Apologies for delaying the new chapter. I'v been recently sick.
Chapter 3: The Ultimate Move-in
The new dawn. Don't you just love the new dawn? It's a moment of freshness that never seems to limit its potential as the new day. It keeps rising and rising, leaving no room for error behind it, and eventually will be at the top of the sky, embracing us with the basking glory of the sun. Oh, what a joyful morning if we all thought of it that way.
And as such, the new day welcomes Hope's Peak, its residents and its future endeavors. The crisp morning air could not be felt, however, since the windows of our fellow lucky student were closed during that moment. Even so, the sun rose still, its rays of sunshine enveloping the passage through the glass, giving off a shine inside his room.
Makoto, his sleep interrupted by the orb of light's glare to his face, opened his eyes groggily, regretting for not closing the window curtains. Awoken with his back on the mattress, he pulled himself up to a sitting position, his hair being a mess. He rubbed his eyes softly and yawned. He then scratched his ears, feeling something itchy on that spot, and stretched his arms afterwards.
Makoto's wearing a black top with green three-quarters. Although he looks thin with his usual outfit, his build is, in this story, not thin. In fact, he is a bit on the lean muscle side, though not bulky enough that it will show. Didn't I tell you that he's 5'6 inches tall? Well, there you go. He's been working out.
He picks up his alarm clock beside the dragon and took a good look at the time.
"Eight 'o clock….. *groan*," he went back to bed, thinking that it's too early. He then remembered what Mr Kirigiri had said to him.
"I expect you to meet with the rest of the students who are coming tomorrow morning, okay?" the reminder rained on his plan to slumber land. With another sleepy groan, he rose back up and put his feet on the ground beside his bed. After a while, he lifted his butt of the soft comfort of his bed and walked to his closet.
Thinking he was about to meet up with his classmates for the first time, Makoto decided to wear something that his friends will remember him by. So, his attire consisted of a black jacket with gold buttons worn over his zipped-up dull green hoodie with a red stripe along the zipper, black jeans and red sneakers with white toes. His hoodie has a gas mask logo printed on the back of the hood. He also wears a pin shaped like a four-pointed star overlaid on a crescent moon; this is pinned to the lapel of his jacket.
There he goes, handsome as ever. Bring it on, girls, because Makoto's on a roll! (Just….forget about this sentence.)
Now that he's prepped up to meet his new friends, Makoto exited the room and turned to his door to lock it. Secured and unbreakable, Makoto decided to leave it and walk to the entrance hall.
At the entrance hall, he headed towards the recipient's desk to see Hirato arranging some papers. In front of the desk, however, was someone he had acquainted with just yesterday. The spiky-haired boy walked faster to meet the both of them. Hirato appeared be sighing at something as he put the arranged papers to one side of the desk.
"How in the world did Komaeda-san stop Tsumiki-san from doing….that, yesterday?" inquired Hirato at the boy. The latter's ahoge twitched twice and he answered,
"Who knows?" he scratched his head in a tired manner, "It's not as if I knew the guy personally. I mean, all he talks about is the hope that we all bring and how fun it is without despair to take over us. He's weird on every level!"
Hirato hummed in thought and put his elbow on the table, propping the palm of his right hand under his chin, "Well, he's in your class, Hajime-san. I think you of all people would know how he's like."
"Tch," he turned his head to the side, expressing annoyance to Hirato's reasoning. The recipient smiled at the boy's reaction. Not long after that did they both notice another figure approaching them: Makoto Naegi.
Hirato waved a hello, "Ah, good morning, Naegi-san! I hope the room's to your liking."
Makoto flashed a smile in return, "The room is more than to my liking, thanks for asking. And good morning to you too, Hirato-san!" he turned to the boy, Hajime, who grunt in approval. His ahoge twitched twice again.
"Hey."
"Hey, you," Makoto replied. He extended his hand for a handshake, his face getting nervous in front of Hajime, "I'm-"
"Makoto Naegi, yes? I've heard," he shook his hand firmly. Almost too firmly. Almost about to break his bones. Makoto winced in pain as the squeeze tightened. Hajime then let go of his hand, a smirk visible on his mouth, "Sorry about that. Just gauging your strength. You're not that strong, are ya?"
"Well, what do you think?" he muttered as he rubbed his hand sympathetically, earning a laugh from Hajime and a sigh from the recipient.
Hajime put his hands on his hip after he stopped laughing. "Hey, I'm sorry, really. I may look like a jerk, but I'm just trying to look out for ya. Hope's Peak Academy's got some serious players in the brawn section. I'm just hoping you won't be a part of it, because I am," he winked mischievously at Makoto who sweat dropped.
"This guy's scary. Why in the world did I have my room opposite to his?!" he lamented the thought of it. He hung his head in despair.
"H-Hey, are you all right? I didn't mean to scare you or anything," Hajime asked with worry, afraid that he might have disheartened the poor new student. He put his right hand on Makoto's left shoulder and shook it a bit to see if he's okay. Hirato chuckled again.
"You know, Hajime-san? You should really choose your words carefully."
"I-I guess. Sorry Makoto…," Hajime scratched his cheek in an apologetic manner.
"N-No, it's fine. I always knew I was weak before, so it doesn't really hurt much like last time," he timidly replied, which only concerned the ahoge boy even more.
Suddenly, they heard the screeching of a car's brake.
"Welp, that's our new student there," stated Hirato. Both ahoges looked to the entrance to see far ahead a boy in pristine white uniform. Hirato ushered Makoto, "Well, go on then! I suppose you should help him with the stuff he brought."
"H-hold on, Naegi-kun! I'm coming too!" Chihiro, who just arrived from the dorm as well, made it in time for the moving students to arrive. Makoto turned and smiled at her. He figured that she had also been told about the details of the move-in by Headmaster Kirigiri. There's no way she would pass up this moment. He himself knew that's what he wanted, anyways.
He waved at her, beckoning her to come quick. Hajime, on the other hand, decided to leave the scene. He talked to Hirato first, "Looks like I'll be going first. It's been nice talking to you, Hirato-san. I'll make sure Tsumiki-san doesn't do it again."
"You better. That'll be the last time I'll ever go to her services again," Hajime chuckled at the recipient's angry retort. He turned to Makoto next.
"I think you got this in the bag. I'll be heading towards the cafeteria if you need me. See ya soon, Naegi-san."
Makoto blinked in realization that he was leaving. He nodded at his farewell, "Alright. You too, Hajime-senpai!"
Hajime, surprised by the use of the word 'senpai', widened his eyes in shock. Afterwards, he glanced to the right, scratching his cheek nervously. He wasn't used to the word 'senpai' after his name. His ahoge acted up in a way that it was bouncing consistently, "Y-Yeah, and it's Hinata-senpai to you. We're not on a first name basis yet, you know."
"That's fine with me. Hinata-senpai, it is!"
"Y-yeah, well, see ya." With that, he moved his feet to the right and took off to the cafeteria as he walked in a faster pace.
After his leave, Makoto nodded to Chihiro who nodded back. They jogged to the entrance to meet up with their soon-to-be new friend. They kept this pace until they reached the entrance gates and slowed down. When they had a really good look at the man, assuming his short hair, they realized he had fantastically large bushy eyebrows.
Not only that, his eyes are red, sharp and can give a piercing look if he demands to do so. He has spiky black hair and, as informed, large eyebrows. He wears a white uniform with five gold buttons on each sleeve and six on his chest, along with a gold and red medal on it. He also wears knee-high black lace-up boots. He looked like he was part of the army, if it wasn't for the fact that the kanji on his left arm band means 'Public Moral'.
"Do not worry, sir! I will take care of the luggage from now on!" he declared cheerfully to which the driver nodded. The latter returned to his cab and drove off. With his belongings already out, he carried the brown suitcase with his right hand and walked to the school, only to be viewed two figures in front of him.
Seeing as they look young and has the nature of a student, with a happy smile, he said, "Ah, hello, fellow students! I see you have come earli….er…than…..me…" His eyes became wide open and his face was of a fearful nature. Soon enough, he cried in frustration as he put his hands on his temples and went to a breakdown. He went on his knees and lamented, "How I could have arrived later than these two?! This is too shameful of me to act upon!"
Makoto and Chihiro became frantic. He went to the boy's side and comforted him. Well, Chihiro was the one who did, considering how anxious Makoto was to even say anything.
"H-Hey, that's okay! I mean, it's just the day of the move-in, that's all! Right, Makoto?"
"Yeah, that's right! I mean, wh-what does it matter, anyway?"
"IT MATTERS SO MUCH FOR ME!" he stood up quickly and faced Makoto with tears in his eyes, the latter already regretting the words he used. He wailed, "I am the Ultimate Moral Compass! If I don't set an example for students here, then I am only ridiculing the title that has passed on to me! It's like….*sniff*…..I HAVE DESECRATED THE NAME OF HOPE'S PEAK UPON MY OWN ACTIONS! WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" His cry echoed throughout the the school grounds. Makoto and Chihiro clamped their ears up to avoid bleeding them from the deafening sound.
"You're not later than them," came from an unexpected savior. Bushy Brows quieted down and looked at the man. Makoto and Chihiro did the same. It was Hirato coming out of the hall with his earplugs on. His face was plainly normal and had no reaction to his scream. He motioned for the boy to come forward, "Come with me, Ishimaru-san. I'll tell you why they were earlier than you."
Ishimaru let out a loud sniff and nodded. He walked to Hirato and together they entered the entrance hall. With the screech taken care of, at last, the programmer and luckster unclamped their ears and breathed a relieving sigh.
"Man, what a powerful scream," said Chihiro. She put both hands on her chest for a dramatic effect.
"I agree. If that's how students are in Hope's Peak Academy, you can bet we'll have a very hopeful time here," replied Makoto sarcastically. The programmer merely giggled at his bad pun. They both agreed that it will certainly be a unique school life for them to live under together. Makoto rubbed the back of his neck, anxiously considering the danger they have put themselves in.
"Still," Chihiro thought out loud, "It's amazing that Hirato-san handled it like it was nothing."
"That's true. I guess it takes all kinds of people to be able to handle someone like…. Ishimaru-san, was it?" They both considered just what could have happened in the past that made Hirato so resilient to something as strange as Ishimaru's attitude to being late. Then again, they learnt, they wouldn't know even if they wanted to.
"Well, let's just get them all in and we won't need to handle that again," assured Chihiro to which Makoto complied and nodded in agreement.
After a few minutes, two cars, or rather transportations, arrived: a cab….. and a motorcycle, albeit a huge one.
The one coming out of the cab had one of the strangest hairdos that Makoto had ever seen. It is dark brown, large and so amazingly spiky Makoto did not think it was possible for him to even take care of his hair like that. Then his attire was strange to him: a three-layered outfit consisting an old green uniform on the outside, a white rough shirt in the middle and a small yellow short-sleeved shirt under the bundle. He also wears an old green baggy three-quarters with a yellow rope tied on the waist of it. On his right palm laid a white crystal ball that shone brightly underneath the sun's rays.
The owner of the ball smiled at them, "Hey! What's up? Name's Yasuhiro Hagakure. Ultimate Clairvoyant!" He gave a bow while still holding the ball in hand, almost as if like a magician would do after he's done with all of his tricks.
But the word 'Clairvoyant' stuck in Makoto's mind.
"Ultimate Clairvoyant?" he re-stated the name of Hagakure who nodded.
"Yup. Technically, my predictions are 30% right, so that makes me the top fortune-teller!" he finished it off with a peace pose-
But was met with silence by the duo.
..
..
..
"…What?" Makoto said.
"Now, come on! That wasn't the reaction I expected from ya! Give a guys some slack for predicting 30% at a time…" Yasuhiro sighed in defeat after realizing how stupid it really meant, but it did help him get through with life. After all, it was his job to do it.
Makoto and Chihiro gave no comment and just nodded. They turned to the other person who was just about to get off his bike. He's tall, no doubt.
He gave a hard look at the both of them, "The fuck are you lookin' at?"
"Eeep! W-Well, you were a riding a bike so w-we were just….," Chihiro began to form tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry! Really, I do!" she bowed repeatedly to express her forgiveness. Makoto sweat dropped at her reply.
"What? ….No, I didn't mean ta hurt ya, I….ah, fuck," he scratched the back of his head, frustrated at what he couldn't do to ease her up.
Makoto intervened and patted Chihiro's back softly with a nervous smile on his face, "It's alright, Chihiro. He hasn't done anything yet, so you don't need to cry now…"
"Hey! The fuck do you mean 'I haven't done anything yet'!" Makoto turned and gave an awkward chuckle. As he calmed himself down, he got a good look at his appearance.
He also asked, "May I ask your name?"
"Ah, fuck… anyways, Owada Mondo's the name. Got that fucking printed in yer brain yet?" Mondo is a student with slightly tanned skin, defined facial features and purple irises. He appears to have long eyelashes on the outer halves of his eyelids, which gives hima fierce expression. His hair colour, by the way, is light reddish-brown and has some sort of a 'punch perm' hairstyle that bikers would normally have.
He wears a black overcoat adorned with the symbol that means 'Crazy Diamonds' along with Japanese text and dragon motifs in orange, worn open over a white A-shirt. He also outfits himself with baggy black pants held up by a belt and white loafers. The shape of the belt's buckle is likened to the face of the lion-dog, Komainu.
Makoto nervously replied, "Well, you don't need to say it that way. I-"
"Hey, you! The one with the funny hairstyle?!" shouted an unknown person. Yasuhiro pointed to himself, thinking he was called out.
"Who? Me?"
"No, not you!" Yasuhiro slumped his shoulders, "The one with the other funny hairstyle! Don't you know that you need to mind your language in school? Didn't your parents teach you that before you even go to one?"
A vein popped on his forehead. Mondo retaliated by yelling, "Hey, who asked ya for your fuckin' advice, eh?! Why don't you back the fuck off?!"
"Ishimaru-san? I thought he went with Hirato-san a while ago?" wondered Makoto. Ishimaru looked like he had already recovered from his breakdown just now. What could Hirato had possibly done to calm him down so easily?
"Um… g-guys, come on! You just moved in!" Chihiro attempted to be the peacemaker. Sure, she had nothing to do with their future squabblings. However, she would want nothing more than to see the best out of everyone in Hope's Peak Academy. She'll do her very best to settle that once and for all. Once again, she yelled this time, "GUYS! Stop!"
But the both of them aren't listening. Instead, they continued their bickering on and on. Makoto, seeing that the programmer could only stand and watch, thought of a way; but he needed to wait for the perfect moment to do so.
"You must follow the etiquette of a true student, and that means forsaking your cursing and insulting words!" Ishimaru fought for his stand in the argument with vigour, his pose copying that of a soldier. Mondo was getting irritated to the point of being violently irritated.
"You piece of shit! How about you fucking try this for an etiquette!" he pulled his right fist and launched towards Ishimaru's chest, only to be blocked by Makoto's sudden face.
WHAM!
Makoto felt the full force of the attack and flew quite a distance from them. Both Ishimaru and Mondo held shocking faces, but the latter quickly went to his side and picked him up, "Oh, shit! Hey, man! You alright? C'mon, talk to me!"
But Makoto was unconscious. His eyes were slightly opened, but his vision was blurry. He couldn't feel his limbs anymore and his thoughts are a mess. Most people would not have survived that strike and can get up so easily. Therefore, it was unlikely for Makoto to even wake up for a while.
But this is the Ultimate Luckster we're talking about, right?
"Meh, it's not as strong as the one I got two years ago. Or is it because I'm already used to it that it doesn't hurt anymore?" his fingers twitched, his breathing became erratic and his eyes opened as fast as he lifted himself from the ground to a sitting position. Makoto had experienced being punched. Being a dead last years ago was the reason why.
"Heh," he chuckled, "I got lucky, after all."
"You…got lucky?! You're shitting me! That was my best punch!" Mondo, stupefied by Makoto's claim, used his right hand as support for Makoto's back in case he falls down instantly. Thankfully, he didn't.
"Are you saying you actually wanted to hurt me?!" Ishimaru asked the gangster-like Mondo. However, their bickering was prevented by a certain someone.
"Stop it, you guys! Here you are, trying to get into this school, and all of a sudden you have to fight! Can't we all just get along now!?" Chihiro pleaded them to stop as her voice was getting hoarse from all the yelling. This is the best that she could do to stop it. All she can do now is pray that they focus on helping the luckster.
Both Mondo and Ishimaru had shameful looks as they glanced at each other. Their faces became concerned because they had given a really bad impression, Ishimaru especially. The Public Morals Committee Member was supposed to show a good example to the students in Hope's Peak. Instead, he made a fuss over what is simply minor compared to his duty. He hung his head in shame.
Yasuhiro butted in to save the day, "Looks like everyone learnt their lesson. Okay then!" He gave a loud clap to gather their attention and smiled, "Why don't we settle this once we've….. I dunno, 'settled'?"
Mondo, who was holding the barely conscious luckster, nodded, "Yeah, you're right. We need to bring this kid to the lobby and get him some water."
"Agreed," said unanimously by everyone.
After a bit of rest – and a much needed ice pack – Makoto ran back to the entrance, the blow to his cheek completely non-existent. Unfortunately, he had to resort to Hirato's care and made sure Makoto was in his room until his body was more stabilized. Once he was there, he saw not only Chihiro, but Yasuhiro and Mondo as well. He was quite surprised to see them because, supposedly, it was he who was assigned to help students move their things. Not the other way round.
Makoto slowed his run and was a bit off by their presence at the gates, "Mondo-san, Hagakure-san, what are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be moving your stuff right now?"
"Nah, I think I owe ya for stopping me earlier. So, I decided a little guard duty for the little fella here," Mondo ruffled the programmer's hair, indicating her, "would do me some discipline. Heck, Bushy Brows was fine with it."
"Really?" Makoto arched an eyebrow. He had suspected that Mondo may have fought about this matter with Ishimaru. Judging by his face, Makoto could tell the perm-haired students grumbled just a while ago.
Chihiro stepped in to avoid another argument, "At least everything's okay now, right? By the way, how's your face, Naegi-san? Has it recovered yet?"
"It doesn't feel painful anymore, so maybe," Makoto rubbed his cheek to soothe it, "By the way, what did I miss while you guys were here?"
"Oh, that. You see…..," Chihiro talked on and on about the newcomers moving in today. They greeted a limousine transporting quite an arrogant person. The said person wanted no one but his servants to send his things to his rooms. Chihiro was a bit intimidated, but Mondo was fumed at the time.
"That motherfuckin' bastard! Who does he think he is, acting like a show-off?" he raised his clenching fist and imagined the arrogant student in his palm, crushed under his grip. Chihiro calmed Mondo down by giving a pat on his back, though nervously done.
They then talked about the last two before Makoto arrived who were willing to have an interaction with them: Aoi Asahina and Hifumi Yamada.
"But, get this," Yasuhiro spoke, "It turns out that Yamada-san had porn fanfics in his luggage when it accidentally opened. Haha! You should have seen his face, acting as if he's proud of his work!" he laughed at the thought. Indeed, he sounded like a very strange person.
"But Asahina-san was something else!" chirped Chihiro, gaining Makoto's attention as a result, "She said that she is the Ultimate Swimmer, and she can do more than just swimming! She's like a super athlete!"
The way her eyes sparkled with the cheerful tone used in her explanation, Makoto stated with a grin on his face, "You sounded like you admire Asahina-san almost immediately!"
The programmer blushed and twiddled with her fingers. "W-Well, yeah. I mean, who wouldn't? Unlike me, she can pretty much do anything-,"
"Stop, Fujisaki-san," Makoto ordered. He put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and said calmly, "We all came here because of what we do best – well, except me. In any case, everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths that they can recognize. However, that doesn't mean we should compare ourselves with each other. That'll stop you from learning. Believe me. I've been there."
"Naegi-san," Chihiro stared at the ahoge boy with wonder. Mondo and Yasuhiro were quite taken aback, but nodded together in agreement.
"Yeah, you got that right," Yasuhiro gave a thumbs-up to the group, "we should all learn from Makoto's example! Let's learn… together!"
"Right!" they said in unison sans Makoto, who was a bit flustered by the compliment.
"Ah, uh, yeah…. Right." But can he do the same thing like he did a few years back? He thought to himself at that moment whether it can really come true or not. "As far as I remember, there are always those who stop you from moving forward. The only way I know… is to expel them from my sight." It always had been for the poor boy. Always has been since he got lucky.
"Hey, hey, you're forgetting Leon too, you know!" mentioned Yasuhiro. Makoto tilted his head sideward.
"Who's Leon?"
"Oh, he's named Leon Kuwata," explained Chihiro, "He's the Ultimate Baseball Star. We talked to him for a while before he left for his room."
"I…. see. I missed a lot of people, huh?" Makoto pondered on the students he did not meet yet. Could they be as estranged as Yasuhiro or Ishimaru? Or could they be violent and brutal like Mondo? "So many people with very different personalities…."
"Oh, look! A car's driving heading towards here!" Chihiro pointed at an incoming car heading directly to the gates. It slowed down and parked right beside the pavement road. Then, the back door opened and Makoto could have sworn he recognized the braid.
The person coming out of the car was a girl. She wears a dark purple collared jacket over her white blouse and a brown tie, along with a short skirt and heeled knee-high boot. Her lavender hair goes down to her waist and is adorned with a braid on part of her hair. Her hands are worn over by custom-made black gloves. To anyone, she looked beautiful. To Makoto….
"She…..," he whispered. Makoto couldn't say anything else as his eyes became wide open at her. He felt that he should know something by know, yet he just could not figure out what it is. He saw her brush her hair aside from her face and stared at the group – him especially. They locked gazes in minutes and no sudden moves were made until after a while. Then, she shut her eyes, opened them again later, and moved past them.
His eyes remain locked in front, yet his senses are at an all-time high. His brain processed everything that happened and yet no clue was presented to Makoto Naegi.
"Wow, she looks very dignified, isn't she?" he vaguely heard Chihiro complimenting the lavender head. The latter turned to Makoto, smiling, "What do you think, Naegi-san?" But her question remained unanswered, since the boy did not even turn around to see the girl that walked past them just like they did. She got worried, "N-Naegi san! Are you alright?!"
"Wha-? H-Hey, Naegi-chi! What's up?"
"Yo, Naegi, snap out of it! I didn't hit ya too hard, did I?" Makoto blinked, finally able to regain his self-control.
"What the hell was that!?" he felt his knees wobble, mostly tired from that hardcore brain exercise. He didn't understand why it happened, but it did anyways. Almost as if it's trying to make Makoto do something.
Soon, he felt a hand gripping lightly on his right shoulder.
"Hey, Naegi-chi, you alright there?" Makoto turned to Yasuhiro, who was concerned for his condition. Makoto nodded which Yasuhiro then asked, "Then what was that all about? I mean, that was some weird stuff happening to you. Hold on! I think I know one way to solve that!" He ransacked through his outer layered jacket to find his crystal orb, much to Makoto's curiosity. He then chanted a few words, "*chant*chant*chant* annnnnnddddd BAM! Aha! EH?!"
Mondo, Chihiro and Makoto yelped in sudden shock by the fortune teller's outburst. Makoto spoke for the three, a frown printed on his expression, "What's wrong? Is there something going on with the crystal ball?"
"No, it's not that," his worried face was visible as he squinted his eyebrows and rubbed his forehead slowly, "It's telling me that you, Makoto Naegi, will unveil an impressive lie while also revealing a terrible truth. What they really are…..well, that I can't say."
"Impressive lie? Terrible truth? Sounds like something out of a fantasy-mystery novel if you ask me," commented Chihiro which Yasuhiro hummed to. She then asked, "What are your thoughts on it, Hagakure-san?"
"Hmmmm…," he hummed in deep thought, leaving the rest of us in the dark, "Well, if you ask me, I could say it's just a prediction and nothing more. It's not like we're going to find out something horrible soon, right? Maybe it has something to do with the end of life or something. Oh, and by the way, call me Hiro. It's easier to say!" He ended with a smile.
"Then again, it's just a 30% chance of happening. You don't have to take it as important when you think that way," Mondo intervened. Everyone, including Hiro, agreed to his claim.
Makoto yawned, tired from the brief but exhausting session, and said, "Anyways, I think I wanna rest for a while. This thing's taking a beating out of me."
Chihiro chuckled while Mondo and Hiro smiled warmly, knowing fully well that Makoto did a LOT today.
"See ya guys tomorrow! And Hiro-san! Mondo-san! Check out your rooms okay?"
"Alright, alright, now get your fucking rest aready! Sheesh, he's like a mother…" Mondo waved his hands at the now running Makoto who headed inside the academy.
"I think he's just worried that you yourself might be a bit tired, Mondo-san," explained Chihiro who received a nod from him.
"Whew, glad that's over," Makoto casually walked to the cafeteria to grab something for a late breakfast, "Oh, wait. Did Fujisaki-san eat before she came? I guess that explains why she's full of energy now that I think about it." He heard a grumbling sound from his stomach and sighed.
"Man, if only I'm lucky enough to remember everything that satisfies my needs."
He walked with a faster pace to the counter barring the kitchen behind it. He ordered his food and brought his tray to one of the round tables. As he ate, deliciously and slowly, he overheard a conversation that was near him. He stopped eating and moved his head to look to his right where he saw two figure: Hajime Hinata and a girl sitting rather closely at another table with their backs facing Makoto.
"Looks like this year's going to be an interesting one. Have you made sure Tsumiki-san won't start giving medications when she meets our new friends? That's gonna give a very bad impression of our class. And you know how I hate it when it comes to bad first impressions."
"Oh, don't exaggerate, Hajime-san. I'm sure she'll be fine. Tsumiki-san is not as crazy as you might think…. I think," the girl, who had already ate and had her eyes and hands on a handheld console, assured Hajime of Tsumiki's antics. The girl wears an unzipped dark green hoodie which has pointed ears on the top of her hood and two pink markings on the front. The hood is brought down to show her light pink hair which is slightly curled and there is a small hairpin attached to the side of her face. She wears a pale brown skirt with black thighs and white shoes to complete the attire. She wears a pink cat-like backpack, too.
Makoto thought she looked like a sweet girl. He continued eavesdropping their conversation.
Hajime sighed and continued, "I know, it's just…well, I don't like having to explain why she did that to them. Not only that, Nagito always seems to have some sort of an idea to test this hope thing he's been talking about. And Teruteru-"
"You should stop worrying so much," a loud beep came out of her PSP as she paused and looked directly at Hajime with a blank face, "it's not like you to be so aware of those kinds of stuff… I think."
Hajime sweat dropped as he ate his bowl of noodles. He slurped it out and chewed on the texture of his meal. After he swallowed it, he replied, "And you know what I'm thinking right now? I think you should start ending your sentences with a positive word instead of 'I think', Chiaki-san."
Chiaki put a finger on her chin and wondered out loud, "You think so? I think it's better that way, too…. I think."
"Tch… what am I going to do with you," he muttered. Makoto could not help but chuckle. The sound of it attracted the ears of the eavesdropped students who shuffled under their seats and to look behind.
Hajime widened his eyes, "Naegi-san! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy helping your friends."
Makoto picked his half-eaten tray and moved to their table. He sat opposite to the duo and answered, "They didn't need the help. Besides, I'm more interested in you guys."
"Um…. Us?" Chiaki pointed to herself as the luckster nodded.
"That's right, Chia-"
"Nanami-senpai," Hajime stated, "It's Nanami-senpai to you."
"O-kay….," Makoto cleared his throat to say it again, "That's right, Nanami-senpai. Are you two an item?"
Hajime, who was drinking his cup, spat it out in a vigorous manner. The water hit Makoto's face, drenching him in its liquid. Hajime blushed and felt flustered at the thought of them being such. His ahoge shook and extended itself in reaction to his emotions, "What the hell, Naegi!? Why do you ask a question like that?"
As he wiped the wetness off his face, he frowned, "Why not? I mean, you two look so close from behind and I just had to ask, is all."
"Well, no, we're not! Honestly, we were discussing something of importance that we don't want to involve other people in it," Hajime sighed at the end. Makoto sweat dropped and hastily replied.
"O-Okay, no need to get so worked up. I'm just asking…"
Hajime sighed again, afraid that he may had intimidated the boy once more. Chiaki then said, "I'm sorry if Hajime-san scared you. I'm Chiaki Nanami, Ultimate Gamer. I play all kinds of games and genres."
Makoto's ears perked up hearing the word 'gamer', "Ultimate Gamer? So you play games for a living?"
"Well, not really," Chiaki held her chin thoughtfully, "I just happened to get scouted by the academy when they caught me beating the record for an an arcade game. Then, well, I'm here… I think."
"Well, it must be fun, having to be able to play almost any game you want," said the boy cheerfully. He heard a 'tch' sound from Hajime again. He then realized that he hadn't asked his senior what his Ultimate really is, "Say, Hinata-senpai? What's your Ultimate?"
"Huh? Oh, it's Ultimate Reserve Student," he replied with a blank look. Makoto became curious. That was the most plain title anyone could have received, really.
"Ultimate Reserve Student? Are you saying you came from the reserve course of Hope's Peak Academy?"
"That's right. You did your homework on that one, huh?" he slurped his noodles again.
"Actually, I was forced to know. My dad did the research for me."
"Oh, but did you know," Makoto turned to Chiaki, who started playing something on her PSP, "that Hajime-san could have gotten into the academy without going into the reserve course."
"Ch-Chiaki! You don't need to tell him that!"
"So that means you have another Utimate?!" asked Makoto as he stood up by reaction, eager to hear about his second Ultimate. Hajime was feeling visibly uneasy. Beads of sweat are coming out of the skin on his face and his ahoge frantically shook repeatedly.
"Um….well…."
"I think it's obvious when you think about. Try take a good look at his appearance," explained Chiaki as she yawned, "just…*yawn*….take a guess from there…zzzzz.." She put her head on the table and went into slumber land
"Take a guess from his appearance?" Makoto gave a good look at Hajime, who started feeling fidgety. "He wears a white shirt and blue jeans. Okay, that's normal. His sneakers are no different, too."
Hajime's hair, more importantly his hair that stood out, started shaking even more.
The luckster realized something, "His hair reacts to what he feels….Huh, mine can't do that." After much thought, which is a few seconds, he widened his eyes at the revelation, "No way." He laughed so hard he let his hands cover his aching belly to ease the pain. "No way! Hinata-san, you are the Ultimate-"
And after he mentioned his true Ultimate, he suddenly got knocked out and could feel his body being dragged to somewhere else.
Author's notes:
Not my best work, if you ask me.
Emblem of Light. One. More. Time.
I keep doing a lot of re-edits here and there.
So we met a few more students. The thing about AUs is that you have to make sure everyone involved must have some sort of a backstory ready. It's not like the Killing Game where you start from scratch.
Next, being sick can hinder your skills as a writer.
I missed out a few, meaning they will come in the next day, the first class.
Say, do you think it wise for me to use '-san' and '-kun' and whatever related to that? Give me your thoughts.
That little moment with Makoto saying he's weak? That contradicts something in another paragraph, eh? (Lying Makoto)
That moment where he saw her is the start when everything will shape their bond as they move forward in the academy.
Wonder what Hajime's Ultimate is? Ah, hell, you know it already.
Favourite, Follow, Review, All of them. Your choice.
I need people to tell me just what the hell I'm doing. Thanks for the reviews beforehand, a guest, Akiyama7Koharu, fallenstreet01 and annoyedbunny64.
Next time, first class and more introductions. See ya soon.
Learn as you live, live as you learn