"The massive high school towers over all other buildings in this bustling urban area. It's like the school stands at the center of the entire world.
"Hope's Peak Academy... It brings in top students from every field imaginable. A government-funded school of privilege... They say if you come here and manage to graduate, you'll be set for life. With hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the work force every year. It was built to raise hope in the nation's future. Which makes Hope's Peak a pretty fitting name.
"There are two things you need to attend this school; one, you have to already be attending high school, and two, you have to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here. The only way in is if you're scouted by the school itself. And standing there at the gate of the ultimate school filled with the ultimate students... was poor, plain, utterly unimpressive Naegi-kun!"
Naegi Makoto let out a weary sigh.
"Enoshima-san, why are you talking like that?" he asked, side-eyeing the pink-haired girl standing beside him. She flashed him a toothy grin and clapped her hands together.
"I'm talking narrator-style!" she replied cheerily. "That's my new obsession!"
"...Of course it is."
Although he'd only known her for a week, Makoto was quickly beginning to realize that Junko's personality was... erratic, to put it kindly. Still, she seemed nice enough. A part of him still couldn't believe that Enoshima Junko was talking to him; that she had even approached him in the first place. Heaven knew he never would have worked up the courage to approach her on his own. Not outside of school, anyway. Her face was everywhere these days, plastered all over magazine covers and fashion journals. The Ultimate Fashionista. It was no wonder someone like her was attending this school for super elites.
"What are you doing here so early?" Makoto asked. Junko tilted her head, placing a hand on her chin in an exaggerated thinking pose.
"What? I'm here for the meeting us new students got invited to, duh! Don't tell me you forgot about it?"
"Of course not! It's just..." Makoto would have thought that Junko was the type to move at her own pace without regard for others. For her to show up a full hour early seemed unusual. A part of Makoto felt bad for making snap judgements like that.
"The only reason I'm here this early is because I got myself worked up and woke up before my alarm went off," Makoto admitted. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone else here yet."
Junko grinned.
"Yeah, to be honest I don't normally get up early if I don't have to. They make me get up suuuuper early for my photo shoots 'cause of lighting and junk, so whenever I get a chance to sleep in I take it, ya know?" That was understandable, Makoto thought. "But I was excited to see what this so-called 'ultimate' school was like. I even ended up waking up before my early bird sister for once. I thought it would be funny to see her reaction to being the late one for once so I switched off her alarm before I left."
Junko was giggling madly. Makoto didn't think it was funny.
"You have a sister, Enoshima-san?"
"Yeah, a twin if you can believe it," Junko replied, waving her hand flippantly. "But you'd never believe it from looking at us. Mukuro's so tomboyish and plain. Plus, we don't look similar at all."
"She's not going to be late for anything because of your joke, right?"
"Pffft." Junko waved him off. "Mukuro's never late for anything. Just watch, I'll bet when we get inside she'll already be standing there waiting for me."
Makoto blinked. "Your sister's in our class?"
"Duh! I said she's my twin, right? Of course she's starting school at the same time as me."
"No, I meant..." Ever since that letter had shown up in his mailbox Makoto had been scouring the internet for any information he could dig up in the seventy-eighth class. He'd seen a lot of strange names and talents - Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Ultimate Programmer, Ultimate Pop Sensation, Ultimate Baseball Star - but nowhere had he seen any mention of an Enoshima Mukuro.
"Yeah, she's an Ultimate too," Junko said, picking up on Makoto's meaning. "The Ultimate Soldier, if you can believe it."
Ultimate Soldier? "Like a military type of thing? For real?"
"More of a hired gun, but yeah, for real-real." Junko hummed and tapped her pointed red nail against her cheek. The look she was fixing Makoto with sent a chill down his spine. Her lips were pulled in a smile but her eyes were so cold. "She's been in hundreds of combat situations without ever receiving a scratch! Why? You got someone you want dead?"
"Of course not!" Makoto snapped almost too quickly. "I just thought it seemed strange. I mean, Ultimate titles for high school students, so that means she's only a high-schooler, right? It doesn't seem like a person like that could really exist."
Junko was still staring at him with that strange look. Slowly she lowered her hands and placed them on her hips, leaning closer to Makoto as though she planned to eat him.
"You'd be really surprised, Naegi-kun." Her eyes gleamed and her grin widened to the point that it seemed to split her face in half. "There's a lot of impossible things in this world. Maybe someday you'll get to see them all yourself."
And like that, as though someone had flipped a switch on her personality, Junko had gone back to normal. Well, 'normal' for her. She spun on her heel and skipped a few steps towards the school building.
"C'mon! We still have lots of time until the meeting time! Let's check out the school!"
She was suddenly running and Naegi realized that instant he was about to be left behind.
"W-wait for me!"
Together Makoto and Junko spent the next hour exploring their new school. Although classes hadn't yet started the building was still bustling with activity. The pair stuck out simply by being the only students there not wearing uniforms, yet they were never stopped or chastised. Many teachers and students even gave them friendly waves. As they explored the school Makoto and Junko made a game out of trying to guess their upperclassmen's talents, though Makoto suspected he was the only one seriously trying to guess.
"Ultimate Basketball Star?"
"Ultimate Bed Head."
"Um, Ultimate Gardener? Or maybe they'd use a word like 'Botanist'..."
"Ultimate Emo Kid."
"...Ultimate Sculptor?"
"Ultimate Bad Breath!"
Despite himself, Makoto let out a small burst of laughter and Junko grinned at him as he tried to fight it back.
"Enoshima-san, that's mean!"
"You laughed though!" she pointed out. "Hey, I think it's about time for that meeting. We should probably head back to the entrance hall before somebody yells at us."
Makoto made a halfhearted attempt at a protest as Junko grabbed his wrist and proceeded to drag him along behind her as she ran back towards the stairs. Makoto stumbled over his own feet clumsily as he tried to match her pace. How did she manage to move so fast while wearing high heels?
"E-Enoshima-san! Please slow down!" he cried out to no avail.
Suddenly they were at the top of a flight of stairs and Junko stopped on a dime, releasing Makoto's hand. Makoto, however, did not. Stop on a dime, that is. His arms flailed as he reached for something to grab onto to regain his balance and he wobbled just at the edge of the top step. A moment later he reeled back, heart hammering in his chest as he regained his footing.
He'd only just breathed a sigh of relief when Junko exclaimed, "Man! That was close!" and gave him a friendly slap on the back. A friendly slap that sent him flying down the stairs. Makoto tensed, bracing himself for the pain of an impact that never came.
For just a moment the world was a blur of color and motion and then as suddenly as it started it had stopped, and Makoto was keenly aware of the presence of another person holding his wrist to keep him from stumbling down those last few stairs.
"Are you alright, Naegi Makoto?"
"Huh?" Makoto blinked, staring up at the person who had saved him. It was a girl, around the same age as him and Junko, and like them she wasn't wearing a Hope's Peak Academy Uniform. A new student like them then? Her piercing grey-blue eyes were locked onto Makoto, sending an eerie chill down his spine.
"Oh, uh, yeah," he said, suddenly aware that he'd been staring and very much self-conscious, Makoto straightened so that he was standing on his own and the strange girl was no longer supporting his weight, though she still didn't release his wrist. "How did you know my name?"
The girl stared at him with an icy expression. Was she angry at him for nearly falling on top of her? He couldn't read her expression at all.
"Big sis?" Junko's voice sent a shock through Makoto, who had nearly forgotten she was there. The stranger's presence was strong enough to wipe nearly everything else from his mind. Junko frowned at the girl and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doin' turning up so late?"
Makoto looked between them. Big sis? Her and Junko? They didn't look much alike- No, that wasn't entirely true. The strange girl had smaller eyes and more freckles, and her fashion sense was more... tame. But as he studied them Makoto realized they had similar facial structures and builds.
"I had something to take care of," Junko's sister replied. Her tone was perfectly cool, without the barest hint of emotion. Junko raised an eyebrow. "In any case, you both should get downstairs. It's almost time for our class to meet."
"Yeah, yeah," Junko sighed as she descended the steps. "Whatever. C'mon Naegi-kun."
Junko was acting strange, even for her. She seemed... put off somehow? The way she refused to so much as look at her sister as she passed them on the steps and the haughty way she stuck her nose in the air... Maybe the two had had a falling out recently. Makoto started to follow after her, but at that moment he felt her sister's fingers dig into his wrist painfully.
"Stay away from my sister," she hissed, so softly that Makoto could only just hear it but with enough ferocity to leave him stunned, before she abruptly released his wrist and strode off after Junko.
Makoto stared at the strange girl's back, eyes wide in bewilderment.
What... was that?
There were thirteen students gathered when Makoto, Junko, and Junko's sister - what did Junko say her name was again? - returned to the entrance hall. For a moment Makoto was able to forget all about Junko's sister and the strange intensity she radiated as he took in the colorful cast of characters before him. Any one of these people would have attracted stares just walking down the street but all gathered here together... Well, there was no doubt they were Ultimates. Not for the first time Makoto began to feel self-conscious about his extraordinary plainness. He was like a house cat who'd wandered into a pride of lions!
"Classmate Ikusaba-san!" A booming voice shouted over the crown and Makoto's attention snapped to a dark-haired boy wearing a very fancy white dress uniform. "I see you have returned with our missing classmates! You should be thankful she was kind enough to go looking for you! To be late on your first day of school is unspeakable!"
Makoto blinked and looked at the girl Junko had claimed to be her sister. Ikusaba-san? Not Enoshima-san?
"Geez, lighten up! We got here before anyone else showed up so we decided to look around a little," Junko insisted as she joined the crowd.
"It's fine," Ikusaba said. "We made it in time, after all."
"Hm, I suppose that's true," the dark-haired boy said, placing a hand on his chin. "Very well! I shall excuse it this once but do endeavor to be on time from now on!"
"Man, can you shut the hell up?" a gruff voice belonging to another student said. "You're giving me a headache."
Most people would have been too intimidated to respond. Makoto knew he would be. This student was tall and muscular with an orange punch perm and wore a long, black biker jacket. He looked like the kind of person who regularly got in trouble with the police.
Thinking back, Makoto was certain that he had read something about an Ultimate Biker Gang Leader on the Hope's Peak Forum the night before. So then, this must be...
"Oowada-san, I must ask you to refrain from using such vulgar language in a school environment!"
That's right. Oowada Mondo. He lead the biggest biker gang in all of Japan. Makoto was intimidated, but he was also impressed.
"Like hell I'm listening to you!" Mondo snarled. "Just 'cause you were class rep at your old school or whatever don't mean I gotta listen to anything you say!"
"Hey everyone! Just chill out!" This time the speaker was a girl wearing a red sports jacket and running shorts. She looked very... sporty. "There's no reason to be all hostile to people you've just met! Hey, since everyone's here now, why don't we do introductions?"
"That seems like a fine idea," yet another girl said and wow! Makoto took one look at her and couldn't stop staring. Her Gothic Lolita dress was certainly not something people usually wore on a day-to-day basis and she'd decided to wear it on her first day of school? Makoto wondered of those long twin drills were her real hair styled up or if they were part of the lace headband she was wearing. "It will certainly be very difficult to talk to one another if we do not know each other's names."
"That's a good idea," a boy said. He was tall and strong and almost regal looking, but also gentle.
"Okay, so why don't we go round and introduce ourselves one by one? That seems like the easiest way to go."
Makoto all but went starry-eyed at the sight of the most recent speaker. Even without her distinctive long blue hair, she would have been instantly recognizable as the famous pop singer Maizono Sayaka. In fact, Makoto had intended to go see one of her shows just a few months ago, but some... unfortunate circumstances had prevented it.
In any case, they made a good point. Makoto was sure some of them had already introduced themselves while he, Junko, and Ikusaba were missing, and he had already looked up most of his classmates online the night before, but even so he wanted to know what kind of people they really were. First off, the dark-haired boy with the dress uniform...
"I am Ishimaru Kiyotaka!" the dark-haired boy exclaimed before anyone else got a chance to speak. "I believe in bold simplicity! Let's work together on our educational crusade!"
Makoto recognized that name from the Hope's Peak forum. According to what Makoto had read the previous night, he went to a famous private school and won top honors every year. He was basically a flawless honor student. On top of that he was also well known for the work he did with the Public Morals Committee. Someone who respected rules above all else, what else would people call him other than the Ultimate Moral Compass?
Since he was standing right next to Ishimaru, Makoto decided to introduce himself next.
"My name is Naegi Makoto. Nice to meet you."
There really wasn't much else to say about himself.
Next up was a girl with long braids and a black sailor uniform.
"N-not that anyone will remember my n-name anyway, but... I-I'm Fukawa. T-Touko Fukawa."
Another name Makoto recognized. Touko had written her first book when she was only ten years old 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 that fishermen shot to the top of the list of every 'hottest men' poll. Despite her age, Fukawa had won numerous awards and every one of her books was an instant best seller. Which was why she had come to be known as the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. What else would you call such a young and talented author? Though, she was far from the lovey-dovey type Makoto had envisioned.
With everyone's eyes on her, it didn't take long for Touko to begin looking fidgety and uncomfortable. Just when she seemed to be on the verge of blowing up, Sayaka spoke up.
"Hi! I'm Maizono Sayaka! I look forward to getting to know you all!"
Even before he had seen her name on the forum, Makoto knew who Sayaka was. He listened to her on the radio all the time and watched all of her shows on TV. Her movements in real life were just as mesmerizing as they were when she was on stage. Well, she was the lead singer of a pop group famous all over Japan so it was no wonder she was so graceful. As the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka was high in demand to appear on TV and in magazines everywhere.
But Makoto didn't only recognize her from television. Not that he expected her to remember him, but...
Before he could finish that thought, a punkish-looking guy with spiky red hair spoke up.
"Yo! The name's Kuwata Leon! What's up?"
Leon had played for the national high school champs as their cleanup hitter. The Ultimate Baseball Star... Was this guy? From the looks on some of the other students' faces Makoto could tell they were thinking something similar. Leon looked more like he belonged in a rock band than on a baseball field. Makoto would have thought the Ultimate Baseball Star would be a more sporty-looking traditional baseball player type.
The next student cleared his throat and then all eyes were on a tall, fat student whose eyes were gleaming at them from behind his small, round glasses.
"I... am Yamada Hifumi. But if you want to call me by my nickname, The Alpha and the Omega, I don't mind! By the way, how much do you know about the world of 2D art?"
"Not now, Yamada!" the class chorused, cutting off the Ultimate Fanfic Creator before he could even get started. Makoto didn't remember seeing Hifumi's name on the forum. Based on their classmate's reactions, he was starting to wonder if there was a reason for that.
"Heya!" the next student called out in an energetic voice, snatching all attention away from Hifumi. It was the sporty girl from earlier. "I'm Asahina Aoi, but my friends just call me Hina! 'Sup?"
Hina was another popular topic on the Hope's Peak forum. She'd been breaking records in every competition she'd been in since elementary school. She'd even been chosen as an upcoming Olympic cadet. She was, without a doubt, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. The combination of her ability, her appearance, and her... proportions were widely discussed online.
The next person to speak was a tall, handsome boy wearing a dark green dress suit.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Fujisaki Chihiro."
He was avoiding eye contact with everyone in the entrance hall, which seemed kind of strange to Makoto. Chihiro looked like he was about the same height and build as Mondo, but unlike the rough biker he seemed unbearably shy.
"Sorry, I get kinda embarrassed whenever I introduce myself like this," Chihiro explained, cheeks coloring the slightest bit. Makoto noticed the looks the girls were giving him and figured Chihiro was going to end up being popular with them.
Chihiro was known for all of the cutting edge programs he'd invented, earning him the title of Ultimate Programmer. Other than that, however, Makoto hadn't been able to find out much about him online. He would have thought someone whose talent revolved around using computers would have had a strong online presence, but that didn't seem to be the case with Chihiro.
And then it was Mondo's turn. Like Chihiro, the biker was avoiding eye contact, but it seemed less out of shyness and more to do with a general disinterest in the people around him.
"Name's Oowada Mondo. Nice to fuckin' meetcha," he growled. Well, not that anyone expected the leader of the biggest biker gang in Japan to be friendly.
Mondo had earned respect, even awe, from every gang in the country. He was the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader. Makoto made a mental note to watch his step around him.
Next in the line was another student whose face Makoto didn't recognize. It seemed odd that she of all people would be left out. Her long white hair and professional attire made her stand out, even among this group, and the expression on her face was one of bored indifference. It didn't seem like she was excited to be at Hope's Peak Academy at all.
"My name is... Kyouko Kirigiri," the mystery girl said. Makoto didn't recognize her name from anywhere, so she might not have been incredibly famous like Sayaka or Junko. As soon as her introduction was done Kyouko went back to watching the door, apparently uninterested in the rest of the students. It was probably a bad time to ask her about her talent.
"Hiiiiii!" a familiar bubbly voice snapped Makoto out of his thoughts. "I'm Enoshima Junko! Charmed I'm sure!"
Makoto still couldn't believe out of all of the people he could have run into a week before starting Hope's Peak, it was Enoshima Junko. The Ultimate Fashionista, she had more charm and presence than any high school girl in the country. Although he'd seen her on a ton of magazine covers, there was still so much of Junko those photos didn't capture.
"I am Oogami Sakura."
For a very brief moment Makoto thought that the next student was a man, but then he registered her name and the fact that she was wearing a girl's sailor uniform and sent her a silent apology in his head. Sakura was a tall, powerful woman, all covered in scars with long white hair that fell down to her lower back. She had competed in a martial arts tournament in America and wiped the floor with all of the other competitors. The Ultimate Martial Artist who'd fought in over four hundred matches and never lost a single one.
The rest of what the forum had said about Sakura had been less than kind. Mainly rude comments about her appearance.
After Sakura's brief introduction was yet another student in a green dress suit, though there was a clear difference in the quality of Chihiro's suit and this one's. He was smaller and leaner than Chihiro as well, though Makoto still felt short by comparison.
"Name's Togami Byakuya," he said dismissively, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he proceeded to ignore everyone present.
Whereas Sakura's introduction had been direct, Byakuya's seemed... half-assed. Not that there was anything anyone could do about it. Even among Ultimate students, Byakuya was special. He was the heir apparent of his family's massive financial conglomerate. Though he was still a high school student, he'd already started managing business operations, and his own personal assets were vast. There was no one more deserving of the title of Ultimate Affluent Progeny. Byakuya Togami was the definition of 'exceptional.'
The exact opposite of Makoto.
Thankfully, before Makoto's thoughts could turn too negative, the next student spoke up. He was an older, scruffy looking man with wild hair and unkempt clothes. He flashed a friendly smile as he introduced himself.
"I'm Hagakure Yasuhiro, Hiro for short! Take it easy, yeah? I know I will!"
Hiro was known as the 'Supernova' in the psychic community. The trendsetting Ultimate Clairvoyant. Though, Makoto would freely admit he didn't really understand fortune-telling. It was beyond him. Even so, he wondered if there was any truth to Hiro's abilities.
Second-to-last was the girl in the Gothic Lolita dress. She smiled and gave them a curtsy.
"I am Celestia Ludenburg. It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Makoto was sure he wouldn't be able to repeat her name. As though responding to his thoughts, she giggled and said, "But please, do call me Celeste."
There was no way that was her real name, but then, according to the rumors Makoto had read about her online, he doubted she would ever tell him what her real name was. The self-styled 'Celestia Ludenburg ' was the Ultimate Gambler who had never lost a bet. Aside from her very obvious fashion preferences, everything about her was wrapped in a veil of lies. She had even earned the nickname 'Queen of Liars' after she entered an underground gambling tournament and won. She completely cleaned out the other players, laughing as she stripped them of their life savings.
And finally, there was Junko's older sister.
"My name is Ikusaba Mukuro," she said in a calm, cool tone. "Nice to meet you."
At a first glance, Makoto would have thought Mukuro was cool. She may not have been as flashy as her sister, but she seemed collected and mysterious and polite. But he couldn't help remembering that strange encounter with her that morning - the feel of her nails digging into his skin - and shuddering. Suddenly her piercing gaze was on him and Makoto couldn't help it; he flinched. Her eyes remained locked on him for a moment but then they returned to staring off into space. Even then Makoto couldn't let out a sigh of relief. Had he done something to piss off the Ultimate Soldier?
"Naegi-kun?" Sayaka's soft voice snapped him out of his stupor. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he insisted. After all, he hadn't met Mukuro before that morning. What could he have possibly done to anger her? He was sure he was just imagining things.
"Nicely done. I was going to have you all introduce yourselves, but it looks like there's no need for that now."
In unison all of the students' eyes turned towards the door to find a middle aged man wearing a sharp suit in a relaxed fashion smiling at them.
"My name is Kirigiri Jin, headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. It is my pleasure to formally welcome you to our school."
Makoto blinked. Kirigiri? He turned his eyes to Kyouko, but nothing on her expression betrayed any sort of relationship with this man. She was watching him, yes, but so were all of the other students, and her face was completely blank.
"As all of you may know-"
The hairs on the back of his neck were prickling. Makoto got the feeling he was being stared at, but he was afraid of what he would find if he turned around.
"-founded for the sake of fostering-"
But the feeling was just growing stronger and stronger. To the point that he couldn't help throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder.
"-tools to succeed-"
She was staring at him again. Mukuro's eyes were narrowed dangerously and something about her stance made Makoto think she was ready to pounce at any moment.
"-brighter future for all of mankind-"
A trickle of sweat rolled down his cheek as he tore his eyes away from her, but even though he was back to facing the headmaster he couldn't force himself to pay attention.
"-present you with-"
Kirigiri Jin's words were a dull buzz in the back of his mind, and Mukuro's eyes digging into his back were at the front, consuming all of his attention. There was no mistaking it now. She really was focusing on him.
"-on you at all times-"
He couldn't recall ever meeting her before, but even so something about her seemed familiar. Had he met her after all, and just forgotten? Makoto thought he would have remembered someone as intense as her...
"-to. Naegi Makoto?"
Makoto's cheeks heated up suddenly as he realized the headmaster had been saying his name over and over again and he had been too lost in his own head to realize it.
"Y-yes!" he called out a bit too forcefully, drawing stares and snickers from his new classmates.
"Ah..." Even the headmaster seemed taken aback by Makoto's sudden outburst. "Please come retrieve your e-Handbook. As I said, it will be vital for your school life. Please make sure you keep it on you at all times."
"Oh, uh, right."
Makoto's cheeks were scarlet as he stepped forward to accept his student handbook. The headmaster gave him a questioning look that bordered on concern but Makoto just accepted his handbook with a smile before going back to join the group. From there the headmaster continued calling names and passing out handbooks without any more interruptions, and then when the last person had received theirs...
"Alright, now please follow me to the gym for the entrance ceremony. I hope I don't need to remind you all to be on your best behavior. It's true that in many ways Hope's Peak Academy is more relaxed than other high schools, but that doesn't mean you won't be expected to work hard, understood?"
There was one loud booming 'YES, HEADMASTER' from Ishimaru along with a chorus of 'yes's and 'yeah's from the other students. Makoto hesitated as the others started to walk away, his feet feeling like they were stuck to the floor. Then he felt a presence at his side and a hand firmly pat him on the back.
"C'mon Naegi-kun," Junko said. Her expression and tone were as friendly as usual, but she seemed a little strained. "You don't wanna get left behind, do you?"
He shook his head and let Junko lead him away. The entire time he could feel eyes burning holes in the back of his head.
Makoto could feel Mukuro's glare still on him as he and Junko took their seats next to each other in the gym. Their class got to claim the seats near the front of the gym while the classes above them took the rows behind them. Junko insisted that Makoto sit next to her. He wondered if she wouldn't rather sit next to her sister.
"...That isn't my sister," Junko snarled suddenly, expression twisting into something ugly. "I don't know who the hell that was, but it sure as fuck ain't Mukuro!"
Makoto stared at her.
"Enoshima-san?"
"Mukuro isn't like that!" Junko insisted. "She's all shy an awkward and, yeah she's bad ass in a fight, but stick her in a room full of normal people and she's a stuttering, bumbling mess! She doesn't say 'nice to meet you' or act all cool or tell me what to do! That. Wasn't. Mukuro!"
No one would know Mukuro better than her own sister, but even so...
"Maybe she's just mad at you for shutting off her alarm this morning?" Makoto suggested, though the explanation sounded weak, even to him. Junko's pink pigtails slapped him in the face with how hard she was shaking her head.
"No. Mukuro doesn't get mad at me. Not ever." She turned to face Makoto head on, eyes glistening. "So I'm gonna find out who that freak is and what she's done with my real sister."
Makoto continued to stare at her. Junko seemed really hurt by Mukuro's strange behavior. Even more so than Makoto was. Well, Makoto knew he would be worried if his sister one day woke up and started acting like a completely different person. He supposed he could sympathize.
"Hey, is someone sitting here?"
Both Makoto and Junko looked up in unison to see Maizono Sayaka standing in front of them.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked, smiling at them sweetly as she indicated the empty seat beside Makoto.
"N-not at all!" Makoto replied, cheeks warming slightly. She giggled as she took her seat. Up close Makoto could smell the delicate scent of her perfume. She was incredibly beautiful, just like a doll.
"I'm not a doll, you know. I'm alive."
Makoto's cheeks were now aflame. "D-did I say that out loud?"
Sayaka's expression went serious.
"I'm psychic."
Then she giggled.
"Just kidding! I just have really good intuition."
Makoto stared at her blankly while on his other side Junko burst into giggles.
"Hey Naegi-kun, careful or you'll start drooling!" she said through her giggles. Makoto's mouth snapped shut. "Hey, you seem pretty cool. You're that idol whose famous all over Japan, right?"
"That's right!" Sayaka replied. "And you're the amazing fashion designer who also models her own clothes, right? I'm a big fan of your work!"
"Oh stop!" Junko said as she clapped her hands over her cheeks as though to hide a blush.
"No, it's true! I even wore some of your designs on my last tour!"
"Now I'm all aflutter!"
They were talking over him now, but Makoto didn't mind. Junko seemed like she was in a much better mood now.
"So, Naegi-kun, how do you and Enoshima-san know one another?"
Oh, he was being pulled back into the conversation again!
"Eh, some stuff happened and we kind of ended up running into each other," he said, earning a snort from Junko.
"That's putting it mildly!"
Sayaka's eyes widened.
"Now I really want to know the story behind it!"
As they continued to talk Makoto became aware of the sound of whispers coming from behind them. He was pretty sure he recognized one of the voices as Leon's.
"Dude, is that guy sitting next to Enoshima Junko and Maizono Sayaka? Lucky!"
"Well, that kid is the Ultimate Luckster, after all."
It was weird to think people were whispering about him. Thankfully at that moment they heard the screech of the microphone coming online, and the hum of the students' whispering fell silent. As the headmaster stepped up and started his opening statement Junko leaned forward in her seat, hand cupped around her mouth.
"Let's all hang out later," she whispered, earning small nods from Makoto and Sayaka.
The classrooms in Hope's Peak were really nice. Way nicer than the ones from his old school. Makoto took his seat at a wooden desk and Junko and Sayaka did the same on either side of him. Again, Makoto found himself the subject of someone's glaring, but this time it wasn't Mukuro. Kuwata Leon was fixing him with a sour look and Makoto could only imagine he was jealous.
Makoto felt a little bad. It probably would have been easy enough for the baseball star to simply say hello and make friends with them like Makoto had, but he was pretty sure what Leon was imagining was much different from how things really were.
Their homeroom teacher was really strange too. She introduced herself as Taresawa Rui, an alumni of Hope's Peak Academy. The former Ultimate Tutor. No wonder she later became a teacher at her own school!
Time seemed to race by in a blur and trickle along slowly at once. The set up of this school was strange. Attendance wasn't mandatory so long as they continued to nurture their talents. Makoto had no idea what that would mean in his case, so he decided he would stick to attending class for the time being. Based on Ishimaru's outburst at that bit of information he doubted anyone in their class would have been able to get away with skipping anyway.
Already Makoto could see his classmates beginning to split off and form their own groups. Hina and Sakura were already talking about their exercise routines and making plans to work out together. Mondo and Ishimaru were nose to nose as Ishimaru fought to keep Mondo from leaving the classroom. Hiro, Leon, and Chihiro were all gathered around Chihiro's desk chatting about all the cute girls in class. Kirigiri and Togami were sitting next to one another, not really talking but simply silently enjoying one another's company. Maybe 'enjoying' wasn't the right word. 'Tolerating' might have been a better fit. Behind them Touko and Hifumi were arguing about the merit of fan fiction versus original works, seemingly oblivious of their volume or the presence of the other students around them. Celeste was sitting nearby, sipping on a cup of tea she had bullied Hifumi into making for her earlier. And then there was Makoto himself along with Junko and Sayaka.
The only person who hadn't grouped up with anyone was Mukuro. Fearful of getting caught, Makoto chanced a quick peek at her and found her occupied with a book.
Makoto almost let out a sigh of relief when he realized she wasn't glaring at him anymore.
"So, Naegi-kun, are you going to tell me how you and Enoshima-san met?"
"Sure, but it's not really as exciting as Enoshima-san made it out to be," he explained. "It was really just an accident. One of my shoes comes untied a lot and it flew off my foot while I was walking down the street one day. Someone accidentally kicked it and when I chased after it I ended up running into someone who was running in the opposite direction."
"Enoshima-san?" Sayaka asked. Both Junko and Makoto shook their heads in unison.
"See, while Naegi-kun was running around chasing his shoe, some jerk had grabbed my bag and run off with it. I was chasing the jerk, but he was a lot faster than me. Then who should show up but this adorable klutz who'd lost his shoe!"
"Wow!" Sayaka clasped her hands together in amazement. "What an amazing coincidence!"
"To be honest, I was a little scared of Enoshima-san at first," Makoto admitted. "She was really furious at that guy who stole her bag!"
Balling her hands up into fists, Junko stood up abruptly from her seat, nearly knocking her chair over. "Whaddya mean by that?!"
Makoto leaned back and put his hands up in a disarming gesture while Sayaka laughed at the outburst.
"Hey! Naegi-chi!" Makoto's head snapped out at the sound of Hiro's voice. The Ultimate Clairvoyant didn't seem to have any reservations about climbing over the desks to get to Makoto and wrap his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "You ladies mind if I borrow 'im for a minute? We got something we wanna ask him!"
"By all means," Sayaka said, ignoring Makoto's silent plea for help.
"Don't break him!" Junko added, making Makoto's apprehension grow worse.
"Alright then!" Hiro dragged an unwilling Makoto out of his seat. "Don't worry Naegi-chi! We ain't gonna bite ya!"
"B-but-!"
His protest went ignored as he was dragged away. Sayaka and Junko continued to smile at him until he was gone.
"You're not thinking of getting him involved, are you?" Sayaka asked, voice cold but expression still kind. Nobody else was paying attention to hers and Junko's conversation at that moment, but even so she kept her voice soft.
"Are you kidding? You can feel it too, right? He's gonna get chosen sooner or later. It's just a matter of time." She gave Sayaka a toothy grin. "Why? Scared of the competition?"
"Of course not." Sayaka's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, but she never dropped that friendly smile. "If he really is chosen, I'll back down. But I can't approve of you trying to get an ordinary person involved."
Junko's head lolled back as she tossed a glance over her shoulder to watch Makoto as he was pestered by the boys in class who were trying to figure out how he had so quickly befriended two of the most popular girls in class.
"I know he ain't impressive to look at but..."
The ring on her finger gleamed.
"There's something about that kid. He's not 'ordinary." Makoto suddenly turned and saw her staring at him. Junko smiled and flashed him a peace sign as he started to head back over.
"What did they want to talk to you about, Naegi-kun?" Sayaka asked as he rejoined them. He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"Well, they saw me sitting with you guys and must have misunderstood the situation, because they were asking me for dating advice."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" Junko cried out in an incredulous tone. "From an omega male like you?"
Makoto pulled out his chair and sat back down. "I tried to explain to them that they were mistaken, but they wouldn't listen. I guess we're hanging out this Sunday?"
"It's wonderful that they want to be your friends," Sayaka said. "Maybe we can tag along?"
Junko shot that idea down before Makoto could respond.
"Uh, I think this is more of a 'boys' day out' kinda thing."
"Oh, then perhaps another time then."
"We can still hang out and stuff while we're at school," Junko said. "I have a lot going on in the afternoons and on weekends. Ya know, fashion stuff. But since classes here are so chill we still get plenty of time to hang out."
"That's true," Sayaka replied. "There's also holidays."
"Are you guys really that busy?" Makoto asked. They may have been Ultimates, but they were still high-schoolers.
"Yes. Even when we're not performing, my group and I have to spend a lot of time rehearsing and recording and other things. It's fun, but it's also a lot of hard work."
"I see..."
Makoto didn't doubt Junko also put a lot of time and effort into her career. His classmates really were something else. He had no idea what he was going to do after high school. That was part of the reason he had accepted the invitation in the first place; to ensure he had a secure future. Junko and Sayaka were different, however. They already knew what they were going to do. He couldn't help but be a little jealous.
"It's not so bad, you know," Sayaka said suddenly. "Since you don't know what you're going to become in the future, that means you have the freedom to decide that for yourself!"
"What?" Makoto blinked. "How did you-"
He face went solemn again.
"I'm psychic."
Then she giggled.
"Just kidding. I just have really good intuition!"
"If you keep that up you're gonna give poor Naegi-kun a heart attack!" Junko teased as she poked Makoto's cheek.
"I'm not that fragile," Makoto protested as he gently batted Junko's hand away from his face. She just giggled at his reaction.
"What I'm trying to say is," Sayaka started, "you don't need to worry about your future. You're fine just the way you are."
Makoto stared at Sayaka. He couldn't tell if there was supposed to be some deeper meaning behind her words, or if she was just trying to spare his feelings. Even so, he couldn't help feeling the tiniest bit better.
"Th-thank you."
He didn't notice Junko's smile drop the slightest bit behind him.
The morning was dedicated to taking measurements for their school uniforms. Since Makoto had been zoning out earlier, Junko explained that each of them would be receiving a custom-made uniform from the Ultimate Tailor, which they would be able to pick up the following Saturday. He didn't understand how one person could make uniforms for each and every new student in one week, but when he asked Junko just laughed at him. He supposed that was as much of an explanation as he was going to get.
Junko also informed him that they would be allowed to make slight personal customization to their uniforms. She was already excited about that, talking aloud about all the modifications she was going to make.
"Maybe I should get you to do my uniform too!" Sayaka half-joked as Junko went on. Makoto considered asking her to alter his uniform as well, but then decided against it. The standard uniform suited him just fine.
Makoto felt awkward getting his measurements taken. Especially since he was so small and unimpressive compared to the rest of his male classmates. The Ultimate Tailor took one look at him and raised an eyebrow before asking him what grade he was in. Makoto could feel his pride shattering and was glad Junko and Sayaka weren't around to hear that.
Luckily for him, he was one of the first to get his measurements taken and the process was over rather quickly. Unluckily Junko and Sayaka still had a long time to wait, as they were at the very back of the girls' line. So when he was turned loose he didn't really have anything to do. Although the three of them had agreed to eat lunch together they still had over an hour until then, and Makoto wasn't sure how long it would be before his friends were done getting their measurements taken.
Their teacher had made herself conspicuously absent as well, though she'd left a note on the chalkboard specifically stating that Ishimaru was to be in charge during her absence. At first it seemed like a good idea, but then Mondo reentered the classroom, saw the message, and all hell broke loose.
While Mondo and Ishimaru were busy fighting, Leon took the opportunity to slip away. Chihiro had sequestered himself in the corner of the room and looked like he was about to burst out in tears. Strange, for such a tough-looking guy. Makoto thought about trying to sneak away as well, but doubted he'd be able to slip by Ishimaru with the ease Leon had.
Soon enough the door opened again and another student rejoined the class, her intense presence filling up the room and bringing an instant end to Ishimaru's and Mondo's fight.
Even they couldn't seem to stand up to Mukuro's sharp gaze.
"Naegi Makoto," she said, her soft voice cutting through the silence like a blade, "Taresawa-sensei is looking for you. Please come with me."
The combination of her words and her intensity left Makoto frozen. Their teacher was looking for him? For what? He couldn't imagine he'd done something already to get himself in trouble, but he couldn't begin to guess what else Taresawa would have been looking for him for.
"O-kay," he replied after a moment, when his voice finally came back to him. The room remained silent until Makoto left the room and Mukuro closed the door behind him. Almost immediately they could hear the beginnings of another fight.
"Follow me," Mukuro ordered. She didn't even look at him as she started walking down the hallway, but even so Makoto got the feeling that she would have noticed if he didn't obey.
Once again the pair traveling through the school found themselves the subject of numerous stares. Unlike the case with himself and Junko, however, Makoto noticed none of the students had that starstruck expression that hit everyone who noticed Junko for the first time. Rather, these students seemed to have their breath stolen away. Indeed, Mukuro seemed to project an aura that was impossible to ignore. She looked so sure of herself, like she was the most powerful being in the room at any given time and she was well aware of it. Maybe it was because she was the Ultimate Soldier, but Makoto didn't get that same feeling from Sakura, the Ultimate Martial Artist.
"So, uh..." The silence between them was wearing on Makoto's nerves, but he was struggling to think of anything to say to her. Then he remembered something odd about their encounter that morning. "H-how did you know my name? This morning on the stairs, I mean. We hadn't introduced ourselves yet, so..."
He trailed off awkwardly, and she remained silent. For several moments Makoto thought she might be ignoring him.
"Junko mentioned you." Oh! She wasn't ignoring him after all! But why did she wait so long to answer? "She told me about how you two met."
That made sense. Junko and Mukuro were sisters, after all. That reminded Makoto of another question he'd wanted to ask, though now that he remembered it he wished he'd thought to ask Junko earlier.
"I wouldn't have guessed you and Enoshima-san are sisters. You, uh, you seem pretty different. How come you have different last names?"
This time Mukuro answered much more quickly.
"We chose our own names for ourselves."
They... chose their own names? That sounded really strange. Maybe he should ask Junko about it later.
As they walked Makoto found himself struggling to recall if he'd been that way before. It didn't look like part of the school he and Junko had seen when they were exploring together, and he was pretty sure they'd already passed the stairs.
"Um, Ikusaba-san-"
"Call me Mukuro."
Makoto's steps faltered for a moment. Just like that, with no warning whatsoever, she wanted him to use her first name?
"Okay, Mukuro... san." He couldn't bring himself to drop the honorific. "Are you sure this is the right way to the staff room?"
"It isn't."
"Oh. Is Taresawa-sensei waiting for us somewhere else?"
Another long pause.
"She isn't waiting for us," Mukuro confessed. "I lied."
"Eh?" Makoto stopped mid-step. "Why would you...?"
All at once he became acutely aware of the lack of other students around. He didn't know what part of the school this was, but the hallway was devoid of any people besides him and Mukuro. The shadows seemed to stretch longer and darker than elsewhere in the building, giving the hall an eerie atmosphere. Mukuro had gone almost completely still, her face hidden by the shadows. Makoto's heart hammered in his rib cage.
"Naegi Makoto, do you value the life you live? Do you consider your family and friends important to you?"
"O-of course I do!" Where was she getting at with this? Was this some sort of test? "I love my family. And my friends. And I love my life the way it is."
Slowly, Mukuro turned around. The shadows fell away so he could finally see her face, but even so he couldn't read her expression.
"Is that true?"
"Of course it is! Why would I lie?"
She studied his face for a moment, as though searching for some trace of a lie in his expression.
"That's good." She seemed to relax, though only marginally. "In that case, don't try to change anything about yourself. You're fine just the way you are."
And with that she turned her back on him once again and stalked off, leaving a stunned Naegi Makoto alone in the hallway, wondering exactly what that had been about.
It took Makoto a long time to find his way back to the classroom. By the time he had, it was just about time for lunch to start. Sayaka and Junko ran into him just outside the classroom and dragged him away before Ishimaru could interrogate him about his tardiness. And then as soon as they were safe from their overbearing classmate and seated together with their lunches in the school cafeteria, Sayaka and Junko began an interrogation of their own.
"So where'd you run off to, Naegi-kun? You're not trying to avoid us now, are you?" Junko asked as she pulled her chopsticks apart.
"No, nothing like that," Makoto assured her. "I, uh, went somewhere with Iku-" Should he call her that? She had asked him to use her first name, after all, but Makoto wondered how Junko would react to hearing him call her sister by her first name after insisting that the person he'd run into wasn't Mukuro. "Ikusaba-san."
Junko's chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth.
"What?"
There was a note of hostility in her voice that had the hairs on the back of Naegi's neck raising.
"Ikusaba-san seems so mysterious, doesn't she?" Sayaka commented. "What did she want to talk to you about?"
Makoto fiddled with his chopsticks as he spoke. He told them everything he could remember of his encounter with Mukuro, from her lying about their homeroom teacher wanting to talk to him to her insisting he use her first name to her cryptic warning. The entire time Sayaka and Junko stared at him with wide eyes.
"First she was actin' weird this morning and now she's stalking and threatening my friends? What the hell Mukuro? What's wrong with you today!?" Junko cried as she slammed her head down on the table. Sayaka stared at her in confusion. Sensing eyes on her, Junko looked up and added, "Oh yeah, Mukuro's my big sis, by the way."
"Really?" Sayaka tilted her head to the side. "I never would have guessed."
Sitting up straight, Junko fixed her eyes on Makoto. "Is that all she said to you? Was there anything else?"
"No, that was it," Makoto replied, shaking his head. "But, now that I think about it..."
"What? Now that you think about it what?" Junko was leaning forward in her seat.
"I'm not sure. For a moment I thought Ikusaba-san seemed kind of familiar, but I'm not sure why."
"Is it possible you've met somewhere before?" Sayaka asked. Makoto shook his head.
"I think I would have remembered someone like her if I had met her before," he pointed out.
"Maybe not," Junko argued. "She wasn't always like this."
Sayaka stared at Junko. "What do you mean?"
"Well-" Junko started playing with her hair, "-just yesterday I remember her being her normal, gloomy self. She's always been really shy, and awkward as hell. Mukuro hates it when people stare at her and usually stutters and blushes when they do. This 'calm and cool' thing she's got going on is totally new to her! I mean like, a complete one-eighty, overnight transformation!"
Makoto blinked, processing Junko's words. "So that's why you said 'that's not my sister' earlier..."
Junko nodded and then began shoveling food in her mouth. She continued to talk even as she was chewing. "Anyway, I don't think it's likely you guys have met but, hey, ya never know!"
"If they have met," Sayaka said thoughtfully, "it would explain why Ikusaba-san kept staring at Naegi-kun all day."
Both Makoto and Junko stared at her. Makoto because he was surprised she had noticed. Junko because she hadn't.
"What was that?"
"You didn't notice?" Sayaka asked. "She was staring at Naegi-kun the entire time we were introducing ourselves."
"What, really?" She fixed Makoto with an appraising eye. "I didn't think you were her type. Then again, I didn't think she had a type!"
"So what do you think, Naegi-kun? Do you think it's possible you might have met Ikusaba-san before?"
Makoto wracked his brain, but couldn't think of an instance when he might have meet the Ultimate Soldier. "No, I can't remember ever meeting her."
"Oh man, I don't wanna hafta see the look on her face when I break it to her," Junko half-joked, but Makoto wasn't really paying attention. He was still wrapped up in his thoughts about Mukuro.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a cheerful, bouncy pop song ringing out over their table. Sayaka reached into her pocket and withdrew a cell phone. The song fell silent as she raised it to her ear.
"Yes? This is Maizono Sayaka. Oh!" She lowered the phone and placed her hand over the mouthpiece. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."
"It's fine," Makoto said. She flashed him a smile before standing and walking away from the table.
"Yes, I can make that. No, you don't have to..."
Makoto lost track of the conversation as she got further away, but it cemented in his mind that Sayaka was indeed incredibly busy and also incredibly hard-working.
"Hey, Naegi-kun, you wanna hang out after school?"
"Eh?" Makoto turned to Junko. "Aren't you usually busy in the afternoons?"
She waved her hand flippantly. "Usually, but even I get days off every once in a while. 'Sides, I need to find out what's up with my sister and you're gonna help me!"
This couldn't have been going anywhere good.
"What? Why me?"
"Because I told you too!" Junko replied with a wide grin splitting her face. "And also 'cause I think your talent might come in handy. I mean, it's not like it's gonna be easy tailing the Ultimate Soldier."
"My talent? You mean luck? B-but it's not really a talent! Just 'cause I have that title doesn't mean I'm really lucky!"
"You sure about that? It was pretty lucky the way you stopped that thief and ran into me of all people."
"That was just a coincidence, wasn't it?"
"Or maybe there really is something to this luck thing! Besides, if I'm right and an imposter really did replace my sister, are you really gonna let me face her all alone?"
Makoto's shoulders sagged in defeat. No. No he wasn't. He was starting to think he might have a talent for luck after all. Just... not good luck.
"Alright. I'll help you."
Junko beamed.
"Of course you will! An omega male like you can't say no to someone like me, right?"
Although he knew she was just teasing him, Makoto felt like there was something predatory in her smile. It was at that moment that Sayaka returned from her phone call and took her seat at the table.
"Sorry about that," she said as she smoothed out her skirt. "That was my manager. He wanted to ask if he could move up my schedule a little, so I won't have any free time after school today."
"Man, that sucks," Junko said. "Oh well! Just means I get Naegi-kun all to myself for an afternoon!"
Maybe he imagined it, but Makoto could have sworn he saw Sayaka's smile falter for just a moment.
"You two are spending the afternoon together?"
"Junko wants me to help her find out why her sister's acting so strange," Makoto replied. Maybe he wasn't imagining it after all. Did Sayaka look relieved?
"I see. Well, I hope it turns out to be nothing serious."
"Don't worry," Junko said. "If it turns out some kind of criminal mastermind's impersonating Mukuro I'll pound 'em into dust! Right Naegi-kun?"
Sayaka and Makoto laughed, earning an indignant squawk from Junko and starting a playful argument between the three. From there their conversation topics switched to more mundane things. By the time the bell rang signaling the start of afternoon classes Makoto had almost completely forgotten about Ikusaba Mukuro.
Sayaka had to excuse herself from class early in order to make it to her appointment. When the bell rang to signal the end of classes today Junko and Makoto immediately paired up and started to leave together, only for Junko's cell phone to suddenly go off.
"Aw geez, are you kidding me?" she complained. "Hey, sorry Naegi-kun, I gotta take this."
He would admit, he was a little sad, but Makoto could understand. "You're super busy too, huh?"
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna blow you off," she promised. "Let me just deal with this, and then we can hang out. You remember that fountain in front of the school? Meet me down there, okay? I'll come as soon as I'm done with this guy."
"Sure thing!"
It was nice that Junko was trying to make time for him. He knew that her main concern was trying to figure out the cause of her sister's strange behavior, but even so it was nice to think that she enjoyed his company. Even a little.
There were a few students milling about when Makoto arrived at the fountain, but none of them paid any particular attention to him. There was a bench by the fountain and a single person sitting on it. A young girl around his age with her face buried in a handheld video game system. She didn't react at all when Makoto sat down on the opposite end of the bench from her, or when, after spending several minutes staring at the school building, he eventually turned his head to see what game she was playing.
Time passed. The sun began to sink lower in the sky and still Junko had not appeared. Makoto pulled out his cell phone and scrolled to Junko's name in his contacts, but couldn't bring himself to call her. Maybe her phone call was just taking longer than she'd thought it would. Or maybe this was another one of her 'jokes' like the ones she said she and her sister played on each other all the time.
Or...
The final theory made his chest ache.
Or maybe she'd completely forgotten about him. It wouldn't be all that surprising, in his opinion.
((Help me... Please...))
Makoto blinked, and stared at the girl sitting next to him.
"Did you say something?"
"No," she replied without even looking up from her video game. There was no one else around anymore, so did he imagine it?
((Somebody... I need someone to... to save me...))
There it was again, and this time Makoto was certain he hadn't imagined it. The voice itself was unusual; rough and kind of gravelly, but also strangely childlike in a way. And the fact that he hadn't heard it through his ears, but rather reverberating through his head just made it all the stranger.
((Someone... Anyone... Save me...))
He stood abruptly, and for the first time the girl tore her eyes away from her video game to look at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Ah, nothing, I just need to use the bathroom," he lied. "Uh, if you see a girl with pink pigtails come over here, can you let her know I'll be right back?"
The girl gave him a brief nod and an 'mm-hmm' before turning back to her game. She didn't comment on the fact that he was walking away from the school building and not towards it. Makoto felt a little bad he was running off like this, but he didn't want to bother texting Junko 'I heard a voice in my head' and have her question his sanity. If it was nothing then he would just come back and pretend nothing happened. If not... Well, he'd have to figure out what that weird voice was before he could make any decisions about that.
The voice continued to call out in between brief pauses, but Makoto noted it was sounding weaker and weaker. Whoever it was must have been in serious trouble and he couldn't just ignore that. As he ran down the street he got the impression that he was getting closer to the source of the voice, but nobody else seemed to react to it. In fact, most of the people around seemed content to ignore him. That was fine. He wasn't sure how he would manage to explain to anyone that he was following a voice in his head.
The voice lead Makoto to an intersection where he screeched to a halt, breaths coming in heavy pants as he waited for the voice to come again. The intervals were getting slightly longer too. He hoped he wouldn't be too late.
((He... e e elp... M-me...))
There! Makoto turned sharply and rand down the street towards the voice. The voice took him to a row of storefronts, and then to the alley way behind them. By now most people would have started to question the wisdom behind following a disembodied voice calling for help into a dark, secluded area. At least, those who hadn't already begun questioning their own sanity.
((Th... this...))
They were suffering. Makoto couldn't ignore it. He entered the alley behind.
((R-re e e eally... hu... urts... u... pu... pu... pu...))
It was strange, now that Makoto thought about it. He had walked down this same street earlier that day on his way to Hope's Peak. From the front, it didn't look like there was any space between these two stores. So why could he now clearly see that street on the other side?
"Hello?" he called out, hoping that the voice's owner was near. "I heard you calling for help! Where are you?"
Makoto kept walking as he called out, but there was no response, and he could no longer feel that pull telling him where the voice was coming from. He had been walking for a while now but the alleyway seemed to stretch on forever. His steps slowed as a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"Hello?"
There were whispers all around him. A brief flash of movement appeared in the corner of his eye but when Makoto whipped his head around all he saw was some graffitti of a dragon with nine heads.
...Had that been there a moment ago?
Makoto yelped as he heard the heavy clunk of a trash can being knocked over and whirled around just in time to see something small disappear into the shadows. A sound somewhere between a whisper and a giggle reached his ears and Makoto felt his blood run cold. By now his heart was hammering in his rib cage and he was beginning to regret his decision to not text Junko and tell her where he was going.
"Hey! If this is a joke, it's not funny!" Makoto called out.
((H e e... e e el l l p... m-me e e e...))
Makoto froze in place. The owner of the voice was right there, but he couldn't see them. What was going on? He whirled around, eyes frantically searching for the owner of the voice. What he found instead chilled him to his core.
The opening of the alley was gone. All he could see of the space between the buildings was a strip of light leading up to a weird kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. The longer he stared at it the more dark, disturbing thing she saw moving inside. His stomach rolled as he tore his eyes away.
"Where... am I? How did I...?"
Around him the scenery had completely transformed. He couldn't see the color or the texture of the buildings that had been there before, only a sheet of pure blackness on which the graffiti dragon was still suspended.
Then the dragon moved.
"What?"
Makoto took a fearful step back as each of the nine heads stretched out over the black surface before him, their jaws opening and closing as they hissed and laughed. And then the flat image peeled itself off of the surface it was adhered too.
Makoto's stomach dropped as the dragon's heads reached for him, and then he whirled on the spot and sprinted away from it. Towards the strange mural. He didn't care how twisted it looked, it couldn't be worse than getting eaten alive by a dragon.
As he neared it, the mural opened up into a tunnel. The ground beneath his feet seemed to flicker in and out of existence, and strange things circled the air above him. No matter where he looked Makoto couldn't find any trace of the alley he'd come from, and the entire while he could sense the dragon-like creature growing nearer and nearer.
Of course, as his luck would dictate, that was when his laces came untied and his shoe flew off of his foot.
Makoto went down with a shriek, landing painfully. His chin hurt from where it struck the ground, but worse, now he knew that thing was going to kill him. He rolled onto his back, raising his arms to cover his face, and-
Nothing. The creature was gone. Makoto blinked and then rubbed his eyes as though it would make the dragon reappear... or the strange surroundings disappear.
((H u u u.. u u rts... H e e... e l...))
That voice again! Snapped from his stupor, Makoto snatched up his shoe and shoved his foot in harshly. He tied his laces as tight as he could - tight enough that it hurt his ankle - before jumping up and running in the direction he thought the voice had come from.
There were weird things moving around them. Things that he knew he wouldn't be able to describe later even if he had to. Trash can lids with human eyeballs and wings like flies, snakes made out of chain-link fences, graffiti that crawled along the walls and hissed and growled at him... It looked like the individual heads of the dragon from before, without the body, but these ones remained flat.
This must have been a hallucination, or a horrible nightmare. Maybe he'd gotten himself worked up and passed out while exploring the school, and now he was just having the worse nightmare of his life. That made way more sense than accepting this as reality.
"Hello?" Makoto called out again, searching for anything that resembled human, or at least anything that didn't look like one of those strange monsters running around. "Where are you?"
((H... e... e...))
There! Makoto's head snapped towards a pile of garbage that looked like it had been cut and pasted from a photograph in a magazine. There were pools of bright pink splattered on the ground around it and something was moving just behind it.
"I'm here! Are you-"
Makoto stopped suddenly as he stepped around the pile of trash and found the thing that had been calling for help.
"...A teddy bear?"
But it wasn't. Not a stuffed toy, anyway. Makoto could see it moving as it gasped in pain and hear its raspy breaths. He could see the tears in its fur and see the pink blood underneath and he knew it was alive.
((S... s... a a a ve... m... e e e e...))
The creature's voice snapped Makoto out of his stupor. He fell to his knees and scooped the bear-like creature up into his arms. Now that he was touching it he could feel the warmth of its body. Even so he had a hard time accepting that it was a living creature. It's appearance was too unnatural. It was shaped exactly like a stuffed teddy bear, but its coloring was unusual. A line divided it exactly down the center, splitting it into black and white. One eye was small and shiny and black while the other was a hateful red slash, and its mouth on the black side of its face was twisted into a wicked-looking grin full of sharp teeth.
Even so, it was writhing in pain.
((Th... a... a... a... nk... y... u... pu... pu...))
"What are you?" Makoto asked aloud as he stood. Well, that didn't really matter at the moment. What mattered was getting the creature help. Didn't the Hope's Peak forum say that there was an Ultimate Nurse attending the school? If he could just find his way out of this place and figure out how to get back to the school...
A loud bang went off. No, even describing it as 'loud' was too tame. Makoto fell to his knees again, subconsciously squeezing the bear-like creature tighter as his ears rang from that deafening sound. He didn't notice the eyeball-monster above him disappear in a shower of pink blood. He did notice the smell of gunpowder, and the shadow that fell over him and the bear.
"Naegi Makoto."
He almost didn't hear that voice over the ringing in his ears, but even so he recognized it instantly. Slowly he craned his head up to look at the person cornering him.
"Iku- Mukuro-san?"
It was Ikusaba Mukuro without a doubt, but she wasn't wearing the same outfit from earlier. Her clothes now somewhat resembled the Hope's Peak uniform, except the fabric was black instead of brown, and it and it had a purple diamond motif running down her arms and down the thigh-length high-heeled boots. It didn't look like something a soldier would wear. It didn't resemble an outfit her sister had designed either. She glared down at him, still holding the Glock she had used to kill the eyeball monster.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, causing Makoto to flinch.
"I... heard him calling for help. He's hurt!"
"I know." She raised the gun, leveling it on Makoto. "I'm the one who hurt it."
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mukuro had tortured this creature? Why? And why was she pointing a gun... at...
Makoto was terrified. All he could see was the muzzle of the gun.
"Put that creature down now."
Her stony expression made it clear that he had no option to refuse. Even so, Makoto tightened his hold on the weird animal.
"No..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm not going to let you hurt him anymore!"
Mukuro's expression didn't change, nor did she lower the gun.
"Is that so. And how do you plan to stop me?"
How could he stop her? She had a gun and he didn't. Even if he had some kind of weapon, how could an ordinary person like him hope to stop the Ultimate Soldier?
Her finger twitched on the trigger, and Makoto flinched.
"I won't say it again. Put that creature down."
He couldn't do anything to stop her. So why didn't she just pull the trigger already? What was she waiting for?
Unless...
Unless she didn't really want to hur-
A bright flash of pink light blinded Makoto, and a familiar voice called out, "Get away from him!"
There was a blur of movement. When Makoto could see again there was someone between him and Mukuro. Someone wearing a flashy hot pink dress, with long flowing pink pigtails and black ribbons and lace accenting her outfit.
"E-enoshima-san!?"
Junko didn't react to Makoto's surprised shout. Her eyes were locked on Mukuro, who had jumped back to avoid Junko's surprise attack. Now the two sisters were engaged in a glaring match. Or, at least, Junko was. Where Junko's eyes were burning, Mukuro's stare was cold as ice.
"What the hell Mukuro!?" Junko growled. "What do you think you're doing attacking Naegi and Monokuma!?"
Monokuma? Did she mean the bear thing?
"That's none of your concern. Get out of my way."
"Like hell I will! I don't know what the fuck your deal is, but you're not laying a finger on either of them!"
One second Mukuro was standing several yards away from Junko. And then she was standing right beside her holding a gun to her sister's temple. Makoto hadn't even blinked, yet he hadn't seen her move. Even her clothes and hair were still, as though she had been standing there all along.
"And what do you plan to do about it?"
Junko had gone rigid. Though her back was to him, Makoto could see the slight tremor running through her body and could imagine the expression that must have been on her face.
"You... How did you-?"
"This is your last warning." Still holding the gun to Junko's head she turned her gaze on Makoto. "Put that creature down and walk away. This doesn't concern you."
"Mukuro-san..." he breathed. "Why...?"
There was a slow creaking sound. And then the surroundings which had fallen strangely silent exploded in a frenzy of motion and sound and light. Chain-link snakes exploded from the ground as three graffiti dragon heads shot out of the shadows towards the three of them. In an instant Mukuro had whirled around and fired off three shots, one for each head. In that same instant Junko shot around and grabbed Makoto. Even though she wasn't a soldier like her sister, she still managed to lift him with ease.
"Man, do you ever eat Naegi-kun? You weigh like ten pounds!"
Makoto was pretty sure he weighed more than that.
"Enoshima-san, what's going on? Where are we? Why are you dressed like that?"
She dropped him suddenly. Makoto hit the ground with a thud while Junko summoned another burst of pink light. Makoto watched in amazement as the light solidified into a long black spear, tipped with a bright pink spearhead. Junko twirled it over her head and placed herself protectively between him and the graffiti dragon head that had suddenly appeared in their path.
"Questions later," she said. "First I gotta deal with this bitch and get you outta here!"
And with that Junko lunged at the dragon head. Makoto watched, mesmerized, as Junko fought with the monster. Her movements were like a wild, crazy dance as she fought the dragon and the strange creatures protecting it. A ring of black spears appeared around her with the wave of a hand and she launched them in every direction, pinning the fence-snakes and trashcan lid-eyeballs to the walls where they melted into puddles of pink. The dragon roared and she launched a volley of spears at it, stabbing it in the roof of its mouth and in each of its burning red eyes.
"Amazing," Makoto whispered as he watched her nimbly leap out of the way when the dragon continued to chase after her. In his arms he felt something shift and he looked down to see the bear like creature curling against his chest. "This... really is real... isn't it?"
It had to be. The sounds of battle, the ringing in his ears from the gunshot, the warmth of the blood seeping into his clothes... They were all too real for this to simply be a dream.
With a final lunge, Junko plunged her spear into the dragon's skull. It gave out a final roar before melting away into the same pink goop as the other monsters. As the creature disappeared underneath her feet, Junko did a graceful flip and landed in front of Makoto.
"Now that guy's taken care of, let's get you out of here before fake-Mukuro catches up with us."
Saying that, Junko grabbed a firm hold of Makoto's wrist and dragged him after her. Luckily after her defeat of the dragon head the other monsters seemed inclined to steer clear of Junko. Soon enough their surroundings began to warp and melt away, leaving behind the mouth of the alley Makoto had been in before.
"What... was that?" Makoto asked as he was finally allowed to stop and catch his breath. Junko turned around and flashed him a wide grin as a pink light engulfed her and her clothes transformed back to normal. "Enoshima-san... who are you?"