from loneliness..." Naegi said. He wasn't even sure why he said that. Maybe Asahina was starting to rub off on him.
"Whatever! I'm gonna die if I can't get some proper physical activity!" Asahina shouted.
"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Naegi asked.
"You think I'm kidding, don't you? But I seriously can't sit still, ya know? Why else would I have joined six sports teams in school?" Asahina asked. She continued, "If I can't move, I'll just shrivel up and die. And I need a challenge! More and more new stuff to try!
"A challenge?" Naegi asked, confused.
Asahina calmed down a bit and explained, "What I really love about sports isn't winning, ya know? It's having to fight and struggle and give it all you got to reach the top. It's that excitement, that fear that you might suffer a heartbreaking loss. When you finally reach that goal, it's just... lonely. It's lonely at the top, ya know?"
I never really got into sports, so I can't really relate to what she's talking about... But I can tell that the reason Asahina-san is so amazing is because of how hard she can fight and struggle, Naegi thought as his already high opinion of Asahina improved even more.
"So that's why I want to push myself as hard as possible when it comes to swimming. I want to aim for the very highest mountaintop!" Asahina exclaimed.
"The highest mountaintop?" Naegi repeated in confusion.
"I'm talkin' about the gold medal, of course! Aim for the gold, even if it means I'm a super gold spaz!" Asahina clarified excitedly.
Didn't she get mad at her brother for calling her a spaz as recently as two days ago? Naegi asked himself. Pushing that thought aside, Naegi then asked,"Okay, but if that's what you want, isn't that all the more reason? If you have a goal, why are you making excuses?"
"Excuses? Hey! When did I ever make any excuses!?" Asahina asked indignantly. What does he want from me, I can't put too much strain on my ankle, Asahina thought.
"Sure, you are limited in what you can do with that sprained ankle, but if you really want to make an effort, shouldn't you try to see what you *can* do?" Naegi asked.
"Nng...! Th-That's a challenge! You just made an official challenge!" Asahina exclaimed. She then conceded, "But... I think you're right. If I want to get that gold medal, I have to make every effort I can. I want to become a "genius of effort"! I bet Ian Thorpe said something like that!"
"That's great Asahina-san. Tell you what, when we get the chance, let's go find Nidai-senpai and Tsumiki-senpai. I'll bet that they know a bunch of exercises you can do, even with that sprain," Naegi said.
"Y-you'd do that for me?" Asahina asked as her cheeks erupted with a blush.
"Of course, if it will make you happy," Naegi answered simply. After hearing about Asahina's motivations and goals, I'm getting fired up to help her, Naegi thought.
That just caused Asahina to turn an even darker shade of red as she stuttered out, "O-ok-okay. T-thank y-y-you." He really is the sweetest thing, Asahina thought.
"Oh, and Asahina-san, we should probably confirm it with Nidai-senpai or Tsumiki-senpai, but I've heard that as long as the swelling isn't too bad, swimming is great exercise for someone with a sprained ankle," Naegi added.
Asahina's smile upon hearing that was brighter than the sun. I can still swim. That's great! She mentally cheered. She couldn't wait to find Nidai and Tsumiki. Once classes had finished, she and Naegi scoured the campus for their seniors. Asahina was overjoyed for two reasons. The two had said swimming was perfectly fine, Tsumiki told her that she could get back in the pool as soon as tomorrow, and she had gotten to lean on Naegi's shoulder again as they searched and made their way back to the dorm.
Something about this feels so right, Asahina thought. She hoped Naegi would come with her to the pool tomorrow.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Seventh Week of Classes-Wednesday
As it turned out Naegi had not been able to join Asahina at the pool. She was a little disappointed, but just being in the water had cheered her up. It also helped that Ogami had been able to join her. Tsumiki had also joined them, but much to Asahina's displeasure, the Ultimate Nurse had only joined them to ensure that Asahina did not over exert herself.
Tsumiki had advised Asahina to avoid a kick workout as a freestyle kicking motion and a breaststroke kicking motion required flexion of the foot that might have triggered ankle pain. And since the dolphin kick requires a pointed toe, that was out too. Tsumiki had suggested that Asahina use the time in the water to perfect her arm stroke and your breathing pattern for both freestyle and the backstroke. She had even instructed Asahina to avoid diving as pushing off the platform or deck would require her ankle to bend significantly and possibly trigger pain.
Asahina was not upset with her senpai, she knew Tsumiki took nursing seriously and that she only wanted to help. She was more annoyed that she couldn't swim the way she wanted to, not that she hadn't tried. Today when it was only her and Ogami at the pool, Asahina had attempted to ignore Tsumiki's advice. However, as Ogami had been present when Tsumiki had advised Asahina on what she could and could not do, Ogami had made sure that Asahina followed Tsumiki's instructions.
"It's for your own good, Asahina-san," Ogami had said. Asahina knew she was right of course, but that didn't mean that she was happy about it. But she handled it rather well in her opinion, and she definitely did not pout, no matter what Ogami said.
There was another reason that Asahina was unhappy, and currently that reason had taken the form of flashing numbers in front of her toes. She didn't want to believe it, but her bathroom scale was telling her she had put on weight. She couldn't even say it was because she had just eaten, dinner wasn't for a while yet. She couldn't exercise the way she wanted for at least two to six weeks. I really hope it's only two weeks, that way I might still have a chance, Asahina thought as she made her way to her bed. She sat on the edge thinking of what she could do.
Asahina was soon shaken from her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on her door. Maybe that's Sakura-chan, she thought as she got up. She was surprised to find that it was not the Ultimate Martial Artists, but Naegi who had been knocking.
"Asahina-san dinner is ready," Naegi said had asked him to get Asahina for dinner. She had said that Asahina had been pouting during their time at the pool and suggested that maybe Naegi could brighten her mood. Naegi had been more than happy to help, but he didn't see any signs of pouting. Ogami-san asked me to get Asahina-san because she said Asahina-san was pouting, but she looks more depressed than anything, he thought.
"O-oh, I-I'm not hungry," Asahina said. It wasn't true, but she hoped Naegi would believe her.
He did not. Asahina Aoi no hungry? There's no way, something must be wrong, he thought. "Asahina are you alright? You seem depressed," Naegi said.
Asahina usually thought Naegi being sensitive to others' feelings was one of his best qualities, but right now she wished he had not picked up on her mood. "Oh... well... I tried to convince myself I was imagining it, but I totally wasn't imagining it," Asahina admitted.
"Imagining what?" Naegi asked.
"I... I got fat," Asahina said. She continued, "I'm so fat! Fat from every angle! I hate this... Hate it! I may as well just accept it and embrace my new big fat fatty attitude. I'll just get disgustingly morbidly obese, and then nobody will want to marry me! Which makes me depressed, and I get even fatter. Eventually I can't even stand up on my own. And then I die, sad and alone. Nobody notices. I finally lose weight when my body starts to rot."
After Asahina was done, Naegi realized that it was probably a good thing that he was the one Ogami sent to get Asahina. While he believed that most of the other girls would try to convince Asahina that she had nothing to worry about, he had interacted with Saionji and Fukawa enough times to know that the former would try to feed those insecurities and the latter would think Asahina was making fun of her. Though if someone like Asahina can have body image issues, she could possibly make the others feel self-conscious too, Naegi thought.
"I think maybe you're worrying a little too much. Besides, as far as I can tell, you look exactly the same," Naegi said.
"You're just saying that. I'm a total chub monster! I'm a perfect circle," Asahina argued.
"No, I'm not. Asahina-san you're just as beautiful as you've always been," Naegi blurted out. He covered his mouth as soon as he said that and turned red from embarrassment. He believed what he said, but to actually say that to Asahina was still embarrassing.
"B-b-beautiful? You really think so?" Asahina asked. She was just as red as Naegi when she heard what he said.
"W-Well, I mean, uh... yeah," Naegi admitted, bashfully.
It seemed that this time Naegi's words were a source of relief rather than embarrassment as Asahina soon exclaimed, "Thank God! Seriously, thank GOD! Naegi-kun you have no idea how happy I am to hear that!" She wasn't done though, as she exclaimed, "But I can't relax now! I'm making an official statement! As of right now, Aoi Asahina is on a diet!"
"A diet...?" Naegi asked.
"Just you watch! I'm gonna get so thin it'll scare the crap outta you!" she proclaimed.
"W-Well... don't overdo it, okay?" Naegi pleaded. He doubted that Asahina would take dieting to an unhealthy extreme, but her could never tell what was going through her mind when she got fired up like this.
"Don't try and stop me! I've made up my mind, and my willpower is rock hard! And now my resolve is even MORE rock hard! But before all that, let's go get dinner! And after that, donuts!" Asahina exclaimed.
It doesn't sound like dieting is part of Asahina-san's skillset, but at least she's back to normal, Naegi thought happily.
Asahina must have noticed Naegi's mood because she asked, "What's up?"
"Nothing, I'm just glad you're feeling better. The happy and energetic Asahina-san we've all come to know and love is back," Naegi said.
"L-love?!" Asahina asked as she turned red again.
"Well yeah. You're everyone's friend Asahina-san, when you don't seem like yourself, we get worried," Naegi explained. He seemed to have missed the blush on Asahina's cheeks.
"O-oh that's what you meant. I mean, of course that's what you meant," Asahina said as she calmed down. He already said I was beautiful, I would not be able to handle it right now if he came out and said he loved me. Still, it felt good to hear that, especially from Naegi-kun, Asahina admitted to herself.
"Ready to go?" Naegi asked.
"You bet! Dinner and donuts, here I come!" Asahina exclaimed as she got up and got ready to run downstairs. She would probably have gotten there in record time if Naegi hadn't placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.
"Asahina-san, I was there when Tsumiki-senpai looked at your ankle. She said you have to take it easy and that means you can't run for now," Naegi reminded her. Asahina started to pout upon hearing that, which Naegi had to admit made her look cute, but he held firm. He grabbed one of her hands and said, "Come on, I don't know how much longer Ogami-san and Ikusaba-san can keep Owari-senpai from starting without us."
Asahina once again felt her face heating up but nodded. Asahina was in such a daze from her interaction with Naegi that she didn't catch the looks of disapproval that Ikusaba, Maizono, and Mioda sent her way when they saw her hand in Naegi's.
Downtown Near Hope's Peak Academy-Spicy Ramen
Ninth Week of Classes-Saturday
Tomorrow is a big day, Naegi thought as he and his companions waited for their orders. He was right, tomorrow he would be accompanying Sonia to the opening of the Novoselic Embassy and to say he was nervous would be an understatement. He knew he had no reason to be, no one would be there to see him, but having been personally invited by the Princess Sonia of Novoselic put more than a little pressure on him. He didn't doubt that what he learned from Sonia would be enough to get him through it, he simply doubted that his strange luck would behave the whole time that he was on what would now be considered Novoselic soil.
It was for that reason that he was grateful that his sister had been able to visit today. By some strange coincidence, Asahina's brother Yuta had also come for a visit ant the four met up, just as they had agreed to do last time. Something was different today though, two things really, specifically Komaru and Yuta's attitude concerning Asahina, but he couldn't quite understand why.
Komaru had been acting a bit strange and Naegi could not think of a reason for it. What Naegi did not seem to realize was that Komaru was not as naïve as he was. Komaru saw the serene smile on Asahina's face when the swimmer had looked at Naegi when she thought no one was looking. Komaru may have been young, but she recognized the look of a girl in love when she saw it. She also had a strong suspicion that Asahina was unaware of what it was that she was actually feeling. She could tell that Asahina would never intentionally hurt her brother, but she still felt that it was her duty as a little sister to keep a close eye on the Ultimate Swimmer when she could. This was also one of the reasons she wanted to meet these "Ultimate Girls" that seemed to have taken an interest in her older brother. Naegi Makoto may take everyone at their word, but Naegi Komaru knew that a little healthy suspicion could be a good thing. Her brother deserved the best and she would make sure that any girl that took an interest in him understood that fact too.
Naegi was unaware of what was going through his sister's mind, he was more focused on the younger Asahina.
Yuta had been disappointed when Asahina could not race him, but he understood that she shouldn't agitate her ankle, so he got over that rather quickly. What had the younger Asahina giving strange looks at the Ultimate Swimmer was what had happened when they arrived at the ramen shop and placed their orders. Asahina had asked what on the menu had the least calories and had ordered that instead of her favorite, porktastic tonkotsu. Naegi probably would have found that odd had Asahina not told him that she had planned to go on a diet. Naegi had his doubts at first, but to his classmate's credit, she had been cutting back on donuts. Naegi did not know if this had anything to do with the strange glances that Yuta had been giving Asahina. He had a feeling that Asahina wouldn't tell her brother that she was on a diet.
Only one way to find out I guess, Naegi thought. Turning towards Yuta, the Luckster asked, "Is something wrong Yuta-kun?"
Yuta, who had been shooting worried looks at his sister said, "Huh? Oh, I'm okay Makoto-nii."
"Are you sure? You've been looking at your sister like she's a stranger since we placed our orders," Naegi pointed out.
"Oh, that? I'm just not used to Aoi-nee acting so concerned about calories," Yuta explained.
"I care about those kinds of things. I am a teenage girl, you know," Asahina reminded him.
"I know, it's just sometimes I forget that," Yuta said waving his hands in a defensive manner.
And just what is that supposed to mean, Asahina thought in annoyance. "How do you forget that I'm a girl, Yuta?" Asahina asked.
"Yeah, not really sure how you could miss that," Komaru chided while shooting envious side glances at Asahina's breasts.
"No, I know that, it's just with how Aoi-nee usually acts, hanging out with my spazzy sister is almost the same as hanging out with my guy friends," Yuta "defended."
Yuta-kun stop talking, that grave you dug for yourself can't stand to get any deeper, Naegi thought with a facepalm. Had he just met Asahina, he would have thought that she would be able to brush that off. After spending time with her, he came to realize that Asahina could be very self-conscious. One look at his classmate's mortified expression was enough to confirm that Yuta's words had had an effect. Naegi decided that he would need to talk to her after the younger members of their group went home.
After Komaru and Yuta had safely boarded their trains, Asahina and Naegi made their way back to Hope's Peak Academy. Naegi knew the younger boy hadn't meant for this to happen, but the fact remained that the rest of the day had been very awkward after Yuta's comment. It was obvious to anyone that Asahina had become depressed after hearing her brother's assessment of her.
Naegi turned to Asahina, who had been rather quiet since Yuta's comment, and said, "Asahina-san, I hope you don't take what your brother said too seriously. If it makes you feel any better, Komaru has told me on more than one occasion that I could stand to be manlier."
"Huh, oh, I'm okay Naegi-kun, it's just I don't know what Yuta was talking about. Is there something wrong with the way I act?" Asahina asked. That's why she had been so quiet, she had never thought that there was a problem with how she acted until now and was wondering what to do about it.
"I don't think there is. Asahina-san is Asahina-san, and that's why everyone likes you. I think that at a certain age kids have it in their heads that there is only one way to be masculine or feminine and that having certain interests or doing certain things makes one less so."
"What do you mean?" Asahina asked.
"Well, say I took ballet. There was a time when people made fun of boys who took ballet. Even though that has diminished in recent years there are still people who think ballet is for girls," Naegi said.
"That's dumb. I hear that there have been a few American athletes that have taken ballet. I believe that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Steve McLendon, NHL goaltender Ray Emery, former heavyweight-boxing champion Evander Holyfield took ballet classes. So did the retired legendary American football players, wide receiver Lynn Swann and running back Herschel Walker to name a few," Asahina argued.
"I know that, and you know that, but some people just refuse to change their perceptions of what is masculine and what is feminine. I'm not saying that there aren't traits that aren't inherently masculine or feminine, I happen to believe that there are. But I also believe that men and women can enjoy things that are usually associated with the opposite sex and still be masculine or feminine. A man can be gentle and nurturing and still be masculine and a woman can be strong, brave, and feminine. I think what matters is that we know when to…we'll say, shift gears," Naegi explained.
"That's kind of the problem Naegi-kun, I'm not sure I know how to do that. People have always told me how I'm not ladylike... And I mean, I can't really disagree. All I'm good at is sports, exercise, physical stuff," Asahina admitted sadly.
I think there is a difference between being ladylike and being feminine, but that's not important right now, Naegi thought. "I don't think that's a problem, like I said before, I like Asahina-san the way she is," Naegi told her.
"I appreciate that Naegi-kun, I really do, but if I'm being honest, this has bothered me for a while," Asahina said.
I'd like to reassure her more, but if I press anymore right now, I think I'll just do more harm than good. I'm sure she'll understand given time, Naegi thought. "I guess I understand Asahina-san, just promise me you'll consider what I said too," Naegi said.
"I will," Asahina promised with a small smile. Naegi's words had made her feel better, but she still felt insecure. I appreciate what Naegi-kun said, it was very sweet. But I still can't help but think that there is something missing, Asahina thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Eleventh Week of Classes-Saturday
With the exception of Naegi and Owari, everyone had arrived back at the dorm around mid-afternoon from their hot spring retreat. As much as everyone wished that it could have lasted longer, they all knew it had to end sometime.
Asahina had noticed something during their time at the Minato Inn: She had noticed the change in Owari. Owari was still tough and brave, but it seemed that she had learned how to do what Naegi had referred to as shifting gears. Asahina noticed on more than one occasion that the usually fiercely independent Owari would sometimes switch to nurturing and gentle. Asahina had originally written it off as her Senpai's siblings being present, but if that had been the case, then Asahina was sure that she would have noticed the change in the Ultimate Gymnast when their week at the inn had started. She then thought that Naegi had to be connected somehow, but if that were true, why had the gymnast been the only one who changed?
Asahina couldn't help but remember a conversation she had had with Naegi previously where she had told him that she was worried that she was not ladylike. If Owari-senpai can do it, then maybe I can too. But what is it that I'm missing? Asahina asked herself. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Tsumiki approach.
"Asahina-saAAAh!" the Ultimate Nurse began before she tripped and wound up in a position that displayed her panties for all the world to see.
"Huh? Oh, Tsumiki-senpai, are you alright?" Asahina asked as she walked over to the older girl and helped her up.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I'm fine. I-I j-just wanted to e-examine your ankle," The nurse explained.
"Sure," Asahina said, getting back to her thoughts.
It didn't take long before Tsumiki said, "Asahina-san, y-you're a-ankle is p-perfectly fine. Y-you can re-return to your n-normal routine."
That got Asahina's attention. "That's great! Any longer and I would have gone insane!" Asahina cheered.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it heal faster! I swear there was nothing I could do to speed things up! Please don't hate me!" Tsumiki wailed.
"Huh? I don't hate you Senpai, and I'm not blaming you. You, Sakura-chan, and Naegi-kun all told me to take it easy, but even I have to admit that I was too stubborn to listen at times," Asahina said, not sure what else to do to pacify the poor nurse.
"O-oh, okay then. I g-guess I-I'm not needed here then," Tsumiki said, sounding a bit disappointed. Before the older girl could leave, Asahina asked her something.
"Tsumiki-senpai, I know this is a weird question, but do you think I have…womanly charms?" Asahina knew her face must have been beet red when she asked that if the heat in her cheeks was any indication.
"Asahina-san has lots of womanly charms! That's the right answer, right? Please don't hate me!" Tsumiki pleaded.
Maybe she was the wrong person to ask, Asahina thought. "Uh, there really wasn't a wrong answer Senpai, so don't worry," Asahina said, now feeling rather uncomfortable with how awkward the situation had become. She knew it would be awkward no matter who she asked, but she wasn't prepared for this. Still, she needed an answer, so she decided that maybe some of the other girls would be more helpful.
Why can't I get an answer? Asahina asked herself. She hadn't felt this discouraged in a long time. She had asked many of the other girls if she had womanly charms and almost everyone she had asked seemed to think she was joking or in some cases insulting them.
When she had asked Fukawa, Fukawa had asked, "A-are you making fun of me? D-do you think that you can do that just because your breasts are bigger?"
Saionji had asked, "What kind of stupid question is that? Did you trade your brain for bigger boobs?" with a look of envy on her face.
Ikusaba had glanced at Asahina's chest before saying, "I'm not really sure how to answer that."
Koizumi had asked what brought this question on and upon hearing Asahina's explanation just seemed to shut down, although Asahina thought she heard the older girl mutter something along the lines of "Someone like Aoi-chan can have self-esteem issues," and "What does that mean for a plain girl like me?"
Yukizome had said, "So much so that sometimes even I'm a little jealous," all while looking at Asahina's chest.
Mioda had said, "Let Ibuki show you,", before she had made to grope Asahina before Ogami, who had entered the room at just the right moment, grabbed the Ultimate Musician and carried her out of the room.
What is this fixation with my breast size? Asahina asked herself with a mental pout. Figuring that since Maizono and Enoshima would know all about womanly charm given their talents, Asahina resolved to ask them. As luck would have it, Enoshima happened to be close by.
"Asahina-san, how's it going?" Enoshima asked, her mask of a non-despair obsessed teenage girl firmly in place. Enoshima knew exactly what was going on of course and decided to offer her own special brand of "help." Unresolved self-esteem issues were a great source of despair but Enoshima thought that Asahina's confidence as a woman could be shattered and that was even better.
"Enoshima-san maybe you can answer: Do you think I have 'womanly charms?'" Asahina asked.
"Uh, Asahina-san, you are aware that 'womanly charms' is a euphemism for breasts, right?" Enoshima asked. She wanted to laugh but figured there would be time for that after she made Asahina feel like a failure as a woman.
"Then that means that I've been asking people… Oh God!" Asahina exclaimed, mortified.
"Did you mean to ask whether or not you're feminine?" Enoshima asked.
"Yeah, I mean, people tell me I'm not ladylike, and they aren't wrong, but I don't know how to change that. What am I missing?" Asahina asked, sounding a little desperate.
"Well, some girls have it and some don't," Enoshima said. It was a lie, but Enoshima knew Asahina wouldn't catch that.
"Isn't there something I can do?" Asahina asked.
"Maybe. Let me ask: Have you ever been in love?" Enoshima asked. As much as she abhorred hope, she would give people hope in order to make their despair that much greater later and now seemed like a good opportunity for that.
"N-no, I haven't," Asahina admitted, more than a little embarrassed.
"That might help. Maybe a bit of dating would help. I happen to know a guy that might be perfect for you," Enoshima said.
"Really?" Asahina asked hopefully.
"Sure, let me get in touch with him and I'll get back to you," Enoshima said as she left the room.
Someone perfect for me, Asahina repeated in her mind. For some reason, an image of Naegi appeared. That was weird, I don't think Enoshima-san was talking about Naegi-kun, so why… Wait, I don't know anything about dating! What am I going to do? Asahina panicked before she retreated to her room to try and study "proper" dating.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Twelfth Week of Classes-Wednesday
In Asahina's room, Asahina and Ogami were discussing what Asahina should do for her date that Saturday. Enoshima had gotten a response for the boy she mentioned. His name was Fukuyama Suzuki, a male model at her agency who was the same age as Class 78, with the exception of Hagakure. Asahina had never heard of him, but she figured Enoshima knew what she was doing.
Ogami, however, was concerned. When Asahina had come to her and asked for dating advice she had promise to help in whatever way she could but given that the closest Ogami had ever had to a proper date were her matches with Kenshiro, she feared that she would not be much help. She had been doing alright so far, she did manage to ensure Asahina would not act like a dotting sitcom wife and Ogami did not even want to know why Asahina thought a jealous mistress was a good example to follow but she had corrected that too.
As much as Ogami wanted to support Asahina, she knew that Asahina was not doing this for the right reasons. "Asahina-san, perhaps you should reconsider this date. No good can come from trying to force love," Ogami warned.
"Thanks for looking out for me Sakura-chan, but I think I'll be okay. Enoshima picked this guy because she said he would be perfect for me. Besides, Enoshima thinks that if I fall in love, I'll learn how to be more feminine," Asahina said. Thinking that she would finally find what she was missing Asahina was a little excited, but she couldn't help but feel like something about this was wrong. Every time she would talk about her idea of the perfect guy, she would always picture Naegi and begin to get cold feet. She pushed through it though, she needed this, she'd never have to worry about being seen as "one of the guys" ever again if this worked.
Ogami didn't say it, but she knew that Asahina was wrong, that she was perfect just the way she was. She had wanted to, of course, but figured that it would be best if Asahina realized that on her own. Just because Asahina could be stubborn about this didn't mean that Ogami wouldn't step in if it seemed like Asahina was losing herself. There was something Ogami had been meaning to ask though, and now seemed like a good a time as any. "Asahina-san, what has made you so concerned about not being feminine enough?" Ogami asked.
"My brother Yuta said that hanging out with me was like hanging out with his guy friends, in public no less. I'd never been so humiliated in my life. The worst part is that he said it with Naegi-kun and his sister sitting right there," Asahina explained.
"Oh?" This piqued Ogami's curiosity. She knew that Asahina and Naegi had been spending a great deal of time together, although hearing that they and their sibling were acquainted was news to her. What really caught Ogami's attention was Asahina's mention of Naegi and his sister specifically. "Asahina-san, what do you think of Naegi-kun?" Ogami asked.
"Naegi-kun? He's the sweetest boy I've ever met. He let me lean on him when my ankle was giving me trouble. He went with me to ask Tsumiki-senpai and Nidai-senpai what exercises I could do so I didn't make my ankle any worse. When I was worried that I had put on weight, he said that I was 'just as beautiful as I always was.' And he tried to make me feel better when I was upset about what Yuta had said," Asahina said with a dreamy look on her face as her cheeks reddened.
If Asahina's gushing hadn't given it away, her blushing would have; Ogami knew that her friend was already in love. As much as she wanted to point this out, Ogami thought that Asahina would not believe her. She would if she had to, but Ogami was hoping Asahina would figure this out on her own. Perhaps this date would be a good learning experience for Asahina and perhaps this Fukuyama Suzuki would indeed make Asahina happy, because Ogami would make him pay if he hurt Asahina in any way. "Asahina-san," she began, "I don't know if Enoshima-san's advice was correct, but I do believe that when this is over you will know what is like to be in love and you will find the solution to your problem. Just be aware that it may not be in ways that you had expected."
Asahina was confused, but it sounded like she had her friend's support, so she was happy. Still, she couldn't help but focus on the last part of Ogami's statement. Not what I expected? What could that mean? She asked herself. Unable to come up with an answer she thought, If Sakura-chan is right then I guess I'll find out after my date on Saturday. With that, she continued to study and practice for her date.
Downtown-Park Near Hope's Peak Academy
Twelfth Week of Classes-Saturday
The day had come. Asahina's date with Fukuyama Suzuki had arrived. She wished that she had had more time to prepare. She still wasn't sure what the proper way to act on a date was but remembering Ogami's words from Wednesday helped to reassure her. She was a little concerned about her clothes, but Enoshima had assured her that since Fukuyama was just taking her for a walk around town and through the park, Asahina's tracksuit would be fine. In fact, Enoshima told Asahina that Fukuyama had said he would prefer that she be comfortable, but as with all things involving Enoshima, that wasn't exactly true. In truth, Fukuyama wanted everyone to recognize Asahina.
Fukuyama may have been new to the modeling industry, but he had already earned a reputation, both as a brownnoser and as a peacock. Ordinarily, to the Japanese the peacock is associated with Kwan-yin. The peacock symbolizes love, or more precisely it is an emblem of love. Fukuyama was making sure that the Western use of the label was catching on. Always having to be the center of attention and always doing whatever he could to be more famous, an athlete like Asahina, who had been breaking records since a young age, was just a means to an end for him.
Asahina, of course, did not know this. What she did know, now that she was face-to-face with him was that he was rather good-looking. He was tall, he was well-built, and he was blond with spikey hair. He was flamboyantly dressed but Asahina looked past that, she wasn't usually one to judge others on their quirks.
"Asahina Aoi-san, I presume? Your pictures hardly do you justice," Fukuyama said, in a smooth, deep voice.
"O-oh, t-thank you. You're everything Enoshima-san said you were," Asahina said, embarrassed but pleased by the flattery.
"Oh? What exactly did Enoshima-senpai say?" Fukuyama asked. He hid it well, but he was nervous. There was always something about Enoshima, like she could see through everyone. The last thing he needed was Enoshima Junko to know that he planned to unseat her as the world's top model.
"She just told me I'd know it was you immediately, that you'd be the best-looking guy in the park," Asahina said.
"Oh? Oh, of course. My apologies, it's just sometimes Enoshima-senpai likes to mess with us, I was hoping she hadn't been spreading any unseemly rumors about me," Fukuyama said, relieved. Fukuyama continued and said, "But today isn't about her. Shall we?" Fukuyama held out his hand.
"Uh huh," Asahina said with a nod as she took his and in true Asahina Aoi fashion, took off running, pulling her date behind her.
Fukuyama's shrieking could be heard throughout the city.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Around the Same Time
"Where is it?" Naegi asked as he ran around the kitchen looking for frosting. He had planned to make donuts for Asahina either to celebrate a successful date or to comfort her if it went badly. As great as he thought Asahina was, the fact that Enoshima set this up had Naegi worried, the Black Cherry Reunion hadn't been that long ago after all and Ikusaba's warning from back then was still fresh in his mind. "Junko-chan wouldn't have done this if she didn't know that it would end badly…" Ikusaba-san had been referring to Mioda-senpai at the time, but I can't help but feel that the same applies here, Naegi thought. At the same time, he knew that one would have to try very hard to actually dislike Asahina. Plus, he didn't need to tell her what the donuts were for, assuming he ever found the frosting to put the finishing touches on them. Deciding that it wasn't in the kitchen, he went to ask the girls if any of them had seen it.
"Hey girls, have any of you seen…," Naegi trailed off as he saw the other girls in the common area living room. His main focus was Owari, who was sitting on the couch with an empty tub of chocolate frosting and a chocolate covered spoon in her hand. "I, uh, I guess you have," Naegi sighed.
"Oh Naegi-kun, were you going to use this?" Owari asked, trying to look as innocent as she could while having been caught red-handed. The last thing she wanted was for Naegi to be mad at her.
"We tried to stop her," Maizono said as the others nodded.
"The size of the room and the fact that it was crowded made it difficult," Ikusaba said, disappointed in herself for failing when Naegi needed her.
"It's fine, it's easy enough for me to fix. I'll just go get some from the school kitchen," Naegi said.
"Actually Makoto-chan, I think that Teruteru-chan's ingredients are being checked today for any…" Mioda began before being interrupted.
"Perhaps we should just leave it at that Mioda-san," Sonia said. She'd prefer to not remember that experience, and she would certainly prefer her, in her mind, future husband not know about the aphrodisiac incident from last year.
"Okay, I'll go buy some then," Naegi said as he went to get his wallet from his room.
"Naegi-kun would you mind picking up a few more things while you're out?" Yukizome asked.
"Sure, could you all put a list together while I go find my wallet?" Naegi asked as he headed upstairs. Upon his return, he saw the completed shopping list. It wasn't particularly long, but he thought that it might be better if he had an extra pair of hands to help him. Before he could ask if someone wanted to join him, Ogami beat him to it.
"Naegi-kun, might I accompany you?" Ogami asked.
"Sure Ogami-san. Did you need something in town too?" Naegi asked.
"I seem to be running low on protein for my protein coffee," Ogami said.
That sounds like it would taste terrible, Naegi thought, not that he was a big coffee drinker to begin with, but the taste of protein mixed in sounded awful. Naegi would never say that out loud of course, so instead he said, "Okay, let's go."
Naegi did not notice five disappointed looks from certain girls. If there was a silver lining for them, it was that Ogami had shown no romantic interest in Naegi, so they weren't too worried about one of them gaining an advantage.
Once he and Ogami were outside, they heard a loud shrieking noise. That sounded like a man's voice. I hope nothing is wrong, Naegi thought.
One could say that something was wrong, but it really depended on whether one was speaking with Asahina or Fukuyama.
Asahina wasn't having a terrible time, but she wasn't feeling anything she didn't feel when she spent time with anyone else, with the exceptions of Ogami and Naegi. Fukuyama just didn't make her feel anything special. She was more than happy to keep going, she didn't think Enoshima would have steered her wrong so maybe she'd feel something when the date was over. The only complaint she had was that Fukuyama would make any and all topics about himself. Asahina did not begrudge people with self-confidence, she figured it helped when it came to the modeling industry. However, Asahina herself was rather humble and it irritated her when someone was too full of themselves, her interactions with Togami Byakuya were proof of that. Still, Fukuyama had bought her funnel cake, so he couldn't be all bad, right?
Fukuyama certainly thought something was wrong though. If things had ended with Asahina dragging him by his arm towards various food vendors, Fukuyama would have been fine with it. He had even decided to be nice and buy the girl funnel cake from one of the carts. But then something happened that started to annoy him.
As Asahina was enjoying her funnel cake, a group of three junior high school girls, each carrying duffel bags had approached the Ultimate Swimmer.
"Excuse me, are you Asahina Aoi?" one, a short girl with brown hair asked.
"I sure am. Who are you?" Asahina asked.
"I told you it was her," one of the other girls, a blonde, said excitedly.
"We're members of the swim team at our school. We heard that you were going to Hope's Peak Academy, but never thought we'd get the chance to meet you," the first answered. That looked to be true, the girls were all tan and their hair seemed light, results typically associated with constantly swimming in chlorinated pools.
"We all think you're amazing. Not just us, our entire team," the girl who had been silent up until now, a redhead, said.
"Ah thanks, but I'm nothing special," Asahina said embarrassed by the praise.
"That's not true," the first girl argued.
"Could you give us some pointers?" the second asked.
"Well, I'd have to see you practice, but I'd be more than happy to if we can meet up again," Asahina said honestly.
The girls were happy, Asahina Aoi, their hero, wanted to watch them practice.
"I do have some advice though: Once you set your sights on a goal, keep chasing it. No matter how many times you stumble you'll get there if you put in the effort. Because as great as it feels to win, the challenge is always the best part," Asahina said.
The girls nodded excitedly, if someone like Asahina said that, it must be true.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you three know me, but I didn't ask for your names," Asahina said apologetically.
"I'm Adachi Miyu," the girl with brown hair said.
"My name is Kashiwagi Momo," the blonde said.
"Okayasu Sae is my name," the redhead said.
Fukuyama was not happy with this. He hated not being the center of attention, but he had to endure it for a little while longer. As soon as he had agreed to this date, he had contacted various fashion and gossip magazines, even some paparazzi forums to be on the safe side, anonymously of course, with a tip that he would be on a date with Asahina Aoi. No one had shown up yet, but he had been assured that each publication he contacted would send someone. At least he had Asahina's child-like quirks to laugh at. "What is that fool doing?" he quietly asked himself as he saw Asahina tracing the names of the girls on her palm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few well-known members of the paparazzi hiding in the background. It was time for Fukuyama Suzuki to shine.
"Asahina-san, we should get back to our date," Fukuyama said as he approached the group of swimmers.
"Asahina-senpai is on a date?" Adachi asked.
"We didn't mean to interrupt," Okayasu said.
"We didn't notice you, we're sorry," Kashiwagi added.
Fukuyama's eye started to slightly twitch at Kashiwagi's statement, but none of the girls noticed. He was able to get it under control though and proceeded to introduce himself. "I'm an up-and-coming model in the fashion industry. The male model to end all male models. I am the beautiful Fukuyama Suzuki!" Fukuyama exclaimed in an over-the-top fashion as he struck a pose.
The younger girls were less than impressed.
"I'm not sure I recognize that name," Okayasu said as she adopted a thinking pose in an effort to remember.
"He said he was 'up-and-coming', so he must be really new," Adachi reasoned. She and Okayasu turned to Kashiwagi, hoping she had heard of Fukuyama.
"Don't look at me, I don't follow fashion," Kashiwagi said to her friends.
That was the wrong thing to say as a vein started to throb on Fukuyama's forehead. To add insult to injury he heard the click of some cameras, his introduction falling flat would be preserved for posterity. Through gritted teeth he said, "Let's go enjoy ourselves, Asahina-san?"
"Uh okay," Asahina said. He must be embarrassed. I probably would be too if I did an introduction like that only for it to fall flat. I'm sure he'll calm down, Asahina thought. Asahina then turned to her young fans and said, "Okay girls, you know how to contact me, so we should be able to work out a time where I can give you some pointers. I hope we see each other again soon."
"Thank you, Asahina-senpai!" all three girls exclaimed in unison.
As Asahina and Fukuyama walked away, the junior high swimmers whispered amongst themselves.
"Is Asahina-senpai really on a date with a guy like that?" Kashiwagi asked.
"He's good looking but he seems full of himself," Adachi said.
"Asahina-senpai could do so much better," Okayasu added.
They may have been whispering, but Fukuyama had excellent hearing and he was seething on the inside.
Around this time, Naegi and Ogami had successfully completed their errands, even if it had taken longer than originally planned.
"Three different stores to find the right junk food, I don't believe this," Ogami sighed, her annoyance clear. Protein for her would have been easy and getting supplies for Tsumiki wouldn't have been difficult either, but some of the girls felt the need to add obscure brands of various snack foods to the list that they had given Naegi. At least his frosting had been easy enough to get.
Naegi agreed but knew that there was no point in getting annoyed. Instead, he looked off into the distance and said to Ogami, "Ogami-san, if we cut through the park, we should be able to cut our travel time. I think that's where Asahina-san said she was going for her date, maybe we should say hello."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother her," Ogami lied. The truth was that she only asked to come along because she wanted to make sure Asahina was alright, she just didn't want to go by herself and seem like an overprotective friend, although she realized that there was no getting around that.
"Ogami-san, I know that's the main reason you asked to come along, you've been distracted the whole time," Naegi countered.
Normally, upon being accused of having an ulterior motive, Ogami would have felt insulted, there were few alive who were more honorable than Ogami Sakura. But Naegi was correct, Ogami had not been completely honest and she was worried about Asahina. Seeing no reason to deny it, she admitted, "You are correct, Naegi-kun. I know Asahina-san can take care of herself, but I cannot help but worry."
"I understand completely, and I don't think anyone would blame you, it's not like any of us besides Enoshima-san know this guy," Naegi said. He didn't dare tell Ogami that he was worried too, and that was because it was Enoshima who set this up.
"Thank you, Naegi-kun," Ogami said.
"Anytime Ogami-san. Now, let's pop over for a bit, say hello, and get back to the dorm. There's nothing wrong with that right?" Naegi asked rhetorically. He was trying to justify what they were about to do, but he didn't know if it was for his sake or Ogami's.
As it turned out, Asahina had been wrong and Fukuyama had not calmed down. If anything, he got worse since the two of them ran into a few more school athletes and boys who were fans of Asahina for… other reasons. Fukuyama's ego couldn't take much more. No one in the park had stopped them because they recognized him, it was all Asahina Aoi. To make matters worse, the bruising of his ego was being captured on film or was being saved to memory cards and even if none of those pictures were published in magazines, he was sure those pictures would be on the internet before the day was over.
Fukuyama was so frustrated that he had long since stopped paying attention to where he was going. He did not hear Asahina tell him to watch out and thus bumped into a little girl with a large chocolate ice cream cone.
*click*
Someone had snapped a picture of Fukuyama getting a large chocolate ice cream stain on his outfit.
That was the last straw.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU STUPID LITTLE BRAT!" Fukuyama screamed. He was so angry at this point that blood vessels had become visible on his forehead.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry Mister, I…" the little girl stuttered out trying her hardest not to cry.
"SORRY?! SORRY DOESN'T CLEAN MY OUTFIT. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PAY FOR THIS?!" the enraged Fukuyama asked.
"Calm down Fukuyama-san. You were the one who bumped into her, remember?" Asahina attempted to remind him.
Fukuyama had stopped screaming, but he was no less angry as he sneered, "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Of course, some sweaty, unfeminine, athlete whose wardrobe most likely only consists of tracksuits wouldn't see a problem with stains."
"What is your problem?" Asahina asked, offended. By this point, everyone else around had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene caused by Fukuyama's meltdown.
"You're my problem. You eat like a pig, you know nothing of proper etiquette, and yet somehow, you're more famous and more admired than me. I agreed to this because I thought it would look good and all I have to show for it is humiliation. Humiliation at being outshined by an uncouth swimmer. Humiliation because now this outfit is ruined…" Fukuyama started to rant. He stopped momentarily when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned and yelled, "WHAT?!" before a fist collided with his nose.
Naegi and Ogami had made it to the park and spotted Asahina in the distance. The two made their way over just as Fukuyama ran into the girl with the ice cream.
Ogami had started to make her way over once Fukuyama had started screaming at the girl.
She sped up once Fukuyama had first insulted Asahina.
The sad look that appeared on Asahina's face when Fukuyama continued to demean her caused Ogami to start running towards the model and the swimmer. Ogami would make Fukuyama regret his words.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, someone had beaten Ogami to it. Had she not been so focused on Fukuyama, she might have noticed Naegi approach the model mid-rant and tap his shoulder. What had really surprised her was when her classmate, Naegi Makoto, a boy many would consider the embodiment of gentleness, punched Fukuyama in the nose. There was a sickening cracking noise, Ogami had no doubt Fukuyama's nose was broken.
"OW BARE OU! DO OU DOW WHO I AM?! (How dare you! Do you know who I am?!)" Fukuyama screamed. It was difficult to understand him with his broken nose, but everyone who heard him understood.
"I think you're someone with an ego so fragile that he freaks out over his clothes and demeans women. I think you're someone who needs to learn how to act like at least a halfway decent man before you even think that you can judge how feminine a girl is. I think what you said to Asahina-san proves that you wouldn't know true beauty if you were staring right at it. And I think you could never be good enough for my friend. Now leave before I say something I might regret," Naegi said. He might have looked intimidating had he not been clutching his hand, clearly in pain.
The crowd, which had been silent up until now, started cheering once Naegi had finished. A few voices shouted, "You tell him kid!" which only infuriated Fukuyama more. Even worse for Fukuyama, not only had the photographers he contacted captured the whole thing on film, some bystanders had recorded the whole incident. He got up to retaliate but stopped when he saw Ogami. If looks could kill, he'd have already been dead, so he did what any sane person would do and ran with his tail between his legs.
By this time, Asahina was suffering from what could only be called emotional whiplash. When Fukuyama had started putting her down, she felt crushed, not only had the whole date been a waste, Fukuyama had insulted her in public. She thought that even if she didn't hit it off with Fukuyama, she had at least made progress and proved to herself that she could act feminine. Fukuyama's words dashed any hope of that, at least in her mind. After Naegi had come to the rescue, she felt elated. It hardly mattered what Fukuyama thought because, Naegi-kun thinks I'm beautiful. I mean, he said so before, but he stood up for me and called me beautiful, Asahina thought. Then something hit her, Wait, why is Naegi-kun here? Is that Sakura-chan with him? What's going on? "Why are you both here?" Asahina asked.
"We went shopping and decided to cut through the park," Ogami answered as she held up a plastic shopping bag. Looking at Naegi, specifically the hand he was clutching, she then said, "I think we should get back to campus so that Tsumiki-senpai can look at Naegi-kun's hand."
"Huh? Oh, does it hurt bad Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked in concern.
"Probably more than it should. I didn't really mean to break his nose, but I can't stand people who insult my friends. Before I knew it, my fist was in his face," Naegi said as picked up the bags he had dropped with his pain-free hand.
"Here, let me help," Asahina said as she grabbed some of the bags. As she was doing that, some familiar faces came made their way over to her.
"Asahina-senpai, I hope you don't take what that scumbag said to heart," Adachi said.
"Asahina-senpai is the girl we aspire to be, the perfect blend of athletic, feminine, and beautiful. That guy was just no good," Okayasu added.
"You should have gone on a date with this guy instead, he gets it," Kashiwagi said as she pointed at Naegi.
Asahina blushed as an image of herself and Naegi on a date floated through her mind. She pushed that image aside and said, "Thanks girls, that really means a lot."
"Anytime," Okayasu said.
"We meant every word," Kashiwagi said.
"We'll see you later, Senpai," Adachi said as she and her friends left.
After the girls left, Asahina, Naegi, and Ogami began to make their way back to Hope's Peak Academy. They walked in silence until Naegi said, "Asahina-san, I'm sorry. I know you wanted that date to go well."
"It's fine Naegi-kun, Fukuyama-san was a jerk, but was he right? Is there really no hope for me? Am I doomed to the life of a crazy cat lady because I'm not feminine enough?" Asahina asked.
"Asahina-san," Ogami said sadly, she really didn't know how to get through to her friend.
"Asahina-san, could you and Ogami-san meet me in my room after Tsumiki-senpai looks at my hand? There's something you need to see and someone I think you should talk to," Naegi said.
"Okay," Asahina said. For some reason, the thought of being in Naegi's room excited her, although, and she felt bad for thinking this, she wished Ogami wouldn't be able to join them.
Once Naegi had seen Tsumiki, he met Asahina and Ogami in front of his door. Luckily, his hand wasn't broken, but Tsumiki told him to be prepared for it to swell up and to keep icing it. He unlocked his door and invited them both in.
Asahina was nervous, unless she counted her brother, she'd never been in a boy's room before. Ogami noticed this but decided not to comment on it. Naegi motioned for the two to take a seat. Once they had, he began to speak.
"First, before we begin, and I know this is weird but trust me, Asahina-san could you undo your ponytail?" Naegi asked.
Asahina agreed that it was weird but complied.
"Thought so. That probably wasn't necessary, but I think it might help me get the point across. Now, and I promise this is my last weird request, could you look in my mirror?" Naegi asked.
Asahina was still confused but did so. Asahina wasn't what one would call vain, but she thought she looked rather pretty with her hair down if she said so herself.
"After we hung out with Komaru and Yuta-kun last, I called home and asked for some pictures. Take a look at the woman in this picture," Naegi said as he handed Asahina a photo.
It was a family photo, Asahina recognized Komaru and Naegi. She guessed the two adults in the picture were Mr. and Mrs. Naegi. Once Asahina got a good look at Mrs. Naegi, she gasped. Had the woman in the picture not been an adult with hazel eyes, Asahina would swear she was looking at her future self.
"As you've probably guessed, that's my family and the woman I asked you to look at is my Kaa-san. I didn't notice it until after I got these pictures, but when your hair is down, you look like a younger version of her," Naegi explained.
"She's beautiful. She's must be what people think of when they think of 'yamato nadeshiko,'" Asahina said as she showed the picture to Ogami.
"I don't know about that, but I doubt anyone thought that back when she was our age," Naegi said.
"What do you mean?" Asahina asked. There was no way Mrs. Naegi could ever not be considered the epitome of pure, feminine beauty.
"Here's a picture from her first year of high school," Naegi said as he handed Asahina another picture.
If Asahina hadn't notice the similarities between her and Mrs. Naegi's appearance before, she did now. In the picture was a young Mrs. Naegi, before she was Mrs. Naegi obviously, with her hair done up in a ponytail like Asahina's usual one, wearing a rugby uniform. There were other girls in the picture, her teammates and they looked as though they had just finished a game.
"Kaa-san was a rugby player in high school. She and her friends had to start the team themselves since this was before 1991. She was a winger," Naegi said.
"Your mother played rugby?" Asahina asked, still not able to believe it. Asahina had once overheard Nidai describe rugby as the manliest of men's sports and, at the time, she had agreed with that assessment, but she couldn't deny what was in front of her. The woman in the family photo was once one of the girls in the rugby team photo, her face flushed from exertion and she had been visibly sweating.
"Yeah. It embarrasses her, but whenever she looks at that team picture, Tou-san always says she's just as beautiful now as she was back then," Naegi said.
Asahina couldn't help but picture herself in the future, looking back on her time as an athlete and hearing her future husband say the same thing. The fact that said future husband looked and sounded like Naegi turned her face as red as her jacket.
"You don't have to take my word for it though," Naegi said as he took out his phone. To avoid hurting his injured hand, he placed his phone on the table and pulled up his contact list. Selecting the option "Home" he tapped it, picked up his phone and waited.
"Naegi residence," A female voice from the other end said.
"Hi Kaa-san, it's Makoto," Naegi said.
"Koto-kun! How are you sweetheart?" the woman, Mrs. Naegi, asked.
"I'm fine. I hope you are too," Naegi said, a little embarrassed at the nickname his mother had used.
"I'm alright, so is your Tou-san and so is Komaru-chan," Mrs. Naegi said.
"That's good to hear. Kaa-san, do you remember when I asked for those pictures?" Naegi asked.
"Yes. Did they help your friend?" Mrs. Naegi asked, concern apparent in her voice. Asahina and Ogami thought it was sweet that a woman who they had never met sounded so concerned for the well-being of a child that wasn't hers. Clearly, Naegi's kind nature was genetic.
"I think so, but I thought maybe you could talk to her," Naegi said.
"Absolutely. Is she there now?" Mrs. Naegi asked.
"I'll put her on," Naegi said before passing his phone to Asahina.
The Ultimate Swimmer took his phone before managing to get out a shaky, "H-hello?" Asahina didn't know why she was so nervous, she wasn't even in the same room as this woman, but knowing it was Naegi's mother had her nervous. Asahina wasn't sure if someone could make a lasting impression over the phone, but she really hoped she made a good one.
"Is this Asahina Aoi-chan?" Mrs. Naegi asked.
"Y-yes ma'am. And you're Naegi-kun's mother, right?" Asahina asked. She knew, but she wanted to be polite.
"Yes, Naegi Momo at your service," the woman chirped happily before giggling. Then in a motherly voice, Mrs. Naegi said, "Koto-kun told me something was bothering one of his friends and that old picture of me could help, but maybe it would be better if you started from the beginning, Aoi-chan."
So that's exactly what Asahina did. From what Yuta had said up to now: all of her insecurities; the advice she had received; she left nothing out.
Mrs. Naegi had listened patiently and once Asahina finished she said, "Well Aoi-chan, you've officially had the worst date of your life."
That got a laugh out of Asahina.
"That's better. Now, I had a similar problem when I was your age. Girls didn't play rugby back then, and if they did, they were weird. My own kaa-san was against it, she said things like 'How will you find a husband if you act like a boy?' I won't lie, it bothered me, but I loved playing rugby, still do when I get together with the girls, although we're probably getting too old," Mrs. Naegi said.
"I don't get it. When I look at you in that picture with your family you look like what people think of when they hear 'yamato nadeshiko,'" Asahina said.
"That's sweet of you to say. The only one who thought I was beautiful or feminine back then was my husband. Or at least he was the only one who admitted it," Mrs. Naegi said.
"How did you deal with it? Naegi-kun mentioned something about 'shifting gears' but I don't know how to do that," Asahina said.
"You do, you just don't know it. Aoi-chan, many girls your age worry that they could be more feminine or that their interests aren't feminine, that unfortunately comes with being a teenager. What you need to remember, and I'm sure you've heard this a bunch of times in the past, 'Each of us is our own harshest critic.' I think your mentality as an athlete, the desire to always be better, has done you a lot of good, but I think it is also why you aren't able to see that you already have a cute and feminine side, because you think it isn't enough. The fact is, all women, and men too, instinctively know how to 'shift gears,'" Mrs. Naegi explained.
"You know Mrs. Naegi, that makes me feel a lot better," Asahina said.
"I'm glad to hear it. When Koto-kun told me about you, I could tell he was worried. I'm glad he tried, but he's still a teenage boy so he can only understand so much about girls. That's why I had a feeling he'd call and ask me to speak to you. I'm sure I didn't say anything he hasn't, but having been in your position myself, I figured my words would reach you when his couldn't," Mrs. Naegi said. After letting that sink in, Mrs. Naegi asked, "Do you think you'll be okay now, Aoi-chan?"
"You know what? I do," Asahina said. It was true, after talking to Mrs. Naegi, her concerns seemed rather silly and her mind felt so clear. She had a feeling that in a few days she'd even be laughing about how bad her date went.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, would you mind putting Koto-kun back on," her voice dropped to a whisper, "I'm proud of him for sticking up for you, but between us, I don't think I'd be a proper mother if I didn't lecture him for punching that other boy," Mrs. Naegi joked.
Asahina laughed before saying, "Sure thing Mrs. Naegi, and thank you." She then handed the phone to Naegi and said, "She wants to talk to you." Asahina couldn't help but find it funny that Naegi paled at that.
"Oh, I've been dreading this," Naegi said with a gulp. Before he spoke to his mother, he said, "I'm glad you're feeling better Asahina-san. I'm sorry, I couldn't help you more on my own."
"You did fine Naegi-kun, you've been so sweet and supportive through all of this," Asahina said. Asahina had to resist the urge to kiss his cheek. His mother is on the phone, I'm sure she'd hear something, she reminded herself.
"Asahina-san, we should go," Ogami said, breaking her silence.
"You're right Sakura-chan. Good luck, Naegi-kun," Asahina said as she and Ogami left. Once Naegi's door was shut, Asahina said, "What a nice family." She then started giggling as she said, "It's hard to believe that the same guy who punched Fukuyama-san is the same guy who seemed so afraid of his mother lecturing him."
Ogami chuckled, but for a different reason. "You're quite fond of Naegi-kun aren't you?" she asked.
"Well yeah. He's sweet. He's understanding. He's patient. He's always willing to help…" Asahina probably would have continued until Ogami interrupted.
"I told you," Ogami said simply.
"Told me what?" Asahina asked.
"So, you haven't realized it. Asahina-san, you were trying to force yourself to fall in love, but you didn't notice you were already in love with someone," Ogami said.
"What do… you… With Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked as she had an epiphany. That would explain so much, like why she seemed to have Naegi on the brain.
"Yes, which means we should probably talk," a new, yet familiar voice said. The two girls turned to see Ikusaba, Maizono, Mioda, Sonia, and Owari.
Realizing that this was a battle Asahina would have to fight on her own, Ogami said, "I wish you luck Asahina-san," before excusing herself.
"Wa-wait! Sakura-chan?" Asahina pleaded, she had some idea of what was coming and couldn't believe that Ogami had left her to fend for herself.
"There is no need to worry Asahina-san. I have a suggestion that I believe, at the very least, will satisfy the both of us," Sonia said.
Present Day
I can't believe Sonia-senpai can ask a question like that with a straight face, Asahina thought, still slightly mortified by the question. She was going to aim for the gold medal, in life, in swimming, and in love. Accepting Sonia-senpai's offer of being a mistress is like giving up, and that is unacceptable, Asahina thought.
"Oh Asahina-san, Kaa-san wanted to know if you're feeling okay," Naegi said, remembering his last conversation with his mother.
"Oh, Asahina-san has met your mother?" Owari asked in a low growl. If Naegi's family had already met Asahina, then that was a huge advantage for the swimmer.
"Not in person, they only spoke once on the phone. I think from what I told her, Kaa-san sees a lot of herself in Asahina-san. I guess athletes have a special bond even if they're separated by a generation," Naegi said. He didn't really get it, of all the things he had inherited from his mother, he had not received her aptitude for sports.
"That they do," Nidai agreed, which only served to irritate Owari further. Then again, she was an athlete too. She would need to make it a point to meet Mrs. Naegi and share in this special bond. She shot a look towards Asahina that said, "I won't lose to you."
Never one to turn down a challenge, Asahina just nodded.
Naegi was oblivious to all of this. He remembered why he had come here and said, "Sorry everyone, I came to make sure everything was alright not interrupt you with reminiscing," as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"It was no trouble," Ogami assured him.
"You could stay if you wanted to," Owari said, hoping he would, even if it meant sharing him with one of her rivals.
Asahina felt the same as Owari, and said, "You're more than welcome."
"Well I'd like to but there's something I need to do today and…" Naegi began.
"I'M SOOOORRRRRRRYYYYY!" a familiar voice wailed. It was soon followed by an equally familiar, annoyed groan.
"…and I should probably go do something about that," Naegi finished, his plans changing once again. He waved good-bye to his friends before heading towards the voices.
While making his way towards where those voices came from, Naegi couldn't help thinking, She said she wouldn't do that anymore. They were both doing so well, I wonder what happened.
"I'M SOOORRRRYYYY!" the first voice repeated.
After another groan, Naegi heard, "No, no, no! You'll always be a doormat for people if you don't fire back. It really isn't that hard Mikan-nee."
That's new, Naegi thought, more than a little confused.
He soon heard a third voice that said, "Hiyoko-chan, maybe it would be best if you two took a break."
The second voice seemed to think about this before saying, "You're right Mahiru-nee."
Naegi soon reached the location of the voices and saw that the voiced indeed belonged to Koizumi Mahiru, Tsumiki Mikan, and Saionji Hiyoko. Hoping they would explain what it was that he, and probably the rest of campus, he imagined, had heard. "Hey everyone, is everything alright?" he asked.
The first to react was Tsumiki, who ran and cowered behind Naegi. Saionji scowled at that, but Koizumi smiled, although Naegi swore he saw her eye twitch.
"It's nothing Naegi-kun, Hiyoko-chan was trying to 'toughen up' Mikan-chan," Koizumi explained.
That really didn't clear things up, which led to Naegi saying, "I might need to hear this from the beginning."
And finished. I hope you all enjoyed it. I apologize for the wait, but to be honest, this chapter was harder than I expected it to be. Having never been a teenage girl, I can only refer to articles on psychology and parenting to help me with this. I mean, thinking you're not "X" enough is a pretty universal concern, but that can only get you so far.
I'd like to that Putain de Plagieur for proofreading once again. You're the best, my friend!
For those who are interested:
Yamato nadeshiko ( やまとなでしこ or 大和撫子 ) is a Japanese term meaning the "personification of an idealized Japanese woman", or "the epitome of pure, feminine beauty". It is a floral metaphor, combining the words Yamato, an ancient name for Japan, and nadeshiko, a delicate frilled pink carnation called Dianthus superbus, whose kanji translate into English as "caressable child".
The term "Yamato nadeshiko" is often used referring to a girl or shy young woman and, in a contemporary context, nostalgically of women with good traits which are perceived as being increasingly rare. However, Nadeshiko Japan is also widely used as the name for the Japanese national women's football team.
Wing
The wings are generally positioned on the outside of the backline. Their primary function is to finish off moves and score tries. Wingers are usually the fastest players in the team and are either elusive runners or, more recently, big, strong and able to break tackles. The skills needed for the left wing and right wing are similar, although left-footed players are usually played on the left wing as they can step and kick better off their left foot. The winger on the blindside often "comes off the wing" to provide an extra man in the midfield, in the same vein as a full-back. One or both wingers will usually drop back on opposition kicks to give the full-back extra options for counter-attacking.
For anyone who caught it, yes, the guy who gave them the expired coupons was Cayde. I couldn't help it. How could anyone not love Cayde-6? Obviously this one wasn't an Exo, that would have been weird, but doesn't that seem like something he'd do? Eavesdrop on a conversation that involves ramen and give coupons to Spicy Ramen? I'm sorry, won't happen again. Unless you liked him, in which case, given his gambling problem I might bring him back for Celes's chapter.
I didn't notice this until I replayed DR1, but when her hair is down Asahina looks a lot like Mrs. Naegi. Google "Naegi Family," find a picture with preferably with Mrs. Naegi's eyes open, and then Google "Aoi Asahina hair down" if you don't believe me.
Also, don't worry, I didn't forget Junko's reaction, those will be in her chapter.
Mahiru is up next, but there are somethings I need to let all of you know.
First off, a guest reviewer suggested Makoto confronting Mikan's family. I'm not opposed to the idea, in fact I planned to address it, just in a future chapter that focused on Mikan. Yes, that means that the girls get more than one chapter that focuses on them, although they may share a few chapters. I'm holding off on it for a few reasons:
I want to make Hope's Peak Academy a safe haven for Mikan, and that means dealing with her tormentor, Hiyoko.
There are things I need to explain, and plan to in the Warriors of Hope chapter (yes, they get one), as to why nothing was ever done about Mikan's home life, even though anyone should have known something was wrong within five seconds of meeting her.
While Mikan did talk about the forms of abuse she suffered, given how broken she was canonically, I don't think that it's a stretch to think that she would avoid letting her friends meet her family even after she mentions the abuse. I think it is rather likely that she would be under the mistaken impression that her friends would abandon her. Or double down.
There is also the matter of her living situation outside of school. That's a problem she'll be sharing with at least one other girl, so I figure that resolving that for them would be more suited to the arc I have planned for their summer break
Having said all that, her knight in shining armor, or at least a green hoodie, will come to her rescue. I hope that's acceptable, I hate to find out that I lost a reader over my choices, although I think that is rather unlikely, but one can never be sure. Trust me when I say, Mikan is one of my favorite characters from SDR2, I want her to be safe and happy in this fic as much as any of her other fans reading this.
Secondly, and I probably mentioned this before, but Mahiru, Mikan, and Hiyoko are going to be part of a mini-arc. So instead of a resolution to their problems in their respective chapters, all three will be resolved in a fourth chapter after each of the three girls gets their respective chapter. I'm doing this because of my belief that I really can't do Mikan's chapter without Hiyoko being a major part of it; I can't do a Hiyoko chapter without bringing up that Mahiru is Hiyoko's enabler; and while I could do Mahiru's chapter and resolve the problem there, I can't help but think that her being called out as Hiyoko's enabler would be a giant leap back. Whether I like it or not, those three girls are very closely linked. I don't really see it as a bad thing, but it might present a bit of a challenge, and those chapters might be shorter that usual too.
On another note, I plan to take a break until after the new year. I love this story, but I think part of the delay in getting this chapter out is that I feel a little burnt out. I just need to recharge my batteries, but I shall return, hopefully with a new chapter worthy of you, my readers. I will still answer PM's so don't be afraid to send one if you have questions.
Chapter Text
Chapter 9: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Photographer (Part 1)
Greetings ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 here to welcome you to 2019! I really did need that break but I am glad to be back. I hope all of you had an excellent holiday season.
Can I just say that you are the best readers a guy like me can ask for? Well you are. I'm so glad you all enjoyed what I did with Aoi and hope I can continue writing a story worthy of you, my readers.
You all may have noticed that part 1 in the title. Yes, it is finally time for that four-part arc with Mahiru, Mikan, and Hiyoko (in that order) with the conclusion in a fourth chapter that I have been talking about for I don't even remember how long. I hope you'll all enjoy it.
Fair warning though, I am probably going to be making these four chapters shorter than the others. Since there will be a resolution in a separate chapter that just seems like the right thing to do. I do plan to fill that space though. For those of you who have been interested in that Danganronpa-Destiny crossover, I will be putting some samples of what I plan to do at the end of each of the four chapters. As much as I'd have liked to test the waters with a first chapter, I don't know if that is wise given Bungie's decision to drip feed content and, to an extent, lore. Mostly, I don't want future guardian Makoto to report to the Vanguard without me knowing if Uldren is taking Cayde's spot (or maybe when I guess, I can't tell if Bungie is just not being subtle or if this is them jerking the player base around.) If you're wondering why I bring up the Hunter Vanguard, or current lack of one, up specifically, it's because I see Makoto as a Hunter. I do main a Hunter, but this is more of "Makoto Naegi already wears a hoodie so it's easy to imagine a cloak in its place."
But most of you didn't come here for that. So, without any further delay, here's the new chapter.
Present Day
It went against everything Naegi believed in to just stand by and watch as Saionji insulted Tsumiki. Even though each of them had explained that Saionji was just trying to "toughen up" Tsumiki, not that any of their attempts to explain it made much sense to Naegi, it still felt wrong.
If they thought a demonstration would help, I'm afraid they thought wrong, Naegi said to himself.
Naegi's face must have betrayed his thoughts because Koizumi soon said, "I know. It doesn't make any sense to me either, but Hiyoko-chan is adamant that this is going to work."
"I realize that Saionji-senpai is trying to help Tsumiki-senpai in her own way, but even if it wasn't unlikely that this would work, you can't toughen someone up by attacking their sense of self-worth if they don't have a sense of self-worth to begin with," Naegi said. He then added, "Still, it's a nice change from when Saionji-senpai was tormenting Tsumiki-senpai just for the fun of it."
Koizumi flinched at that and said, "I should have done something sooner."
"Senpai, it's alright. Tsumiki-senpai doesn't hold it against you. Besides, you're different now," Naegi assured his red-headed senpai.
"Only because of you. I didn't expect you to help us all as much as you did. You really turned out to be dependable," Koizumi told him. Now I don't know what I, or any of us for that matter, would do without you, Koizumi mentally added while blushing.
"I'm glad you think so Senpai, but I don't think I did anything that great. I've only ever done what comes naturally to me," Naegi said. Back when I first got to Hope's Peak, I was afraid that Koizumi-senpai and I would never be friends. I don't think she ever really expected anything from me in the beginning.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Kitchen
First Day of Classes
In Naegi's opinion, the day had gone about as well as he could have hoped. From breakfast to dinner things had gone well enough, even if he still didn't feel welcome. It wasn't that he didn't understand, he did, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. I know that this whole situation is uncomfortable for them, it is for me too, but I hope the girls warm up to me soon, he thought as he scrubbed some pans from dinner. He shook his head and with a bit of a tired smile said, "I'm sure it will work out, I'm already at the bottom so there's nowhere to go but up."
*click*
"Hm?" Naegi had been under the impression that he was by himself, but that click had informed him otherwise. He turned his head to the side and saw one of his senpai, Koizumi Mahiru standing there with her camera raised.
"Good evening Senpai. Did you need my help with something?" Naegi asked. It was a weird question to ask someone who had just taken his picture, he knew. However, Koizumi had been one of the most vocal girls in her opposition to Naegi's presence at the dorm. Naegi hadn't really expected her to want anything to do with him for a while so he figured if she had come to see him willingly, she must have an important reason.
"You asked if I needed anything right away…Not bad, I suppose," Koizumi said, more to herself than to Naegi.
"Huh?"
"I was prepared to label you as 'Unreliable Naegi,' but I guess you aren't too bad. That said, you better man up and try even harder to do your best! Otherwise, I'll have to reevaluate you again," Koizumi warned.
To say this confused Naegi would be an understatement, so he simply nodded and said, "I will not disappoint you Senpai."
"Oh, I'm not expecting anything, so you really won't be able to disappoint me," Koizumi said matter-of-factly.
Naegi felt as though he had been punched in the stomach from that comment.
It must have shown on his face because Koizumi took one look at him and said, "Ah. I snapped the photo too soon. That dumb-looking face would have been perfect."
When he heard that, Naegi couldn't help but think, Dumb-looking face...? That's just hurtful. One he processed what Koizumi had said though, he asked, "Senpai, why couldn't you just take another picture?"
"It's not like I wanted a picture of you or anything. I swear to every god who's listening that that's true. This...is just a record," Koizumi said defensively.
His curiosity piqued, Naegi asked, "What kind of record?"
With a frustrated sigh, Koizumi began to explain, "A record is just a record. I want a record that right now, we're all living together in this place. It's pretty simple...but in this kind of situation, it's easy for us to forget that, you know? So, I decided to make a record of everyone each day, so we won't forget."
Naegi just nodded at that, but couldn't help thinking, Under normal circumstances that might be true Senpai, but I don't think I'm going to forget that I'm living with you girls anytime soon. For my sake I hope I don't forget that I'm an outsider at this dorm.
Koizumi wasn't done though. She went on to say, "But...taking pictures of guys isn't fun, so I guess it'll be fine if I only do that once every three days."
That punched in the stomach feeling returned, but Naegi couldn't say anything in response to that. Koizumi was the one who owned the camera after all.
"So, to answer your question, I have what I came for," Koizumi said as she left the kitchen.
Naegi was still having trouble processing what had just happened so there wasn't much he could say to Koizumi as she left. Maybe he would be able to talk to his senpai better if he knew more about them. He knew about a few of them at least, he had done a research project on Novoselic in junior high and he was sure he had heard at least one of Mioda's songs in the past, but he knew he had to do more. Researching my classmates helped me relate to them better, so it should work for the girls at this dorm, right? he asked himself before finishing the dishes and heading to his room to see what he could learn about dormmates from the Hope's Peak forums.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Sixth Week of Classes-Sunday
Lunchtime was quickly approaching so Koizumi decided now would be a good time to take a break. Koizumi always enjoyed reviewing her work, it always felt wonderful to take pictures of people's smiling faces, but today didn't feel as rewarding as it usually did. She had a pretty good idea as to why too. All she needed to do was look through the pictures she took of the concert Naegi and Yukizome put on to cheer up Mioda.
I don't think I've ever seen such a radiant smile on Ibuki-chan's face. I guess Naegi-kun knew what he was doing, she thought. As she stared at the picture on the camera's screen, she didn't hear someone come in.
"Koizumi-senpai?"
"Hm?" Koizumi looked up and saw that Naegi had entered the dorm's common area. "N-naegi-kun? You shouldn't sneak up on girls like that!" Koizumi reprimanded.
"I wasn't sneaking though. I called out to you before, but you didn't answer, I swear," Naegi defended as he frantically waved his hands in front of himself.
"O-oh," Koizumi said as she blushed in embarrassment. "W-well what do you want?" she asked, trying to save face.
I guess she still hasn't warmed up to me yet, Naegi thought. "I was going to make lunch for myself, Ikusaba-san, Maizono-san, and Mioda-san. I wanted to know if you wanted me to make you something. I should still ask them, but I'm sure the others would be happy to have you join us," he explained.
"Oh, yeah sure," Koizumi said. I guess he isn't so bad. At least he has manners. It's a start I guess, Koizumi thought as she reevaluated Naegi.
"You seemed distracted, is everything alright?" Naegi asked concerned. Whether Koizumi was his friend or whether she hated him, Naegi couldn't help but worry about others, although he really hoped she didn't hate him.
"I was just reviewing some of the photos I took today and from that concert of yours last night," Koizumi explained.
"May I see them?" Naegi asked.
"You'll probably think they're boring," Koizumi said, blushing at Naegi's interest in her work.
"I won't. Any photos taken by the Ultimate Photographer must be amazing," Naegi countered.
"Fine, but I warned you," Koizumi said as she handed over her camera.
With the camera in hand, Naegi scrolled through the photos and noticed that the pictures all had something in common. They were all of people smiling. Everyone in these pictures looks so happy, he said to himself.
"These are the kinds of photos I take. They aren't all that amazing, but I enjoy it," Koizumi said.
You can almost feel the happiness flowing out from these photos, Naegi thought. As he continued to look through them, he noticed something else, I guess her rule about taking pictures of boys once every three days doesn't just apply to me. I wonder why. Does she not take many pictures of boys because she doesn't let her guard down around them?
As Koizumi saw a peaceful smile make its way onto Naegi's face, she said, "Well? At least tell me how you feel about them."
"Well Senpai, the one of Mioda-senpai from last night is probably my favorite, but that's probably only because I know what she had been going through last week. Seeing that smile on her face puts me at ease and lets me know that she's alright now. Don't get me wrong, I like all of the others too. We hear about all the problems there are in the world but seeing the smiles on everyone's faces is a good reminder that there is plenty of good out there too, we just don't always remember," Naegi said.
"Wow," Koizumi said, wide-eyed.
"Did I say something wrong Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"No, it's just I fully expected you to just say they were amazing," Koizumi said, realizing that maybe she hadn't given Naegi enough credit.
"Should I have?" Naegi asked, confused.
"Absolutely not! Words like "awesome" and "amazing" aren't words of praise at all. They sound half-assed and insincere... I really hate when people say stuff like that," Koizumi told him.
"Oh," Naegi said. He understood, more or less. He may not know much about photography, but he knew enough to know that it must have taken a great deal of patience to get the perfect photo, so he agreed that they deserved more than an "awesome" or an "amazing."
Koizumi continued, "Photos depict everything, whether it's beautiful or horrible. That's the truth contained in these images. That's why no matter what situation we're in, it's a photographer's duty to keep taking photos. That's basically what my mom taught me."
"Is she a photographer too?" Naegi asked.
"My mom is a pretty famous war photographer. But I... just take lots of photos of smiling people at normal places. But because the theme of my work is too conventional, people don't really care to judge it," Koizumi said. She sighed before continuing, "They just say stuff like, 'You should take more 'amazing' pictures.'"
"They've got that wrong!" Naegi shouted before he could stop himself. He continued, "I mean, maybe it's because we can see things like people smiling every day that we don't think of it as 'amazing' or 'interesting.' But if you look at it another way that just shows how easily we take moments like that for granted. What we need to remember is that these days don't last forever, one day we may look back and wish we had appreciated them more. I don't know if this makes any sense but, your photos remind me of the importance of what's right in front of us. Here and now."
"..."
"Koizumi-senpai?" Naegi asked. Did I say something wrong? he asked himself.
"That was another good comment. That's two more than I expected," Koizumi said with a smile.
Naegi winced at that backhanded compliment. At least he hoped it was a compliment.
Now sporting a blush, Koizumi said, "I guess...I can show you my photos again next time. B-bye." With that she began to leave the room.
"W-wait, Senpai, don't you want lunch?" Naegi called after her.
"I'll eat later!" Koizumi called back. By this point, her face was as red as her hair. I guess he's not so bad, she thought as she ran outside.
Once Koizumi was gone, Naegi said, "I'm not sure what Koizumi-senpai thinks of me, but I should probably brace myself for more of those 'compliments.' Good thing I get a lot of practice with Togami-kun." After that he just shrugged his shoulders and went to make lunch for him and his friends.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm: Laundry Room
Ninth Week of Classes-Saturday
It had been an eventful day for Naegi, he had met up with Komaru and the Asahinas. He hadn't expected to need to reassure Asahina that she was feminine, and he wasn't sure how successful he was. When he had called to make sure that Komaru had made it home alright, he had asked to speak with his mother, someone he knew could help him with Asahina. As much as he wanted to follow up with Asahina to make sure she would be okay, he unfortunately didn't have time to do it tonight. As eventful as today had been, tomorrow would be even more eventful since he would be at the opening of the Novoselic Embassy and he still had to do things to prepare. Specifically, he had to iron his shirt. He hadn't had much need for his suit since coming to Hope's Peak, so he was sure that it was okay, but he decided to go over it with a lint roller before he had to leave tomorrow just to be safe.
He had just plugged the iron in when he heard a voice.
"Ah, Naegi-kun!"
"Huh? Koizumi-senpai?" Indeed, it was. Koizumi had come to the laundry room with what appeared to be a basket of her underwear. When Naegi noticed that he turned red and did his best to avert his eyes. "I, uh, I didn't expect anyone to come here this evening," Naegi said.
Koizumi didn't answer right away, she was looking at the ironing board.
"Senpai, is everything alright?" Naegi asked.
"Remember to make sure that the iron is hot," Koizumi said.
"Yes Senpai!" Naegi said, before he thought, It almost feels like the first time Kaa-san taught me how to do this.
"I have to say though, I'm impressed. You cook, you clean, you do handy work, and you do laundry. You really aren't like the other boys," Koizumi said.
"The others?" Naegi asked.
"That idiot Souda-kun almost never washes his jumpsuit. I'm just so used to boys being lazy," Koizumi explained.
Naegi couldn't stop himself from thinking, Nidai-senpai might have a few things to say about that.
"Still…you shouldn't have waited until the last minute to do this," Koizumi lectured.
"I thought there was less of a risk of something happening to it that would get it wrinkled this way though," Naegi defended meekly. Koizumi's overbearing side was making him feel very small, almost like the regal aura Sonia exuded, except he always felt like he was being accused of doing something wrong.
"Well, fine…," Koizumi relented. It was only temporary though as she then said, "But if I see you tomorrow and you don't look presentable after Sonia-chan invited you, I'm gonna be really mad, okay!?"
"Y-yes Senpai!" Naegi said. In spite of being lectured, Naegi couldn't help but smile. He remembered his Otou-san's words from when he was a little boy after a rather harsh scolding. "Makoto, you may not understand now but when we scold you it means that we care. Remember, people don't have time to waste scolding people they don't care about."
Koizumi must have noticed the look on his face because she shot him a questioning gaze.
Naegi saw that and explained, "I'm just remembering something my Otou-san said. That people don't have time to waste scolding people they don't care about."
Koizumi was taken aback by that comment. Naegi's words had turned her into a blushing, stuttering mess. "T-th-that's… N-no… I… Don't flatter yourself," she finally managed to say as she looked off to the side.
"I guess there is a chance we'll be friends someday, huh Senpai?" Naegi asked happily. He felt bad that he embarrassed Koizumi, but he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she was embarrassed.
"That's not it! It's because I don't want to deal with more guys like my no-good dad! Argh, jeez! That's why I hate boys!" Koizumi said, still red-faced.
"I don't think you've ever mentioned your Otou-san before… What's he like?" Naegi asked. He didn't want to pry, but he did want to know more about his senpai.
"I just said he was no-good. Mom's overseas most of the year. Heaven forbid he help around the house," Koizumi said.
"Then...do you do all the housework while she's gone?" Naegi asked. It sounded unfair, and it was. Koizumi was the child, as a teenager she should be expected to help around the house, but she should still be enjoying her childhood.
"I have no choice. There's no one else who'll do it for me," Koizumi said matter-of-factly.
Deciding that maybe he should stay away from this topic for now, Naegi asked, "Your Okaa-san was a...war photographer, right?" And she's overseas most of the year?"
"Yeah. But it's fine... I like my mom best when she's out taking photos," Koizumi said. A smile made its way onto Koizumi's face as she spoke of her mother, "Ever since I was little...the first thing she'd do when she came home was show me all the photos she took. Photos filled with people's smiles."
Naegi smiled at that. Koizumi's mother sounded very nice.
Koizumi continued, "I'm sure she probably took a lot of horrifying photos, too. But even so, she only showed ones where people were smiling and looked happy."
"So that's why you like photos of people smiling," Naegi said in understanding.
"Actually, I don't know what to do. Is it really okay for me to just keep taking photos of the world I live in?" Koizumi asked.
Naegi wanted to assure her that it was, but Koizumi wasn't done.
"I want to visit different worlds and take pictures of people's sparkling smiles there, just like my mom. But I guess life isn't so simple. I mean, if I go overseas, my dad's gonna be all alone," Koizumi finished.
Even though she complains about it, she's really good at taking care of people. Then again, she'd probably have to be. Otherwise there's no way she'd able to take so many smiling pictures, Naegi thought with a smile.
Koizumi didn't miss that smile and, getting defensive, asked, "Wh-What...? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"I just think it's sweet that you care about other people so much, Senpai," Naegi said.
Koizumi turned red again before she said, "Anyway...make sure you look presentable tomorrow! If you need it, I guess I can help you out and stuff. Just let me know right away if you do."
Naegi noticed that Koizumi was using a much gentler tone than usual. Then without warning, Koizumi walked away with her head down and the clothes basket she brought in her arms. She seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get away.
"Senpai, wait! What about your…er?" Naegi began to ask. He thought it would be impolite to call after her to ask about washing her underwear.
"I can do it later!" Koizumi shouted back. No further explanation was given.
Was she blushing just now or...am I overthinking things? Naegi asked himself. Realizing he couldn't know for sure, he shrugged his shoulders and ironed his shirt.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Tenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Naegi still had a little over an hour to go before he needed to leave for the Novoselic Embassy, but he decided to get ready now. He wanted everyone's opinion on how he looked so as not to embarrass Sonia. As he went to search for his friends, he remembered Koizumi's offer from the previous evening.
I doubt the other girls will lie to me, but Koizumi-senpai may have a better eye for detail when it comes to people's appearances so maybe I should ask her, he thought as he hurried to look for the Ultimate Photographer. Before he got too far, he heard a noise that told him that she was closer than he thought.
*Click!*
Senpai's camera, Naegi thought relieved as he turned to see Koizumi examining her latest photograph.
"Whoa, what a dumb-looking face!" Koizumi exclaimed.
Naegi didn't exactly appreciate that comment, but he supposed being nervous and in a hurry probably would have had him making a face. "Dumb" might be a little too far though, he thought. Curiosity got the better of him which led him to ask, "What kind of face am I making? Could you show me?"
"No way," Koizumi said as she shook her head and held her camera out of Naegi's reach.
Figuring that this was a battle he had no chance of winning, Naegi just decided to ask, "Other than making a "dumb-looking face' how do I look? I was actually looking for you to ask your opinion, Senpai."
"Hmm," Koizumi hummed as she took in Naegi's appearance. He didn't look too bad, his suit was clean, it looked like he had polished his shoes, his shirt was wrinkle free, his tie was… "Your tie is a little crooked. Here let me see it," Koizumi said as she stepped forward to straighten Naegi's tie.
"Thank you Senpai. I tried to make sure everything was perfect, but I guess I missed this," Naegi said sheepishly.
Had it been any other boy, Koizumi would have chewed them out, but Naegi was the only one who never really fought her when she offered criticism. Koizumi knew she could come across as bossy, so maybe the boys complaining was partially her fault, but she was just trying to help. If they could just be more mature, I wouldn't need to get on them as much. If they were just more like Na…egi-kun… What am I thinking!? Koizumi thought as she backed away, blushing up a storm.
"Senpai?" Naegi questioned.
"I straightened your tie. It wasn't anything major…easy to miss. You look fine now," Koizumi said unable to look directly at Naegi.
"Thank you Senpai," Naegi said, still shocked by Koizumi's behavior. Trying to find a way to calm Koizumi down, Naegi asked, "I don't suppose that you would erase that other photo and take it again? I'm sure I look more photogenic now that my tie is straight."
It seemed to have the desired effect as Koizumi said, "Nope, can't do it," and stuck her tongue out.
That's better. Koizumi-senpai looks like she's having fun again, Naegi thought happily.
Unaware of what Naegi was thinking, Koizumi continued, "I never erase a photo once I take it. That's my policy. No matter what kind of photo it is, the moment captured in it only exists at that time." Koizumi looked like there was something else she wanted to add before she started to say, "Also..."
"Also…?" Naegi asked.
"N-Nothing. A-Anyway...You look fine, so you shouldn't cause problems for Sonia-chan. At least not as far as your appearance is concerned," Koizumi said.
Naegi knew that Koizumi was trying to change the subject, but even if he didn't have somewhere to be, he thought that it was best not to force Koizumi to speak if she didn't want to. Instead he just said, "I won't let you or Sonia-senpai down, Koizumi-senpai," with a deep bow at the end.
"W-well just do your best. I'm sure you'll do fine. Sonia-chan was teaching you proper etiquette after all," Koizumi said. It's weird, but I believe him. Maybe I have been too hard on him, Koizumi thought. Pushing those thoughts aside she pushed him by his shoulder and said, "Now get going, you don't want to be late."
"Thank you again Senpai. I'll be sure to repay you," Naegi said as he left to catch his ride to the Novoselic Embassy.
"I hope he and Sonia-chan have a nice time," Koizumi said to herself after Naegi had gone. Later that afternoon, when the hostage situation began, she couldn't help but think she may have jinxed them. That evening when it had ended, she had lectured Souda about agreeing to do strange jobs for total strangers. Had Naegi not gotten shot and been taken to the hospital to have the bullet removed from his shoulder, she would have lectured him about being reckless. Even if he had saved Sonia, he had made everyone worry about him when they saw his shoulder. She wouldn't admit it until much later, but in spite of his recklessness, not only had her junior not let her down, he had made her proud.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm
Eleventh Week of Classes-Saturday
Koizumi was depressed. Anyone with knowledge of what Class 77-B and Class 78 had been doing for the past week would think it was because their hot spring trip had ended. That may have been true for some of the students but not for Koizumi.
No, what had her depressed was a conversation she had recently with her junior, Asahina Aoi. Apparently, the younger girl was having a confidence crisis. She did not think that she was feminine. Koizumi's response to that was to have a crisis of her own. "Someone like Aoi-chan can have self-esteem issues," and "What does that mean for a plain girl like me?" Koizumi couldn't stop herself from thinking, and voicing, those concerns.
Despite her title as the "Ultimate Photographer," Koizumi always thought of herself as rather ordinary. She wasn't beautiful like some of her other classmates. She wasn't as amazing as her mother. She didn't have an amazing talent like the other students.
"That's not true."
"Huh?" Koizumi came out of her stupor to see Naegi giving her a concerned look.
Answering her unasked question, Naegi explained, "You were talking to yourself Senpai."
"O-oh," Koizumi said as she looked away in embarrassment. It would have been bad enough if one of the girls or Yukizome-sensei heard that but why did it have to be him, she thought.
"Koizumi-senpai, I don't really know what you think of me, so maybe my opinion doesn't mean anything to you, but all of those things you said…they aren't true, at least I don't think so," Naegi said. He continued, "I don't think I've ever seen any of your mother's photos so maybe I can't say anything one way or the other as far as that goes, but I assure you that the other two things aren't true."
"You're just being nice, I told you that I hate when people say things that are half-assed and insincere," Koizumi reminded him.
"I mean it! Koizumi-senpai is a beautiful girl with a kind and caring heart. Maybe it is true that you come across as harsh when you scold people, but I think that just shows that you're not just a pretty face, but someone with a beautiful heart to match," Naegi blurted out. After realizing what he said, he turned red and covered his face with his hands.
Koizumi didn't fare much better. Usually boys would just grumble or tell her she was a pain. None of the boys her age had ever said anything like what Naegi had just said. Despite the embarrassment the two were feeling, Koizumi had to know something else, "D-do you really think I have an amazing talent too?"
By this point, Naegi had calmed down enough to say, "Of course I do Senpai. Your talent can make people smile. I know it isn't as flashy as some of the talents of the other students, but I would say that makes it one of the greatest."
"Sato-chan said something similar," Koizumi said.
"Hmm?" Naegi asked.
"Nothing, it's just you sounded like a friend of mine. Although you took it a step farther than she did," Koizumi said.
"Oh?" Naegi wasn't sure where Koizumi was going with this.
"I do appreciate it though. I feel a lot better now, so, thank you," Koizumi said happily.
"I'm always happy to help, Senpai," Naegi said, relieved that he had made Koizumi feel better.
"You really are, aren't you?" Koizumi asked quietly enough that Naegi didn't hear.
"What was that Senpai?" Naegi asked. He might not have caught what Koizumi said, but he knew she said something.
"Oh nothing," Koizumi said coyly as she walked away. For the rest of the evening her smile was brighter than the sun.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
"HE DID WHAT!?" Koizumi screamed.
Breakfast at the dorm was rarely ever a quiet event, which, given the personalities of some of the girls was probably to be expected. Even more rare however, was that this time, the noise was coming from Koizumi.
Just as Tsumiki had said, Naegi's hand did indeed swell, and noticeably at that. This of course prompted questions from the girls who were not already aware of how Asahina's date had ended. While they had found it odd that Asahina had returned with Ogami and Naegi, yesterday they had just written it off as a bad date and Asahina met up with the two by coincidence. Of course, Naegi's hand hadn't showed any signs of swelling yesterday. It wasn't until Asahina began recounting the events of the previous day that the girls had connected Naegi's injury with Asahina's date.
"Naegi-kun punched Fukuyama-san and told him that I was too good for someone like him," Asahina said, blushing as she recalled Naegi's exact words.
Koizumi was about to ask why, and then proceed to lecture Naegi about getting into fights when she was distracted.
She wasn't the only one as all eyes turned towards Enoshima, who was in her chair laughing at something on her phone. "The end of Asahina-san's date went viral," she explained before showing the other girls her phone.
Even though Koizumi should have known Naegi better by this point, she was still ready to judge Naegi for what she was seeing in the video. He had, in fact, sucker punched the other boy. Because of course he did, Koizumi thought, Why are boys so violent?
"What? There was way more to it than that!" Asahina said as she saw the few seconds of video where Naegi tapped Fukuyama's shoulder and then punched him.
"What do you mean Aoi-chan?" Koizumi asked.
"Junko-chan, don't go selectively editing videos of our classmates," Ikusaba said as she pulled out her own phone.
"I don't know what you're talking about Muku-nee," Enoshima said innocently.
"'Monokuma' is your user name, isn't it?" Ikusaba asked.
Enoshima's answer was to glare at her sister.
"Look at the comments: 'The full video is so much better.' 'Quit trying to gin up outrage!' There are a few making snap judgments but everyone else is linking to the full video," Ikusaba said as she clicked one of the links. "Here. This video captured everything."
Indeed, it had: Fukuyama running into the little girl; his meltdown; Naegi's response to it; even the young model running off with his tail between his legs. It was all there.
Ikusaba began reading the comments, "'Looks like chivalry isn't dead.' 'I'm not a violent person, but that prick had it coming.'" She scrolled through the comments section some more and said, "Some of the people who judged NAegi-kun because of the other video are commenting, 'I'd better go delete my comment on the other video, the kid in the hoodie was in the right.' 'I still think he probably shouldn't have punched that other boy, but I can't say he wasn't asking for it.'"
Koizumi was actually ashamed of herself after watching the full video. She had been living at the same dorm as Naegi for 13 weeks, she should have known better. He was no violent brute, but he had limits just like everyone else, and belittling his friend had pushed him to it. He was just sticking up for Aoi-chan and I was about to lecture him for being violent, she thought.
"Enoshima-san could you take that video down?" Naegi asked as he had entered from the kitchen. Working with one hand was a lot more difficult than he thought it would be.
"Come on Naegi-kun, it was just a joke," Enoshima said with smile.
"'A little defamation between friends, right?' I'm sorry, I can't let this go. Had I been identified as a Hope's Peak student, I could have caused problems for the whole school," Naegi explained.
"It might be a little late for that Naegi-kun," Ikusaba said, now worried for her crush. "People in the comments identified you as the hero from the Novoselic Embassy," Ikusaba explained.
"O-oh," Naegi said, worried if he'd be allowed to continue attending Hope's Peak Academy.
"It's all mostly positive though," Yukizome said. By this time, she and the girls who cared to check pulled out their phones and were reading the comments too.
"This one gave you a new title, 'Ultimate Hero.'" Maizono said.
"'First he prevents an international incident and now he defends the honor of teenage girls, keep an eye on this kid,'" Mioda read.
"'Hope's Peak's Hero.' Darling, this person sees what I do," Sonia gushed.
"Ahh, you girls took all the good ones, all the rest are from girls saying how cute he is and asking if someone could introduce them to him," Owari complained. This information caused her and her rivals to try to glare holes through their phones.
Those comments put Naegi at ease as he sat down and joined the girls for breakfast.
I don't have to say anything but… "Naegi-kun, I owe you an apology," Koizumi announced.
"For what Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"It's just, in the time I've known you, you've always been kind and helpful, but when I heard and saw what had happened, at first I…" Koizumi trailed off as she looked down.
"It's alright Senpai, we've all been guilty of confirmation bias. At least I know I have," Naegi admitted sheepishly.
"Still though…" Koizumi began.
"It's only natural to want to be right Senpai, but we need to practice prudence when things like this happen, at least that's what Oji-san always says," Naegi said.
"Who?" Koizumi asked.
"My Otou-san's otou-san, Naegi Reiji. He's a judge," Naegi answered. Trying to remember something, Naegi continued, "He told me that we all have biases, it's part of being human, what's important is being aware of them and doing our best not to let those biases interfere with how we view and interact with others. After that he made me promise to be more careful of my own."
"Oh? Care to share why he asked you to do that?" Koizumi asked jokingly, although she believed that it would have been a good story.
"Maybe later, but I have to get ready after breakfast," Naegi said. Turning to Owari, he said, "Owari-senpai, I've been thinking about what to teach Sadaharu-kun and the others to cook this week, I'd like to run it past you when we're in the kitchen."
Owari took this opportunity to smirk at her rivals one-by-one before saying, "Sure thing Naegi-kun, and thanks for doing this. We all love it when you come over."
While Owari's rivals glared at her, Koizumi was thinking, That's sweet of him. I wonder…if I've been unfair to him, have I been unfair to the other boys? Naegi always gave her a lot to think about.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
With classes having ended for the day, Koizumi had decided to meet up with her friend from the Reserve Course, Fuwa Sato. She was a girl with violet eyes and long, dark-green, wavy hair that reached past her shoulders. She wore the Reserve Course uniform, which consisted of a long-sleeved button-up, a red necktie, a black-pleated skirt, and brown shoes with matching socks. She and Koizumi had been friends for a long time.
As Koizumi was showing her friend her most recent photos, her phone rang.
"Hello, this is Koizumi Mahiru," she said.
"Mahiru-chan, it's so good to hear your voice," a woman's voice said.
"M-mom!?" Koizumi asked excitedly, it had been months since she had heard her mother's voice.
"It's me! I just called to tell you that I'll be home this Saturday and will be here for at least a month!" the woman, Mrs. Koizumi said excitedly.
"That's great Mom! I can't wait," Koizumi said.
"I can't either Sweetie, I've missed you and your father so much," Mrs. Koizumi said. She was silent for a bit before she asked, "Was he alright the last time you saw him?"
"He was okay. Same as he always is really," Koizumi answered. Thinking of her father reminded her that she probably had to get things ready for when her mother came home.
"Oh." her mother said. Koizumi thought she imagined it, but she thought she heard guilt in her mother's voice.
"It's fine, I'll make sure everything is ready for when you get home," Koizumi said.
"That's my girl. I know things haven't always been easy on you and that it's only gotten harder since you started going to Hope's Peak Academy and I'm sorry about that," Mrs. Koizumi said.
"It's fine Mom, it's not your fault," Koizumi said.
"Well actually, I-…What? Now? But I-… Oh. Oh, that is bad. Just let me say good-bye to my daughter and I'll be right there," Koizumi heard her mother say. Returning her attention to her daughter, Mrs. Koizumi said, "I'm sorry Mahiru-chan, I have to go now, but I'll see you this weekend. I love you!"
"I love you too, Mom, see you then," Koizumi said as the call ended.
"Your mom is coming home? That's great!" Fuwa said happily.
"Yeah, it-,"
"Koizumi-senpai!" Naegi's voice interrupted as he ran over to greet the older girl. Seeing that she was with someone he immediately began apologizing, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were with someone."
"It's alright Naegi-kun," Koizumi said. She wasn't going to admit it just yet, but she had developed a soft spot for the younger boy. Realizing that the two had never met, Koizumi introduced them, "Sato-chan, this is Naegi Makoto, he's the boy that got placed in the girls' dorm by mistake. Naegi-kun, this is Fuwa Sato, she and I have been friends since junior high."
"It's very nice to meet you Fuwa-senpai," Naegi said as he extended his hand.
"Likewise," Fuwa said, although Koizumi thought it sounded a little forced. When Fuwa shook Naegi's hand Koizumi thought that she must have imagined it.
Getting back to why he had come over, Naegi asked, "Have either of you seen Mioda-senpai? She challenged me to a game of hide-and-seek, but I should probably get started on dinner soon."
"We haven't seen her Naegi-kun," Koizumi said.
Naegi finally noticed something was different about Koizumi and said, "Koizumi-senpai, you seem pretty happy."
"Yep. My mom is coming home this weekend and she'll be home for a while," Koizumi answered happily.
"That's great Senpai, I'm happy for you," Naegi said.
"Thanks. I just hope Dad did something to get ready for her," Koizumi said, her mood coming down at the thought of having to take care of her father.
"I know it's not fair to have to take care of your own parent when you're still a teenager, Koizumi-senpai, but maybe there's a reason your Otou-san is the way he is," Naegi suggested.
"What could you possibly know about her situation?" Fuwa asked angrily.
Naegi knew he had overstepped his boundaries, but he had already begun to say his piece, so he might as well finish. "Nothing really, but in the time that I've been at Hope's Peak, I feel like I've come to understand Koizumi-senpai, at least a little. I don't think she'd continue to love someone that she really believed was no-good. After that, I'm just assuming that her Kaa-san is the same way," Naegi explained.
Fuwa was getting ready to respond, but Koizumi spoke up first, "My mom sounded like she wanted to say something, I think it was about Dad, but she wasn't able to finish before she had to get back to work."
Naegi was curious about this piece of information, but it was a matter between Koizumi and her parents, so all he said was, "I'm sorry Senpai, I know I tend to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but I promise I never mean to cause problems."
"I know, it's fine but I'm sure if there were more to it, I'd know about it already," Koizumi said, although she was curious about what her mother was going to say. I said it wasn't her fault that I have to do all of this stuff for Dad, but then she started to say something. Was she going to blame herself? Why would she do that? Koizumi asked herself.
"You're probably right, but some families are pretty good at keeping secrets from each other," Naegi said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, I'm sorry if I offended either of you. Fuwa-senpai, it was nice meeting you. I'm going to look for Mioda-senpai for a little longer before I have to give up," Naegi said with a bow before he left.
"Why do boys act like they know everything?" Fuwa asked when Naegi was out of earshot.
"He's not so bad, he's helped a few of the other girls with their own problems. I think he was just trying to help me too," Koizumi said in Naegi's defense.
"You don't think he was right do you?" Fuwa asked, shocked at what she was hearing.
"I don't know," Koizumi said. That was how she usually felt when she talked to Naegi, confused. Was she wrong? Had she been too hard on her father? Had she allowed a misunderstanding to affect her relationship with others? She didn't know, but she had a feeling that she would find out.
Koizumi Family Home-Front Door
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
This weekend is going to be great, Koizumi thought as she reached her front door. She had informed the school that she would be spending the weekend with her parents so as to spend as much time with her mother as possible. The only snag had been when she had told everyone at the dorm this information, Saionji had been less than pleased. The other girls were able to finally get the Ultimate Traditional Dancer to let her friend go though. Hiyoko-chan may have had a growth spurt since our first year, but she still acts like a little girl, Koizumi thought with a small laugh. That little episode had made her late however, she had missed the train she had originally planned to catch and had to wait twenty minutes for the next one. She had wondered if she would be able to beat her mother home, but it seems like she had.
Opening the door, she called to her father, "Dad, I'm home!"
She didn't receive an answer, which was odd. Usually her father came out and asked if she was alright even if she had simply gone for a walk.
Getting worried, Koizumi ventured further into her home. She eventually heard heavy breathing and ran to the source. Her father was in the living room, on the couch, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.
"Oh God, Dad!" Koizumi screamed as she ran to her father. Was he having a heart attack? He kept himself in good shape, but it was possible. She must have been with her father for longer than she thought because she then heard her mother's voice shout, "Kota!"
Koizumi looked to the side and saw her mother run into the room, take her husband's face in her hands and say, "Kota, it's Ryuko. Please, calm down. Everything is fine."
Mr. Koizumi was able to gasp out, "Ma-Mahiru?"
"Mahiru is right here, she's fine, see?" To illustrate this, Mrs. Koizumi pulled Koizumi in close so that Mr. Koizumi could get a better look at her.
That seems to have done the trick as Mr. Koizumi started to relax and his breathing returned to normal. Once that happened, he pulled the two most important women in his life into a hug.
Koizumi was confused, and once her father loosened his embrace she asked, "What just happened? Shouldn't we take Dad to the hospital?"
Mrs. Koizumi knew that her daughter was shaken up by what she had just seen and knew that explanations were in order, but first she turned to her husband and asked, "Kota, what happened? Did your medicine stop working?"
"Medicine?" Koizumi asked.
"No Ryuko, Mahiru was late and I just couldn't help but worry. I didn't know what happened," Mr. Koizumi explained.
"Wh-what medicine? Why would me being late do that to Dad? What was that just now?" Koizumi asked more confused than ever.
"You never told her?" Mrs. Koizumi asked.
"No, I didn't want to cause more problems for either of you," Mr. Koizumi said.
"I suspected it last time I called Mahiru-chan, but I didn't think you could hide it this long," Mrs. Koizumi said, slightly impressed, but saddened that her husband and daughter had a rift between them due to something beyond anyone's control.
"Hide what? What are you two talking about?" Koizumi asked, frustrated that her questions weren't being answered.
"Mahiru-chan, your father suffers from anxiety disorder," Mrs. Koizumi said.
"Dad does? Since when?" Koizumi asked.
"Since always, Sweetheart," Mr. Koizumi admitted sadly. His daughter already had a low opinion of him, now she was going to think he was crazy.
Mrs. Koizumi continued for her husband, "The reason your father has trouble finding work is because of something that happened after we got married. I was on my first major assignment. Your father was worried of course, but he was fine until he received a call." At this point, Mrs. Koizumi began undoing a pashmina scarf she was wearing. Koizumi had always been curious about that, no matter what her mother wore, she always wore a scarf with it. When she saw what was under it, she gasped. A jagged scar, faded slightly from time but still visible, ran across her mother's neck.
"Nasty, right? A bomb went off and I got hit with some shrapnel, it missed hitting anything vital, but I still required emergency surgery. When your father heard, he suffered his first panic attack. He'd always been a nervous individual, but after that it got worse. He had trouble functioning while I was still away and lost his job. His employer didn't want to hear that it was anxiety," Mrs. Koizumi said angrily.
"This was years ago, when the stigma attached to mental illness was much worse than it is today," Mr. Koizumi interjected.
"That doesn't make it right!" Mrs. Koizumi shouted. After calming herself, she continued, "When I got home and heard what happened I suggested that I could give up being a war photographer and find work closer to home, but your father…"
"Ryuko, I couldn't ask you to give up a job you love. It's been hard but we've never gone without," Mr. Koizumi said.
"Kota, why didn't you tell Mahiru?" Mrs. Koizumi asked.
"When Mahiru was three-years-old, I took her to the park. Some girls who looked to be five came over and saw me and asked where her mother was. When she told them, they started saying that she was lying and that you abandoned us. I knew it wasn't true but seeing our little girl crying was more than I could bear. If other children picked on her because you weren't around how much worse would Mahiru feel if she found out that I was…" Mr. Koizumi said.
"You are NOT crazy!" Mrs. Koizumi shouted. "You sacrifice for this family in your own way. I wish I had known that you had kept this a secret. Our little girl would have understood, you should give her more credit," she said.
"I don't give him any credit, why do I deserve any?" Koizumi asked holding back tears. She recalled every instance of her belittling her father in front of other people and the flood gates opened. "Daddy!" Koizumi cried as she hugged her father tightly. "I-I'm *hic* so so-sor-."
"It's okay. It's okay," Mr. Koizumi said as he comforted his daughter.
"Everything is going to be okay from now on," Mrs. Koizumi said as she joined the embrace.
Once things had calmed down, the Koizumi family began to enjoy their time together. Koizumi still felt bad, but her father assured her that it was fine. At dinner, Koizumi couldn't help remembering what Naegi had said earlier that week and, without meaning to, said, "Naegi-kun was right."
"Who is Naegi-kun?" Mr. Koizumi asked.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Mrs. Koizumi asked excitedly.
Koizumi turned as red as her hair and said, "N-no. H-he's th-this guy I know. He's really understanding. He told me that maybe there was a reason Dad is the way he is that I didn't know about."
"Naegi-kun sounds like a smart boy," Mrs. Koizumi said.
"He is. He's in the year behind me but he's always helping everyone, and he always seems to know just what to do," Koizumi said.
"You should invite him over!" Mrs. Koizumi suggested happily.
"No boys!" Mr. Koizumi shouted.
"It's not like that at all," Koizumi said before burying her face in her hands. The rest of the evening was filled with either her mother teasing her or her father saying she couldn't date until she was his age.
Hope's Peak Academy-Front Gate
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
It had only been a day-and-a-half, but the Koizumi Mahiru who stepped onto campus was not the same as the Koizumi Mahiru who had left to visit her family. Learning about how her father had suffered in silence for so many years had caused Mahiru to rethink how she had treated all the men in her life. While she knew that some of them were, in fact, immature, she knew that she now had to look beyond the surface. She had believed that as a photographer she could capture people's feelings on film, and to an extent she could. Perhaps it was because of that belief that she never saw a need to look deeper. She looked at a picture she had taken of her parents just before she left, it was the most beautiful picture she had ever taken in her opinion. In finally coming to understand her father and in his understanding that he did not need to bear his burden alone anymore, she believed that his smile had never been brighter.
It was then that Koizumi thought back to that picture of Mioda she had taken months ago. She realized why that smile was so beautiful now, because that smile had come after sharing in Mioda's pain the week after that ill-fated concert.
She had come to this conclusion after her mother had shown her all of the photos she had taken overseas, the good, the bad, and the ugly. There was a world of difference in the context that the photos beyond what just the smiles showed: the horrors of war; the suffering of people; their joy in a hard-earned peace. She could pick out who was hiding their pain and who was rejoicing at the prospect of a brighter future.
Of course, change does not come easy, Koizumi knew this, so as she made her way to the dorm, she kept her eyes peeled for someone who could help her with what she felt she needed to do next.
"Hey Koizumi-senpai! Welcome back," a male voice greeted happily. It seems he had found her first.
"Hi Naegi-kun. It's good to be back," Koizumi greeted.
Naegi paused for a moment to take a better look at his senior and asked, "Did something happen Senpai? You seem different."
"A lot actually," Koizumi said before she told Naegi of what had transpired during her visit with her parents.
"I'm glad your Otou-san is okay, Senpai," Naegi said.
"Yeah, me too. Turns out that you were right," Koizumi admitted.
"I just had a feeling that there was more to the story, Senpai," Naegi confessed.
I wish I had considered that there was more to Dad than what I was seeing, Koizumi thought. A moment later she asked, "I actually need to ask you for something... Will you listen to me?"
"I'll listen to anything you have to say, Senpai. I just hope I can do whatever it is you need," Naegi said.
"You don't need to be scared. It's not like I'm going to make you to do something impossible," Koizumi said. She thought for a moment before adding, "But this is something only you can do."
That served to confuse Naegi, who asked, "Only me?"
Koizumi nodded before making her request, "Can you take a photo of me?"
Naegi didn't mind, but he still didn't understand. "You want me to take your picture? But why me?" he asked. He then said, "I don't mind Senpai, but I haven't really taken many pictures before, and I don't even know how to use your camera. Wouldn't you rather Saionji-senpai or Fuwa-senpai take it?"
"N-no, it's fine. I just want you to take it. In fact, it has to be you," Koizumi said shyly.
"Senpai, I'm not sure I understand, but if you're sure…" Naegi trailed off as he held out his hand to accept Koizumi's camera. It should have been a simple request. Had it been anyone else, it probably would have been, but to have the Ultimate Photographer ask you to take her picture…Naegi felt as honored as he felt nervous.
Naegi took a deep breath and said to himself, "If I remember correctly, it's better to take one step forward..."
"Yep... When you're not used to taking photos, you somehow always end up taking one step back," Koizumi said. Remembering that it was her picture that was about to be taken, Koizumi's feelings of self-consciousness returned, and she said, "Oh...but...you don't have to do that right now."
This didn't help ease Naegi's own concerns, but he powered through and focused on Koizumi.
*Click!*
As soon as he released the shutter, Koizumi immediately ran over and took the camera from his hands.
"Huh? Does my face really look like this?" she asked. Then she laughed and said, "Hahaha...I look a little goofy. I guess you are a novice."
"I don't think I did too badly though," Naegi said.
"Yeah...it'll work," Koizumi said.
"Work for what?" Naegi asked.
"I realized I didn't have many photos of myself," Koizumi began. After she found the right words she continued, "I needed a record of myself. I've never really thought to take progress photos before, but I realize it's something I need to do."
"What do you mean Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"Knowing what I know now, I've had to rethink a lot of things in the past day-and-a-half. I know some people think I act like I know everything, and they were right. My dad, my classmates, even you, I had already judged all of you when I first met you. In the back of my mind, I think I always knew that was wrong, but it wasn't until yesterday that it hit home. I know that progress photos are used for people who want to lose weight or get into shape, so no one else will understand, but I want to change. I need to remember who I am now. The me...who's here like this," Koizumi said as she pointed to herself in the picture. Koizumi then said, "That's why you had to be the one to take it."
"What do you mean?" Naegi asked.
"This picture is a record of who I am now, but if you take it, it's also my goal. I really wanted a record of myself as you see me," Koizumi admitted with a blush. Seeing that Naegi didn't quite understand, she went on, "Naegi-kun, I don't know how you saw me when we first met, but in the time that I've known you, I've learned that your first instinct is to always see the best in everyone. I want to be the person you see me as, the 'beautiful girl with a kind and caring heart.' Will you keep recording my progress until then?"
"Of course, Senpai," Naegi nodded with a bright and eager smile.
"Thanks, Naegi-kun," Koizumi said happily. "I know! If you're interested, I'll give you my old camera!" she added.
"Are you sure Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"It's fine! I want you to use it. I'll make sure I teach you how to take photos," Koizumi said happily. Then getting serious, she said, "Please watch my progress from now on."
Present Day
She's changed so much, all three of them have, Naegi thought as he looked from Koizumi to Tsumiki to Saionji.
I needed to change, we all did. I guess it was good that I started before Hiyoko-chan, otherwise we might not all be as close as we are now, Koizumi thought. I still don't think I agree with what Naegi-kun did, but I understand why he did it, Hiyoko-chan was getting out of control, as she remembered a dinner one evening at the dorm. It was that evening that she was forced to realize that not only had she been too hard on the men in her life, she had been too lenient on Saionji.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Friday
It had only been a few days, but it was clear that Koizumi was making an effort. She was definitely showing more patience with the boys, even if she was seen with a stress ball every day after dealing with certain members of her class. She had also adopted a gentler tone, at least as long as no one did anything too outrageous.
"Koizumi-san, it's nice to see you getting along with the boys. I know some of them can be a little over the top, but I think it's fine to let them enjoy being high school students in their own way," Yukizome said regarding the changes in her student. The girls were just sitting down to dinner as Naegi brought everything out.
"Over the top is right Sensei," Koizumi sighed as she thought of how many stress balls she had gotten from the school's Ultimate Therapist, Gekkogahara Miaya. Koizumi then added, "But I realize that maybe I've been a little too hard on them in the past. More than that, I realize that maybe there are reasons they act the way they do that I don't know about. I'm still going to be hard on them when I have to be though."
"Nothing wrong with that Senpai," Naegi said as he was getting ready to sit down. Before he could however a loud cry of, "I'M SORRY!" pierced the air. All eyes turned to Tsumiki and Saionji.
"Pig barf, why don't you get out of here before you ruin everyone's appetite?" Saionji phrased that as a question, but anyone who knew her knew it was a demand.
"B-but w-when c-can I-I…?" Tsumiki began through tears.
Koizumi didn't know what the cause was this time, but she knew that Saionji's behavior had been getting worse lately. As much as she wanted to stand up for Tsumiki, it was important that the girl be strong on her own.
"Tsumiki-san stay where you are. Saionji-san, Tsumiki-san couldn't possibly ruin anyone's appetite," Yukizome said more forcefully than she normally would. It seemed Koizumi wasn't the only one to notice that Saionji had been being more bratty than usual.
"Saionji-senpai, I think you should apologize to Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi said.
"That's nice, but I don't listen to servants. Do something useful and get me a drink," Saionji ordered.
"Okay," Naegi said without a fuss.
He came back shortly and gave Saionji a glass full of what appeared to be fruit juice. Saionji took one sip and spat it back out. "BLAH! WHAT DID YOU JUST GIVE ME?!" she demanded to know.
Present Day
Both students were shaken from their reminiscing by Tsumiki's voice.
"Naegi-kun," the nurse said as she ran over to the younger boy. In doing so, she tripped and left herself rather…exposed.
Through gritted teeth, Saionji said, "Mikan-nee, you can't always run to Makoto-nii and have him fight your battles for you."
"She's right Mikan-chan," Koizumi said as one of her eyes twitched as Naegi went to help the Ultimate Nurse up.
"I'm sorry," Tsumiki said.
"It's true that Tsumiki-senpai needs to stand up for herself, but it's also important that she knows we're here for her," Naegi said. Knowing what he knew about the poor girl, he knew just how much she needed to understand that. He placed his hand on the nurse's shoulder to show support and gave her a friendly smile.
"Okay, I'll try," Tsumiki said with a small smile. I won't let you down, Naegi-kun, she thought.
Naegi saw that smile and thought, I can't fight all of Tsumiki-senpai's battles, but still, I'll do what I can to protect that smile.
To be continued next time.
Special thanks once again to Pupla for proofreading.
Well, you already knew that but it's even more important this time. Mahiru is only one part of this and the story of her growth as a person still isn't done. She hasn't fallen for our favorite Luckster completely, but she's close.
Was I too hard on her though? Seriously, I'm asking. I think I might have been. Then again, she would be the one with the most to say about a boy in the girls' dorm, so she'd probably be pretty hard on Makoto and no one can look good when they are too hard on Makoto. At least I don't think so.
Ah Mahiru, yes, some men are scum, but you know what? Some women are scum too.
Kind of had psychology drive the chapter. Parentification, Anxiety, and how some children will vilify the parent that raises them and deifies the parent that isn't around. During the course of my research, I found out that mental illness is still stigmatized in Japan, although the articles I found were, at best, as recent as 2015, so you never know, things change. Here is what I found though:
Only 5% of Japanese people believe that mentally ill people can recover from their illness.
A survey done on employers found out that 61% of people would never employ someone with mental illness.
Only 20% of psychological professionals believed that people with mental illness should live in a community without being hospitalized
77% of mental health professionals in japan believed that it was dangerous for mentally ill people to live by themselves.
Interviews and surveys found that Japanese people are generally very unwilling to get married or start a relationship with someone with a mental illness. A site like Online Social Community for Adults with Mental Illness could not exist in Japan
Approximately 75% of survey respondents were completely understanding of someone not renting a room to someone just because they had a mental illness
It is important to note that generally mental illness stigma is stronger in OLDER people than younger people. But since Japan has an aging population, well you know how that works.
As for picking anxiety disorder, I have firsthand experience with that, never had a panic attack or anything, but since it runs in my family, I've seen what it does to people when their medicine doesn't work. As for Mr. Koizumi hiding it, people have hidden worse from their families for years and years, so it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
Did you know panic attacks can last for over half an hour? I didn't until I did the research.
As for why Mr. and Mrs. Koizumi were still together, it's never stated that they weren't, and I needed Mahiru to realize that she doesn't know everything. I could have just made Mr. Koizumi very laid back, but Mahiru would never have learned anything.
On why I gave Sato the family name Fuwa: Who here has watched Shimoneta? Doesn't she look like Hyouka? If she looks like Mad Seaweed I might as well give her Mad Seaweed's last name.
One more thing: You've probably all noticed that I kept switching between mom and dad, and Okaa-san and Otou-san, and mother and father. Should I pick one set and stick with it? I just have Makoto and some of the others use Okaa-san and Otou-san to show how respectful he can be and how proud he is of his Japanese heritage. Not that I believe that the others aren't proud, mind you, just that I think that at least half of the cast of characters are likely to be open about accepting Western influences. I don't know, maybe I should pick a set and correct previous chapters as needed.
Mikan is up next. Who wants to guess what Makoto gave Hiyoko to drink? You have two more chapters to guess correctly.
Chapter Text
Chapter 10: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Nurse (Part 2)
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 here.
Can I just say that I am glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter? Relieved actually. I was worried that I had been too hard on Mahiru, which was never my intention. I don't really know why I was worried, but there was that bit I put in the author's note at the end about how men and women can both be scum. Scum is an equal opportunity label after all and even if you only played the first game, you know how true that is in Danganronpa. Sorry to go on about this, just wanted to get it off my chest.
But none of you came here to read my ramblings in the author's notes, you're here for a chapter about your favorite nurse and mine, Mikan.
With that out of the way, on with the story.
Present Day
Naegi didn't think that he had his hand on Tsumiki's shoulder for that long, but apparently Saionji did as she began shaking Naegi's shoulder in a plea for attention.
"Naegi-onii," Saionji pouted.
Naegi tried to cover it up but Tsumiki caught a look of pain on his face. Switching from the timid bully magnet to the professional Ultimate Nurse she asked, "Naegi-kun what's wrong? Is your shoulder still bothering you?"
"I think Saionji-senpai gripped it a little too hard is all," Naegi said, hoping to reassure the three girls now sending him worried looks. "It's fine. Really," Naegi said, "It's because I've been reckless. I've been shot in it and my arm came out of its socket during my time at Hope's Peak Elementary. If it hadn't been for Kimura-senpai's medicine, it be much worse from the bullet wound."
"Let me see it," Tsumiki ordered.
"Huh?" Naegi asked, not sure he had heard correctly.
"Take off your blazer and your hoodie and let me see it," Tsumiki demanded.
Naegi was uncomfortable but complied. He knew better than to argue with Tsumiki when she was doing her job. He just hoped he didn't have to take off his shirt in front of the girls.
Still, he reasoned, Tsumiki-senpai is at her best when she's utilizing her talent. With that in mind, Naegi couldn't help but remember how impressive Tsumiki had always been.
I will always take care of you, Naegi-kun. You are the one who made me happy to have been born, Tsumiki thought as she remembered her time with Naegi since the school year began.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Dining Room
First Day of Classes
Naegi was still a confused by his earlier encounter with Koizumi, but knew he had a job to do. He had finished making dinner; called the girls in; and placed the food on the table. As he was finishing up placing the food on the table, he thought something seemed off.
"Wasn't there another girl in Class 77-B?" Naegi asked when it noticed an empty chair apart from his own. He knew all of his female classmates were here, so that left one of his senpai.
After counting her students, Yukizome said, "You're right Naegi-kun, Tsumiki-san isn't here."
"Is Mikan-chan not hungry?" Mioda wondered out loud.
"I went to call her for dinner, but she didn't answer the door. She was fine earlier so she isn't sick…I think," Nanami said.
"I could go check on her if you want, everyone else is already seated," Naegi suggested.
"She's my responsibility, but if you're offering…" Yukizome started. She had a pretty good idea of why Tsumiki hadn't come to dinner. As much as she had wanted to reassure her student, she thought maybe it would be better in the long run if Tsumiki made friends with some of her kōhai. It might also show what kind of person Naegi was.
"I don't mind," Naegi said. Before going upstairs, he saw the hungry looks on Owari and Asahina's faces and added, "It would be a shame if the food got cold, so if it seems like I'm taking too long, feel free to start eating. I can make something else for myself and Tsumiki-senpai."
Once Naegi was upstairs he began to check each of the nameplates until he found Tsumiki's room. Naegi had offered to check on her to be helpful, but now that he was here, he wasn't sure what to do once he knocked on the door. He had never actually spoken to Tsumiki. He figured winging it was his best bet since he had no idea what kind of person Tsumiki was. All he had to go off of was that she had seemed nervous, possibly even frightened of something, when she had given her self-introduction. "With your per-permis-mission, could I remember your names?" I wonder why she asked that, Naegi thought as he knocked on the door.
"Tsumiki-senpai! It's time for dinner!" Naegi called.
Naegi didn't hear anything through the door.
He tried again. "Tsumiki-senpai, are you not hungry?" he asked.
This time he did get a response as the muffled voice of Tsumiki Mikan said, "N-no, I am. I-I'll eat later though."
That confused Naegi. She was hungry, but she didn't want to eat right now? Naegi remembered that Ogami and the other girls had expected to be responsible for their own breakfast before he had agreed to handle meals at the dorm. Everyone had been fine then. The had all enjoyed breakfast together. But what if Tsumiki hadn't? Koizumi and Saionji had already expressed their displeasure at Naegi's presence at the dorm, maybe Tsumiki had been too polite to let on that she agreed with them.
With that thought in mind, Naegi asked, "Is it because I'm here?"
"W-what?" Tsumiki asked.
"I know it's weird having a boy in the girls' dorm Senpai. If it would make you feel better, I could eat my meals in the kitchen or something until you're more comfortable," Naegi suggested.
"I-it's not y-your fault! Please don't hate me!" Tsumiki wailed.
"'Hate you?' Senpai, I don't understand. Could you please open the door so we can talk?" Naegi asked.
Tsumiki did open the door, but before Naegi could even greet her, she yanked him inside her room.
It might be because I'm a little on the short side, but she is stronger than she looks, Naegi thought before looking at his senpai. For a girl who had just pulled him into her room, Tsumiki seemed very nervous. Naegi was nervous too. Being in a pretty girl's room would be nerve-wracking enough but given his current situation he was sure he could get in a lot of trouble for it. Before he could say anything however, Tsumiki spoke up.
"Ah, uhhhh, um..."
Naegi gave Tsumiki his full attention as she tried to speak.
"Um...you know..."
Naegi stayed silent but nodded in an attempt to encourage Tsumiki to say what was on her mind.
"...I-I'm sorry," Tsumiki finally blurted out.
"For what? Dinner? That's no big deal. I told Yukizome-sensei and the others to start without us if I took too long. I can make something else for us both if I have to. In fact, I kind of expected to since I don't know what everyone likes or if anyone has any specific dietary needs or allergies," Naegi explained. He also hoped that talking about something related to Tsumiki's talent would calm her down.
That seemed to work as Tsumiki calmed down a little as she smiled and said, "No one in my class has any special diets or allergies. I would need to check on your class though."
Naegi smiled too, it seemed he was making progress. He asked, "Tsumiki-senpai, you said you were hungry, is there a reason you don't want to join us for dinner?"
That question caused Tsumiki to retreat into her shell as she said, "I-I d-d-do w-want to eat with all of you, but…"
"But?" Naegi asked, encouraging her to continue.
"Um...you know... Uhhhh...my mind started drawing a blank...from nervousness. And... I went through all the trouble preparing 5,000 different topics to discuss!" Tsumiki finally managed to say.
"I'm not sure I follow," Naegi admitted.
"If I don't have anything to talk about, I'll ruin everyone's dinner a-and…and…" Tsumiki began.
"You wouldn't ruin anything Tsumiki-senpai. Even if you don't say anything, everyone will just be happy that you're there. I know I would, I want all of us to get along," Naegi told her.
"Heh heh, hehehehe...!" Tsumiki laughed.
"That's better. I'm glad you're not nervous anymore Senpai," Naegi said.
Suddenly aware of what she had been doing, Tsumiki said, "Ah! I-I'm sorry for laughing so suddenly! I-It's just...I can't help it. I'm just so happy, I can't remember the last time I made any friends."
Naegi wasn't sure what to make of that. It was clear that Tsumiki was shy and suffered from low self-esteem, but he couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be friends with the girl in front of him.
Naegi's silence must have given Tsumiki the wrong idea as she began to panic. "Ah, not that you actually want to be friends with me! I'm soooo sorry I said something so...presumptuous!" she wailed.
Forget low self-esteem, Tsumiki-senpai has no self-esteem, Naegi thought. He wanted to say something to calm his senpai down but before he could, Tsumiki started begging.
"I'll do anything you say... Just...please don't hate me...!"
"I don't hate you Senpai. I'm sorry if I did anything that would make you think that I did," Naegi said. Even he was beginning to panic. Not only was he not getting Tsumiki to come to dinner, he somehow had upset her, but he didn't understand how.
"I'm sorry that Naegi-kun thinks he needs to apologize to me! I'm so, so, so sorry!" Tsumiki responded.
"You don't have to be sorry for anything Senpai. You haven't done anything wrong. And you weren't being presumptuous earlier, I want us to be friends too," Naegi explained.
That seemed to calm Tsumiki down at the moment as she sniffled and asked, "Really?"
"Of course. We've only just met, but I can't see how anyone wouldn't want to be your friend, Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi said.
Once Tsumiki had calmed down some more, Naegi said, "Now Tsumiki-senpai, let's go get dinner. Hopefully the others left us something."
The second those words left his lips, Naegi knew he had screwed up as Tsumiki started to apologize for nothing again. "I'm sorry. We're late because of me," she said as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"It's fine Senpai," Naegi said quickly. "If I have to make more food for the two of us I will. We can say that it's a dinner to celebrate us becoming friends," he added.
Tsumiki's face was positively radiant upon hearing that. She found herself hoping that there was nothing left at the table. It didn't come to that though, as somehow there was still enough for the two of them to eat. Tsumiki was a little disappointed, but Naegi had made sure to pay plenty of attention to her throughout the meal so she cheered up right away.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Second Day of Classes
Dinner had ended a while ago and Tsumiki was by herself in the common area. Everyone had gone off to do their own things, leaving the Ultimate Nurse wishing someone would come and pay attention to her.
Why is this happening? Did I do something wrong? Does no one here care whether I'm here or not? What do I do? she asked herself. For Tsumiki Mikan, nothing was worse than being ignored.
"Mikan-chan!" a familiar voice called.
"Huh?" she gasped as she turned to the source of the voice. Mioda and Naegi had entered the common area without her noticing. "Mioda-san! Naegi-kun! G-good e-e-evening. You are both having a good evening, right? I'm not making either of you think about something bad that happened, am I?" Tsumiki asked in a panic.
"No, nothing like that Senpai, we came here to talk to you," Naegi said before Tsumiki could start up again. He thought it would be for the best if he didn't give Tsumiki a chance to apologize for nothing. I wonder why she does that though, he thought.
"Y-you both came to talk to me?" Tsumiki asked happily. Someone is paying attention to me and they aren't doing mean things to me! This is wonderful, she thought.
"Yeah. We were actually hoping you could answer a question about something that came up at lunch," Naegi began.
"Ibuki was on top of Makoto-chan and wondered if someone can eat while flat on their back," Mioda finished. While Naegi thought that it was probably better that Mioda explained why the topic had come up, he couldn't help blushing when Mioda said that she was on top of him. He knew other people had seen what had happened, but it still sounded wrong without the full context.
Tsumiki switched from frightened bully magnet to professional Ultimate Nurse as she explained, "Supposedly, one of the risks associated with lying down while eating is slow motility and delay in digestion unlike if you are sitting. Eating while lying down is also a known risk factor of reflux esophagitis. It can also result in heartburn or GERD, a syndrome where the lower esophagus does not close off properly after swallowing. This usually allows the stomach and food acid to move up from the stomach into the esophagus. Heartburn, as you know, is a burning sensation around the chest area where the esophagus is located and the best way to prevent this is to sit while eating. That said, most of these side effects are mere assumptions and speculations. No research has proved these assertions to be true, but as a nurse, I recommend you sit up and eat."
"Alright Mikan-chan, Ibuki will sit up and eat," Mioda promised, not at all affected by the drastic change in her friend's personality.
Naegi just stared in awe. That was impressive, he noted.
Tsumiki misinterpreted his silence and began to apologize, "I-I'm sorry!"
"W-what's wrong?" Naegi asked.
"I-I thought... You clearly looked like you were in a bad mood," Tsumiki explained. She then asked fearfully, "D-Did I do something wrong again?"
"N-no, I swear, I was just impressed," Naegi tried to tell her. He looked to Mioda for assistance, but she was nowhere to be found. That was fast. I guess we did only say we'd ask about eating while lying down. Maybe she went to plan our first club meeting, Naegi guessed.
"Wh-What should I do? Um...would it make you happier if I took my clothes off?" Tsumiki asked.
That's the last thing I need, to be caught with a girl saying she'll strip, Naegi thought in a panic. He really hoped no one heard her suggest that. By some miracle, Naegi managed to keep the panic out of his voice and say, "That's really not necessary, Tsumiki-senpai."
"You're right... You don't want to see me naked, right? Then, how about my money...?" Tsumiki asked.
"I really don't want anything," Naegi said. He was running out of ideas, Tsumiki seemed to be able to twist everything he said into an insult to her.
"Nggggh...I'm sorry..." Tsumiki said. She was almost in tears at this point.
"Please Senpai, I just want to talk to you normally," Naegi pleaded. Maybe changing the subject will work, he thought.
"Talk? U-Um...um," Tsumiki fumbled with her words as she tried to find a subject. Her thoughts were faring much worse. He's going to hate me because I'm boring. Worse, he won't pay attention to me at all if I can't think of something to talk about! Why is this happening? I memorized 5,000 different topics and can't remember any!
"I thought today was pretty interesting," Naegi said, trying to start of simple.
"Y-Yeah..." Tsumiki agreed.
"..." Naegi waited in silence for a follow-up that would never come.
"..." Tsumiki waited for a response Naegi didn't know he wasn't sure he should give. Tsumiki's patience gave out first as she apologized again. "I-I'm sorry... Should I... take off my clothes?"
Okay, that didn't work. Small talk isn't going to cut it, Naegi thought. He remembered how animated Tsumiki got when she explained why one shouldn't eat lying down. Maybe something related to nursing and medicine, Naegi reasoned. Hoping it was the right call, Naegi asked, "Um, Tsumiki-senpai, what type of bandage do you like the most?"
Tsumiki perked up upon hearing the word "bandage" and after considering the question, answered happily. "Let's see... There are a lot of different types these days. It's extremely convenient because there are waterproof types and sticky types. But I definitely like non-elastic types the best. They're not too constricting, but they still firmly secure wounds!"
Naegi felt like he should have been taking notes. While he was fond of the timid Tsumiki, he couldn't help but feel drained after trying to reassure her that she had done nothing wrong. This knowledgeable, professional, and most importantly, happy Tsumiki was a welcome change every now and then.
Tsumiki suddenly became aware that she had been doing all the talking on the subject of bandages and said, "Ah...s-sorry. I went ahead and started talking on my own."
"You don't need to apologize Senpai, I was more than happy to listen. It was nice learning about bandages from the Ultimate Nurse, you made a topic I'd never given much thought to become interesting," Naegi said.
"Really?" Tsumiki asked.
"Really," Naegi replied with a smile.
Tsumiki managed to give a small smile in return.
Naegi would have liked to have spent more time talking to Tsumiki, but he couldn't really think of any other topics in her field, so he said, "It's been fun Senpai, but I think I'm gonna call it a night."
Before he could leave, Tsumiki said, "U-Um! If it's not too much trouble for you, I would like to...talk to you again. It's been a while since anyone talked to me like this...so..."
Naegi was a little concerned about how Tsumiki had worded that, but he still said, "Of course. Any time. I'll be sure to research topics that you'll find interesting for next time too."
Tsumiki was taken aback by that. No one had ever made an effort for her sake, it was always the other way around. "Th-Thank you very much," she stuttered out. As a feeling she was unfamiliar with filled her heart, she began to giggle quietly. "Heh heh...hehehehehe..."
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fifth Week of Classes-Sunday
The sun had risen like any other day, but for the residents at the dorm, it was not like any other day. The night before, Mioda had her disastrous reunion concert with her band and the peppy, energetic musician was depressed. She hadn't come out of her room, not even for meals. Naegi couldn't blame her for feeling down, but she had to eat.
Around lunch time, Naegi was preparing something simple for Mioda, miso soup. It was light, but it would fill her stomach. He would have gone to Hanamura to inquire about Mioda's favorite food, but he didn't want to explain what had happened last night if Hanamura hadn't already heard. As much as Mioda needed support, Naegi doubted her classmates all crowding into her room at once would fix the problem, it was hard enough to keep the female half of Class 77-B from going in all at once. Chances are the guys will find out tomorrow anyway. Mioda-senpai's mood hasn't improved even a little bit today, Naegi said to himself. Still, he did wish he could do better for his friend.
"U-um, Naegi-kun?"
"Hmm?" Naegi turned and noticed Tsumiki trying to get his attention. "Oh, hello Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi greeted.
Tsumiki, who feared that Naegi had been attempting to ignore her, asked, "U-Um... Did I do something wrong again?"
Naegi shook his head and said, "No Senpai, I'm just thinking about last night. I wish I knew how to cheer Mioda-senpai up, but I don't know what else I can do besides show some support and try to get her to eat. I'd make her favorite food for her, but don't even know what her favorite food is. Some friend I am, huh?"
Tsumiki could tell Naegi was hurting, and so she said, "U-Um... If you would like to talk, I don't really know what everyone likes yet and there might be lots of things I'm not good at doing, but...I'll do anything so please let me know!"
"I appreciate the offer Senpai, but unless we could put on the concert Mioda wanted, we may just have to let this run its course," Naegi said.
"Um, I don't play an instrument, but Yukizome-sensei knows how to play guitar. She played with Mioda-san when she started as our teacher," Tsumiki said.
Naegi had been half joking but it looked like putting on the concert Mioda wanted might not be so impossible after all. "I'll have to check with Yukizome-sensei later, but you've just given me a brilliant idea Senpai. Thank you!" Naegi said happily.
"Of course! If it will make someone happy, I'll do anything!" Tsumiki said enthusiastically.
A little too enthusiastically for Naegi, who said, "Senpai, I'm not sure you should be that eager to make that offer."
"Huuuh? Why?" Tsumiki asked.
"It's just…people could misinterpret that and…" Naegi trailed off. He wasn't sure how to properly explain this. Given that Tsumiki-senpai offered to take off her clothes twice the last time we were having a conversation alone, I'm afraid of just how far she'll let people take "anything," Naegi said to himself.
"Well, I mean...before I even became a student here, everyone else didn't seem to mind," Tsumiki said.
"Everyone else?" Naegi asked. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he heard, but if he wanted to understand Tsumiki, he knew he had to know about her life from before Hope's Peak.
"For fun, I tried eating strange bugs, and I let people use my body when there wasn't anything else to write on. Also, I had to be responsible for debts, and be the target for dart games, so… I'm pretty useful, you know," Tsumiki explained.
Naegi was stunned. He had a feeling that Tsumiki had been bullied in the past, but here she was acting like it was no big deal. Naegi couldn't help but ask, "You didn't actually enjoy any of that, did you?"
"Obviously, I don't want to do that stuff at all. But...if it makes everyone not hate me and smile at me, then it's much better," Tsumiki explained.
No Senpai, no it isn't. You're worth so much more than that, Naegi thought with a frown.
"U-Um...Naegi-kun, would you like to try it out, too?" Tsumiki asked.
"Huh?"
"Doodling is very fun. Please draw on me wherever you like!"
"I don't want to draw on you Senpai," Naegi said.
"U-Um... Also...I'm good at pretending to be a pig. I'll do it... I'll do it right now... Just please don't look at me like that!" Tsumiki begged.
Look at her like what? Was I…oh! I was frowning, Naegi realized. "N-no, Senpai, I was thinking that you should value yourself more," Naegi said.
Unfortunately, even that was the wrong thing to say, since Tsumiki began to apologize again. "Ah... S-Sorry. I-I'm sorry... I'm terribly sorry... I'll make sure to get it right... I'll make sure I get it right the next time. So please talk to me again! I beg of you!" Tsumiki wailed.
"Sure, I promise. I'll always have time for you Senpai. Let me take this soup up to Mioda-senpai and then we can go find Yukizome-sensei. I have to talk to her about that brilliant idea you gave me," Naegi said, hoping that he could boost Tsumiki's confidence.
"Yes...I'll be waiting...forever..." Tsumiki said.
"I wouldn't make you wait that long Senpai," Naegi said in an attempt to make Tsumiki's comment less unsettling. He hoped one day he would learn what made Tsumiki this way, but for now he would do his best to build her up.
True to his word, minutes later, Naegi and Tsumiki found Yukizome and hatched a plan to cheer up Mioda. It may not have boosted her confidence, but Naegi had kept his promise to her. And that had made Tsumiki happy. I like this. He kept his promise. He doesn't hate me. Maybe Naegi-kun really is my friend, she thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Infirmary
Sixth Week of Classes-Saturday
Today had been pretty uneventful, at least in terms of sick and injured students. Tsumiki supposed she should be happy about that, but it did make her feel lonely and unneeded. The sun wasn't close to setting but she decided to head back to the dorm for the day. There's always tomorrow. I'm sure someone will need a nurse soon, she thought.
Someone needed a nurse sooner than she had expected apparently, as Ogami came in carrying Asahina with Naegi following close behind.
"Tsumiki-senpai, do you have a moment? Asahina sprained her ankle," Naegi said.
Tsumiki smiled before getting to work. She removed the handkerchief that Naegi had used as a brace for Asahina and proceeded to examine the younger girl's injury. Tsumiki didn't doubt that Naegi was correct, but there were varying degrees of sprains, so she had to check. When she finished, she said, "This is a Grade 1 sprain, Asahina-san needs to refrain from anything that would strain her ankle further for the next two to six weeks. I'll write you an excuse to get you out of P.E."
"UUUUUUUUGGGGGHH!" Asahina groaned. That was not what she wanted to hear.
Apparently, Asahina groaning was not what Tsumiki needed to hear as she froze up with the finished excuse in her hand.
Ogami had immediately looked at Asahina when the swimmer made her outburst and said, "Asahina-san, I know you like to keep moving, but Tsumiki-senpai knows what she's doing. Whether you like it or not, you must listen to her."
Since Ogami had not been looking at Tsumiki, she did not see the nurse freeze up, but Naegi had. "Sorry about that Senpai, we all really do appreciate what you are doing for our classmate," he said, hoping to snap the poor girl back to her senses.
"O-oh t-that's fine," Tsumiki said, her professional aura once again replaced by her timid one. She handed Asahina the excuse, after which Ogami and Asahina left the infirmary.
Naegi knew by now how sensitive Tsumiki was and figured he had best pick up the pieces of what Asahina had unintentionally shattered. "Tsumiki-senpai, about before..." he began.
"N-n-n-n-no one did anything wrong. It was my fault. That's definitely it...!" Tsumiki declared.
Naegi held back the urge to sigh, knowing that it would only make things worse and said, "W-Well, it really wasn't anyone's fault. Asahina was upset because she can't stand not being active. She wasn't upset with you, if anything she was upset with her injury." Naegi decided the best course of action would be to change the subject before Tsumiki began reading too much into it again. Before he could though, Tsumiki beat him to it.
Tsumiki took a close look at him and said, "Huh? Naegi-kun, you look pale."
"Huh...? R-Really?" Naegi asked. He hadn't really noticed, but he trusted Tsumiki.
"Yes, your blood circulation looks worse than usual," Tsumiki told him. She then asked, "Have you been eating breakfast? Have you been getting enough sleep?"
"Now that you mention it, I have been waking up earlier than usual," Naegi said. It was true, he wasn't sure why, but he was waking up too early. Lately, he had a lot on his mind with trying to balance school work, his friends, and his duties at the dorm.
"I understand that sometimes you can't help it but try to avoid consuming any stimulants before you sleep, take deep breaths, and do some light stretching. Little things like that should help with the quality of your sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, it can weaken your immune system and lead to various illnesses," Tsumiki lectured.
Naegi was content to let Tsumiki keep going. He was so impressed with her right now that he couldn't help but smile. He hoped that Tsumiki could understand her true value one day and be like this all the time.
"So please be careful. Also..." Tsumiki began before she noticed the look she was getting. "...Um? Is something the matter?" she asked.
"Not at all. I was so impressed that I didn't want to stop listening. You're really amazing Senpai," Naegi said.
It was a compliment of course, but Tsumiki misinterpreted it again, "Ah... I-I forgot to get ahold of myself again. I-I'm terribly sorry! I'm terribly sorry!"
"You don't need to be sorry, you really are amazing. As expected of the Ultimate Nurse," Naegi said, not even sure why Tsumiki was apologizing this time.
"It's not that big of a deal. I'm just skilled at reading people's faces. I've been like this ever since I was young," Tsumiki began.
Naegi had both been looking forward to and dreading this moment. He did want to learn more about Tsumiki, but he was afraid of what it was he might learn. Although, he thought, if she's opening up to me, I might be able to help her.
"I would get beaten up at school and at home a lot... Since nobody would treat me when I was hurt, I just did it myself and eventually, I got good at it. That's...it, really," Tsumiki explained.
Beaten up at home? Does she have siblings? I know that some brothers and sisters have fights that can turn physical, but that doesn't sound like what this is. I want to ask her, but maybe I should hold off until Tsumiki-senpai is more comfortable around me, Naegi reasoned. He wanted to know more but he thought that the best approach to take with Tsumiki was to take it slow and build more trust, so instead of asking for more details he said, "B-But...I think you have an amazing talent for helping people. I mean, even now...you noticed right away that I wasn't feeling well, right? So, thank you for...caring about me. Knowing I have a friend like you, Senpai, makes me believe that I really am the Ultimate Lucky Student."
If the blush on her face was any indication, Tsumiki was touched by those words. After calming down a bit, she said, "I always treated myself for my own sake. But...one day I realized something."
Naegi tilted his head in confusion. He really had no idea where Tsumiki was going with this.
"Sick people and injured people are weaker than me," Tsumiki declared.
I suppose that's true, but I don't know if that's how one should think of it, Naegi thought.
"I mean...if you ignore a sick or injured person, they won't be able to endure the pain. And if worse comes to worse, they could even die, right? But if I know the proper way to treat them, that means my words are absolute," Tsumiki explained.
That's true, Naegi mentally agreed. He couldn't help the uneasy feeling he was getting though.
"Which means they'll need me. They'll depend on me completely. That's why I can't leave the sick and the injured alone. Because they always listen to what I say," Tsumiki finished.
So that's it. Tsumiki-senpai wants people to acknowledge her true worth. But Senpai, if you won't, then it doesn't matter how many other people acknowledge how amazing you are, Naegi thought.
It seemed that Tsumiki finally noticed Naegi's silence and started panicking. "U-Um...Naegi-kun...? I-I said something unnecessary again... I-I'm sorryyyyyy! Um, do you want me to buy you something to drink!?"
"Huh? No, I'm fine Senpai," Naegi said quickly.
"Ah, I know! I'm also really good at imitating a sea turtle when she's about to lay eggs," Tsumiki said.
Naegi didn't even want to know where that came from. He put his hand on Tsumiki's shoulder and said, "You don't need to do any of that Senpai. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I didn't?" Tsumiki asked. It was almost like she didn't know how something could not be her fault.
"Of course not. I was just thinking that I'm starting to understand you better. I'm really happy about that," Naegi said with a smile.
"Y-you are?" Tsumiki asked. To her this was impossible too. In her mind, she wasn't interesting, pretty, or anything really.
"I am. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I want you to know that I consider you one of my precious friends, so please don't put yourself down so much?" Naegi asked.
P-precious friend? Me? Tsumiki thought as her heart felt full and warm at Naegi's words. "O-okay. I'll try," she said.
"Good. And in exchange, I'll do my best to follow your advice from now on. I'll start after dinner tonight," Naegi said with another smile. Seeing the clock on the wall, Naegi said, "Speaking of which, I had better get back to the dorm and get started on dinner. But before I go, do you need help finishing up here, Senpai?"
"N-no, you should get started on dinner. You've…" Tsumiki started to say.
"I've…what?" Naegi asked, curious about what Tsumiki was trying to say.
"It's not important," Tsumiki said.
"If you're saying it then of course it's important Senpai. Your words, your feelings, they're all just as important as anyone else's," Naegi said.
Tsumiki's heart started beating faster as she said, "I'll tell you someday."
"It's a promise then," Naegi said as he waved good-bye and left the infirmary for the dorm.
"I was going to say that you've already done so much for me," Tsumiki said as she got ready to close the infirmary for the evening. She hoped the seat next to Naegi would be available at the dinner table. She wanted to keep feeling whatever it was he made her feel.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Gate
Tenth Week of Classes-Sunday
It had been a long night. For Souda, for Tanaka, for the staff of the Novoselic Embassy, but especially for Sonia and Naegi. It could be argued that it was worse for Naegi since he was the only one who sustained a serious injury. The paramedics' faith in Kimura's medicine was well placed, although Naegi's shoulder was still sensitive.
Tsumiki, worried for her junior, went to the main gate to check on him. She had faith in Kimura too, but that didn't change the fact that she was a nurse, so she couldn't just accept that Naegi was alright on faith. The Ultimate Nurse had looked at his shoulder as soon as she saw him. She hadn't noticed anything wrong, but Naegi had told her that it was still sensitive. She said that she would be more than happy to take a look at it if the problem persisted. After he had thanked her, the two of them made their way back to the dorm.
Naegi wanted to start a conversation but wasn't really sure what to talk about. As he mulled over possible topics, Tsumiki spoke.
"Ah...u-um... Are you going to talk to me again?" she asked.
"What?" Naegi asked. He was shocked. Tsumiki never really started the conversations.
"Ah...I-I'm sorry. I lost control of myself and said whatever I wanted. But...you were making a face like, 'There's nothing to talk to her about.' Just as I thought...I'm a nuisance..." Tsumiki moaned.
"You've never been a nuisance, Senpai. I just can't think of anything because right now, all I can think of is what happened earlier. Not exactly the most pleasant topic," Naegi explained.
"Haaaaaaaaah!?" Tsumiki shrieked.
"Senpai! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" Naegi asked as he tried to look for anything Tsumiki could have been injured with.
"Ah, um... No one has ever said that to me before," Tsumiki said softly.
To Naegi, the worst part of that statement was that he believed it. As curious as he was about Tsumiki's past, he was still afraid of what he would learn, or rather, what he would do with that information.
"Um... Thank you very much," Tsumiki said.
"You're welcome, Senpai," Naegi said. Really, what else could he say?
"Um... Can I ask you about something?" Tsumiki asked.
"You can ask me whatever you want Senpai," Naegi told her. He was happy that she was taking the initiative this time and wanted to keep that going.
"Naegi-kun...did you like school?" she asked.
"You mean before I entered Hope's Peak Academy?" Naegi asked to clarify. When Tsumiki nodded, he continued, "Let's see...I didn't really hate it. I wasn't crazy about it, but I did enjoy seeing all of my friends, so it wasn't so much different from now I guess."
"My first year at Hope's Peak was my first time feeling things like 'fun'. I felt that for the first time after I met my class last year. For the first time, I learn that that...is very fun. Everyone is finally acknowledging me, and I finally feel useful," Tsumiki stated.
"I'm glad you like it here Senpai, I don't think I'd enjoy Hope's Peak as much without you," Naegi said sincerely.
Tsumiki froze up at that. It was one of the kindest things she had ever heard.
"I wasn't sure that I should accept my invitation to Hope's Peak. I thought there was someone more deserving out there, but I'm glad I came. It's because I made friends like you that I can enjoy my time here," Naegi explained as they had just got to the dorm's entrance.
They had just been about to open the door when they heard three voices scream, "NO!"
Naegi who had been frozen in place by that scream just thought, I wonder if I should be worried about that? He looked over at Tsumiki who seemed just as shocked as he did and then he said, "So yeah, despite the occasional weirdness, I think I enjoy Hope's Peak quite a lot."
Tsumiki giggled in response. It wasn't forced or anything and Naegi thought it was one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.
Hope's Peak Academy-Infirmary
Twelfth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi had just gotten back to the dorm with Ogami and Asahina after his confrontation with Asahina's date. He wasn't a violent person by nature, but even he had his limits. If there was anything he regretted about punching Fukuyama, it was the pain in his hand. The pain hadn't lessened on the way back to the dorm, so he asked Asahina and Ogami to go on ahead while he went to the infirmary.
"Tsumiki-senpai? Are you here?" he asked as he arrived at his destination.
"N-naegi-kun! Are you alright?" Tsumiki asked as she saw him clutching his hand.
"I injured my hand when I… Well, I punched Asahina's date because he was insulting her," Naegi admitted. He was a little worried about how Tsumiki would react to that. The poor girl already thought people hated her for some reason, he didn't want her to think he was violent on top of that.
"L-let me see," Tsumiki said simply. After a brief examination, she said, "Nothing is broken, but it is going to swell up. You'll want to keep icing it."
"Thank you Senpai," Naegi said.
"Does it hurt much?" Tsumiki asked.
"Not as bad as when I got shot, that was easily the worst pain I've ever been in. Getting the bullet removed was torture, apparently local anesthetics would have made Kimura-senpai's medicine less effective," Naegi said.
"Do you know where you should target someone if you want to effectively torture them?" Tsumiki asked.
Naegi was taken aback by the question, but he had used the word "torture", so he figured he was in no position to comment on it, and just said, "I don't know. I've never thought about it."
"It's simple. You can target anywhere, really. As long as you avoid fatal areas like the head and stomach. There are areas that aren't fatal but still very painful, such as the shoulders and back," Tsumiki said.
Oh, that's why it was so painful, that makes sense, Naegi thought. He knew getting shot was no laughing matter, but what Tsumiki said made him feel like less of a wimp for complaining about his shoulder when it could have been much worse. However, some feeling in the pit of Naegi's stomach told him Tsumiki wasn't done.
That feeling was proven right as she continued, "You can punch and kick those areas, or even put a cigarette out on them."
"That's oddly specific Senpai," Naegi said hoping that Tsumiki was just giving a rather morbid example.
Tsumiki, however, seemed to be lost in some memory as she said, "Repeatedly...over and over..."
"Senpai?" Naegi asked, worried for his friend.
"But ever since I arrived at Hope's Peak... Nobody has tried to do that to me," Tsumiki continued absently.
WHO WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HER! Naegi screamed in his own mind. When Naegi had punched Fukuyama, he had been angry. Now, hearing what some other human being, though he did not believe that they deserved to be called human, had done to someone like Tsumiki Mikan, he was seeing red. It was Tsumiki's voice brought him back to his senses.
"Because of that...this place is like heaven to me," she finished.
"Senpai," Naegi cried as he pulled the older girl in for a hug. Every bit of gratitude, all of his feelings of friendship, he hoped that he could convey them all to her in this gesture.
Tsumiki was surprised at first and then quietly said, "Naegi-kun... This is the first time I've ever talked about my feelings like this with someone, so please don't hate me."
"I-I won't. There's no way I'll hate you. No way I could ever hate you," Naegi said almost in tears. He had to talk to Asahina, so he tried his best not to cry, even though Tsumiki deserved someone to cry for her. But he would be back, nothing would keep him from comforting this girl, who was in so much pain before him. This girl, who by all rights should have hated the world that did this to her, but instead became one of the angels of mercy called a nurse.
"...Thank you," Tsumiki said quietly as she finally relaxed into the hug.
"Senpai…I have to go take care of something, but I'll be back, I promise. I'm here for you," Naegi said.
Tsumiki nodded and both reluctantly let go.
After speaking with Asahina, and one lecture from his mother, Naegi did find Tsumiki again. After dinner the two had spent the whole evening together.
It's not your fault, Naegi thought, It's not...Tsumiki-senpai's fault. That was definitely for certain, there was no denying it. And as Naegi watched Tsumiki smile, he swore he would find a way to help her. He hoped soon, but he knew it might be a battle to be fought later.
Hope's Peak Academy-Infirmary
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Naegi hoped he wasn't smothering Tsumiki, but because of what he had learned last night he felt the need to spend more time with the older girl. It was because of that feeling that he made his way to the infirmary after taking care of the dishes this morning. He entered to find Tsumiki engrossed in restocking medical supplies. She hadn't noticed him, so he decided to announce his presence.
"Tsumiki-senpai," he said.
"Ah! Naegi-kun!? When did you...?" she started to ask. As she pivoted to face him, she lost her footing and somehow landed in a rather…exposed position.
Naegi rushed over to make sure Tsumiki was okay and to help her to her feet. "I'm sorry Senpai, I came to hang out, not startle you. Are you alright?" Naegi asked as he knelt down and reached out a hand for her.
"Really...?" Tsumiki asked quietly. She wanted to believe him but seemed terrified to actually do it. Someone wants to spend time with me? she asked herself. She wanted to believe the best of Naegi. He had never given her a reason not to, but that didn't change the fact that people would pick on her for little to no reason. Would Naegi do the same one day?
"Of course! I told you yesterday, 'I'm here for you,'" Naegi reminded her. "You're not sick of me already, are you?" Naegi asked, jokingly.
Sadly, the joke was lost on Tsumiki. "Ah, I'm s-sorry for saying something so rude!" Tsumiki shouted. "Y-You're mad, right? You'd normally get mad right now, right?" she asked.
Naegi knew that he had screwed up. He had thought that Tsumiki had been getting at least a little better, but it seemed that anything that could be construed as negative cause her to relapse completely. "I'm sorry Tsumiki-senpai, I was trying to be funny. I'm not mad and you didn't say anything rude," Naegi explained.
"Is that...normal...?" Tsumiki asked. She was clearly confused, but Naegi had no idea what it was that was confusing her.
"Is what normal?" Naegi asked. He was sure he was about to learn about the source of Mikan's issues. Yesterday had been the beginning, but he knew there was more. Like why she offered ideas on how to torment and humiliate her.
Instead of answering she asked another question, "Why...?"
"'Why?' What?" Naegi asked.
"This is my second year, and no one is pouring water on me or throwing mud at me! You never yell at me or blame me for things. Does everyone hate me or something!? Is that why everyone isn't doing anything to me!?" Tsumiki asked.
"Senpai, I think you're confused. The reason no one does that is because they don't hate you," Naegi tried to explain. There was no going back now, Tsumiki was laying herself bare and Naegi was going to help her.
"But doesn't that mean that...they actually don't care whether I exist or not?" Tsumiki asked sounding terrified.
"Huh?" Naegi had no idea how she had come to that conclusion. He thought he would be ready for what Tsumiki would say, but he never would have expected that.
"Nobody...cares about me...!" Tsumiki wailed as she started to cry.
Naegi knew what he had to say but he needed Tsumiki to calm down first. So, he pulled her into a hug and began to rub her back. Thankfully, this gave Naegi time to process this new information. So, what scares Tsumiki-senpai the most isn't violence or being hated, but when nobody is interested in her at all. It all makes sense now. That's why Tsumiki-senpai has been trying to avoid that, no matter what, even if it means making herself a human punching bag. I can't believe I finally realized that. It seems so obvious now, Naegi mentally chided himself.
Once Tsumiki had calmed down, Naegi let go of her and said, "Tsumiki-senpai, of course everyone cares about you. For me, you're one of my irreplaceable, most precious friends, and I know that I'm not the only one. I know that maybe it seems like we aren't paying enough attention to you, but just because we have something on our minds or we have things we need to do, doesn't mean we've forgotten you. None of us could ever forget such an important friend."
"Friend...? Me...and everyone else...? I-Is that...even possible?" Tsumiki asked. She was afraid to believe it, but she wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to.
Naegi nodded. "You know you can believe me, right?" he asked.
Of course, I do. Thank you very much... I want to believe in you. Because you...are the person who has forgiven me," Tsumiki said happily.
The conversation just now, as well as the one from last night, had taken a toll on Naegi, but the fact that Tsumiki Mikan had believed that she needed to be forgiven for…what? Naegi didn't know for sure but taking what he knew now, it almost seemed like she was apologizing for being born. Naegi could feel his heart breaking at the very notion that anyone, especially Tsumiki Mikan, could think that their existence was something to apologize for. He embraced Tsumiki again, and the tears from last night finally flowed.
"Naegi-kun?" Tsumiki asked, confused.
"You haven't done anything wrong," Naegi whispered forcefully. "Tsumiki-senpai, thank you. Thank you for being my senpai. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being born. Thank you for giving me a chance to meet you. You don't need to apologize or ask for anyone's forgiveness for that. I should apologize for not helping sooner," Naegi continued through his sobs.
"Naegi-kun," Tsumiki said happily. By this time, the shock at the embrace had turned to pure joy at Naegi's words and she couldn't help but cry too. Not from sorrow or fear, but, for the first time in her life, from genuine happiness. It's okay that was born? It's okay that I exist? Tsumiki had never heard this from anyone before, but she trusted Naegi.
"I'm sorry Senpai. I had a feeling that you were hurting, but I didn't know how to help. So, I held back for weeks because I was afraid to make it worse. I'm sorry I didn't make more of an effort, I could have helped sooner," Naegi choked out through more tears.
"It's okay. You've done more for me than you could possibly know. Thank you," Tsumiki whispered.
They stayed like that for a while, Tsumiki tightening her embrace every so often to ensure that it wasn't just some wonderful dream. That there was someone out there that valued her this much. After calming down a bit, Naegi thought, I know it's difficult to change all at once...but I really want to help build her up even just a little at a time. If possible, I want to watch over her just a little longer. Because Tsumiki-senpai is my precious friend. One day she'll see just how great she is. Still, I wonder how this all started. Who would tear someone down to this point? Tsumiki-senpai may not be ready to tell me just yet, but I'll be there when she's ready.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Hall
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi was exhausted. He had been doing damage control all day. Owada and Kuzuryuu had been taking out their foul mood on random people; Souda was depressed; Asahina was defending the greatness of donuts to any who would listen; Owari had almost eaten poison ivy; and someone had put tacks in Maizono's shoes. The one thing all these had in common was one name: Saionji. Naegi figured he should have known that she would have started acting up when Koizumi went to visit her parents.
Naegi didn't expect everyone to get along 100% of the time, normal people couldn't and Ultimates, given their unique personalities, couldn't. He also didn't mind little pranks between friends. Saionji, however, never knew when to quit. Worse still, she always went out of her way to be hurtful. Naegi thought that he should talk to her the next time he saw her. She had been opening up to him lately and he was hoping that would mean that she would listen. He didn't like his chances since Koizumi couldn't control Saionji, though that might have been for lack of trying.
I'll worry about that later. Maizono-san's feet are bleeding because of those tacks and though I doubt Maizono-san would get tetanus from them, I'd feel better knowing that Tsumiki had that possibility covered. She should probably look at Maizono-san's puncture wounds anyway, Naegi thought as he made his way to the infirmary.
As he entered, he saw both Tsumiki and Saionji. Tsumiki was on a stool, looking for something in a cabinet. From Naegi's perspective, it looked like Saionji was there to help. Though, that was odd, given that Tsumiki was Saionji's favorite target. Figuring that he wouldn't get a better chance today than now, Naegi decided that he needed to discuss Saionji's behavior with her. Before Naegi could call Saionji out for her behavior though, Saionji decided to kick the stool Tsumiki was standing on.
Tsumiki lost her balance and fell but luckily, Naegi caught her. When he and Tsumiki had gotten back to their feet, Saionji said, "Nice catch, Servant."
"Is that all you have to say? Tsumiki-senpai could have really gotten hurt," Naegi scolded.
"She could have, but didn't," Saionji said dismissively.
"That doesn't make it okay, what would have happened if I hadn't been here?" Naegi asked.
"We're in the infirmary, if someone is going to get hurt, this is the best place to do it," Saionji said.
"What kind of attitude is that? Saionji-senpai, you've been acting without any regard for anyone else's wellbeing today. Owari-senpai almost ate poison ivy and Maizono-san's feet are bleeding because of you. And then-," Naegi began.
"Whatever," Saionji said as she left the room.
"Yukizome-sensei and Koizumi-senpai are going to hear about this," Naegi called after her. He sighed, she wasn't listening, and it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. Turning to Tsumiki, he asked, "Are you okay Senpai?"
"Y-yes, thank you," Tsumiki said. Thinking about how close she and Naegi had been when he caught her caused her to blush.
"Saionji-senpai is getting out of hand. I can't do anything about the pranks and-," Naegi stopped as he saw something on the infirmary counter.
"Naegi-kun? What's wrong?" Tsumiki asked.
"I think I have an idea about what to do about Saionji-senpai's dirty mouth. Senpai would you know if…"
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Tsumiki hadn't been able to find out what Naegi planned to do with the information she gave him. She couldn't understand how what she had told him would teach Saionji anything. She figured it was best to put it out of her mind. Plus, she had something to look forward to this evening.
As he and the girls became better friends, Naegi had taken it upon himself to prepare their favorite foods for dinner. Tonight, Tsumiki's favorites were on the menu and Tsumiki couldn't wait. She never doubted that Naegi was her friend, but she was always afraid that he would get tired of her. Things like this convinced her that such a thing would never happen.
Recently, she had found herself thinking of ways to keep Naegi sick or injured, but more importantly, totally dependent on her. Days like this made her think that going that far was unnecessary. Still, sometimes she would daydream of a patient with messy brown hair and an ahoge, falling in love with her as she took care of him. Her fantasy was interrupted as someone jabbed her with a fork. It was Saionji.
"Pig barf, could you not drool? It's disgusting," Saionji said.
Tsumiki checked. She had indeed been drooling. She guessed she had been enjoying her fantasy a little too much. "Sorry," Tsumiki said, embarrassed.
"Huh? What's with that half-assed apology? Apologize like you mean it," Saionji ordered.
"I-I'm sorry," Tsumiki said, louder than before.
"I don't believe you. I'm sure not going to forgive you for being a gross pig," Saionji said snidely.
"I'M SORRY!" Tsumiki screamed. She had been feeling so great and been looking forward to this so much. She didn't want Saionji to be difficult tonight. Naegi had put in extra work on dinner for her, she hoped Saionji would let her have this.
"Pig barf, why don't you get out of here before you ruin everyone's appetite?" Saionji phrased that as a question, but anyone who knew her knew it was a demand.
"B-but w-when c-can I-I…?" Tsumiki began through tears. This dinner, with all of her favorite foods, all of the effort Naegi made, there was no way Saionji didn't know this. Naegi had explained it once before. He had even made Saionji's favorites on more than one occasion and Saionji didn't want Tsumiki to have the same. It was too much. The nurse was about to stand up and run out of the dining room in tears, but a voice stopped her.
"Tsumiki-san stay where you are. Saionji-san, Tsumiki-san couldn't possibly ruin anyone's appetite," Yukizome said more forcefully than she normally would. Naegi had made good on his promise to Saionji, Yukizome had heard about her behavior and was having none of it.
"Saionji-senpai, I think you should apologize to Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi said.
"That's nice, but I don't listen to servants. Do something useful and get me a drink," Saionji ordered.
"Okay," Naegi said without a fuss.
He came back shortly and gave Saionji a glass full of what appeared to be fruit juice. Saionji took one sip and spat it back out. "BLAH! WHAT DID YOU JUST GIVE ME?!" she demanded to know.
Present Day
Naegi-kun did that for me. He stood up for me. My Naegi-kun, Tsumiki thought as she remembered what happened next.
"Naegi-onii!" Saionji called, bringing Tsumiki back to reality. "Naegi-onii, you'll watch me dance later right?" Saionji asked as she pulled on Naegi's arm to get his attention.
"I have to meet the Headmaster, but I'll try to make time to watch. I promise Senpai," Naegi said.
Saionji didn't notice the look in Tsumiki's eyes as Naegi made that promise. The look Tsumiki was giving promised the worst kind of suffering.
"You two sure got close, I was a little worried about that after what happened that one evening," Koizumi said. She too was slightly irritated by Saionji's closeness with Naegi.
"To be honest I was too," Naegi admitted. I was half convinced that I would still have detention for that. It's not like I can't understand why Saionji-senpai was the way she was, but I certainly couldn't approve of it, he thought, remembering his time as Saionji's "servant."
Saionji started pouting, "I wish everyone would forget that," Although, she thought, I guess it was bound to happen one day. Saionji couldn't help but remember her time with Naegi before that fateful dinner.
Okay, part 2 is finished. I know not much happened, but I want to save a lot for the Mikan-centric chapter I have planned for their summer break. I hope you'll all stick around for that.
This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. It's weird, I like Mikan, but the ideas wouldn't come to me as easily as the other girls. Although, part four is about Mahiru, Hiyoko, and Mikan so I plan to do something good with that.
Oh man, does Mikan need to hear what Makoto said to her or what? Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how it seemed to me after her free time events, like she thought she had to apologize for being alive. That's messed up, to put it nicely.
Hiyoko is up next, so I hope you'll join me for part three of this little mini arc.
Chapter Text
Chapter 11: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Traditional Dancer (Part 3)
Hello again, oh readers, mine. Welcome back to another chapter of "Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls." I'm glad the last chapter was well received, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Who doesn't love Mikan? I hope you will all stick around to see how I resolve the problems of her home life later, but that's a different chapter down the line.
Today, you came here for everyone's favorite Ultimate Brat, Hiyoko! Now before anyone asks, and I know I've mentioned this in previous chapters and notes, but I'll clarify it again, this is the Hiyoko who looks her age, not the female version of Yugi Moto… Yeah, I can't believe I made that comparison either, she's so bratty and he's so kind. (Hmm, Yami Hiyoko? I should stop before I get too far off topic.)
Makoto is going to have his hands full as the brattiness is strong in this one. But he's not Makoto Naegi if he doesn't at least try.
Anyway, enough stalling, on with the chapter!
Present Day
Naegi noticed Saionji pouting and gave her a pat on the head, an action that caused her to stop pouting and caused her to blush instead. To anyone who didn't know Saionji, this would have seemed odd until they learned about her personality.
Despite finally looking like a high school student, Saionji still acted like a little girl. Naegi figured that she had been getting away with acting like one for years and old habits are said to die hard.
"Ahem." Koizumi cleared her throat to get their attention. "You two certainly have the strangest bond," she noted with a strained smile on her face.
Naegi stopped patting Saionji, who in turn glared at Koizumi for interrupting her moment with Naegi. Tsumiki was still oddly silent.
"Well, one of the strangest I suppose," Naegi said as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. I'd say Enoshima and Yukizome-sensei are up there too, Naegi thought.
"Naegi-onii!" Saionji whined in embarrassment.
"Sorry Senpai, but she's right. It wasn't that long ago that I was still 'Servant' and not 'Naegi-onii,'" Naegi pointed out.
Saionji went back to pouting, but knew she couldn't disagree, she had been rather vocal about her opinion of Naegi. Still, instead of conceding that point, she just huffed and looked away.
She's still just like a little kid, Naegi thought. He had to admit, that part of Saionji could be endearing, even back when she was bossing him around.
I wish people would forget about that. It wasn't like I was that bad to Naegi-onii, right? Saionji asked herself.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Kitchen
First Day of Classes
Okay Makoto. It's your first-time making dinner for these people, but that's no reason to be nervous. Sure, some, or rather most don't really want you in this dorm and the success of this meal may change that even slightly, but that's not cause for any stress, Naegi attempted to convince himself as he proceeded to julienne a cabbage. He decided to go with what he knew, and he knew Japanese meals. He hoped it would go over well, but he was still wondering if he should have gone outside his comfort zone instead of playing it safe tonight.
Naegi didn't notice he had an audience. Saionji had come to see what her new servant was doing. She had hoped to catch him slacking off but wasn't too disappointed that she didn't when she saw that Naegi had decided to go for a more traditional dinner.
"Not bad, Servant. No bad at all," she said suddenly, causing Naegi to stop slicing cabbage and look up.
"Oh, Saionji-senpai. Is something wrong?" Naegi asked. He was a bit surprised to see the older girl here. He was almost positive that she hated him.
"Well, other than the fact that you're in our dorm, not really," she said, causing Naegi to wince. She then said, "But I'll overlook it this once since you seem to understand how amazing Japanese cuisine is."
Naegi was thankful that he seemed to have made the right choice tonight, and then explained, "My family has always taken great pride in being Japanese so we try to keep it traditional as often as we can." That wasn't to say that the Naegi family looked down on other cultures, Naegi himself certainly enjoyed learning about new places, he particularly enjoyed his grandparents' stories about their trips around the world in their youth. He kept that to himself though as he doubted Saionji would be interested.
"I might just go easy on you if that's the case," Saionji said. Not really, but you don't need to know that, she thought.
"Well…thank you Senpai," Naegi said, not really sure how to respond to that.
"You do learn fast. It looks like you already know your place," Saionji said, slightly impressed, but mostly glad that her new servant appeared to be such a push over. A few seconds later, she said, "Well, I'll leave you to it. Don't disappoint me now."
"I won't Senpai," Naegi said slightly relieved. It seemed that he had been wrong, and Saionji was more reasonable than he thought. It would take a few days, but he would learn just how wrong he was.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Fourth Day of Classes
Classes had ended for the day and Naegi had decided to make his way back to the dorm. Not right away of course, he wanted to take in the scenery. It was certainly what he expected from a school with Hope's Peak Academy's reputation; the grounds were so well maintained. There were a few spots that looked like they had been torn up. When Naegi had asked about it at dinner last night, Class 77-B pointed towards Owari. Naegi didn't ask for an explanation, he had a feeling he needed to see it to really understand. Naegi was shaken from his musing by a voice he had become quite familiar with.
"Squish! Squish!"
"Huh?" Naegi looked around and saw Saionji in the grass nearby. "Senpai, what exactly are you doing?" Naegi asked as he rushed over to Saionji.
"Hmm? I'm squishing!" Saionji responded, as though it should be obvious.
"Squishing what?" Naegi asked.
"Ant-san, of course. I'm squishing a lot of ant-sans," Saionji explained. Naegi thought that she sounded…happy.
"Come again?" Naegi asked. I guess Saionji-senpai isn't afraid of bugs. But squishing them for the fun of it? That's more something little kids do isn't it? Naegi asked himself.
"Hehe... If you squish their tummies just right, it makes this awesome sound," Saionji explained. She then asked, "Wanna do it together!?"
"Not really, but I appreciate the offer," Naegi said, attempting to decline as politely as he could. Note to self: Hide all magnifying glasses so Saionji can't roast the ants, he thought. Naegi didn't particularly care for ants, but cruelty was cruelty.
"Aww, okay," Saionji said, sounding disappointed. But she soon said, "Hmph, you wuss..."
Naegi knew she said that knowing that he could hear. Saionji-senpai's attitude doesn't match her appearance at all. She seemed a lot more reasonable the other day, he thought.
"Hey Servant, I've been thinking this ever since I first met you, but will you get mad if I say it?" Saionji asked.
"I'm not sure that I can answer that without knowing what you're going to say," Naegi answered. Naegi had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this.
"I see. Then I'm gonna say it," Saionji said with a nod. "Um, um...I've been thinking this ever since I first met you... You have a shady-looking face, and you look like the kind of person who's too lazy to try hard. And not only that, I think you're so hopeless for coming after me like some pervert!" Saionji exclaimed.
"What!" Naegi yelled in shock. His feeling was right, he didn't like it. Shady? Lazy? Pervert? Where did those come from? Naegi asked himself. Then he said, "I don't know where you got 'shady' and I don't think you can call me 'lazy' with all the work I've been putting in around the dorm. And I've never come after you."
Saionji's face fell when she heard that and then she choked out, "Ugh..."
Naegi had a bad feeling about this. "Huh?"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! You said you wouldn't get mad! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Saionji cried.
Oh crap, it's like back when I was still spoiling Komaru, Naegi panicked mentally. "S-Sorry... I'm sorry I yelled at you. Please don't cry anymore."
"Ugh...hic..." Saionji started calming down and asked, "Then...if you're really sorry, can you buy me the thing I like?"
"That was quick," Naegi accidentally blurted out. That was a mistake.
"*Sniffle*..." Saionji got ready to start crying again.
"F-Fine! What do I have to buy you!?" Naegi asked. He needed this to end.
Saionji gave him a hint. "Umm...it's shaped like a star, and it's small, and it's cute, and it's sweet."
"Confeito?" Naegi asked.
Saionji nodded silently.
Phew... At least she stopped crying, Naegi thought, relieved. "I can get confeito, that's no problem," he said.
"Just so you know, you won't find that in the school store," Saionji said.
"Huh? Really?" Naegi asked.
"Jeez Servant...you're such a pushover," Saionji gloated, "You totally promised me without realizing it was impossible...and you even got tricked by my fake crying!"
No, you definitely weren't faking those tears, Naegi thought.
"Jeez, you're so hopeless. I guess I'll go easy on you and make you bring me something else," Saionji said.
"Easy." Right, Naegi thought snarkily
"Let's see," Saionji said as she pretended to think of alternatives. "Go steal Sonia-nee's panties for me!" she ordered.
"Absolutely not," Naegi said.
"Bitch, bitch, bitch... Bring me Tanaka-nii's earring then," Saionji said. Realizing that Naegi could just ask for it, she ordered, "And you better steal it! I don't want you to borrow it!"
You...don't really want it, do you...? You're just trying to make me suffer, Naegi thought. "Just let me bring you a snack," Naegi suggested
"Aww, but they don't have anything cute at the store," Saionji whined. She continued, "I gotta have something cute like...flower candies made with refined Japanese sugar."
"I don't know if about 'cute', but I think they're really good too," Naegi said. Continuing, he asked, "You really do like traditional Japanese candy, huh?"
"Well, it's so elaborately made that it's practically art. They're so small and sparkly and cute... I love them so much. Foreign sweets are made with too much sugar, so they're perfect for uncultured idiots," Saionji said.
I-If she hadn't said that last part, I would've been impressed. But I do feel like I understand Hiyoko a little more now, Naegi thought. "If you still want that confeito, I can get it. I brought some with me from home. My family likes traditional Japanese sweets too."
"Yay! Confeito!" Saionji exclaimed in joy. She then looked right at Naegi and said, "You actually make a pretty good servant." I guess he can't be a complete waste if he enjoys confeito too, Saionji thought.
Guess that's about as close to a compliment as I'm going to get, Naegi thought with a smile. "I just need to grab it from my room, if you want to wait in the common area, I can get it right away. Just don't ruin your appetite, we haven't had dinner yet," Naegi said as he walked back to the dorm.
"Yeah, yeah," Saionji said as she followed him. He kind of reminds me of Otou-sama, she thought fondly. She quickly dismissed such thoughts. I must be going soft, she thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Old Building
Second Week of Classes-Tuesday
At the start of the second week of classes, most new students would be at least slightly familiar with the layout of their new school. However, most students weren't Ultimates and most schools weren't Hope's Peak Academy. As such, Naegi could be excused for still needing to familiarize himself with all of Hope's Peak's facilities.
He had some free time, so he decided to explore the old school building. Thanks to Mioda, he had some idea of what was in the building, but he was mostly familiar with the Music Room. He had gone through most of the floors and was now on the fifth. At the moment, he was at the entrance to the greenhouse.
Naegi was impressed at the variety of plants and was both impressed and intimidated by a particularly large plant in the center of the greenhouse. I'm curious about that massive plant, but afraid of what I'll learn, he thought as he walked through the room. He had to admit, strange flora aside, the room had quite a relaxing atmosphere.
"Yay! New flowers!" a female voice exclaimed.
"Saionji-senpai?" Naegi asked. Looking around he saw his senpai in the middle of a large group of flower beds. "I didn't know you liked flowers," Naegi said as he approached her.
"Huh!? What does that mean, you stupid, ugly, idiot!? You're so meeeeeeeeean!" Saionji yelled. She then asked, "How can you perform a traditional Japanese dance if you don't have a heart that cherishes flowers? You don't understand at all, do you?"
I understand, I just don't think I can reconcile that with reality. I know Saionji-senpai is the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, but that's easy to forget with her foul mouth and rotten attitude. If it weren't for those, she'd look perfect standing next to flowers, Naegi thought. He wasn't proud of it, but it was true. He knew that those who practiced traditional dance were individuals with their own unique personalities but reconciling the image that those dancers conjured with the reality of Saionji Hiyoko was still difficult. While Naegi was thinking this, Saionji continued.
"I love flowers 'cause they're soooo pretty! I used to play at flower gardens when I was a kid. It was lots of fun stomping them and messing them up!" she said happily.
It took Naegi a minute to process what he had just heard. "...Huh? Wait, didn't you just say that you love flowers because they're so pretty...?"
"It's fun to stomp pretty things with my feet and kick them all over the place," Saionji said as though it was obvious.
"H-How...can you think like that?" Naegi asked quietly.
If Saionji heard him, she ignored him. "Oh yeah, last year Owari-nee saw me when I was stomping flowers, too. She asked me what I was doing, but it was sooooo annoying to explain it to her. So, I told her that stomping and kicking your food before you eat it gives you a lot more protein. Then she actually started eating the flowers, but she said they didn't taste that good," Saionji said with a laugh.
The sad thing is, I can see it. I don't even know Owari-senpai that well and I know that's something that she would do, Naegi thought.
"She's seriously so stupid. Hmmmm, what should I make her do the next time I see her?" Saionji asked herself out loud. Before Naegi could object, Saionji answered her own question, "Then again...Owari-nee is gullible, so no matter what I tell her to do, it'll be too boring... It's a lot more fun to mess with Pig Barf."
By this point, Naegi knew that "Pig Barf" was Tsumiki. He didn't approve of the nickname, but he didn't know if Saionji and Tsumiki had some odd friendship or if Saionji used it out of malice. Although, there was something Naegi felt the need to ask. "Aren't they your friends?"
"Pfft! No," Saionji immediately said. She then asked, "Friends are what you call a bunch of weaklings who decide to get along and play nice, right?" When Naegi didn't answer, she continued, "The world is filled with people who exist to serve perfect humans like me. That's why I don't need friends or any close contacts."
Naegi couldn't help thinking that was sad. He couldn't imagine why Saionji thought the way she did. He hoped he would one day, that he could change her mind because that kind of thinking sounded more like someone trying to convince herself she wasn't lonely.
Whether it was to further her point or get a reaction, Saionji must have had enough of Naegi's silence and asked, "You're just my slave, got it?"
"S-Slave!?" Naegi asked, mortified.
"Hey, that's a big no-no! A slave should never talk back to their master!" Saionji scolded.
Naegi figured it was best not to argue. Although he didn't appreciate Saionji's "lessons" on how slaves should act, he couldn't help wanting to know more about Saionji's home life. He would never excuse her behavior, she was old enough to know better (she was a year older than he was after all), but he wanted to understand the behavior. At the very least, I hope it will give me more patience, he thought.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girl's Dorm Common Area
Third Week of Classes-Tuesday
Dinner had ended and everyone had gone to do their own thing for the evening. Naegi had finished the dishes and was ready to do the same, but he spotted Saionji, alone in the common area and thought now was perhaps a good time to learn more about her. When Naegi had parted with Saionji last time, the first thing he did when he had a free moment was call his maternal grandmother. She was a woman who enjoyed traditional Japanese theater. Naegi had called her to ask for a brief explanation of traditional Japanese dancing. When Naegi had mentioned Saionji, his grandmother began to list off all of the performances of a famous dancer named Saionji Nemuri, who Naegi had discovered was Saionji's grandmother. She had then proceeded to tell Naegi what she knew of the Saionji family.
Mentally preparing himself for whatever abuse he was sure was waiting for him, he called out to her. "Good evening, Saionji-senpai."
Saionji glared at him and began growling. "Grrrrr!"
Wh-what did I do? Naegi asked himself.
"I had a reaaaaal bad dream last night. The next time you casually say my last name, I'll kill you," Saionji warned.
What do those two things have to do with each other? Naegi asked himself. "Y-You should warn me about that ahead of time," Naegi said. Then he asked, "B-But...what's wrong with your last name anyway? Is it really that big of a deal?"
"I hate my last name! Everyone who shares my last name...eventually dies a crazy death!" Saionji exclaimed.
"Senpai?" Naegi asked, hoping she would clarify.
"...Oh well," Saionji sighed. "It can't be helped 'cause chosen bloodlines are always targeted by conspiracies and assassinations and stuff. When I'm the head of my family, I'll probably do similar stuff, too. Well, since Otou-sama only married into the family, I guess I can let him off easy," Saionji said.
To Naegi, it seemed as though Saionji was talking to herself, not him, but there were two words that Saionji said that stuck out to him. "C-Conspiracies...? Assassinations...?"
"Those people are just the worst! They'll put pins in kids' shoes, or scatter dead mice all over your bed... They're the type of people who'd drop stage lights on you on purpose, or poison your food... So, they totally deserve to die, right!? There's nothing lamer than being envied by people who have no talent at all!" Saionji exclaimed.
Naegi couldn't tell if Saionji was being honest or not at this point. He knew some of the older, well-established, more traditional families still dealt with the ugliness of clan politics, and from what he could learn, Saionji's family met those requirements. However, Naegi had interacted with Saionji enough times to know that she didn't believe that she could go "too far" if it meant she could amuse herself at someone else's expense. Maybe if I keep her talking, I can figure out if she's telling the truth, Naegi thought. "So, my Obaa-san on Okaa-san's side is a fan of Su-odori, and she told me that the Saionji family has been famous for Su-odori for generations," Naegi said.
Saionji just ignored Naegi's statement and asked, "Do you know about a performance called, 'The Madness of Nakazu'? It's a dance about a dad who goes crazy. But to tell you the truth, the dad's craziness is a total lie. Now why would he do something like that?"
Naegi was confused, a feeling he was becoming quite familiar with, but thought that it was best to play along. Thankfully, Naegi knew about "The Madness of Nakazu," and thus confidently answered, "He was trying to protect his daughter."
Saionji nodded and said, "That's right... The story is about a father who pretends he's crazy so he can protect his daughter from perverts. During the performance, the bad guys are punished and there's a happily-ever-after ending, but...life isn't that easy."
Naegi nodded. He wasn't sure where Saionji was going with this, but he knew that life wasn't always easy. His luck had shown him that.
"My hag grandma thinks the family name is so important that she took me away from my parents. But then again, she did take good care of me. After all, I'm the next head of the family," Saionji finally said.
"You...you don't feel lonely?" Naegi asked. He couldn't imagine the kind of pressure Saionji must feel. I guess she acts bratty to cope with it, he thought.
After a brief silence, Saionji said, "That's why it really makes me happy when you talk to me."
"Senpai…" Naegi said. As he tried to think of words of encouragement, Saionji started to laugh.
"Heh, as long as I say that, everyone gladly agrees to become my slave," Saionji said in between her laughter.
"Wha-!? H-Hold on a sec... What you said just now...how much of it was a lie?" Naegi asked as he tried to process what was happening.
"You're sooooo stupid! It'd be boring if I told you," Saionji mocked.
"Saionji-senpai, do you have any idea how worried I was for you when you told me that story?!" Naegi scolded.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Don't yell at me!" Saionji cried.
Naegi thought that she was pretending to cry, but for the sake of peace in the dorm he decided to apologize. He got what he was hoping for, he did understand Saionji a little better, but that just served to confuse and terrify him. He hoped that, given enough time, that would change.
Downtown
Fourth Week of Classes-Saturday
It was the evening of Mioda's reunion concert with her old band, Black Cherry, and two of her biggest fans made their way to the venue. Naegi had stopped by a flower shop earlier to get something to congratulate Mioda with after the show, a fact Saionji had found rather entertaining.
"Coming on a little strong aren't you, Servant? You haven't forgotten your place, have you?" Saionji asked.
Naegi would have been flustered regardless of who pointed out that he bought the roses the florist recommended, but Saionji made it much worse. "I-it's not like that," he stammered, "I-I just wanted to do something to let Mioda-senpai that I'm happy for her before we head back to the dorm." Naegi hoped that was what he would be using the flowers for. Naegi hadn't forgotten what Ikusaba had told him. She had said Enoshima wouldn't have done something like this unless she knew it would end badly for Mioda. Naegi personally believed that if anyone would give Mioda's music a chance they would enjoy it, but he had some misgivings. A club named "Black Box" didn't sound like the ideal venue for Mioda's band.
Saionji's voice soon brought him back to reality. "I hope this place has decent food. I wanna eat proper Japanese food," she griped.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Senpai," Naegi said. Naegi hated disappointing people, but he didn't see Japanese staples as being a part of the menu, if the place even served food.
"Then it's their loss," Saionji said. She continued, saying, "Rice, fish, vegetables, miso, soy sauce... I could totally live off that stuff alone. I seriously can't stand smelly, oily people who eat tons of meat! They think and act like stupid animals."
"Senpai, we're in public," Naegi said, trying to hide his face. How Saionji acted at Hope's Peak was one thing, although Naegi didn't approve of her behavior there either, but he really wished she wouldn't act like a child when they weren't on campus.
Saionji ignored him and continued to sing the praises of Japanese food, "Besides, Japan has lots of delicate, refined, high quality things." And in true Saionji fashion, she had to belittle someone, or in this case other countries. "Why do they gotta stuck up to worthless countries who can only brag about how big they are? They don't need to import anything from those stupid places."
Now, Naegi took great pride in being Japanese, but he didn't write off other countries just because they had different ways of doing things. "Senpai, that's completely uncalled for!" Naegi scolded.
"I'm just saying we should take good care of the things that are close to us," Saionji said. She then began to explain, "I know I have an old-fashioned way of thinking because I'm involved in a hobby with over 400 years of history. But what's wrong with old-fashioned things?"
"Nothing at all. I happen to enjoy a great deal of old-fashioned things and traditions," Naegi said. When Saionji had started talking, Naegi was worried about her causing a scene, but now he was happy. I think Saionji-senpai might finally be opening up to me, at least a little. She said last time was a joke, but she seems really passionate about things this time, Naegi thought.
"Of course, I don't intend to disagree with the new direction Kabuki Theater is taking these days. But I think it's a good thing to protect things that need to be protected," Saionji finished.
"You really love what you do, don't you Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"Yep! I seriously love traditional dancing, Japanese candy, and Japanese food. And as much as I love these... I seriously love stomping disgusting things!" Saionji exclaimed happily.
"Is that something you really need to mention?" Naegi deadpanned. I guess it couldn't last forever, he reasoned.
"Well, I'm sure a boring commoner like you won't understand," Saionji said dismissively.
"Senpai, you practice Su-odori, right? It's been years since I've seen a performance," Naegi said, attempting to minimize the insults Saionji could throw at him. It was true he hadn't seen any theater performance in a while. His maternal grandparents took him and Komaru to a Su-odori show years ago, and while Naegi remembered enjoying it, he couldn't help but think he could appreciate such a performance better now that he was older.
"Even if you do go see one, you're definitely just gonna fall asleep in the middle of it," Saionji said.
"Senpai, if you're the one doing the dancing, I'll make sure to stay awake," Naegi promised.
Saionji went silent at first, causing Naegi to look to make sure she was alright. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she said, "Otou-sama said the same thing, too."
"Huh?" Naegi had been caught off-guard by that. Up until this moment, Saionji had done nothing to show that she was capable of tenderness.
"Then...I'll make sure to specifically invite you to the next time I perform!" Saionji exclaimed happily.
"That sounds great Senpai!" Naegi replied with equal excitement.
"But in exchange, if you fall asleep, I'll publicly humiliate you. I'll record you when you're at your ugliest and upload it on the internet," Saionji warned.
"That won't be necessary Senpai, I'll stay awake. I'll even get you a bouquet of roses like these for after your performance. How does that sound?" Naegi asked.
Saionji froze up and said, "Don't get cocky just because I was nice to you this one time, Servant." She was blushing up a storm at Naegi's promise of flowers.
Deciding to just play along, Naegi said, "Forgive me, Saionji-sama. This lowly servant was just happy that you opened up to him."
Still blushing, Saionji said, "F-fine. I guess I'm feeling generous. I can't help but respect someone who can appreciate the finer things in life, even if he is a commoner and a servant." Saionji's newfound respect for Naegi made her think, I guess I can go easy on him once in a while.
Saionji's respect for Naegi grew even more after Mioda's show. I guess he agrees that it's a good thing to protect things that need to be protected, she thought as they escorted the sobbing Ultimate Musician back to the dorm. Saionji would spend the rest of the night trying to think of ways to make Black Cherry suffer for the way they treated Mioda if she ever saw them again.
Eleventh Week of Classes-Monday
Minato Inn-Outskirts of Aokigahara Forest
Class 77-B and Class 78 were enjoying the first full day of their vacation while the media frenzy regarding the hostage situation at the Novoselic Embassy died down. Naegi and the others were very grateful to Sonia for arranging this, and both Naegi and Owari were glad that Owari's brothers and sisters were allowed to join them. Naegi hoped that there was enough to keep Mari, Ataru, and Suguru entertained. The more things they had to occupy their time, the less likely they were to want to explore the forest.
I might be misinterpreting what Ataru-chan said, but it sounds like the kids don't know that Owari-senpai is afraid of ghosts. If Owari-senpai wants it to stay that way, I'll help her keep it that way. She does have her pride, Naegi thought as he explored the inn.
Thankfully, Owari had attempted to challenge Ikusaba, but had instead ended up sparring with Nidai again. The kids had gone to support their sister, so Naegi was free to look around by himself. He hoped Nidai and Owari didn't cause too much property damage, he didn't want to get kicked out the first full day of their vacation.
While Naegi was looking around, he came across a pouting Saionji. "Saionji-senpai, are you alright?" he asked. She looks like she's in a bad mood for some reason, he thought.
"Grr! I've been stewing over it for a while, but they seriously piss me off," Saionji answered. She then looked Naegi right in the eye and said, "You see it too, right?"
"Who are you talking about?" Naegi asked. As far as Naegi knew, the kids had been on their best behavior, so he didn't think that was it.
"Who cares!? You gotta agree with me first! Aren't you on my side!?" Saionji asked. She started pouting again and cried, "So mean! You're totally gawking at that bitch while I'm this pissed off! Ugh! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Hold on a second! Calm down! I don't know who you're talking about!" Naegi begged. Gawking at who? What is going on? Naegi asked himself.
"You...*Hic!*...should think about it...on your own...*Hic!*" Saionji sobbed.
Naegi figured that all he could do was take a guess, so he said the first name that came to mind. "Is it Sonia-senpai?" he asked.
"That's right. That bitch is getting totally carried away, right!?" Saionji asked.
Naegi may have suggested Sonia, but that didn't mean he knew what Saionji was talking about. Sonia was the one who arranged this trip, he couldn't imagine what she could have done that would have gotten someone angry at her.
Saionji ignored Naegi's silence and kept talking. "I don't care if she's a princess or a foreigner. She gets away with it 'cause you all pamper her like crazy! Especially that idiot, Souda! He's obviously an annoying, pathetic virgin!"
Pamper her? Naegi asked himself. It was true that everyone was grateful to Sonia for this trip, but Naegi wouldn't say anyone was pampering her. Although, now that he thought about it, Sonia seemed as fascinated with everything on this trip as Owari's brothers and sisters. Naegi wouldn't be shocked if this was the first vacation Sonia had ever taken. Is Saionji-senpai jealous that Sonia-senpai is getting so much attention? he asked himself.
While Naegi was mulling that over, Saionji suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Maybe I should punish him first as a lesson to the rest of you. C'mon Servant, let's go beat him up right now!"
"We can't do that," Naegi told her.
"Awwww, then how about we gang up on Sonia?" Saionji asked.
"Senpai, we can't, and shouldn't do that either," Naegi answered. Now I'm starting to think Saionji-senpai is going to get us kicked out of here, Naegi thought.
"Whaaaaaat? How boring!" Saionji shouted. Saionji started to tear up before saying, "Fine, I guess you like that stupid pig more than me. Ugh...that's why you're so cold toward me. *Sniffle*"
"Please Senpai, don't cry! I'm not trying to side with anyone. I don't even really understand the problem," Naegi explained in an attempt to pacify Saionji.
"Huh? You're not on my side...? Gh...gh..." Saionji started to cry even harder.
"Senpai, hold on! Why do you even hate Sonia-senpai? Are you sure you're not just jealous of the attention she's getting?" Naegi asked.
"Wh-Whaaaat!? Of course not!" Saionji denied, perhaps a little too quickly.
"Then Senpai, I don't understand. I would think that as an heiress you would have more in common with Sonia-senpai than not. Are you sure you can't let this go?" Naegi asked.
"No, no, no! She seriously pisses me off! If you're not on my side, then I definitely don't wanna leave her alone!" Saionji wailed.
It was times like this that Naegi wondered if Saionji was really in high school. What did she mean, if I'm not on her side? That sounds like she does want people to pay more attention to her, Naegi thought. "F-Fine...I guess I'm on your side. Seriously though...just forget about Sonia. But that doesn't mean I'm taking her side, all right!? I'm definitely siding with you!" Naegi said quickly hoping that Saionji would finally calm down.
"Really?" Saionji asked.
"Yeah," Naegi answered with a nod.
"Hehe... You're...so easy. I can't believe my fake crying tricked you again," Saionji laughed. Naegi couldn't help but notice that there were still tears in her eyes. He couldn't help but think that at least some of those tears were real.
"You're really kind-hearted. Well...in your case, I guess that's a good thing," Saionji said quietly.
"I appreciate that Senpai, it really makes me happy to hear that," Naegi said. It was true, it did make him happy that even Saionji and Koizumi seemed to be warming up to him.
"D-don't let it go to your head! Now, let's throw stones at someone!" Saionji shouted, blushing a little knowing that Naegi had heard her.
"No Senpai, let's not cause trouble and get thrown out of the inn," Naegi said. Saionji-senpai can be hard to deal with, but if she wasn't lying about her childhood, then I guess I can understand. Her poor attitude is the wall she built up around her heart. I guess it is harder to get hurt if you don't let people in, Naegi thought. More and more, he believed that Saionji was showing her true self. Maybe, one day, she would show it to everyone else.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
"Mahriu-neeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Saionji wailed as she held on to her best friend for dear life.
"Hiyoko-chan, I really need to leave," Koizumi said as she gently tried to free herself from Saionji's grip. Today was the beginning of the weekend that Koizumi's mother would be returning home from overseas. Koizumi had been excited to spend time with her mother and had planned to spend the weekend with her family, which she couldn't do if Saionji never let go of her.
"Saionji-senpai, I think that's enough," a gruff, female voice said as Ogami lifted the dancer and Ikusaba managed to pry Saionji's arms off of Koizumi.
"Thank you, Sakura-chan. Mukuro-chan," Koizumi said. Looking at a nearby clock, Koizumi then said, "If I hurry, I might still catch the next train."
"Have fun with your family this weekend, Koizumi-senpai," Naegi said as he entered the room to say good-bye to Koizumi.
"I will. Thanks, Naegi-kun," Koizumi said as she rushed out the door.
"M-Mahiru-neeeee!" Saionji said, still firmly in Ogami's grip. That look on her face reminded Naegi of a pet that believed its owner had abandoned it when said owner would merely be stepping out temporarily. It tugged at one's heartstrings, but it was unnecessary. So was Naegi's comparison apparently, because Saionji soon said, "Great, the only one in this dump I actually like is gone and I'm stuck with the rest of you."
Naegi and the others ignored Saionji's jab at them. Instead, Naegi just said, "It's just for today and tomorrow, Senpai. I'm sure you can find some way to pass the time." Naegi shuddered as he said that. He had a feeling he would regret those words.
An hour later, Saionji could be seen pouting on the couch in the common area. Once Ogami had set her down, she had planted herself in the middle of the couch and had not moved since. "I'm sure you can find some way to pass the time." What am I supposed to do? Saionji asked herself
"Sayaka-chan! Could you help Ibuki do a sound check in the Music Room?" Saionji heard Mioda call out.
"Give me a few minutes Senpai, I just need to put the finishing touches on a new song," Maizono responded.
I'd go if you asked me. What's so great about some airhead idol who flails around on stage, Saionji thought. Saionji did not like idols, she thought their dancing was not only painful to watch, but an insult to the very art of dance. Spying Maizono's shoes at the entrance, Saionji got an idea.
Running up to her room she grabbed a box of tacks. She had worried that they would go to waste, but now they could entertain her once she put them in Maizono's shoes. Saionji rushed downstairs and dumped half the box in one shoe and one half in the other. She thought that she was being rather slick until she heard someone call her.
"Oh, it's Saionji-senpai. Hi there!" Asahina said with her usual enthusiasm.
Saionji panicked, but managed to avoid dropping the now empty box and getting caught. Hiding the box in one of her sleeves, Saionji turned and, as innocently as she could, asked, "Oh, it's Asahina-nee. Did you need me for something?"
"I'm just headed to the school store for some donuts. Do you want me to pick something up for you too?" Asahina asked, none the wiser to what Saionji had been doing.
Saionji mentally sighed in relief. She hadn't been caught. Going back to her usual self, asked, "It's always donuts with you, isn't it?"
Asahina nodded happily and exclaimed, "Yeah! Donuts are super delicious. The sweet sugar, the dough's texture, eggs and butter...thinking about it makes my mouth water!"
"Hmm...yeah that sounds right. You would like crappy food like that, Asahina-nee," Saionji said, snottily.
Asahina looked like she couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Donuts!? Crappy!? The ring-shaped delicious treat that sends your taste buds to outer space!?" she asked, not believing that anyone could say anything bad about donuts.
"Outer space? How can you stand to say cringy stuff like Tanaka-nii and Yamada-nii?" Saionji asked.
"It doesn't matter if it hurts or not! I won't let anyone trash donuts as long as I live!" Asahina proclaimed.
"Obviously Japanese snacks look prettier and taste better than those boring things!" Saionji argued.
"Japanese snacks are good too. But...that doesn't mean donuts aren't!" Asahina countered. She was really starting to get frustrated with Saionji.
Seeing that she struck a nerve, Saionji decided to go in for the kill. "You think everything tastes good! You're such an airhead, Asahina-nee! You're happy as long as you can eat, right? Kyahahaha!" Saionji laughed.
"Hold on, I'm not some fatty, okay!? Geez, you say some horrible things!" Asahina yelled, turning red from embarrassment and anger.
"You're right. All the fat goes to your boobs!" Saionji added.
"You know what? Forget I asked you if you wanted anything. Last time I try to do something nice for you!" Asahina yelled as she stormed out.
Saionji breathed a sigh of relief, Asahina hadn't noticed anything. Not that hiding things from her is all that hard, Saionji thought as she disposed of the now empty box. Saionji had to admit, that was fun. As much as she wanted to see Maizono discover her "surprise," Saionji thought it would be best to leave so that Maizono and Mioda wouldn't make the connection.
"Ah well, I'm sure I can find other ways to 'pass the time,'" she said with a mischievous smirk as she left the dorm.
Saionji didn't have to look that hard or that long. Once she was outside, she spotted Owari. Remembering what she had been able to get Owari to do last year, Saionji called out to her, "Owari-nee! You'll never believe it! They planted delicious plants on the school grounds!"
Owari started drooling and asked, "Really?" Clearly, she had forgotten that Saionji had done something similar last year.
"Yeah. I don't remember what they look like though. You might have to try them all to find out," Saionji said, trying not to laugh at how gullible Owari was.
"If they're delicious, it'll be worth it," Owari said as she went over to the nearest flower bed and started stuffing flowers and weeds into her mouth.
To Saionji, the best part was the look of disgust on Owari's face after each mouthful. "Dumbass," Saionji whispered as she went to look for her next victim.
A little closer to the main building, Souda was working on a pet project of his. If a new security robot didn't show Sonia that he was sorry for what happened at the embassy, nothing would. "Alright TR3-VR, what else do you need?" he asked it.
"Probably to not look like something out of a horror movie," a female voice criticized. Souda turned to find Saionji looking at Souda's new invention. She wasn't exactly wrong. Right now, TR3-VR had spider-like legs and just a simple, rectangular body.
"He's not done yet," Souda defended. He then mumbled, "Sonia-san likes that creepy stuff, so maybe she'll like it."
"Oh, it's for Sonia-nee. Do you think maybe she'll forget that you helped those idiots take her hostage?" Saionji asked.
"I didn't know that would happen," Souda said. He did feel guilty. Sonia might have forgiven him, but that just meant that he was back to square one with her. He needed to do something to get her attention away from…
"You might be right though she might like it. If it gets her to stop praising Naegi-nii for a few seconds, I'm all for it," Saionji said, going for Souda's weakness.
Reality hit Souda like a ton of bricks, ever since the hostage situation, Sonia had been obsessed with Naegi.
Deciding to go in for the kill, Saionji then said, "If you're doing it for forgiveness, it's probably unnecessary. Sonia-nee is thrilled that she found her 'destined one.'" She made sure to put extra emphasis on "destined one."
That sent Souda off to crouch in a corner and cry about how the Lucky Students had it out for him.
That was fun, but nothing I haven't done before, Saionji thought as she looked for new targets.
She found them a little way off in the form of Owada and Kuzuryuu, who seemed to be discussing territory.
"Kuzuryuu-senpai, some of my boys have said that they're seeing a lot of yakuza activity by the harbor. They really aren't in the mood to have yakuza on their ass because someone thinks they're encroaching on territory," Owada said.
"Don't worry about it, this is something we do every year. Just tell your guys not to get in the way and to stay away from Warehouse C and nothing will happen," Kuzuryuu said trying to be as vague as possible. One never knew who was listening, after all.
"Thanks. I'm not trying to start something, but I need to take care of my boys. I'm sure you understand," Owada said.
"No, I get it. Without their loyalty, we've got nothing," Kuzuryuu replied.
"I'm surprised anyone could be loyal to such ridiculous looking leaders," Saionji said, making sure she said it loud enough for them to hear.
"Ridiculous?!" Kuzuryuu seethed.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Owada yelled.
"Nothing. Just that your guys must be ready to die from embarrassment at having a boss that looks like caricature of a 1950's biker. I mean, seriously, a pompadour?" Saionji asked snarkily.
"GRRRR!" Owada growled, knowing he couldn't hit a girl.
"Still, a 1950's biker is probably preferable to a 1920's style gangster with a baby face," Saionji said, looking sideways at Kuzuryuu.
"You're fucking dead, bitch!" Kuzuryuu shouted as he tried to lunge at Saionji, only to be grabbed by Owada.
"Look, I get it, but you can't hit girls," Owada said as Kuzuryuu struggled.
"She's asking for it!" Kuzuryuu screamed.
"I know that but…" Saionji didn't hear the rest as she left, laughing all the while. These idiots are just too easy, Saionji thought as she tried to decide what to do next.
While all of this was going on, Naegi was none the wiser to how Saionji had been using his advice. He had been in the Headmaster's Office, working out some minor details on Naegi's participation in an extracurricular activity that was still a ways off. As he was coming close to the school store, he heard Asahina's voice.
"I can't believe her. How could anyone hate donuts?"
"Asahina-san?" Naegi asked.
"Naegi-kun! You understand right? There's absolutely nothing wrong with donuts!" Asahina declared loudly, and Naegi thought she sounded angry.
"Of course not, I like donuts," Naegi agreed. When Asahina showed no signs of calming down, Naegi asked, "Asahina-san, is everything alright?"
"Saionji-senpai had the nerve, the nerve, to say donuts were 'crappy!' Then she said I'm happy as long as I can eat. Can you believe that?" she asked.
"Saionji-senpai said that? Yeah, I can believe that. Did she say that to you, or did you overhear it?" Naegi asked. While Saionji was entitled to her opinion, and Naegi knew that opinion was that Japanese snacks were superior to all others, he also had the feeling that she chose her words to insult Asahina.
"I said I was going to get donuts at the school store and asked if she wanted anything and then she insulted donuts and me!" Asahina shouted.
"I wouldn't let it get to you Asahina-san, Saionji-senpai is like that with everyone. She loves getting a rise out of people," Naegi said, trying to calm Asahina down.
"Well it worked!" Asahina exclaimed. Out of the corner of her eye, Asahina saw Ogami walk by. When she saw her friend, Asahina ran after her and asked, "Sakura-chan! What do you think of donuts?"
Naegi had a feeling that this would go on for a while. He figured that it would be best for Asahina to get this out of her system. As he was heading back to the dorm, he heard voices arguing.
"Why the fuck would you protect her!"
"I wasn't protecting shit! You just can't hurt girls!"
Naegi recognized them as Kuzuryuu and Owada. "Kuzuryuu-senpai! Owada-kun! What's wrong?" he asked.
"Stay out of this Kid!" Kuzuryuu screamed.
"Don't get involved Naegi!" Owada shouted.
"I fear they were like this when we found them," a female voice said.
Naegi looked and saw Pekoyama and Ishimaru off to the side. He had been so preoccupied with the argument he hadn't noticed the other two off to the side.
"It seems that Saionji-senpai insulted them. Kuzuryuu-senpai wanted to retaliate and Kyoudai would not let him," Ishimaru explained.
Naegi mentally sighed. Saionji-senpai? Again? I know she likes to instigate but given how temperamental these two are, someone could get hurt. Naegi was at a loss on how to fix this and before he could give the matter any thought, he heard mumbling.
"Sonia-san. *grumble* *mumble* Why not me?"
Naegi recognized Souda's voice and called out for him. "Souda-senpai!"
"Go away. Go have Sonia-san fawn over you. The brat was right, it's hopeless," Souda whined.
"Hey! He was just wanted to make sure you were alright, asshole!" Owada said as he grabbed Souda and lifted him up. Naegi saw that Souda had a vacant look in his eyes and wasn't looking at anything. Owada just saw that Souda wasn't looking at him and got angrier. "Are you looking down on me too!?" Owada asked.
"Watch it punk!" Kuzuryuu shouted at Owada.
"…" Souda said nothing.
"You could at least say 'Thank you' you bastard!" Kuzuryuu yelled at Souda.
"Souda-senpai just seems upset, I'm sure that…" Naegi began calmly.
"SHUT UP!" the two screamed.
"Let it go, Naegi-kun," Pekoyama said as she walked up to Naegi.
"Kyoudai can't resolve his anger in his normal way because Saionji-senpai is a girl and he won't allow Kuzuryuu-senpai to retaliate against Saionji-senpai either," Ishimaru explained again.
"Have they taken their anger out on anyone else?" Naegi asked, worried for Souda's safety.
"They have tried," Ishimaru said.
"We have been trying our best to prevent them from doing anything they will regret later," Pekoyama added as she and Ishimaru went to save Souda.
"What else has Saionji-senpai done today?" Naegi asked himself. After he saw Pekoyama and Ishimaru successfully rescue Souda, he went back to the dorm. He didn't have to wait long for an answer. As he went to remove his shoes, he saw some red spots on the floor. None of them were particularly large, but Naegi tell that they were fresh blood. All of them were next to Maizono's shoes.
"Maizono-san! Are you alright?" Naegi asked as he hurried to the common area. He saw Mioda and Maizono and as he suspected, Maizono's feet were bleeding.
"Makoto-chan, you need to get Mikan-chan," Mioda said.
"What happened?" Naegi asked.
"Someone put tacks in my shoes," Maizono said through gritted teeth. Naegi couldn't blame her, from what he could see, the punctures were small, but they were bleeding a lot.
"Who would do that?" Naegi asked, not really expecting an answer as he made to leave for the infirmary.
"I bet it was Saionji-senpai," Asahina declared as she arrived with Ogami in tow. Asahina then elaborated, "I saw her doing something near the shoes, but I didn't know what it was. I'm sorry Maizono-san."
"It's not your fault Asahina-san," Maizono said as she tried to smile.
"I'll go get Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi said as he left. Saionji-senpai is out of control today, he thought. On his way back to the main building, he saw various plants and flowers torn out of the ground with what appeared to be bite marks. He wanted to hurry but he couldn't help his curiosity and followed the trail. Thankfully, it wasn't exactly out of his way. He soon caught up to the source of the uprooted and half-eaten plants and saw Owari who made to grab a three-leafed plant that Naegi swore looked like…
"Owari-senpai stop! That's poison ivy!" he shouted as he ran over and held her back.
Luckily, Owari did stop and she looked up at Naegi and asked, "What do you mean 'poison ivy'?"
"It's a plant that makes you itchy. If you eat it, it can kill you," Naegi said as he helped her to her feet.
"Oh, sorry. Saionji-san said that something tasty had been planted but she couldn't tell me what it looked like, so I just tried everything," Owari explained, glad that Naegi had stopped her.
Naegi was glad too. So glad in fact, that he hugged Owari and said, "Senpai, promise me you won't eat strange things anymore. If you want to eat, just ask me to make something."
Owari was blushing up a storm from the hug, but managed to say, "Okay."
"Good. Now I need to go find Tsumiki-senpai. Maizono-san's feet are bleeding because someone put tacks in her shoes, could you help Mioda-senpai with Maizono-san in the meantime?" Naegi asked.
"You got it!" Owari exclaimed happily before heading to the dorm.
Naegi was exhausted by this point. He didn't know how much more he or anyone else could take. He only hoped that Saionji had tired herself out. He would also need to find Yukizome later, she would need to know what her student had been doing.
I'll worry about that later. Maizono-san's feet are bleeding because of those tacks and though I doubt Maizono-san would get tetanus from them, I'd feel better knowing that Tsumiki had that possibility covered. She should probably look at Maizono-san's puncture wounds anyway, Naegi thought as he made his way to the infirmary.
As he entered, he saw both Tsumiki and Saionji. Tsumiki was on a stool, looking for something in a cabinet. From Naegi's perspective, it looked like Saionji was there to help. Though, that was odd, given that Tsumiki was Saionji's favorite target. Figuring that he wouldn't get a better chance today than now, Naegi decided that he needed to discuss Saionji's behavior with her. Before Naegi could call Saionji out for her behavior though, Saionji decided to kick the stool Tsumiki was standing on.
Tsumiki lost her balance and fell but luckily, Naegi caught her. When he and Tsumiki had gotten back to their feet, Saionji said, "Nice catch, Servant."
"Is that all you have to say? Tsumiki-senpai could have really gotten hurt," Naegi scolded.
"She could have, but didn't," Saionji said dismissively.
"That doesn't make it okay, what would have happened if I hadn't been here?" Naegi asked.
"We're in the infirmary, if someone is going to get hurt, this is the best place to do it," Saionji said.
"What kind of attitude is that? Saionji-senpai, you've been acting without any regard for anyone else's wellbeing today. Owari-senpai almost ate poison ivy and Maizono-san's feet are bleeding because of you. And then-," Naegi began.
"Whatever," Saionji said as she left the room. That's enough fun for one day, she thought.
"Yukizome-sensei and Koizumi-senpai are going to hear about this," Naegi called after her. He sighed, she wasn't listening, and it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. Turning to Tsumiki, he asked, "Are you okay Senpai?"
"Y-yes, thank you," Tsumiki said, blushing.
"Saionji-senpai is getting out of hand. I can't do anything about the pranks and-," Naegi stopped as he saw something on the infirmary counter.
"Naegi-kun? What's wrong?" Tsumiki asked.
"I think I have an idea about what to do about Saionji-senpai's dirty mouth. Senpai would you know if Kimura-senpai takes requests?" Naegi asked.
"T-there sh-shouldn't be any harm in asking. I-I th-think she's in the Chemistry Lab in the old building," Tsumiki replied.
"Good, I'll go see her next," Naegi said. Remembering why he came to the infirmary, he said, "Tsumiki-senpai, Saionji-senpai put tacks in Maizono-san's shoes and now her feet are covered in puncture wounds. Could you go help her? She's in the dorm common area."
Tsumiki nodded before grabbing the supplies she thought she would need and hurrying to the dorm.
Present Day
Saionji looked down, ashamed of her old self. Sometimes she wished Owada had let Kuzuryuu hit her. It might have saved her from what happened later. It wasn't like she gave up her snarky or sarcastic comments entirely, but she had learned when to quit. Mostly.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked and saw that it was Naegi's.
"Senpai, you're shaking. Are you remembering…" Naegi trailed off, trying to find the right words for such a sensitive topic.
Saionji nodded. "If I had listened to you earlier, I could have saved us both from that experience," Saionji said as she latched on to Naegi in a hug.
Ordinarily, Koizumi and Tsumiki would have at least glared at Saionji for that display, but they had a feeling that they knew what it was that she was thinking about.
It really had all started with that one dinner…
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Saionji was rather pleased with herself. Another fun day of pranks and insults had come and gone. These plebeians weren't good for much, but they sure were entertaining. Today she didn't even have to do much; all she did was release Tanaka's animals and they took care of the rest. Sure, she got the occasional lecture from Yukizome and Koizumi, but they'd never really punish her.
There was one thing bothering her though. Tsumiki looked far too happy this evening. Of course, Saionji knew why, Naegi was making Tsumiki's favorite food for dinner tonight. Saionji had then noticed that Tsumiki did not seem focused on the world around her. In fact, that little bit of drool led Saionji to conclude that Tsumiki was lost in some fantasy. Well, she would soon put a stop to that. Huh, I guess Western style meals have their advantages after all, Saionji thought as she picked up her fork before she jabbed Tsumiki with it."Pig barf, could you not drool? It's disgusting," Saionji said loudly.
Tsumiki checked. She had indeed been drooling. She guessed she had been enjoying her fantasy a little too much. "Sorry," Tsumiki said, embarrassed.
Saionji smelled blood in the water and decided to keep going. "Huh? What's with that half-assed apology? Apologize like you mean it," Saionji ordered.
"I-I'm sorry," Tsumiki said, louder than before.
"I don't believe you. I'm sure not going to forgive you for being a gross pig," Saionji said snidely. You've been too happy lately. Not just tonight, Saionji thought.
"I'M SORRY!" Tsumiki screamed.
"Pig barf, why don't you get out of here before you ruin everyone's appetite?" Saionji phrased that as a question, but anyone who knew her knew it was a demand.
"B-but w-when c-can I-I…?" Tsumiki began through tears.
Is she getting up to leave? That's hilarious, Saionji thought as she tried to contain her laughter.
"Tsumiki-san stay where you are. Saionji-san, Tsumiki-san couldn't possibly ruin anyone's appetite," Yukizome said more forcefully than she normally would. Naegi had made good on his promise to Saionji, Yukizome had heard about her behavior and was having none of it.
"Saionji-senpai, I think you should apologize to Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi said as he entered the dining room. One last chance, Saionji-senpai. You should take it, he thought.
"That's nice, but I don't listen to servants. Do something useful and get me a drink," Saionji ordered. Don't act like you can tell me what to do and don't forget the position you're in, Saionji thought smugly. Tsumiki and Souda were her favorite targets among her class, but along with Owada, who would never retaliate, Naegi was her favorite target in Class 78. Although occasionally, her servant needed to be reminded of where he stood.
"Okay," Naegi said without a fuss.
He came back shortly and gave Saionji a glass full of what appeared to be fruit juice. Saionji took one sip and spat it back out. "BLAH! WHAT DID YOU JUST GIVE ME?!" she demanded to know.
Okay. We're leaving it there for now. The conclusion comes next, hope you are all looking forward to it! I know, I took forever. I'm sorry. I tend to slow down in the summer because yard work doesn't care that I have chapters to type.
Wow, so that's Mukuro, Sayaka, Ibuki, Sonia, Akane, Aoi, Mahiru, Mikan, and Hiyoko now. I guess those last three are only really half done but I'll count them right now anyway. That leaves us Celes, Peko, Kyoko, then a chapter with some characters I know at least some of you have been asking for, Chiaki, Yukizome, and Junko. That takes us to our summer break chapters which then leads us to the V3 girls along with Toko/Syo and Sakura. I might add Natsumi, Sato, Ruruka, Seiko, and Miaya if there is enough of a demand for them. If I forgot any, let me know.
I know! I know! I said I'd give Kazuichi a break, but it isn't my fault Hiyoko likes to make fun of him in the canon. Contrary to how I portrayed her at the end, I actually kind of like Hiyoko, I just think she doesn't get enough pushback and therefore continues to up the ante.
Now, given Hiyoko only dancing with a fan and no other props, I strongly believe that she performs Su-odori.
Su-odori ( 素踊り ) or goshugimono ( 御祝儀物 ) – this is a stripped-down version of a dance that is related to Kabuki buyō. It is performed in a formal kimono but usually without any other dance costuming or staging, with the dancer often using only a fan. The fan is the most important prop in Nihon buyō, and can be used to represent various other objects in the dance.
Admit it, Mondo looks like one of those gang members you see in the 50's movies or promoting 50's style diners. Don't get me wrong, I like Mondo, but I can't ignore that comparison. It didn't help that his brother in the English localization of DR1 sounded like someone from the cast of Grease. And yes, I know he's based on Josuke from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, but I can't look at Mondo and not see a 50's biker.
The Fuyuhiko 1920's gangster thing was because of this:
Lester Joseph Gillis (December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934), known by the alias George Nelson, better known as Baby Face Nelson, was an American bank robber in the 1930s. Gillis was given the nickname Baby Face due to his youthful appearance and small stature, although few dared call him "Baby Face" to his face. Criminal associates instead called him "Jimmy". Nelson entered into a partnership with John Dillinger, helping him escape from prison during the famed Crown Point, Indiana Jail escape, and was later labeled along with the remaining gang members as public enemy number one.
Nelson was responsible for killing more FBI agents in the line of duty (three: W. Carter Baum, Herman Hollis, and Samuel P. Cowley) than any other person. Nelson was fatally shot by FBI agents during a shootout called The Battle of Barrington.
I don't plan on going to the end of anyone's life in this story, but if I did, I wouldn't have Fuyuhiko get shot.
Anyone who has done the Zero Hour mission for Outbreak Perfected in D2 knows about TR3-VR. I have no doubt Sonia would love him.
Chapter Text
Chapter 12: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Senpais (Part 4)
Hello again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages! It's me again, your humble author, wesst1.
I don't think I've told you this lately, but you all are the best! I was worried about how the previous chapter would be received, but I am happy to see that you enjoyed it.
I started on this site with a Naruto fic and let me tell you, you cannot say anything negative about any character without being told you're bashing them. I know, different genre, but I thought maybe I did go a little harder on Hiyoko than most people probably would have liked. I shouldn't have worried, you guys know I love these characters, most of them anyway, there were a few DR3 characters I didn't like. I'm gonna try as hard as I can to be fair to them when they show up, but if I need them to be villains, then I will make them villains.
But I've rambled enough. You're here to read about how this chapter resolves the three previous chapters. Well, oh reader, mine, I hope you enjoy!
Present Day
The mood had shifted from when Naegi arrived, but that was to be expected. Though everything had worked out in the end, these next memories were unpleasant ones for Saionji. Though everything had worked out in the end, it had been a close call for her, and had things gone differently, it probably would have ended badly for Naegi too.
These memories weren't that much better for Koizumi and Tsumiki, they didn't want to think about what could have happened to their friends.
Koizumi in particular had often wondered if it all could have been avoided if she had been firmer with Saionji sooner.
Naegi was glad that he had been able to protect Saionji long enough for help to arrive, but he couldn't help wishing he had handled that one night at dinner differently. Though in the end, the worst that had happened was that Saionji had been badly shaken up and he had suffered some injuries, Naegi still blamed himself for kicking off the events that led to the situation.
Naegi felt Saionji tighten her hold on him before she said, "It wasn't your fault Naegi-onii. I'm the one who pushed my luck with the wrong people at the wrong time."
"Saionji-senpai, you know that I would never…" Naegi began as he hugged her back.
"I know that, dummy," Saionji told him. Soon, they both felt two more pairs of arms wrap around them. Koizumi and Tsumiki had decided to join the two in their moment. Ordinarily, Saionji would have been irritated, but this time she was grateful. Though this had affected the whole dorm, all four of them were the were the ones who felt the effects the most.
Hope's Peak Academy-Outside the Chemistry Lab
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi couldn't believe that he was doing this. He knew it wasn't really that bad, but given his current living situation, he wasn't sure earning the ire of one of the girls was in his best interest. Maybe I'll get lucky and not need this. I can only hope, he thought as he knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Kimura's voice called.
Naegi entered and saw Kimura along with two other people: a petite girl with strawberry blonde hair and a hat with a strawberry on top in the standard Hope's Peak uniform and a young man with a tall, lean build, pale blonde hair, sharp brown eyes, pale skin and a serious expression. He wore a red trench coat over the standard Hope's Peak Uniform.
Trying to be polite, Naegi greeted them. "Hello. I'm Naegi Makoto from Class 78," he said as he bowed.
"Oh! Naegi-kun! These are my friends and classmates. The girl is Ando Ruruka the Ultimate Confectioner and the boy is Izayoi Sonosuke the Ultimate Blacksmith," Kimura introduced.
Naegi attempted to shake hands with the two. Sonosuke did not accept and Ando placed a candy in Naegi's hand.
To say Naegi was confused would be an understatement. Looking to Kimura for help, she said, "Ruruka-chan doesn't trust anyone who won't eat her candies."
"Oh, well, thank you Ando-senpai," Naegi said as he popped the candy into his mouth. "Mmm, this is the best candy I've ever had in my life!" Naegi exclaimed.
"Of course it is," Ando said smugly.
"Naegi-kun did you need me for something? Is your shoulder alright?" Kimura asked with concern in her eyes.
"Hmm? Oh no, nothing like that but I do need your help with something," Naegi said before he explained what had brought him here.
The students from Class 76 listened, although only Kimura seemed interested. After Naegi was done, she said, "I'd be happy to help if I could, Naegi-kun, but I'm a pharmacist, not a disciplinarian."
"Well, with Saionji-senpai, I wouldn't hurt her in any way, but I'm reminded of stories my Oji-san used to tell me about his trips to America back in the 1950's. Something about how they disciplined children with foul mouths by washing their mouths out with soap. Instead of soap, I'd like to use mouthwash, as sour as you can make it if that's possible," Naegi explained.
"Mouthwash is easy, making it sour though…," Kimura trailed off. She had never really thought much about the flavor of her creations; it was always more important that the medicines worked.
"That's where I come in Seiko-chan!" Ando exclaimed as she walked over to Kimura.
"A joint project sounds like fun! When do you need this Naegi-kun?" Kimura asked, happy to be working on something with her friend.
"I don't want to rush either of you, but as soon as you can. If you can. I'm sure you're busy with it being your last year," Naegi said.
"Something like this? It's not like you asked for something challenging, come back tomorrow," Ando told him.
"Thank you. Thank you both," Naegi said with a bow.
"It's no trouble Naegi-kun. I'm always happy to help," Kimura said.
"Just don't forget, you owe us for this," Ando told him.
Naegi wasn't sure why, but the thought of owing Ando a favor scared him a little.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Ando and Kimura had been true to their word and had completed the request by the next day. Naegi had tested it himself and it was exactly what he was looking for, although he hoped he would not need to us it and that Saionji would correct her behavior on her own. Just to be safe he kept it in the kitchen, hidden away just in case he did need it.
That had been the right call since Saionji had not gotten better, she had gotten worse. Naegi could take the insults Saionji hurled at him, it wasn't really personal, she was like that with everyone. The "pranks" she had pulled on everyone else last weekend was too far though. Maizono's feet were still tender from the tacks Saionji had put in her shoes; Owari could have died if she had eaten that poison ivy; and while Kuzuryuu and Owada had not hurt anyone, there had been a few close calls. Thankfully, Asahina had calmed down quickly and Souda had bounced back from his depressed mood.
What bothered Naegi the most though, was Saionji's treatment of Tsumiki. Saionji had known Tsumiki for a year longer than Naegi, she should know what her actions and words would do to the Ultimate Nurse and she kept it up. Naegi didn't know what was worse: the possibility that he had come to know Tsumiki better than one of her classmates; or the chance that Saionji did know and did not care.
Naegi knew Saionji had a kind side to her, but her actions since the previous weekend made that very difficult to remember. So, aware that he may come to regret this later, Naegi had gone into the kitchen to get Saionji a "drink." Naegi wasn't sure which of his senpai from Class 76 he had to thank for the appearance of the mouthwash, but the color gave it the appearance of a clear fruit juice, something Saionji wouldn't be suspicious of.
Once Naegi had returned from the kitchen he gave Saionji the glass of sour mouthwash. Saionji took one sip and spat it back out. "BLAH! WHAT DID YOU JUST GIVE ME?!" she demanded to know.
"Mouthwash. I'm hoping that at the very least it does something about that mouth of yours," Naegi told her. By this time, all eyes were on the two of them.
"How dare you? Did you forget your place?" Saionji asked angrily. Naegi talking back to her combined with the sour aftertaste was had her shaking in anger.
"I haven't. And I'm prepared for whatever comes from this, but I'm done looking the other way," Naegi answered. Taking a deep breath, Naegi started to speak again, "Saionji-senpai, I believe that we've all been more than patient with you. Now I can only speak for myself, but I can't take it anymore. Other people do not exist for your amusement."
By this time, the humiliation of being scolded by someone who was beneath her had mixed with Saionji's anger causing her to shed angry tears.
Naegi felt guilty but he pressed on. "I can understand wanting attention. I can understand that you may have a reason for your attitude. If you want attention, just be honest with us. As for your attitude, you are old enough to know better. I know you've hidden behind your appearance. I know you've hidden behind enablers. I'm saying it needs to stop. Otherwise you may find yourself in trouble and it will be all your fault, and you may not believe this right now, but I would hate for anything to happen to you Saionji-senpai. Because believe it or not, I do actually think we're friends."
After Naegi took a deep breath he turned to everyone else and said, "I'm sorry I spoiled dinner for all of you. Yukizome-sensei, I'll accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate, but right now, I need some fresh air." With that, Naegi left the room and stepped outside.
The tension in the air was so thick, the girls thought that they might suffocate from it. Being used to tense situations, Ikusaba decided that it would be for the best if she broke it. "I guess that had to happen at some point, but I never thought Naegi-kun would be the one to do it."
"What?! You agree with him?!" Saionji screamed. This was embarrassing for her.
"Saionji-san, we've all tried to be patient with you. I don't know what's going on, but you have been going too far lately. As your teacher I should have stepped in and corrected your behavior last year. I thought that, as you and your classmates grew closer, you would mature on your own," Yukizome explained. The young teacher couldn't help but feel like this was her fault to some degree.
"How?" Saionji asked. She was already angry and now that it seemed that the others agreed with Naegi, Saionji just got angrier.
"Hiyoko-chan did put tacks in Sayaka-chan's shoes," Mioda said.
"I found that odd. I would have thought that they would get along considering how important dancing is to both their talents," Sonia added.
"Huh? I'd prefer it if you didn't compare my dancing with some idol's cheap frolics," Saionji said snottily.
Maizono who had been silent until now, spoke up, "Saionji-senpai, you focus on traditional dancing, so I'm sure you think very highly of it. I can respect that. I'm sure from your perspective, idols are just young amateurs dancing on stage. Even so, it's a wonderful job that brings smiles to many people's faces. That's what I think."
"And...? What about it?" Saionji asked.
"Up until last week, I would have respected your opinion. I also like to think that I can take a joke. What you did was no prank, if it hadn't been for Tsumiki-senpai's treatment and Kimura-senpai's medicine I wouldn't have been able to practice with my group last week," Maizono explained.
"Yeah, whatever," Saionji said dismissively.
"I almost ate poison ivy because of one of your 'pranks,'" Owari complained.
"If you were dumb enough to fall for it, you deserve it," Saionji said with a chuckle.
"What kind of attitude is that? Who would look after Owari-senpai's family if something happened to her?" Asahina asked, mortified.
Saionji felt slightly guilty for that, but she wasn't going to admit it and so she just huffed and crossed her arms.
The complaints kept coming: Her treatment of Souda; riling up Kuzuryuu and Owada; what she did in the infirmary; her rudeness to Asahina; and everything since then.
At this point, Saionji had had enough. "You're all a bunch of babies. Everything worked out, so what's the problem?" she asked.
"Hiyoko-chan, that's enough!" Koizumi shouted.
Saionji couldn't hide her shock. "M-mahiru-nee?" she asked looking betrayed.
"Hiyoko-chan, you owe everyone an apology for your behavior. I've stood up for you before because you're my friend, but looking back, I think you've taken advantage of that. I can't be your enabler anymore," Koizumi said. It hurt because she knew Saionji would be upset. This is for the best though. I've looked the other way too many times. Please try to understand, Hiyoko-chan, Koizumi thought.
Saionji started to tear up at that. "I thought you were my friend!" she screamed as she ran out of the room.
"Hiyoko-chan," Koizumi called after her.
"Let her go, Koizumi-san," Yukizome said.
"Sensei?" Koizumi asked.
"Let her calm down first. I'm sure she's just embarrassed and upset. I'm sure she'll come around," Yukizome said.
"Y-yeah," Koizumi said. She wasn't crazy about the idea of leaving her friend like this, but Yukizome had a point.
"Well, I need to talk to Naegi-kun. I can't refuse to punish him just because he had a point," Yukizome said as she got up.
Naegi would have to serve some detention during the next week, but Yukizome had gone easy on him since she felt responsible for not reigning in Saionji's behavior sooner. Dinner proceeded and everyone went to bed expecting things to go calm down the next day.
Hope's Peak Academy-Class 77-B Homeroom
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Having been at Hope's Peak for a year already, Class 77-B should have known that things would not calm down. The girls of 77-B hadn't said anything, but somehow, news of what had happened had spread. And while most of the class was kind enough to try to avoid discussing the events of the previous evening, one student, one of Saionji's favorite targets, found the whole thing hilarious.
"Pfft! Hahahahaha! He seriously called out the Ultimate Brat? That is awesome," Souda said as he laughed at Saionji's expense.
"Shut the hell up, you stupid ass virgin, grease monkey!" Saionji screamed as her face turned red in embarrassment.
"*Snicker* Careful, I might have to get that Naegi kid in here," Souda replied through more laughter.
"Souda-kun, t-that's eno-enough," Tsumiki said. As much as Tsumiki disliked how Saionji treated her, she still felt bad for the other girl. I don't really have a reason to stick up for her, but Saionji-san is still my classmate, she thought.
"I'm sure Hiyoko-chan feels bad enough as it is," Koizumi added. Saionji hadn't said a single word to her all morning. I'm sorry Hiyoko-chan, I wish this hadn't happened. But I can't pretend you didn't deserve some kind of punishment. We're just lucky that it was Naegi-kun and not someone dangerous, Koizumi thought.
Souda calmed down enough to say, "She couldn't possibly feel bad enough. She's been doing this crap since last year. Don't tell me any of you forgot what she did with that aphrodisiac?"
Koizumi frowned and answered, "I don't think any of us forgot, but you shouldn't make fun of her for this."
"If it were any one of us, she'd be laughing her ass off at us," Kuzuryuu said.
"Mmm," Koizumi grunted. It wasn't exactly a stretch to believe that Saionji would do something like that, but Koizumi didn't want to admit it.
"Alright, my little Rotten Oranges, take your seats!" Yukizome ordered as she entered the classroom. She had been discussing Naegi's punishment with the Headmaster, Kizakura, and, for good measure, Ishimaru. At the very least, no one could say she was going easy on Naegi even though she did agree with him.
Class had proceeded smoothly, although the atmosphere was rather subdued. Once it had ended, Saionji left without saying a word. The class had noticed, but most of them were of the mind that Saionji would get over this and be back to her normal self before too long. Tsumiki and Koizumi were some of the few that did not share that sentiment.
Tsumiki hoped that Saionji would learn something from this. She also felt guilty. Naegi had assured her that it didn't matter who Saionji picked on, he knew when he asked Kimura and Ando for the mouthwash, he would need to use it at some point, even if Saionji had been picking on someone else. That didn't mean that Tsumiki didn't feel partly responsible for the current mood. I-I need to stand up for myself more. If I had, Saionji-san wouldn't be avoiding Koizumi-san and Naegi-kun wouldn't have detention, she thought.
Koizumi was sad that Saionji was avoiding her, but she believed that the dancer had to talk to her again at some point. Until then, she would try to be patient.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fifteenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Koizumi knew she had to be patient, but it had been days since Saionji had spoken to anyone. The dancer had avoided everyone whenever she was not required to interact with people. Once classes ended Saionji would shut herself in her room.
Koizumi wasn't the only one who was worried, the mood at the dorm felt off and everyone noticed. Besides Koizumi, the two who were the most worried were Tsumiki and Naegi.
Tsumiki didn't want things to go back to how things were, but if Saionji would stop avoiding everyone, she thought it would be a small price to pay. Everyone assured her that was not necessary, but that didn't make her feel better.
Naegi had not expected Saionji to act this way. If anything, he expected her to pout for a day or two and either learn her lesson or make him her new favorite target. He knew everyone was frustrated with Saionji, but he hadn't expected their words to have this much of an impact on her. I guess this has more to do with Koizumi-senpai not siding with her than what I or any of the others said, he thought.
Right now, all three of them were outside Saionji's room. Yukizome had given Koizumi the key to Saionji's room so that she could try to talk to her friend. Tsumiki had tagged along because she was worried and Naegi had Saionji's dinner. Avoiding everyone had also involved not eating with them. She must have been eating though, the tray and the plates that Saionji's meals had been delivered on were always placed outside her door and an hour or so later they were found empty.
Naegi stood off to the side as Koizumi unlocked the door. He didn't want to make things worse by seeing Saionji when she wasn't decent, so he waited for either Koizumi or Tsumiki to let him know it was safe to enter. Koizumi motioned for him to come in, and soon all three of them were staring at Saionji's back. She was laying on the bed with her back to the others.
The only indication that Saionji was awake was when she said, "Get out."
"Hiyoko-chan, please. Enough is enough," Koizumi said.
"W-we're all w-worried about you," Tsumiki added.
"Yeah right," Saionji said dismissively.
"It's true Senpai," Naegi said.
"You. Out," Saionji ordered.
"Senpai, I'm sorry you're embarrassed, but I am not sorry that I did what I did. You are old enough to know better, and something had to happen to get you to stop," Naegi explained.
"Out!"
"Alright. I'll leave your dinner on the dresser," Naegi said as he put the tray down and left.
Once he was gone, Koizumi said, "Hiyoko-chan, I know you were embarrassed. And I know I hurt you, but none of us did what we did to be mean. Naegi-kun told me that his dad told him that people don't have time to waste scolding someone they don't care about. I thought it was weird at the time, but now I think I understand. It really was for your own good. What would have happened if you said or did something to some stranger and they turned out to be dangerous?"
Saionji was done talking and just waited for the others to leave.
"Alright. Hiyoko-chan, we'll try to give you your space. Just know that we're still your friends. We all are. That didn't change just because we got mad at you," Koizumi said as she and Tsumiki left.
When they had shut the door, Tsumiki asked, "I-is this my fault? Would it be better if I…?"
"No Mikan-chan. Looking back, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner. It's partly my fault, even when I knew Hiyoko-chan was wrong, I stood up for her. You should not have had to have put up with everything for as long as you did and I'm sorry I didn't do anything for you sooner," Koizumi said.
"Koizumi-san," Tsumiki said. It meant a lot to the young nurse that someone was apologizing to her.
"All we can really do is wait. Hiyoko-chan has to come around eventually," Koizumi said. She just hoped that "eventually" got here soon. Tsumiki did too.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Fifteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi, Koizumi, and Tsumiki were by themselves in the common area discussing a matter of great importance. That matter was, of course, Saionji. She was no longer spending all of her time in her room; she had now begun to avoid everyone.
"I didn't think Hiyoko-chan would stay mad this long," Koizumi said, depressed that her friend still refused to talk to her.
"M-maybe i-if I let her kick me or…" Tsumiki began to say.
"None of that Tsumiki-senpai. You shouldn't have to suffer just so Saionji-senpai is in a good mood," Naegi told the nurse. Turning to Koizumi, he placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Senpai, I'm sorry this is happening. I wanted to teach Saionji-senpai a lesson, not ruin friendships."
Koizumi felt her cheeks heat up at gesture before she said, "I-it's not your fault Naegi-kun. We all probably should have waited until Hiyoko-chan calmed down before we piled on."
Oblivious to the effect he was having on Koizumi, Naegi said, "That might be true, but I still kicked things off. It's only right that I take responsibility and fix it. I promise, I'll find a way to get Saionji-senpai to understand. You two will be friends again before you know it!"
Naegi's sudden burst of confidence and his promise to her caused Koizumi's blush to intensify until her face was the same color as her hair. Koizumi momentarily lost her ability to speak and just nodded. She then felt a chill run up her spine. She looked and saw Tsumiki looking at her with vacant eyes, but for some reason, that terrified her. For some reason, Koizumi felt like Tsumiki was planning to perform unspeakable acts of torture on her.
Thankfully, for Koizumi, Naegi then turned to Tsumiki and said, "And don't worry, Tsumiki-senpai, just because I'm going to try to fix things doesn't mean things will go back to the way they were. I'm sure once Saionji-senpai gets over this, things will be even better and you two will be great friends."
Happy for the attention, Tsumiki's scary look disappeared and she nodded and smiled. She was sure that she could trust Naegi's words. My Beloved wouldn't lie to me, she thought.
"Do you have a plan, Naegi-kun?" Koizumi asked. She was a little unsettled by Tsumiki's change in demeanor earlier but thought that maybe she had imagined it. Mikan-chan would never hurt anyone, it must have been my imagination. Something about Naegi-kun makes it hard for me to think clearly. I wonder if… She stopped that train of thought right there. There would be time to think about what Naegi was to her later, Saionji came first.
"Well, I need to catch her in a good mood first. If she still isn't talking to us at dinner, I'll try to make her something as a peace offering for tomorrow. It might take some work but good old-fashioned anmitsu, daifuku, dango, dorayaki, or even taiyaki might at least get her to listen. I'll need to see what we have on hand," Naegi said.
"Hiyoko-chan does love her traditional sweets," Koizumi admitted. Still, she hoped Saionji would be in a better mood this evening. I wonder what Hiyoko-chan is doing right now? Koizumi asked herself.
Meanwhile
What Saionji was doing right now was working off some anger. Today, that took the form of stomping ants. Sometimes she imagined that they were Naegi and her former "friends."
"Stupid Servant! *stomp* Stupid Pig Barf! *stomp* Stupid Mahiru-nee! *stomp*" Saionji yelled in between each stomp. She was so busy stomping ants that she didn't notice that someone had joined her.
"You're by yourself killing ants? What are you, some troubled teen?" a voice asked. Saionji looked up and saw Enoshima.
Saionji was not in the mood to be judged by Enoshima and became indignant, "Huh? Me, troubled? That's impossible...I mean, quit eavesdropping on me, you creep!"
"I wasn't eavesdropping, I'm just a girl who can hear a pin drop from 100 miles away," Enoshima said.
That nonsense explanation just annoyed Saionji further. "Ugh, seriously!? What the heck!? You're just as bad as Tanaka!" Saionji shouted.
Enoshima just kept going and said, "Geez, don't be so mean! We're blonde pigtail buddies, y'know!?"
"I don't remember being your buddy!" Saionji shouted. She had come out here to get away from everyone, she didn't need crazy balloon-breasted bimbos bothering her.
Enoshima's entire personality changed and were those…mushrooms growing out of her head? She then said, "Oh...me neither. I guess we're just overlapping characters, then...what despair."
"What's your problem!? Do you even understand what I'm saying!? We're not alike at all!" Saionji screamed. I don't want to deal with any of you. Not you! Not Servant! Not Pig Barf! And not Mahiru-nee! Saionji screamed in her mind.
Enoshima's personality shifted again. This time she was making a pose that Saionji thought she recognized from somewhere before she said, "Yes...understanding. Nothing ties us together...nothing will come of this...it's meaningless."
"Then go away! Geez!" Saionji ordered.
Enoshima shifted once again. This time, it was her normal public personality before saying, "Alright, alright. I've had my fun. I just thought that you might want this." Enoshima then handed Saionji a flyer for a tea house with tomorrow's date and a time written on it.
"What is this?" Saionji asked as she looked over the flyer.
"I just thought that you might want to get away from campus for a while. I made you a reservation at that place for a chaji. You know, show some support. Not everyone is mad at you, I found your pranks and insults hilarious," Enoshima explained while flashing her winning smile.
"Don't do things for me behind my back!" Saionji shouted. Then she became shy and said, "But, I guess I can go since you went to trouble of getting me a reservation."
"Glad to hear it! Make sure you have something special to wear for tomorrow though, you know how these things are," Enoshima said.
Saionji went back to her normal self and said, "Don't tell me what to do. Also, thanks, I guess." With that, Saionji left.
Enoshima stayed behind and once Saionji was gone, she said, "I'd warn you to be back before sunset because of how dangerous it can be, but you did say not to tell you what to do." Enoshima's smile was all teeth.
Suburb Near Hope's Peak-Tea House
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Well, I have to give that bimbo credit, this place looks pretty good. It's a little out of the way though, Saionji thought as she took in the tiny building in front of her. It had the shōji windows and sliding doors made of wooden lattice covered in a translucent Japanese paper. From what she could see of the interior, it looked to have tatami mat floors and a tokonoma alcove. Most importantly, it had simple, subdued colours and style.
As Saionji entered, she examined the other guests in attendance. Good to know some people still appreciate the old traditions, she thought happily. After she had finished her preparations, she joined the other guests outside at the waiting bench. While she was waiting, she saw that there was a group of girls her age in attendance and she suddenly wished Koizumi had come with her. She pushed that feeling aside quickly though. I'm fine on my own. It doesn't bother me in the least if a group of weaklings want to play nice together while I'm here by myself. Who needs Mahiru-nee or any of the others? Saionji's attempts to convince herself only served to depress her. It was no small relief that the hostess arrived to summon the guests for the ceremony. As she bowed to the hostess, Saionji told herself, Don't think about the idiots back at school. I'm here to take my mind off of them.
Meanwhile
Saionji may have been trying not to think about everyone back at the dorm, but there were certainly people there thinking about her. Naegi in particular was trying to prepare the desserts he had mention to Koizumi the other day. It had been going rather smoothly: he had managed to make daifuku, dango, dorayaki, and taiyaki successfully. Getting the taiyaki shaped just right was difficult but hadn't proved impossible. Naegi thought he had probably started earlier than he needed to, but when Saionji had left, she didn't say where she was going or when she would be back.
With four desserts mostly ready there was only one left, anmitsu. As Naegi went to retrieve the agar-agar he would need, his luck decided that he had been having too easy of a time. Naegi tripped on thin air and landed on the pouch of agar-agar causing it to burst open and for the powder to spill out onto the floor.
"Just my luck," Naegi said as he got to his feet and proceeded to clean up the mess. The sound of the package attracted some of the resident of the dorm as Koizumi, Tsumiki, and others came to check on Naegi.
"Naegi-kun, are you alright?" Koizumi asked. She saw that Naegi was covered in powder, but he seemed okay.
"Y-you're not hurt, a-are you?" Tsumiki asked as she tried to find any visible injuries on Naegi.
"I'm alright everyone, I just tripped. I do need to go out and get more agar-agar for the anmitsu I'm making now though," Naegi said as he finished cleaning up. Looking at his hoodie and pants, Naegi then said, "Hopefully I can change, get agar-agar, come back, and finish before Saionji-senpai comes back from wherever she went."
"Naegi-kun, I think you have the right idea, but don't you think you might be over doing it? I doubt Saionji-senpai could eat all of this," Maizono said as she looked at the desserts Naegi had already finished.
"Oh, I'm sure she can't, but I just want to be absolutely sure I have something she won't turn down," Naegi said as he left the kitchen and headed to his room to change. Before going upstairs, he said, "I hate to ask, but could you girls keep an eye on those desserts? I told Owari-senpai and Asahina-san about what I was doing so they shouldn't try to eat those, but they might think those are extra since I'm not here."
"I'll take care of it," Ikusaba told him.
"Thank you, Ikusaba-san," Naegi said with a grateful smile.
"Shall I accompany you, Darling?" Sonia asked, hoping to both get some alone time with her future husband and also experience grocery shopping with him like a normal couple.
"I appreciate the offer Sonia-senpai, but it's just agar-agar, I should be back soon," Naegi assured the princess. With that, he went to his room to put on clean clothes and grab his wallet. I hope Saionji-senpai doesn't get back before I do. I mean she shouldn't. It isn't like it should be difficult to find what I need. I wonder where she went and what she's doing, Naegi thought as he left the dorm for the nearest grocery store.
Four Hours Later
It should not have been this hard to find agar-agar, Naegi thought as he tried to get his bearings in an unfamiliar part of town. Every store he went to, agar-agar was either not stocked or sold out. While he did finally find it at an out of the way store that specialized in traditional sweets, he had absolutely no idea where he was. It seemed to be a suburban area, but it seemed a little out of the way.
Great. Saionji-senpai is probably back at the dorm already. What am I gonna do now? Naegi thought. As soon as he found someone to give him directions, he made his way towards Hope's Peak.
Meanwhile
As it turned out, Saionji had not returned to the dorm. The tea ceremony had ended a little while ago, but Saionji wasn't ready to go back to Hope's Peak. Once the ceremony had ended, Saionji had decided to get dinner somewhere rather than go back and associate with the "traitors."
Luckily for her, there was no shortage of choices for restaurants near Hope's Peak Academy. Unfortunately, any restaurants that served traditional food and didn't seem too crowded were a little out of the way. Saionji could have looked past that if it weren't for all the drunks and the poor quality of the food. On top of that, it took forever to be served food. The portions were large, but the flavor was lacking. Guess that's the secret to enjoying the food here, being shitfaced drunk, she thought snidely.
After that underwhelming meal, the sun had already begun to set. "Great! They'll all probably bitch at me for staying out so long," Saionji grumbled. Deciding not to delay the inevitable, Saionji headed back towards Hope's Peak. She hadn't noticed before, but she had a bad feeling about this part of town. It didn't look bad when the sun was up, but now that it was starting to get dark, some unsavory shops seemed to be opening for the night.
"What did I wander into?" Saionji asked herself as she looked around taking in all the shops. She was so busy looking around that she walked right into someone. She fell back and felt something wet and strong-smelling spill on her kimono.
"Ugh! Watch it!" Saionji screamed.
"Sorry 'bout that," a male voice slurred.
"You *hic* really need to watch yourself. Never know who you'll run into," another inebriated voice said before laughing at their own joke.
Saionji looked and saw two teenage boys, both red in the face, maybe slightly older than her. Bleach blonde hair, tan skin, piercings, and clear signs of being drunk. Both were stereotypical delinquents except both were on the scrawny side. Both were holding bottles of beer, with one having beer down the side of the bottle, a clear sign that it had spilled.
"You stupid punks got beer on my kimono," Saionji said, her frustration clearly overriding her common sense.
"Watch it Girly. I apologized, didn't I?" the first one asked.
"You can wash a stupid kimono, but what are you gonna do about my buddy's beer? Can't get that back," the second one said.
"You better pay to wash this 'stupid kimono' or the cops are going to hear about you losers and your underage drinking," Saionji retorted. Given that the two of them were scrawny and it was just two, Saionji thought that if she bluffed enough, they would give up and run with their tails between their legs.
"You better pay for my beer, you stuck-up, little bitch," the first delinquent said.
"I got it," the second said as he grabbed for Saionji.
Saionji tried to get away, but felt a hand enclose around her wrist before she was pulled towards the two drunks. The one who grabbed her was deceptively strong.
The first drunk rummaged around Saionji's kimono before pulling out her wallet. Opening it, he found it empty of money. "No money? Well that's too bad for you. If you'd have accepted my apology you could have been on your way, but now you had better pay me back."
"Hey Ichiro, now that I get a good look at her, she's not half-bad," the delinquent holding her said.
"L-let me go a-and I promise I won't tell the cops," Saionji said as the seriousness of the situation hit her.
"Well would you look at that, Kenji, a Hope's Peak student, and an 'Ultimate' at that," the first one, Ichiro, said as he pulled out Saionji's student ID.
"Well now, that works. A pretty, little thing like this and an 'Ultimate?' I think I know how she can pay us back," the second one, Kenji, said with a perverted grin as he and his partner dragged Saionji into a nearby alley.
"N-no! NO! SOMEO-mmmph," Saionji started to scream before Kenji covered her mouth.
"That mouth of yours isn't saving you. That mouth is what got you into this mess," Kenji told Saionji.
"Ain't no one coming for you. Don't worry. You'll love your new home. You won't have to worry about your kimono either. You'll have plenty of new clothes," Ichiro chuckled.
"Think they'll mind if we test the merchandise?" Kenji asked. He didn't wait for an answer though as he tore Saionji's kimono.
"Time to put that mouth to good use," Ichiro said as he started to fumble with his pants. He didn't get very far before a metal trash can lid hit the back of his head.
"What the-?" Kenji asked before a shopping bag filled with trash hit him in the face and he released Saionji in shock.
"Get away from Saionji-senpai!"
Naegi had gotten lost. He knew it. He wasn't too proud to admit it. He had gotten turned around somewhere and was further away from Hope's Peak than when he started. It didn't help that all the back streets looked the same. After finding someone who pointed him in the right direction, he figured he'd be back
He had been getting numerous texts asking where he was. His admirers (a detail about those girls he was oblivious to) had sent him the most. He answered each of them individually and assured them he was fine. It was when he got to the last one, a message from Ikusaba, he saw Saionji and two unsavory looking men. When he saw them grab Saionji, he typed, I think Saionji-senpai is in trouble. Need help. Possibly police. Sending location now.
Never been more grateful for WhatsApp in my life, Naegi thought as he sent the message and followed the punks and Saionji. While he was doing that, he was doing his best to scope out escape routes and anything he could use to get the punks away from Saionji. Thankfully, the alley had no shortage of garbage cans. Naegi grabbed a lid but didn't think he could throw a second one in time. Naegi looked at the shopping bad and then at the contents of the garbage can. Once he moved the agar-agar powder into a large pocket of his hoodie, after opening it, just to be safe, he held the now empty bag open and used it to scoop up some garbage. Naegi thought that this should buy him and Saionji enough time if the lid and bag hit their marks. If not, well, I'll worry about that when it happens. I need to save Saionji-senpai now, Naegi told himself as he saw one of the punks fumbling with his pants.
Time to put that mouth to good use," the punk said as Naegi tossed the metal trash can lid like a frisbee. Luckily, it hit the back of the punk's head, causing him to abandon the zipper on his pants and grab the back of his head in pain.
"What the-?" Kenji asked before Naegi threw the shopping bag filled with trash. That hit Kenji in the face and causing him to release Saionji in shock.
"Get away from Saionji-senpai!" Naegi ordered. His usual gentleness gone.
"S-servant?" Saionji said, not believing that someone had come to her rescue. Yet there he was, Naegi Makoto, the boy who had humiliated her; the boy she wanted nothing to do with five minutes ago, had come to help her. He wasn't exactly imposing, but to Saionji, he looked like a superhero.
While Kenji was trying to get garbage juice out of his eyes, Ichiro recovered and charged at Naegi. "You little bastard!" he yelled.
Naegi tossed some agar-agar powder at him and got Ichiro right in the eyes.
"Ahh! You little shit!" he yelled.
Naegi dashed for Saionji and grabbed her hand. "Senpai, we need to go now!" he yelled.
Saionji nodded and ran with Naegi down the alley and hopefully to safety. The punks soon recovered and pursued the two students. The alleys and back streets were like a labyrinth, Naegi and Saionji hoped that they could lose the two punks before they caught up, but their pursuers were faster than they looked. Saionji attempted to slow the delinquents down by knocking over whatever she could to obstruct their path.
While they managed to put some distance between themselves and the punks, Naegi and Saionji ran down another alley and with branching paths. Making a quick decision they picked a path hoping to elude their pursuers. It turned out to be the wrong decision as they soon came to a dead end.
"What *huff* do we do *puff*?" Saionji said as she tried to catch her breath.
Naegi took off his jacket and covered Saionji so that she wasn't as exposed, something Saionji was grateful for. Even while running, she had tried to hold her kimono together to preserve her modesty. "Sorry I didn't do that first Senpai, but getting away seemed more important," Naegi said as he looked around. Backtracking came with too much risk of running into the punks, so all Naegi could think to do was hide Saionji. He removed his hoodie and placed it on the ground behind some garbage cans; took out the agar-agar powder; and grabbed Saionji's shoulders and sat her on top of his hoodie. After resending their location via text, Naegi handed Saionji his phone and said, "Saionji-senpai, whatever happens don't make a sound. Ikusaba-san and the others should be here soon but keep resending our location so they can find us. I'm not going to let those two near you," Naegi said before he and Saionji heard rapid footsteps. The punks were close.
Saionji couldn't even nod to let Naegi know that she understood. I did this. I just had to insult some random drunks. If Servant, no, if Naegi-onii hadn't shown up those two would have… Saionji shuddered at that thought.
In an attempt to reassure her, Naegi ruffled her hair and smiled, as if to say, "Everything will be alright." Naegi wasn't really sure he believed that, but he wasn't going to show that to Saionji. He told Saionji he would protect her, and he would. He took a deep breath and waited. Soon the punks closed in.
"Alright you little bastard, where is the girl?" the punk who tore Saionji's kimono, Kenji, demanded to know.
Good, they didn't see Saionji-senpai. I guess they're still a little drunk, Naegi thought. Steeling himself Naegi said, "Look, gentlemen, you're both drunk, maybe you should go home and sleep it off before you do something you can't undo."
"Do we look like we ever regret anything we do?" Ichiro asked.
"I guess not, but I thought it was worth a shot," Naegi admitted as he shrugged his shoulders.
"We tried being nice, but your little girlfriend decided she wanted to be tough," Kenji said.
"I'll admit Saionji-senpai never knows when to quit, but there's no justification in the world for what you two were about to do," Naegi said, still trying to talk them both down and buy time.
"That little bitch needs to learn that there are consequences. She couldn't pay with money, so we'll make her pay in other ways. Once we're done with her, we know someone who is into traditional girls. She's got a mouth, but she can probably be trained," Ichiro said.
"Her being an 'Ultimate' should help too," Kenji added.
"So, what I'm hearing is that this isn't something that can be blamed on the booze?" Naegi asked. He hoped Saionji would remember this. With any luck this information meant that these two wouldn't get off easily.
"Enough of this shit! Tell us where the girl is!" Ichiro screamed.
"I'd never let you two near Saionji-senpai, you're both out of luck," Naegi said resolutely.
"You're the one that's out of luck, kid," Kenji said as he and his friend charged at Naegi.
Naegi decided to test his luck with another trash can lid. He threw this lid at the punks, but this time they were ready for it and dodged. Naegi didn't have time to try the agar-agar powder again, as Kenji grabbed him and slammed him against one of the alley walls. While Kenji held Naegi, Ichiro began to beat the hell out of him.
"Feel like talking now you little shit!?" Ichiro asked mockingly.
Naegi, who was now sporting a black eye, numerous bruises, and blood on his face, said, "We've got nothing to discuss."
"Wrong answer," Ichiro said as he pulled out a knife.
Saionji couldn't take anymore. "STOP! Don't hurt him!" Saionji said as she ran out from behind the trash cans.
Fortunately, Ichiro didn't get the chance to use his knife as a loud "bang" was heard and the knife was shot out of his hand.
The punks, Naegi, and Saionji looked at where the sound had come from and saw Ikusaba Mukuro glaring at the punks. She looked ready to murder those two for daring to hurt Naegi.
"Ikusaba-san. You're here," Naegi said, relieved that help had come.
Saionji was even happier than Naegi. This night had been terrifying and now it looked like it was almost over.
"Ikusaba-san, you shouldn't run off by yourself," a gruff, female voice said as Ogami Sakura appeared, with Pekoyama Peko close behind. Pekoyama said nothing as she drew her sword.
Ichiro and Kenji could see that they were caught but weren't quite ready to give up. Both of them pulled out a knife and grabbed a hostage. Ichiro grabbed Naegi while Kenji grabbed Saionji.
"Let us go or these two are fucking dead!" Ichiro screamed at the girls as he held a knife to Naegi's throat. Kenji held a knife to Saionji's throat and just nodded in agreement.
The girls glared at them before Ikusaba put down her gun and Pekoyama sheathed her katana and placed it on the ground. Ogami growled but made no move to oppose the two while her friends' lives were at risk.
Deciding to gloat a bit, Ichiro said, "That's right. We're gonna walk out of this alley and once we're gone, we may consider letting these two go."
"Shame your girlfriends weren't able to save you, runt," Kenji added with a laugh.
Their victory was short-lived though as Ichiro felt a prick on his neck and collapsed.
Kenji was so shocked he loosened his grip on Saionji before he had something smashed into his head before his world went dark.
Naegi and Saionji looked over and saw Owari, Tsumiki, and Koizumi standing behind them. Tsumiki had a rather large, almost comically so, syringe with an odd liquid in it. Naegi vaguely recalled seeing something like that in the infirmary. If he was correct, it was a muscle relaxer. Koizumi was holding what looked to be the remains of…
"Mahiru-nee, your camera!" Saionji exclaimed.
"It's just a camera. You're more important to me Hiyoko-chan," Koizumi said although she still gave the remains of her camera a sad look. She meant it of course, but Koizumi still had a lot of memories attached to the camera.
"How did you get behind us?" Naegi asked.
"Hehe, these two held onto me as I climbed over the wall," Owari said proudly.
"Thanks for coming everyone," Naegi said as he looked at all of his friends.
"Everyone at the dorm wanted to come, but some of them had to bring the police," Ikusaba said.
"When you texted that Hiyoko-chan was in trouble we got here as fast as we could," Koizumi added.
"W-wasn't Sonia-san with your group, Ikusaba-san?" Tsumiki asked.
"She was right behind us, but…" Pekoyama began.
"Step away from my friend and my Darling!" a regal voice yelled. Soon, Sonia Nevermind appeared with a rather large…bazooka? "Is it over?" Sonia asked as she saw the punks on the ground. "Darling, I'm sorry. I came as fast as I could, but I fear my weapon slowed me down," Sonia explained.
"It's fine Sonia-senpai, but don't you think a bazooka is a little extreme?" Naegi asked.
"Not at all. If lives are in danger, then I as a princess and as your future bride must…" Sonia began.
Now that the mood had changed, Saionji had time to take everything in. Everyone came to help me. Mahiru-nee destroyed her camera to save me. Pig ba-, no, Mikan-nee came after how I've treated her. Naegi-onii got hurt because of me, Saionji thought. She was safe, but she never felt worse. She had mistreated these people and they still came to help her. She had been dismissive, bratty, and petty, but her friends came because Naegi had told them she needed help. Saionji felt disgusted with her behavior. She wanted to say something, but the police showed up to take the punks away and both Saionji and Naegi were escorted to the hospital to be treated for injuries and in Saionji's case, to check for any signs of sexual assault.
Later That Night
Everyone had made it back to the dorm safely. Saionji was still a little shaken up by the events of the evening, but physically she was fine. Naegi had been treated, but Tsumiki had forced him to rest and recover and said that she would get some medicine from Kimura in the morning. Right now, Koizumi, Tsumiki, and Saionji, who had since changed into a new kimono, were in the dorm common area.
Koizumi noticed that Saionji had been quiet since she had come back to the dorm but looked like she wanted to say something.
"Hiyoko-chan, are you okay?" Koizumi asked.
Saionji broke down in tears and yelled, "I'M SORRY! I'm sorry I was mean! I-I'm sorry you had to break your camera, Mahiru-nee! I'm sorry for how I've treated you, Mikan-nee! I-I *hic* *sob*!" Two pairs of arms wrapped around Saionji, calming her down, Koizumi and Tsumiki just held onto their friend until she calmed down.
After a while, Saionji did in fact calm down. Once she had, she remembered that there was something about the night's events she didn't understand. "How did Naegi-onii find me?"
"He was buying agar-agar for anmitsu," Koizumi said. She explained that Naegi had promised to fix things between the girls and his plan involving desserts. He promised to fix things between Hiyoko-chan and I and he did. He's really brave for trying to protect Hiyoko-chan, Koizumi thought fondly. Koizumi remembered that her mother had once asked if Naegi was her boyfriend. While Koizumi had been embarrassed by the question at the time, she couldn't help but think that she wouldn't mind having Naegi as her boyfriend.
Tsumiki was quiet throughout Koizumi's explanation, but she couldn't help remembering something Naegi had said. My Beloved said things would be better than they were before. He was right. Saionji-san has never apologized before. My life is so much better with My Beloved in it, Tsumiki thought.
Saionji was touched by what she heard. He was there for me. He was doing all this work for me, she thought as her face turned red thinking of all Naegi had done and had planned to do for her. Once she had processed all of that, she said, "Naegi-onii is really amazing."
"He's certainly very reliable," Koizumi said.
"He's perfect," Tsumiki added.
"We know," another voice said. The three turned and saw Ikusaba and Naegi's other admirers.
"If you three have feelings for my Darling as well, I have a solution that I believe will make all of us happy!" Sonia said.
Present Day
The girls all had to come back to the present there. Sonia's serious offer of being Naegi's mistresses was embarrassing. Although Tsumiki's reaction had been worse. The nurse had thrown a scalpel at her classmate. Thankfully, Ikusaba had caught the implement and since then had been able to protect the girls from this new side of the Ultimate Nurse the others had dubbed "Yandere Mikan." It wouldn't have mattered if she didn't though. Naegi had done so much for them it was hard not to fall for him, even if it was dangerous.
Naegi was oblivious to all of this however, it was just him being himself. It was hardly anything praiseworthy, but if you asked his admirers, that was just part of his charm.
Reminiscing had caused Naegi to remember something important though. "Oh, those punks will be going to trial soon. We might need to testify against them," he said.
"I really don't want to have to see those two," Saionji said as she shuddered at the thought of seeing them again.
"Hey, we'll be there too, don't worry," Naegi said as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Koizumi was jealous at the attention Saionji was getting but nodded in support. Tsumiki, however, was grabbing something in the pocket of her apron. Saionji and Koizumi feared it was something sharp.
Luckily, they were saved from finding out by the arrival of one of Naegi's classmates as the large form of Yamada Hifumi ran towards the Luckster. "Naegi-dono, help! Celes-sama is going to kill us all!" he yelled.
Naegi couldn't imagine what had set Celes off, but he knew that he stood a better chance of talking her down than Yamada. He turned to his current companions and said, "Looks like Yamada-kun needs my help. I'll see you three later," before running off.
The girls weren't exactly thrilled that Naegi was going to see another one of their rivals, but they wouldn't stop him from trying to help others. Plus, they had seen Celes angry. An angry Celestia Ludenberg was almost as terrifying as…
*thunk*
A scalpel had been lodged into a nearby wall courtesy of Tsumiki. Whenever she was particularly jealous of another girl getting attention, she had discovered that throwing sharp objects helped to calm her down. That was probably another reason why Yandere Mikan had not made too many appearances lately, in addition to the threat of retaliation by Ikusaba.
"I think we should call it quits on practice for today," Koizumi said as she looked at the expression on Tsumiki's face and then at the scalpel in the concrete wall.
"Agreed" Saionji said.
"So Yamada-kun, what happened?" Naegi said as he followed Yamada to Celes's location.
"Well Naegi-dono, Celes-sama enlisted the help of Hagakure-dono and myself regarding a serious matter this morning. As you are well aware, Hagakure-dono does not always think before he speaks and…well, you might hear it as we get closer," Yamada explained.
Naegi could indeed hear screaming as he and Yamada kept going.
"I FUCKING DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN HAGAKURE!" That was indeed Celes's voice.
I would not want to be Hagakure-kun right now, he thought as he and Yamada approached the enraged gambler and cowering clairvoyant.
That's all for now, oh readers, mine.
I know some of you probably aren't too thrilled with me using an attempted rape in the story. Believe me, I would never wish something like that on my worst enemy. This was harkening back to something I had Makoto say to Hiyoko. About how she would have an attitude with the wrong people and something would happen to her. Drunk delinquents aren't exactly known for being reasonable, after all. Actually, when I was younger my Dad told me something like that. That I would "mouth off to the wrong person and get myself killed." It's brutal, but it's a very real possibility. Thankfully that never happened to me and I wasn't going to have anyone attempt to kill Saionji.
Admittedly, I was worried that it was too much, but we've seen worse canonically in Danganronpa, so I guess I'm safe on that front. This is a franchise that had Fuyuhiko threaten to send Mikan to a whorehouse and then there's poor Kotoko…I'm gonna stop right there.
So, Celes is up next, followed by Peko for those interested. Hope to see you then!
Chapter Text
Chapter 13: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Gambler
Hello once again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages! wesst1 is back in his own story!
Before we get started, I would like to congratulate Pupla on a successful relaunch of his story! Congrats Buddy, I'm with you every step of the way.
I would also like to congratulate The Overlord of Ice for their fic, "Strange Lovers," a Makoto/Akane story that I highly recommend. If you haven't read it yet, check it out and add it to your favorites/follow list.
Next, I would like to thank everyone for the positive feedback I got for the previous chapter. I honestly thought I was playing with fire there, and maybe I was, but I'd never let anything irreversibly bad happen to these characters, their canon world had enough of that already when you think about it.
But now, the focus of this chapter; your favorite Gothic Lolita Gambler and mine, Celestia Ludenberg! Or Taeko Yasuhiro if you prefer. You know, I honestly wasn't sure I'd get here. I didn't think it was a story people would be interested in. Or I'd run out of ideas. Or something else. Yeah, I worry a lot over the most trivial things. But I have great readers, and you have all kept me going. So, for the rest of the first year at Hope's Peak we have Celes, Peko, Kyoko, two chapters that I'll leave as a surprise, Chiaki, Chisa, and Junko. Then we can have some fun with their summer break, tie up a few loose ends, and come back to Hope's Peak with Sakura, Toko, the V3 girls and maybe some DR3 girls and maybe Natsumi and Sato if you all really want them.
When we last left our hero, this chapter's lovely leading lady was blowing up at Hiro over something he said. What could be bad enough to get her composure to slip? Well, oh reader, mine, let's find out!
Present Day
In his time at Hope's Peak Academy, Naegi had been through a lot. Classes, extra curriculars that involved assisting in the elementary school program, hostage situations, having his organs offered as payment for debts without his consent. There was, however, one thing he knew he could never get used to: the Jekyll and Hyde-like personality of his classmate Celestia Ludenberg. Maybe in her case it's more accurate to say Celestia Ludenberg/Yasu-, Naegi stopped that train of thought when he and Yamada approached Celes and Hagakure. Their male classmate was cowering in fear as Celes demanded he repeat whatever it was that set her off.
"NOT TALKING?! YOU HAD SO MUCH TO SAY BEFORE!" Celes screamed, her red eyes blazing with fury.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it," Hagakure said pitifully.
Yamada attempted to get Celes's attention off of Hagakure, "Celes-sama?"
"DIDN'T MEAN IT MY ASS! YOU SAID IT AT LEAST TWICE!" Celes continued to scream.
"Celes-sama!"
"I-I-I'll take it back! Please don't kill me!" Hagakure begged.
This time Naegi tried to get her attention, "Celes-san?"
Instantly Celes composed herself, almost as if her rage had just been in everyone's imagination. "Oh Naegi-kun. What brings you here?" she asked calmly.
Deciding that the best course of action would be to ignore what he had walked in on, Naegi said, "Yamada-kun tells me you needed help with something."
"Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg seems to have gone missing and I enlisted the help of some of our classmates as well as Hanamura-senpai," Celes answered.
"Hagakure-dono called Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg a 'stupid cat,'" Yamada whispered to Naegi.
Naegi nodded in understanding. That would do it, Celes-san loves that cat, he thought. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Naegi asked.
"My, my, it seems that it was the correct choice to make you one of my knights," Celes said.
"Celes-san, you know I would help even if I wasn't one of your knights," Naegi said with a smile.
Celes felt her cheeks heat up as she responded, "Y-yes, of course. No one knows more about devotion and selflessness that you Naegi-kun."
"Get back here!" a new voice shouted. All of those present turned to see a large cat carrying a gyoza dumpling in its mouth while Hanamura Teruteru chased after it.
"Hanamura-senpai," Celes said as she rang a bell, one Naegi believed he had seen in the cafeteria a few times.
"Celes-san, my apologies. I finished your dumplings, but then a cat came and swiped one. I was just about to make sure that it knows to stay out of my kitchen," Hanamura said.
"Do and you die," Celes said nonchalantly with her winning smile.
"Huh?" Hanamura was confused.
"I believe Celes-san asked for gyoza to help find Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg. Given that he was carrying a dumpling I guess it's safe to say it worked," Naegi explained.
"…" Hanamura didn't seem happy to find out that he had spent time making what was to become cat food.
"We should follow before we lose him," Naegi said as he turned to Celes and grabbed her hand.
"As much as I detest exerting myself, I will make an exception in this case," Celes said as she fought to keep her face from turning red.
As the two ran off in pursuit of Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg, the three boys looked at each other.
"All of that work…" Hanamura began.
"Getting that worked up…" Hagakure added.
"…just for a stupid cat," Yamada finished.
"I HEARD THAT!" Celes screamed.
The three boys gulped. They were not looking forward to what happened to them later.
As the two followed the cat, Naegi asked, "Has Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg been acting strange lately?"
"There have been times when he disappears, but it's never been for more than an hour or so," Celes answered.
"Don't worry Celes-san, we'll get to the bottom of this," Naegi reassured her.
"Of course," Celes said happily. I can always depend on my precious B-Rank, Celes thought as she remembered why she made Naegi a C and then B-Rank.
Naegi smiled hearing the genuine emotion in Celes's voice. I'm glad Celes-san feels comfortable enough to be herself around me. I worry about her being Celestia Ludenberg all the time, sometimes she needs to be Yasuhiro Taeko, Naegi thought as he remembered what led to Celes deeming him worthy of her secrets.
Hope's Peak Academy-Old Building
Fifth Day of Classes-Saturday After Class
Naegi had finally found time to explore campus the way he wanted. While he had appreciated the tour Mioda had given him, she had glossed over a lot. I have a basic idea of what room is on what floor but except for the Music Room, not the exact location, he told himself as he poked around on the third floor. The first room he came to appeared to be a rec room complete with a pool table, dart board, the works. As Naegi took the time to carefully examine the room, a voice caught his attention.
"Greetings. I realize that we are classmates, but I do not believe we have been properly introduced. I am Celestia Ludenberg. But I would prefer it if you called me Celes," the female voice said. Naegi turned and it was indeed Celestia Ludenberg.
"Oh yes, I'm Naegi Makoto. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, I just wasn't sure if you or any of the other girls were comfortable enough with me to introduce myself properly. I'm sorry Celes-san," Naegi said as he bowed in greeting and apology.
"Hmhmhmm, it is quite alright. You seem to have found yourself in quite the unusual situation," Celes said with a laugh.
"Thank you for being so understanding," Naegi said gratefully. Naegi then asked, "Celes-san, if I may impose on your kindness one more time there is something I would like to ask. You *are* Japanese, right?" Naegi felt odd speaking this way, but given how Celes acted, he figured proper speech and etiquette was the best way to stay on her good side while getting to know her.
"Of course. Why do you ask?" Celes asked.
"If you don't mind...could you tell me your real name?" Naegi asked.
Without missing a beat, Celes responded, "Heh-heh. I don't know what you are talking about. Celestia Ludenberg *is* my real name. But as I mentioned, I would much rather you call me Celes."
She's polite, but pretty forceful at the same time. I don't think she wants to say any more about it, Naegi thought. He then decided to go over what he was able to find out about Celes before he came to Hope's Peak, I guess the rumors in that thread were right about her. The self-styled "Celestia Ludenberg", she's the Ultimate Gambler who's never lost a bet. Other than her obvious love of Gothic Lolita clothes, everything about her is wrapped in a veil of lies. They say she entered and won an underground gambling tournament, earning the title "Queen of Liars." She totally cleaned out the other players, taking their life savings and laughing as she did it.
"I look forward to getting to know you better. Heh-heh-heh," Celes laughed as she left the Rec Room.
"I hope that we can be friend, Celes-san," Naegi called after her. Naegi wasn't lying when he said that, but he couldn't help thinking, That smile is beyond deceptive. I'd better watch myself around her. Thankfully, asking about her real name didn't seem to offend her, and she does seem interested in talking again. That's good, right? The answer to that question would have to wait until later though, he still had this floor and two others to familiarize himself with.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Naegi was exhausted and understandably so. A sniper had attempted to assassinate his senpai, Sonia Nevermind. Had Naegi not tripped on the stairs when he did, Sonia would have been right in the bullet's path and…I'd rather not think about it, Naegi thought as he shook his head. His friend was safe, but the sniper was still at large. As he sat in the dorm common area, he did not notice Celes approaching him.
"Naegi-kun, I must say, I am impressed," she said, alerting Naegi to her presence.
Naegi gave her a confused look before asking, "Impressed with what, Celes-san?" To the best of his knowledge, he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.
"Hmhmhmm, so you do not understand. Let me see if I can explain it. First though, I would like to share something with you," Celes said, amused at Naegi's confusion.
"Huh? What is it?" Naegi asked, still confused.
"My perfect gambling strategy," Celes answered simply.
"Is there really such a thing!?" Naegi asked, shock evident in his voice. How could there be a perfect strategy for games of chance.
"Of course, there is. Are you ready?" Celes asked. When Naegi nodded, she said, "Please pay attention. Whatever the game, you must have a mind for strategy. This will allow you increase your odds of winning."
Naegi nodded, that made sense, but it didn't sound perfect. Maybe Celes was just teasing him, but even if that was the case, he was happy to have a distraction from what had occurred earlier in the day.
"However, the exciting part about gambling is that there is power which can overwhelm any strategy," Celes continued, a serious look on her face.
Naegi was once again confused by his classmate's words. "There is?" he asked, hoping she would clarify.
Celes nodded and began by saying, "That power is," she paused for dramatic effect before saying, "luck."
"Luck?" Naegi asked. There had to be more to it, either that or, and Naegi knew he should have suspected this from the start, Celes was teasing him.
With a serious expression on her face, Celes nodded and explained. "There are only two types of luck—good and bad. There is no in-between. And that luck is built into every human at the moment of conception. Like a computer program. Some call it fate. The bottom line is luck is life. Do you see what I am saying?"
"You mean... that's your 'perfect strategy'?" Naegi asked. All that build up for something so underwhelming, Naegi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"Correct. You see. I was programmed to have good luck when it comes to gambling. This is why I have never lost," Celes told him. Her tone was even, but Naegi had the suspicion that Celes was boasting.
So that's all there is to it? Naegi asked himself, knowing that he couldn't actually answer. He would have passed the who thing off as a joke at his expense if not for the next words Celes spoke.
"You are the Ultimate Lucky Student, yes? Does this perhaps exceed my own luck? One day, I hope to put that to the test," Celes told him. Her voice never changed but Naegi knew a challenge when he heard one.
"I'd say my life's been more bad luck than good lately. Gambling's probably not a great idea for me, Celes-san," Naegi said.
"I wonder, would Princess Sonia say the same?" Celes mused. The luck that saved a life today, I must know more about it, she thought.
Naegi really didn't have an answer for that. Sure, when he tripped Sonia had been there, but shouldn't that mean that Celes should be having this discussion with Sonia instead. It sounded like literally dodging a bullet had more to do with Sonia's luck than his own.
"Hmhmm. Well then, have a nice day," Celes said before she quietly disappeared.
Was Celes-san trying to help? I guess I didn't hide that I was worried. Maybe Celes-san is actually a very kind person when she isn't gambling, Naegi thought.
Minato Inn
Eleventh Week of Classes-Tuesday
Naegi had to admit, Sonia's idea was brilliant. After the events at the Novoselic Embassy, he really did need a break and he was sure she (as well as Souda and Tanaka) did too. He was also glad that Owari's younger brothers and sisters were able to come. While most would say that looking after so many children was stressful, and it was, to Naegi, there was something relaxing about having them around too.
"Mako-nii! Come on!" Owari Ataru demanded as he tugged on Naegi's sleeve with surprising strength for a six-year-old.
Well, it was usually relaxing. Naegi was with the three youngest Owari children: Mari, Ataru, and Suguru. The four of them were on their way to the inn's game room, the three children excited to play with their Mako-nii. When they arrived, they were treated to the sight of ping pong tables, a pinball machine, any boardgame imaginable, and…
"Celes-san?" Naegi asked, finding his classmate by herself.
"Ah, hello Naegi-kun. Hello children," Celes greeted, her usual mysterious smile on her face.
"Hello Celes-nee-sama," the kids said as they bowed.
"Hmhmhmm, adorable. Has 'Mako-nii' been teaching you manners?" Celes asked, amused by how polite the youngest siblings of her wild senpai were.
"Hai," they answered. Truthfully though, Celes made them a little nervous. Naegi had assured them that Celes was a kind person and they believed him, but she did like to tease them, and they couldn't tell if she liked them very much.
Celes, having decided to go easy on the children, turned her attention to her classmate and asked, "Naegi-kun...do you like mahjong?"
"Umm... I've never actually played," Naegi admitted.
"Is that so? A pity. I was hoping we might play together," Celes said. Her voice was as calm as ever, but Naegi thought he picked up on some disappointment.
"Are you good at it?" Naegi asked.
"Good? No, I am not merely good. I once played a game of Russian roulette mahjong and won," Celes told him.
"Russian roulette...?" Naegi asked, although he hoped that Celes wouldn't go into too much detail. Judging by the confused looks on the children's faces, he would probably have to explain Russian roulette to them. He was hoping that the rest of Celes's story was appropriate for children.
"It was a truly fierce contest, put on by a half-insane billionaire in the basement of his mansion," Celes began. "My opponents were a fierce old man and a silver-haired boy who was said to have the devil's own luck. We played with a modified rule set. I remember well the glass tiles we used..." she trailed off. Naegi could tell she was enjoying the memory
"Celes-nee-sama, did you win?" Suguru asked.
Celes looked at the five-year-old boy and said, "I defeated them both at once. I will never forget the angry, twisted looks on their faces. The crowd that been invited to watch became positively riotous. Nobody could believe I had won." Celes then started to laugh a bit, "Hmhmhm. That is one of my fonder memories."
Just before Naegi could respond, Celes began to leave saying, "I was looking forward to testing my luck against the luck that made Naegi-kun a hero, but I suppose there are other ways. Good day children. Naegi-kun." I'll see it someday, but before that…maybe I should reevaluate Naegi-kun. He seems to understand devotion and self-sacrifice, perhaps he would make a good knight, Celes thought.
Once Celes had left, seven-year-old Mari turned to Naegi and said, "Mako-nii, I don't think you should play mahjong with Celes-nee-sama."
"Honestly Mari-chan, neither do I," Naegi said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"What's 'Russian ruu-, Russian roll…?" Ataru began to ask, finding the pronunciation of "roulette" difficult.
Naegi wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that Celes told that story just to put him in this position. I can't tell if she's my friend or if I'm just a cheap source of entertainment, Naegi thought as he tried his best to explain Russian roulette to the children in an appropriate way.
Hope's Peak Academy-Cafeteria
Twelfth Week of Classes
"Celestia Ludenberg. Celestia... Ludenberg..." Most people would have found it odd that Celes was in the middle of the cafeteria saying her own name, and even Celes would admit that it was. Unlike most people, however, Celes felt the need remind herself that she was Celestia Ludenberg and not Yasu-, No, I am Celestia Ludenberg. No other name is good enough, Celes mentally scolded herself.
"What are you doing?" a concerned voice asked. While Celes had been lost in her own head, Naegi had come to check on her.
Collecting herself, Celes explained, "No matter how many times I hear it, I never tire of hearing my own name. Isn't it so splendidly charming?"
"It is beautiful, but I'm a little curious…why that name?" Naegi asked.
Celes stared at Naegi for a few seconds before asking a question of her own, "Why?"
Naegi elaborated, "I mean, is it from something? Why'd you pick it?"
"I did not pick it. My name was given to me by my mother and father," Celes said more than a little forcefully.
"So that is your real name?" Naegi asked. He knew it would be unlikely that he could trip up someone called the "Queen of Liars" but he asked anyway. He was torn. Naegi wanted to respect his classmate's privacy, but he believed that he couldn't understand her if he didn't know the truth.
"It is, indeed, my real name. Make no mistake about that," Celes said, matter-of-factly.
Deciding to switch tactics, Naegi then asked, "Okay so your parents gave you that name?"
Celes nodded and said, "That is right. My father is French nobility, and my mother is part of a German family of musicians."
There's no way that's true, Naegi thought. Naegi had a feeling that he wasn't going to get anything useful out of this conversation but decided to continue anyway. "Alright, so were you born in France or Germany?"
Celes decided to throw Naegi a curveball and answer truthfully, "Tochigi. I was born in the capital of Tochigi, which is known for its delicious gyoza." Celes had found that adding just a few bits of truth made her lies more believable.
"Utsunomiya," Naegi said.
"That is correct. You have proven you are roughly as intelligent as an elementary school student," Celes responded.
I guess I deserve that for prying, Naegi thought.
"You may be surprised to learn that I absolutely adore gyoza. I love its stench, its base vulgarity," Celes told him. That was true too. She was actually hungry for gyoza at the moment but had not found a place that met her standards. For restaurants or for gyoza. And although she had no doubts about Hanamura's abilities in the kitchen but asking him was out of the question. He was Hanamura Teruteru, that was all that needed to be said.
"If you like gyoza I know a place," Naegi said.
"Oh?" Celes asked. She doubted the place would be good enough for her, but she would at least hear Naegi out.
"Yeah, Asahina-san and I had coupons for this place called 'Spicy Ramen.' If you don't want ramen then I can at get some gyoza to go," Naegi suggested.
It was a sweet offer, as Celes would expect from Naegi and he seemed to understand that Celestia Ludenberg did not go to ramen shops. Another girl, one with a plain, unspeakable name did, but not Celestia. Still, she supposed that Naegi would not think less of her if she indulged in the pleasures of the plain. "I will think about it. Perhaps I will take you up on that offer one day," Celes said.
Naegi smiled. This conversation didn't get him as close to the truth as he would like, but he had gotten closer to Celes. Celes was happy too. Although he wasn't a vampire butler, she had to admit that she enjoyed Naegi's company. He does have a certain charm, Celes thought as she felt her cheeks warm slightly.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fifteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
It had only been two days since Naegi had used his "secret weapon" on Saionji and while most had decided to give the situation more time, Naegi was not one of them. He probably would have felt a little better if Saionji wasn't avoiding Koizumi, but because of that Naegi felt like he had done major damage to their friendship.
I think I did the right thing, but I never wanted this to happen, Naegi thought. He had only expected Saionji to get mad at him, not the entire dorm. Unfortunately, he now knew that he was not the only one who had been fed up with Saionji. Moping wasn't like him; his optimism was his only redeeming quality if you asked him. The only bright side he could see for this was that he didn't get worse than detention for what happened at dinner two nights ago. Naegi soon got a distraction in the form of his classmate.
"Hello, Naegi-kun. I must say, I am quite troubled," Celes said gaining Naegi's attention.
"I'll help if I can Celes-san. What seems to be the problem?" Naegi asked.
"I'd like you to teach me something," Celes said simply.
"What?" Naegi asked as he tilted his head to the side, a clear sign of confusion.
"I want you to teach me how to play shogi," Celes told him.
Naegi hated that he couldn't help, but he wouldn't lie to his classmate. "Oh, uh... Sorry, I don't know how to play, either."
"I see... You really are useless, aren't you?" Celes asked. Naegi didn't hear any annoyance in her voice. On the contrary, Celes's voice had a teasing tone to it.
"Okay, ouch... But I'm surprised you don't know how to play. Is it because there's no shogi gambling circuit?" Naegi asked, trying not to be offended at being called "useless."
"Oh, there most certainly is," Celes quickly corrected him.
"What, really?" Naegi asked. He couldn't see how that could work. Shogi tournaments aren't exactly short. Do you bet on the players? Do you ante before every move? Naegi continued to ask himself questions before deciding that maybe it was too confusing to think about.
"It is all underground. It is rather shady, all things considered. I have tried my own hand at it, naturally," Celes said.
"Wait, even though you don't know how to play?" Naegi asked. High-risk, high reward was one thing, but Naegi couldn't help thinking that entering a tournament based around a game she had never played was risky even for the greatest gambler in the world.
"That is why I wish to learn now," Celes explained. Her next comments were directed more at herself than Naegi, "I placed my pieces on the board without even thinking. What on Earth was I doing?"
Naegi was unable to wrap his head around Celes's thought process and just to be clear he understood, he asked, "And you still tried to win an underground shogi tournament?"
"Tried? Oh, no. I did win," Celes said as if that should be obvious.
"You won!?" Naegi asked in shock.
"I didn't really understand, but apparently my final opponent was infamously powerful. She was...rather odd. She was a voluptuous woman dressed as an exotic French maid," Celes told him.
Naegi decided not to point out Celes's own preference for Gothic Lolita style clothes and instead asked, "But... how did you win?"
"Beginner's luck, perhaps?" Celes wondered aloud. Naegi couldn't help but think she was just trying to be mysterious.
"I don't think beginner's luck works in shogi," Naegi said simply.
"Hmhmhm. Is that so?" Celes questioned with a laugh.
Yup. The more I learn about Celeste, the less I understand her, Naegi thought. As Naegi tried to make sense of what Celes had told him, he realized something. I haven't been stressing over Saionji-senpai since Celes-san came to talk to me. Did she…? "Celes-san…Thank you," Naegi said.
"Whatever are you thanking me for? I simply came to ask that you teach me to play shogi and I know just as much now as I did before," Celes said as she turned to leave.
Naegi couldn't help thinking he had seen a small smile on her face as she left. Intentional or not, Celes had helped him. He may not understand her now, but he believed that he would one day.
Downtown Near Hope's Peak
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Monday
It was thanks to Kimura's medicines that Naegi was able to attend classes on Monday. Or rather, he was able to do so without anyone who wasn't in the alley the previous evening asking questions. He didn't really care too much about the injuries so much as he did about explaining how he got them, which would involve telling people what Saionji had gone through the previous evening. Saionji hadn't forbidden anyone from discussing it, but Naegi thought that she should be the one to tell the story, not him. Thankfully, that story had yet to reach anyone besides himself and the other occupants of the Girls' Dorm.
He was prepared for a normal day after the previous evening, so it came as a surprise to him that one of his classmates, Hagakure Yasuhiro, had said he needed help with something and begged Naegi to follow him. Naegi, being Naegi, had agreed without giving the matter much thought. While Naegi still remembered Ikusaba's warning about Enoshima, Naegi didn't believe that anyone at school, classmate, senpai, or teacher, would put him at risk willingly. So, it came as a rather large surprise to Naegi when Hagakure led him to an alley near campus where someone Naegi could only describe as a female version of Kuzuryuu and four men that, if one of them men's missing pinky finger was anything to go by, appeared to be yakuza.
"Hagakure-kun, what's going on?" Naegi asked now wishing he had declined the request.
"Don't worry, Naegi-chi, I've got it all under control," Hagakure whispered. This did little to reassure Naegi, especially since Hagakure seemed to be sweating uncontrollably.
The girl saw that and must have assumed Hagakure was going to try something because she soon said, "Alright you fucking fraud, I've been more than patient with you. I won't even count those three years you spent hiding like a massive pussy against you. But I want my money and I want it now!"
Hagakure paled and began to stutter, "I-I-I d-d-don't ex-exactly h-h-have it. B-but m-my friend here sh-should be mo-more than enough to c-cover it. I-I'm s-s-sure his organs w-will be worth e-enough to c-cover it."
"WHAT?!" Naegi shouted. When Hagakure said he needed help this was not what he had in mind.
The girl sighed and said, "It's my fault, I guess. Little bitch boys like you just can't act like real men. But I never thought you'd sell someone else out for your screw up."
"B-but I-I didn't screw up! Y-you got into Hope's Peak!" Hagakure defended.
"In the Reserve Course!" the girl seethed. That's why her uniform looks familiar, Naegi thought. Naegi knew about the Reserve Course, and he didn't like it. Just because those students didn't have a talent that was considered "Ultimate" level didn't mean that they were talentless, no one had a right to decide that, not even Hope's Peak Academy. Even though he was sure he was in mortal danger, Naegi couldn't help feeling sympathy for this girl and her peers.
"I-it's true that y-you aren't a-an 'Ultimate' b-but y-you're still at Hope's Peak," Hagakure said. Naegi had no idea why he had said that. Perhaps Hagakure was worried about his reputation at the worst possible time but Naegi knew this would only serve to make the situation worse.
The girl didn't yell, but instead gave an order in a calm voice. Despite how she sounded, her rage came across loud and clear, "Kill this fucker."
"W-wait! Please," Naegi begged. Hagakure wasn't his favorite person right now, but Naegi saw no need for him to die. "He has money. Hagakure-kun, will you just pay her? You told me about the money you have saved."
"No way. That's for my retirement and my OOParts!" Hagakure shouted.
"I've had enough. Kid, walk away, or I'll have my boys kill you both," the girl warned.
"I, I can't just let you kill Hagakure-kun," Naegi declared. Even though he probably has it coming, a darker part of Naegi's mind added.
"Boys!" the girl shouted.
As the men charged forward a blur shot forward and took out the four men in almost no time at all. Once the last one hit the ground the blur stopped and revealed itself to be Ikusaba Mukuro.
"Ikusaba-san!" Naegi shouted in joy. He felt bad that she had to save him twice in as many days, but he wasn't going to complain now.
"Naegi-kun, we need to talk about how trusting you are. This experience should be enough to prove to you that some are all too willing to take advantage of that," Ikusaba said, not even acknowledging Hagakure who looked as though Christmas had come early and he had gotten everything he had asked for.
Ikusaba turned to the girl and said, "Naegi Makoto isn't involved in whatever business you have with Hagakure Yasuhiro. I would appreciate it if you left him out of it."
"He got involved when he defended that lying sack of shit," the girl shot back.
Ikusaba sighed, shook her head, and said, "Of course he did. I'm sure there is a more peaceful solution."
"We are well past that point. That asshole had better have what he owes me by the end of the year or he's dead," the girl said as she walked away. She stood no chance against someone who could do that to her boys in such a short amount of time.
"Ikusaba-chi, thanks for the sav-," Hagakure never got to finish as Ikusaba punched him in the stomach causing him to hunch over in pain.
"Ikusaba-san?" Naegi asked, shocked by what his friend had just done.
"I heard everything. As much as I'd like to leave him here to face the consequences of his actions, we should take him back to school. I'm sure the Headmaster will find this interesting," Ikusaba said as she knocked Hagakure out and started to drag him. Naegi knew she could have carried him, he believed that Ikusaba just wanted Hagakure to be in pain when he woke up. Not that Naegi would ever say it out loud, but he couldn't help but enjoy watching each time Hagakure's head hit against an uneven slab of concrete.
Meanwhile
While Naegi was having another brush with death, Celes was in the Rec Room in the Old Building. She had no opponent; she had simply come to think while playing Solitaire. A simple game, but it always helped her think. The topic today? Naegi Makoto.
He does just about everything. He's kind. He's certainly brave. Yes, I do believe he is knight material, Celes thought. This wasn't a decision she made lightly, but it was certainly easier than she had expected it to be. She supposed Naegi was responsible for that too.
Celestia Ludenberg was a young woman who lived in a world of lies and as such trust was not something that came easier. She was not above using people and she fully expected that if someone with abilities superior to her appeared, they would do the same. She had expected that she would feel this way throughout her time at Hope's Peak, until she realized that she might have developed some affection for the people she thought she may one day need to use. She supposed she should have seen it coming, this was a school full of people who were the best of the best. Celes could use people she looked down on, but while the other students were inferior gamblers, they made up for it in other ways and she was forced to see them as her equals.
Then there was Naegi. He had no special skills to speak of, nothing approaching "Ultimate" level anyway, but he had something. What that something was, Celes didn't know, but it forced her to reevaluate the classmate she had originally written off as plain and average. Even more shocking, he didn't reject it, he almost seemed to embrace it. That is not to say that Celes believed Naegi was content to being mediocre, the fact that he tried as hard as he did in all that he did was proof that he believed that his hard work would be rewarded, but he was also not afraid to admit when he was out of his depth. He was ordinary, but capable of the extraordinary and Celes was more intrigued by that than his luck.
Another thing in his favor was his willingness to save others. After what had happened with Sonia, Owari, Asahina, and Saionji, Celes would occasionally find herself wondering if she would need to be saved by a knight in a green hoodie. Her face heated up at the very thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Her burner phone was ringing, someone had news of an underground gambling tournament. Deciding that it might be worth her while to hear whoever was calling out, Celes answered, "Hello?"
"Is this Celestia Ludenberg?" a male voice asked.
"It is. Who is this?" Celes asked.
"Alright, alright, alright! Sister, you're not an easy person to contact, you know that. Anyway, my name isn't all that important, I'm something of a drifter, and Sister, I have the opportunity of a lifetime for you," the man said.
"Drifter, then. What could you possibly have to offer me?" Celes asked ready to end the call if he didn't get to the point.
"'Drifter?' I like it! Anyway, the major yakuza families are holding a Poker tournament near Hope's Peak Academy, and since your old pal Drifter runs in some…unusual circles, guess who was asked to bring in some of the big names of the underground gambling world?" Drifter asked.
"Why would yakuza want any outsiders at a tournament they are holding?" Celes asked, skeptical of the man's story.
"Sister, you think the players are the only ones betting? The heads of the various families are betting on the players. Not just money, but territory and parts of their businesses. Usually after drinking it over of course. A lot less bloody. Guess getting their suits cleaned after every disagreement got too expensive. And Sister, you don't want to see a room after drunken yakuza get done with 'business,'" Drifter answered.
"Why bring in outsiders?" Celes asked.
"So that their people can't be accused of cheating. Sending in one of their own is just asking for trouble with the other families. What's to stop the Shikabane clan from accusing a Kuzuryuu player of cheating for their boss? Doesn't matter if it isn't true, these families know not to trust each other. Nah, the less their own people are involved the better as far as they're concerned. Course, nothing is stopping them from inviting anyone they want as long as the buy in is covered, but they figured they needed some real high rollers to keep it fair. Fair for them anyway, not the poor suckers they personally invite," Drifter said with a laugh.
"…" It sounded appealing, but Celes wasn't sure she trusted this man.
"Tell ya what, you go to Hope's Peak, or so people say. Well so do the Kuzuryuu kids. Ask one of them if you won't take my word for it. I'll call back tomorrow. Hope you'll join us. It won't be the same without the 'Queen of Liars,'" Drifter said as he hung up.
Celes wasn't sure what to make of this. On the one hand, it sounded like a good opportunity to get closer to her dream. On the other, Drifter wasn't what she was used to in a contact, and that made her suspicious. She supposed that she could do as he suggested and ask her senpai, Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko about it. With that in mind, Celes decided to head back to the dorm for now.
Hope's Peak Academy-Cafeteria
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Naegi was still a little jumpy from his ordeal yesterday. Who wouldn't be? It's not every day that a classmate tries to sell you organs without your consent because he owes one of the largest Yakuza clans in Japan money. Naegi was happy that he had the support of his friends though, but for some reason, once Ikusaba had told the others what Hagakure had tried to do, Naegi had a feeling Hagakure had more to be afraid of than yakuza.
"Oi, Naegi!" a male voice called out.
Speaking of yakuza, standing at the entrance of the cafeteria was the Ultimate Yakuza, Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko. Naegi was dreading a conversation with Kuzuryuu, but he supposed he couldn't avoid one. So, he responded, "Hello Kuzuryuu-senpai."
"You're in an unusual position right now, you know that?" Kuzuryuu asked.
Naegi gulped and said, "I know."
"Did you know what was going to happen in that alley?" Kuzuryuu asked.
"No, Senpai."
"You realize what can happen to you for trying to protect that fraud fortune-teller?"
"Yes, Senpai."
"So why did you do it?"
"Hakagure-kun did lie to me. He was willing to sell me out just so he wouldn't have to pay back his debts with his own money. And quite honestly, I don't know if he actually learned anything from this. That said, he's my classmate, I couldn't let anything happen to him if I could help it."
"A guy with balls and honor. I can respect that. Are you familiar with Yakuza Code?" Kuzuryuu asked.
"Not really, no," Naegi admitted.
"The old Yakuza code emphasized respect for the common people. Back then, a victim of the Yakuza had to choose to become a victim. For example, no one forces someone to buy drugs from the Yakuza or spend their money at one of their brothels or gambling dens. Or say my sister, who despite everyone telling her not to piss away money on fortune-telling bullshit, did it anyway and got pissed off that things didn't go the way she thought they would. On the other hand, Yakuza would help those who were not given a choice in becoming victims. Like say someone who had their home burglarized, got mugged, was lied to and found out that someone was trying to sell their organs," Kuzuryuu put a lot of emphasis on that last part.
"I'm not sure I follow," Naegi said, confusion evident on his face.
"You and that girl with the freckles are safe because Natsumi's problem is with your classmate. That debt is going to have to be repaid at some point, but that's not your problem. The family discussed it last night and we decided that you didn't force yourself into Yakuza business, you were dragged into it. Don't push your luck though," Kuzuryuu explained.
Naegi sighed and said, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, Kuzuryuu-senpai."
"Just so there's no hard feelings, here," Kuzuryuu said as he handed Naegi two slips of paper. One had an address, but Naegi had no idea what the second one was. Seeing Naegi's confusion, Kuzuryuu explained, "That will get you into a Poker tournament that the different Yakuza clans are hosting this Saturday. I figured an Ultimate Lucky Student could benefit from something like that. It covers the buy-in. We plan to start by 9:00 so try not to be late. Best of luck." With that Kuzuryuu walked away.
Naegi knew he couldn't turn this offer down and offend Kuzuryuu, he just hoped that he didn't humiliate himself or Kuzuryuu by losing right away. Warehouse C at the docks? I'm worried but if I were a target for Yakuza, I doubt they'd waste time inviting me to a Poker tournament. I guess I'll be there Saturday, I better get permission from the school to be out, Naegi said to himself before going to lunch.
Meanwhile
While Celes had every intention of speaking with Kuzuryuu at lunch, she noticed both the Ultimate Yakuza and Naegi speaking at the entrance to the cafeteria. While Celes would never admit to it, even she knew that she had a problem with eavesdropping, but to be fair, since psychology was as much a part of gambling as luck or skill, it was useful. Knowing others' secrets always helped when she needed to keep them off balance.
So, Drifter was telling the truth, Celes realized as she listened in. It saved her the trouble of finding an opportunity to speak with Kuzuryuu. She wasn't too sure this tournament was something to be spoken of in public and didn't want to jeopardize what she believed would be easy wins. More importantly, this gives me the opportunity to test my luck against Naegi-kun's, Celes reminded herself. Naegi might not have believed her when she had told him, but Celes was serious about testing her luck against students whose talent was "luck."
Just as Naegi and Kuzuryuu had finished, and Celes decided to go to lunch herself, her burner phone rang. Celes knew that Drifter had said he'd call back today, but it seemed a little early for that. Still, she had made her decision, so she figured now was a good a time as any for this conversation. With that in mind she answered. "Drifter?"
"That's me. Now when you do what I do, you develop a sixth sense about a lot of things. Danger, opportunity, things like that, and something told me you're ready to RSVP," Drifter explained.
"My, that is a rather terrifying ability, but you would be correct. I will be happy to join this weekend," Celes said.
"Now we're talking. The buy-in is ¥2,000,000. Those invited by the Families don't need this, but everyone I invite needs a password, yours is 'Joker's Wild.' The location is Warehouse C at the docks. Things get started at 9:00pm on Saturday. You know how to get there?" Drifter asked.
"I believe I do, but one of my classmates will also be in attendance, I will just go with him," Celes told the man.
"Getting close to one of your marks? I can respect that. See you there, Sister!" With that Drifter hung up.
Celes put her phone away and proceeded to get lunch. Although she didn't show it, she was eager to see what Saturday would bring.
Docks Near Hope's Peak Academy-Warehouse C
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
It was the evening of the tournament and both Naegi and Celes were at the specified location. The warehouse had indeed been converted for the night's purpose: poker tables had been placed throughout the warehouse; lighting was excellent; and oddly enough, there were cameras around each of the tables.
Closed-circuit cameras? I guess they did that for space. That would explain why I haven't seen Kuzuryuu-senpai, Naegi thought. That only served to make Naegi more nervous. This was new to him and underground gambling wasn't exactly what one would consider safe. He wasn't sure who he would be playing against and in the unlikely event that he did well, who could say that some of the players wouldn't react violently?
Seeing Naegi's nervousness, Celes decided to speak to him. "It appears fate wants us to be close friends, Naegi-kun. Being invited to the same tournament, it cannot be anything else."
"I guess," Naegi said with a shaky voice.
Celes's voice adopted a dramatic tone as she said, "Let me share with you something. I will tell you about the biggest crisis I ever faced in my gambling life."
Naegi tilted his head in confusion before asking, "Biggest? You had a gambling crisis?" I guess even the Ultimate Gambler has off days, Naegi thought. His curiosity piqued, he asked, "What happened...?"
"A shadowy organization was hosting a mysterious tournament... The game in which I participated was called the King of Liars," Celes began.
"King of Liars?" Naegi asked.
Celes nodded and continued. "It was quite a severe game. When you enter, they strip you of all your assets. Money, property, everything. You must use your wisdom, cunning, and luck to battle through challenge after challenge. For the final match I had to face off with an odd duo. They called themselves the Honest Woman and the Liar Genius."
"Whoa, they sound pretty scary," Naegi said. Although he couldn't help thinking that those titles needed work.
Celes waved her hand after Naegi's comment and said, "Oh, that part is not important. But during a break, I was careless and spilled some tea on my clothes. I was terrified the stain would never come out. That was a very difficult time in my life."
"Huh?" Now Naegi was confused.
A completely serious look on her face Celes finished, "I was forced to win more quickly than I wanted to, so that I could rush to the cleaners. I was able to get the stain out, but it was perilously close. If I had waited even another hour, I would have been forced to throw out my favorite dress."
"..." Naegi had no words. None he would say out loud at least. That was her "crisis"? The biggest crisis she ever faced...? I just... don't even know what to say, he thought.
Celes noticed that even though he was confused, Naegi didn't look nervous anymore. That was good, Celes wanted to test her luck against Naegi and if he dropped out too early because of nerves she might not get that chance.
A few more minutes passed before a friendly male voice called out, "Hey! There's my favorite high school student!"
Naegi recognized the voice as belonging to the man who told him about Spicy Ramen. He looked exactly as Naegi remembered him: same hoodie; the hood was up; same blue eyes; and the same jovial tone. "Hi! You weren't kidding about Spicy Ramen. I don't think I can eat at another ramen shop anymore. I've actually been meaning to find you and pay you back for what the owner charged to your tab."
"Ah, don't worry about it. I gotta start checking the dates on those coupons," the man said. A clucking noise drew everyone's attention to the man's side. Under the man's arm was a chicken.
"Uhh…" Naegi struggled to find a way to ask his question.
"This little lady is my good luck charm. Colonel meet…uh…" the man started as he realized that he didn't know Naegi's name.
"Oh, Naegi Makoto," Naegi said as he extended his hand.
"Colonel, Naegi. Naegi, Colonel. Tonight, I'm going by Cayde. Like 'spade' but with a 'C'," the now identified Cayde introduced.
"Should she be worried? I mean a chicken named 'Colonel'…" Naegi began.
"Nah, just thought it would be funny," Cayde answered. Looking past Naegi, Cayde finally noticed Celes and began to introduce himself, "Hey there! As I was just telling my new friend here, my name is…"
"Cayde. Yes, I heard. I am Celestia Ludenberg. But I would prefer it if you called me Celes," Celes said.
"Oh boy, good thing I brought you tonight, huh Colonel?" Cayde asked as he recognized Celes's name.
By this time, more people were coming in and their hosts had decided to get things started. "Alright Mavericks, ready to hear what you're playing tonight?" a man asked rhetorically. Celes recognized the voice and was glad to finally be able to put a face to it. The man Celes had called "Drifter" looked like a large man with broad shoulders, but that might have been the heavy looking coat that he was wearing. He was a bearded man with a weather-beaten face. There was a smirk on his face, for what reason was anyone's guess. He continued, "Omaha hold'em! Get ready! Don't mind the cameras, friends of ours from Eito Studios were happy to lend them to us for tonight. Our gracious hosts will be watching from a different location, guess they figure a bunch of yakuza families being here in person would unsettle some of you. Now I invited some of you, but some of you are guests of the Kuzuryuu clan, the Shikabane clan, the Kitaki family, the Seto group, or the Edomae group. Hope none of you plan to cheat, heheheh!"
Naegi didn't plan to cheat, but the threat the Drifter implied made him gulp all the same.
Drifter continued, "Now, show your invites or tell your passwords to one of my associates and have your buy-in money or voucher ready. We'll get you set up at a table with your chips. Best of luck!"
Once he was finished, the players did as they had been told and were placed at one of the various tables set up inside the warehouse. Naegi and Celes were placed at different tables, much to Naegi's relief. He didn't expect to last too long, but he knew that Celes would knock him out of the tournament right away. The last person to be placed was Cayde, who seemed to be discussing Colonel's eating habits with the Drifter.
"She eats only sesame seed muesli, and drinks spring water with a sprig of parsley. Don't be afraid to let her roam a bit," Cayde said.
"Whatever you say Brother. If she gets in the way I might just have to introduce her to another Colonel we're all familiar with," Drifter replied.
Naegi was glad he studied up on the different types of poker. Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards, instead of the two as in Texas hold'em, and must make his or her best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards. The five community cards are dealt face up in three stages. The stages consist of a series of three cards, "the flop", later an additional single card, "the turn" or "fourth street", and a final card, "the river" or "fifth street". Players have betting options to check, call, raise, or fold. Rounds of betting take place before the flop is dealt and after each subsequent deal. The player who has the best hand and has not folded by the end of all betting rounds wins all of the money bet for the hand, known as the pot.
It was a lot to take in, but it wasn't the hardest thing he'd ever done, and it had gotten him to the last game of the night. With him were Celes, not that he was surprised by that, Cayde, who he was thankful for since Cayde was another friendly face. Finally, the was a woman there. She didn't really stand out much, and if Naegi thought that, it was certainly true. She had short, blonde hair, was of average height, and was dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. She seemed friendly enough, but something about her seemed off. It was probably how she introduced herself.
"Hajimemashite! Watashi no namae wa Yasuhiro Taeko desu! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" the woman greeted in a very enthusiastic manner.
Naegi couldn't help but notice that Celes froze up upon hearing the woman's name. Cayde looked slightly confused by the woman's enthusiasm. So Naegi took it upon himself to greet the now identified Yasuhiro Taeko.
"Hi, I'm Naegi Makoto. Pleased to meet you." It wasn't that Naegi wanted to be unfriendly, but given that this was a yakuza sponsored tournament, he couldn't exactly get comfortable.
"Just call me Cayde," Cayde said simply.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Celestia Ludenberg," Celes said almost robotically once she had composed herself. Naegi found that strange. Nothing ever flustered Celes.
Maybe Celes-san and Yasuhiro-san have a history, Naegi thought.
"Sorry, I'm just so excited for my first ever trip to Japan," Yasuhiro explained.
"Sorry Yasuhiro-san," Naegi noticed Celes flinch when she heard that name, "but your name is-."
"My parents were Japanese, but they moved to America for business. Eventually they became naturalized citizens and had me," Yasuhiro explained.
The look on Cayde's face said he didn't believe a word of that story and Naegi couldn't help but agree. Her accent suggested she was American, but Naegi believed that this woman's name was "Yasuhiro Taeko" as much as he believed that "Celestia Ludenberg" was his classmate's real name. Even her explanation of her name sounded like the one Celes had used. Before any more questions could be asked, Drifter came over and started the final game of the night.
Naegi couldn't believe that this was real. He and Cayde were holding out pretty well, much better than Naegi would have expected when going up against the Ultimate Gambler. The thing was, the person having the best night was not his classmate Celestia Ludenberg, it was the mysterious woman Yasuhiro Taeko, but Naegi didn't think it was due to any talent on Yasuhiro's part. Naegi had noticed that anytime Yasuhiro had a winning hand, she would share details about her life.
Yasuhiro had claimed that she was ignored and friendless because of how unremarkable she was.
Celes had bet a tenth of her night's winnings and lost that hand.
The next time hand Yasuhiro won she had claimed to be someone who was so overly plain that she had been isolated most of her life.
Celes bet a quarter of her night's winnings that time and lost once again.
Now it was happening again.
"As ashamed as I am to admit it, the only thing I ever had going for me was my gambling talent. Of course, back home in the States kids are forbidden from gambling in school so it really didn't help me make any friends," Yasuhiro shared. Seeing it was her turn to ante, she said, "I raise."
Naegi was next. "I fold." Feeling thirsty, he began to get up and asked, "I'm going to grab something to drink, can I get anyone anything?"
"Sake please," Yasuhiro said.
"I'll take whiskey if they have it, but anything with alcohol works for me," Cayde said. Since the they were waiting on him, he said, "I fold."
Drifter had a flask on him, so Naegi didn't expect an answer from them.
Celes didn't answer either, she was too focused on Yasuhiro. Naegi figured he couldn't go wrong with water.
As Naegi was getting everything, he was grateful that there were trays for beverages. He knew there was someone who had been serving refreshments all night so he could have just asked, but they had stepped out and Naegi didn't know where they were and didn't want to wait. Given that Drifter hadn't stopped him, he figured it was okay to serve himself and the others anyway. While he was doing this, he could hear Celes say, "Your stories are impossible."
Naegi saw Yasuhiro smile before she responded, "I assure you Celes-san, everything I have told you has indeed happened."
Celes growled and said, "I raise," as she pushed half of her chips into the pile at the center of the table. As Naegi made his way back to the table, he couldn't help but feel bad for his friend. This was not the calm and collected Ultimate Gambler, something about Yasuhiro Taeko's stories caused Celes's mask to crack and it was going to cost her. The strange thing was, Celes was not playing badly. She had won plenty of hands, but Naegi and the others were being cautious of the Ultimate Gambler, so the pot never grew too large when Celes won the hands. It was only when Yasuhiro was sure she would win that she would share alleged details of her life and then throw Celes off. It was almost like she was cheating somehow.
Before Naegi could think about it further, he felt something brush against his leg. Naegi tried to avoid stepping on whatever it was and lost his balance. The beverages ended up scattered with the contents of Cayde's glass of whiskey ended up all over Yasuhiro, who stood up in shock at having whiskey spilled on her. She was about to yell at Naegi before she saw what had caused him to trip. "Stupid bird!" she said as she pointed at Colonel.
"Sorry about that. I'll pay for cleaning," Cayde said hoping to calm Yasuhiro down and keep Colonel from getting too scared.
"I'm so sorry," Naegi apologized. Naegi turned to their host/dealer, he had heard Celes call him Drifter, and asked, "Are there any towels?"
Before Drifter could answer he saw something in Yasuhiro's ear. He then told Naegi that the towels were near the drinks. Once Naegi had returned and cleaned up the mess as best he could, the round had ended in Yasuhiro's victory which had pacified her slightly.
It was short lived however, as Drifter grabbed Yasuhiro by the shoulder and pulled whatever it was in her ear out. It was a wireless earbud, a small one that was simple enough to hide. It looked like all of the ones Drifter and the other dealers had been using that night. Drifter heard a familiar voice coming through the little speaker. Drifter had sent an announcer for the benefit of the yakuza families watching and it was his voice Drifter was hearing.
"You want to explain how you got this, Sister?" Drifter's voice was calm, but it promised dire consequences if Yasuhiro lied. Looking into one of the cameras set up around the table Drifter asked, "Could one of our gracious sponsors do your old pal Drifter a favor and bring my announcer in here?"
It didn't take long for announcer to be brought in by some low-level yakuza. It was revealed that "Yasuhiro Taeko" and the announcer were brother and sister. The announcer had indeed been helping his sister cheat. After some interrogation at the hands of both the yakuza and Drifter the siblings explained everything. Their father was a man Celes had defeated in game of Russian roulette mahjong, the fierce old man Celes had told Naegi about. They explained how their father had continued to lose everything to gambling when the shock of losing to a young girl had never worn off. Their mother left soon after and their father eventually died in the gutter. They had been planning their revenge on Celes for some time, both for their father and for the inheritance they would never receive. They finally got their opportunity in the form of this tournament when the announcer had suggested that Drifter invite his sister who was using the alias "Yasuhiro Taeko."
Unfortunately for them, their cheating had embarrassed one of the yakuza families who had been betting on "Yasuhiro Taeko" all night. The Shikabane clan was not a clan known for mercy and being forced to do damage control would only make things worse.
The siblings seemed to have accepted their fate though. "Yasuhiro" even seemed a little happy after she saw Celes. "Are you afraid, Celestia Ludenberg?" she asked.
"W-why should I be afraid? Why would I be afraid of someone who uses a loser name like 'Yasuhiro Taeko?' You're the ones who pissed off the Shikabane clan," Celes said as her mask slipped again.
"Why did you use the name 'Yasuhiro Taeko' anyway?" Naegi asked.
"The real one refuses to use it," "Yasuhiro" said before the yakuza took the siblings to their boss.
It wasn't much, but Naegi thought he understood. Before Naegi could give it more thought, Drifter's voice and hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"I owe you one Brother. You and the chicken both. Can't have something like this making me look bad. Tell ya what, since the tournament's over, you three should probably split what our soon-to-be dearly departed friend won amongst yourselves and get out of here. You don't want to be here for yakuza business," Drifter said.
Drifter didn't need to tell them twice. Celes, Cayde, and Naegi cashed out the chips and left the docks as soon as they could.
"Well, that happened. You two think Spicy Ramen is open this late?" Cayde asked.
"It's almost midnight Cayde-san, and I don't think Colonel would be allowed in anyway," Naegi said.
"Good point. Well, we avoided getting cheated, made some money, and didn't piss off the yakuza, sometimes that's the best you can hope for. See you star side kids," Cayde said as he and Colonel left.
When Naegi was sure that Cayde couldn't hear them, he turned to Celes and asked, "Celes-san, I think I already know the answer, but what is your real name?"
"I believe that I have told you, Celestia Luden-, no, Yasuhiro Taeko is fine," Celes answered. Her voice never wavered but Naegi thought she seemed sad.
"After tonight I guess I understand, the underground gambling world doesn't seem safe, I guess a pseudonym is necessary," Naegi said.
"That's not it. Everything she said tonight was true. I was plain. I was friendless. Isolated. That's why I reinvented myself as Celestia Ludenberg. I tried so hard to erase Yasuhiro Taeko and that bitch was still able to find out about my past. If she could so can others. I am afraid. I don't want to be Taeko, I'm Celestia Ludenberg," Celes said as she started to tear up.
"I like them both," Naegi said simply.
"Huh?" Celes asked, tears still threatening to fall.
"I don't know if it's Celestia Ludenberg or Yasuhiro Taeko who has been my friend this whole time, but I've certainly appreciated it. I don't really stand out among all the Ultimates, but you've always made time to talk to me and whether it's because Celes-san wanted to tease me or Yasuhiro-san was feeling lonely, it doesn't really matter. I've appreciated it all the same," Naegi said.
By this time, Celes had hidden her face from Naegi and said, "I am not sure that you quite understand how ridiculous you just sounded." Naegi was about to respond to that before he saw a tear drop fall from Celes's cheek and heard her whisper, "Thank you, Naegi-kun."
Naegi smiled but decided not to comment, people didn't change instantly after all. Instead, he held out his arm and asked, "Shall I escort you home, Milady?" If being "Celestia Ludenberg" meant that much to Celes, he would play along.
"You may Good Sir," Celes said as she wrapped her arm around Naegi's and leaned against him. She was glad it was dark. It kept Naegi from seeing the blush on her cheeks.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Celes was glad that the day after the tournament was Sunday, she probably couldn't have focused on school today anyway. She had been thinking since last night. Naegi knew her secret so there was no need to put it off any longer. She was going to ask him now. She found him in the common area with his admirers, all of whom were listening to him talk about the events of the previous night.
"So that guy really does have a pet chicken?" Asahina asked.
"Yeah, he named her 'Colonel.' She's apparently his good luck charm," Naegi responded.
"Is anyone getting hungry for KFC hearing this story?" Owari asked.
"Oh, I believe the phrase to use here is, 'I see what you did there!'" Sonia said excitedly.
"No, I think she was serious," Koizumi said.
"A-are you alright, Naegi-kun? I-I've never had a patient that tripped over a chicken, but I'll try my best if you're injured," Tsumiki said.
"I'm fine Tsumiki-senpai," Naegi assured her.
"Which is amazing considering you spent the night participating in an underground poker tournament," Ikusaba commented.
"I didn't want to insult Kuzuryuu-senpai," Naegi defended.
"Oh, Hiyoko-chan does that all the time," Mioda interjected.
"Not what he meant. And I'm getting better," Saionji told Mioda with a pout.
Celes decided to take her chance now while the other girls seemed distracted. "Umm... Naegi Makoto-san?"
"Celes-san? What's with the formality?" Naegi asked. He was shocked that she was acting so timid.
"Well... you see... I was hoping we could talk. Just the two of us," Celes explained. She then asked, "Could you come to my room, please?"
"Y-Your room!?" Maizono exclaimed, not liking where this was going.
Celes ignored her and said, "I will be waiting." Celes left the common area to wait in her room, leaving Naegi and the girls to wonder what it is she wanted. Although the girls had a pretty good idea, Naegi had a more innocent idea of why Celes wanted to talk to him.
"I guess she wants to talk about last night," Naegi said. This probably has to do with her secret, he thought as he got up and followed Celes.
Maizono felt a headache coming on before she sighed and said, "This is getting out of hand." The other girls agreed, but they knew that they wouldn't want Naegi to ever change.
Naegi reached Celes's room quickly enough and knocked on her door. She opened it right away and said, "I'm glad you came, Naegi-kun."
Naegi scanned the room and saw Victorian-style clothes, decks of cards, what looked to be a suit with plastic vampire fangs next to it (he figured it was best not to ask), and a rather fat cat. It had a dopey look on its face but Naegi didn't say that. "I didn't know you had a cat, Celes-san."
"Yes, that is Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg. He is my constant companion. He's been quite taken with this room since we arrived at Hope's Peak Academy," Celes explained.
Naegi nodded and then asked about why he was in Celes's room, "Anyway what's going on? Why'd you ask me to come here?"
Celes took a deep breath and said, "I received the results."
Naegi was confused. "Results?"
"The child growing in my belly... It's yours," Celes answered.
Naegi's deadpan expression showed that he was not amused.
Celes saw that her little joke fell flat but decided to keep going, "Wait, sorry. Wrong results." Celes then said, "Congratulations! You have moved up a rank! You are now C-rank."
"Huh? C-rank?" Naegi asked. He couldn't tell if Celes was still playing around or not.
"Oh, I have a habit of ranking those around me," Celes explained.
That didn't exactly clear things up. "What kind of habit is that?" Naegi asked.
Celes began to explain. "The most common is D-rank. I have no interest in D-rank. Most everyone at this school fits into that category."
Naegi thought that sounded kind of mean, but he nodded. At least Celes was beginning to make sense.
Celes continued, "The worst is F-rank. If you're F-rank... Well, I pay a special organization to have you killed. Your very existence is unforgivable."
I doubt that. At least the organization part. Although the Russian roulette mahjong story was real, so maybe I should just be grateful I'll never find out if she's telling the truth or not, Naegi thought.
"Conversely, the very best is A-rank. But among everyone I have met, across all countries, I have never found a B-rank, let alone A-rank. So, you being promoted to C-rank is a very great honor," Celes said happily.
"I see," Naegi said. He didn't really, but he was hoping he would soon.
Continuing her explanation, Celes said, "Also, when you become a C-rank, you gain the right to become my official servant—a knight."
"Wow, I had no idea," Naegi said. That was true, he doubted anyone would ever have expected any of what Celes was telling him.
"I have knights all across the world. They are all quite obedient. I recommend you take me up on this offer. If you do your very best as a knight, becoming the first B-rank may be well within your grasp. Perhaps even... A-rank. I can't be sure, but I feel like you may have the potential," Celes explained.
Naegi couldn't be sure but he had a feeling that he was beginning to understand what it was Celes wanted from him.
"Hmhm. So, as a knight, please be prepared to give your life for me," Celes said. It almost sounded like she was pleading.
The meaning in Celes's words was clear to Naegi. "Please stay by my side." If being "Celestia Ludenberg" means so much to her, I'll play along. Maybe she can learn to love "Yasuhiro Taeko" one day too. Then maybe we can truly understand each other one day, Naegi thought. Deciding to play along, Naegi knelt down and took Celes's hand and said, "Lady Celestia Ludenberg, I swear on my life to stay by your side as your knight. From now until the day I die, whenever you find yourself in need, I shall answer your call."
Celes didn't expect Naegi to play along but was actually happy that he was. Teasing him was more fun when he could give as good as he got. More than that, she had a warm feeling in her chest when he swore to stay by her side. Celes gained a knight, but Taeko gained a true friend. Perhaps he would be more than that one day. "Your oath is…acceptable. Now rise. You may take your leave when you are ready," Celes ordered. As Naegi rose, Celes thought, You may be closer to B-rank than I initially believed.
Celes followed Naegi out the door and said, "Work hard and you may get that promotion sooner than you think."
"I look forward to it Celes-san," Naegi said as he left finally breaking character. Playing along with Celes was fun but he couldn't do it all day.
Celes heard movement behind her and turned to see her competition. "Aiming for the big prize, ladies? Come to admit defeat? Or maybe hedge your bets?"
Present Day
And of course, Sonia-senpai seriously suggested the third option. But whether it is money or love, I play to win, Celes thought as she and Naegi caught up with Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg near the part of the school grounds that had been allocated for Tanaka's animals.
"Why would he bring that gyoza here?" Naegi asked as he and Celes came to a stop.
Celes shrugged showing she was as confused as Naegi. The two saw the large cat enter one of the many shelters and followed. Inside they saw Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg along with another cat and…
"Pekoyama-senpai?" Naegi asked.
"Naegi-kun? Celes-san?" Pekoyama asked as she noticed their presence. Whatever was going on must have been important for them to be able to sneak up on the Ultimate Swordwoman.
"Is that Miyabi? Is she alright?" Celes asked.
"She's about to have kittens. Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg is just looking out for her and their babies," Pekoyama explained.
Celes managed to keep from gushing while Naegi just smiled. Peko had come a long way in a short amount of time. I can tell that she's still hurting, but she's getting there, he thought as he saw Miyabi rub her head against Pekoyama's hand.
Pekoyama was ecstatic but kept herself composed. When the school year had started, she never would have thought she would be doing something like this with adorable cats. It wasn't that long ago that animals feared her. Even though she didn't get to this point without pain and loss, she had gained enough that a balance of sorts had been struck. She turned to Naegi and thought, You showed me that I could keep going when I thought I had nothing left. That I had value. That I was more than just a weapon. Thank you so much, Naegi-kun.
And that's a wrap for now. I hope you liked it.
This was a hard chapter to write, nothing about Celes is straightforward and her Free Time Events give almost nothing to work with. I ended up using parts of the manga and I don't even know if the DR1 manga is considered canon.
Told you I would consider bringing Cayde back in this chapter. The Drifter was a spur of the moment decision, and probably a sign that I'm happy about Shadowkeep, which I am. I needed a host and he was the first one that popped into my head. And of course, I couldn't forget about every guardian's favorite hen, Colonel.
So yeah, what started as an idea where Naegi helped salvage a disastrous night at a yakuza sponsored poker tournament ended with Naegi and Colonel salvaging a disastrous night at a yakuza sponsored poker tournament where Celes had to face the fact that she would always be Taeko. Add Naegi showing her that Celes and Taeko don't need to be two different people and you have this chapter.
I was going to make Fake Taeko (Faeko?) be a full blown weeaboo but couldn't do it. So, I just did her introduction and left it at that. Translation below for the curious:
"Hajimemashite." This translates to "Nice to meet you."
"Watashi no namae wa _ desu." (wah-TAH-shee no nah-MAH-eh wah _ dess). It means "My name is _." If you're using your full name, say your surname first.
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." Pronounce it (yor-OH-she-koo oh-nay-guy-ee-shee-mass). This translates roughly to "Please be nice to me."
Now for the part you probably won't like, I'm going to take a break until January 2020. I'm just not going to have the free time I would like to work on this story until then. So, I hope you can all wait until then for Peko's chapter.
Until then, read and review and I'll see you later.
Chapter Text
Chapter 14: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Swordswoman
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Ultimates of all ages! I have returned!
I hope all of you had an excellent holiday, which ever one it is that you celebrate, and a wonderful New Year!
Wow, 2020. Never really expected to still be writing this. I never thought it would catch on but the greatest readers I could ask for clicked on my story and kept me going and for that I thank you.
I'd like to also thank everyone who read and reviewed SHSL Guardian Logs, I honestly didn't think anyone would like that one. I may have to continue it, if that happens, I may rename it because I might give Makoto different powers (Think Dante and for another story, lots of Shouts).
Ah Peko. I have a soft spot for her. I actually have a soft spot for all of Class 77-B. Given what we know, it's hard not to. If you're wondering why I'm putting this out there, it's because as much as I don't want to make her suffer, she's going to suffer a bit. But that's okay, a certain Luckster is always happy to help.
So, if any of you want to call me a boomer or something in the review, I deserve it. It turns out that a Windows update just fucked up my battery drivers. All I had to do was uninstall the drivers and restart the computer. Wish I had been able to find that information before paying $59.99 for a battery. Thankfully I was able to return it.
To Neo Roybot8: First, thank you for your review. Don't worry though, I have a plan. Without spoiling things too much, there will be big changes at Hope's Peak at some point. I knew that was a problem when I wrote it the way I did, and knew I'd have to rectify the living space situation later. I'm glad you pointed that out though, advice and/or criticism is always welcome, that's how I improve.
So, with all that said, let's start the chapter!
Present Day
Miyabi let out a whine. Pekoyama had said that Miyabi was about to have kittens, and while Naegi had no reason to doubt his senpai's words, he also knew that the humans in this room were out of their depth.
"We should probably go get Tanaka-senpai," Naegi suggested.
Pekoyama nodded her head and said, "Agreed."
"I saw him earlier, it shouldn't be too hard to find him," Naegi said as he moved to leave.
"I shall accompany you," Pekoyama announced.
"And I as well," Celes added.
"Someone should stay and watch Miyabi, and since I saw Tanaka-senpai earlier I know where to look. Pekoyama-senpai has been monitoring Miyabi since the beginning so she could probably explain the situation in the most detail," Naegi pointed out.
Celes wanted to object, but she realized that Naegi was correct. Although she was thrilled about the idea of newborn kittens, more so that they were Grand Bois Chéri Ludenberg's kittens too, she was not particularly happy that one of her rivals was going with Naegi. She just nodded and went to attend to Miyabi. Naegi wasn't sure, but he thought that Celes started pouting.
"Naegi-kun, we must hurry," Pekoyama reminded him.
"Right, let's go Senpai!" Naegi said as and Pekoyama ran to find Tanaka with Naegi pointing the way.
As they ran side-by-side, Pekoyama said, "Naegi-kun, I apologize for this inconvenience. I know you had other things to do today and that I should have spoken to Tanaka-kun about this before. I suppose that I was being selfish for wanting to see Miyabi's kittens first. It's just that…"
"I'm going to stop you right there, Senpai," Naegi interrupted her. He continued, "I don't think you're being selfish, and even if I did, after everything you've gone through, I think you deserve this and more. I'm glad that you're thinking about what you want." Naegi couldn't help thinking, Pekoyama-senpai has come a long way. Not many people can have everything they've ever known taken from them and still push on.
Since I was a small child, I was raised as a tool and thought that was all there was to my life. Bo-cha-, I mean, Kuzuryuu-kun tried to get me to see that was not true. When I become a discarded tool, I believed that my life was over. Thanks to Naegi-kun, I can keep on living, but this time as a person, Pekoyama thought as she remembered what led her to this point.
Hope's Peak Academy-Old Building
Fifth Day of Classes-Saturday After Class
After what felt like forever, Naegi had finally reached the fifth floor of the Old Schoolhouse. It wasn't that he had begun to find exploring campus unpleasant, but even just this one building was a lot of ground to cover. It was fortunate that he had run into Celes in the Rec Room earlier, his legs were certainly grateful for that brief reprieve. He was about to question why his tour with Mioda didn't tire him out this much, but then remembered that she really just run to the different floors and explained what rooms were where on the way to the Music Room. It wasn't exactly as thorough as what Naegi was doing now.
What's in this room? Naegi wondered as he opened the door. Sliding doors. Old-fashioned wooden lockers with old style keys. Japanese style design throughout the room. Naegi could only assume that this was a dojo. It was a lot to take in, so Naegi could be forgiven for not noticing that he wasn't alone.
"...State your business."
Naegi tuned and saw one of his senpai, a girl with silver hair, red eyes, and glasses. In keeping with the room, she had changed from her usual outfit into a gi. Naegi recognized her as Pekoyama Peko.
Naegi quickly apologized, "I'm sorry Pekoyama-senpai, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just looking around."
"You are…Naegi-kun, correct?" Pekoyama asked.
"Yes, I am Naegi Makoto," Naegi said as he bowed. This dignified-looking woman is known as the Ultimate Swordswoman. It's hard to believe someone with a cute name like Peko Pekoyama could be so skilled with a blade. I've heard she's a kendo master and that most adult men don't even stand a chance against her, Naegi remembered. Taking another look at Pekoyama, he noticed something, Her eyes are really intense.
"If what Yukizome-sensei said is true, we are expected to live together in the dorm," Pekoyama stated.
"Yeah, you're right," Naegi confirmed as he nodded.
Pekoyama continued, "It is necessary for men and women who live together to respect each other. Don't try anything inappropriate. I would prefer...not to kill anyone."
That got Naegi nervous. "Kill...? Isn't the sword you usually carry made of bamboo?" he asked.
"Though it may seem impossible to kill someone with this, a misaimed blow can be fatal," Pekoyama explained. After taking a moment to consider something, she added, "Well, an aimed blow can be fatal, too."
Naegi wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that, so he simply said, "I'll keep that in mind." After regaining his composure, he said, "I'll behave Senpai, don't worry about that."
"Very well," Pekoyama responded, satisfied as she went to meditate.
She's distant, but I don't think she's a bad person. I'm sure once everything calms down, we'll get along just fine, Naegi thought as he left to continue exploring the fifth floor.
Little did Naegi know that Pekoyama was thinking of him too. Although she had come to the dojo to meditate, one thought kept interfering. His hair looked so soft and fluffy.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Third Week of Classes-Sunday
It was only after breakfast but Naegi still found himself laying down on a couch in the common area. Ikusaba's warning from last night had him nervous. Of course, Ikusaba did not tell him the full extent of what Enoshima would do to someone in her way, so Naegi had no idea that his life could be in danger. When Ikusaba had promised to protect him Naegi had been grateful, but he also felt bad that Ikusaba had to worry about him. That's how he ended up here, he was thinking of ways to take some of the burden off of Ikusaba.
Be cautious, obviously, but what else? Naegi asked himself.
As Naegi pondered this, someone else had entered the common area. Pekoyama was at her limit. It wasn't fair! Since animals ran away from her, she had thought that she should give up on ever enjoying their soft fur. Then she meets Naegi with his oh-so-fluffy looking hair. He wasn't afraid of her, but she couldn't indulge herself. Pekoyama may not be the most well-adjusted socially, but she knew that she couldn't go around touching other people's hair. But why did it have to be so difficult?
So close and yet so far, Pekoyama thought. As if the universe had decided to mock her, she looked and saw Naegi laying on the couch. He wasn't moving, so she assumed that he was asleep. I suppose that a quick touch couldn't hurt, Pekoyama told herself before reaching out and placing her hand on Naegi's head.
Naegi felt someone's hand in his hair and tilted his head backward. He locked eyes with Pekoyama, he had not expected her. "…"
"…" Pekoyama said nothing, but her face was beet red. Naegi had caught her. She didn't know if this was better or worse than if one of the girls had caught her.
Though Naegi had been silent, he was not particularly shocked or judgmental, he simply believed that Pekoyama required assistance and was waiting for her to speak. He found it odd that she didn't speak up, but perhaps she was embarrassed to ask about whatever it was she needed. Her face was certainly red enough.
It was then that a thought struck Naegi. Naegi had come to the conclusion that if he could protect himself than Ikusaba would not need to worry too much about his safety. The issue then became, how would he protect himself? Self-defense training, sure, but what kind? Naegi was a small guy, depending on how Enoshima decided to go after him, unarmed was probably not the way to go, not if Ikusaba's concern was anything to go by. Pekoyama was a swordswoman, the best in the world, she could probably help him, even if it was only advice, he would take it.
With all of that in mind, Naegi asked, "Pekoyama-senpai, you study kendo, right?"
After calming herself down, Pekoyama managed to answer, "Yes."
"What level are you?'
"If you mean my kendo level then I don't have one."
Naegi did not understand. "Huh?"
"Dojo trainees typically earn levels corresponding to their years of training. However, I have no need for that," Pekoyama explained.
"Why? Don't people normally aim for that kind of advancement?" Naegi asked.
"I have no such aim. My destination has already been decided. Protect who I must protect, cut who I must cut. That alone is the original purpose of the sword. Wielding a blade in its truest sense in my aim. That is my reason for existing. To achieve that, I have no use whatsoever for meaningless levels determined by arbitrary rules," Pekoyama explained.
"I see. You truly are the Ultimate Swordswoman. I hope I didn't offend you by asking about levels," Naegi apologized.
"It's fine. You couldn't have known," Pekoyama responded. It really wouldn't have offended her even if Naegi had known. Her own feelings weren't that important anyway, she didn't need to feel in the life fate had decided for her.
"You're really cool, Senpai. You're kind of like a samurai," Naegi stated.
Pekoyama turned red again and stuttered, "R-Really cool...? You say such strange things...! N-No one has ever said that to me before. Um...well...th-thank... Never mind." It wasn't Pekoyama at her most eloquent, that much was certain.
She seems... Naegi struggled to think of a proper description, very awkward. Is she blushing?
Once she regained her composure, Pekoyama spoke again. "However, because of the path I've chosen, there are things I've lost as well. Warm, irreplaceable things..."
That piqued Naegi's curiosity. "What did you lose?" he asked.
There was a pause before Pekoyama answered, "...Fluffiness."
Naegi wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "Fluffiness...?"
"There are things that are warm, fluffy, and soft... The cat that came to visit the dojo, my childhood friend's dog, and even the finch I had as a pet..." Pekoyama recounted. Naegi wasn't sure, but he thought Pekoyama seemed very happy to think about those animals.
"But all animals can sense my menacing presence and run away from me. I just...want to touch their soft fur and fluffy feathers to my heart's content..." Pekoyama finished. Naegi didn't have to guess this time, he could hear the sadness and longing in Pekoyama's voice.
"I don't think you're menacing Senpai. We haven't known each other long but I think you're very kind," Naegi said honestly. Although, I guess animals could mistake the desire to pet them as predatory feelings. Possibly. Maybe there's more to it that I don't know yet, Naegi thought.
Although this conversation had started because Naegi had wanted to ask for Pekoyama's help, he now felt the strong desire to help her. "Oh, then what about asking Tanaka-senpai if you can touch his hamsters the next time you see him? He might be able to help you out. He probably knows a way to keep animals from running away from you," Naegi suggested.
Pekoyama thought about it before saying, "I see... You do have a point. Also, since his hamsters are called the Twelve Zodiac Generals, they might not get scared of me and run away. I should look for Tanaka-kun right now."
Pekoyama's eyes looked predatory as she left. She was a girl on a mission. Naegi couldn't help but think that Pekoyama's intensity would have a negative effect on the Generals.
Before she was out the door, Pekoyama said, "Naegi-kun, thank you for your advice. If you'd like...please come talk to me again. Good-bye."
Pekoyama-senpai walked off in a hurry. She must be really desperate to touch something fluffy, Naegi thought. A few seconds passed before he asked himself, Wait…did she need something, or did she just want to touch my hair? Naegi might have found it a little odd, but it didn't really bother him if that was what Pekoyama wanted. There were worse things in the world to be considered than "warm, fluffy, and soft." He just wasn't sure how to go about telling Pekoyama that if she needed her "fix," he'd be happy to help.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Dining Room
Fourth Week of Classes-Monday
It was after dinner but even after cleaning up, Naegi had decided to stay in the dining room. He had a lot on his mind and didn't feel like going back to his room. Mioda was going to do a reunion concert with her old band Saturday evening, but Naegi had some misgivings. It normally wasn't in his nature to think someone was being malicious, but with Ikusaba's warning about Enoshima still fresh in his mind, he didn't believe that she got Black Cherry back together and booked them a venue out of the goodness of her heart. That said, he believed in Mioda. Her talent and love of music were unquestionable. As long as the audience understood that, they would enjoy her music.
Still, Black Box sounds more like a hipster club than a club for metalheads. Maybe I'm just too caught up in the name, Naegi reasoned.
Whether he was deep in thought or because she was just that skilled at concealing her presence, Naegi didn't notice Pekoyama enter.
"Naegi-kun," Peko called out.
"Hmm? Oh, Pekoyama-senpai. Is everything alright?" Naegi asked, concerned.
"I am simply curious if you are prepared for Saturday. You mentioned earlier that you don't know much about swords, right?" Pekoyama asked.
"Yeah...I've never held a bamboo sword before," Naegi admitted. What does this have to do with Saturday, though? Naegi wondered.
Pekoyama asked a follow-up question. "So, you've held an actual sword...just not a bamboo sword?"
"A replica katana actually. It was for display. Not fit to practice with," Naegi explained.
I see... So, you're saying you have an interest in swords, but do not use them," Pekoyama stated. Her questions then continued, "Then are you a striker? Or maybe you're a grappler?"
Before Naegi could answer, Pekoyama believed she had hit upon the answer. Answer to what, Naegi could only guess. "No, perhaps you are well versed in firearms." Pekoyama muttered.
Naegi decided to interrupt before he became even more confused. "Wait, hold on… I'm not saying I have poor reflexes, but I already know I'm not the warrior type."
"I see... The others tell me you have a perceptive way of seeing things, so I had assumed that you were, but..." Pekoyama began before taking a closer look at Naegi before saying, "Just as you said, you do not have the presence of a warrior. Which means...you are not suited for battle in the slightest."
Ouch. I mean, I don't plan on starting any fights, but I still… Naegi said to himself. "Pekoyama-senpai, what is this about?" Naegi asked.
"I thought that you intended to accompany Mioda-san and Saionji-san on Saturday," Pekoyama stated.
"I do, but I don't intend to start any fights. That would cause problems for the others if I did," Naegi explained.
"I see..." Pekoyama responded. After thinking it over, she continued, "What you say is true, however you must be extremely cautious."
"I understand your concerns Senpai, but I don't think we'll be in any danger," Naegi told her.
"That may be true, however, there are times when swords must be drawn. Whether you want that...or not," Pekoyama warned.
"What does that mean?" Naegi asked.
"Every human being has a duty to fulfill their destiny. That will never change, and...there is no need for it to ever change," Pekoyama explained.
"I don't know if that's true Senpai. Nothing stays the same forever. True, that change may not always be for the better, but sometimes you just have to accept it," Naegi countered.
"N-no," Pekoyama stuttered. Naegi thought that he heard something like fear in her voice when she denied his point.
"I'm sorry Pekoyama-senpai, I think we got off topic," Naegi said trying to change the subject back to their original topic, not that he really knew what that was.
"Y-yes of course, I thought that you were concerned for Saturday. I was wondering how you planned to deal with any trouble," Pekoyama explained.
"What? Oh, no I'm not afraid of a fight breaking out. I'm worried about something else," Naegi assured her.
"I see. It was my mistake then. If you'll excuse me," Pekoyama said as she turned to leave.
Naegi stopped her. "Wait, Pekoyama-senpai."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you!"
"I didn't do anything Naegi-kun. I simply misunderstood," Pekoyama said.
"Still, knowing you care enough to come talk to me about my concerns means a lot to me. I'm glad I have a friend like you!" Naegi said happily.
Pekoyama felt an odd twitch in her face. A foreign feeling of her lips curving upward. Is this a "smile?" she wondered. "You are very welcome, Naegi-kun."
"If I can do anything to return the favor, just let me know," Naegi said.
Anything? As she walked away, Pekoyama wondered if that included feeling something "warm, fluffy, and soft."
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Tenth Week of Classes-Monday
It was the day after the hostage situation at the Novoselic Embassy and Naegi was exhausted. Dodging the media was tiring work, as it turned out, and he believed that he would be doing it for a while yet.
I'm glad Maizono-san and Mioda-san are handling meals right now, Naegi thought as he closed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he had dozed off or if she was just that fast, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that Pekoyama had joined him. For the first time since he had met her, he saw that she looked distracted.
"..."
Is Pekoyama-senpai alright? There's such an intense look on her face, Naegi noted.
"..."
I-Is she worried about something...? I can't tell if I should ask or not... After weighing his options, and seeing Pekoyama turn pale, Naegi decided that he should ask if something was wrong.
"S-senpai, are you all right!? You're starting to turn pale!" Naegi shouted as he shook Pekoyama's shoulder. That was even more proof that he should intervene. After all, he would ordinarily never be able to get close enough to place his hand on Pekoyama's shoulder, much less actually shake it.
"Was I...?" Pekoyama asked, clearly surprised.
"Wh-What...? What were you even trying to do?" Naegi questioned. Whatever it was, if it required Pekoyama to focus that much, it must have been important.
"W-Well...actually..." Pekoyama began bashfully. "...I was trying to smile."
Naegi certainly hadn't expected that. "...Huh?"
"Koizumi-san tells me that...I'm the only one who doesn't smile for her pictures," Pekoyama explained. She continued, "So...I thought I should do something about it, but it's harder than I thought. I don't really understand it though. I picked today because I should be happy today. You saved Sonia-san last night. I should be happy that she is alright and that she has one less threat to worry about, but it hasn't helped me smile at all."
Naegi felt bad as he listened. He wanted to help his friend, but he wasn't even sure where to start. Making someone smile was one thing, but Pekoyama's earlier display made him thing that it was a more complicated problem than what could be solved with happy thoughts or funny jokes.
While Naegi was thinking, Pekoyama made a request. "So...will you try to make me laugh or smile?"
"Th-This is rather sudden!" Makoto yelped in surprise.
"Anything is fine if you think it will work, so give it a try!" To Naegi, it almost sounded like Pekoyama was pleading.
You're acting like you lowered the bar, but it's still really high! Naegi thought. As often happens when one is put on the spot, Naegi was drawing a blank. He had suddenly forgotten every joke he had ever heard, and he wasn't sure what else could put a smile on Pekoyama's face. They hadn't known her long enough to have made any happy memories he could bring up. Wait… Naegi thought as he recalled three words. "Warm," "fluffy," and "soft." Naegi had an idea.
"What are…!?" Pekoyama began as Naegi grabbed her hand. She stopped as soon as she felt how soft his hair was. So fluffy! Pekoyama noted blissfully.
After a minute Naegi said, "You really do have a nice smile, Pekoyama-senpai."
"I'm…smiling?" Pekoyama asked. There certainly was an unfamiliar feeling in her face. Underused muscles were working for the first time in a long time. She was sure that Naegi was telling the truth.
"You helped me, Naegi-kun," Pekoyama said happily.
"Well, I know my method was a little weird," Naegi admitted.
"It does not matter. It worked," Pekoyama insisted. "I can't really smile that well. I've been like this ever since I was young. The childhood friend I always played with used to cry and say my face was scary. There was also a time when...my first love coldly told me that, too."
Naegi couldn't help thinking, That's…horrible, actually. For Pekoyama's sake, he hoped that whoever it was she was talking about was just bad at expressing themselves and with words.
"Even so... I never really needed to smile, so I never thought about it all that much. And because I completely neglected it, I forgot how to do it entirely," Pekoyama explained.
It's...not normal for someone to forget how to smile, Naegi thought. Was she subjected to an outrageous amount of harsh training? Or is there some other reason? he wondered.
"Naegi-kun? What's wrong?" Pekoyama asked with concern.
"Ah...nothing," Naegi said. Pekoyama may have told him about her past, but he didn't think he should pry too much right now. It was much more important that Pekoyama remember how to smile. "Anyway...I'll think of something better next time."
"That would be wonderful. I'll be looking forward to it," Pekoyama said happily. Faint traces of a smile in the making were evident on her face as she thought about what she had to look forward to.
When Pekoyama had left, Naegi noticed that Ikusaba had joined him. Naegi was about to greet her, before he saw that she was…pouting?
"Naegi-kun, Pekoyama-senpai isn't the only one who likes soft things," Ikusaba told him.
Naegi suppressed the urge to laugh.
Minato Inn
Eleventh Week of Classes-Thursday
The morning after Mari and Ataru had gotten lost in Aokigahara Forest was full of joy and relief. Joy that the children had been found right away and relief that they were safe. That hadn't stopped Owari from punishing the two, of course. They wouldn't get to spend time with their "Mako-nii" for the remainder of the trip. As much as Suguru would have loved to have Naegi to himself, the kind five-year-old would have felt bad if it was simply because his brother and sister were being punished. As such, Naegi had free time today and was looking for ways to spend it. Fortunately, he saw Pekoyama out on the inn's back patio. For whatever reason, she had index fingers extended and was raising them to her mouth. His curiosity getting the better of him, Naegi approached and asked, "What are you doing, Pekoyama-senpai?"
It was faint, or perhaps since this was Pekoyama "restrained" would have been a better word, but Naegi swore he heard eagerness in Pekoyama's voice. "Listen to this, Naegi-kun... I have discovered a revolutionary technique."
"A revolutionary technique...?" At first, Naegi didn't know what she was talking about, but he soon recalled his last conversation with Pekoyama. Just to be sure, he asked, "Are you talking about how to smile?"
Pekoyama nodded. "Yes. Saionji-san, taught it to me."
Warning sirens were blaring in Naegi's head when he heard that. Oh, dear Lord, no.
"I have not attempted it yet, but I have properly memorized how to do it, Pekoyama began. "First, I must hook my fingers to both sides of my mouth. And if I pull them to the side and up a little, it will resemble smiling."
"Th-That's just for show, though," Naegi said in an attempt to explain this to Pekoyama in the gentlest way possible.
"However, that is not all," Pekoyama continued. "Apparently there is a magic spell you can use in this state to make yourself and anyone else laugh."
Naegi did not like where this was going. "M-Magic spell?"
"Apparently, I must pull both sides of my mouth with my fingers and chant, 'I was born on a pirate ship'. Though I'm skeptical, I shall attempt it." Pekoyama finished as she raised her hands to her mouth.
"No! Stop!" Naegi shouted. Now that he had Pekoyama's attention, he explained, "This is a prank little kids play on each other."
"Naegi-kun, why did you stop me? Prank or not, there is no guarantee that it would not have worked," Pekoyama told him.
That…actually makes what Saionji did that much worse, Naegi thought seeing how desperate Pekoyama was. "That might be true, but I don't think you can really call that a smile that way. Kids may laugh that off afterwards, but in my experience they usually grimace beforehand. I just don't think self-deprecating humor is the way to go to get your smile back," Naegi told her.
"I see. So, just as I thought, there is no way for me to make someone smile since I'm incapable of smiling," Pekoyama stated sadly.
"N-No...I didn't mean it like that. I just think there's a way for you to smile, make others smile, and keep your dignity," Naegi explained.
Pekoyama didn't seem to hear him as she began to speak. "Koizumi-san showed me her photos the other day. They were filled with images of smiling faces. I don't know how else to say this, but...they were very nice photos. I learned that smiles give people power."
Naegi nodded in agreement.
"And...I remembered when I was a kid. There was a time when my childhood friend and I nearly got lost in the mountains," Pekoyama said.
"Lost in the mountains? Did you wander away from your parents?"
"No...we were forced into someone's car." Pekoyama corrected.
"I-Isn't that kidnapping!?"
Pekoyama just continued. "Well, it was fine until I saw a chance for us to escape. Afterward, we got lost in the mountains."
"I wouldn't exactly use the word 'fine' when discussing kidnapping. Not unless it's part of the phrase, 'Everything turned out fine.'" Naegi added.
"I desperately tried to cheer up my friend, but I was also scared and worried. My friend could sense that as well...so in the end, I ended up making him cry. If I had been able to smile and tell him that everything was going to be okay, even if it was a lie. I might've been able to take away his fear," Pekoyama finished. "Hmph, I haven't grown at all since then," she stated with a huff.
"I think that you're being too hard on yourself, Senpai. You were in danger too. It's only natural to be scared, you're only human after all. The important thing is that you were both okay in the end," Naegi said.
No…not human. A tool, Pekoyama thought. Although, she was happy that her friend called her "human." "Of course we were. My sword is a tool to protect people. I made sure I protected my friend."
Naegi's respect for Pekoyama grew when she said that. Protect, huh. Peko became strong for that sake...but because she became too strong, she lost something important too. With that in mind, Naegi said, "Pekoyama-senpai... I want to help out too, if you don't mind."
"Huh...?"
"Let me help you until you can finally smile on your own. After all, isn't it too early to give up now?" Naegi asked.
Pekoyama may not have smiled, but Naegi thought she sounded happy as she said, "I see... Naegi-kun... To tell you the truth, there is one more thing I would like you to do."
"Of course, Senpai, what do you need?" Naegi asked.
Pekoyama started blushing as she began to speak. "I-I need, um..."
"..."
"N-No...wait, hold on... I need to prepare myself a bit more," Pekoyama said suddenly. "When the time comes, I'll tell you... So, until then, please forget what I said." As she ran back inside the inn, Pekoyama hastily said, "Excuse me."
"I wonder what that was about?" Naegi wondered. Maybe Pekoyama-senpai doesn't have a close confidant. She does seem to have a lot she wants to get off her chest. I guess some people would find it weird to tell someone you've only known for a few months that much about your past. Still, it is nice to know that I am someone Pekoyama-senpai can trust.
As she went back to her room, Pekoyama thought, Why do I tell Naegi-kun so much? Bo-chan would be furious if he knew what I was telling Naegi-kun. How can I be a proper tool if I embarrass my master like that? Maybe…maybe it's because Naegi-kun and Bo-chan really aren't that different. Pekoyama couldn't recall when she began to think that, but it wasn't wrong. While stand-offish, when he didn't feel the need to put up a front Kuzuryuu could be rather kind when he wanted to be.
Downtown Near Hope's Peak
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
After what had happened Monday, most people would have avoided going out for a couple days. Most people weren't Naegi Makoto though, and once classes had ended for the day, he had left campus to make sure that he knew where he would be going on Saturday for the tournament. He didn't think it was in his best interest to be late to a yakuza sponsored event, so he needed to be sure he would not get lost on the way to the warehouse. It was simple enough to get to, hopefully it would be after dark. Satisfied, Naegi was on his way home when he heard a soft meow behind him. Calico fur, large oval eyes, and a short, kinked tail, it was a Japanese Bobtail and judging by how thin she looked, she was hoping Naegi had food on him.
Naegi wanted to take her home right away and feed her but considered the possibility that maybe she had just a runaway. So, he picked her up and headed to the police station to inquire about any missing cats. When it appeared that the cat was a stray and not a runaway Naegi took her to back to Hope's Peak and took her to Tanaka.
"No sign of any ailments. She does not seem to be plagued by insect demons. Her coat isn't what it could be, but in the care of a Lightborn, that should be remedied easily. Yes, I believe that you have found a proper familiar to pair with your blessing," Tanaka told Naegi after he had finished examining the cat.
"My blessing? You mean 'luck'?" Naegi asked.
"Correct. There are places on this plane of existence that consider the type and appearance of this beast a sign of good fortune," Tanaka explained.
Now that Naegi thought about it, it made sense. The maneki neko is an image of a Japanese Bobtail, and those statues are considered good luck charms in Japan. Her color was probably good luck too. Japanese sailors had calico ship's cats to protect against misfortune at sea. And thinking back to his junior high report on Novoselic, he remembered a classmate's report on Germany that mentioned calico coloring on cats being lucky.
Naegi knew he was keeping this cat, but there were a few things that he needed to do first. Tanaka wanted to examine her a bit more, so as the Ultimate Breeder was caring for her, the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 went to get cat supplies for the new resident at the…dorms. While Tanaka had explained, in his own Tanaka way of course, that Hope's Peak did not feel too strongly about students keeping pets even if they were unrelated to the student's talent, provided that they were properly taken care of, Naegi had forgotten to consider the possibility that the girls might not want a cat living at the dorms. He doubted that it would be much of a problem, but he had not asked ahead of time. He suddenly felt like a child hiding an animal from his parents or perhaps more accurately, a certain living suit of armor hiding a cat from his brother.
"Well, I'll figure something out when Sensei and the girls meet her. Maybe it will all work out," Naegi said in an attempt to reassure himself.
That moment came sooner than Naegi had liked. Yukizome and the girls had noticed while he set things up for the cat in his room. When Naegi had returned from retrieving the cat from Tanaka, they confronted him on it.
"Naegi-kun, what's going on?" Yukizome asked.
Naegi froze when he heard that question. This wasn't how he wanted to start this conversation, but perhaps it was just as well. As Naegi slowly turned from his spot on the stairs, the other residents of the dorm gave a collective, "Awwww!"
That's a good sign, Naegi thought. "I know I should have checked with everyone first, but she was following me, and she seemed hungry and…" Naegi rambled.
"T-that's right, you should have checked first," Yukizome lectured, although everyone present knew that she was doing because she was expected to as their teacher. "Now, what's this little cutie's name?" Yukizome asked.
"Uh, I haven't actually thought of one yet," Naegi admitted.
Upon hearing that, the girls began blurting out suggestions.
"Shizuka!"
"Anzu!"
"Shinobu!"
As this went on, one dorm resident did not make a suggestion, but that was because she has so distracted by the cat. Her fur looks so soft, Pekoyama thought as she longed to stroke the cat's fur. As if it read her mind, the cat jumped out of Naegi's arms and made her way over to Pekoyama. A few meows were able to get Pekoyama's attention.
"I think she likes you, Pekoyama-senpai," Naegi said.
"That is impossible. Animals don't…" Pekoyama began.
"Apparently that one does," Naegi interrupted.
Pekoyama was nervous. This had never happened, and she wasn't sure what to do. Moving slowly and robotically, Pekoyama knelt down and started to scratch behind the cat's ears. "Hi there, I-I'm Peko. What's your name?" she asked.
"That's what we're trying to figure out, dummy," Saionji reminded her.
"Hiyoko-chan, be nice," Koizumi lectured.
"Maybe you should name her, Pekoyama-senpai. She really seems to like you," Naegi suggested with a smile on his face.
Pekoyama looked at the cat in front of her for a while as she thought of possible names. When she decided on one, she smiled softly and said, "Hello Miyabi, I hope we'll be best friends."
A happy, "Meow!" followed by purring was the newly named Miyabi's response.
Kuzuryuu Manor
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Nothing reminded Pekoyama of the fact that she lived in a different world than her friends than when she returned home to the Kuzuryuu Manor. She had been raised by the Kuzuryuu Clan since she was a baby as a hit woman alongside the heir Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko. If anyone asked, she would say that she was content. She had embraced her life as a tool long ago, as long as she could be with her young master, she could be happy, or at least she had been happy until she started at Hope's Peak.
I'm still not good enough, Pekoyama thought. There could be no other explanation as to why her young master did not wish to rely on his clan's name and influence. That included Peko apparently if Kuzuryuu's declaration of, "I don't want you to be a tool!" What else could he mean?
These thoughts had been swirling around Pekoyama's mind since she had been summoned by the head of the Clan. Did Kuzuryuu-sama find out about that? Am I being reassigned? Please don't reassign me! Please don't throw me away! Pekoyama thought as she was led to the Head's office by one of his guards.
Once they arrived outside the office, the guard said, "Best of luck," before letting Pekoyama in. Once inside, Pekoyama prostrated herself before the Clan's boss, Kuzuryuu Kiyomaro. He was not exactly a large man, a source of irritation that his son had also inherited. Like his children, Kuzuryuu Kiyomaro had a baby face, but unlike his children, he had scars all over it from "incidents" with rival yakuza. Rumor had it that he and his late brother were the ones who ensured that no one would ever comment on the Kuzuryuu baby face to said faces but given the man's temperament and his late brother's reputation, no one dared ask for details.
"…a mistake," Pekoyama heard her boss mumble.
"Oyabun?" Pekoyama questioned fearfully. This was not off to a good start.
"Sending Natsumi to Hope's Peak Academy was a mistake," the man repeated.
Pekoyama let out a mental sigh at that, fearing an audible one may make whatever was in store for her that much worse.
"We warned her not to pay that outrageous amount for her fortune. She did it anyway. We told her there was no point in going to Hope's Peak as a Reserve Course student. She somehow convinced us to send her because the fortune she overpaid for said she would go to Hope's Peak. After a year passes and I think things are working out, she goes behind our backs and our men get beaten up by a teenager. I don't give a damn that she's the Ultimate Soldier or whatever, she shamed us, and the worst part is, I can't think of a reason to go after her or the boy she protected without violating three centuries of yakuza doctrine. Do you know why I called you here today, Peko?" her boss asked after he had finished ranting.
"Does it involve Natsumi-sama?" Pekoyama asked, so as not to anger her boss.
"Yes. I love my daughter. I think she would be a great leader for the Clan, if she wanted the position. But whenever she does anything that involves Hope's Peak, the Clan seems to get embarrassed in some way. Since she's too stubborn to listen and yes, I am aware how manipulative she can be, I thought that having someone on damage control might work. Peko, since you're already at Hope's Peak with Fuyuhiko, I want you to also make sure that while she's at school, Natsumi doesn't get herself killed or anything when she gets one of her ideas in hear head," Oyabun Kuzuryuu ordered.
"Hai!" Pekoyama acknowledged. It wasn't what she was expecting, but at least she wasn't being thrown away. She could protect both Kuzuryuu siblings, she had done it before. True, keeping tabs on Natsumi while being an Ultimate wouldn't be easy, not if Yukizome's strict enforcement of attendance was involved, Pekoyama was certain that she could manage.
Two Hours Later
"Right in there, kid," one of Kiyomaro's guards told Naegi as he motioned for the boy to enter Kiyomaro's office.
Naegi had no idea why he was here. Kuzuryuu just told Naegi that his father wanted to meet him and led him to a car parked out in front of Hope's Peak. Naegi liked Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko, he did, but he didn't like that he had been involved in yakuza business three times in two weeks. Fear of death usually soured people on the experience. That being said, Naegi had no idea what he could have done to land himself in the crosshairs this time and he doubted that the Kuzuryuu Clan would have been so polite if they wanted him dead.
Still probably best if I don't press my luck, Naegi thought as he bowed to the leader. "Thank you very much for inviting me into your home, Kuzuryuu-sama. It is an honor to be here," Naegi said quickly, too intimidated by the man in front of him to slow down his words.
"So, you're the kid that got caught up in my daughter's business and gave the poker tournament such a memorable ending? What was your name again?" Kiyomaro asked.
"Naegi Makoto, sir."
"Naegi-kun. I should kill you for what your little girlfriend did to my men who were just following my daughter's orders."
"Sorry, sir!" Naegi never thought he would apologize for not letting people murder him, but here he was.
"Relax kid, if I wanted you dead, I certainly wouldn't have met with you personally."
"Yes sir."
"Do you know why I wanted to see you?"
"No sir."
"Last night was a big fucking deal. Though I probably don't need to remind you, you were in the middle of it. I had my doubts when Fuyuhiko suggested inviting you and covering your buy in, but I'm glad he did. Those Shikabane bastards have been getting too smug for my taste, but your little fall last night knocked them on their ass. After that, we and the other clans had the Shikabane by the balls. Not only did they not get any money in winnings, we picked up some territory in exchange for not starting a war over that cheating gaijin they kept betting on," Kiyomaro explained.
"I'm…happy…for you, sir." It was obvious that Naegi didn't know how to feel getting credit for last night. He was pretty sure the fake Yasuhiro Taeko and her brother were probably dead. He wished he had tried to save them, after those two had pissed off five yakuza clans and that man, the Drifter, Naegi doubted there was a way to save either of them.
"You should be, because you get to benefit from it too," Kiyomaro said.
"I don't know if I should, sir. It was just an accident that those two got caught," Naegi countered.
"True, but I'm a man who rewards those who help me, whether they mean to or not. So, whatever it is you want, provided that it can be done, name it," Kiyomaro told Naegi.
That was a tempting offer. "That's very generous of you, Sir," Naegi said, "but I can't think of anything that I want right now." It was true, Naegi couldn't think of anything he would require the power or influence of a yakuza clan for, if the offer extended that far.
"Well, think about it. Tell Fuyuhiko when you have an answer, you know where to find him. That will be all, one of my men will take you back to Hope's Peak," Kiyomaro said as he motioned for Naegi to leave.
"I will. And thank you, Sir!" Naegi said as he left Kiyomaro's office. Although, at the moment, Naegi was more grateful for permission to leave than he was for a favor.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Kuzuryuu Natsumi was less than thrilled by the new arrangement. She wouldn't say that she hated Pekoyama, but she did hate that Pekoyama got to spend as much time with her brother as she did. Natsumi was his sister and she hated that anyone was closer to her brother than her. Add to it that Pekoyama was essentially her babysitter and you were left with a very irritable yakuza heiress.
Pekoyama, who did not know why Natsumi was angry, but still picked up on the fact that she was angry, had relegated herself to watching her charge from the shadows. She was far enough away to not be noticed by anyone, but close enough to hear every one of Natsumi's complaints.
"Fucking dad. I don't need a fucking babysitter. Fucking Reserve Course. Fucking lying, deadbeat fortune-tellers," Natsumi grumbled as she vented all of her frustrations. Pekoyama as her new bodyguard wasn't the only thing she was upset about. It had been over a year and the school had still not recognized her as an "Ultimate". If she wasn't an "Ultimate" then she had wasted her money on Hagakure's fortune-telling. If she wasn't an "Ultimate" then what good was she? If she wasn't an "Ultimate" there was a chance that her brother would leave her behind. She didn't want that; she did not want that at all. And to make matters worse, one of her classmates from middle school was an "Ultimate," Koizumi Mahiru.
"What makes her so special?" Natsumi asked angrily, not that anyone beside Pekoyama heard her.
As if fate were answering her, Natsumi came across Koizumi Mahiru and her friend Fuwa Sato, both of whom were looking over prints of Koizumi's newest photos.
"I think I did a good job on this one," Koizumi said with a hint of pride as she looked directly at the photo in her hands.
"It's fine, Mahiru-chan, but why is that boy in all of these?" Sato asked. She was usually happy to look at Koizumi's work, but these photos bothered her because of someone's presence in them.
"O-oh, Naegi-kun is in all of them? I hadn't really noticed," Koizumi stuttered. That was a lie, she knew Naegi was in them, that's way she liked them so much.
Jealousy bubbled up within Sato. This boy was taking Koizumi's attention away from her. She wasn't sure what to do about it though. It was very clear that Koizumi was fond of Naegi.
Natsumi had no idea of any of this though, all she saw was her obstacle to being an "Ultimate." If Koizumi left Hope's Peak, everything would start going Natsumi's way, or so she believed. As the wind picked up, Natsumi got an idea. Koizumi needed to be reminded of her place, and Natsumi was going to be the one to remind her.
"Ever since your mom came home, you've been taking a lot of pictures of that boy, Mahiru-chan," Sato told her friend.
"I-I may have taken a few, but that's all. Plus, my mom keeps asking about him," Koizumi said defensively. When the wind picked up again, Koizumi gripped the pictures tighter, but soon felt someone smack her hands hard, causing her to let go. Before Koizumi knew it, the pictures had blown away.
"You should be thanking me. Now no one has to know that you took those shitty photos," Natsumi sneered.
Sato wouldn't exactly complain that the pictures of Naegi were gone, but Natsumi had hurt Koizumi, and that would not stand. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sato yelled.
Pekoyama saw what Natsumi had done and while she didn't like it, Natsumi was her superior. If it came down between Natsumi and her friend Koizumi, Natsumi would win. That didn't mean that her grip on her sword didn't tighten in frustration. Let it go. Become a weapon. Feel nothing, Pekoyama thought in an effort to calm herself. Tools weren't supposed to get angry at their masters. Peko did however make a mental note to make it up to Koizumi later.
"What? Nothing wrong with getting rid of trash, right?" Natsumi asked coyly.
"None of Mahiru-chan pictures could ever be trash!" Sato argued.
As if she hadn't heard Sato, Natsumi started speaking to Koizumi directly. "What kind of talent is "Ultimate Photographer" anyway? You point a camera and push a button. I could train a monkey to do the same."
"If that's how you feel then it's no wonder that Koizumi-senpai is the Ultimate Photographer and you aren't, Senpai," a new voice chimed in. Naegi had appeared, holding the pictures that had blown away. Good thing I had to meet with Headmaster Kirigiri about the elementary program, Naegi thought. If he hadn't gotten in the way, Koizumi may have never gotten her pictures back.
"And what the fuck does that mean you little bastard?" Natsumi roared. Pointing out that she wasn't an "Ultimate" touched a nerve.
"Maybe it is true that anyone can take photographs. The same can be said about a lot of the other talents the Main Course students have. But not anyone can put the love into their music the way Mioda-senpai can. Not everyone would make the sacrifices Maizono-san did to become the Ultimate Idol. I've seen the effort that Koizumi-senpai puts into making every photo perfect. I know that the Reserve Course students have worked hard, and I do think that they deserve better than they get, but after spending time with my friends here, I've come to understand the passion that made them 'Ultimate.' They all feel so strongly about something that they couldn't settle for second best. To just say that 'anyone could do that,' not only insults them, but everyone they had to surpass to get here, and if that's how you feel about it, you'll never be an 'Ultimate' yourself." Naegi knew he was playing a dangerous game saying all of that, he hadn't expected to meet Natsumi again so soon, and now here he was lecturing her. He hoped Natsumi's father didn't find out about this, although he also didn't think her father would put a hit out on him for something like this, or so he hoped.
Pekoyama couldn't help feeling flattered that Naegi had such a high opinion of her. I didn't know that Naegi-kun was so fond of us, she thought. Koizumi's red face suggested that she was having similar thoughts to Pekoyama.
Natsumi, however, was less than impressed. "How dare… How fucking dare you! Do you know who I am? Do you know what I can do to you? Don't make yourself a problem to me, you don't want to know what I do with my problems!" Natsumi ranted.
Naegi gulped at the implied threat but stood his ground. "I didn't say all of that to insult you Senpai, I just said all of that in the hope that you would understand. I'm sure that you're really a wonderful and talented person who deserves to be an 'Ultimate' too," Natsumi blushed when she heard that, "but so are my friends. I just want you to acknowledge their splendor."
Natsumi, who had recovered, scoffed. "'Splendor?' Yeah, whatever. But you seem to understand that I'm amazing, so I'll let you go this time. Koizumi! Don't ever forget your place. I'm better than you and one way or another I will be an 'Ultimate,' so if you know what's good for you, you'll stop being a problem for me."
Koizumi was still coming down off of her high from Naegi's praise said, "Huh? Oh, sure. Whatever." There was a time when Natsumi's insults would have bothered her, but it seemed that Naegi had removed any doubt about whether or not she belonged at Hope's Peak.
Natsumi didn't say anything to Sato as she left, but that didn't stop Sato from glaring at her. Unknown to everyone else, Pekoyama silently and stealthily followed her charge.
"I should probably go get dinner started. Here are your pictures, Koizumi-senpai," Naegi said as he handed Koizumi her photos. He then turned to Sato and said, "Fuwa-senpai, it was nice seeing you again. Hopefully next time we get to talk more, or at all, I guess."
Sato was less than thrilled with the idea, but she managed to force a smile and a nod as the boy left.
"I should get going to Sato-chan. I promised Hiyoko-chan I'd watch her practice before dinner," Koizumi said with a wave.
Sato was able to see that Koizumi's cheeks were still red from Naegi's earlier words but didn't comment on it. Instead she just waved as her friend left to meet up with Saionji. Sato couldn't help but feel jealous. She had been telling Koizumi how great she was for as long as she had known her, yet Natsumi, their old tormentor from junior high, still managed to wreck Mahiru's confidence. Then some first-year boy shows up and in a few months' time, his words carry more weight with Koizumi than Sato's own. Sato did not understand. Not only could she not understand, she didn't like it. What…
"'What makes him so special?' right? I've been wondering that myself."
Sato looked around for whoever it was who had been able to read her thoughts but saw no one.
"Up here," the voice called.
Sato looked up to see none other than Enoshima Junko sitting in a tree branch.
"Trust me, I know the feeling. My older sister has it bad for Luck Boy too," Enoshima said before shifting to her punk persona. "It's a fuckin' insult is what it is. We're fuckin' twins but she cares more about what that runt thinks than I do."
"That's horrible," Sato said. She was wondering what other relationships Naegi had been able to ruin since coming to Hope's Peak.
Shifting to her intellectual personality, Enoshima noted, "You and your friend seem to have other issues though. That yakuza girl seems like the type to do whatever it takes to get her way. If she thought it was necessary, I don't imagine it would be difficult for her to make your friend disappear."
Sato felt a chill go up her spine at Enoshima's words. Natsumi was a bully, Sato would be the first to point that out, but until now, she had always believed that Natsumi's bark was worse than her bite. That said, she had noticed that Natsumi seemed to grow more belligerent as time went on, but was Natsumi really so desperate to get into the Main Course that she would harm Koizumi? Sato did not wish to find out.
Shifting to her cutesy persona, Enoshima began to make suggestions. "If only there was a way to get rid of them both at once~. No one would miss the yakuza girl, but Naegi-kun is a different stowy~. Evewyone thinks he walks on water~."
That was true, at least if Koizumi was any indication. Sato had already accepted that she would need to make sure that Natsumi would never bother anyone ever again, but what was she to do about Naegi?
"Do you have an idea Nee-chan~? You can tell Junko-chan~! I don't care even if it's bad or even if it's a wittle fib~!" Enoshima pressed as she kept to her cutesy personality.
A lie? Deal with Natsumi and make it look like Naegi did it. It would take some planning, but Sato thought that if she could pull it off, all of her problems would be solved. She and Koizumi could go back to how things were.
Sato was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she missed Enoshima grinning from ear-to-ear.
Hope's Peak Academy-Class 77-B's Classroom
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Friday
Class 77-B was a lot of things. Wild. Possibly insane. But most of all they were close. Of course, they didn't start out that way, and staying close was a lot of work. Fortunately, they had a class representative that was more than willing to put that work in.
"We haven't done anything together lately…I think," Nanami mentioned as soon as class had ended for the day.
"We went to that hot spring inn," the Imposter, who was Togami today, reminded her.
"That was with Class 78, though," Mitarai corrected.
"Now that I think about it…," Nidai began as he tried to remember if Class 77-B had actually done anything that was just for themselves.
"It has been kind of a busy year," Koizumi pointed out.
"Any ideas, Chiaki-chan?" Mioda asked the small gamer.
"I got some new games that I think you'll all like. It might take more than an afternoon to get through them though," Nanami said.
"Tomorrow afternoon then?" Souda asked.
"Excellent! I shall show you all that I have 'got game!'" Sonia announced. That got everyone speculating what games Nanami had or issuing challenges to one another.
While most of Class 77-B was excited, there was a member who didn't think that she could share in their fun. Pekoyama knew that she should be keeping an eye on Natsumi tomorrow afternoon. Bo-chan should be fine if he's with everyone else, but I have no idea where Natsumi-sama will go. Will she stay at school or will she head straight home? Pekoyama wondered. She really did want to spend time with her friends, but her duty to the Kuzuryuu Clan was supposed to come first.
"Don't worry about it," the voice of her young master told her.
"Bo-ch-, Kuzuryuu-kun?" Pekoyama asked.
"It's one afternoon and the school already has security to deal with threats. Anyway, if Natsumi wants to do something, it's not like anyone can stop her. I think Dad knows that too. It's stupid to make you divide your time between here and the Reserve Course anyway," Kuzuryuu explained.
Does this mean that Bo-chan wants me around? That he doesn't think I'm a useless tool? Pekoyama asked herself. Before she knew it, a small smile made its way to her face as she said. "You're right, Kuzuryuu-kun. I'll be joining all of you tomorrow."
"No shit," Kuzuryuu said with a laugh. As long as Pekoyama was happy, he figured that his sister could do without for an afternoon.
Around that time, Naegi was returning to the dorm to start dinner. Today had been uneventful for him, or about as uneventful as it can be at Hope's Peak. That was fine as far as he was concerned, uneventful meant he hadn't put himself in danger of death by yakuza. Natsumi hadn't seemed too angry when they parted ways on Wednesday, but he still knew that he was pushing his luck when he had rebuked her.
No point worrying about it now, I guess, he reasoned. As he got to the door, he saw an envelope wedged between the door and doorframe with his name on it. He braced himself for a letter from the yakuza telling him to watch himself but saw that it was from Sato.
Naegi-kun,
I'd like to discuss Mahiru-chan with you tomorrow. Can we talk in the Music Room of the Old Building after class tomorrow?
-Fuwa Sato
Naegi thought that it was odd that Sato would leave him a note, especially since there were people who knew Koizumi almost as well as Sato herself that Sato could talk to. Maybe it's because I don't know Koizumi-senpai as well as they do that Fuwa-senpai wants to talk. And I have noticed that Koizumi-senpai has seemed a bit distracted lately, Naegi thought, not realizing that he was the distraction. Well, Fuwa-senpai did go to the trouble, I might as well go. Maybe I can help, Naegi thought as he went about his business. He hoped that whatever he and Sato did tomorrow it would help Koizumi.
Hope's Peak Academy-Old School Building
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Class had ended early, even for a half day on Saturday. Despite that, Naegi was still in a hurry. He blamed Sonia for that, the Novoselic custom of arriving 13 minutes early had rubbed off on him.
It might not be a bad thing in this case. I'd prefer not to keep Fuwa-senpai waiting if I can help it, Naegi thought as he caught his breath after sprinting across campus. The Old Building was closer to the Reserve Course Building than the Main Building, so he imagined that Sato had beat him here. As Naegi climbed the stairs, he wondered what it was that Sato had to say. Koizumi had told him that she had known Sato in junior high and that they had been friends for all this time, but that didn't give him any hints. Is this about what happened the other day? Naegi wondered. Natsumi had been trying to get under Koizumi's skin, maybe Sato wanted to discuss that.
Thump!
What was that? Naegi asked himself as he ran towards the source of the noise. It was coming from the Music Room. Is Fuwa-senpai alright? Naegi thought as he tried to open the door. It was locked. Naegi was wondering if he could force it open by himself when he heard another loud Thump! followed by the sound of wood splintering. Naegi hoped that whatever had made that noise had damaged the door frame or the lock enough for him. Running back down the hall and charging at the door, Naegi crashed shoulder first into the Music Room door. It worked! The door had opened. Naegi had been prepared for trouble, but he wasn't ready for what he saw: Sato had…something in her hand and she was out of breath. Even more surprising, Natsumi was there. Her nose was bleeding, possibly broken but Naegi couldn't tell just by looking. The amount of blood on her uniform and on the floor suggested that she had been injured for a while.
"Do somedig! Dis bitch is trying do kill be!" Natsumi screamed at Naegi.
"You weren't supposed to be here yet!" Sato yelled as soon as she recovered from Naegi's appearance. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Natsumi was supposed to be dead and Naegi was supposed to show up to take the blame. She'd have to get rid of them both now. She raised the weapon in her hand and tried to take another swing at Natsumi, but Naegi was faster than her arm.
"Fuwa-senpai, you can't do this! Give me that!" Naegi yelled as he struggled with Sato for control of her weapon.
"She needs to die! She'll kill Mahiru-chan if I don't do something!" Sato argued as she tried to fight off Naegi. Sato was having some trouble though; she had been chasing Natsumi around for a while and her grip on the weapon was getting loose from fatigue and sweat. It didn't help that Naegi kept pulling on it. After a few more minutes of struggle, the weapon slipped out of both her and Naegi's hands and crashed through a window.
Naegi winced when that happened. Although he knew that he couldn't, and shouldn't, hide this, he would have preferred to talk Sato down before security showed up. Sakakura wasn't shy about using brutal methods to take control of a situation. Sakakura-san wouldn't get violent with a student, would he? Naegi wondered. Naegi realized that he didn't want to find out and decided that he needed to calm Sato down before security arrived. "Fuwa-senpai, I don't know what drove you to this, and maybe you think that there was no other way, but what about Koizumi-senpai? Would she want you to be a murderer?" he asked.
Sato gave no indication that she had heard him and continued muttering. "She'll kill Mahiru-chan. She'll stop at nothing to get into the Main Course."
"You're fuggin' insane. It dot going to kill her," Natsumi said.
"Liar!" Sato yelled.
"Fuwa-senpai, I agree that Kuzuryuu-senpai should know better than to make threats with the weight of a yakuza clan behind her, but she wouldn't hurt Koizumi-senpai, her brother would never forgive her for killing his friend and her Clan would never help her with this," Naegi argued.
Natsumi resented that Naegi would suggest that she was to blame in any way in this, it would go against everything the yakuza stood for her to kill for personal gain. But she had also been warned that all of her flexing would come back to bite her, maybe it was time to tone it down.
Before anymore could be said, Hope's Peak security came in led by Sakakura Juzo.
"What the fuck is going on in here!?" Sakakura demanded when he saw the students.
It could have gone a lot worse. To everyone's surprise, Natsumi had in Sato's defense, claiming that at least some of the blame lay with her. She had been suspended for a few days for bullying other students. Sato's parents had been informed of what had happened, no one envied Kirigiri Jin when he delivered that news. Luckily for the Fuwas, the school would not involve the police if Sato would undergo therapy with Gekkogahara Miaya, an alumnus of the school and the Ultimate Therapist. Koizumi was upset by Sato's actions, but she was glad that her friend was not a murderer. The weapon as it turned out, had been a girl's school swimsuit filled with gravel, "rather ingenious," according to Kirigiri Kyoko, the Ultimate Detective.
Naegi came out unscathed, but he couldn't help but worry. Not for his own sake, but for Sato. Natsumi might have been forgiving, but Sato had still attempted to kill the daughter of the Clan's boss, if he chose to retaliate, Sato would be in danger. If only Naegi knew what would occur at Kuzuryuu home that evening.
Kuzuryuu Kiyomaro was indeed furious, but Sato was not the target of his anger, it was Pekoyama. He would honor Natsumi's decision to be lenient with Sato, but he could not forgive Pekoyama's failure to protect his daughter.
"So…My daughter met with this girl and you were…where exactly?" he asked.
"With my friends, Oyabun," Pekoyama said, ready to resign herself to whatever fate her boss had in store for her.
"Doing what?" Kiyomaro asked.
"Playing videogames that our class representative picked for us, Sir."
"Dad, wait! I'm the one who told her it would be alright," Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko said in an attempt to defend Pekoyama.
"Shut up, boy! We'll discuss your poor judgment later," Kiyomaru told his son. Turning back to Pekoyama he said, "Peko, you've been an asset to the Kuzuryuu Clan over the years and I can forgive minor mistakes. What I can't forgive is you not carrying out the task I gave you. I told you to keep an eye on Natsumi. Make sure 'Natsumi doesn't get herself killed or anything when she gets one of her ideas in hear head.' Well, one of her ideas damn near got her killed today. What needs to happen to make that right, Peko?"
"I-I must take my own…" For as brave as Pekoyama was, she really did not want to die like this, as a dishonored, useless tool.
"Oh no. My daughter is still alive, and I can't ignore your service up until now, but there must still be punishment. Pekoyama Peko, you are no longer part of this Clan!' Kiyomaro declared.
"N-no! Oyabun, please…" Pekoyama begged.
"Fuyuhiko, take her back to school and then come back. It's the last thing that we'll do for her. We'll talk about your poor judgment when you get back," Kiyomaro ordered.
It was clear to everyone that Kuzuryuu was angry with his father, but he complied anyway. "Let's go Peko. It's gonna be alright," he said although he didn't believe it. Heir or not, he couldn't overrule his father. Not until the man retired and while no one knew when that would be, Kuzuryuu knew that it would be well after it could make a difference.
Pekoyama was not aware of what her former young master was thinking. She wasn't aware of anything; her former boss's declaration had left her numb.
When they had finally returned to Hope's Peak, Kuzuryuu brought Pekoyama back to the girls' dorm. He told his sensei and the others what had happened and asked that they keep an eye on Pekoyama, to which they readily agreed.
"Kuzuryuu-senpai, is there anything else we can do to help?" Naegi asked.
"I've got this! I fucked up and I should fix this!" Kuzuryuu raged.
Naegi didn't flinch. He had been previously unaware of Pekoyama's connection to the Kuzuryuu Clan, but now that he knew all of what Pekoyama had told him about herself made sense. It also meant that she and Kuzuryuu were close, therefore he couldn't blame Kuzuryuu for being angry.
"Fuck, Naegi, I-I'm not mad at you, it's just…I wanted Peko to be her own person, to be more than a tool. I finally convince her that it's okay to do what she wants to do, and this happens. How fucked up is that?" Kuzuryuu asked. Naegi had a feeling that the older boy was trying his hardest not to cry.
"I understand Senpai," Naegi said. Remembering something, Naegi then said, "Senpai, I think there is something I can do to help. Your father said he owes me a favor, maybe he'll let Pekoyama back in the Clan if that's what I ask for."
Kuzuryuu felt hope return at that moment. "You'd do that?"
"Of course, Pekoyama is my friend. I can't think of a better use of it than for her."
"It's a plan then, but we should hold off for a bit. Dad isn't in the mood to grant favors tonight and pissing him off more won't help," Kuzuryuu cautioned.
I can imagine, Naegi thought. He would have to defer to Kuzuryuu's judgment for now, he only hoped that Pekoyama would be okay in the meantime.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Much like when Mioda had returned from her disastrous concert, Pekoyama had confined herself to her room. Unlike that time, Yukizome had two students watching Pekoyama at all times. This was no act of favoritism; both Mioda and Pekoyama had their spirits broken this year, but unlike Mioda, Pekoyama had expressed a desire to end her life.
Her first words when she started to speak again were, "Why didn't he kill me instead?" That was all Yukizome needed to hear.
Ogami and Asahina, despite not being members of Class 77-B offered to watch Pekoyama on Sunday. Pekoyama had cried all that day.
Owari and Mioda had volunteered on Monday. To Owari's horror but to no one's surprise, Pekoyama made known her refusal to eat.
On Tuesday, Nanami and Sonia tried to comfort Pekoyama, but to no avail. The poor girl just turned her back to them as she lay in bed.
Today, Ikusaba and Enoshima were watching Pekoyama. While Ikusaba had volunteered out of respect for Pekoyama, Enoshima had volunteered just to drink in Pekoyama's despair. Having lost the only way of life she had ever known, Pekoyama's despair was indeed delectable, but Enoshima thought that maybe she needed one more push to make it even better.
Pekoyama was oblivious to all of this. She simply wanted to regain her honor. Shards from her bathroom mirror wouldn't do the job and the others had removed all sharp object from her room. Even Ikusaba had removed her knives before coming into Pekoyama's room.
Enoshima got up and stretched. "I don't know how you do it, Muku-nee. I'm stiff and sore from sitting all day."
"You got used to it in Fenrir," was Ikusaba's reply. Guard duty often involved remaining motionless for hours on end, sometimes with a chair, sometimes not.
"Well, I wasn't in Fenrir, so I need to stretch my legs," Enoshima said as she got up. She wasn't gone long, but Ikusaba still frisked her when she returned. "Really Muku-nee?" Enoshima asked.
"No sharp objects or blades of any kind are allowed in here Junko-chan, no exceptions," Ikusaba said as she finished up. Enoshima was clean.
"Would I really bring something sharp in here when Pekoyama-senpai is like this?" Enoshima asked.
Ikusaba just gave her a deadpan look. Yes, yes Enoshima would bring sharp objects or blades in Pekoyama's room, but it seemed as though she hadn't…this time.
Both girls heard the door open and revealed Yukizome. "Umm…Ikusaba-san? Enoshima-san? It's time for dinner," Yukizome informed them.
"Sounds good! You ready Muku-nee?" Enoshima asked her sister.
Ikusaba nodded as she stood up. Enoshima followed suit and both left the room. Yukizome was going to follow them but before she did, she turned to Pekoyama and said, "Pekoyama-san, I'm leaving your door open. One of us will be up to join you soon."
She got no response from Pekoyama, not that she was expecting one. When Yukizome left, Pekoyama rolled over and spotted a key on her end table. Pekoyama knew it wasn't hers, she had her keys taken off of her so that she couldn't lock the others out. Even in the grips of depression, Pekoyama's curiosity go the better of her. She reached over and a wolf symbol much like the tattoo on Ikusaba's hand on the keychain. I didn't see Ikusaba-san leave these here. Ikusaba-san would have…No, her room will be locked, and this doesn't look like a room key, Pekoyama told herself. Still, Pekoyama didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste, so for the first time in a week, she got out of bed and left her room.
After having spent a week in bed, Pekoyama was a little wobbly on her feet, but she still made it over to Ikusaba's room with no trouble. She checked the door and to her surprise it was unlocked. With energy she hadn't felt in a week, Pekoyama dashed around the room, looking for the lock that worked with the key she found. She managed to find a metal case in Ikusaba's closet and found that the key fit. She had lucked out, Ikusaba's knives were in the box.
Pekoyama was ready. Seppuku. Her life was no longer of value, and she could at least restore her honor in death. She did feel bad that she would leave her other friends, and she felt guilty that she was using one of Ikusaba's knives and room to do this, but she had no other choice. As Pekoyama prepared to stab herself, she was interrupted by an intruder.
"Meow!"
"Miyabi," Pekoyama gasped, surprised that her feline friend was in the room with her. She had forgotten to close the door.
"Miyabi! Where did you go? We were going to bring Pekoyama-senpai her dinner," Naegi's voice called. After a second or two, Naegi apparently noticed something wrong and said, "That's odd, Ikusaba-san never leaves her door unlocked, much less open. Miyabi! Are you in there?"
Time froze for Pekoyama as Naegi opened the door.
Naegi was greeted to the sight of Pekoyama kneeling in the middle of Ikusaba's room with a knife. In a flash, Naegi was standing over Pekoyama trying to get the knife off of her.
"Give me the knife! Pekoyama-senpai, I know you're hurting, but you can't do this!" Naegi yelled.
"Naegi-kun, let go! There's nothing left for me!" Pekoyama argued.
"Bullshit! What about us?! We need you, Senpai! You're our friend and we love you!"
"I'm a broken, discarded tool!"
"You've never been a tool to us!"
"What's going on here?" Yukizome asked as she and some of the other girls entered the room.
Ikusaba forced her way in and got the knife out of Pekoyama's hands. "How did you get in my room?" she asked.
Pekoyama slumped over and said in a broken voice, "I found a key to your knife case. Your room was unlocked."
Ikusaba checked the key, it was hers, but she didn't have it with her in Pekoyama's room. She had a feeling that she knew how Pekoyama got it. "I'm sure that I didn't have this in your room, Senpai, but I should have double checked your room while you're like this," Ikusaba said as she bowed in apology before shooting a glare at her sister.
"P-Pekoyama-san, I-I know that you're upset, b-but Naegi-kun is right," Tsumiki said as she came out from behind Yukizome.
"Peko-chan can't leave us! If you died, Ibuki would never stop playing the Blues!" Mioda added.
"We haven't fought yet, but I know that you aren't this weak," Owari said.
"What we're trying to say, Pekoyama-san, is that Naegi-kun was right, we do love you. Please don't try something like this again," Yukizome finished.
Pekoyama was silent as she took this all in. She felt something soft and furry rub up against her. Once Miyabi got Pekoyama's attention, she gave Pekoyama a look as if to say, "I need you. Please keep living."
Naegi took a deep breath and said, "Can someone help Pekoyama-san get cleaned up? I need to go talk to Kuzuryuu-senpai. This can't wait anymore."
Two hours later, Naegi, Pekoyama, and Kuzuryuu were at the Kuzuryuu Manor in front of Kuzuryuu Kiyomaro. Pekoyama looked like she wanted to leave; Kuzuryuu looked nervous; but Naegi looked calm, he came here on a mission and he would see it through.
Kiyomaro simply looked amused at the interruption to his evening. "Naegi-kun, I've been informed that you have something to ask of me?" Kiyomaro asked.
"Yes sir," Naegi answered.
"And why is Peko here? She isn't part of this Clan anymore."
"That's actually why I'm here, Kuzuryuu-sama. I respectfully ask that you reconsider your decision to exile Pekoyama-senpai from the Kuzuryuu Clan," Naegi explained.
"I offer you a favor and this is what you ask for? I admire your courage for getting involved in clan matters, but I have to say no," Kiyomaro said.
"What the fuck, Dad! Isn't your word worth anything?" Kuzuryuu demanded to know.
"Don't start with me, Boy. This is my decision and mine alone," Kiyomaro responded. The response wasn't loud, but Kuzuryuu flinched as though he had been screamed at.
Pekoyama didn't know why she had come along for this. She knew that Kiyomaro wasn't going to change his mind, but she had the tiniest bit of hope when Naegi had told her what his plan was.
Naegi wasn't ready to give up though. He got down on his knees and prostrated himself and said, "Please Sir. Before I was asking, but now, I'm begging. Pekoyama-senpai is my precious friend and you and your clan have been such an important part of her life for so long that she's lost without the Kuzuryuu Clan. I can't stand to see her hurting like this. If I can do anything to get you to reconsider your decision, name it."
Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu were stunned. Naegi hadn't even known them that long and he was putting himself in danger for Pekoyama. He had to know that questioning and angering Kiyomaro was like playing with fire. Pekoyama was touched but also a little embarrassed. Here was this boy that she hadn't known for very long fighting for her harder than she was fighting for herself. What have I been doing? Being with Bo-chan meant so much to me, but I didn't even try to fight to stay. A little begging that I didn't expect to work, that was all I did. Maybe…maybe it is too early to just give up even if my future lies elsewhere, Pekoyama thought.
Kiyomaro gave a sigh and said, "Naegi-kun, you've got balls and honor and it's clear that Peko means a lot to you, but this is something that I can't do. It was one mistake, but it was a big one, I can't trust her."
"Dad, I told you, it was my idea," Kuzuryuu argued.
"And we have discussed your poor judgment previously," Kiyomaro countered causing Kuzuryuu to flinch again.
"Sir, please," Naegi begged.
"Naegi-kun, it's fine," Pekoyama interjected.
"But Senpai…"
"If there's nothing else, my men will escort you out," Kiyomaro said as he clapped his hands and two of his guards came in and flanked Pekoyama and Naegi.
It didn't take the guards long to escort the two students outside. Once they had left, Naegi turned to Pekoyama and said, "Senpai, it might take a while, but I'll try again. I'm sure I can get Kuzuryuu-sama to change his mind."
"Don't bother, the old man is too stubborn," Kuzuryuu said.
"But Senpai…"
"He's right Naegi-kun. I appreciate it, but Kuzuryuu-sama has always been stubborn," Pekoyama added.
"But maybe…"
"Don't worry. I may have given up on this but not on my own life. If you're willing to fight for me then my life must still have value. It's a shame. Bo-chan told me he didn't want me to be a tool and it's only now that I realize what he meant. I never did what I wanted. Being here meant so much to me but I didn't even try to fight for it, I just listened to Kuzuryuu-sama's final order for me and left. I begged, but I had already accepted that it wouldn't work. I suppose it is ironic that acting as a tool for the Kuzuryuu Clan is why I'm exiled," Pekoyama laughed sadly.
"You were never a tool to me, Peko," Kuzuryuu told her.
"I know. I know that now," Pekoyama responded.
"Naegi, take care of Peko. And I mean take care of her. She's special," Kuzuryuu told the younger boy.
"I know. And I will, she's important to me too after all," Naegi told Kuzuryuu.
"Peko, I'm sorry. Maybe things would have been different if we had tried this sooner. But I was so damn afraid of the Old Man getting more pissed off that I put it off. If I could just stand up to him…" Kuzuryuu began.
"It's not your fault, Bo-chan," Pekoyama told him.
"I'm not your "Young Master." Not anymore," Kuzuryuu said sadly. Taking a deep breath, Kuzuryuu continued, "Peko…I… No, it doesn't matter. My future has been planned out for years. What I want doesn't matter, it never has. But Peko, promise me you'll keep going, for both of us. Any freedom I have is gone after graduation, but you finally have yours."
"…" Pekoyama was at a loss for words. She knew what Kuzuryuu wanted to say. She wished she could say it too, but he was right. Circumstances being what they were, the two couldn't be together. Kuzuryuu probably had an arranged marriage with a yakuza heiress or the daughter of someone influential in order to strengthen the Clan. Pekoyama thought she could have been content just being by his side, but now that she was being honest, she knew a life like that would just be one of misery.
"Senpai, you have to at least try," Naegi said. The two had forgotten about Naegi during their moment.
"No everyone can do what you do, Naegi," Kuzuryuu explained. He couldn't help admiring the younger boy's optimism, and he couldn't help thinking that if he were more like Naegi, he could stand up to his father and he might have been able to help Pekoyama on his own.
"But…" Naegi tried to say.
"Naegi-kun, it's fine. Thank you for trying so hard, but I'll be okay. With that, a silence hung in the air and the students decided that it was time to return to Hope's Peak.
After arriving back at school, the students returned to their respective dorms. Once in her room, Pekoyama found Miyabi waiting for her. Picking up her furry friend, Pekoyama couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down in tears.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Dining Room
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
As Naegi was setting out breakfast and the girls were taking their seats at the table, to everyone's surprise, Pekoyama had decided to join them.
"Are you okay, Peko-chan?" Koizumi asked seeing Pekoyama's eyes look redder than normal.
"No Koizumi-san, I'm not. And I probably won't be for a while. But I won't be trying to kill myself anymore. Naegi-kun, Miyabi-chan, and all of you…if you all saved me then all I would do is shame myself further if I tried again," Pekoyama explained.
"That's…progress?" Asahina asked, not entirely sure how to react to that.
"I have to take a different path from the Kuzuryuu Clan now. If those paths join again, so be it, but last night I realized that it's time to live as a person, not a tool," Pekoyama said.
"Pekoyama-san, I want you to see Gekkogahara-san at least once a week for the rest of the school year. I think it will do you some good," Yukizome said.
"Hai, Sensei," Pekoyama said as she sat down next to Naegi's usual chair.
"Just so you know, Senpai, I've never thought of you as a tool," Naegi said as he sat down next to her.
"I know, and I hope you'll help me again. Although, teaching me to be a person will probably be harder than teaching me how to smile," Pekoyama warned.
"I will. Even if I hadn't promised Kuzuryuu-senpai, I'd still take care of you. You're my friend after all," Naegi told her.
Blushing slightly, Pekoyama said, "I'm in your care from this day forward, Bo-chan."
Naegi may not have just thought it was a joke, but his admirers swore there was something flirty in Pekoyama's tone.
Present
It will still take more time, but Pekoyama has been making great progress, Naegi thought as he spotted Tanaka.
Naegi-kun, thank you for being so considerate of me. When I was at my lowest, you came and tried to remind me that my life still had value. I hope that you will be patient for a little while longer. Until I am sure of a few things, Pekoyama thought before explaining the situation to Tanaka.
Tanaka said he had to get a few things but would join them soon. As the two made their way back to Miyabi and Celes, a voice called out, "I finally found you."
Okay, I know that ending was a little abrupt, but I really wanted to get this one out. I know it took long. I hope it was worth the wait. Peko was hard to write for, mostly because in order to solve her problem of seeing herself as a tool, I had to create a bigger problem and force her to remember that she is a person.
You all probably caught that, but Peko's story isn't quite over yet. I thought it would be too much to have her go from broken to admiring Makoto. She'll be around and we can resolve this when the V3 girls are introduced. I wasn't going to do that, but I think it's for the best. Like I said, she's hard to write for, but now that things have been set up, I think I'll have an easier time next time.
As for why Peko recovered as quickly as she did, I drew some inspiration from Mina's ending in Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Force 4. I know I'm showing my age with that one, but it was good. Check that ending out on YouTube and tell me you don't see Peko doing that.
You know I honestly don't think an arranged marriage is too far off as far as Fuyuhiko is concerned. I don't know much about yakuza politics but I can see political marriages being a thing.
Anyway, Kyoko is next. Followed by the Warriors of Hope.
Read and review and I'll see you later.
P.S. I will take whatever abuse or insults you think I deserve for the wait and the chapter. I don't think it's bad, but I don't think it's one of my best either.
Chapter Text
Chapter 15: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Detective
Hello again ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages! Wesst1 back again once again.
I'm glad all of you enjoyed Peko's chapter, I was a little worried about how the ending, such as it was, would go over. Then again, more Peko is always good, and I wrote it in a way that requires more Peko later on. And I mean later on, I will not contribute to Peko overdose.
Now though, it is time for the original Ultimate Detective, Kyoko. We're getting close to the end of the flashbacks, at least for now. Toko and maybe Sakura might need flashbacks in their chapters but that's not for a while so let's not worry about that right now.
But before we hear Kyoko's story, we need to go back. Back to the past. Not Samurai Jack, but you'll still enjoy it, I'm sure.
…
Please bear with me, I promise it will all make sense when it's over. Now, it is going to be a little disjointed, but I think you'll like it.
Now, on with the show!
50 years ago
February 28. 9:41 AM
District Court-Courtroom No. 3
"…The facts of this case are quite clear to me. The detective on this case did an impeccable job," an elderly, bald, bearded man in a black robe announced.
From his place in the Gallery, a Young Kirigiri Fuhito, the detective who had been called in to lead the case, smirked. He was hardly one to gloat but couldn't help stroking his newly grown beard and mustache. The defendant must have thought himself clever, but Kirigiri detectives are the best in the world.
Hoshikage Gou, the defense attorney shot an apologetic look to his client. The large, round, older man had done the best that he could and was now fully feeling his sixty years of age. His co-counsel beside him seemed to be taking it hard as well. What a way to start a career, being a part of a loss like this. While the prosecution's case made sense, Hoshikage couldn't escape the feeling that they had all overlooked something: a key piece of evidence; a different explanation that was equally viable; something.
The prosecutor, a large, imposing man, by the name of Karuma Soranosuke, smirked just like his silent, unseen partner. The prosecution's explanation of events was perfect, just like him. Though younger than Hoshikage by 20 years, he was a force to be reckoned with even without the assistance of a Kirigiri detective. When a perfect detective worked with the perfect prosecutor, no criminal could escape justice.
"If there is nothing else, I must now hand down my verdict," the judge announced as he raised his gavel.
"Objection!" the young co-counsel exclaimed.
"Yes, young man? And you are…?" the judge asked.
"Naegi Reiji, Your Honor, and there is something else," the new lawyer, Reiji, declared.
"There is? But what? The sequence of events as described was perfect," the judge said.
"And that's the problem, Your Honor. We have all forgotten one very important thing. Nothing involving humans is perfect. If everything in this case fits perfectly, we must have missed something, and I've finally realized what it is," Reiji announced.
"Very well, young man, let's take a brief recess and reconvene in one hour," the judge declared before banging his gavel.
As the people in the Gallery left, Fuhito glared at this Naegi Reiji. Brown, messy hair, with an ahoge. A shabby suit. Looked to be in his early twenties. This was definitely his first case. Though his silver hair, and really, who wouldn't have silver hair after years of stressful cases as an assistant detective, made him look older, he was in his twenties just like the defense's co-counsel. Unlike the co-counsel, however, Fuhito had been training for detective work since age four. This greenhorn would learn the hard way that Kirigiri's didn't make mistakes.
Present Day
Naegi and Pekoyama turned to see a girl with purple hair and purple eyes and a smirk on her lips.
"Naegi-kun, I'm sure that whatever it is you and Pekoyama-senpai are doing is important, but in case you've forgotten, you have a meeting with the Headmaster," the girl reminded.
"I'm sorry, Kirigiri-san, I lost track of time," Naegi said sheepishly.
The now identified, Kirigiri Kyoko said, "I'm sure. And I'm sure that whatever it is it is important, but so is this meeting."
"Kirigiri-san, Miyabi is having kittens, I'm sure that your father would understand if Naegi-kun stayed for that," Pekoyama said. She believed that, of course, but she also wanted Naegi to stay with her.
Kirigiri was tempted to ignore her father's request for this. The thought of newborn kittens was appealing, but she knew that Naegi needed to meet with the Headmaster. Plus, she wanted to have some alone time with Naegi and if they were late, her father might send more people looking. "If it any other day I'd agree with you Senpai, but this meeting is important," Kirigiri told her.
Pekoyama sighed, she knew Kirigiri was right. She turned to Naegi and said, "I'll tell you all about it later, Naegi-kun."
"Thanks, Senpai," Naegi said as he and Kirigiri headed towards the Main School Building. After a few seconds of silence, Naegi turned to Kirigiri and asked, "So he's still the 'Headmaster,' huh?"
Kirigiri smiled softly and said, "While he's at work he is."
Naegi started to chuckle. "Sorry Kirigiri-san, I couldn't resist. It's just that it wasn't that long ago that you hated being reminded that you were the Headmaster's daughter."
"And you saw that it didn't bother me when Pekoyama referred to him as my father, right? Well, that's thanks to you," Kirigiri reminded him.
"I didn't do much. And I feel terrible about what happened with your grandfather," Naegi said.
"It wasn't your fault. My grandfather can be so stubborn about these things. It's his loss if he wants to hate us," Kirigiri reassured Naegi.
Naegi knew that Kirigiri was right. He hadn't set out to meddle in the affairs of the Kirigiri family, and he hadn't interfered directly or even intentionally. But by getting Kirigiri to try to understand her father, Naegi had angered her grandfather. It didn't help that the old detective seemed to have a grudge against Naegi.
Kirigiri elbowed Naegi and said, "Naegi-kun, none of what happened was your fault. Fuhito is angry that his decisions had consequences and that he's the one facing them." I'll continue the Kirigiri line of detectives, but I'll do it my way. Naegi-kun, I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay, she thought.
I'm glad things worked out for Kirigiri-san and the Headmaster, but I feel bad about what happened with her grandfather. Traditions are fine, but one can be tradition bound to a fault, Naegi thought as he remembered how he and Kirigiri had gotten to this point.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Building
Fourth Day of Classes
Of course, he wouldn't make this easy, Kirigiri thought as she made her way towards the building's exit. She had attempted to meet with her father, only to meet Kizakura Koichi who had told her, "He's got a lot on his plate today, Kyoko-chan."
She realized that running a school was hard work and was time consuming, she did, but although Kirigiri would never admit it, she had hoped that Jin would have made time for her. What? No, if he cared he wouldn't have left, she corrected herself. She came here to cut all ties with her so-called "father," she couldn't expect him to do her any favors just because they shared blood.
Other explanations for her disappointment, no matter how much better and more complete they were, were unwelcome.
Kirigiri was shaken from her thoughts by a friendly voice calling her. "Kirigiri-san!"
"Hmm? Oh…Naegi-kun. Hello."
As soon as Naegi caught up to her, he asked, "Classes ended a while ago Kirigiri-san, was there something you needed to do?"
"…Why should I tell you?" Kirigiri asked defensively.
"Huh...? Well...I guess you don't have to tell me," Naegi admitted.
"No, I don't have to tell you. So, I'm not going to," Kirigiri told him bluntly. Seeing Naegi flinch at her words and tone made Kirigiri feel guilty. "I'm sorry Naegi-kun, I'm mad at the Headmaster, not you," she explained.
That piqued Naegi's curiosity. "Your otou-san? What did he do? If you don't mind me asking."
"That's my business," was all Kirigiri said in response.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. But I do want to help if I can," Naegi told her.
Kirigiri knew Naegi was sincere, but this was a family problem. A dysfunctional family, granted, but still a family problem. "I believe you, Naegi-kun, but I'll handle it."
"Okay, but the offer stands," Naegi said as he dropped the subject.
"I may take you up on that," Kirigiri said. She was just trying to be nice, but she thought that maybe if she kept getting stonewalled, she might need help in the future. And although she wouldn't say it, she did think it was nice to know that there were people here she could count on.
50 years ago
February 28. 11:21 AM
District Court-Courtroom No. 3
Suicide. Fucking Suicide! How had he missed it? Fuhito knew how he missed it; the apartment was a dump. The roof leaked; the carpets looked like they had been pulled out of a dumpster; of course, he missed it. The man stood on a block of ice to hang himself. It was almost a perfect suicide. But that attorney, that Naegi Reiji, he thought the mold on the carpet was odd. The victim had been dead for several days when the police had been called, enough time for mold to grow. Why Fuhito hadn't thought to take a closer look was beyond him.
Prosecutor Karuma glared at Fuhito from behind his desk, that case had ruined his perfect record. Kirigiri Fuhito's blunder had cost Karuma his perfect record. When he finally decided to speak, Karuma made no effort to hide his anger. "Is this really the best a Kirigiri detective can do?"
Fuhito flinched at that but did not respond. How could he? He had shamed his family with his subpar investigation.
Karuma continued, "Kirigiri Fuhito. The heir to a proud family of detectives, outdone by an attorney that has yet to lead a case."
Again, Fuhito had no response, Naegi Reiji had been more thorough than he had. That didn't mean that Fuhito wasn't bitter about it.
"I do not believe that we will be requesting your services in the future. You may go," Karuma told Fuhito.
Fuhito finally found his voice. "Sir, if you give me another chance this won't happen again!"
"And if I don't give you another chance, it won't happen again anyway," Karuma countered as he waved Fuhito out of his office.
Months passed but things hadn't gotten better as far as Fuhito was concerned. Karuma had been putting pressure on other Prosecutors, even ones in other judicial districts. Cases were still plentiful, and the family's connections made sure Fuhito still had work, he just had difficulty getting on criminal investigations in Japan.
The most irritating part was how nice his family was being about this.
"It happens."
"Learn from it and move forward."
"People have short memories, they'll forget."
"But I won't!" Fuhito wanted to scream. They were right and he wasn't the first Kirigiri to make a mistake, but none of them were shown up by a newly minted attorney. They would be corrected by veteran investigators; he had been humiliated by a man his own age with barely any experience.
Fuhito wouldn't forget. He wouldn't make another mistake in his investigations. No matter what it took, he would become a perfect detective, and he would wipe away this stain on his record.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Building Hallways
Sixth Week of Classes-Monday
Kirigiri had once again attempted to speak with her father and once again, it didn't happen. She knew he wasn't avoiding her, and for some reason, she found that more annoying. If he were avoiding her, she could do what she had come to Hope's Peak to do easily, but this…this was making her feel like a small child whose parents couldn't play with her because of work. She hated that feeling, it was like part of her believed that there was still a bond between them worth preserving, a notion Kirigiri had to force herself to reject. She didn't understand it, resenting her father had been so much easier at home. With her grandfather.
That was odd. Why should Grandfather's presence have anything to do with how I feel about Da- that man? Kirigiri asked herself. She believed it would be best to stop that particular train of thought.
"Kirigiri-san?"
"Hmm? Oh, Naegi-kun. Do you require my assistance?" Kirigiri asked the newly arrived Luckster. She had grown fond of the boy in the time they had spent as classmates.
"No, it's just… If you're headed that way do you want to go back to the dorm together?" Naegi asked. He couldn't be sure, but he got the feeling that something was on her mind. Maybe she would open up about it on the way back to the dorm.
Kirigiri gasped. "Oh my! Forward, aren't we?"
"What? Oh, n-no that isn't…" Naegi sputtered as he tried to explain himself.
Kirigiri chuckled and said, "I know. You need to be careful. Someone as foolishly open as you is easy to tease."
Naegi winced at that "foolishly open" comment before mumbling, "It's just something friends do."
"Yes. I've seen how sincere you are about wanting to be friends with everyone. That concert you put on for Mioda-senpai erased any doubts many of us could have had," Kirigiri explained.
"I swear I've always been honest about that," Naegi said in his defense.
"I know that, it goes back to that foolishly open nature of yours. Someone like you could never deceive people," Kirigiri explained.
"About that 'foolishly open' part…," Naegi began.
"My apologies, I suppose it does sound like an insult. I actually find it refreshing. It's a nice change not having to listen for lies," Kirigiri told him.
Naegi decided to just let it go. It was no secret that Kirigiri's social skills were…lacking was a nice way of putting it. She would either develop better social skills or he would get thicker skin, as long as they were getting along, he didn't think it mattered too much. Still, he wasn't sure he would ever actually like being called "foolishly open."
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Tenth Week of Classes-Monday
Naegi never thought it would happen, but as he sat in the common area, he realized that the lack of household chores had left him bored. He knew that they girls were just looking out for him, but he wasn't sure it was necessary. Kimura's medicine had healed up his shoulder, there was no need for him to take it easy.
It is nice to know that they care so much though, Naegi thought. Not that he ever doubted that the girls cared, but it was always nice to be reminded.
Naegi paused his musings when her heard the 'click-clack' of high-heels. He turned and saw Kirigiri observing him. She seemed pleased, although with Kirigiri it was difficult to tell.
"An almost instant reaction, I'm impressed. You seem to be aware of your surroundings. After last night, I had questioned whether or not you actually possessed survival instincts," Kirigiri explained.
Naegi wasn't sure, but he thought Kirigiri sounded mad. He would have to tread lightly. "It's not about whether or not I have survival instincts, Kirigiri-san. Sonia-senpai was in danger."
"As were you and the others, correct?" Kirigiri asked, her annoyance breaking through her mask slightly.
"That's true, but we didn't know when help would arrive or even if help would arrive in time. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing," Naegi explained.
Kirigiri knew that Naegi had a point, but she wasn't going to let him off just yet. Originally, she had planned to cut ties with her father and leave Hope's Peak. She hadn't expected to get attached to her classmates. She had Naegi to blame for that. His persistence and his kind nature made it difficult not to open up to him. She wasn't going to forgive him for becoming her friend and then making her worry about him. "And that makes it okay to be reckless? How do you think Sonia-senpai would have felt if you had died? What about the rest of us?" Kirigiri asked that last bit without meaning to.
"I'm sorry Kirigiri-san." There was no other appropriate response. Naegi knew that he when people found out exactly what had happened at the embassy, people would tell him that he was reckless. He hated making people worry about him.
"It's fine. I should know better," Kirigiri said.
"Huh?"
"You've noticed that I always wear gloves, correct?"
"I have, but what do your gloves have to do with anything?"
"Simply put, there was a time when I grew attached to someone, and I made a bad decision. I was forced to learn a very powerful lesson, and these gloves are a daily reminder of that. So, on these gloves, I swore to never make the same mistake again. It's easier to just not get close to people, and yet I have, haven't I?"
"You don't get close to people?"
"Yes," Kirigiri answered. It just hurts less that way, she mentally added.
"Kirigiri-san?"
Kirigiri looked to see Naegi holding out his hand with only his pinky finger extended.
"Kirigiri-san, I'm sorry I made you worry. I never meant to bring up bad memories. Maybe I don't have a right to ask for another chance, but if you give me one, I'll make a promise," Naegi said earnestly.
"Oh?" Kirigiri was curious and slightly amused. A pinky promise was childish, at least she thought so, but Naegi seemed to be serious, so she would at least hear him out.
"I wish I could say I'll never do anything reckless ever again, but I can't. I have to do what I think is right and sometimes that involves being reckless. But I can at least promise that I'll stay alive. I won't make you worry anymore," Naegi promised.
Kirigiri chuckled a bit at that. "You realize that you I and others are still going to worry if you get hurt, even if you don't die, right?"
"I know," Naegi admitted as he lowered his extended hand. Before he could, however, Kirigiri's pinky looped around his own.
"But I'm going to hold you to that. So, you better keep your word," Kirigiri said.
"I will," Naegi said happily.
"I don't give second chances often, so don't screw up," Kirigiri said as she pulled back her hand and left the room.
"I won't Kirigiri-san, you can trust me," Naegi called after her.
I know I can, Kirigiri thought happily as she went to her room. She had planned to end her friendship with Naegi and go back to how she had been when she had arrived at Hope's Peak. But like always he had surprised her. She didn't mind though. She wouldn't admit it, but she had been reluctant to have that conversation in the first place. She had no desire to go back to how things were, but she had believed that it was necessary. She didn't think so anymore and that suited her just fine.
Thirty-Four Years Ago
People had forgotten, but Fuhito never did. His first investigation still left a bad taste in his mouth. His reputation had recovered, but he still wasn't happy.
It hadn't even taken that long, Fuhito's reputation had recovered a little over two years after that fateful case. Much to Fuhito's displeasure, it was not due to his efforts.
Prosecutor Karuma had been forced to resign in disgrace for using fake evidence. False testimonies, forged documents, coerced testimony, he had been found to use it all. To add to Fuhito's annoyance, it was Naegi Reiji that had revealed Karuma for what he was. The one who had shamed Fuhito was also the one to restore his reputation, and Fuhito hated him for it. What angered him even more was Naegi himself.
"Defense attorneys and prosecutors are there to keep each other honest." Those had been Naegi's words when asked for a comment. Is that what he was doing back on that day? Was this upstart accusing him of being dishonest?
For years, Fuhito had worked to be rid of the shame he felt. "Detective work comes before everything else," had become his mantra. It had cost him his son and later his wife, but he it would all be worth it when he became the perfect detective.
Fuhito was shaken from his thoughts when three men entered his office. His guests were fellow detectives Kudō Shin'ichi, Hattori Heiji, and Zenigata Kōichi.
Kudō was a man with an athletic build with dark brown hair and slightly paled skin. He wore a blue suit with a red bow tie. Next to him was Hattori. It amazed Fuhito how the two had no blood relation but looked so similar. The only differences between the two were that Hattori had darker skin, spikier hair, and he would normally wear street clothes. Today he was wearing a red sports coat with a striped T-shirt and jeans. Zenigata, the oldest of the three, very much looked to deserver the nickname of "Tottsan." His gray hair was covered by his Inspector's fedora, but even in his advanced age he was as imposing as ever, Fuhito believed the trench coat helped with that.
"What do you three want?" Fuhito asked.
"Kirigiri-san, we had a plan for the future of detective work and were hoping that you would help us," Hattori said.
Fuhito had no idea what he meant by that, so he remained silent.
"What Hattori-san means is…" Zenigata began as he explained the idea of the Detective Library's Detective Shelf Collection.
When Zenigata had finished, Fuhito asked, "And what do you need from me?"
"We were going to ask you if you would register for the DSC with us. The other founders assure us that you would receive the highest rank, reflecting your long and amazing career," Kudō said.
"Are you mocking me?" Fuhito asked.
"What?" the other three asked.
"I am the latest in a long line of detectives. We Kirigiri are born for detective work. 'Raising their ranks?' 'Available to the public?' My career is not a bargain bin detective novel," Fuhito seethed.
"It won't be just you," Zenigata countered.
"I don't see what the big deal is, Kirigiri. We aren't going chapter and verse on every case we've ever handled. If this is about some past mistake…" Hattori tried to say.
"Past mistake" turned out to be the wrong thing to say. "Get out!" Fuhito screamed.
"Well, we tried," Kudō said as he and the others left.
Fuhito's anger didn't dissipate for quite a while. Of course, they couldn't understand. Riffraff like Kudō and Hattori simply became detectives because they thought it was "cool." Zenigata should have at least understood with his legendary ancestor. To be anything less than perfect was an insult to those who came before. But if those three wished to be entertainers before they were detectives, then fine. Fuhito had no need for them, but they had forced him to consider something. What would he do about the future? He wouldn't be around forever. He would need an heir. The boy was gone, he didn't want to be a detective. Did he not understand what it meant to be a Kirigiri? Fuhito refused to find someone outside the family to train. He was an elite and his heir would be too. But who would they be?
Police Station Near Hope's Peak
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Kirigiri was happy to finally have a case. It wasn't anything major, but she appreciated the distraction. She needed a break from her attempts to meet with her father and other things. Whether it was fate or just bad luck on her part, lately, she had been bumping into Koizumi when the photographer was calling her father. She had sympathized with Koizumi as another girl with father issues, and while she was happy that things had worked out for Koizumi, Kirigiri couldn't help but feel an ache in her chest when the older girl spoke to her father. Kirigiri hated that feeling.
She was most certainly not jealous.
Yeah, she didn't believe that either.
So, when the police had called and asked for her help solving a murder case, she jumped at the chance. Although…
"Okay. So, I'm in the warehouse playing Omaha Hold'em. My first couple of opponents are…people? I don't know, they really aren't that important to this story. Anyway, I'm one of the lucky ones who made it to the end that night and wouldn't you know it, one of my opponents is the Queen of Liars herself," the witness recounted.
Kirigiri nodded and asked, "What happened next…Cayde-san, was it?"
"Yeah, like I said, Celestia Ludenberg herself is at that table along with one of the victims, Yasuhiro Taeko, who was trying her damnedest to look generic and then there was that kid in the hoodie. Naegi Makoto I believe. Told him about the greatest place in town, Spicy Ramen. I'm getting sidetracked here. Anyway, we play a few hands but really it seemed to mostly be between Ludenberg-san and Yasuhiro-san. Ludenberg-san looked like she was thinking 'I got this!' You know how you in that zone and you're thinking 'I got this,' but she so did not have it," Cayde told her.
Kirigiri nodded and scribbled something in her notebook but said nothing.
"Well, I'm confused and so is Naegi-kun. He looks over and I just shrug. Maybe he was hoping I knew what this was about, I know more about these things than he does, that tournament wasn't my first, but I don't have time to explain what I don't have time to understand, y'know? So, this goes on for a while and the kid gets up to get drinks for everyone. He's coming back and 'BOOM!' he tripped on Colonel, drinks go flying, and the victim gets drenched. So, she's pissed, can't blame her, and our host, some guy calling himself the Drifter, finds out she has an earpiece and is communicating with her brother. Well, no one cheats in a yakuza sponsored tournament and lives to tell the tale," Cayde explained.
"So, you allege that it was one of the yakuza families that murdered those two?" Kirigiri asked.
"Them or that Drifter guy, I was more interested in getting out of there," Cayde said.
"Thank you, that should be everything," Kirigiri said as she got up to leave.
"See you star side," Cadye said as he waited for the police to let him leave.
Once the door to the interrogation room was shut, Kirigiri sighed. Crimes involving the yakuza were complicated, she could never be sure if the officers she was working with were a family's man or woman on the force. Then she started to laugh, of course it was complicated, Naegi was involved at some point. She'd have to thank him, a case like this was just what she needed.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Building
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Kirigiri's case had ended predictably. She had found enough evidence to link the murder to the Shikabane family and not the Drifter, not that it made much difference the case was buried once the name "Shikabane" was mentioned.
It pays to have friends in high places, I suppose, Kirigiri thought. She hated quitting in the middle of a case, but without backing from the police, investigating yakuza was suicidal at best. Kirigiri cringed at her choice of words, Pekoyama's attempts to take her own life were still fresh in everyone's mind. She didn't even know why she was trying to see her father today. Though Pekoyama had sworn that she would never try to take her own life again, when a student tried something like that, it didn't exactly blow over. And that was on top of Sato's attempt on Natsumi's life.
"Maybe I'll try again some other time," Kirigiri said as she stood facing the door to her father's office.
"Try what?" a male voice asked. Kirigiri turned to see Naegi standing there looking concerned.
"It's…" Kirigiri was about to say, "It's nothing," but she didn't think she could convince Naegi of that. "I've been trying to speak to the Headmaster since I arrived here, but so far I've had no success."
"You want to talk to your otou-san? I was under the impression that the two of you didn't get along," Naegi said. Kirigiri had never outright said that she had a problem with her father, but given her attitude towards the headmaster and with how much Kirigiri tried to avoid acknowledging her relationship with the man, Naegi couldn't help but think the father and daughter had a rocky relationship.
"We don't have much of a relationship at all. When I was seven years old my mother died and my father disappeared from my life," Kirigiri explained.
"Oh, that explains it," Naegi responded.
"I was raised by my grandfather to be a detective. We've been a family of detectives for generations. Our family's motto is 'detective work comes before everything else.' The Headmaster turned his back on all of that. I worked hard and went against some of the traditions of my family to get scouted by this school so that I could speak with him. Originally, my plan was to tell him that I don't need him in my life and to leave the school."
Naegi was about to respond, but Kirigiri continued.
"Don't worry. I don't plan on leaving anymore. It's your fault that I got attached our fellow students."
Naegi chuckled at that and said, "I'm not going to apologize for that, Kirigiri-san."
"No, I wouldn't want you to. I still want to talk to that man and say what I came here to say."
"Kirigiri-san, why are you lying?" Naegi asked.
"What? I haven't lied once in this entire conversation," Kirigiri said, genuinely surprised that Naegi had accused her of dishonesty.
"Kirigiri-san, you want me to believe that you don't care about your otou-san, but if you didn't care, you wouldn't have come here to tell him he's not a part of your life anymore. You'd have just went on with your life like normal," Naegi told her.
"It's not that simple," Kirigiri countered.
"Isn't it? Kirigiri-san, I have seen how you can be when you want something. You show a stubbornness I wouldn't have associated with you and you pursue your goal often without thinking of anything else," Naegi said referring to the times when Kirigiri had uncovered the identity of Genocider Syo; Hagakure's fortune telling rates; and her most recent case. "What I'm saying is, I think you want there to be a good reason for why the Headmaster did what he did, but don't want to know for sure."
Kirigiri didn't respond. She couldn't because Naegi was right. Her grandfather had encouraged her to hate her father and he had mostly succeeded, but in the back of her mind, there was always this one shred of doubt that her father didn't simply abandon her. And now that Naegi had said all of this, Kirigiri couldn't keep ignoring the possibility that it was true.
"Kirigiri-san, I can't tell you what to do, but just keep in mind that he might be hurting too. Approach it like you would a case, you told me that a good detective considers all possibilities and only discounts them as evidence comes in. I think you should hear him out before you make any decisions, otherwise you might walk away from this feeling less satisfied with the outcome than you did going in," Naegi said.
Kirigiri sighed and asked, "You always have to make things more complicated, don't you?"
Naegi saw her usual smirk and knew that she would heed his advice. "I don't try to," he said.
"I know," Kirigiri said with a nod. Still feeling playful, she asked, "Since you have all the answers, do you know how I can see him?"
"I have a meeting with the Headmaster soon, but it shouldn't take long. It's about the elementary program. You're more than welcome to come in with me and do what you need to do," Naegi suggested.
Kirigiri wasn't surprised, of course that was Naegi's idea. She laughed before she knocked on the Headmaster's door.
Kirigiri Jin and Kizakura Koichi had been patiently awaiting Naegi for a meeting about the elementary program, particularly five so-called Lil' Ultimates. It seemed that Naegi had questions about the children's home life. Well, in reality, Jin had been waiting, Kizakura just practically lived on a couch in his friend's office. When the door opened, both men looked and saw two students enter.
As the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Kirigiri Jin had seen many things. The students of this school had all done near miraculous things, particularly the Lucky Student of Class 77-B, although Jin would say that Naegi Makoto was quickly gaining on his senpai. However, seeing his daughter face-to-face again was something he didn't think he could have prepared for. He hadn't been trying to avoid her, not really, but being the headmaster of this particular school meant there was always a fire to put out (for as much as Jin cared for his students, there was no denying that Hope's Peak often felt more like a mental asylum than a school).
He saw Naegi with her, that explained it. The boy's charitable nature was admirable, and it wasn't the only thing admirable about the boy.
Taking a deep breath, Jin said, "Hello Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry I've been so busy."
"It's fine, I don't expect you to place that much value on family," Kirigiri replied. Her tone never changed but everyone present in the room swore that they could see the venom dripping off of those words.
"Kyoko-chan you don't under-" Kizakura began to say.
"Then help me understand," Kirigiri interrupted.
"I must admit, I expected you to come in here one day and say you wanted nothing to do with me," Jin said chuckling.
Kirigiri's response was to look away from him and pout while saying, "I've decided to approach this like a detective."
Naegi couldn't help but think, That's adorable.
Jin had a feeling that he owed this to Naegi. The boy was special, there was no doubt about that. "Very well, Kyoko-chan. You deserve answers. I'll tell you everything: Why I left the family the first time; why I returned; and why I couldn't take you with me the second time."
One part of that sentence stuck out to Kirigiri. "What do you mean 'couldn't'?"
"It all starts before you were born. You see, my father, your grandfather…"
Seventeen Years Ago
Worthless! They were all worthless! Not a single student Fuhito had attempted to take on had the talent of a Kirigiri detective.
Ugh. There was that word, "talent." He was beginning to sound like the boy. He would not call Jin his son, the boy had abandoned the family and their ways to research "talent." Some of the younger members of the family tried to explain it away, saying Jin's chosen path wasn't that different from detective work, that he was looking for a "truth" too. Fuhito ignored them, the boy had still turned his back on generations of Kirigiri tradition it was only right that Fuhito drove him out.
The last he had heard of the boy was that he had gotten married a year or so ago. Fuhito didn't look into that, another member of the family kept tabs on Jin in the unlikely even father and son wished to reconcile. Fuhito vaguely recalled that Jin had sent an invitation to the wedding, probably at the bride-to-be's request, but Fuhito had not bothered to remember. Fuhito would do no such thing. It was Jin's fault that Fuhito had no heir, that was supposed to be Jin's role.
As Fuhito returned to his study, he found a note on his desk. It was about the boy. Fuhito would have thrown it away except the message on it gave him an idea.
Your son is going to be a father. Fuhito would have to start keeping tabs on his son's family himself. Perhaps his grandchild would be what Fuhito was looking for, provided he got to them before his son had a chance to screw the child up. Yes, Fuhito would have a lot of work to do in the coming years.
Months Later
Jin did not want to be here. He had not left his old home on good terms and had never planned on coming back. It was only because of his wife's urging that he would even attempt to reconcile with his father.
Jin looked at his wife and newborn daughter. Kiyone may believe that Fuhito wanted to patch things up but Jin knew his father, the man never gave a damn about family. Jin knew Fuhito wanted something, and Jin had a pretty good idea of what it was. Jin would be damned if he allowed Fuhito to turn Kyoko into a clone of him.
"Jin-kun, calm down, I'm sure your father really wants to fix things. He can't be as bad as you remember," Kiyone assured her husband as she held their infant daughter.
Jin was tempted to tell her that if the old man died, Jin wouldn't have bothered attending the funeral, but held his tongue. Kiyone was a sweet woman and from a family that was actually a family. The Uzuchi family had always been kind to Jin and had been overjoyed when Jin and Kiyone got married. Jin didn't need his father as long as he had his in-laws.
"Jin! So glad you could make it," Fuhito said as he entered the room.
"Hello Father," Jin replied.
"It's nice to finally meet you Father, my name is Kiyone, Jin's wife, and this little cutie is Kyoko," Kiyone said.
"Yes, I know," Fuhito replied.
Jin thought he heard condescension in his father's voice but Kiyone must not have noticed as she just said, "I should have known. Of course, one of the greatest detectives in the world would be able to find that out."
Fuhito's eye twitched, Jin knew that was a bad sign. Fuhito had already made up his mind that he didn't like Kiyone after that comment. Most people would see it for what it was, Kiyone trying to compliment Fuhito, but to Fuhito, it was a layperson being amazed at something simple and attributing it to great ability.
Fuhito walked over to Kiyone and asked, "May I hold her?"
"Of course," Kiyone said as she carefully handed Kyoko over to Fuhito. Fuhito had just barely touched Kyoko before the baby began crying.
Jin hated it when Kyoko cried, but he couldn't help but smirk this time. That's my girl, Jin thought. Jin hoped that this was a sign that this would all be over soon.
Ten Years Ago (or Seven Years Later)
It had not ended soon, in fact Kyoko had warmed up to her grandfather as she got older. As it had turned out, Kyoko had a natural talent for detective work. Must run in the family, Jin thought. If Kyoko wanted to be a detective, that was fine with Jin, but why did she have to learn from Fuhito? Jin still dreaded the thought that his sweet little girl would grow up to be like her grandfather. The odds were slim, there was enough of her mother in her that Kyoko would never be as bad as Fuhito, but Jin still worried.
To make matters worse, Kiyone had fallen ill and no treatment was working. She had been sickly her whole life, but she had been improving, at least according to her and her parents, but it seemed that her illness was winning this time.
Jin hated this. His wife was sick, and his daughter was in Europe with her grandfather investigating a murder. Seeing Kyoko might help Kiyone, at least that's what Jin told himself when he called his father for what felt like the thousandth time. In reality, he knew that the end was near and that his little girl would have to say goodbye to her mother.
"What do you want boy?" Fuhito's voice asked as soon as the old detective picked up.
"You need to bring Kyoko back now, old man, Kiyone is sick and I don't know how much longer she has left," Jin answered, showing his father the "respect" the man was due.
"We're almost done. You can't rush these things."
Yeah, you learned that the hard way, didn't you? Jin held back from saying that. Reminding Fuhito of Naegi Reiji wouldn't bring Kyoko back any sooner. "Father, I'm asking, please bring Kyoko back. I'd like her to spend some time with Kiyone before…" Jin couldn't finish that sentence.
"Stupid boy, do you think the culprit is going to just sit around while I bring the girl back for 'family time'? She's a Kirigiri, she'll understand that detective work comes before everything else."
Jin was seeing red at this point. "My wife is going to die, and you want her to try to prolong her suffering because you can't catch a murderer?!"
A normal person could understand Jin's frustration. Fuhito was neither a normal person or a good person and therefore hung up.
Jin, in his anger, slammed the phone down and punched a wall to relieve some anger. He didn't know what to do. All he could do was go back to Kiyone's side and hope that a miracle would occur.
Two Months Later
The miracle never happened. Well, he couldn't say that. Kyoko had somehow made it back before Kiyone died. Barely. Little Kyoko's last memory of her mother was Kiyone as a white face floating above a hospital bed.
Jin had had enough. The only reason he had stayed this long was because Kiyone had convinced him to give Fuhito a second chance. Fuhito had taken that goodwill and… well, "squandered it" would have been putting the best spin on it. Jin had gone to his room and begun to pack. I never should have come back to this place, Jin told himself.
"What are you doing boy?"
Great. Fuhito was here. Just what Jin didn't need. Jin didn't even turn around to answer. "Leaving. And taking Kyoko with me."
"You'd let your daughter's talent go to waste? Even you must admit that she's a natural-born detective," Fuhito said.
"Kyoko can be a detective, but I refuse to let her turn out like you," Jin told his father.
"A shame that you don't get a say."
That caught Jin's attention and finally got him to turn around. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean, you're free to leave, but the girl stays," Fuhito answered.
"You can't do that. I'm her father, not you," Jin argued.
"Can't I? Do you know how long I've been at this, boy?" Fuhito asked, rhetorically.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Jin asked, not liking where that was going.
"I stay out of the public as best I can. That's the Kirigiri way. But judges all over Japan know me and my reputation. Would I get custody of your daughter?" Fuhito began.
"You evil piece of shit," Jin interjected.
"Or would it go to my mentally and emotionally unfit son, whose wife's untimely death push him over the edge?" Fuhito finished.
"None of that is true! There will be judges who see through it!" Jin countered.
"I decide what's true. Fools in black robes and the riff-raff who argue in front of them just exist to tell detectives that they are right," Fuhito told his son.
Jin wanted to fight back. He really did. But he didn't know how. Fuhito had built up a reputation that was equaled only by a select few. Jin was going to work at Hope's Peak Academy when the next school year started, but he was no one. Jin knew he couldn't win, but there were still things he could do for Kyoko.
"You're a monster, but you're right. I do have some conditions though," Jin said. I'm sorry Kiyone! I'm sorry Kyoko!
"I'm the one in control boy, but I suppose I can humor you. We are 'family' after all," Fuhito said. Jin didn't miss the mocking tone in Fuhito's voice when he said "family".
A Few Days Later
"You did what!" Uzuchi Minako screamed at her son-in-law. Jin had come to his in-laws' home to explain the arrangement he had made with Fuhito. He had brought Kizakura, hoping that the Uzuchi's wouldn't kill him for what he had done in front of a witness.
"Minako-chan, let him explain. Jin-kun wouldn't do something like this without a reason. At least he better not have," Uzuchi Tōhachirō said to his wife.
Jin gulped. Even in his advanced age Uzuchi Tōhachirō was still a master of seven Japanese martial arts, when he made a threat, he followed through if he had to. "I agreed to leave Kyoko with my father," Jin wanted to vomit when he called Fuhito his father, "if I don't try to get her back, she can at least see the two of you. That way she can at least know loving grandparents, not just some old bastard who heaps his broken dreams on her."
"I don't like it Jin-kun, that little girl needs her daddy," Kizakura said.
"I don't like it either Koichi-kun, but I don't know what else to do. The old man threatened to take me to court to get Kyoko from me," Jin explained.
"How many contacts could a homicide detective have in family court?" Minako asked.
"When he's from a family of detectives? Plenty. Plus, after some 'unpleasantness' in his past, he had to make a name for himself in other areas," Jin explained.
"'Unpleasantness'?" Tōhachirō asked.
Jin then explained to the others Fuhito's history, or at least the parts he knew about. Out of respect to Fuhito, most members of the family never spoke of his first case.
"Too bad we can't track down that lawyer. That might piss Fuhito off enough that he couldn't make a convincing case to a court," Kizakura joked. He hated it, but joking was all he could do.
Jin didn't answer and instead turned to the Uzuchi's and said, "Make sure Kyoko knows how amazing her mother was. And don't tell Kyoko about this. If Fuhito finds out that she knows he may stop letting you two see her too."
"Jin-kun," Minako said sadly. This man was suffering, and he was doing his best to limit the suffering to just himself.
"I don't agree with this Jin-kun. I'm not someone who gives up without a fight. Even if it's hopeless," Tōhachirō said.
"Believe me, I wish there was another way. For the life of me, I can't find one," Jin told them.
"Fine. We won't tell Kyoko. I hope Kiyone can forgive us for this," Tōhachirō said solemnly.
Jin hoped so too. He lost his wife to illness and now he lost his daughter to Fuhito. The thought of never seeing his daughter again, and Fuhito would make sure that he never did, was almost too much for the man.
Hope's Peak Academy-Main Building
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
"And that's the story Kyoko-chan," Jin told his daughter.
Kirigiri didn't know how to respond. She didn't know what to believe. For the past decade, the biggest force driving her was the thought of meeting her father again and telling him exactly what she thought of him. Now though…
It couldn't be true could it? I certainly explained a lot of things thought. Forbidding her from having a cell phone; forbidding her going outside after dark; and even seemingly wanting to know what she is doing all the time, at the time, Kyoko had just thought that Fuhito was just being overprotective, but now his behavior seemed more controlling than anything else. It would certainly explain why Fuhito encouraged her to hate her own father.
"All this because he was embarrassed on his first case?" Naegi asked incredulously. It didn't make sense to him. Humans weren't perfect, making mistakes and growing from them was just part of being human. And why did parts of that story sound familiar? Naegi asked himself. Specifically, Fuhito's first case sounded like a story his grandfather had told him years ago.
Once her body started listening to her again, Kirigiri left the room. She needed to check something.
"Kirigiri-san!" Naegi called after her.
"Let her go kid," Kizakura told the boy.
"But…" Naegi tried to argue.
"It's fine, Naegi-kun. Given everything I told her, I think this was the best reaction we could have expected," Jin said with a sigh.
Naegi looked at the Headmaster for a few seconds before eventually nodding. He saw the pain in Jin's face. Naegi could tell, the man wanted to comfort his daughter, but he knew that now wasn't the right time.
After Kirigiri left her father's office, she went to find a secluded spot. There was something she had to do, and she didn't want anyone to overhear. Before she could make any decision, she needed to confirm what her father had told her. Good thing Grandfather doesn't know about this, Kirigiri thought as she pulled out a prepaid phone that she bought before she came to Hope's Peak. As soon as she found a secluded spot, she dialed her maternal grandparents' number.
"Hello. Uzuchi residence," her grandmother's voice answered.
"Grandma Minako, it's Kyoko," Kirigiri said.
"Kyoko-chan! It's so good to hear from you!"
"I'm sorry I haven't called. I've just had a lot on my mind."
"That's alright. We know how busy you can be."
Kirigiri thought she heard Grandpa Tōhachirō in the background say something that sounded like "Fuhito" and "controlling asshole."
That must have been correct because Minako soon scolded him. "Tōhachirō!"
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you both about. I spoke to my father today and he told me why he left," Kirigiri explained.
"Hold on, Kyoko-chan," Minako said. A few seconds later and she heard Tōhachirō's voice. "So Jin-kun finally told you, did he?"
"Does that mean it's all true?" Kirigiri asked.
"We're sorry for keeping this from you, Kyoko-chan. We wanted to tell you in spite of your father's wishes. But you respected Fuhito so much, we weren't sure you would believe us," Tōhachirō told her.
"That and we knew your father was right about what Fuhito would do if we did," Minako added. Apparently, they were on speaker phone.
"I don't know what to think. For years, I thought my father abandoned me. Now I find out that my grandfather threatened him and that all this time I was little more than a prisoner," Kirigiri told them.
"I'm sorry Kyoko-chan, we should have done something. Or at least tried," Tōhachirō said.
"It's fine. It sounds like there was nothing anyone could do," Kirigiri assured him.
"As for what to think, that's something only you can decide Kyoko-chan," Minako told her.
"I…I think I need some time," Kirigiri said.
"That's fine. That's more than fine. You've been through a lot today. More than anyone your age should be expected to deal with. Just know that we're here for you," Minako told her.
"Thank you, Grandma."
"That's what family is for, Kyoko-chan. We love you," Minako said.
"I love you both too," Kirigiri said as she ended the call. Once she put her phone away, she let herself fall back against the wall and slide down it into a sitting position. "What am I supposed to do now?" she asked herself.
"Kirigiri-san?"
"Hmm?" Kirigiri looked and saw Naegi rounding the corner near where she was sitting. "Did you hear any of that?" she asked.
"No, I just got here. The Headmaster said to give you some space, but I had to be sure you were alright," Naegi explained.
Of course you were, you're sweet like that, Kirigiri thought as she felt her cheeks heat up. While she was happy that Naegi had come to check on her, Kirigiri didn't want anyone to see her right now. Most people wouldn't guess just by looking at her, but behind Kirigiri's stone cold personality, she easily gets emotionally upset, but it was usually masked by her strong will. But her mask was dangerously close to breaking and she wasn't sure what she was going to do. She didn't know whether she should be more sad or angry and she didn't want to take it out on anyone else, especially Naegi. "Naegi-kun, please leave. I don't want to see anyone right now."
Naegi sighed and said, "Alright then," before he went back around the corner and out of Kirigiri's sight. Kirigiri was a little disappointed that Naegi had given up so easily, before she heard Naegi say, "You can't see me. Do you want to talk now?"
Kirigiri stifled a laugh before she said, "Idiot." Despite her words, Kirigiri did talk to Naegi. She told him about her childhood; her mother's death; her father leaving; and how her grandfather had raised her.
Naegi had gotten a general idea of what Kirigiri's life was like from what Kirigiri had told him before they met with the Headmaster and from Jin's story, but it was his first time hearing it from her perspective and in such detail.
"…And I checked with my grandparents, who confirmed what my father said. Now I don't what to do," Kirigiri finished.
"What do you mean?" Naegi asked, hoping that talking through it would help Kirigiri reach a decision.
"I understand why my father wanted to get away from my grandfather. But my father didn't want to be a detective, so that might have made it at least a little easier. I don't want to go back to my grandfather. I'm not even sure I want to be a detective anymore, not after what it did to my family," Kirigiri told him.
"Your oji-san did that, not detective work. I've seen how you get when you have a case, you really enjoy your work. You don't need to be like your oji-san to be a detective, you already proved that yourself when you rejected some of his ways to get to Hope's Peak. Don't let your oji-san ruin detective work for you," Naegi countered.
Kirigiri knew Naegi was right. Fuhito had enforced the idea that her entire sense of self is wrapped up in being a detective. He had succeeded, Kirigiri had suffered from identity issues. Whether that was Fuhito's goal or not, it did help him mold Kirigiri into the heir he had wanted. Or it would have had Kirigiri not wanted to see her father again. Kirigiri had never accepted all of Fuhito's teachings as she still thought family mattered. She was so shaken up that she had forgotten that. Had Naegi not shown up, she may have done something she would have regretted later, like give up detective work.
"Thank you, Naegi-kun. You've helped me out a lot today," Kirigiri said with a smile.
"That's what friends are for, Kirigiri-san," Naegi replied.
Later
"What!?" an elderly voice shouted angrily from Kirigiri's phone. Kirigiri was behind the girl's dorm before dinnertime. She had decided that she had tell her grandfather that she wasn't going back to him.
"I said, 'I'm not coming back'," Kirigiri replied. She didn't elaborate, Fuhito knew what he had done.
"Kyoko, did you forget? We are Kirigiris! We are detectives! Are you really giving all of that up?!" Fuhito yelled.
"I'm not giving up anything. I'm still a detective, but I'm going to be a detective my own way. Without you," Kirigiri told him as she hung up. Kirigiri released a breath the she hadn't realized that she had been holding. He lied to her and used her, but Fuhito was still her grandfather and he had still raised her, of course telling him she wasn't coming home was difficult.
"Kirigiri-san, dinner is ready," Naegi told her. After he saw her, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"I am. I just got off the phone with my grandfather. I told him I wasn't coming back," Kirigiri explained.
"I see."
"I hope I did the right thing," Kirigiri said.
"That's difficult to say. You probably won't ever really have an answer, but I want you to know that I'll support you no matter what," Naegi told her.
"Thank you Naegi-kun," Kirigiri said. After mulling it over for a few seconds, she said, "You know, I came to Hope's Peak intending to tell my father that I didn't need him in my life and then leave the school. I should probably thank you for preventing that."
"I'm glad you stayed, Kirigiri-san. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm glad I came to Hope's Peak. My life got so much better when all of you became a part of it," Naegi told Kirigiri.
For the second time that day, Kirigiri almost let her mask slip as a blush exploded across her face. "I-I'm flattered, Naegi-kun. I'm glad you came to Hope's Peak too," Kirigiri said. She meant it, she felt that her life was better with Naegi in it too. One might not think that, given that she just got done cutting ties with her grandfather, but Kirigiri had felt that she had gained so much more. Her friends, her father, her freedom, and her Naegi. Wait…"My Naegi?" she thought as she looked at Naegi. "My Naegi" I like the way that sounds, Kirigiri thought as she slipped her hand into Naegi's. In return, Naegi gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Monday
Things had been going rather well for Kirigiri for the past two days. She and her father had a long overdue conversation, and while Kirigiri was still upset that Jin hadn't thought to visit her in ten years, she had come to accept that he had done what he had done because he believed it was what was best for her.
Just as she was getting ready to head to her room to review some case files before dinner, her phone rang. It was her father.
"Kyoko-chan, could you come to my office? Your grandfather is here."
"Of course, Daddy," Kirigiri responded before hanging up. She had expected this. She knew Fuhito wasn't going to give up easily. Steeling herself for what she expected to be a long argument, Kirigiri headed to her father's office.
Later
Naegi had not expected this. He had come to discuss problems with Hope's Peak Elementary with the Headmaster when an elderly man had barged in.
"Hello Father. So, you've finally come to visit me at work, have you?" Jin asked.
This is Kirigiri Fuhito. I should probably… Naegi thought as he headed for the door only to be stopped by Kizakura.
"I think they'll need witnesses for what's about to happen, kid. Might as well get comfortable," Kizakura said as he led Naegi to one of the couches is in Jin's office.
"You have something to do with this don't you, Boy," Fuhito said to Jin. "Kyoko called me two days ago, on a phone she wasn't supposed to have, and says that she isn't coming back."
"Kyoko-chan can think for herself, despite your best efforts. She made that decision on her own," Jin corrected.
"You… What did you do?" Fuhito demanded.
Before Jin could answer, Kirigiri entered the office.
"Hello Father. Hello Grandfather. What brings you here?" Kirigiri asked, feigning ignorance.
"You know damn well why I'm here, Girl," Fuhito told her.
"I'll thank you not to talk to my daughter, your granddaughter, like that. Not in my office, not anywhere," Jin reprimanded.
"I'll do whatever I damn well please, Boy," Fuhito said angrily. He turned back to Kirigiri and said, "What happened to being a detective? Would you really give that up because of some stupid thing like a familial bond?"
"You don't think they're stupid when you take advantage of them," Kirigiri shot back.
"What did you say to me?" Fuhito asked.
"I know. I heard my father's side of the story. I confirmed it with Grandma and Grandpa. You've been lying to me for a decade," Kirigiri continued.
"Damn Uzuchi. I never should have let them get involved with you," Fuhito said, quickly losing what little composure he had.
"So, I could grow up knowing nothing of my mother and hating my father?" Kirigiri asked angrily, her own mask was beginning to crack.
"They were a distraction. Detective work comes before everything else. They know nothing of our ways," Fuhito told her.
"You mean your ways," Jin cut in.
"My way is the only way!" Fuhito yelled.
"It might have been. Long ago. Back when detective work was seen as a sacred profession. Being tradition bound isn't necessarily a good thing," Jin mused.
"We'll see. It doesn't matter. I tried to give you one last chance, but I'm sure the courts will give me custody of my granddaughter once they learn she is incapable looking after herself," Fuhito told them.
"That's a lie and you know it," Kirigiri said, feeling insulted and disgusted by Fuhito's words.
"I decide what's true. Some mouth-breather in a black robe won't deny me," Fuhito argued.
"They will," a new voice cut in. Naegi had heard enough.
"Who the hell are you?" Fuhito asked.
"I'm your granddaughter's friend. And I'm telling you, your plan won't work. The law may struggle to keep up with the times, but it's always trying to adapt. Oji-san has shown me how court proceedings have changed just in his lifetime. But your traditions and idea of how justice works sound like they predate even that," Naegi explained.
"They do. Our family's traditions started in the Edo Period," Jin said.
"And they've served me well for fifty years," Fuhito countered.
"You've been stuck in a certain day for fifty years. When that case didn't go your way, you retreated into our family's old traditions. Your clock has been stopped for so long that it's rusted over. You can't accept that detective work has changed with the rest of the world," Jin explained.
"When you couldn't move past that one case and become the perfect detective, you decided to heap all of your broken dreams onto someone else under the guise of finding an heir. You can't grow if you can't get past your own mistakes and adapt to the world as it is," Kirigiri added.
"Judges, attorneys, prosecutors, detectives, and the police. Even those we entrust with carrying out justice are under constant scrutiny in the modern world. The legal system is no longer composed of just the ruling class like in the Edo Period," Naegi finished.
"You…you," Fuhito seethed, not knowing how to continue.
"Perhaps we could ask your grandfather what he thinks, kid," Kizakura suggested to Naegi.
"Grandfather? Why is this boy's grandfather important?" Fuhito asked.
"I should probably mention, the one who helped us get to this point is that boy. The grandson of the Honorable Judge Naegi Reiji, Naegi Makoto," Jin said hoping to strike the final blow against his father.
"Naegi? Naegi! Naegi! NNNAAAEEEGGGIIIII!" Fuhito screamed, as he broke down. "I won't accept…! I can't accept…! Detective work…! My profession is sacred! I decide what's true! Some random man with no power behind his name has no place in the justice system! Some boy who came out of nowhere doesn't know what he's talking about!" Fuhito raged.
"That's enough old man," Jin said calmly.
"What!" Fuhito yelled.
"Like I said, you've been stuck in the past. The one with no place in the justice system…is you," Jin explained.
"Just because I want to be a detective, doesn't mean I want to emulate you. There's more to me than just detective work," Kirigiri added.
"This isn't over," Fuhito said through clenched teeth.
"It is. Most attorneys aren't willing to do things that will get them disbarred. And the whoppers you want to tell the court would definitely qualify as suborning perjury once they find out," Kizakura said.
"Now Father, I believe that we are done here. Would you like to leave with what's left of your pride intact or shall I have security escort you out?" Jin asked.
Fuhito decided that the first option was preferable and turned to leave. But before he opened the door, he looked at Naegi and said, "You and your grandfather are my curse! Your grandfather shamed me on my first case and now you have cost me my heir! You'll pay for this boy!"
"You did that to yourself," Kirigiri told Fuhito.
With a scoff, Fuhito left the office, slamming the door on his way out. Once her was gone, Naegi spoke up.
"I'm sorry things turned out that way. I didn't mean to destroy your family."
"Fuhito destroyed it, Naegi-kun. You brought it back together," Jin said.
"But…" Naegi tried to argue.
"It's for the best. If he comes around one day, that's great. But for now, he has to deal with the consequences of his decision," Kirigiri told Naegi. She did feel a bit sad. Regardless of why he did it, Fuhito did raise her. It would have been odd not to feel some sort of attachment.
"Some of us have been waiting years for that to happen, kid. Don't lose sleep over it," Kizakura added.
"Then I won't say anymore," Naegi said.
That Evening
Kirigiri had been called to the dorm's common area by Ikusaba. She had a pretty good idea of what this was about.
"Does this have anything to do with Naegi-kun?" Kirigiri asked as soon as she noticed a presence in the room.
"Yes, it does," Ikusaba confirmed as she entered and sat down.
Kirigiri still sensed others and said, "If you girls want war, I'll give you war. I can be pretty stubborn when I want to be, so I'm in this until the end."
"Kirigiri-san, please. 'Chillax' I believe is the word. There is really no need to fight when I have the perfect solution," Sonia said as she came into the room.
Present Day
"Why doesn't she offer to be a mistress if she thinks the idea is so great?" Kirigiri asked herself as her face turned red at the memory. Her thoughts then shifted, My life wouldn't be as rich without Naegi-kun in it. Hopefully, we can explore love's mysteries together someday soon!
Naegi was oblivious to those thoughts though. He had gotten better, but if Kirigiri didn't want him to be able to read her, then he would not be able to read her. Instead, he just reflected on his memories and felt honored that she trusted him enough to confide in him the way she had earlier in the school year.
The two were shaken from their reminiscing by five young voices shouting, "Mako-nii!" before Naegi was tackled by five different colored blurs.
"Hi kids," Naegi said from his place on the ground as he tried to get air back in his lungs.
Whew! That's done. I hope it was worth the wait. I know I took really long. Longer than I would have liked. Writer's block is a bitch.
There was a lot of lore on Kyoko and the Kirigiris to go through, so I needed to be sure to get it right. I suppose it didn't help that I did other flashbacks, during the flashback. That was new for me, so I wanted to be careful. That and I had trouble finding information on custody battles in Japan.
Fuhito will be back, we'll need new antagonists when Junko comes around, although she has been quiet lately. But, she's been busy, trust me, I have plans for what she's been doing.
You know, canon Fuhito is a dick, but I wonder if I played up what made him dick too much in the chapter.
Is there ever a bad time to include Cayde? Probably, but I think he works here.
Do any of you know who Kevin Mask is? In Kinnikuman Nisei, he ran away from his home because of his father, Robin Mask, and rejected most of his father's teachings, and still referred to him as "Daddy." Not judging, but that was why I had Kyoko start calling Jin "Daddy" as opposed to "Father" because I thought the two characters were similar in regards to their father issues.
I hope I got Fuhito's breakdown right. I wanted it to be like Kristoph Gavin's at the end of Apollo Justice.
Warriors of Hope are up next. What class/job do you think Makoto would use in an RPG? You know he would play along with those kids. I'm leaning towards paladin myself, but maybe summoner would be good.
Anyway, read and review and as always, stay frosty!
Chapter Text
Chapter 16: Everyday Life with Li'l Ultimates
Hello again everyone, wesst1 back again, once again!
So, this chapter is gonna be a little different. The kids are obviously going to love Makoto by the end of the chapter, but obviously not romantically. Maybe I'll have the kids break into different camps, you know supporting different girls for their new big brother, but that won't happen this chapter. Now some had suggested making Makoto the white mage, but since Jataro is already the priest in the Warriors of Hope, that would be redundant, so I'm not going to do that. Anyone who has played Final Fantasy Record Keeper would probably agree with me that Makoto would probably be a keeper like Tyro, but as far as I know, that's not a recognized role in most RPGs, so I had to pass on that.
You might be wondering why I'm bothering to do a chapter on these kids. Well, this was an idea I had from the beginning and I believed this chapter, and the one that comes after it, need to happen before I can do Chiaki, Chisa, and Junko's chapters. I have gotten reviews that seem worried that I wasn't including those three, or at least the first two, but rest assured, I am. It's just certain things needed to happen before I felt right about doing those chapters.
This will be even more important if I include Natsumi and Sato later on down the line too.
If there are any readers who read this chapter and think that I have done abuse victims a disservice or that I have done the agencies meant to stop abuse a disservice, I apologize in advance. I know this is a sensitive subject for a lot of people. I don't have first-hand knowledge of any of this, so if any parts read like I have only ever heard about child abuse, that is why. One thing I do know is bureaucrats, being one and all, so I know how bad they can be, and there are times where I make use of that this chapter. Although, Child Services in Japan are different from their US counterparts, more on that at the end, so all I can say is I tried my best. One high school student is up against powerful enemies in this case, so I like to think I got that part right.
But enough of me covering my own ass, we're here for everyone's favorite Lil' Ultimates, so…On with the show!
Present Day
Naegi had finally managed to get back to his feet after getting tackled by five blurs that were revealed to be elementary school children. Daimon Masaru, Shingetsu Nagisa, Kemuri Jataro, Utsugi Kotoko, and Monaca. Naegi was happy to see them, but he couldn't help wondering…
"What are you five doing here?"
"We weren't gonna miss this day for nothin'," Masaru said. The red-headed boy was rather excited.
"We are part of the reason this happened. It's only right that we see it through," Nagisa added. The blue haired boy also wanted to help his Mako-nii in some way after everything they had been through together.
Naegi nodded. Nagisa's parents had been affiliated with Hope's Peak Elementary, after all. Their actions had been part of what caused people to look at what else Hope's Peak Academy was hiding.
"We thought that you might be feeling nervous. Remember, just imagine the audience in their underwear! Who do you think thought of that anyway? Even if they're in their underwear, they're still watching you," Kotoko wondered as she continued on her tangent.
Naegi couldn't tell whether he should stop her and remind her his audience was just the headmaster or not.
"Monaca thinks Mako-nii will be fine as long as he remembers what to say. You do remember what to say, right Mako-nii?" Monaca asked.
"I remember," Naegi told her. Naegi had a feeling that Monaca was trying to get a reaction out of him. The girl had come a long way, but still enjoyed messing with people. Kind of like a certain fashionista he knew.
A small boy in a tan colored hoodie and jacket tugged on Naegi's sleeve and said, "You can do it, Mako-nii."
"Thanks, Jataro-kun," Naegi said as he patted the boy on the head.
"No fair, Jataro! I got here first!" Masaru yelled at his friend.
"Monaca-chan and I are ladies, we should get Mako-nii first," Kotoko argued.
Nagisa shook his head in exasperation, but he looked at Jataro with jealousy too.
"You kids sure do love Naegi-kun," Kirigiri said from the sidelines.
"You bet Kyoko-nee! Mako-nii is the greatest!" Masaru exclaimed as the other four nodded in agreement.
Naegi didn't think so. He wanted to say that he had only done what anyone would have done, but that was the problem, wasn't it? Anyone could have helped these kids, but Naegi was the only one who did. And even then, it had almost been too late. Naegi couldn't help remembering how he met these five children and how he had almost let them down.
The children couldn't help but remember how they had met Naegi and how he had become their hero.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Twelfth Week of Classes-Sunday
I wasn't often that Naegi found himself with free time, but he supposed he should have expected it. He and the others had just returned from their week at the Minato Inn the previous day so there wasn't much for him to do around the dorm. Naegi never used to mind having free time but coming to Hope's Peak changed that. Being surrounded by talented peers would make anyone self-conscious, but there was something else. Many of them knew what they wanted to do with their lives and Naegi did not. He wasn't the only one, and some had their paths forced on them, but Naegi didn't think luck, especially his, was going to factor into what he wanted to do with his life.
The sound of a can being set in front of him shook Naegi from his thoughts and he saw a can of Pepsi in front of him. Standing over him was Yukizome Chisa with a drink of her own in her hand. With a smile she asked, "Why don't you tell Sensei all about it?"
"Was I that obvious?" Naegi asked sheepishly.
"You've been staring at nothing for a while now," Yukizome told him.
"It's not pressing or anything, Sensei. It's just, a lot of my friends seem to know what they want to do with their lives and...well, I don't," Naegi told her.
"That's more common than you'd think here," Yukizome said thinking of a certain Ultimate Student Council President.
"What about you, Sensei?" Naegi asked.
"Hmm? Oh, why am I teaching at Hope's Peak Academy when I'm the former Ultimate Housekeeper?" Yukizome asked to clarify.
Naegi nodded, but said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm happy you're here…"
"You just don't understand how I got from housekeeping to teaching, right? Well, I actually started doing this for someone else. But I'm glad I did, you and all of my other little rotten oranges make every day so much fun," she said happily.
Naegi couldn't help but smile at that.
"If you're interested, you could try the 'Ultimate Mentor Program.'" Yukizome suggested.
"The what?" Naegi asked.
"Well, it's not really a mentor program, more of a student teacher's aide program, I suppose. Students from Hope's Peak Academy help out at Hope's Peak Elementary once or twice a week," Yukizome explained.
"Hope's Peak Elementary?" Naegi asked. He'd never heard of a Hope's Peak Elementary.
"Hope's Peak has an elementary school and junior high school where students who show Ultimate talent from a young age are taught. They are all expected to be a part of the Main Course when they are older," Yukizome explained.
Naegi didn't like the idea of young children being split up the way the Main Course and Reserve Course were split at Hope's Peak Academy, but he didn't think it would be good to let personal feeling get in the way of this opportunity. "You think I'd be any good at it?" Naegi asked.
"I don't see why not. You seem to enjoy taking care of people; you're patient; and my class and I heard from Owari-san that you're good with kids," Yukizome listed off.
"I don't know if I'd say that, but if you think I'd be a good fit for it, I'll try it," Naegi said embarrassed by the praise.
"If you speak with the Headmaster now, they should be able to place you this week," Yukizome said.
"I'll do that right now. Thank you, Sensei!" Naegi said as he left for the Headmaster's office.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Main Office
Twelfth Week of Classes-Monday
Yanagihori Takamine, the principal of Hope's Peak Elementary, had been going through files on applicants for the Ultimate Mentor Program when he came across one in particular. There was something he had to confirm.
Setting up a teleconference with the Hope's Peak Steering Committee was never an easy task. Though they were the real power behind anything and everything that had to do with Hope's Peak they valued their secrecy. To Yanagihori's surprise though, the first thing he heard when the four members of the Steering Committee, or at least shadows in the shape of the Steering Committee, appeared on his screen were the words, "We've been expecting you to reach out to us Yanagihori."
"Then I can skip explaining why I called and just ask 'Why?'," Yanagihori said.
"Kirigiri Jin believes that there is something about this boy," one shadow, the shorter, fat one if the movement of the shadow was any indication, said.
"Kirigiri Jin is a fool," Yanagihori responded.
"He is indeed," the tallest shadow agreed.
"But a convenient one," the shortest shadow added.
"What possible benefit could the students of Hope's Peak Elementary see from interacting with a mere 'Lucky Student?' Don't tell me Kirigiri has convinced all of you that luck is a talent?" Yanagihori asked.
"He has not," the second tallest shadow answered.
"We believe that you can solve our problem for us,'" the short, fat shadow explained.
"You are still having problems with those five, are you not?" the tallest shadow asked.
"I am," Yanagihori confirmed.
"Place the boy with them. After seeing the difference between himself and truly talented children, the boy should come to realize that he has no place at Hope's Peak Academy," the shortest shadow ordered.
"This should prevent the boy from tainting any of the more promising students as well," the second tallest shadow added.
"Their teacher can be put to use on students who are not lost causes when the boy is there as well. No need to waste resources on the boy or those five," the tallest shadow ordered before ending the meeting.
Yanagihori was still less than pleased to have a 'Lucky Student' disgrace the halls of his school, but if it was an order from the Steering Committee, he knew better than to argue. Not that it ever took much, there were few things he ever disagreed with those four on. He picked up the application again before saying to it, "Best of luck during your time here, Naegi Makoto."
Hope's Peak Elementary-Hallway
Twelfth Week of Classes-Thursday
When Naegi had arrived at Hope's Peak Elementary with the others who decided to give the Ultimate Mentor Program a try, they were greeted by the principal at the front gate. Yanagihori Takamine was a middle-aged man of below average height and above average weight. He had slicked-back black hair and a black mustache. He was wearing round-lens glasses with a golden frame, a white shirt, a black tie, and a bole-colored suit.
Naegi didn't know why, but he thought there was something off about the man. With the Headmaster, Naegi could sense a genuine care for the students at Hope's Peak Academy. Yanagihori did not give that impression, in fact Naegi got the sense that Yanagihori wanted as little to do with his students as possible.
"Naegi Makoto, it seems Headmaster Kirigiri thinks very highly of you," Yanagihori told Naegi as they walked through the halls.
"I was not aware of that, Sir. I'm nothing special," Naegi responded. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Yanagihori mumble something like, "You've got that right."
"Well, I suppose we'll find out, won't we?" Yanagihori asked, his public mask back in place. "There's a group of students that I believe that your talent will be perfect for," Yanagihori told Naegi as he stopped in front of a door.
"Classroom 5-D?" Naegi asked as he looked at the sign near the door.
"Yes, I believe that this is the perfect class for you, Naegi-kun. Head on in when you're ready," Yanagihori said as he turned to go back to his office. Those five delinquents would deal with Naegi. Perhaps after this the Steering Committee would see fit to make him the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, maybe even make him one of them. He didn't believe luck was a talent, but Yanagihori was more than happy to make use of it.
Of course, Naegi had no idea of any of this. He was busy taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. Calm down, Makoto. Yukizome-sensei wouldn't have suggested this, and the Headmaster wouldn't have approved this if they didn't think you could do it, right? he asked himself. Once he was as calm as he believed he was going to be, Naegi opened the door.
"Sorry for the intrusion! My name is Naegi Makoto and I'm from Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi said as he bowed once he opened the door.
"Ah Naegi-kun, it's nice to meet you. I'm Moroboshi Rinko, I'm in charge of this classroom," a kind, but nervous looking woman said as she saw Naegi. "There is something I need to take care of, why don't you and the students get acquainted," Moroboshi said as she excused herself.
No sooner had the teacher left than a boy with red hair stood up and announced, "I'm the super, duper leader that unites the Warriors of Hope with a bang! Daimon Masaru! My special subject is P.E., so they call me Li'l Ultimate P.E.! I'm the P.E. King who can do every exercise ever! Running nonstop 24/7/365 is easy as pie! Oh, I almost forgot! My job in the Warriors of Hope is the Hero!"
A boy with blue hair soon followed the first boy's lead and said, "I apologize for my friend's outburst. My name is Shingetsu Nagisa. In the Warriors of Hope, I act as the vice leader and Sage. I am known as Li'l Ultimate Social Studies. Of course, Social Studies is but one area of my expertise. I excel at all scholarly pursuits. I am labeled Li'l Ultimate Social Studies because I was raised to be among society's elite. And… I suppose I am a babysitter of sorts for the Warriors of Hope… Monaca excluded."
A boy in a mask that seemed to be made from leftover scraps of leather spoke next. "You know how when you stare into moving bicycle spokes, you get all scared? Like, for some reason, you imagine how painful it would be to put your hand in…?" he asked.
Not really, no, Naegi thought. He wasn't sure what this boy was getting at.
"Oh, um, my name is Kemuri Jataro. And bird skin isn't yummy no matter how you cook it," the boy, Jataro, continued
Okay… Naegi wasn't sure what that part about bird skin was about and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Maybe his family had a weird diet.
"I'm really good at arts and crafts, so they call me Li'l Ultimate Art. If it's arts and crafts, leave it to me. I can remove nails, and varnish, and things…I do the Priest thing for the Warriors of Hope… Oh, and also, I wonder if aliens exist," Jataro finished.
Next, a girl with pink hair in pigtails and a hairband with devil horns introduced herself. "Ahoy! A girl! My name is Utsugi Kotoko, and I play the Fighter in the Warriors of Hope! You might think the Fighter would be a boy, but nope! I'm totally a girl! I love girly things and peeled chestnuts! If it's totally adorbs, I looove it! And I am pampered as the Li'l Ultimate Drama. But who cares about that stuff? I'm so happy to meet you!"
Finally, a green-haired girl in a wheelchair spoke. "Monaca-chan is called Towa Monaca! Monaca-chan's a Mage in the Warriors of Hope. I'm known as Li'l Ultimate Homeroom. You might think there are no Ultimates and Commons in a class like Homeroom, but there are! For me, my skill isn't really about uniting people, it's about getting them all to help me. Believe it or not, I bring together a lot of wonderful people… It would be nice if you could be a wonderful person for Monaca-chan too…"
When no one else spoke up, Naegi took a good look at the classroom. It was only those five students. Something about that seemed off to Naegi, but he decided not to question it at the moment. "Okay, I think I've got it. My name is Naegi Makoto. I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 78 at Hope's Peak Academy. I'm not really sure what my class is. A Paladin or a Summoner would be really cool, but Bard characters are too. Buffs can make or break a party," Naegi said, introducing himself in a way he thought would connect with the kids.
"Haha! Yeah, you look like a wimp! Bard is probably perfect for you!" Masaru exclaimed with a laugh.
Kotoko seemed to take offense to that as she threw an eraser at him and said, "Shut up, you idiot. This is why you're such a lame Hero. No bard in their right mind would praise you."
"You seemed confused earlier, Naegi-san. I assure you that this is it. According to the staff, we're the problem class of Hope's Peak Elementary," Nagisa explained.
That actually just confused Naegi more. "You seem like perfectly fine kids to me."
"Monaca-chan appreciates that, Onii-chan!" Monaca chirped happily.
"Ugh! What do I do now? I don't know how to work with this," Jataro moaned, shocked at the compliment.
Naegi spent the next few minutes trying to calm Jataro down and then get class on track for when their teacher returned. But after a while, Naegi couldn't help but say, "I wonder what's taking Moroboshi-sensei so long."
"You're probably on your own. Sensei has said she can't wait for 'some poor bastard she can dump this class on,'" Monaca said.
Naegi was taken aback by that, but asked, "Did she really say that or is that how you heard it, Monaca-chan?"
"If Monaca said it, then it's true! Monaca's hearing is so good, she can hear people screaming in space!" Masaru yelled.
"If it is true then that's a shame," Naegi said.
"Why is it a shame, Onii-chan," Kotoko asked as she stared at Naegi.
"Well…No, I shouldn't say. If I do and someone hears, I probably won't be allowed back. Maybe I can teach the class for a little bit, that is what I signed up for," Naegi said as he approached the teacher's desk.
Looks like we have a fun one this time, Monaca thought. She honestly expected Naegi would say something against Moroboshi and get dropped from the program. Using people as cheap sources of entertainment was the one joy she had in life and she was glad that her new victim would try to stick around.
The other four were interested in Naegi now two, but for a different reason. Most people put up with them because they had to, but Naegi actually seemed to care enough to play along with them and to put in actual effort.
"…Now it's just a matter of reducing value to the lowest numbers and that is how you multiply with fractions," Naegi said as he stood at Masaru's desk. He had managed to find the lesson plan for the class and once Nagisa informed him of where the class was at, Naegi had slipped into the role of educator quite well.
"I think I get it. Thanks, Naegi-sensei. You don't suck nearly as much as I thought you would," Masaru said.
"Uhh…thanks. I've never received a compliment quite like that," Naegi said, not sure how to take Masaru's words.
"What kind of manners do you have? You don't tell people you think they suck after they help you," Kotoko lectured.
"Sensei, I think I need help too. I mean, if you think I deserve it," Jataro said.
"Of course, you deserve it, why wouldn't you?" Naegi asked as he went to help Jataro. Naegi had noticed that Jataro had a very low opinion of himself. Naegi was beginning to suspect that Jataro didn't wear that mask because he thought it looked cool. He wasn't sure if he should comment on it or not. Maybe this is how he deals with new people, Naegi reasoned, although he wasn't sure he believed that. It would be wrong to jump to conclusions after just one day.
"Because he's gross," Kotoko answered cheekily.
"Kotoko-chan, that's terrible," Naegi told the girl, a disappointed look on his face as he reprimanded her.
"It's fine, he likes it," Monaca told Naegi.
"Yeah, Jataro-kun has a self-depre… Uh, self-dipro…" Masaru began, as he tried to remember the word he wanted to use.
""Self-deprecating.' He has a self-deprecating personality," Nagisa finished for the redhead.
"Yeah, one of those!" Masaru exclaimed.
"Doesn't matter, that was still uncalled for. Kotoko-chan you should apologize," Naegi said.
"Nope!" Kotoko exclaimed happily.
Naegi sighed before thinking, Alright, we'll deal with that later. He then proceeded to assist Jataro in math.
Next up, it was grammar. "Alright, for this lesson, you'll be picking out parts of sentences on these worksheets," Naegi said as he held up a tiny stack of papers. "Pick out the verb, noun, any adjectives and adverbs; and separating the subject and predicates. Monaca-chan and Jataro-kun, you are one group. Nagisa-kun and Masaru-kun, you're another. Kotoko-chan, you'll be working with me for this lesson, unless you'd like to apologize to you friend and join his group," Naegi explained.
That terrified Kotoko. In front of my friends? Is he going to be gentle with me in front of the others? Gross. I thought he was a nice guy too. Please, I don't want you to be gentle with me… Kotoko wasn't sure how long that terrifying train of thought went on before she noticed Naegi shaking her shoulder.
"Kotoko-chan! Kotoko-chan, are you alright?" Naegi asked. If he were a more cynical individual, he might have thought that Kotoko was trying to get out of apologizing. She apparently did a lot of acting, but it was that empty look in her eyes and sweat forming on her forehead that convinced Naegi that something was wrong.
"Huh?" Kotoko had come back to her senses.
"Do you need to see the nurse?" Naegi asked. Maybe she was being mean because she wasn't feeling well, he thought.
"Nurse? Oh, yeah, sure," Kotoko mumbled. So, he's not going to do it in front of everyone. That's… Kotoko wasn't sure what to think about that. On the one hand, her friends weren't going to see. On the other, this was still happening. She began to shake and hyperventilate.
"Kotoko-chan, deep breaths. Please calm down!" Naegi called trying his best to remain calm. When that didn't work, not that he had expected it to, he turned to the other kids and asked, "Where's the infirmary? I'll carry her there."
"Head towards the bathrooms and turn left," Masaru told him. Masaru may have acted arrogant, but Naegi could hear the concern in his voice. I was obvious that the boy cared about his friends.
"Thank you, Masaru-kun. I'll be back soon. All of you work on the assignment until I get back," Naegi said as he managed to get Kotoko on his back.
Monaca-chan wonders what will happen now? Is Naegi-sensei trying to be alone with Kotoko or is he really as naïve as he looks? Monaca asked herself.
I'm glad Naegi-sensei is gone, it feels weird when he's nice to me, Jataro thought.
Masaru was worried, and he really didn't completely trust Naegi yet, but he didn't know what was going on in Kotoko's mind right now, not that he would have understood.
Nagisa wanted to blame Naegi for Kotoko's breakdown, but he wouldn't exactly say what Naegi had done qualified as picking on Kotoko. And in fairness to Naegi, it had been in an effort to get her to apologize to Jataro. Something that barely qualified as punishment that could have been avoided with an apology. There must be something else going on. I guess we'll see if Naegi-sensei is different or not, Nagisa thought.
Naegi had just passed the bathrooms when he heard Kotoko say, "Here's good."
"Huh? Kotoko-chan?" Naegi said as he stopped.
"I said you can stop here," Kotoko said.
"Alright, if you can walk on your own…" Naegi wasn't sure if he should put Kotoko down after her episode, but if she was insisting, he wouldn't argue. He was the outsider here, after all.
After Naegi let her down, Kotoko walked to the entrance of the girls' bathroom and stood there, waiting.
This, of course, confused Naegi, who had momentarily forgot about Kotoko's earlier condition. "Uhh, Kotoko-chan, I can't help you go to the bathroom. I'm not allowed in there," Naegi said trying, and failing, not to make things awkward.
Wait…? What…? As confused as Naegi might have been in that moment, Kotoko was even worse. "What? No!" He doesn't want to be gentle with me? He was serious about everything? Kotoko mentally questioned.
"That was quite the performance for just needing a bathroom break," Naegi said.
Kotoko just looked embarrassed.
"In fact, I'm sure there's something else I don't know about," Naegi said as he knelt down so that he was eye level with Kotoko. "Kotoko-chan, did you not want to apologize that badly, or is there something I should know?" he asked.
Kotoko wasn't sure what to do. This was it! This was her chance! If I tell him, maybe no one will be gentle with me anymore. But… Kotoko had no idea if Naegi would believe her. It was rather crazy sounding. A mother-daughter prostitute team that her dentist father knew about and approved of? If it wasn't her own life, Kotoko probably wouldn't have believed it. It was just so…depraved. What if Naegi thought she was making things up? He seemed very nice, now that Kotoko knew she didn't need to fear him. Would that change if she told him the truth and he thought she was lying? Or even if he believed her? She'd rather feel genuine kindness for a few hours once a week than risk losing it and enduring Hell full time.
"I-I'm okay, Naegi-sensei. I just don't apologize much," Kotoko lied. Please buy that, Kotoko thought.
Naegi wasn't fully convinced, but he'd have to accept that for now. "Well, alright. If you say so. Do you want to see the nurse or are you okay to come back to class?" he asked.
"I can go back to class," Kotoko answered.
"Alright, but you still need to tell Jataro-kun you're sorry," Naegi said as he stood up.
"Okay Naegi-sensei," Kotoko said timidly. She wasn't sure if lying to Naegi was the right thing to do, but she thought it was the safer option.
When Naegi and Kotoko returned, Kotoko immediately apologized to Jataro, something that made the masked boy uncomfortable. Naegi wasn't sure if Kotoko didn't usually apologize or if there was something else, he didn't know about, but he was certainly curious. For all the good it does. I don't have the authority to look into it, Naegi told himself. Perhaps it was odd for Naegi to care so much about five children he had only just met today, but he couldn't help it. They were his responsibility right now, after all. At the same time, he had to remind himself that he couldn't just go poking into their business. He wasn't an employee; he was a guest and could be removed from the program if he overstepped his boundaries. You don't have to look to hard to notice something is up with Kotoko-chan and with Jataro-kun though, he noted.
Naegi tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, he still had a class to teach. He was never great at science, but he believed that he could teach five kids about precipitation.
"…and so, when water vapor accumulates…" Naegi began.
"What does 'accumulate' mean?" Jataro asked.
"It means it gathers together," Naegi answered.
"How does it know to do that?" Jataro asked.
"Well, gases in the air will mix together. And since moist air is lighter than an area's surrounding dry air, it's more likely to gather together and become denser…" Naegi began to say.
"What does 'dense' mean?"
"In this case, it means thick."
"How do some words have so many different meanings?"
"I can't really answer that. You would have to ask an etymologist."
"What's an etymologist?"
"They study the origin of words and how their meaning has changed over time."
Before Jataro could ask another question, the bell rang signaling the beginning of lunch.
"Looks like we didn't finish the lesson because of all of my questions, Naegi-sensei. Do you hate me now?" Jataro asked, hopefully. Alright, finally. Although, I guess I am a little sad. Naegi-sensei really does seem like a nice guy. Still, if he hates me and takes it out on all of us, then the others will hate me even more. Yeah, I guess in the end it was worth it, Jataro thought.
Naegi was perplexed by Jataro's…well, he wasn't sure if it was a need or a desire, but it Naegi did notice that Jataro seemed elated at the idea of being hated.
Upon taking a closer look at the masked boy, Naegi noticed something that he hadn't before. Jataro's clothes were too big for him. Naegi was growing concerned for the boy but held back from asking anything about the boy's home life. Maybe there was a problem with the laundry or maybe his parents were expecting a growth spurt, Naegi reasoned, although neither of those would explain Jataro's attitude. The again, Naegi was no stranger to coincidence, his place at Hope's Peak was proof of that. Perhaps there was simply a problem at home and Jataro was just not comfortable with him. Or maybe he just was afraid people didn't like him. But then why didn't Jataro care when the other children insulted him, even if it was all in jest?
There were too many questions and not enough information to go on. If things hadn't changed by the time Naegi returned next week, then he would start to worry. For now, he had a student's question to answer.
"No Jataro-kun, I don't. In fact, I'm glad that you asked all those questions. It tells me you're willing to learn and that is a good thing," Naegi told the masked boy.
"Wha-what?" Jataro asked sounding confused and Naegi thought the boy sounded…hurt? But that made no sense.
"You're an interesting one, Naegi-sensei," Monaca mumbled. Crap! she thought. She couldn't have Naegi catching on to her. It would ruin all of her fun.
"I don't think so. Not really anyway. I mean, it was my decision to come here, and I am responsible for you kids, so of course I should be patient with you. So, as long as you do your best as students, I'll do my best for the five of you," Naegi responded.
The kids were shocked. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to them. So many questions ran through their minds.
Why?
Why are you so nice to us?
Why aren't you ignoring us like everyone else?
Why do you care?
Why are you different?
"You may think it's an old cliché, and I guess it is, but children are a national treasure. The future will depend on how you five will live your lives. I want to help you five grow into fine adults, even if I can only help a little bit," Naegi told them.
Why can't you always be here?
Why can't I live with you?
Why can't everyone else like you?
"Now, you five have worked hard this morning, I think you should all enjoy your lunch before were have to get back to work," Naegi said.
"Yes Naegi-sensei!" the children replied.
The day had continued without further incident. Once the final bell rang, Moroboshi had returned to dismiss the students and Naegi. She offered no explanation as to why she had not returned and Naegi decided that it was best not to press her on it if he wanted to come back.
After dinner, Naegi had found himself in the dorm's common area thinking about the events of the day. He couldn't get Kotoko and Jataro out of his mind. Am I overthinking it? Maybe it was a one-time thing because they didn't know me. I mean all five of them were quirky in their own ways, Naegi thought.
"How was my favorite Ultimate Mentor's first day?" Yukizome's cheerful voice asked. She was eager to hear how Naegi's day had been and what the students he was working with were like.
"Oh, it was alright, Sensei. It's just…" Naegi began.
"'It's just' what?" Yukizome asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"The five students they put me with were good kids. I was a little worried when Moroboshi-sensei disappeared and didn't come back until school ended, but I managed."
"The teacher left!?" Yukizome was shocked by this revelation. She made it a point to remember this.
"She said she had something to take care of, but Monaca-chan thinks she was just pushing the class off onto me. I'm not sure and I don't want to start making accusations," Naegi said.
"That's fair, I guess. Did anything else happen?" Yukizome asked.
"Two things stick out in my mind," Naegi began, before explaining Kotoko's episode and Jataro's odd behavior. "…so, I don't know if I'm overthinking it, or if something is really wrong with those two. I mean, Jataro-kun's clothes were too big so that coupled with his behavior and the mask makes me wonder. And then there's Kotoko-chan. I didn't get a chance to ask if there was anything I should look out for or avoid with her, so maybe it's my fault, but I can't think of what I did to cause her to shut down and hyperventilate."
"I wish I could help, Naegi-kun, I really do, but this is beyond me," Yukizome told the boy. Then a lightbulb went off in her head before saying, "Maybe Gekkogahara-san can help!"
"Gekkogahara-san?" Naegi asked. He had no idea who that was.
"Gekkogahara Miaya is the former Ultimate Therapist. She works here as a counselor and I'm sure she'll be able to help you," Yukizome informed Naegi.
"Thank you, Sensei, I'll go meet with her tomorrow," Naegi said happily. Maybe now he would be able to get some advice on how to interact better with the kids.
Yukizome smiled, "You really got attached to those kids didn't you, Naegi-kun?"
Naegi smiled back, "Yeah, I did. I want to do the best I can for them."
Hope's Peak Academy-Gekkogahara Miaya's Office
Twelfth Week of Classes-Friday
Just as Naegi had said, he went to see Gekkogahara in her office during his lunch break. He felt fortunate that she accepted walk-ins. Naegi would never say it out loud but considering the personalities of many of the students at Hope's Peak, he felt that appointments with Gekkogahara should have been mandatory. Myself included, Naegi added mentally.
Gekkogahara Miaya was a short woman with blue hair, held by a light gray headband. She had blue eyes and long eyelashes. She wore a gray headphone and a long, dark red scarf which hid the lower part of her face. She wore a pale brown jacket, a black vest, a white dress shirt, and a black skirt. Naegi couldn't help but think Gekkogahara looked like an adult version of Monaca, complete with her own wheelchair. Except where Monaca had green eyes and hair, Gekkogahara had blue.
The only thing that Naegi had thought was odd about her was how she communicated. Naegi had been informed by Yukizome that Gekkogahara was very shy and as such, didn't speak. That was certainly odd, but if Yukizome was recommending her, then Gekkogahara must have been good at her job whether she spoke or not. Naegi's questions about how Gekkogahara spoke were answered by the PC monitor attached to her wheelchair. On the screen was a white stuffed rabbit in a magical girl costume.
"Hello. Who are you and how can I help?" the rabbit asked.
"Um, hello. I'm Naegi Makoto and is this Gekkogahara-san's office?" Naegi asked.
"Yes. This is Gekkogahara-san's office. I'm her partner, Usami! I do all the talking, but don't worry. You're in excellent hands," Usami answered.
If Naegi hadn't been warned about Gekkogahara's shyness beforehand, he might have thought that this was her way of talking down to him. A stuffed toy in a costume seemed rather… juvenile. Although, kids have been known to tell all their secrets to their stuffed toys, even some in high school, so maybe it was better if he didn't question it. "Well, it's about the Ultimate Mentor Program…" Naegi began.
"Ah yes, we see a lot of participants for the program in here. Some students just can't handle the stress of being students and teacher's aides," Usami interrupted.
"Well, that's not really it. Not yet at least," Naegi said. He then went on to explain why he was here. "…and that's the story, Gekkogahara-san."
For the first time since he had entered, Naegi saw emotion flash across Gekkogahara's face. She didn't seem to like what she had heard from him. Then, Usami spoke up, "I'll admit, it all sounds bad when taken together, Naegi-kun. I think you're right to be concerned, but for now, I think you need to take a wait and see approach. As you said, it could all be coincidence. I wish there was more I could do, but I can't diagnose students of Hope's Peak Elementary unless they're my patients. For now, be careful and observe and come talk to me if you think anything is wrong. I can offer more advice when we know more."
"Thank you, Gekkogahara-san. Usami-san. I appreciate it," Naegi said, glad that it wasn't just him overthinking things.
"It's what we're here for Naegi-kun. Our door is always open if you need us. In fact, here," Usami said as Gekkogahara approached and handed Naegi a card with her contact information on it. "Call if you need anything. If we don't answer, we'll get back to you when we can."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to keep my eyes open next time I'm with the kids," Naegi said.
Later That Evening
At the Shingetsu home, Nagisa was busy studying. This would not be unusual for an older elementary student to do, unless it was at the Shingetsu household. In this house, studying involved unhealthy hours at Nagisa's desk; IV's filled with energy supplements; bright lights to shine in Nagisa's eyes when he seemed tired; and weapons to threaten him with…all in the name of science, of course.
Nagisa's parents were teachers at Hope's Peak Elementary and they were using their son as an experiment. Nagisa wasn't lying when he said he was raised to join society's elite, but there was more to it than that. Mr. and Mrs. Shingetsu were also experimenting to see how much pressure a child could endure before the child reached their breaking point. It seemed sick, but that's only because it was.
Tonight, Nagisa seemed closer to that breaking point than ever. Trigonometry isn't an easy subject for everybody, after all. Seeing that they weren't getting the results they wanted, Mr. and Mrs. Shingetsu decided that even more drastic actions were needed.
"This is no good. This data is useless," Mr. Shingetsu began.
"Agreed. What could the problem be? The subject's abilities seem to be declining," Mrs. Shingetsu noted. Too bad she didn't note that Nagisa was operating on four hours of sleep because of their experiment.
"What could the issue be? The subject has always been responsive to these methods in the past," Mr. Shingetsu wondered
"Are our methods flawed?" Mrs. Shingetsu asked.
"No, the subject is just no good. I believe that we need to start over," Mr. Shingetsu said.
Had they cared enough to notice; they would have realized that they were speaking loudly enough for Nagisa to hear.
I'm not good enough? I've failed? No, I can meet those expectations! Just a little more time is all I need! I'll figure it out! I can do it! Father! Mother! Don't through me away! I'll prove that I can meet your expectations! I can meet Father's! Mother's! My own! Everyone's! Nagisa thought in a panic. He resolved to work harder than ever to meet any expectation, no matter how unreasonable, that people may have of him.
That Same Evening
At a nearby apartment complex, specifically the Daimon residence, there was a knock on the door. Mr. Daimon opened the door to see the owner of a nearby liquor store standing there. Next to the man, was Masaru struggling to get his shirt out of the grip to store owner.
"Mr. Daimon, it seems Masaru-kun has been stealing sake from my store. Now, I know kids are curious about alcohol, but this is unacceptable. I won't press charges this time, but if Masaru tries this again, I won't be so forgiving," the store owner said.
"I'll take care of it," Mr. Daimon grunted. As he pulled Masaru into the apartment by the arm, hard enough to leave a bruise, and slammed the door in the man's face, Masaru struggled harder to get away. He knew what was coming. "You little shit! How dare you embarrass me like this! I gave you the money to fucking buy sake!" Mr. Daimon raged, not bothering to remember that Masaru was too young to actually buy alcohol. It didn't matter. It never did. Mr. Daimon sent Masaru for sake and cigarettes in the past and the first time Masaru pointed out that he couldn't buy those, he was beaten for showing attitude. He couldn't do it legally; he couldn't just ignore his father, not if he didn't want to be beaten for not listening; so, he had no choice but to steal, and this was the result. Masaru couldn't win.
"OW! I'm sorry Dad! They wouldn't let me buy it!" Masaru said as he tried to defend himself. Both verbally and physically.
"I don't want excuses! Don't do it again!" By this time, Mr. Daimon had reached for an empty bottle and started to swing it.
"AHHH! Masaru cried as it broke over his head. "I'll try harder Dad, I promise!"
"You had better!" Mr. Daimon said as he got left his son in a heap on the floor.
As Masaru began to cry, he started thinking, I am trying Dad! They won't listen! It's not for me, it's for you! What else can I do, though? I just need to try harder not to get caught! I'll get it right Dad! I won't embarrass you anymore.
In Another Part of Towa City
At Hotel Towa in the VIP Suite, Kotoko and her mother were meeting with some "distinguished gentlemen" with "particular tastes." Kotoko was aware of why she was here. She didn't want to be, but at she was at least grateful that there was no school tomorrow. She could use the time to try to recover.
Once again, older men wanted to be "gentle" with her. These men would then cast her in productions that they were sponsoring, meaning that Kotoko could "sparkle" on stage, according to her mother. Her mother dragged her to places like this so that Kotoko would "sparkle" forever. Kotoko hated it, but she hated the idea of making her mother cry by refusing even more. The worst part was that Mrs. Utsugi was doing this and knew that she was using her daughter's love to hold the poor girl hostage. She didn't care. She was right. No matter what society said, no matter how much Kotoko hated her for it, she knew she was right. How anyone could ever reach such a conclusion is probably a mystery better left unsolved.
As bad as Mrs. Utsugi was though, she couldn't hold a candle to Mr. Utsugi. The woman was a monster, but she wasn't lying when she would say she loved her daughter, not that it makes what she was doing any better, that love was still twisted and depraved. Mr. Utsugi didn't care about his family and didn't pretend to either. He was a local dentist and was well aware of what his wife was doing and did not care. He used the money the two brought in to live it up with his dental hygienist.
Back to the nightmare that was Utsugi Kotoko's life though, these were higher profile clients than she was used to. Supposedly, these men worked for the Towa Group. Executives, members of the Board of Directors, and a younger man with long, disheveled black hair and lavender eyes. Given the respect the men were showing him, the younger man must have been important.
"Is she the one?" the younger man asked.
"She is, Sir," one of the other men confirmed.
"She's perfect! Young and quiet, just the way I like my girls!" the young man said happily as he reached out to grab the thin, white night gown that Kotoko was wearing. "Don't worry, I promise I'll be gentle," he said as he lifted the garment.
That's what I'm afraid of, Kotoko thought as she prepared for another night of hell.
Elsewhere
Guess she's not coming home tonight either, Jataro thought as once again his mother did not come home. It was like this every weekend. At least during the weekdays, she would come home at some point during the night, there was always a 50-50 chance of her either coming home or staying out until Sunday night during the weekends.
Jataro really didn't know much about his mother. He knew that she gave him his father's last name, or at least gave him the last name of the man she thought was Jataro's father. They never married, she refused to be tied down, which was also why she refused to actually take care of Jataro. She was going to be the next big…something. She could have some kid hold her back while she tried to figure out what that something was.
Jataro's mother was also the reason he wore his mask. She told him that he didn't look like other children, leading Jataro to believe that he was ugly. He couldn't confirm or deny this, he had never seen his own face.
Growl! Jataro had no time to concern himself with any of that, he had to go to sleep before his hunger got too great. His mother hadn't gone shopping for food, so Jataro had to make do with what little they still had available. The skin off of a chicken breast wasn't much, but it had worked for what he needed it for tonight. He would leave worries about breakfast for the next morning.
Ugh, bird skin just really doesn't taste yummy no matter what I do with it, Jataro thought as he laid down. He didn't know where his mother was, but he knew she was wishing for his death, she had admitted as much after a night of partying. He didn't care, hatred suited him just fine. Or that's what he told himself before he imagined a teenager in a green hoodie wishing him a good night and pleasant dreams.
Meanwhile
Monaca couldn't possibly know what the others were going through this evening, but she was faring much better by any comparison.
The days of her getting physically abused were a thing of the past once she started using a wheelchair. She had never really known love, her mother had abandoned her, leaving the head of the Towa Group to have to take care of his bastard daughter. Before her wheelchair, Monaca would receive only cold looks when she would laugh or smile and would go silent whenever she spoke. Her older half-brother Haiji never treated her like part of the family either, he believed that she would one day destroy the family. Monaca would have to thank him for that idea one day.
Though the pity that her wheelchair got her was preferable it had its downside. Monaca would always have to endure an itch on one of her legs for what always felt like an eternity whenever someone was around. Yes, Monaca was faking being a paraplegic. The idea came to her after Haiji had accidently, pushed her down the stairs. While the power her act gave her was fun, Monaca knew it didn't change much. Despite how she acted on the outside, she still felt like dying on the inside. This place wasn't a home, and these people weren't family.
But that's fine, Monaca thought, if the world doesn't want Monaca-chan, then she doesn't want it either. Monaca-chan is glad that she gets to see what people are really like, it's better to know.
So, she would continue. She would continue pretending to be a paraplegic. She would continue to manipulate people for her amusement. She would continue with her plan to one day ruin this so-called family. She didn't pick this game, but she decided that she would win it. What else was there to do?
Now, which servant does Monaca-chan want to get fired next? she asked herself as she looked around at the maids as they gossiped amongst themselves.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
By the time Naegi had returned to Hope's Peak Elementary, most traces of what the children had gone through over the weekend had disappeared. Kotoko and Masaru had healed up; Jataro had managed to get at least one decent meal; but the mental scars remained. Naegi had no idea of any of what had happened to the children, but he was able to notice a few things. He noticed that Jataro still had his mask and was once again wearing a shirt that was too big for him. He noticed that Nagisa was eager to participate in class. He noticed that Kotoko and Masaru were quiet but attentive. Unfortunately, these didn't raise any red flags. An expert like Gekkogahara might have caught something, but Naegi was no expert. Little things could be explained in a number of ways and even if Naegi had tried to dig deeper, there was no guarantee that the children would cooperate yet. This was only their second meeting after all. All Naegi could do is observe for now.
At the moment though, Naegi was writing a math problem on the board at the front of the room. Today it was multiplication and division with decimals. "Now, does anyone want to try to…" Naegi began.
"I can solve it, Naegi-sensei!" Nagisa exclaimed as he raised his hand.
"Okay Nagisa-kun," Naegi said as he stepped aside so Nagisa could get at the problem.
I can do this. Mother, Father, I'm no failure, Nagisa thought as he went through the steps to solve the problem. As soon as he finished, he stepped aside and said, "I've finished Naegi-sensei."
Naegi looked at Nagisa's answer. "Hmm, that's close, Nagisa-kun."
"Wha-what?" Nagisa asked, clearly distressed by this information.
Naegi noticed the tone in Nagisa's voice, but he had no idea just how upset the boy really was. He was under the impression that Nagisa was just embarrassed that he had gotten the answer wrong in front of his friends. In an attempt to help Nagisa, Naegi said, "The decimal point is in the wrong place, it's not a big deal. Lots of people have problems with it. I know I did." While Naegi was speaking, he made to correct the answer, but a small hand stopped him.
Nagisa had grabbed Naegi's wrist and said, "Give me another chance Naegi-sensei. I can get it right."
"Nagisa-kun, it's fine. Like I said, it's not a big deal," Naegi said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt the hand Nagisa grabbed him with begin to shake.
Naegi looked and it wasn't just Nagisa's hand that was shaking. "A harder one then! I can do it now. I see where I went wrong."
For the first time today, Naegi took a closer look at Nagisa. The shaking by itself was cause for concern, but Naegi also saw that there were dark circles under Nagisa's eyes. "Nagisa-kun, you don't look so well. Maybe you should…" Naegi began.
"I'll be fine! I just need to show you that I understand the lesson! No subject is to hard! No amount of pressure is too much!" Nagisa rambled.
"Nagisa-kun! Calm down!" Naegi yelled as he shook Nagisa in an attempt to snap the boy out of his breakdown.
Nagisa came back to reality, but he was still shaking a bit. "I-I c-can…"
"You can come with me to the infirmary," Naegi interrupted.
"No! I…" Nagisa began.
"This isn't up for debate," Naegi said as he lifted Nagisa onto his back. Nagisa must have been more tired than he realized since his resistance attempts only amounted to short, weak, pushes. Addressing the other students, Naegi said, "While we're gone, go over pages 100 and 101 in your math textbooks. I should be back soon."
When Naegi had reached the infirmary with Nagisa, he explained the situation to the nurse, a woman named Shinozaki Yoshie. Shinozaki was more than happy to let Nagisa stay and catch up on the sleep he had obviously missed and didn't ask a lot of questions, something both Naegi and Nagisa were grateful for. Naegi because he had no idea how to explain Moroboshi abandoning her class and Nagisa because he didn't want people to know why he was overworking himself.
Nagisa made himself comfortable as Naegi spoke with Shinozaki, finally accepting that Naegi wasn't going to let him continue with class in his current condition. I suppose a little rest wouldn't hurt, Nagisa reasoned. Before he closed his eyes, Naegi had come over to his side.
"Nagisa-kun, Shinozaki-sensei has informed me that your parents are teachers here. Do you want me to let them know that you're…?" Naegi began to ask.
"NO!" Nagisa shouted, wide awake. Seeing that Naegi was taken aback by the outburst, Nagisa calmly said, "No, I wouldn't want to interrupt them." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the reason.
Naegi couldn't help thinking that there was more to Nagisa's outburst than just not wanting to interrupt his parents, although he knew Nagisa to be a considerate boy. "I don't think they'll mind if it's to tell them that their son isn't feeling well," Naegi countered.
"They'll stop me if they know I'm staying up so late," Nagisa half lied. His parents had set aside time for Nagisa to sleep, brief though it was. They would probably object if they knew Nagisa was deviating from their schedule. Not out of concern for their son's health, but out of concern for what it would do to their data.
"Nagisa-kun, it's admirable that you want to work so hard at your age, but you're going to undo all of that hard work if you burn yourself out. Your health and well-being are more important than schoolwork," Naegi explained.
Nagisa hated that he was lying to Naegi, as young as he was, Nagisa knew there was something wrong about being dishonest with someone so kind. It was with a guilty conscience that he said, "Thank you, Naegi-sensei. For looking out for me."
"Of course, I'm looking out for you. Remember, I'm here because I want to help you kids," Naegi said as he ruffled Nagisa's hair.
Nagisa's exhaustion finally won out and the boy drifted off to sleep. Naegi was glad for that. He didn't want to leave the others unattended for too long. Though he was quite fond of them, kids were kids, and even the best-behaved kids could get excited about destructive or dangerous ideas without adult supervision.
"Thank you for this Shinozaki-sensei. I need to get back to class now, so I'm leaving Nagisa-kun to you," Naegi told the nurse.
"Of course, Naegi-kun, was it?" Seeing Naegi nod in confirmation, Shinozaki continued, "I'll wake him up in time for lunch."
Naegi nodded once more before heading back to the classroom to attend to the other four children.
Thankfully, the classroom was still intact when Naegi returned. For a class of alleged troublemakers, the children never made much trouble, Naegi noticed. Once Naegi had picked up where he left off with the lesson things proceeded smoothly. Fifteen minutes before lunch, Nagisa came back looking much better than he had earlier.
Once the children had left to enjoy recess and lunch, Naegi sat down at Moroboshi's desk and pulled out a notebook he had brought to record his observations. While he usually trusted his memory, he wanted to be sure he remembered all that he could so that he could give Gekkogahara a more complete picture.
As he was writing about Nagisa's frightened reaction to the idea of informing his parents of his trip to the infirmary, Naegi heard a tap at the window. This window wasn't good for light as most of it was obscured by a large bush. Naegi did notice that it made a good hiding spot, there was certainly enough room to hide between the bush and the wall of the building. Naegi noticed a familiar handle in the window, it was one belonging to Monaca's wheelchair. Deciding that was enough of a reason to see what was going on, Naegi made his way over to the window.
Monaca couldn't take it anymore. She had trained herself so that she could usually ignore such things at school, but today, her foot was the victim of a particularly stubborn and annoying itch. Monaca made her way behind a bush near the school building and lifted her leg so that she could reach her foot. After she slid her shoe off and began furiously scratching said foot the window opened and a voice asked, "Monaca-chan?"
Monaca froze. In her haste she had forgotten to check if there was anyone in the classroom who could see her. Why did he have to find out? Monaca thought. She didn't dislike Naegi, but she wasn't as impressed with him as she had been the other day. He was too nice, too optimistic, too well-adjusted. He had no weaknesses she could exploit, none that were obvious. Eavesdropping on him had yielded nothing and the bug she had planted on him the first day didn't allow her to hear anything fun. And now he had something on her, and it was her own fault.
"Monaca-chan, why would you pretend to be a paraplegic?" Naegi asked. Naegi had heard of faking injuries, he thought that even kids wouldn't fake paralysis. This was definitely going in his observation journal.
"Oh, you know, ha ha, Monaca-chan has her reasons," Monaca laughed nervously as she said this. Had this not taken her by surprise, she might have been able to come up with something better. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. It was supposed to end in a dramatic reveal after her father and brother saw all of their hard work come crashing down around them.
"I guess I'll have to accept that for now," Naegi said. He couldn't help feeling disappointed. Even as a joke, he believed Monaca was old enough to understand that pretending to be paralyzed wasn't something that someone should do. Although he wasn't able to determine why Monaca had done this, whether it was a joke or if she really did have a good reason, so he tried not to be too disappointed in his student.
"You aren't going to tell on Monaca-chan?" Monaca asked in surprise. She had been ready to make a deal with him, it wasn't like she couldn't afford it. Despite her family's efforts to forget, Monaca was a Towa after all. She wasn't sure if Naegi was just too nice or too dumb for his own good.
"I don't know why you're doing it. If it's a joke, you need to stop. If you do have your reasons, I'll trust you, but I wish you'd tell me or someone you trust why you're doing this," Naegi told her.
You're too naïve, Naegi-sensei. Monaca-chan doesn't trust others. It's the only lesson Father and Onii-san taught me, Monaca thought. "Monaca-chan has plans to stop, Sensei, don't worry about that," Monaca informed Naegi.
"Alright, but Monaca if there's something wrong, you can tell me. I might be able to help. Or at least I might know someone who can," Naegi told her.
Not against the Towa Family you can't, Monaca thought. It was sad, but it was probably true. The Towas were right up there with the Togamis in terms of power, influence, and money. Naegi would need to pull off a miracle to stand a chance against them. "Monaca-chan is fine, Sensei. It's all under control," Monaca said.
Naegi wasn't sure why, but he didn't like the way that sounded. However, he could see that he wasn't going to get more out of Monaca, so he let it go. "Alright, enjoy the rest of your break Monaca-chan," he said.
"I will Naegi-sensei!" Monaca said with her mask of cheerfulness back in place. She had said that, but she had begun to feel sick afterwards, she actually felt guilty for not being honest with Naegi. I must be getting soft, she thought. Even though knew she couldn't, Monaca wished she had told Naegi everything, she wanted to believe that he could help her.
The rest of the day continued smoothly. Naegi was glad that there hadn't been any major problems with Kotoko, Masaru, or Jataro, worrying about Nagisa and learning Monaca's secret had been enough for him.
"I'm thinking of coming here more than once a week," Naegi announced a few minutes before the last bell rang.
"Really?!" five excited voices asked. Well, four were excited, one just was able to fake it.
"Really. As long as you five and the school are okay with it. I still need to talk to your principal and Headmaster Kirigiri about it," Naegi explained.
The children really did hope that Naegi would be spending more time with them, even Monaca if she was honest about it. In only two days he had become the only bit of light in their dark lives, not that he knew that. They believed that Naegi would try to help them, but either out of loyalty to their parents or fear of losing Naegi, they could never tell him that.
"I'm hoping to be back Monday if I can get approval, but if not, I'll be back next Thursday," Naegi told them. He really did want to spend more time with the children, but he was also hoping that by spending more time with them, he would be able to build trust and gain a better understanding of the children and their lives outside of school. Naegi's concerns from his first day at Hope's Peak Elementary had not diminished and in the cases of Nagisa and Monaca, they had grown. He was going to take those concerns to Gekkogahara as soon as he could.
As soon as the bell rang, the children headed for the classroom door, but not before they spoke to Naegi.
"Good luck, Sensei!" Masaru said as he ran out the door.
"I hope to see you back soon," Nagisa said before he went to push Monaca's wheelchair.
"Do your best for Monaca-chan, Sensei!" Monaca chirped happily as Nagisa wheeled her after Masaru.
"Even though you don't hate me, I really would like it if you were here more often," Jataro said as he waved good-bye.
Naegi felt someone grab him. Kotoko had come up to give him a hug and say, "Be sure you get approval, Sensei. Disappointing cute little girls is so not adorbs!"
After Kotoko had left, Naegi couldn't help but smile. I didn't know those kids were so fond of me, Naegi thought. After he gathered his things, Naegi headed for the main office. As long as he was her, he reasoned, he might as well try to get the principal's approval.
Hope's Peak Academy-Gekkogahara Miaya's Office
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Naegi had gotten approval to add days to his time at Hope's Peak Elementary. Principal Yanagihori and Moroboshi-sensei seemed thrilled at the idea, although Naegi had the feeling it wasn't because they enjoyed having him around. Headmaster Kirigiri had approved, but only of one extra day. Naegi was a still a student himself, and although attendance wasn't necessary, Jin wasn't one to encourage students to miss class, good cause or not. With that out of the way, Naegi had headed straight to Gekkogahara's office to report what had happened at Hope's Peak Elementary yesterday.
Even though there were innocent explanations for Nagisa's behavior Naegi still reported it. It might be important later, he reasoned. He really wanted to know what Gekkogahara's opinion on Monaca's behavior.
"She's pretending to not have use of her legs?" Usami asked in Gekkogahara's place.
"I saw her move her leg to scratch her foot with my own eyes," Naegi reported. Flipping through his notes, Naegi added, "She said she 'has plans to stop' and that she 'had it all under control.'"
"That sounds…" Usami began as Gekkogahara tried to find the right word.
Naegi had no idea that a proxy like Usami was able to trail off like that but took the opportunity to finish the sentence for her. "Ominous?" he suggested.
"I was going to say worrisome," Usami said.
"Should I report this?" Naegi asked. He had a feeling that Monaca's act was a bad sign, even though he tried to believe that she was just playing around. Hearing Gekkogahara's opinion now had Naegi fearing for Monaca's safety.
"Hold off on that for now. You said her last name was Towa, correct? If she's a member of the Towa family, it may just be her way of trying to get attention. Her father does run a huge conglomerate after all. She may have just been scared when you caught her, and she didn't think about how her words sounded. I understand your concerns Naegi-kun, but just like with Young Nagisa, there are innocent explanations for this too. You might be correct and if you are I hope to be forgiven for dragging my feet, so to speak, on this, but it think we need more information before we can reach any conclusions," Usami explained.
"I suppose so. I know you're the expert Gekkogahara-san, but I just have a bad feeling," Naegi said.
"That's fine. It means you care about these children. I hope I haven't given you the impression that I'm not concerned. But it's difficult to determine abuse in cases that aren't glaringly obvious, and we don't have methods to determine which children are at high risk and are currently being maltreated. I wish things were different, Naegi-kun. I wish there was a way to give you peace of mind and make sure that those children are alright. But I can't think of anything outside of home visits that would do that and neither one of us has the authority for that," Usami told him.
"I know," Naegi admitted.
"But I still think that you are doing the right thing. Keep your eyes and ears open and continue building trust. If there's something wrong, I'm sure you'll catch it. And remember that my door is always open for you," Usami said.
Gekkogahara did believe Naegi's bad feeling was right. There was much of what he had told her that she didn't think sounded right, but as long as alternate explanations existed, they needed to be cautious, especially when she considered that at one of the children came from a well-connected family. She had been trying to pull files on the five children herself but was met with great difficulty. Hope's Peak Elementary's responses to her requests essentially amounted to "Mind your own damn business!" Odd, considering that if these students were at Hope's Peak Elementary, those files were more than likely going to find their way to Hope's Peak Academy one day anyway. But Gekkogahara wasn't sure it was a desire for privacy or something else.
"Thank you, Gekkogahara-san. Usami-san. I'll keep observing for now. I guess I'll see you Tuesday," Naegi said as he left. Naegi knew he was going to worry about the children, but he also knew there wasn't much he could do right now. He'd go about his life, but his students would remain in the back of his mind as he did. He was sure that if something was wrong, he'd be able to help them, he would just need to be patient for now, no matter how hard that was.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
It hadn't been a great morning for the Warriors of Hope. The weekend had gone well, better than usual in fact. Their parents had been, not kind, but better than they usually were. They wouldn't find out until later that it was because of Gekkogahara's inquiries that their parents were acting like parents. It hadn't lasted long, apparently their parents could only act like proper parents for several days.
Nagisa's inhuman workload had to increase to make up for lost time; Kotoko overheard her mother scheduling meeting with men who would be "gentle" with her; Monaca was back to being ignored; Jataro's mother had disappeared so that she could go partying again; and Masaru's father was passed out drunk when Masaru left this morning after the man had forcibly dragged his son out of bed this morning. There was a bruise in the shape of his father's hand on Masaru's foot because of that, leading the boy to run slower than usual.
None of this made them any less excited though. Normally, they didn't get excited about going to school, although they preferred it to their home lives. But they were hoping that when they got to their classroom Naegi would be there waiting for them.
The children got their wish, for when they had arrived at their classroom, Naegi was explaining the new situation to Moroboshi.
"…so, it looks like I'll be coming in twice a week from now on. I'd like to come in on Mondays and Thursdays, but if that needs to change, I'll let you know," Naegi finished.
"We all appreciate it, Naegi-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's something I need to speak with the Principal about," Moroboshi said as she got up and left.
Naegi didn't expect to see her again until classes ended for the day. Before he could think about the matter any further, five happy voices exclaimed, "Naegi-sensei!"
"Hi kids," Naegi said with a wave.
"I take it that you succeeded," Nagisa said.
"Your principal was all for the idea, but Headmaster Kirigiri would only approve a maximum of two days. He had a point, I am still a student myself," Naegi said.
"What days will you be in?" Kotoko asked.
"Right now? I think I'll be here Mondays and Thursdays. I'll let your teacher know if I can't come in and we can work things out from there," Naegi explained.
That satisfied the children. They all enjoyed the time they spent with Naegi, so the more days he could come teach them the better as far as they were concerned. Because with Naegi, they could at least pretend that their lives were good.
Naegi wasn't as observant as some of his friends but he had noticed that the boy was acting strange. Throughout class the boy would flinch when he stood up and when he would move, clearly in pain. When Naegi accepted that Masaru wasn't going to say anything, Naegi said, "Masaru-kun, if there's something wrong, you can tell me. You don't need to pretend that everything is okay."
"Wh-what do you mean, Naegi-sensei? The Hero of the Warriors of hope hurt? That's impossible. I'm invisible!" Masaru exclaimed.
"'Invincible,'" Nagisa corrected.
"Yeah, that. I can't get hurt," Masaru said.
"Is that so? Then what's with the pained look you've been getting when you stand up?" Naegi asked.
"Uh, w-well…" Masaru stuttered, not used to having to explain his injuries.
"If you're in pain, I can take you to the nurse. You can't always fight through the pain, sometimes you have to take it easy," Naegi said.
"I swear that I'm fine Sensei. You can't keep a good hero doOWOWOWOWOW!" Masaru screamed. When he tried to strike a heroic pose, he hit the bruised part of his foot on the leg of his chair.
"Okay, if you won't talk to me, maybe you'll talk to the nurse," Naegi said as he lifted Masaru up and carried him to the classroom door. Before he left, he said, "The rest of you, read pages 100 to 105 in your history textbooks and I'll be back soon." Once he heard four different voices say, "Hai, Sensei," he took the increasingly familiar path to the infirmary.
It took a while but both Naegi and Shinozaki managed to get Masaru to settle down so that he could be examined. When they saw the discolored flesh on Masaru's foot, Shinozaki was the first to ask, "What happened here?"
"Oh, I dropped something on it at home," Masaru lied. It wasn't a great lie, but it was the best he could come up with on the way to the infirmary.
Luckily for Masaru, the way his father had grabbed him and subsequently bruised his foot was in such a way that the bruise was mostly on the top of Masaru's foot.
To say Naegi wasn't satisfied with that answer would be an understatement. While Shinozaki was treating Masaru, Naegi tried something. On a hunch, Naegi lifted his hand, trying to match his palm up with the bruise. Naegi hated it, but the way he was holding his hand up and the bruise matched up. The only thing stopping Naegi from mentioning this was that there were no bruises in the shape of fingers so Masaru could still have been telling the truth. Naegi knew the boy had his pride, his introduction and his performance minutes ago in the classroom were proof of that. Naegi wasn't sure if he should mention his suspicions to Shinozaki or not.
It turned out that he didn't have to make that decision as Shinozaki pulled him aside and asked, "What do you think?"
"What do you mean, Shinozaki-sensei?" Naegi asked.
"I saw what you did just now. You're not convinced either," Shinozaki whispered.
"No, I'm not. Although, in the short time I've known him, I've learned how proud Masaru-kun is. I can believe that he would be secretive about an injury. I just don't know for sure," Naegi admitted.
"Hmm, that complicates things," Shinozaki said.
"I know. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions, but I can't help but think something is wrong. But it's hard to tell with 'Ultimates' even the 'Lil' Ultimates'," Naegi said.
"I know. Well, if there are any problems, you know where to find me. I'll help in whatever way I can," Shinozaki said.
"Thank you, Shinozaki-sensei," Naegi said.
"I'm just doing what any nurse and mother would do," Shinozaki told him. She then turned back to Masaru and said, "Okay Masaru-kun, you're free to go. Try to take it easy though. Otherwise you'll take longer to recover."
"I'll try, Sensei," Masaru said as he hopped off of the examination table, already disregarding Shinozaki's advice. He grunted in pain, but he didn't hurt as badly as before, the gauze on his foot absorbing most of the impact.
Shinozaki sighed and said, "I guess this is the best we're going to get."
In spite of his concerns, Naegi couldn't help but chuckle.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
Kotoko had no idea how she was going to get through the day. Last night, her mother had taken her to meet some men who had been "gentle" with her. That young man whom she had met a few weeks ago had wanted to meet her again. This time he had offered Mrs. Utsugi a starring role in a commercial for Kotoko in exchange for the mother and daughters "services."
Because of what had taken place and how long it took, Kotoko was sore and she was exhausted. I hate it! I hate "sparkling!" I hate it when men are "gentle" with me! Why does this keep happening? Mom, can't you see what this does to me? Kotoko asked herself.
"Kotoko-chan?"
"Huh?" Kotoko saw Naegi looking at her in concern. She could see her friends looking at her too. She guessed she shouldn't have been shocked; she had zoned out during class. It was understandable after last night, but Naegi and the other children didn't know about that.
"Are you alright? Do you need to see Shinozaki-sensei?" Naegi asked. Of course, he was worried. Kotoko looked like she could barely keep her eyes open and she seemed to be shaking. Did she have a chill or was she remembering something scary or unpleasant? Naegi didn't know but he intended to find out.
TELL HIM! Naegi-sensei can help! You can trust him! Kotoko's mind screamed. The words wouldn't come out though. She didn't want to betray her mother, no matter how much Kotoko hated what the woman made her do. She couldn't admit this in front of her friends either. What would they think? So instead, she lied and said, "I'll be okay, Naegi-sensei. I don't feel well, but it's not so bad."
Naegi didn't believe that, but he thought that maybe Kotoko just didn't want to talk about whatever was wrong in front of her friends. He'd try again later. After what happened with Masaru on Monday, Naegi was feeling very protective of these kids. If there was something wrong, he would find out and he would help. "Well…okay. But let me know if anything changes," Naegi said.
Kotoko nodded tiredly. She just had to make it through the day. She could do it. She had had a lot of practice after all. She hadn't believed it was possible, but that thought made her feel worse. Though whether it was because of how long this had been going on or because it showed no sign of ending, Kotoko didn't know.
In spite of her words, Kotoko didn't feel better as the day progressed, not that she had expected to. Once lunchtime rolled around, Kotoko had gone with her friends outside, but instead of joining in any games, she had simply found a bench in a shady spot to attempt to take a nap. It might not help the pain, but it would help with the exhaustion. After telling the others to wake her up when break ended, Kotoko laid down and shut her eyes.
In retrospect, a bench on an elementary school playground was probably a bad place to try to take a nap. It was noisy and uncomfortable and Kotoko was able to hear nearby conversations. That last one would ordinarily not be so bad; people can usually tune out background noise. It was the words being used, one word in particular, that caused a problem.
Near Kotoko, two first-grade girls were talking. One, a small girl with long, black hair in a white dress had gotten a black cat plushie for her birthday and was showing it to one of her friends.
"Is that your new plushie, Sach-chan? It's adorable."
"Yes. We can't get a real cat because Daddy is allergic, so Mommy got me this. Her name is Koko."
"Let's go show the others, they'll love her!"
"Okay. As long as they're gentle with her. She's new and…" Kotoko didn't hear anything else after that. She had begun shaking and hyperventilating. She curled into a fetal position and began rocking back and forth.
You're so cute, Kotoko-chan!
We love cute, little girls like you!
We promise to be gentle.
Gentle. Gentle! GENTLE!
"No. Please, not gentle. Anything but that." Kotoko continued muttering until she felt someone shake her.
"Kotoko-chan. Kotoko-chan! Please, snap out of it!" Naegi said as he shook the girl's shoulders. When Jataro had told him something was wrong with Kotoko, Naegi hadn't imagined that it would be this bad. He initially thought that he could snap her out of it by snapping his fingers in front of her face. When that didn't work, he had switched to shaking her. Gently at first, but the longer this went on, them more worried and desperate Naegi became.
"Monaca can help, Sensei," Monaca said as she wheeled herself forward. When Naegi moved aside, Monaca raised her hand. If he hadn't been so worried about Kotoko, Naegi might have realized what was about to happen.
*Crack*
Naegi winced. Monaca had slapped Kotoko, rather hard if the sound was anything to go by. "Monaca-chan, you're going to write Kotoko an apology for that. That sounded like it really hurt," Naegi said firmly.
"It worked though," Monaca pointed out.
It had. Naegi couldn't argue with that even if he didn't approve of it. Kotoko's breathing returned to normal and her eyes were focused again. "Kotoko-chan, we're going to the infirmary. The rest of you get back to your break," Naegi ordered as he picked Kotoko up and carried her back inside.
"It had better be the best apology ever written," Shinozaki said after Naegi had finished telling her what had happened. She was less than thrilled that Monaca had slapped Kotoko, even if it had worked.
"It's fine," Kotoko said from the bed she now occupied.
"It really isn't though," Shinozaki muttered. She wasn't going to argue with a child that was suffering, even if the child wouldn't admit it.
"Kotoko-chan, what happened before Jataro-kun got me?" Naegi asked.
"Nightmare," Kotoko said immediately. That was the answer she usually gave when anyone cared enough to ask when she heard her trigger word. It wasn't exactly a lie it was just that the nightmare was her life and not merely a dream.
Naegi didn't believe that, and judging by the look on her face, Shinozaki didn't either. "That was pretty bad for a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it? You'll feel better afterwards," Naegi said. Kotoko-chan, I want to help, but you need to let me in, Naegi mentally pleaded with the girl.
"I don't really remember much of it," Kotoko lied. She hadn't expected Naegi to continue with his questions, no one else ever did. Moroboshi usually just gave her detention for disrupting class.
"Well, if you do remember, you can talk to me about it. I'm here to help you, you know?" Naegi reminded Kotoko.
"I know, Naegi-sensei," Kotoko said. I know, but I can't tell you, she thought.
Naegi wanted to try to get Kotoko to talk more, but thought that right now, it would do more harm than good. He noticed he had been thinking that a lot lately. He only hoped that he wouldn't regret taking this approach.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Naegi never hated having free time so much in his life. Yesterday, he had given Saionji mouthwash that was the product of a joint project between Kimura and Ando. He didn't regret doing it, Saionji had been getting worse for quite some time. What Naegi did regret was the effect it was having on the other residents of the dorm.
Naegi couldn't help thinking of how much better behaved his students were compared to Saionji. Of course, having thought that, his mind drifted to those five. When he had started helping out at Hope's Peak Elementary, Naegi had been suspicious, but he would have accepted that there were innocent explanations for much of what he noticed about the children. Masaru's bruises and Kotoko's breakdown ended that and Naegi told Gekkogahara as much during his meetings with her this week. She agreed, but she believed that they needed more information. After a second attempt at getting the children's records failed, Gekkogahara was left with the suspicion that without irrefutable evidence, any investigation into abuse would close prematurely and "mysteriously." Without the children's cooperation or, Heaven forbid, something public and obvious, Gekkogahara didn't like her and Naegi's odds.
The sound of a can being set in front of him shook Naegi from his thoughts and he saw a can of Pepsi in front of him. Standing over him was Yukizome Chisa with a drink of her own in her hand. With a smile she asked, "Why don't you tell Sensei all about it?"
Déjà vu, Naegi thought. Naegi had avoided discussing Hope's Peak Elementary with everyone besides Gekkogahara. It wasn't that he didn't trust the girls or Yukizome, but they had their own problems to deal with, he didn't want to burden them with things he couldn't prove. That and there was always the possibility that what he was trying to do would find its way to the parents of the children, causing him to miss his chance to help them.
Then again, Yukizome had pointed him towards Hope's Peak Elementary, he figured he should at least tell her how things were going. Maybe she had some advice for him.
"Sensei, I think my students are in trouble," Naegi told her.
"What do you mean?" Yukizome asked, smile quickly leaving her face.
"Well, it all started on my first day at Hope's Peak Elementary. When I got there…" Naegi began as he recounted everything that had happened since that first day. Naegi finished by saying, "…and that's the story, Yukizome-sensei."
Silence.
"Yukizome-sensei?" Naegi asked as he looked over at Yukizome.
Yukizome was still there. She had her hair covering her eyes and she was shaking, then Naegi felt it. Rage. Yukizome was pissed, and Naegi was hoping she wasn't mad at how he was handling the situation.
"How? How can anyone do this to children?" Yukizome asked in a whisper. Naegi actually wish she had screamed; it would have actually been less terrifying.
"I don't know. I can't even be sure if I'm right. I wish I knew more," Naegi lamented.
Yukizome calmed herself and said to Naegi, "Don't second guess yourself. Naegi-kun, in the entire time you've been at Hope's Peak, you've shown that you have a knack for being where you need to be and doing what needs to be done. I don't know if that's your luck or something else, but you should have a little more faith in yourself."
Naegi blushed at the praise before saying, "Thank you, Yukizome-sensei."
"No problem, Naegi-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Yukizome trailed off as she got up to leave.
When Yukizome left, the pressure in the room left with her. Naegi hoped that no one had the misfortune of being on the receiving end when Yukizome worked off that anger. His mind then drifted back to what Yukizome had said. I "have a knack for being where you need to be and doing what needs to be done." I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I have no idea what to do now. Taking what I know about the people I'm trying to help and winging it isn't going to cut it here, Naegi thought. Naegi then shook his head and thought, Stressing over it won't help. The chance will come. Until then, I should focus on the problems I can fix while being there for the kids.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Fifteenth Week of Classes-Monday
Jataro was not having a good day. That wasn't true, he had been having bad days for a while now. His mother had disappeared during the weekend again and had not restocked the fridge. To make matters worse, she had not left money for food. This had happened before, but it seemed to be occurring much more frequently lately. Jataro was having trouble remembering when the last time he had gone to bed with a full stomach had been and as a result, he was losing a lot of weight. That would concern anyone, but Jataro's worries focused mostly on the weight he lost in his face.
My mask keeps slipping, he mentally complained. His mask had slid and covered his eyes at least a dozen times in the past half hour. Jataro was beginning to fear it would slide off. I can't let anyone see me! I'm too hideous! They'll disintegrate and then I won't have anyone to hate me?! That childish logic would have been endearing and cute if it hadn't been about a fifth grader wanting people to hate him.
Naegi had heard growling stomachs but didn't think much of it. Lunch was in a few minutes, so it wasn't entirely unexpected. And if he was being honest, he was looking forward to lunch too.
When the bell finally did ring for lunch, the children went to eat and then enjoy their break like always. Today was going to be different though, as Kotoko had tied the loose straps on Jataro's mask to different desks when no one was looking. Kotoko obviously expected Jataro to struggle with the straps, but she was about to be disappointed. Jataro had lost so much weight in his face that his mask slipped right off.
When the mask came off, Jataro froze. He felt his face, hoping that he was just imagining what had just happened. He was not. To make matters worse, everyone was staring at him, eyes wide open in shock. Oh no! They saw me! They'll melt! Or disintegrate! Or…something! I don't know but it will be bad! Jataro mentally screamed.
The first to speak was Masaru. "You liar! You told us you were ugly!"
"Huh?" Jataro had no idea what he was talking about. Of course, he was ugly. Why else would his mother make him where that mask?
"Not fair! You're a boy! You can't be more beautiful than Monaca-chan and me!" Kotoko yelled.
"What are you talking about? I am ugly!" Jataro argued.
Nagisa, model student and poster child of preparedness and practicality that he was, asked Kotoko or Monaca for a mirror and proceeded to show Jataro that he wasn't ugly.
When Jataro saw his face, he was stunned. Was this some kind of joke? He wasn't ugly, not even close.
Naegi had been shocked to see Jataro's true face, but not because he believed that the boy was ugly. He was shocked at how underfed the boy was. Despite his concerns, Naegi did take a good look at Jataro's appearance. The boy had light, brown hair and his features made him look a bit like a cross between Naegi's classmates, Fujisaki and Togami, albeit younger by over half a decade.
I hope Syo-san isn't into younger men. Just to be safe, she can never know about this, Naegi told himself. Focusing once again on Jataro, Naegi went over to the boy and asked, "Have you been eating properly?"
"Uhh…" Jataro trailed off, trying to think of a lie.
"What are you having for lunch?"
"Uhh…"
"Do your parents know you haven't been eating?" Naegi asked.
"It's just me and my mom. She's been really busy lately," Jataro answered. That might have been true, he had no idea what his mother was doing, but he was sure she was busy with it.
Naegi didn't like that answer, but it seemed plausible. Naegi knew the families of many Reserve Course students took on considerable amounts of debt to get their children into Hope's Peak Academy. These children may have been "Lil' Ultimates" but they still had to be scouted in the future to get to Hope's Peak Academy, which Naegi took to mean that either they hadn't been scouted to attend Hope's Peak Elementary or enrollment worked differently here.
If Jataro's mother was paying tuition on top of being a single parent, Naegi supposed that would explain a few things. The mask: the kids' claim that Jataro had called himself ugly; and Jataro's surprise at his own appearance still went unanswered, but Naegi would concern himself with those later. Right now, Jataro needed to eat.
"What does everyone say to takeout? I saw a Spicy Ramen nearby and I think they deliver," Naegi suggested.
The answer Naegi got was five cries of, "Yay!"
The food arrived rather quickly, and Naegi and the delivery driver had no problems with school staff, both of which Naegi was grateful for.
One thing he wasn't grateful for was the bill. It wasn't that the kids weren't worth it, they most certainly were, it was just as a student himself, Naegi's funds were rather limited. He didn't want to have to order food twice a week, but he did want to be sure that Jataro would eat. While Naegi pondered whether or not his parents would be willing to increase the money they sent him, Naegi felt something, or rather someone, nudge him.
"Doesn't it taste good, Naegi-sensei?" Jataro asked. Naegi had been so deep in thought that he hadn't eaten much ramen. He hadn't really noticed, but apparently Jataro did. Naegi couldn't fathom why such a sweet child would want people to hate him.
"It's fine, Jataro-kun. I just have a few things on my mind," Naegi answered.
"Like what?"
Naegi wasn't sure how to answer that. The last thing he wanted these children to think is that he thought of them as burdens. None of this was their fault. As Naegi thought of what to say, he remembered the look on the kids' faces as the ramen arrived and as they ate. They just looked so happy, like they were eating the greatest food in the universe. As Naegi remembered, he came to a decision. The cost was worth it. After what he had seen with these children: the odd behavior; the breakdowns; the injuries; and Naegi's concerns, it was worth it. Naegi had no idea whether or not he would have to buy the children lunch every time he came to Hope's Peak Elementary, so there was no point worrying about it. Even if that was going to happen, it was worth it.
What Naegi didn't know was that it was less about the food itself and more that someone, in this case, the children's' beloved Naegi-sensei, had done something for them, they could have cared less about what was actually ordered.
"Actually, Jataro-kun, I think I found my answer. There's no need for me to worry," Naegi told the boy.
"Oh, okay. I'm glad to hear that, Naegi-sensei," Jataro replied.
Naegi ruffled the boy's hair playfully and said, "Thanks for helping me find my answer. How's the food, by the way?"
"It's really good," Jataro said.
Naegi was glad to hear that.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
Naegi felt guilty coming back to Hope's Peak Elementary after not coming in on Monday. The school didn't care that much, at least that was the impression that they gave him over the phone, but they weren't the ones' whose opinions concerned Naegi at the moment. Nothing had jumped out at Naegi the last time he was in the classroom that made him believe that the children were in immediate danger, but Naegi still felt like he was abandoning them.
Who would make sure that Masaru wasn't injured?
Who would make sure that Jataro was eating properly?
Who would make sure that Nagisa wasn't pushing himself too hard?
Who would help Kotoko when she was having a breakdown?
Who would keep an eye on Monaca?
Yeah, I should have snuck over here on Monday regardless of what Kimura-senpai told me, Naegi told himself as he stepped into the classroom. Once Moroboshi had left, the children started demanding answers.
"Naegi-sensei!" Masaru shouted.
"Why weren't you here?!" Kotoko asked.
Naegi explained as much as he could, there had been problems on Sunday and that Kimura had wanted him to stay close to the Academy the following day. Her medicines hadn't completely healed Naegi's shoulder from the Novoselic Embassy Incident and she was curious about his reaction her other medicines.
"'Medicines'? Did you get sick?" Jataro asked.
"Oh, a friend of mine was in trouble and I got hurt trying to help her. It wasn't a big deal," Naegi answered. He hoped the children didn't ask for more details, although Naegi had a feeling that they knew about that side of society, he wasn't going to tell them more about it if he could avoid it.
"You should be more careful, Naegi-sensei," Monaca told him.
"You're older than us, you should set an example and not be so reckless," Nagisa lectured.
"I'll try, but in my defense, it was an emergency," Naegi explained sheepishly. He hadn't expected to get lectured by fifth graders today.
"Not good enough! Say that you're sorry for making us worry about you!" Kotoko ordered.
"I am. I never try to make people worry about me, it just sort of happens. I am sorry though," Naegi said.
Kotoko pouted, but she seemed to accept that.
Class had proceeded without further incident. Naegi was actually glad for a calmer day at Hope's Peak Elementary. These kids deserved to enjoy the innocence that went with childhood. And they did enjoy it, from the lessons to Naegi ordering them lunch again, they did enjoy it. It was good that they did, because calm never lasts as long as we would like and sometimes it can end in the most terrible ways.
Hope's Peak Academy-Headmaster's Office
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Naegi wished he had done this sooner. In fact, he probably would have done this sooner, but Gekkogahara had only just informed him that she was trying to pull the files on his students and had been met with resistance.
Naegi wasn't sure if anything would come of this, Kirigiri Jin was the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, not Hope's Peak Elementary. Still, if the students in the elementary program were "Ultimates" that were expected to attend Hope's Peak Academy one day, then the Headmaster and, more importantly, the talent scouts, must hold some power over the other schools. At least Naegi hoped that was the case.
"So Naegi-kun, you wanted to discuss Hope's Peak Elementary?" Jin asked.
"Yes Sir."
"The kids aren't too much for you, are they?" Kizakura asked.
"No, it's nothing like that. It's…" Naegi began.
"'Just' what?" the two men asked.
"Well, I've been discussing this with Gekkogahara-san, and I think there's something very wrong with Class 5-D," Naegi said.
"Kids too wild for you?" Kizakura asked. It was an honest question. Naegi seemed like the type who would get eaten alive by young children.
"I phrased that poorly, what I meant was that I think the children are being abused at home," Naegi said.
"That's a serious accusation, Naegi-kun. Can you prove it?" Jin asked.
"Not definitively, but given what I've seen, I can't ignore the possibility," Naegi said.
"Why don't you fill us in?" Jin suggested.
So, he did. Naegi went through everything that had happened since he started the Ultimate Mentor Program. He told them about Moroboshi abandoning her students on his first day. He told them about Kotoko's breakdowns. He told them about Masaru's injuries. And he told them about Jataro and Monaca's strange behavior.
Throughout Naegi's story, Jin face had gone blank, He drew on every one of his father's lessons that he had bothered to retain in order to keep himself from doing something he would regret. Jin wished every day that he could have spent more time with Kyoko, the thought that there were parents who not only took their children for granted, but purposefully caused them to suffer infuriated the man.
Kizakura seemed to fare better, unless you knew the man. He hadn't taken a single drink throughout Naegi's story, even though the longer it went on the more he felt like he needed one.
Naegi noticed the change in the room once he had finished. He hoped that meant that there was something that they could do.
"Does Yanagihori know about this?" Jin asked. The tone in his voice reminded Naegi of an angry Kirigiri Kyoko.
"I've been trying since my second week there. Then when I asked to come in more, I tried to bring up Moroboshi-sensei's numerous disappearances and what I had noticed up to that point, but he told me he was too busy. Since then, I think he's been avoiding me. I even tried to tell him to tell Moroboshi-sensei to make sure Jataro-kun had something for lunch when I wasn't able to be there last Monday, if he got my message, neither he or Moroboshi-sensei have told me," Naegi informed them.
"I think you're doing the right thing kid, but what do you want us to do?" Kizakura asked. Both he and Jin were aware that they had limited sway over Hope's Peak Elementary. Less if the Steering Committee decided to get involved.
"Well, Gekkogahara has had trouble getting the files on the children and I was thinking that since these kids would need to be scouted to attend Hope's Peak Academy that maybe Hope's Peak Elementary will be more willing to let Kizakura-san see them," Naegi explained.
"I can try, though that might put the parents on alert if there's even anything damning in those files," Kizakura warned.
"I understand. I also thought that you both deserved to know what's going on. Anything that involves Hope's Peak is always big news and as much as I'd prefer not to cause the school problems, if it comes down to choosing between those five and Hope's Peak's reputation, I'm choosing those five," Naegi told them.
"As you should," Jin said with a nod. As much as he wanted to pretend that they didn't exist, he knew that Hope's Peak Academy had problems and clearly it had spread to Hope's Peak Elementary. He hoped that if this did turn into a scandal that Hope's Peak would survive it. Hope's Peak had allowed the problem to fester, so it fell Hope's Peak to make things right.
"If anything changes, I'll be sure to let you both know," Naegi said as he left the office.
Jin and Kizakura nodded. They both had work to do. They couldn't very well leave everything up to a student.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
It was hot. Unseasonably so. The sudden heat wave hit Classroom 5-D the same day they were having problems with the air conditioner. It had gotten to the point where Naegi had taken off his jacket and opened his hoodie. He was glad that Jataro had stopped wearing his mask at school, the poor boy would have gotten heat stroke.
There was one student though, that was having trouble with the heat. Nagisa was still wearing his jacket and with his long-sleeved shirt and his scarf. The boy had turned red and was sweating like crazy but refused to do anything about it. He wouldn't take off the jacket. He wouldn't unbutton and roll up his sleeves. He hadn't taken off his scarf and was attempting to cover as much of his face with it as he could, probably in an attempt hide how hot he was.
"Nagisa-kun, wouldn't you feel better without your jacket?" Naegi asked.
"I'm fine, Naegi-sensei. Thank you though," Nagisa answered.
"Your face is all red though," Jataro pointed out.
"And you're sweating" Monaca added.
"I'll be alright," Nagisa told them.
"I'll get it off!" Masaru shouted as he jumped up and ran at Nagisa.
"I'll hold him!" Kotoko called out as she grabbed her blue-haired friend.
"Let go!" Nagisa yelled as he struggled. Kotoko must have taken her role as "Fighter" very seriously because she was able to hold onto Nagisa quiet easily, or maybe the heat had sapped Nagisa's energy, Naegi couldn't tell. But before he could tell the two to leave Nagisa alone, Nagisa's jacket and scarf were on the floor and Kotoko and Masaru had unbuttoned and begun to roll up Nagisa's sleeves until something stopped them.
There were track marks all over both of Nagisa's arms.
"Nagisa, what happened?" Jataro asked.
"Nothing!" Nagisa shouted in annoyance.
"Where did you get those?" Masaru asked.
"None of your business!" Nagisa yelled again.
"Let me see," Naegi said as he came over to Nagisa.
"Sensei…" Nagisa began to say.
"Please," Naegi begged.
Nagisa relented and held out his arms. Naegi saw that some of the marks were fresh and some were very old. Whatever caused these didn't just start and they didn't all appear at the same time. He would need to talk to someone with medical experience. "Nagisa-kun, I think we should have Shinozaki-sensei look at these."
"No!" Nagisa shouted as he pulled his arms away and tried to cover them.
"Nagisa-kun, I just want her to look. If she has to do more than that, I'm sure she'll be gentle," Naegi said. And just like that, he had another student in need.
It first started with heavy breathing. Naegi looked up and saw Kotoko clutching herself. Her eyes had lost focus and she was hyperventilating. She had started to shake and sweat.
"Kotoko-chan, what's wrong?" Naegi asked in a panic.
"Not 'gentle!' Please, not 'gentle!' Anything but that!" Kotoko muttered.
"Gentle?" What could cause this kind of reaction to the word "gentle?" It doesn't matter, I caused this, I need to calm her down, Naegi thought. He placed his hands on Kotoko's shoulders and said, "Kotoko-chan, it's okay. No one is going to hurt you. I'm sorry I used that word. I didn't know."
Kotoko must have heard him, because she then asked, "No one is going to be 'gentle' with me?"
Naegi once again pondered what that meant but still said, "Not as long as I'm here."
Kotoko settled down after hearing that. Once her breathing evened out and her eyes focused again, Naegi pulled the small girl into a hug. She was shocked at first, but soon relaxed into it. It was then that she felt something wet on her shoulder.
The other four saw it too. Tears. Naegi was crying for Kotoko. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'd never hurt any of you, I promise." His voice was soft, not quite a whisper, but not very loud. But they heard him, and they believed him. This person cared about them. Maybe even had come to love them.
They wanted to be honest with him. He was being honest with them right now and they couldn't do the same, either out of loyalty to their families or because they knew what would happen to Naegi if he tried to help them. If only they had known. Naegi may not have known what he would be up against, but even if he had, he wouldn't care. If only they had communicated better, they may have spared themselves some of the pain that was to come.
Hope's Peak Academy-Gekkogahara's Office
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Naegi had checked with Tsumiki. He had checked with Kimura. He had even checked with Shinozaki before he left Hope's Peak Elementary yesterday. There was no good explanation for the track marks on Nagisa's arms. Naegi had suggested allergy shots to Shinozaki, but between the number of marks on Nagisa's arms and the fact that he didn't come out and admit that they were caused by shots shot down that explanation. Shinozaki could find nothing in Nagisa' medical records, the ones that she could get permission to access, that would support that theory. Naegi didn't actually believe it when he had suggested the theory, but he didn't want to completely discount the possibility.
Now Naegi was with Gekkogahara asking about trigger words. Naegi's lack of knowledge of the subject of PTSD and its potential triggers were probably to blame, but "gentle" was not a word he would have ever expected to trigger anyone. At least not if what caused the trauma was outside of anyone's control, "gentle" implied, at least to Naegi, that someone Kotoko knew or trusted was involved in some way.
"Naegi-kun, I'm going to make some calls to the Towa City Child Consultation Center and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and I suggest that you do the same," Usami said for Gekkogahara.
"I will. I'm going to tell Headmaster Kirigiri about this too. I involved both him and Kizakura-san a few weeks ago, so they deserve to know what's going on," Naegi told her.
"That's probably for the best. If this can't be done quietly, the school will need to put out a statement," Usami said.
"Honestly Gekkogahara-san, I don't care if this makes the school look bad. I let this go on for too long already," Naegi responded.
"I understand. Still, be prepared for bad news. If the children don't cooperate, there's a chance that nothing will happen," Usami warned. Gekkogahara, or rather Usami, still hadn't told Naegi what an uphill battle going against Hope's Peak Elementary could be. She doubted it would discourage him, but she didn't want to risk it. Unfortunately, it was easy to ignore crimes like this when demoralized. "I'm sorry to say that you still may need more for Monaca-chan and Masaru-kun. You should be able to help Jataro-kun, Kotoko-chan, and Nagisa-kun now though," Usami informed him.
"I know," Naegi told her.
"Do you need the numbers?" Usami asked.
"Please," Naegi said. He had another call to make after those two. He wasn't sure if his grandfather had connections that would help speed this up, but he wanted to try anyway. He didn't want to waste any time if he could avoid it.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Classroom 5-D
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Monday
Naegi felt terrible. He had wanted to speak with Jin before he made a move, but when he ran into Kirigiri, his charitable nature had won out. Even though he had good reason to, Naegi was going to break up five families, he thought he should at least let the Kirigiris fix theirs. He never expected the usually composed Kirigiri Kyoko to get as emotional as she did, but he couldn't say he blamed her. He didn't blame Jin for wanting to meet later either, although he wished he had forced the issue he had come to discuss.
Naegi had called his grandfather though. Grandfather Naegi understood what his grandson was doing and offered to help in any way he could. He had also informed his grandson that a weekend probably wouldn't make a difference. Naegi Reiji had worked around bureaucrats long enough to know how they operated when the weekend was upon them. That didn't make either Naegi feel better, but it was the reality.
Naegi tried not to let his guilty conscience get to him but had a feeling that if any of the children had anything less than a perfect day today, he would probably break down.
He had gotten his wish it seemed. While he still had to order lunch, that didn't bother him. He had taken to repeating, Just a little longer. It should all be over soon, in his head. He hadn't realized that he had also taken to whispering it.
'Just a little longer'? Masaru repeated in his mind.
What will be over soon? Jataro wondered.
What does that mean? Nagisa asked himself.
Does he mean he wants to stop coming back? Why? Did we do something wrong? Kotoko thought fearfully.
I thought you were different Naegi-sensei, Monaca thought. She was surprised that it hurt so much.
The day ended with Naegi not knowing what effect his mental state had on the children. They hadn't pressed him on it. They were too afraid of the answer.
As Naegi was leaving, a small girl, no older than seven-years-old said to him, "You're someone who has the power to change fate. Don't waste that opportunity." She had long, black hair and wore a cream-colored dress. He had seen pictures of her in the Infirmary, this was Shinozaki's daughter, Sachiko.
Naegi didn't know why he responded. The girl seemed smarter that a normal child her age, but she was still only seven. Maybe because of how ominous what she said sounded or just to reaffirm his commitment, Naegi said, "I won't."
Later That Day
Naegi was glad that Jin had managed to fit him in today, but then Kirigiri Fuhito had shown up unannounced and caused further delay. When Fuhito had left, Naegi said, "I'm calling the Towa City Child Consultation Center and if that doesn't work, I'll try the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This can't wait anymore."
Jin nodded, "I understand. I trust your judgement, Naegi-kun." It felt odd saying that to a student, but so far, whenever Naegi had gotten involved this year, everything had worked out for the best, Jin wasn't going to bet against the streak.
Kizakura sighed and said, "I wish I could have gotten their files for you, kid, but I was met with resistance. I wasn't able to pull one over on the Shingetsus and once they called me out, the whole attempt fell apart."
Naegi heard the guilt in Kizakura's voice and said, "Don't let it bother you, Kizakura-san, when Gekkogahara-san couldn't get them, I didn't think anyone could. But I had to at least ask. I know I was asking a lot."
"Don't, kid. Even if I could have lost my job for this, I still would have helped. If Hope's Peak won't protect its students, then we don't deserve to be called the reputation we have," Kizakura told Naegi.
Naegi nodded and pulled out his phone. He'd felt he waited too long already, he refused to wait any longer.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Playground
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Last night hadn't been kind to the Warriors of Hope. The pain, the hunger, the exhaustion, the shame, and the emptiness felt so much worse than when the children could look forward to seeing Naegi. As if fate had decided that they hadn't suffered enough, last night had been a night of beatings, hunger, "entertaining" older men, Spartan studying, and neglect.
Behind the school, in a space that Masaru had dubbed the Sanctuary of Hope, the children met. They hadn't needed it for a while, not since Naegi had started teaching them. They didn't feel like the world was entirely against them when Naegi was around.
They didn't bother keeping secrets anymore, what was the point, things weren't getting any better and they couldn't get much worse. After discussing their home lives, the subject turned to Naegi.
"What do you think he meant by 'Just a little longer. It should all be over soon.'?" Kotoko asked.
"What do you think he meant? He doesn't want to deal with us anymore!" Masaru shouted.
"He might have meant something else," Jataro suggested hopefully.
"He said this the next time he was in class after he saw my arms and after Kotoko broke down. Add to it, we were just eating lunch, he couldn't have meant something else," Nagisa countered. Part of Nagisa didn't believe that. Part of him still believed that Naegi was exactly who they had thought he was, but Nagisa was hurting too much to listen to it.
Monaca had been unusually quiet. She had a plan. A plan she had been saving for when she was extra bored, but now she thought of it as less of a deadly joke and more of an answer to all of their problems. She sighed and stood up. That got everyone's attention.
"Monaca-chan…!" Kotoko exclaimed as she saw what Monaca had done.
"You can stand up?" Nagisa asked.
"Hmm, oh right, Monaca-chan was faking it," Monaca said nonchalantly.
"Why?" Jataro asked.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is, Monaca-chan has a solution to our problems," she began as she whispered her idea to the other four children.
"I don't know," Nagisa said.
"You all can do what you want, but Monaca-chan can't live like this anymore. Pretending everything is fine and not caring about what everyone else thinks. It's torture," Monaca explained.
The children contemplated the idea for a short while before Jataro asked, "Can we do it Thursday?"
"Why?" Monaca wondered.
"If Naegi-sensei comes back, I want to at least say good-bye. Even if he doesn't want to be around us anymore, he was still nice to us for a while," Jataro said sadly, as he took out some paper and a pen and began to write.
The others nodded in silent agreement. Jataro soon passed the pen and paper to each of them, each leaving a message for their beloved Naegi-sensei, even if they weren't his beloved students anymore.
Hope's Peak Elementary-Entrance
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Thursday
As soon as Naegi set foot on the grounds of Hope's Peak Elementary, he felt a chill. He remembered the little girl's words from a few days ago. "You're someone who has the power to change fate. Don't waste that opportunity." I have to get to the classroom, Naegi thought as he took off at top speed towards Classroom 5-D.
When he arrived, he saw no sign of the children, but he did see Moroboshi. "Ah Naegi-kun, good morning."
"Good morning, Moroboshi-sensei. Where are the children?" Naegi asked as he looked around for a clue to their whereabouts.
"They were here earlier. The left this for you," Moroboshi said as she handed Naegi an envelope addressed to him.
"Did they say where they were going?" Naegi asked, growing even more worried.
"I don't believe so, but class hasn't started yet, so it's fine," Moroboshi said as she got up and left.
How can someone care so little about their students? Naegi asked himself. Putting Moroboshi's attitude aside, Naegi started to read the letter, hoping the children had left some kind of clue. His face paled as he read the letter. It thanked him for being nice to them and… apologized for upsetting him? What's that about? They never upset me. Focus! This is a suicide note! Dammit kids, don't you dare die! Naegi looked over the letter again, hoping to find a clue to where they were going. Nothing. Calm down. I get here right after most students and Moroboshi-sensei saw them. They couldn't have left the building. They'd get caught if they tried anything inside the building. Could they even get to the roof though? Naegi wondered. Any school worth anything would keep the door to the roof locked and there was a fence surrounding it just to be safe. But Naegi knew that ordinary locks and fences wouldn't stop "Ultimates" even the "Lil'" kind. Not if they were determined.
With that in mind, Naegi ran towards the stairs, pulling out his phone and dialing the emergency number as he did. Please pick up! he begged the person who would be on the other end of the call. Please let me make it in time! he begged fate. With any luck, Monaca would still be using her wheelchair and that would slow the kids down.
Naegi's assessment of locks vs. Lil' Ultimates was correct, Jataro had made short work of the lock on the roof door. The tools he kept with him proved to be useful for much more than his various art projects.
The Warriors of Hope were now faced what they saw as their final boss, the fence surrounding the roof. Monaca had prepared for that. She had kept her wheelchair for this, at least until they got to the stairs leading to the roof, then she had seen fit to abandon it. All the better to hide bolt cutters with.
Cutters in hand, Nagisa and Masaru had gotten to work on the fence. One would have hoped that they would use this time to reconsider, but the hollow looks in their eyes told of children that had made up their minds.
With that task done, the section of fence they had cut away fell off the side of the roof, although Monaca was the only one who cared. The sooner people noticed, the sooner she could hurt her father and brother. She wished that she would be able to see it. She took that moment to curse Naegi. Without even realizing it, he had made Monaca care about her friends. Before him, Monaca would have tricked the other four into doing something like this while she backed out at the last second. But she couldn't go back, not to how she was before. She didn't think she could ignore feelings of guilt and loneliness anymore.
The other children's thoughts were simpler.
I won't get beat because I can't buy alcohol anymore!
No more men will be gentle with me!
I don't want to accept being hated again!
No more pressure! No more experiments!
As they stood over the edge, the Warriors of Hope linked hands. Well, maybe they weren't the Warriors of Hope anymore, all their hope was dead and gone. They each took deep breath before they each began to take a step forward. They thought they heard a door slam but ignored it as they took the next step, shut their eyes, and surrendered themselves to gravity.
Something felt off. They weren't falling. It was impossible to have hit the ground that fast. One by one, the children opened their eyes. Someone had stopped them from falling. "I've got you! I won't let any of you go, I promise!" a familiar voice yelled. The children looked up to see Naegi had come to save them.
To any spectators, the scene looked like something out of a comedy anime. Naegi had grabbed onto the fence with one arm and was hanging over the edge of the school building. In his other hand, he held Masaru's hand as tightly as he could. He had his legs wrapped around Monaca, Kotoko, and Jataro. His feet were under Nagisa's arms and Naegi was doing everything he could to keep his feet pointed upwards to prevent Nagisa from sliding off of them. To add to this uncomfortable looking position, Naegi was tightly gripping where the fence had been cut, with the pointed metal digging into his hand. Even worse was that it was left arm, the one he had taken Wudagest's bullet in two-and-a-half months ago. While Kimura's medicine had healed the bullet wound, if Naegi put too much pressure on his shoulder or agitated it in any way, pain shot through his whole arm. With that; the pull of gravity pulling his arm out of its socket; and the pain in his palm, Naegi had to admit, letting go and leaving his survival up to chance didn't sound like the worst idea. But it wasn't just his survival at stake. Don't let go! No matter what happens, do not let go! Naegi mentally screamed at himself.
"Naegi-sensei!" the children yelled.
"Kids, there is the worst lecture of your lives waiting for you after this is over! But right now, I'm glad that I made it in time to save you!" Naegi wheezed out. He was still out of breath from running up the stairs after them. And had no idea how he had moved fast enough to reach them in time, but he wasn't going to complain.
"Why are you here? We thought…" Nagisa began.
"I know, I read your note and you have it all wrong. I was never upset with any of you. I was mad at myself," Naegi told them.
"Why were you…?" Monaca began.
"I promise to answer any questions you kids have, after we get back on solid ground," Naegi said, informing them that this was not the time for questions.
Given the weight on the fence and the fact that it was weak from being cut, the part of the fence Naegi was clutching was peeling back. They were now all hanging over the ground completely. That was terrifying enough on its own, but the children saw something that made it worse; Naegi's hand was bleeding.
"Naegi-sensei, you can let me go," Nagisa said. He didn't want to die, but he didn't want to see Naegi in pain either.
"Me too," Kotoko added, feeling the same as Nagisa.
"You should pull yourself up," Jataro told Naegi.
Before Masaru and Monaca could join in, Naegi decided to put a stop to this. "Not without all of you."
"But…" Nagisa began.
"I know you kids have been hurting. I've been trying to do something about that. And I'm not alone, other people want to help, but we can't do it without you. When we're back on solid ground, I need you kids to tell the truth about what's been happening to all of you. You don't have to live like that anymore," Naegi told them.
That ended the children's thoughts of self-sacrifice, and Naegi was glad for it. Mostly because they were too young to think of those things, but also because Naegi needed to focus or he feared he would let go.
It only took a few more minutes before help arrived, but it felt like hours. The police, the fire department, and the EMTs were a welcome sight to children and to Naegi. The police wanted to talk to the children, but the children refused to leave Naegi's side while he was getting his hand stitched up and his shoulder fixed.
At the emergency room, the doctor working on Naegi had just finished up and said, "That should do it, young man. At least until Kimura-san can treat you. As for your hand, just how hard were you gripping that fence?"
"As hard as I needed to doctor. These five are still here, so I'd say it was the right thing to do," Naegi said. He wasn't trying to sound cool or anything, but he hadn't come down from his adrenaline high yet.
The doctor didn't seem bothered by that answer. He just laughed and clapped Naegi on his good shoulder and said, "You're alright, kid, you know that? You're alright!"
Once Naegi was cleared to go, it was the children's turn to be examined. Naegi didn't want to cause the children anymore distress, but he was glad that the doctors and nurses were so thorough, it made it much easier to address the root cause of the children's problems. He was glad that the officers taking the statements were so understanding, the children refused to talk to anyone without Naegi present, although Naegi wasn't sure if that was standard procedure in cases like this.
Naegi was glad when it was over, although he thought he handled it pretty well. He had only thrown up once. Physical and mental abuse; neglect, Spartan training; deprivation of sleep; administering controlled substances to minors, although, thankfully, Nagisa didn't seem addicted to Adderall; and child prostitution (Naegi couldn't even think about that without feeling sick again) Naegi realized that it was worse than he could have possibly imagined.
Monaca had also taken this time to come clean about her warped personality. While everyone indulges in schadenfreude every once in a while, Monaca's home life had made that her sole source of entertainment. At least until she had met Naegi. Monaca wasn't sure if this would help build a case against her family, but she needed to get it all off her chest.
When it was all over, the door to the children's room opened to show a gaggle of reporters waiting for a story. Naegi sighed, this was going to take a while. He realized that there was no way this would have been settled quietly, but for the children's sake, he had hoped that it could have been. Maybe it was for the best, at least the story wouldn't disappear.
News of the suicide attempt and the abuse the children suffered dominated headlines and news programs for quite some time. The Towa Group had tried to suppress it, but certain news organizations, that had "conveniently" been acquired by the Togami Conglomerate, kept it going.
Masaru's father, Jataro's mother, the Utsugis, the Shingetsus, Towa Haiji, and Mrs. Utsugi's clients had been investigated, arrested, and indicted at light speed. Haiji had almost managed to buy his way out of prison, but once it had been discovered that he that he become a regular client of Mrs. Utsugi and Kotoko, Mr. Towa froze his son's accounts and bail was no longer an option. Mr. Towa had avoided arrest, but once the news had begun to tank his company's stock prices, he had been found in his office with a gun in one hand and a bullet in his brain. His note cursed Monaca's mother, Monaca, Naegi, and the investors, but the main driving factor was that with the stock prices so low, the Togami Conglomerate was in the process of purchasing the company his family had worked so hard to build.
Hope's Peak Elementary had seen a shakeup in staff. Yanagihori had been forced to resign in disgrace as had Moroboshi once Naegi had told the press what had been occurring at Hope's Peak Elementary. The Prime Minister had ordered MEXT to investigate Hope's Peak Elementary to ensure that something like what had happened to the Warriors of Hope never happened again.
It has been said that every solution has its own problems, and Naegi soon learned how true that saying was. But it there would be time to worry about that later. Right now, his focus was on the children who for the first time could look forward to the future.
As it turned out, Jataro's mother was the sister of Fujisaki Taichi, making him Fujisaki Chihiro's cousin. She had dropped out of school and run away from home when she had met one of the sons of a well-connected family, claiming that she would be the next big…something. When the man's family declared him dead to the family, he had run off leaving his lover and his infant son to fend for themselves. Jataro had settled into his life new life with his uncle and cousin. Mrs. Fujisaki was happy to have someone to talk to that didn't lapse into tech jargon when asked about their day. Mrs. Fujisaki was a smart woman in her own right, but she had been an art student, not an IT major and it was nice to have someone around who shared her interest in art.
Kotoko had gone to live with her aunt on her mother's side. It had been discovered that Mr. Utsugi had begun grooming Mrs. Utsugi when she was a patient of his. He cut off all contact with her family, so it had come as a surprise to them that they even had a niece. Not that they were complaining, they feel in love with Kotoko right away.
Masaru's mother had been committed to a psychiatric hospital due to the abuse she had suffered at Mr. Daimon's hands, so until she was deemed fit to raise her son on her own, Masaru would live with her cousin, a man named Yumeno. Masaru enjoyed his new home, although his second cousin, a girl named Himiko, thought he was too loud and energetic.
Nagisa had gone to live with his paternal grandparents. The elderly couple were scientists themselves, but they possessed the morality that their son and daughter-in-law lacked.
As for Monaca, well…Her mother was as unfit as her father, maybe more so, and Naegi had mentioned that his own mother and father had always wanted a big family.
Thankfully, the children all still lived close enough together that they could still see each other every day. Naegi didn't know if it was his own luck or if the universe just decided that the children deserved a break, but he was glad for it. If there was anything that he missed from all of this, it was that he was no longer "Naegi-sensei." But he always enjoyed being "Mako-nii" so he wouldn't complain.
Naegi would have been happy if things had ended here, but as stated earlier, every solution has its own problems and the fallout from this solution was far reaching indeed.
Present
Before Naegi had time to think reminisce any further, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Kirigiri gave him a look that told him to hurry. "I'm glad you kids are here, but I need to get going. We can play later, okay?" Naegi asked.
"Warriors of Hope, we need to hold out until the Legendary Hero, Mako-nii returns!" Masaru shouted. It seemed he agreed.
"No need to shout, we heard him," Nagisa reprimanded.
"What do we do until then?" Jataro asked.
"I want to go shopping for hoodies and matching jackets. Monaca-chan and Jataro aren't the only ones who love Mako-nii!" Kotoko said.
Monaca stuck out her tongue and then said, "The best part is, mine are hand-me-downs. Otou-san and Okaa-san kept Mako-nii's hoodies and jackets. They were even the right color for me." Green was Monaca's color, no one could deny that.
Kotoko fumed at that and stomped her feet in annoyance.
Masaru thought about it and said, "I hate shopping, but Kotoko is right. We need people to know we're a guild. Warriors of Hope, move out!"
As the children left, Naegi and Kirigiri continued to their destination, the Headmaster's Office. When they arrived, Naegi took a deep breath and knocked on the door. This was it…
This is what? Find out next time in "Everyday Life as the Ultimate Hope."
As you've guessed, Makoto becomes the Ultimate Hope next chapter. I need that to happen before anything else happens, so I apologize to those of you waiting on Chiaki, Chisa, and Junko. I need to set things up so that Makoto has an enemy lurking in the shadows when the V3 girls show up, and while Tsumugi might seem obvious to some, without the Danganronpa reality show, I don't see her having a motive.
Now that I pointed that out, you all probably know who the enemy is, even if they haven't shown up yet. I hope you'll all stick with me until then.
I feel like I need to shower with steel wool after writing this chapter. The Warriors of Hope's backstories have that effect on me, I guess. I feel terrible that people actually go through things like this.
If there's a silver lining here, then the disgust I feel toward ideas I came up with probably means there's no danger of me abusing anyone. That's terrible, I'm sorry. Bad writer! Bad!
So, a few notes:
MEXT: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, also known as MEXT, Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan.
Going to Jataro being Chihiro's cousin, he looks like a cross between Chihiro and Byakuya to me. If I were to make an origin story for him, he'd be the son of Chihiro's aunt and Byakuya's either older half-brother or an uncle, either way. I know Byakuya is the youngest of the current generation of Togamis, although, if I understand the Togami family traditions correctly, his family only acknowledges him as being a Togami son.
I liked the dynamic between Himiko and Tenko, so I had Masaru fill the energetic role until Himiko meets Tenko. I probably didn't need to explain that one, but whatever.
Sachiko and Yoshie Shinozaki as well as Yanagihori are characters from the Corpse Party franchise. I don't remember why I thought to include characters from Corpse Party, but for some reason I thought it was a good idea.
As I stated at the beginning, I'm not an expert on any nation's child protection agencies, but everything I found on the subject suggests that Japan has a bad track record when it comes to protecting children from abuse. To be fair, the most recent article I found on the subject was from 2018, so maybe things are better now. But some of the literature I found back when I started brainstorming for this chapter said that child abuse doesn't get reported because the Japanese people didn't want to butt into the neighbor's business. I tried to balance that attitude with the strong suspicion that something was wrong, but I know I still made Makoto too prudent when it came to reporting it. Add that to the eccentric personalities and behaviors of Ultimates and I suppose a lot of things that seem suspicious can probably be explained, although they still wouldn't make sense to people who don't have ultimate talents. I don't know.
I'm sure it has its flaws, but I still like this chapter. I know it took a while, but I wanted to make up for rushing the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!
That's it for me for now. Until then, stay frosty.
Chapter Text
Chapter 17: Everyday Life as the Ultimate Hope
Hello once again ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages! wesst1 back again one again!
Let me start by saying I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter. I was a little nervous about that one, given the sensitive topics that went with it.
We should be done with that for a few chapters at least, but the fallout from last chapter is about to begin. Or has already happened, since I'm still doing flashbacks, I guess.
I've been thinking about this chapter since I started this story, I just hope it's everything I envisioned.
Let's find out, shall we?
Present Day
"Come in!" Kirigiri Jin's voice called as soon as Naegi knocked.
Kirigiri wished Naegi luck before he went into her father's office. This was a big day for Naegi, and depending on what happened in the office, it could be a big day for Hope's Peak Academy.
Naegi entered and said, "Sorry if I'm late, Sir. I got a little distracted."
"Don't worry about it, Naegi-kun," Jin told him.
"We don't even question it, kid. Whatever you do, it always seems to work out for the best for everyone involved," Kizakura added.
Naegi was happy that they understood, although to be fair, he hadn't helped everyone he had come across on the way here, just a few. He didn't mention this though, they weren't here to talk about how his day had been so far.
"First, I would like to make this official. We've never done this before in the history of this school, so we don't have anything planned," Jin began.
"When you kids get titles, they usually stick," Kizakura said.
"We thought about a ceremony, but we haven't really had time to put one together," Jin continued.
"That's fine, all I really did was clean up a mess I made," Naegi said sheepishly.
"It was our mess, Naegi-kun, you just helped bring it to everyone's attention," Jin corrected.
"Just take the praise, kid, there's no one more deserving of a title like 'Ultimate Hope' than you," Kizakura told Naegi.
"I don't know about that," Naegi said sheepishly.
"Well we do," Jin responded. Remembering the other reason they were here, Jin then said, "I also want to discuss ideas for the school going forward. One in particular…"
"Does this have anything to do with the Ultimate Talent Development Plan you mentioned?" Naegi asked.
"In a way. I had the idea when you calmed that crowd," Jon explained.
"Ugh, I wish you hadn't mentioned them, Jin-kun. They had every right to be angry, but those weeks that they were here were so rough they took all the fun and flavor out of my booze," Kizakura noted.
"I wish that had been the worst of our problems," Jin deadpanned.
"I-," Naegi started as he remembered everything that had happened.
"None of what happened was your fault, Naegi-kun," Jin firmly reminded the boy. I'm the one who should have done more about the problems at the school. Instead a student had to save us, Jin thought, ashamed.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twentieth Week of Classes-Wednesday
The media had been having a field day with what had happened at Hope's Peak Elementary, not that anyone had expected different. The school had failed five of its students, and in many ways made the problems worse, so no one felt too sorry for the treatment Hope's Peak Elementary was receiving.
Unfortunately, Hope's Peak Academy was in the crosshairs too. If the elementary school where potential "Ultimates" studied had these problems, what was going on at Hope's Peak Academy? That had been the underlying question whenever the narrowly avoided tragedy at Hope's Peak Elementary was brought up on the news and in the public.
Headmaster Kirigiri had managed to pacify the public to an extent with the statement that he put out. When he informed the public that both he and Gekkogahara had been denied access to the records of the five children, most had accepted that Hope's Peak Elementary's leadership had gone behind everyone's back.
That didn't last long however, as the worst was yet to come.
A website named Hope's Leaks had been created. Madarai Besshiki, the Ultimate Hacker had threatened to release new pieces of information every week until a group of people called the Hope's Peak Steering Committee stepped down. To prove they weren't joking, they released the conversation that the Steering Committee had had with Yanagihori about Naegi and the Lil' Ultimates.
To add to the chaos at Hope's Peak Academy, it appeared that many members of the staff had never heard of the Steering Committee. This led to the students and the public asking, "Who are the Steering Committee?"
Naegi noted that the only one who seemed to be enjoying themselves was Enoshima, who everyone was pointing out was unusually upbeat. Naegi knew why she was so happy of course, Ikusaba had warned him long ago about Enoshima, but it was only now that he thought that he was beginning to understand Enoshima.
Well, at least someone is enjoying themselves, I guess. Hopefully, there's a way to fix this, Naegi thought. Unfortunately for Naegi and for Hope's Peak as a whole, things were going to get worse before they got better.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-First Week of Classes-Monday
True to his word, Madarai had released information on a new scandal. Given that Hope's Peak Academy was backed by the government, embezzlement wasn't entirely unexpected, but the amount of money that the Steering Committee had misspent was enough to cover the tuition of every Reserve Course student and there would still be enough left over to upgrade facilities every year.
The Steering Committee had yet to step down, but the Reserve Course Students and their families had begun demanding their resignation and prosecution, not that anyone could blame them. Whether it was to put the amount of money in perspective or if it was simply a PR move to get the public on their side, some of the Reserve Course Students posted their tuition receipts and the results were both instantaneous and expected. Before all of this, many people would have tried to explain the exorbitant amount as the price one paid for the Hope's Peak brand name, now though, it just made even some of the most dedicated admirers of Hope's Peak sick. It didn't help that not one Ultimate Student had been scouted from the Reserve Course, leading people to believe, correctly, that there was never any chance that Reserve Course Students would become Ultimates. That was exactly how the Steering Committee had designed it.
To his credit, Jin had handled the questions from the press well. The former headmaster, Tengan Kazuo had assisted him in this. Both had denied knowledge of the Steering Committee's malfeasance, which was true, the Steering Committee was the true power at Hope's Peak and if they didn't want the headmaster to know something, they would not know.
Naegi wasn't handling this well. He did not regret saving the children and he never would, but the darker the bags under Jin's eyes got, the guiltier Naegi felt for not having been able to save the children quietly. Enoshima's hugs and accolades didn't help either. Being congratulated for kicking off the fall of Hope's Peak Academy wasn't going to make Naegi feel better, which was probably why Enoshima was doing it.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Second Week of Classes-Monday
If the previous week had shown just how greedy the Steering Committee could be, the information Madarai released this week showed just how far the Steering Committee would go to collect Ultimate Students.
As it turned out, the money the Steering Committee had embezzled hadn't just gone to support lavish lifestyles. Given that some Ultimates were criminals given their talents, some of it had gone to bribing prosecutors and judges to keep those Ultimates out of prison or to prevent them from being investigated for as long as they were students of Hope's Peak Academy. That would have been bad enough if all of those students were like certain members of Class 77-B and Class 78 who had, for the most part, reformed, but in the past, there had been students who had used their protected status to continue committing crimes.
The parents of the students were furious that the school's governing body would allow violent criminals into the school with their own children, and rightfully so. Schools have a responsibility to the students to keep them safe and allowing known violent criminals admission was…well, counterproductive was putting it lightly.
The Ultimate Student Council had moved to condemn this behavior. Murasame Sōshun, the current Ultimate Student Council President, had called an emergency meeting to vote on a resolution condemning these illegal acts. They also took the added step of declaring that the students of Hope's Peak, Main and Reserve, were not things to collect.
Naegi managed to find a silver lining this week at least. One, the public had no idea that Genocider Syo was a student, and two, that the Student Council resolution seemed like a good first step in bringing the Main Course and the Reserve Course students together. Enoshima must have believed that too since she was much colder to Naegi this week. None of this alleviated Naegi's concerns though. I wonder if this is what people mean when they say, "No good deed goes unpunished?" Naegi thought.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Third Week of Classes-Monday
The previous week saw the Ultimate Student Council declare that the students of Hope's Peak were not things to be collected. When they had done that, perhaps some people might have been able to argue that the real power at Hope's Peak didn't actually think that they owned the students. This week, they were dissuaded of that notion when it was revealed that the Steering Committee had been selling research done by the students.
It appeared that research conducted by the students of Hope's Peak Academy fetched quite the price on the black market. Ikusaba and Kuzuryuu had been able to identify much of the material posted to Hope's Leaks as they had seen the end results themselves. Designs for inventions meant to help protect people had been used in illegal weapons. Breakthroughs in chemistry were used in the vilest of poisons. One former student, Bandai Daisaku, the former Ultimate Farmer, had identified a chemical fertilizer he had invented that had been used in explosives. There had been talk of mind control, but the research had thankfully been shut down early on.
Hope's Peak alumni from all over had not only come together to condemn the actions of the Steering Committee, but they had also lawyered up and were preparing for a class action suit once the Steering Committee was identified. Not only that, but Interpol and its member nations had launched an investigation into all of the stolen research and was looking into criminal charges against the Steering Committee. It looked like not only would the Steering Committee lose everything they had worked for but would also never take a breath of free air ever again once things ended.
Naegi was glad that the alumni would get justice and that whoever the members of the Steering Committee were, they would be brought to justice. He felt bad for the Headmaster though, as Jin was as shocked as anyone when the information was posted. Naegi was reassured that while the Steering Committee was corrupt, there were good people at Hope's Peak Academy. He hoped the public would be able to see that once they calmed down. At the moment however, the public was angry; the staff and students were demoralized; and Enoshima's smile was widening with every additional alumnus signing on to the class action suit and every additional criminal charge the Steering Committee had to look forward to.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Fourth Week of Classes-Monday
Another week had come, and new information had been posted to Hope's Leaks. This time it was recordings of conversations the Steering Committee had with the heads of random companies.
In these conversations the Steering Committee pressured the companies not to hire certain students. It wasn't long before anyone listening to the recordings discovered the reason why. Manipulating these hiring decisions gave the Steering Committee influence with more "acceptable" companies. "Acceptable" in the sense that they were connected to the Steering Committee in some way and Hope's Peak students at those companies would extend the Committee's reach.
For students in their final year at Hope's Peak, this explained a few things. Companies that they had had good relationships with had suddenly rescinded offers of employment and the students had not been able to figure out why.
Unable to ignore what was happening at a school that enjoyed so much government money and support, the Japanese government launched an investigation into these matters two weeks prior and their early findings were shocking. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare had been found to have opened fraudulent investigations into companies that would refuse to play the Steering Committee's game. A few had been run out of business defending themselves, and some CEO's had committed suicide because of it.
It wasn't all bad news though. The staff at Hope's Peak had cooperated with the investigation and had been found to be innocent of any wrongdoing. At the very least, the students were able to take comfort in the knowledge that the staff at their school had not betrayed them.
Still, the anger directed at Hope's Peak hadn't subsided. It was understandable, without knowing who or what the Steering Committee was, the public directed their anger at the school, the staff, and to an extent, the students. In some ways they were right, it should have been obvious that something was wrong, and it should never have gotten to this point.
Naegi had a feeling this was the Steering Committee's plan: be the true power at Hope's Peak with all the perks and none of the responsibilities or the consequences. Hopefully, once everyone has had a chance to calm down, they'll realize we aren't the enemy, he hoped. Naegi hated what this was doing to the school, the staff, and his peers. Morale was in freefall among everyone but one student. And maybe it was just Naegi's imagination, but that one student's laughter seemed to make the situation seem that much worse. He had a feeling that Enoshima would laugh even harder if he voiced that thought.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Fifth Week of Classes-Monday
It had all come to an end this week. The previous Thursday, cameras had been found in the Girls' Locker Rooms. It had taken a while but once the girls and the staff were convinced that none of the boys at school had placed them, the school had asked Fujisaki to trace the signals.
The perpetrator had done a decent job at hiding, clearly, they knew how to protect themselves online, but in the end, Fujisaki had tracked them down and the school had given the information to the police. Once arrested, the mystery pervert's computer was searched, and it was discovered that he knew quite a lot about Hope's Peak Academy. The pervert had a lot of contact with three other men, who were searched as people of interest in the case and would have been cleared of wrongdoing.
"Would have" being the key. Madarai, whoever they were, had decided that their fun was over and doxxed the Steering Committee. As luck would have it, the mystery pervert and his colleagues were the Steering Committee. It was an embarrassing end to their careers, all four of them envied a famous foreign mobster who had evaded his taxes, at least there was some dignity in getting caught that way.
They didn't go down alone though as the Steering Committee had named names of various government officials who had been complicit in what they had been doing. All weekend, it had seemed as though every hour brought with it a new list of resignations and indictments.
It had become the biggest scandal in Japan, the repercussions of which would probably be felt for some time. Thankfully, the arrest of the Steering Committee had seemed to calm the public, at least a little. A good number of those affected had decided that now they could let the legal process play out, although they still planned to make their feelings toward the former Steering Committee heard. With half of their number gone, many at Hope's Peak were hoping that the crowd that had become a fixture outside of their front gate would dissipate soon.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Sixth Week of Classes-Friday
The crowd had not dissipated. It hadn't grown much larger, although the crowd did seem different. Some had tried to scale the wall surrounding Hope's Peak, but the rest of the crowd had stopped them before security had gotten the chance.
That hadn't stopped them though, in fact the only grew more and more bold. Today, they tried to break through the front gate, and it seemed that the agitators would succeed. To make matters worse, the frustration of the rest of the crowd had finally boiled over and they weren't stopping their more aggressive allies.
Security was on standby, but everyone was hoping that there was no confrontation in the future.
It wasn't just the crowd and security that had had enough, the staff and the student body felt the exact same way, this had gone on long enough.
Naegi in particular had given this situation a great deal of thought over the past few weeks. He felt at least partly responsible, his actions at Hope's Peak Elementary kicked off the chain of events that brought everyone here. There were a lot of things he wanted to say: to the staff; to the crowd; to his peers. Naegi wasn't one who suffered from delusions of grandeur, if anything he usually thought too little of himself, if you asked his friends at least. This was different though; he might actually be the only one who could end this. This time, he had something most at Hope's Peak didn't have, an outsider's perspective. One would argue that the Reserve Course offered that, and in many ways it did, but Naegi was different in one distinct way. Where the Reserve Course was kept separate, Naegi was a "normal" who had found himself mixed in with, and in most cases accepted by, society newest version of demigods.
Naegi steeled his nerves and attempted to get the everyone's attention.
"Excuse me!" he yelled.
Nothing. If anyone had heard him, no one acknowledged that they had.
Naegi then whistled as loud as he could. The result was the same. As Naegi tried to think of another way to get everyone's attention two noises caught everyone's attention. A gunshot and an explosion. Naegi turned to see Ikusaba behind him. In her hand was a flare gun. Probably a souvenir from her time in Fenrir.
"You only get one chance. Make it count," Ikusaba told him. As she said that, the other girls and the rest of their peers came up behind her. Although none of them said it, Naegi had the impression that they believed he would succeed.
Wish I was that confidant in me, Naegi thought as he gulped and began to speak.
"Hello everyone! My name is Naegi Makoto and I'm a student here at Hope's Peak Academy. Some of you may remember me, I'm the one who doesn't seem to be able to do things without making the news," Naegi laughed awkwardly.
That got a laugh out of some in the crowd. Others whispered to each other, "He's the one who saved those kids." There were some who said, "I remember him. He was at the Novoselic Embassy." And still others recognized Naegi from the viral video of him punching Fukuyama.
Naegi took a deep breath and continued, "You may not believe this, but most of us found out about what's been going on behind the scenes here around the same time you all did. To be fair, there were a few things we might have suspected, but nothing concrete until now. I don't think any of us can blame anyone here for being angry."
That got the crowd nodding in agreement, but they still had no idea where Naegi was going with this.
As if to answer that particular question Naegi said, "I came here to say that I understand."
That just confused everyone more.
Naegi went on to clarify what he meant. "What I mean is, until the school year started, I believed that Hope's Peak Academy was everything we imagined it to be: Perfect. This is a school where the best of the best go. Where the leaders of tomorrow come to develop their talents for the good of the whole world. I believed that 'hope' was made here."
People went back to nodding at Naegi's words. Komaeda, who had not come to support Naegi, but to watch the unworthy masses get pushed off of the sacred ground that was Hope's Peak Academy, was nodding the most vigorously while saying, "Absolutely. Even though we're worthless, even Lucky Students know that." He didn't know it yet, but he was in for a shock.
"When I got my letter saying that I was this year's Ultimate Lucky Student, I was going to turn it down. I thought there was someone more deserving out there that it should have gone to. That might be true, but I'm glad that I didn't. I don't have an Ultimate talent but with a few exceptions, no one tried to make me feel like I don't belong here. I always looked at Hope's Peak as some otherworldly, almost divine place with students who were beyond human. The reality is that we have the same worries and insecurities as any other teenagers."
Naegi turned to his friends before saying, "Some of us came here with something to prove."
Owada and Ishimaru nodded at that.
"Some of us are afraid that we'll be left behind and forgotten."
Maizono and Pekoyama looked down.
"Maybe some came here looking for the next big challenge."
Asahina, Ogami, Owari, and Nidai looked at each other.
"A few of us don't want to follow the path that's been laid out for us."
Kuwata scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"And some of us aren't sure what we want to be."
Ikusaba smiled when Naegi said that.
"What I'm trying to say is that we really aren't all that different from what you'd expect from any other school. Although if you believe the hype surrounding Hope's Peak, you would never have guessed that. And that is how we got here."
"I'm not sure how or when it happened, but Hope's Peak went from being a school where student with Ultimate talents are educated and studied to being the school that makes students with Ultimate talent successful. Honestly, I found that odd, the students were already the best when they came here, what could more could Hope's Peak do for them. That aside, the Steering Committee took advantage of that image to get away with their crimes. It's almost like the Ultimate Motte-and-Bailey Fallacy, isn't it? They claim that everything that happens here is for hope. They extort students; they steal their research; they perv on high school girls; but you better not call them on it or you're against hope!"
That got another laugh out of everyone listening.
"That's part of why we're all angry isn't it? Because we know that the school should have done better. It can and we can. I believe Headmaster Kirigiri and the staff when they say that they had no idea that any of this was happening. In my time here I've spoken with many members of the staff here and I assure you that they are good and honest people. And if you give them and us another chance something like this will never happen again. We still have work to do, you'll get no argument from me! There are still people with ties to the Steering Committee to weed out. We have to do right by our fellow students in the Reserve Course. And I hope that you'll all be willing to give us the chance to be the Academy of Hope you believed us to be," Naegi said as he bowed his head. He could think of nothing else to say.
Naegi's words seemed to have the desired effect, the crowd seemed to have calmed down. Some in the crowd had begun to leave, but those that remained had begun cheering. "Ultimate Hero! Ultimate Hope!"
"Huh? No, I don't think-," Naegi began before getting cut off by the crowd's cheers.
"Let them cheer for you, Naegi-kun. You certainly deserve it," Jin said as he came up to Naegi. Jin had also come to address the crowd and was feeling much better about his chances after Naegi had spoken. Jin took a deep breath before he spoke into a megaphone he had brought. "This brave student is right. If you give us the chance, we will make things right. I ask for your patience while we work to do so, but I assure you it will happen. I've been giving the matter quite a bit of thought over the past couple weeks…"
Naegi thought that it would be best if he left and allowed the Headmaster to be the center of attention. As he made his over to his friends, Kizakura stopped him and said, "That took a lot of balls there, kid. You should be proud of yourself."
"Anyone else would have…" Naegi began.
"But they didn't. You did," Kizakura told him.
"Thank you, Sensei," Naegi said.
"Don't mention it. And don't go too far, you kids need to hear what Jin-kun has to say too."
Naegi nodded and went over to his friends, he was exhausted. He'd have liked to go lie down, but he stayed and listened to what the Headmaster told the crowd. The Ultimate Talent Development Program certainly sounded interesting. Main and Reserve Course students would work together to help the Reserve Course students find their talents. Naegi was glad that the Headmaster was already trying to fix things.
Later, when Naegi went to congratulate him, Jin had said, "None of this would have been possible without you, Naegi-kun. If you hadn't spoken first, I don't think I'd have been able to confront those people, much less get them to listen.
Naegi wanted to say it was nothing, but Kizakura told him to, "Just accept the praise."
Jin did have one more thing to say to Naegi. "Once everything calms down, we'll make it official," he said.
"Make what official?" Naegi asked.
"Your new title. Those were right, you really do deserve to be called the "Ultimate Hope."
Kizakura once again had to tell Naegi to accept the praise.
Present
Naegi still thought a new title was more than a bit much. He hadn't done anything that great, he just did what he always did: He said what he thought needed to be said and he did it in an understanding way.
As if reading Naegi's mind, Kizakura spoke up. "Do I need to record it and have it play on a loop? Just accept it, kid."
"He's right, Naegi-kun. Ever since you arrived at this school, you've helped everyone. As Headmaster, I'm ashamed to say that I've been so focused on the talents of my students to the point that I've ignored everything else about them. Their behavior, their well-being, their needs. I shouldn't have left that responsibility to a student," Jin said.
"It's not your fault, Headmaster. Running Hope's Peak Academy can't be easy," Naegi said in an attempt to reassure Jin that he was a good Headmaster.
"Even so, the point I was trying to make is that everything you've done, whether you've meant to or not, had helped the students and the school. I did call you in today to tell you that you are now the Ultimate Hope, but I wanted to also suggest something," Jin told Naegi.
"Suggest what?" Naegi asked.
Jin's offer still had Naegi in shock. Naegi was grateful that the Headmaster didn't need an answer right away. He had given Naegi until graduation to make his decision, although, given how this year had been going, Naegi had a feeling that the rest of this year and the next two would go by too fast for him to really think about the matter.
Maybe I should ask everyone else what they think, he thought. Ultimately, it was Naegi's decision, but different perspectives couldn't hurt.
"Hey Naegi-kun!" a voice called.
Naegi looked over to see Hinata Hajime and Nanami Chiaki sitting on a nearby bench, playing videogames. Well, Hinata was playing, Nanami was also napping while she played.
"Hey you two," Naegi waved.
Naegi's voice woke Nanami, who, with more energy than most people saw from the Ultimate Gamer, patted the space next to her and said, "Naegi-kun, come play with us!"
Naegi was a little reluctant to accept the invitation. Not because of Nanami, but because of Hinata. Naegi liked Hinata well enough, but it wasn't that long ago that the older boy resented Naegi. Things had gotten better, but neither one would say that they were close. Nanami's affection for Naegi didn't help the relationship between the two boys.
Naegi had decided that he wouldn't bring up the Headmaster's offer to these two. In this case, asking for advice could hurt.
I know, it's a short chapter and I do apologize for that. But this chapter needed to happen for future chapters to make sense. Or at least make sense in the way I have planned them.
Naegi's speech wasn't close to the filibuster scene from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" but I didn't think it was too bad.
As for the Steering Committee's crimes, human experimentation can't be the only thing they did. I mean, it probably is expensive, but at the very least embezzlement has to be involved somewhere. I just couldn't see them going from 0 to crimes against humanity, I just think it had to be a path paved with other crimes and undesirable behavior.
Oh, before I forget. From Wikipedia: "The motte-and-bailey fallacy (named after the motte-and-bailey castle) is a form of argument and an informal fallacy where an arguer conflates two positions which share similarities, one modest and easy to defend (the "motte") and one much more controversial (the "bailey"). The arguer advances the controversial position, but when challenged, they insist that they are only advancing the more modest position. Upon retreating to the motte, the arguer can claim that the bailey has not been refuted (because the critic refused to attack the motte) or that the critic is unreasonable (by equating an attack on the bailey with an attack on the motte)."
I think it fits. Although in this case it inserts a third person or group advancing the "bailey" and someone else equating a critique of that as an attack on the "motte."
Komaeda: Hope is good.
Person: Yes.
Steering Committee commits crimes claiming it is for Hope's Peak.
Person: Hey! They're breaking the law!
Komaeda: Why do you hate hope?
Maybe I missed the mark with that, but I don't think I did.
More details about the Ultimate Talent Development Plan will come later, so look forward to that.
I think I'm gonna take a break for a while, but I'll try to be back soon. I don't know why, but when I want to make a chapter short, I have a harder time finishing.
Chiaki is next. Then Chisa. Then Junko. And so on… Yeah, I haven't thought that far ahead yet.
Rather, Chiaki would be next, but the chapter isn't over quite yet.
Somewhere in Japan
Far away from Hope's Peak Academy was a prison like one could find anywhere. However, in this very ordinary prison were some rather extraordinary inmates.
Naegi may have believed that he was the reason for the rough patch that Hope's Peak Academy had gone through, but really, it was the fault of these inmates.
Mrs. Utsugi was in her cell, rocking back and forth in a fetal position mumbling, "For my daughter. It was out of love; can't you see that?" over and over again.
Mr. and Mrs. Shingetsu were in the middle of a debate.
"Were our methods flawed?" Mrs. Shingetsu asked.
"No, it was the subject," Mr. Shingetsu replied.
"Perhaps, but we can't ignore interference from outside factors."
"True."
Towa Haiji, having tired of hearing a different version of this conversation every other day, yelled from his cell, "It was that little shit in the hoodie! We get it! Shut the hell up!"
In another part of the prison, four inmates in four separate cells were communicating in morse code.
*Have any of you had any luck?* a short old man tapped.
*No,* the second tallest man replied.
*I have yet to hear anything,* the second shortest man tapped.
*I have* the second tallest tapped.
*And…?* the other three asked.
*We may have a candidate,* the second tallest answered.
*The boy has made enemies,* the tallest noted.
*Indeed. And they will be of use to us, whether they realize it or not,* the shortest added.
*Is there any way this can be traced back to us?* the second shortest asked.
*I have been assured that precautions are being taken. No one will ever see it coming. Now, we must wait,* the second tallest answered.
*We have nothing else to do,* the shortest pointed out.
*We will destroy Hope's Peak before we let that boy taint it further,* the tallest declared.
The guards called for lights out, thereby ending the conversation. It seemed as though Hope's Peak wasn't free of the Steering Committee just yet.
A conspiracy is afoot, and its target is Makoto. Who else is involved? Who is this mysterious "candidate"? Will Puri Puri Prisoner pay any of these inmates a visit? In this story, Haiji deserves it, but probably not.
Does Japan even have PMITA prisons or is that strictly an American thing? I guess it doesn't matter since I made it co-ed, but I don't know. Maybe I don't want an answer to that.
Anyway, expect more of these at the end of the next couple chapters. The new enemy is on his way. I probably just gave away his identity with his gender alone. Ah well, what could it hurt. He still hasn't shown up, but he has been mentioned. Guesses are welcome, but not required to leave reviews.
Until next time, stay frosty.
Chapter Text
Chapter 18: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Gamer
What's going on ladies and gentlemen? Boys and Girls? Ultimates of all ages? It's wesst1 back again, once again and I need to ask: Are you ready?
She's gonna take us back to the past. But there won't be any shitty games that suck ass. Well maybe. For all I know Gala Omega 3 was a classic because it was so bad it was good.
She's Chiaki Nanami and she's everyone's favorite Sleepy Video Game Nerd.
Hajime will be there too, of course. It's not easy to separate the two.
Speaking of not separating, I am going to be making Chiaki a mix between SDR2 and DR3. I mean AI Chiaki was created because Class 77-B wanted to see Chiaki again, so there can't be too much of a difference between the two, can there?
But enough about that, you didn't come here to read an author's note after all.
Without further delay, on with the chapter!
Present Day
Naegi felt awkward. He and Hinata had been awkward around each other for a while, although for Nanami's sake they tried to hide it or deal with it. The two boys sat on opposite sides of the bench in the courtyard with Nanami in between them. Thankfully, Nanami was too focused on her game to notice anything wrong.
Hinata felt terrible because the awkwardness really was his fault. It's not Naegi-kun's fault I used to hate who I am. If only… He stopped himself there, he didn't want to think about the things he had lost.
Naegi didn't actually blame Hinata for anything that happened between them. Hinata admired Hope's Peak Academy and for the school to tell him he was talentless and therefore worthless, well, Naegi thought it was impressive that Hinata wasn't more pessimistic.
The tension was momentarily broken by Nanami. "Naegi-kun, have you ever played this?" she asked as she showed him the title screen. Apparently, she had just finished the game herself.
It was a collection of games from 20 years ago, the one Nanami had selected was, "Sectorman? I played it a few times years ago, but I was never very good."
"I can help you," Nanami said as she slid over until she was pressed up against Naegi.
Naegi turned red at her action but thought that he shouldn't be too surprised. He and Nanami became incredibly close because of and after a certain incident. It and everything that led up to it was still fresh in their memories.
It was still fresh in Hinata's memory too. He wished he had done things differently, but he couldn't change the past. If only…
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Second Week of Classes-Sunday
Naegi was exhausted. He had just finished what Mioda had called "Club Activities" although the activities themselves had very little to do with a music club. He wasn't complaining, but five laps around the academy; a game of tag; and putting the equipment away would take their toll on just about anyone.
Naegi was glad there were still a few hours until he had to start dinner, he didn't think he'd be able to hold utensils much less handle food at the moment. Naegi got as far as a bench by the fountain before he collapsed. He couldn't remember the last time a bench felt so comfortable.
Naegi most have drifted off because the next thing he remembered was a soft voice saying, "Naegi-kun, there are better places to take a nap."
"Huh?" Naegi grunted before opening his eyes to see Nanami Chiaki and a boy looking at him. The boy's appearance shocked Naegi a bit, he looked like a taller version of Naegi. His hair was shorter and black as opposed to Naegi's slightly shaggier, brown hair. He was also wearing a Reserve Course uniform. Remembering his manners, Naegi said, "I'm sorry. Mioda-senpai's club was fun, but it really wore me out."
"It's not a big deal. It's a public bench, I told Nanami-san we can just find another," the boy said.
"You don't have to do that I need to get up soon anyway. Can I just stay until I finish waking up?" Naegi asked groggily as he moved over to make room.
Nanami sat down right away, but the boy she was with hesitated.
"Are you okay with this?" he asked Naegi.
"'It's a public bench,'" Naegi reminded him before introducing himself. "I'm Naegi Makoto, Class 78's Ultimate Lucky Student. Nice to meet you, Senpai."
"Hinata Hajime. Reserve Course so I don't think I'm really your senpai," the boy, Hinata explained. Naegi thought Hinata sounded almost ashamed of being a Reserve Course student.
"What course you're in doesn't matter. We're both still students of Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi pointed out.
Hinata didn't say anything, but he was grateful for what Naegi had said. He finally joined Nanami and Naegi on the bench.
Nanami handed Hinata a handheld game system and pulled out one for herself. Once she turned the game on, Naegi got a look at the title.
"Gala Omega 3. That was the first game I ever played. I love that game," Naegi told them.
Nanami smiled and Hinata said, "We both like it too. It's a classic."
"I hear it's getting a release on mobile, but…" Naegi trailed off.
"But what?" Nanami asked, genuinely curious. Her focus was now entirely on Naegi and his next words.
"Well, the company that made the Gala Omega series originally was bought out and the IP is now owned by a company with a reputation. The belief is that most of the game is going to be stuck behind a paywall."
Nanami's face went blank.
Naegi was wide awake after what happened next.
Later
Back at the dorm, Yukizome had called a meeting.
"It has been brought to my attention, by both school security and the local authorities, that some of us get very passionate, heated even, about topics related to our talents," she tried to explain as diplomatically as possible. She had trouble wrapping her head around it. She and the rest of Class 77-B didn't even think Nanami knew most of those words.
Naegi felt bad. He probably should have guessed that Nanami hated paywalls. Thanks to her…rant? Thanks to her rant, he knew what the Ultimate Gamer thought of paywalls, microtransactions, and loot boxes and he would make sure to not even hint at the topics going forward.
Nanami's face was red from embarrassment and she had been more quiet than usual. She was no expert, but she was pretty sure her outburst had the opposite effect of tripping flags. At least Hinata and Naegi were nice about what had happened, even though both of them seemed terrified of her while she was screaming about how certain companies were ruining gaming.
"Sorry about that, Nanami-senpai. I blame it on just waking up," Naegi joked.
"It's fine, Naegi-kun…I think. I saw how afraid you and Hinata-kun were," Nanami said.
"Oh that? It happens among friends. I'm sure you and Hinata-senpai will look back on it and laugh one day," Naegi reassured her.
"You don't think I scared him off?" Nanami asked.
"Of course not. Hinata-senpai seems like a really good guy. He must be if he's friends with you. I don't think it's a bad thing to let your friends see a side of you you're embarrassed about or a really passionate side of you. I think you'll only get closer because of this," Naegi told her.
Nanami smiled cutely and said, "Thank you, Naegi-kun. I feel a lot better. I hope you'll join us again sometime."
"I can't promise I'll always be there, but I'll be sure to take you up on that every now and then, Senpai," Naegi told her.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Third Week of Classes-Friday
Just because Naegi didn't spend much time in the courtyard didn't mean that he didn't interact with Nanami. There were times when he would actually serve as a teacher for the young gamer. She had come to him asking to learn to bake. While Naegi didn't consider himself an expert, her did manage to get by.
"Thank you for this Naegi-kun," Nanami said as they sat and waited for a pie she was trying to bake to finish. "I love games, but they aren't good teachers…I think," Nanami explained, thinking of how she once tried to apply the lessons of Baking Nana to cookies in real life and got less than spectacular results. How was she supposed to know that the game was speeding things up?
"I'm happy to help, Nanami-senpai. But if I may ask, Hanamura-senpai and Ando-senpai would probably be better teachers, why did you pick me over them?" Naegi asked. It probably wasn't his business, but he couldn't help but wonder why Nanami would pass up more capable teachers and go for an average teacher like him.
"I don't know Ando-senpai that well. Hanamura-kun was willing, but I didn't want to wear the uniform," Nanami explained.
I think I know what the "uniform" is, but…"Uniform?" Naegi asked.
"The apron was cute, but I was only supposed to wear that. So was he," Nanami told Naegi.
Naegi couldn't really decide what bothered him more: How in-your-face Hanamura's sexual harassment was, or the thought of the Ultimate Cook wearing nothing but an apron. Never mind, I think I have my answer. Naegi hated his own imagination sometimes.
"I'm not even pursuing his route. The heroine only does the apron thing for her love interest," Nanami continued.
"I don't think that's a requirement or anything, Nanami-senpai," Naegi told her. Nanami confused Naegi. She could fend off Hanamura, but she seemed so naïve about the world. It was cute, but Naegi was worried that someone would take advantage of the poor girl.
"It's not? But in all the sims I play they have either that or a shower scene," Nanami said.
"Dating sims can be fun, Senpai, but they are all pretty exaggerated and they rely on tropes a lot," Naegi explained.
"Oh," Nanami said as her face fell. Without her games to fall back on, she was in unfamiliar territory. That scared her.
"Well, to be fair, those cliches have to come from somewhere. And the sims at least show popular date ideas, so maybe they can be helpful in that respect," Naegi reasoned, trying to cheer Nanami up. I can't believe I'm arguing that dating sims hold some sort of educational value. Just do it for Nanami-senpai, Makoto, Naegi told himself. He hoped he wasn't misleading the girl. Someone, somewhere, possibly, because stranger things had happened, might have had a relationship that mirrored a dating sim at some point, so maybe. But for Nanami, it was one of her quirks and in a way, it was charming. It was certainly cute. If Nanami was doing this for Hinata, Naegi figured that the older boy would understand that. At least Naegi knew Hinata would never take advantage of Nanami.
*Ding!*
"Pie's done," Nanami announced as she pulled out the lemon pie out of the oven.
It was done, but something was wrong. The pie looked strange, but neither student could figure out why. It wasn't until it cooled that they could try to determine what was wrong.
It tasted like salt and lemon. When Naegi had stepped out of the kitchen, Nanami had accidentally added salt instead of sugar.
The gamer was upset that she had made such a mistake and was ready to cry. I thought I was doing so well. If I can't bake how will I raise anymore flags? What am I going to do? Nanami thought. It was a common mistake for first timers, but she really had tried hard. While Nanami was crying she heard the *plink* of a plate. When she looked up, she saw Naegi cutting a piece of pie and putting it on a plate.
"Naegi-kun?" Nanami sniffled.
"After all the work you put in, it would be a shame to just throw it out," Naegi said as he took a bite of pie. He turned so Nanami wouldn't see the face he was making and when he turned back, he gave her a smile and said, "Yummy!"
There were still tears in Nanami's eyes, but she wasn't sad anymore. "Hm, hm, hahahaha!" Nanami couldn't help but laugh. Naegi was trying so hard to make her feel better, and she was so grateful for it. If it had been one of her games, there would have been a sound cue. Her relationship level with Naegi had just improved. But Nanami wasn't thinking about her games, she was just happy that Naegi was here.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Tenth Week of Classes-Monday
Naegi had stopped by to greet Nanami and Hinata often, but it wasn't until after the Novoselic Embassy Incident that Naegi was able to join them. Naegi's situation, and his habit of making promises to people, usually kept him too busy to join the older students, but because of what had occurred the previous evening, he had plenty of free time. Ikusaba saw to that.
Coincidentally, just like the first time he had joined the others at their usual spot by the fountain, Naegi was exhausted. This time it was from answering questions about the Embassy and trying to dodge reporters who weren't satisfied with his answers.
"Do you two mind if I join you today? I need to take my mind off of last night and today," Naegi explained.
Instead of answering, Nanami just scooted over to make room for Naegi.
Hinata had heard what had happened last night. Specifically, he heard what Naegi had done and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you don't have an 'Ultimate' talent, Naegi-kun?"
"I assure you, Hinata-senpai, I'm absolutely average in every way," Naegi answered.
"Can you really say that after last night?" Hinata argued.
"I don't think I did anything anyone else wouldn't have done. I think Tanaka-senpai and Souda-senpai were more impressive. And if it hadn't been for the Devas, I doubt I would have been much help," Naegi countered.
"The 'Devas'?" Hinata questioned.
"They're Tanaka-kun's hamsters four oldest hamsters," Nanami told him.
"Uhh…okay." Hinata had thought that at first Naegi had been making up stories, for what reason, he didn't know, but when Nanami confirmed that there actually were "Devas" Hinata couldn't help but think, I've always admired the Main Course students, but it finally occurs to me that Ultimates are weird. Not that Hinata minded weirdness, you can't survive at Hope's Peak Academy if that bothered you. And when Hinata thought about it, he realized that even normal people like him were could be pretty weird too. It actually made him feel a little closer to the more talented students at the school.
"I don't understand why I'm the one the press wants to interview. Between Fujisaki-kun's hacking and Souda-senpai and Tanaka-senpai helping to disarm security, I didn't really do much," Naegi admitted.
"Sonia-san said you got shot protecting her, and that you were the one who got the hostages to fight back," Nanami mentioned, still mostly focused on her game.
"One guy tripped down the stairs and dropped his weapons and we got lucky enough to knock out another. I ran off to get Sonia-senpai unarmed. I'd do it again if I had to, but it really was suicidal," Naegi countered.
"You are an Ultimate Lucky Student, maybe you're more like Komaeda-kun than you realize," Nanami suggested.
Naegi didn't have a response for that. From what he had heard, Komaeda had a low opinion of Lucky Students despite being one himself, and that according to Saionji, Komaeda was a weirdo. He couldn't confirm this because Komaeda never really bothered to interact with him. Naegi was certain Nanami was trying to compliment his luck, but Naegi had a feeling that being compared to Komaeda could just as easily be an insult.
Hinata couldn't help feeling left out. Nanami had mentioned her classmates before, but Hinata had never met any of them. Even if he had, when the conversation turned towards talent, Hinata couldn't help but feel like it was a conversation for Ultimates only.
This feeling was made worse when later that same week, Nanami informed him that Class 77-B and Class 78 were going to spend a week at a hot spring inn. Hinata understood the reasoning behind it when Nanami explained why, but to Hinata, it still further illustrated the difference between him and the Ultimates.
Eleventh Week of Classes-Friday
Minato Inn
Nanami puffed up her cheeks in frustration. She was standing in the Inn's gift shop and had no idea what to get. She knew Hinata felt left out so she figured the least she could do is buy him a souvenir, but between being a student and never gotten a boy a gift before, she wasn't sure what to get.
Maybe I should have asked one of my classmates. Or Yukizome-sensei, she'd have an answer, the young gamer thought. She was about to do just that when Naegi entered the shop.
"Oh, Nanami-senpai, are you shopping for someone too?" Naegi asked.
Nanami nodded and said, "I wanted to get something for Hinata-kun. He was disappointed that he couldn't come…I think."
"I know my sister was. Komaru demanded I get her something or she'd never forgive me," Naegi said with a laugh. Something then caught Naegi's eye. He went over an picked up a package of bath powder. "'Take the Minato Inn hot spring experience home with you. Mix these with your bath and enjoy the benefits of our hot springs in your own home.' I guess my whole family can enjoy this," Naegi said as he went to buy it.
"So fast," Nanami noted.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, Komaru is a fan of these kinds of things. That and it's really the only thing I expect her to actually use and not forget about," Naegi said the last part quietly and quickly. He then asked, "What are you getting for Hinata-senpai, Nanami-senpai?"
"I don't know. I've never really gotten someone a souvenir before," Nanami admitted.
"I'm sure Hinata-senpai will be happy with anything if it's from you," Naegi told her.
"Anything?" Nanami asked.
"Well, within reason I suppose. In Hinata-senpai's case, maybe something he can keep in his dorm room or take with him," Naegi suggested. Naegi looked around and began making suggestions, "They have sensu fans, ukiyo-e picturing Mt. Fuji, and if you want something practical maybe a tenugui towel?"
Nanami seemed to consider all of these but couldn't make a decision.
"I guess other than having the Inn's name, the fan and the towel aren't that different from what you could get anywhere. I know, how about a charm?" Naegi suggested.
"A charm?" Nanami asked.
"There's a shrine nearby. We can get an omamori for Hinata-senpai," Naegi suggested.
Nanami liked the idea, but she was a bit confused. It seemed like they were skipping a relationship flags and Hinata wouldn't even be at the shrine. This wasn't anything like her games. But…it should be okay…I think, Nanami thought. She then asked, "Can we pray for Hinata-kun to get into the Main Course?"
"I don't see why not. I think Hinata-senpai would appreciate the support," Naegi said. When he had heard of Hinata's dream, Naegi wished him luck and said he looked forward to the day the Hinata reached his goal. Hinata seemed glad that someone believed that he could be an Ultimate at the time, but he seemed to be getting more and more discouraged as time went on. Naegi wasn't sure whether or not Hinata believed in a Higher Power, but figured that even if the older boy didn't, he'd appreciate the sentiment.
Once they had told Yukizome and Kizakura their plans, the two made their way to the shrine. They weren't really there that long, at least Nanami didn't think so, but she was happy. Naegi had been very helpful today and she appreciated his kindness. He gave her feeling similar to the one she got from Hinata. She couldn't help thinking this is what the characters in her games felt like when they were on the path to the good ending.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Twelfth Week of Classes-Monday
As much as she had enjoyed the trip, Nanami was happy to be back at Hope's Peak Academy. As much as she loved her classmates, things just didn't feel right if she couldn't see Hinata. She had been so happy to see him and to give him the gift she got him that she almost forgot to bring different games for them to play.
Hinata was happy to have Nanami back, but he wasn't sure what to make of her gift. The charm was innocent enough, at least for most people, but after a year in the Reserve Course and nothing, as far as Hinata was concerned, to show for it, Hinata's mind immediately went to some rather depressing places. What is this supposed to mean? That nothing short of divine intervention will get me into the Main Course? the darker parts of Hinata's mind wondered.
Nanami was blissfully unaware of what Hinata was thinking. She was just happy to be playing games with him again. What made her even happier was that Naegi had joined them today.
Naegi wondered if he was a third wheel. He knew he shouldn't, this wasn't a date between Nanami and Hinata. Naegi wasn't even sure if those two had that type of a relationship. Nanami was sweet, but this seemed to be uncharted territory for her, at least Naegi guessed from all the times Nanami mentioned flags. Hinata on the other hand, didn't really seem to be interested in that type of relationship. Naegi liked the older boy, but Naegi got the feeling that Hinata didn't much like himself. Naegi wanted to help, but he didn't want to mess up what the two already had. If anything were to happen, it would happen naturally.
Naegi wasn't sure why he was here. Nanami was insistent that he join her and Hinata today after classes ended. He supposed that he shouldn't complain, he was actually glad for a distraction. He had gotten approval to be a part of the Ultimate Mentor Program and he was nervous. Naegi liked kids, they usually liked him, but he still wasn't sure if he was cut out for teaching children. I'll find out Thursday, I guess, he told himself.
Hinata, who was having trouble focusing on the game in his hands, shut it off and directed a question at Naegi, "Nanami-san said that her gift was from the both of you?"
"Yes. Hinata-senpai, I don't know if you're a spiritual person or not, but we just wanted you to know that we believe in your goal of becoming an Ultimate. I hope you'll look at the charm and remember that," Naegi answered.
Oh, that's what it's for, Hianta thought as he felt guilty for doubting Nanami and Naegi. He should have known better, neither one of them was the type of person to mock him for his dream. He knew that, but that couldn't stop him from feeling insecure.
Seeing as how Hinata was the first to shift the topic away from games, Naegi turned to Nanami and said, "I'm glad you invited me, Senpai, I can't help worrying about Thursday and I'm grateful for any distraction I can get."
"What happens Thursday?" Hinata asked.
"I'm helping out at Hope's Peak Elementary as part of the Ultimate Mentor Program. I'm a little worried if I'll be any good at it," Naegi admitted.
"I didn't know there was a Hope's Peak Elementary," Nanami said.
"Me neither, but Yukizome-sensei told me that Hope's Peak Academy has an elementary and junior high program for younger children who are expected to be scouted by Hope's Peak Academy when they're old enough," Naegi explained.
Hinata scoffed mentally, Even I knew about that. Hinata couldn't help but feel angry that actual Ultimates didn't bother to find out more about Hope's Peak, while a Reserve Course Student like him knew almost all there was to know. Were they even serious about being Main Course Students?
"Elementary school students with Ultimate talents. Wish me luck on Thursday you two," Naegi said.
"You'll be fine, Naegi-kun. You were just fine with Owari-san's siblings," Nanami reminded him.
Hinata wished Naegi luck, but the sentence "Elementary school students with Ultimate talents." kept echoing in his head.
Hope's Peak Academy-Reserve Course School Building
Twelfth Week of Classes-Thursday
Hinata Hajime's mind was a confusing place.
Hinata was happy to be a student of Hope's Peak Academy, he really was, but he hated being in the Reserve Course. The school did not value him or the other students as actual students. The school valued their tuition money, but not the students themselves. In the back of his mind, Hinata knew this, but he was in denial. He would be an Ultimate one day. He absolutely would be. Then he would be good enough. Good enough for…well, best not to get ahead of himself, he figured.
As his mind wandered, he thought of the other Ultimate Student in his life now, Naegi Makoto. He seemed like a good guy. Hinata thought that if someone like Naegi could fit in with Ultimates, then he had a chance.
Of course, when he thought about Naegi, Hinata's mind went back to the last conversation he had had with the boy. "Elementary school students with Ultimate talents." If they've been prepping for Hope's Peak academy since childhood, does someone like me stand a chance? Hinata wondered. Now, it was odd that a high school student would see himself as competing with elementary school students, but the Reserve Course Students already felt inferior to their more talented peers, knowing that there were elementary and junior high students with Ultimate talents made it worse.
Hinata also remembered that Naegi asked both Nanami and Hinata to wish him luck for today. Hinata knew it was wrong but knowing that even Ultimates could feel insecure made him feel better about his situation. With only two years left to prove himself worthy of being an Ultimate, Hinata needed something to feel like he had made at least a little progress.
That didn't mean that he didn't feel guilty for feeling that way. Hinata knew Nanami and Naegi supported him and finding joy in the insecurities of either one was wrong.
He hoped that whatever Naegi's students were like, they were taking it easy on the younger boy. Maybe Hinata could alleviate his guilt by doing something for Naegi under the guise of celebrating the younger student's success. But what could a normal boy do for an Ultimate?
Hinata Hajime's mind was a confusing place.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Monday
"…and it was like an unwinnable battle from the RPGs. Naegi-kun was getting beaten up to protect Saionji-san, and Saionji-san said how brave he was. Hmm…if Saionji-san had short, spiky hair and Naegi-kun had black, spiky hair and maybe a giant sword it would have been like the ending of… No, there would need to be another guy, but still-," Nanami was busy singing Naegi's praises to Hinata after Saionji's experience the previous night.
Hinata was impressed with the younger boy, he couldn't deny that. "Naegi-kun always seems to show up when someone needs a hero," Hinata said. He remembered how Naegi had described himself as "absolutely average in every way." Hinata was tempted to ask Naegi what his definition of average was next time they saw each other. Hinata didn't think "average" meant what Naegi seemed to think it did.
"He does. He's always there when we need him," Nanami said. She was glad that Naegi was a member of her party.
"I guess he really is an Ultimate," Hinata said.
"It's not about being an Ultimate…I think? Every time something like this happens, Naegi-kun just says he's trying to help as best he can. He always says anyone could have done what he did," Nanami explained.
A darker part of Hinata's mind thought that was Naegi being arrogant for thinking that and Nanami was foolish for believing it. Did Ultimates think normal people were lazy? Was he lazy? Was he not trying hard enough? The more rational part of Hinata's mind realized that it was just Naegi being humble, but that didn't make Hinata feel better. If Naegi was as average as he claimed, what was the difference between him and Hinata? Hinata needed to know.
Nanami's mind was busy too. She was still trying to think of heroes to compare Naegi to. She didn't think her earlier comparison was the right one. And she also began to notice that comparing Saionji to the heroes' friends didn't bother her, when Nanami began comparing Saionji to the love interests, Nanami found herself very annoyed for some reason.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Twenty-First Week of Classes-Tuesday
The big "revelation" from Hope's Leaks came as no surprise to Hinata Hajime. In the back of his mind, he had always known that the Reserve Course was nothing but a way to finance hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak had promised normal people a chance to become Ultimates and it was all a lie.
Hinata wasn't sure what to think of feel about any of that. He knew he should have been depressed. He should have been pissed. He should have been a lot of things, but he just felt numb. He guessed it was because the news was so bad, and he had been in denial so long that he felt like this. All the money his family spent, all the time and effort he put in was for nothing.
Actually, he did feel something. I feel like such a fucking idiot. It was always so obvious. We were never going to be made Ultimates. Hinata's depressing train of thought was interrupted when he came close to the front gate and saw the crowd on the other side. So many of them were yelling at once that he couldn't make out what any of them were saying, but it was obvious that they were angry.
"Why do they hate hope?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Hinata looked and saw a tall boy, a Main Course Student he believed, with white hair, and a corpse-like pallor. He matched a description that Nanami had given him of one of her classmates, Komaeda Nagito.
"You are Komaeda-san, right? What do you mean? They're mad that the Reserve Course students have been taken advantage of," Hinata explained.
"This is Hope's Peak Academy, a place for the talented. This happened because the talentless trash believed that they could be the equals of Ultimates. But the talentless are what they have always been, stepping-stones for Ultimates. I may be a lowly Lucky Student, but I've always understood how it works. Your kind is used to make Ultimates shine even brighter. That 'help each other rise' business is the delusion of talentless and of Lucky Students who don't know their place," Komaeda ranted.
"But…" Hinata tried to argue, and he wanted to argue, but these were things he had always feared to be true, but he could never put these fears and these truths into words.
"I know about you, Hinata Hajime. You think yourself friends with Nanami-san and that uppity Lucky Student Naegi. If trash like Naegi wants to lower himself to associate with you, I could care less. But if you're going to take advantage of Nanami-san's kindness, don't taint her hope in the process. Though for the life of me, I can't understand why she wastes her time on you," Komaeda told Hinata.
Hinata found his voice. "I've never taken advantage of Nanami-san's kindness."
"Perhaps. But you do use your 'friendship' with her to inflate your own sense of self-worth. It doesn't matter in the end, I guess. Lines are being drawn and you can't be on her side. I think she knows it too," Komaeda warned, before he turned and left.
When he was alone again, Hinata fell to his knees. He didn't think it was possible, but he felt worse than he had felt earlier. It was as if Komaeda had looked into his very soul and confirmed all of Hinata's fears. Well, not all of them. Hinata didn't think Nanami or Naegi would end their friendship with him. To Hinata, with so much having gone wrong, that knowledge felt insignificant, but it was something. But Komaeda had planted a seed of doubt, and Hinata's friendship with Nanami and Naegi would never be the same because of it.
Later, as Naegi sat in the common area of the dorm, he saw that Nanami had come back to the dorm early. She should have been with Hinata at this time, Naegi was worried that something else had gone wrong.
"Nanami-senpai, you're back early," Naegi noted.
"Hinata-kun texted me and said he wasn't feeling well," Nanami told him. Naegi noticed something odd when Nanami told him that.
"You don't seem too upset about it."
"With everything going on, I'd say the wrong thing…I think. Hinata-kun seemed really upset yesterday. I can understand why…I think," Nanami explained.
Naegi nodded in understanding. "I've been afraid of the next time I hang out with the two of you because of everything that's been going on. Hinata-senpai really admires Hope's Peak Academy and my actions started all of this. I'm never going to think that I did the wrong thing, but I never imagined the fallout would be like this."
"You did the right thing…I thi-no, I know you did. Those children needed a hero, and you came to save them. That couldn't possibly be wrong. I'm sure Hinata-kun would agree," Nanami reassured Naegi.
Naegi nodded again. "Yeah. Hinata-senpai is a good person, he would understand."
After a few moments of silence, Nanami spoke again. "What do you think is going to happen now?"
"I wish I knew. I hope they don't shut us down," Naegi said.
That was Nanami's biggest fear. Without Hope's Peak, she'd have never met all of her wonderful friends. She'd have never met Hinata. She'd have never met Naegi. The thought of them going their separate ways like this terrified her. She didn't say that. Naegi felt bad enough already. She thought, at least.
Hope's Peak Academy-Courtyard
Twenty-Second Week of Classes-Tuesday
Naegi needed to clear his head, or so Nanami thought, so she had actually dragged him to her and Hinata's usual spot to hang out with them.
Naegi appreciated the gesture, he really did, but he couldn't focus on games today. He hadn't been able to focus on much for over a week. He knew it was bothering his friends as all of them had tried to cheer him up in their own way. He thought, at least. Tsumiki didn't get a chance to explain what she meant when she suggested she help him with some "relaxation techniques" before Ikusaba dragged her away.
He wished there was something he could do to fix all of this.
Hinata was also distracted today. He couldn't forget Komaeda's words no matter how hard her tried. Do Nanami-san and Naegi-kun really think of me as a friend, or am I some charity case or a form of entertainment? Are they laughing at how hard I'm trying behind my back? Hinata's dark thoughts had been affecting him a lot lately, blowing up at anything even slightly annoying. He hoped that his time with Nanami and Naegi would quell his fears and help him calm down a bit.
Nanami was determined to have fun today. Everything may have looked bad, but it would get better. It had to. And it would get better even if she had to force it to in any way she could. She turned on her game and hoped that going back to her usual routine with Hinata would be the first step in a return to normalcy.
Naegi was glad they switched benches, at least this way they weren't facing the front gate and the crowd behind it. Unfortunately, the crowd was loud enough that they could heard them.
"Thieves! Liars! Bastards!"
Naegi knew that those comments were aimed mostly at this mysterious Steering Committee, whoever they might have been, but without anyone identifiable to yell at, it still felt like the students and the innocent staff members were the targets of all the abuse.
The stress was really getting to Naegi. Naegi thought back to his first day. How he was in awe of Hope's Peak Academy. How he was looking forward to his school life here. How he was happy to meet his new friends. It hadn't always been easy, and it certainly wasn't normal, but his time at Hope's Peak were memories he would treasure forever. And now he felt like he had tainted everyone else's' memories and high school life. And it wasn't just at Hope's Peak Academy where he had caused problems.
"Honestly, it would have been better if I had just refused the invitation," Naegi said. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it had slipped out.
"What do you mean Naegi-kun?" Nanami asked.
"I've been at the center of everything that's happened at Hope's Peak this year. I shouldn't have accepted the invitation to come here," Naegi explained.
Before Nanami could argue with Naegi, Naegi was on the ground clutching his jaw. Hinata had hit Naegi with a right hook right when Naegi had finished talking.
"You little shit! Is this all a joke to you?" Hinata asked.
"Hinata-kun!" Nanami yelled, mortified at Hinata's actions and his words.
"What do you…?" Naegi began to ask.
"I've been busting my ass to become an Ultimate my whole life! My family took on outrageous amounts of debt to get me into the Reserve Course with the hope that one day, I could be a real Ultimate student and not some talentless nobody! You get handed a chance to become an Ultimate and now you say you wish you had refused to be one! Do you have any idea how that feels? To work so hard and to have nothing to show for it! To see someone else get what you wanted and say they don't want it!" Hinata ranted.
"Naegi-kun didn't say that!" Nanami argued.
"Of course, you'd defend him! When it comes down to it, Ultimates always stick together, normal like me be damned, right?" Hinata asked.
"That's not what she's trying to do! Do you even hear yourself!" Naegi argued as he got to his feet. Hinata being mad at him was one thing. Naegi actually wondered why more students weren't, although he was glad for it. But Nanami hadn't done anything wrong and now her friend had begun to hurl abuse at her and seemed ready to keep going and Naegi wasn't going to let that slide.
"Whatever. You two don't give a shit about people like me. Thanks to you, I and everyone else have lost the chance to go to be Ultimates of Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak's long history is ending because of you," Hinata said looking at Naegi in contempt before he stormed off.
Naegi didn't want to leave things like this. Hinata had misunderstood him completely. He wanted to sort things out but knew Hinata wasn't in a listening mood. Plus, there was someone right next to him who needed help.
Nanami eyes stung from her tears. Hinata, her closest friend had hit their friend, said those awful things to her, and stormed off. Once she felt Naegi embrace her, she began to cry harder.
"I'm so sorry, Nanami-senpai," Naegi whispered.
"It's not your fault," Nanami sobbed. She didn't blame Naegi, not one bit. She knew what Naegi was trying to say and that Hinata had taken it the wrong way. She blamed herself for this, she knew things were bad and that everyone was on edge, but she never thought that this would happen.
"This isn't your fault either. I don't know what Hinata-kun is going through right now but everything will be alright. I'll find a way to fix this for you. I will get your friend back," Naegi promised.
Nanami believed him, but that didn't stop her tears. Things weren't going back to how they were, that much was clear, but the return of Naegi's resolve, even if it was for that moment, gave Nanami hope.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Twenty-Fourth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Nanami had been going to the fountain for the past two weeks, but Hinata never came back. He never responded to her texts either. He had completely cut Nanami out of his life.
Naegi hated to see Nanami sad, but he thought approaching Hinata would make the situation worse. He had done his best to cheer Nanami up, but he knew that Nanami still missed Hinata. No amount of playing games with her would change that. Today, he was going to try another way to raise her spirits. It was an idea he got from a memory of something he helped Nanami with long ago. At least it feels long ago these days, Naegi thought as he finished up.
A few moments later, Nanami came in after waiting for Hinata to come back to the fountain. She plopped herself down on the couch in the common area and started playing the game she had planned to play with Hinata. Gala Omega 3. If Hinata wasn't going to come to the fountain, Nanami could at least remember the good times with him this way.
*Plink*
Nanami wasn't really able to focus on the game, otherwise she wouldn't have noticed the sound in front of her. Naegi had placed a plate of cookies in front of her. Before she was able to tell Naegi she wasn't hungry, she saw that each cookie had a design on it. Naegi had apparently put an image of every one of her favorite videogame characters on a sugar cookie.
"Don't spoil your appetite, Senpai. I made stupendous stew for dinner. I don't think everyone's favorite plumber would steer us wrong," Naegi said.
"These look so amazing! I almost don't want to eat them…I think," Nanami said as she smiled for the first time in two weeks.
"Don't let Owari-senpai hear you say that," Naegi joked. Naegi then got serious as he said, "Senpai, I know you're hurting. I promised to fix this for you, and I will. I think I need everything to calm down first though. I don't know what upset Hinata-senpai so much, but I think the stress of what's been happening is a big part of it. I wish I could fix that too, but I don't know how yet. I'm sorry. I know this isn't much, but it's what I can do right now."
"Naegi-kun…" Nanami was touched. Naegi hadn't forgotten his promise. She didn't think he had, but it was still sweet of him to reaffirm it like this.
"Nanami-senpai, I've fought with friends before. And my Otou-san taught me something important. 'Friendships are like people. They're born. They age. And, sadly, some die. The ones that don't die, the ones that you can fix, become stronger for it.' I found it really helpful. There's more but I think we can be forgiven for not heeding that part," Naegi told her.
"What was the rest?" Nanami asked.
"He said that 'No matter how long you wait for friendship to be restored, it won't happen if you don't take it back with your own hands.' I'll admit that's true and I know you've been trying to do that, but I still believe that the current situation being what it is, we need to the bigger problem needs resolved first. I know Hinata-senpai is worried about Hope's Peak. Until we all know what's going to happen to the school, I don't think Hinata-senpai is going to listen. Not to me anyway. I keep trying to think of what to do, but that's the answer I keep coming back to," Naegi explained.
"I understand. I think you're right, but it doesn't make it easier," Nanami said as she munched on a cookie. She knew Naegi was trying, she had heard him talking to himself a few times, trying to think of the best way to approach Hinata, but he always came back to the larger problems at the school.
"Everything will work out, Nanami-senpai. I don't know how yet, but I won't give up. I'll keep trying for you," Naegi told her.
Nanami blushed at that declaration. Have I been going down the "Naegi-kun Route" all along? Or is he the hero tripping my flags? Nanami wondered. She didn't have time to think about it before two familiar voices shouted, "Hey! Cookies!" Nanami looked at Naegi.
"They are for you. You can do whatever you want with them."
Nanami ended up sharing with Owari and Asahina. The sentiment meant more to her than the cookies anyway.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Sixth Week of Classes-Friday
Naegi sighed as the crowd dissipated. He had never felt so relieved in his life. He knew he was taking a risk in drawing their attention, but it had paid off. Once the Headmaster had taken control of the situation, Naegi felt that it was safe to relax.
"Naegi-kun!" Nanami called as she ran up to Naegi. She had been listening since the beginning. As worried as she had been, now, she couldn't help but believe that everything was going to be alright now. "You did it! You said you'd fix everything, and you did!" Nanami shouted as she tackled him in a hug.
Naegi hugged back before saying, "I wish I had fixed everything, but the Headmaster finished the job. I just set it up for him. More than that though, there's still one thing I need to do before everything is fixed."
Naegi looked around, hoping Hinata was close by. When he did manage to spot Hinata, Naegi grabbed Nanami's hand and ran over to the taller boy. "Hinata-senpai, about last time…"
Hinata acted like he hadn't heard Naegi as he turned and walked away. What Naegi and Nanami didn't know, was that Hinata had spent the past couple weeks feeling worse than they did. He had wanted to apologize, but his pride kept getting in the way, before it turned to shame of course.
What do I have to apologize for? Neither one of them knows what it's like to be a Reserve Course Student.
Why should I apologize? Naegi is the problem. He's some cruel joke the universe decided to play on me.
I'm not wrong! They don't know about any of my problems! My problems… My problems… I'm my biggest problem, aren't I?
"Hinata-kun!" Nanami shouted.
That stopped Hinata, but he didn't feel right about facing Nanami after his outburst, so he forced himself to keep walking.
"Hinata-kun…" Nanami said sadly.
"It will be okay, Nanami-senpai. We'll keep trying. Hinata-senpai will have to talk to us eventually. I believe that we can all play games together again very soon," Naegi said.
Nanami nodded. It hurt that Hinata hadn't stopped to talk to them, but if Naegi wasn't giving up then neither would she. But as much as she missed Hinata, she knew she would be handling it much worse if Naegi wasn't by her side.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Sixth Week of Classes-Saturday
Hinata entered his classroom just like he would any other Saturday only to find it empty.
Am I early? Hinata asked himself as he looked at the wall clock. He couldn't bring himself to look at his phone. He couldn't handle looking at all the messages from Nanami. It made him feel terrible that he hurt his friend the way he had. Once he calmed down, he knew he overreacted. Naegi wasn't trying to insult him, he had just thought that his presence had caused all the problems at the school. If Hinata was honest, it was better that all of the problems at Hope's Peak were dragged out in the open. Maybe now things would improve. He could only hope.
"There you are!" A familiar voice called as Kuzuryuu Natsumi grabbed Hinata by the shoulder of his uniform jacket and dragged him outside.
"W-what's going on?" Hinata asked.
"Classes were cancelled today. There's a huge announcement outside the Main Course Building and all the students are expected to attend," Natsumi said as she continued to drag Hinata.
"I can walk you know," Hinata reminded her.
"Fine, but you better not try to skip this. This might be what we've all been waiting for," Natsumi said, her voice full of hope.
"That'll be the day," Hinata mumbled. He wanted to believe too, but he wasn't going to hold his breath.
If Natsumi heard that, she didn't comment. Soon the two of them joined the crowd of students that were listening to Jin.
"The events of the past couple weeks have forced the staff of Hope's Peak Academy to face a few truths that for whatever reason, we believed we could ignore. First, to our students in the Reserve Course, I would like to offer my most sincere apology on behalf of myself and the school. You are not inferior; you are not talentless. It took one of our newest students to teach me that just because someone hasn't found their talent yet, doesn't mean that they don't have one. That's where we come in. Those of us on staff and your peers in the Main Course," Jin said. Hinata noticed Naegi next to Jin and saw the Headmaster acknowledge the younger boy when he said, "one of our newest students."
Hinata remembered Naegi's description of himself. "I'm absolutely average in every way." Hinata knew at the time that Naegi believed that, he might still believe it, but it wasn't true anymore. Hinata wasn't sure what you'd call it, but Naegi had found his talent. Perhaps he really was the…Ultimate Hope? Was that what the crowd called Naegi? Maybe he, Hinata Hajime really could find his talent too.
"The Ultimate Talent Development Plan will be broad at first. Reserve Course Students will form groups presided over by Ultimate Students. For example, our students with Ultimate Athletic Talents will work with students who wish to develop in that field. Now some of you may wonder if they're just going to train you to be their rivals. Well, I can't promise they won't," Jin paused as the students laughed. That was a good sign. "But I believe that by competing against each other you will all help each other grow."
"Another example would be our Ultimate Students with leadership abilities. Many of you have shown an aptitude for leadership. I have read your Senseis' notes on all of you. Perhaps that sounds intimidating, too many leaders in one place does sound bad. However, this will also be invaluable experience. You must have experience in defending your positions, persuading others, and when possible, compromise. I could go on, but I believe that you understand our goals with this. We promised we would make you the hope of the future, we will make good on that promise. If you're giving us a second chance, then we owe you that."
Jin continued for a while, but Hinata had heard all he needed to. He could mingle with Ultimates? He could have a talent? The past few weeks he believed that the chance for both of those was lost to him. The sad part was that he couldn't enjoy it. Nanami wasn't here to celebrate with him.
Once the students were dismissed, Hinata stood rooted to his spot, still feeling sorry for himself. He didn't even hear the footsteps behind him.
"Hinata-kun?" Nanami called.
"Huh?" Hinata asked as he came back to reality.
"Hi Hinata-senpai. I hope you enjoyed the announcement," Naegi said.
"I did. It's not exactly how I thought things would go, but it's definitely a start and I'm grateful for it," Hinata told the younger boy.
All three of them thought the same thing. This is awkward.
"Hinata-senpai…"
"Hinata-kun…"
"Naegi-kun. Nanami-san…"
"…I'm sorry!" they all shouted in unison.
"What are you two apologizing for? I'm the one who made an ass of himself," Hinata wondered.
"I should have known you were under a lot of stress. I was so busy feeling sorry for myself that I didn't notice you had your own problems," Naegi explained.
"I dragged you both to the fountain because I wanted things to go back to how they were. I was selfish…I think," Nanami said.
"…I'm really pathetic, aren't I? I punched Naegi-kun because I took what he said the wrong way and I insulted Nanami-san and now you both apologize to me? I really need to step up," Hinata said, feeling very small at the moment.
The awkward feeling returned, but it didn't last long as Naegi thought of a good way to let Hinata know there were no hard feelings.
"So...uh, are you going to work with Ogami-san for the Ultimate Talent Development Plan? That right hook is proof you'd do well," Naegi began.
"That's in really bad taste, don't you think, Naegi-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Not really. I'm the one who got hit," Naegi pointed out.
"Pfft! Hahahahahah!" All three of them couldn't help but laugh. They had made up, but things were still different. And that was okay. That had been Nanami's fear, that if things had changed, she'd lose her friends. But life wasn't like that, sometimes things don't turn out the way you expected. She had expected to go down the "Hinata Route," but the past few weeks had made her happy she had ended up with the "Naegi Ending." Hinata would always be her precious friend, but she thought that Hinata needed to learn to love who he was now before anyone could trip flags for his route. While she had been so focused on what she lost, Naegi had gone and tripped her relationship flags. Even though she didn't know how much things were going to change, she couldn't be happier.
Present
Sometimes your Player 2 isn't who you expected them to be, Nanami thought as she glanced at Naegi and blushed.
I'm glad Nanami-senpai and Hinata-senpai have made up. Hinata-senpai means so much to her, I'd hate to have been the reason it ended. Still, I wish I knew why it felt so awkward around Hinata-senpai, but I guess it's not easy to forget something like that, Naegi thought as he followed Nanami's instructions. He had to say, even a casual like him could feel like a pro with the guidance of the Ultimate Gamer.
Hinata looked at Naegi and Nanami and couldn't help feeling like a third wheel. Did Naegi-kun feel like this in the beginning? I know I have only myself to blame, but maybe…If I find my talent and can learn to be happy with who I am… Hinata thought.
Once Naegi had finished the game, in record time, for him at least, Nanami went to change the game card. When she came back, Naegi had disappeared.
"Naegi-kun? Where did he go?" Nanami said as she looked around frantically.
Hinata had noticed Naegi disappear, but he hadn't seen him leave. As he helped search for his friend, he found a clue. "Nanami-san, I think I know what happened," Hinata said as he held up a long, orange hair.
Naegi had barely registered that he had been moved from the bench as he felt himself being carried away. When he felt himself stop, he saw that he and his…kidnapper, he guessed, were in a rather picturesque, and rather secluded spot on school grounds.
"You are in a lot of trouble, my little rotten orange!" an angry Yukizome Chisa informed Naegi.
"S-sensei? Wha-what do you mean?" Naegi asked.
"I'll tell you what I mean! You…!" Chisa began.
Ah Makoto, what did you do to make Chisa mad at you? She was so eager to spend time with you in the first two chapters.
Well, you'll find out next time.
Sorry this took so long, I wanted to get it out sooner, but I had trouble balancing Chiaki and Hajime. Hopefully, I won't have that problem next time. Our favorite housekeeper is up next. I hope you'll look forward to it!
You might find this interesting, if you didn't already know, there actually is a recipe for the Stupendous Stew from Super Mario Odyssey.
/super-mario-odyssey-stupendous-stew/
There were others. Like Lava Soup from Oracle of Seasons among others.
Of course, like last time, we aren't finished with the chapter just yet. There are forces that mean Makoto harm out there, and now is the time to check in on another part of those forces.
Somewhere in Japan
Kirigiri Fuhito had seen better days. He wasn't sick or anything, but he wasn't anything like the proud man he once was. Bottles of sake and whatever else he could find to drown his troubles in where strewn about his private office.
His heir. He had lost his heir just like he had once lost his reputation. Both losses due to a man named Naegi. Naegi! He hated that name. Fuhito may not be able to do anything to the boy's grandfather, but he could still ruin the boy. But how?
As if to answer his question, his phone rang.
"Hello? Who is this?" Fuhito asked.
"…"
"What does MEXT want with me?" Fuhito asked.
"…"
"I despise that blasted school! Why should I help in any way?" Fuhito asked.
"…"
"Why should I find this person? Is he missing?"
"…"
"He isn't? This request is beneath me! You want me to find a person that isn't missing for a school I despise. So, the very obvious question I have is: Why?"
"…"
"Really now? Well, that's different," Fuhito said as he thought of the best way to approach the man he had been tasked to find. It appeared he would have his revenge sooner than he had ever expected.
Not the new enemy yet, but next time. Next time.
I'd love for a big reveal, but I'm guessing most of you already know who the enemy is. But if you could play some dramatic music when he shows up next time, I'd appreciate you humoring me like that.
Sorry that this chapter wasn't as long as the previous ones, I'll try to remedy that next time.
Until next time though, read and review and most of all, stay frosty!
Chapter Text
Chapter 19: Everyday Life with the (Former) Ultimate Housekeeper
Hello again ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages! wesst1 back again once again!
I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for this one! Makoto and Chisa! Forbidden love between teacher and student! Munakata left with nothing but his lotion and a closet to hide in!
Well alright, maybe not that last one, but I am a fan of this pairing. There are those I like better, but I do wish there was more of this one.
I'm just going to get this out of the way right now, I don't like Munakata or Sakakura, so don't expect a lot of good things to happen to them. Or at least don't expect a lot of good things to happen to them and last for long.
So, now that I've probably spoiled this chapter…on with the chapter.
Present Day
"…promised to have a picnic with me! You're late!" Yukizome scolded.
I did agree to that, I know that much. But what does she mean late, I…crap! Naegi thought as he looked at his phone to check the time. "I am running late. Sensei, I'm sorry I-" Naegi began before he felt a wave of killing intent hit him. "I-I mean, Chisa-chan, I didn't forget you! I really am running late!" Naegi could only hope that she was in a listening mood, Yukizome had a thing about people who didn't make time for her.
"I know. You made time for all the other girls. Reminiscing. A rescue. It looked like fun. I guess there's no room for me, is there?" Yukizome asked sadly as she began to trace circles on the ground. *Sniffle*
"Nononono! I know I lost track of time, but there's always room for you, Chisa-chan! Please don't cry! I'll make it up to you! I promise!" One would have thought Naegi would have known better than to make promises like that at Hope's Peak.
"Spread this blanket out next to that tree," Yukizome ordered as she pointed at a nearby tree.
"Of course!" Naegi did as he was told. She seemed to be letting him off easy.
"Now, sit against that tree."
"Sure, Chisa-chan!" Naegi had a pretty good idea of what she really wanted him to do.
Yukizome walked over to Naegi, sat down, and leaned against his chest while wrapping one of his arms around her. "I'd like to start with a sandwich," Yukizome told the student.
"A-anything for you, Chisa-chan," Naegi stammered. Yukizome had wrapped Naegi's arm around herself in such a way that her breasts were right on top of his arm. Once Naegi calmed down, he started to feed the woman who was snuggling into him. Naegi was willing to do a lot for people, but even he knew how bad this would be if the Headmaster or the public found out. The last thing he wanted to do was make trouble for Yukizome. Well, I don't mind spoiling her a little. Although I guess this is a lot. She does deserve it though. She works so hard for us and never asks for much in return, Naegi thought. Teacher or not, Yukizome was his friend too. He and the students had always considered her to be one of them.
I'm so happy! Makoto-kun is feeding me! Calm down, Chisa. Be careful not to let anyone find out about this. Ahhh! I've always wanted to do this with the man of my dreams! I used to think it would be… No, forget it! He wasn't who you thought he was! Chisa mentally scolded herself as she shook her head.
Naegi felt the movement and asked, "Is everything okay, Chisa-chan?"
"Everything is fine. Just remembering some things. But I'm okay. I'm okay because you're here," Yukizome whispered that last part, but due to their proximity, Naegi heard it.
He knew what she was remembering. Because Yukizome never asked for things in return for all she did, it was easy for some people to take her for granted. Especially if said people were particularly ambitious. I wish that had been the only uncomfortable truth she had to face. Sometimes the people you put your faith in just aren't who you thought they were, Naegi thought, remembering the events that led him here.
In order to clear her mind, Yukizome had decided to recall those events too. Makoto-kun may spread himself too thin, but he'd never lose sight of what, or who, is important. Although it is hard when everyone is important to him.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
First Day
Once everyone had settled in, Yukizome found a spot where she could be alone and made a call. She always looked forward to speaking to Munakata Kyosuke, she had been carrying a torch for him since their time as students.
The former Ultimate Student Council President was a very serious man. Upon graduating from Hope's Peak Academy, he set his sights on the Headmaster's chair. To reach this goal, he would attempt to root out the problems at Hope's Peak Academy, the Steering Committee. To do that, he had asked his former classmates, Sakakura Juzo and Yukizome Chisa to take positions at the school. They would work together to find information as well as potential staff for the overseas branch of Hope's Peak that Munakata was starting.
While Sakakura made it a point to remember his true purpose as head of security, Yukizome had enjoyed her time with Class 77-B and that wasn't going to change any time soon. It may not have been part of the plan, but she was the teacher of Class 77-B and she loved it and her students.
*Click* "Yukizome." Not exactly the warmest greeting, but Yukizome knew that Munakata was probably just focused on his work.
"Kyosuke-kun, can't you at least call me Chisa on the phone?" Yukizome asked.
*Sigh* "Status report, Yukizome." Straight to business, as always.
Yukizome pouted, not that Munakata could see, but complied. "Class 78 has arrived, and they seem like an interesting bunch of kids."
"Yes, I looked over their talents. A few celebrities, the Kirigiri Jin's daughter, the young programmer who made a splash recently. And of course, the Headmaster insists on continuing that lottery." Munakata spat that last part, clearly, he didn't much care for the title of Ultimate Lucky Students.
"There's actually a funny story about that! See, when we were dividing up the students for dorm assignments…"
Munakata cut her off. "I'm sure it's hilarious, but I already know how troublesome Lucky Students can be. Anyone with any involvement with Hope's Peak is familiar with Komaeda Nagito's escapades."
Yukizome was annoyed that Munakata didn't listen but hid it as best she could. "This is different though. Naegi-kun…"
"Yukizome, don't forget what it is we're trying to do. Anything else is a distraction. Now if that's all, I need to get back to work. Good-bye." *Click* Munakata hung up.
Yukizome was not happy. Not that it would make a difference now, but Yukizome continued talking as though Munakata was still on the other end. "You won't believe it. An oversight by Kizakura-sensei has led to a boy being put in the girls' dorm that I'm in charge of. Huh? No, he seems harmless enough. The girls and I gave him warnings, but I don't think we need to worry. How has your day been going? … *sigh* Same as always, right? No time for anyone else," Yukizome finished as she pulled her phone away from her ear. She took a minute to glare at her phone, as though that action would get her message across to Munakata. This wasn't how she had imagined her life going. She imagined settling down with her high school sweetheart and starting a family. She enjoyed her job at Hope's Peak, she wouldn't complain about that, but her relationship with Munakata didn't sync up with her fantasies.
He's hard at work. It will change once the overseas branch is set up. He'll have more time then, Yukizome told herself. That belief was what kept her content with her relationship, such as it was.
Yukizome decided to make some rounds around the dorm to calm herself down. She saw Naegi outside with Maizono and managed to pick up what was being said. Naegi thought that they hated him, Yukizome decided that she would have to clear that up soon. Until then, Maizono had done a good job of comforting him. Yukizome couldn't help but envy how close those two seemed to be. She really envied how they listened to each other.
Yukizome had thought that once she graduated, she wouldn't feel jealous of high school girls anymore. As she would soon discover, this year would prove that she was mistaken.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fifth Week of Classes-Sunday
Yukizome had hoped that perhaps a good night's sleep would have helped Mioda bounce back after what had happened at Black Box. Unfortunately, that hadn't happened and Mioda had seemed even more depressed this morning.
Yukizome hated when one of her students was unhappy. Yukizome hoped she never had to learn the pain Mioda was feeling right now, finding out your friends weren't who you thought they were is always a terrible experience. Yukizome felt she shared some of the blame, she had learned that Black Box was a hipster club after Naegi and Saionji had brought Mioda home last night. She had a feeling, but she wanted to believe that things would work out. I should have suggested some other place. Maybe the Titty Typhoon, although I don't want my students near a club that doubles as a dive bar, Yukizome thought.
She shook her head. This wouldn't help Mioda. She had to think of a way to cheer up her student.
"Y-yukizome-sensei?" a timid voice called.
"Hmm? Oh, Tsumiki-san. Naegi-kun? Do you need me for something?" Yukizome asked.
"Well Sensei, it's about Mioda-senpai," Naegi began.
"Is she any better, Naegi-kun?" Yukizome hated to admit it, but there had been things she had to take care of today and thus had little insight into Mioda's current condition.
"Not really, Sensei. That's why we're here. Tsumiki-senpai told me you know how to play guitar. Do you still play?" Naegi asked.
"I don't play regularly, but I practice every now and then. It helps me connect with Mioda-san. Why?" Yukizome asked.
"I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me put on another concert. The kind Mioda-senpai wanted. With her songs and all her friends. Her real friends," Naegi told her.
"I like the idea Naegi-kun, but you can't have concert with just me playing. Mioda-san could pull it off, but I can't," Yukizome reminded him.
"I know. That's why I'll be on the drums. Just like Mioda-senpai suggested."
"I-I like the idea too, b-but what about her songs? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to suggest there was something wrong with your idea!" Tsumiki shouted.
"I've got that covered too," Naegi said as he pulled some folded-up papers out of his pocket. Sheet music for Mioda's songs, Yukizome and Tsumiki realized once the sheets were unfolded.
Yukizome smiled. "You really thought this through, Naegi-kun. My little rotten oranges are lucky to have such a sweet, caring kōhai! Now, I assume you have time to practice?"
"I can be ready as soon as you are, Sensei," Naegi said, full of determination. This would work. Mioda would respond if they used music.
"I'll meet you in the Music Room in the Old Building in half an hour," Yukizome told him with a smile. Yukizome didn't know Naegi had a side like this, but she enjoyed seeing it. Something about Naegi as he was right now made Yukizome believe that everything would be alright.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Tuesday
The whole school was shaken by what had happened. An attempt had been made on the life of the Ultimate Princess, Sonia Nevermind. While everyone admired her ability to remain composed during this time, not many were able to emulate it and thus tried to find ways to cope.
Yukizome thought that hearing Munakata's voice would help her calm down, and so, she decided to call him.
*Click* "Hello Yukizome," came Munakata's voice.
"Kyosuke, someone tried to kill one of my students today," Yukizome told him.
Anyone with ears would have picked up on how upset Yukizome was. Munakata must have had a bad connection, or at least that was Yukizome's explanation for what he said next. "How is the school planning to deal with it?"
"Well, Sonia-san is going to continue attending class, even though we've given her permission to not attend until the sniper is caught. The Novoselic and Japanese government are investigating right now, or at least that was the impression the Headmaster got from the Ambassador," Yukizome explained.
"Will Kirigiri be putting out a statement?" Munakata asked.
"I don't know! Kyosuke, one of my students is in danger! What am I going to do?" Yukizome asked on the verge of tears. Munakata's attitude was taking its toll on Yukizome.
"Continue to gather information. If the girl isn't worried, I see no reason that you need to worry." *Click* He had hung up.
"Rrrrrrr!" Yukizome growled as she tried to strangle her phone. Kyosuke, that wasn't what I wanted you to tell me! Can't you understand how I feel? Yukizome tried to see things from Munakata's perspective, he wasn't here, he hadn't bonded with Yukizome's students. But did he have to be so cold? Yukizome threw her phone of to the side in disgust. He'll get better after the overseas branch is done, she told herself. Although she was beginning to believe that if Munakata got better it was only because he couldn't get worse.
"Here you go, Sensei. You look like you could use this," a male voice said.
"Hmm?" Yukizome saw that Naegi had placed a cup of tea in front of her.
"Tea always helps me calm down. It's ready to go for whoever wants some, but you look like you need it the most right now," Naegi explained.
"What about Sonia-san?" Yukizome asked.
"She says she's fine, but I could tell how upset she is. I suggested she get some rest until dinner. Between what happened and forcing herself to remain so composed, she's probably exhausted," Naegi told Yukizome.
"Did anyone check her room?" Yukizome asked.
"Ikusaba-san checked it for anything dangerous. It seems no one snuck in and rigged the dorm to explode, so we can relax a little bit." Naegi tried to force himself to laugh, but it betrayed how worried he was.
"That wasn't what I meant but that is reassuring," Yukizome said as she took a sip of tea. "This is delicious, Naegi-kun."
"Thank you," Naegi said. After a brief silence, Naegi asked, "Yukizome-sensei, are you okay?"
"W-what do you mean? I'm not the one who…the one who could have…" Yukizome couldn't say it.
"Sensei, I can see how much your students mean to you. Of course, you'd be worried. I might not be much, but if there's anything I can do, please let me know. I'll do what I can to keep Sonia-senpai safe, but if there's anything else I can do to give you peace of mind, I'll do it if I can." Naegi's eyes were full of the same determination that Yukizome saw when he asked for her help in cheering up Mioda.
"I think you've already done it, Naegi-kun," Yukizome told him. She felt better about Sonia now. She believed that the boy in front of her would keep her student safe. Yukizome was tempted to tell Naegi other things, but she didn't want to complain about her relationship to a student, even if she did believe that Naegi could understand. For now, Yukizome was content with this, although she was a little jealous that Sonia had a knight in a green hoodie while Yukizome's knight in shining armor was losing his luster.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm Common Area
Tenth Week of Classes-Tuesday
"What's it like being the teacher of a princess?"
"How has Princess Sonia been coping since the hostage situation?"
"Is there anything between her and the boy that saved her?"
"Is it true that he went back to class the day after being shot?"
"What's the most annoying question you've gotten all day?"
Okay, Yukizome had made that last one up, but that was the only question she would have given an answer to.
Considering they kept asking the same questions over and over? All of them, Yukizome thought as she laid on the couch. She had made the mistake of going to the front gate to try to reason with the reporters, asking them to quit harassing the students with questions that had already been answered. Clearly that was a mistake as they had just directed their questions at her. Thankfully, security came to her rescue and she managed to get away, but the questions kept echoing in her mind. She'd have to get Sakakura something nice for putting up with the press if he managed to keep from threatening them.
Yukizome was exhausted and her head was pounding, but she pulled out her phone to call Munakata, hoping that hearing him might help her feel better. Before she could, however, a blanket covered her and a voice said, "If you're tired Sensei, I can wake you up for dinner. There's not much else I'm allowed to do around here."
"Hmm?" Yukizome looked to see Naegi standing near the couch.
"You look tired. And I heard about your experience with the press. I, uh, I learned how exhausting that can be," Naegi said. A moment later, Naegi continued. "For what it's worth, I am sorry about all this. Not about helping Sonia-senpai, but for all the attention it attracted. I know it's getting on everyone's nerves."
"Naegi-kun, you did the right thing. And this isn't your fault either. The press would be here whether you were a hero or a hostage," Yukizome reassured him.
"I guess that's true," Naegi said as he rubbed the back of his head. He was still embarrassed about the "hero" part. He didn't do anything anyone that great. He bought them more time, but he still almost got himself killed.
"I will take you up on your offer though," Yukizome said as she rolled to her side and got comfortable. She managed to fall asleep right away, completely forgetting her desire to call Munakata. When she remembered later, she found that she was glad that she hadn't called him. She was finding Naegi's presence more relaxing than Munakata's voice lately anyway.
Eleventh Week of Classes-Wednesday
Minato Inn
Yukizome Chisa could usually keep herself composed in most situations. One didn't survive long at Hope's Peak Academy if they couldn't. That was being tested tonight.
She found Munakata's number in her contacts and as soon as he picked up, she yelled, "Kyosuke, I lost kids!"
"You lost students? Yukizome, you're too lenient with them. Just because you aren't at Hope's Peak…"
"NO! One of my students brought her brothers and sisters and two of the younger ones are missing!" Yukizome yelled. She didn't know what bothered her more, Munakata's lack of sympathy or that he had automatically assumed it was her fault.
"Why did she bring her family?" Munakata asked.
"They don't have anyone else to look after them. She checks up on them every weekend and brought them here since she couldn't get home this weekend," Yukizome explained.
"Then she should be the one watching them. It sounds like they can take care of themselves just fine without Hope's Peak staff worrying about them," Kyosuke told her.
"You know what? Never mind!" Yukizome yelled as she hung up.
As soon as she heard that the guests and the inn staff were forming search parties, she went to join only for Naegi and Owari to return with the lost children. While that helped Yukizome calm down a bit, she still couldn't relax. A child had returned covered in scrapes and scratches. She tried to calm herself down with a drink after Tsumiki patched up Ataru.
"Yukizome-sensei, are you alright?"
"Oh, Naegi-kun. Thank you for helping Owari-san and her family. I'm sorry that I let this happen," Yukizome apologized.
"You let it happen? Sensei, that's not true at all. Owari-senpai and I were supposed to be watching them. They're our responsibility. You didn't do anything wrong," Naegi argued.
"Still, I…" Yukizome began.
"Sensei, you're too young to take on so much responsibility, teacher or not. You watch us and we'll watch the children. Deal?" Naegi asked.
Doki! Yukizome was beginning to understand why the girls kept falling for Naegi. He had known exactly what to say and had complimented her in the process.
"Are you sure you're okay? Sonia-senpai said she heard you yelling earlier." Naegi explained.
"Oh that…I went to someone for help and he just kept saying the wrong thing," Yukizome said, the memory of her last conversation with Kyosuke left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Was it Kizakura-sensei? I know he's been drinking a lot," Naegi wondered.
"Hahaha, no, it was a friend from my class. He hasn't been very understanding lately," Yukizome admitted.
"If you want to talk, I'm here. Unless it's too personal," Naegi offered.
"I appreciate that Naegi-kun, but as a teacher, I shouldn't burden a student with my problems," Yukiaome said.
"Sensei, we aren't at school and if my math is right being a part of Class 74 means there's only four years of difference between us. We'd probably look like friends confiding in one another. And I can keep secrets, I promise!" Naegi coaxed.
We might look like a lot of things if a stranger walked in. Especially if you keep being so sweet, Yukizome thought as she felt her face heat up. "Thank you Naegi-kun, but I promise I'm alright. I'm sure everything will work out. I probably just caught him at a bad time," Yukizome told him. She believed that, but she was getting tired of giving Munakata chances.
"Well, alright. I can't force you. Just remember, I'm more than happy to help if you think I can. You're always helping us, Sensei. Don't be afraid to let us return the favor. I'm going to make sure the kids are alright and then I'm heading to bed myself. Good night!" Naegi said as he excused himself.
"Good night, Naegi-kun," Yukizome called. When she herself fell asleep, she dreamed of her future. The man in her dreams who until now had been Munakata, now had his face covered in shadow. He also seemed shorter and his hair was darker. Yukizome had a hard time looking Naegi in the eye the rest of the trip.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Fourteenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Yukizome had waited until all of her students fell asleep before she put her plan into motion. Her conversation with Naegi was still fresh in her mind. She didn't think Naegi would suggest children were being abused without a good reason.
It had been a while since she had done any late-night espionage, but this was certainly a worthy cause. After donning her catsuit and a mask for good measure, Yukizome opened the window to her room and jumped to the ground.
"Brrr!" Maybe such a thin outfit was a bad idea on such an unseasonably cold night. To make matters worse a light came on in the dorm's kitchen window. Someone was awake and they heard her.
"Whoever you are, leave now or I will call security!" Naegi's voice yelled.
"W-wait Naegi-kun, It's me!" Yukizome shouted as she took off her mask.
"Yukizome-sensei? Why are you dressed like a ninja?" Naegi asked before he averted his eyes. Yukizome's outfit left nothing to the imagination and the cold called attention to parts of her body Naegi knew he should not stare at.
"I wanted to help. I thought I could find something to help your students," Yukizome answered.
"Do you know where to start looking?" Naegi asked.
"I thought maybe I could find something to help in the main building. At the very least I could find out where the kids live and go from there," Yukizome explained.
"Sensei, I'm happy you want to help, but I don't want you to take any risks if you don't have to. I couldn't live with myself if you put yourself in danger because for me. You'd be breaking and entering for evidence that would be illegal and then you'd get in trouble," Naegi told her.
"I know. I just…" I just want to show that I can help you. Yukizome had no idea why she thought that. Why would she want to show Naegi that she could be useful to him?
"I know you want to help. Just knowing you want to help this much means so much to me. And I'm sure the children would say the same if they knew. But don't worry, the chance to help them will come, I'm sure of it. I'll find a way to save them, one that won't put you or anyone else I care about at risk!" Naegi said, determination burning in his eyes.
Doki Doki!
Yukizome clutched her chest as her heart beat wildly again. Naegi knew just what to say to a woman, she had to admit. Huh? Oh! No wonder Naegi-kun can't look at me, Yukizome said as she realized just how hard her nipples were and just how thin her outfit was. Wait… Naegi-kun must have… "KYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Yukizome shrieked as she covered her breasts with her hands. Luckily for her, the buildings were soundproof.
Hope's Peak Academy-Faculty Lounge
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Monday
The previous evening had been hard on Yukizome. One of her students had almost been raped, kidnapped, and then sold into sexual slavery. Thankfully, none of those had come to pass as Naegi had managed to save the young dancer. Unfortunately, talk of the events of last night had dominated her class today and Yukizome couldn't help but think that it was some sort of punishment for not reigning in her student earlier.
Yukizome, of course, felt terrible for making Saionji's experience the previous night about herself, but Yukizome couldn't help but think that if she had gotten Saionji to behave sooner, much of what had happened could have been avoided. Instead, Saionji's behavior had escalated to such a point that Naegi took matters into his own hands, leading Saionji's most recent targets to voice their grievances. Prideful as she was, Saionji couldn't accept that maybe her pranks had been dangerous and mean-spirited, which led to her avoiding her friends.
Yukizome had recounted all of this to Sakakura along with her own fears of her failings as a teacher. The response was not what she wanted to hear.
"School needs to keep these fuckers on a tighter leash. These kids are out of control," Sakakura said.
Yukizome looked like she had been slapped when Sakakura said that. "What is that supposed to mean? Teenagers act out. Teenagers get in trouble. It's my job as a teacher to-" Yukizome began.
"Our job is to help Munakata become headmaster! Our 'jobs' here are cover and the students are just a distraction. The students can fuck up all they want as long as it doesn't damage the school's reputation. That makes what Munakata is trying to do harder," Sakakura reminded her coldly.
"I didn't forget that or anything, but as long as I'm here, I can help the students. That is part of why Kyosuke-kun wants to do this isn't it?" Yukizome asked. Before this, that question would have been rhetorical, but now she really did want an answer. Weren't they trying to help the school and the students?
"If you can do both, go right ahead. Just don't forget why we came back to the school. And keep those brats under control, last thing we need is a scandal to make our job harder," Sakakura said as he left the room.
Yukizome wanted to respond but she couldn't think of a response. How did one respond to that? "We're here to help the school, screw the students." How did that work? Didn't Munakata and Sakakura want to help the school? That had been what she believed.
Maybe he just had a bad day. It's possible he just misspoke. It wasn't the first time that Sakakura and Yukizome had butted heads on the students, but Yukizome had never heard Sakakura speak of the students like that.
Still, Yukizome wouldn't be deterred. She would help Munakata and be the teacher her little rotten oranges deserved. She didn't need to choose.
"Yukizome-sensei?"
"Huh? Oh Naegi-kun, how are you feeling?" Yukizome asked as she took in her surroundings. She must have left the faculty lounge without realizing it. It looked like she hadn't gotten very far, she appeared to be in a hallway.
"I'm fine. Between the hospital and Kimura-senpai and Tsumiki-senpai when I got back, I feel great. I wish I had been able to go to Hope's Peak Elementary today though," Naegi told her.
"Your students mean a lot to you, don't they?" Yukizome asked.
"They do. Even if I wasn't worried about their home lives, I want to be there. They're a great bunch of kids," Naegi answered.
Yukizome smiled, and then a thought struck her. She thought that it was odd to ask a student this question, but Naegi always seemed to know the right thing to do or say. "Naegi-kun, if you had to choose between your students and your friends, what would you choose?" Yukizome asked.
"I'm not sure I understand the question, Sensei. I can't think of a scenario where I would need to pick one over the other or where my friends would make me choose," Naegi responded.
I wish I was that lucky, Yukizome thought. "I guess it didn't make much sense. Your friends are good people," she declared.
"Of course, they are. A lot of them are your students. And you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. You've did a great job teaching them," Naegi declared.
Doki Doki!
Yukizome's face turned scarlet before she said, "T-thank you, Naegi-kun. It means a lot that you think so."
"It's true though," Naegi said. Checking remembering what he was doing, Naegi said, "I had better get back to class, I see you later, Sensei!"
"Study hard, Naegi-kun," Yukizome called after him. Yukizome wished she hadn't asked Naegi that question. He gave the only answer he could give; it wasn't his fault that Yukizome was learning uncomfortable things about her own friends. She was sure there was a reason Sakakura and Munakata were acting so coldly when she mentioned the students. They were good people, so the must care at least a bit about the students of their alma mater. She didn't need to choose between her students and her friends.
She really hoped she wouldn't need to choose. She wasn't as sure of her answer as she used to be.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Yukizome knew very well that when she started teaching at Hope's Peak Academy, she would be dealing with a great deal of stress. As much as she loved her students, she knew just how stressful being the homeroom teacher of Class 77-B was. She thought they were the wildest students Hope's Peak would ever see and that things could only calm down going forward. Although Class 78 was better behaved most of the time, they had their moments. After watching the news this morning and hearing about what had happened at the docks, the first thing Yukizome did was check on Celes and Naegi. Thankfully they were okay.
Yukizome couldn't remember the last time she was glad that she didn't have to teach but today was certainly one of those days. Between the wall her students had destroyed yesterday and Celes's and Naegi's experience last night, she needed a break. Once she had inspected the repairs her students had made to the main building, Yukizome headed back to the dorm to try to squeeze in a quick nap. The wind picked up just as she had reached the door of the dorm and that was when she saw it…
The wind had blown her ponytail into her peripheral vision and there was no mistake, Yukizome saw a gray hair.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she shrieked.
"Sensei! What's wrong?" Naegi asked as he rushed to check on Yukizome.
"I *hic* I *hic* I'm getting gray hair!" Yukizome wailed as she tried not to cry.
Naegi took a good look at Yukizome and asked, "Where?"
"In my ponytail!" she whined.
"Sit down, let me see," Naegi said as he guided her to a nearby couch in the common area. "May I?" Naegi asked.
Yukizome nodded sadly as Naegi examined her hair.
"Oh, I see it. Sensei, the best way to treat this is to wash your hair," Naegi said seriously.
"What will that do?" Yukizome asked annoyed. Washing her hair wouldn't get rid of a gray one.
"It will get the paint out. Feel it. It's sticky. It's still a bit wet, see?" Naegi asked as he held out one of his fingers.
Yukizome saw that he was telling the truth, on Naegi's finger was a smudge the same color as her gray hair. Which now that she got a closer look, was the same color as the wall her students had to repaint. "Hahahahah!" Yukizome laughed as relief filled her.
"I know we aren't easy to deal with Sensei. I'll try to talk to the others about it. But you don't need to worry. Your hair, just like you, is still young and beautiful and will be for a long time," Naegi told her.
Doki Doki!
Yukizome couldn't help herself this time and acted on the feeling in her chest.
She kissed him.
She kissed a student.
Not on the lips, but on the forehead. But once she realized what she had done she panicked.
"N-naegi-kun, I…"
"I'm glad you feel better, Sensei," Naegi said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Yukizome relaxed a bit. Naegi wasn't making a big deal out of it and none of the girls or staff saw.
"You were just happy; it wasn't a big deal. It's not the first time that's happened," Naegi explained.
"It isn't?" Yukizome's mood soured when she heard that. Was she jealous that other girls had kissed Naegi?
"My sister does that whenever I help her 'avoid a crisis.' Then she acts like she poisoned herself. I'd rather help you, at least you aren't acting like kissing me because your relief overpowered your self-control is the end of the world," Naegi said.
Doki Doki!
What does that mean? Is he attracted to-? No, he was making a joke, Yukizome was a little disappointed at that realization, but hid it well.
"Thank you, Naegi-kun," Yukizome said.
"You're welcome, Sensei. Any time you need me, I'll be happy to help. I won't ask for one, but I wouldn't say no to another reward," Naegi said only half-jokingly. The truth was, he woulnd't have minded at all.
Yukizome turned red, playfully smacked his shoulder and said, "Students shouldn't flirt with teachers!" She managed to convey authority, playfully at least.
"I'll wait until I graduate then, oh Goddess of Hope's Peak Academy," Naegi replied.
Doki Doki!
"Maybe you can, but I don't think I can," Yukizome mumbled to herself as she turned red from Naegi's new title for her.
"What was that last part?" Naegi asked, once again serious.
"Nothing!" Yukizome squeaked.
Hope's Peak Academy-Gekkogahara's Office
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Friday
After Pekoyama's attempt at seppuku, Yukizome had ordered her to see Gekkogahara for therapy. However, Pekoyama was not the only new patient Gekkogahara was seeing this week.
"… My student tried to kill herself. I don't know what I would have done if Naegi-kun hadn't stopped her. The worst part is, I didn't know how serious she was about doing it. I thought it was enough to keep weapons out of her room. I didn't think she'd try in someone else's room. Does that make me a failure as a teacher? Am I able to protect my students?" Yukizome asked. She was still pretty shaken up by the whole ordeal.
"I don't think it does. From what you've told me, you and the others tried to do everything right. All we can ever really do is our best. Sometimes that's not always enough and people find ways to harm themselves. It's unfortunate, but it's true. We were all lucky that Naegi-kun was there," Usami answered.
"He always is," Yukizome said with a dreamy smile.
"What are your thoughts on Naegi-kun?" Gekkogahara had Usami ask.
"He's wonderful! He's always trying to help everyone. When he's determined to help, he gets this look in his eye and it's just… A-anyway, my students have improved a lot since meeting him. Perhaps not academically, but there were always things they wouldn't tell me about. Things I wasn't able to help them with. They opened up to him and now they seem so much happier!" Yukizome exclaimed.
"Go on," Usami urged.
"And he takes excellent care of things around the dorm. It's so nice to have someone taking care of me for a change. I have much more free time these days thanks to him. I wish he was here more than three years; I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to how I expected things to be. He's perfect," Yukizome finished.
"I thought you'd say that," Usami noted.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you realize that you haven't mentioned Munakata-san once in our entire session? You've begun talking about Naegi-kun the way you used to talk about Munakata-san," Usami pointed out.
"W-well, Kyosuke has been busy and he hasn't really…" Yukizome struggled to find a way to put the next part of that statement.
"Had time for you?" Usami offered.
"That and he's been dismissive. Sakakura has too, now that I think about it. I know Kyosuke is busy and security is a rough and thankless job, so I don't want to be too hard on Sakakura either, it's just I wish they'd be a little more supportive. More…" Yukizome tried to think of her next words.
"More like Naegi-kun?" Usami asked.
"Yes. I-I mean no! I mean… Gekkogahara-san, what's happening to me?" Yukizome asked.
"As a teacher, you really shouldn't be attracted to students. As one young woman to another, I sympathize with you. Naegi-kun is very sweet. There is definitely more to him than meets the eye. He's a real cutie too!" Usami gushed.
"Gekkogahara-san! This is serious, I could lose my job for this!" Yukizome cried.
"I won't tell. It's all moot anyway, Naegi-kun believes, and I agree, that it would cause a lot of problems for the school if he dated while a resident of the girls' dorm and judging by the progress, or lack of it, which I assume is due to the luck of another Lucky Student, with fixing up the damaged rooms at the boys' dorm, Naegi-kun is probably going to be with you through for the rest of his time here," Usami told Yukizome.
Yukizome forgot about the boys' dorm. They had forgot that Naegi's stay with them was always meant to be temporary. If there was ever space for him with the boys, he would have to move in with them. What would he do once that happened? He had an ever-growing list of female admirers he could date.
Clench
Yukizome's heart ached at the thought of Naegi dating anyone. Anyone who wasn't her, at least.
"It's because…because he and Kyosuke are so similar!" Yukizome concluded.
"…How?" Gekkogahara didn't see it and doubted anyone else would.
"Kyosuke wants to help Hope's Peak too! He can be kind! He's sacrificing a lot for the sake of the school and all of its students! He and Naegi-kun would get along great," Yukizome concluded.
"If you say so," Usami responded. Gekkogahara didn't know Munakata Kyosuke as well as Yukizome did, but she remembered him as an ambitious man, not at all like the humble, Lucky Student of Class 78. Maybe Yukizome just saw something no one else did. She had been infatuated with Munakata for quite some time, after all. Whether or not those good points existed, it wasn't Gekkogahara's place to say.
"I'm sure I'm just missing being with Kyosuke. If I see him again, I'm sure everything will go back to normal for me," Yukizome said.
"If you think that will help. I believe that's all the time we have today though," Usami said.
"Thank you for your time, Gekkogahara-san," Yukizome said before she left the office. I'm not attracted to a student. I'm just seeing Kyosuke in Naegi-kun. I'm sure of it. I mean anyone would, they both… despite the similarities she had given Gekkogahara, Yukizome realized that she couldn't think anything other than Munakata's vague goals to compare the two. She had many specific instances of Naegi helping the school and the students simply because they were his friends or because it was the right thing to do to choose from. Munakata however, she really wasn't sure what specific steps he had taken to help the school or students.
It's because he keeps our conversations short. Next time I see him, I'm sure he'll have a whole list of ways he's helped everyone! Yukizome told herself. She couldn't help noticing that she had to force herself to believe that.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Naegi Makoto was not well. Physically he was fine. Mentally, not so much.
It had started already. The media frenzy that he knew was coming the moment he made a move to help his students. He'd have to find a way to visit them today, but he right now he didn't feel up to it.
Naegi didn't know why this didn't bother him last night. He assumed the adrenaline and the pain in his hand before Kimura and Tsumiki treated it had distracted him, but now that he had time to think, he couldn't help but think he caused a lot of problems since coming to Hope's Peak.
And not just for Hope's Peak Academy, but for the other Hope's Peak programs. The Lil' Ultimates suicide note had mentioned him. Of course, the note had mentioned that his kindness showed them that there was something better out there, but Naegi couldn't remember that detail at the moment, he was too focused on all the problems he had caused, forgetting how he had always done what he could to solve them.
Naegi was so lost in his own head that he didn't hear Yukizome approach.
"Naegi-kun? Are you alright?" she asked.
"Oh, Sensei! I'm…well, I don't think I'm alright. Not really," Naegi admitted.
"What's the matter?" Yukizome asked.
"Well, with reporters spending so much time around the school, I'm expecting something big to happen. It has me thinking about everything that's happened since I arrived at Hope's Peak Academy. It feels like all I've done is cause problems at the school," Naegi said.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Well, if I hadn't convinced Owari-senpai to bring her family on our trip, Mari and Ataru wouldn't have gotten lost," Naegi began.
"That's true."
"If I hadn't taken matters into my own hands with Saionji-senpai, she wouldn't have been attacked on her way back from her tea ceremony," Naegi continued.
"That might be true."
"I can't help but feel like Fuwa-senpai's attempt on Kuzuryuu Natsumi-senpai's life had something to do with me."
"It's possible."
"And the note my students left when they tried to jump off the roof mentioned me. They thought that they had upset me and that was apparently the last straw for them," Naegi finished.
"I see what you mean, Naegi-kun. And you've got that wrong!" Yukizome exclaimed, intentionally using what many claiemd was Naegi's catchphrase.
"What do you mean, Sensei?" Naegi asked.
"Naegi-kun, even though you are connected to these events, that doesn't mean that they're your fault. You didn't mean for any of those things to happen. And even when things went wrong, you did everything in your power to fix them," Yukizome reminded him.
"That's true," Naegi agreed.
"I know you're worried about what's going to happen. And I know that when that happens, it's easy to forget the good that you've done. Don't blame yourself for what happens next, Naegi-kun. You did the right thing; sometimes bad things just happen. That optimism of yours is going to be needed more than ever," Yukizome told him.
After a brief silence, Naegi said, "I think I'm going to be alright now, Sensei. Thank you!"
"It's what I'm here for, Naegi-kun," Yukizome said with a smile. She wasn't lying. Hope's Peak Academy was going to need someone who could see what laid beyond the storm that was coming. For the first time, Yukizome didn't believe that person was Munakata, but Naegi.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Twenty-Sixth Week of Classes-Saturday
It had been a rough time in the history of Hope's Peak Academy. For the past six weeks, new scandals were popping up, all centered around the Hope's Peak Academy Steering Committee. With the arrest of the Steering Committee and the actions of Naegi and Headmaster Kirigiri, most of the anger directed at the school and those involved with the school had been quelled. There were still a few holdouts, but for the most part people were willing to give the school and the staff a chance to make things right.
This evening though, Yukizome wasn't thinking about that. She had gotten a call from Munakata this morning and he had informed her that he was back in Japan. He had invited Yukizome and Sakakura out for drinks tonight, not exactly the romantic evening Yukizome would have liked, but since Munakata had told them he would be in Japan for some time, she figured that there would be time for romance later.
"Have fun, Sensei," Naegi told her as he and the girls waved to Yukizome and wished her luck.
"I will!" Yukizome called back. Or I would if Sakakura hadn't gone on ahead. Kyosuke invited us both and I get ditched right at the beginning. Well, the three of us were inseparable back when we were students. Maybe he was just eager to see his best friend. At the very least, I don't think I was taking too long, Yukizome thought as she headed to Dohyō Shiro, a bar named for its signature cocktail.
She found her friends right away, much to Yukizome's displeasure, they had started without her. Judging by the empty sake bottles near Munakata, he had started before either of them.
"Thanks for starting without me you two," Yukizome said as she sat down.
"Give us a break, Yukizome, these past couple weeks fucking sucked," Sakakura countered. He didn't have as impressive a collection as Munakata, but he was close.
"Granted, but you didn't have to leave or start without me," Yukizome said as she sat down. She then ordered, "Slipper, please."
"A little light, isn't it?" Munakata asked.
"I've never been much of a drinker, Kyosuke. You know that" Yukizome informed him.
"Yeah, but you're stuck dealing with the problem every day," Sakakura said.
"Problem?" Yukizome asked.
"The little bastard you got stuck with because Kizakura fucked up," Sakakura answered.
Kizakura-san screwed up and I got stuck with a student? Do they mean… Are you talking about Naegi-kun? And you still haven't explained what you meant by 'problem'." Yukizome had a feeling she wasn't going to like the answer.
"Months ago, he convinced you and one of your students to bring her family on a trip. Two small children got lost in Aokigahara Forest in the evening because he and the girl couldn't keep an eye on them," Munakata began.
"That was an accident. And they found Mari and Ataru," Yukizome countered.
"That may be, but they shouldn't have been there in the first place. They live on their own and their sister checks on them only once a week. If she doesn't worry about them, they don't need some common, Lucky Student to worry about them," Munakata persisted.
"Kyosuke, that's horrible!" Yukizome exclaimed. Was he always like this? Was it the alcohol?
"He's horrible? What about when that other student of yours was going to get raped, kidnapped, and sold? That lucky shit got that ball rolling," Sakakura reminded her.
"How is that Naegi-kun's fault? True, he shouldn't be the one disciplining students, but he didn't send her out that evening. She went to that tea ceremony of her own free will. No one could have predicted what happened!" Yukizome shot back.
"Perhaps, but he has been involved in everything that has happened this year and his actions continue to draw the wrong kind of attention to Hope's Peak Academy. Sakakura and I could continue and list all of what he has done, but two things should now be clear: One, he oversteps his boundaries. Two, you can't control him," Munakata told Yukizome.
"Are you blaming me for the school's problems now?!" Yukizome was trying not to lose her temper, but Munakata and Sakakura were testing her.
"Of course not, but as a teacher, you need to keep him on a tighter leash so that things like this no longer happen. I was informed that you are the one who suggested the Ultimate Mentor Program to him. I'm sure you agree that it was a mistake to do so," Munakata said.
"W... what are you even saying, Kyosuke?! He - he was the one who allowed this whole thing to happen! Without him, those children would have died! Without him, who knows what would have happened to my students?! To their families?! He's trying to make things better at school! Isn't that what you wanted all along?!" Yukizome asked. She was past anger now and was getting scared. How had she misjudged these two so badly?
"All their problems started after they interacted with him! Those children, your students, all of them were fine before he came along! As Ultimates, we are the hope of the future and we march forward no matter what. We aren't so fragile that we need a fake Ultimate to worry about us!" Munakata reminded her.
"You're talking like we're a separate. Ultimate or not we never stopped being human. And why did you qualify it like that? A 'fake' Ultimate? When we need someone, why should it matter how much talent someone has when they reach out to us?" Yukizome asked.
"Yukizome, you need to understand something. You let a mere Lucky Student delude you. Let me tell you right now, an Ultimate that is led astray by a common student is no longer an Ultimate." Munakata told her.
Sakakura decided to chime in. "Munakata gets it Yukizome. His Ultimate Talent revolves around leadership. He'll be the one to lead Hope's Peak into the future!
"So, we know what's best for the world? Ultimates are now the ones who guide the world and pretend to be god-kings and queens? You'll destroy Hope's Peak Academy with ideas like that! No one is asking for that!" Yukizome shouted.
Both Munakata and Sakakura emptied the contents of another sake bottle before Munakata proclaimed, "Exactly! We'll preserve the world's order and guide it to a brighter future on no one's request! It is what we must do! The Ultimate Act of Charity from the Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy!" Kyosuke proclaimed.
"'A-Act of Charity?!' Do you even hear yourself? You talk as if you own the Ultimates!"" Yukizome yelled.
By this point, the whole bar had gone silent. Hope's Peak Academy was still on very thin ice with some people and everyone was trying to catch what was being said in an effort to learn if the school could still be trusted.
"That's what he's saying! He's gonna be Headmaster soon, so he's got to tell people who's in charge and how things should be!" Sakakura announced.
"Everything about what you two are saying is wrong. What's gotten into you? Tell me it's just that you've had too much to drink. Tell me you're both too drunk to know better right now," Yukizome begged.
"Yukizome, you've been spending too much time with those wild and unruly students. It doesn't help that they pretend that the Reserve Course is equal to the Main. I'll talk to Kirigiri and get you reassigned to-" Munakata began.
*Smack!*
All three were shocked that Yukizome had slapped Munakata, her more than the other two. The slap was hard from the sound of it. "Don't you dare try to take my students away from me, Munakata Kyosuke!"
"OI! YUKIZOME! The fuck is your problem?!" Sakakura shouted.
"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with YOU?! How can you just be so... heartless?! How can you two just behave like this?! I thought you wanted to make the school better!" Yukizome shouted back.
"I do. That's why we need to rid ourselves of the Reserve Course. They could never be our equals! Then, we must work on the Ultimates themselves! This wild behavior is beneath them! If one aspires to be called 'Ultimate' they must act the part! With dignity and grace! Those wild students will become perfect ladies and gentlemen, ones who..." Munakata began.
Yukizome once again interrupted him. "Who will act the way you want them to act! I'll admit that they go overboard, but that's part of their charm! That behavior that they learned made them Ultimate Students and you want them to throw that away?"
"No matter what I must do, no matter what sacrifice needs to be made, I will make True Ultimates!" Munakata told her.
"Who is the one sacrificing? You want...I don't know what you want but it doesn't sound any different from the Steering Committee wanted to do. Remember them, you said they were the problem with Hope's Peak and we needed to deal with the for the good of the school. I know the goal was to make you headmaster, but this is-" It was Yukizome's turn to get interrupted.
"Yes, without the Steering Committee much of our work has become meaningless. But there are other ways to replace Kirigiri Jin as headmaster," Munakata explained.
"You just wanted to blackmail them into making you headmaster!" That realization hit Yukizome hard.
"Because that's what he's supposed to be, Yukizome! He's the one who deserves this! That's why we've doing this whole thing!" Sakakura told her.
"...So, this is it, huh? You did... whatever you did back at your headquarters just to... to satisfy your ego?!" Yukizome asked.
"Don't talk to me that way, Yukizome!" Munakata ordered.
"I will speak however I want! You... you never cared about anything else but your goal, did you?! The students, the problems, none of that mattered to you! You just wanted that seat and claim all the glory! Y-you... were you just using me too?! And what about you, Sakakura?! Are you just going to let him talk that way?! Are you just going to let yourself be used too?!" Yukizome demanded to know.
"What's gotten into you? We did this because we believed in Munakata!" Sakakura reminded her.
"I did this because something was wrong at Hope's Peak and I wanted to fix it! I did this because I wanted to help the students! All the students! Not some 'chosen few! I-I believed you wanted to change things for the better, because I thought we were doing something good! ...But all of this is just a lie!" Yukizome informed them.
"It's the reality of things, Yukizome. I didn't think you would think differently... but it seems like I had too much trust in you," Munakata sighed.
"'Too much trust in me'? I had too much trust in you! I thought that you were being too cold, but I never once doubted that you were a good person. This is cruel!" Yukizome yelled.
"This is the real world, Yukizome! Wake up! The strong rule and the weak bow. It has always been like this, and there is no reason why this would change anytime soon! The only thing different are the labels. Now it is the 'talented' and the 'talentless'," Munakata explained.
"Yeah! It's like I told you! Fuck those students! What matters is the school's reputation, nothing more!" Sakakura added.
Yukizome had heard enough. She left some money on the bar, splashed her untouched drink in both of the men's faces, and stormed out of the bar. She was so upset that she didn't even hear the applause her action had garnered.
"Oi Yukizome what the fuck!?" Sakakura screamed.
"Leave her for now, Sakakura. She'll come around," Munakata told the former boxer as he turned back to the bar.
Sakakura glared at the other patrons who were still focused on him and Munakata. "What the fuck are you assholes looking at!" he yelled.
The patrons all went back to what they had been doing prior to focusing on the former Ultimate students. Many were still silently praising Yukizome for what she had said and done. Maybe Hope's Peak wasn't a lost cause after all.
Yukizome felt so stupid. Why didn't she see this coming? She knew why, she saw but ignored it. She thought she loved Munakata, but really, she just loved the image she had of Munakata. And the worst part? The worst part is, she was sure that she would have stood by Munakata if she had heard him admit all of this a year ago. Before she had met…Naegi.
Naegi actually was everything she had believed Munakata to be. Humble. Kind. Understanding. Attentive. She can't even remember why she had ever thought that Munakata had those qualities.
Don't cry. You knew all of this and ignored it. Just forget about Kyosu- Munakata. I need, dammit, I need a drink! Kizakura-san is always good for one, Yukizome thought as she returned to Hope's Peak.
Kizakura had just finished moving the last of his stash into his office. Most people would have been surprised to learn that he had his own office given how much time he spent in the headmaster's office, but it was true. Really, it just served as another place for him to store his liquor. Or rather, now his only place.
"Can't let the students get ahold of any of this. Hope's Peak is in enough trouble," he said as he finished placing the last few bottles on a shelf. He had just finished taking them out of his room at the dorms.
*Knock, knock*
"It's open!" Kizakura told his visitor.
*Slam*
An angry looking Yukizome stormed into Kizakura's office and headed right for his strongest drinks. As she began taking bottles, Kizakura approached her.
"Yukizome, I know I told you that you could come in and help yourself when you needed it, but…"
Yukizome turned and glared at him. He could feel the anger behind it pierce his soul.
"Like I said, take all you need. I'll just be over here," Kizakura said as he backed away and sat at his desk, resisting the urge to hide under it until the threat of Yukizome's anger had passed.
Yukizome made herself at home and started drinking. Kizakura took his own swig of liquid courage before he asked, "What happened?"
Kizakura would later be glad that he refilled his flask before this conversation. Between Yukizome's anger and what he learned about Munakata and Sakakura, he needed it.
Dinner had ended a while ago, but Naegi was still hard at work in the kitchen. He figured Yukizome would have eaten out with her friends but if she hadn't, at least something would be waiting for her when she got back. Once he put the finishing touches on it (at least until it needed reheated) on the meal, Naegi heard someone at the door.
*Knock, Knock*
That's strange. Yukizome-sensei wouldn't knock, so who could that be? Naegi wondered as he went to get the door. When he opened it, he saw Kizakura with… "Yukizome-sensei!?" She was hunched over and red-faced. Naegi had expected her to drink, maybe not this much, but what surprised him was that Kizakura brought her back.
"She stormed into my office and raided my stash," Kizakura said, answering Naegi's unasked question.
"I thought she was with her friends, though," Naegi said, still confused.
"Yeah, I'm going to need to tell Jin-kun about why that ended so soon. Could you take care of Yukizome-san?" Kizakura asked.
"Why does the-?" Naegi began to ask.
"Nothing that can hurt Yukizome-san, she didn't do anything wrong," Kizakura cut him off.
"Okay. I'll take her," Naegi said as Kizakura draped Yukizome over Naegi's shoulder. As Naegi positioned her, he said, "Alright Sensei, let's get you to your room. I'll get you some coffee."
"You're shoooo shweet, Mako-kun. I luff you sho mush," Yukizome slurred as she hugged him tightly, his face buried in her chest.
"I…uh, I appreciate that. Love you too, Sensei," Naegi said uncomfortably. He had to be careful here, Yukizome didn't seem like a mean drunk, but he was going to be careful anyway. Turning back to Kizakura, Naegi asked, "No one saw this right? I know the public is watching us very closely these days and I don't want anything to happen to Yukizome-sensei because of this."
"No, I was careful. You'd be amazed what kind of skills I need to scout you kids," Kizakura told him. "I really do need to go, but I'll need her to back me up once she sobers up, so tell her to come to the Headmaster's Office tomorrow," Kizakura added.
"I will," Naegi said with a nod as Kizakura left. Now came the task of getting Yukizome to her room. Naegi soon came to his first obstacle. Stairs.
Yukizome was light, but Naegi was still concerned. Her hangover was going to be painful enough, he didn't want her to fall down the stairs if she began to move. As if reacting to his thoughts, Yukizome decided to speak up.
"Carry me!" Yukizome ordered.
"Just give me a minute to figure out how, Sensei," Naegi pleaded. Piggyback probably isn't the best idea. Getting help would be the best idea, but I don't want Yukizome-sensei to look bad in front of the others over this. Guess there's not much choice, Naegi thought as he repositioned Yukizome and then picked her up bridal style. He silently thanked his more athletically inclined friends for including him in the workouts. Now he didn't have to worry about angering or embarrassing Yukizome or humiliating himself.
"Hm, hm. Mako-kun ish sho forward," Yukizome said as she snuggled into Naegi's chest.
Naegi turned red when he heard that but reminded himself, She doesn't know what she's saying…probably. Still, he wouldn't deny that he was kind of enjoying this. Most boys his age would love to have a teacher as beautiful as Yukizome in their arms, and Naegi was no exception.
Once up the stairs, Naegi carried Yukizome to her room. After shifting her around a bit, Naegi managed to grab the doorknob while supporting the woman in his arms. Unfortunately, the door was locked. "Sensei, can you unlock your door?" he asked.
"Mmmm, not taking me to your room? Shuch a gentleman. Let'sh play 'Find the Key,' it'sh on me shomewherezzz," Yukizome suggested.
"U-uh, w-well Sensei, I can't carry you and search you at the same time. I'll owe you later if you just unlock the door." Naegi hoped his attempted offer worked.
"Hmmm, okay. Chisha will open her door if Mako-kun shtaysh wid her tonight and does everyshing she shays," Yukizome responded.
Naegi had planned to keep an eye on her anyway, so he figured that would work in his favor. "Sure thing Sensei, just please, open the door."
Yukizome pulled a key out of her breast pocket, Naegi was glad she didn't force him to search for it and attempted to unlock it. She must not have been able to see straight as she kept missing the lock.
"Here, let me help," Naegi said as he took her hand and guided her to the lock.
"Hmhm, Mako-kun's hand is sho shoft, but so shtrong and warm," Yukizome giggled.
Naegi Makoto was not the kind of person who would ever take advantage of a drunk woman, but dammit if Yukizome wasn't making it hard for him to resist her. "T-thank you, Sensei. Now, l-let's get you to bed," Naegi said as he opened the door and grabbed the key off of Yukizome. Watch her head, watch her head, Naegi reminded himself as her carried Yukizome across her threshold, careful not to let her hit the doorframe. With that out of the way, he brought Yukizome to her bed and gently put her down.
Naegi wiped his forehead. He found Yukizome to be light, but fear of someone walking in on him caused him to sweat a bit. Naegi's moment of respite would be cut short as his vision was filled with white. Yukizome had removed her apron and threw it over him.
Naegi was afraid to look but forced himself to do so anyway. "Sensei, what are you doing?" he asked.
"Chisha is hot," Yukizome said as she unbuttoned her shirt in front of Naegi.
Can't argue with tha-No! Bad! Make her stop, Naegi told himself. "Sensei…"
"'Shensei. Shenshei!' Call me Chisha-chan," Yukizome ordered as she continued to strip.
"Sen-Chisa-chan, please stop. I-it's going to be cold tonight," Naegi lied, even her would say pathetically.
With her bra and panties exposed, but her clothes still mostly on, Yukizome laid back in her bed and demanded, "Change my clothes for me!"
Naegi was sure that steam was coming off of him when he heard that. "Please don't make me do that."
"Mako-kun promised! Is Chisha'sh Mako-kun a liar!?" Yukizome asked as she…
Crap, she's starting to cry. "It's okay, it's okay. Just pick out what you want and I'll…I'll see what I can do," Naegi said in an attempt to pacify the volatile teacher.
"My shirtsh are in the middle drawer. Pick out a cute one," Yukizome ordered as she went back to undressing herself.
Don't look. Whatever you do, don't look. Never would have thought a school full of attractive girls would induce this much stress, but it does. Focus. Cute one. A cute one. This should be good. Hmm, guess Gekkogahara-san has been marketing Usami, Naegi thought as he picked out a white shirt with a magical girl rabbit on it.
"Mako-kun~ Chisha ish waiting!" Yukizome called.
"J-just a second," Naegi called back. Keeping his eyes glued to the floor, Naegi approached the bed, stepping over all of Yukizome's discarded clothes as he did. Jacket, top, skirt, stockings, shoes, scrunchy, b-bra. That means she's only wearing…Oh hell! Down boy, now is not the time, Naegi mentally commanded a certain part of his anatomy. Naegi reached the bed and saw Yukizome's bare legs. He briefly wondered if the rest of her was as flawless as her lower limbs. He was going to need an ice-cold shower after this. Naegi was able to climb onto the bed behind her. It's okay, if I only see her from the back, it's fine. Just like swim class in P.E. You see lots of skin, but nothing to sully their honor. "Arms up, Chisa-chan," Naegi said.
Yukizome bounced as she raised her arms. Naegi was glad her hair obstructed his view. Bouncing, bare breasts, even a view from the back, would have destroyed his willpower. With little difficulty, Naegi got Yukizome's shirt on. Before he could relax, however, Yukizome turned around and latched onto him. If she hadn't been so drunk, Naegi would have thought that she shoved his face into her chest on purpose.
"Mako-kun's hair ish sho shoft!" Yukizome said as she rubbed her cheek on the top of Naegi's head. "Mako-kun'sh Chisha ish shoft too, ishn't she? Hehe!~"
Naegi knew if he answered that, he would say and do something he regretted.
"Good night Mako-kun. Chisha lovesh you," Yukizome said as she fell asleep.
For a few minutes Naegi didn't move. Not because he was enjoying himself, not that he would admit that, but because he wanted to be sure Yukizome didn't wake up. Once he was sure that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, he managed to wriggle out of her grasp. She's soft, there's no arguing with that, Naegi thought as he went to prepare for when she would wake up.
He left the room, grabbed some painkillers and a glass for water, grabbed a blanket and pillow from his room, and came back to keep watch over his favorite teacher.
Yukizome felt like crap when she woke up. Her head was pounding, and she didn't want to move. Did I really drink that much? I guess I was pretty upset. Kyos-Munakata and Sakakura, I can't believe they would want that for Hope's Peak Academy. And I was helping them do it. I feel so-"Owwww!" Yukizome wailed when her headache became too much for her.
"Here you go, Sensei," Naegi said as he handed her painkillers and some water. She managed to take the pills before she realized something. Why was Naegi here?
"N-Naegi-kun! How did you get in here?" Yukizome asked.
"You…well, you weren't in any condition to make it back to your room unassisted," Naegi said trying to avoid the details of the prior evening.
"No condition…What did I…Oh no!" Yukizome cried as she remembered the previous night. "I asked you to… And I was… I can never get married now!" Yukizome panicked.
"Do-don't worry, Chisa-chan, I won't tell anyone. Anyway, I didn't see anything. Anyone would want you for a bride, I know I would…What am I saying?" Naegi asked. Yukizome's reaction had caused him to panic too. Now that he calmed down, he could help Yukizome.
Yukizome heard him, but none of it registered, she was still too upset. What do I do now? I got drunk in Kizakura-san's office. How am I going to look at him now? And Naegi-kun! I acted that way in front of Naegi-kun. Her thoughts were interrupted when Naegi took hold of her hands.
"Sensei, Kizakura-san told me no one saw you when he brought you here. And I won't tell anyone. But more importantly, something must have been really wrong for you to go overboard like that. Please, I want to try and help," Naegi said to her.
So, she told him. She told him about Munakata and Sakakura. How she had met them; what she had believed they were trying to do; what brought her back to Hope's Peak Academy; and finally; what had happened last night. "I feel so stupid," Yukizome said at the end.
"You are not stupid. You're a kind and trusting person. The teacher we all admire. You're Yukizome Chisa-sensei. And every student under your care loves you. Whatever Munakata-san and Sakakura-san are thinking, that's not on you. You've only ever tried to help and support all of us. Now let me help and support you," Naegi said.
"Makoto-kun," Yukizome sobbed as she hugged the young man.
"It's okay, Sensei. Everything will be okay," Naegi said.
"Mmmm, I liked it better when you called me 'Chisa-chan'. And did you mean it when you said you'd want to marry me?" Yukizome began to tease, still a little teary eyed.
"W-well, you were upset. I mean, I think any man would want to. A-as for 'Chisa-chan' that was a heat of the moment thing. It was from when you still…It was from last night, you kind of ordered me to," Naegi stammered.
"Hmhm, maybe when we're alone. How's that Makoto-kun?" Yukizome asked teasingly.
"I think, Chisa-chan, now that you're feeling better, you need to get dressed and talk to the Headmaster. Kizakura-san said, well he wasn't specific, but I think you told him about Munakata-san and Sakakura-san," Naegi said. He hated killing the mood like that, but Yukizome's playfulness was wearing him down. It didn't help that she was only in a shirt and panties. Why did he have to remember that?
Yukizome took a deep breath and then said, "I'll go get ready."
It didn't take long until after Yukizome had finished speaking to the Headmaster that Sakakura found himself being led out of the school by his own subordinates. Or rather former subordinates.
"You can't be serious! You can't fire me! After everything I did for you fuckers?!" Sakakura screamed.
"And don't think we aren't grateful, Sakakura-kun. But we can't have staff attempting to undermine the school, especially not with the new direction we're going in. If you only see a certain few of the students worth protecting, we can't trust you going forward," Jin explained.
Once on the other side of the gate, Sakakura saw that Yukizome and Naegi were with security. "You two did this! You'll pay for this! I'll get the both of you! Hope's Peak Academy belongs to Munakata! He's the future, not some little shit that came out of nowhere!"
Naegi just looked at him in pity. Hope's Peak Academy was supposed to raise students, not stroke the ego of whoever was in the headmaster's chair. He hoped one day, Sakakura and Munakata could understand that.
"Sakakura-san, I'm sorry it came to this. You made your choice and I made mine," Yukizome said.
Sakakura glared at the two of them before he stormed off.
"Sensei, are you okay?" Naegi asked Yukizome.
"Not really. But I will be," Yukizome said as she watched her former friend leave.
Later
"…and that's the story of how I came to be the teacher of Class 77-B. Girls, I'll understand if you don't want me to continue. I only ask that you allow me to tell the boys and finish out the year," Yukizome told the dorm's occupants.
They had assembled in the common area after Yukizome told them she had an announcement to make. Once everyone had gathered, Yukizome came clean. What happened next came as a shock to no one.
"You can't leave us, Yukizome-sensei!" Sonia yelled, although some thought it sounded like a command.
"Sonia-chan is right! Why you became our teacher doesn't matter. What matters is that you've helped us all so much since then," Koizumi agreed.
"If Sensei leaves, Ibuki will be sad. Ibuki can't become a Blues musician, she just can't!" Mioda pleaded.
"We love you too much to let something like this bother us Sensei, our whole class would agree," Nanami declared.
"Perhaps the opinion of a student from Class 78 doesn't carry much weight here, but I don't think any of us in Class 78 want you to leave either," Ogami added.
"Told you, Yukizome-sensei," Naegi said.
"My little rot- no, you kids are the best students a teacher could ask for," Yukizome said as she started to tear up.
"I do have one question though…Why have you been holding Naegi-kun's hand this whole time?" Owari asked.
"Huh? Oh, I guess I have, haven't I? Well…" Yukizome began as she thought of a good explanation.
It was all for naught though, as the others had already figured it out. "Oh my! Sensei, we must speak later," Sonia said.
The others just shook their heads. Naegi's ability to attract girls was ridiculous, but he couldn't change who he was. And they'd never want him to.
Present Day
"And then she said something about propositioning a teacher or something," a third person's voice said.
Naegi and Yukizome were brought out of their memories to see Enoshima Junko had joined them.
"'Propositioning a teacher' for what exactly?" Naegi asked. He knew the girls liked him, but not that way, right?
"Nothing! Enoshima-san is making up stories again," Yukizome answered nervously.
"Sensei is so mean, Junko-chan exaggerates, but she doesn't lie," Enoshima said in her cutesy persona. The stares she got in response forced her to add, "Well, not as much as I used to at least."
"How did you find us, Enoshima-san?" Naegi asked.
"My brain is bigger than my tits, it was fucking easy!" Punk Enoshima shouted.
"Ultimate Analyst, right. I suppose that's how you knew what we were thinking," Yukizome said.
"No. Just you. I've always had trouble with this one. Such a naughty student, giving me a hard time. Naughty students need stern discipline," Professor Enoshima explained. Inviting herself to lunch, Enoshima grabbed a sandwich, took a bite, and reverted to normal before saying, "Oh wow, these are good. Sensei, you need to make us all lunch sometime."
"I'll think about it." Yukizome said through gritted teeth. She didn't appreciate Enoshima reminding her of what Enoshima had interrupted. "Speaking of not knowing what Naegi-kun is thinking, I have to ask, what did the Headmaster want to talk to you about?" Yukizome asked.
"I think it would be best if I told all of you tonight at dinner. I'd like to know what everyone thinks," Naegi said.
"Well then, we shall keep you company until then. Hope and Despair must be kept in balance, after all," Queen Enoshima said as she yanked Naegi away from Yukizome.
"Shouldn't we help Sensei clean up first?" Naegi asked.
"I'm sure the Ultimate Housekeeper can fold a picnic blanket," Enoshima said as she wrapped Naegi's arm around her and led him back to the dorm.
Yukizome wasn't happy, but her pride as the Ultimate Housekeeper wouldn't let her ask for help after that shot Enoshima took. All she could do is blow a raspberry at the Fashionista when she was out of earshot. Not that distance kept Enoshima from finding things out.
Once she finished cleaning up, Yukizome heard her phone ring. Munakata was calling. Again. After all his texts and emails complaining about her getting Sakakura fired or his fishing for information, she had just begun ignoring him. If he wanted to apologize, he could do it in person. With that thought in mind, Yukizome once again hit the "ignore" button.
As Enoshima led Naegi back to the dorm, Naegi couldn't help but notice that his arm was buried in her…assets.
"Enoshima-san, my arm is…" Naegi began. He didn't even know what to say in this situation.
"I'm full of Despair, so I need as much Hope near my heart as possible," was Enoshima's response.
Enoshima-san sure has changed. I should be afraid of her after everything, but I can't ignore the suffering of others. And I'm especially glad I didn't with her, Naegi thought.
My Hope put my broken soul and broken mind back together. I'm more than Despair now. I'm whole and it's all thanks to him, Enoshima thought as she recalled what led her to this point.
And that's it for Chisa. For now. The girls all get more than one chapter. Some in groups, some get more one-on-one time with their man, but we have one more chapter to go before we get to that.
Ah Junko. A chapter I'm both looking forward to and dreading. I hope I don't make it too weird. Can a chapter involving Junko even be "too weird?" I don't know, let's find out next time. And we get to see what she's been up to since she went quiet, that will be fun.
Now, a chapter epilogue. It's time for the antagonist for the next school year. And I imagine most, if not all, of you already have guessed who it is. So, should we get into it?
Yeah, let's go.
In a nondescript hotel in what appeared to be a red-light district, Munakata Kyosuke had rented a room with a woman. A woman with orange hair, light blue clothes and an apron.
"I knew you'd come around Yukizome," Munakata said. He was sitting on the bed with his arm around the woman.
"Kyosuke-kun, I was a fool. Your way is the only way and I never should have been led astray by a…hahaha, I'm sorry, I can get it," the woman, definitely not Yukizome Chisa said as she calmed down. Or tried to at least.
"Forget it, I'm not feeling it anyway," Munakata said as he removed his arm.
"I'm sorry. Hahaha, it's just, the lines are like something you'd expect a supervillain to ask for," the woman said.
"Get out!" Munakata demanded.
"You still owe me my full fee there, Dr. Evil!" the woman reminded him.
"Fine, take it and get out! Your service is beneath me anyway!" Munakata yelled as he took out a wad of bills and threw it at her.
"Yet you keep coming back," the woman said as counted the money. "Why can't all Ultimates be like that cute one with the hoodie, I bet he doesn't need stupid lines to feed his insecurities," the woman added.
"Out!" Kyosuke yelled.
"I'm going. I'm going," the woman said as she opened the door. When she did, she saw Kirigiri Fuhito in the hallway, about to knock on the door. "What kind of freaky shit are you into? On second thought, I don't want to know. Here Gramps," the woman said as she pulled what turned out to be orange wig off her head and handed it to Fuhito before she walked out.
Fuhito looked at Munakata silently for a minute before saying, " When I heard you were here, I didn't believe it. Prostitutes? Really?"
"Call girl. And it was just the one," Munakata argued.
"Not from what I've heard," Fuhito mocked.
"Nothing ever happens. They're either too old; have the wrong voice; or break character. If only…" Munakata began.
"'If only' it wasn't for Naegi Makoto, right?" Fuhito asked.
"Don't say that name in front of me!" Munakata shouted.
"Very well, I'll just get to the point. MEXT got in touch with me. The Minister of Education is looking to fill the newly created role of an overseer at Hope's Peak Academy. The official title has yet to be determined, but I can tell you that someone within MEXT, an old friend of mine, received a recommendation for you for the position and asked me to locate you. Take this position and you get a second chance and a chance. A second chance at your goal and a chance at revenge," Fuhito explained.
"Why would Kirigiri Jin's father, yes, I can see the resemblance, want to help me? If you know all of this, you know what my original goal was," Munakata pointed out.
"I don't have a son. That man abandoned our way of life. My way is the true way. The only way! And he turned his back on it. He somehow managed to produce a suitable heir for me and then that stupid boy turns her against me! Do you understand now why I came to find you?" Fuhito asked.
"Kirigiri-san, I believe we share a common enemy. I look forward to working with you. Now tell me, how do I contact this person for the position. It's time the students of Hope's Peak Academy were shown the right path," Munakata said with a cold smile.
And there we go!
Some of you may think I'm too hard on Kyosuke and Juzo, and to be fair, I probably am. But how can I not be? Juzo is an angry, violent douche and Kyosuke looks like a Men's Warehouse ad that wished upon a star and became a real boy with the personality to go with it. The ad not the real boy personality. No offense to Men's Warehouse, their employees, or their customers. I actually like Men's Warehouse, but i thought the insult was too good not to use.
Actually, I hated most of the Future Foundation, they struck me as crappy knockoffs of good characters from the first two games. Only they didn't do a good job at being knockoffs. (Chisa and Miaya excluded of course , not that we ever saw much of the real Miaya. But I'll make exceptions for Seiko and Ruruka this time.)
Sorry, the DR3 anime just pissed me off and still does when I think about it.
Anyway, sorry to get off topic like that.
Anyway, read and review. Until next time, stay frosty!
Chapter Text
Chapter 20: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Fashionista
Hello again ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages! It's me, wesst1 back again, once again!
Wow, 20 chapters. I honestly never thought I would get to this point. I want to take a moment to thank all of you for sticking with me this long and I hope you'll stay with me until the end. I couldn't have done it without your support!
It seems only fitting that this milestone be centered around our favorite Despairful fashionista, Junko, doesn't it?
Ah Junko, we've all waited a long time for this.
But before we get started there are two artists that I highly recommend over on Pixiv. Check out the works of Jedash01 and Vergilsama92. Both do excellent works of art, focusing on our favorite Luckster, Makoto Naegi!
Now, if everyone is ready, let's get this show on the road!
Present Day
As Naegi and Enoshima made their way back to the dorm, Enoshima made sure to keep a tight hold on Naegi's arm. Part of it was to, as she said, keep "as much Hope near her heart as possible," but she wouldn't deny that she still enjoyed making Naegi uncomfortable and the other girls jealous. That's right bitches! Compare yourselves to me and despair! Maybe I'll share Naegi-kun if you ask nicely~, Enoshima thought with a smirk.
Junko-chan, behave! A similar voice to Enoshima's said inside Enoshima's head.
I'm not doing anything~! Enoshima shot back playfully, still smirking.
Naegi knew her well enough by now to know that Enoshima smirking was not a good sign. "Enoshima-san, what's the smirk for?" he asked.
"Nothing~!" Enoshima answered in a sing-song voice.
"Enoshima-san," Naegi pressed with a small glare.
"Mmm! I love it when you look at me like that," Enoshima told him.
Naegi held firm. "Junko-chan!"
"Okay, maybe I'm doing a bit of silent gloating, but that's all!" Enoshima assured him.
Naegi looked her in the eyes for a bit before saying, "Okay, I believe you."
"I wouldn't lie to you, Naegi-kun. Ryoko won't shut up if I do," Enoshima whispered the last part of that statement.
"You complain, but you know she only wants what's best for the both of you."
"I guess. And at least she's not bothering me as much these days," Enoshima noted.
Probably because you don't treat people's lives as expendable sources of entertainment anymore. I'm glad too, since you're no longer a danger to us or to yourself, Naegi thought.
I keep "bothering" you, so you don't relapse! We're both actually happy now and I'd like us to stay that way! a voice told Enoshima.
I won't, Ryoko! I'm happy even without despair. That doesn't mean I won't mess with everyone though~, Enoshima playfully countered.
Just don't take it too far. We almost didn't get this second chance; it was nothing short of a miracle that Naegi-kun managed to convince everyone to try to help us. The probability of us getting a third chance is rather low, "Ryoko" said.
I'll be good. Just as there's more to Hope and Despair than I thought, there's more to me than everyone thinks, Enoshima thought as she remembered how she learned this important lesson.
Third Week of Classes-Saturday
Hope's Peak Academy- Girls' Dorm
Enoshima was…well, she wasn't sure. She should have been annoyed that Maizono didn't try to destroy that upstart junior idol. She should have been angry that her plan failed for some lame reason. She knew Naegi gave some cliched pep talk about how Maizono inspired a new generation of idols and then as luck would have it, Maizono met one of those junior idols. She should have been bored by the happy ending. She wasn't sure what to feel but she both loved and hated it.
Well, she hated it. She could care less about the part of her that loved it.
And what's wrong with a happy ending you didn't believe could happen? You know Junko-chan, for someone who hates to be bored, you seem to be getting quite upset when something unexpected happens, that part of her pointed out.
Go. The fuck. Away, Enoshima ordered her…conscience? She never really identified that voice. It acted like her conscience, but Enoshima didn't really pay enough attention to it to find out what it was. She knew she wasn't what people considered sane, going deeper than that sounded boring to her.
You know Muku-nee was right. You're afraid of Naegi-kun. Or rather you're afraid he'll show you some uncomfortable truths.
I said go away! Enoshima ordered again before she went over the events that happened since she arrived at Hope's Peak Academy. Muku-nee is working against me and I was wrong about Maizono. Both times, Hope Boy was involved. Now is he the cause? Most likely. How did he do it? Is it his luck or something else? I need more data. I have a dorm full of guinea pigs, I'm sure I can collect data on Hope Boy and have some fun with the girls while I do it. With that in mind, Enoshima gave a Cheshire Cat smile before putting her analytical talents to work. Naegi had been spending a lot of time with Mioda, Enoshima could work with that. After going over all possible scenarios, Enoshima pulled up her social media accounts. Let's see… Blah, blah, blah. Some bullshit about how great Mioda's shitty music is and just a touch of #BlackCherryReunion, and send. How will you deal with this my little Hope Bagel?
Hope's Peak Academy-Old Building Music Room
Fifth Week of Classes-Saturday
Mioda's band reuniting? Check. Scheduling them at a hipster club, expecting the clientele to hate their music? Check. Mioda breaking down? Double check.
Everything had happened as Enoshima knew it would. Naegi and Yukizome had gotten ready faster than Enoshima thought that they would, but that was well withing acceptable deviations. Mioda had bounced back. Naegi's plan had worked, but Enoshima supposed there was no other way it could end, but there was still some valuable data to be found in that. It seemed that Naegi's luck did not factor in here, just his bond with Mioda.
All in all, it made Enoshima want to vomit. It was just so…happy.
Come on, Junko-chan! Dance! Enoshima's inner voice urged.
I don't dance to crap, Enoshima replied flatly. As far as her plans went, this wasn't one of Enoshima's better ones, but in her defense, she barely did any prep work for it. And my disappointing sister didn't help, either, Enoshima reminded herself.
"Did you have fun, Enoshima-san?" a voice asked.
"Hmm? Oh, Naegi-kun, yeah, it was great. I'm not much of a fan of metal, but I suppose there is something Mioda-senpai's music." I could probably adapt it for torture if I needed to, Enoshima thought.
That's not nice, Junko-chan.
Quiet you!
"Well, I suppose that's understandable. When you see how happy her songs make her, it's hard not to enjoy Mioda-senpai's music, even if it's just a little," Naegi said.
You're not trying hard enough then, it's actually quite easy to hate if you have taste, Enoshima thought.
Junko-chan!
"I guess," Enoshima said, not letting any hints of her inner conversation show on her face.
"Well, whether you're a fan of the genre or not, what matters is that you came. I know it means a lot to Mioda-senpai," Naegi told her.
Okay, enough about Mioda, Enoshima thought.
Jealous Junko-chan?
As if! Ugh, now I feel so dirty, Enoshima thought as she tried to suppress a shudder.
"Are you okay, Enoshima-san?" Naegi asked. He hadn't forgotten what Ikusaba told him about Enoshima, but Naegi still believed that he and Enoshima had just gotten off on the wrong foot. Although, even if Ikusaba had made it clear just how dangerous Enoshima was, Naegi would probably still try to come to some sort of understanding with her.
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking. You're so sweet, Naegi-kun!" Enoshima gushed as she turned on the charm. I wish I had brought a barf bag, she couldn't help thinking.
"I'm just doing what any friend would do," Naegi said as he blushed.
"Fuck yeah you are!" Enoshima exclaimed. There was something noticeably different about her. Her pigtails had grown wilder, and she sounded angry. Her voice had sounded a little deeper and she kept her tongue out. It was fitting for one of Mioda's concerts, but the sudden change caught both Enoshima and Naegi by surprise.
"Are you sure you're okay, Enoshima-san?" Naegi asked.
"I'm fine. We can talk later," Enoshima said as she fled the Music Room. What the hell was that? she asked herself.
A different personality, at least I think so. And the shift was involuntary. That's probably not a good sign, Junko-chan, the voice noted with concern.
This coming from a voice in my head, Enoshima thought sarcastically. Enoshima had shifted her personality before, but it was usually just between her fashionista and analyst personalities. This punk rocker one was new. Why did this happen? Would more show up? Questions for later, Enoshima thought as she planned her next experiment. Sonia, Owari, or Asahina were probably her best candidates. More would come, but for now those three would do. Their doubts and fears would give Enoshima plenty to work with at the moment.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighth Week of Classes-Tuesday
Enoshima Junko was annoyed. The despair of failure was fun every once in a while, but Enoshima was getting tired of it. It should have been simple: A sniper was taking aim at Sonia and Enoshima tried to make their job easier. It was a simple enough plan, all she needed to do was call Sonia over and get her talking.
It was all set up so perfectly, but then Enoshima's most and least favorite variable showed up to ruin it. Naegi-kun had called out to them before he tripped down some stairs in the main hall, causing Sonia to rush to his side and causing the sniper to miss their shot. To keep up appearances, Enoshima let out a shriek, and her peers were none the wiser. Except, of course, Ikusaba.
Enoshima had expected her sister to barge into her room at some point after everyone's shock had worn off, and Ikusaba did not disappoint.
Muku-nee not being a disappointment? That is new, Enoshima thought.
Are you really going to pretend you haven't missed her? the voice asked.
I can't miss her, she's always around. We live in the same building. Even if she was arguing with another part of her mind, Enoshima couldn't help but be difficult. She'd be damned if she admitted she missed Ikusaba being next to her 24/7. She would never admit that she resented that Naegi had turned her sister against her.
She's not against you! She just realized that the two of you can't keep doing this! It's wrong!
If you're going to side with Naegi-kun too, then why don't you go hang out in his head instead of mine? Enoshima asked.
The voice didn't respond, but it was just as well. Ikusaba had marched over to Enoshima and had begun to speak in the voice's place. "I'm not even going to bother to ask what you were thinking, I already know," Ikusaba began.
"Don't act like it bothers you. How many people have you killed with a sniper rifle?" Enoshima asked.
"This isn't about me. And I never tried to kill someone who thought I was their friend!" Ikusaba shot back.
"Not hard when you never had friends before."
"… You're right. But now I do, and I'll protect them from you and from anyone else."
"Is that all you came to say?" Enoshima asked.
"No, I came to warn you that if you keep being reckless, you'll get caught. Relying on a total stranger for your despair fix is a good way to set yourself up to get blackmailed. As much as I want you to stop this, I also don't want to see your life ruined," Ikusaba told her.
"Wow! You actually sounded like an older sister there. But all you did was lecture me? That makes me sad," Enoshima said as mushrooms somehow sprouted all over her.
"Junko-chan, what are you doing?" Ikusaba said, a bit unnerved by the shift in personalities. Naegi had mentioned it to her but seeing it was different. This wasn't Enoshima playing a role, this was something else.
Enoshima had shifted back before saying, "Nothing. I have it under control. You know how I get bored with my personality after a while."
"Yeah, those changes were never so drastic before. You changed physically Junko-chan, there were mushrooms growing on you," Ikusaba pointed out.
"I said I'm fine, now leave!" Enoshima ordered.
Ikusaba left, but the concern never left her eyes.
Outside the Novoselic Embassy
Tenth Week of Classes-Sunday
While everyone else breathed a sigh of relief that the hostage situation at the embassy was over, Enoshima was busy with an internal conversation.
Don't even say it! Enoshima ordered.
Say what? the voice asked.
You know damn well what you want to say! Enoshima shot back.
That you and Muku-nee saved Naegi-kun? Well, yes. I didn't expect that. I don't think anyone could have predicted that, the voice admitted.
Before the conversation could continue, Ikusaba approached. "I never thought you would save Naegi-kun, Junko-chan."
"Shut up!" Enoshima snarled. It was directed at the now giggling voice in her head as much as it was directed at Ikusaba.
"Why did you do it?" Ikusaba asked, ignoring Enoshima's words.
I'd like to know too, the voice added.
"Enough with your questions, Peasants!" Enoshima shouted as her personality changed. Her hands were on her hips, and she held a similar aura to Sonia when the princess felt the need to take control of a situation.
It was dark, but Ikusaba thought she saw something that looked like a crown. Where did she get that? Ikusaba wondered.
"Naegi Makoto belongs to us! We will decide his fate! Not some outsider!" Enoshima told her sister.
"Junko-chan, you're doing it again," Ikusaba said.
"No, I'm not," Enoshima said quickly. She knew she wasn't fooling anyone, but she wasn't going to admit that she was losing control.
"Junko-chan, I'm worried about you. I think you need to see Gekkogahara-san. Or at least talk to Matsuda-kun, he might know what's happening," Ikusaba said.
"Fuckin' hell! I said I'm fuckin' fine!" Punk Rocker Enoshima argued.
Ikusaba didn't reply, she just stared at Enoshima with a look seemed to ask, "Oh really?"
"W-when do we leave? I just need some sleep and I'll be fine," Enoshima said nervously.
It's okay to admit that you aren't in control, Junko-chan. There are plenty of people who will help, the voice reminded Enoshima.
I said, I'm fine! Enoshima replied, not that she really believed it.
Minato Inn
Eleventh Week of Classes-Wednesday
After spending time with Owari's family, Enoshima couldn't help but think, I really fucking hate kids.
The plan might not have been one of her best, she'll admit, but she always tailored them to her targets and kids weren't that hard to manipulate. Step One: Pretend to be talking on the phone when the youngest Owaris were close. Step Two: Make sure they heard about the test of courage. Make it sound easy and make it sound like it would prove that they were grown up. Step Three: Wait until they got hopelessly lost and then enjoy their sister's despair as her fear of ghosts prevents her from finding them.
Unfortunately for her, the kids decided to add a few steps of their own. Step Four: Leave the little one so Naegi knows to help them. Step Five: Get hurt and stay in one spot. Step Six: Be gone for over two hours but still somehow stay close enough to the inn to be found rather quickly.
We should be glad that they were found so quickly! And really Junko-chan, targeting children? Enoshima was sure that if the voice had a face, it would look disappointed.
I didn't make them go in there, Enoshima argued.
But you wanted them to. You put the idea in their heads. Despite what you say, you know as well as I do that your behavior makes you guilty, the voice shot back.
Before Enoshima could argue more, she was interrupted by Naegi. "Is everything alright, Enoshima-san?"
"I'm fine. Just thinking about what happened," Enoshima said.
"Yeah, Ataru-chan said he and the others overheard you talking to someone about tests of courage," Naegi said.
"Oh, I hope I didn't put the idea in their heads," Enoshima lied.
"Well, everything worked out, so there's no point in dwelling on it. Just be careful, you know how kids can get," Naegi reminded her.
"Don't worry, Onii-chan! Junko-chan will be vewry good fwom now on!" Enoshima said as a new personality emerged. Once again, Enoshima went through some physical changes. Her pigtails were smoother, her eyes were bigger, and her voice got higher. Naegi would have thought it was cute if the change hadn't been so sudden.
"'Onii-chan'? Enoshima-san, are you alright?" Naegi asked.
"Of course, Onii-chan! I mean, I'm fine!" Enoshima said as she went back to normal and left the room as quickly as she could.
Is this going to happen every time now? Enoshima asked herself.
It appears so. Muku-nee was right, Junko-chan. You need help, the voice told her.
I need a win is what I need! Enoshima shot back.
Downtown-Near Hope's Peak Academy
Twelfth Week of Classes- Saturday
Enoshima had snuck off to see how the date she set up for Asahina was going. She had picked Fukuyama Suzuki because he was the most obnoxious, self-centered, and insecure person Enoshima had ever met. To him, Asahina was just some arm candy that would boost his career. Enoshima didn't really care about that, she just wanted Asahina to feel despair from her insecurities.
That was the plan anyway, but Asahina had somehow managed to turn it around and make Fukuyama miserable. It wasn't her goal, but Enoshima was still enjoying that, and she wasn't the only one.
Perhaps it doesn't speak well of me, but I'm glad that jerk is having a bad time, the voice said through its laughter.
Enoshima didn't respond, she was too busy enjoying Fukuyama's meltdown when he got an ice cream stain on his clothes. While she was listening to Fukuyama rant, Enoshima was looking at Asahina hoping to catch the exact moment when her despair reached its peak. She even pulled out her phone to record that moment. Always prepare for despair droughts, she always said.
Shocked look on Asahina's face. Good first step, Enoshima thought.
Deep frown. Getting there.
Naegi showing up and sucker punching the prick before Asahina started crying. Wait…what?! Enoshima mentally screamed.
For all of her analytical prowess, Enoshima had not seen that coming. The idea of Naegi punching someone just didn't compute. Not that it wasn't entertaining to see Fukuyama run off with his tail between his legs, but Naegi stepping in had ruined a perfectly despairful moment for Asahina.
"Fuck…ow! Fuck…ow! Fuck…ow!" Enoshima cursed as she banged her head on a tree. Enoshima figured out what happened once she saw the grocery bags. Naegi was trying to do something nice for Asahina. Someone, probably Owari, finished off something Naegi needed and then he went shopping, Ogami volunteering to go with him. Those two were worried about Asahina and went to check on her. By chance, they happened upon the exact moment when Naegi could pull Asahina back from the brink of despair.
See, that's my problem. I'm smart. My plans never account for "dumb." Both Donuts Girl and the walking stomach with tits were involved with these last two plans, and it doesn't get much dumber than those two, Enoshima thought.
That's a terrible thing to say, Junko-chan! the voice told her.
"Quiet! I, Junko, am talking," Enoshima said as her personality shifted. Her appearance didn't change much, but much like her queen persona, this one gave off an air of superiority. Though if one were to compare the two, this one was much worse in that regard. "There were too many variables. Or perhaps this location was too close to school. I, Junko, must figure out what went wrong."
Enoshima shook her head as her normal personality regained control. Just how many of these personalities were going to show up? She needed to do something about them. Get rid of them, preferably.
Whatever. I can figure it out later, Enoshima thought as she considered what to do next. She remembered that she recorded the incident and smirked. Maybe this wasn't a total loss. What's a little character assassination among friends, right Naegi-kun?
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Sixteenth Week of Classes-Sunday
Well, if this experience taught Enoshima anything it was that distance didn't matter when she placed her peers in despairful situations, Naegi's luck seemed to protect them no matter where they were.
She sent Saionji to a tea house that was a fair distance from Hope's Peak. Far enough that the others wouldn't stumble across Saionji by accident, or so Enoshima believed, but close enough that no one would wonder why Saionji picked that tea house in particular. It also helped that to get back to Hope's Peak, Saionji would have to pass through a dangerous part of town in the evening.
Did it work? Did Saionji have a despairful experience? No, of course not! How that lucky piece of shit couldn't find what he needed at a closer store is beyond me! There's luck and then there's cheating. Hacks! I call hacks! Enoshima mentally ranted.
What would you have done if Saionji-senpai had been… Had been- the voice tried to ask.
Before Enoshima could answer, Naegi approached her. Enoshima made a mental note to stop critiquing her own work in the dorm's hallways.
"Enoshima-san, are you okay?" Naegi asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Enoshima was genuinely confused by that question. Nothing had happened to her.
"Saionji-senpai mentioned that you were the one who made her a reservation at the tea house. I just wanted to be sure you weren't feeling guilty about what almost happened," Naegi said.
"Oh. Well, don't you worry about me," Enoshima said with a laugh. Guilt is a foreign concept to me anyway.
You don't think it's sweet that he worried about you too? the voice asked.
I think it's so sweet I'll need to vomit later, how about that? Enoshima replied.
"That's good. Saionji-senpai is okay. Hopefully she, Tsumiki-senpai, and Koizumi-senpai can sort things out. And you seem to be okay," Naegi noted.
"I feel a little bad though. It was my lack of research that led to this. I may have found a nice tea house, but I neglected to check if the surrounding area was safe. I will be more diligent going forward," Enoshima said as she shifted to a new personality. This one traded the pigtails for a ponytail and had Enoshima wearing glasses. This personality gave the air of an intellectual and an authority figure.
"Uh, okay then. Tsumiki-senpai told me to rest, so I had better head to my room. Have a good night, Enoshima-san," Naegi said as he headed for his room. He wanted to help Enoshima with these new personalities that kept popping up, but he didn't know what was causing them or what to do about them. He would let Ikusaba know and leave it alone for now.
Once he was gone, Punk Rocker Enoshima emerged and said, "Fucking hell, he's annoying. Not as annoying as whatever the fuck is going on, but…Fuck!" That last curse was in response to Punk Rocker Enoshima losing control of her right hand and being slapped by said hand. Reverting to her normal personality, Enoshima retired to her room thinking, They'll stop when I finally beat that lucky little shit. They have to!
Hope's Peak Academy-Outside the Old School Building
Seventeenth Week of Classes-Saturday
Enoshima was watching the show from her vantage point on a nearby tree branch. She hated to give anyone other than herself credit, but that girl, Fuwa Sato, she believed her name was, using the swimsuit and the gravel as a weapon was a stroke of genius.
I might have to remember that one, Enoshima said to herself.
You can still stop this, you know? She's going to kill that other girl if nothing happens," the voice informed Enoshima.
And? The key to inducing despair is in our peers' relationships and you can't make a despair omelet without cracking a few skulls, Enoshima replied cheerfully. She saw that the two girls in the building were shouting to someone. No.
The sleeve of a very familiar jacket had entered Enoshima's view. No no no!
As more of Naegi came into view, Enoshima continued to scream in her mind. Nononononono! Fuck! How and why?
"Hacksh! I call hacksh!" Enoshima yelled as a new personality emerged. This one sported thick nerd glasses and buck teeth. Nerd Enoshima also spoke with a lisp.
"Naegi'sh got bullshit main character powersh! It'sh completely unfair ish what it ish! He couldn't posshibly have known to come early!" she shouted.
I guess he's been picking up habits from the other girls. Sonia-senpai is always 13 minutes early, the voice mentioned.
*Crash*
Fuwa's murder weapon came crashing out the window interrupting Enoshima and the voice.
Enoshima was brought back to normal by the sound of the glass breaking and decided that there was no salvaging this incident. If anything, Naegi was going to probably get everyone out of trouble too.
"What a shitload of fuck," she grumbled. For some reason, she was tempted to see if Kizakura kept a stash of Rolling Rock as well as sake.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Eighteenth Week of Classes-Wednesday
Enoshima was done with trying to manipulate others into doing what she wanted, she decided that in order to get around any interference from Naegi, she'd need to be more involved in her attempts to cause despair.
Thankfully, an opportunity had landed right in her lap. Pekoyama was ready to give up on life and it was just what Enoshima needed. She had volunteered to watch Pekoyama with Ikusaba. She then excused herself and unlocked the door to Ikusaba's room. Once that was done, Enoshima stole the key to one of Ikusaba's weapons cases, and hid it where her disappointing sister would never find it while she snuck it into Pekoyama's room. Once they were called for dinner, Enoshima just left the key where Pekoyama was sure to find it and play the waiting game.
At least, that was how it was supposed to go. Pekoyama played her part exactly as Enoshima expected, but that stupid cat and Naegi got in the way. Again.
It's so stupid! Do I have to worry about that stupid cat's luck now too? Enoshima wondered.
I think it's cute. The cat Pekoyama loves so much helping Naegi save her, the voice said.
"Junko-chan, how did you hide that key?" Ikusaba asked.
"Does it matter? It didn't work," Enoshima said flatly.
"Junko-chan?" Ikusaba was worried. The new personalities she could deal with, but this was different. Enoshima wasn't showing anything. Her eyes were vacant, and her face was blank. Ikusaba had a feeling that Enoshima was getting to her breaking point.
"I don't know why you sound so worried. I'm not mad. I'm not really feeling anything, honestly," Enoshima said almost robotically before she walked away and went back to her room.
Ikusaba didn't know what would happen next, but she knew that one more failure would push Enoshima over the edge. She knew that she had better prepare for it.
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Nineteenth Week of Classes-Friday
Enoshima's day had started out just as it usually did: her alarm went off, she got up, she showered and tamed her bed head, and she looked at her phone for any interesting news. When she saw today's top story, she felt like cheering.
"Ultimate Hero Saves Five: The Dark Side of Hope's Peak?"
As Enoshima looked at the story, she thought, Oh right, Naegi-kun's brats. He's been whining about them for a while now. Let's see… "Attempted suicide…"
*poof*
What was that? Well, whatever. "Prison time for the parents and involved staff…"
*poof*
"Towa Group bought out by the Togami Conglomerate…" Not all that interesting, but I'll take it.
*poof*
"Calls for investigation of Hope's Peak"…?
*poof*
Enoshima had finished the story and had started laughing. All of this was thanks to hopeful, little, Naegi Makoto. Hope Boy might have done the hard part for me! I'll need to do something nice for him. But first, find a way to keep this going!
Enoshima turned on her laptop and opened. Glad I paid for the "Hope's Leaks" domain name in advance. Let's see… No one will ever suspect that Madarai Besshiki, the Ultimate Hacker is really just little, ol' Enoshima Junko-chan! Maybe I should get that fucking nerd out here. Enoshima tried not to indulge her other personalities too much, but they had their uses, she had to give them that.
She's gone, the voice told Enoshima.
What do you mean gone?
Those "poofing" noises were four of your other personalities disappearing. You were right, Junko-chan, all you needed was for things to go your way and they would start to disappear, the voice explained.
So, four are gone? That's fine with me. Maybe I can get rid of the rest and you while I'm at it, Enoshima thought with a smirk. She thought she might miss Nerd Junko though, but she would honor that personality with the recording of the meeting Nerd Junko had managed to hack into between the Steering Committee and Yanagihori. Not much, but it would whet the public's appetite for more.
Add some bullshit demands that I don't give two shits about and…done! Enoshima thought happily.
As she closed her laptop and left her room, she came across Naegi.
Hope Boy seems to be feeling guilty. Good! Still, I guess I owe him something for all his hard work, Enoshima thought as she skipped over to Naegi and hugged him tightly from behind. "How's my favorite classmate today?" she practically purred as she rubbed her cheek in Naegi's hair.
"I've been better Enoshima-san. I knew something like this would happen, but I guess I wasn't as prepared as I hoped I would be," Naegi admitted.
"Well, I appreciate what you did. You get the Enoshima Junko Seal of Approval!" Enoshima told him with a wide smile.
Naegi remembered his conversation with Ikusaba from months ago and realized that having Enoshima's approval wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Sixth Week of Classes-Friday
Finding content for Hope's Leaks hadn't been as time-consuming as Enoshima had expected it to be. The rumors about the Steering Committee pissing away the tuition money Reserve Course students paid had been around for almost as long as there had been a Reserve Course, but Enoshima had actually managed to prove it. Of course, once she found that information, she had also come across the correspondence between the Steering Committee and the officials that they had to bribe to get certain Ultimate students in the school.
After that, Enoshima found some really juicy information. As it turned out, the Steering Committee was selling the research of the students. This year alone, some of Souda's blueprints and Fujisaki's programs had been found to have been sold to less than noble organizations. Not only that, but it had come to light that the Steering Committee had a history of tortious interference when Hope's Peak alumni wanted to work for companies and organizations that the Steering Committee found unacceptable.
Unfortunately, at least from Enoshima's perspective, this led to a rather anticlimactic end. The Steering Committee had been caught, but not in the way anyone had been expecting. It would seem that in addition to being greedy, old men, the Steering Committee was also made up of dirty, old men, as it had been discovered that there were cameras in the girls' locker rooms. When Fujisaki had traced the signal, it had led to the discovery of a member of the Steering Committee who then sold out the others.
Well, it was fun while it lasted, and those people I paid should keep the crowd in a frenzy for a good, long while. Paid agitators, a few ten thousand yen. The Despair it brings when people fear Hope's Peak will shut down? Priceless! Enoshima thought happily as she went to the courtyard. Seeing how demoralized the students and staff were had been the best part of the past few weeks for her.
"Excuse me!"
Enoshima saw Naegi trying to get everyone's made sure to pay close attention to him, failing here might be what finally broke him.
Good luck, Naegi-kun, the voice said.
It's a student against a mob! It would take a miracle for him to calm them down, and that's not counting the people I paid to help keep this going, Enoshima argued.
Before she or the voice could argue more, Ikusaba had helped Naegi get the crowds' attention. It wasn't long before Enoshima discovered that her efforts would, once again, be met with failure.
Naegi managed to get a laugh out of the mob.
No! Enoshima's hair had become wild, resembling her punk persona's hair.
The crowd was nodding when Naegi made his points.
Nooooooooo! Her eyes got bigger to match her cutesy personality's. In addition, mushrooms started popping up all over her.
More laughs, more nodding.
"No, no, no!" Enoshima begged in her intellectual persona's voice. A somehow, a crown and thick glasses appeared on her.
Naegi finished and the crowd began to cheer, "Ultimate Hero! Ultimate Hope!" She even saw the people she paid leave, believing (rightly) that there was nothing more they could do.
Nonononon FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK! Enoshima mentally screamed as she began to cycle through all of her reborn personalities. She did the only thing she could thing to do, she ran. She ran back to her room and locked herself in.
"WHY?!" she screamed. "I was so close! Everything was going my way! I, Enoshima Junko-chan, am not supposed to lose!" she ranted as she began to throw and break things in her room.
Junko-chan? Are you going to be alright? The voice asked.
Yeah. Yeah, I will be. There's just something I need to do first. As long as he's here, I can't win. It was interesting at first, but it's gotten boring. For Despair to flourish, Hope needs to die. Naegi Makoto must die, Enoshima "reasoned." It was obvious that she was close to her breaking point. Who knew what one more failure could do to her?
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Twenty-Seventh Week of Classes-Sunday
For the first time in weeks, Naegi was sleeping soundly. Sakakura's threat from earlier in the day aside, things were pretty much back to normal. Well, as normal as it ever got at Hope's Peak, anyway.
There was one dorm resident, however, who was up and about. In fact, her fractured mind wouldn't allow her to sleep. Enoshima could no longer be alone without the other personalities talking over each other in her mind.
It's Makoto-nii-chan!
Little dipshit hasn't noticed us!
Early to bed on a school night, just like a good student.
SHUT UP! Enoshima ordered. She'd had enough of them. She was going to end her other personalities and Naegi tonight. She stole one of Ikusaba's knives and disguised herself in a white coat and a wrestling mask. If Naegi woke up, he would die not knowing who killed him. Not much, but it was enough Despair for Enoshima to get by and hopefully start putting her mind back together. She crept silently over to Naegi's bed, but before she acted, she had something to say.
"You just had to get in my way. You couldn't leave well enough alone and let me enjoy the Despair. And now it's come to this," Enoshima said as she lunged at Naegi.
Fortunately, or unfortunately for Enoshima's perspective, Naegi's luck saved him once again as he rolled over toward Enoshima. The knife was sticking out of the mattress, but other than that, it looked as though Enoshima had belly flopped onto Naegi.
The impact of Enoshima landing on him woke Naegi up. When he opened his eyes, he saw someone push themself off of him. While the white coat and mask did what Enoshima had wanted them to do, Naegi saw her hands and, more importantly, her nails. "Enoshima-san, what are you doing? And why are you dressed like that? And why did you attack me with a flying press? I didn't know you liked wrestling." Naegi's comments might have been odd considering the circumstances, but in his defense, he had just woken up and had yet to see the knife behind him.
"WHY!? Why is it that no matter what I try, you can stop me? I fed Maizono's fears! I set Mioda up to fail! I helped that sniper line up his shot! I ticked those brats into going into the woods! I set Asahina up on a date that was meant to fail! I sent Saionji to that tea house knowing she'd run into trouble! I convinced that girl to try to kill that yakuza bitch and frame you for it! I gave Pekoyama the key to Muku-nee's weapon case! And every time you save them! That's just impossible! And to add to this list of very annoying setbacks, I tried to stab you and you suddenly roll over in your sleep!" Enoshima screamed.
"Well, isn't that good though? I helped them and surprised you. Ikusaba said that you were bored. Granted, she didn't exactly say that you'd go to these extremes, but if I can surprise you, then you shouldn't be bored any more at least," Naegi said as he pulled the knife out of his mattress. He was really surprised by his lack of a reaction to the whole situation. I guess after getting shot, beaten up by thugs, and almost falling to my death by holding onto a metal fence as the metal cuts into my hand, a knife-wielding maniac trying to kill me just seems…underwhelming, and that's really disturbing actually, Naegi thought with a fleeting grimace.
"Silence!" Queen Enoshima ordered. As Enoshima shifted to her more dramatic personality, she declared, "I, Junko, am the Ultimate Despair! My plans are like me, perfect!"
"You can't really claim to be perfect, when someone as average as me can ruin your plans," Naegi pointed out.
Naegi never moved when he said that, but Enoshima recoiled as though she had been punched in the stomach.
"Actually, can you even claim you do things for despair? Failure wouldn't bother you this much if it was," Naegi said.
"No! Stop! Fail! Die!" Enoshima screamed in a panic.
"You're supposedly bored, but you won't allow anything to surprise you. Of course, you'll be bored if you only allow for controlled situations.," Naegi continued.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Enoshima half begged, half yelled.
"Now that I think about it, if people call me the Ultimate Hope and you can't predict me, doesn't that mean you've been wrong this whole time and that despair is boring?" Naegi wondered.
"RRRRAAAAAAGGHHH!" Enoshima made an inhuman noise, causing Naegi to stop talking.
"Enoshima-san, are you okay?" Naegi asked.
"DESPAIR! GUH! HOPE! RRR! TALENT!" Enoshima screamed as she took a swipe at Naegi. She missed. She missed completely and lost her balance. When she landed, she pulled herself into a fetal position and began to alternate between sobbing and muttering unintelligibly.
"Enoshima-san! I'll go get help, just wait here!" Naegi said as he ran out of his room to wake everyone up.
Once the girls were up, Naegi carried Enoshima, who by this time had ceased sobbing and stuttering and had become catatonic, to the common area and told the others what happened. "I don't think I did anything. I just started talking. True, I challenged everything she believed, but I was just trying to convince her to stop doing all of those terrible things she had been doing. I didn't want or expect this."
"It's probably safe to say you beat her if your arguments and questions did this," Saionji said. She, like Enoshima's other near victims, was furious to find out that the trauma she had endured started as a cheap source of entertainment for Enoshima.
"Naegi-kun didn't just beat her. He broke her," Ikusaba said as she looked at her sister in pity.
"What do you mean, Ikusaba-san?" Kirigiri asked.
"Obsession with despair aside, Junko-chan really is a genius. She can find anyone's weakness within seconds and plot hundreds of steps ahead. Her analytical abilities and charisma have made her a household name in the fashion industry," Ikusaba began.
The others nodded. Even if they still had a hard time believing just what Enoshima could do with her true talent, what Ikusaba was saying made sense.
"And then there's you, Naegi-kun. All the plotting, manipulating, and analyzing in the world can't beat you and it's been gnawing at her already tenuous grasp on sanity the whole school year. You managing to convince everyone that Hope's Peak Academy deserved another chance hit her the hardest. She loved snatching victory away from others but couldn't handle it when it happened to her. I don't know if it was the failures, the boredom, or if she really knew that you were right, but she just couldn't handle it. Her attempt on your life was a last-ditch effort to keep her sanity and that failed too," Ikusaba explained.
Never thought I'd feel bad about not getting stabbed to death, Naegi joked in his mind. "So, what do we do?" he asked Ikusaba.
"I say leave her like this. Psycho bitch could have gotten Mari and Ataru lost for days," Owari said.
"After what she wanted to have happen to us, she deserves worse!" Saionji added.
It seemed half of the girls in the dorm shared this sentiment. Enoshima had been a threat to them or to those close to them, so Naegi couldn't blame them for feeling that way.
"We can't leave her like this. She can't make up for what she did if she's catatonic," Naegi argued.
"Naegi-kun, we all know how forgiving you are, but from what we've learned, Enoshima-san doesn't sound like the type to regret her actions," Sonia said.
"You might be right, Senpai, but it's just not in my nature to ignore someone who is suffering. Plus, Enoshima-san is Ikusaba-san's sister. Even if I accepted that Enoshima-san deserves this, and I don't, I'd want to help for Ikusaba's sake," Naegi told her.
"I'm happy to hear you feel that way, Naegi-kun," Ikusaba said with a blush, "but I think we might need to leave this to the professionals for now."
Hope's Peak Academy
Twenty-Seventh Week of Classes-Monday
When morning had come, Naegi and Ikusaba sought out Gekkogahara for help with Enoshima. When they had explained what had happened to Enoshima, Gekkogahara suggested something she had been working on with Fujisaki and a student named Matsuda.
Matsuda Yasuke was a friend of Enoshima's from way back, so Naegi was optimistic about their chances of getting him to help. What happened instead was…
"Hahahahaha!" Naegi hadn't expected Matsuda to laugh his ass off at the situation.
"How can you laugh when your friend is like this?" Naegi asked.
"It's because I know her that I can laugh. I've known for years that something needed to be done about her. I've known that she's bad for just about everyone she comes into contact with. Since it's none of your damn business, I won't go into the reasons why I haven't done anything and just say that you saved me and everyone else a lot of trouble and grief, kid," Matsuda told Naegi as he looked back to the manga he had been reading.
"Matsuda-kun…" Usami's tone wasn't the normal happy one. Usami and Gekkogahara were both glaring at Matsuda.
"What? I was glad when she became his problem. She quit bothering me and now she can't manipulate people anymore," Matsuda said. The good thing about Enoshima obsessing over Naegi was that it gave Matsuda time to think. The bad part was that he realized that she was using him and anyone she could. She might actually care about at least some of the people she's using, but in a selfish way that ensures she always gets what she wants with no concern for what it did to those she claimed to care about. It was hard to swallow at first, but after a while, he was glad he figured that out. He'd have less reasons to grapple with his own conscience.
"We created the Neo World Program to help people. Now, are you going to help or not?" Usami asked.
"Sure, I'll put all of you in there. Knowing what she can do, and you still want to get her back on her feet? You're all insane!" Matsuda shouted.
"I'm aware of what she's done. And I'm also aware that she may not change. But I still want to try. If it works, Enoshima has a chance to make up for what she did and if not, she can face whatever punishment she deserves. Either way, I don't have it in me to leave her like this. If the worst happens, I'll take responsibility for it," Naegi said.
"As long as she's your problem and not mine. Just don't forget you said that kid," Matsuda said with a sigh as he closed his manga and went to work on a nearby computer.
"Bring Enoshima-san this way," Fujisaki told Naegi and Ikusaba. The tiny programmer led his classmates to a pod in the back of the lab. Once it opened and Enoshima had been placed inside, Fujisaki placed a headset on her.
"How long will this take?" Ikusaba asked.
"We don't know. Every treatment plan is different and Enoshima is a very serious case," Usami answered.
"Trust me, anyone who knows her already knew that," Matsuda added.
Ikusaba ignored Matsuda and sighed, "I guess all we can do is wait."
Hope's Peak Academy-Matsuda's Lab
Twenty-Eighth Week of Classes-Sunday
Waiting proved to be difficult for Ikusaba and Naegi. The past week, they had been getting progress reports from Fujisaki, and it had given them hope. Enoshima had been recovering faster than anyone could have predicted, at least at first.
Starting Friday, Enoshima's progress had stopped, and Fujisaki, Gekkogahara, and even Matsuda had no explanation why. Fujisaki had tried to reassure his classmates that nothing was seriously wrong, but Fujisaki being Fujisaki, he was unable to give answers that were both vague and satisfactory. Naegi had managed to convince Ikusaba to give Enoshima's recovery time to happen, but eventually Ikusaba's concern for her sister led her and Naegi back to Matsuda's lab to check on Enoshima.
"I know we need to give it time, but I went from getting proper progress reports to getting vague answers. I don't blame Fujisaki-kun," Ikusaba hastily added that last bit when she caught sight of how upset Fujisaki was getting, "…but Junko-chan is my sister and I think I have a right to know how she is." Ikusaba's tone seemed calm, but everyone in the room could feel the annoyance and frustration pouring off of her.
"Well at first, everything was fine. She was making steady progress, which was impressive because of how severe her condition was at the time," Usami said as she pointed toward a monitor.
On the screen, Enoshima was sitting at a desk working on a puzzle, the only source of light shining on her and the puzzle but illuminating nothing else.
"Is it supposed to look like this?" Naegi asked.
"The Neo World Program would ordinarily place patient avatars in place where they would feel safe, like an island paradise, with an overseer AI that would help them through the program. The problem is that, given Enoshima-san's condition, she couldn't interact with anyone. We had to rework the program and so we allowed Enoshima to construct a virtual space with her own mind. At first it was going well, the room she was in kept getting brighter as she completed more and more of the puzzle. Then on Thursday, she was working on her puzzle, but the room never got any brighter. We expected a few hiccups, but then she just stopped making progress altogether. Occasionally, we see her avatar move her arm as though she's pushing someone away, but if anyone is there, they're shrouded in darkness," Usami explained.
"In my completely expert opinion, as both a neurologist and as someone who knows her, I would say that she doesn't want to get better," Matsuda said, sounding bored as he turned a page in his manga. In response, Ikusaba threw one of her knives right through the page. "Don't get mad at me, she's the one not doing what she needs to do. While I'm at it, even if she gets better, why should we believe that she'll change?" Matsuda asked.
"We don't really have a reason. I'm doing this because Ikusaba-san is my friend and Enoshima-san is her sister. We both agreed that we should fix this and then act accordingly. If Enoshima-san changes, that's great, but if she doesn't, we'll do what we need to do to make sure she can't cause any more problems," Naegi answered.
"That all sounds nice, but all she needs to do is act better and then act out when you aren't paying attention," Matsuda countered.
"Enough!" It was rare to see Usami, and by extension, Gekkogahara, angry. "Matsuda-kun, you have a point, we don't know. I, as a therapist, and you, as a neurologist took an oath. 'I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism,' remember?"
"Do whatever you want," Matsuda spat. He knew he was being an asshole, it was kind of his thing, but he knew how dangerous Enoshima was and was fine being the bad guy if it prevented any more suffering because of her obsession and insanity.
"So, what do we do?" Naegi asked.
"Well, we can send someone in. We'd prefer that Enoshima-san recover on her own, but given the circumstances, it's probably the right course of action," Usami said.
Before Ikusaba could speak up, Naegi said, "I'll go. It's my fault she's like this, so I might as well fix it. If nothing else, we can clear the air without anyone getting caught in the crossfire."
"Naegi-kun…" Ikusaba began.
"Ikusaba-san, I'll bring Enoshima-san back to you. If the Neo World Program works as intended, you can finally have the bond you've always wanted. I think that's reason enough to do what we're doing here," Naegi told her.
Ikusaba turned scarlet but was unable to do more than wish him luck.
"This way, Naegi-kun," Fujisaki said as he led Naegi to another pod.
Naegi supposed he should be grateful for his avatar body, otherwise it would have taken his eyes longer to adjust from the shift from the well-lit lab to almost complete darkness. A dark void isn't really something I would associate with Enoshima-san. Before this, I would have expected that her mindscape would have looked more…colorful? Creepy and colorful? What's that word that people used decades ago…"psychedelic"? Kind of like if the school building was trapped in a modern art painting, Naegi thought. He shook his head to clear that thought away, he needed to focus.
He saw the spot where he could find Enoshima's avatar and ran toward her. The closer he got though, the more he slowed down. How was he going to help exactly? Enoshima was like this because of him, after all. Could he help ,or would he just make everything worse? His desire to help always was greater than his sense. He was here now though, so he might as well try. If nothing else, the fact that Enoshima broke down when he of all people challenged her might mean that Enoshima would consider what he had to say. Now if only he had some idea of what to say.
As Naegi walked up to Enoshima, he got a good look at the puzzle she had been putting together. It showed Enoshima and all of her personalities, but there was a section that Enoshima seemed to want to leave unfinished. She was going through the motions, but she wasn't placing any pieces down.
"Junko-chan, you need my pieces too," a voice that was the same as Enoshima's said.
"Who are you?" Naegi asked.
A figure stepped out of the darkness. She looked like Enoshima, but she had long, red hair and red eyes as opposed to Enoshima's strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm really just another side of Junko-chan, but she's made it clear that I'm an unwelcome part of her. So really, I'm nobody important."
"'Nobody important?' There's no such thing. Who are you really?" Naegi asked with a kind, supportive smile.
"I started calling myself Otonashi Ryoko. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Naegi-kun," the now identified Ryoko said. She wasn't sure, but she felt confident that as just another part of Enoshima Junko, she shouldn't be able to blush and yet NAegi had made her do just that.
"I'm happy to meet you as well, Otonashi-san. What did you mean, 'another side'?" Naegi asked.
"You might have noticed how Junko-chan can act without any guilt? I suppose I started out as her conscience, but the further she fell, the more positive qualities she cast off until eventually I became self-aware. Junko-chan has an unusually complex mind, you see," Otonashi explained.
"See, you don't have a monopoly on my positive qualities." Enoshima had finally chimed in.
"Enoshima-san, it's nice to hear you speak again," Naegi said to her.
"Did you come here to finish the job? Or are you here to 'save the day' again? Sorry to ask but this puzzle has been my main focus for the past…however long I've been here. Not that it would matter if it wasn't, analyzing you has never worked, and I never figured out why," Enoshima said, never taking her eyes off the puzzle.
"I came to see why you weren't getting better. Ikusaba-san is worried about you. I am too, really," Naegi admitted.
"Why? Why are you doing this? Why do you even care? Did you really forget everything I've been doing?" Enoshima asked, finally looking at Naegi.
"No, I haven't. Just because I want to help doesn't mean I'm not angry. You've mistreated Ikusaba-san. You tried to manipulate Maizono-san. You humiliated Mioda-senpai. You almost got Sonia-senpai killed. You almost got Owari-senpai's brother and sister lost on purpose. You tried to embarrass Asahina-san. You sent Saionji-senpai to a place where you knew she'd be in danger. You did manipulate Fuwa-senpai. You tried to make Pekoyama-senpai kill herself. And we found out recently that you were the one behind Hope's Leaks and that you paid people to escalate things between Hope's Peak Academy and the public. Honestly, when you think about it, you really don't deserve another chance," Naegi told her.
"Then why are you here? If you're just here to tell me how evil I am…" Enoshima began.
"However," Naegi interrupted, "you're Ikusaba-san's sister. Any person she loves can't be a lost cause. If she believes in you, then so do I. I'll help you get that second chance, for her and for you."
Enoshima was speechless. She certainly wasn't expecting that.
Otonashi, who had been in quiet thought while Enoshima and Naegi were talking, suddenly spoke up. "Junko-chan, I've figured it all out. Why you can accurately predict the actions of someone half a world away, but you can't predict Naegi-kun. In every experiment, in every scenario, there is a factor of chance, the unpredictable-the variant or mutation for which you cannot prepare. That hiccup on the quantum level that throws everything off. Chaos, Junko-chan. Chaos. That's why you can't beat him or plan for him. But if Naegi-kun is the element of chaos, then maybe hope is what you've been looking for this whole time."
Naegi cut in, "I don't think so. I'm flattered that you both seem to think I'm something more than I am, but I'm just Naegi Makoto. I'm not hope or despair and I don't think you can look at hope or despair in such simple terms. Humans are complex, we don't fall into the categories of hope or despair. We experience both and any number of other emotions. I don't think you should be pure despair, but you don't have to be pure hope either. Just be Enoshima Junko, I think we'd all like to get to know her better. And if she needs a friend, she'll have me."
Enoshima started to tear up at Naegi's declaration. "I'm ready now, Ryoko-chan," she choked out.
Otonashi smiled as she handed her puzzle pieces over.
As soon as Enoshima placed the last piece in place, the puzzle began to glow and the image changed to show Enoshima embracing the other sides of her mind with Otonashi looking over her shoulder, frustrated but happy. As light continued to fill the void, Naegi, Enoshima, and even Otonashi felt themselves getting pulled somewhere.
Enoshima woke up feeling weak and stiff. She guessed she must have been out of it for some time. It's not hard to lose your sense of time in a dark void, Otonashi told her.
I thought you'd disappear, Enoshima thought, oddly relieved to hear Otonashi's voice.
Not just me, Junko-chan. I don't know if we'll fade at some point or if we'll stay. At the very least, it won't be boring, right? Otonashi asked.
Heh, I guess not, Enoshima laughed inside her mind. She was brought back to reality whenIkusaba pulled her into a hug.
"Junko-chan, are you alright? I was worried you'd never wake up." The relief in Ikusaba's voice was impossible to miss.
"I'm…sorry? Am I saying that right?" Enoshima looked around for advice. It might have seemed stupid to everyone else, but Enoshima Junko couldn't remember apologizing to anyone before. Naegi, who had by this time climbed out of his pod, nodded. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Muku-nee. I'm sorry for a lot of things, actually, but I don't think we'd live long enough for me to go through them all," Enoshima said with a shaky voice as she hugged her sister back.
Once Enoshima had said those words, Ikusaba pulled back and just stared at her. Not that anyone could blame the Ultimate Soldier, given her former position as the Ultimate Fashionista's favorite punching bag. Never in Ikusaba's wildest dreams did she imagine the day would come when Enoshima would apologize to her, not sincerely anyway.
Enoshima took in the look her sister was giving her and said, "Yeah, that was exactly the response I expected. I should probably get used to seeing that look."
Everyone in the lab laughed at that, before congratulating Enoshima on her recovery and congratulating Naegi on a job well done. Even Matsuda admitted that it appeared that he had been wrong. He had noticed a change in Enoshima when she woke up and allowed himself to believe that perhaps Naegi had indeed done the impossible. He took the opportunity to wish Naegi luck as well. Even though Matsuda was willing to believe that Enoshima was done with her despair obsession, he wasn't ready to believe that Enoshima would tone herself down. Still, whatever happened going forward, he had a feeling that Enoshima was Naegi's problem now, and he could live with that. Growing apart was probably best for both of him and Enoshima, as he had too many memories and would be too suspicious of her. This would be the fresh start that both of them needed, her with her new outlook on life and him without being influenced by her.
Once Enoshima could balance herself enough to walk, she, Ikusaba, and Naegi went back to the dorm. Enoshima wasn't looking forward to it, she knew the others knew what she had been doing all year.
It's like ripping off a bandage, Junko-chan. Best to get it over with, Otonashi said.
Might as well, Enoshima agreed.
Once Naegi had opened the door, the trio were treated to the sounds of party poppers and a chorus of "Welcome back!"
"Wh-what is this?" Enoshima asked. This was not at all what she had expected, not after everything she had done.
"What does it look like? It's a party," Koizumi told her as she pointed towards a nearby cake and a banner with the words "Welcome Back" on it.
"I don't understand," Enoshima said.
"A bimbo that can't understand the obvious, what are the odds?" Saionji asked.
"W-we d-didn't have m-much time to put it together, so it's nothing to great. I'm sorry!" Tsumiki wailed.
"Why though?" Enoshima asked.
"That's an excellent question," Kirigiri noted.
"We're not sure we're ready to forgive you just yet, but…" Asahina began.
"Naegi-kun had a point when he said that you can't make up for what you did if you're catatonic," Maizono added.
"We're still pissed at you," Owari said, answering Enoshima's unasked question.
"We'll be watching you very closely from now on, until we know we can trust you," Pekoyama told Enoshima.
"If you're going to try, then we can try to forgive you someday," Sonia finished.
Enoshima began to tremble. "I used to think despair was so amazing. That it was the only way to cure my boredom. I expected the worst from people and so that's what I brought out in people. I had forgotten about this. This kindness. This warmth. This beauty that was always right in front of me," Enoshima said with a teary-eyed smile.
"Hey, it's okay Enoshima-san. Just enjoy this party for now and worry about all of that later," Naegi said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Naegi-kun! Thank you for being our hope. For being my hope," Enoshima cried as she hugged Naegi.
"I'm always here if anyone needs me. That includes you, Enoshima-san," Naegi said as he hugged her back. He might have missed Enoshima's meaning in being called "her hope" but no one else did. For now, the girls would grit their teeth, Sonia more than the others when she made Enoshima an offer later. Still, if Enoshima loved her darling too, Sonia supposed she could learn to put up with her.
Present Day
"I know I said this before…but thanks Naegi-kun. You know, for being my hope," Enoshima said with a blush.
"I'm always happy to help those in need Enoshima-san, especially when I caused their problem," Naegi said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I mean it. It means a lot that you'd stand by me after everything I did," Enoshima said.
"It's just how I am. Have you and the others managed to work things out yet?" Naegi asked, changing the subject. Enoshima had been behaving herself, mostly. She did like to tease and annoy the other girls, the one's she hadn't tried to harm in any way at least, along with just about everyone else, but there was no malice or ulterior motives behind it anymore.
"Well, I'm not exactly sure how to start with that. We're still being civil with each other though, so there is that," Enoshima admitted.
Apologizing for purposely putting others in danger or humiliating them for one's own amusement isn't exactly easy, Otonashi added.
"How about your other personalities? Are they giving you any trouble?" Naegi asked.
"No. I can switch between them at will now and they mostly stay quiet. Ryoko-chan being the exception, of course," Enoshima explained.
"You could always ask Fukawa-san or Syo-san for advice," Naegi joked.
"And force myself to sneeze or zap myself with a taser? No thanks," Enoshima told him as she laughed.
Once they were back at the dorm, Naegi got to work on dinner and Enoshima went to her room. It might have been early, but Naegi wanted dinner to be special. It was a way to thank the girls for the memories he had and the many more to come. His everyday life with Ultimate Girls had just barely begun, after all. And maybe if he was lucky, they could help him decide what to do regarding what the headmaster had proposed.
And scene!
Hello again everyone! Sorry this took so long, things kept coming up. Let me tell you, I am exhausted after this. Would anyone mind if I took a break for a while? I really hope not, because I think I need one.
So, Junko is done for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I don't know if it was what you expected, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same.
I'm sure that some of you might wonder why I didn't invent a backstory for Junko. Honestly, the mystery of why she is the way she is is way more compelling than anything I could come up with.
I hope you all enjoyed Ryoko's appearance too. If anyone played the Batman: Arkham Knight Harley Quinn DLC, they know why I did what I did. Basically, Harleen is a voice in Harley's head telling her not to commit crimes or hurt people in that scenario. Needless to say, she failed. So did Ryoko until Makoto showed up.
Next chapter might be a while, but it will come. I promise you that. Also, the flashback format I've been using is gone going forward, mostly anyway.
A few more chapters and we can get to the V3 girls, Sakura, Toko, Ruruka, Seiko, Sato, Natsumi, and Miaya. Possibly Hiroko and Kanon if you all want them, but that will be it. I tried, but I just can't make myself want to include the disposable characters they made for the Student Council and people like Sayaka's group.
Also, would anyone want a lemon spin-off of this? I know we have those already, but this one just turns the dorm into Makoto's personal sex palace. It can either be its own independent story or it can be after they all get home after the island story Pupla and I did. Let me know what you want in the reviews.
Until next time, stay frosty!
Chapter Text
Chapter 21: Everyday Life…without the Ultimate Hope?!
What's going on ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages?! It's wesst1 back again, once again and today, oh reader, mine, today, I have some news you might find interesting.
It seems that most people who responded want the lemon story to be unrelated to the island story from last year. I can respect that, so it will be a stand alone AU.
Now, this chapter, and maybe a few others, will be a bit more light-hearted than the others. Will Makoto actually leave the dorm? What will the girls do to keep him? Can they get by without him if he does leave? Did I give away any of the answers in previous chapters?
All this and more will be answered in this chapter, so let's get to it!
Dinner at the dorm was ordinarily a lively affair. That was to be expected really, with so many different people gathered under one roof.
That wasn't the case this evening though, as everyone at the table listened with rapt attention as Naegi told them of his meeting with the Headmaster.
"…and then they made the 'Ultimate Hope' title official. It's kind of embarrassing, it's not like I'm anything special."
A few of the girls chuckled at that, Naegi's obliviousness when it came to how special her really was could be endearing.
"That wasn't all he wanted to talk about though, right?" Enoshima asked, reminding Naegi what he told her on their way back to the dorm.
"I was offered a position at Hope's Peak after graduation. Headmaster Kirigiri said he thinks I could be headmaster myself one day," Naegi added.
*Clang*
When Sonia heard that, she dropped her utensils and almost began to cry. "But Darling, how can we rule Novoselic together if you become the headmaster?" Sonia couldn't believe it. Did she do something wrong? Did her Darling not care about her?
"I didn't accept, I told him I'd need time to think about it. Hope's Peak is going to be going through some major changes soon, after all," Naegi said hurriedly. Naegi didn't bother to correct Sonia on the other point. I can't exactly say with certainty that I'll be ruling Novoselic either but telling Sonia-senpai that right now seems…counterproductive, Naegi thought.
Just as Sonia was calming down, Kirigiri made a point that the others would have preferred to ignore. "That's probably for the best. We still don't know if there will be a Hope's Peak Academy two years from now, much less when my father retires."
Everyone knew Kirigiri didn't bring that up out of malice. She was a realist and that was a very real fear that the entire student body was feeling right now. Hope's Peak was in a precarious position right now. The school needed to try to prove that it was deserving of the second chance it got, and if it failed it would get shut down and the staff and students would be forced to go their separate ways.
Attempting to dispel the gloomy mood, Naegi decided to continue talking about his meeting with Headmaster Kirigiri. "There was one more thing Headmaster Kirigiri wanted to discuss, something about the living situation. He didn't get a chance to elaborate though. It's my fault really, I was late, and he had other appointments. I have another meeting with him next week to discuss it," Naegi told the girls.
It didn't exactly have the girls smiling, but Naegi had managed to get rid of the dark cloud hanging over everyone's head. At first at least.
During the meal, some of the girls were disappointed that Naegi wouldn't be taking care of the dorm anymore if he was placed with the boys. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, the had to admit, but still, they had grown accustomed to Naegi handling things for them. Some of the girls decided to try to shake the rust off starting tomorrow, while others needed to see if they could manage without Naegi at the dorm at all.
After dinner and after thinking it over, the girls thought that if Naegi's living situation changed, he would finally be free to date. As more and more of the girls came to that conclusion, the mood at the dorm brightened up considerably, with the exception of one idol and one teacher, who suddenly found themselves falling behind the others in the race to win the affections of the lucky student. They would have to make him fall for them in the next seven days.
However, soon that feeling of dread spread from those two to the rest of the dorm just before lights out. It seemed that in their excitement, the other girls overlooked a very real possibility until they were alone in the dark with an even darker thought. He might not choose me!
Sunday
Naegi was stirring after a restful night. He needed to get up soon and prepare for both his day and for breakfast. At least, that's how his day would have started. Instead, he was treated to the smell of something burning.
His eyes shot open, and he sat straight up. What's burning?! Is everyone alright? Is the dorm on fire?
Naegi didn't have to wait very long to get an answer to these questions as his door opened. I always forget to lock that door, he thought as he saw Mioda walk in with a tray of…something. Whatever it was, it was clear that it was the source of the burning smell.
"Good morning, Makoto-chan! Ibuki made you breakfast in bed! Actually, in was in the kitchen, but Ibuki brought it for you to eat in bed," Mioda said with bright smile. Naegi had to admit, Mioda looked adorable with her pink and blue, split down the middle apron over her normal clothes. He wondered if she made that herself too.
"That was nice of you, Mioda-senpai. What's on the menu?" Naegi asked. It was a serious question as he couldn't recognize anything on the tray.
"Ibuki made steamed rice, miso soup, grilled fish, with tsukemono on the side!" Mioda chirped happily.
Naegi listened to Mioda but when she pointed to the food all he could see was burnt mess number one, two, three, and four, not that he would ever say that out loud. "I guess I'll start with miso soup." It was less a matter of anything looking appetizing and more morbid curiosity about how Mioda burned what was supposed to be a clear soup. His curiosity increased when instead of a bowl, Mioda placed a large plate in front of him. His confusion must have been obvious because Mioda began to frown.
"Ibuki knows it looks terrible. Ibuki just wanted to show Makoto-chan what she can do," Mioda said sadly.
In response to that, Naegi picked up his spoon and began eating. Once he swallowed, he smiled a shaky smile and said, "Yummy!" It wasn't, but she didn't need to know that. If it made Mioda happy, Naegi couldn't care less about the consequences.
It worked. Mioda's smile was brighter than the sun. Naegi couldn't help but notice how beautiful Mioda's smile was in that moment.
Naegi finished his meal, and if his blurring vision and the pain in his stomach were any indication, his meal had every intention of finishing him.
Once Naegi had completely lost consciousness, Mioda shouted, "Hold on, Makoto-chan! Ibuki will get Mikan-chan!"
Tsumiki's morning had gotten off to an interesting start. Stomach aches were a common complaint in many schools, particularly when exams were involved, but even the real cases were simple enough for her to resolve. Not so much today though.
When Tsumiki had seen Mioda in the kitchen, she hadn't really thought much of it. At least not until she smelled smoke. There was no fire, just burning food. Tsumiki figured she should prepare herself for the poor victim of Mioda's culinary exploits. She didn't have to wait long, as Pekoyama had volunteered to fall on that particular sword.
"I think I'm dying," Pekoyama had managed to get out before she collapsed from pain. Tsumiki was glad that Owari had offered to carry Pekoyama to the infirmary, she doubted she could carry the swordswoman herself.
One stomach pump and a pack of crackers later and Pekoyama was no longer in pain, but Tsumiki advised her to rest for a while.
I wonder who Mioda-san was making that for…Beloved! Tsumiki realized. She got up to return to the dorm and warn Naegi, but then she stopped. If he ate that food, he'd end up in the infirmary. If he was in the infirmary, he would have to spend time with her. She needed to get ready.
Tsumiki was proven right when Ogami had brought an unconscious Naegi to the infirmary. Once again, she got the stomach pump and intubated Naegi to protect his airway before getting to work.
The procedure was over quickly enough, but Naegi didn't seem to be waking up anytime soon. What kind of ingredients was Mioda-san using? Tsumiki wondered as the symptoms she was seeing went beyond normal food poisoning.
Tsumiki checked to see if the coast was clear before she crouched down and reached under Naegi's bed. Whatever it was she was looking for, she couldn't find it.
"Looking for something?" Pekoyama asked.
Tsumiki jumped to her feet. How did I forget about Pekoyama-san? she asked herself. As she turned and guiltily faced Pekoyama, Tsumiki found the item she was looking for in Pekoyama's hands, a sledgehammer.
"As a former yakuza bodyguard, I have a decent idea of what you were planning," Pekoyama said.
Tsumiki whimpered.
Pekoyama sighed and said, "I should tell him, but I won't."
Tsumiki looked at her in confusion.
"I admit, that in my weaker moments, I've thought of ways to always keep him near me," Pekoyama said with a red face. "As your friend, I know you didn't have it easy. And I know what people will do when they don't want to be separated from someone important. Just promise to never harm Naegi-sama and I'll forget this."
Tsumiki nodded tearfully but happily.
Pekoyama gave a warm smile. She didn't exactly blame Tsumiki. She didn't want to be separated from Naegi either, not after everything that happened to her. Her life regained purpose thanks to Naegi and the more time she spent with him, the more clearly she understood her own budding feelings for the boy.
Tsumiki, meanwhile, remembered something important. Right! A nurse doesn't hurt her patients, she comforts them! With that in mind, Tsumiki crawled into bed with Naegi cuddled. She made sure the right side of his head was nestled against her chest.
A vein appeared on Pekoyama's forehead. I wish I had thought of that first. Well, even if Naegi-sama doesn't need me as a weapon, I suppose it's alright if I act as his security blanket, she thought. With that, Pekoyama crawled into the infirmary bed, set her glasses on a nearby table, and mirrored Tsumiki as she cuddled with Naegi's left side.
"Mmm, Beloved," Tsumiki sighed happily as she fell asleep.
"Naegi-sama," Pekoyama whispered as she to drifted off to sleep.
A half-hour later, Naegi woke up and once he realized his position, he stammered out a question. "W-w-what a-are you two doing?"
Once Naegi had untangled himself from Pekoyama and Tsumiki, tracked down Mioda, and managed to convince her that he was alive and not a zombie, he stopped by Souda's workshop. The Ultimate Mechanic was fixing the dorm's vacuum and he had assured Naegi that it would be done today. Souda assured the younger student it would only be a few more minutes and he asked Naegi to take a seat.
Naegi was more than happy to relax for a few minutes. Between waking up in the middle of two beautiful senpai and being felt-up by another in an attempt to see if he still had warm blood in his body, and boy, was he feeling that blood in one particular part of his body in both of those situations, Naegi felt he needed to calm down.
As if on cue, a cup of green tea was placed in front of him. Naegi turned to thank whoever it was who put it there and came face to face with…was that Sonia? Naegi wasn't sure, the girl in front of him was wearing a pink kimono, geta sandals, and had her hair in a nihongami style complete with "wings" and topknot.
"Sonia-senpai?" Naegi asked.
The girl bowed and said, "Forgive me for not announcing my presence earlier, Darling, but I am not to speak until spoken to."
That's Sonia-senpai alright, only she would commit to…whatever it is she's trying to do that much. I hope that particular part doesn't last though, Naegi concluded. "I have to admit, you look good as a yamato nadeshiko, but how did you find a stylist today?"
"Class 76 has an Ultimate Hairstylist. They said they were more than happy to work on my hair," Sonia said.
Fair enough, working on a princess's hair is a pretty helpful thing to put on your resume, Naegi thought as he drank the tea. It was bitter, but cold. "Sonia-senpai, how long have you had this cup of tea?" Naegi asked.
"I made it early this morning. I would have given it to you at breakfast until Mioda-san said you required immediate medical attention," Sonia explained. Naegi didn't miss the pride in Sonia's voice when she said that she had made this tea.
*Clang*
"SONIA-SAN!" Souda wailed as he finished work and finally noticed Sonia. He couldn't understand why Sonia would go so far for Naegi. Yamato nadeshiko didn't particularly appeal to Souda, but that wasn't the point! Why was a princess serving some lucky bastard tea?
Seeing no good way out of this, Naegi decided to bite the bullet and ask, "Is-is the vacuum fixed, Souda-senpai?"
All emotion left Souda's face at that question before he answered. "Yeah. Yeah, it's ready. I fixed that suction problem that you mentioned. Hope you like it."
"Uhh, I'm sure I will," Naegi said as he went over to Souda's workbench to grab the vacuum cleaner. Naegi set the vacuum in the upright position before picking it up and asking Sonia, "Would you like to come back to the dorm with me, Senpai?"
"I would be glad to accompany you, Naegi-kun," Sonia answered.
"Let's go," Naegi said as he and Sonia set off for the dorm. Right away, Naegi noticed something was wrong. Sonia was not walking beside him. Did she change her mind? Naegi wondered. He had heard her sandals though. Naegi looked behind him and saw Sonia trying to catch up to him. "Are you alright, Senpai?" Naegi asked.
"I believe I understand why a traditional Japanese woman walks behind a man. These sandals are 'totally killing' my feet," Sonia explained.
"I don't know if that's true, but why are you doing this, Senpai?" Naegi asked. While he found Sonia's commitment to the role cute, some of the more…outdated concepts that went with it conflicted with many of Naegi's own values and his belief in chivalry.
"I wanted to show that I can be a beautiful and elegant woman in the traditional Japanese sense," Sonia explained. While that was partly true, she was more interested in showing Naegi that she was his perfect match by any cultural standard.
"You're already a beautiful and elegant woman, Senpai. You don't need to prove it. Yamato nadeshiko is charming in its own way, but I think I like Sonia-senpai as her natural self the best. And to be honest, 'the whole not speaking until spoken to', and 'walking behind the man' makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe it's weird for someone like me to say this to a princess, but at school we're equals, aren't we?" Naegi asked.
*Doki Doki!*
Darling…you always know just what to say, Sonia thought with a blush on her face. While many people wouldn't have thought much of it, many people weren't the princess of Novoselic who dreamed of being treated like a normal, Japanese, teenage girl.
"Are you able to make it back to the dorm with those sandals?" Naegi asked.
"It may be difficult, but I think I will be alright," Sonia said.
"I could carry you, if you want. It might have to be piggyback with this vacuum and all, but it shouldn't be too much trouble," Naegi suggested.
Sonia had stars in her eyes as she nodded furiously.
Crouching down, Naegi motioned for Sonia to get on. Once she was in position, he stood up, managed to pick up the vacuum, and headed back to the dorm.
Sonia leaned into her Darling's back, unable to remember the last time she had felt so happy.
Once Naegi and Sonia returned to the dorm, Sonia went off to her room to put her normal clothes back on. Naegi thought he heard her ask if he would like to help her change, but he told her he needed to vacuum. With a cute pout, the Princess left the common area. Naegi had to admit that it was a tempting offer, but he was feeling overstimulated today already. Pekoyama and Tsumiki had seen to that.
As Naegi plugged in the vacuum and stood up, he saw Saionji there with the vacuum handle in her hands. "I-I can do this, Naegi-nii," Saionji said.
"Are you sure, Saionji-senpai? I really don't mind cleaning. I did agree to do it at the start of the year," Naegi reminded her.
"I know, but you deserve a break every once in a while. I'm someone who looks out for her servants," Saionji told him.
"Well, I guess I still feel a little sick from this morning. Just be careful with that," Naegi cautioned.
"I'm not helpless you know! If I need to, I can take care of other people!" an embarrassed Saionji shouted.
"I know. I'm sorry," Naegi said before he sat on the nearest couch and leaned back. He felt something…soft.
He turned his head and found that he had leaned back into Enoshima's breasts. When did she get here? No, forget that! "Sorry, Enoshima-san!" Naegi said as he tried to get up. "Tried" being the key word as Enoshima wrapped her arms around him.
"Don't be," Enoshima said simply.
"B-but I-I…" Naegi stammered.
"Let go of him, bimbo!" Saionji ordered.
"No! Onii-chan is going to be spending time with Junko-chan!" Cutesy Enoshima argued.
"E-enoshima-san, w-we r-really sh-shouldn't," Naegi stuttered.
"Shh! Just relax. Relax on Junko-sensei's chest," Professor Enoshima told him.
Be careful, Junko-chan, I don't think it's healthy for him to be that red, Ryoko warned.
"I said let go!" Saionji shouted as she marched over to the couch.
"Don't you have something to do? You did tell Naegi-kun you would vacuum for him, didn't you? Are you a liar, Senpai? That's really depressing that you would lie about something so simple," Depressed Enoshima told the older girl.
Saionji grit her teeth. As much as she wanted to get Enoshima off of Naegi, she had said she would take care of this. Maybe if she was lucky, the noise would drive Enoshima away.
Naegi continued struggling to escape Enoshima, but it didn't do much good. He saw that while Saionji was distracted, part of her kimono got under one of the vacuum's rollers. "Saionji-senpai, wait, before you turn that on-"
*Rrrrriiippp!* *Crash!*
Souda had done something about the suction on the vacuum alright. It was so strong that two things happened. Naegi had expected Saionji's kimono to get caught in the vacuum. He had not expected the vacuum to tear it off completely and still be strong enough to pull itself forward into the nearest wall. Naegi's eyes went from the damaged wall to Saionji, who was standing in her underwear, still trying to process what had happened. It didn't take long.
"EEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!" Saionji shrieked as she attempted to cover herself.
Naegi attempted to turn away and got a full view of Enoshima's cleavage. "AHHHHHHHH!" Naegi said as he passed out, the morning's stimulation having been too much for him.
Enoshima couldn't help but laugh. Looking on the bright side was new to her, but if there was a bright side, it was at least Naegi's nose hadn't started bleeding until Enoshima had laid him down on the couch by himself.
Naegi came to about two hours later, and the first thing on his mind was, What is going on with the girls? He didn't have time to ponder that too much, as Maizono sat down next to him.
"So, Naegi-kun, did you have a nice nap?" Maizono asked with an edge in her voice.
"I don't know if fainting is the same as taking a nap, Maizono-san, but I suppose it was nice to wake up and not be in a compromising position," a semiconscious Naegi said.
Maizono, who had already been annoyed with Enoshima's bragging about having Naegi, in Enoshima's words, "entering the world of dreams on her perfect breasts," knew she would regret asking this. "What do you mean 'compromising position'?"
So, Naegi recapped his day for Maizono. Naegi thought he imagined it, but he swore that the temperature in the room dropped throughout the story.
Maizono was pissed! How dare the others get so familiar with Naegi! It was cheating! And if she was honest, she hated that she hadn't thought of any of it herself. Well, I can't throw myself at him thanks to my idol career, I never know when I'm being watched, but I can at least dote on him, Maizono thought, not that she knew where to start with her idea.
As if to answer her question, Naegi's stomach began to growl. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's getting close to lunchtime and after getting my stomach pumped, all I've had in it is Sonia-senpai's green tea.
"I can make us lunch if you'd like?" Maizono offered, not willing to let this opportunity slip by.
"I can help," Naegi offered.
"After everything you've been through, you should probably relax. Maizono Sayaka-chan is on it!" was Maizono's enthusiastic reply.
"If you insist," Naegi said. He would have pushed the issue a little more, but he still felt a little off. It didn't help that certain memories from this morning kept entering his mind and distracting him. He probably shouldn't be working near open flames or with sharp objects at the moment.
"You stay here, I'll call you when everything is ready," Maizono told him as she dashed off towards the kitchen.
An hour later, and Maizono finally called Naegi for lunch. Naegi had thought that given how long it had taken that Maizono was making something special, but what he hadn't expected was a four-course meal for lunch. An appetizer of hiyayakko, a large salad, a large serving of tonkatsu, and a large stack of manju. Naegi didn't think anything of it at first, but soon realized that there was a problem.
"Maizono-san, there's only one place set at the table," Naegi pointed out.
"Oh, I ate before you woke up. I eat lunch early when I can. It helps when you have a demanding schedule," Maizono explained.
"I guess that makes sense. Although, I wonder if you overdid it if I'm the only one eating," Naegi said sheepishly.
"I-I really worked hard on this for you," Maizono said as she began to tear up.
"No, no, I'm more than happy to eat, I just am afraid that I can't eat it all. It all looks so good, it would be criminal to waste any," Naegi said hurriedly as he sat down.
"Don't worry, Naegi-kun, I'm sure once you taste it, you won't be able to stop until it's all gone," Maizono said as she sat down in next to Naegi and grabbed his utensils.
"Maizono-san?" Naegi asked.
Instead of replying, Maizono took a bit of the hiyayakko and said, "Say 'Ah!' Naegi-kun!"
"M-maizono-san, I ah-" as Naegi fumbled with his words, Maizono took the opportunity to put some of the appetizer in his mouth. He had to agree with Maizono, after tasting her food, he didn't want to stop eating it. "This is really good, Maizono-san, but I can feed myself you know," Naegi said, no one was around, but he still managed to be embarrassed.
Seeing Maizono both glare and pout at him, Naegi said, "On the other hand, being fed by Maizono Sayaka isn't something to be turned down."
With a smile, Maizono continued to feed Naegi. Naegi felt overstuffed afterwards, but to make Maizono happy, he figured it was a small price to pay.
Naegi was glad that the girls had given him his space for the rest of the day, he didn't think he could handle much more of…whatever it was that was going on. He felt bad for thinking that way, he knew they didn't mean any harm and some of it was just bad luck. And I really have no business complaining about others having bad luck, Naegi reasoned. He knew that, but he still enjoyed the space he was getting when he had made dinner and finished cleaning up afterwards.
Once Naegi was done with that, he headed to the common area and saw Kirigiri on the couch, looking over some files.
"Kirigiri-san?"
Kirigiri perked up when she heard Naegi and greeted him. "Good evening, Naegi-kun. I'm just looking over something my father asked me to look into. When it was discovered that the Steering Committee was selling student research on the black market, just about every law enforcement agency in Japan was tasked looking into that. They're hoping to gather evidence on some of the more elusive organizations operating in the country."
"Makes sense, I suppose. Don't you usually do this in your room though? Not that I'm not happy to run into you, but wouldn't you be more likely to get distracted down here?" Naegi asked.
"I've been a little stuck and thought a change in my surroundings might help," Kirigiri explained. That, and I was waiting for you, not that you need to know that, Kirigiri thought.
"Has it? If I can help, don't be afraid to ask," Naegi offered.
"I think I'd like that," Kirigiri said with a small smile as she patted the seat next to her. Everything was going according to plan for her.
Naegi sat down and Kirigiri handed him a file. As Naegi was looking through it he felt a weight on his shoulder. Kirigiri was leaning her head on his shoulder! "K-Kirigiri-san, wh-what are you-?" a red-faced Naegi stuttered.
"I haven't looked over that one yet, I'm glad we can look over it together," Kirigiri answered.
"I am too, b-but isn't this a little…intimate?" Naegi asked.
"Why? Am I distracting you, Naegi-kun?" Kirigiri asked as she snuggled into his shoulder.
"N-no, I just-,"
"Good. Now, let's get back to work," Kirigiri said happily.
Naegi wasn't sure what game Kirigiri was playing, but it was pretty obvious that she beat him. Well, if it helps her then it's fine, Naegi reasoned as he went back to looking for clues. After a while he thought he heard purring. Oddly enough, Miyabi and Grand Bois were nowhere to be found.
Monday
Naegi woke up the next morning feeling a bit tense. Between getting sick and all the attention he was getting yesterday, it made sense that he would be a little on guard. He hated feeling that way, it's not like Mioda meant to make him sick and the others were only trying to be nice. Still, he was reminded of a particular saying about good intentions and the road they pave.
Compared to that, his current problem was barely an inconvenience. As he was cleaning up after breakfast for the dorm, Naegi noticed that his hair kept getting in his eyes. Thankfully, it hadn't been long enough to get in the food, but it had become rather shaggy.
"Do you need help, Naegi-kun?"
"Hmm?" Naegi turned to find Asahina in the kitchen doorway. "Oh, Asahina-san. I'm okay, but my bangs are making it hard to see clearly. I guess I need to go see a barber," Naegi explained.
"It's a good thing I came to check on you then. I cut Yuta's hair a lot back home, I can cut yours too! I can do it this evening," Asahina said excitedly.
"Are you sure? It would save me a trip back home to my usual barber shop, but if you have other things to do later…" Naegi did find the offer tempting. It beat having to rework his schedule this weekend. I probably should have found someone close to the school, but at the beginning of the year, one trip a month to the barber back home didn't seem like a big deal. Granted, I've gotten much busier since then, Naegi thought.
"It's no problem at all! I can do it before dinner! Oh, I should check to see if I have everything now, just in case! "Asahina exclaimed as she ran out of the kitchen.
"Hmm, I never would have guessed that Asahina-san knew how to cut hair," Naegi said to himself as he got back to washing dishes. Wait…Yuta-kun and Asahina-san are both athletes. Is Asahina-san going to shave my hair off! She really does like Jason Statham. I can't do a buzzcut! No, no Asahina-san wouldn't do that without my permission. It'll be fine, Naegi attempted to convince himself. Asahina always gave 110%, Naegi just hoped she'd give him the trim he asked for.
Naegi's attempts to convince himself failed, but he couldn't bring himself to break his appointment with Asahina either. She had just been so excited when she said she'd cut his hair. What's the worst that can happen? Even the worst barbers on the planet can't prevent hair from growing back. Besides, no one here will make fun of me. Even if they do, I'm sure Kimura-senpai can make something to regrow my hair if the worst should happen, Naegi told himself. Before Naegi could dwell on the subject further, someone picked him up, threw him over their shoulder, and began to carry him. To where, he didn't know.
Naegi tried to put what Kirigiri taught him the previous night to use to deduce the identity of his kidnapper. From what he could see, they had long, tan legs; were wearing a red mini skirt; and had a shapely… he probably didn't need to note that last part to figure out who was carrying him.
"Owari-senpai, where are we going?" Naegi asked as he tried not to stare at what he could see of Owari.
"There's a gymnastics competition over summer break and the Old Man has won't let anyone fight me if I don't train for it. Since you were asking me about it a few months ago and since I don't want to train by myself, I wanted you to watch," Owari explained.
I guess that makes some sense. I would like to see the Ultimate Gymnast in action. Still, it would have been nice if she asked, Naegi thought. "Owari-senpai, could you put me down?" he asked.
"It's faster if I carry you," Owari said as she picked up speed as she ran towards the gym.
Naegi couldn't argue with that, but he could have done without the increasingly bumpy ride on Owari's shoulder.
Naegi did what he could to set the gym up for Owari to practice. He volunteered for that job when Owari had tried to bring him into the girls' locker room, tempting though that offer was. Owari's lack of shame was going to get him in trouble one day, he felt certain of that.
"I'm ready to go!" Owari announced as she exited the locker room.
Naegi turned to look at her and immediately turned away. Her leotard left nothing to the imagination.
Owari had changed into a leotard the same color as Naegi's jacket and the poor outfit's material was being pushed to its limit. That was intentional on Owari's part. I just wish it wasn't so hard to breathe in this thing. I hate training in this outfit, but if I don't follow the rules, I can't get money for the lil' ones. And it seems to have gotten Naegi-kun's attention, Owari thought with a sly smile.
Owari made sure that Naegi had a full view of her dynamic stretching before she got started training for the competition. I think I remember hearing that guys like flexible girls, seems Naegi-kun does at least, Owari said to herself.
Naegi got a bit of a break when Owari went through her routine for the competition. At the moment at least, Owari couldn't go overboard showing off her curves without sabotaging herself. Whether it was her competitive spirit or her love for her siblings, she was focused on her floor routine, her vaulting, and the uneven bars over seducing Naegi.
Naegi's reprieve ended soon as Owari began to do some static stretches. Owari-senpai sure has a nice…range of motion, yeah, that's it! Naegi thought as he tried to think of anything else besides Owari in her leotard.
That poor fabric was not going to survive. As much as Naegi hated to admit it, if he was honest with himself, part of Naegi was looking forward to that.
"Naegi-kun, can you help me? Stretching can be more effective if done in pairs!" Owari said.
Naegi did as Owari asked and began to help her stretch, but soon his luck reared its ugly head. As the two were stretching their hips, although to anyone just entering the gym it might have looked like they were trying a fusion dance, a loud sound echoed throughout the gym.
*RRRRRIIIIPPPPPPP!*
Owari's outfit had finally given out and tore along the side. As it fell to the floor in between the two, Naegi couldn't help but notice that Owari had not been wearing underwear.
With all the willpower he could muster, Naegi removed his jacket and passed it to Owari before passing out and experiencing yet another nosebleed.
After putting on her normal clothes, Owari made sure to take Naegi back to his dorm room. She also made sure to continue to wear his jacket for the rest of the day, much to the annoyance of her rivals.
Naegi regained consciousness once classes ended for the day. As Naegi took in his surroundings, he noticed that he was back in his room. I guess Owari-senpai brought me back here after…down boy! Are classes over for today? Naegi wondered. He hoped he hadn't missed anything important, and he also hoped that this wouldn't become a pattern for the rest of the week. Think unsexy thoughts, Makoto! Naegi told himself. Easier said than done considering his living situation.
*Knock! Knock!*
"Coming!" Naegi said as he opened his dorm room door. Standing in the hallway was Asahina with a school bag in one hand and electric hair clippers in the other.
"Ready for your haircut, Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked.
Naegi would have agreed if he wasn't so focused on the electric clippers in Asahina's hand. "W-what are you going to do with that?" Naegi asked nervously as he tried to protect his hair.
Asahina was taken aback by how nervous Naegi was before she followed his line of sight. "Oh! No this is for the back of your neck!" Asahina attempted to reassure Naegi.
"You're not going to cut it short?" Naegi asked timidly.
"Not unless you want me too. Don't you trust me, Naegi-kun?" Asahina asked, sounding hurt.
Naegi calmed down and said, "I'm sorry, Asahina-san. I do trust you. It's been a crazy two days and I guess I'm just on edge."
"Why don't you sit down and tell me all about it," Asahina said as she set the school bag on the table and pulled out scissors and a comb.
Naegi placed a chair in in the middle of his room and grabbed a towel to wrap around himself. "Well, it all started yesterday morning…" Naegi began as Asahina got to work on his hair.
The trim went well. Naegi would even call it relaxing. Although when Naegi told Asahina about Pekoyama, Tsumiki, Enoshima, Saionji, Kirigiri, and Owari, Asahina did pull on his hair a little hard. Naegi also had to keep from squirming when Asahina pressed her chest against his back. On the whole though, it was what Asahina had promised, and Naegi certainly enjoyed it.
When she had finished, Asahina grabbed a mirror out of the school bag and asked Naegi, "What do you think?"
Naegi looked and he thought that Asahina had done a good job for her first time cutting his hair. She cut it a bit short, probably for summer, but he had no complaints. His hair was still fluffy and his ahoge was still standing proudly.
"I like it! You did a great job, Asahina-san," Naegi answered after taking in Asahina's work.
"I-I'm glad you like it, Naegi-kun," Asahina replied.
"Do you mind if I ask you to do this again? Do you take walk-ins or is it appointments only?" The first question was serious, but Naegi couldn't help but make that joke.
"For you, Dahling, I'll cut your hair whenever you want," Asahina joked back, feeling a little bolder.
"I'm very well may hold you to that, Asahina-san, but for now, is there anything I can do for you?" Naegi asked.
"It's fine, Naegi-kun. You don't need to repay me," Asahina said with a blush.
"I want to, though. How about we have your favorite for dinner? Would that be okay?" Naegi asked
"I-if you insist," Asahina answered, Naegi's offer being too tempting to turn down.
Owari might have gotten Naegi's jacket for the day, but she didn't get Naegi to make her favorite meal for dinner. While the girls glared at Owari throughout the meal, Owari was glaring at Asahina, something that the Ultimate Swimmer thought made the food that much tastier.
Tuesday
Naegi was happy that the next morning had gone smoothly, he hoped that the rest of the week went that way, he would need it to if he wanted to make up for lost time. He must have been making his concerns obvious, because the girls had stopped eating breakfast to look at him.
"Naegi-kun, are you alright?" Celes asked.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, Celes-san. I'm just thinking. I'm a little behind on my chore list," Naegi explained.
Some of the girls hung their heads at this. Most of them knew that their attempts to help or impress Naegi had backfired and left him unconscious for long periods of time. The few that didn't were more than eager to offer help.
"Could we help?" Nanami asked.
"I feel bad asking," Naegi admitted.
"I'm not the kind of lady who would refuse to help her knight, what can I do?" Celes asked.
"Well, I try to break up the laundry so I can do it over the course of the week, but I need to do a few loads to make up for lost time. If someone could help with that and the ironing it would help a great deal," Naegi explained.
"I can wash clothes…I think?" Nanami offered and wondered.
"I can iron them," Celes announced.
"I can handle dinner," Maizono said.
"I can clean up afterwards," Kirigiri added.
More offers followed and Naegi was grateful for it. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Still, Naegi couldn't help but feel uneasy, but he thought that maybe he was just being paranoid from the events of the previous days.
In the morning, Naegi and Nanami were in laundry room with Naegi starting a few loads of laundry to walk Nanami through the process. Around lunch, they returned with Naegi walking her through how to work the dryers. Once classes ended, Naegi grabbed the clothes from the dryers, switched loads and started new ones.
"Usually, I try to keep everyone's clothes separate, luckily, we have multiple washers and dryers to work with, but for the uniforms, well, to get a full load they all have to go together. I wrote down all the settings for the machines for everyone's clothes, and I taped it to the walk by the door. Are you sure you're okay to do this, Senpai?" Naegi asked.
Nanami puffed out her cheeks in frustration at the question. "I've done laundry loads of times!" Nanami loudly insisted.
"Alright, alright. I believe you," Naegi said in an attempt to pacify Nanami. When she finished pouting, Naegi grabbed a basket of clothes and said, " I had better take these uniforms to Celes-san. I'll be back to pick up the rest in a few minutes and then I'll leave you to it." And with that, he left.
Once she was by herself, Nanami decided to kill time by playing a game. "The Virts" was an old favorite of hers and it was better than any notebook as far as household chores was concerned, if you asked Nanami, at least.
*Ding!*
*Buzz!*
Nanami didn't know how much time had passed but looked up from her game when a washer and dryer finished at roughly the same time. Nanami was impressed that Naegi had timed them so well. As Nanami switched loads she checked both Naegi's note and her game. "Okay I have the proper settings for my things, but how much detergent do I need?" Nanami asked.
While Nanami had been waiting for the washers and dryers to finish, Naegi had been helping Celes get set up so that she could iron the school uniforms.
"I can't thank you enough for this, Celes-san," Naegi said to his classmate.
"It is no trouble, Naegi-kun. A proper lady should help her knight," Celes assured him.
"Even so, you volunteered for a job that even throws me off sometimes," Naegi told her.
"What do you mean? Ironing clothes is simple enough, no?" Celes asked.
"Ordinarily, yes. But sometimes sorting the school uniforms by student can get a bit confusing," Naegi said as he held up two uniform jackets. "It took me forever to notice the differences between your jacket," Naegi said as he waved the jacket in his left hand, "and Ikusaba's jacket," Naegi finished as he waved the jacket in his right hand.
Celes couldn't really tell the difference at first glance. After a while she noticed that Ikusaba's jacket was slightly longer. With a small cough to mask her initial confusion, Celes asked, "How do you differentiate between the uniforms?"
"Well, as you saw, you and Ikusaba-san share the same jacket width but not the same length. But there are other ways to tell. You see…" And Naegi listed so many minute details that Celes could hardly keep up.
"Never empties her pockets…blah, blah."
"Mmm hmm," Celes nodded.
"Ogami-san…blah, blah…simple enough."
"Mmm hmm."
"Owari-senpai and Asahina-san…blah, blah…wider, For obvious reasons."
"Mmm hmm."
"Now as for the skirts…blah, blah…"
"Mmm hmm."
This continued for some time before Naegi said, "It took me a while, but I figured it out. You will too, I'm sure."
"Huh? Oh, yes, of course!" Celes agreed after snapping out of her stupor.
"Now, I need to check on Nanami-san and hopefully start folding the rest of the clothes. I'll be nearby if you need me," Naegi said as he left the room.
Once he was gone, Celes took a deep breath to steady herself before getting to work. There is no need to worry. I am quite observant, I will pick up on what uniform belongs to what student quickly enough, Celes assured herself as she ironed her first jacket.
After the first few, Celes began to attempt to sort the ironed jackets. Setting the iron down, she tried to remember what Naegi said.
"This size belongs to…who, exactly?" Celes asked herself. She tried to remember what Naegi had told her but couldn't remember a word of it. She tried her e-handbook, that usually had an unsettling amount of detail about her and her fellow students. Chest size and height! Both helpful to an extent, but that didn't tell her everything.
As minutes passed with no solution to her problem, Celes began to get agitated. "Why the hell are there so many uniforms in the wash? We barely wear the damn things!" Celes screamed as her mask slipped and Yasuhiro Taeko took her place. Had she been able to remain calm, Celes might have noticed the smoke rising from behind her.
As Naegi made his way back to the laundry room, he noticed something disturbing. White foam was coming out from under the door. "Are those soap suds? Oh no!" Naegi said as he threw the door open and found himself up to his waist in suds.
"Nanami-senpai, are you alright?" Naegi asked.
Nanami, who had been in the room, was faring slightly worse than Naegi was. The suds had almost been up to her neck before Naegi had opened the door. At least my handheld is still dry, she thought. "I don't understand. In my game, they always use lots of detergent…I think?" The suds and Nanami being wet made it difficult to tell, but the tone of her voice made Naegi think that Nanami had been crying.
Naegi wanted to tell her that there was a big difference between her game and real life, but he figured that Nanami probably felt bad enough already and simply said, "That's my fault, Senpai. I should have been clearer in the directions. Now, are you able to help me clean this up?"
Nanami nodded and wiped something from her eye, although Naegi still couldn't tell if it had been a tear or some suds. Whatever it was, Naegi pulled her into a hug, both to comfort her and to keep from noticing that the now transparent white shirt under her hoodie had gotten soaked.
As Naegi and Nanami cleaned up, Naegi could swear he smelled something burning. Excusing himself, he went with his first instinct to check the kitchen. Not only did he not have any luck finding the burning smell, Maizono pouted for Naegi even suggesting that she would burn dinner. Maizono did admit that she smelled something burning too, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from.
Naegi went back to his search and found himself near where he had left Celes and the school uniforms. Naegi's fears were confirmed when he opened the door and saw trying to dispose of a uniform and a skirt.
"Celes-san, what happened?" Naegi asked.
Celes hid the burnt clothes behind her back and hastily said, "Nothing is wrong. Why do you ask?"
"Celes-san, I could smell something burning from the laundry room and the smell led me here," Naegi said with a knowing look on his face.
With a sigh, Celes let Yasuhiro Taeko out and said, "No point lying when I've already been caught, but I thought it was worth a shot," as she held up a uniform jacket and skirt with the telltale signs of ironing burns.
"What happened?" Naegi asked again. He wasn't mad, his tone was one of understanding.
"I was trying to match some clothes and I set the iron down instead of standing it up. Next thing I know this happened. I thought I could get rid of these and come up with a convincing story later," Yasuhiro admitted.
"How many did this happen to?" Naegi asked.
"Just this skirt and jacket. After that, I just gave up on trying to match," Yasuhiro admitted.
"You did match. And I don't think you'll be needing that story either. The jacket and skirt are both yours, oddly enough," Naegi told her after a quick examination.
After looking at Naegi and then at the clothes, Yasuhiro began to laugh and then began to cry. She had tried, she really did. And then when things went wrong, she had gotten herself so worked up about it. She had feared looking incompetent in front of the others and in front of Naegi, the latter of which still happened. Now that she realized that she hadn't destroyed someone else's property, even by accident, it became too much for Yasuhiro/Celes.
Before she knew it, Naegi had come over and enveloped her in a hug. "It's okay, m'lady. Accidents happen. Your knight is here for you," Naegi said, playing along with Celes's fantasy.
Once Yasuhiro Taeko had calmed down and decided to put her mask of Celestia Ludenberg back into place, she and Naegi quickly sorted the uniforms and put the whole mess behind them. Naegi had thankfully sorted quickly enough to return and help Nanami in the laundry room and put that mess behind him and Nanami as well.
While Naegi was grateful for their efforts, he suggested that he finish up the laundry himself while the two girls rested up before dinner. After the experience they had, the girls quickly agreed.
Wednesday
Despite a few snags, Naegi had managed to catch up on his chores thanks to the girls' help. Unfortunately, by Thursday, he realized that he was facing another problem. His frequent bouts of unconsciousness earlier in the week had put him behind in his studies and exams were coming up. Thanks to the various assassination attempts, hostage situations, unscheduled vacations, and mass protests, all the students were behind, and their teachers were stuck playing catch up with mixed results.
Naegi had it worse than the other students, but he supposed he couldn't complain. The reasons he had fainted were rather pleasant. Don't think about the Infirmary! Don't think about the vacuum incident! Don't think about Owari-senpai in the gymnasium! He ordered himself as he tried to focus on the notes his classmates loaned him. During his free time during lunch, he decided to try and catch up to the others, even if it was just a bit and so he had gone straight to the library after he finished eating.
"Do you need help, Naegi-kun?"
Naegi looked up to see Yukizome looking at him in concern. "I certainly wouldn't turn down help, Sensei. Notes that my classmates took for themselves can only get me so far," Naegi admitted.
"I can help you, come to my room after dinner and we can have a cram session!" Yukizome offered.
"That would be great. Thank you, Sensei!" Naegi said, his voice full of gratitude.
"It's a date then!" Yukizome exclaimed happily.
"Shhh!" the librarian shushed.
"Sorry," Yukizome said sheepishly.
Later that evening, after Naegi finished cleaning up after dinner, he made his way to Yukizome's room and knocked on her door.
"Come in!" Yukizome called.
"Sensei, I brought everything I'm having trouble with and…" Naegi trailed off. Standing before him was Yukizome but not in her normal outfit. She was wearing her old school uniform and, as Naegi couldn't help but notice, her jacket was open, and her shirt was barely buttoned. She was also wearing fake glasses for some reason, high heels, and she had lacey underwea- Eyes up, Makoto! Naegi told himself.
"I always wanted to do a study date! I even wore my old uniform for the occasion! We have a lot of subjects to cover, so here are my notes from my school days and I have energy drinks ready too!" Yukizome said happily before her expression turned dark and she pinched Naegi's cheek. "And call me Chisa-chan when we're alone, remember," Yukizome reminded him.
"Hai, Chisa-chan," Naegi acquiesced.
"Good boy. Now, let's go at it all night!" Yukizome exclaimed happily as she pumped her fists.
Naegi joined her, but less enthusiastically. Is this really going to be okay? he asked himself.
It went smoothly enough at first, Yukizome's notes had been written like a teacher's lecture making them easy for Naegi to follow and there were even recent additions with even more helpful advice. If Naegi had any complaints, it would be that Yukizome was sitting across from him leaning forward. Meaning her breasts were on the table and not that Naegi would ever ask, but if he had to guess, Yukizome's chest had grown since her school days if her shirt buttons were any indication.
Try as he might, Naegi couldn't help being distracted. Don't look. Yukizome-sensei is helping you. Don't ruin her fun, she doesn't mean to distract you, Naegi told himself.
Little did Naegi know, that was exactly what Yukizome meant to do. Chisa-chan will teach you lots of things, Makoto-kun. Biology. Chemistry. Health, Yukizome ticked off in her mind. She even thought that the tight shirt was worth it, although she didn't plan for it. Yukizome couldn't tell if her chest grew or if it was the results of Naegi's meals, but whatever it was, it was working in her favor at the moment.
*Snap! Snap!*
Okay, maybe not, Yukizome thought as her two top buttons went flying off of her shirt. Both buttons hit Naegi in the forehead, drawing his attention from the notes.
The last thing Naegi noticed was that Yukizome wasn't wearing a bra before darkness took him.
Yukizome sighed and said, "I guess I overstimulated him. I hope you have some nice dreams at least, Naegi-kun." With that, Yukizome pulled her uniform jacket shut and carried Naegi to his room.
Thursday
When Naegi woke up that morning, he thought it would be a good idea to see if Hanamura had been around the dorm. He couldn't help but notice that some of the girls were acting strange and he needed to know if the food was the culprit.
Hanamura denied any wrongdoing, but he had made Naegi a few offers that Naegi wished he could scrub from his memory.
I didn't realize there were so many innuendos involving food. I think I was happier not knowing, Naegi thought. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, he had a promise to keep. With a box in his hand, Naegi went off to find Koizumi.
"Koizumi-senpai, the parts came today. We can get started as soon as you want!" Naegi told his senpai.
"That's great! We can finally fix it," Koizumi acknowledged as she led Naegi to her room. She had been waiting for this ever since she smashed her camera on that man's head to save Saionji. I'm happy we can fix my camera, but I never thought I'd have a boy in my room, Koizumi thought as she blushed.
Parts. Instructions. Tools. The camera. It all looked overwhelming all placed in front of them both.
"Koizumi-senpai, where exactly do we start? I've never fixed a camera before," Naegi admitted.
Koizumi took a deep breath and began to list all the parts of cameras. Naegi had to admit, he might have gotten lost around the time she began to talk about the pentaprism and the half silvered mirror, but he thought he understood.
It wasn't the easiest job Naegi had ever done, but he and Koizumi managed to get the job done. Once the had finished, Naegi felt Koizumi's head on his shoulder as she said, "Practice shots!"
*Click!* *Click!* *Click!*
"People might think those are couple selfies," Naegi half-joked, although he did believe that those pictures would give people that idea.
"If only," Koizumi quietly said to herself.
"Hmm?" Naegi asked.
"I-I said that I only got two of those pictures. The memory card is full," Koizumi hurriedly explained.
"I can get a new one. Where do you keep them?" Naegi asked.
"In that drawer over there," Koizumi pointed out. When she heard Naegi get up, she remembered something. She had recently been keeping some "special pictures" in that drawer. "Wait, Naegi-kun!" Koizumi shouted in an attempt to stop him.
It came too late as Naegi opened the drawer and saw new memory cards but also a large quantity of pictures of himself. "Wow, I didn't think I was that interesting of a subject," Naegi said innocently.
Seeing an out, Koizumi said, "Oh, yeah. You seem to find your way into just about everything. It helps that you have some great reactions."
"I see a lot of these are from this week. This week hasn't exactly been me at my best, has it?" Naegi asked as he flipped through pictures of him with the girls throughout the week. He didn't seem bothered that Koizumi took these in secret. He just chalked it up to her wanting her subjects to act natural.
"W-well, everyone has days or even weeks like that," Koizumi tried to reassure him.
Naegi yawned and said, "Sorry Senpai. I do think these are excellent, but they also remind me of how exhausting this week has been."
"Yeah, I guess I did manage to capture you're fatigue at those moments," Koizumi said, feeling proud of the reaction but worried for Naegi. As much as she would have liked him to stay longer, Koizumi said, "We're done here if you want to rest, Naegi-kun."
"I think I'll do just that. I'd like to talk more Senpai, but this week has been rough," Naegi admitted as he went back to his room.
Koizumi did want him to stay, but at least she had those new pictures to enjoy. "He's so cute when he's surprised," Koizumi said to herself as she admired the latest additions to her collection.
Friday
The next day had been quiet. Almost too quiet, Naegi thought, but he wasn't going to complain. The whole week had been strange and exhausting and Naegi was grateful for whatever peace he could get. He didn't blame the girls, he knew that Hope's Peak was a crazy place where crazy things were constantly happening. He didn't blame anyone, but that didn't exactly give him any energy back.
Naegi managed to make it through dinner but he couldn't shake how tired he was. He had decided to head to his room after doing the dishes, hoping to fall asleep early so that he wasn't worn out for his meeting with the headmaster tomorrow. That plan almost ended prematurely when Naegi was climbing the stairs and missed a step. Naegi may have fell face first onto the stairs had someone not caught him by the back of his hoodie.
"Are you alright, Naegi-kun?" Ikusaba asked as she helped Naegi back to his feet.
"I'm alright, Ikusaba-san, just tired. It's been an exhausting week," Naegi said with a yawn.
Ikusaba frowned before she said, "So I've heard. We appreciate all you do for us, but you need to take care of yourself too, Naegi-kun."
"I know. I will. I promise. It's just…yawn!" Naegi yawned.
"You need to relax. I think I know what to do. Wait for me in your room," Ikusaba ordered as she helped Naegi up the stairs and to his door.
Naegi nodded and went inside. He had no idea what Ikusaba was going to do, but given how things had been going this week, Naegi was more than a little worried. He refused to disappoint Ikusaba though and forced his concerns to the back of his mind. Soon, Ikusaba entered.
"Sorry Naegi-kun, it took me a while to find everything," Ikusaba apologized.
"If you needed help-," Naegi began.
"No, no. I found everything. You relax and let me take care of everything," Ikusaba reassured him.
"Take care of what?" Naegi asked.
Instead of answering, Ikusaba said, "First, let's head over to your bed." As Ikusaba sat down, she then said, "Sit next to me and lie down. Put your head on my lap." Ikusaba kept her composure as she said this, but when Naegi complied, her face turned scarlet.
Naegi had been too tired to question it at first, but then he saw what Ikusaba had in her hand. "Is that an earpick?"
"Yes. I'm going to clean your ears for you," Ikusaba answered.
"T-that's kind of intimate, isn't it? Isn't there anything else…?" Naegi began to ask.
"Nope. I'm cleaning your ears and you're going to relax while I do it," Ikusaba ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" Naegi said as he tried to salute while laying on his side. That got a giggle out of Ikusaba. Her thighs are softer than I expected. What am I thinking? Naegi thought. It was true though. The Ultimate Soldier was someone Naegi associated with tough muscle, but here Naegi was, using her lap as a pillow and finding it quite comfortable.
"If you're comfortable, then I'm going to get started," Ikusaba said as she began to clean Naegi's ears.
Naegi couldn't help but notice how gentle Ikusaba could be. There had been indications of that, of course, but as much as Naegi hated to admit it, he was always mindful of Ikusaba's title and what it meant she could do if she was so inclined. It was dumb of me to think that way. Ikusaba has shown she can be gentle when she wants to be, Naegi told himself as he felt all the stress and fatigue from the week fade away.
"You're my first you know. I never did this for anyone else," Ikusaba shyly admitted.
Naegi gave a peaceful sigh before saying, "I'm flattered, Ikusaba-san."
As soon as Ikusaba finished Naegi's right ear, she said, "Turn around, Naegi-kun."
Naegi's response was some light snoring.
"Hm. You must be pretty brave to fall asleep in the Ultimate Soldier's lap," Ikusaba commented. "You know I can be pretty dangerous. I've killed more people than you could possibly imagine," Ikusaba added.
Naegi gave no indication that he had hear that.
"Not that I ever would again though. It's because of you that I can be more than a soldier. Sleep well, Naegi-kun," Ikusaba whispered with a soft smile. With little difficulty she flipped Naegi over and cleaned his other ear. Once she had finished and tucked him into bed, she let herself out, doing her best to ignore how inviting his lips looked.
Saturday
The girls were less than thrilled when Saturday had come. Today was the day Naegi would meet with the headmaster about his living situation and none of them were any closer to their victory than they had been the previous week. Even their Saturday morning classes didn't take their minds off their impending loss.
When the final bell rang, half of Class 78 began to go their separate ways. Just as Naegi was getting ready to leave, Maizono came up to him and asked, "Naegi-kun, do you want to walk back to the dorm together?"
That question received a great deal of glares. The girls were busy glaring at Maizono, while Kuwata's eyes were boring holes into the back of Naegi's head. "I'd like that, Maizono-san, but I need to meet with Headmaster Kirigiri," Naegi answered.
"Oh, well, I don't mind waiting," Maizono replied.
"Are you sure? I don't know how long this will take," Naegi said.
Before Maizono could respond, she was interrupted by a rival.
"Darling! Would you care to join me for lunch? There is a Novoselic themed restaurant that has just opened in town," Sonia suggested.
"Well, that does sound good, but I need to-" Naegi began.
"Excellent! Come, let me treat you to the delicacies of my homeland the way you have treated me to yours," Sonia declared as she grabbed Naegi's wrist and began to drag him. Before she got too far though, a scalpel whizzed past her head and lodged itself in the wall.
"M-my hand s-slipped. I'm sorry!" Tsumiki wailed, although she didn't sound as sincere as she usually did when she apologized. Everyone had been so focused on Naegi and Maizono, that they didn't hear the female half of Class 77-B gathering outside of Class 78's classroom.
"If you guys are getting food, I want to come!" Owari exclaimed.
"M-me too! I hear Novoselic desserts are really good. I want to compare them to donuts," Asahina added.
"Like I was saying, I would love to, but I-" Naegi began.
"Naegi-kun, you need to come back to the dorm. There's still some material we need to go over," Yukizome said.
"But I-"
"Naegi-kun, I need some royal milk tea, if you wouldn't mind?" Celes asked/ordered.
"I will, but I-,"
"Naegi-kun!"
"Naegi-kun!"
"Naegi-kun!"
"GIRLS!" Naegi shouted. The girls went silent at that, Naegi had never lost his patience with them before. "I will be happy to do whatever it is you want me to do, within reason, but not right now. I have to meet with the headmaster," Naegi reminded them.
"He's right girls. There's no point in putting this off," Enoshima agreed.
"Thank you, Enoshima-san," Naegi said as he collected his things and headed for Jin's office. "I'll see you all later, alright? We can hang out when I'm done," Naegi called back to them.
"I mean, it's not like we'll never see him again," Koizumi began.
"Of course. He just won't be living with us. Not much else will change," Kirigiri agreed as she began to back her way down the hall after Naegi.
"Don't move you frigid bitch," Saionji said as she noticed what Kirigiri was doing. Once Kirigiri stopped, Saionji began to run down the hall after Naegi.
"Aww, Ibuki wanted to be the first to go after Makoto-chan," Mioda said as she ran after Saionji.
"I must go. My young master may need me," Pekoyama said as she followed after the other two.
The other girls began to join them, some made excuses, but others didn't see a point. They needed to know what the future held.
"Walking back to the dorm was the best you could do?" Ikusaba asked Maizono as the girls sprinted down the hall to the Headmaster's Office.
"I didn't see you come up with anything," Maizono shot back.
"I should have kept my beloved in the infirmary this week. I could have prevented this. I'm sorry!" Tsumiki cried.
"Naegi-kun would have tried to meet the headmaster even if you had, Tsumiki-san. I think?" Nanami attempted to comfort her friend.
"We're getting close girls," Yukizome informed them as the girls all skidded to a stop outside Jin's office. It seemed his secretary was out at the moment, probably for lunch. So much the better for the girls. Less questions this way.
The girls tried to get the best spots to listen at the door, but it was decided that with her superior hearing, Mioda would be the best pick to eavesdrop.
Mioda tried as best as she could, but she could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. "Next year…." "…new students…" "…unusual living situation." "Setbacks."
"Ibuki can't tell what they're saying," Mioda told the others.
"Move. Let me try," Owari said as she pushed Mioda out of the way.
"I did surveillance in Fenrir, I should listen," Ikusaba said as she fought Owari for her spot.
"Let me listen," Asahina said as she joined in the scuffle.
"No, me."
"Me."
"Me!"
Jin, Kizakura, and Naegi had stopped their conversation when they heard a commotion outside the door. "What is that? Is someone out there?" Kizakura wondered.
"Was there anyone else out there when you came in, Naegi-kun?" Jin asked.
"Not that I could see, but I think I recognize the voices," Naegi answered as he figured out what was going on. What is up with the girls this week? Naegi asked himself.
Before any of the three could move, Jin's door was torn off its hinges and the girls fell in a pile on top of it.
"Can I help you young ladies?" Jin asked slightly shocked but mostly amused by the development.
"O-oh! Headmaster Kirigiri, w-we were just-," Yukizome began, attempting to make the situation better in any way she could. My boss just caught us eavesdropping and we destroyed his door! How can anything I say fix this situation? Yukizome asked herself.
"Don't take Makoto-chan from us!" Mioda begged.
"What?" Kizakura asked.
"If space is an issue, I can request the finest architects and construction companies from Novoselic to build new facilities for the school. New dorms in exchange for my Darling is a fair trade, correct?" Sonia asked.
"Girls, I think that-" Naegi tried to say.
"We're helpless without him, we found that out this week," Saionji admitted.
"Everyone, I think there's been a misunderstanding," Jin announced.
That caught the girls' attention. What did they misunderstand?
"It is true that our original intention was to place Naegi-kun in the proper dorm when repairs were completed at the boys' dorm. However, due to…let's say, forces beyond our control, we no longer believe that such a course of action is possible," Jin explained. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen. I don't know whether it is Komaeda-kun's luck or not, but something does not want Naegi with the other boys, Jin thought. Whether it was equipment failures, inferior materials, or just mindless destruction, everything that could have happened to prevent the repairs at the boys' dorm had happened.
"Knew it!" Enoshima declared as she leaned against the doorframe to Jin's office.
"Junko-chan, how long have you known?" Ikusaba asked.
"I swung by the boys' dorm a few days ago for…reasons," Enoshima admitted.
"Like scoping the place out to find ways to pay Naegi-kun late night visits. Or barring that, you would find a way to wreck the place just enough so that he would get sent back," Otonashi reminded Enoshima.
"I saw that repairs hadn't been going well and realized that Naegi-kun was going to be sticking around for at least the foreseeable future," Enoshima said.
All the girls began to laugh nervously. They threw themselves at Naegi in some way for a week and it was all unnecessary.
It's great that we've grown closer… Pekoyama thought.
…but why did I have to have something so embarrassing happened when Naegi-kun was around, Koizumi thought, unknowingly finishing Pekoyama's thought. As well as the thoughts of the other girls.
"Having said all of this, Princess Sonia did manage to remind me of a problem we are facing," Jin began.
"What problem is that?" Kirigiri asked.
"Space. It seems that more people are willing to give Hope's Peak a chance, and as such, we've been seeing a record number of applications. Now, I hate to ask a student for favors, but since the government has decided to punish the actions of the Steering Committee by cutting our budget and we've had to refund most of the exorbitant amount of tuition money that the Reserve Course was charged, I don't know how we're going to accommodate them. We did receive a generous donation from the Togami Conglomerate, earlier this week for the school buildings and equipment," Jin began as he remembered how that conversation had gone.
Jin was sitting in his office going over applications with Kizakura when the door to his office swung open and Togami Byakuya marched in with an older man, who Jin assumed was his butler.
"I was invited to this school as the Togami heir, I will not have any school I deem worthy of my time to suffer from lack of funds," Togami said as he snapped his fingers and the old man that was with Togami handed Jin a check for… Jin had no idea that many zeros could fit on such a tiny piece of paper. Kizakura, who had been looking over Jin's shoulder at the amount passed out from shock.
"Headmaster, I expect proper acknowledgement for this act of charity," Togami said as he and his butler walked out.
I guess the Togami Conglomerate's contacts in the government told them about the cuts, Jin reasoned.
"I shall make some calls and get crews here as soon as I can! Provided my Darling stays with me at the dorm," Sonia said.
"Naegi-kun will be staying with you girls for a long time. Just be sure to help him out next year, the new students won't know about this arrangement," Jin told her.
The girls, who had started the day feeling so sad, now happily jumped at Naegi and tackled him to the floor. Even Enoshima, who had figured out what was really happening, joined in.
Ow! I wish the girls had told me what was bothering them, but maybe my wording was bad. Either way, I'm glad to see them so happy. It seems my everyday life with Ultimate girls will continue! Naegi thought happily as he struggled to get up. He couldn't help but wonder what the future held for him and his friends.
And that's the chapter!
Sorry for the delay in getting it out. After weeks of writer's blocks, emotional breakdowns, and improper time management, we are finally within sight of the summer vacation arc of the story. So I guess my question is, Novoselic trip or beach trip first?
Keep in mind, I won't be using the whole cast in most of the chapters going forward. I need to give everyone a chance to shine and with a large main cast like I have been using, small groups are probably better. Some chapters will demand the use of the whole cast of course, like a trip to the beach, but if your favorite girl doesn't show up in some chapters, I promise I didn't forget about her.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Read and review and until next time, stay frosty
Chapter Text
Chapter 22: Everyday Life in the Ultimate Kingdom Part 1
What's going on ladies and gentlemen; boys and girls; Ultimates of all ages?! It's wesst1 back again, once again and today, oh reader, mine, today, we embark on the Summer Vacation Arc!
I'm happy to say that the Novoselic trip won in the reviews, so we'll be heading there first. I know, Danganronpa S came out recently, as of this author's note and we see all the characters in their swimsuits, I should do something with that. I will, I promise. But I'm kind of glad I'm doing this first.
Now, people have warned me about biting off more than I can chew with the Student Council and how awkward things will get if I include Hiroko. I get that, I really do. That was part of why I didn't want to include them at first. I'm going to see if I can include them naturally as opposed to forcing them in just because.
But this isn't why anyone is here. You're here to read about some harem-y goodness in Novoselic! So, without any further delay…on with the story!
Edited 03/12/2022
A helpful guest reviewer pointed out a grievous error on my part. I forgot to include Monaca in with the Naegi family. So, while not much changes, I hope you will all still re-read the chapter, or at least the beginning parts to see how Monaca is fitting in with her new family. And please feel free to tell me in the reviews that I am a dumbass. I absolutely deserve it this time for forgetting a major part of the story.
Oh, one last note, I realize that this probably doesn't need to be said, I know my readers are the some of the smartest on this site, but just in case, when people are speaking the language of Novosleic, I decided to put those words in brackets.
Anyway, please enjoy.
The sun had just risen on the Naegi home when Naegi Makoto awoke for the day. Finals had ended two weeks ago, and Hope's Peak had let out for summer break. That isn't to say Naegi hadn't been busy looking out for his friends, he had helped move Pekoyama and Kirigiri into an apartment nearby and had to set Owari's family up with meals for the for next couple of days while Owari was at a foreign gymnastics' competition.
Speaking of being out of the country, Sonia-senpai is going to be here this morning to take me to Novoselic, Naegi remembered as he fully woke up. Not just him of course, Tanaka and Souda were going to be honored in Novoselic too.
Not that Naegi's family remembered that part, once they heard an actual princess was coming things had gotten a little crazy. Mr. Naegi had gone overboard buying snacks for when Sonia arrived while Mrs. Naegi had spent so much time cleaning up that even the furniture had begun to sparkle. Komaru meanwhile had secluded herself in her room and had begun making a list to decide whether she wanted an idol or a princess as a big sister. Naegi could still hear her in her room.
"Sayaka-chan is a famous idol, but Princess Sonia is, well, a princess. Instead of being related to someone famous, I could become part of a royal family."
I think they all have the wrong idea about what's happening, Naegi thought.
As for his newest sister, Monaca, well, Monaca wasn't as thrilled.
Since Naegi had told his family about, he had not seen Monaca without her cheeks puffed out in a pout. While Komaru had gotten over the idea of her brother having a, or when she let her imagination run wild, many girlfriends, particularly the famous ones, Monaca had picked favorites early on and she refused to budge.
"Makoto-onii-chan should be spending time with Junko-onee-chan! Or even Hiyoko-onee-chan and Celes-onee-chan! Not running off with some princess who acts like she lives in some fantasy world!" Monaca exclaimed.
"Monaca-chan, we can't live your brother's life for him. If he has his heart set on Princess Sonia, we should support him," Mrs. Naegi told her new daughter.
Yeah, they definitely have the wrong idea, Naegi thought.
Breakfast had done nothing to change Naegi's mind as he saw his family dressed in formal attire.
"Koto-kun, don't you think you're a bit under dressed?" Mrs. Naegi asked.
"Sonia-senpai really wants people to treat her like a normal girl, though. I don't…" Naegi's explanation was interrupted when the whole family heard not just a car, but an entire motorcade pull up and stop outside the house.
*Knock, knock!*
"I'll get it!" Naegi said as the rest of his family panicked.
"She's here. She's here. She's here!" Mr. and Mrs. Naegi repeated while Komaru froze up and Monaca frowned.
Naegi opened the door and saw Sonia with her guards, wearing the same dress and tiara she had worn at the opening of the embassy. So much for my case for keeping this casual. Ah well, that quirkiness is part of Sonia-senpai's charm, Naegi thought. Naegi handled this well though, as he greeted his guests, "Hello Senpai. Hello everyone. Would you like to come in?"
"Yes, please! Make yourselves at home. It might not be much, but we hope you'll be comfortable," Mrs. Naegi called. She and the rest of her family had regained their composure and had joined Naegi at the front door.
"Mother! Father! Komaru-chan! Monaca-chan! I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Sonia said, her voice full of excitement.
"The pleasure is all ours your Highness," Mr. Naegi said before he bowed. Mrs. Naegi and the girls followed his example and curtsied for their guest. Their week of practicing Western greetings had not gone to waste!
"Please, there is no need for formalities. You are, after all, Darling's family, I feel close to you already," Sonia told them, although she gave a deep bow just the same.
"'Darling'?" Mrs. Naegi questioned as she looked at her son.
"Yes! My hero will finally be honored by my people. My parents have been longing to meet Darling, just I have been longing to meet you, Mother," Sonia explained with a dreamy expression.
The Neagi family was not ignorant of what had happened at the Novoselic Embassy, nor were they ignorant of any of Naegi's exploits. Being the "Darling" of the crown princess of Novoselic though, that was news. While Komaru and Mrs. Naegi attempted to invite Sonia in and ask for more details, Mr. Naegi gave his son a proud look and a thumbs up. Naegi was sure he heard his father whisper, "That's my boy!"
"Thank you for having me!" Sonia exclaimed as she and her entourage entered the Naegi home.
"Wait, Senpai, what about the flight?" Naegi asked.
"Fear not my Darling, I came early just to get to know your family. Even so, our flight will not is scheduled to leave several hours from now to compensate for the time difference," Sonia explained.
Naegi understood that, but he hoped that Souda and Tanaka didn't get to the airport too early and have to wait.
Meanwhile
At Tanaka's home, the breeder had been hard at work, tending to his animals. When the escort from Novoselic arrived, he had somehow managed to put them to work when he discover that they still had time to kill.
"Have any of you received a sign from your goddess?" Tanaka would occasionally ask.
"We still have time. Her Highness has not left for the airport yet, Tanaka-dono," they would answer.
As for Souda, he had left as soon as his escort had arrived, hoping to spend as much time with Sonia as he could and had been waiting on the private plane for hours.
"SONIA-SAN! Did you forget about me!" Souda wailed as tears streamed down his face.
The Novoselic guards were usually patient, but they couldn't help but beg Sonia's personal escort to hurry up so they could hopefully get some quiet.
When Sonia's guards began to push the issue and remind her of proper Novoselic etiquette, Sonia reluctantly said goodbye to the Naegi family, but not before gifting them more Novoselic wine and chocolate than they could ever hope to finish.
"Mother, Father, Komaru-chan, Monaca-chan, I will come back to visit as soon as I can," Sonia said almost tearfully.
"Sonia-onee-chan, come back soon. And please take care of Onii-chan. He can be kind of a pain and a bit of a mother hen at times, but he is my only brother," Komaru said as she hugged Sonia tightly.
"I will return as soon as I am able, Komaru-chan! It will be hard, but thoughts of my precious little sisters shall sustain me," Sonia cried.
"Oh no, don't trouble yourself on our account," Monaca said in a faux sweet tone.
"Our new daughter is so sweet. Girls, learn all you can from your new sister," Mrs. Naegi said.
"Wait, I think we've skipped a few steps here. When did…?" Naegi began, before he felt his father's hand on his shoulder.
"That's my boy!" Mr. Naegi said with pride.
Deciding retreat was his best option, Naegi told himself, Just let them have their fun, Makoto, you're not going to win this one.
The tearful, and strange, if you asked Naegi, good-byes came to an end and soon he and Sonia arrived at the airport. They met up with Tanaka, who, thanks to his Novoselic escorts arrived thirteen minutes earlier, and boarded the private jet. There, they met an irate Souda, who had been waiting for over three hours.
"SONIA-SAAAAN! I've been waiting for hours! Why are you so late?" Souda asked.
"In fairness, Souda-sama Her Highness can't be late for a plane that won't leave without her," one of Sonia's guards pointed out.
As expected, that did not help Souda feel better, in fact, his tears flowed stronger than ever.
From one strange scene to another, that's pretty much what you get as a student of Hope's Peak Academy, Naegi thought as realized his departure and arrival both involved lots of tears for very strange reasons. I at least hope things have calmed down at home, Naegi thought as a stewardess attempted to get Souda to calm down.
Back at the Naegi household, Naegi Monaca still hadn't gotten over the fact that her perfect brother had run off with some gaijin. After screaming into a pillow, she took out her phone and called her favorite big sister candidate.
"Junko-onee-chan, how can you let some airhead princess get ahead of you like this?"" Monaca asked.
"..."
"What's all that noise in the background?"
"..."
"You 'can't talk because' you're where?" Monaca asked.
"..."
"Oh, that changes things! Have a good time then," Monaca said as she hung up. Monaca had a smile on her face for the first time in a week as she said to herself, "I hope Makoto-onii-chan enjoys his surprise."
The flight was much quieter than Naegi had been expecting. Souda spent much of it pouting while Tanaka had spent it reading up about the strange fauna of Novoselic. Sonia and Naegi were the only ones who really spoke to each other.
"My people will love to meet you, Darling! Mother and Father say that the Royal Guard wishes to know your secrets. And stories of your bravery are already being taught to the children of Novoselic," Sonia told Naegi.
"I'm flattered," Naegi said, before thinking, I really hope they aren't too disappointed by the real me.
Just then, the pilot's voice was heard, announcing, "We will be landing shortly. Please return your seats to the upright position and fasten your seatbelts."
Naegi took a deep breath as he thought, Here we go, my first trip outside of Japan. I wish everyone else could have come. At least Sonia-senpai, Tanaka-senpai, and Souda-senpai are here.
It seemed that all of Novoselic was excited for Sonia's return if the crowd at the airport was anything to go by. Even early in the morning, they had come out in force. The banners, guards, and a cheering public left no doubt in the minds of Sonia's guests that she was beloved by her people.
"[Princess Sonia!]"
"[Welcome home!]"
"[You look more beautiful every time we see you, Your Highness!]"
"[Greetings everyone!]" Sonia responded with a wave and a radiant smile. "[As you can see, I have returned with the heroes from our embassy!]"
The crowd's cheers, which had been directed at Sonia were soon directed at Naegi, Tanaka, and Souda. Souda seemed to be enjoying the attention, but Tanaka and Naegi both seemed more than a little uncomfortable. It was over soon enough though as thanks to the Zodiac Generals, the group's next stop was customs.
Thankfully, Tanaka had come prepared for this as he pulled out medical records for all 12 of the Generals. "The blood seal on these documents proves that my familiars are free of curses, hexes, and demonic possession," he told the customs agents.
It took a while, but the translator the agents called was able to make them understand. As the group was leaving, they heard someone yelling, "GIVE ME BACK MY JERKY!"
"That voice sounds familiar," Naegi said.
"OWARI WILL YOU JUST GIVE THE MAN THE DAMN MEAT! YOU CAN GET MORE LATER!" another familiar voice screamed.
"Owari? Then that means…" Sonia began as she opened the door to the office next to the one they had just exited. Sure enough, Owari Akane and Nidai Nekomaru were inside. A customs agent was in the process of trying to confiscate some of Owari's snacks and Nidai was in the process of trying to get Owari to leave the office peacefully. In the middle of this was Owari herself, grabbing onto whatever heavy object was within reach to keep Nidai from separating her from her precious food.
Hoping to resolve the situation, Naegi didn't waste any time. "Owari-senpai, I'll buy you whatever you want later, but the people here are just doing their jobs."
Owari looked and saw who said that. With a shout of, "Naegi-kun!" she wiggled out of Nidai's grasp and tackled the lucky student. "Did you come to cheer me on?" Owari asked happily.
"I didn't expect your competition to be in Novoselic, but I will," Naegi said as he laid flat on his back.
"Owari-san, welcome to my homeland. I had no idea you were going to be here," Sonia said stiffly. She hadn't planned on this. Darling and I were supposed to get closer during this trip! The other girls were not supposed to be here. Calm down. If it is only Owari-san, I can handle it, Sonia told herself.
"Hello everyone!" another familiar, and female, voice called out.
Sonia was glad no one could hear her thoughts at that moment.
"[Is that Junko Enoshima?]" Some of the passersby asked.
"[Yes, it is I! Blessed with an adorable face and a perfect body, I am] Enoshima Junko-chan!" Enoshima said, in perfect Novoselian as she struck a pose.
"Are all of our peers in Novoselic now?" Souda asked.
"No, just a few of us. Muku-nee and I ran into them when earlier. Muku-nee and I took a European vacation for old time's sake, but her past in Fenrir means she's getting questioned right now.
"How many more of our dark army have come to this land?" Tanaka asked.
"There's one with her family behind you," Enoshima pointed out. The group turned and saw…
"Koizumi-senpai!" Naegi shouted with a wave.
"N-naegi-kun!? What is he-? O-oh, right, those three are being honored by the royal family," Koizumi remembered in response to her own question.
"Naegi-kun? Is that him? He is a cutie, Mahiru-chan," Mrs. Koizumi told her daughter. Turning to Naegi, Mrs. Koizumi said, "Hello, I'm Koizumi Ryuko, but please call me 'Mom'! Mahiru-chan talks about you all the time.
"Mahiru-chan, no dating until you're my age," Mr. Koizumi said.
Koizumi turned scarlet and said to her parents, "Mom! Dad! You're embarrassing me!"
"I would advise you not to raise your voice then. It will only draw more attention to you," a calm voice told Koizumi.
"Celes-chan? What are you doing here?" Koizumi asked. As if I didn't already know, the redhead thought as she cast a side glance in Naegi's direction.
"Sonia-senpai would often talk about her castle, I wanted to see it for myself. I'm not sure if I mentioned this to you, but my dream is to have a castle of my own," Celes answered. Although I'm more than happy to replace my vampire butlers for my S-Rank vampire lord, Celes added in her mind.
"I can't picture Naegi-kun with black hair, red eyes, or fangs, Celes-san," a teenage girl in a large hat with dark sunglasses said in what Celes and Koizumi thought was a poorly disguised voice.
"Celes-san and Maizono-san are here too? That's great! Being in a foreign land doesn't seem so bad when you're surrounded by familiar faces," Naegi said, his voice full of relief.
"Is it that obvious it's me?" Maizono asked in her normal voice, although it was tinged with nervousness at being widely recognized.
"We've spent so much time together that I would recognize you in any disguise, Maizono-san. I'm sure it would work on the general public," Naegi said. Realizing he risked Maizono's cover, he sheepishly added, "Provided I don't use your real name, of course. Sorry."
Maizono was busy blushing at the idea of her and Naegi being so close that he could recognize her in any disguise that she didn't really hear him. What she did hear was a question from Koizumi.
"What brings you to Novoselic, Sayak-ah, I mean, Saya-chan. Saya-chan works, right?"
"Oh, well, Sonia-senpai told me that my group has a massive following in Novoselic. So, the girls, Oumi-san, and I figured that it wouldn't hurt to do a show here. Show our appreciation for their support and all," Maizono explained.
"Follow the object of your affections to a European country under the guise of work, that sort of thing," Celes added in a whisper.
Maizono didn't respond in words, she just puffed up her cheeks in a pout. Soon, the group was joined by Sonia, Tanaka, Souda, Nidai, Owari, Ikusaba, and Enoshima. As everyone exchanged pleasantries, they noticed that the focus in the airport had split between Sonia and a new arrival.
"What's going on? Did another princess show up?" Owari asked.
Enoshima put her analytical skills to work and figured out what was happening. "I wouldn't let him hear you say that. Well, I would because it would piss him off, but it's not a princess. Just a teenager with a god complex."
"Togami-kun's here too?" Naegi asked, before feeling ashamed that Togami was his first guess given Enoshima's description.
Enoshima didn't answer. She didn't need to; Togami recognized the group and came over to let them bask in his presence.
"Amazing. I knew I would be dealing with Princess Sonia, but I hadn't expected so many of you commoners to be here too," Togami, sort-of, greeted. It got a rise out of Souda, but the rest brushed it off as Togami being Togami.
Naegi calmly asked, "Expanding the Togami Conglomerate after your acquisition of the Towa Group, Togami-kun?"
"My, you do catch on quickly, Naegi. Are you sure you won't reconsider my offer?" Togami asked.
"I won't say no, but I can't agree to being your secretary just yet," Naegi responded.
"You won't get a better offer anywhere else," Togami told him.
"Is this…banter?" Koizumi asked.
"Weird right? I never could have predicted this. Togami-kun was the last person I would think would have friends," Enoshima answered. I believe the English have a saying involving a pot and a kettle that seems appropriate here, Junko-chan, Ryoko pointed out.
"I can hear you," Togami told them with a glare.
Deciding to take control of the situation, Sonia suggested, "Let us all go and meet my parents. Then I shall give you all a tour of our capital and all of our famous spots."
"Yeah!" the group of teenagers and adults shouted. The sole exception being Togami, he simply gave a dignified nod.
Cobain, Novoselic
The Royal/Togami Motorcade left the airport once the group met up with Maizono's idol group as well as Togami's butler, Aloysius Pennyworth, and his sister/secretary, Togami Shinobu. Most of the students and the adults were awestruck by the treatment they were receiving. The only ones in their element seemed to be Togami's group. The idols, Enoshima, and even Celes weren't exactly strangers to luxury, but this went far beyond anything they'd experienced.
Being treated as VIPs was only part of the reason that so many in the group were so quiet. The other reason was what awaited them at the end of the trip. Attending high school with a princess from Europe was rare enough, but none of the students or adults who came independently of Sonia or Togami's groups ever expected to be invited to meet the king and queen of Novoselic.
The thought of meeting royalty was getting to a few of the guests as Musume Yumi, a young girl with orange hair and a member of Maizono's group began to panic and cried, "You can let me out here, I can find the hotel! I'm not ready for something this huge!"
"Calm down, Yumi-chan! Everything will be fine. Right Sayaka-chan?" Kazumi Eiko, a girl with long brown hair in a ponytail asked Maizono.
"Of course, it will girls," Maizono said simply. If she was honest, she didn't know what to expect. What would this mean for her and her group? How did the royal family feel about idols? Would they cancel the show if Maizono and the girls made a bad impression?
The other members of Maizono's group must have possessed intuition similar to Maizono's because Aoba Satomi asked, "Sayaka-chan, are you nervous too?"
Haneyama Ayaka, the final member of Maizono's group said, "We didn't have to come to Novoselic right away. We could have done this whenever we wanted during summer break. Sayaka-chan is the one who wanted come the same time as her bo-mmph!"
"Now, now, Ayaka-chan, it's not nice to make up stories," Maizono said in a faux sweet voice.
Oumi just massaged her temples and said to herself, "Next time, don't listen to the girls about scheduling.
Meanwhile, in Togami's limo, Togami himself was busy discussing business with his sister.
"Shinobu, I hear watermelon and curry are rare in this country, look into any spice and agricultural companies we own and see which one is best suited to get a foothold here!"
"Yes, Byakuya-sama," Shinobu responded.
"This country wants to host the Olympic Games, we must be sure one of our construction companies is contracted to build the facilities!"
"Yes, Byakuya-sama."
"There are not amusement parks in this country, it's an untapped market that the Togami Conglomerate will be the first to tap!"
"Yes, Byakuya-sama."
While this was going on, Souda was complaining to Tanaka about the travel arrangements, specifically, the fact that Naegi got to ride with the girls, and they didn't.
"I don't get it! What has he got that I don't?" Souda asked.
Tanaka and the Generals just looked uncomfortable, while Togami shot an annoyed look in Souda's direction.
"Is he going to be like this the whole trip?" Byakuya asked.
With a serious look on both of their faces, Shinobu and Aloysius said, "Yes, Byakuya-sama."
While that was going on in Byakuya's limo, Sonia's was about to receive good news.
"[Princess, we have arrived at the castle,]" the driver announced after a rather lengthy trip.
"[Excellent!]" Sonia replied, confusing her guests. While some of them, mostly the other students, had studied the language of Novoselic, none of them considered themselves fluent.
"The driver said that we've arrived at the castle," Naegi translated.
"That is correct, Darling! Our late nights of studying languages have 'totes' paid off," Sonia said happily.
Mrs. Koizumi leaned over to her daughter and whispered, "You have some competition, Mahiru-chan."
"Mom, you have no idea," Koizumi replied, confusing her mother. To answer he mother's unasked question, Koizumi pointed at the other girls, each one shooting an annoyed look in Sonia's direction.
The royal castle was small, and it definitely showed its age in spots, but it was clearly well maintained and still managed to exude a mixture of elegance and authority, much like the princess who called it home.
The inside was modernized but the aura of the building remained the same. The entrance way had all of the servants lined up in two rows and all bowed and exclaimed, "[Welcome home, Princess Sonia!]"
[I'm home, everyone!]" Sonia responded with equal enthusiasm.
Sonia had not been actively trying to impress anyone, but between the servants and the castle, her guests were impressed all the same.
"Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful home, Princess Sonia," Mr. Koizumi said nervously.
"I thank all of you for coming to my home country," Sonia replied with a smile.
A male servant came forward and said, "[My apologies for interrupting, Your Highness, but the King and Queen are waiting.]
"[Thank you, Fyodor]," Sonia said with a nod. Turning to her guests, Sonia said, "Come everyone, my parents will be delighted to meet all of you."
Once the group arrived at the throne room, Sonia entered first, leaving the others waiting for permission to enter. While they were waiting, some of the others felt it would be a good idea to remind two particular members of their group about their manners.
"Owari-senpai, when we get in there, follow our lead. If we bow, you bow. If we kneel, you kneel," Celes said.
"Be respectful. Speaking out of turn can lead to trouble," Ikusaba added.
"Let's just be glad that she's not showing any cleavage," Maizono said.
"And Nidai-kun, please, don't swear or mention bowel movements," Koizumi begged.
"I think you have the wrong impression of me, Koizumi-san," Nidai said, sounding slightly insulted.
"You don't need to remind me of any of that, I know I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb," Owari said in annoyance.
"No one thinks you're dumb, Senpai, I know I don't," Naegi said as he gave Owari's shoulder a reassuring squeeze eliciting a blush from the athletic girl. "Having said that, we do need to be on our best behavior, if we make a bad first impression then the King and Queen might not let Sonia-senpai come back to Japan," Naegi added.
The girls were, to their shame, tempted by that idea, but quickly pushed it aside. Removing a rival sounded appealing, but their competitive sides realized it would be a hollow victory.
Togami, however, had his own reasons for not upsetting the royal family. "That's all well and good, but I came to discuss expanding the Togami Conglomerate into Novoselic. As we're all students of Hope's Peak, I trust that none of you will do anything that will reflect poorly on me and sabotage my chances to network here," Togami said.
Before anyone could respond, the doors to the throne room opened again and someone who looked to be an attendant said, "Their majesties shall see you now."
Upon entering the throne room, the students and adults saw Sonia standing in front of people who were clearly her parents. Both had the same blonde hair and blue eyes, and given the regal aura of the man and the beauty and elegance of the woman, there was no room for doubt, they were now in the presence of King and Queen Nevermind.
King Nevermind was a large man whose beard when coupled with his hair made it look like he had a lion's mane. His eyes were serious, but his face showed little to no signs of the stress that must come with his station.
Queen Nevermind looked like an older version of her daughter. From her hair to her eyes to how she carried herself, the similarities were numerous. There was one thing she possessed that her daughter lacked, there was a look of the experience of life in her eyes that her more naïve daughter lacked.
As soon as the group was directly behind her, Sonia said, "[Mother, Father, I present my friends from school in Japan and a few of their families]."
King Nevermind stood up, and action he had somehow managed to make look imposing, before he rushed toward his daughter's peers and greeted them all with vigorous handshakes. "Hello honored guests from Japan! My name is Levushka Nevermind! The vision on the other throne is my wife, Queen Tonya Nevermind. As the king, I welcome you to our homeland and I hope to one day visit your beautiful land myself!" King Levushka exclaimed happily.
The guests weren't expecting that. The lion of a king now seemed more like a pussycat. Not that the guests minded, if anything it helped the more nervous among them relax.
"Dear, I believe Sonia would like to introduce her friends before anything else," Queen Tonya suggested.
"Right you are, Dearest, as always. Sonia, my daughter, please proceed," King Levushka said as he calmed down.
"Yes. I have shown you their pictures before, so I believe that you already recognize Nidai Nekomaru, Owari Akane, Koizumi Mahiru, Tanaka Gundham, and Souda Kazuichi," Sonia began as she pointed to each of her friends, who each gave a respectful bow. "The adults with Koizumi-san are her parents Ryuko and Kota." Again, those introduced bowed.
"Yes, Sonia has told us about her classmates, she speaks so highly of all of you," King Levushka said.
"Oh, I must not forget the Twelve Zodiac Generals," Sonia mentioned as twelve hamsters popped out of Tanaka's coat.
"Aren't they just the most adorable little creatures," Queen Tonya commented, causing the Generals to blush.
Sonia then pointed to each of her underclassmen in turn while introducing them, "My underclassmen and new friends are Ludenberg Celestia, Ikusaba Mukuro, and Enoshima Junko."
"Ah yes, you've mentioned these three as well. A pleasure to meet all of you," the king said as the girls bowed or in Celes's case, curtseyed.
"Maizono Sayaka is here with her idol group as well as their manager," Sonia said.
This time it was Queen Tonya who spoke. "I'm looking forward to your show, girls. I know our people will love it!"
The idols looked both flattered and nervous to hear that, none more than their manager, Oumi.
"Togami Byakuya, his sister Shinobu and his butler Aloysius Pennyworth are here on business, but when we met at the airport, I couldn't help but invite them," Sonia explained.
"Ah yes. Our meeting is later today, but I am glad that we've met now," the king said.
"The pleasure is all ours, Your Majesty. I do hope this is the beginning of a beautiful and profitable relationship," Togami said.
"Yes, but there will be time for that later. And who is this young man?" King Levushka asked.
"This is Naegi Makoto, Novoselic's newest hero," Sonia introduced with pride.
"Naegi Makoto! Do you prefer Naegi-kun or may I call you Makoto?" King Levushka asked as he smothered the young boy in a bone-crushing hug, clearly still grateful for Naegi's actions at the embassy.
"Makoto is fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for having us!" Naegi's said with a slightly muffled voice.
"Levushka, I think you should let Young Makoto go now, he seems to be changing colors," Queen Tonya pointed out. It was true, King Levushka's was holding Naegi so tightly, that the boy was bent at an unnatural angle and struggling to breathe.
"Oh, yes, of course. So sorry, my boy. Never quite knew my own strength," the King apologized.
"*huff* No apology needed, Your Majesty, *puff*" Naegi wheezed.
"Well now, on behalf of the Kingdom of Novoselic, we bid all of you 'Welcome!" We hope that you will all…" King Levushka began.
"[Your Majesty, a word?]" a new voice asked. A man who resembled King Levushka walked into the throne room followed by a boy who looked to be in junior high.
"[Mavra, my dear brother, we have guests,]" King Levushka pointed out.
The man turned to the guests allowing them to get a better look at him. He still resembled King Levushka, but he seemed…darker, somehow. Dark circles under his eyes, darker blonde hair, and a more serious aura gave the impression of a man not to be trifled with. "Greetings, I am Duke Mavra Nevermind. With me is my son, Manic," the man said.
If he hadn't been introduced as Sonia's cousin and the son of a duke, none of the guests would have believed Manic had a drop of royal blood in him from his appearance. He seemed slightly bored, his posture wasn't like that of his royal relatives, and he must have inherited his looks from his mother. His eyes were black, and his hair was a bright green. The guests wondered if he had dyed it, but Naegi and some of the others knew that naturally green hair was a possibility. "Hey, how's it going? You all go to school with my cousin, huh? Thanks for looking out for her," Manic said.
"Manic, we are acting in an official capacity," Duke Mavra reminded his son.
"C'mon Dad, they're Sonia's guests, I think they're sufficiently impressed at this point," Manic said.
"Well, duty calls. Sonia, why not show our guests around the city. Take your cousin with you. I expect all of you to join us for dinner and to stay with us for the duration of your trip," King Levushka announced.
"Th-that's very generous of you, Your Majesty, but many of us have reservations at…" Mrs. Koizumi began.
"I shall take care of it, you will all be refunded or reimbursed. It is rare for us to have guests and many of you are in school with my daughter. I will not take no for an answer," the King said as his regal aura flared.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the guests exclaimed in unison.
The first stop on the tour of Cobain was a sight a few of the Japanese students were familiar with, but they never expected to see it in Novoselic.
"It's Akihabara!" Souda gasped.
"It's not official, but most people call it "Euro-Akihabara", to be exact. As Japanese pop culture gained popularity in Novoselic, we saw a lot off manga and anime shops opening up. Coincidentally, all those shops opened up in an area that also had a large number of electronics stores, and a good portion of the stores now devoted to anime and manga were devoted to Betamax, until Betamax was discontinued in 2002," Manic explained.
"It was the superior format, dammit!" Souda cried.
"Once cosplaying gained a foothold, maid cafes started to open and the area has been considered Euro-Akihabara ever since," Sonia finished for her cousin.
"What's that over there?" Kazumi asked as she pointed to an unfinished dome-like structure surrounded by construction equipment in the middle of the nearby plaza.
"Looks like a stadium of some kind," Haneyama said.
"Exactly!" Sonia confirmed, brightly. "We want to expand on athletics in Novoselic, but we would also like more reasons to attract live entertainment, as such we have constructed our own Cobain Dome to host both sporting and music events. I would be honored if your group would be the first to perform there when it is finished!"
The idols were flattered by the suggestion and Maizono said, "We'll definitely try, Senpai. I'm sure Oumi-san will be happy to give you the contact info for our agency."
While the idols were discussing their potential performance, Togami turned to his butler and said, "Find out who was contracted to build that, we need to scope out the competition if we want our construction firms to gain a hold here."
"Yes, Byakuya-sama," Aloysius said with a nod.
"I thought your sister was your secretary," Nidai said to Byakuya.
"She is, but she wanted to go shopping. I sent Naegi with her so she doesn't come back with something outrageous," Togami said.
"WHAT?!" Togami heard as he was surrounded by a group of angry girls. The girls didn't know Shinobu that well, but they didn't want Naegi with an attractive girl. "
"Her long, dark blue hair that rivaled Maizono's. Her figure that she is most certainly hiding. Her heterochromia and glasses don't hurt her cute factor. She is very much the cute secretary that is secretly a total knockout," Enoshima listed.
"This is serious. Junko-chan is narrating again," Ikusaba said, sounding worried.
"We're back, Togami-kun!" Naegi suddenly called, quelling the girls' fears.
"Naegi-kun, where did the two of you go?" Owari asked as she grabbed Naegi by the shoulders and shook him.
"S-s-s-s-shinobu-san knew exactly what she wanted f-f-from NCOS," Naegi stuttered out due to the shaking. Owari was shaking Naegi so hard that something fell off from under his bangs.
Koizumi picked up what had fallen off of Naegi and found it to be a sticker that looked like a one-yen coin. "A one-yen sticker? Did she just want stickers?" Koizumi questioned.
"Not exactly," Naegi said as he pointed at a girl in a maid outfit. Well, it was sort of a maid outfit. The girl had red-gold straight long hair. She wore an eyepatch over her left eye, while her right eye has an emerald color and target-mark on the pupil. Her accessories possessed military camouflage patterns and there was a cute sticker attached to a corner of her skirt with '1 yen' written on it. There was also a white gun she had holstered on her waist similar to how one would wear a sword. "Shinobu-san is apparently a fan of CZ2128 Delta," Naegi explained.
"Naegi, you had one job! Don't let her buy anything stupid," Togami yelled as his face turned red, more in annoyance than anger.
"A little on the nose, isn't it, Shinobu-sama?" Aloysius questioned.
Manic looked lost in thought before wondering aloud, "Doesn't CZ Delta put those 1-yen stickers on things she thinks are cute?"
Shinobu felt the multiple pairs of eyes trying to bore holes through her until Byakuya ordered her to change back into her normal clothes.
The next destination looked to be a cross between a school and a…military base? To say the guests were confused would be an understatement.
"Sonia-senpai, what exactly are we looking at? Is this a military school? A former base?" Celes asked.
"It's just a regular elementary school here in Novoselic. Ikusaba-san and Ryuko-san might find this interesting, but as some of you may already know, elementary schools in Novoselic teach a course on warfare, to the point where grade-school children can operate a tank," Sonia explained.
"It's no exaggeration to say that everyone in the country can operate one," Manic added.
"Oh, I think I could teach these kids a thing or two," Ikusaba said, feeling pride in her talent for the first time in a while.
"You wouldn't make children fight in a war would you, Your Highness?" Mrs. Koizumi asked. As a war photographer, she had seen many things she wished she could unsee, and child soldiers were quite high on that particular list.
"Oh no, never. This tradition dates back to when Fortuna and Borginia were regularly invading Novoselic. There are old folk stories that state when their parents were too exhausted or too injured, the children of Novoselic would man catapults to repel the enemy forces. From then on, children were regularly trained in the art of warfare. In recent times and since Novoselic has enjoyed peace for many years, we do this more out of tradition than out of belief that it will be necessary," Sonia explained.
"That's a relief," Mr. Koizumi said quietly.
"Shall we go in? We should be in time for some of the summer supplemental courses today," Sonia suggested.
The offer was too interesting to decline, and soon the royal cousins and their guests were sitting in on a practical lesson in warfare.
"[Today, we will be going over the ins-and-outs of our very own N2000-21 Battle Tank. This behemoth has an automated fire and explosion suppression system; a state-of-the-art computerized fire control system for increased accuracy and rate of fire; and a main gun capable of handling a wide variety of ammunition. It weighs over sixty tons and has a top speed of just over 45 miles per hour]," the instructor said.
As Naegi translated, Ikusaba found herself more engrossed in the lesson.
"I remember that one. Reliable, perfect for whatever you need it for," Ikusaba added quietly.
"You've driven one, Ikusaba-san?" Naegi asked.
"Yes, my last year in Fenrir was when these babies first showed up on the battlefield," Ikusaba explained.
"Excuse me, Miss? I can't help noticing your tattoo, and then I believe I heard you say Fenrir. Would you like to add anything? I'm sure the children would appreciate the perspective of someone who has seen one of these beasts in action," the instructor asked.
"I-I can't really speak your language, Instructor-san," Ikusaba said, shyly. She had wanted to get away from her past as a soldier but being here was making it difficult. She couldn't deny she still found weapons fascinating.
"I'd be more than happy to translate for you," the instructor said.
"Go on, Muku-nee. Get a head start on telling kids war stories," Enoshima joked.
"It would be great to hear more from you Ikusaba-san. I for one would like to hear more about your time in Fenrir," Naegi added.
"Where should I start?" Ikusaba suddenly asked the instructor. If Naegi wanted to hear some of her war stories, who was she to say no?
After a few war stories and after each of them had a turn in the tank, the group went to a restaurant for lunch. The menu was mostly Novoselic with a few twists and while Sonia and Manic swore the food was delicious, some of the menu items still raised a few eyebrows.
"Creamed makango; skong sashimi; makango and dumpling soup, I'm curious, but I know so little about these creatures, I can't really say what sounds good," Maizono said.
"Says you, I'm getting one of everything if I can," Owari told her.
"I recommend the makango alfredo or the makango and skong surf n' sky," Manic suggested.
"Oh, so they're fish and poultry?" Koizumi asked.
Sonia nodded and said, "I can't blame any of you for not knowing. Makangos and skongs were once seen all across Europe, but…"
"Were they overhunted?" Celes asked.
"Quite the opposite really," Manic said.
"You mean, they don't have predators? Human or otherwise?" Mr. Koizumi asked.
"What dark power could cause a contradiction like that?" Tanaka wondered.
"Hopefully, we can show you, it's hard to explain if you can't see it for yourself," Manic explained.
The matter of makangos and skongs was put on hold after the orders were taken and didn't start back up again until after the food arrived. Owari was the first to take a bite. Instead of her usual ravenous eating method she stopped and said, "This tastes kind of…"
"We know. But it grows on you," Manic said.
"So, these 'makangos' and 'skongs' range from 'mediocre' to 'it's okay'?" Souda asked as he tried his makango stir-fry.
"If I had not tried the cuisine of other nations, I would take offense to that, but you are correct," Sonia sighed.
So, their meat isn't particularly good, but these animals died out in the rest of Europe. But they weren't hunted? What peculiar creature these must be, Ryoko said to Enoshima.
"As someone who was both homeless and someone who had to live off of military rations, I like it," Ikusaba said as she enjoyed her makango cacciatore.
"I have to agree, I'd like to try makango curry or makango nanban one day," Naegi said as he savored his makango and dumpling soup.
The others, except Enoshima, couldn't know, but Sonia considered that statement from Naegi a small victory. I knew my Darling would learn to love Novoselic cuisine. I am sure it is a sign, Sonia thought as she and the rest finished their meal.
After a few more stops, one of which was the national library, the group arrived at one of the local beaches. So as not to be swarmed by beach go-ers, the royal cousins led the group to a more secluded spot so that they could continue their tour in peace.
"As you can see, and feel, I would imagine, the beaches here in Novoselic have a mild climate and the when the wind blows, it is quite refreshing," Sonia said. As if on cue, the wind picked up and Sonia closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.
"That's our Sonia-san, even the weather knows to listen to her!" Souda gushed.
"This place of light is pleasant even to a dark one such as myself," Tanaka noted.
Naegi agreed that it was a nice beach: the white sand; the relaxing sound of the waves; the nearby greenery; the weird little ball that came tearing out of the bushes right at him. Wait…what? Naegi thought as something small jumped into his arms. It was a small, chubby bird with an ahoge on its head. It had a large beak and large puffy cheeks and small eyes. The belly was covered in light feathers while the rest of its body was covered in darker feathers. It has two large feet supported by large talons with sharp claws. And at that moment, it was trying to bury itself in Naegi's hoodie.
"It's not often you see a makango act like that," Manic said.
"Oh, is this a makango?" Naegi asked.
"A young one, judging by this," Manic clarified as he pointed to the bird's ahoge.
"[Hey! Get back here you!]" a child's voice yelled. A group of children came running out of the nearby shrubbery. One child was carrying a bird with a very long ahoge, the parent of the one in Naegi's arms if Naegi and the other guests had to guess.
"[What is this about?] Naegi asked.
"[That makango hatched and just ran off,]" one boy explained.
"[We were playing with this one and after it laid its eggs, that one, out of all the ones that hatched, ran away,]" a girl clarified.
"[Playing with it? Hatched and ran off]?" Enoshima asked. Even with all of her analytical talents, she couldn't make sense of that.
Sonia took a break from translating for the others to explain. "Makangos multiply when frightened. One of the games in Novoselic involves scaring a makango and betting on how much it will multiply."
"[P-princess! W-we didn't see you there,]" a second little boy stammered.
"Why are they afraid of Sonia-senpai? Maizono asked.
"My cousin realizes that makango only multiply when scared, but she's made no secret that she finds some of the methods people employ to scare them to be cruel," Manic explained.
"[We were being good. We weren't going to hurt them,]" a second little girl told Sonia.
"[Go on little fella,]" a third little boy said as he put the adult makango down and patted it on the head. It soon ran off back into the bushes.
"Wait! What about your baby!" Naegi called after it.
"I think it imprinted on you, Naegi-kun," Mrs. Koizumi said as the young makango made no signs of wanting to leave or chase the adult.
By this time, Sonia had sent the children on their way and started to explain. "I believe that is part of it. However, makango don't really form bonds the way other birds do. You see, the makango possesses an unnatural reproductive ability, due to having immense number of predators long ago. You see, the makango itself was unable to defend itself from its natural predators. The makango adapted to these harsh environments by boosting its reproductive system in an immense phase through Parthenogenesis, meaning that the makango itself can not only produce eggs at an unnatural speed, but it can also produce an immense number in such a short time meaning that if the parent were to be devoured by a predator, it would already have hundreds, perhaps even millions of eggs laid and that hatch in an instant after being laid. Add to it, makango are ready to live on their own right after they hatch, which is fortunate for the parent bird considering it would be impossible to care for so many offspring."
"How does a bird like this die out in the rest of Europe if it can do that," Naegi asked as he looked the bird right in the eyes.
"You already know, it's because it tastes bad. Makango are so easy to raise and breed, it was known as the "King of all Domesticated Animals" and "The Bird which can be eaten for a 100 Million Years" long ago. However, since nobody, human or otherwise, enjoyed the makango's flavor it eventually died, despite its incredible longevity. As the makango's Parthenogenesis is initially triggered by fear of potential predator, the fact that the makango's taste drove away predators from it most likely caused most, if not all, of the makangos to die out through natural causes throughout the rest of Europe. And, of course, with no predator to trigger their reproductive capabilities, the makango did not reproduce at an unnatural rate, or at all," Manic explained.
"But it survived in Novoselic," Celes pointed out.
"Yes, we continued to eat it when Novoselic was isolated from the rest of the world. The makango is packed with nutrients, so it is an ideal food source, even if the flavor is undesirable. Out of necessity for our own survival, we learned to enjoy the taste. We continue to eat it out of tradition, even though there are options with better flavor," Sonia said.
"I don't necessarily agree, I kind of liked how it tasted. You won't have to worry about that though," Naegi said to the makango. "I doubt I can take you back to Japan, but as long as I'm in Novoselic, I can look after you."
"Miyo, miyo!" the makango called.
Before long, the group, with their new addition, had to return to the castle for Togami's meeting with the king. Rather than join Togami, Aloysius, and Shinobu in the joyous experience of paperwork, zoning permits, and contracts, the royal cousins showed the other guests around the castle.
After seeing the guest rooms, the dining room, and the gardens just to name a few locations, the guests couldn't help but notice something about the castle. It was Mr. Koizumi who voiced this particular thought.
"This castle is bigger on the inside," Mr. Koizumi noted.
"Everyone says that, unfortunately there's no time and relative dimensions in space involved. Just a matter of perspective. Wait until we show you the subterranean labyrinth, you'd be amazed at how large that is," Manic responded.
"A labyrinth?" Celes asked.
"Sounds a-maze-ing," a new voice attempted to joke.
"Hmm? Shinobu-san, is the meeting over?" Naegi asked.
"It just finished, Byakuya-sama wanted to go back to his room, so I have some free time. And the best way to spend free time is with my new best friend," Shinobu said as she placed a hand on Naegi's shoulder and flashed a peace sign.
The girls in the group said nothing but the sound of their teeth grinding in annoyance was heard by all those present. Meanwhile, somewhere in Japan, a peppy, happy, Ultimate Musician shuddered when Shinobu declared Naegi her best friend.
Attempting to diffuse the situation and steer the conversation back to its original topic, Mrs. Koizumi asked, "Was this labyrinth part of the dungeons?"
"Yes. King Eric the Depraved was a fan of tormenting…just about anyone, really. When the Nevermind family began to rule Novoselic it was used only for the worst criminals. Later on, it became a useful tool for fleeing our enemies. These days, we have been trying to make it a tourist attraction, but its location under the castle and with how easy it is to get lost have made that slightly difficult," Manic explained.
"I imagine the castle guards wouldn't appreciate the public getting this far in the castle. It's too easy for threats to get in," Ikusaba noted.
"There is plenty of time before dinner, shall we do through the labyrinth?" Sonia asked.
"Miyo!" the makango cawed.
"Coco wants to go, so I'll go," Naegi said.
"I agree bestie!" Shinobu cheered.
After the rest agreed, the royal cousins led the way through the labyrinth. A few hours later and the group was safely out the other side of the labyrinth, with only Nidai, Owari, Ikusaba, Enoshima, Shinobu, Naegi, and the cousins not feeling exhausted.
"Huff, puff, I didn't think it would take that long," Celes said.
"I like to think I'm in good shape but that was a little much," Maizono agreed.
"The first time is always like that," Sonia admitted.
"Still, it's a good way to work up an appetite. Let's get cleaned up and then see what's for dinner," Manic suggested.
"Miyo!" Coco enthusiastically voiced for the group.
Dinner started out uneventfully. No surprise really, as the guests were exhausted after a full day of sightseeing combined with jetlag. That didn't mean that they didn't enjoy it. The food was good, the atmosphere of the royal dining room was pleasant, and the Novoselic Royal Family was excellent company.
"Makoto, my boy, Sonia tells me you have befriended a makango?" King Levushka questioned.
"Well, for some reason, Coco ran right to me while fleeing some local children," Naegi explained.
"Makango are interesting creatures. They do not really register humans as a threat unless the human is actively attempting to scare them," Queen Tonya said.
"[You must have quite a way with animals, my learned friend,]" Duke Mavra said to Naegi.
"Mavra, please be considerate of our guests," King Levushka told his brother.
"Apologies, my learned friend. My command of the Nipponese language has grown rusty from disuse," the Duke apologized in a stiff tone.
"No apologies necessary, your Grace. We appreciate that you're all using our own language," Naegi said as the other guests nodded.
"You're Cousin Sonia's guests, we're glad to accommodate you," Manic replied.
"Your hospitality has been as wonderful as your country," Celes said.
"It means so much that you all think so! We hope that you will enjoy the rest of your stay here and make many wonderful memories!" Sonia exclaimed happily.
"And I look forward to a bright and profitable future shared by the Kingdom of Novoselic and the Togami Conglomerate," Togami said as he raised a glass. Aloysius and Shinobu soon did the same.
"To 'what tomorrow brings' then," King Levushka said as he raised his glass. The rest of the table soon copied this action.
None seated at the table knew for sure, but they hoped that the future would be bright. The light would eventually shine on their future. It should be remembered that the light lives in all places, in all things. You can block it, even try to trap it, but the light will find its way. That is true, that is absolutely true, but those at that table would learn, the darkness of the world, specifically in Novoselic, was going to put up a fight.
And that is it for now my dear readers! I know it's short, but it was either make it short or put in unsatisfying filler and padding.
Sorry for how long this took, a lot has been going on. Plus, I get distracted really easily. *cough* Witch Queen *cough*
First things first, I checked, and "Nipponese" does not seem to be considered rude or a slur, but it does make you seem pretentious if you use it. It's just a dated way of saying Japanese. I'm sure most, if not all of you, knew that, but I still felt it was worth pointing out.
Cobain comes from a band member of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain. For those who didn't know, just in case, Nirvana is where we get Novoselic and the name "Nevermind".
We saw some new characters this time around:
Queen Tonya Nevermind- Sonia's mother and the source of Sonia's looks and elegance. Chose her name because it means "Praiseworthy".
King Levushka Nevermind- Sonia's father. Name means "Lion". Source of Sonia's regal aura.
Duke Mavra Nevermind- Name means "a dark individual". Sonia's uncle on her father's side.
Manic Nevermind-Sonia's cousin and tertiary heir. Mavra's son. I'm not sure if many may get why I chose the name Manic, but those that do might enjoy it.
That Betamax thing, I thought that format went extinct back in the late 70s early 80s but apparently, they hung in there for a while.
For those wondering, I'm basing Shinobu Togami off of the work of two artists. They are Notpistol's Shinobu for when Byakuya is around, and Vergilsama92's Shinobu for when Byakuya is absent. For the purposes of this story, we'll call them Restrained Shinobu (Notpistol) and Unrestrained Shinobu (Vergilsama92). While we're on the subject, show Notpistol and Vergilsama92 some love over on Pixiv, I'm sure they will appreciate it.
For those who noticed, yes, the makango is the Billion Bird from Toriko. Both multiply when scared and that was too good to pass up.
CZ2128 Delta is from Overlord, a robot maid isn't that much of a stretch from a cyborg secretary, is it?
Not really sure what I was thinking with Euro-Akihabara, but I don't think it was a bad idea.
Keep Kyoko and Peko's new apartment in mind, it will be important later.
Anyway, read and review and I will see you again next time! Until then, stay frosty.
Chapter Text
Chapter 23: Everyday Life in the Ultimate Kingdom: Part 2
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all Ages! I am back again, once again and today people, we are back in Novoselic. But no kingdom is perfect, and even Novoselic has its darkness. Maybe not in the form of Heartless or Pyramid Ships or Dharkon, but darkness all the same.
What are these dark forces? What do they want? Are they connected with the events at the Novoselic Embassy? What do they have in store for our heroes?
Well, as you probably have guessed, we're going to answer many of these questions this chapter!
Now I forgot to mention it last chapter and I'm sure you all picked up on it right away, but when characters speak the language of Novoselic, the text will appear in brackets.
I would also like to thank everyone who read and enjoyed Fantasy Life with Ultimate Girls, your support means a lot to me. And to those who read it and decided they didn't like it, I hope I can win you over eventually, but if not, I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls.
With all of that out of the way, on with the story!
A nondescript location in Novoselic
For better or for worse, every nation had its secrets, and Novoselic was no different. Deep within a hidden prison, Novoselic's top interrogators were hard at work on the man who had made an attempt on the crown princess's life months ago, former Ambassador Wudagest. He didn't appear any different other than needing a shave, and, of course, his suit had been traded for a prison jumpsuit.
["One of the guards mentioned that they boy has come to Novoselic,"] Wudagest mentioned.
["That's not your concern,"] the interrogator told him.
["No, it really isn't. I figured I would save us some time and move us ahead to small talk. It's been how many months? I would have thought you would have learned how this would go,"] Wudagest mocked.
[We'll find out with or without you, but it will be easier on you if you talk!"]
["I have been talking, you just don't like my answers,"] Wudagest reminded him.
["Once again, who do you work for?"]
["I work for Novoselic and its future,"] Wudagest answered.
["What does that mean?"]
["Oh, many things to different people, really. Some think it means a change in leadership. Some think we need to return to certain traditions. Some think…"] Wudagest rambled.
["Enough!"]
["You're the one who asked."] Wudagest mocked.
["How many people are in your organization."]
["That's a bit complicated,"] Wudagest admitted.
["How so?"]
[Well, when you say 'my' organization…"] Wudagest began.
[We're done. He's not cooperating…again,"] the interrogator said.
["I do hope the people behind the two-way mirror enjoyed the show. Remember, it is all for the future of Novoselic,"] Wudagest said with a smirk.
Castle Novoselic
When morning came to Castle Nevermind, the royal family and their guests gathered for breakfast. In that sense, it was much like life at the dorm. Unlike mornings at the dorm, however Naegi found himself being served.
I'm not going to complain, though. The jetlag is really messing me up, Naegi thought before letting out a yawn. It seemed he wasn't the only one, as most of the other guests looked just as tired as he felt. Even Sonia seemed to be having trouble readjusting to her natural time zone. If Coco the makango hadn't been pecking him, Naegi had no doubt he would be nodding off at the table.
"I apologize for holding breakfast so early. The time difference completely slipped my mind," King Levushka apologized.
"You always do get excited when we have guests, Dear," Queen Tonya noted.
"Don't worry about it, Your Majesties. I'll whip these slackers into shape. AN AFTER-MEAL WORKOUT WILL WAKE THEM UP!" Nidai shouted.
"I've been keeping odd hours for years, so it's no big deal for me, but the others aren't all athletes or paramilitary, Nidai-senpai," Ikusaba pointed out.
"I hear you were a member of Fenrir. High school girl or not, you must be a talented killer," Duke Marva said.
"MARVA! Apologize right now!" King Levushka yelled.
"I meant no offense, my young friend. I have met your former boss before. Odin made it very clear he did not like children. It is odd to me that he would permit one to join his ranks is all," Duke Marva explained.
"It doesn't bother me. I'm very aware of who and what I was," Ikusaba responded.
"And now, so is everyone at this table, isn't that right, Your Grace?" Togami asked the Duke.
"I have no idea what you mean, Togami-kun," the Duke replied.
"Maybe we should excuse ourselves?" Naegi suggested.
"Agreed," Mrs. Koizumi said.
"Hey, I'm not finished yet," Owari said as she tried to wolf down her food.
"Take it with you, Owari-san. Just leave the empty plate with one of the staff when you're done," Queen Tonya said as she got up to leave as well. This would need to be settled between the royal brothers.
Once the guests were outside the dining hall, Manic turned to his new friends and said, "Sorry my Dad acted like that. He used to love company as much as Uncle Levushka, but after Mom died, he changed."
"I meant it when I said it didn't bother me. I wouldn't have spoken about it yesterday if it had. I regret the terrible things I did, but I can't crawl into a hole and hide when someone brings it up either. Naegi-kun taught me that," Ikusaba explained.
"Then I thank you, Master Makoto Naegi for preemptively stopping Dad from ruining everyone's time here," Manic said with a chuckle.
"As long as everyone is in good spirits, perhaps we should proceed with Nidai-kun's idea about running laps," Sonia suggested, resulting in a more than a few groans and a sad, "Miyo," from Coco.
While their guests were running laps, the King and the Duke were busy arguing.
["Marva, I don't care what your reasons were, but you went too far with Miss Ikusaba,"] King Levushka lectured.
["Guest or not, it does no good to ignore potential threats, dear brother,"] Duke Marva countered.
["She is part of the reason my daughter is still alive. Part of the reason Wudagest is in custody,"] King Levushka pointed out.
["That is no guarantee of anything, and you know that. Our family has been stabbed in the back by those pretending to be friends before,"] Marva shot back.
["By that same token, not everyone is a threat. I trust Sonia's judgement. If she trusts them, including Miss Ikusaba, then that is enough for me,"] King Levushka told his brother.
[My apologies, Brother Dear, but I do not possess your absolute faith in others,"] Duke Marva admitted.
["You did once,"] King Levushka said sadly.
["I was a different man back then. A more naïve man. I should have known better. Novoselic has terrible luck with outsiders,"] Duke Marva mused.
["Marva…]" King Levushka began.
[We both have our duties to attend to, Brother. We should see to them. Discussing the past, will not help Novoselic. And we must do all we can for the future of Novoselic,"] Marva said as he began to leave.
King Levushka sighed. It was always like this anymore. His brother's past pain obscured his view of the future. Levushka understood, but he hoped his brother would come around one day. [Perhaps the more time he spends with our guest, the more the man he was will come back. I hope so,] the King thought as he went to start his day as well.
A nondescript location in Novoselic
Before accepting the Embassy Job, as he called it, Vadim had a promising future ahead of him, as far as mercenaries go. The money was good, he was feared and respected in the underworld, and he was doing work he loved, as strange as it may sound. That all changed months ago.
"A job in Japan? Sound great! The best jobs are the ones that take you around the world!" Stupidest damn decision I have ever made, Vadim grumbled internally. As if the universe was taunting him, he had heard that the teenagers responsible for his current predicament were in Novoselic, a fact which contributed to his already sour mood. Of course, being interrogated didn't help.
["Who hired you?] the interrogator asked.
["My answer is still the same. Wudagest hired me,"] Vadim answered.
["Do you know who he works for?"]
["I prefer not to ask too many questions when someone hires me for a job. Plausible deniability and all that,"] Vadim explained.
["What exactly were the details of your 'job'?"]
["Your standard hostage situation, really. Well, standard in my line of work. Get safe passage out of Japan, use your little princess as leverage against mummy and daddy.]
["Leverage to do what?"]
["Like I said, I don't ask a lot of questions. Anything more would be a guess, but I imagine that whoever is pulling the strings though, does not seem too impressed with your royal family.]
["Very well,"] the interrogator said. Turning to a guard, he said, ["We're done here, return the prisoner to his cell."]
["One last thing before you send me back to my room to think about what I did. I may not know what's going on, but I do know that you develop certain instincts in my line of work. My mercenary sense tells me your in for a rather turbulent time in the near future. Make of that what you will, but this feeling is making me wish I had stayed back in Borginia,"] Vadim warned.
[We'll keep that in mind,] the interrogator said as he watched Vadim leave. He hadn't expected Vadim to give such an ominous warning. As much as he'd like to report this to the military and the royal family about it, without more information, there was really nothing to report. [Maybe the crazy one knows more,] he thought.
After the exercise Nidai suggested, the royal guests were once again treated to a tour by the royal cousins. Today, they were taken to the nearby harbor for a bit of water tourism.
"My apologies everyone, but the S.S. Princess Sonia is receiving maintenance so we must make do with a smaller vessel," Sonia said as she led her guests to a large yacht.
The guest, barring the Togami's, didn't know what to make of Sonia's description, but it was Mrs. Koizumi who couldn't help but mouth, "Smaller?" to her daughter.
"Just go with it, Mom. Sonia-chan lives in a different world than we do," Koizumi whispered.
"Her innocence about it is part of her charm, though," Naegi added, earning a vigorous nod from Souda and, strangely enough, Coco.
"You peasants are impressed too easily," Togami said smugly.
Manik, who seemed entertained by this exchange, decided to get things started and said, "Now, we can't go too far out, but we should at least be able to show you Fortuna and Borgina from a distance."
"Will there be any pirates to fight?" Owari asked in excitement.
"I wouldn't call them pirates, but there are rare times where we do have trouble," Manik explained.
"Seriously?" Ikusaba asked.
"There is no need to fear. Our crew is trained in multiple forms of combat. Nautical or otherwise," Sonia explained in an attempt to quell any concerns.
"Sounds like a great opportunity, right honey?" Mrs. Koizumi asked her husband as she held up her camera.
"I wouldn't mind missing this particular opportunity," Mr. Koizumi admitted, causing his wife to pout.
"S-sayaka-chan, what do we do? I don't want to get kidnapped and sold. I'm sure idols go for a lot," Aoba said as she shivered in fear.
"I'm sure we'll be fine. Sonia-senpai is not the type of person to lead people into danger on purpose," Maizono reassured her friend.
"Of course not! As long as we stay within Novoselic's waters, we shall be perfectly safe," Sonia confirmed, putting everyone at ease. Once everyone was aboard and comfortable, the ship, Novoselic's Pride, shoved off.
About a half hour into the mini cruise, Naegi spotted an island in the distance. He squinted to try to make it out better but was having no luck.
"Try these," Manik said as he walked up to Naegi, holding out a pair of binoculars.
With a quick, "Thank you," Naegi took another look. What he saw was a large city with Renaissance architecture, a stark contrast to the more modernized Novoselic. "Was Fortuna cut off from the rest of Europe as well?" Naegi asked.
"Not in the same way as Novoselic was, no," Manik answered.
"What do you mean?" Shinobu asked as she joined the two.
"Well, I know my cousin gave Naegi-kun the long version, but Novoselic was isolated from the rest of Europe after deposing the mad king Eric the Depraved. This got worse with the founding of Borgina, but I'll elaborate on that when we can see Borgina. Anyway, the short version is that Novoselic was a land that would be forsaken by God and that we worshiped demons. The odd thing is, that Fortuna actually did worship demons. And this isn't some anti-Fortuna propaganda. Between wars we had to fight with Fortuna and people leaving Fortuna to come to Novoselic, each cult on that island has, or at least had, its own city. I believe the stated reason was that the exiled Novoselic nobility was trying to reach out to whatever power would aid their quest for revenge. As time went on, the practice faded. But supposedly, there's still one active group that seems to be obsessed with some broken sword that belonged to a demon, but I can't confirm that," Manik explained.
"Is that why Sonia-senpai is so interested in cults?" Naegi asked.
"It could be one reason, an attempt to related to the people there, but I never really asked. What I do know, is that the other countries decided to wash their collective hands of Fortuna for the longest time because of the demon worship practiced by the nobility there. Times may have changed, and like I said for the most part so has that particular aspect of the culture over there. That being said, to this day we still get the occasional assassin from Fortuna have markings branded into them signifying what cult they belong to," Manik told the two.
"The Underworld is not something mere mortals should trifle with," Tanaka added as he joined the conversation.
Manik nodded in agreement before continuing, "I should clarify that while there are holdovers from a bygone era that target my family, there's more to it. There are people like that one from the embassy that are just in it for the money, too. Some of the assassins claim to be attempting to bring about the end times, but it was always determined that those assassins were trying to shift blame onto another group. Frankly, it doesn't really matter to me. The fact is, there are organized groups in Fortuna that would murder my whole family if given the chance."
Shinobu looked like she wanted to say something, but even the Togami's for all of their odd traditions and their numerous enemies didn't come close to what the Royal Family of Novoselic must constantly face.
"Personally, I think the only demon that is really worshipped in Fortuna is Eric. Not many records from that time have survived but the ones that did paint a picture of a charismatic yet insane cult leader rather than a proper king. He apparently had some hold on the nobility at the time and together they conducted rituals that would supposedly give him power. Supposedly, before Viktor killed him, Eric went on about how his followers would bring him back. What lends credence to this story is the various rooms in the castle that were filled with strange talismans and symbols written in blood," Manik finished.
"Are you alright?" Naegi asked.
"It was a long time ago, nothing generations of cleaning staff and a few exorcisms couldn't deal with," Manik joked.
"I meant are you okay talking about this. When Sonia-senpai spoke of Novoselic's history, she got upset," Naegi explained.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Talking about it helps. Usually, for the sake of our people, we royals need to pretend that we aren't affected by all of this," Manik explained.
"I'm not a citizen of Novoselic, so you're more than welcome to vent to me," Naegi said with a reassuring smile.
"I may take you up on that, Naegi-kun, we still have to talk about Borginia," Manik said with a chuckle.
Meanwhile
Duke Marva sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn't meant to upset his brother, he never did. [You are too trusting of outsiders, brother, I simply don't wish to see you hurt because of it. I realize that you believe that opening up to foreigners will help Novoselic, but Novoselic has never needed anyone else. For centuries we were fine on our own and I'm sure we would have been fine if we had stayed that way. I know that you do what you do for the good of Novoselic. So do I.]
Duke Marva sighed again. He wished his brother weren't so naïve about the world beyond Novoselic's borders. But Marva knew. He knew about how the outside world could hurt them if given the chance. He remembered what it was like to trust, only to be repaid by betrayal. He would protect his family and Novoselic. From outside forces. From domestic threats. And from their own good intentions and naivete.
Marva asked his late wife's spirit to watch over him for what would come next. He was sure she would understand. He was sure he could make his brother understand as well.
Back with the guests, the ship now had a clear view of another neighboring nation, the Republic of Borginia. Naegi, who still had the binoculars Manik had given him, decided to take a closer look.
"Hmm. I know that European architecture is diverse, but…" Naegi trailed off, not sure how to finish.
"You didn't expect to see such a heavy use of Arabic architecture?" Sonia asked knowingly.
"How did you know? I thought Maizono-san was the only esper," Naegi joked.
Off to the side, Maizono decided to play along. "Oh no, not just me. Sonia-senpai and I have telepathic conversations all the time," Maizono giggled.
Sonia giggled a bit herself before saying, "The Republic of Borginia, despite its location, has a more stereotypical Middle Eastern…flavor, you could say. It's a little hard to explain."
"The Togami Conglomerate has conducted business with Borginia in the past. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Borginia as a whole has Arabophilia," Togami interjected.
With a shrug, Enoshima added, "We can't really judge. We've seen Novoselic's Japanophilia."
"No offense," Ikusaba hastily said to cover for her sister.
"None taken. We are well aware that it seems strange for an entire nation to have an affinity for another nation or region's culture, particularly one that we had no interaction within the distant past. While individuals like what they like, with or without a reason, for Novoselic to adopt aspects of a nation and its culture, I am sure that some think compulsion is involved somehow. I assure you that is not the case," Sonia began.
Manik continued for her, "Our family was willing to rejoin modern Europe but our people, by and large, held on to their grudges. No surprising, really. A few centuries of forced isolation will do that. What made it easier on Novoselic was that we discovered that we didn't have much in common with most other European nations. Absolute monarchies had gone out of style and as such many of the old traditions were no longer practiced; with a few exceptions, age and status had begun to mean less, things of that nature. It felt as if Western civilization had left us behind."
"As our dignitaries began to build relationships with other nations, we found we had more in common with the Far East. We absolutely fell in love with Japan. The entertainment. The architecture. The value placed on traditions and rituals. The discipline. Truly, there was something for everyone in our nation to admire," Sonia gushed with stars in her eyes.
"I've heard of Westernization, so I suppose this is Easternization. Still, it is flattering to have a place as fascinating as Novoselic admire our culture," Mr. Koizumi shrugged.
"That explains Novoselic, but what about Borginia?" Aloysius questioned. While as the Togami butler he was duty bound to listen for information to help his employer, he had to admit to himself that these nations were as Mr. Koizumi had said, "fascinating."
"That dates back to Alexander's time. The Arab world was a source of fascination for Alexander. Surviving records show that he would often ask traders to bring their suppliers from the Middle East to be his guests and he would request stories from them. Somewhat like Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights, I suppose," Sonia explained.
"Without the threat of execution the next day, of course," Manik joked.
"Yes, well…the stories of the historical Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, his Grand Vizier, Jafar al-Barmaki, and the famous poet Abu Nuwas, had the estranged son of King Abram captivated. As he learned more about the culture of his guests, the more he began to adopt it himself and thus Borginia and its people began to adopt the culture as well in an attempt to curry favor with Duke Alexander," Sonia finished.
"A ruler changing their nation's culture isn't unusual," Togami pointed out.
"And being on a ruler's good side can do wonders for you," Celes added.
"That is true. However, as time went on, a type of cultural fusion took place," Sonia began.
"Fusion? Like in that anime with all the strong fighters?" Owari asked, becoming interested.
"Allow me to explain," Professor Enoshima said as she pushed her glasses up. "Cultural fusion theory describes how newcomers acculturate into the dominant culture and maintain aspects of their minority culture, while at the same time the dominant or host culture also fuses aspects off the newcomer's culture into the dominant culture to create a fused intercultural identity."
"Uhh…"
"What she means, Senpai, is that when a group from say…Japan moves to another country, they will adopt that country's customs while keeping their own. At the same time, the people of that country would adopt certain customs from the group from Japan creating a new, fused identity. So, it would be like with the earrings and not the dance because the two aren't equal in terms of size and power," Naegi explained.
"I think I get it now," Owari said with a grin.
"Anyway…while Enoshima-san is correct, the interesting part was, there really weren't that many immigrants coming to Borginia. Even with that being the case, the written and spoken language had begun to change, giving them a new, entirely separate identity from Novoselic," Manik said, continuing from where his cousin had left off.
"The popular theory is that Alexander's family tried to craft a new language to make reunification difficult, but there is no proof. I like to think Alexander would not be that petty, although, given everything else we know…" Sonia trailed off.
"That explains the Duchy of Borginia. When did it become a republic?" Nidai asked.
"In the 19th century, Alexander's descendant, Dima, as well as some Borginian nobility, attempted to 'retake Alexander's throne.' As I am sure you can tell, that did not happen. To Dima's credit, he did not let failure stop him. Although, I am sure the families of the fallen wish that he had. Once his armies had recovered, Dima would order a new attack on Novoselic and he would fail every time. These repeated failures and the deaths of their people convinced the nobility to act. Under threat of death, Dima was forced to abdicate his position. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck or perhaps Dima's failed campaigns had turned the people away from a bloody power struggle, either way, a year after forcing Dima's abdication, Borginia became a parliamentary republic," Manik told the guests.
"Such a rich history," Celes said.
"I wish we had time to learn it all," Mr. Koizumi said to his family.
"I'd like to see any surviving battle plans," Ikusaba told her hosts.
"I wonder what music is popular in those countries. Maybe it could give us an edge over other groups," Oumi said to the idols under her care.
The others went on to ask more questions of the royal cousins. The stories and lessons continued all the way back to the dock, leaving the royal cousins hoarse, but happy. They had always held such great pride in their homeland and to have guests and friends who appreciated it so much brought them indescribable joy. They had always been concerned about Novoselic's future, but being able to connect with others like this, knowing that people were interested in Novoselic, it felt like they were on the right path. Novoselic's future looked brighter than ever in that moment.
A nondescript location in Novoselic
The interrogators had been dreading this one. Interrogating Niels was either a punishment or the responsibility of whoever drew the short straw that day. On the plus side, a flask of the strongest Novoselic moonshine they could produce was provided to the unfortunate soul that dealt with Niels, so there was that.
"[…~I'd love to destroy that Hope Boy you know. He's an obstacle that always gets in the way~,]" Niels sang.
[Pretty sure those aren't the words…No! Focus!] the interrogator thought. "[Who is your employer?]" he asked.
["Usually whoever pays the most. The money from the last job, you know, to kidnap your pretty, little princess? I'd never seen such a large amount. No clue where they got it, though,"] Niels answered.
["I need a name!"] the frustrated interrogator demanded.
["Don't you have one? That must have been difficult. Would make you the ideal client though. I don't ask for names. Professionalism. That's the word of the day,"] Niels said.
That drink afterwards was looking better and better to the interrogator. The most aggravating part was that Niels was being cooperative, even if it was in a roundabout, annoying way.
["You lot think I'm mad, and I am, but the last guy…oh ho. That one is next level, I tell you. Obsessed with returning to our roots. Doesn't hate House Nevermind, though, made that very clear. Just the branch running Novoselic. Rather impressive though. United all the groups that hate the royals under one banner. But they paid well, so I didn't judge,"] Niels explained.
["What?"]
["Desperation was bringing them together, but my employer is the lynchpin I would say.]
The interrogator dreaded this next question. ["Why are you being so helpful today?"]
["Wouldn't say I'm being helpful. Just want you to have some idea of what's going to happen. Not like any of this can hurt my employer, really."]
["How can you be so sure?"] the interrogator tried to bluff.
["I haven't given you any specifics now, have I? Did I mention a time? How about a location? I know I haven't given you a name,'] Niels laughed.
["Grr…"]
["Now, now, you may still have time. Maybe. Not that Wudagest will talk. A true believe that one."]
After a few more questions that led nowhere, the interrogators pulled what little information they had together.
["The enemy is somehow well-funded, crazy, and leading desperate groups.]"
["They seem capable of inspiring great loyalty, if Wudagest is any indication."]
["They don't hate House Nevermind as a whole, just the current ruling branch."]
They had their suspicions, but no proof. If they were honest, they hoped they would never find proof for their theory, it would be too painful for the Royal Family to contemplate.
Duke Marva had been waiting for this.
He had cleared his evening schedule for this meeting. It had taken him years to find the right people to help and just as long to ensure they had the necessary funding. [I'm sorry that it has come to this, Brother, but you wouldn't listen. I will ensure the future of Novoselic with my own hands,] Marva thought as he returned to his office after dinner. He had hoped that the feeling in his stomach was just indigestion from how quickly he ate his meal.
When he opened his office door, he was greeted by three young men, all of whom were perusing various documents.
[They're eager. Excellect!] the Duke of Novoselic thought as he shut his office door. He was glad this room was soundproof. What came next would work better as a surprise.
Hours later
After dinner, King Levushka suggested a game, an idea that the guests unanimously agreed to. Sonia and Manik suggested, to everyone's surprise, hide-and-seek. Admittedly, a few of the guests thought this was a little childish, but the excitement practically radiating off of the cousins was enough to prevent any objections.
Deciding that they would be "It," Sonia and Manik began to count, leaving the guest and even the King and Queen to break into groups.
Naegi found himself accompanied by his new makango partner, Coco, as well as Tanaka and King Levushka as the three of them ran down one of the castle's many hallways.
"This is exciting. Being royalty, those two have never really had close friends. This is the first time we can entertain Sonia and Manik's friends. As a father and a king, I will do my best," the King told the teens.
"As their friends, we'll do the same, Your Highness," Naegi responded.
"With the aid of my infernal powers, this shall be a game like no other. The Yami no Games live in this kingdom tonight!" Tanaka shouted in excitement as the Zodiac Generals squeaked in agreement.
"Down this way boys, no one ever comes down this way," King Levushka said as he pointed down a dark hallway.
The boys complied, but Naegi couldn't help but ask, "Why doesn't anyone come this way, Your Majesty?"
"Since Viktor's time, this wing of the castle has been said to be cursed. Allegedly, Eric and his loyalists committed all manner of rituals here," Levushka explained.
"More demons to bind to my will? Excellent!" Tanaka exclaimed with a laugh.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Tanaka-kun, but there Marva and I used to play down here all the time as children. Not once did we encounter a supernatural being," Levushka told the Ultimate Breeder.
"That's a little specific," Naegi said, thinking out loud.
"I can explain, it's in our hiding place. In fact, I believe we're already here," Levushka announced as he opened a large, old, wooden door. Behind it was a room full of cobwebs and objects of great antiquity. There were also large, flat, rectangular objects wrapped in cloth. "I believe it is the first one," Levushka said after he closed the door and walked over to the cloth-wrapped objects. "Ah, here it is. Eric, you fiend, Dorian Gray, I believe the phrase is, has nothing on you," Levushka said as he pulled out a large portrait of a man.
The portrait showed a man wearing fine clothes with light, long, and somewhat messy brown hair. He was wearing a crown and a cloak while holding a scepter in one hand. Something about the portrait seemed off to Naegi. It might have been the empty, gray eyes. It might have been the sneer. It might have been what Naegi really hoped were not blood stains on the scepter. He wasn't sure, but he was sure that something about this portrait was, and there was no other word for it, wrong. "So, this is Eric the Depraved?" Naegi asked.
"Indeed, he is. This fine fellow put this kingdom through hell before my ancestor and his co-conspirators put an end to him," Levushka confirmed with a nod. "I believe Sonia has told you the stories, so I can only imagine you are wondering why we still have this portrait, correct?" Levushka asked.
"I will admit, I am curious, Your Majesty," Naegi agreed
"To contain the evil. Or perhaps dark powers prevent its destruction," Tanaka suggested.
From their place in the corner furthest from the painting, the Generals nodded in agreement with their master's assessment. Apparently, Tanaka's dark army got the same feeling from the painting as Naegi.
"Both, actually. In a way at least," Levushka confirmed. "The story is that when they tried to destroy this portrait, the flames refused to go near it and the temperature around it dropped sharply. Of course, that's simply a story my father told me, as his father told him, and so on. It helps when the punishment for actions that would harm the people of Novoselic or actions unbecoming of the royal family is a night in the haunted wing of the castle," Levushka explained.
"What about 'containing the evil'?" Naegi asked.
"Viktor resisted calls for him to become king at first. He thought that his hands too dirty from regicide and that he had waited too long to act. Some stories suggest he feared becoming a mad king himself. He eventually agreed on the condition he always have a reminder of his predecessor. A reminder of what not to become. In a way, containing the evil, just as Tanaka-kun suggested," Levushka finished.
"Viktor must have been an excellent ruler," Naegi said upon hearing that story.
"He was. Or he tried to be, at least. And the tradition he started, using this portrait to remind of what not to become has continued for generations," Levushka told the boys. "But now, back to the game. I know of the perfect spot. Marva and I both made use of it in the past. It's around here somewhere," Levushka said as he felt along the wall. Before he could find whatever it was that he was looking for, the door to the storage room opened slowly and the room's occupants were covered in a coarse powder.
Naegi, who had gotten some in his mouth identified it right away as salt. Why would someone throw salt in…oh. To purify it, Naegi concluded, as he mentally thanked Kirigiri for her detective training.
"U-uncle?" Manik stuttered.
"N-naegi-kun? Tanaka-kun? Anyone?" Sonia asked in a fearful voice.
Both cousins entered the room, but the occupants couldn't feel disappointed that they had been found. Not after seeing Sonia and Manik, feeling around with their eyes shut tight, pointing talismans and a crucifix in whatever direction that they were facing at the moment. In one hand, Sonia was carrying a large can of salt. It seemed that the cousins grabbed whatever they could think of that would ward off evil spirits before they came to that section of the castle.
"We're here, Senpai. Slightly better seasoned than when you saw us last, but we're here," Naegi said as the king and Tanaka started to laugh.
After the game, and the story of what Sonia and Manik had done, everyone had decided to retire for the evening. In his room, Naegi had just finished brushing his teeth and climbed into bed. He turned to his feathered companion and asked, "Did you have fun today, Coco-chan?"
"Miyo!" the makango responded.
"I'm glad to hear it. I wonder what tomorrow will be like?" Naegi said as he rolled over and shut his eyes. It didn't take long until he fell asleep.
Coco, however, was wide awake. The makango's animal instincts were telling it that something was wrong. It's often said that animals can sense evil and in Coco's case, that seemed to be true. The tiny creature tried to awaken Naegi. A few pecks, a headbutt or two, tapping him with talons, a few cries of "Miyo!", nothing worked. Naegi had commented to Coco how comfortable the bed was that morning, apparently the bed was responsible for Naegi's deep sleep. Not that Coco knew or understood that; the young makango just knew that Naegi wouldn't wake up.
Deciding to try a different approach, Coco hopped off the bed before sudden movement and noise caused it to hide.
The door had been broken down and people dressed in flak jackets and nightvision goggles who were carrying rifles stormed in, with one hitting Naegi in the stomach with the butt of his rifle. ["Wake up boy, don't want to miss what little time you have left do you?] the man asked.
Naegi, as groggy as he was at the moment, realized his options were limited. He thought that if he cooperated, he might at least get to live long enough for help to arrive. With that in mind, he put his hands up and said, ["I surrender. May I please get dressed first?"]
["Let it never be said we don't honor last requests. But don't worry, boy, we aren't going to kill you,"] one of his captors told him.
["You might wish we did later on though,"] another admitted with a laugh.
A few minutes later, Naegi saw that the others had met these mysterious attackers too. The others looked safe, if not shaken up. The only one injured appeared to be Owari, who, judging by her nature, probably tried to fight back. She wasn't bleeding heavily or bruised particularly badly, something Naegi noted with relief.
["Tanned bitch is lucky that his Highness doesn't want them killed,"] one said.
["Not yet anyway. Not by us. We might still have a use for them,"] another pointed out.
["We did, but that use has passed. Our king has struck a deal. Nevermind and his family will cooperate as long as we don't hurt these ones,"] yet another explained.
["So, what now? We can't exactly let them go,"] the first pointed out.
["We handle this like in days of old,"] a fourth said as his colleagues nodded and smirked as they understood his suggestion.
What those mysterious soldiers meant soon became clear as they forced the guests into the labyrinth beneath the castle. ["Welcome to your new, final home,"] a soldier said as she ordered two others to open the entrance to the labyrinth.
["Hope you find it comfortable,"] another soldier added as she pushed Mrs. Koizumi in. One by one the guests were shoved into the labyrinth until only Naegi remained.
["This is the one that screwed up Wudagest's operation months ago,"] a soldier said.
["Shame he's not here to do the honors,"] said another.
["Eh, I'd rather thank the kid. That man's zealotry really grates on you,] a third argued.
["No lucky break tonight kid. No crazy mercenaries here to fuck things up,"] the woman who unsealed the labyrinth said as she signaled for Naegi to be shoved in.
Once the deed was done, the woman said, ["Don't think poorly of us. We need you all gone for the good of Novoselic."] With that the entrance covered once more leaving the guests in total darkness.
"Is everyone alright?" Naegi asked. We need to get out of here. Hold on, Sonia-senpai. We'll save you and your family. Somehow, Naegi thought. There had to be a way to save everyone…Right? Naegi asked himself, feeling even his boundless optimism wavering.
To be continued is seen in the bottom corner and Roundabout by Yes starts to play. Okay, nothing like that happens but it would have been a nice touch.
I know it's a short chapter this time and I'm sorry about that. Both that I made you all wait and that it's so short. I can't even begin to properly thank you all for your patience. The ideas for Fantasy Life with Ultimate Girls just wouldn't stop coming to me.
I also thought all the backstory for Novoselic that I put in warranted a short chapter so it wouldn't overwhelm anything else. And, I really had a hard time writing this one. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but do you all remember how I wanted to break this part of the story into three parts? It's kind of like the Underpants Gnomes from South Park. I had Step 1 and 3 planned out, but when I got to Step 2, all I had was a giant question mark. I promise that the next chapter will be much better now that all that exposition is out of the way. That said, I hope you all enjoyed the history I came up with for Novoselic, Borgina, and Fortuna.
So, do the guests remember how to get out? Where's Coco? Can Makoto save the day? How does Duke Marva fit into all of this? Come back next update to find out!
Please read and review! I'll see you Ultimates star side!
Chapter Text
Chapter 24: Everyday Life in the Ultimate Kingdom (Part 3 The Finale)
Hello again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages! wesst1 back again once again!
Sorry for the delay folks, the last few months have been a bit of a clusterfuck for me and I got nothing done. All I can do is apologize for that. Don't worry, it was nothing serious, just life getting in the way. A lot. I promise to try harder to get the next one out sooner. Thank you all for your patience!
Anyway, I got a lot of feedback last chapter, which is always appreciated. I don't know if I went overboard on the completely made-up history of Novoselic, Borginia, and Fortuna, but if it was a slog to get through, I apologize. I was just afraid that this chapter would be less impactful if I didn't. I'll try to avoid info dumps unless absolutely necessary going forward from now on, I promise.
So, when we last left our heroes, they were thrown into the labyrinth under the castle during a coup attempt in the middle of the night. Is the royal family safe? Who is behind this? Will our hopeful hero and his friends find a way to save the day?
I'll quit wasting your time and let you find out! Enjoy!
"Is everyone alright?" Naegi asked again as he pulled out his phone to use as a flashlight. He had to admit, things looked bad. Whoever the people from before were, they were dangerous. He knew that their chances for survival looked slim, never mind mounting a rescue attempt, but Naegi believed that as long as he and his friends could work together, they could figure something out. Between their talent and their superhuman abilities, we should be able to get out of here, at least, Naegi thought.
"I'm fine. Those bastards need to learn how to treat a lady," Celes, or rather Taeko, said.
"Assholes got me good, I can't wait to get them back," Owari added.
"Now is not the time. In situations like this, we need to check our teammates for injuries," Nidai reprimanded as he examined Tanaka and Souda, neither of whom seemed particularly injured.
"Squeak!" the Zodiac Generals chorused. Naegi knew that meant they were fine.
"We're okay over here, Naegi-kun," Maizono called from her spot with her group and manager.
"Okay over here, bestie!" Shinobu announced as she helped Aloysius to his feet, the older man not looking any worse for wear.
"We're Togami's, we've been through worse," Togami added. Naegi hoped he wasn't serious.
"I landed on my camera, but my parents and I are alright," Koizumi said as she rubbed most likely bruised chest. (Naegi tried his best not to let his gaze linger.)
"I'm alright, but Junko-chan hit her head pretty hard," Ikusaba said in concern as she helped her sister balance herself. If Enoshima's hair was any indication, the head injury was causing her to cycle through her other personalities.
Naegi rushed over to check on Enoshima, who said, "A'hm fiiinnneee. Dizzy, buh shtill fiiinnnee."
"Slurring speech and dizziness after a head injury are not something you can ignore, Enoshima-san," Naegi lectured as he examined her. He wasn't Tsumiki, but he had learned a few things from the nurse. "No bleeding, but that is a bad bump. Nidai-senpai, do you think she has a concussion?" Naegi asked the Ultimate Team Manager.
"Most likely, I can't really say how severe though. I see that her pupils aren't different sizes to that's a good sign. This isn't a good location to check light sensitivity, though. Either way, we need to get out of here and get her looked at by a professional," Nidai said as he joined Naegi in examining Enoshima's injury.
"Ah'm fiiinnneee, you nee' meh to find a way oot," Enoshima slurred.
"We'll figure it out, Enoshima-san, you just take it easy," Naegi told his friend. Now that I say that, I'm not sure how to get out. Not safely anyway. Will there be guards stationed at the exits? Which way is out anyway? Naegi thought as he looked around hoping to jog his memory. As he scanned the far end of the labyrinth entrance, he spotted something that he knew for a fact wasn't there before. Leaving Enoshima in Ikusaba and Nidai's care, Naegi rushed over to see a trail of… "Blood. And it's fresh. Someone else is down here and they're hurt," Naegi told everyone.
"Leave it, our captors probably had a falling out and they dumped the poor bastard down here thinking they were dead," Togami said.
"But what if they know the way out? We should at least check," Aoba suggested.
"And what if they're still dangerous? You know what they say about wounded animals," Haneyama pointed out.
"While I agree with you, Haneyama-san, I think it might be worth the risk," Mrs. Koizumi stated.
"So does Naegi-sama, apparently," Aloysius said as he pointed to the barely visible form of Naegi following the trail of blood.
"Naegi-kun, wait up! We shouldn't get separated down here," Mr. Koizumi called after the boy as he and the others followed after the Ultimate Hope.
Naegi knew that Mr. Koizumi was right. Heck, he knew that Togami and Haneyama were probably right, but it wasn't in his nature to ignore those in need, possible enemy or not. Fortunately, and he hated that he thought it was fortunate, with the amount of blood he was seeing, Naegi doubted that whoever he was following would pose much of a threat. I hope their life isn't in any danger, at least, Naegi thought.
The Ultimate Hope soon heard pained grunts ahead of him and slowed down. Injured or not, it's probably a bad idea to startle whoever is up ahead, Naegi reasoned. As he got closer to the end of the trail, a familiar figure came into view.
"Your Grace? What happened to you?" Naegi asked as he approached the injured Duke Marva.
As unrealistic as it had been, Marva had wanted to escape the labyrinth before anyone had found him, especially his niece's guests. Explaining the situation, especially to foreign guests was not something he was looking forward to, but seeing the concern on Naegi's face, Marva began to think that maybe he could trust the boy.
Before Marva could speak though, he heard more footsteps. He tensed up only to relax shortly after as Naegi greeted his friends.
"Sorry for running off, but I thought it was a good idea to hurry," Naegi apologized sheepishly.
"Don't sweat it, Naegi-kun, I would have done the same thing," Mrs. Koizumi said as she patted the boy on the back.
"Now you know why I worry so much," Mr. Koizumi whispered to his daughter, who nodded in sympathy.
"I thought that these terrorists were holding the entire royal family hostage. Why are you here, Your Grace?" Celes asked Marva.
"And why did they shoot you in the shoulder and the leg?" Ikusaba followed-up. It struck her as odd that whoever their captors were, they would dispose of a potential bargaining chip before making their demands.
"This is… Well, I…," Marva tried to say. He didn't even know where to start with his explanation.
"Maybe it's better if we hold off until we escape," Naegi said, catching Marva's discomfort.
"That might be for the best," Nidai agreed as the team manager picked the duke up and moved to put the older man on his back.
"Thank you, young man," Marva said, his voice heavy with exhaustion and pain.
"Your Grace, as much as I'd like to let you rest until we can find help, we need you to guide us out of the labyrinth," Naegi said.
"Is this even the correct way? I don't believe we went this way with the Royal Cousins the other day," Togami pointed out. As he said that, the others looked around.
While most of the group couldn't tell one way or the other if this was the way out, Enoshima chose that moment to speak up. "Upupupu, too bad, sho shad! Thish ishn't the way out!"
"Junko-chan, you should be resting," Ikusaba scolded.
"She is correct though, this way leads back into the castle," Marva explained.
"In that condition? With all the respect that's due, Your Grace: Are you insane?" Souda asked.
"I concur, with the technomancer, Dark One, you will die if you go there as you are now," Tanaka added.
"I know that! I know, but…" Marva tried to say before he passed out. Whether it was from blood loss or exhaustion, the guests weren't sure.
"Like Naegi-kun suggested, we should probably discuss this later. We should focus on escaping and getting Duke Marva and Enoshim-san medical attention," Maizono said.
"How though? Enoshima-san is in no condition to make use of her other talent, and Duke Marva is unconscious," Celes pointed out.
Naegi attempted to recall the path they were shown the first time in the labyrinth. He had been doing so from the start, but Enoshima and Marva's conditions had made the need for it much more dire. Try as he might, nothing came to him. After several minutes, just as he was about to give up and leave it up to luck, the answer came to him. Specifically, it hopped up on his shoulder.
"Miyo!"
"Coco-chan!" Naegi cried out at the sight of his new, tiny friend. Joy and relief soon gave way to curiosity as Naegi asked, "How did you find us?"
"Miyo," was Coco's answer.
"Your familiar can find you anywhere it seems, Lightborn," Tanaka said.
"I've heard animals have homing instincts, but to home in on a person they've only known for a few days is a new one on me," Mrs. Koizumi added.
Coco gave what sounded like a proud chirp of "Miyo!" in response.
"This is cool and everything, but we're still trapped. So, unless your bird can lead us out of here, all it did was join us in time to be our emergency food supply," Haneyama reminded the others.
Naegi felt Coco start to shiver and said, "I won't let anyone eat you, I promise. But we really do need to get out of here. Actually, Coco-chan…how did you get here? You weren't with us earlier."
"Miyo!" Coco chirped as the makango hopped off of Naegi's shoulder and began to walk away. Before getting too far, the makango looked back and made a gesture as if to ask, "Are you coming or not?"
"A bird is gonna lead us out of here?" Souda asked, incredulously.
"I understand how you feel about that Souda-senpai, but Coco did somehow manage to find us. At the very least, I don't think following Coco hurts our chances of finding our way out," Celes said with a shrug.
"I say we do it. Things have a way of working out whenever Naegi-kun is involved. I may not have a professional gambler's instincts like Celes-san, but I know better than to bet against that particular streak," Ikusaba added.
The rest of the Hope's Peak students nodded at that, and soon the group was following Coco. It took a while, most likely due to Coco's tiny legs, but eventually the group saw an exit that led them to the beach where they had first seen Coco. It seemed that they were in the labyrinth for quite some time as the sun was beginning to rise. While this would ordinarily have been appreciated for the beautiful sight it was, the group soon found themselves targeted by military grade weapons.
"[Hands where we can see them!]" the commanding officer ordered.
Naegi did as ordered, but declared, "[Wait, please, we have injured!]"
"[Aren't those…] They are, you're the group that was with Her Highness the other day. At ease, everyone!" the officer, whom the group now recognized as the instructor from the lesson on tanks, ordered. Turning to the group, the officer said, "My apologies everyone. With what's been happening at the castle, we're all a little on edge. But where are my manners? Colonel Turnaround, at your service. I don't believe we were formally introduced the other day. Follow me, our medics are close by. We'll get everyone patched up."
Meanwhile
Princess Sonia Nevermind was no stranger to hostage situations, unfortunately. Being royalty carried risks, especially when one was the heir apparent to an entire kingdom. In the past, she had told herself that she could endure it, because she was the Crown Princess, but this time was different. Her friends had gotten dragged into this and she could do nothing she could do. Her father had negotiated the release of their guests, but the terrorists had only forced them into the labyrinth.
I hope they can find their way out, Sonia silently prayed. As much as she wanted her friends safe, she couldn't help but hope that her Darling would come and save her again. Still, if she had to compare her situation now to the one at the embassy, she supposed being confined to her own room was a slight improvement. At least I haven't been bound and gagged this time, she thought bitterly.
Sonia was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her door opening. The terrorist leader, the one the others called "Lord Gedeon" had let himself in. She supposed he could have been considered handsome, but his appearance filled her with nothing but revulsion. His light, long, and somewhat messy brown hair. His empty, gray eyes. He was something out of her family's nightmares as he looked like a carbon copy of Eric the Depraved.
"[Good morning, Princess. I do so hope you are well,]" the man said.
Sonia stayed silent.
"[I do not believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Gedeon Dosenmatter. Like you, I too am royalty,]" Gedeon informed her.
Sonia still did not speak. She did soon feel like vomiting, though, as she felt Gedeon's hand on her face, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"[Stories of your beauty did not do you justice. You will make a fine queen,]" Gedeon said.
"[Forgive me for disagreeing. Is that not what you are here to prevent? One of your men did try to kill me months ago,]" Sonia said as she pulled away.
"[Yes, Wudagest. My apologies for that. He never did like losing and that boy backed him into a corner. Still, he should have better self-control than he displayed. Please understand though, harming you was never part of my plan, in fact, I am hoping that you and I will get along very well,]" Gedeon explained.
Sonia shivered at what he was implying. She pushed her discomfort and disgust down and said, "[I do not believe we will. You trapped my guests in the labyrinth; you are holding my family and I hostage; and you are holding the civilians in the castle as leverage against us.]"
"[All necessary, I'm afraid. You see I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine. The blood of Eric Dosenmatter and Albert Nevermind flows through these veins. Your family has denied them both the throne I have come to claim!]" Gedeon exclaimed.
"[Eric was a monster and Albert was a stubborn fool. Neither one cared for Novoselic or its people!]" Sonia shot back.
Gedeon laughed. "[So naïve it's adorable. Royalty like us? Nations and their people exist for us, not the other way around. The people of the past should all have been so lucky to sacrifice their lives for my ancestors' glory.]"
"[You're insane. My people do not exist to be cannon fodder. They're individuals each with their own hopes and dreams. I will always do right by them because they have always believed in me,]" Sonia told him.
Gedeon just laughed harder. "[I was right about you; you will make a fine queen.]"
Sonia would rather not have an answer. She could continue to pretend that she didn't understand what Gedeon was implying if she didn't ask, but her curiosity got the better of her. "[You keep saying that. What do you mean?]"
Gedeon cupped Sonia's face again and said, "[I am the rightful heir to this kingdom, but the foolish masses will not accept that. To be seen as the legitimate ruler, I need you for that, Princess Sonia. With you as my queen, none would question my rule. Together we will unite Novoselic, Fortuna, and Borginia once again and crush all who oppose us! Be mine, Sonia, and you will want for nothing. Be the queen you were meant to be,]" Gedeon told Sonia as he leaned in to try to kiss her.
*Ptoo*
*Crack*
Sonia now laid on the floor of her room with a red mark on her cheek. Despite the pain, she was rather proud of herself. She had managed to spit right into Gedeon's mouth through his parted lips.
"[Bitch! I was willing to play nice, but I will use force if you make me!]" Gedeon screamed.
"[That was a lie. I know you only need me to be a rubber stamp on your rule,]" Sonia said as she got to her feet and glared at Gedeon.
Oddly, that statement put Gedeon in a better mood. "[I do so love when people know I'm lying to them. Not enough of the fools under me catch on, but it is always so much fun when those that do try to turn things around on me. Yes, those were all empty words. To get what is mine, I'll tell any lie I need. That said, you should consider my offer, Princess Sonia. It is no lie to say that is your only option.]"
"[I will not. My Darling will be here soon enough. He will stop you!]" Sonia declared.
"[Such faith in a foreign commoner. You think he is a hero; I say he was a lucky fool who outsmarted an idiot. We will know who is right when this is over,]" Gedeon laughed as he left Sonia alone in her room again.
Sonia went to her window and looked out at the city below. Whether she wanted a distraction from what had just happened or was hoping for a sign from Naegi, even she didn't know. As she stared out at the city of Cobain, Sonia hoped that her thoughts could reach her Darling. Darling, please be safe, but please hurry. I know Father, Mother, and I will stall for as long as we can, but this Gedeon will not run out of patience eventually. Your Princess will wait for you, my Darling, my Hero.
As was diagnosed in the labyrinth, Enoshima did indeed have a concussion, but was expected to make a full recovery. Duke Marva, thankfully, looked worse than he actually was, but he was still confined to a bed until the medical team said otherwise.
Once the group was notified that Duke Marva was patched up, they were joined by Colonel Turnaround and began asking questions.
"Your Grace, you need to tell us what happened. The terrorists who are holding the entire castle hostage are crediting you with helping them," Colonel Turnaround explained.
"But Colonel, if he was working with them, why was he in the labyrinth? I could understand if there was a power struggle or falling out afterward, but he was down there before we were," Naegi pointed out.
"That's the part I don't understand. Well, Your Grace?" Turnaround asked.
"It's true that I allowed them into the castle, but I assure you, I never wanted this," Marva began.
"So, you were helping them, but never wanted this?" Turnaround questioned. "Your Grace, I want to believe that, but given the situation, I'm sure you understand why I can't. Now please, I and my superiors will need to know: Why would you put your family and Novoselic in this situation?" Turnaround asked.
With a tired sigh, Duke Marva began. "I love Novoselic. I'm old enough to remember when our fair land finally became recognized by the rest of the world. My father was still king then, and it was a wonderful time, not just for Novoselic, but for the royal family. You see, my father had the distinction of being the only monarch in Novoselic's history of not being targeted for assassination during his reign. Pride in our nation was at an all-time high, and truly, it seemed that Novoselic's best days were ahead of us." Marva took some time to chuckle darkly before continuing.
"That was what we believed anyway, but it seems that those who would harm the royal family would attempt to make up for lost time when my brother assumed the throne. I don't know if high school students can understand this, but the world is a complicated place. You don't even need to do anything wrong, and you can still end up fearing for your life. For the longest time, I accepted that fate as one of many that can befall those born into royalty. I could endure it so long as I could give Novoselic the future it deserves, one where people all over the world would know who we are. One where Novoselic could be considered a major player in global politics. One…"
"One led by you?" Colonel Turnaround asked pointedly.
It was clear that Duke Marva took offense to that question. "Let me be very clear, Colonel: I love my brother as much as anyone. I believe from the bottom of my heart that there has never been anyone in Novoselic's history, barring my father, more fit to be king than my brother. For years, I had done everything in my power to show people that in an effort to unite our people. The greatest lesson Father ever taught us was that a nation must be united to prosper. While he was Novoselic's guiding light, I would do whatever I could to make his light shine even brighter. However, it seems that all I managed to do was become the shadow to his light."
"What do you mean, Your Grace?" Naegi asked.
"This goes back to the Colonel's original question of why I did what I did. Sonia tells me that you, young man, once said that 'Children are a national treasure.'" I wonder if you understand how right you were. The future of any nation depends on how its children will live their lives. As you can see, Novoselic has readily embraced Japanese culture, and while taking in interest in other cultures isn't necessarily a bad thing, I have long feared that we are losing our identity in the process. My brother has been content to let things play out, but I cannot stand by and allow our identity to be subsumed for what may only be a passing fancy. While I pondered a way to share the pride that I hold in Novoselic with the nation's people, I found a group that I believed shared my ideals."
"The Novoselic Restoration Project's stated goal was to "restore Novoselic to its former glory." Thinking I had found kindred spirits, I invested heavily in them. In hindsight, I should have been more suspicious. Wudagest was a member, and I was the one who recommended his appointment as ambassador to Japan. I had simply believed he had fooled myself and the other members, but I now see their goal was to kill my niece. It wasn't until last night that I learned the truth, they follow a man claiming to be a descendant of Alexander Nevermind and the Mad King Eric Dosenmatter. Whether he is or not, I cannot say, but his idea of restoration is a Novoselic that has reclaimed Borginia and Fortuna and a Novoselic ruled by him and him alone. I wanted to restore my people's pride in our nation and all I have accomplished was bringing us to the brink of doom," Marva sobbed.
Naegi gave the Duke a moment before speaking. "Your Grace, I'm not royalty, so maybe my opinion on the matter doesn't mean anything, but you really have been blind. We haven't been here long, but even in that short time we've all seen your people's pride in Novoselic, so I fail to understand how you have not. All the places Sonia-senpai and your son have shown us; all the stories and lessons they've shared with us; all the people we've had the pleasure of meeting show a people who love their nation just as much as you claim you do."
Marva took offense to the end of Naegi's statement. "'Claim?' I do love Novoselic, boy!"
"I once asked Wudagest how he and his boss can claim to do anything out of love for Novoselic when they didn't even have faith in its people. And I'm seeing that with you. The people of Novoselic aren't lacking in pride, I think you stopped believing in them. Sonia-senpai believes though. She may want to rework old traditions, but she never once said she wanted to get rid of them. Not just her, either. The King and Queen. Manic. They believe too. If the fascination with Japanese culture is just a passing trend, that's fine. The royal family is there to remind the people of what it means to be from Novoselic and why that's a great thing, because that's what great leaders do!" Naegi yelled.
"Boy…" Marva said.
Naegi continued, "There's something else there too, I'm not sure what it is, but I think your motives were more personal than you're admitting. I don't think there's any need to press you for details now, is there, Colonel?"
"Oh! Sorry. Yes, I need to speak with my superiors, but at the very least, I believe it is clear that His Grace is not the enemy," Turnaround said. That passion and way with words. It was almost like His Majesty himself was speaking. This young man is going to go far in this world, Turnaround thought as he went to make his report.
After the Colonel left, the guests and Duke Marva were left in an uncomfortable silence. Naegi was the first to try to break it, "Your Grace, I know I was out of line earlier. It isn't my place to lecture royalty and…"
"You were right on all counts, boy…I mean, Naegi-kun. I have been rude to all of you since our first meeting, so I can't say I didn't deserve it," Marva admitted.
"Don't make a habit of it though, Naegi. Most world leaders would take much more offense to such actions," Togami cautioned.
"I keep that in mind for my next meeting with the Prime Minister," Naegi joked. The group laughed and began to relax after that.
"You were right about something else, Naegi-kun. I say I wanted to restore pride in Novoselic, and while that is true, but on a personal level, I wanted to either eliminate or minimize your country's influence on my people," Marva shared.
"Why is that Your Grace?" Mr. Koizumi asked.
"For my own selfish reasons, or rather my own comfort, I suppose. Years ago, when Sonia and Manic were still young, my brother hired a language tutor for them. A Japanese man named Jigoku Genshin, assuming of course he used his real name."
"Does this have anything to do with Manic-kun's mother? I'm sorry to pry, but Manic-kun said you changed after your wife died," Oumi asked.
"Yes. I suppose my family's enemies couldn't find anyone from Novoselic or our neighboring countries who could convincingly pose as an expert in the language families of the Asian continent. I suppose that's why they hired that man. When we first met him, he was quite unassuming. Very polite and amicable. I had actually come to consider him a friend. As months passed, my brother and sister-in-law had mysteriously fallen ill. Given that the royal family is always in danger, such matters are always investigated thoroughly, and so everyone's belongings were searched. My wife, my wonderful Annika had caught the would-be assassin attempting to flee and tried to stop him only to end up a hostage. As if to mock me, made demands while holding her at gunpoint and even admitted to his crimes. Annika had always had such a strong sense of justice and she refused to be the reason such a criminal escaped," Marva explained.
Ten Years Ago
"AAHHH! You bitch!" Jigoku Genshin screamed as Duchess Annika Nevermind bit his forearm.
"[Annika! Run!]" Marva yelled as Jigoku's grip on Annika loosened.
As his wife escaped her captor's hold, both Marva and Jigoku aimed their weapons. To Marva's horror, Jigoku's target was not him, but Annika. "[Don't do it!]" Marva begged.
His request fell on deaf ears though as Jigoku shot Annika in back. As Annika fell, with the last of her strength, she whispered, "[Marva, my darling, take care of Manic. I love you both, so very much. You made me so happy.]"
"[RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!] Marva roared in rage, before firing at the fleeing Jigoku.
"I don't really remember what happened next, but when I regained control of myself, I was standing over the body of the assassin. I'm told I fired every round in my gun into him and then shot him with his own for good measure. I made him suffer and I don't regret any of it," Marva told the guests.
"I can't really say I blame you. I can't imagine what I would do if someone killed Ryuko," Mr. Koizumi told Duke Marva.
"Thanks to that, however, we never did find out who he worked for. I don't regret that he died by my hand, but I feel as though I haven't gotten justice for Annika yet. Perhaps it's that lack of closure that made me this way. I am very aware that those were the actions of one man. I know very well that he does not represent the Japanese people as a whole, but I can't help how I feel! Everywhere I look, I see something to remind me of the man who took my wife from me!" Marva began to yell.
"We all grieve in our own ways, Your Grace," Aloysius said.
"Unfortunately, someone decided to take advantage of your love of Novoselic and your pain. Even though we know why you did this, Your Grace, it doesn't change the situation at hand," Celes added.
"No, it doesn't, but at the very least, we don't need to put the royal family through the pain of having Duke Marva being a traitor," Colonel Turnaround said as he returned. "General Opinion would still like to see you though, Your Grace. We believe your knowledge of the castle may aid in our rescue efforts," Turnaround said.
"Very well, let us be on our way," Marva said as he stood up.
"May I join in the strategy meeting? I have experience in military matters," Ikusaba offered.
"Of course, Miss. Actually, we were also hoping a few of you would join the meeting," Turnaround said as he looked at Tanaka, Souda, and Naegi.
"Us?" Souda questioned as he pointed to himself and the other two.
General Opinion was a mountain of a man, bigger than even Nidai. His medals and scars told of a long and eventful military career. His gray hair suggested that he possessed the wisdom that only age and experience can bring. His rank gave him the respect of his troops, and true to his name, he was open to ideas on how to conduct the latest operation he found himself tasked with.
"Your Grace, you've lived in the castle your whole life. Do you know of a way in without risking the safety of the hostages?" General Opinion asked.
"The labyrinth has numerous passageways into and out of the castle that few people know about. I was on my way to the exit of one of them when my niece's honored guests found me in the labyrinth. I can guide us there, but your troops will be bottlenecked and at a disadvantage if there are guards on the other side," Marva explained.
"If I can get in, I can thin the enemy out enough to ensure a safe way in. I'm no stranger to solo missions in enemy territory," Ikusaba suggested.
"The problem then becomes getting Ikusaba-san inside safely and signaling to us that it is safe," Turnaround said.
"The passageways open from either side, so she would only need to rendezvous with us there to start the operation. As for how to get Ikusaba-san, or anyone for that matter, inside…I'm afraid I'm at a loss," Marva admitted.
"Entering through one of the towers is our best bet, but I can't see how we would do it without raising the alarm. Helicopters are too loud, and I doubt they would ignore the use of another type of aircraft. Even under cover of night, we'd be caught too easily. I'm stumped, General," Turnaround said.
"If we could make use of aircraft, we'd have done so already," General Opinion reminded him.
"We should take time to clear our heads, I'm sure something will come to us," Turnaround suggested.
"We don't have the time! Those maniacs have my family and the rest of the castle staff hostage!" Marva reminded the Colonel.
"Their lives aren't in any immediate danger. The terrorist leader's demands included His Majesty willingly transferring power to him.," General Opinion explained.
"What are the other demands? There might be something we can use," Ikusaba suggested.
"I'm afraid not. Other than naming the terrorist leader king, the demands are: Release of their imprisoned members; for the Novoselic military to stand down; for the people of Novoselic to pledge their undying loyalty to our new king and his cause; and for Princess Sonia to be his bride," Colonel Turnaround read off.
"WHAT?" Souda shouted. He, Tanaka, and Naegi had avoided speaking until now in an effort to not distract from the meeting. However, that last demand was too much for Souda to bear.
"I agree with the young mechanic. That man is a criminal and a madman. Even if he wasn't, my brother would die before giving his daughter to someone so unworthy just so he can pretend to be the legitimate ruler of our kingdom," Marva said.
General Opinion, seeing that the meeting was going off track, said, "Putting that aside, perhaps Turnaround was right, and we should all take some time to clear our heads. Let us resume in 15 minutes."
As the meeting recessed, Naegi found himself wandering around the camp aimlessly. I know you can't hear me, Sonia-senpai, but don't give in no matter what that man promises. Even if one of his men hadn't tried to kill you, there's no guarantee that he won't ruin Novoselic out of spite later on and kill you when you're no longer needed. Hold out just a little longer, we'll be there as soon as we can! Naegi thought as he tried to keep his spirits up. No matter how much he wanted to be optimistic, he was at a loss on what to do and he knew it.
"Miyo!" Coco called as he ran up to Naegi and jumped into his arms.
"Hey Coco-chan. I never did thank you for coming to get us earlier, did I? You really saved us, you know?" Naegi asked as he patted the makango on the head.
"Miyo!" Coco chirped happily.
"I don't suppose you know a way into the castle that the enemy won't see coming, do you?" Naegi asked.
Coco gave a sad, "Miyo," in response.
"I'm just kidding, you've done more than enough. You've been amazing," Naegi praised.
"Miyo?"
"I'm wondering how a bird that is so amazing and so helpful was ignored by the rest of the continent. I guess the people of the past never took the time to appreciate you. I want you to know that I do. Thank you, my little friend. For everything," Naegi said as he smiled and embraced the tiny bird.
"Mi-MMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOO!" Coco cried as the makango jumped out of Naegi's arms and began to molt. The cry brought just about everyone in the camp as they watched Coco's, and there was no other word for it, transformation.
As Coco calmed down, the makango gave a determined "Miyo!"
Naegi looked at his re-feathered friend and then at General Opinion before saying, "General, I think Coco-chan says he's our way in."
As the sun set and the full moon began to light the sky of Novoselic, two men were looking out from atop one of the towers of Castle Nevermind. After several minutes of silence one turned to the other and started a conversation.
"[Hey,]" he called.
"[Yeah?]" his partner replied.
"[You ever wonder why we're here?]" the first asked.
That question seemed to stir something in his partner as he began, "[It's one of life's great mysteries, isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really a God watching everything? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know, man, but it keeps me up at night.]"
In response to that, both stared at each other in silence.
The first recovered from his shock and asked, "[...What?! I mean why are we out here, on top of this tower?]"
"[Oh. Uh... yeah,]" his partner replied in embarrassment.
"[What was all that stuff about God?]" the first asked.
"[Uh...hm? Nothing,]" the other said quickly.
"[You wanna talk about it?]"
"[No.]"
"[You sure?]"
"[Yeah.]"
"[Seriously though, why are we out here? They don't exactly have a lot of options to sneak in from this tower, much less get up here without alerting everyone in the area,]" the first explained.
"[Mm hmm,]" the second agreed.
"[The military is also aware that if they try anything, we'll kill the hostages. The way I see it, we hold all the cards here,]" the first said.
"[Certainly, looks like it,]" the second said.
After a minute of silence, the first started a new conversation. "[Since you brought it up earlier. What do you think about the so-called 'Divine Right of Kings'? Do you think some higher power really picks leaders?]"
"[Lord Gedeon certainly does, and that's what matters,]" his partner said.
"[But what if whatever is out there picked House Nevermind? Does that mean we'll fail no matter what?]" the first asked.
"[You're overthinking this. Some avenging angel isn't going to show up to smite us over something like this,]" the second said. As the two looked at each other, they noticed something shimmering and floating slowly to the floor of the tower.
The first picked it up and examined it. "[A large golden feather?]" he questioned as he looked at his partner with a look of disbelief on his face.
"[It's a coincidence. There is no angel coming to strike u-urk!]" The second man never got a chance to finish as a knife hit him between the eyes from above.
The first looked up to see something human shaped with wings. "[AH! UH, G-Glory to House Nevermind!]" he screamed as he fled for his life. He didn't get very far before another knife was lodged in the back of his skull.
Once the tower was clear the angel landed and…split into three? Naegi, Ikusaba, and Coco separated. Ikusaba moved to retrieve her weapons while Naegi and Coco went over to the side of the tower.
"That was odd, wasn't it?" Naegi asked somewhat jokingly, in an attempt to distract himself from what he had just seen. I thought I had made peace with the idea of killing the enemy back at camp, but the urge to vomit and sudden self-loathing tell me I didn't, Naegi thought.
"I've had people run from me in fear before but not because they think I'm some divine messenger," Ikusaba replied with a shrug as she retrieved her knives and took the fallen enemies' weapons. Once she picked up her knives, she turned to Naegi and asked, "Are you sure you're okay to do this? If it's too much for you..."
"I'm okay, really. I knew what I was getting into. I also know where we're going. You need me here," Naegi answered quickly.
"Miyo!" Coco added helpfully from his new position on top of Naegi's head. Even after the makango's transformation at the camp, Coco hadn't changed much. Quite literally in fact, as all that had changed were the color of Coco's feathers and the size of his wings. Coco was now a golden color with giant wings. Wings that were powerful enough to carry Naegi and Ikusaba up to one of Castle Nevermind's towers. Naegi still didn't understand how Coco's tiny talons held him while Naegi himself carried Ikusaba, but Coco had sounded determined back at camp and Naegi couldn't disappoint his tiny friend.
Ikusaba wasn't completely convinced, but it was too late for second thoughts. "We should hurry. If these two don't report in someone will come looking for them. I'd like to dispose of the bodies, but…" Ikusaba trailed off as she considered the odds of someone seeing the bodies being thrown from the tower. Is it dark enough that no one will suspect anything? What if someone sees and asks these two to look into it? she asked herself.
"I'll follow your lead, Ikusaba-san. I may not like it, but I'm ready to do what needs done if it helps Senpai and her family," Naegi told his friend.
Ikusaba felt relieved and irritated at that statement. Relieved because she knew Naegi wasn't judging her for killing those two terrorists. Irritated because Naegi was resolved to help a girl who wasn't her. Focus Mukuro! Sonia-senpai is your friend too! She's only ever been kind to you. Naegi-kun would feel the same if any of our friends were in trouble, Ikusaba mentally scolded herself. After fending off her jealousy, Ikusaba turned to Naegi and said, "You've been to the place Duke Marva told us about, Naegi-kun. I'll do the dirty work, you just make sure the cavalry can get in."
"Right, let's go. But if there's anything else I can do, let me know," Naegi said as he began to lead Ikusaba to their destination.
"A kiss for luck would be nice," Ikusaba mumbled.
"What was that?" Naegi asked, turning back to Ikusaba.
"Nothing," Ikusaba responded quickly.
"Miyo?" Coco questioned as he hopped over to Ikusaba.
"I said it's nothing," Ikusaba told the makango.
The trek to the Cursed Wing of Castle Nevermind was easier than Naegi and Ikusaba had expected. Thanks to Ikusaba's training, they had managed to avoid most of their enemies, and the ones they did have to fight were swiftly dispatched. Naegi didn't want to get ahead of himself, but he hoped that this was a sign that the rest of the operation would go as smoothly.
Still, I am expecting all Hell to break loose once they realize what's happening. We still know so little about these terrorists and their capabilities. Ikusaba does think they're well-armed, at least, Naegi thought as he grasped the guns he and Ikusaba had picked up. Before he could think about the subject any further, Ikusaba tugged on his arm.
"I hear voices up ahead," Ikusaba whispered.
"Not good, our destination is a further down this hallway," Naegi told her.
"We need hide. Either we avoid them, or we ambush them, but we can't risk alerting the enemy when we're so close," Ikusaba said as she pulled Naegi into the nearest room.
Once the door was closed, the Soldier and the Luckster hear two voices grunt, "Mfph!" Expecting the worst Ikusaba prepared to lunge at them when she saw that they were hostages. Hostages Naegi just so happened to recognize.
"Charles. Stanley. We need to stop meeting like this," Naegi jokingly whispered as he untied and ungagged them.
"We would love nothing more, Naegi-kun," Charles said as he begun to stretch.
"I'm glad you're here, my young friend. I was beginning to think all was lost. But how did you get here" Stanley asked.
"It's a long story that involves a golden makango. He should be circling the castle right now," Naegi explained, earning disbelieving stares from the two men.
"We're trying to get to the Cursed Wing. A military unit should be waiting for us to open a secret passage there," Ikusaba told them.
"We'll join you," Charles quickly said.
"A larger group will be easier to spot," Ikusaba responded.
"If you can find us weapons, we can serve as a distraction," Stanley offered.
Naegi pulled out two handguns he picked up from fallen terrorists. "I know these aren't much," but…"
"That will be fine, Naegi-kun," Charles assured the boy.
"Besides, if this young lady is willing to help, we may be able clear your path and get better weapons at the same time," Stanley added.
It soon dawned on Naegi what Stanley was suggesting and he simply said, "Just like old times."
The voices Ikusaba had heard earlier were two of the terrorists on patrol of the Cursed Wing. Thankfully, for Naegi and the rest, these two were unaware that there were intruders.
"[I wish we would just kill the usurpers and be done with it,]" the one said, unaware of what awaited him and his partner.
[Of course, the Borginian savage wants that. I'm starting to think Viktor did King Eric a favor ensuring his line no longer had to deal with them,] his partner thought. "[Lord Gedeon will claim what is his with minimal bloodshed. We must trust in his judgment.]"
[Fortunian coward. To think we had to ally with them for this. Duke Albert must be spinning in his grave,] the first thought. "[Very well,] he huffed as they both continued on their route. An awkward silence fell over the two. Their distrust of each other was palpable, but they were willing to put that aside for their cause…for now.
[Once Lord Gedeon deals with the usurpers, you're next, savages/cowards], the two thought. As they came closer to Naegi's group, they saw that door was slightly ajar.
The Borginian terrorist turned to his partner and said, "[I will check it out, you go on ahead.]" [And I would prefer to be away from your people's stench,] he added silently.
That plan was immediately welcomed by his Fortunian partner. [Finally, a reprieve. I feel my intelligence drop just being next to this fool.] "[Very well. We must dissuade these Novoselic traitors of attempting to defy us and our master,]" he agreed.
The Borginian man entered the room but saw nothing out in the open. As he began to search more thoroughly, he felt a weight drop on him, a sharp pain in his skull, and then he felt no more. Ikusaba had dropped from the ceiling and drove her knife into his head.
Before the man hit the ground, Ikusaba leapt off of him and out into the hallway. Showing off her aim and talent with a knife, she threw her remaining knife into the Fortunian man's neck, killing him as well.
Naegi and the others emerged from the hiding place Ikusaba had picked for them, with Charles and Stanley silently applauding. "Excellent work, Ikusaba-san. Thanks to you, we now stand a chance against the enemy," Charles said in awe.
"Good luck to the two of you on your mission. We will try our best to draw the enemy's attention," Stanley said as he picked up the fallen Borginian's rifle.
"Stay safe, you two," Naegi said as the two left in the opposite direction of his and Ikusaba's destination. Charles waved back before grabbing the fallen Fortunian's rifle and soon the two men were gone. With no further obstacles, Naegi and Ikusaba soon arrived in the Cursed Wing, in the room King Levushka had shown Naegi and Tanaka just the other day.
Now I know what His Majesty was trying to find. Shame we have to find and use it under these circumstances, kind of kills the thrill of finding a secret passage, Naegi thought as he felt along the wall by Eric's portrait. He eventually did find the spot Duke Marva mentioned and pushed a false stone in. The wall next to the spot began to spin as Naegi and Ikusaba saw troops enter. To their surprise, their friends soon followed the soldiers.
"Why is everyone here?" Naegi asked in shock.
"We were worried about you two, and we were worried about Sonia-chan and her family," Koizumi told him.
"The military never would have let civilians accompany them to this," Ikusaba stated.
"Remember that game of cards we were playing to pass the time before you left?" Togami asked.
"Yes," Naegi sighed. He wished he hadn't remembered; he hadn't been doing that well.
"The General joined after the two of you left and Celes-san won permission for us to accompany the rescue team," Shinobu explained.
"We think General Opinion might have a slight gambling problem," Maizono added quietly.
"Let it never be said I'm not a man of my word," the General's voice said from over the one soldier's radio.
The man with the radio introduced himself. "I'm Captain Downer. I'm in charge of this mission. I thank you for getting us in, Naegi-kun, Ikusaba-san, but we'll handle things from here."
"Wait! Before that, we released two hostages. They're two men named Charles and Stanley; they were hostages at the embassy as well. They took some weapons and are attempting to draw the enemy's attention," Naegi explained.
"We'll keep an eye out for them. If we can save them, we will. Now, as much as I believe that the royal family would appreciate friendly faces after their ordeal, you all need to stay back. Now, rescue team, let's move out," Captain Downer ordered.
A few minutes after the captain and his team left, and the occasional sounds of gunfire began to get further away, the civilians heard a tapping noise. Turning to the nearest window, they saw Coco attempting to get their attention.
"Miyo!"
"What's wrong, Coco-chan?" Naegi asked.
"Miyo!" Coco answered.
"Your bonded beast feels a sense of foreboding. He wishes you to accompany him," Tanaka explained.
"Yeah. Coco-chan isn't the only one. I've been having a bad feeling since the captain left. I don't think we're in any danger, but…" Naegi trailed off, not sure how to put his feeling into words.
"You gotta trust your gut," Owari told Naegi. She began to stretch and then said, "I was getting tired of just sitting here anyway."
Ikusaba began to copy Owari's movements before saying, "I agree. It feels too awkward to know there's a battle going on and I'm not part of it.
"I get how you two feel, Sonia-chan is my friend, too, but won't we just be in the way?" Koizumi asked in an attempt to be the voice of reason.
"If we wish to get involved then perhaps, we should focus on doing what the rescue team is unable to do," Shinobu suggested.
"RIGHT! We're on the same team, we need to work together and win this 'match' and rescue the royal family!" Nidai agreed with his usual enthusiasm.
Celes decided to ask the obvious question, "What exactly can we do, though?"
*Buzz*
Naegi looked sheepish as he looked at his phone. "Sorry! I promised Enoshima-san and Duke Marva that I would let them know when the passage was opened. I guess I forgot to turn my phone back off," Naegi explained. As he tried to rectify his mistake, he saw the message and said to his friends, "I think this is for all of us," as he showed them his phone.
"Ultimate Analyst, indeed," Ikusaba said with a chuckle.
While the others looked at the message, Maizono turned to Naegi and said, "Naegi-kun, we'll handle this, you and Coco-chan should go on ahead. It seems that little one already knows what to do."
"Right. Let's go, Coco-chan," Naegi said as he went to the window.
"Naegi, just so you know: if you die, you're fired. That goes for the rest of you as well," Togami told the group.
Naegi laughed and said, "We'll all have to be extra careful then."
Gedeon was livid. His plans were falling apart, and it hadn't even been two days. He had no idea how the military had gotten in undetected. He had no idea how two of his hostages had escaped. At least he didn't, until he thought back to what Sonia had said back in her room. [Did that foreigner do this? I refuse to believe I will lose what is rightfully mine because of some Japanese high school student!] Gedeon mentally screamed as he made his way to Sonia's room. If he was going to escape, he was going to need insurance. Gedeon kicked Sonia's door open before yelling, "[Get up! I need to flee, and you're coming with me!]"
"[I refuse. You've already lost, just surrender and maybe you can at least keep your life,] Sonia replied.
Gedeon pulled out a handgun, wrapped an arm around Sonia's neck from behind her, and held the gun to her temple. "[It wasn't a request, Princess. You're going to be my ticket back to Fortuna. Now move!]" Gedeon ordered, not in the mood for defiance.
As they were walking, Sonia tried to appeal to Gedeon again, "[Your people are dying. You can end this with just one order.]"
Gedeon tightened his hold on her and pressed the gun more forcefully, clearly not happy with that advice. "[All who are loyal to the true sovereign of Novoselic will gladly give their lives to ensure my safety. I will find new subjects, but I must escape to do so,]" Gedeon countered as he directed Sonia to a nearby room. [The royal family aren't the only ones who know about these passages. We could have entered this way without that fool Marva, but we would have risked getting caught,] Gedeon thought as he opened the secret passageway. Instead of a safe escape route, he came face to face with Marva and several soldiers.
"[Gedeon, it's not me, it's you. Your Novoselic is not my Novoselic. Now, let my niece go, and we can discuss your punishment,]" Marva told Gedeon.
"[I'll kill her before you kill me!]" Gedeon shouted. That caused the soldiers and Marva to hesitate long enough for Gedeon to back out of the room.
"[Uncle!]" Sonia called only to get pistol whipped by Gedeon when they were out of the line of fire.
"[Silence! We'll try another way,]" Gedeon told her as he checked to make sure that the soldiers and the duke wouldn't follow him and risk their Princess.
After reaching another corridor, Gedeon directed Sonia to another room in an attempt to escape. This time when he opened the passageway, he came was met with Enoshima and Ikusaba.
"See Muku-nee, they got here exactly when I said they would. I'm fine," Enoshima told her sister.
"We'll discuss this later, Junko-chan," Ikusaba said as she took out her knives.
Once again, Gedeon tightened his hold on Sonia, earning him glares from the sisters, but also safe passage back into the hallway. Gedeon was hoping that the third time would be the charm only for the hostages, the royal family, their guests, and the military to emerge from the hallways and rooms that held his possible escape routes. Desperate, but not willing to give up, Gedeon took the only clear path available to him, one leading to the top of one of the castle's towers. The climb wasn't easy while walking backwards with a hostage, but he managed.
As his pursuers reached the top of the tower, Gedeon attempted one final demand. "[Princess Sonia's life for a helicopter back to Fortuna! I know you people hold that sentimental bullshit in high regard, you wouldn't dare risk your Princess's life!]"
Sonia saw their hesitation. The love she felt from her people, her family, and her friends in that moment helped her come to a decision. She couldn't let Gedeon continue to haunt her people. She would make sure he would never have the chance. Sonia grabbed the arm Gedeon used to hold his gun. Whether it was because he had held her in place for so long or because he had shifted his arms while climbing the stairs, Sonia didn't know, but she was able to move it so that the gun was no longer pointed at her temple and so she had a clear path to Gedeon's wrist and forearm. After that, Sonia bit down on Gedeon's arm as hard as she could.
"[AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! YOU BITCH!]" Gedeon screamed as he kicked Sonia away. Those who had come to rescue her were frozen in shock as the force of the kick sent Sonia over the side of the tower. Gedeon knew his life was over the second Sonia had fallen out of sight, but he still shot a defiant look at the royal family as King Levuska came forward flanked by soldiers, all with murder in their eyes.
King Levushka wanted to kill the monster in front of him, himself. He knew everyone present wanted to be the one to end Gedeon's life. [My precious Sonia, so brave even at the end. She didn't even scream as she fell. I can still hear her sweet voice,] Levushka thought as he approached the man responsible for killing his daughter.
"Levushka, stop! Listen," Queen Tonya called to her husband. It seemed it was not just the king who could still hear Sonia.
"Father, Mother, I am alright! I knew my hero would save me!"
Over the edge of the tower where Sonia had fallen a few moments before, rising with the sun were Coco, Naegi, and Sonia herself. Sonia, fittingly enough, was held in a princess carry by Naegi, as Coco, the golden makango carried the two onto the safety of the tower.
Those present cheered, except for Gedeon, whose plan had been so thoroughly crushed, the shock of his failure had frozen him in place. Captain Downer and his men stepped forward and took the terrorist leader into custody, thus ending the greatest crisis in recent Novoselic history.
Even as everyone relaxed, Sonia refused to let go of Naegi, opting instead to hug him tighted from her spot in his arms while saying, "I knew my Darling was a hero."
Her rivals were irritated but decided to let her have this. After all she had been through, she probably needed it and they couldn't help but think she deserved it. For now.
After Gedeon was taken away and the military removed the bodies of the terrorists, the hostages were taken for medical treatment. Sonia and the castle staff had received the worst treatment at the hands of their captors, but there seemed to be no lasting damage. The one everyone felt sorry for was Enoshima, who had been scolded by Ikusaba and the doctor attending her.
"'24 to 72 hours rest' means resting for 24 to 72 hours!" Ikusaba yelled.
"As much as I appreciate what you did for my country, I cannot as a doctor approve of you involving yourself as much as you did. There were plenty of people there," the doctor reminded Enoshima.
Enoshima looked apologetic until King Levushka came and asked both Enoshima and Ikusaba how they would like to be rewarded for their service to Novoselic, a question he asked all of his guests once they returned to the castle.
Of course, most of the guests remained humble and stated that they didn't do much, with the exception of Togami, who never forgot that he was here on business. The one showered with the most praise, and the one feeling the most uncomfortable, was Naegi.
"Just enjoy it, Naegi-kun," Charles told the boy.
"You are the one who made all of this possible," Stanly added.
Sonia, Manic, and Queen Tonya were busy examining Coco.
"A golden makango. I had hoped, but I hadn't expected Darling to find one so soon."
"Those present tell me that Naegi-kun was praising Coco-chan. Such as fascinating creature."
"Do you mean Coco-chan or…?" Manic began to ask, earning him a look from Sonia.
Once those present had settled down, it was time to address the events of the previous nights, specifically, the potential repercussions and Marva's involvement.
"Marva, I knew you never recovered from Annika's death, but to think you lost faith in us. I don't even know what to say to that," King Levuska said to his brother.
"I know. I have been a fool. I know this now. I tried to remove anything that reminded me of my wife's death than facing it. As much as I do want our people to have pride in Novoselic, I used it to push my grief to the side while warping my goal and placing my trust in the wrong people. I don't even know how to begin to apologize for this," Marva said.
"Dad, what do you think we're here for? We're your family. I miss mom too, but…" Manic began before Levushka held up a hand to silence him.
"I know. I lost faith in our people and all of you. I felt alone and unknowingly reached out to an enemy. Whatever punishment is decided, it is not enough," Marva said.
Levushka sighed. "You still haven't learned anything. What are you expecting me to do, brother?"
Marva was confused by that response. "Exile, execution, life imprisonment, or some combination of the three?" he guessed.
"Perhaps, if things had gone worse. Most certainly if Sonia had died. But you are my brother, and I know you. You are always thinking of Novoselic. And now you must do so for your punishment," Levushka explained.
"I don't understand," Marva admitted.
"While none of our people died, the terrorists, led by Gedeon Dosenmatter, were made up of Novoselic, Borginian, and Fortunian nationals. While I believe that we were more than justified in taking their lives, I am unsure it the Borginians and Fortunians will see it that way. You are to go to both nations and convince their leaders that our actions were justified if they question it. You will leave after our guests return home, and as much as it pains me to say this, Brother, don't come back until you are sure there is no threat of retaliation by the Borginian and Fortunian governments," Levushka decreed.
"Levushka, after everything that has happened, you still trust me to do this? What if I betray your trust? What if I really am an enemy?" Marva asked.
"I make up my own mind about what is to be believed and what is not. If I should like to believe in someone, I will. The circumstances be damned," Levushka answered.
"But what I can't be trusted!" Marva tried to argue.
"I think I understand, Your Grace. In that case, His Majesty had made an elementary error of judgement, nothing more," Naegi said in realization.
Levushka nodded, "Betrayal of trust is an overused excuse, in my opinion. Our family has always strived to have faith in our people. And I have faith in you, Little Brother."
Marva recalled what Naegi has said to him in the medical tent, Sonia-senpai believes though…Not just her, either. The King and Queen. Manic. They believe too. "You believe in me, in all of our people, because that is what a great leader does," Marva said.
"Exactly," Levushka nodded.
"It is just as our learned friend told me," Marva said as he looked at Naegi.
"Yes Naegi-kun, you have been receiving high praise from a certain Colonel Turnaround. It is not much different from what Sonia told me about your ordeal at the embassy. You certainly know how to inspire others," Levushka told the boy.
"But of course, Darling is the legendary hero!" Sonia gushed.
"I don't know about that…" Naegi said as he began to feel embarrassed.
"You fit the criteria and you saved my cousin twice," Manic reminded Naegi.
"Coco-chan is a golden makango," Queen Tonya added.
"You wear a white shirt under your hoodie and your actions at Hope's Peak could be considered 'bringing light' to an 'island nation,'" Sonia chimed in.
"It's decided! We will have the award ceremony for the Heroes of the Embassy tomorrow and in addition, we will reward our guest for their heroic actions and officially declare Naegi Makoto the Legendary Hero!" King Levushka declared.
Though the girls knew what being the Legendary Hero could entail, seeing Naegi embarrassed was just too adorable for them to ignore. To that end, they led everyone in bowing to Naegi before breaking out in laughter at how red he was turning. Naegi laughed too. It hadn't been a particularly relaxing trip, but it was one he and his friends would remember for the rest of their lives.
And that ends our adventure in the Kingdom of Novoselic. I apologize that it took so long to get here.
Next chapter is going to be a little different. We're going to see what happens when Naegi isn't around. The chapter is going to star three girls whose chapters may not have ended on the most satisfactory of notes. I'm hoping to begin rectifying that next chapter.
Some fun facts:
Opinion, Turnaround, and Downer are all Nirvana songs. Yeah, maybe I went overboard with those references but in my defense, Danganronpa did too with Nevermind and Novoselic. I'll go sit in my shame corner now.
I'm back, and yeah, I really leaned into the "billion birds are the makango" thing didn't I? I don't own Toriko but I do recommend it.
I hope everyone is okay with the duke's fate. I never really wanted Marva to be the bad guy, I just wanted him as the red herring. I wonder if I overdid it?
Also, yes, I did use the "Ever wonder why we're here" conversation from the Blood Gulch Chronicles of Red vs Blue. I miss those days, I really do.
I will absolutely try to get the next chapter out sooner than this one. Thank you all for bearing with me.
If anyone wants to vent in the reviews, I will absolutely understand. In fact, I think I deserve it. But hopefully all of you can answer a question for me. I don't know if shifting between two stories had a hand in causing the delay, but when writing for Fantasy Life with Ultimate Girls, I do try to focus on that alone. So, my question is, should I alternate this time as well, or do you all want the next chapter of this Everyday Life before I update Fantasy Life again? Let me know in the reviews!
Until next time, stay frosty!
Chapter Text
Chapter 25: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Roommates
Hello again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages! wesst1 back again once again!
One more chapter until we get back to our normal routine. The story is going to shift from Makoto to some girls that I probably should have devoted more time to. This is a chapter that addresses something a few of you have asked for in the past. I hope it is everything you imagined it would be.
Speaking of addressing things, I posted this in the beginning author's notes in the latest chapter of Fantasy Life, but I'm posting it here for good measure. "To answer a question I've been getting: No, Komaru will not be a girl in the main fic. I originally decided to do Fantasy Life with Ultimate Girls because people were asking for smut in Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls, and I didn't really think it would have worked in the story. Fantasy Life is my attempt to keep those readers satisfied.
Speaking of being satisfied: Is everyone satisfied with Fantasy Life's continued existence? I noticed that some people think I'm spoiling Everyday Life, and I don't really understand why. To clarify: Fantasy Life is intended to have about as much of an effect on Everyday Life as Danganronpa IF had on Danganronpa's continuity, which is to say not a whole lot, just a fun little experiment. If I haven't been clear on that, I do apologize and hope you'll all stick with me.
One last thing before we begin, I want to apologize for the long delay. Life has gotten a little busier, but that wasn't the main reason. The Novoselic arc didn't land as well as I hoped it would. I got a lot of positive feedback on it, but the people who didn't like it really seemed to hate it. Which is fine, all entertainment is subjective even in the best of cases and they made some valid points, but it gave me a lot to think about. Doubts aside, I am grateful. Whether it's accolades or criticism, both are signs that you all still care about the story, and for that, you all have my deepest gratitude.
With my excuses out of the way, let's see what's going on with our favorite Ultimates!
Castle Nevermind, Novoselic
When Summer Break had begun, Naegi had expected the most strenuous thing he did during break would be helping Pekoyama and Kirigiri move. He certainly hadn't expected to stop a century-spanning dispute for the throne of Novoselic.
Things had settled down quickly enough, or as "settled down" as anything involving him could get in the past year. Some normalcy would be welcome right about now, Naegi thought, a little calm before the next big event I somehow stumble into. His friends definitely deserved some semblance of normalcy, especially after what some of them had gone through during the school year.
Perhaps because of that line of thought, Naegi found himself thinking of Pekoyama and Kirigiri again. The two girls had their entire lives turned upside-down, but they were managing. In some ways, it was fitting that the two had become roommates. Pekoyama lost her place with the Kuzuryuu family and Kirigiri couldn't return to her grandfather. Headmaster Kirigiri had wanted his daughter to come live with him, but Kirigiri had turned it down. She no longer held the resentment she once did, but they had been strangers for too long.
I wonder how those two are doing. Naegi wondered.
Japan
Kirigiri and Pekoyama had both settled into their new home. Neither really had any complaints about living together, slightly unexpected from a detective and a former yakuza hitwoman, but not unwelcome. Although, it was those backgrounds that were at the root of a different problem.
It had all started when Naegi had helped them move in.
One week ago
As he set another box down, Naegi said, "Okay, I think that's everything."
"It is. I told you, neither one of us has many possessions," Pekoyama said as she checked the label on the box.
"Most of our belongings were able to fit in our dorm rooms," Kirigiri added as she emptied a box in what would be her room.
"Do you two want me to help put things away? I really don't mind," Naegi offered.
"That's sweet, Naegi-kun, but you should probably make sure you're packed for tomorrow," Pekoyama reminded him. It was killing her that she wouldn't be able to go to Novoselic with Naegi to ensure his safety, but she trusted Sonia enough to have adequate security. As far as trusting Sonia not to try and pull ahead of her and the others in the race for Naegi's heart, both she and Kirigiri agreed that letting him go was a big risk, but they also agreed that Naegi deserved recognition for his actions. It helped that Tanaka and Souda would be there too. Unintentional though it may be, those two could run interference if Sonia got too close to Naegi.
"We'll be fine. As much as we enjoy it, the two of us and the other girls did manage to get by before we met you," Kirigiri said, attempting to further convince Naegi.
"Well, if you're sure, I'll see you both when I get back." With those words and a wave, Naegi left the two, and the cat, to get settled.
"It was sweet of him to offer to help more. It was sweet that he even offered to help us in the first place," Kirigiri told Pekoyama.
"Well, you know what they say, 'A good friend will help you move, a true friend will help you move a body,'" Pekoyama said, attempting to make a joke. At least Kirigiri thought that's what Pekoyama was trying to do.
"I thought a good friend would help you bury a body, but a true friend would bring their own shovel and not ask questions?" Kirigiri "joked" back. Although, because her tone never changed, Pekoyama was unsure if Kirigiri was playing off her joke or referencing an actual case she worked one.
"Heh heh he," both laughed, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation.
Meanwhile
While Pekoyama and Kirigiri were settling into their new arrangement with each other, it was business as usual for a friend of theirs.
*SLAP!*
All things considered, Tsumiki Mikan probably would have taken the awkwardness of the new roommates' apartment over her own home life. At least then she wouldn't be getting hit.
"You think you're too good for us," Tsumiki's mother, Tsumiki Karin slurred in a drunken rage.
"N-no, Mama. I-I'm sorry," Tsumiki stuttered as she rubbed her sore cheek.
"Aw, didn't your night go the way you planned?" the father, Tsumiki Shuhei mockingly asked.
"Men jush don' wan' a quality woman like me," Karin slurred as she tried to pose. The alcohol in her system making it look more like flailing than a coordinated movement.
"Men don't want used up cum rags like you! What was I thinking marrying a whore like you?" Shuhei asked no one in particular.
Whether it was time or anger, Karin sobered up enough to say, "Haa? You think I'd be with a weak piece of shit like you if I hadn't given birth to this brat." So that there was no misunderstanding, Karin pointed right at a mortified Tsumiki. After that declaration, Karin mumbled, "Mama needs to go lay down," as she staggered off to her bedroom.
Thinking her father's silence meant he needed comfort, Tsumiki picked herself up off the floor and tried to speak with her father. As she reached out to him, she asked, "A-are you alright, Papa?"
"Don't touch me!" Shuhei screamed. "Even if you're my daughter, you're still that woman's child. Something like you shouldn't exist!"
Tsumiki just took the abuse. A short time in Hell before she could return to Heaven. That was how she kept herself going. Today had actually gone better than normal. Her mother hadn't put out her cigarettes on Tsumiki's arms and her father hadn't hit her with a bottle. Anywhere that wasn't her home was Heaven in Tsumiki's eyes.
"Home?" This isn't a home. Pictures of the dorm appeared in Tsumiki's mind.
This isn't a family. Tsumiki then thought of her friends.
This certainly isn't love. Tsumiki remembered all the kindness she had been shown at Hope's Peak by Naegi and the girls.
I hate it here, but if I ask for help, the others will find out about this. They can't know. What would they think of me? I'm just a filthy pig born of loveless people, Tsumiki thought. With that final thought, the dam burst and Tsumiki silently cried herself to sleep.
Just another normal day at the Tsumiki household.
The Next Day
Both being early risers, Kirigiri and Pekoyama were glad they didn't have to worry about waking the other in the mornings, however unlikely that would have been, considering both knew a thing or two about stealth. Both had known since the start of the school year that they were not so different. Anyone would think they were perfect for roommates, right?
The two girls in question would have to disagree with that assessment, given their current situation. They two had sat down for breakfast and had yet to say a word to each other. An immovable object had met an irresistible force, or rather, two ice queens were trying to read each other to start a conversation. And unfortunately for the two of them, they were failing.
What's a good ice breaker? Pekoyama wondered.
What questions can I ask Senpai that I don't already know the answer to? Kirigiri thought.
Both girls lamented that their friends made it look so easy. Naegi, Asahina, Yukizome, Sonia, any of the others at the dorm could start a conversation with no trouble. What was their secret?
The girls knew the answer to that. Being raised as a yakuza hitwoman and bodyguard, Pekoyama was used to not having to speak until spoken to. She rarely needed to speak when tasked with yakuza business, just looking intimidating was enough. Until recently, she was only ever really an extension of Kuzuryuu Fuyuhiko, or so she had always believed. Standing on her own was proving to be more than a little difficult.
Kirigiri had been raised to be a detective, everything else was secondary. Her conversational skills mostly existed so she could fish for information, when she wasn't outright questioning suspects, of course. Before Hope's Peak, the only real friend she had was the late Samidare Yui, someone who had been the exact opposite of Kirigiri and Pekoyama in terms of personality.
For the first time ever, the two girls felt uncomfortable with silence. Kirigiri could already feel a headache coming on from when someone at Hope's Peak found out about this. Though they had gotten better, Saionji and Enoshima's teasing had a way of getting on her nerves.
Pekoyama, meanwhile, was wondering if she could even function as anything other than a yakuza enforcer. If this was the best she could do with a friend, what hope did she have for when she was around total strangers?
Both knew they needed help. Both reached for their phones to call Naegi. Both froze after they found his name in their contacts. And both had the same fantasy play out in their minds.
"You two can't find anything to talk about? How is that even possible? I'm going to spend some time with real women instead of robots like you," Imaginary Naegi said with a look of disgust as he hung up on them.
Both girls shook their heads at that fantasy. Naegi-kun would never act like that, but no one can know about this, the two girls thought in a panic. Where did that leave them though? A conversation topic wasn't going to magically appear.
Wait, Kirigiri thought.
People always talk about their day, Pekoyama realized.
But what to do? Kirigiri wondered.
Shopping! Interesting things can happen when out shopping! Pekoyama concluded.
What do we need? the two asked themselves as they looked around the room for ideas.
"Plants!" Kirigiri shouted.
"What?" Pekoyama asked.
"Plants would look nice in here. Maybe I'll grow some catnip for Miyabi," Kirigiri said in an attempt to cover for her outburst.
"That sounds…nice," Pekoyama responded, unsure of what to say. Deciding to follow Kirigiri's lead, Pekoyama said, "Yes, she was so good when we were moving in, I should get her a treat too."
With that decided, the two went to pet their furry companion while thinking, You're a lifesaver, little friend.
At the sudden attention, Miyabi tilted her head and gave a questioning, "Nyan?"
Later
Pekoyama and Kirigiri might have found an issue with their plans. The issue being that the pet supply store and the gardening supply stores were so close to each other.
It's not a total loss, Kirigiri thought.
Something interesting can still happen in the store, right? Pekoyama asked herself.
Nothing interesting happened as it turned out. It was as mundane as the trip to the stores, much to Kirigiri and Pekoyama's frustration. Both gave a sigh and exited their respective store with their respective purchases, attempting to think of another plan, when a familiar face caught their eyes.
While Pekoyama and Kirigiri went shopping for Miyabi, Tsumiki had gone shopping for medical supplies. Her parents hadn't gone any easier on her or on each other this morning and Tsumiki found herself running low on bandages and antiseptic. She wished it wasn't such a common occurrence when she was at home. Tsumiki hoped that no one she knew saw her, she really didn't want to explain why her arms and legs now sported the same number of bandages.
"Tsumiki-san?" Pekoyama asked.
"EEEEEK! Tsumiki squeaked. Forcing herself to smile, Tsumiki turned to greet Pekoyama and found herself wanting to cry. Kirigiri-san is here too! She lamented. While Tsumiki might have been able to convince Pekoyama, if Kirigiri noticed her new injuries, Tsumiki wasn't certain she could trick Kirigiri. "Pekoyama-san. Kirigiri-san. I didn't expect to run into the two of you," Tsumiki greeted.
"Kirigiri and I were doing some shopping. We were…" Pekoyama began.
"Trying to get more familiar with the area," Kirigiri finished with a lie. Both girls could never admit the real reason they had come shopping.
"Oh, right. You both moved in recently. I should have gotten you both an apartment warming gift, please forgive me!" Tsumiki cried, drawing the attention of passersby.
"It's fine, Senpai. Please calm down," Kirigiri begged, trying to prevent making a further scene.
"O-okay," Tsumiki sniffled.
"Let's go get something for lunch. Tsumiki-san, is there anywhere in particular you like to eat?" Pekoyama asked hoping to pacify her crying classmate.
*Sniff* "Well…" Tsumiki began.
A cat café seems like an odd choice for Tsumiki-senpai. I would think she'd be more concerned with food safety and potential hygiene issues, Kirigiri thought as she pretended to look at the menu. While she was always jittery, something about Tsumiki seemed off. Kirigiri had noticed right away that Tsumiki had more bandages wrapped around her limbs than the last time they saw each other. While it might have been nothing, Kirigiri's instincts were telling her something was wrong.
While Tsumiki couldn't know what Kirigiri was thinking, her plan to distract Pekoyama had been a success. Today little kitties, you are all my emotional support animals, Tsumiki thought as Pekoyama focused on the cats more than the menu. Most important of all, Pekoyama was more focused on the cats than she was on Tsumiki's behavior and appearance. If Tsumiki's luck held out, maybe Pekoyama could help her convince Kirigiri all was well.
While the three students enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches and coffee in the company of many cats, Tsumiki was pleased that Kirigiri didn't ask too many questions.
"How are things at home, Tsumiki-senpai?" Kirigiri asked.
Why me? Tsumiki thought, cursing her luck. "Fine," she quickly answered.
"Things are fine for us too. Thankfully, it's not too different from life in the dorm. Simply less people," Kirigiri told Tsumiki.
"Does it get lonely?" Tsumiki asked.
"Not really. Pekoyama-senpai and Miyabi are wonderful company. And if we that's not enough, we both know that help is one call or message away," Kirigiri said. It wasn't her at her most subtle, but Kirigiri was hoping her word choice would get Tsumiki talking.
"We're lucky to have such great friends," Tsumiki added, not taking the bait.
So, we're doing this the hard way, are we, Senpai? Kirigiri thought as she decided to talk about something else. If Tsumiki wasn't going to open up on her own, Kirigiri would have to put her detective skills to good use.
Tsumiki breathed a sigh of relief when Kirigiri stopped asking questions, but soon asked one of her own. "Pekoyama-san, what are you looking at?" Tsumiki wondered as Pekoyama's gaze was focused on something under the table.
"That brown kitten has been looking at you for some time now, Tsumiki-san," Pekoyama said as she pointed out the kitten in question.
"Makoto-chan, time for lunch!" a waitress called as she approached the students. When the kitten, "Makoto-chan" the girls assumed, didn't budge, the waitress went to pick him up.
"Is everything okay here?" the waitress asked.
"Everything is fine," Kirigiri answered as Pekoyama and Tsumiki nodded.
"Are you sure? Makoto-chan is an empathetic little thing. He always knows when someone is troubled and comes over to help cheer them up," the waitress explained.
A fitting name then, the girls thought as they remembered another "Makoto-chan" that they knew.
"Come on then, you. It's mealtime," the waitress playfully scolded the kitten as she carried him away. Throughout this, the kitten never once looked away from Tsumiki.
Would you notice too, My Beloved? Should I just… No! No one can know. Not now, not ever! Tsumiki told herself.
While Kirigiri knew the actions of one kitten weren't proof of anything, she had a feeling that the other "Makoto-chan" would agree with her that something was wrong with Tsumiki.
Pekoyama seemed content to watch the cats eat, but she made sure that she could see Tsumiki in her peripheral vision. If Tsumiki's body language could help her see would Makoto-chan saw, she would watch it very closely going forward. Provided no other adorable distractions came near.
The rest of lunch passed by uneventfully, and Tsumiki soon parted from the others. Kirigiri and Pekoyama returned home in silence. This however was silent contemplation rather than the awkward silence they were becoming accustomed to. Kirigiri was replaying her conversation with Tsumiki, while Pekoyama was searching her memories of all the time she spent with Tsumiki. Both were hoping to glean some clues about why Tsumiki was acting strange.
Well, strange for Tsumiki-senpai/Tsumiki-san, the girls thought. As impolite as it might have been, even by Ultimate standards, Tsumiki wasn't what one would call "typical."
"I couldn't get her to admit she had new injuries, much less where she would have gotten them," Kirigiri mumbled.
"That's not really surprising. When we first became classmates, we asked about Tsumiki-san's bandages only for her to dodge the question. Eventually the rest of the class assumed it was either a fashion choice or Tsumiki-san took medical privacy, especially her own, very seriously. Her body language suggested that she didn't want to spend more time with us than she had to," Pekoyama explained.
"Admittedly, I don't know her as well as you do, but Tsumiki-senpai has always seemed nervous around other people," Kirigiri added.
"Not like this. Tsumiki-san has always wanted attention, but today, it made her more fidgety than usual. It's not much, but it makes me think something is wrong," Pekoyama told Kirigiri.
"Has she ever mentioned problems at home?" Kirigiri asked.
"Not specifically. However, when she talks about why she became a nurse, she mentions very specific injuries. We didn't really think much of it until she mentioned cigarette burns. We thought the other examples were the result of bullying or of something she had seen. She wouldn't be the only one in Class 77-B to have come from a tough neighborhood, after all. The burns though, no one is going to hold still and let someone put out a cigarette on them. Not unless they were forced to," Pekoyama explained.
"Did Yukizome-sensei ever try to follow up on this?" Kirigiri asked.
"She attempted to as soon as the words left Tsumiki-san's lips, but Tsumiki-san was adamant she was just giving random examples. It wasn't impossible, the Ultimate Nurse would have seen all types of injuries in patients. But…" Pekoyama trailed off.
"But?" Kirigiri pressed.
"Sometimes Tsumiki gets this faraway look in her eyes and an almost hollow tone to her voice when she goes into elaborate detail about something that happened or something she wants to do, and, well, I don't think the Ultimate Nurse would ever want to give someone burns," Pekoyama said.
Kirigiri, who by this time had pulled out her notebook, wrote this information down before nodding and saying, "I'm going to look into this. She may not like it, but I couldn't live with myself if I suspected Tsumiki-senpai was in trouble and I did nothing."
"I agree. May I join you?" Pekoyama asked.
"The more the merrier," Kirigiri said with a small smile.
Help is on the way, Tsumiki-senpai/Tsumiki-san! the two Ultimates mentally vowed.
The next day saw Pekoyama display her stealth skills while tailing Tsumiki. She never thought she'd be putting the skills she learned to act a Kuzuryuu's shadow to use for detective work, but she also never thought she'd be working with a detective, either.
Kirigiri had wanted to join her, but the Ultimate Detective had to admit that Pekoyama had her beat in this area. For now, she had to be content with following Pekoyama from a distance and watching for her signals. Speaking of which…
One wave, "Move up," Kirigiri reminded herself as she moved to the spot Pekoyama had previously occupied. Both Kirigiri and Pekoyama believed that the best course of action was to first find out where Tsumiki lived. After their lunch the previous day though, the girls didn't think they could just "conveniently" run into Tsumiki and ask where she lived. That left them with two options: Follow Tsumiki or ask someone who might know.
They easily eliminated the latter option. Tsumiki had never given that information and the only other option was to find her records at school. Though they were sure that Yukizome would be happy to help, neither Kirigiri nor Pekoyama saw any need to overly complicate things that way, so they were left with the first option. It was a great stroke of luck that they saw Tsumiki passing by their apartment just after they finished working out hand signals.
This plan seemed to be going smoothly enough. At the very least, Tsumiki had given no indication that she knew she was being followed. Soon, Pekoyama was signaling Kirigiri to join her.
Two waves, then pointing at the ground, "Come here," Kirigiri mentally confirmed as she joined Pekoyama in front of a non-descript apartment building. From their hiding spot, the girls saw Tsumiki enter one of the apartments. It appeared that they had reached their destination. Just to confirm, Kirigiri examined the names on the mailboxes. "'Tsumiki,' we're in the right place," Kirigiri told Pekoyama.
"What's next?" Pekoyama asked, ready to rush in and grab Tsumiki.
"Now, we gather information," Kirigiri answered as she walked towards the building's stairs.
Pekoyama followed Kirigiri as the younger girl made her way to the apartment directly under the one Tsumiki had entered. After Kirigiri had knocked, a middle-aged woman answered the door and with an annoyed tone asked, "What the hell do you two want?"
"Excuse me, Miss. We would like to ask about the people in the apartment above you. What can you tell us about the Tsumikis," Kirigiri asked.
"Why would I know anything about those three? And why would I tell you kids anything?" the woman asked as she made to shut the door.
Kirigiri, showing strength that would have impressed the more athletic Ultimates, held the door open before saying, "Ah le le? Those pill bottles on your table. You aren't abusing methamphetamines are you, Miss?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?" the woman asked as she tried to hide her face.
"The blotchy skin on your face, your aggression, your rapid eye movement and dilated pupils, all point to abusing drugs. I'm sure that's a blue pill I see near those bottles. You know Adderall is illegal in Japan, right?" Kirigiri asked.
"What's this about? Are you going to get the cops?" the woman asked.
"We aren't with the police, Miss. We just want to know about your neighbors on the floor above you. Tell us what we want to know, and you'll never see us again," Kirigiri told the woman.
"Fine," the woman sighed in defeat.
After several repeat performances of Kirigiri's investigative techniques, Pekoyama said, "Remind me never to try to hide things from you." Having seen Kirigiri discover the secrets of, and subsequently threaten, Tsumiki's neighbors, Pekoyama found herself both impressed and mildly terrified.
"It's just simple observation. If they didn't want to get caught, then they would have hidden everything better. I was raised to find the truth, by fair means or foul, and that's what I'm going to do," Kirigiri explained as she flipped through the notes she had taken. "The neighbors who have met her seemed fond of Tsumiki-san," Kirigiri noted.
"That isn't too surprising. Tsumiki-san has never discriminated when it comes to treating people. I doubt she cares if they've received injuries through illegal acts or not," Pekoyama added.
"Her family's next-door neighbors want them gone, though," Kirigiri noted, gravely.
"'Screaming matches. Crashes. The sounds of physical altercations. A young girl crying.'" Pekoyama read from over Kirigiri's shoulder. "I doubt there's an innocent explanation for this," she sighed.
"That depends on what Tsumiki-senpai says tomorrow," Kirigiri told the older girl.
"Tomorrow? Not tonight?" Pekoyama asked.
"There isn't much we can do if Tsumiki-senpai doesn't let us help. In addition to the neighbors' testimonies, we've seen her injuries, and we even heard a little of what the neighbors hear, but it isn't enough. It will be time to act soon, but for now, we need to be patient," Kirigiri explained.
"I know. It's just, Tsumiki-san and I have been classmates for almost two years now. I hate thinking any of my friends are in danger and I'm just allowing it to continue. I-I need to meditate for a bit once we get home. Perhaps that will help," Pekoyama said with a sigh.
"Very well. I need to think of how exactly we approach this. As well as what our next plan is if Tsumiki-senpai refuses to talk," Kirigiri said.
"Fair means or foul?" Pekoyama asked.
"Whatever it takes," Kirigiri assured her. "Honestly, from what we've seen, I suspect that everyone in that building, barring Tsumiki-senpai, at least, should probably be in jail. Junkies, pimps, illegal gambling, once this is all over, I think I'll need to make a few calls," Kirigiri said.
"But didn't you…" Pekoyama began.
"I said they'd never see us again. I never said I would keep what I saw a secret," Kirigiri said with a smile.
In addition to not hiding things, Pekoyama made a mental note to also never get on Kirigiri's bad side.
While Pekoyama and Kirigiri were speaking with her neighbors, Tsumiki had been dealing with her father. Usually, Tsumiki would have been okay with this, given that she normally suffered the most at the hands of her mother. That was not the case today, as when Tsumiki arrived home she saw her father surrounded by liquor and pill bottles, and unfortunately, her father was a mean drunk, to put it lightly.
Deciding it was in her best interest to clean up and then just keep her head down until her father sobered up. That was the plan at least, but cleaning up bottles is sometimes a noisy process and Tsumiki Shuhei was a light sleeper, even when passed out, drunk, and high.
"Fuckin' bish! Thinking she can talk to me like that! It's my money that pays for this apartment, do you understand!" Shuhei ranted.
Despite not knowing the details of the fight that caused this, Tsumiki attempted to reason with her father, "Papa, stop. Mama isn't here. I'll clean up, just go back to sleep."
"You think you can tell me what to do? You won't. Do you understand? DO YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU WON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Shuhei screamed.
Shrinking back, Tsumiki answered, "I understand."
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"Yes, I understand."
"Keep cleaning this shit up, then," Shuhei ordered.
"I need to get a trash bag," Tsumiki said as she left the room.
"You what?" Shuhei asked.
"Getting a bag, Papa. Just to clean up," Tsumiki responded.
"You… I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm telling you, you're not going to talk to me like this. Do you understand?" Shuhei asked again.
"I understand Papa, please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me," Tsumiki begged in fear.
"I'm going to put my hands on you, and you aren't going to stop me," Shuhei began.
"I'm not going to stop you," Tsumiki repeated.
"And if you try to stop me, I'll fucking kill you. Do you understand?" Shuhei asked as he wrapped his hands around his daughter's neck, choking her.
When Shuhei let go, Tsumiki dropped to the ground, coughed, and tried to get air back into her lungs.
"I-I'm the reason you and that whore can live here," Shuhei said.
"I know, Papa," Tsumiki replied.
"You do, huh?" Shuhei asked.
"Yes, Papa," Tsumiki answered.
"Yeah, that whore mother of yours is worthless. You think you'd have a place like this without me?" Shuhei asked.
"I appreciate it, Papa," Tsumiki answered.
"You better, because you're really a worthless daughter," Shuhei told Tsumiki.
"Yes, Papa," Tsumiki said as tears began to pool in her eyes.
"Nothing to say to that?" Shuhei asked.
"There's nothing to say," Tsumiki answered.
"Clean that shit up. Papa needs to lie down," Shuhei said as he staggered over to a nearby couch.
Tsumiki didn't let her tears fall until she had finished cleaning and was in the relative safety of her room. Her neck was a little sore, she knew there would be bruising there tomorrow. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Her parents were monsters, she knew that. She was in danger, she knew that. What could she do, where could she turn? She knew that too, but she wasn't sure she could take that step. She hoped she didn't run into Pekoyama or Kirigiri again any time soon. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back if they asked what was wrong.
The next day
Tsumiki couldn't bandage her neck without arousing suspicion, so she instead opted to use a scarf. No one she passed outside asked about it, they never did. As she finished her errands for the day, Tsumiki attempted to prepare herself to go back to her own personal hell. As she was preparing, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"EEEEEEKK! Tsumiki shrieked, before she turned and saw Kirigiri and Pekoyama.
"Sorry, Tsumiki-senpai. We didn't mean to scare you," Kirigiri told her frightened senpai as she took her hand off of Tsumiki's shoulder.
"We were just going to ask if you would join us for lunch," Pekoyama added.
Tsumiki wanted to turn them down. She had a feeling the other girls knew something was wrong with her. As she took deep breaths to try to calm herself, Tsumiki tried to think of an excuse to get away but could think of none. In reality, Tsumiki wanted to spend time with her friends. It would be impossible to avoid them forever, eventually, they would be back in the dorm. Maybe they won't ask anything. Maybe I can convince them not to say anything. Maybe they'll still be my friends if I beg, Tsumiki thought.
"How about we take you to our new place. You haven't seen it yet. We're sure you'll like it. And we can eat there, too," Pekoyama suggested calmly.
"Unfortunately, we aren't anywhere close to Hanamura-kun or even Naegi-kun in the kitchen, so we hope you'll be fine with something simple," Kirigiri added.
A trembling Tsumiki nodded and the three were on their way.
In a few minutes, the girls had arrived at Pekoyama and Kirigiri's apartment. As Kirigiri unlocked the door, Pekoyama told her classmate, "Make yourself at home."
When Tsumiki entered she couldn't help but notice how different it felt from her parents' apartment. Whereas her home felt dark, cold, and scary, this apartment felt bright, warm, and welcoming. As if to reinforce the feeling of warmth, Miyabi came and rubbed against Tsumiki.
"Hello Miyabi," Tsumiki said as she crouched down and scratched behind the feline's ears.
As Miyabi purred, Pekoyama noted, "It's great that this place is pet friendly."
"I'm glad we got the kittens to good homes before moving in. As adorable as they were, I don't know how they would have taken to being relocated. I think we lucked out when Miyabi took it so well," Kirigiri said.
"Do you like it here?" Tsumiki asked Miyabi.
In response, Miyabi purred louder.
"We like it," Kirigiri noted.
"It works for what we need it for," Pekoyama added with a shrug.
"I think it's wonderful," Tsumiki said as she stood up with Miyabi in her arms.
"Tsumiki-san, we had a bit of an ulterior motive in inviting you here today," Pekoyama admitted.
"Oh," Tsumiki responded, having expected that.
"Tsumiki-senpai, we followed you home the other day," Kirigiri confessed.
"Y-you did?" Tsumiki asked, ceasing scratching Miyabi as she began to panic.
"We were worried about you after lunch at the café. We spoke to several of your neighbors and… Are you safe at home?" Pekoyama asked.
"W-why wouldn't I be? My home life is perfectly normal. Not a problem in…" Tsumiki began to ramble.
"Tsumiki-senpai, I can see bruises on your neck. Your scarf came loose when Miyabi started pawing at it when you stopped scratching her," Kirigiri pointed out.
"I-I," Tsumiki stuttered.
"Your neighbors hear your parents screaming at you and at each other almost every day. They hear the crashes, the shattering glass, everything. Tsumiki-san, please, let us help you," Pekoyama begged.
That did it. Tsumiki broke down into a blubbering mess. Pekoyama rushed to rub her classmate's back as Kirigiri went to get her something to dry her eyes with. Even Miyabi patted Tsumiki's cheek with her tiny paw in a show of support. When she was able to speak again, Tsumiki wailed, "They hate each other! They fight all the time! Mama cheats and Papa climbs into a bottle! Mama gets violent when I get in her way! Papa hates looking at me! I have nowhere else to go, though! My grandparents want nothing to do with me! Mama's parents think I'm as pathetic as Papa and Papa's parents think I'm filthy like Mama! I hate it there! I wish I could live with all of you all the time! Sniffle!"
"That's what we were hoping you would say," Kirigiri said.
"Huh?" Tsumiki asked.
"You're moving in with us. Let's go get your things," Pekoyama clarified.
"W-wait! What about…?" Tsumiki began to ask.
"We'll deal with it," Kirigiri said as she and Pekoyama led Tsumiki back to her home for hopefully the final time.
In the Tsumiki apartment, Karin and Shuhei were both home when their door slam open and their daughter, carrying a large suitcase, and two other teenage girls entered. The adults saw their daughter turn to the others and ask, "Are you two sure about this?"
"Absolutely," Pekoyama said as she glared at Karin.
"Senpai, go get your things, we'll take care of the…arrangements," Kirigiri said as she glared at Shuhei.
"What's the meaning of this? You can't just barge into our home and…" Shuhei began.
"Yes, Tsumiki-san, let's talk about legality. Let's talk about an abusive, pill-popping, alcoholic, salaryman and his prostitute wife. Let's talk about the bruises on your daughter's neck and her ever increasing injuries when she's at home with the two of you. Feel free to call the cops, I work with them regularly, they know me, they'll be happy to moderate while we have this discussion. Tell them Detective Kirigiri Kyoko has need of their services," Kirigiri began. She wasn't even going to dance around the issue. She and Pekoyama were here for their friend, and nothing was going to stop them.
"Did that little bitch…" Karin started.
"Actually, Tsumiki-san, your neighbors told us that. Turns out you two aren't all that popular in this building. The other residents think you'll attract too much attention one day if you don't quiet down. Turns out they were right," Pekoyama said coldly.
"You're blackmailing us?" Karin asked, as she paled at the thought of jail.
"What do you two want?" Shuhei asked, now afraid.
"Just one thing. Your daughter is going to be moving out. She's coming to live with us and you two will not try to stop us. We know enough to have you two put away for a while, but we'd prefer to avoid that if possible. We just want our friend to be safe, and she won't be if she stays here, the two of you have proven that," Kirigiri told them.
"Take her. If she's gone, then I can leave too," Karin said, now excited at the prospect of not being tied to Shuhei.
"I wish you two had come along years ago. My parents can't object if she moves out on her own, I can finally divorce this whore and not lose and inheritance," Shuhei said happily.
Kirigiri and Pekoyama were in shock. They had expected anger. They had expected a fight. They hadn't expected the Tsumikis to be so accepting of their demand. Pekoyama shook her head and said, "You're both monsters, but I'm glad you two can at least do one thing right after all these years."
"I'm ready," Tsumiki called as she came out with the suitcase packed.
"Is that everything? You won't need to come back?" Kirigiri asked.
"I don't really have much. I try not to keep medical supplies here if I can help it and I don't have that many clothes," Tsumiki admitted.
"Let's go then. We've come to an understanding. It went much more easily than we expected," Pekoyama said as she led the other two out.
Tsumiki stopped and said, "Mama, Papa, I'm sorry everything ended like this. I know you two have been miserable for a long time, but I think you'll both be miserable now that I'm gone too. Because I'm not the cause of your problems and you two didn't make the other miserable. Your lives are misery because you made it that way. I hope one day you two can be happy, but until then, I can be perfectly happy without the two of you. Good-bye. In spite of everything, I hope we can meet again under happier circumstances." Tsumiki saw her friends smiling at her after that and knew that things were going to be alright.
Present Day
The rest of the week had gone by smoothly. Getting Tsumiki situated had been a simple matter. The three girls, and cat, had taken to living together rather well. There was only one problem.
Okay. Let's try this again, Kirigiri told herself.
What would make for good dinner conversation? Pekoyama asked herself.
I still have my 5,000 conversation topics memorized. I'm sure one of them will be useful, Tsumiki thought.
"…"
"…"
"Uh…"
Another failure, the girls thought as they hung their heads in despair. Even when Tsumiki had joined them, their conversations didn't get any livelier, assuming they happened at all. While the girls struggled to talk about something over dinner, they heard a sound from their living area.
When they went to check, they saw that the television was on. The girls saw Miyabi pawing at the remote and assumed she must have accidently turned the television on. Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Pekoyama suggested, "Maybe we should watch T.V. while we eat?"
Kirigiri and Tsumiki agreed and soon the three were seated on their couch as the news came on.
"In international news, everyone's favorite Hope's Peak Academy students are making waves in Novoselic," the anchor said as the feed cut away to footage of Naegi and the others. "A coup attempt by a distant relative of the royal family was stopped by the brave efforts of…"
As the girls watched the story and the interviews, their reactions were mixed. Pekoyama was frustrated that she had been unable to help, Kirigiri felt a headache coming on, and Tsumiki was relieved to see that no one had suffered any major injuries.
"Why is his first instinct to run toward danger?" Kirigiri asked.
"That's just how he is," Pekoyama sighed in resignation. She could protect anyone from outside threats, but she doubted she could protect Naegi from the risks his kind nature put him in.
"I'll check with Kimura-senpai and Gekkogahara-san. Maybe they help find a way to reign in those reckless tendencies of his," Tsumiki suggested.
"Hehee, hahaha!" The girls couldn't help but laugh.
The rest of dinner was filled with the girls talking about how they would deal with their reckless peers and crush upon their return from Novoselic. As the room filled with laughter, Tsumiki couldn't help but think, This is a home!
And there we go. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm sorry it took so long, I truly am.
Life has been a little crazy the past couple of months. I really wanted to get this out sooner, but things kept coming up. I promise that the wait won't be nearly as long next time. If I'm lucky enough that you all haven't given up on this story, I promise to do everything in my power to get the next chapter out at a reasonable time.
I hope you'll all stick around, because next chapter, everyone goes to the beach. Yes, it's another fanservice-y chapter, and hopefully it will be a fun one.
I hope everyone is satisfied with how things went with Mikan's parents. The more I thought about it, the more unlikely a fight seemed. What can Peko and Kyoko really do to people who would be doomed to lives of misery, if they were real people? I think we all know a Shuhei or a Karin, and, at least in my experience, the life they make for themselves is the worst punishment of all, because they just don't understand why it turned out like that. It's never their fault, after all.
Anyway, if you'd like, leave a review, even if all you want to do is tell me I took too long to get this chapter out. Just having you read and enjoy the story is enough for me, though.
Until next time, stay frosty!
(Yep, Kyoko pulled a Conan with that "Ah le le!" I couldn't resist)
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Beach Day Life with Ultimate Girls
Chapter Text
Chapter 26: Beach Day Life with Ultimate Girls
Hello again ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 back again, once again!
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter, knowing you enjoy this story makes it all worth it.
Now we've been pretty serious the past few chapters, for better or for worse. So now, I must ask: Are you ready? Ready for pure fanservice? Does it count as fanservice if it's typed and there are no illustrations? I would assume so, but I could be wrong.
As you can probably tell from the title, this is that beach chapter I kept promising. Beach attire will pretty much be the same from Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, with a few exceptions and additions, but we'll get to those throughout the chapter. I hope all of you will enjoy this chapter, but if you're wondering when we get back to the story proper, you know, life at the dorm, next chapter, I promise. So, look forward to that!
Without further delay, on with the story!
"Summertime. When the weather gets warm and the days get long, there's only one place to go. Sure, camping is fine for some, but to get the real summer experience one needs to go to the beach. The white, soft sand. The blue ocean that stretches beyond the horizon. The sun that makes it all sparkle like an endless sheet of the most priceless jewels. Really, it's the perfect place for romance…"
Enoshima turned to look to her side before finishing, "At least that's what I'd like to say." Her eyes were focused on Naegi in his t-shirt and swim trunks as he set up a parasol with the Warriors of Hope and Owari's family all trying to get his attention.
"Muku-nee said you narrate when you're annoyed. I just thought she was making that up," a young voice noted.
"Yes, well, sometimes things get complicated when your brother is involved," Enoshima said with a pout.
It was supposed to be simple. Summer break was half over, and the residents of the dorm had not been to the beach yet. Enoshima had a private villa and offered to put together a trip to the beach. This would serve as something of an apology for her actions throughout the school year, and the beach would serve as something of a battleground. After all, Naegi was still a teenage boy surrounded by attractive young women at a private beach. Either way, the girls were hoping for a shift in the relationship dynamic.
When Enoshima called to invite Naegi, Komaru and Monaca had overheard the words "beach" and "private villa" and had commandeered Naegi's phone to beg Enoshima to invite them. That soon devolved into Monaca inviting her friends and Komaru inviting Yuta. I can't help but admire their ability to get what they want. They're almost as good at it as me, Enoshima couldn't help but think. So, she acquiesced to them as a show of respect to her fellow little sisters. She also thought currying favor with them might be another way to win Naegi over, so inviting Komaru and the kids did have its advantages.
After that, Enoshima decided that one more group of children wouldn't make too much of a difference and asked Owari to bring her siblings. It also helped ease Enoshima's newfound sense of guilt over her past actions.
"Well, despite Junko-chan's pouting, you and the others being here isn't that big of a deal, Komaru-chan. Masaru-kun is the only one who invited someone else without telling anyone," Ikusaba said.
"Junko-onee-chan told me that was the witch who lives in the nearby caves," Komaru said in disappointment.
"Don't believe everything Enoshima-san tells you, Komaru-chan," Yukizome said as she approached the girls. "I have to say, Enoshima-san, this is very generous of you. We're all grateful to you for doing this, even if a few of the girls still have their doubts about you."
"You all may hate me again after this trip is over," Enoshima said with a confident smirk.
"That's a declaration of war if I ever heard one," Ikusaba said with a look to match her sister's.
"Age and experience can beat youth and strength, girls. Remember that," Yukizome said as she went to check on everyone else.
Komaru was just enjoying the show. It was like one of her favorite manga had come to life. Thanks for the material, Makoto! Komaru thought.
As Komaru was getting to know his dormmates better, Naegi had just finished setting up a spot on the beach for the children.
"…and one last umbrella and there we go. I need to go help Celes-san set up, but you kids can go play, just stay close by," Naegi told the children.
"I'm gonna go find Aoi-nee and Yuta-nii and go snorkeling," Masaru loudly declared.
"You should ask your cousin if she wants to go too," Kotoko suggested to Masaru.
"I think Yumeno-san is sleeping in the villa," Naegi said.
"Himiko-nee does love her naps," Masaru shrugged.
"I-I guess I'll go build sandcastles. Maybe if they're good enough, Mahiru-onee-chan will take pictures of them," Jataro said.
"I'm going to look for seashells. Pretty shells that pair well with the Lil' Ultimate Cutie that is me," Kotoko announced.
"I suppose I will explore. It will be like field research," Nagisa said.
"We're gonna go fishing with Akane-nee. Maybe we'll catch something really tasty," Sadaharu told Naegi as the other Owari children nodded in agreement behind him.
"What about you, Monaca-chan?" Naegi asked his newest little sister.
"Me? Oh, I haven't decided yet," Monaca responded. That's not really a lie, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do know who I'm going to do it with. Warriors of Hope Quest: Obtain the Perfect Sister-in-Law begins now, Monaca thought as she spotted Enoshima.
Little did Monaca know she wasn't the only one with that plan in mind. While the dorm residents each had their own plan of attack for today, the children and younger siblings who accompanied them were planning to lend a helping hand. Today was a competition and Naegi was the prize.
Oblivious to all of the scheming going on around him, Naegi said, "Well, like I said, I'm going to go help Celes-san get set up. If any of you need me, I'll be close by."
A little while later, Naegi was checking to see if he had forgotten anything for Celes. "Table, check. Towel, check. Umb-sorry, parasol, check. Chair, check. Did I forget anything, Celes-san?" Naegi asked his friend.
"No, my Knight, you have done admirably. Please, allow me to reward you," Celes said as she approached Naegi and unzipped her beach robe.
Upon seeing bare skin, Naegi began to panic. "Ce-Celes-san, p-please. I know you like your jokes, but this is-" Naegi stammered as he covered his eyes.
"Relax, Naegi-kun. I am wearing a bikini," Celes told him as she internally celebrated Naegi's reaction to her.
Uncovering his eyes, Naegi did see that she was wearing a bikini. It wasn't too revealing. It actually looked like her normal outfit had turned into swimwear. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naegi began to laugh at himself. "Sorry Celes-san, when I saw you in that robe…Well, I guess I didn't expect you to be dressed for swimming." Get your mind out of the gutter, Makoto! Why did I think that anyway? Naegi asked himself.
"Make no mistake, Naegi-kun, I have no intention of getting wet, and I refuse to get a tan. In fact, that is where your reward comes in," Celes explained.
"Huh?" was Naegi's confused reply.
"You are going to put sunscreen on me. And I want you to be thorough. Leave no spot uncovered," Celes ordered with a smile as she held a bottle of sunscreen out for Naegi to grab.
That's why I thought that, Naegi realized. Never one to turn down a request or an order, Naegi did comply by taking the offered bottle. Celes laid down on her stomach before motioning Naegi to begin.
"Ah! So cold," Celes moaned and shivered as Naegi's lotion covered hand made contact with her back.
"S-sorry, Celes-san," Naegi stuttered as he tried to think of anything else but the intimate situation he was in. He had known there was a chance something like this would happen, but now that it had, he found himself unprepared for it. Think of anything else. Don't think about Celes-san's back or the curve of her hips. Don't think about her slender neck…It's not working! Naegi screamed in his head. The best he could hope for was to put his brain on autopilot for this.
"Mmm, excellent, my darling knight. I think a promotion is in order," Celes cooed as she enjoyed the sensation of her crush's hands rubbing her. When she was sure Naegi had covered the exposed skin behind her, she rolled over and ordered, "Now do my front."
Naegi nearly short-circuited upon hearing that but complied with a nod.
"Heehee, careful, I'm ticklish," Celes giggled as Naegi rubbed lotion on her stomach.
"I would never have expected that," Naegi said in a desperate attempt to distract himself with a conversation.
Dropping her act, Celes, or rather Yasuhiro Taeko, leaned over and whispered in Naegi's ear as he was covering her arms. "Someday, I'll tell you all my weak spots."
Naegi's face turned an unhealthy shade of red as her hurriedly finished and said, "Glad I could help, Celes-san. If you need anything else, I'll be around," before hurrying off towards the water. I really hope it's cold. Why do I think I'll be hoping for that a lot today? Naegi wondered.
"Oh my," Celes thought aloud. "Perhaps I overstimulated him too soon." After some thought, she shrugged. Naegi wouldn't hold it against her. Now that she had her fun, she could enjoy the show for the rest of the trip. My strategy today girls is "high risk, high reward" what will your opening plays be? she wondered.
After Naegi had both cooled and dried off, Enoshima approached him. "Wow, Naegi-kun, no need to rush. We haven't even been here an hour and you've already been in and out of the ocean. We're here to relax."
"I…well, I…oh boy," Naegi stammered as he struggled to come up with an excuse.
"I'm joking. We're all going at our own pace today. Just look at me, I haven't even taken off my overshirt and shorts yet," Enoshima said as she pointed to herself.
Naegi saw that that was indeed the case as Enoshima had not changed into swimwear yet.
Enoshima caught him looking and smirked. "I'm wearing my swimsuit under my clothes. Now seems like a good a time as any to take these off," she said playfully as she turned her back to Naegi.
As Enoshima removed her shirt and shorts, Naegi saw that she was wearing a school competition swimsuit. I hope I don't look disappointed, Naegi thought.
Without turning around, Enoshima asked, "Naegi-kun, could you get something out of the pocket in my shorts?"
Naegi dug around in the pockets and pulled out a black sharpie. "Enoshima-san," Naegi began, "why do you need a marker?" Naegi's question was answered as he looked up to see Enoshima thrusting out her chest with a blank spot on the swimsuit.
"Go ahead and mark me, my Ultimate Hope," Enoshima said giving her breasts a playful jiggle.
Naegi may not have been able to turn his brain off when he was with Celes. His brain had completely shut down with Enoshima, his nosebleed the only proof he was not an incredibly realistic statue.
"Naegi-kun? You in there?" Enoshima asked as she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.
"I told you this would be too much," Ryoko reprimanded.
"Today is a battle of seduction, Ryoko-chan. Either go big or go home," Enoshima responded.
"Go change. How about that," Ryoko said. Then, becoming rather bashful, Ryoko added, "Besides, that bikini you bought was a much better choice for this."
"And yet you judge me," Enoshima replied in mock disappointment.
"We should do something about Naegi-kun though, Ryoko pointed out, ignoring Enoshima.
"Well, there is a nice, secluded spot a little further down the beach," Enoshima said as she made up her mind, only to find that during her inner conversation, Naegi had disappeared. "Where did he go?" she asked.
Monaca came from behind Enoshima and answered, "Mikan-onee-chan saw Naegi-kun bleeding and took him inside the villa. Playing to your strengths isn't a bad idea Junko-onee-chan, but you overstimulating him isn't going to do you any favors today."
"I never thought being 'too sexy' was possible," Enoshima sighed.
"I think ordinarily you'd be right, but today you have other weapons at your disposal," Monaca said with a playful smirk.
"Oh? And what might those be?" Enoshima asked, understanding what Monaca was saying.
"You have groups of adorable children around, it's the perfect opportunity to show another side of yourself. Showing a cute and nurturing side of yourself might help you with Makoto-onee-chan," Monaca suggested as she held out her hand.
"Let me change and then we can get to work, my adorable little sister," Enoshima said as she shook Monaca's hand.
At that moment, Naegi could swear he heard Tanaka's voice in his head saying, "a dark bargain has been struck." Naegi blamed it on being disoriented due to blood loss and his recent regaining of consciousness.
Tsumiki saw Naegi shake his head and asked, "Is everything alright, Naegi-kun?"
"Yeah, everything is fine, just a little delirious, I guess," Naegi answered. That wasn't completely true, as Naegi still found himself in an awkward situation.
Tsumiki Mikan was, among other things, well…meek. So having her tend to him in such a bold and revealing bikini was causing Naegi more than a little bit of trouble. If you don't want another nosebleed, look anywhere else in the room. Do not look directly at Tsumiki-senpai no matter how much you want too…Bad Makoto, bad! Naegi mentally scolded himself.
Tsumiki was oblivious to all of this at the moment. As the Ultimate Nurse, she was nothing if not professional. She sat Naegi down and before instructing him. "Lean forward and firmly pinch below the bridge of your nose non-stop for 10 minutes."
Naegi pinched his nose but before he leaned forward, he noticed that Tsumiki was directly in front of him. "Uh, Senpai, about me leaning forward…" he began.
Misunderstanding, Tsumiki put her hand behind Naegi's head and said, "Like this," before she pulled Naegi's head into her chest, causing Naegi to freeze up while turning an unhealthy shade of red.
Naegi had no idea how he and Tsumiki were in this position before he realized that he and Tsumiki had an audience. A small girl with red hair in a witch's hat, about a year younger than Naegi, had entered the room while muttering, "Snack for mana," while half asleep. Once she turned and saw Naegi and Tsumiki, she woke right up and screamed, "Nyeeeeehhhh!"
This snapped Naegi out of his own stupor, as he screamed "Gyaaah," while blood gushed from his nose.
Naegi's outburst and once again bloody nose caused Tsumiki to realize what had been happening as she screamed, "EEEEEEEKKKKKK!"
Once the mess was cleaned up and everything was explained to the young girl, Yumeno Himiko, Naegi sat on a nearby couch and followed Tsumiki's original instructions while Tsumiki waved a paper fan to cool him off.
"I'm sorryyyyy!" Tsumiki wailed as she waved the fan.
"It's fine, Senpai. You didn't mean any harm," Naegi assured her.
Yumeno, who sat off to the side as she munched on a candy bar, looked at the two and thought, Do I really want to go to Hope's Peak Academy? Seems like a noisy place.
Asahina Aoi loved the beach. Really, she loved anywhere where she could swim. She was the Ultimate Swimmer for a reason, after all. This beach trip was different though. A competition unlike any other she had ever taken part in was taking place and the prize was Naegi Makoto.
So how did she win this competition? That was the big question she was asking herself. What to do? What to do? Just showing off my talent won't do, Naegi-kun already knows what I can do. I don't think I can impress him any more than he already is with my swimming talent, Asahina thought as she was treading water. When she was in the water, everything seemed so much simpler and she thought much more clearly, so the first thing she did was swim out to deeper water.
Unfortunately, she couldn't really tell what was happening on the beach from her position. Rather, she could see, but she couldn't really make out the motive behind it. She saw Naegi rub lotion on Celes, much to Asahina's annoyance. She saw Enoshima take off her shirt and shorts to reveal a competition swimsuit and hand Naegi something.
What's that dripping off of Naegi-kun? Asahina wondered.
She saw Tsumiki take Naegi into the villa. That seemed like as good a reason as any to return to shore. Asahina's arms were getting tired, anyway. Though jealousy and suspicion brought her back to shore, Asahina was still unsure of what she was going to do. Invite Naegi to go swimming? That might work, but she needed a break first. Ask for him to put sunscreen on her? She was still good on that front.
Maybe there are donuts in the villa. Sugar will help me think, Asahina reasoned as she stepped out of the water.
By this time, Naegi had come back outside and saw Asahina come out of the water. Being the helpful soul that he was, he decided to bring her towel to her. As Naegi approached, he asked, "Are you enjoying yourself, Asahina-san?"
"You bet I am!" Asahina exclaimed happily, both because she had enjoyed herself and because her chance with Naegi had presented itself. Until, of course, Asahina realized she still didn't have a plan. Hoping that she would come up with something, Asahina accepted her towel and began to dry off.
Meanwhile, Naegi had come to the conclusion that Asahina didn't play fair. There was no way around it, Asahina was a rare combination of sexy and cute, and never was that more apparent than now. Her hair was wet, and her tanned skin was glistening in the sunlight as droplets of water trailed down her body. Down her slender neck. Down her powerful thighs. Down into the valley between her large…anyway, Naegi knew that many others would kill to be in his position.
Naegi was so spellbound by the sight of his classmate that he didn't hear her calling for him. "Naegi-kun? Yoohoo! Naegi-kun," Asahina called.
"Huh? Sorry Asahina-san. I was just admiring the view," Naegi admitted before freezing up again. Why did I admit that? I sound like a pervert, Naegi thought.
He needn't have worried. Asahina was oblivious to the true meaning as she said, "It's great, isn't it. It's beautiful!"
"Yeah," Naegi agreed. You are, he silently added.
Asahina did end up using her talents, just not the ones she was expecting.
As Naegi and Asahina were having their moment, Maizono and Koizumi were making the most of the view as well.
Maizono had done so many photoshoots on beaches that this trip felt more like a homecoming than a getaway and Koizumi would never pass up such a picturesque location and not take photos.
"That's good, Sayaka-chan! Now give me your best pout!" Koizumi ordered.
Maizono did just that, but Koizumi swore she saw Maizono give a surprised look before she pouted. After snapping the picture, Koizumi followed Maizono's gaze and saw Naegi with Asahina and soon Koizumi had a pout to match Maizono's.
Though it made them feel guilty, the two were happy when Asahina ran into the villa. Seizing the opportunity, Maizono called out, "Naegi-kun! Over here!"
"Maizono-san! Koizumi-senpai! You two look like you're enjoying yourselves," Naegi said as he noticed Koizumi's camera.
"What can I say? Sayaka-chan is a great subject. I thought about asking Junko-chan to join us, but she seems busy with Monaca-chan," Koizumi explained.
Changing the subject, Maizono asked, "Are you alright, Naegi-kun? We saw Tsumiki-senpai pull you into the villa a little bit ago."
The memory of Enoshima's request caused Naegi to turn red before he stuttered, "F-fine. J-just a prank fr-from E-Enoshima-san having unintended consequences."
Though curious, the girls didn't press Naegi any further. Instead, Koizumi asked, "Naegi-kun, could you model for me for a bit? I want to give Sayaka-chan a break."
"I don't mind, but are you sure? I don't think I've got what people would call a 'beach body'," Naegi said, self-consciously.
"I have to disagree, Naegi-kun, that exercise regimen you've been on is clearly paying off," Maizono countered, as she flirtatiously rubbed Naegi's arm, paying close attention to the developing muscles.
Koizumi clenched her teeth and added, "Sayaka-chan is right, Naegi-kun. And what better way to commemorate that than with pictures that showcase your progress."
Still slightly embarrassed, Naegi agreed. "Okay. If you're sure, then I'm happy to help."
*Click*
"Wait, we're starting now?" Naegi asked as he turned bright red.
"When the perfect shot presents itself, I have to take it," Koizumi said with a shrug. That's one for the private collection, Koizumi told herself.
I guess that makes sense for the Ultimate Photographer, Naegi thought.
"Now, go stand over there where Sayaka-chan was standing. I'll tell you how to pose when you're there," Koizumi ordered.
"Yes, Senpai!" Naegi responded.
As he was doing that, Maizono walked over to Koizumi and whispered, "I want a copy of that last one. He looked absolutely adorable."
Koizumi thought about it and then nodded. I guess I can share some of my collection with others who appreciate it, Koizumi reasoned.
A few minutes later
"Try flexing a bit!" Koizumi ordered.
"Wh-what?"
"Sorry Naegi-kun, but you're cute when you're self-conscious," Maizono explained.
I wouldn't have outright admitted it but… "It does make him fun to tease," Koizumi agreed as she snapped a few pictures.
How does Enoshima-san do this? Naegi wondered, before remembering that Enoshima was more likely to be the teaser and not the teasee.
After a few more pictures, Naegi said, "I'm glad to see our repair job holding up, Koizumi-senpai."
"It's been working just like new," Koizumi responded happily as she rubbed her cheek against her camera.
*Click*
Koizumi went wide-eyed as she saw Naegi holding up his phone snapping pictures of her. "That one is so cute, I should use it as wallpaper," Naegi said.
"D-delete that right now!" Koizumi ordered.
"Sorry, Koizumi-senpai. As per my master's teachings, once I take a photo, I never delete it," Naegi teased before he started to run, with Koizumi soon running after him.
Maizono was off to the side trying not to laugh. Her cheeks were puffed out, she was hunched over, and her mouth was covered, hardly looking like the elegant and composed idol she was.
*Click*
Now it was Maizono who looked like a deer in the headlights as Naegi had stopped long enough to take a picture of her.
"Can't have you feeling left out, Maizono-san," Naegi said cheekily.
"Naegi-kun, you'd better delete that," Maizono growled before lunging at Naegi.
After a few minutes of running, Koizumi collapsed, completely out of breath. Naegi and Maizono soon plopped themselves down next to her to make sure she was alright. As the three laid on their backs, Naegi decided to take one last picture.
*Click*
"Naegi-kun!" Maizono scolded.
"Just look, Maizono-san," Naegi said as he showed the picture. The three students were red-faced but smiling widely. Even though Maizono and Koizumi had their eyes shut in the picture, the two girls thought it was the best picture taken all day.
"I-huff, I need to step it up. The Ultimate Photographer can't be outdone by a novice. Even if he is her student. But it's my loss today. I don't think I can beat that," Koizumi said with a laugh.
"The day isn't over yet, Senpai," Naegi encouraged with a smile. "That said, I do think this is the best photo I've ever taken. If you don't mind my saying, I think you two look beautiful in this," Naegi added while blushing.
Maizono who was used to compliments, just blushed and smiled. Koizumi, however, turned completely scarlet and fainted.
"K-koizumi-senpai!" Maizono and Naegi shouted.
Maizono checked to see if Koizumi overheated. While Koizumi did feel a little warm, Maizono understood that it was what Naegi said that caused this.
When Maizono moved aside, Naegi picked Koizumi up and said to Maizono, "I'll get Koizumi-senpai inside and cool her down." With that, he ran off to the villa.
Sweet boys like Naegi-kun are dangerous, Maizono realized. With a sigh, the Ultimate Idol said, "We all picked a complicated man to love," before following Naegi and Koizumi inside.
Maizono eventually shooed Naegi out of the villa, much to the boy's confusion. After assuring him that she would look after Koizumi, Naegi did go back to the beach where he spotted Nanami, Pekoyama, Ikusaba, and Sonia with a…watermelon?
"Suikawari?" Naegi asked as he approached.
"Oh, Darling. Yes, I suppose it is," Sonia said, unusually subdued.
"Pekoyama-san and Ikusaba-san are a little too good," Nanami added as the two girls in question looked uncharacteristically sheepish.
"What do you mean 'too good'?" Naegi asked, unsure of why that would be an issue.
"Our instincts are allowing us to find the watermelons without guidance," Ikusaba explained.
"And, well, Sonia-san seems disappointed there isn't much of a mess," Pekoyama added as she pointed to cleanly cut watermelon halves behind the group of girls.
"That's not unusual if you're using a sword that is sharp enou…okay, I see what you mean," Neagi finished as Nanami held out a dull wooden sword. "How did you even manage to make such clean cuts with this?" Naegi asked.
With a shrug, Ikusaba and Pekoyama answered, "Natural talent?"
I had to ask, Naegi thought with a chuckle. "If you want a smashed watermelon, I suppose I could give it a try," Naegi offered. The words had barely left his mouth as Sonia blindfolded him and spun him around.
"My Darling saves the day once again," Sonia chirped happily as she finished spinning the boy and placed the wooden sword in his hands.
As Naegi stumbled forward, he heard the four girls attempting to guide him.
"Darling, straight ahead!"
"Young master, a little to the left."
"Too far, Naegi-kun. Back to the right."
"Up, left, down left!"
Is Nanami-senpai giving me directions to the melon or is she guiding me through the Lost Woods? Naegi asked himself. As odd as it was, Naegi still did as instructed until all four girls told him to take a swing. Naegi felt something cold splatter on him, signifying that he had indeed been successful.
After Naegi removed his blindfold, he announced, "Hey girls, I did it!" Once the four had congratulated him, all five students decided it was time for a snack. Nothing ever ends simply for the young Lucky Student, though, and he soon found himself being fed watermelon by the four and unable to turn any of it down.
Naegi was glad that he had managed to avoid getting sick from overeating watermelon. When Owari and her family had passed by, he made sure to offer them some and thankfully they had taken him up on his offer. Owari may love her meat, but thankfully, Naegi had managed to get the children to adhere to a more balanced diet.
When Suguru and the others asked if he wanted to join them in fishing, Naegi gladly accepted. He hadn't been able to spend as much time with the young Owaris or the Warriors of Hope as he would have liked this summer and was determined to make up for that today.
While Owari and Sadaharu started baiting hooks, Naegi took time to show Mari, Ataru, and Suguru how to cast their lines.
"While you hold onto the pole, use your thumb to press this button. Pull your arm back and as you swing forward, take your thumb off the button," Naegi said as he demonstrated the motions ending in a decent cast.
"Nice one, Mako-nii!" Ataru cheered.
"Ataru! You're scaring the fish," Mari scolded.
"Does that mean we won't catch anything?" Suguru asked.
"It's okay, Suguru-chan. The fish should be back if we're all quiet and once they know there's food," Naegi reassured the youngest Owari. "Now, casting takes practice, so if any of you need help, just let me or your sister know. And be careful, those hooks are sharp," Naegi told the little Owaris.
"Yes, Mako-nii," the three said.
It wasn't long before everyone was set up. The only ones who had trouble were Ataru and Suguru, which wasn't surprising given their age. While Suguru was more than happy to let his sister and his big brother figure help him, the more spirited and impatient Ataru was not. He was bound and determined to cast his line by himself.
"Ataru-kun, if overhand is giving you trouble, try side casting for now. I always found it easier because I can see my hand," Naegi explained as he demonstrated the technique.
"Okay, I think I can do that," Ataru said as Naegi handed back his rod.
"Mako-nii, can you help us reel this in!" Sadaharu called as he and Owari fought with something on his line.
Naegi rushed over in an attempt to help, leaving Ataru to practice. Naegi didn't know what Sadaharu hooked, but it was strong, and it certainly felt big. With no small amount of effort, Naegi, Owari, and Sadaharu managed to get the fish close enough to see its shadow in the water.
During this time, Ataru had taken up a position close by, figuring that if Sadaharu caught a big fish in this spot, he could too. Doing just as Naegi had shown him, he moved his arm and his pole to the side in an attempt to side cast. Unfortunately, six-year-olds aren't known for being mindful of their surroundings as Ataru's hook hooked itself on Owari's bikini top. One cast later and Ataru was using a very familiar looking lure.
The snaping sound broke Naegi's focus. Later, he would realize that he shouldn't have been surprised. With how hard the three were fighting with Sadaharu's catch, Owari's top had begun to strain against her sizable bust. But right now, Naegi felt blood coming from his nose before he jumped back with all his might, all while keeping his grip on Sadaharu's fishing pole. Naegi's Ultimate Luck didn't let things end with that though, as his jump was the extra push, or rather pull, he and the others needed to land Sadaharu's catch.
While Owari was celebrating, her younger sister, Sayuri covered her eldest sister's breasts with her hands; Sadaharu was trying to reel in Ataru's line as fast as he could; and Naegi had fainted again.
I'm starting to think there's something to being the "Ultimate Lucky Student." I've lost a lot of blood but I'm still alive, and that certainly is lucky, Naegi thought as he regained consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that he was still outside if his view of the sky was any indication. The next thing he noticed was that there was a slight weight on the lower half of his body. Naegi had some idea of what that weight was, but to confirm it, he carefully lifted his head to check. Naegi's suspicions were confirmed when he saw everything from his waist down buried in sand.
"H-hey Mako-nii," Jataro greeted timidly.
"We were wondering when you would wake up," Masaru said with a wide grin.
"We hope you don't mind. I told them to wait and ask you, but Hiyoko-onee-san was insistent that you wouldn't mind," Nagisa explained.
Ordinarily, Naegi wouldn't mind. Hearing that Saionji was involved had him a little on edge. Although she was better behaved, sometimes Saionji would still go too far. "As long as she didn't go to fetch crabs to bury with me, I'm fine with this. I know we haven't had a lot of time together and I'm sorry about that," Naegi told the boys.
"You can't help being important, Mako-nii. We know we have to share you. It's just…" Nagisa tried to say.
"We're still kids, so we're allowed to be selfish every once in a while. And we want our Mako-nii!" Masaru added.
"That's why we were so excited to come here with everyone. Even if it meant we only got a bit of time with you," Jataro finished.
Careful not to mess up their work, Naegi pulled the boys into a hug as best he could. Sadly, the tender moment didn't last.
"Hey! No hugs without the Lil' Ultimate Cutie!" Kotoko shouted as she ran towards the boys. "It's not fair, I love Mako-nii too, you know!" Kotoko yelled at them.
"Mako-nii loves you too, Kotoko-chan," Naegi said as he gave the small girl a big hug as well. Once he let go, Naegi asked, "Were you with Saionji-senpai?"
"Yep! Hiyoko-nee and I are gonna make you pretty, Mako-nii," Kotoko explained.
"Huh?" Naegi asked. At his new angle, Naegi looked at his lower half again. Rather than a mound of sand, Naegi saw that he was sporting a mermaid's tail. Looking past Kotoko, he saw a mound of seaweed, which he could only assume was going to be a makeshift wig.
"So, finally up, are you?" Saionji asked with a slightly sinister edge in her voice. Naegi saw that she was carrying two seashells and a handful of flowers. Naegi had a feeling he knew what those were for. "I got you the perfect top and necklace to go with your new hairstyle, Naegi-kun," Saionji explained.
"Well, I guess that's not so bad," Naegi said with a sigh of relief as Saionji placed the shells and flowers. Considering who he was talking to, he knew it could have been much worse.
"And when your makeover is finished, we'll send pictures to everyone," Saionji said as she held up her phone.
"Wait, what?" Naegi asked.
"You wouldn't want to disappoint these precious little ones, would you? Their Mako-nii would never do that. And they were so looking forward to playing with you today," Saionji said in an attempt to guilt trip Naegi. To give Naegi a little extra push, the four Warriors of Hope gave Naegi the Lil' Ultimate Puppy Dog Eyes.
Resigned to his fate, Naegi laid down and said, "You're a bad influence, Senpai."
"And you'd make a good father…er, I mean, you're a good older brother. You're a good older brother," Saionji corrected herself.
Whether they heard her the first time or not, the Warriors happily agreed.
The day was winding down, and although they were staying at the villa tonight, it was almost time for dinner. Ordinarily, this would be a simple enough matter, but Naegi noticed that no one had seen Mioda, Komaru, or Yuta for quite some time.
After the group had lunch, Mioda had announced that she had found a cave nearby and said she wanted to do some spelunking. Komaru joined her, thinking it sounded fun, while Yuta decided he needed a change of pace after his all of his races against his sister.
That had been hours ago, causing the others to worry. I don't know why. Mioda-senpai is responsi-…well, Komaru is…no, not really. Yuta-kun! Yuta-kun is…okay, maybe there's plenty of reason to worry, Naegi thought as he hurried to the cave.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOAAAAA!"
Naegi knew he didn't imagine that, but he had a feeling that he wasn't about to enter a haunted cave. Although, knowing Mioda-senpai, she'd probably love to play with a ghost, Naegi thought as an image of Mioda partying with famous ghosts flashed in his mind. Add in Komaru's sensitivity to spirits and for all Naegi knew, it could happen. Deciding he needed to focus, Naegi shook his head and went into the cave, pulling out his flashlight in preparation for what he might find.
He wasn't exactly prepared for this. In fact, he wasn't even sure he understood what he was seeing. "The Ghost with the Most" it was not, it wasn't even "The Ghost with the Least," it was Mioda, tangled up in an old rope that looked like it had been pulled out of the ocean, with Komaru and Yuta attempting to untangle her. That answered one question but raised so many others. "Mioda-senpai, what happened?" Naegi asked.
"Oh, hey Mako-nii," Yuta greeted.
"Would you believe this happened as an unfortunate jump rope accident?" Komaru asked.
"Actually, I would," Naegi admitted, as he approached Mioda. "Are you alright, Mioda-senpai?" he asked.
"I'm okay, Makoto-chan. Just a little tied up," Mioda joked with a wink.
"So, a 'jump rope accident'. Like I said, I believe that, but I'm not sure how exploring a cave leads to this," Naegi said as he began to try an untangle Mioda.
"Well, it turns out the cave is flooded further back. When we were about to leave, we saw a hole that leads out into the ocean," Komaru began.
"The water was so clear we could see a box with this rope wrapped around it. So, I dove down to get the rope so we could try to pull it out. And well, I don't know if the rope was rotting away or if the box was too heavy, but the rope snapped," Yuta continued.
"It wasn't a total loss because the box moved and broke open. Unfortunately, it was empty," Komaru added.
"Ibuki decided to show them that this rope was a great treasure," Mioda interjected.
"But the cave floor was slippery and, well, you see the results," Yuta finished.
"I sure do. Could you two run to the villa and get a knife or something? Ask Ikusaba, she usually has one handy. I'll see what I can do here," Naegi said as he got to work on untangling Mioda. When the two younger group members left, Naegi asked Mioda, "You aren't hurt are you, Senpai?"
"Ibuki is okay, Makoto-chan. Yuta-chan and Komaru-chan just seemed so disappointed with our adventure that Ibuki had to try to cheer them up," Mioda answered.
"They appreciated it, trust me," Naegi reassured Mioda as he made progress untying her.
"You think so?" Mioda asked, hopefully.
"I know my sister, she did. And while I may not know Yuta-kun as well as Asahina-san does, I think I know him well enough. Just the fact that you tried to make this fun for them means a lot," Naegi told Mioda, as he removed more of the rope.
"That's good. If Ibuki brings her friends on an adventure, her friends need to have fun," Mioda said.
"They did worry about you when you got tied up, but that's to be expected when something like this happens. And done!" Naegi announced as he dropped the rope at his and Mioda's feet.
"Once again, the day is saved. All thanks to Makoto-chan!" Mioda announced with a bounce and a happy pose. It seemed as though she hadn't learned her lesson as she slipped again and collided with Naegi, landing on top of him.
The two Ultimates were face-to-face, the surprise making it look as though they were staring into each other's eyes. It was at that moment that Komaru and Yuta came back. Komaru just smirked, but Yuta asked, "Do, uh, do you want us to come back?"
Mioda and Naegi both turned scarlet and scrambled to get up, both babbling in an attempt to explain the situation. Although Mioda found herself wishing the kids had taken more time in finding the knife.
After the misadventure in the cave, Naegi was happy dinner went off without a hitch. Beach barbeque was simple enough, thankfully, and everyone was more than happy to help. Of course, just because the sun had set didn't mean the fun was over. Summer wasn't summer without fireworks, after all, and the group made sure they had plenty.
From rockets to firecrackers to sparklers to snakes, there was even a bamboo launcher. The smaller children were each given a sparkler, although Masaru lit a fountain and ran off with it, declaring it the hero's weapon "Illumina". Thankfully, Ikusaba put a quick stop to that with a tackle and a giant swing into shallow water. After ensuring the boy would properly reflect on his reckless actions, the group worked their way up to bigger and bigger fireworks.
Naegi, however, was exhausted from the events of the day and decided to relax and enjoy the show.
"Rough day?" someone asked.
Naegi turned and saw Yukizome sit down next to him. Naegi knew he shouldn't think it, but he was disappointed that Yukizome was wearing a t-shirt over her pale blue bikini. "Yes and no," he answered. "I had fun, but I didn't spend time with everyone. I'm sorry about that, Sens-Chisa-chan," Naegi said as Yukizome gave him a dangerous look.
"We're spending time together now, aren't we?" Yukizome reminded him. "I am happy you all include me in these things. Not as a teacher, but as a friend, too."
"You're one of us, Chisa-chan. Like it or not," Naegi joked.
"Oh, I like it just fine. A little bit of insanity isn't so bad. Every once in a while, at least. It makes these quiet moments much more enjoyable," Yukizome replied. When Naegi didn't say anything else, Yukizome began to say something before she felt a weight on her shoulder.
"Naegi-kun?" she asked.
The only response she got was some light snores.
"You really wore yourself out today, didn't you?" Yukizome asked softly, not expecting a response. After she asked that question, Yukizome carefully resituated Naegi so that his head was in her lap. Yukizome didn't say anything after that, she just stroked Naegi's hair and softly hummed a lullaby. He's earned it, she reasoned. She was glad she bided her time today. She may not have gotten to speak with Naegi as much as she liked, but she was going to make the most of this intimate moment.
Naegi awoke suddenly, feeling disoriented. The last thing he remembered was talking to Yukizome and now he found himself in a futon, surrounded by his friends who were fast asleep in their own futons. Someone must have moved me to my futon. Good thing I was dressed for bed, he thought. Attempting to go back to sleep, Naegi rolled on his side only to see a green lump under his blanket.
Lifting up the blanket, Naegi saw Monaca sleeping soundly next to him. Did she sleepwalk over here? he wondered. His parents never mentioned Monaca sleepwalking, so maybe it was something else. It didn't really matter, Naegi supposed, but he wondered if he should take her back to her own futon.
Monaca clearly had other plans as she wrapped herself around Naegi as tightly as she could. Well, that settles that. Maybe she's feeling lonely. She has a new family but as her new brother, I'm not really spending much more time than her old one, Naegi thought guiltily as he stroked his youngest sister's hair.
Monaca gave a contented sigh and a small smile in her sleep. Whether she was enjoying her dream or telling her new brother that all was well, Naegi didn't know, but he resolved to make it up to her in the morning as he closed his eyes.
Before he drifted off to sleep, Naegi heard more shuffling of blankets and felt something touch his forehead. Opening his eyes, he saw a sleeping, or possibly only pretending to sleep, Enoshima Junko in his futon. Enoshima was hugging Monaca, which was no small feat considering how tightly the small girl was holding Naegi and was touching her forehead to Naegi's.
While Naegi knew there was probably an innocent explanation for why Monaca was in his futon, he wasn't as sure that was the case for Enoshima. Naegi knew he couldn't wake Enoshima without waking Monaca, and even if he could, he knew how attached Monaca was to his classmate. Monaca's small smile had gotten bigger since Enoshima had joined them.
Figuring that it was too late to deal with his situation, Naegi decided to let it pass and deal with whatever the fallout would be in the morning. He figured he could let Enoshima get away with whatever it was she had planned in return for Enoshima spending so much time with Monaca at the beach. Still, he couldn't help but think, Enoshima still doesn't play fair, before he drifted back to sleep.
Naegi was awoken by the sound of arguing. From what he could tell, when Pekoyama and Ikusaba woke up for their morning training the two saw Enoshima in his futon, and in true Enoshima fashion, she took the opportunity to gloat. The rest of the group soon joined them, resulting in Enoshima sitting in the corner wearing a signboard that said "reflecting". Naegi himself was receiving silent treatment from the other girls when he confessed that he knew Enoshima had joined him and Monaca last night. Lastly, Monaca seemed to be enjoying the jealous complaints from her friends.
Thankfully, once breakfast was over, everyone had made up and began to clean up. The mood was understandably one of melancholy, knowing that their beach trip had come to an end, but the group promised to do this again next year. With renewed enthusiasm at the promise, the group cleaned up and took one last group photo to commemorate their mini vacation.
As Naegi was loading things into the vans the bus that Sonia had rented, he heard golf clapping behind him. He turned and saw an unimpressed Kirigiri Kyoko. "I'm glad to see you didn't do anything reckless for a whole 24 hours. You surprised me," she admitted.
So, Kirigiri was the one watching me, Naegi realized. Yesterday, after the group arrived, Kirigiri disappeared. Naegi had assumed that she had stayed in the villa with Yumeno, but clearly she had spent their whole trip watching him. "You're still mad about what happened in Novoselic, aren't you?" Naegi asked.
"You're damn right I am!" Kirigiri nearly shouted. "I think I have every right to be. My mother, my best friend, I'm tired of the people that are important to me dying, Naegi-kun, and your habit of tempting fate with your reckless heroism isn't helping," Kirigiri scolded.
"I-I don't really have a response to that. I never meant to make anyone worry, I was just trying to keep people I care about safe," Naegi said.
"And who keeps you safe, Naegi-kun? What happens when we can't be there? Your luck is unpredictable, what happens when it runs out?" Kirigiri questioned. She was fighting them back, but Naegi could see tears forming in her eyes.
Enveloping her in a hug, Naegi said, "I'm sorry, Kirigiri-san. I guess, I guess I'm still who I was when I got to Hope's Peak. The same teenage boy who thought if he could be help all of you succeed, that was all that mattered. Like I'm not really worthy of being with so many amazing people because I can't contribute an Ultimate Talent. I don't know if I can promise not to be stupid and reckless, but I'll try. For you," Naegi told Kirigiri.
*Sniff* "You'd better," Kirigiri ordered as she pulled back and began to help Naegi load things into the bus.
"I really am sorry," Naegi repeated.
"I understand why you did it. I understand it was the right thing to do. You spend so much time worrying about all of us, I just wish you would do that when you decide to be a hero. But I guess you wouldn't be Naegi Makoto if you acted any other way," Kirigiri said. You wouldn't be the man we love if you did, she added mentally.
"I'll make it up to you, I promise," Naegi said.
"There you go, making reckless promises. I will hold you to that, I hope you realize," Kirigiri warned him, playfully.
"I do. That's why I made that promise," Naegi responded with a smile.
"Hey! No having moments without us!" Mioda shouted as she and the rest of the group appeared, dispelling the serious atmosphere.
With the playful mood from the previous day somewhat restored, the bus was loaded up and the group said "good-bye for now" to their brief trip to paradise.
When the Naegi siblings arrived home and were immediately greeted by their parents.
"How was it?" Mr. Naegi asked.
"Awesome!" Komaru exclaimed with stars in her eyes. She was eager to get back to her room and storyboard for a new manga idea. A manga that Naegi would later find out starred a character that looked suspiciously like him.
"It was the most fun I've ever had!" Monaca cheered. The rest of the family was happy to hear that, but slightly sad that it was probably not a child's hyperbole.
"Exhausting," Naegi told his parents with a tired smile.
"Oh?" Mrs. Naegi asked.
"Onii-chan was pretty busy yesterday. His girlfriends barely gave him time to catch his breath," Komaru explained.
"Really, now?" Mr. and Mrs. Naegi asked.
"Yep! We documented as much of it as we could," Monaca said as she and Komaru pulled out their phones.
"Wait! Stop!" Naegi begged. But it was too late. Komaru, Monaca, and their parents were enjoying a recap of his day yesterday. Mostly they were laughing at his expense, but Naegi swore he heard his father say, "That's my boy," every so often.
Summer term can get here soon enough, an embarrassed Naegi thought as he slunk away. Embarrassing memories aside, he did have fun and couldn't wait to do it again. Maybe next year Fukawa-san and Ogami-san will come with us, Naegi hoped as he made his way back to his room to rest from his vacation.
Sorry for the delay, my dear readers. I would have loved to have gotten this out faster, but my current situation with my grandfather makes that difficult. So, for now, I suppose the story is on a quasi-hiatus. I'm still going to try to work on updates, but they'll probably come at a glacial pace. I'm sorry about that, and I hope you will all understand. I don't plan on abandoning this story any time soon. I'm here until it's finished or until people no longer want to read it (hopefully the former).
Like I said at the beginning, next chapter brings us back to school. For those wondering, Toko/Syo will be the focus of the next chapter, so get ready for that.
Until next time, oh readers, mine, stay frosty!
Edit 9/30/2024: I regret to inform you all that the idiot author of this work, (me) forgot to include Kyoko until a helpful review reminded me. I am sorry everyone. It's been a while since I forgot a character and I will try not to do it again. Thank you for alerting me, dear reader!
Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Everyday Life with the Ultimate Writing Prodigy (and Murderous Fiend)
Chapter Text
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 back again, once again!
I'm back for real this time, you can all probably guess why. I want to thank all of you for being so understanding during the past couple months, it meant a lot to me. Still does.
After taking some time to mourn, I feel like now is the right time to continue. And what better character to write about after personal loss than Toko/Syo/Jill? Okay, not funny.
Seriously though, this chapter is one I've thought about for years. I suppose I have a bit of a soft spot for Toko, considering her backstory.
Anyway, that's if for me for now, so without further delay, on with the chapter!
Hope's Peak Academy, Girls' Dorm Common Area
With how wild his summer had been, Naegi was relieved when the summer term began. Not that he expected things to get easier, not when the Ultimates of Hope's Peak Academy were involved, but for some reason, he felt that being at Hope's Peak made the insanity he got involved in more predictable.
As if that makes any sense, Naegi thought as he stretched out on the couch and opened his book.
"T-The Eight Strokes of the Clock? I-I should a-apologize, I expected you to be illiterate. I won't, of course, but I suppose I should," a female voice said.
Naegi looked up from reading and replied, "Fukawa-san, you know I can read, you quizzed me on your own novels at the beginning of the year," Naegi reminded her.
"A-and you spoiled So Lingers the Ocean for everyone who heard you! S-so, thanks a lot!" Fukawa scolded.
Naegi wanted to respond but decided it would be best not to. He wasn't going to win against Fukawa now that she was like this. Best to let her be mad if she wants to be mad, Naegi reminded himself as he remembered his attempts to befriend the Ultimate Writing Prodigy.
Hope's Peak Academy-Class 78's Classroom
First Day of Classes-Morning
Once Naegi's male classmates had stopped laughing at his expense and once attendance had been taken, it was decided that the new students should introduce themselves to their classmates.
That makes sense, Naegi thought, we are going to be spending the next three years together, it would help if we got to know each other.
After the teacher excused themselves and allowed the students free reign in their introductions, Naegi went and introduced himself to everyone. Despite his bumpy first 24 hours at Hope's Peak, Naegi had thought things were going smoothly. Maybe I am getting too worked up about being in the girls' dorm. The guys are laughing, and the girls don't trust me, but that's understandable. I'm sure that once everything is resolved we can all laugh about it later. If I take this time to clear up any misunderstandings, I'm sure everything will work out, Naegi thought as he approached Fukawa. Naegi remembered that her introduction at the dorm had been rather short, but thought maybe if she spoke with someone one-on-one she would be more comfortable.
Before Naegi even got a chance to speak, Fukawa said, "N-Not that you'll remember my n-name anyway, but...I'm Fukawa...Fukawa Toko."
Naegi knew who she was, of course. Even if he hadn't researched his classmates beforehand, Fukawa was a celebrity. She wrote a novel when she was ten that got everyone talking and launched her literary career. Then, two years ago she released "So Lingers the Ocean," a love story said to be her masterpiece. The book was such a hit with women that fisherman quickly shot to the top of every "Hottest Men" poll. Despite her age, she had won countless literary prizes, and all her books were instant best-sellers. Which is why she's come to be known as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. Really, what else would you call such a young and talented author?
But I figured she'd be a lovey-dovey type, what with her masterpiece being a romance at all...Naegi thought. The way she introduced herself, she seemed so guarded. And though he thought he imagined it, Naegi thought he could hear a small amount of venom in her tone.
Fukawa misinterpreted Naegi's silence and began to shout, "Wh-What? I-It's not polite to stare, you know. Stop staring at me like I'm some filthy creature!"
Naegi was taken aback at that. "F-Filthy creature? No, I just thought…"
Cutting him off, Fukawa ranted, "I-I know what you "just" thought...! You just thought you've n-never seen such an ugly woman. You just th-thought it was sooo funny...!"
"N-No, that's not what I was thinking at all..." Naegi said in an attempt to defend himself.
Despite Naegi's words, Fukawa's accusations kept coming. "Don't bother trying to l-lie to me! I know it's true. Otherwise, you... I know you can't stand looking at me!" Fukawa huffed and looked to the side as she said, "Wh-Whatever, I don't really care, I'm used to it..."
Wow, talk about an inferiority complex. I was way off about what a successful author would be like... Naegi thought. Not ready to give up, he introduced himself. "L-let's start over, I'm Naegi Makoto and I…"
"I-I know who you are! You're that pervert that weaseled his way into our dorm! I-I bet you're sooo disappointed that someone like me is there aren't you!" Fukawa accused.
"What? No, you've got it all wrong. I swear I'm no pervert and I had no idea that would even happen," Naegi countered as calmly as he could. Keep calm and I'm sure she'll calm down. Right? Naegi asked himself.
"Y-yeah, right. I know your type. You nice looking ones are all the same," Fukawa said before she walked away.
By this time, Fukawa's outburst had drawn the attention of the whole class, who were watching in silence as Fukawa hurled a mix of accusations and self-deprecating descriptions. Naegi had a feeling his expression matched theirs as it seemed the whole class thought "What was that about?"
Naegi didn't feel right leaving things at that, but he figured it was wiser to cut his losses and try again later. Surely as she spent more time with him, Fukawa would warm up to him and he could clear up any misunderstandings. Right?
Hope's Peak Academy, Old Building – Library
Second Week of Classes – Thursday
Once classes had ended for the day, Naegi decided to explore more of Hope's Peak Academy. While Mioda's tour last week had given him a rough idea of the school's layout, it was still a massive campus. Naegi felt that he had a decent grasp of the Old School Building by this point, but he wanted to take a closer look at the library to see if anything caught his eye.
As soon as Naegi entered, he spotted Fukawa examining the shelves, muttering something. Naegi could swear he heard the words "low effort trash" a few times.
Despite his optimism the previous week, Naegi's relationship with Fukawa had not improved, although, it hadn't gotten worse, either. Naegi didn't expect them to be best friends after a week, but Fukawa's reactions to him still only ranged from fearful to combative. As Naegi considered whether he should speak to Fukawa or let her carry on uninterrupted, he felt someone's eyes on him. Fukawa had ceased looking through the shelves and started staring at Naegi.
"..."
"..."
She's just standing there. Does she want something...? Naegi wondered.
"..."
But she's not saying anything... Naegi noted.
"..."
Maybe I should try to start a conversation..., Naegi decided. "U-Um, Fukawa-san...?"
"What? You want to t-talk to me? Well, I can't stop y-you. So, talk already!" Fukawa hissed.
Naegi couldn't help but think, She's so openly hostile, it's actually kind of cute. Pushing that thought aside, Naegi wracked his brain for a conversation starter. What should I say?
Deciding to keep it simple, Naegi asked, "So, uh, what do you like to do in your spare time?"
The ever-suspicious Fukawa asked, "Why do you w-wanna know...?"
Naegi hadn't expected that response to such a harmless question, but answered, "Well, I mean, you know... We're classmates, right? If we're gonna be friends, it'd be nice to get to know each other."
"Huh? What'd you just s-say?" Fukawa asked in shock. "After that p-part about being classmates... We're gonna be wh-what?" Fukawa demanded.
A confused Naegi answered, "Uh...friends?"
Fukawa's reaction to that response was unexpected. "Hmmmeeheheheeh..." she began to laugh. Whatever humor Fukawa found in that response was short-lived as Fukawa began to shout, "Whaddya mean, f-friends!? You think I'm s-stupid? You're trying to trick me!"
Naegi was grateful that there wasn't a librarian around. The two of them getting kicked out of the library, even if it wasn't his fault, certainly wasn't going to improve Fukawa's opinion of him.
Fukawa, however, paying no mind to where they were, continued to rant, "I've already been h-hurt once before... I'm not gonna l-let it happen again...!"
That caught Naegi's attention. As gently as he could, Naegi asked, "You've been hurt? What happened...?"
Naegi's tone did nothing to calm Fukawa. "Come on, y-you don't really care about m-me... You don't want to kn-know about me! Even I know that...!" Fukawa continued.
"N-No, that's not true...!" defended Naegi.
"Fine. Then t-tell me..." ordered Fukawa.
"Tell you what?" a now confused Naegi asked.
"You know why they c-call me the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, right?" Fukawa asked.
"Absolutely. It's because you've won all kinds of literature prizes and stuff," Naegi answered, believing he was finally making progress.
"Then tell me wh-what I'm good at... Tell m-me what my genre specialty is!" Fukawa demanded. She continued, "If you r-really wanna convince me you give a crap, you should at least kn-know that...!"
Not even needing to think about it, Naegi answered, "It's romance, of course."
Slightly surprised, Fukawa said, "Oh...you a-actually knew?"
Whether or not Naegi heard that, he began to elaborate, "Your biggest success was "So Lingers the Ocean", right? Everyone says it's your masterpiece. The book was such a hit that fishermen shot to the top of all the "Hottest Men" polls...right?"
Fukawa was completely taken aback by Naegi's response. "How did y-you know all that...? There's no way you c-care about me...!"
Trying again to convince her of his sincerity, Naegi countered, saying, "I'm telling you; I do! I mean, we're friends, aren't we?"
Those words had the opposite of the intended effect, as Fukawa began to say, as dramatically as possible, "Nng...! I'm blind! Your s-straightforward nature blinded me! Hyeeeeeeeehhh!" After that first shriek, Fukawa ran off, screaming like a banshee.
Left alone with an empty library and his own thoughts, Naegi asked himself, I'm not really sure... Does she hate me now? Trying to remain optimistic, Naegi reminded himself, "The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." In this case, I guess it's a baby step, but it's still a step. Right?
Hope's Peak Academy – Girls' Dorm Common Area
Third Week of Classes – Wednesday Afternoon
After three weeks, Naegi was feeling much better about his situation. Ikusaba, Maizono, and Mioda had come to consider him a friend and he thought he was building a good rapport with his other dormmates. There were a few he wasn't sure about, he was wary of Enoshima and Saionji seemed to change her opinion of Naegi almost hourly. Although, if he had to pick one, the one that confused him the most was the author who was staring at him as he sat on the couch.
"..."
I thought Fukawa-san totally hated me… Naegi said to himself.
"..."
…but it's not like she's going out of her way to avoid me. Still...she hasn't spoken to me since that time in the library. Deciding that nothing would change if he didn't try, Naegi decided to speak. "H-Hey, Fukawa-san...?"
"Wh-What? You have a question? You have a question f-for your classmate...!?" Fukawa asked sounding almost…giddy?
Huh? Is she...happy? I guess she doesn't completely hate me, Naegi thought, relieved. "So, I kinda asked before, but what do you like to do in your spare time?" Naegi asked.
"I just w-write. I'm serialized, so I'm a-always really busy...!" Fukawa began.
Makes sense, I suppose. She does regularly release novels, Naegi reasoned.
"And when I'm not writing, I'm s-studying. I'm not an idiot l-like you...!" Fukawa declared. Suddenly, almost as if she hadn't meant to say that last part, Fukawa panicked, saying, "Agh, d-dammit...! I had to go and open my b-big mouth again... You must hate me for s-sure now, right?"
"No, it didn't really bother me..." Naegi responded. And I kind of expect it at this point, he silently added. "But I can't believe you actually write novels! And that people all over the world read them," Naegi gushed. While Fukawa was talking about her writing career, there was one question Naegi knew he had to ask. "So, how do you get your ideas for what you write? Is it like, real-life experience, or...?"
Fukawa's response was swift and brief, "Are you stupid!?
Taken aback, Naegi asked, "What...?"
"I t-told you, didn't I? I write romance novels...! How could I use m-my real-life experiences for that...!? It's all from my i-imagination! It's just delusions! Delusions let you fall in l-love as much as you want, even if you n-never do in real life! Or are you s-saying you can't write romance novels unless you already have lots of experience i-in love...?" Fukawa seethed.
Realizing he stepped on a landmine, Naegi tried to diffuse the situation. "N-No, not at all..."
"It's okay. I'm used to p-people making fun of me..." Fukawa huffed, seemingly calming down.
Not wanting Fukawa to get the wrong idea, Naegi attempted to clarify, "B-But..."
"Someday, I'll show them! I'll get pretty s-someday and show them all...!" Fukawa declared furiously before storming off.
With a sigh, Naegi thought, This time I'm sure she hates me... Note to self, the less you say, the better Fukawa's mood seems to be. I had better apologize when she calms down, but how do I do that without using words and not turn it into some misunderstanding?
Hope's Peak Academy-Girls' Dorm
Twelfth Week of Classes-Wednesday
For the past couple of days, the dorm had been abuzz with talk of Asahina's upcoming date with a male model. While the consensus was that Asahina was forcing herself, her friends were still happy for her, thinking that things would work out. Naegi wished he felt that way but knowing that Enoshima set things up gave him a bad feeling. Ikusaba's warning was still on his mind after all this time. He and Ogami had taken it upon themselves to look into Fukuyama Suzuki and determined that he wasn't dangerous at least. Well, if things go wrong, we'll be there to help her pick herself up, Naegi thought.
As Naegi made his way to the kitchen, he saw Fukawa, who appeared to be waiting for him.
"Hey...! I want to t-talk to you," Fukawa said.
Huh? That's strange. Fukawa-san never wants to talk to me... I thought she hated my guts, Naegi thought. While "hate" might have been a bit much, it was true that he and Fukawa hadn't been speaking much as of late.
Annoyed at his lack of response, Fukawa angrily asked, "Are you l-listening to me?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Naegi responded, "Oh, sorry! Yeah, I'm listening!"
"C-can you believe th-that Stupid Swimmer didn't ask me for dating advice?" Fukawa asked bitterly.
Well, referring to Asahina-san as "That Stupid Swimmer" probably didn't help, Fukawa-san, Naegi thought dryly.
Picking up on Naegi's lack of response, Fukawa hastily said, "I know what you're thinking and I just w-wanted to clear something up. I mean, I h-have to clear it up. What I said before... I d-don't want you to get the wrong idea, o-okay?"
Wracking his brain but coming up empty, Naegi asked, "Huh? What did you say?"
"About not having any love in r-real life. I don't want you to think I-I don't have any experience a-at all! Even someone like m-me has...gone on a date," Fukawa explained.
Naegi's response was a simple "Oh…"
Thinking he didn't believe her, Fukawa said, "It's true! I'm not l-lying! I'll tell you all about it if y-you really wanna hear!"
"Um, no, it's okay..." Naegi said, hoping to let the matter drop. Not that he wasn't slightly curious, but given Fukawa's reactions during their last conversation, Naegi had a feeling this wasn't a great memory for the Writing Prodigy.
Ignoring him, Fukawa began, "I was in junior h-high, and out of nowhere this g-guy from another class just asked me o-out."
Okay, guess I'm hearing it anyway, Naegi realized.
Unaware of Naegi's thoughts, Fukawa continued, "He asked m-me to make plans for the date. I stayed up all n-night for three days planning it. And what I came up with w-was..."
Fukawa trailing off caught Naegi's attention. As he waited for her to continue, Fukawa decided to test Naegi.
"It was our f-first date, so I wanted to do something t-traditional. I decided on going to see s-something," Fukawa said, attempting to sound mysterious.
"What was it...?" Naegi asked, now invested in the story.
Even though she wanted him to ask, Fukawa still got annoyed at Naegi and asked, "Are you stupid!? When you're talking t-traditional date stuff, what do you THINK it w-was!?"
Deciding it would be in his best interest to play along; Naegi gave the question some thought. On a traditional date, you go to see something... What else could it be but...? Hesitantly, Naegi asked, "You planned to go see a movie?"
"Y-Yeah. It's pretty cool, right? You go w-watch it, then afterward talk about it all p-passionately... In other words, it's i-ideal first-date material," Fukawa declared proudly.
It was at this point, Naegi realized Fukawa was trying to flex on him with this story, but all Naegi could think was, You stayed up for three days, and that's what you came up with...?
If that thought showed on Naegi's face, Fukawa didn't notice as she continued. "Next, I had to d-decide what to go see. Since we were in junior h-high, we couldn't go see some kid's m-movie, right? I wanted something really a-action packed."
Naegi nodded and replied, "Yeah, a guy in junior high would definitely like that kinda thing. And it could get you both pumped up!"
Fukawa, happy that Naegi agreed with her past reasoning, continued, "So, we d-decided to check out a Suzuki Seijun t-triple feature. 'Tokyo Drifter,' 'Fighting Elegy,' and 'Branded to Kill.' I-Irresistible for any guy, right?"
Suzuki Seijun, I think I've heard that name before, Naegi thought, attempting to remember. He did recall a film Suzuki directed, but it wasn't any of the ones Fukawa mentioned. "Umm...and those are all...?" he asked as he braced himself for insults.
"You don't know who S-uzuki S-Seijun is!?" an incredulous Fukawa asked.
"I know he directed 'Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon,'" Naegi said despite knowing it wouldn't calm Fukawa in the slightest.
"He's world-famous for h-his one-of-a-kind aesthetic, his u-unique blending of color!" Fukawa yelled.
"S-Sorry..." Naegi sheepishly apologized.
Attempting to educate her uncultured classmate, Fukawa explained, "The killer's the main character, and he gets r-riled up by the smell of cooking rice. A murder masterpiece!"
Naegi did remember a movie with a plot like that, it was one his maternal grandfather really enjoyed. From the 1960s. Deciding he needed to rip that band-aid off quickly, Naegi explained, "Honestly, I think there's probably not a lot of guys my age who have any idea who he is..."
Fukawa let out growl in response. "Ngggh! You're right... I learned that f-fact the hard way. He musta h-hated it, cuz he disappeared right i-in the middle of the first movie!"
"What!? He just left!? And after you'd put all that effort into planning everything out? That's awful...," Naegi said, starting to get angry on Fukawa's behalf.
Fukawa brushed it off, saying, "W-Well, it is what it is. Besides, I found out i-it was just a dare, anyway..."
"A dare...?" Naegi asked, at a loss for words.
"Yeah. He lost a b-bet with his friends, so he had to go o-out on a date with me... And there I was, s-spending three days to come up with something for us to d-do..." Fukawa said with a frown. She then started screaming, "This is all y-your fault! You made me remember that terrible t-trauma!"
"My fault!?" Naegi asked in confusion.
Fukawa began hurling accusations at Naegi. "Do you like h-humiliating me that much? Is th-that how you get your kicks? I've finally seen the r-real you..."
Naegi began to sputter, "N-No, I...!"
"I c-can't be around you and your perverted f-fetish anymore...! I'm l-l-leaving!" Fukawa declared angrily. With her eyes burning with hatred, Fukawa glared at Naegi before stomping off.
Okay, seriously. Now she's gotta hate me... Naegi thought with a heavy sigh. Deciding to let Fukawa cool off, Naegi went to get started on dinner. Before he started, he searched for any of the movies Fukawa mentioned on his streaming apps. Not that it did much good, but Naegi hated the thought of junior high school Fukawa's efforts going to waste.
Naegi was soon pulled from his memories by a sound he had begun to dread.
"Achoo!" Fukawa sneezed.
Oh no, Naegi thought, knowing full well what, or rather, who, was coming. As strange as it was to be afraid of a sneeze, there was a reason the students of Hope's Peak Academy were afraid when Fukawa sneezed.
"Kyeehahaha! Warrior of Blood and Lust, Genocider Syo has arrived!" a voice that was both Fukawa and not Fukawa declared proudly. Naegi looked over and, sure enough, Fukawa's eyes had turned red, and her tongue had grown to an unnatural length, the Ultimate Murderous Fiend, Genocider Syo was indeed in control of Fukawa's body at the moment.
And for some reason, she's doing a Super Sentai-style pose, Naegi noted. Disregarding it, Naegi simply greeted her. "Good evening, Syo-san. If you're looking for Togami-kun, he's probably back at his dorm by now.
"Are you the only one here, Ma-kun? Did I interrupt something between you and Her Gloominess?" Syo asked jokingly before making another cackle. "Kyeehahaha! As if you'd have the balls, or rather, if you tried, the school would have your balls! Kyeehahaha!" Syo proclaimed before laughing at her own joke.
What does it say about me that I'm not only not afraid of Genocider Syo for being a serial killer, but I am afraid of being subjected to her terrible jokes? Naegi asked himself. Before Hope's Peak, Naegi had heard of Genocider Syo, the mysterious serial killer who had a body count of 37 victims. An almost mythical existence that was spoken of only in hushed whispers. And to his surprise, this same serial killer was his one classmate's alternate personality, one that was a lover of smut novels, cheesy nicknames, and bad jokes.
Never in Naegi's wildest dreams would he have imagined that one day, when people spoke of Genocider Syo he would actively have to stop himself from saying, "Yeah, she takes some getting used to."
"Earth to Macaron! You in there?" Syo asked as she waved a hand in front of Naegi's eyes.
"Oh, sorry, Syo-san. I was just thinking," Naegi told her.
"Well don't hurt yourself. Don't forget, until Byakuya-sama whisks me away, I'm your responsibility," Syo reminded him.
I couldn't forget if I tried, Naegi thought, remembering how he had come to be the handler for a high school serial killer.
Hope's Peak Academy-Cafeteria
Thirteenth Week of Classes-Tuesday
It wasn't rare for students to use the cafeteria at Hope's Peak, but Naegi found it rare for both the entirety of his class and of Class 77-B were the only ones present this day. He had heard that Hanamura was cooking today, and he thought that would be a bigger draw.
Maybe it has something to do with whatever has our senpai wary of nikujaga, Naegi reasoned, now more curious about that incident than ever.
Soon enough, Naegi wasn't concerned with nikujaga as he and everyone else were enjoying food prepared by the Ultimate Cook. Lunch was going smoothly, too smoothly as a matter of fact. Naegi had been at Hope's Peak long enough to know that something crazy or dangerous or both would happen soon. The cafeteria was now a powder keg, little did anyone suspect that pepper would be the spark.
Saionji, feeling impish, had decided that she would have some fun with the seasoning. Nothing major, just unscrewing the tops of salt and pepper shakers. Juvenile, certainly, but more annoying than actually harmful. At least, until Fukawa had begun to season her lunch and got a cloud of pepper in her face as a reward.
"Achoo!"
Before anyone could ask Fukawa if she was alright or to replace her food, Fukawa had started cackling.
"Kyeehahaha! Did someone call me? Genocider Syo, at your service! 'What's a 'Genocider?' you ask. Good question. But that's me, and I 'Syo" am glad to meet all of you! Very much 'Syo'!" Fukawa shouted.
That got everyone's attention. Yukizome, being the adult in the room, spoke up first, saying, "Fukawa-san, you really shouldn't joke about things like that."
Fukawa looked directly at Yukizome, and in a single leap landed directly in front of her and tugged on Yukizome's apron, saying, "Wowzers! Is that outfit a way to get horny teenage boys to stop cutting class? 'Welcome, my precious students. Do you want a lecture? A test? Or do you. Want. Me?' Whatever it is, I can get behind it, but you aren't showing enough skin. Let me help with that!"
Suddenly, Fukawa had pulled out the sharpest scissors any of the students had ever seen. Naegi noticed some students, such as Kirigiri and Togami, turned pale at the sight of the scissors. Naegi wasn't sure why, but he knew it was probably a bad sign. Like the others, he had heard of Genocider Syo, and although he was unclear about the modus operandi, or really, any details about Genocider Syo, when Naegi saw Kirigiri's mask slip when those scissors appear, he was certain that Fukawa was, in fact, who she was claiming to be.
But why admit that in a crowded cafeteria? What is Fukawa-san thinking? Naegi wondered.
While Naegi pondered the mind of a serial killer, Ishimaru had gotten up from his seat and grabbed hold of one of the pairs of scissors. "Fukawa Toko, although scissors are not classified as a weapon, you cannot use them to threaten a teacher!" Ishimaru declared.
"Fukawa Toko? What a loser name. I already told you, I'm Genocider Syo. And I'm absolutely going to trademark that. I can't have some copycats soiling my good name," Fukawa, or rather, Syo declared.
"Cease this foolishness, at once. Though it will pain me to report a classmate for misconduct, I will do it to maintain order in a school environment," Ishimaru countered.
While Syo and Ishimaru were arguing, Naegi finally got a good look at Syo. Was Fukawa's tongue always that long? There's something else too, but I can't put my finger on it…Wait! I know, Naegi thought as he got up from his seat and went over to Koizumi.
"Senpai, could you show me pictures of Fukawa-san?" Naegi asked upon reaching Koizumi.
Surprised, Koizumi asked, "I-I guess so, but why?" as she showed Naegi the pictures.
"I need to check something. I could swear that more than just Fukawa-san's personality has changed," Naegi said, not knowing how else to explain it. As he swiped through pictures of Fukawa he finally found one with a clear shot of her face. "There it is. Look at her eyes in this picture and look at her eyes now," Naegi said as found what he was looking for.
"Her eyes are gray in the picture, but now they're red," Koizumi noted, before waving to get Yukizome's attention. "Sensei, I think she's telling the truth. She's not Fukawa-san. At least, not right now."
The response from Yukizome and Ishimaru was a simple, "Eh?"
Deciding that a professional's opinion was needed, Gekkogahara Miaya was soon summoned to the cafeteria to examine Fukawa, or rather, Syo. The Headmaster and Kizakura were called as well to determine what course of action, if any, would be taken.
"Fascinating. Her tongue got longer, and her eyes changed color. And you say there are no colored contacts near where she sneezed?" Usami asked in Gekkogahara's stead.
"None that we could find," Kirigiri confirmed.
"Could you back up, please? I may like yuri, but I'm not into girls, myself. And why is a shrink giving me a physical, anyway?" Syo asked before backing up, herself.
"Apologies, Syo-san. Dissociative Identity Disorder is so rare and it's so hard to prove it exists, I just got a little excited," Usami explained.
"Headmaster, did you know about this?" Yukizome asked, having just finished calming the terrified students.
"I did. After careful consideration it was decided that, since Syo-san rarely comes out, it would be safe to allow Fukawa-san to attend Hope's Peak Academy, with certain precautions," Jin explained.
"Free piece of advice, kids, don't try to negotiate with a Kirigiri. You will lose," Kizakura warned the students.
"Still, we hadn't expected this. We knew Fukawa and Syo switched when one of them fainted, we were unaware that sneezing triggered it as well," Headmaster Kirigiri added.
"Should we try calling her Genocider Launch from now on?" Yamada asked seriously, getting silent stares in response as well as a hiss from Syo.
With a cough, Jin regained everyone's attention, "Names aside, it would seem that Fukawa-san's fate, as well as Syo-san's fate, is in your hands now, kids. What will you do?"
"Do we need to do anything?" Naegi asked. When everyone's eyes were on him, Naegi continued, "I can't say for certain how often the two have switched, but Syo-san has been behaving. I'll admit it's not an ideal solution, but for Fukawa-san's sake, I don't see any reason for things to change."
"Unacceptable!" Ishimaru shouted. "We are talking about sheltering a serial killer. Have you no compassion for the victims, Naegi-kun?"
"Of course, I do. But isn't Fukawa-san a victim too, in this case?" Naegi countered.
"Your desire to protect our classmate is admirable, but as much as it pains me, we must do our civic duty and report this to the proper authorities," Ishimaru argued.
This caused other students to voice their opinions one after the other, some for, some against, and just as it appeared that no resolution would be found, an unlikely person proposed a solution.
"How about a class trial?" Enoshima suggested.
When the trial had been set up, Naegi was shocked by how normal it was. He didn't know why, but when Enoshima had suggested a "class trial," he had expected a free-for-all style debate. He expected everyone to be talking over each other. He had expected to be dizzy for some odd reason, though he couldn't figure out why. This set up was one he was familiar with. Headmaster Kirigiri as the judge, Ishimaru as the prosecutor, himself as the defense, and a mix of Class 77-B and Class 78 students, those who were afraid of Syo, but trusted the staff at Hope's Peak to keep them safe, as a jury of sorts. They're probably about as neutral as we can get in this situation, Naegi reasoned.
"Darling, are you ready?" Sonia asked from Naegi's side. That had been an unexpected development. Sonia had offered her services as Naegi's co-counsel, although it was obvious she was more excited about meeting Genocider Syo than about what was fair at the moment.
"As ready as I can be, I suppose," Naegi admitted. Naegi wasn't sure of his chances, quite honestly. Naegi had seen his fair share of trials in his time when he went to watch his grandfather's trials. Today, however, it was Naegi arguing a case against Ishimaru, a friend who aspired to a career in politics. Naegi knew better than to expect dirty tricks from Ishimaru, but he was expecting persuasive arguments. "I don't know what to expect, Sonia-senpai, but Fukawa-san's future depends on us," Naegi said.
"Syo-san is counting on us, too, Darling," Sonia reminded him as she pointed to where Syo was sitting. Syo, seeing them looking, gave what was probably supposed to be a friendly smile and a wave. Unfortunately, knowing Syo was a serial killer made the gesture slightly unnerving.
"…Right. I'm sure Ishimaru will be a tough opponent. We'll need to choose our words and listen to his very carefully," Naegi finished.
"Headmaster, or rather, Your Honor, I would like to give my opening statement," Ishimaru said.
"Oh, er, go ahead, Ishimaru-kun," Jin replied, uncertain of how he felt at being addressed as "Your Honor."
"Today during lunch, Fukawa Toko-san of Hope's Peak Academy's 78th class admitted, in front of Class 77-B and Class 78 to being Genocider Syo-san. Genocider Syo-san, as you may recall, is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 37 unfortunate young men, each of which was crucified by her scissors with the words "Blood Bath Fever" written in the victims' blood at the scene," Ishimaru explained.
"Yes," Jin agreed, "We have copies of the case files in the Library in the Old School Building. I believe it would be best to spare the other students from seeing those images."
"Of course, Your Honor. This not being an official Japanese court of law, we have no authority to enact punishment on Genocider Syo. What we are here to determine is whether or not she is responsible for her actions, if she and Fukawa Toko-san are really two separate identities, and whether or not we have a responsibility to turn her in to the proper authorities. I intend to convince you all that we must do our duty to society and turn her in," Ishimaru finished.
"Very well. Naegi-kun, what is the position of the Defense?" Jin asked.
"Headmaster Kirigiri, as you know, Sonia-senpai and I are of the opinion that to turn Genocider Syo-san in is to unfairly punish Fukawa Toko-san. And while Ishimaru-kun is correct that this is not an official court of law, I believe that to argue that is to argue why Syo-san would not be guilty under the law. To that end, the Defense intends to prove that Fukawa Toko-san and Genocider Syo-san are two distinct personalities and as such, Fukawa Toko-san is innocent of Genocider Syo-san's crimes. Furthermore, we intend to prove that, given that her existence is due to Dissociative Identity Disorder, Syo-san cannot be guilty under Japanese law," Naegi explained.
"You understand that such a defense succeeding is incredibly rare, don't you Naegi-kun?" Jin asked.
"I do, Sir. I wouldn't suggest I will prove it if I didn't believe it was possible," Naegi assured Jin.
"Very well. Ishimaru-kun, how do you wish to proceed?" Jin asked.
"The Prosecution calls Genocider Syo-san herself to the stand!" Ishimaru declared.
"We have a stand? I mean, yes. Syo-san, if you would step forward," Jin said.
"Fear not, Darling. I know the names of all of Syo-san's victims and where their bodies were found. If Syo-san forgets anything I can fill in any gaps," Sonia proudly assured Naegi.
Not wishing to upset her, Naegi forced a smile and said, "That's great." That's not really what I'm worried about, though, Senpai, Naegi thought.
As it turned out, Sonia didn't need to fill in any gaps. Syo had incriminated herself as soon as Ishimaru began questioning her. She admitted to all 37 murders and even showed that she recorded each as a tally mark on her thigh.
As bad as all of that was though, Ishimaru-kun and Syo-san just gave me what I need to save Fukawa-san, Naegi thought with a smile.
"Darling, have you thought of something?" Sonia asked.
"Well, Fukawa-san probably won't like it, but I know how to help her," Naegi began to say as he approached Jin. "Headmaster, I would like to invoke the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act of 2005, as well as the Act on Medical Care and Treatment for Persons Who Have Caused Serious Cases Under the Condition of Insanity of 2003. Gekkogahara-san will need to determine the extent, of course, but the Defense's position is that Syo-san, and by extension, Fukawa-san, are not guilty by reason of insanity," Naegi declared.
"Have I just not been getting through to any of you? It's not like I'm that deep. There is a lot wrong with me, but still, you should turn a blind eye to someone's flaws. Kyeehahaha!" Syo interjected with laugh.
"…Anyway, it would appear that Syo-san doesn't seem to realize that why killing her victims was wrong. That coupled with carving a tally in her thigh is, I believe sufficient grounds for an examination," Naegi explained.
"Very well, we'll recess for now and then reconvene when the examination is done," Jin declared.
After an hour and a half, the class trial resumed. Gekkogahara had repeated her earlier points that while dissociative identity disorder was not only rare, but easy to fake and difficult to prove, Fukawa and Syo clearly did not have that issue.
"I administered every test that was relevant, and I conclude that Syo-san is in fact the result of dissociative identity disorder. Although I believe that the physical differences between the two would be enough to convince my colleagues that Syo-san is different from Fukawa-san," Usami announced.
"Headmaster, not that this hasn't been interesting, but I think we can declare a verdict now. If the Ultimate Therapist has reached the conclusion of not guilty by reason of insanity, I don't think there's a point in deliberating any longer," Togami declared as the other jurors nodded in agreement.
"I'm inclined to agree, but does the Defense or Prosecution have anything else they wish to add?" Jin asked.
Ishimaru spoke up, saying, "I do. Under the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act, appropriate treatment must be determined. As a serial killer, I would move for in-patient care for Syo-san. Even if that were not the case, outpatient requires coordination with a probation office, which we lack."
"If I may…?" Naegi asked.
"Go on, Naegi-kun," Jin replied.
"I understand Ishimaru-kun's position, but we must account for Fukawa-san as well. It is her body, and she is in control most of the time. Though I admit, Fukawa-san has issues she needs to work through, I believe that out-patient care would be the only fair option," Naegi explained.
"Your compassion is admirable as always, Naegi-kun, but we lack necessary resources to monitor her here. Or are you suggesting that someone at Hope's Peak would serve in the role of probation officer and monitor Syo-san?" Ishimaru asked.
Well, it won't be my dumbest decision, but it will be pretty close, Naegi thought as he reached a decision.
Ever the one to sacrifice himself for others, Naegi had said he would take responsibility for Syo as long as the two of them were attending Hope's Peak Academy. It wasn't as bad as Naegi had expected it to be, Syo was remarkably well-behaved for someone called the Ultimate Murderous Fiend.
These days her jokes are more painful than her scissors. Let's hope it stays that way, Naegi thought as he addressed Syo. "Is everything alright, Syo-san? Nothing has happened, has it?" he asked.
With more seriousness than Naegi had ever heard from her, Syo said, "No. And that's the problem."
"What exactly do you mean?" Naegi asked, certain that he wouldn't like where Syo was going with this.
"Something's building up, ya know!? Stress, mainly...! It's cuz I haven't gotten to kill anyone lately! So, it's building up! It's packed in there tight!" Syo explained.
I knew I wouldn't like the answer, Naegi thought. I'll need to let Gekkogahara-san know about this, but for now maybe I should try and distract Syo-san until she switches with Fukawa-san.
"So... why do you...?" Naegi asked, hoping to think of the rest of the question while Syo responded.
The question had at least succeeded in catching Syo's interest. "Yes?" Syo asked.
"Why do you...kill people?" Naegi asked lamely. It was a dumb question, but Naegi hoped that it would get Syo talking. When Syo just looked at him and didn't respond, Naegi continued. "You should really stop. I mean, it's just meaningless bloodshed, isn't it?"
"'Meaningless'...?" Syo repeated, before shouting, "I know that, stupid! I don't kill because it has meaning!"
Naegi was taken aback by that answer. "Then...why...?" Naegi struggled to ask.
This seemed to frustrate Syo, who said, "Let me ask YOU something, Mr. Smartypants! Why does a soccer player kick stuff!? Why does a bookstore manager sell books!? You'd never ask them that, right!? It's exactly the same with me!"
"Th-That's not the same at all! It's totally different!" Naegi rightly pointed out. I would certainly hope Syo-san isn't making a living off of murder, Naegi thought.
Syo looked at Naegi again, seeming somewhat impressed, before saying, "Hmm... You got balls, trying to lecture the mighty morphin' murderous fiend... Well, here's my response: It's easier to kill than try not to! Kyeehahaha!"
I don't know why I even bothered trying to understand Genocider Syo, Naegi thought.
"Kyeehahaha-choo!" Syo sneezed, reverting back to Fukawa Toko.
"S-s-she came out again, d-didn't she?" Fukawa asked, clearly worried about what Syo had done while she was out.
"She did. We mostly reminisced about the class trial," Naegi explained.
"I-if they were going to put me in someone's care, it should have been Byakuya-sama!" the irate authoress shouted as she stormed off.
Naegi felt bad for thinking it, but he was happy to see Fukawa-san go. Talking to Syo always seemed to sap his energy no matter how long she was out. Deciding it was a good a time as any, Naegi closed his book and decided to head to bed.
Several days later, Naegi finally had some free time to resume reading. Between his project with the headmaster, his responsibilities around the dorm, and spending time with the others, he relished these new moments of escapism. Or, rather, he would have been enjoying his book if he didn't feel someone's eyes on him. Peering over his book, he saw Fukawa staring at him.
"..." Naegi said nothing, waiting for Fukawa to speak. Experience had taught him it was safer that way.
Fukawa also said nothing, but that wasn't unusual.
After a few minutes of silence, Naegi couldn't help but feel something was different. I can feel Fukawa's silent pressure on me, stronger than ever... But what did I do this time? Naegi wondered as he tried to think of what he could have done to upset his classmate.
As if giving him a clue, Fukawa mumbled, "Take r-responsibility..."
"...Huh? Responsibility? Me...?" Naegi questioned, unable to think of any way he could have upset Fukawa.
"I-I thought that now that everything has settled down, I could finally enjoy the quiet. But the boredom's s-started killing me... Since I finished my last manuscript over break, I thought maybe I could get started on my n-next novel... The p-pinnacle of romance literature!" Fukawa dramatically explained.
"That's great, Fukawa-san!" Naegi exclaimed, forgetting that Fukawa was blaming him for something. Naegi had been curious about the Ultimate Writing Prodigy's creative process. Maybe she wants help brainstorming. I don't know much about romance but maybe I can help a little, Naegi thought.
That train of thought came crashing to a halt when Fukawa said "But I c-can't do it..."
"Huh? Why not?" Naegi asked in concern.
"I've got writer's b-block... My powers of delusion are i-in a complete slump...! This has never h-happened before..." Fukawa explained in frustration.
By this point Naegi had managed to put two and two together, but still asked, "What caused it?"
"You d-did! When you opened up all those o-old wounds!" Fukawa roared in anger, her finger just millimeters from Naegi's face to emphasize her point.
"You're blaming me!?" Naegi asked incredulously. He knew it was coming, but he still couldn't believe Fukawa said it, let alone understand how those memories caused her writer's block. If her novels are the product of delusional thinking, couldn't she write based on how she wanted those encounters to go? Naegi wondered.
"Ghh...! I can't t-take it anymore! No more writing for me! I'm r-retiring!" Fukawa declared, her frustration now boiling over.
That shocked Naegi, who was thankful that he was the one who heard that and not some writer for a gossip rag. Hoping it was just hyperbole on Fukawa's part, Naegi said, "Retiring? But that's such a waste! You've got so much talent!"
"No, I'm d-done. I was never all that good i-in the first place...! And now I don't have the m-motivation or willpower anymore, e-either..." Fukawa said, trailing off.
Damn... It's like she's haunted by all those ghosts of her past, Naegi thought as he tried to think of a way to change Fukawa's mind. When he thought he had the answer, Naegi suggested, "Listen, Fukawa-san... Why not take this opportunity to look back at why you started doing this in the first place?"
That seemed to get Fukawa thinking, "Why I started...?"
"Yeah, why you started writing at all. Get back to basics, you know? Reflect on that, and I'm sure it'll give you at least a little motivation," Naegi explained.
"...It all started...w-with a single love letter," Fukawa said after a moment of thought.
"A love letter...?" Naegi questioned. I suppose that makes sense considering her specialty, but I know there's some twist at the end. Fukawa-san seems to only ever fall in love with boys with a cruel streak, Naegi thought sympathetically.
Oblivious to Naegi's thoughts, Fukawa began to tell her story. "When I was in e-elementary school, I... fell in l-love for the first time... He was a f-friend of mine. There weren't any feelings a-at first. He was the only boy I c-could talk to without getting h-hung up..."
Naegi just nodded without interrupting. So far, so good, he thought.
Fukawa continued, "But then he told me...h-his family was moving to Shikoku... As soon as he said that I could f-feel my chest start to tighten... At first, I d-didn't even understand what I was feeling. It was a t-total mystery... B-But I was too embarrassed to tell him h-how I felt directly. So instead...I wr-wrote him a love letter. And then..."
Naegi could already feel what was coming. Figuring the twist would be less painful to just get it over with, Naegi urged Fukawa to continue. "And then...?"
"The next day, the d-day he left...I saw he'd hung the letter up o-on the school bulletin board..." Fukawa said.
"What...?" Naegi questioned, hoping to hear why this boy would have done that.
Fukawa began to explain, "I got to talk to him a-again later on. Apparently, h-he hated the fact that I talked to h-him so much. All the other kids u-used to make fun of him for it. I guess that was his revenge, to sh-show the world my letter r-right before running off...!"
That's the most miserable "first love" story I've ever heard! I know people say kids can be cruel, but damn, Naegi thought.
Fukawa, unaware of Naegi's thoughts, continued, "But one of the t-teachers that read the letter...said I h-had a talent for writing." And that's what s-sparked my interest in writing."
"So that's what happened, huh?" As depressing as the story was, Naegi was impressed at the teacher's ability to turn an embarrassing moment into a promising writing career for Fukawa.
Fukawa's flair for dramatics returned as she began to rant again. "Grrhh! And now I dug up TH-THAT terrible memory! It's all your f-fault! All this trauma! It's all p-pointless! I'll never write another sublime love story ever ag-again!"
Borrowing from the mystery teacher's example, Naegi decided to give Fukawa a nudge. "Well then...why don't you try writing something besides romance stuff?"
"...Huh?" Fukawa questioned as she looked at Naegi as though he had begun speaking a foreign language.
Naegi quickly explained, "What I mean is, why don't you just write about what you're actually feeling? Write from the heart."
"You're saying I sh-should take these feelings of anger and e-emptiness...and turn them into a novel?" Fukawa asked, seriously considering the idea.
Honestly, I think that'd probably do her a lot of good. If the past bothers her that much, this might allow her to make peace with it, Naegi thought.
Fukawa seemed to warm to the idea as she began to laugh. "Aha...ahaha! That's n-not a bad idea...! Fine! I'm g-gonna do it! Write from the h-heart! Ahaheeheha...! I...I'm gonna d-do it! Ahohuhehueh...!" Fukawa dragged her screeching laughter behind her as she ran off.
Well...she definitely seems motivated, Naegi thought, but he couldn't help but wonder if that motivation was a good thing. "Anger and emptiness," huh? It makes sense all things considered, but I'm not sure if the world is ready for it, Naegi thought as he resumed his reading.
The next day, Naegi found himself waiting outside of Gekkogahara's office. When Naegi had relayed the news of Syo's stress to Gekkogahara, it was decided that she would increase her sessions with Fukawa and Syo. Since Syo somewhat listened to Naegi, it was decided that his presence was necessary, but for confidentiality reasons, Naegi could not be in the room during the sessions.
I kind of want to know what they're talking about in there, but I kind of don't. Our conversations make me think Syo-san's mind is a dark and scary place. I wonder what…Naegi's thoughts were interrupted when Syo exited Gekkogahara's office.
"Hey, Ma-kun! What should we talk about today!?"
I guess I'm Ma-kun now? Naegi thought. The nicknames didn't bother him, but he did wish Syo would pick on and stick with it.
Syo, taking his silence for disinterest, asked, "What's wrong!? You don't wanna talk to me!?"
"Sorry, Syo-san, I'm not trying to ignore you. Actually, I did want to ask you something. When did you appear—or when were you born—or when did you-?" came Naegi's fumbling question.
A confused Syo asked, "Huh? The hell you tryin' to say!?"
Settling on how to ask his question, Naegi asked, "How did you end up with a split personality?"
As if she was asked what she wanted for lunch, Syo answered, "Who knows? I don't remember the how or the why of it! Not everything's got a big dramatic backstory to it! Maybe it was just a coincidence or bad timing or some other nonsense!"
Just coincidence? Could that really be all? Come to think of it, Fukawa-san never talks about her home life, Naegi thought as Syo continued to speak.
"Maybe living in a repressed modern society caused an unexpected reaction to bubble up. And maybe that reaction just so happened to be me! And since it was a reaction to that repressed society, my personality became the total opposite of that! The other 'me' is a total downer, right? So that would make me…" Syo paused. Seeing Naegi waiting for her to continue, she asked, "Well, what do you think? Quiz time! If Little Miss Gloomy is a downer that makes me…?"
Naegi had to take a minute to think about the answer. The opposite of a downer... I guess it would have to be... "It's 'genki', right?" Naegi asked.
That answer seemed to satisfy Syo, who answered, "Ding ding ding! As a response to that emotional black hole, an energetic supernova was born! She just wants to read her stuffy classics all day but give me a good erotic thriller and I'm set! Anyway, we're not all that special. Anyone could have that weird reaction, ya know? I mean hell, the human mind itself is basically its own split personality!"
"Wait, no, that's…" Naegi began to argue.
Syo cut him off by saying, "No, it's true! Why else would headlines be filled with stories of murder, theft, fraud, all that crap! To turn away from that truth is to turn the aggressor into the victim! So why do it!? Embrace it and indulge your consciousness the way you've always wanted to! I'm not as twisted as you might think! You and me both gaze at the same horizon, don't we?"
Sophistry makes my brain hurt. This whole thing is a mess... It doesn't make any kind of sense at all. But it's my own fault for thinking I could ever understand...whatever this is, Naegi thought in exhaustion.
"You seem to be totally lacking genki, so let me give some words of wisdom to lift your spirits! Even a monkey can fall out of a tree, hit its head, slip into a coma, and die! Kyeehahaha!" Syo cackled as she sped off to do…something. Naegi wasn't really sure what, but he was happy to get a break.
I wonder if Gekkogahara-san would be willing to squeeze me in for a session. I feel like I could use it after that, Naegi said as he got up and walked into Gekkogahara's office.
The next afternoon after Naegi's session with Gekkogahara, Naegi was in the dorm's common area chatting with Maizono, Sonia, and Yukizome. It wasn't a particularly in-depth conversation, but Naegi found it relaxing. Or at least it was until Fukawa entered and started flipping cushions as she searched for something.
"W-where is it? Where could I have put it? Did somebody take it?" Fukawa asked, not expecting an answer.
"What are you looking for, Fukawa-san?" Sonia politely asked.
"My manuscript. My publisher is asking about my last manuscript. I could have sworn I sent it in over break, but the company claims they never got it," Fukawa explained while continuing her frantic search.
"Maybe it just hasn't arrived yet" Yukizome suggested.
"It's more than that! I send all of my drafts in by registered mail. I don't have a tracking number or a receipt. How could I have forgotten to send it in?!" Fukawa shouted as she gripped her hair in frustration.
"Calm down, Fukawa-san. We'll help you look for it," Maizono offered as she dodged some of the cushions that were being haphazardly tossed by her classmate.
"Is there anything specific we should look for? Like the title or something?" Naegi asked.
"Just look for a stack of papers held together by a binder clip. The top sheet will have my name on it. And don't any of you dare read it! Or I will let her out!" Fukawa threatened.
The threat didn't carry as much weight as it would have at the beginning of the year, but Naegi passed on that message to everyone he could enlist to help. At the end of the search though, even though many students had found missing items of their own, Fukawa's manuscript was nowhere to be found.
"We must keep searching! To lose one of Fukawa-san's manuscripts would be the greatest loss in the history of literature!" Sonia declared.
"It would certainly be a tragedy, but I don't know if I'd go that far. I do know how I feel when I can't find songs I've been working on, though," Maizono said in agreement.
"Maybe we should wait for Kirigiri-san and Enoshima-san. This is Kirigiri-san's area of expertise and Enoshima-san's abilities would certainly help," Yukizome suggested.
Naegi had to agree with Yukizome. He felt bad that Fukawa would be stressing over her missing manuscript until Enoshima returned from her photoshoot and Kirigiri returned from the police precinct, but Yukizome was right, it was time to call in the pros.
As everyone cleaned up and took turns attempting to calm Fukawa, the dormmates that had been absent during the search were returning for the evening. This, of course, included Kirigiri and Enoshima.
Once the situation had been explained to them, Kirigiri spoke up first, asking, "Are you sure you had it at the dorm, Fukawa-san? Could it be anywhere else?"
The original search party blushed in embarrassment over forgetting to ask such an obvious question.
"I-I wouldn't be so careless with something so important! I keep all of my…" Fukawa began.
"You took it home over break and because you thought you sent it in, you forgot to bring it back," Enoshima declared, interrupting Fukawa.
"N-no! I would never…dammit!" Fukawa cursed as she came to the realization that Enoshima was correct.
"That shouldn't be a problem then, right? Just go get it over the weekend or have your family send it," Naegi said.
"Absolutely not! I'll just re-write the damn thing. It shouldn't be too hard, I already did it once. Nobody bother me, I'll be busy for a while. I just need to get an extension from my publisher," Fukawa said as she went back to her room.
Naegi knew he could have left it at that, but Fukawa's reaction to the mention of her family had him worried. As he followed Fukawa, he asked, "Fukawa-san, why do this the hard way? I don't know if you had a fight or not over break, but I think getting your family to help is better than making more work for yourself."
"No! I will never ask that man or those women for help," Fukawa practically growled.
"I didn't know you had a sister. I thought you were an only child," Naegi said. Come to think of it, Fukawa-san has never once mentioned her family. Considering what she has told me, what could possibly prevent her from talking about her family? Naegi thought as he recalled the beginning of the year when his class first ate together. Fukawa had mentioned something about never having eaten with other people before. Naegi had assumed that was because Fukawa kept to herself at school, but now he was starting to question that assumption.
"'Only child,' huh? That's the problem, isn't it? Heheeheheheehee," Fukawa began to laugh, darkly. "Let me tell you a story. A story about two mothers, both of whom gave birth the same day. While one had a baby girl, the other had their child die due to a medical accident. Neither mother tested the child for parentage, because both wanted their child to die," Fukawa began.
"That's awful," Naegi said. It wasn't as though he could say much else. He knew Fukawa was telling him her story, and as such he had expected it to be dark, but he wasn't expecting it to be so dark so early.
Ignoring him, Fukawa continued, "It was soon discovered that the same man fathered children with both of the women. So, the baby was raised, if you can call it that, by a father and two mothers, if you can call them that. Their hatred of each other was taken out on the child. She was horribly mistreated; she was once locked in a dark closet for three days with no food. Shame that wasn't the worst of it."
"I'm sorry, Fukawa-san. I wish there was something I could do," Naegi said sadly.
"Well, at least you understand. Now never bring it up again," Fukawa explained as she headed for her room.
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're alive, Fukawa-san. We all are, even if we've never said it," Naegi called after her.
"Hmph," Fukawa huffed, although she was glad to hear that from someone. Not that she'd ever admit to it. Without another word, she disappeared into her room.
"I th-think I've heard that story before. Not from Fukawa-san, though," a soft voice said beside Naegi.
"Tsumiki-senpai? When did you get here?" Naegi asked.
"I f-followed you. I know S-Syo-san is behaving herself, b-but I was worried by how agitated Fukawa-san was acting," Tsukimi explained.
"Well, thank you for looking out for me. What did you say about the story?" Naegi asked.
"As you know, I-I've volunteered in a lot of hospitals. There's a story about a man who two-timed these two women that is infamous in one of the ones I worked in. At least I think it's the story Fukawa-san was telling. The details that I remember match and I-I don't want to im-imagine something like that being common. Some of the staff that worked in the maternity unit at the time are still there," Tsumiki explained.
"Maybe there is something we can do. If it comes to that, anyway. Tsumiki-senpai, do you think you can get more details about the story?" Naegi asked.
"A-anything for you, Beloved. B-but why?" Tsumiki asked.
"I think I know how to help Fukawa-san, but I need to check on a few things. I'll explain the rest later," Naegi explained, hoping he could end Fukawa's continuing trauma.
After several all-nighters, Fukawa had come to the conclusion that she was in trouble. Though her publisher had given her the extension that she had asked for, even if Fukawa didn't think it was long enough, Fukawa's writer's block prevented her from being able to write anything. Moreover, the lack of sleep was clearly becoming an issue as Fukawa stumbled through school hours.
Her breaking point came as Fukawa, completely exhausted, almost fell down a flight of stairs. As she almost fell forward, Naegi managed to catch her by the hand.
"Fukawa-san? Fukawa-san?! Are you okay?" a worried Naegi asked.
"Zzzz…? Huh? Wh-what happened? Why are you holding my hand? L-let go!" Fukawa ordered.
"Sorry, but at least let me take you to the infirmary. You're so tired you can barely walk straight. At least take a nap," Naegi begged.
"F-fine. This is your fault anyway, so you need to take *yawn* responsibility," Fukawa yawned.
"My fault?" Naegi asked as he guided Fukawa to the infirmary. "I'm not the one making you stay up all night when you know where your completed manuscript is," Naegi corrected.
"It's because you won't stop being nice to me! I can't retreat into my delusions anymore," Fukawa tiredly explained.
With a sigh, Naegi said, "I'm not going to apologize for being nice to you, Fukawa-san. You're long overdue for at least some kindness."
"I don't need your pity," Fukawa told him.
"It's not pity, but with everything you've been through, I can see why you'd think it was," Naegi said. Naegi tried to choose his next words as carefully as he could, "Listen, Fukawa-san, when we first met, you shot yourself down right away. After talking with you, I think you've started to believe that you aren't worthy of kindness, friendship, or love. But I want you to know, that you are, and that's why I keep reaching out to you."
Fukawa blushed and said, "I didn't ask you to do that."
"No, you didn't. I did it because I wanted to. You and Syo-san might confuse me, but I'm glad I got to know you both. Even if Syo-san gives me a headache and makes me want to raid Kizakura-sensei's liquor cabinet," Naegi told her as they arrived at the infirmary.
As Fukawa laid down, she mumbled, "Stop. She'll kill you if you're too nice to us. I don't want you to di…zzz."
"I'll be fine, Fukawa-san. And so will you, you'll see," Naegi said as he draped a blanket over Fukawa before leaving her a note and returning to class. Naegi couldn't help but feel happy. Begrudgingly or not, Fukawa allowing him to help her, even in this small way, was progress. Maybe someday she would stop pushing people away soon and finally let herself actually be happy for a change. Before that though, there were some old wounds that needed to heal and some old demons that needed to be faced. Hopefully, Fukawa would accept help when the time came.
When Fukawa woke up, she saw that she was still in the infirmary. The sound of voices drew her attention, and she saw Naegi and Tsumiki discussing something. As if sensing that she was awake, Naegi turned to her and greeted her.
"Feeling better, Fukawa-san? Once you're more awake, I'll tell you what we went over in class. The others and I made sure to take notes for you, so don't worry about that," Naegi said quietly so as not to startle his possibly still groggy classmate.
"I'm *yawn* fine. Thanks, I guess. None of you had to do that," Fukawa responded, clearly not accustomed to thanking people.
"When we get back to the dorm, you should probably go right to bed. A light snack is fine, but a big meal before bed is unhealthy," Tsumiki chimed in.
"Whatever. I still have work to do," Fukawa dismissed.
"Fukawa-san, don't do this to yourself. I understand that you don't want to go home, but you don't have to stay long. Just long enough to grab your manuscript and leave. I know it will be hard, but if it makes you feel better, I can go with you. Or someone else if that makes you feel more comfortable," Naegi offered.
After a few moments of hesitation, Fukawa finally said, "I'll think about it. If I'm not any further along by next week, then fine."
"That should be enough time," Naegi whispered to Tsumiki, who nodded in understanding.
The day had come. After another week of being unable to recreate her manuscript, Fukawa had relented and asked Naegi to accompany her on her dreaded visit home.
"I can't believe I agreed to this," Fukawa mumbled angrily as she glared up at an apartment complex.
Naegi calmly replied, "Your publisher didn't give you much choice. They can only give you so much extra time."
"Let's get this over with, just being close to them feels like torture," Fukawa grumbled.
"They might not be home. If they hate each other, wouldn't they want to spend as little time together as possible?" Naegi asked.
"Th-they hate each other but have spent my whole life together. My moms are in some spiteful game of chicken and my dad has either given up or is afraid of what they'll do if he leaves. Don't expect any of this to make sense!" Fukawa shouted.
Naegi didn't know how to respond and so opted not to say anything. Instead, Fukawa caught him doing something on his phone.
When Naegi finished, the two found themselves in front of the door to the Fukawa household. Fukawa took a deep breath and opened the door. "I-I'm home. Don't worry, I'm not staying," she announced.
Naegi didn't hear a response even though he could see that there were three people in the apartment. The man, the father, looked ordinary enough, although Naegi thought that if the word "misery" ever took human form, it would look like Mr. Fukawa. Naegi saw that Fukawa inherited his eyes. There were two women glaring, first at Naegi and Fukawa, then at the man, and finally at each other. Naegi could feel the spite and resentment dripping off of the two women.
Seeing the two potential mothers, Naegi had a few of his questions answered. Both women were brunettes with similar facial structure. Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together that, whether they wanted it or not, both displayed similar mannerisms. Naegi could see that Mr. Fukawa had a type and why a test would have been needed to determine who Fukawa's mother really was. Both were thin, both of somewhat average height, the difference couldn't have been more than 5 centimeters. It was the taller one who spoke first.
"Of course, your daughter is bringing strange boys home."
"My daughter? If she gets it from anyone, she gets it from you, you slut!" the shorter one shouted back.
"You're both sluts, you old lunatics. Now shut the hell up and let me get what I came here for," Fukawa said.
"A fine daughter you are, talking to your mother like that," the taller woman said in faux sorrow.
"You're your father's daughter alright, you do nothing but hurt us!" the shorter woman shouted.
"You did that to yourselves by opening your legs for the first man who paid you any kind of attention!" Fukawa screamed.
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," the man, Mr. Fukawa mumbled clearly at wits end.
"Whatever, I'll go get what I came here for," Fukawa said as she went to what Naegi assumed was her room, leaving him with the three adults.
Taking a deep breath to steel himself for what he was about to do, Naegi asked, "I know I shouldn't try to break up families, but if all of you are so miserable, why not separate?"
"Did Toko ask you to say that? The little bitch really does take after her mother," the short woman said.
"Leave so these two can tell everyone what a monster I am for abandoning the girl who might be my daughter? Oh, these two would jump at the chance to do that, I'm sure," the tall woman said.
"If it's notoriety you're worried about, I have some bad news. Your story is famous. At least among the staff of the hospital Fukawa-san was born at," Naegi said, he hoped nonchalantly. This isn't like me at all, but I need to at least try to help Fukawa-san, Naegi told himself.
Mr. Fukawa looking like a man who believed his life was over asked, "It is?"
"Toko told you about that? Little brat just has to make us look bad," the tall woman said.
"As if you needed help with that," the short one snidely remarked.
"Whore!"
"Bitch!"
"Stop!" Mr. Fukawa shouted.
"SHUT UP!" the women shouted at Mr. Fukawa, who sunk into himself.
It was at that moment that Fukawa reappeared. "I've got it, let's go," she said.
"That's right, leave us. Go and be happy while we suffer," the tall woman said.
"She's her mother's daughter, alright," the short one said.
"I wonder about that," Naegi said.
"Know something we don't, boy?" the short woman asked.
"Well, I know someone who volunteered at that hospital and the truth as you all understand it isn't the truth at all," Naegi answered.
"Are you stupid? We've lived the truth for years! One of us is the girl's mother and we have this useless sack of shit to thank!" the tall woman roared as she pointed at Mr. Fukawa.
"Did you though? 'Live the truth,' I mean. The three of you were so afraid of the truth that you wouldn't test for paternity. I'm certain none of you checked with the people who would be in a position to know, the nurses in the maternity ward. I went to hear the story myself and, well, you have to hear it to believe it," Naegi argued.
"Boy, could you get one of those nurses?" Mr. Fukawa asked.
"What?!" the tall woman shrieked.
"Why?!" the short woman screamed.
"Anything is better than this. No one should have to deal with both of you. No one should have to deal with either of you, but if I can get rid of one of you, I'll be happy," Mr. Fukawa explained.
"How dare you?!" the women shouted together, causing them to glare at each other again.
"I need to make a phone call," Naegi said as he stepped out of the apartment.
A half an hour later, there was a knock on the apartment door and in walked a woman about the same age as the other adults. She had pink hair and was smoking a cigarette. Fukawa knew she didn't know this woman, but she thought the woman looked somewhat familiar.
"This is Hagakure Hiroko-san. Nurse Hagakure Hiroko-san," Naegi introduced.
Hiroko looked at Mr. Fukawa, then at the two women, and finally at Fukawa before saying somberly, "I never meant for it to turn out like this."
"What do you mean?" the tall woman asked.
"Out with it, woman," the short one ordered.
Hiroko covered her eyes with one hand and took hold of her cigarette with the other. After taking a deep breath, the other occupants of the room saw tears begin to fall through her fingers. "Three people died in that maternity ward that day, not just a poor baby. It was two poor little girls and a young widow," Hiroko cried.
"What do you mean, Nurse Hagakure?" Mr. Fukawa asked.
"I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. A woman died in childbirth, with no husband or other family to take her newborn daughter in. And then two little baby girls died from medical accidents, it was too sad. Too sad for the orphaned girl and I thought too sad for the expectant parents. I thought I could give the poor little darling a happy home with one of the mothers. Oh, if I had known that this would be the result, I swear I never would have done it, please believe me," Hiroko wailed.
"You mean neither one of us is this girl's mother?" the tall woman asked.
Hiroko shook her head "no".
"And I'm not her father?" Mr. Fukawa asked.
Once again, Hiroko shook her head.
"One last question, do you know the name of deceased widow?" Naegi asked.
"It's been a really long time, I don't recall," Hiroko said with a sniffle.
"Well, I'll see Nurse Hagakure-san out. I'm sure the four of you have a lot to talk about," Naegi said as he placed a hand on Hiroko's back and led her outside.
When Naegi returned, the atmosphere in the apartment had changed completely. The bitterness, the hatred, the anger, and the resentment was gone, replaced by a tranquility that Naegi imagined released prisoners must feel when their sentence was complete. There was no reflection or apologies, but the four seemed content.
"I-I'm not sure what to call myself now," Fukawa giggled.
"Stay Fukawa Toko, as an authoress, I'm sure you can appreciate the story behind it," Mr. Fukawa joked.
"I-I need to get my things," Fukawa said.
"Oh, don't worry about that. We'll send it all to your dorm," the tall woman said. It was probably the kindest she sounded in years.
"Go on now, it's getting late, and you have a deadline to meet. Your friend is waiting for you, too," the short woman said, also with a foreign kindness.
After going back and forth for a while, Fukawa did end up taking a few things with her before she and Naegi left the apartment and were greeted by Hiroko, who asked, "Do you two need a ride back to school?"
"I certainly wouldn't turn one down. How about you, Fukawa-san?" Naegi asked.
"S-sure. It's better than carrying this on the train. Th-thank you," Fukawa thanked, sounding more content than Naegi had ever heard her.
Once they were in Hiroko's car, the mother of their classmate asked Fukawa, "So, any remaining questions? Like 'How did Naegi-chi find me so quickly?'"
"N-no, I know what happened. If you want to be a good writer, you need to be well read. I'm sure by now Naegi-kun already finished Chapter 3 of Eight Strokes of the Clock and I've always felt a certain kinship with the character of Jean Louis," Fukawa explained.
"I've heard people say, 'If you're going to steal, steal from the best.' And I couldn't think of anyone better than Arsène Lupin for this. Plus, it was fresh in my memory," Naegi mumbled the last part. He continued, "I'm still kind of shocked it worked. Leaving out that the odds of actually tracking down the nurses on duty from that time, I thought for sure they'd think Hiroko-san was too young."
"Oh Naegi-chi, you are a flatterer. Mwah!" Hiroko said as she blew him a kiss causing Naegi to turn red.
"Y-your performance was convincing. This wasn't some spur of the moment thing, was it?" Fukawa asked, feeling a tinge of jealousy at the older woman's playfulness.
"We had a little less than a week. Tsumiki-senpai got the details, but we have Celes-san to thank for Hiroko-san's participation as well as her tears," Naegi explained.
"I need to thank Celes-chi for her assistance when I give this back," Hiroko said as she pulled out a small plastic dropper bottle. "I love my son, but I do feel like I've messed up when he's trying to get his classmates to pay his debts," Hiroko sighed.
Naegi sighed himself, before saying, "About that, I could only get Celes-san to cover about ¥5,000,000. For the next month, when I'm back at the dorm I have to be her vampire butler."
"Even if it was a small amount, I appreciate you helping my boy. Your classmates are lucky to have someone like you, Naegi-chi. Wouldn't you agree, Fukawa-chi?" Hiroko asked the young writer.
Fukawa was caught off guard by the question, having been picturing Naegi as a vampire butler. An image she found herself filing away for later. After a moment she said, "Y-yes we are. I'd actually like to show my appreciation in the form of a poem."
"A poem?" Naegi asked.
Fukawa began, "On a locked and rusted door / I dug my nails in and dragged them down / Warm blood mixed with old rust / Flowing down my wrist / Coils like a snake / Embracing my body / You watch me / A smile in your eyes / You watch / Time runs away / And you with it / You leave me drowning in a red sea /" After she finished, Fukawa asked, "Do you understand how I feel?"
I'm kind of afraid to understand, but if she's happy that's what's important, Naegi thought. "I still feel bad that you've lost the only home you've ever known, Fukawa-san, even if I think it's for the best. Where will you go?" Naegi asked.
"I-I'll figure it out, Makoto-sama. For now, I want to enjoy my newfound freedom," Fukawa said as she leaned back in her seat, able to relax for what felt like the first time in her life.
Naegi found himself awake in the early hours of the morning. For some reason, he felt another presence in his dorm room. Sitting up, he asked, "*Yawn* Who's there?"
The presence turned on the lights, revealing herself to by Syo, who was looking at Naegi with something in her eyes Naegi had never seen before.
"Makoto-sama~! Good morning!" Syo chirped happily.
"Syo-san, what's wrong?" Naegi asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"I'm glad you asked, Makoto-sama! You see, Miss Gloomy and I don't share memories, but we do share feelings. So, I'm gonna confess my feelings to you!"
Can't it wait a few more hours? Naegi asked himself.
"To be honest, this is the first time I've ever had feelings for someone but not wanted to kill them. Up until now, whenever I fell for a boy, that boy fell for my scissors! My first love? Chased him all the way to Shikoku to kill him! But this time it's something special. It's not about killing or not killing. It's not that physical connection. My feelings are totally pure this time! Yeah! It's pure love!" Syo gushed.
"I'm not sure this is something you should admit to, Syo-san," Naegi warned.
Ignoring him, Syo continued, "Ungyahah! My chest is all tight and tingly! I've seriously never felt this way before! I wouldn't even mind not killing any other boys, if it meant I could be with him!"
That caught Naegi's attention. "Wait...really?"
"Of course! It would be unbelievably rude to cheat on you like that!" Syo confirmed.
Naegi wasn't expecting that. "I thought you were in love with Togami-kun. What about him?"
"Who? Oh, right, Moneybags. Keep up, Makoto-sama. You've been so kind and helpful; what girl wouldn't fall for you?" Syo asked.
"That's nice of you to say, Syo-san, and I am flattered, but you aren't planning to…?" Naegi began to ask as he thought how to word his question.
"I should probably tell you; you weren't my first stop tonight. You're a pretty popular guy and you value fairness and all that junk. That and I refuse to kill girls. Anyway, I remembered Her Royal Blondeness was helping you when I appeared in the cafeteria, so I paid her a visit. Throw down the gauntlet and all that, you know? Well, she made me an offer. You remember how I said I'm not into girls? Well, I'm something of a trisexual, I'll try anything once. Kyeehahaha!" Syo cackled.
"What? Syo-san, what happened?" Naegi asked, getting worried. Both for Sonia and for Japan's relationship with Novoselic.
"Geez, if you get this jealous over some kissing, I'm glad I'm swearing off killing. I thought I'd have the advantage, but she has some skills with her tongue, too. Want me to go get her and show you?" Syo asked.
Naegi hated that he thought about his answer, but was relieved that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Though he did expect to have trouble looking Sonia the same way again. After calming down and making sure blood got back to his brain, he said, "Maybe we should both get some sleep, Syo-san. Do you want me to take you back to your room?"
Syo swooned, "Oooohhh! Such a gentleman, Makoto-sama! You'd make this fiend's night if you did!"
"Let's go then," Naegi said as he got out of bed. As much as he would have rather rolled over and went back to sleep himself, at least this way he could be sure Syo wouldn't try to jump into bed with him. And I don't think I'll be able to go to sleep right now anyway after what Syo-san told me, Naegi thought. After Syo was back in her room and Naegi was sure she wasn't sneaking out after him, Naegi went back to his room and laid back down. I still think taking responsibility for Syo-san was one of my dumber ideas, but I guess I am glad I did it. I couldn't abandon Fukawa-san back then and I won't now. And as much as I hate to admit it, Syo-san is growing on me, too, Naegi thought as he drifted off to sleep.
And that is the chapter. Toko has her freedom, Syo stopped killing, and Makoto's crazy life gets crazier. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.
I suppose the idea for this chapter is years old at this point. I was reading Maurice Leblanc's Eight Strokes of the Clock , and the third chapter The Case of Jean Louis , well, Toko popped right into my mind. Granted, Jean Louis didn't have it nearly as bad as Toko, but still.
Looking up laws, specifically laws relating to certain defenses in Japan, took a bit more time than I expected but I hope it enhanced the experience. If I got anything wrong, I apologize, I think the sources were good, but I can't be too sure.
Anyway, I'm sorry to make everyone wait so long, I hope you found this chapter worth the wait. I'm hoping to update regularly again, we'll see whether or not I can though.
I'm kind of tempted to write about Makoto as Celes's vampire butler, but maybe I should save that for some other time. Until next time, read, review and until next time, stay frosty!
Chapter 29: Sports Day Life with Lil Ultimates
Chapter Text
Chapter 28: Sports Day Life with Lil' Ultimates
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ultimates of all ages, wesst1 back again, once again!
It seems that you enjoyed the last chapter, I'm always happy to see that. I was worried I couldn't do Toko or Syo justice. You all really are the best readers I could ask for.
I struggled a bit to come up with chapter ideas this time around. I was all set to do another fanservice chapter but then I thought, "I really need to save some of those for when the V3 girls are added." It will happen, I promise! Everything is in place for them, I swear, I just thought jumping ahead a few months from the last chapter would be awkward.
So, I hope you don't mind a chapter about the Lil' Ultimates and how their school life has improved.
I know some people have strong opinions about filler, but I'm hoping you'll like it.
Mioda Ibuki loved October. She loved every month, week, day, any measure of time, really, as long as she could play, but this October was special. Celes-chan has been hogging Makoto-chan all to herself for the past month. Now Makoto-chan is free to play with Ibuki again! Mioda thought excitedly as she styled her horns and made sure she was wearing her most comfortable running shoes.
As she skipped down the dorm's stairs, Mioda thought of ways she would greet Naegi this morning. Deciding simple might be best, when she got to the dining room she poked her head out from behind a corner and in a cute, singsong voice greeted, "Makoto-chan~!"
A voice that absolutely wasn't Naegi greeted, "Good morning, Mioda-senpai." Maizono waved as she greeted Mioda, as did the other girls. Mioda waved but still scanned the room for her missing crush.
Is Makoto-chan playing hide-and-seek with Ibuki already? Mioda wondered as she went to look for Naegi.
Outside the dorm, Mioda popped out of a bush and shouted, "Makoto-chan!"
Nothing.
Back inside the dorm, Mioda looked inside a vase and asked, "Makoto-chan?"
No answer.
After somehow climbing to the top of a tower near the main school building, Mioda screamed, "Ma-ko-to-chan!"
This did get Mioda a response, just not the one she had been hoping for.
"Mioda-san get down!" Yukizome shouted from the ground. The rest of the dorm had decided to follow Mioda after it became apparent that she was searching for Naegi, but they still had no idea how she had gotten on top of the tower or how she had done it so quickly.
"I'll get her," Owari offered as she started to climb.
A few minutes later both Owari and Mioda were back on the ground and the energetic musician was ready to continue her search until Koizumi spoke up.
"Ibuki-chan, Naegi-kun isn't here today, remember?" Koizumi asked.
A confused look and a disappointed, "Huh?" from Mioda were proof that she did indeed not remember.
"He went to Hope's Peak Elementary. They're having their Undo-kai today," Asahina explained.
"To be fair to Mioda-senpai, it was hard to understand Naegi-kun when he told us. He still had those stupid plastic fangs in his mouth," Kirigiri said.
"They aren't stupid, they're sexy!" Celes argued.
"…Anyway, we know you want to play with Naegi-sama. We all want to make up for lost time from last month, but the timing just didn't work out that way," Pekoyama told Mioda.
"Darling will be back later today, Mioda-san," Sonia said as she knelt down and gave Mioda a hug to comfort the now pouty musician.
"Well, just because he's not here doesn't mean you can't see him," Enoshima shrugged as she held up her phone. Seeing the mix of curious and confused looks, Enoshima elaborated, "Don't forget, I have, shall we say, a man, or rather, a little sister, on the inside."
As Enoshima was explaining things back at Hope's Peak Academy, at Hope's Peak Elementary, Monaca adjusted the hidden camera she had set up. I don't know why Junko-onee-chan is so interested in seeing Mako-nii at our sports festival. I love him too, but it's not like he's competing. If anything, shouldn't we be asking her to do this instead? Although, if what she told me is true, everyone but the vampire girl is suffering from Mako-nii deficiency, Monaca thought.
"Monaca-chan, hurry up. It's about to start!" Kotoko reminded her friend.
"It's so nice to see the children so excited," a woman who introduced herself as Kotoko's aunt said. Like her niece, she had pink hair and eyes, showing that Kotoko took after her mother. The woman had introduced herself as Sorayama Shouko.
"It's our first Undo-kai, Sorayama-san. It's only natural that we would be excited," Nagisa explained.
A tall man with dark red hair asked, "Shingetsu-kun, when you say 'first', do you mean your first with your new situation?" The man was Yumeno Hito, and he, his wife, and his daughter had come to support their cousin Masaru. Some more enthusiastically than others.
"Nope! First ever. The school never let us compete before. Probably because I'm so awesome it was unfair to everyone else if I competed!" Masaru exclaimed, eager to show off for everyone.
"Too noisy and too much work," Yumeno Himiko whined as she laid down on a blanket her family had laid out.
"We might have also pulled a few pranks every year before Undo-kai and got banned because of them," Jataro sheepishly admitted from his spot next to the Fujisaki family. Fujisaki and Naegi nodded in understanding at that admission, both knowing full well how destructive Ultimates, even those of the "Lil'" variety, could be even when they meant no real harm.
"It's so nice to see these talented little ones so energetic," Dr. Shingetsu said to her husband, the other Dr. Shingetsu. Both looked more middle-aged than elderly, but the resemblance between the two and their grandson was unquestionable.
"You kids had better hurry along to the opening ceremony. We'll all be cheering for you from here," Mrs. Naegi told the Lil' Ultimates as he spotted the vice principal testing the microphone at the principal's podium.
"Yes Mama," Monaca said as she finished up with the camera. "You heard her, Warriors, let's go!" the greenette shouted with newfound enthusiasm as she led her friends to the podium before lining up.
"This feels like stalker behavior," Koizumi said as she watched her dormmates gather around the large monitor Enoshima had set up.
"Didn't you follow him to a foreign country?" Pekoyama asked her friend as she sat down on a couch.
"Th-that was… We were… He at least knew we were there, we weren't spying on him," a flustered Koizumi tried to explain.
"Pekoyama-senpai isn't wrong, really. We did make up excuses to go to Novoselic. Even if it was for the best, it's still rather extreme," Ikusaba said.
"I think this is a gross invasion of privacy and everyone taking part in it should be ashamed of themselves," Maizono huffed.
"Is that why you picked the closest seat and have a notebook?" Kirigiri asked.
"I never said I wasn't taking part, just that I should feel ashamed," Maizono said without an ounce of shame.
"…Right. What exactly is the point of this? It's not like Naegi-kun is going to do much other than support the children," Kirigiri pointed out.
"Darling is so cute with those five," Sonia chirped happily.
"The little ones really like him, too," Owari added.
"You're all missing the point. What is Naegi-kun like when we aren't around? What doesn't he tell us? What embarrassing secrets will his family let slip? That's the point of this," Enoshima explained.
"'Embarrassing secrets?' I'm in," Saionji said as she sat down.
"Well, we don't have class today, so I guess this is a good way to spend time. We need to support the children Naegi-kun worked so hard to save," Yukizome declared.
With that, any further arguments ended. It was only fair, the girls realized. The children had been supporting them, so the girls would support them in turn.
"Let's go Warriors of Hope!" Mioda yelled as she appeared wearing a headband with chibi faces of the Warriors on it and a happi with "5-D" on the back.
"S-someone bounced back quickly," Fukawa noted as she sat next to Tsumiki.
"W-where did you get that, Mioda-san" Tsumiki asked.
"Ibuki made it. When Junko-chan said we'd be watching the Undo-kai, Ibuki got fired up to show her support," Mioda declared proudly.
No one in the room questioned how she had finished the clothes so quickly, deciding to just accept that it was just Mioda being Mioda.
Looking for a way to move on, Asahina found it on the screen. "Hey look, it's starting! It's an opening parade!" Asahina shouted.
The opening parade wasn't particularly eventful, but that didn't keep the children and the families from being excited. As the families called out to their respective child from the sidelines, Mr. Naegi started to chuckle.
"Remember Makoto's first Undo-kai parade?" Mr. Naegi asked his wife.
"How could I forget? Our son was a hero to his classmates long before he attended Hope's Peak Academy," Mrs. Naegi replied.
"Oh please, no," Naegi begged as he covered his face.
"What happened?" Fujisaki asked, curious about what his friend was so worried about.
"During his first Undo-kai parade, Makoto's right shoe somehow came flying off. We aren't sure how, none of the children were going that fast," Mr. Naegi began.
Celes let out an uncharacteristic giggle and said, "Some things never change, apparently."
While too polite to voice it, most of the girls nodded in agreement.
"Shh! Mother is speaking," Sonia said as she directed everyone's attention back to the screen.
"Somehow, and you're going to be hearing that word a lot, somehow, his shoe hit into a cart full of beanbags for the Tamaire event, which somehow made enough of an impact to make it move. Somehow, this cart hit a metal pole, coincidentally set up for the same event. Well, this pole was also on wheels, and it rolled all the way to the edge of the school grounds. Somehow, it rolled over to the exact spot where a rather old tree was planted. Now, close to this tree were some vending machines," Mrs. Naegi explained.
"Juice and ice cream machines, which will be important soon," Mr. Naegi interjected.
Mrs. Naegi continued, "Yes. The pole, or rather the basket attached to the pole, nudged the tree. Well, this tree in particular hadn't looked healthy for some time, but it must have been rotting from the inside because that nudge was just strong enough to cause it to collapse. As the tree falls one of the branches catches the basket and pulls the basket and pole over the fence and they land on top of the vending machines causing all of the contents to begin spilling out, free of charge."
"I see where this is going," Mrs. Yumeno said.
"Exactly, while poor little Makoto is mortified by what happened…" Mr. Naegi began.
"Kind of like right now," Naegi stated turning an unhealthy shade of red.
"…the other parents and even some teachers are grabbing juice and ice cream. The older students are patting Makoto on the back saying how great he is and his classmates are calling him their hero," Mr. Naegi finished.
"I was too young to remember, but I was told I wouldn't stop laughing," Komaru added as she cheekily poked her brother's shoulder.
"Sometimes I think that's where Makoto's optimism comes from. Sometimes unlucky things happen to him, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Something good always happens soon after. Our son is just lucky, I guess," Mrs. Naegi said as she hugged her embarrassed son.
"I was terrified of what was going to happen. I was in my first year of elementary school and I thought I was going to jail for stealing all of that juice and ice cream," Naegi reminded his family.
"We told him it wasn't his fault. We made sure he knew when the local municipality took responsibility for the tree and the damage. That tree had been sick for a while, but no crew was ever sent to deal with it. I think I've ever seen our boy so relieved," Mr. Naegi explained.
Back at Hope's Peak Academy, Enoshima and Saionji were howling with laughter. Many of the other girls were laughing too, but those two seemed to be enjoying this information the most.
One of the ones who wasn't laughing, Owari, was drooling at the thought of free ice cream and said, "I wish I had been there."
Saionji, who was beginning to calm down, said, "I, haha, I need someone to draw that sequence of events. I need that in my life."
"Celes-san, order Yamada-kun to draw that. Whatever style he wants to do it in doesn't matter. If that doesn't work, maybe Mitarai-senpai can animate it," Enoshima managed to choke out before she resumed laughing.
"That's mean, you two. Clearly Naegi-kun is bothered by that story," Maizono huffed as she tried to keep a smile off of her face.
"E-either we find out now o-or we find out after we're married," Fukawa said, attempting to justify hearing this embarrassing story.
"A few more stories like that and Naegi-kun might need to be comforted the moment he gets back, I think," Nanami noted.
That sentence caused even the more empathetic girls to feel conflicted. They didn't want Naegi to suffer, but they did like the idea of him coming to them for comfort.
"W-we'll deal with that when it happens, but I believe the next event is starting," Yukizome said as she and a few others pushed their intimate fantasies aside to cheer for the Warriors of Hope.
Once the parade ended, the announcer said, "After our parade, we'll ease into things with Hyōgen. At their request, first up is Class 5-D!"
Once they were called, the Warriors of Hope stepped into the center of the field, Kotoko and Monaca both carrying folding fans. Masaru, Jataro, and Nagisa stood in front while the girls stood behind them. Once the music started playing and the Warriors began to dance, Naegi noticed that the dance was very familiar.
"So that's what Saionji-senpai was doing. I thought I'd been seeing less of her since the beach trip. I'm amazed she managed to teach them all so quickly," Naegi said in amazement as he watched the children.
"Kotoko-chan was very excited to show this at the festival," Sorayama said as she recorded her niece's performance to show the rest of the family.
While the kids did their performance, Maizono pouted, "They could have come to me. I could have taught them a dance or two."
After a raspberry at Maizono, Saionji mocked, "Maybe next year."
"Now, now, you two. There's no need to fight. I'm sure the kids weren't playing favorites," Koizumi said.
Well, maybe not this time, Otonashi said to Enoshima who nodded.
Naegi was impressed with the children's performance. Their motions were fluid, the choreography was on point, the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves, and although they lacked her ability to make herself seem like the center of the universe during a performance, it was clear that Saionji had taught them well. If Naegi had to pick something to criticize, it would be that this performance seemed like it should have been performed by a larger group than just five elementary school students, but the children still performed well. The boys movements were sharp and powerful while the girls moved with poise and grace one didn't often see from children their age.
As Kotoko and Monaca moved to the front, the song changed to a slower and gentler tempo, but that didn't last long as they parted to make way for the boys led by Masaru. The song sped up and the boys looked less like they were dancing and more like they were practicing katas. After another shift in the music the girls were back, front and center. Their movements were still graceful, but Naegi was tempted to call them powerful now, too. Throughout the performance, the music would continue to shift and the five would match it seamlessly. None of them outshone the others because they were performing flawlessly. Naegi suspected Saionji demanded nothing less than perfection and clearly, she got it from the Warriors of Hope.
By the time the kids finished dancing, it was almost as if they had blended four separate dances together for their performance. Once the music stopped, it felt as though time stopped with it. A stunned silence had fallen over the crowd of gathered families which caused Naegi to worry. It was true that he and the others who had come for the Warriors of Hope loved their performance, but whether or not everyone else enjoyed the performance was subjective.
Should they have done something more current? Or maybe a dance native to the area? Did the shift in tone hurt them? Naegi panicked before a thunderous applause began. The crowd loved the performance. Some were even calling for an encore. This eased Naegi's worries for the Warriors of Hope, but he began to feel bad for the other students. That's going to be a tough act to follow.
"Huh. I thought for sure it would be too highbrow for the audience," Enoshima said as she munched on some popcorn.
"Traditional dance speaks to everyone, unless they're some uncultured swine," Saionji boasted.
"I don't know if I'd say it like that, but it certainly spoke to that crowd," Ikusaba noted as she reached for her sister's popcorn.
"Now I feel bad for the other classes. I know I'm biased but I don't think you can beat that," Koizumi added.
Koizumi and Naegi's assessments had proven correct when the other classes performed. Their hearts were in it as much as the Warriors of Hope's hearts had been in their performance, but the other classes lacked the hunger of Class 5-D.
For a first Undo-kai, those five are doing amazingly well. I had expected Masaru-kun to do well, but I hadn't expected the other four to be interested, Naegi thought as the Warriors of Hope indulged in the praise from their families.
"You were amazing Jatarto-kun!" Fujisaki gushed as he hugged his little cousin.
"T-thank you, Chihiro-onii-chan," Jataro shyly said.
"Kotoko-chan, you're already today's star!" Kotoko's uncle, Sorayama Kazu exclaimed.
"L-let's not go crazy, Uncle. There's still a whole festival ahead of us," Kotoko said. Despite her words, she was clearly happy with the praise.
"I'm not surprised he did so well, Masaru-kun knows how to move his body," Mrs. Yumeno said to her husband who nodded. Both wished their daughter would learn a thing or two from her young cousin.
"I never knew anyone in our family could do so well in a physically demanding activity. You should be proud of yourself, Nagisa-kun," Grandfather Shingetsu told his grandson as the boy rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by the praise.
"Mako-nii?" Monaca asked as she stood in front of her new brother.
"What is it, Monaca-chan?" Naegi asked. Monaca said nothing but moved her head slightly. Eventually, Naegi caught on. "Oh," Naegi said in realization as he patted Monaca on the head, "You five were the best out there, Monaca-chan. I'm proud of you. We all are."
"Hey, I want, Mako-nii to praise me, too!" Masaru said as he ran over to Naegi.
"C-could I have some head pats?" Jataro asked.
"No! Me first!" Kotoko shouted.
"I-I can wait. It's too early to praise us, yet," Nagisa lied as he tried to move in front of his friends.
"I'm proud of all of you. I'm so glad I got to see it. More importantly, I'm glad you're all here to participate," Naegi told the children as he made sure to pat them all with the hand he had injured rescuing them.
The Warriors were so caught up in Naegi's attention that they almost missed the announcement of the next event.
"Participants for the Fifth Grade Relay Race, please take your positions!"
"Alright! This is what Undo-kai is all about!" a fired-up Asahina declared.
"I don't know that I'd go that far, but I guess it is one of the first things people think of," Koizumi said as she and the others backed away from Asahina's fiery aura.
"Personally, I've never cared for it. Let the meatheads get sweaty if they want to, I'll pass," Saionji whispered to her seatmate, Celeste.
"My interest in athletics is based entirely on whether or not I can place bets. Although, I must admit, I am invested in this, even without involving money," Celeste replied in an equally quiet voice. Neither was interested in a lecture from Asahina on the greatness of sports.
"E-everyone, shut up! Father is saying something!" Fukawa ordered as the screen showed Mr. Naegi about to speak.
"Whenever I hear about a relay race, I always think of Makoto's time in fifth grade," Mr. Naegi began.
"It was probably the first time my 'special talent' came in handy," Naegi said with a laugh. Clearly this wasn't a traumatic memory for the young man.
"What happened in the fifth grade?" Fujisaki Taichi asked as the other families started to pay attention.
"Well, Koto-kun has a special, well, I suppose it counts as a talent. He sometimes trips and his right shoe comes off," Mrs. Naegi explained.
"Oh, I remember this! It rained pretty heavily the night before Undo-kai and the course hadn't completely dried yet. There were patches of mud and deep puddles everywhere," Komaru added.
"Yep! And it just so happens that both of those hazards were right at the starting line," Mr. Naegi confirmed.
"I'm not sure I follow," Mrs. Fujisaki Chinami said as she and the others gave the Naegi's confused looks.
"I'm pretty average at a lot of things, including sports. I was the starting runner for my class," Naegi explained.
"When the race started all of the runners got stuck in the mud. Some fell, some dropped their baton as they tried to get out, but not Onii-chan," Komaru giggled.
"While everyone got stuck in the mud, Koto-kun just slipped out of his shoes and ran, giving the next runner a very sizable lead," Mrs. Naegi continued.
"I guess it was kind of cheap, but it was within the rules and my class won the event," Naegi laughed.
"It cemented Makoto's status as his class's good luck charm and all it cost was a pair of socks," Mr. Naegi joked.
"It's also probably my least embarrassing Undo-kai story from elementary school. At the very least, I didn't feel like disappearing when it happened," Naegi admitted. Deciding that he and his family had distracted from the main event long enough, Naegi then said, "I think the race is finally starting. How do you think the kids will do?"
It was a rhetorical question, really. Kotoko had gained enough of a lead at the start so that the second and third runners, Nagisa and Monaca, were able to pass the baton to Masaru, who left the other runners in the dust. It wasn't surprising to the group who had come to support them, but many of the other participants and their families were left dumbfounded at Class 5-D's athletic prowess.
"Wooo-hooo! Another win for Class 5-D!" Mioda cheered as waved red and pink light sticks.
"I never doubted them," Asahina said. Deciding to go with flow, she had donned some of the clothes Mioda had created for the day and waved green and blue light sticks.
"I thought the story was more interesting. It's such a 'Naegi-kun' thing to realize his bad luck prepared him for a race in mud," Ikusaba chuckled.
"Does that count as an embarrassing story? Getting dirty kind of comes with the territory with an event like this," Saionji pointed out.
Depressed Enoshima appeared and said, "Sadly, they can't all be winners. I guess it's cute, so I shouldn't be so disappointed."
"I really don't think there's any reason to be disappointed at all. There's still over half the event to go, I'm sure we'll hear more entertaining stories," Yukizome said.
"Sensei, you do realize that the 'entertaining stories' are embarrassing for Naegi, right?" Kirigiri asked pointedly.
Realization crossed Yukizome's face, but instead of saying anything, she bopped herself on the head, stuck out her tongue, winked, and smiled. In other words, the tehepero pose.
Sonia came to her teacher's defense, saying, "Lovers occasionally, I believe the phrase is, 'mess with each other'. I am sure Darling will not hold this against us provided that this remains good-natured teasing."
Pekoyama, who had stayed out of the surrounding conversations, called everyone's attention back to the screen when she said, "Komaru-sama is talking."
"The next event is Oodama Korogashi. I hope those five have less trouble with the giant ball than you did, Onii-chan," Komaru teased as she elbowed her brother.
"Yeah, that one is a painful memory. I'm sure they'll be fine, though. I can't see them having any trouble as far as teamwork goes and none of them have my clumsiness," Naegi winced as he remembered his experience with the event.
"I'm not sure I understand how the event can be painful. It's big, but the ball is just rubber," Taichi pointed out. The other families nodded, clearly just as confused as the Fujisaki patriarch.
"That was Komaru-chan's first Undo-kai. She was excited, as many children often are, but as a kindergartner, she didn't take losing very well," Mr. Naegi began.
"I was being a bit of a baby. I'm not proud that I cried when I lost, but I was young," Komaru admitted.
"Koto-kun has always hated it when Komaru-chan cries. So, as you can imagine, he was rather distracted when it was his turn to compete," Mrs. Naegi explained.
Naegi picked up from where his mother left off. "The event was, as you may have guess, Oodama Korogashi. Rolling a giant ball across the finish line as a team is difficult enough, but I wasn't focused on it at all. I was trying to think of ways to cheer Komaru up. I was also worried my class winning the event would have made her feel worse, but I couldn't let my class down either. Well, as luck, particularly my special brand of luck, would have it, I managed to win it for my team and cheer Komaru up at the same time, although not in the best way. I was on one of the ends of my team's line up, so it was my job to make sure the ball went straight. My lack of focus caused the ball to get a little too far ahead, so I went in front of the ball to slow it down. I don't remember if the others called me back and I didn't hear, or if they were caught off guard by what I did, but once the ball was back under their control I fell back, got ran over, and held onto the ball for dear life. The best part was that the momentum kept both me and the ball rolling right over the finish line even after my team stopped to try to help me." Naegi paused to allow the gathered families time to laugh. After all these years, even he could admit that it was funny.
Once she calmed down, it was Yumeno who asked, "How did that cheer your sister up, though? Weren't you worried, Komaru-san?"
"When I saw how worried Mom and Dad were, I was. At first, I just thought Makoto was just trying to be funny. It was so, I guess you could call it 'cartoon-y' that I thought it had to be on purpose," Komaru answered.
"It got my sister to stop crying, so I guess it was worth it. Getting dragged across the ground as the ball rolled hurt, but I wasn't bleeding or anything afterwards," Naegi said sheepishly. Whether it worked out for the best or not, it was still a somewhat embarrassing memory for him.
"Onii-chan doesn't really think about himself when he wants to help others. It makes everyone worry, but it makes me happy knowing he'd go as far as he does for other people," Komaru said as she hugged her brother happily.
"We do love our big hearted, Koto-kun," Mrs. Naegi said as she hugged her oldest children.
"Hmmhmmhmm," Celes quietly laughed. "Something like that could only happen to Naegi-kun. Not very knight-like, but it is an amusing story."
"It's nice to know he hasn't changed. When he worries about someone, he can't really seem to focus on anything else," Maizono added, remembering how distracted Naegi was when he tried to cheer up Mioda.
"Hmm," Owari hummed as she cupped her breasts with a pensive frown. Such an uncharacteristic look on the Ultimate Gymnast did not go unnoticed.
"What's wrong, Akane-chan?" a concerned Koizumi asked her friend.
"Guys like tits, right?" Owari asked, causing Koizumi to regret her question.
"What!?" a scandalized Koizumi asked.
"I know I'm not that smart, but wouldn't getting crushed by a giant ball, what's the word, traumatize, Naegi-kun? I hope I didn't scare him off when I offered to let him motorboat me," the athletic girl worried.
"N-no, I'm sure Naegi-kun is a fan of big boobs…what am I saying!?" an embarrassed Asahina wailed.
"M-mastrophobia typically affects women and megalophobia doesn't really come into play here. Gekkogahara-senpai and I would have noticed if we were making Naegi-kun uncomfortable," Tsumiki said.
"C-can we talk about something else, please!?" Fukawa asked, speaking for the less endowed, but currently very pissed off girls.
"I guess when your breast size is all you have going for you, you have to worry at times like this," Ikusaba muttered, earning a glare from her sister.
Deciding to get some payback, Enoshima said, "Don't worry, Owari-senpai. I've been way more forward than any of you, and the worst that happens is I overstimulate Naegi-kun. There's nothing to worry about."
"I don't think he'd have gotten as close to all of us as he has if any of us scared him," Yukizome agreed.
With a sigh of relief, Owari said, "Good," as she resumed watching the screen, oblivious to the split she had created in the room.
Owari had begun watching again just as the students joined their families for lunch. Class 5-D was no different as each of the five opened a bento prepared by their respective family and happily proclaimed their accomplishments between bites of food.
Naegi found himself feeling relieved as he remembered what the kids were like when he had first met them. They were still mischievous, but there wasn't something dark hanging over them anymore. It was also a relief to see that Jataro was no longer underweight. "I'm really proud of how far you kids have come in such a short time," Naegi said quietly, not expecting the Warriors to hear him.
"What do you mean, Mako-nii?" Masaru asked as he and the others, who had in fact heard Naegi, turned to their big brother figure.
"When we first met, you five were little pranksters but you were all hiding something. Something only the most unfortunate of people have to suffer through. What you kids had to endure at home and at school must have been torture, but you all stayed strong. I took on the student mentor role because I wanted to help, and the more you five opened up to me, the more determined I became to do right by all of you. Seeing you five finally able to enjoy being children with people who love you and will treat you right, just…well, it makes Naegi-sensei think he did a good job," Naegi explained as he got embarrassed toward the end. The feeling was short-lived as five small bodies tackled Naegi in a hug.
"Of course you did a good job, dummy," Kotoko mumbled into Naegi's jacket.
"We wouldn't be here without you, Mako-nii," Nagisa stated, matter-of-factly.
"Aunty, Uncle, and Chihiro-onii-chan are really nice, but you took care of me first, Mako-nii," Jataro added.
"Same here, although, I think I get on Himiko-nee-chan's nerves a bit," Masaru chuckled.
"Monaca isn't an unwanted child anymore. She has a real family now," Monaca said as she hugged her brother tighter.
Back at the dorm, the girls also decided to take a lunch break and put the schism over chest size behind them. Seeing the heartwarming scene between Naegi and the children.
"Sniff! I'm so happy that Naegi-kun saved those five little angels," Maizono said through her tears.
The more serious and objective Kirigiri said, "I'd hardly describe them as 'angels' but I agree. No child deserves the lives those five were forced to endure." As she had said this, the normally cold Kirigiri and Pekoyama gave Tsumiki and Fukawa comforting hugs, knowing those two had endured childhoods quite similar to the Warriors of Hope.
"We've fallen in love with a good, but rather dense man," Koizumi sighed.
In defense of Naegi, Sonia replied, "I believe his concerns about getting expelled for starting a relationship are valid, Koizumi-san."
"Even though everyone approves of him, Naegi-kun understands that optics matter. He can't even give the appearance of taking advantage of his situation. Especially not after all the scandals this past year," Professor Enoshima explained.
"Scandals you helped publicize, right, 'Madarai-san'?" Ikusaba asked her sister. In response, Enoshima reverted to her normal self and pouted.
"Don't misunderstand, Enoshima-san. While you didn't exactly do it out of the goodness of your heart at the time, it was a good thing to get all of that out in the open, but it has put everyone in a precarious position, especially Naegi-kun," Yukizome explained.
"In fairness, Naegi-kun and the children were what created the opening for her. And Enoshima-san didn't hold a gun to anyone's head and make Hope's Peak or any of its offshoots do any of what they did," Celes added.
"So, what everyone is saying is that it's amazing how much has changed since the year started, right?" Nanami asked.
"Not just those children and Hope's Peak, but us as well," Yukizome answered with a proud nod. She hadn't told him, but she was proud of what Naegi had accomplished, and she knew she wasn't the only one.
After that, the girls finished eating just as the next event began.
At Hope's Peak Elementary, the next event was the scavenger hunt. This event was a personal favorite of Naegi's, as there was no embarrassing story about him and this particular event. He could just sit back and watch the kids play with everyone else, or so he thought until Kotoko came and asked him to come with her to see the judges.
Wondering what Kotoko's item could be, Naegi cooperated and followed her. It couldn't be something green; she could have just as easily gotten Monaca-chan for that. Someone older? No that's too easy, not to mention vague. My ahoge is pointy, maybe she needs something sharp. Although I can't see them making young children look for something sharp. Well, whatever criteria I fit, I guess Ill find out soon enough, Naegi thought.
"Mako-nii, you have your e-handbook, right?" Kotoko asked as she pulled Naegi along.
"I do, I always keep it on my just in case," Naegi answered.
"Good! Can you show it to the judges?" Kotoko asked as the two of them reached the judges' table.
"Okay, sure. Anything in particular?" Naegi asked as he showed his information, confused by what the judges needed to see.
"'Good luck charm'. Good outside the box thinking Utsugi-chan," Nurse Shinozaki said as the other two judges nodded in agreement.
"Yay! First in cuteness and first in the scavenger hunt!" Kotoko shouted happily as she gave Naegi another hug. A hug Naegi returned as he chuckled. It wasn't embarrassing, but now he had an Undo-kai scavenger hunt story.
"Congratulation, Kotoko-chan!" Mrs. Sorayama exclaimed as she scooped her niece up into her arms.
Mr. Sorayama ruffled Kotoko's hair as he said, "The Ultimate Lucky Student as a good luck charm, I never would have thought of that. You're brilliant, Kotoko-chan"
"I wish I could have turned Mako-nii in for my item," Monaca pouted to Komaru.
"It can't be helped. The criteria are handed out at random, and you can't reuse items," Nagisa shrugged.
"I don't think we did too badly. Although, Chihiro-nii was able to help me out," Jataro said as he gave Fujisaki his phone back. His item had been "Technologically advanced."
"That reminds me, I had better give Himiko-nee her wand back," Masaru said as he placed Yumeno's wand next to her as she covered her ears and tried to sleep.
"The scavenger hunt is as much a test of luck as it is a test of resourcefulness, you five did very well," Grandmother Shingetsu said as he patted her grandson's head, eliciting a blush from said boy.
"Just three more events, are you kids ready?" Mr. Yumeno asked.
"You bet we are, Uncle! The other classes don't stand a chance," Masaru boasted.
"Masaru-kun, it's okay to be proud, but don't get overconfident. The other classes can still come from behind," Mrs. Yumeno warned.
"We just don't want you getting sloppy at the end just because you think victory is assured, Masaru-kun. This is your first Undo-kai, and you wanted to show everyone your best from start to finish, didn't you?" Naegi asked.
"Right, no time to get cocky, let's win this Warriors of Hope!" Masaru shouted to a chorus of "Yeah!".
"Looks like they're setting up for tamaire next, kids. It's you five against the rest of the school, so good luck!" Mrs. Naegi said.
"Everybody, borrow some of Mako-nii's luck!" Kotoko ordered as she latched onto Naegi with a hug. She was soon joined by the other Warriors, before she let go and said, "Mmmm, I feel supercharged with good luck. We've got this, you guys!"
"Yeah" the other four shouted before going out to participate in the event.
"I know we've said this before, but it's so cute how those kids act with Naegi-kun," Maizono said as she and the girls watched the Warriors get into position around their basket.
"Cute, but not surprising. I think he was the first real bit of warmth and love those children ever had," Nanami added.
"It makes me happy knowing that our own future children will have such a loving father," Sonia chirped as she began to fantasize.
Hearing the words "future children" the girls each imagined a child. A child that was a perfect mix of their and Naegi's traits.
Celes was the first to break out of her fantasy of playing cards with her lucky gambler daughter and stammered, "C-can we p-please change the s-s-subject?"
Kirigiri, who had been imagining working a case with a little girl with purple hair and an ahoge, agreed, saying, "Y-yes. W-we're supposed to b-be supporting the Warriors of Hope."
"I-I agree, th-there will be plenty of time for that later," Ikusaba said, coming out of a fantasy training session with her son.
"Amateurs," Fukawa, the expert on fantasies, whispered with a laugh as she retreated back into her own fantasy with her and Naegi's son.
Back at Hope's Peak Elementary, while the other gathered families cheered on their children, Mr. Yumeno noticed something. "No story this time?" he asked.
"I always thought the opening parade story doubled as a tamaire story, given it involved a tamaire basket. I guess my luck agrees with me, because I never had any more trouble with the tamaire event," Naegi explained, glad to get another reprieve from embarrassing stories about him. I don't really blame Mom, Dad, or Komaru for telling those stories. None of them are really that terrible and I bet I would have laughed if they happened to anyone who isn't me, Naegi mentally sighed before he returned to cheering for the Warriors of Hope.
Despite lecturing him on the importance of humility, it was obvious that Masaru was the MVP of the event. His speed and accuracy, and a steady supply of beanbags supplied by his friends, allowed Class 5-D to earn an early lead on the other classes.
"Oh my, I hope Masaru-kun's arms aren't too tired when the tug-o-war event starts," Komaru said.
"Yawn! I'm sure he'll be fine. I swear, Masaru-kun doesn't get tired. It makes taking naps difficult," Yumeno Himiko sleepily responded.
"As unscientific as it is to say, those five are probably the most 'Ultimate' Ultimates of their generation. And believe me, my husband and I have seen plenty," Grandmother Shingetsu explained.
Not really understanding what it meant to be an "Ultimate" Mr. Sorayama shrugged his shoulder and said, "Perhaps. I'm just happy to see them enjoying themselves. Kotoko-chan was so timid when we took her in. I still try not to be alone in a room with her, just so I don't bring up bad memories."
Fujisaki Taichi nodded and added, "They're healing. Slowly but surely. I think today is proof of that."
A buzzer sounded signaling the end of the event. To no one's surprise, Class 5-D had won, and it hadn't even been close. An official announcement of their victory led to a round of applause from the gathered families, followed by Class 5-D graciously applauding their competition. The children were then given a short break as school staff cleared the field for the next event.
"Oh, I see hurdles, I think that means the obstacle race is up next," Nanami said as she watched the screen with an annoyed look on her face.
"What's the matter, Chiaki-chan?" Mioda asked, noticing the Ultimate Gamer's look of frustration.
"I've never liked this event," Nanami admitted.
"Huh? It's a great event, though," Owari defended.
"I agree with Owari-senpai. Back in junior high, my classmates always asked me to run this race. Even the boys in the track and field club insisted that I do it," Asahina said, oblivious to what she was implying.
"Should we tell her?" Saionji asked the rest of the girls in the room.
"Let it go, Senpai. It's the curse the well-endowed among us must bear. Oh, but you didn't need to worry about that until this year, now, did you?" Enoshima asked dramatically with a snide smirk in her senpai's direction.
"So, we're back to this, are we? Size isn't everything you balloon breasted bitch!" Saionji shouted at Enoshima.
"I'm not insulting you, smaller girls have their own appeal," Enoshima said, clearly insulting Saionji. Deciding to twist the knife a little more, Enoshima added, "I don't hear you complaining about your newfound assets, though." As she was speaking, Enoshima began to shake her chest for emphasis, an act that infuriated Saionji as well as the less endowed girls.
"W-who cares about lumps of fat destined to sag?" Fukawa asked angrily as she turned her head. Unfortunately, she turned her head towards Tsumiki, who took it as Fukawa directing her anger at her.
"I-I d-didn't say anything, b-b-but I'm sorry!" Tsumiki wailed apologetically. Almost immediately after her apology, Tsumiki let out a squeak as Mioda appeared behind her and began to fondle the Ultimate Nurse's breasts.
"Feels pretty firm to me, Toko-chan," Mioda chirped, oblivious to the embarrassment she was causing Tsumiki.
"M-mioda-s-san, d-don't!" Tsumiki begged.
"But Mikan-chan is so squishy and soft. Big too, Ibuki can't fit her hands around them," Mioda explained.
Koizumi had seen enough by this point. Red-faced and flustered, Koizumi screeched, "Ibuki-chan! Stop molesting Mikan-chan!"
That got Mioda to listen, but only temporarily as she moved onto another target. Enoshima, who by this point was laughing so hard she could no longer pay attention to anything else, soon felt hands grope her breasts. "H-hey, Mioda-senpai!" Enoshima stammered.
"They don't feel like balloons to me, Hiyoko-chan," Mioda said with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"C-cut it out," the annoyed and flustered model demanded.
"Mioda-senpai, let go of my sister. Junko-chan, you're the one who started this," Ikusaba reminded Enoshima.
"So? Owari-senpai started it last time, I didn't see her get groped," Enoshima, still red-faced, complained.
"Junko-chan has a point," Mioda said as she approached Owari. Owari seemed uninterested in stopping Mioda, but that didn't mean others were.
Pekoyama grabbed Mioda and said, "I think that's enough, Mioda-san. I'm sure you've had your fun."
"Aya aye, Peko-chan!" Mioda acknowledged as she sat back down without a fuss.
As the more well-endowed girls breathed a sigh of relief, Celes, or rather, the insecure Yasuhiro Taeko, grumbled, "Quit rubbing it in our faces you titty monsters."
As soon as those words left Celes's mouth, Fukawa sneezed, "Achoo!" Syo, who caught the tail end of Celes's complaint laughed, saying, "Bwahahaha! Mega Milkers vs. the Itty-Bitty Titty Committee? No no no! We don't do A-Cup Angst here! We're all about petite pride!"
Having calmed down from her earlier assault, Enoshima decided to poke the bear one last time, "See? Syo-san agrees. Petite is fine but, the bigger the better.'"
"Junko-chan…" Ikusaba warned, but it was too late as insults began flying.
"Bimbo!"
"Flatty!"
"Dairy Cow!"
"Ironing Board!"
As insults flew back and forth, Sonia used her royal aura and commanded, "Calm down! Are we here to argue over something insignificant or are we here to watch Darling and the children? Whatever insecurities any of us may have, know that our Darling cares about more than our physical appearance!"
No one disobeyed a command from the Ultimate Princess. It helped that they all knew she was right, Naegi, teenage boy though he was, could hardly be considered shallow. The girls felt their anger at each other dissipate, and Enoshima decided that she had had her fun. You need to make it up to them later, Otonashi scolded.
Yeah, yeah. I can't help it if the others are fun to mess with, Enoshima argued as she returned her focus to the event.
Back at Hope's Peak Elementary, Naegi looked and the field and said, "I'm glad my classmates never made me do the obstacle course. With my luck, I'd have gotten caught on every hurdle."
Mr. Sorayama nodded in understanding saying, "I always had trouble timing my jumps. I tripped over a few hurdles back in my day."
"Nyah, my classmates just perved on the girls who did this event," Yumeno added with a yawn.
Grandmother Shingetsu chuckled before saying, "Some things never change I suppose," as she remembered her own classmates.
"I don't know if that's a good thing, Dr. Shingetsu," Fujisaki said awkwardly.
"I'm not so sure this is the conversation we should be having at an elementary school," Mr. Naegi reminded everyone.
"Dad's right, besides the event is starting," Komaru told the group as the fifth graders took their positions at the starting line.
Despite having competed in every event, Masaru showed no signs of fatigue as he lined up with the other competitors, leading the Warrior's families to conclude that Yumeno had been right when she said Masaru didn't get tired. When the runners took off, Masaru took an early lead. He leapt over the hurdles effortlessly while maintaining his speed. To his opponents' credit, they didn't get demoralized by this and continued to run, but Masaru still won in the end. The conversation the group had with Masaru earlier clearly had an impact as he graciously clapped for his competition as they all crossed the finish line.
While the next grade group got into position, Mrs. Yumeno sighed and said, "I don't like how Masaru-kun's father treated him. No child should have to endure that from anyone, much less a parent, but I suppose it made him the athletic powerhouse he is now."
"I'm just glad he can enjoy his talents. Despite being the Lil' Ultimate Drama, I don't think Kotoko-chan ever wants to get back on stage if she can avoid it. Not that I blame her," Mrs. Sorayama said.
"I think I understand. Nagisa-kun still pushes himself too hard. I hope that someday he can enjoy his youth the way a boy his age should," Grandfather Shingetsu added.
"I don't know if art was his coping mechanism or not, but I'm glad Jataro-kun can still seems to have fun with his art projects," Mr. Fujisaki said.
Since the other families were reporting on the other children's recovery, Mr. Naegi decided to join in. "We're doing our best with Monaca-chan, although sometimes I think she's still a little wary of adults. I think it helps that we're Makoto-kun's family and that she trusts him."
"Yes, your son's seal of approval counts for a lot with these little ones. Once he found out Chihiro-kun is his classmate, Jataro opened up to us right away," Mrs. Fujisaki remembered with a smile.
"I remember that Kotoko-chan would only meet with us if your son was present. Once he told her she could trust us, she started letting us in," Mr. Sorayama added.
"It was the same with Masaru-kun. Although it might help that Himiko-chan is going to Hope's Peak Academy next year. 'You're going to the same school as Mako-nii! That's awesome!'" Mr. Yumeno's imitation wasn't exactly spot on, but it got the point across.
"I think it helped that Nagisa-kun knew us, but we hadn't seen him in years. I wish I had questioned my son more, or even just dropped in unannounced. Because of that, he wasn't too guarded, but I think he still tried to keep his distance of us until young Naegi-kun assured him we were good people," Grandfather Shingetsu said.
"We all wish we could have helped sooner. There are still more than a few scars, and they might never really go away. They're tough kids, though, and this time they have loving families to help them get through it!" Komaru said trying to cheer everyone up.
"That's right, Komaru-chan. We can't fix the past, but we can make sure we do what we can to give the children a brighter future," Mrs. Naegi told her daughter as she patted her on the head.
"I suppose that cheerful optimism is genetic. Even Father was looking on the bright side of things with Monaca-chan," Sonia noted.
"Oh, I expect we all plan on 'studying' the 'Hope Gene' very thoroughly. Bwahahaha!" Syo declared with a laugh.
"S-syo-chan! That's vulgar!" scolded Koizumi as her face turned the same shade of red as her hair.
"S-she's not exactly wrong. W-we all imagined our ch-ch-children with Naegi-sama," an uncharacteristically embarrassed Pekoyama admitted.
"I-I mean, I s-suppose that's true. Wh-what am I agreeing to? I'm supposed to be the teacher here!" Yukizome shrieked into her hands to hide her blush.
Deciding enough was enough, Kirigiri grabbed a spray bottle filled with water and sprayed Syo. "That's enough of that," the red-faced Kirigiri lectured.
"H-hey?! W-what the hell? Do you think I'm a cat or something? Why do you have that?" Syo whined indignantly as she wiped the spray off her face.
"Miyabi-chan is a good girl, we've never needed to use it on her," Pekoyama said defending her cat.
"Pekoyama-senpai and I use it at home when Tsumiki-senpai's…darker nature comes out," Kirigiri explained flatly, as if it should be obvious.
Realizing that things were getting out of hand, Celes coughed and said, "Y-yes, well, Senpai's yandere tendencies aside, we're getting distracted. I believe the final event is about to begin."
"Oh, yeah! Tug-o-war! A good ol' contest of strength!" an excited Owari cheered.
An equally excited Mioda decided to have some fun roleplaying as an announcer. "Will our young heroes sweep the event? Or will the competition pull a fast one along with the rope? Find out on this exciting episode of Hope's Peak Heroes: Elementary Mission!"
The final event was indeed tug-o-war, and although they didn't know it, the Warriors of Hope were as excited as Owari and Mioda.
"Last event. We've got this Warriors," Masaru said, attempting to psyche up the others.
"We've come in first in every other event, even if I screw this up for us, we'll be fine," Jataro mumbled as his old self-confidence issues reared their ugly head.
"None of that loser talk, Jataro-kun," Kotoko scolded.
"Let's just do our best. That's how we won everything else," Nagisa said as he gave Jataro a friendly clap on the shoulder.
"Nagisa-kun is right, and don't forget, we're a team. We'll win or lose together, and we came to win," Monaca finished with a fist pump.
"Those five are determined, that's for sure," Naegi chuckled as he and the others watched the children.
"Well, they did say it's their first Undo-kai. I'm sure they want to make up for all the ones they missed," Fujisaki said.
"That's not it Chihiro-nii. That's part of it, but…" Jataro began to say.
"We were ready to jump off the roof of the school not too long ago. Like we said earlier, if it hadn't been for Mako-nii, we wouldn't be here," Monaca continued.
"A life that's been saved is a life worth living, and we're going to live the best we can," Nagisa explained.
The families felt themselves tear up at that declaration while Naegi sniffled, gathered the kids in a hug, and said, "You five make me so proud."
"Yay! Hugs from Mako-nii!" Kotoko cheered happily.
Once Naegi let the children go, Masaru shouted, "Now that we're done with that heavy stuff, let's get out there and win!"
With four shouts of "Yeah!" the Warriors of Hope made their way to the field as the fifth graders were called. Though the five of them were up against much larger classes, they and their families weren't worried. Class 5-D had been outnumbered from the beginning and had managed to come in first in every event so far.
"I always liked this event. I was never particularly strong, but my classmates and I always had a fun time, even when we lost," Naegi said.
"You mean when you threw the matches," Komaru clarified as she playfully elbowed her brother.
"Yes, it was petty, but I was young, but sometimes, when we were up against a class that was being a bad winner, my classmates and I would wait until they pulled as hard as they could and let go," a slightly ashamed Naegi explained. "In my defense, I was a kid, and my classmates were really convincing."
Mr. Yumeno raised his hand and said, "I've done that. Any hard feelings we had towards the other team disappeared pretty quickly when they other team is flat on their asses."
"Hito!" Mrs. Yumeno scolded.
"I was what people these days call a nerd. Sometimes nerds need a little revenge," Grandfather Shingetsu chuckled darkly.
"Don't ever say that around Nagisa-kun," Grandmother Shingetsu ordered.
Thinking that the families needed to return their focus to the Warriors, Mrs. Sorayama said, "I think the kids are having some trouble."
"Trouble" might have been a bit too strong, but Class 5-D did seem to be evenly matched with the opposing class. Granted, the other class was much bigger, with 16 students, so it still reflected well on Class 5-D, but Naegi knew something was off.
It took him a minute, but he soon caught on to what was wrong. "They'll be fine. Masaru-kun is only using one hand right now."
It was true. The Warriors were gathered close together, so it was hard to see, but the other family members soon picked up on it too. Masaru was indeed holding back.
"I guess the Lil' Ultimate P.E. would be a ringer in an event like this," Mr. Sorayama said with a laugh.
After about another minute, the crowd heard Monaca shout, "One last pull!" and saw Masaru use both hands, finally overpowering the other class.
Mrs. Fujisaki laughed and said, "Looks like Naegi-kun was right. They were fine," as Class 5-D was declared the winner before the five went back to their families, clearly proud of their performance.
After the closing ceremony, while the families, students, and staff were cleaning up, Naegi asked the children, "Did you five have fun?"
"You bet we did! We were the best ones out there!" Masara boasted as he showed off his gold medal.
"You certainly were," Mr. Yumeno agreed as he ruffled his nephew's hair.
"With Masaru there was never any doubt, but it's strange. I had fun even though I knew there wasn't much I could do," Nagisa mused as he tried to understand what he was feeling as he looked at his medal.
"Even if you aren't a star athlete, you can still feel the pride of a job well-done if you do your best, Nagisa-kun. You're allowed to just have fun and enjoy your youth," Grandmother Shingetsu said as she gave her grandson a hug.
"I guess we sparkled today, and we didn't even need to…" Kotoko said thoughtfully before she shuddered as bad memories resurfaced.
"It's okay, Kotoko-chan. No one will hurt you like that again. Not if we can help it," Mrs. Sorayama promised as she and her husband scooped Kotoko up into a hug.
"I had a lot of fun, but it still felt weird that the other students were so nice to me," Jataro admitted.
"I don't think there's anything weird about that. They like you, Jataro-kun. There's a lot to like," Fujisaki reassured his cousin.
"Mama. Papa. Komaru-onee-chan, thanks for coming today. Mako-nii, thank you. For everything," Monaca said as she gave her family member a hug one-by-one.
"We wouldn't have missed it for anything, Monaca-chan. We're a family, and families support each other," Komaru explained.
"I guess real ones do," Monaca shrugged.
"You kids have been through a lot this past year. I guess you have for your whole lives. Everything is okay now, though. I can't promise there won't be hard times ahead, but I hope today showed you that you can depend on us," Naegi said as he pet Monaca's head.
Monaca didn't say anything and just hugged Naegi again. Naegi felt some moisture where Monaca hugged him, but knew it was from tears of happiness.
After a few quiet moments to allow the children time to feel the love they had missed out on for so long, Mr. Naegi proposed an idea. "So, how about we take these little champions out to dinner?" he asked.
A chorus of "Yes" rang out, and soon the group headed out to find a restaurant. Only Monaca hung back to retrieve her camera before catching up with the others.
As the families searched for a restaurant they could agree on, back at the dorm, the girls had decided that the show was over, and they would get dinner as well. Much like the families at Hope's Peak Elementary, the mood at the dorm was happy after witnessing the Warriors' first Undo-kai. Even if Enoshima and Saionji didn't get as many embarrassing stories as they would have liked, they couldn't consider it a total loss.
Naegi-kun/Naegi-onii and those kids are soooooo cute! the two blonde Ultimates mentally gushed as goofy smiles crept across their faces.
Kirigiri, observant as she was, noticed first and said, "I thought you two would have been more disappointed. I don't really see being able to tease Naegi-kun very much with the few stories we heard."
"You underestimate me, Kyoko-onee. I'm a pro at this kind of thing. I could get at least a month of fun out of each story," Saionji argued.
"I'll admit I overpromised. I promised new insight into Naegi-kun and embarrassing stories, but it was obvious that Dearest is the same person no matter who he's with and, well, we did get a few stories, at least. I had expected that, but Monaca-chan seemed really excited about the idea. She knew we were suffering from 'Naegi Withdrawal' and wanted to help," Enoshima explained as she texted Monaca her congratulations.
"Ish tha wha ou 'all 'solidarity'?" Owari asked in between bites of food.
"I guess those kids would know about 'Naegi Withdrawal'," Maizono answered with a nod.
"I certainly wouldn't," Celes whispered smugly as she sipped some tea, earning glares from the others.
Attempting to prevent an argument from starting and noticing that the group was a person short, Nanami asked, "Where is Ogami-san? I haven't seen her all day."
"Oh yeah, Asahina-san was explaining that before we had to chase after Mioda-senpai," Ikusaba remembered.
"Sakura-chan said she needed to meet with someone. Something about an underground competition. I know she's strong, but I'm a little worried she isn't back yet," Asahina said as she checked for messages from her friend.
"I'm sure she's fine, Aoi-chan. Sakura-chan is the strongest in the world, after all," Koizumi reassured the Ultimate Swimmer.
"She probably just stopped for something to eat on her way back with whoever she was with," Yukizome added, a little concerned that one of her charges was in an underground martial arts tournament.
While that put Asahina at ease, that bit of peace wouldn't last. It began with an innocent enough question. Planning to invite Naegi to the dojo and not realizing she was thinking out loud, Pekoyama asked herself, "I wonder what I should teach Naegi-sama tomorrow."
"No fair, Peko-chan! Ibuki has been waiting an entire month to spend time with Makoto-chan. Ibuki wants to go first!" Mioda cried.
"W-w-we all have, Mioda-san. C-celes-san had Beloved all to herself last month," Tsumiki reminded her classmate.
"We should probably work out a schedule," Ikusaba suggested. "I'm not sure how to decide the order though.
"We must use a fair process to decide something so important," Sonia added with a thoughtful look on her face.
"W-we're all the best i-in our fields, w-what method could we use that won't give someone an advantage?" Fukawa asked, indignantly.
"We wouldn't cheat," an offended Saionji said. In reality, she was lying, she was perfectly willing to cheat to get Naegi first.
"You girls, we should consider Naegi-kun's feelings on the matter," Enoshima declared.
"Enoshima-san, that's very mature coming from you," Celes said in surprise.
"She's right, though. We should remember Naegi-kun's feelings are important too," Yukizome agreed.
Knowing what Enoshima had planned, Otonashi begged her dominant personality, Junko-chan, don't do it!
With a mischievous smile, Enoshima said, "Considering Naegi-kun spent all last month almost exclusively with Celes-san, I'm sure he wants a change of pace. With that in mind, I propose we go by order of breast size. Nature is about impartial as you can get, and wouldn't you know it, I get to go first."
"LIKE HELL!" the rest shouted as they rushed Enoshima.
While things at the dorm devolved into chaos, the dorm's two other residents were finishing up their day. On the way back from the Warriors' celebratory dinner, Naegi ran into Ogami. Though happy to see his friend, the martial artist seemed lost in thought when Naegi greeted her.
"Good evening, Ogami-san. How was the tournament?" Naegi asked.
"…" Ogami didn't answer, but the serious look on her face made Naegi worried.
"Ogami-san? Is everything alright?" he asked.
"Oh! Naegi-kun! My apologies, I didn't hear you. Yes, I'm fine, it's nothing," Ogami assured him.
"Are you sure? I'll help if I can," Naegi offered.
Ogami considered the offer before asking, "Will you hear what I have to say and not laugh?"
"I wouldn't laugh if there's something bothering you, Ogami-san," Naegi answered, now curious about what Ogami could be so guarded about.
"You say that, but…No, I trust you, Naegi-kun, but I'm not ready to talk about this right now. I need some time to think about things. It's…rather personal. Something I've never shared with Asahina," Ogami admitted.
"It must be serious. Alright, I won't pry any further, but I'm here if you need me," Naegi told her.
Voice full of gratitude, Ogami said, "Thank you, Naegi-kun."
The two continued to talk on their way back to school until they reached the front gate. Naegi suddenly stopped and shuddered. I wonder what that was about? Naegi wondered.
Now it was Ogami's turn to be concerned. "Are you alright, Naegi-kun?"
A confused Naegi answered, "I'm not sure. That was strange, wasn't it?"
Putting that incident out of their minds, the two approached the dorm, but Naegi felt a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. "What do you think everyone did while we were gone?" Naegi asked, attempting to restart the conversation. An innocent question, but upon opening the door Naegi and Ogami weren't sure the answer would be quite so innocent.
In the dorm's common area, many of the girls lay on the floor with their clothes disheveled while breathing heavily. The room was a mess, articles of clothing were strewn about, and the only one who was standing was Mioda who approached Ogami while making a groping motion. "Sakura-chan, help Ibuki settle a bet," was all the warning that Ogami received as Mioda jumped at her. Whatever it was that Mioda wanted, Ogami didn't permit her to get it as the martial artist restrained the musician.
Naegi had no idea what he had walked into, but seeing his dormmates in various states of undress was too much for him to handle as his brain short-circuited, blood dripped out of his nose, and he fainted.
"Naegi-kun!/Makoto-chan!" Ogami and Mioda shouted as Naegi fell.
Hearing that name roused the others as the girls went to check on Naegi. He was fine but Tsumiki determined that he would be unconscious for the rest of the night as she cleaned up the blood.
Once Naegi was put in his room, Ogami had demanded an explanation as to why Mioda tried to grope her. After recounting the events of their day at the dorm, the girls heard Ogami laughing at how ridiculous the whole affair had been. The laughter was infectious as the other girls joined in, thinking of what a story this would make one day.
As Ogami calmed down, she felt her worries begin to dissipate. Kenshiro…she thought. Although she still had this "Kenshiro" on her mind, she felt better. In a rather roundabout why, I suppose you have helped me, Naegi-kun, Ogami thought with another laugh as she and the girls decided clean up could wait as they all went to bed.
Oh boy, it's been a while since the last update. I am sorry about that. It's been a busy few months, but it's probably due more to my poor time management. I'm going to try to get these chapters out faster.
It was probably too soon to do another chapter with everyone after the beach chapter, but I kind of wanted to show how the Warriors have been doing at school now that things have gotten better. I hadn't planned to start setting things up with Sakura this chapter, but I think it was the right decision. Maybe. Hopefully.
For anyone wondering, yeah, Ibuki at the beginning was inspired by Clara Valac from "Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun". I couldn't help it, it just felt right.
Now, I believe most of you have been waiting for this. I plan to introduce the V3 girls next chapter. This means skipping ahead a few months though, so if any of you can think of anything else you'd like me to do before that, like a Christmas/Despair Twins Birthday chapter, let me know.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, let me know. If not, let me know and I'll go sit in my shame corner. Either way, read and review and until next time, stay frosty!
4Rys on Chapter 1 Sat 18 May 2024 11:42PM UTC
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wesst1 on Chapter 1 Sun 19 May 2024 12:44PM UTC
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4Rys on Chapter 1 Sun 19 May 2024 01:42PM UTC
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SGerGero on Chapter 1 Tue 16 Sep 2025 04:44AM UTC
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SGerGero on Chapter 2 Tue 16 Sep 2025 05:26AM UTC
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vinnitforever on Chapter 3 Mon 31 Mar 2025 01:42AM UTC
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SGerGero on Chapter 3 Tue 16 Sep 2025 06:17AM UTC
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Monomaniac_Artistic_Writer on Chapter 15 Sun 12 Jan 2025 05:06PM UTC
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OmniVargas on Chapter 25 Mon 20 May 2024 04:41PM UTC
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BlazeFlash34 on Chapter 25 Fri 24 May 2024 11:46PM UTC
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wesst1 on Chapter 25 Sat 25 May 2024 12:20PM UTC
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SunPriest270 on Chapter 25 Wed 29 May 2024 09:19PM UTC
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wesst1 on Chapter 25 Thu 30 May 2024 02:08AM UTC
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SunPriest270 on Chapter 26 Sun 29 Sep 2024 05:17PM UTC
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Storyteller_Kimi03 on Chapter 26 Tue 01 Oct 2024 05:53AM UTC
Last Edited Tue 01 Oct 2024 05:58AM UTC
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ASpanishWritter on Chapter 26 Mon 02 Dec 2024 09:13PM UTC
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Cheetah27 on Chapter 26 Mon 27 Jan 2025 11:14PM UTC
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ASpanishWritter on Chapter 27 Sun 30 Mar 2025 02:27PM UTC
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Burnerx7 on Chapter 27 Mon 31 Mar 2025 05:26PM UTC
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Void_goat767 on Chapter 29 Sun 03 Aug 2025 06:17PM UTC
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Storyteller_Kimi03 on Chapter 29 Mon 04 Aug 2025 12:45AM UTC
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retcontherandom on Chapter 29 Mon 04 Aug 2025 02:22AM UTC
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ASpanishWritter on Chapter 29 Mon 04 Aug 2025 01:25PM UTC
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Fugomine on Chapter 29 Mon 18 Aug 2025 11:43AM UTC
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