Part 1:

Chapter 1:

"Ah! Just as calculated, someone else has woken up," a feminine voice says.

It takes me a moment to register who started talking. I must still be tired after waking up. The person talking is a girl stood in the middle of the aisle. She is tiny and reminds me of a doll for some reason. She is short and thin, maybe even dangerously so. Her black pinafore, long socks and the shoes with golden buckles shining in the artificial light are probably what remind me of a doll. Her long raven locks are braided and tied with cute white ribbons. The braids sway as she tilts her head slightly, smiling nervously at me.

At this point, I am just stood at the end of the carriage staring at her. I'm very confused by this whole situation. I don't recognise this girl at all and I am very good at remembering faces. Clearly, we have never met before. I really haven't quite grasped any idea of what to say or do in this situation yet. I briefly wonder if she has any idea of what's going on, but what she said perhaps shines doubt on that idea. So, I simply continue to stand there with my mouth hanging open. Probably not the best first impression to be making.

"Honestly," a male voice huffs, "No equations are necessary. It is the simplest of observations that there is sufficient accommodation for sixteen people."

Not far from the girl is a mass of dark grey hair sticking out above a seat. The person's head turns to glance at me through the corner of his eye, revealing the young man's face. I only get a brief glimpse of his pale skin and brown eyes before he slips on a pair of glasses and turns away from me again.

The girl, meanwhile, is scowling. Presumably at the young man's comments. Something about them has angered her. I can see evil in her eyes. Those eyes, as blue as the ice forming around her heart. I sense that she will not forget this soon and is internally plotting the untimely downfall of the well-spoken man.

"Uh, hello," I say awkwardly, hoping to draw the girl's attention before she reveals she's a practitioner of dark magic and dooms us all to a horrible fate, "what's going on here?"

"…I don't know," she says. Her whole demeanour has changed very suddenly. She's gone from herald of the apocalypse to a rather shy looking child. "We woke up on this train and there doesn't seem to be a way off."

No way off? That would be understandable if it were moving, but it's silent. The engines aren't even on. Being at the end of the carriage, I am actually right next to the doors. I go over to one and press the button next to it. Nothing happens. I guess they already tried that.

The young man sighs.

"All methods of disembarking have been disabled. Such actions are futile when traditional means for urgent escape are sealed," he says. I think he's talking about the metal sheets covering the windows. I suppose it makes sense that the doors don't work if an effort has been made to block the windows. I'm suddenly less keen on this man's way of talking. It is one thing to be well-spoken, this is just needless use of words. "Anyone possessing a shred of intellect could surely deduce that."

"Are… are you insulting me?" I ask. His way of using as many words as possible is starting to confuse me.

"Might I enquire as to what the consequences would be if I were?" he responds, looking over the top of his chair back at me.

"Using big words doesn't make you clever," I say. This really isn't the issue I should be focusing on right now, but it is bothering me. This guy has a serious attitude problem it seems.

"A sufficiently accurate comment. The prestigious accolade of Ultimate Brainiac, however…" he says, trailing off and allowing my mind to fill in the rest.

"Ultimate…" I repeat slowly, "So, you're supposed to be attending Hope's Peak Academy too?"

"That is heavily implied, yes," he says. Great, he's a certified smartarse and is using that to demean my entire existence. Just the sort of person I want to be around.

"Same here," the girl says quietly and waves a hand to try and draw attention, "My name is Sakuya Umezawa. I'm the Ultimate Numerologist."

It seems the time for introductions has come. "I am Izumi Mizushima, the Ultimate Memory," I say proudly. The confident smile quickly fades from my face. I've had such pride in saying that in the build up to attending Hope's Peak, but, now that I'm saying it to other Ultimates, it doesn't seem so special. They're just as good at what they do as I am at remembering things. My sense of superiority is crushed now that I am around equals again.

A fancy black cane appears in the aisle as the young man climbs from his seat. The greying hair, walking stick and bent over posture certainly suggest an old man, but his face shows his youth.

"Hakuro Daigo," he says, "I won't be deceptive, I shall merely inform you that making your acquaintances is nothing less than an inconvenience."

The first thing I notice about Hakuro is that he lacks social skills. The second thing I notice about him, now that he is stood up, is his size. He is nothing short of enormous. He is too tall for the train carriage. It is frightening to see such a giant of a man in person. His limbs are so long and are dangling everywhere. It's all a bit unsettling. I think I might run away and scream if I ever see him stood at full height instead of awkwardly trying to fit into the space provided.

His appearance continues the theme of trying to convince everyone that he's really clever. A long white laboratory coat covers his upper body and smart black trousers below. He takes off his glasses and looks me over.

"I assume the Ultimate Memory refers to your ability to recollect past events as you are unlikely to be something that lingers in my subconscious," Hakuro says.

I nod rather reluctantly. Hakuro's attitude is quickly starting to annoy me. Maybe I should have let Sakuya cast him into oblivion after all. Though, admittedly, I don't know how in tune with the dark arts typical numerologists are.

"Do you remember how you got here?" Sakuya asks.

"Sadly not," I say and shake my head, "I remember walking into Hope's Peak and then seemingly passing out. Then I woke up in one of the rooms in that other carriage."

"That's the same as my experience," she says with a nod.

"So, someone specialising in recalling the past can provide no further insight into our situation than us mere mortals," Hakuro says, "How disappointing…"

Hakuro says nothing more and forces his way past me. The cane is more than just for show. He appears to be limping and needs it for support. Sakuya and I watch in silence as the obscenely tall man ducks down even further to fit through the door and leave the carriage.

"It's alright," Sakuya says, "I'm sure your memory is exceptional. There's no way to expect you to remember what happened while you weren't conscious."

I look to Sakuya. I must look visibly distressed to warrant such reassuring comments. It is true, at least. Hakuro has got under my skin. His sense of superiority has trampled mine into the dirt. To degrade the worth of my memories like that feels like an attack on my very person. Without them, I don't really have much else. I'm not really skilled at doing anything like most other Ultimates.

The sooner we find out what's going on and get off this train the better. I want to be away from Hakuro Daigo as soon as I can.

"Still, things are not adding up. I might have to go and do some calculations," Sakuya says.

"What sort of calculations?" I ask. I guess it has something to do with her talent. What exactly is it though? All I can guess is something to do with numbers. I have heard of it though. I close my eyes and open up the world inside my head. I quickly try to shift through words, searching for numerology so that I can remember what it actually is. My eyes snap open again as soon as I find what I'm looking for. Sakuya is staring at me, looking a bit perplexed.

"Why did you…?" she begins to ask, but trails off.

"Sorry, I was searching my memory for numerology. I have to shut the world out to make it easier," I explain. She nods, satisfied with my response. "So, you're a fortune teller that uses numbers?"

"If you like," she says, giggling slightly. I think I might not have grasped the meaning quite right. "I use numbers to explain everything in the universe. And yes, there is a little prediction involved for fun."

"So… can your calculations explain why we're on this train?" I ask.

"I'd like to think so," she says. Then, with a nod, she too leaves the carriage back towards those rooms where we woke up.

I decide to head in the opposite direction and further explore the train. I wonder if there are more people on board. Sakuya and Hakuro clearly seemed to suggest so. Lost in such thoughts, I almost miss someone sat at a table as I walk past. A small girl appears to be playing with a piece of paper. Her short, black hair is a bit of a mess, but the blue ribbon tied into it seems to distract from that. Her clothes seem to be far too big for her. The white hooded jumper looks like it'd even be baggy on me.

She still hasn't noticed that I am standing over her. She is so concentrated on what she is doing. Her hands don't seem to belong. They are so delicate and nimble. She is clearly skilled at whatever it is she is doing. It betrays her dishevelled appearance.

"Uh, excuse me," I say, finally gaining the courage to interrupt her.

"Oh," she says, suddenly looking up at me through half open eyes. Her hands continue to work away. She is continuously folding the piece of paper in her hands. On the surface, the process looks so random, but, having stared long enough, I can tell there is some method to it. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"Do you know what's going on here?" I ask. It's a pretty vague question and I don't really expect her to have an answer, but it would be good to find out if her experience was the same as mine. Despite being in the same carriage, I think she's completely oblivious to what has just transpired with Sakuya and Hakuro.

"No," she says and returns her gaze to the paper, "I must have nodded off. That happens."

"Sorry, am I bothering you?" I ask. I get the impression she's not that interested in conversation. I might be wrong. It's just hard to tell.

"Not at all," she says.

She nods her head in the direction of the chair opposite her. I guess I was wrong. I take the offer and sit down facing her.

"I'm Izumi Mizushima," I say. I choose introductions as the next part of our conversation. Though I am growing more curious about what she's doing with every fold.

"Hello Izumi," she says. She then pauses for a moment. "Yui Yukihira… Ultimate Origami Artist."

Of course, origami. With so much stored away inside my head, such simple things slip my mind far too easily. Yui suddenly yawns very loudly and leans back in her chair. Her creation rests neatly on the table between us. It is nothing short of incredible. She has perfectly crafted a pair of glasses from paper.

"Amazing…" I say, feeling a little lost for words.

Yui carefully picks up the origami glasses and slips them onto her face. They fit her perfectly. They are also surprisingly sturdy and stay in place. She does look a bit silly in them though. She just smiles.

"How do I look?" she asks.

"Lovely," I say.

We both burst into a fit of giggling at the same time. I feel completely at ease. This strange situation with finding ourselves stuck on a train seems a million miles away. I might have to keep close to Yui if she can cheer me up like this with a simple bit of paper.

"At least someone on this train is cheerful," a familiar voice says.

I look up to see a tall young man with his arms folded. He wears a black shirt unbuttoned to reveal a white top underneath. His sleeves are rolled up to reveal some tanned muscles and a tattoo on his wrist which is obscured by the position of his arms. My eyes catch sight of his face and I internally scream in delight. Smooth white hair and the most amazing blue eyes complimenting an already attractive face.

I am in love. He's even more perfect in person.

"Keigo Ichinose…" I say dreamily as he looks down on us with a smile. In the corner of my eye, I see that Yui looks significantly less interested. In fact, she looks like she might fall asleep at any moment.

"And who might you be?" Keigo asks, looking at me specifically.

He's talking to me.

"I-Izumi Mizushima," I say nervously. I can feel my cheeks practically burning at this point. "W-will you m-marry me?"

"Nice to meet you Izumi," Keigo says and laughs awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head, "If I said yes to everyone who asked me that, I wouldn't have the time to spend with any of you."

"I-I'm so sorry!" I say desperately. It occurs to me how much of a fool I'm making of myself. I finally get to meet the Ultimate Vlogger, and my crush, Keigo Ichinose and I completely embarrass myself. Yui looks across the table at me and I suddenly want the ground to swallow me up, realising that there were more witnesses to my actions than just Keigo.

"Hey, it's alright, don't get so worked up," he says, "Don't be worried by how you act. I'm not judging you. In fact, I'm always pleased to meet a fan."

"You're always so caring…" I say. I can't control myself. I am such a big fan. I have watched every single one of his videos on the internet and he's turning out to be just as great in real life. He truly is inspirational. I was so excited when he posted an update video revealing he had been accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. I knew it would be my chance to meet him in person.

To my surprise, the next thing Keigo does is reach into his pocket. From it he pulls out a small electronic tablet-like device. He taps the screen and looks at it for a moment. Then he looks back to me.

"So, you're the Ultimate Memory? I'm sure you create lots of happy memories for people, I'd be honoured if you could do the same for me," he says with a smile. It seems obvious that he's joking about what my talent is, but he still sounds genuine in what he says.

"Huh? What is that?" I ask, pointing at the device he's holding. I finally manage to say something that wasn't dictated by my devout adoration.

"I'm not quite sure," he says, "I found it in the drawer of the table in the room I woke up in. It seems to update with information on people every time I meet someone. Take a look."

He hands me the device and I look at the screen. Sure enough, there is a profile page of myself. A picture of me I don't remember ever having taken. My Ultimate talent. My date of birth. My height, weight and chest measurements amongst other things… That's a bit too personal for my liking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name," Keigo says to Yui.

"Oh, Yui Yukihira," she says.

Keigo gestures for me to put the device down on the table so we can all see. I do so as the screen changes. A new profile loads up. This time for Yui. Her hair is neater in the photo and I can tell it's supposed to be a bob cut, though a bit still sticks up at the top.

"What a strange device," Yui says, "Does it do anything else?"

"I don't know, I haven't figured out how to really use it yet," Keigo admits. If any of us can figure it out, it'll be him though. He has to use all sorts of fancy programs to get his videos up to scratch, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him.

It seems odd that only Keigo has such a device. I wonder if there was one in my room. I didn't think to look in the drawer. Or the cupboards, actually. I'll have to go back and check at some point. Actually, I should do that now. I need to get away from Keigo. I feel like, if I stay around him much longer, I'll start clinging to him and won't be able to let go. I've embarrassed myself enough already.

"I'm going to see if there's one of those in the room I woke up in," I say as I get to my feet.

"That sounds like a good idea," Keigo says. He takes the device and returns it to his pocket. "It would be strange if I was the only person to have one. Though far from the strangest part of all this."

Before we can have another repeat of the conversation about how we have no idea what's going on, I turn around and start running down the aisle. My mind is filled with daydreams about Keigo. I am so distracted by those thoughts that I manage to run into someone, knocking us both to the floor.

Author's Notes: I would like to thank everyone who has sent in characters. I believe I have responded to everyone who has contacted me. If I have somehow missed you, let me know and I'll get back to you. So far, I have accepted 11 characters, leaving 4 places remaining. All 4 of these slots are for male characters. Should these spaces not be filled by the time I have completed the next chapter, then I will open submissions up to people who have already had characters accepted.

For reference, the talents already accepted as as follows: Cosplayer, Brainiac, Gardener, Vlogger, Numerologist, Mortician, Secretary, Origami Artist, Pianist, Fisherwoman, Phantom.