The first three classes went well. Kaede learned that before, Hope's Peak Academy's Main Course wasn't obliged to go to class, except when there were exams. The old administration of Hope's Peak considered that the students should use their class time to work on their talent instead. But with the new administration lead by Naegi Makoto, things changed. It was now mandatory to go to class. The new headmaster and his staffs considered that talent wasn't all that matter for Hope's Peak Academy's students and that regular classes would be better to make them enjoy their school life like any normal teenager. However, there had a free time class every day to let the students practice their talent.
It was now lunch time. Almost everyone left the classroom, except five people, including herself. Shirogane and Iruma were still at their desk, eating their bento. Kaede recognized one of those who were late, the girl who spoke in third person. She was with the red haired girl with a witch hat.
"Yumeno-san, it's time to wake up. Class is over."
The smaller girl was sleeping at her desk, while the other girl was softly shaking her shoulder to wake her up. Since she never talked with them, Kaede decided to go meet them.
"Hello…" She tried to say.
"KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!"
"Ah!" Kaede blenched.
After uttering this cry, the girl who was referring at herself as "Tenko" took an offensive posture. When she saw Kaede, she began to blush with embarrassment.
"Ah, sorry! It's a reflex. Please, don't see Tenko as someone who could attack a girl, because Tenko would never do that! Except if it's a fair fight."
"It's okay, don't worry about that. Hum, you seem to have good reflexes, are you perhaps some kind of fighter?"
"You see right. Tenko is the Ultimate Aikido Master, Chabashira Tenko!"
"Huh, aikido? To see such a cute girl like you being an aikidoka is quite surprising."
Chabashira blushed even more and became flustered.
"Tenko, cute? W-What are you saying!? Tenko isn't cute at all…Cute would rather fit someone like…"
The aikidoka didn't finish her sentence, she just turned her head to gaze the red haired girl. Kaede noticed that Chabashira's blush had changed. It wasn't from embarrassment anymore, but more from…attraction? Lust? The Ultimate Pianist wasn't sure. The girl with the witch hat suddenly woke up.
"Good morning." She said while yawning.
"It's almost the afternoon, Yumeno-san. It's time for lunch."
The red haired girl looked at Chabashira, before turning her head toward Kaede.
"Who are you?"
"Uh? Ah, I'm Akamatsu Kaede, the Ultimate Pianist. And you?"
"Yumeno Himiko. I'm the Ultimate Mage."
Kaede became silent. She wasn't sure if it was a joke. Yumeno seemed serious and Chabashira didn't react at the term "mage".
"But officially, I'm known as the Ultimate Magician."
"Ah, you should have said that earlier! Of course magic isn't real…" Kaede replied.
"…Magic is real. Because, I'm really a mage…" Yumeno said with a pout. "It's because of a conspiracy to hide the existence of magic that people think that my magic is only tricks."
"Huh, conspiracy? It sounds kind of fishy…"
"If Yumeno-san said magic is real, then magic is real!" Chabashira replied energetically.
"How can you be so trustful?" Kaede asked.
"Because Yumeno-san is so small and cute!" The aikidoka answered without hesitation. "Tenko can't think that someone like her can lie."
"You sound like a fucking lolicon! That's creepy!"
Kaede turned back and saw Iruma rushing toward them.
"T-That's not true! Tenko isn't a lolicon!" Chabashira protested strongly.
"Don't bullshit me Chabashita!" The inventor replied. "I saw how you look at this red haired chibi. I can see the lust in your eyes. And I'm sure you carried her just to feel her loli boobs against your back you perv!"
"O-Of course not! Tenko isn't a pervert male, Tenko wouldn't do that!" The aikidoka continued to deny.
"If I may say so, I don't think 'lolicon' would be the fitting term." Shirogane began to say. "After all, Yumeno-san is the same age as us. In a manga she would be considered as a 'legal loli'. So I suppose the fitting term for Chabashira-san would be 'legal lolicon'."
"Oy, who the hell are you!" Iruma shouted. "Where did you come from? I never saw you before, are you in this class? And cut it out with the otaku talk…"
"I know that I'm plain, but to not even notice my presence…it make me feel even more like a background character." The cosplayer replied with a slightly concern expression.
"Wait, I'm a what now?" Yumeno asked with a tired look.
"Tenko isn't a legal lolicon either! Tenko isn't attracted to little girls. What's wrong with liking small and cute girls?" Chabashira argued.
"So you really swing that way!?" Iruma said with panic while covering her cleavage.
"Ah, really? I wouldn't have thought to see yuri development in this class. It's kind of interesting!" Shirogane said with enthusiasm.
While they continued to argue, Kaede slowly began to recoil and left the classroom. She went outside the school and spotted one of her classmate near a tree. It was the boy who arrived late this morning. He wasn't alone. A girl with a tanned skin and platinum blond hair was there too. The girl seemed to have spot Kaede too and began to wave her hand while smiling.
"Hey, you! Come here!" The platinum blond haired girl invited with fervor.
The Ultimate Pianist couldn't decline such an enthusiastic invitation. She went to them and introduced herself.
"Hi! My name is Akamatsu Kaede and I'm the Ultimate Pianist. What about you?"
"Gokuhara Gonta, Ultimate Entomologist!" The boy answered with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Akamatsu-san."
"Yonaga Angie, Ultimate Artist!"
They both seemed to be quite sympathetic. Kaede was surprised to see that Gokuhara's attitude didn't match his physic. Despite his terrifying appearance, he seemed to be a nice and gentle boy.
"What are you doing here?" The Ultimate Pianist asked.
"Gonta was trying to find insects to show them to Yonaga-san."
When he talked about insect, Kaede noticed the bug terrarium strapped around him. She wasn't sure what an "entomologist" was, but it seemed to be related to insect. She also noticed that he wasn't wearing shoes. She wondered why. Maybe there were none of his size?
"Yonaga-san, do you like bugs?" Kaede asked.
"Angie loves every living being, because they're all creatures of God." The artist answered cheerfully.
The Ultimate Pianist was surprised to hear her speaking about God. Yonaga must be a religious person.
"And you, Akamatsu-san? Do you like insects?" Gokuhara suddenly asked.
His face became scarier. Kaede wasn't good with insects, but she was afraid to tell him that. But she also didn't want to lie.
"I…find butterfly and ladybug kind of pretty…" She answered nervously.
The entomologist kept his scary face for a moment, before showing a cheerful smile.
"So those two are your favorite insects! Gonta is happy to see another bugs lover."
Kaede sighed in relief and smiled awkwardly. Technically, she didn't lie, it was Gokuhara who misunderstood her words.
"I begin to be hungry, I'll go to the cafeteria. It was nice to talk with you." Kaede said.
"Thank you to have spoken to Gonta!"
"See you later" Angie added.
The Ultimate Pianist leaved them and went to the cafeteria. On her way, she almost collided into another girl. It was the dark haired girl she met with everyone at the special information session.
"Ah, sorry! Uh…Harukawa-san?"
"Be cautious around me. I'm not the kind to go easy on people who hit me, even if it was by accident, uh…what's your name again?"
"Akamatsu Kaede. I'm the Ultimate Pianist. Sorry again for almost bumping into you!"
Harukawa didn't reply. She didn't seem to be really sociable, more like the loner type. Even so, Kaede still tried to talk with her.
"So…what's your talent?"
The dark haired girl didn't answer. She seemed even bothered by her question. The Ultimate Pianist remembered that Amami also refused to tell his talent. She also remembered something Harukawa had said to her when they met for the first time.
"Could it be…that you're the Ultimate Caregiver?"
Harukawa didn't reply immediately. She looked hesitant to answer.
"Yes, I'm the Ultimate Caregiver. Now if excuse me, I've things to do."
Without saying anything more, the dark haired girl turned around and went away.
"Ah, wait…" Kaede tried to call her.
But it was too late. She was already far away. The Ultimate Pianist wondered why she seemed bothered to reveal her talent. Maybe she was worried that being a caregiver would make her look too soft?
"Don't bother with her, she has the same vibe as me. She's the type of person you shouldn't associate with."
Kaede almost blenched. She turned back, to see a really small guy. He was wearing the regular school uniform, with a particular hat with two points. Despite his size, he had a deep and mature voice.
"Huh? What are you saying…"
"The name's Hoshi Ryouma, the Ultimate Tennis Player. You must have heard about me in the news."
The Ultimate Pianist took the time to think and tried to remember. After a couple of seconds, she remembered in what circumstance she heard his name and began to be a little bit frightened.
"You're…the Killer Tennis, the one who killed an entire mafia organization's members…"
"You look scared. I can understand why, but be reassured, I'm not planning to kill anyone anymore. I'm kind of surprised that Hope's Peak Academy had accepted a murderer like me. Maybe it's because I once was a student of the Elementary School Division…"
"Huh? You too?!"
"I was the Li'l Ultimate Sport, even if my speciality was tennis."
Kaede was surprised to discover someone else who studied at Hope's Peak Elementary School.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted you, but I heard something from you that catch my attention. Is it true that you were both students at the Elementary School Division?"
The Ultimate Pianist turned back to see who was talking. She discovered a tall boy with a strange appearance. He was wearing a black mask with a zipper and his hands were covered with bandages.
"You…heard right." Kaede confirmed.
"I see, so I wasn't alone. You must wonder who I am, right? My name is Shinguuji Korekiyo, I'm called the Ultimate Anthropologist, but I once had the title of Li'l Ultimate History."
Kaede wondered if they had other ex-Li'l Ultimate among her classmates.
"I'll go to the gymnasium." Hoshi simply said before leaving.
"I have to go too, I was searching Yonaga-san." Shinguuji said.
"Ah, I saw her not long ago, with Gokuhara-kun. They were outside the school."
"I see, thank you…may I ask you your name?"
"Of course! I'm Akamatsu Kaede, the Ultimate Pianist."
"So you're a musician, interesting. I would appreciate to talk with you later. It's always a pleasure to get to know more humans and learn more about them."
Kaede wasn't sure how to interpret what Shinguuji said. He talked like he wasn't human himself.
"Ok…uh, well, I need to go to the cafeteria. Bye."
The Ultimate Pianist left too and went to the cafeteria. She spotted Momota and Saihara at a table and decided to go eat with them.
After lunch time, it was free class. Everyone could use their free time to work on their talent. For each of them, a research room had been built to that. Kaede found her research room. She went inside and discovered a piano, which filled her with happiness. Without losing any time, she sat on the seat and let her fingers explored the keyboard, before beginning to play.
Now Kaede has everyone's Bond Fragment. She can now start collecting her classmates' panties and make a harem. Or not.
Ah, Shuichi went to the bathroom during the free class and heard Kaede playing piano, so he stayed near her research room all the remaining time to listen. Yup, that's what he did.
For the next chapter, I want to do a group activity, but I hesitate between two games. It's The Werewolves of Millers Hollow (a board game) and Donjon & Dragon (probably online, or just a fantasy RPG game).