Chapter 1

Hajime Hinata, through extensive bribery, was forced to do such a despair inducing task. Never would he have imagined himself in such a position as this. His school, you see, was a very special school indeed. Filled to the brim with talent. Each student at Hopes Peak Academy had a unique gift that allowed them to stay there, but if you so badly wanted to enter such a praised school, there was another option of course. The reserve course, where you have to pay to enter was that other option, as with the case of Hinata.

But because of his reserve student title, the school would often give him, along with the other students like him tasks to do for extra points, per say. Hinata usually didn't mind these tasks as they were normally simple things such as taking rescued animals from the SPCA for walks or going to visit old age homes. But this time it was different. This time he was resenting having to do it.

The 77th Class of Hopes Peak Academy had 18 students, one of those being Hinata. But that was at the beginning of the year as now the 77th class of Hopes Peak Academy only has 17 of those students left. Komaeda. Nagito Komaeda, was found to have had a mental condition and was found multiple times trying to murder one of his classmates, perhaps that's a bit too vague. Nagito Komaeda was found multiple times trying to murder Hinata, saying that because of his reserve course title he was keeping the other students that had a gift from reaching their true potential, which wasn't the case. But Komaeda didn't buy it, and by the time the officials realized he wasn't just playing around, they had him arrested and deemed guilty of a mental illness, more specifically Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), that along with a bad case of lymphoma and apparently what they described as a 'traumatic upbringing' tore his mental capacity to shreds. People became afraid of him, avoiding the Ultimate Luckster at all cost, until eventually the officials took control of the situation and Nagito Komaeda was sent to Hopes Peak Asylum, an institution for the care of the mentally ill, although in Hinata's mind he saw the place as a poorly run facility with low security and health care.

That was the exact place the reserve student was headed. He sat, twiddling his thumbs in the backseat of the beige taxi, not at all looking forward to the experience that was to come. How could Hopes Peak send him to visit someone who ultimately wanted to kill him? He was extremely baffled by this and couldn't wrap his brain around an answer.

The cab stopped and Hinata grabbed the slip of paper lying next to him, paid the driver and started making his extremely slow way to the doors of the old brick building. Glancing up, he read the sign which had written 'Hopes Peak Asylum' on it in thick, black lettering. A fitting colour for a place such as this, the brown haired boy thought.

Upon pushing the door open, Hinata noticed immediately the absence of people. Only the secretary was in sight and it gave Hinata chills at the noiseless atmosphere. He stood at the desk of said secretary, a middle aged woman whose piercing grey eyes judgmentally looked at him, reminding Hinata of a snake sizing up its prey.

With a voice like lightning, breaking the rooms noiseless atmosphere, the old woman asked, "What do you want, kid?"

Hinata gingerly held out his form and the woman snatched the form from his grasp, non to politely and started reading over the elegantly printed words that by this time Hinata had read over more than enough times to have memorize it.

School: Hopes Peak Academy
Name: Hajime Hinata
Status: Reserve Course Student
Task: 24 hours of community service that involves cooking for, cleaning for, reading for, walking with, entertaining and communicating with...
Applicant: Nagito Komaeda
This form is property of Hopes Peak Academy and if lost please return it to said academy, thank you for your cooperation.
Student Signature: Hajime Hinata
Headmaster Signature: J. Kirigiri

Nodding, the snake eyed woman ushered her hand toward a pamphlet and Hinata picked it up, looking over its contents and realizing it was a map of the building, he didn't bother with a reply as he took his form and strode off in the correct direction. Hall 5 was written in italics, and alongside it was written: Attendants: G. Tanaka; M. Tsumiki; P. Pekoyama; N. Komaeda. Hinata read that oh so familiar name and shuddered. What would he do once he see's Komaeda? What would Komaeda do one he sees him? The reserve student really didn't want to find out. Reaching the door labelled Hall 5 Hinata froze as he stared, and repeated his mantra for success. You can do it. Repeating that over and over again really had no purpose, but it was at least something to distract his thoughts a little.

Upon opening the door, Hinata met the blank stare of a white hallway and was instantly grateful of the fact that he didn't walk straight into a four celled room facing him with its occupants staring daggers straight at him like he thought it would be. Taking this little success as a queue to keep going, the brown haired boy shoved his hand deeper into his hoodless jacket and continued down the white walled halls.

Chills ran down his spine as thoughts of the people around him ran through his mind. In this building the famous Genocider Syo lay in wake and he couldn't help but think of what would happen if she got loose, what would she do with him? Hinata didn't want to find out, if she was anything like her twin sister he knew he had a reason to be frightened. Sure, Toka Fukawa acted as if she were a push over most of the time, but he had been in her class long enough to know that with the correct motivation she could be just as deadly as her twin. But ultimately Hinata was grateful she could control her unearthly desires.

Reaching the first cell, Hinata couldn't help but take a glance inside. A black haired boy with multicolored eyes was sitting on the floor, cross legged and wearing a very uniquely fashioned cape. He appeared to be whispering things to an unknown force and Hinata watched as he played with something that was obviously beyond his power to see. Hearing the footsteps, the strange man looked up and met Hinata's stares.

"Welcome to the Hell that is pandemonium!"

The reserve sped up his pace and the white walled hall continued on. The next cell contained quite an exquisite being, a purple haired girl dressed in a nurses get up along with so many bandages it was hard to see her skin at all. The only thing devoid of bandages was her sweet face and gentle smile. Hinata couldn't resist the urge to smile back, and upon doing so the purple haired girls face suddenly contorted into something much more demonic like. Her smile was no longer gentle and belonged to that of a madman while her eyes held the insane gleam of one whose seen more then their fair share of insanity. Hinata walked on.

The next cell appeared to be empty at first glance until Hinata glanced at the single grey duvet covered bed, whoever was in that cell was asleep. He couldn't make out many features of the person under the layers but he could see the grey hair making Hinata wonder if it was an elderly person. Until he remembered the reason he came here, that reason had a lighter contrast of hair colour then the person in this cell and he wasn't even 18, never mind an elder. With a heavy heart and a thick sigh, he walked on.

Before he even remembered to stop to think about how he would approach this incident, Hinata was standing straight in front of the last cell in the empty white hall. The brown haired boy had in actuality imagined the luckster sitting there with a smirk, much like the smirk he had on his face when he was... Hinata didn't want to think about it. Not now at least.

But instead the image that lay before him was much less ominous, with said white haired boy lying on his back upon his bed, hands behind his head and a knee up in the air. Smiling his usual casual smile up at the ceiling. He appeared to either have not noticed Hinata or he could just be ignoring him. Not knowing what to do, Hajime awkwardly coughed into his fist, alerting the white haired boy he had a guest.

The grey eyes of Nagito Komaeda met the olive green ones of Hajime Hinata.

"Ah! Hello Hinata-kun! Long time no see! How have you been doing lately?" As smooth talking as ever, Hinata could barely hold in a scoff at Komaeda's words. He was acting as if the last time they saw each other he hadn't tried to get Hinata impailed with a knife! He instantly regret not going to talk to his classmate, Kyouko Kirigiri, to ask her to talk to her father about changing his task. But it was too late now, as here he was, already in this situation and he couldn't back out now.

Komaeda noticed Hinata's silence and smiled at him, "What is it, Hinata-kun? Cat got your tongue?" Hinata contemplated on an answer, on how he should go about this. But he wasn't in a mood for games. So he decided to play it obvious.

"Let's just say I'm not here of my own free will."

"Wow! As unhopeful as ever, Hinata-kun! Being so negative is really the reason why you don't possess an Ultimate Talent!" Hinata felt as if someone had punched him in the gut at those words, because even if most of the things the lucksters said was lies, that was an extremely cold hard truth to him. Although not so much as how Komeada put it though, but he felt that if he had more self esteem, positivity and believed in himself a little more, perhaps he would have a talent.

But Hinata wasn't here to deal with Komaeda's shit, he was here to get extra credit and dammit he would do that. As he told himself earlier, it was too late to turn back now.

Hajime Hinata was stuck with him.

He looked down at his watch, pressing the stopwatch button, he swore to himself he wouldn't spend more time then he had to with this guy, not a chance. Looking up, Hinata stumbled back a little. Komaeda was standing right in front of the bars, close enough to reach through and grab Hinata if he wanted to, when on Earth did he get up and how did he do it so fast as to not alert him? Hinata made a metal note to be wary of that for the future.

"Aww, are you scared of me?" Komaeda smiled sweetly, as if he were the most innocent person on the face of the planet, "If that's true, which it obviously is from that look on your face, why, pray tell, are you here?" He put his hand to his chin as if he were in deep thought. "Oh! Let me guess! You've come to entertain me, haven't you? I'm afraid my friends are gonna be jealous. But that's fine! Right Hinata-kun?"

Said reserve student was battling to keep up with the lucksters nonsensical rambling, but he was quite curious about one thing, "What... friends?" Was the only words he could manage to force out his mouth.

"My friends? Look, there's one of them now!" Komeada pointed at the wall, and with a shocked realization, Hinata noticed he was pointing at a shadow, "Hmm? You're interested in them, Hinata-kun? Well, just to let you know, they don't want to be friends with someone as talentless as you. I don't blame them. All day. Every day. Stuck in this place. Nothing to do at all!" Komaeda dramatically let out a sigh and placed his hands on his hips, Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that the luckster was taunting him. "I know what this place is, an Asylum. And if you weren't crazy before you got here, you definitely would be after a week of doing nothing but staring at the ceiling. As really that's all there is to do! Well look at this! I'm completely boring you, aren't I, Hinata-kun? You look board."

By this time, Hinata had completely zoned out. Without knowing what to do, nor what to say, after staring for what felt like hours at Komaeda, but were sadly only a few seconds, he handed the white haired boy the form he held, albeit very carefully. He was alone with a mentally ill person after all, who knows what would happen.

Komaeda took it casually, reading it and as his eyes went further down the page Hinata noticed his carefree smile slowly vanishing from his face. "So... for 24 hours, all because you're a talentless reserve course student, I have to be stuck with you? I mean, in all honesty we both know I'm trash, but you're not any better yourself, Hinata-kun. Oh well, You're better than nothing I suppose. But in all honestly I'm a little surprised! Last night someone told me that I should head to bed early, as today was gonna be a little more exciting than usual, I'm extremely disappointed though. After spending weeks and weeks cooped up in here like a caged animal, the least Hopes Peak Academy could do for me was send me someone a little more interesting then you. Perhaps that voice in my head isn't as trust worthy as I'd like it to be. But as I said, better than nothing."

For what felt like the billionth time since arriving, Hinata was at a loss for how to reply, instead, he looked Komaeda in the eyes and bluntly stated that he couldn't handle this at the moment. That he hadn't mentally prepared himself for this much shit. The whole time Komaeda just smiled at him, with that same carefree smile that Hinata used to greet every day at school. That same carefree smile that would never seize to calm him down. That same carefree smile that now haunted his nightmares.

That same carefree smile that shouldn't be so carefree.

Without another word from the reserve student, Hinata spun on his heels and walked down the corridor, passing the still sleeping grey haired anon, the purple haired girl with a sweet face and twisted mind and finally the multicolored eyed man with his abnormal preference for invisible beings, all the while trying his best to ignore the distant call of farewell from the white haired luckster.

"See you tomorrow, Hinata-kun!"