Kousuke broke free of her less than iron grip, muttering something sharp to himself. Asuka shook out her hand, examining what remained of the large room. Besides what she had already taken notice of, and a few doors, there was not much.

Out of curiosity, Asuka jiggled the knobs, but none of them moved.

I guess they're locked. Staff restricted, maybe? …Come to think of it, where's the staff?

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn't notice the girl in front of her until she was almost on top of her.

Asuka took a quick step back, "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

The girl shrieked.

Oh no.

"I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get in your way!"

Asuka shrugged, "No it's not a- whatever. Who're you?"

"H-Hikari Matsumoto, and I'm the Super High-School Level Gardener," she said quietly.

Asuka nodded, "Neat. Explains the watering can."

Hikari had a silver watering can in her quivering, gloved hands. She wore a modest yellow striped dress, and a large yellow sunhat. She was probably a magnet to bees. She had thick, curly brown hair, and a light dusting of freckles over her dark skin.

Hikari smiled, "I r-really like gardening! And with a-all these plants here, I can look after all of them!"

Asuka said, "That's… cool. I'm Asuka Ishikawa, the Super High-School Level Tattoo Artist."

"Nice to m-meet you!" Hikari said, "I was a l-little worried when I… when I saw that you were passed out again, but it's, uh, really g-good to see you up and about."

Asuka ran a hand through her hair, "Did… a lot of people see that?"

"It w-was kind of hard to miss," Hikari admitted. Quickly, she said, slightly louder than her prior squeaky whisper. "H-Hi, Kotara-san!"

Kousuke shuffled over to where the two girls were standing, "Matsumoto-san. I see that the two of you have met, hm? Her main 'claim to fame' as it were, is having such a way with cultivating plants that she could help agriculturally dead areas thrive again. She's also a main contributor to the restoration of many public gardens."

Asuka blinked a few times, then shot a glance at the tiny girl. After a moment, she said, "That's… seriously impressive."

Her eyes lit up, "A-Ah! Thank you so much!"

Kousuke glanced around a few times, then said, "I think it's time to move on. Goodbye. Matsumoto-san."

Hikari nodded, "B-Bye now!"

They left the garden almost as quickly as they'd arrived. Once they were out in the lobby, Asuka took a glance around.

"Where'd Yamura go?" Asuka asked.

Kousuke shrugged, "Why do you care?"

Asuka replied, "It's really not that I 'care.' I was just wondering where she went, is all."

"I would guess that she went to explore the building, as we currently are," Kousuke responded, "If you care to continue, the restaurant is just over this way." He pointed to a pair of large double doors near the ottoman she had fallen asleep on.

Asuka followed after him, past the set of doors. Sure enough, there was a restaurant on the other side. Tables and booths were scattered, and a large swinging door was near the side of the room, which likely lead to the kitchen.

She focused on the people that were in the room. A girl with long blonde hair was sitting on top of a table, while a boy with black hair was crawling around on his hands and knees.

...Do I want to know?

Asuka stepped closer to the pair, moving cautiously so that she wouldn't step on the boy's hands.

The girl called out, "Any luck?"

The boy replied, "No, but I will find it, or my name isn't Minoru Fujita!"

The girl suddenly looked over at Asuka, and clasped her hands together, "Oh, hi! You're the girl who passed out!"

Please tell me that I won't always be known as that.

She smiled weakly, "Uh, yeah. Asuka Ishikawa, the-"

"Super High-School Level Tattoo Artist!" The girl exclaimed, "I've heard all about you."

Asuka blinked, "You… have?"

She examined the girl carefully. Her hair went down to her waist, save for the tight braid that fell against her chest. She wore a brown leather jacket over top of a plain white dress, and had brown boots that didn't quite grace her knees.

"I learned about all the new Hope's Peak students! Name's Takara Nakagawa, and I'm known as the Super High-School Level Bear Thrower."

"I'm sorry, what?" Asuka responded.

What's with these people and all their weird talents?

"Oh lord," Kousuke grumbled.

She raised her eyebrows, "Have you really never heard of me? And I was so certain that I'd find a person here who truly appreciated what I do…"

Asuka asked tentatively, "What… do you do?"

"Well, it's pretty self explanatory, right? I pick up the bear, spin around to get a good feel, and then release and hope to reach the greatest possible distance, you know?"

No, I do not.

Kousuke took a long breath, "This isn't the time to fool around, Uchiyama-san. None of us have figured out yet what we're doing here."

"What-"

The girl pouted, "Aw, don't spoil my fun, Kotara-kun! I almost had her, really."

'What are you talking about?!" Asuka snapped.

"The gig is up, I suppose," she giggled, "Natsumi Uchiyama. I'm actually the Super High-School Level Liar! Really lovely to meet you."

Asuka glanced over at Kousuke, "Uh. How did she get accepted into Hope's Peak?"

He sighed, "I wish that I could tell you."

Natsumi said, "Well, I can tell you! But some other time. It's a long story, I'll have you know."

"Really?"

"Nope!" Natsumi beamed, "Got you again!"

...Okay.

Instead of continuing to engage with her, Asuka glanced down at the boy who was still crawling around on the floor.

"Hey, you. Minoru Fujita, right?" Asuka asked.

Minoru got carefully to his feet, "That's me! You might know me as the Super High-School Level Finder."

"A… what? Is that a talent?"

Minoru didn't seem bothered by the comment, "I specialize in finding things. It doesn't sound impressive, but it's a very useful talent."

Kousuke threw in, "Apparently, he can find anything from material objects to missing people."

Asuka took a moment to carefully examine him. Minoru's black hair framed his face, almost long enough to be considered feminine. He had on a dark jacket, over a nice white shirt, and a tie, as well as dark pants and shoes.

Suddenly, Minoru's eyes widened, and he reached down on the ground.

"Is this yours?" Minoru said, handing a glittery gel pen to Natsumi.

Natsumi clasped her hands together, "You found it!"

"Of course I did," Minoru smiled. He reached into his pocket, and produced a pair of glasses. He put them on, and turned to look at Kousuke, "Oh, good to see you again."

Kousuke gave him a small wave, "You as well. Ishikawa-san, we should-"

"Keep going, I know," she muttered, "Later, you two."

Minoru and Natsumi smiled at her. She nodded sharply, then spun around and headed out of the restaurant, Kousuke close on her heels.

The lobby was dead quiet.

Asuka's heels echoed loudly as they hit the floor, and it felt unnaturally cold.

"How many other people do we have to meet?" she asked.

Kousuke replied, "There are sixteen of us, counting both you and I."

That doesn't answer my question! Do I look like I can do math?

Continuing on like there was no problem, Kousuke said, "We should examine the lounge next."

"We have a lounge?" Asuka replied.

He pointed to a large glass door on the other side of the lobby, "Someone is probably still in there."

As they crossed the lobby, Asuka muttered to herself, "I don't know how the hell I'm going to remember where everything is."

Kousuke replied steadily, "Just check your map."

"My… what?" Asuka stopped just outside the door and looked over at him.

"Oh, sorry. I assumed that you already knew," Kousuke replied, putting his hand in his pocket. He produced what appeared to be a cellphone, "This is an E-Handbook, or at that's what it said when I turned it on. Everyone outside had one, so you probably do too."

Asuka fumbled in the pockets of her vest. She felt something heavy, and produced it. It was identical to the thing Kousuke was holding.

She clicked the button on the top, and the machine lit up.

Asuka Ishikawa - Official Student Identification Notebook

Asuka rolled her eyes.

Sounds like something a private school would fucking have.

A screen with text came up, and Asuka scrolled through it.

Welcome to your Student Identification Notebook, otherwise known as your E-Handbook! It will be essential to life here.

You can find an interactive map of the hotel, as well as the list of rules that all students will be expected to follow. There is also a list of options that you can use to customize your handbook in order to optimize your experience.

Asuka said, "Huh, okay. I guess that'll be useful. Thanks."

"Mm. Anyways, we were on our way to the lounge," he reminded.

Asuka scowled, "Okay, dad. I get it."

The two made their way up to the door, and Asuka threw it open. It nearly hit Kousuke in the face, and she resisted the urge to chuckle.

Inside, right near the entrance, a boy with messy black hair was pacing back at forth, with his arms folded tight. She'd seen happier people at funerals.

Asuka looked around the room, examining it quickly. It was spacious, with tables and furniture scattered throughout. A girl was sitting in a corner, scrolling through her E-Handbook.

Cautiously, Asuka approached the boy. He immediately turned to her, undisguisable annoyance in his eyes, "Oh, you're here, huh?"

"E-Excuse me?" Asuka responded.

He glanced away, "Can't stay awake for more than a couple minutes, looks like a delinquent who lives for getting high… Anything else of note, or did I hit all the marks?"

Prick!

The boy said, "My name is Itsuki Yamasaki. I'm the Super High-School Level Hiker. Not that you'll remember that."

Asuka looked him up and down. Itsuki was pale and freckled, and had a pair of wiry glasses. He wore a white and black plaid shirt and dark pants, as well as boots with a slight heel. Truthfully, he didn't look anything like a hiker should, but it was also on the normal end of the talent spectrum.

Trying to deflect the topic away from herself, Asuka pointed to Kousuke, "Have the two of you met yet?"

Kousuke glanced down at his clipboard, "Unfortunately. I could go on for… some time about how inadequate Yamasaki-kun's outfit is, but I could reasonably do that for everyone here, and I'd rather not continue to waste my time on him."

Itsuki scoffed, "You could do well to listen to your own advice. You'll overheat in that coat of yours."

"Which one of us is the emergency planner?" Kousuke replied testily.

Itsuki opened his mouth, ready, to strike back, when a voice stopped him, "Ey, Yamasaki-kun! Why don't you shut up and leave these guys alone?"

Asuka looked around, to see that the girl in the corner had finally spoken up. There was a gleam of frustration in her eyes, and her lips were pressed together.

Itsuki grumbled something incomprehensible, the scowl on his face tightening. Asuka rolled her eyes and made her way over the the girl. She had put her handbook down, and was examining both her and Kousuke.

"Thank you," Asuka said to the girl, "I don't know how much longer I could've put up with that bullshit."

The girl waved her hand, "Nah, don't worry about it. He hasn't said a nice thing to anyone so far."

"I'm Yumiko Tsutaya," she said, "What's up?"

Yumiko had ashen blonde hair that was tied back in a bun, and was wearing a white beanie. She had on overalls, and a shirt covered in paint splotches underneath.

Asuka said, "Asuka Ishikawa, the tattoo artist."

Yumiko nodded, "Makes sense. Yours are pretty sick. I've always wanted to get a tattoo, but I have no pain tolerance. I'm known as the Super High-School Level Carpenter."

Asuka replied, "Oh, that's… interesting?"

"I made most of the desks that Hope's Peak uses," Yumiko said, a trace of smugness in her voice, "So I guess they figured they kinda had to bring me on board."

"A-Ah."

"I know, I know, not that interesting," Yumiko said, "Even I can admit that. Still, it feels pretty good. It was good to meet you… and to see you again, Kotara-kun."

Kousuke replied, "You as well. I think that we should be going, though. There are still a few people left, and I think we'd both like to get through it soon."

Yumiko nodded, "I get you. See you around!"

She waved as Asuka and Kousuke left. Itsuki did not.