A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of The End of Hope's Peak Academy. Well, it seems the time has finally come, the anime has hit it's climax, and soon it will all come to a close. I have to say, I am loving both sides at the moment, though all I can feel is despair on both sides. It's been an amazing ride, and I just hope they give this series the conclusion it deserves, before we are all introduced to New Danganronpa V3 and their cast of characters. To me though, Hope's Peak Academy will be the place I will remember the most, as these characters have all found a special place in my heart, yes even the ones I hate, all of them have had shitty lives in all of this despair, but I will hold them deep in my heart.
So, this chapter will mark Daisuke's first official day at school, honestly, I have no Idea where this chapter came from, or why it took this turn, and you'll all see why when you read it. Hopefully, I am doing this series justice, as I will start writing more of these kinds of chapters, it's better to start out with the Hope before plunging you all into Despair, and by doing chapters like this, I bring out the best in all of the characters. As for the School Life of Mutual Killing II, I have a new chapter in the works for that story as well, so stay tuned.
Once I reach a certain spot in both of these, I will take a short break to work on a few other stories. One can only work so much on a single thing before they start getting bored of it, not to say that I am bored of this series, it's just hard to write for one thing constantly. I will most likely work on a Fairy Tail fiction, sadly I lost the file that contained everything I had written for Advent of the Stars, so I'm not sure if I can continue it at this point, as the major plots and battles for the current arc were in that file. Serves me right for not copying my stuff onto a flash drive, then again it wasn't my fault that my stuff became corrupt. I might just continue The Hellfire Dragon Slayer or start something new, who knows? Or I might post that Miraculous story I was talking about, after I work everything out of course.
I might also do a few one shots between the pairings in my stories, though those might not be cannon with them. I have a few ideas for my Fairy Tail oc, Alex and Wendy, as well as a few for Hiyoko and Daisuke as well as Yuno and Sayaka. I just want to fill the fandom with as much fluffiness as I can, as these characters are often ignored, there are barely an Hiyoko centered fics in this fandom alone, and it's a shame because even though she acts like a sociopath, she's a sweet girl underneath, it just takes a looooooot of patience to find that out. And gummies...not the yellow ones, she hates those. I digress, look forward to some of these in the future, if I decide to write any, which most likely will be a yes.
Without further adoo, here is Chapter 3 of The End of Hope's Peak Academy...I hope you all like it, leave a review if you did!
The End of Hope's Peak Academy
Zetzubou-Hen
Chapter 3
Daisuke's Colorful First Day
Even with the map on his handbook, Daisuke had gotten severely lost. It wasn't hard too, considering everything the academy had to offer. The large library had been a distraction for at least half an hour. He had to tear himself away from the large collection of books before he was even later than he already was. Making his way across the first floor, he finally made it to the Hope's Peak Hotel, where the students would reside. He passed by Class 78's room, catching the sight of an orange haired young man arm wrestling with a very muscular woman, and he silently prayed for said woman not to snap his arm like a twig. Passing through the gates, he saw several students hanging around the large plaza.
To his immediate right was the large and beautiful cafeteria. Inside were several tables, and fancy chairs all arranged to make the large room look big while also accommodating everyone who could possibly show up. There was also an outdoor area, the lush green grass and tall trees provided a more natural feel to it all. He made a mental note to find an apple tree to sit under. To his left, was the Laundry room and the Bath house. From where he was, he could see all of the washers and dryers within the Laundry room, all state of the art too, but there were some clothes lines hanging across the room. He saw one girl there pulling out some dried clothes, he couldn't make her face out, but her long blue hair seemed to shine brightly under the lights. He could also hear the faint humming as she kept pulling articles of clothing from the dryer. He turned left, walking toward the stairwell to the far right, passing the Storage room.
He had been told by the Headmaster before he took off, that the Hotel had four floors. The bottom floor belonged to the students of Class 78, as they were the new arrivals. 78A had to share the left wing, while 78B had to share the area just before the plaza. Two to a room, so he figured it must have caused a lot of tension for the first few days, especially because it was still only the second week of school. You couldn't expect someone to just get used to you that easily in that short period it time. The second floor had of course belonged to his class, Class 77B. Class 77A had been moved to the Dormitory building across campus, leaving his class with all of the left over dorms, however they still had to share them between themselves, since class 76 and class 75 had the other two floors. It was how he was tossed in the first available room, which just so happened to be the one that belonged to the princess of the Novoselic kingdom. He was still a little scared about this. It was one thing to share a room with your little sister, but it was another to share it with a very attractive young woman, who also had connections to the royal family. One night she could like you, the next you would find yourself in a foreign prison being tortured for information.
Okay, maybe Sonia wouldn't stoop that far, but it was still a nerve wracking experience for him. Being in an academy, having to stay there..it was all new to him...but it was something he had decided on trying. He did promise his teacher and himself that much. He found the room with Sonia's nameplate on it, seeing that there was a piece of paper underneath it, with the words, And Daisuke, written on it in sparkly pink ink. He almost wondered if he was going to get a fancy nameplate for the door. He looked across the hall to the dorm in front of his, seeing that it belonged to Mikan and Hiyoko, two girls he had met the night before. While Mikan was a little shy and extremely nervous around new people, Hiyoko was the bane of his existence. Making him carry her all the way to his house and then making him carry her to the bathroom in the middle of the party, using one of his family photos as blackmail, oh he wasn't going to have a good time with her around. He pulled out his room key, slipping it into the door, slowly opening it.
The faint scent of perfume permeated through the small room. The walls were a slight pink in color, and the floor tiles were a bright blue, from what he could see anyway. He flicked the switch, turning the lights on, and was immediately surprised at what he saw.
Other than the two beds of course, he saw that everything was not only neatly put in place, but that his new roommate had a thing for the occult. He saw a stack of books, all of them being part of the Murder Mystery genre, as well as a stack of slasher films next to a school laptop. He stopped by the desk picking the first one up, only to see the cover title was, the Documentary of Sparkling Justice. It was a movie depicting the brutal murders of the serial killer Sparkling Justice, a man who killed people in the name of justice while wearing an anime mask. The man also seemed to be from either Spain or Latin America, as he spoke only in Spanish. He also saw another movie, the murder cases of Genocide Jack, and he immediately set the first down. He didn't even want to know how the princess had gotten her hands on that kind of stuff.
Looking around, he saw that the room was indeed split in half, since the right side was occupied by his roommate, that meant the left side was all his. He had a twin bed, with light blue bed spread, and two pillows with the crest of the academy on it. He had at least brought a few spare blankets in case he needed them. The curtains by the windows were drawn, and were a light shade of maroon, which effectively blocked the light streaming in from the windows. There was a large dresser placed against the wall, in front of his bed, with a large desk behind the bed and a small folding chair. The adjacent bathroom was near the entrance, the door slightly open, he would have to check it out on his own time, and he hoped his roommate wasn't a streaker, it was bad enough to be rooming with a girl, he didn't need her to just be in the buff all the time.
He placed his suitcase on top of the bed, quickly opening it. He grabbed all of his neatly folded clothes, and started placing them in the drawers of his dresser, making sure all of them were separated. He hadn't brought that many pairs of clothes, just enough for him to wear something different every day of the month, along with spare pairs of undergarments. He didn't know why, but those were always the ones that were dirtied the most. Once done, he closed his suit case and placed it under his bed. He opened his messenger bag, pulling out a single framed picture of his family. It was a picture they had taken during Christmas. He was in the center of the picture, wearing a red sweater, with a Santa hat on his head. His sister was beside him, flashing the peace sign to the camera, her bright eyes filled with joy. She had been wearing a less than formal Santa outfit, that left her arms and shoulders bare while accenting everything else. How their mother allowed that was beyond them. Speaking of her, she was behind the two, arms tightly wrapped around them, while the star of their Christmas tree glimmered behind them. He smiled a bit, setting the picture on top of his dresser. He made a mental note to get himself a small television set so that he could bring his Ps4 with him. No way in hell was he going to spend the weekends doing nothing.
Nodding to himself, Daisuke zipped up his messenger bag, and started making his way out of the room, leaving a small bag of things he would put away later. It was almost nine in the morning and he was sure Chisa would chew his ass out of he didn't hurry up. Locking the door behind him, he slipped the key into the outer pocket of his bag, which held his 3ds and all of his games. Hey, if he couldn't skip class, then he at least needed something to do in it, no way was he sitting down to do complex math. He wasn't the Ultimate Mathematician after all.
Hurrying down the stairs, he started making his way back into the academy proper, ignoring the curious eyes of the few people that had been hanging around. He heard a few mutters, mostly wondering who he was, and what his talent could be. He realized that the only new class had been the 78th class, so everyone else in the academy knew or had information about other students attending class there. Most assumed he was part of 78A, but if they knew he was actually a second year, most would be taken aback.
After a few minutes of walking, and several minutes of looking in the school store for some pens, paper and extra pencils, he made it to the second floor. Following the map, he walked all the way across the hallway, passing the library again while making his way to the classroom on the far end of that hall, classroom 2-B, which would be his room for the next year. He stopped in front of the doors, taking a deep breath.
"What am I worrying about, I met all of them last night. We all had fun at that party...well my definition of fun was vastly different from their own, but it was still a good time. I should find someone to teach Nekumaru how to sing though, Jesus that was horrible."
He chuckled a bit, remembering the song the Ultimate Team Manager had sung. His mother had caught it all on film, laughing her head off every time his voice cracked, the man took it all in stride though, and laughed along with everyone else, after they uncovered their ears. This was of course the time Hiyoko had forced him to carry her to the bathroom. Maybe he could convince Mikan to let him into their dorm so he could find that picture she had stolen. And he used the word stolen loosely, there was a chance his mother had given it to her as a gift, and if that was the case, then he would hold it against her for as long as he lived.
Finally steeling his nerves, he slid the door open, stepping into the room, only to see something he wasn't expecting.
The whole room had been a mess, with all of the desks being arranged in a circle around the room for some reason. Nekumaru and Akane were fighting each other, with the young woman throwing high kicks that the muscular man easily deflected. They would back away from each other for a bit before running at each other, their battle cries echoing through the room. Their latest clash was enough to rattle the building. Everyone was in the back of the room, watching them contently, he didn't see Chisa anywhere. He closed the door, slowly inching his way to the back of the room.
"Uh...what's going on here?" he asked, getting Kazuichi's attention. The young man grinned, exposing his sharp teeth.
"Daisuke, didn't think you would come. What you are witnessing is a very intense battle between Akane and Nekumaru. Their trying to see who will give in first." he explained.
"Why?" he asked.
"Don't know...but it beats sitting here doing school work." he said. Daisuke looked around, seeing a young woman on the ground, probably around her mid to late twenties, bawling her eyes out. Mikan was hovering over her, checking her vitals while Hiyoko giggled, hiding her smirk behind her sleeve.
"It was so easy to break her. She's never going to find another job as long as she lives!" she said.
"It's not nice to do that to her Hiyoko. She's our teacher!" Mikan snapped.
"She should have come prepared. Man, Chisa is more fun than this one!" the blonde said, glancing at the wall. Daisuke tore his eyes away from the traumatized woman, not wanting to know what had happened to her, the less he knew, the better. He felt a tap on his shoulder, glancing back he saw the smiling face of Sonia.
"Did you settle in already?" she asked.
"Oh, yes I did. I still have some stuff to put away, but I'll do that later. The room is really clean!" he said.
"If course, I pride myself on my dorm's tidiness. It's more fun to clean it yourself, especially since I grew up having my things cleaned up for me." she admitted.
"Um...what are you guys talking about?" Fuyuhiko asked, gaining a sudden interest in their conversation. Daisuke decided to speak up.
"I'm staying in Lady Sonia's dorm, so from now on we're roommates." he said. Nekumaru and Akane stopped their brawl, looking directly at the story teller. Kazuichi was taken a back, his eyes widened in shock.
"What...what do you mean you are Miss Sonia's roommate?" he asked.
"They gave away all the other dorms for the year, so Lady Sonia was kind enough to let me stay with her."
"Ohoho...so the Story Teller gets to stay with the Princess, you sly dog." Akane said, a smirk on her face.
"Hey, it isn't like that. Me and Lady Sonia are just friends, besides it's not like I had a choice in the matter." he said, crossing his arms.
"Heh, you could have just stayed at home and walked here." Hiyoko suggested.
"No thanks, at that point I wouldn't even show up." he said. The bell suddenly rung, and the teacher that was on the floor shot up, running toward the doors.
"It's finally over! I'm never coming to this place again!" she shouted, breaking into a sprint down the hall. They all watched her through the windows, chuckling a bit.
"You guys are awful. Do you just make it your duty to make everyones lives a living hell?" Daisuke asked.
"Hey, don't blame me for that. Blame the squirt, she's the one who likes breaking the new teachers." Fuyuhiko snapped.
"Who the hell are you calling squirt, baby face?" the blonde dancer said, glaring the Yakuza.
"Hey, don't fuck with me! I'll make sure they never find your body." he said.
"Get used to this Daisuke, I got a feeling this is going to be our lives for the next three years." Sonia said, earning a groan from him.
"Just what I need." he muttered.
Akane, taking her chance raced back at Nekumaru, throwing another strong kick at the man's head, only for him to deflect it with his arm. He pushed her back, slamming her into the wall behind her. She grit her teeth, grabbing a few splintered pieces of wood and throwing them as hard as she could, somehow missing Nekumaru completely. Nagito was chuckling to himself, as everything being thrown around him just kept miraculously missing him. Not wanting to get hit, Ryouta took his chance to leave the room.
"This is too much for me right now, I think I'm gonna go outside." Daisuke said, excusing himself from the room barely dodging a piece of rubble that struck the door frame. He let out a deep breath, sliding down the side of the wall.
"What the hell is all this?" he said, still not believing what he had just seen.
"Couldn't take it?"
He looked beside him, seeing the Ultimate Animator, drawing something on his tablet. He gave him a nod, looking at the far wall.
"I wasn't sure if this academy was for me or not, and being in there just seals the deal. I don't feel like an Ultimate student, I just feel normal." he said.
"No matter the case, you are an Ultimate student Daisuke. Even if you don't feel like it...you know a lot of people would give everything to be in your spot right?" he asked.
"I know...I'm honestly giving it a shot but...did you see that in there?" he asked.
"Yeah, straight out of an anime, I would bet. You'll get used to it soon." he said, tone filled with encouragement.
"Ryouta, Daisuke...what are you two doing out here?"
The two looked up, seeing their Homeroom teacher standing before them, a curious look on her face.
"Take a look inside and you'll understand why." Daisuke said, pointing to the door. She looked at them curiously sliding the door open only to dodge a protractor that flew right at her. She looked around the room, seeing the mess her students had made. She sighed, shaking her head.
"I left for an hour to do something important, and all of you just destroy the room?" she asked.
"It wasn't our fault. It was those two who were having a fight." Mahiru said.
"Oh sure, put the blame on me." Akane said, crossing her arms.
"Well it was you that started this." the redhead continued, glaring at the gymnast.
"Can we not fight you guys? Aren't we all here to make friendships or whatever?" Daisuke asked curiously, reentering the room, followed by Ryouta who had his tablet in his hand.
"He's right, so pick up this mess. We can't learn in a dirty room." the Housekeeper said, urging her students to help clean up the room. It brought a smile to her face, seeing them bonding through something as easy as cleaning the room. Afterwards, everyone was in their seats. Daisuke found himself on the far left row, behind Sonia, and in front of Tanaka, who was playing with his hamsters, or Dark Devas, as he liked to call them. To his right was Hiyoko, who was busy trying to open a pack of gummy bears. He rolled his eyes, looking back at the front of the room.
"Well, it's great so see everyone here this time. I hope all of you are getting along, last nights party got the ball rolling, but now it's time for you all to form a stronger bond with each other." she said, clapping her hands.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Fuyuhiko asked.
"We take a group shit." Nekumaru suggested, getting disgusted groans from his classmates.
"Dude what the fuck?" Daisuke muttered under his breath, looking out the window for a few seconds. He listened to a few more suggestions, before tuning them out. He took out a blank notebook from his messenger bag, which he had set on the floor next to him, along with one of the pens he had bought at the store. He might as well get a head start on that script he promised Kotoko he would write. What would it even be about though?
"You guys, for the last year, all of you avoided class because you felt your talents were enough to carry you through school. While that is true on most cases, you also need strong connections to bloom into beautiful flowers. I'll use an example, what if in the future, Sonia is hosting a festival and needs some traditional dancers? She could get in contact with Hiyoko and they could work together, but for that to work they need to know each other fully and trust each other wholeheartedly." Chisa said.
"I'm not telling anyone my secrets. I only trust myself, and big sis Mahiru of course." Hiyoko said.
"Maybe if you weren't so stuck up, you would have more friends." Daisuke muttered, making Tanaka chuckle quietly. The blonde looked at him, glaring holes into his head.
"What was that slave?" she snapped.
Did she just call him a slave? He wouldn't be having that, hell no. He looked directly at her, blue eyes glaring into her golden ones. It was the first time he had actually looked into them, and he had to admit, they were really pretty, with little specks of black around her pupils. He also noticed her cute face, with her slightly blushing cheeks, most likely with anger. He shook his head slightly, his frown turning into a grin.
"I said, maybe if you weren't so stuck up, you would have more friends." he said.
"Oh, like you would know what having friends is like."
"I actually have friends, Kotoko and Nagisa who I read to all the time, I have my sister, some friends back in Spain, and I have Lady Sonia too. Who the hell do you have? Just Mahiru?" he asked curiously.
"What's it to you?" she snapped back.
"What's it to me? You are acting like a little snob, I mean you stole a picture from my family album and are using it for blackmail, calling me your slave. How the hell do you expect to make friends that way?" he asked.
"Hiyoko is this true? Did you steal a picture from his house?" Chisa asked, looking at the blonde dancer.
"No...his mom said I could keep it." She sneered.
"Oh, in that case it's totally fine." the woman said.
"That's bullshit, she's clearly holding it against me, Chisa. Come on take my side." Daisuke said.
"If it was a gift, I can't really take it from her. It would be wrong of me." she said with a shrug.
"Maldita sea todo al infierno." (Goddamn it all to hell) he muttered under his breath, looking angrily out the window.
"Come on you guys, it's the first day you all came together as a class, we have to stop acting like brats and start becoming friends." Sonia said, a bright smile on her face.
"I don't know if you noticed, but friendship isn't needed in this academy, not if you graduate from it. You will be set for life regardless, so it isn't a priority. Besides, friends don't amount to much in the future anyway." Fuyuhiko said, glaring at the princess from his spot in the back of the room.
"Please everyone. I came to this academy to see your bright shining hope. Friendship is the thing that will bring us all together, so we can make a strong blinding hope for the future!" Nagito said, a grin on his face.
"Quiet you! No one cares about your input." Hiyoko said.
"If you allow me, I think I have an input that will bring all of us a little closer together." Teruteru said, a bit of blood dripping from his nose. Akane grabbed the collar of his shirt, slapping him across the face.
"We don't need your perverseness in this classroom douche bag."
"Alright that's enough!" Daisuke cried, slamming his fist against the desk. Everyone looked at him, surprised at his reaction. He swallowed hard, turning around.
"I'm not that good with crowds, sorry for making a fuss." he said.
"No, you made a fuss for a reason, spit it out." Chisa said, arms crossed.
"Um...well I came up with a good way for all of us to become closer friends and let out some pent up aggression." he said, getting everyone's attention. Teruteru was struggling in Akane's grasp, his muffled voice almost screaming his perverted idea. Everyone seemed to ignore him though.
"So, what's your idea of getting rid of all our pent up aggression?" Fuyuhiko asked, brow raised in curiosity. Daisuke smirked and grabbed his messenger bag off the floor, zipping it open a bit too loudly. He ruffled through it for a few seconds, before pulling out a black handgun, he took aim at the wall, firing a single round at the window frame. Everyone screamed loudly, not expecting him to bring that out.
"Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Kazuichi asked, cowering from under his desk.
"Oh relax you baby, it's a marking gun." he said nonchalantly.
"A marking gun?" Sonia asked, still a bit shaken up.
"Yeah, I can't own a real gun, so I bought myself one of these. They're cheap, reliable and you can still scare the shit out of people if you are walking home alone. Plus the florescent purple paint is cool to look at." he said, gesturing to the paint smear on the wall.
"How did you even get that passed security?" Chisa asked curiously, earning a smile from the story teller.
"I took it apart and hid all the metal parts in my boots, when they waved the wand around it, I told them that my boots we're steel toed and that was the reason why it was beeping. They let me go and I put it back together on the way to the Headmaster's office." he said with a shrug.
"Hmm...quite interesting...I believe we have found our first activity. Daisuke, how many more of these guns do you own?" the woman asked.
"Um, I own three. This 1911 replica, an M16A1 with several forty round magazines, and my M200 inversion replica, with modded magazine that holds thirty rounds. My friend though, he has a whole arsenal, rents them for cheap, but I can get in contact with him and he'll let me borrow them, he owes me one anyway." he said with a shrug.
"Whoa, Miss Yukizome, you can't be seriously thinking about this." Akane said, a little worried especially after the scare Daisuke had given her.
"Of course, this seems like the perfect team building exercise. Besides it's just paint after all, no one is going to get hurt. Daisuke, how fast can you get all of the necessary gear ready?" the woman asked, turning to the Ultimate Story Teller. He smirked, drawing his blue flip phone from his pocket.
"Half an hour tops. However, I can't just have my friend drive this stuff into the academy, won't people question it?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it, I'll handle everything else."
"If you say so. But I'm not the only one who's getting his ass chewed out if we're caught. This was only a suggestion, not to be taken seriously, so if I go down, you go down." he said, dialing the number.
"That seems fair. Alright then students, I hope all of you have good stamina, because this will be the most intense game of paintball you will ever play...or maybe we should do capture the flag? Yes, that sounds better." she said, muttering to herself.
"Nice going Daisuke, this is going to suck." Kazuichi said, glaring at the spiky haired teen, who just gave him a shrug.
"What are you talking about? This is the best thing that's come out of his mouth since he came to this academy. This is going to be so much fun!" Hiyoko said, a grin on her face.
"Good to see you are excited for this game." Mahiru added.
"Excited? She just wants to shoot people with hard ass paint bullets. Little sociopath." Fuyuhiko muttered.
"The hope that will come from this activity will surely be rewarding. I'll make sure to use my luck to the best of my abilities, though I will only be a stepping stone for this whole game." Nagito said.
"If you say so. Everyone, shoot the bagel lover first." Hiyoko said, earning similar cries from her friends.
"Okay, my buddy Ozzy said he could have the stuff ready in half an hour but we have to go meet him at his place downtown. Where are we taking this stuff?" he asked, looking at Chisa who had a pensive look on her face.
"I'll message you the address, I have to talk to the headmaster. Why don't you all just wait here until I come back? Daisuke if you have to leave then please do so. And thanks for this suggestion, I'm sure it'll be fun for all of us!" she said cheerfully. He gave her a nod, grabbing his messenger bag. He hastily stuffed his gun into his bag, zipping it shut.
"No problem. I'm sure this will be fun for me too." he said, glaring at Hiyoko, a smirk on his face. She shivered a bit, but didn't back down, giving him her own prideful smirk.
"Actually Chisa, do you mind if I take the whole class with me? It would be better if they gear up and take time to practice with their chosen weapons, though I doubt some of us lack the knowledge to use a weapon. It would be better if everyone was on equal playing grounds." he said.
"That's fine, no dilly dallying...see you all soon." she said, taking her leave.
"Alright, field trip time. Do you think we could stop at a cafe? I'm starving." Akane said, waving her hands frantically.
"Sure, now lets hurry, we mustn't keep my friend Ozzy waiting." he said, leading his friends out of the room.
The day was beautiful, and the air was fresh and crisp. It was the perfect day to be outside, and Daisuke was lucky he actually was. Spending time in the academy made him miss the outdoors, as he has grown used to being at the park every day, or playing games at the arcade. For him those days were gone, replaced with his self made promise to give Hope's Peak the fair chance it deserved, and right now he felt like taking out his aggression on a certain blonde dancer that had made his day a living hell with that picture.
Truth be told, he was only kidding when he suggested paint ball, he hadn't been counting on Chisa actually agreeing to it. Hell, he wasn't even sure the safety on his gun was off, so he got lucky with that single shot. Maybe Nagito's Good luck had rubbed off on him? Then again, he had tripped on a pot hole earlier, so he wasn't betting on it. They reached a busy intersection and stopped for the crosswalk.
"Ugh...how much longer, my feet hurt." Hiyoko snapped, already complaining.
"See, this is the stuff that paints a target to your back Hiyoko. You need to stop complaining, enjoy the outdoors...or at least let off the gummies and get some exercise in." he said.
"Keep talking slave, drive me over the edge and I'll make sure that picture of you ends up on the Hope's Peak Gazette." she said.
"The what?" he asked curiously.
"The Hope's Peak Gazette just happens to be the school News Paper. It's run by the Student Council and I happen to be one of their top two photographers. The first being the Ultimate Journalist, Blanca Midoriya of class 75. Once she graduates though, I'll be able to take her spot until someone else joins." Mahiru said proudly, placing her hand on her precious camera.
"Meaning that I can easily get that picture on there." Hiyoko added, sticking her tongue out at him.
"Alright, how about we do this. Since this is going to be a team effort, we'll be splitting up, if my team wins, you have to give up that picture. If we lose however...you get to put embarrassing pictures of all of my teammates on the Gazette." he said.
"Dude, don't bet something like that, what the hell?" Kazuichi snapped.
"It would be most unfortunate if a picture of me in a state of undress were to leak onto the mortal news outlet. Everyone would perish instantly." Tanaka said, looking away while hiding his mild blush.
"I have to concur. I don't want a photo of myself being on that paper." Peko added.
"Guys, where's the fun in not betting something? Sure, you might lose some dignity points, but it's all in good fun. Besides, the teams haven't been decided yet." he said, shaking it off.
"Okay, what happens if we lose? Do the same terms apply to my teammates?" Hiyoko asked.
"Sure, losing team gets an embarrassing picture on the gazette, that seems fair. Do we have a deal?" he asked, holding his hand out. Hiyoko smirked, shooting a glob of spit into the palm of her hand, slapping it onto his own before giving a firm shake.
"We have a deal." she said.
"Ew gross." he said, wiping his hand on his pant leg.
"You know Daisuke, that spit on your hand could count as an indirect kiss, all you have to do is lick it up." Teruteru said.
"What the fuck man, don't make me hit you." the spiky haired teen said, luckily, the light turned green and they were able to get across the street.
They finally stopped in front of a large house, near the downtown area. It was a two story house, with a pale yellow paint on the outside, and bright green window shutters. There was a stone wall between the yard and the sidewalk, topped off with thick iron gates. The Ultimate Story Teller stopped next to the panel, pressing the red button.
"Who is it?" a firm voice asked.
"Oz it's me, buzz me in."
"Got ya, I'm in the garage getting the gear ready."
The panel beeped loudly, and the gate opened, allowing them all entry into the property. Behind the fenced wall, it was actually quite big, with a very lush green yard, and some neatly trimmed bushes. Daisuke walked up the path toward the open garage, seeing the large Rental truck sitting smack in the center of it.
Inside the truck stood a young man, of about nineteen. He had a slim build, and light colored skin with a five o'clock shadow. He had dirty blonde hair, slicked with sweat and covered up by the beanie he was wearing. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, with matching slim straight pants stuffed into combat boots. He also wore black fingerless gloves. This young man was named Osborn Cox, an American citizen who had moved to Japan to study abroad. To his friends though, he was Ozzy. The teen gave him a smile.
"Dais, my dude I didn't think you were bringing company." he said.
"Yeah, but I figured it would be better to have them all be combat ready. This is my class, Hope's Peak Academy's 77th class." he said, gesturing to the people behind him.
"Hope's Peak Academy? You go there dude?" Ozzy asked.
"Yeah, didn't I tell you this like a year ago?" he asked.
"No, I thought you were joking. When did you start going, I haven't seen you in the halls or anything." he said.
"It's my first day actually...wait a minute, what the hell do you mean you haven't seen me in the halls?" he asked.
"That's a good question, I haven't seen you either." Akane said, looking him over, she had a slight blush on her face.
"Now that I think about it, I wish I had." she said, seductively.
"Whoa, sorry miss, but I'm already in a relationship. The reason I asked, is because I'm a student there too, part of Class 76. I'm the Ultimate Gunner." he said.
"Really? Small world." Daisuke said.
"The only reason I'm not there on most days is because I spend my time training new Police officers, as well as Navy Personnel and Marines on the proper maintenance and use of firearms. I've actually failed two years because of my job, but the academy has been lenient on it. If I fail this year though, I'm out for certain and that would be a shame. It's nice to meet you Class 77. Though I have to ask, why do you need all of this stuff?" he said giving them a smile.
After a brief explanation, as well as an introduction from all the students, Ozzy was fully caught up on the situation, minus the bet that Daisuke and Hiyoko had in place. Turning around, he walked further into this garage, grabbing a remote.
"Well, if it's firearms you need, then it's fire arms I got. Due to the law in this country, a lot of people aren't allowed to use firearms, but if it's for sport and for practice, then they're completely legal. I have amassed a decent collection in the years that I've been working with guns, so I have a lot of spare training ammunition. Plus, I get a lot of the stuff from doing jobs, so it's alright if you use it all." he said, pressing the button. The walls on the side of the garage, opened outward, revealing the arsenal of weapons he had hidden inside. From Assault rifles to shotguns, Ozzy had it all. At the top, it was labeled Training Guns, though they didn't doubt that he had the real deal stored away somewhere.
"Oh yeah, this will work out perfectly." Daisuke said, a grin on his face. He walked toward the wall, pulling out an M4, with a mounted EoTech scope. He grabbed five empty magazines and three boxes of purple ammunition.
"Where exactly are you even planning on hosting this thing? And are you sure everyone is allowed to even participate?" Ozzy asked.
"I don't know, Chisa is the one who's setting it up. I just suggested it as a joke, didn't think she would take it seriously." he said.
"You fired a gun in the classroom dude. I think anyone would have taken it seriously." Kazuichi said.
"It was pretty convincing though." Sonia added, making the mechanic give her a stupid grin.
"Everyone who participates in Nekumaru Nidai's Team will surely be victorious!" the Ultimate Team Manager cried loudly.
"Ibuki surely doubts that. Oh oh, can Ibuki have the hot pink bullets?"
"Knock yourself out kiddo, just don't aim a loaded gun at anyone. Take your pick, everyone gets a primary weapon and a secondary weapon. Have you all decided what the team color will be?" Ozzy asked.
"We haven't even split up into teams yet. However, Hiyoko and Daisuke have a bet going on, so they should be the team captains." Sonia said, looking over the weapons briefly. She settled on a R12 Submachine gun, as it was light and easy for her to carry. She grabbed a couple of the magazines next to it. Truth be told, as part of her royal training, she had been taught how to use several firearms, in case she had ever come into danger and her guards weren't there to help her, or she was in the middle of a war. She wasn't going to say that to anyone however, so she was keeping it safely hidden, though Daisuke could already tell from her smirk alone.
"Well in that case, how about Red Team versus Blue Team. Also it would be best if you all picked the same color, that way it would be easily distinguishable." Ozzy suggested.
"Alright then, I'll be the captain of the Blue team, we'll have Purple and Hot Pink ammunition." Daisuke said.
"Does that mean Ibuki is on your team?" the Ultimate Musician asked, earning a nod from him.
"If you want, then my all means you can join my team."
"Yes, Ibuki will not fail you captain!" she said, giving him a salute.
"Hey no fair, I wanted to be the blue team." Hiyoko said with a huff.
"Don't worry, Red is better than Blue, I'll be your General." Mahiru said with a smile.
"I like the sound of that. Take that you idiot." the blonde cried, walking away from him. It wasn't long before the teams had been split up, with each captain picking the member of their team. In the end, Daisuke ended up with Sonia, Fuyuhiko, Nekumaru, Mikan, Nagito and Peko, in addition to Ibuki who had already joined his team. It was split evenly in half, with Hiyoko getting, Mahiru, Ryouta, Akane, Kazuichi, Chiaki, Teruteru and Tanaka on her team, through the mechanic had complained several times about not being on Sonia's team, though a swift shot to the leg from Hiyoko shut him up for awhile.
After having the teams ready, Ozzy handed everyone a special camouflage suit that was made specifically for paint ball training. It had an internal padding that would make the paint bullets hurt less, but would still be hard enough for the pain to smear on it. He also handed them a face and eye mask as well as a vest to hold all their ammunition.
"Cool, now we're looking like a team. A little bit of practice and all of you should be ready to go." Ozzy said.
"Yes, there are things at stake here and we have to do everything in our power to win." Daisuke added, loading a magazine into the receiver of his M4. He set it beside him, and grabbed his 1911A1, checking all of the magazines he had prepared. He had a decent amount of ammunition, and if anything happened he could always disarm an enemy.
"You know, this is the first time I've held a gun." Fuyuhiko said, looking over his chosen weapon, a Pump Action Mossberg 500 shotgun. He had been attracted to it almost instantly, mostly for the wooden stock. He had stuffed several shotgun shells in his vest pocket and with Ozzy's advice, had chosen a P220 as his side arm, as it had a higher round capacity than his shotgun did.
"Really? I would have thought you of all people would have held a gun." Mikan said softly, trying not to look at her gun. Since she was a nurse, she hated the thought of hurting other people, so she had chosen a .38 special as her gun. She wasn't planning on shooting anyone with it.
"Why is that? Because I am the son of a Yakuza?" the short young man asked, glaring at the nurse.
"I'm sorry. I just figured you would have held one before." she said, cowering a bit. He sighed, looking away from her.
"I don't like pointless violence, so I stray away from weapons entirely. I would never use a firearm on another human being, unless I had no other choice or I was in a life or death situation." he admitted.
"Wow, that's actually really cool of you." Daisuke said.
"Shut up. Don't go blabbing it to everyone." he said, blushing a bit. Peko seemed to be happy, as she was looking over her own weapons. She had chosen an FN 5.7 as her primary gun, and had insisted on using her Bokken as her main weapon. Even when asked by Ozzy is she wanted a rifle, she had turned him down, instead trusting her sword skills and over all abilities in order to carry herself through the game. Daisuke had honestly wanted to see her in battle, to see just how good she was with a sword.
"Wahoo, this is going to be so fun. Too bad Ibuki can't use her guitar as a weapon...maybe Ibuki can retrofit it to fire paint bullets. Then It would be a weapon!"
"No, I think that Assault rifle will be enough for now." Sonia said, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. Daisuke nodded, glancing at Hiyoko and her teammates who had already geared up. It was honestly weird seeing her in camouflage, but it did suit her to a certain degree. Since she was the shortest one in the group, Ozzy had to find the smallest suit he had and modify it a bit. He noticed that she and her teammates were huddled together, talking about something, he narrowed his eyes, looking at his teammates.
"Listen up guys, it seems our enemy is already making their game plan. We don't know what field we'll be in, or the scenario we will be presented, but it's obvious who we must take out first. I understand that most of you have little to no experience with this type of thing, but we have to pick them off one by one, starting with her general. If we get rid of her, then it's game over for Hiyoko, she won't be able to come up with a sound strategy if her friend isn't in the game. We should also aim for their most athletic player, Akane. Her speed will surely aid her in battle. Finally, we should all aim at Teruteru, because why not?" he asked.
"Well said, if I may add something, I think we should team up in pairs of two, that way we can cover more ground. If this is indeed capture the flag, then two of us need to protect that flag, I volunteer myself for the job." Nekumaru said, giving Daisuke a nod.
"I shall join you as well, surely my uselessness will make you stand out even more Nekumaru." Nagito said.
"Alright, that leaves the rest of us as foot soldiers. Sonia, I have no doubt that you know what you are doing, or else you wouldn't have chosen that Barrett .50 cal as your primary weapon." he said, looking at the rifle in Sonia's hands. Just to prove her point, she pulled the bolt back, loading a round in the chamber.
"I'll take the high route and pick off their stronger players, I'll need someone to cover me." she said.
"I shall be that cover. If anyone gets close to you I shall cut them down." Peko said firmly.
"I'll go with Nurse girl, and provide cover to the wounded. Once their off the field we'll continue scanning for enemies." Fuyuhiko said, earning a meek nod from Mikan.
"That leaves me and Ibuki as the primary strike force. We'll find out where their strong hold is and then we'll flank their sides and flush them out. Don't just run in there Ibuki, I get that you are excited for this but you have to think logically and use as much cover as you can. The field is your friend." Daisuke said.
"Roger doger Captain." Ibuki said.
"Great, we'll use this strategy to win this game and capture their flag. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable, pull out." he said.
"These will make these easier, you'll be in contact with your friends that way. Channel three will be your teams channel, channel four will be the enemy teams channel, though it wouldn't be fair if you listened in on their convos." Ozzy said, handing everyone a walkie talkie.
"This is getting serious, it's going to be so much fun." Ibuki cried out, the sheer joy written on her face.
"So, what's the plan captain?" Akane asked, looking at Hiyoko. She looked back at Daisuke, who was busy talking to his own team, she looked back at her own, giving a firm nod.
"Alright, it's obvious that they'll try to flush all of us out. I don't know what their positioning will be or what field we'll be in, but if we're in an urban setting, then it will be easier for us. Akane, use your stamina and Gymnastics to gain some ground on them, take out their heavy hitters first, Nekumaru and Nagito should be the easiest targets, for various reasons. Kazuichi, since you are our sniper you'll have to take a more passive role and try to get out as many of their teammates as you can, including their sniper." Hiyoko said.
"But...I can't hurt Miss Sonia, I would die if did." the young man said.
"You can and you will soldier, unless you want me to riddle you full of holes." the girl snapped. He remained silent, giving her a firm nod.
"Mahiru, you and I will guard the flag, it's obvious that Daisuke will be after it, so it will be way better if it was us that took him out. That leaves Teruteru and Chiaki as our foot soldiers, flank their base and take flush them out. No falling asleep Chiaki." the blonde said, snapping her fingers to rouse the Ultimate Gamer from sleep. She gave tired nod, holding her gun closely to herself.
"What about me?" Ryouta asked curiously.
"You're our medic, if one of us is hit, get them off the field so they don't get hurt. And be quick about it, your a big person so you got a big target on your back. That should be a sound plan, I don't need to tell you to be careful." she said sternly.
"Wow Hiyoko, I didn't think you would be this forward about a game." Akane said curiously.
"Heh, I'm forward about this because of the sheer fun it'll be shooting people. Their pain will be amazing." she said.
"Fucking sociopath." Kazuichi muttered under his breath.
"Hey, figured I would let you have some talkies to keep connected. Channel four will be your dedicated channel, hope you all have fun today." Ozzy said, handing all of them a white walkie talkie.
"Okay everyone, Chisa just gave me the address of the place we'll be having this match, file in the truck and Ozzy will drive us there. Remember to play fair, and good luck." Daisuke said, giving the enemy team a bright grin. Hiyoko glared at him, as she and her team walked toward the back of the rental truck, which had been outfitted with benches and seatbelts. Ozzy had bought to use as a transfer vehicle for practice drop offs. Once everyone was inside, the Ultimate Gunman closed the shudder door, and climbed into the cab along with Daisuke, who placed his gun on the floor of the vehicle.
"So, where are we going?" Ozzy asked.
"Don't know, she sent me this address." he said, handing him his phone. Ozzy looked at it oddly, a smirk on his face.
"I know where this place is exactly. We'll be there shortly, so just sit back and enjoy the ride." he said, turning the engine on. He pressed a button on the dashboard, opening the metal gates to his house. Daisuke sat back, a smile on his face.
"Well, this may not have been the ideal first day scenario, but I can't complain. Maybe this game is what all of us need to actually start becoming closer together. I could always use a couple extra friends."
Whatever the case was, Daisuke and his classmates would be having the first of many class bonding activities like this one, where they would form strong bonds and create hope for the future. For now, he would focus on winning this game and getting that picture back, no way in hell was he going to have that published on the school news paper. He could almost taste victory.