A/N I am K8wolfx and I am not dead! I am really sorry for not updating anything in the past two months! I had to focus on school for a while since classes were kicking my ass and I needed to get good grades or I wouldn't be able to travel to Japan in July.
But, now that summer is here, I finally finished this chapter! I had to rewrite it a bunch of different times because there were some scenes that I wanted to include but weren't really that necessary to the plot that I'm working with. However, this chapter is much longer than the other two so I hope it is still good enough for the people who are still following this!
I know some people are upset that I didn't include the aphrodisiac scene in the last chapter. It's a great scene and I love it, but I don't think a whole lot would have changed with Munakata there instead of Yukizome so I didn't think it was much to write about. I'm really sorry for people who might have been looking forward to it!
To try to add more cute scenes to this fic, I decided to add something in the beginning that I wish would have gotten explained more so I hope you like it! All you have to do is start reading down below... Enjoy~!
"Whoa, look at these little guys jump!"
"I'll admit it, they are quite impressive."
"That is because they heeded the message spoken to them by the gods." Tanaka told his classmates, calmly stroking a white rabbit that was resting in his arms. "They shredded the walls of hesitance and unlocked their hidden powers, mastering the art of agility."
This afternoon, we decided to have class outdoors. Everyone was tired of sitting around yesterday and filling out worksheets so Nanami suggested that we do a fun group activity together. After discussing some of the interests everyone had, it was clear that most of the classmates liked animals. Of course, whenever animals are mentioned, Tanaka is always the first one to speak. He told everyone that he could bring in a few animals for the class to play with. So today, he had brought some baby bunnies and a large white rabbit. Now they were frolicking about in the patio area of the courtyard, happy to be free and excited to feel the fresh air in their lungs.
I should clarify. I'm not talking about the bunnies here.
"Hey! Come back and let me get you!" Saionji yelled, trying to grab at the bunnies. Every time she was close enough to reach them, the bunnies would jump a few feet away and look back at her. It was almost as if they were playing a dodging game with her, teasing her since she was always to slow to grab them. "Let me squish you!"
"Tch, and you wonder why they try to run away from you." Kuzuryu rolled his eyes at her, his arms folded over his chest.
"It could be many different reasons." Pekoyama murmured, gazing at the animals with a look of sadness in her eyes. "Perhaps they just dislike people that they think are dangerous, not paying any regards to their behaviors. They say that animals have a sixth sense about that kind of thing, don't they?"
"Although some animals do possess a sixth sense and some are capable to detect danger, your myth is false. Like people, some animals' instincts are stronger than others. It heavily depends on the individual animal. For example, this mother can identify threats easier than her baby bunnies." Tanaka told her, carrying the white rabbit over to where she was standing. Sonia was standing behind him, giving Pekoyama an encouraging nod. "Would you like to hold one? Unlike Saionji, you have been completely quiet since we came outside. Surely, you would be a more soothing companion."
"Oh, uh," Pekoyama's eyes widened slightly and her body tensed up. "I probably shouldn't…"
"Nonsense!" Sonia reached over Tanaka's shoulder and petted the rabbit lovingly, which caused the rabbit to lean into the touch. "There is nothing to be afraid of! These animals won't hurt you!"
"They have mauled Souda twice." Tanaka remarked, glancing at the patio tables where Tsumiki was placing a fresh Band-Aid on the injured mechanic. The mechanic winced as the bandage was applied, and he managed to worry the nurse with his relentless complaining. Turning back to Pekoyama with a sigh, Tanaka gave her a stare that seemed to search deep within her soul. "Perhaps you are the perfect mortal that they seek. I can see the gods have concurred that you are far more worthy than the cantankerous mechanic in the distance. Would you care to give it a test?"
"Well…" Pekoyama stared at the rabbit before slowly moving her hand towards the mother. The rabbit's nose twitched, and Pekoyama froze. She retracted her hand and shook her head. "No, I don't think it would be a good idea."
"I could try placing her in your arms." Tanaka suggested, and Pekoyama gave him a bewildered look. "I sense that you really wish to pet him. As long as I'm nearby, she will most likely behave herself."
Before Pekoyama could object, Kuzuryu shrugged, "Worth a shot, I suppose. Go on and try it already!"
"…Okay." Pekoyama whispered, saying it more to herself than anyone else around her. She held her arms out and Tanaka slowly guided the rabbit to her hands. When the rabbit had settled a paw on her wrist, she suddenly leaped out of her arms and bounced away on the grass. Pekoyama glanced after her and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for!" Sonia reassured her. "He's done that a few times today with Mr. Munakata too."
"It's true, but I was able to hold her for a few seconds after three or four previous tries." I told Pekoyama, remembering how soft and fluffy the rabbit's fur had been at that brief moment of triumph. "Just give it some time and she might grow more accustomed to you."
"I hope you're right." She still looked low-spirited as she spoke.
"Hey! Why are all the bunnies hopping away?" Mioda whined, running up to stop beside me. "They suddenly just darted away from the rest of us and went in the same direction!"
"Hmm, perhaps they heard something suspicious in the area." Tanaka mused aloud. "The bunnies perhaps wanted to investigate."
"We have to go after them, don't we?" Nanami asked, looking to me from her seat near Souda and Tsumiki. "It's not like we can let them run around campus unattended…"
"First one ta find the bunnies gets a free lunch!" Owari yelled, darting after the animals with determination.
"Wait, Owari!" I called out to her but she was already out of hearing distance. To the rest of the students, I said, "Everyone, they couldn't have gotten far. Let's go find them before they get lost, okay?"
"Hey, Ibuki thinks she sees the white one over there!" Mioda pointed across the yard where, sure enough, the mother was steadily hopping away from us, "After her!"
"FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT!" Nidai boomed.
The whole class followed the bunnies to see where they were hopping to. As we were turning a corner into a small alleyway, a person emerged and the bunnies started assaulting them with their claws. The person let out a surprised yelp, lost their footing, and fell to the ground. This only made the bunnies jump all over their body and scratch at the victim's clothes. Frightened that the bunnies might severely injure the person, I ran over to the victim and tried to shoo the bunnies away. When I got closer, I identified the poor student who had scratches and bite marks all over his clothes as one of my own, "Komaeda?"
"Ah, hello there Mr. Munakata!" He let out a small chuckle, a big grin on his face. "This is just my luck, huh?"
I held out my hand and he took it, scrambling to his feet. As he started dusting off his clothes, I asked, "What happened? Why did the bunnies attack you?"
"It was probably just a stroke of bad luck. I don't usually have good luck when it comes to animals anyways." As Komaeda talked, I couldn't help but inspect his injuries. It was nothing serious; he didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere, but he might have to change into a uniform with less cuts and holes. "I was coming back from eating in the cafeteria when this herd of bunnies stampeded towards me and knocked me down."
"Did they attack like that one killer rabbit in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'?" Mioda asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet and the bunnies almost seemed to join her. "Ooh, I bet they did!"
"I think you watch too many movies." Kuzuryu sighed and shook his head.
"You smell funny." Owari told Komaeda, her nose investigating his clothes. "It's not meat, but it kinda smells like…" She grabbed at one of his pockets, causing Komaeda to let out a frightened squeak. "Food!"
"H-Hey, what are you…"
Finally, she pulled out an orange vegetable and dangled it in front of her face. The bunnies started jumping up and trying to bite at it so Owari threw it to the ground in front of them. Thankfully, the bunnies swarmed to the vegetable and started nibbling at it. "Okay, why the hell do ya got a carrot in your pocket?"
"Ohoho, I think I might know why!" Hanamura wriggled his eyebrows. "After all, carrots are very similar to-"
"Oh dear, I forgot I still had that!" Komaeda exclaimed, ignoring Hanamura and watching the bunnies in awe as they devoured the fallen food. "I got it from the cafeteria in case anyone got hungry later on. I suppose I should have grabbed something else instead. At least the bunnies get to have a good meal at the cause of my misfortune!"
"I thought you were with the rest of us." At least, that's what I thought. I should have noticed that I was missing a student with hair paler than my own. "Were you in the cafeteria the whole time?"
"For the most part, yes," Komaeda nodded. "I was waiting for the rest of the class to arrive before I left. After all, trash like me doesn't deserve to be around-"
"Komaeda," I warned him. This really wasn't the best time for his self-deprecating speeches. "Were you the last person from our class to show up?"
"No, I got tired of waiting so I decided that it wouldn't be too terrible if I joined the rest of the group. But, last I checked, Koizumi was there waiting for someone. She usually doesn't stay in the cafeteria for very long so I'm assuming that she probably left by now."
"Koizumi?" I glanced at the students around me to realize that I had forgotten the red-haired photographer as well. "Why is she not with us? This is supposed to be a group activity."
"She told me that she had a friend that she always eats with." Saionji shrugged. "Apparently they're from different classes so they don't get to see each other as often as they used to. That's probably who she was searching for."
I turned to Saionji, "Do you know who this person is?"
"Not really. Koizumi's really secretive about her for some reason." Saionji pouted. It almost seemed like she was jealous of having to share the photographer's attention. "She has long dark hair that is really thick, wavy, and insanely frizzy. Oh yeah, she also wears a different Hope's Peak uniform."
"Different uniform…" This person had to be from the Reserve Course. Maybe even a friend or classmate of Hinata's? "I'm going to go look for Koizumi. The rest of you should stay here and play with the bunnies. Nanami, I'm leaving you in charge until I come back. Can you do that for me?"
Nanami nodded. "I will, Mr. Munakata."
"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can." Without a second to waste, I left the patio area in pursuit of the two girls.
It didn't take long to find them. Considering the different uniforms, it would be stupid for them to hang out inside the academy. It was unspoken of to see a talented and an untalented student talk to each other indoors. So, with that in mind, I searched the outdoor areas and found them sitting on a bench in front of the water fountain. They were chatting quietly and munching on hamburgers. It was a pretty peaceful scene, but Koizumi needed to return to class, so it was my job to ruin the moment.
"Koizumi!" I called out to her.
The two girls froze as if they were caught doing something bad. Then, Koizumi saw me walking towards them and her eyes widened, "Mr. Munakata?"
"I'm assuming you guys lost track of time." I said quietly. Koizumi lowered her head in embarrassment and the Reserve Course girl bit her lip. "You both should be heading back to class."
"I'm sorry," Koizumi bowed slightly, "It's my fault that we-"
"No, it's really my fault!" The other girl exclaimed. "Koizumi did nothing wrong! She was helping me with something before we came here and-"
"I'm sure you both have perfectly good reasons as to why you're eating late, but I don't have time to hear them right now." I told them, my gaze falling on Koizumi. "The whole class is waiting for you on the other side of campus."
"Then you should probably get going." The Reserve Course girl told Koizumi with a smile, "Sounds like your class really misses you."
"But will you be okay?" Koizumi turned to her, her expression worrying. "I don't want to leave you after what happened with Kuzuryu-"
"I'm sorry, but did you just say Kuzuryu?" I interjected. I knew for sure that the Ultimate Yakuza was with the rest of us so there was no way that she could be talking about him… I think.
"Natsumi Kuzuryu," The Reserve Course girl spit out the name in disgust. "She's the younger sister of the Ultimate Yakuza and she keeps acting like she's better than everyone else. I think it will take her a while to learn her place."
"And, she's a Reserve Course student," I presumed, nodding to her uniform, "like you?"
"Yeah," The girl nodded. Her hands that were previously resting in her lap started to ball up into fists. "Koizumi and I used to be in the same photography club with her back in middle school. She's actually the reason why we're having a late lunch. That stupid bitch never changes!"
"Sato!" Koizumi scolded, casting a side glance in my direction, "There's a teacher standing right in front of us!"
"So? She's still a stupid bitch! Having an authority figure standing here doesn't change that!" The girl, Sato, gave Koizumi a serious look. "You saw how she was today. She's planning something! I know she's going to do something terrible to you! I'm not just going to sit by and watch that happen!"
"How do you know she's going to do something?" I asked Sato.
She looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. "Because she said she was going to do something!"
"Considering that she is part of a yakuza clan, she might just be saying that to intimidate you." I pointed out.
"Yeah, and also because she's part of the yakuza, she might actually go through with it." Sato argued back.
"Sato, please," Koizumi took Sato's hands and put them in her own. "Just forget about it for now. I wanted us to have a peaceful lunch together so we could forget everything else for a while. Was that… maybe too much to ask for?"
Sato's expression softened and she gazed at Koizumi with a look of embarrassment. "You're right, I'm sorry! I just don't want anything bad to happen to you. The girl is trouble."
"This is just my opinion," I spoke up, causing the girls to look at me, "but it sounds like Natsumi Kuzuryu is only doing this to make you feel threatened. I don't see how 'killing' Koizumi will do anything good for her."
"You're wrong!" Sato snapped. "She thinks that if she offs Koizumi, then there will be a chance for her to make it into the Main Course! I won't let her do it!"
"That won't work." I stated calmly. "There's no way for someone from the Reserve Course to make it to the Main Course, as far as I know. These ideas of hers, they're just words to intimidate you with. They shouldn't be taken seriously."
"Oh? So you're one of those teachers, aren't you?"
"Excuse me?"
"The kind of teachers who think that a bunch of meaningless kids don't have the ability to cause mayhem! That's what you are!" Sato retorted. "Do you even understand what it's like for people like us? I can't even be taken seriously because I'm a good for nothing Reserve Course student! Let me tell you something." She leaned forward as if she was telling me a really juicy secret. "It doesn't matter if Reserve Course students can't make it into the Main Course. There are people who are desperate enough to try and she is one of them. And as a member of the yakuza, she has an advantage over some of the other students who don't know their place. You can tell me to ignore her 'threats' all you want, but I know better."
"Listen to me, Sato-"
"No! You think that this is all just some nonsense rambling of a Reserve Course student?" Her expression was turning wild. She looked like she was losing control of her words as she vigorously shook her head. "You're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong!"
"Sato!" Koizumi took one of Sato's hands in her own and gave her a look of desperation. "Please look at me!" After some coaxing, Sato tore her icy gaze off of me and looked deep into Koizumi's eyes. "We can talk about this later, okay? I have to leave now and I don't want you to be in a bad mood when I go."
"Don't worry about me, Mahiru." Sato reassured her. She placed her other hand, the one not trapped in Koizumi's grip, on top of Koizumi's hand and gave her a small smile. "I'll be fine, okay?"
"Okay." After what felt like forever, Koizumi finally got up from the bench and stood at my side. She gave Sato a wave and a small smile. "Bye-bye."
Sato smiled and waved back. Then, Koizumi and I started heading back to the rest of the class. When we were far enough away from anyone who could eavesdrop, Koizumi timidly glanced at me from the corner of her eye, "Hey, Mr. Munakata?"
"Yes?"
"Do you really think nothing is going to happen between my friend and that other girl?" The fact that Koizumi neglected to use their names, almost as if she was distancing herself from the situation altogether, showed that she was clearly uncomfortable with the subject.
I turned my head to look at her but she avoided my gaze. Still, I knew she was waiting for me to reply so I said softly, "I can't really say for sure, but I wouldn't take it so seriously. That is what the other girl would want. If she does end up trying something, the school will see to it that it never escalates beyond anything serious."
"O-Okay, thanks," Koizumi stared at her feet as we joined the others. I could tell that she did not agree with what I told her, but that's her opinion. There was no way that Natsumi Kuzuryu would kill Mahiru Koizumi. Even if she did, I would know about it. Any chance that Kuzuryu would have of joining the Main Course would end with me accusing her of murder. Her entire mission would be for naught.
Then again, it didn't matter. Nobody had been murdered at Hope's Peak while I was still in school. Now, that isn't to say the school did not have a few mysterious deaths in their history, but those were so long ago that no one ever really cared to bring them up. But considering how low of a death rate our school has, I doubt anyone is going to be killed over a small little feud like this.
Then Natsumi Kuzuryu's body was found a day later.
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu went to go see his sister's body in the school's morgue. Pekoyama accompanied him, but did not dare to go in with him according to one of the other teachers. When they returned to class, neither one of them said a word for the rest of the day. They just stared silently into space. Koizumi didn't look much better. She kept biting her lip and her foot was tapping on the floor impatiently, waiting for class to be over. The despair of a Hope's Peak student dying on campus, it was hitting everyone pretty hard. It didn't matter that she was a Reserve Course student. The fact that something like this could happen so close to home, it made everyone feel unsafe.
And me? I wasn't feeling so well. Koizumi was right to be worried and I should have listened. Hope's Peak is no ordinary school and I should have realized that. These were no ordinary kids we were dealing with; even the Reserve Course students had something in them that demanded attention. Maybe if people did pay more attention to them, this death could have been prevented.
The story about Kuzuryu's murder is what makes the whole situation even worse. Police found her lying dead in the music room of the Reserve Course building. She died from a blow to the head, the blood from the wound dirtying her normally shiny blonde hair. They say that the person who killed her was a pervert who had been hanging around the neighborhood lately, that after killing Kuzuryu he escaped out through a broken window out of panic, but there have been no arrests made so far. Either the police were having trouble finding the guy or there was no guy to find. After all, this was the first time anyone had heard about a pervert hanging around the school recently, but he allegedly stole someone's swimsuit from the school.
Something tells me that this has more to do with Sato than with a nameless pervert. Would this situation not have happened if I intervened more into their little dispute? Maybe I should have looked for Kuzuryu so I could have a chat with her. I was considering talking to her to get another opinion of the Reserve Course, but I thought it would have been better to wait awhile so it didn't seem suspicious. Apparently, it seems I waited too long.
But maybe there's still time to question Sato! If I can learn more about the Reserve Course, I might be able to find out what is really going on at this school. Hinata is one lead that I have, but it would be nice to have another lead with a different viewpoint. I have not seen the girl since Kuzuryu's death but the next time I find her I-
"Hey, did you hear the news?" Kizakura asked, tapping my shoulder.
I was sitting in my desk lost in thought that I failed to hear his approaching footsteps. Turning my chair so I could face him directly, I asked, "What news?"
"I just got a call from Jin…" He began. Judging by the serious look on his face, the news is probably anything but good. "They found another body… a Reserve Course girl…"
No! It better not be… "What was her name?"
"Uh, well, I can't remember her first name but… Sato. Her last name was Sato."
I'm too late.
"The police are saying it's a suicide, most likely because of the recent death of the Kuzuryu girl but," Kizakura's frown deepened, "The cause of death was from a blow to the head, just like the previous death. A metal bat was found at the crime scene covered in blood."
"That's not a normal method of suicide." I responded. If Sato did have something to do with Kuzuryu's death, it would have made sense for her to feel guilty and commit suicide. But like this? Sato hated Kuzuryu and this death made it look like it was a tribute to the dead yakuza member. There's no way Sato could have killed herself with that metal bat. Someone else must have done it.
"That was exactly what Jin had said," Kizakura smiled thoughtfully. He leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "He said that this was probably the work of the 'Steering Committee.'"
I blinked. "The Steering Committee?"
Kizakura let out a small chuckle, took out a metal flask from his coat pocket and took a small swig, "Oh, that's just a name Jin calls the board members sometimes. They usually are the ones who control the most of the media leakage about the school, overriding people who disagree with them."
So the board members are the ones who have the power in this school? I almost feel bad for putting so much blame on Kirigiri for how bad the school has turned out. I understand why they wanted to cover up what really happened to Kuzuryu and Sato but if word gets out that they are covering it up, Hope's Peak will lose the reputation the Steering Committee was trying to protect. If a board like this does exist, I need to find out everything I can about them.
Kizakura probably shouldn't have told me this, but I'm glad he did. This may get me a step closer to finding out what's really going on.
"You look awfully serious all of a sudden." Kizakura noted, snapping me out of my thoughts. He held his flask out to me. "Want a sip? It might help you relax."
"No thank you." I stood up from my chair and walked past him. Although I was upset that I couldn't stop Kuzuryu and Sato from dying, I know I can find a way to stop anything bad from happening. These deaths were a setback, but at least I'm getting closer to completing my original mission. "I have to get back to my class. Thank you for informing me about the recent news."
I was walking back to the school entrance when I heard some voices arguing with each other. Wondering why they sounded familiar, I crept closer. As soon as I was near the gate, I saw Hinata sitting on the ground looking up at a guard. My eyes widened slightly to see who was standing over him.
"I'll let this slide just this once. Now hurry up and get lost."
It was true that I had assigned Sakakura the task of being part of Hope's Peak security so he could gather Intel, but I didn't think I would see him around campus. Now, here he was arguing with my only living lead to the Reserve Course.
"Wait! Please…" Hinata pleaded, desperation leaking into his voice. "Tell me the truth! I can't accept this!"
"You want the truth?" Sakakura asked. He had a hand over his chin in thought. "Fine, I'll tell you. An unfortunate girl was killed by someone who sneaked into the school. And her classmate also died from the shock of it all. That's the end of it."
"That's bull!" Hinata yelled. I couldn't see his face from the angle I was at, but he sounded infuriated. "You're just trying to sweep the problem under the rug!"
Sakakura let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "Reserve Course students are easily replaced. I just don't have time to deal with it every time one of you dies…"
"What did you say?! Why, you…" Hinata leaped to his feet and swung a few punches at Sakakura. I have not known Hinata for very long, but I will say that there is something revering about the way he acts. Most people would be afraid to take on a security guard like that, especially if he was the former Ultimate Boxer. Not Hinata. Of course, his thoughts were clearly misguided with rage, but the display was certainly admirable. After dodging one of Hinata's swings, Sakakura found an opening on the side of Hinata's chest and utilized it. The Reserve Course boy fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
Sakakura adjusted the tie of his jacket. "If you don't have talent, just pay money to compensate for it. It's a pain when someone gets killed. Don't sully the name of Hope's Peak, you scum." He spit on Hinata in disgust.
"Yeah, she had no talent…" Hinata said through gritted teeth, still lying on the ground and looking up at Sakakura. "So what? All lives are equal!"
"No, they aren't." Sakakura put his foot down on Hinata's shoulder blade, causing the boy to grunt in pain. "Give up! You can't make diamonds out of scrap metal. Act like a normal high school student, and hang out with the other normal students, and enjoy your lives, thinking you're all great. Got it? I know kids like you… You start acting all special, just because you interact with the Main Course a little." He made a small 'tsk' noise before continuing. "Honestly, this is why I hate normal people. You cling to the talent of the Main Course students like crap trailing behind goldfish."
"You're wrong…"
The expression on Sakakura's face changed into something a little more... surprised. It was as if he was not expecting Hinata to talk back to him. "Huh?"
"There's more to life than just talent…" Hinata rasped out. The words made me flinch. That was exactly what I had tried to teach my students. It felt odd hearing it from a Reserve Course student, but at the same time it made me feel delighted that he was using those words.
The features of Sakakura's face softened slightly. He must have recognized the words from when we used to be back in school together. "Well said. You're right. The talentless should act as befits them. If you have time to envy the talented, use that time to live like a gear in a machine. For people like you, who have no talent, you don't need to think. If you live life idly, groveling before your betters, nothing can make you happier."
At this, Hinata finally regained his strength to fight. He pushed Sakakura's leg off of him and leaped to his feet, letting out a battle cry. The boy was on fire. Not literally of course, because that would be bad, but he was filled with so much passion it felt like nothing could stop him. He took a few swings at Sakakura, missing his first one and colliding with Sakakura's jaw on his second.
"Tsk," Sakakura winced and let his fingers glaze over the blood resting on his chin. Uh oh, I had seen that look of annoyance too many times to know what happens next. He positioned himself in a boxing stance and snarled, "How about a nice nap in the hospital kid?!"
Before the fight could continue any further, I raised my voice, "Stand down, Sakakura!"
Mid-punch, Sakakura froze. He lowered his fist and scanned the area around him, searching for where my voice came from. When he found it, his eyes widened, "Munakata!"
"Hinata, what do you think you're doing here?" My gaze fell on the boy's lip, which was bloody and cut thanks to Sakakura. "You should be back in class by now."
"So should you! But yet, here you are talking to me! What kind of teacher do you think you are, huh?" Hinata glared at me before turning on his heel and walking away.
I rushed after him and grabbed his shoulder, jerking him back so he could look at me. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you, boy! You know better than to waltz up to the main entrance, so why don't you explain to me what the hell you're doing?"
"Investigating," He replied, jerking his shoulder away from me as if I had burned him, "but that's why you're out here too, right? That's why you asked me all those questions about the Reserve Course last time you saw me."
"Yes, I am investigating something." I admitted. I could've tried to deny it, but if I did the conversation would go nowhere. "And it might be similar to what you are investigating. You want to know more about what happened to Kuzuryu and Sato, right?" His eyes widened with interest. "Considering your reaction just now, I'm going to assume that I'm right. If that's the case, then I'm going to have to ask you to stop investigating the case at once."
"What?"
"This is a serious matter that you should stay away from."
"Stay away from?" Hinata scoffed. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Hope's Peak Academy is trying to cover up it up with a fake story. Everyone should know the truth about what really happened to Kuzuryu."
"Oh?" I involuntarily tilted my head to the side in wonder. "And what really happened?"
"I… I don't know yet." He confessed, not meeting my gaze. "But this story about a suspicious intruder… it's too convenient to be true. And even if there was an intruder, the guards would have stopped them like how they stopped me. Besides, why would they go after Kuzuryu?"
"She is a member of the Kuzuryu clan." I said. "The life of a yakuza is filled with violence. It could have been the result of a gang war with a different clan."
"That still doesn't make sense!" Hinata shook his head. "If they wanted to hurt the Kuzuryu clan, it would have made more sense if they targeted her older brother in the Main Course. This seems too personal to be a result of gang violence."
"You're making a lot of assumptions." I pointed out. "Do you have any evidence that could back up your claims?"
"No," He admitted, though this time he did not avoid my gaze, "Do you have any evidence that could back up your rival clan theory?"
He had me there. I had said that only to give him a rational story and motive so he could stop investigating, but I suppose it wasn't rational enough. "No," I replied, "But just because you're a minor who wants to play vigilante doesn't mean that you should be investigating a closed case. And before you say anything, I'm only investigating this so I can learn more about how the board operates. My investigation is different than yours. Now, I think I have an idea what the answer might be, but I'm going to ask you anyways. Why are you investigating the deaths of Kuzuryu and Sato?"
"Look, Kuzuryu…" He furrowed his eyebrows as if he was trying to find the right words to say, "She and I were never that close but she shouldn't have died like this. If the school wants to cover up her death for their own selfish reasons, fine. But I think people deserve to know the truth!"
"The board is doing their job by covering up what really happened. Can you really fault them for that?" I closed my eyes. "It may not seem like it, but it is better if the truth about Kuzuryu's death were never discovered. Hope's Peak Academy has a reputation to keep and something like this would tarnish it." Saying the words aloud made me want to vomit but it was what I had to tell Hinata. I still had to enforce Hope's Peak motto, no matter how twisted the committee members make it. I opened my eyes to see him scowling at me. "I'm asking you to stop investigating. If you keep going down this path, you will get yourself killed. Nanami would be worried if you were to disappear."
I would have thought that mentioning Nanami would help Hinata come to his senses, but I was dead wrong. He snapped at me, not bothering to hide his frustration. "There are murderers lurking within the school and Hope's Peak is trying to cover it up. With people like that hiding in our midst and not brought to justice, they could do harm to the other students… to Nanami even. That's why I have to keep investigating so I can prevent this from happening in the future!"
I shook my head. What the hell was he talking about? Is he also feeling guilty for their murders? "You can't protect anyone if you get killed in the process!"
"Maybe that won't matter! After all, your lapdog over there says that I'm easily replaceable since I'm a Reserve Course student." I could hear Sakakura behind me, ready to snap, so I gave him a quick glance over my shoulder and shook my head. Sakakura stilled and lowered his head to the ground. When I turned back to Hinata, the boy was glaring at me with an indescribable about of fury. "Only the talented people deserve to fight for what they want, is that it?"
I tried reaching out to him with my hand. "Hinata, please…"
"Why do you even care? You're not my teacher, so stop acting like it!" With that, he knocked my hand away and stormed off, not looking back.
He might as well have slapped me.
Sakakura came and stood next to me, watching Hinata trudge off. "I hope you haven't forgotten what we're really here for. You're the one who wanted to investigate the dark side of the school. There's no need to go sticking up for Reserve Course students."
"I know that, but he was one of my only leads to finding out more about the Reserve Course." I explained. "Surely you understand why I wanted to keep his jaw intact."
"There's no way I could've known he was your informant. He looks just like any other boring Reserve Course student." Sakakura let out a sigh before continuing. "It's like you said, Hope's Peak is rotten to the core now. They're trying to sweep the incident with the Kuzuryu brat under the rug."
"It's no surprise. It's not even a secret. The other teachers in the school have been talking like that, too. I have been asked to explain it to my students later."
"It pisses me off… The teachers and trustees are only thinking of self-preservation."
"Even so, I would appreciate it if you refrain from taking your anger out on Reserve Course students, especially that one." I suggested, though both of us knew it was meant as an order.
"If he noses around and learns too much, that kid is the one who'll die." Sakakura stated, giving me a look of warning.
"He won't be a problem." I stated simply. At least, he better not be a problem. "Hinata is not involved in any of this."
Sakakura let out a snort of derision. "He will be if he keeps asking questions like those."
"Then we make sure he doesn't get into trouble." I said. "He may be just a Reserve Course student, but we don't need another death at Hope's Peak… considering we already have two this year."
"Fine, fine," Sakakura sighed in compliance. He didn't seem to really agree with what I said, but he knew when to pick his battles with me.
"But… It's true that Hope's Peak Academy is going down the wrong path." I admitted. It wasn't something I was proud to say, since this was my former school, but it was true. I looked at Sakakura and gave him a small confident smile. "It's a good thing I'm the only one who can fix it."
The corner of his lips turned upwards as Sakakura gave me a smile. "Yeah, you're the only one."
We said our goodbyes and parted in different directions. Knowing that Sakakura would leave Hinata alone, it made me feel confident that nothing would happen to him. I could continue my investigation and hopefully, when he calms down, Hinata could tell me more about the situation in the Reserve Course.
Too bad that was the last time I ever saw Hinata…
A/N I took the liberty of using some of the lines from the episode to stay in character but the rest of the lines, and especially Munakata's lines, I created.
Because I knew people were waiting on me to finish this, I didn't proofread it as much as I usually do so I hope there aren't too many mistakes. A part of me likes how I'm starting to put everything together in this chapter but another part of me is disappointed in how it turned out. I hope it wasn't too terrible!
I like writing for Sato! I kind of wish we knew more about her before she died, like maybe a first name? I can see a small part of myself in Sato when I was writing for her and I even kind of look like her... back when my hair was longer. Honestly, I wish we had more time to know more about Kuzuryu and Sato before they died... they just... they deserve better than this.
I'm not sure when the next update will be. Like I briefly mentioned earlier, I'll be traveling to Japan next month so I don't know how much time I'll have to write but I'm going to give it my best. After all, one of my favorite episodes is up next~! (Upupupu I can already feel the despair! Can you?)
Feel free to follow/favorite or review below. You don't have to, of course, but it provides motivation and happiness when you do. Until next time!
