NOTE
1. Wow. Sorry guys, I was a bit occupied with my other two stories. I admit that I've received more response from the other two stories and forgot that I'm doing this not for reviews or any kind of reward. The Danganronpa fandom is such a small but close-knitted family and I still love this franchise so (honestly, I think everybody should try this game. Its awesome). So yeah, I'm still around. Especially because this story is so personal to me (I'll tell you about that later).
2. Regarding the references to canon, it might seem strange to you that I use the term Ultimate rather than SHSL. I've only ever played the Japanese dub with English sub, so that's where I get these terms.
3. Just to clarify, the backstory revolved around the neo world program but we're going there slowly.
4. I'm going to be direct about this, do you want this to be M rated? You know what I mean, right?
THE ONLY AVERAGE, IRKED
To everyone's surprise, one Hajime Hinata really did adapt to his new learning environment. Not only did he adapt to it's advanced curriculum (by reviewing his study materials before classes), he could now also act accordingly to his more talented peers. Yes, Hajime was quite proud to say that The Ultimates couldn't surprise him any longer. In fact, if they blew up the school somehow, Hajime would witness it with a neutral face (or a smile, if it is necessary).
He can now brush it off whenever he found either Pekoyama or Kuzuryu watching him secretly, or when his photo (that he didn't remember ever taking) ended up posted randomly in Instagram thanks to Koizumi's stalking skill, or when Nidai planned a special training regime for Hajime (as the class' mascot, whatever that meant). So, yes, Hajime can now face whatever weird quirks The Ultimates would show him.
That beautiful Monday morning, for example, he faced Tanaka's poetic praises calmly. "What beautiful claws, Little Mascot! I, Gundham Tanaka, am pleased by the fact that you are taken care of ever since your transfer to our side!" The guy with hamster said loudly as he stood in front of Hajime's table.
Hajime checked his hands to find shiny nails, "The girls insisted".
"EXACTLY!" Tanaka's voice boomed to the half empty classroom. They were one of the earlier students to arrive (Tanaka has to feed some animals in the school's shelter). "Little Mascot, we are the only ones who can appreciate you and your beauty! This Gundham Tanaka would even be happy to offer you his service to groom your fur!" He dramatically pointed at Hajime's head, "For free, of course. Under my hands, Little Mascot, that regal ahoge of yours will stand firmer than Mount Everest!"
That would be troublesome, "I can wash my own hai –"
"JUST IMAGINE! This ahoge standing taller than everything else!" Tanaka decided to ignore the spiky haired teen. The Ultimate Breeder turned around to face the center of the class, hands waving crazily to emphasize his point, "Everyone will submit to its glory!"
Hajime's decided to ignore it and resume to review his homework. This was his morning routine now. Everyday he should prepare himself for one of his classmates' antics in the morning. That day was Tanaka, tomorrow could be Tsumiki, and the day after could be Saionji. There was also the morning greetings he should keep watch to. Each of his classmates will make sure to pass by his table, however far their seat was from Hajime's, to greet him specifically. They would add a, "Good morning Hinata!" at the end of their greeting before going to their respective seat. Now, this routine should be taken seriously, because Hajime didn't want to repeat that accident when Owari threw a fit after he missed her greeting or when Tsumiki cried because Hajime forgot her name.
"Mornin', everyone!" Ibuki Mioda greeted after just passing the door. She strutted to Hajime's desk and tapped his desk, "Mornin' Hinata-kun! Your ahoge is as sparkling as usual!"
"Morning, Mioda-san," Hajime spared a second to look away from his homework, "Your hair is... as colorful as usual".
"Yahhhhaaaa! A mainstream compliment from Hinata-kun! Ibuki is so happy!" She threw a peace sign before going to her own seat. Yes, this was Hajime Hinata's life now. And he was happy to admit that he was getting comfortable with this routine, however fussy Tachibana get about calling the police to report some harassment (that Hajime couldn't understand one bit, honestly). Though sometimes, Hajime reminded himself to always prepare for any scenario. One should always be aware of The Ultimates; they are bound to surprise you after all.
So when he heard the hurried steps of someone getting into their classroom, Hajime told himself to stay calm and neutral. Said steps were not of his classmates' obviously; nobody in his class ran into room that way. "Kiyotaka Ishimaru is on duty!" An unfamiliar voice called to the class, "With my partner here, Mondo Oowada. I have come to check on the new student!"
You'd think this is the cue for Hajime to look up from his homework. But it's not. In fact, half the time these Ultimates talked about him oh so loudly, they really expected him not to notice (Hajime knows because they talk about his average-ness so loudly everyday, but acted surprised when he joined the conversation). The right thing to do is to act accordingly to their expectations; act as though you're not there.
"He's there, in front of you," Togami's calm voice answered to the loud question.
A sharp gasp could be heard. "Is he...," Ishimaru sounded breathless, "I-is he studying?"
Nope. Still not the cue to look up from homework.
"Our Hinata-kun reviews his studies everyday!" Saionji's bratty voice chimed in, "He has no talent, so he has to try hard. Unlike you!"
"Amazing!" Ishimaru half whispered, "Such a plain guy. Our Naegi never reviewed his study before, right?"
"Yeah," another new voice. Probably Oowada. "Naegi-kun is not as fond of his studies. And check out his ahoge, bro".
"...It's just like Chihiro-kun said!"
"Be amazed, fools!" Tanaka boasted, "Our Mascot is the most talentless in this building. His hard work and useless effort are worth every tear and adoration!" The Ultimate Breeder laughed gallantly.
Hajime had to stop checking his homework to wipe his face in embarrassment, but was stopped by a soft greeting. "Good morning, Hinata-kun".
Before Hajime could look up to see who it was, he felt a hand grabbing his shirt to drag him to the next seat. The next thing he knew, he found himself sitting in the middle seat at the center front row. Nanami took the seat he occupied just seconds ago. She smiled apologetically as she pushed his homework and books to his side. Komaeda, who just dragged Hajime to the middle spot, smirked as he took a seat on Hajime's other side. "Morning, Hinata-kun," his throaty voice greeted.
These two had always insisted for Hajime to sit right between them; even when they have to cross Hajime's face to converse to one another.
Hajime turned his attention away to find Ishimaru's and Oowada's shocked face directed toward him. The brown haired teen crooked his eyebrows at the two. Oowada was pointing a finger to his direction. "H-he's sitting with the m-married couple!" The man with mullet hair squeaked, "I-it's like N-naegi a-and his t-two–"
Ishimaru was gaping, while Saioji turned to look at Hajime disappointingly. She sighed deeply before shaking her head; which is very uncharacteristic to her bratty attitude. Hajime glanced left and right; is there something wrong with him, Nanami, and Komaeda?
Komaeda was sending Ishimaru and Oowada a bored glance then turned to Hajime's face (which means he wanted to talk to Nanami from across the spiky haired teen). "So yeah, that wannabe from the 78th gen – "
"It's Maizono, Nagito-kun," Nanami corrected, "It's Maizono".
"Yeah, that wannabe, is totally planning something bad today. She can prostitute herself for all I care, that weirdo Yamada would be the only one willing to kiss her".
Nanami absently brushed Hajime's hair with her fingers, "You might be jumping to conclusion again".
"What are you saying? My guesses are always right, which is why Makoto's slaves should watch out for her," Komaeda snorted, then smiled half-laughingly to Hajime, "Right, Hinata-kun?"
Hajime was only half listening, but nodded anyway.
"Do you know of the rumor that those two are dating?"
Hajime turned to Tachibana from across the front desk of the regular's library, "Who?"
"The two who are around you all the time. Nanami-chan and her sponsor," Yurika, another of Hajime's ex-classmate, chimed in. She joined Tachibana on paying Hajime a visit at the library that day.
"They are?" Hajime's eyebrows met, "... they are kind of close though".
"Kind of close – dude, do you know how much of an understatement that was? Everybody knows how glued they are to each other," Tachibana said sternly, "And Nanami-chan has a huge fan-base in the gaming community".
Hajime played with his pen absentmindedly, only half interested on this latest discovery, "She... has a fan-base?"
Yurika exaggerated an eye-roll while Tachibana leaned closer, "For being named the hottest gamer of 2015? Yeah dude. Have you read the gaming magazines I brought you back then?" Tachibana stared at Hajime disbelievingly, probably because he didn't expect his friend to be so ... unaware, "I mean, cute face, big boobs; sweet but outspoken attitude – ouch!"
Yurika slapped the teen's arm lightly to cut him off. She squinted at Hajime cheekily, "That's not the point. Point is, rumor has it that Miss Gamer is dating her sponsor".
"Who –?"
"Komaeda-kun, of course!" Yurika cut Hajime off, "Everyone in school knows that, dummy Hajime. Why do you think everybody is dubbing them the married couple? They are so close that it was said there is nothing that can get in between them!"
"That is," Tachibana smirked, "Until you, my friend".
Hajime frowned again, eyes alternately glancing between his two ex-classmates, "I don't get it".
"Well, aren't you close to them?" Yurika slammed her hands on the table, "You're lucky, dummy Hajime. So far, no one succeeded to get between the two. Both are too eccentric! Hipsters they say! And Komaeda has the ability to hurt someone without even having to lift a finger, something about his miraculous luck –"
" – actually -"
" – so no one dared to challenge Komaeda and his 'wife' – as they call Nanami-chan – which I think is a bit scary and romantic at the same time," Yurika took a deep breath, "Sorry, did you say something, Hajime?"
Hajime sighed, "I was trying to say that Komaeda is not a scary guy. And, no, we're not that close actually. I don't understand why it's such a big deal".
"Dude," Tachibana deadpanned, "These two unapproachable people are opening up to you! This is a first in history!" the guy then propped his chin on one hand, "So tell me, is it true that Komaeda has an underwater playground in his backyard?"
"Or that he owns a mountain?" Yurika continued excitedly.
"Orrr that one rumor of him and Nanami having gone through the third base," Tachibana glanced at Yurika, "That rumor has been around often, right?"
"Oh, so true! Because, everybody has been curious, but nobody dared to ask – knowing Komaeda's protective streak toward his possessions," Yurika waved a hand, "Ohh! You're so lucky, idiot Hajime! And you don't even know it! Do you know how many people yearn to be acknowledged by those two?"
Hajime put down his pen and fold his hands. Firstly, he never put a lot of thought toward Komaeda and Nanami's constant presence around him. They have been around since the beginning of his transfer thus it was hard to notice any differences. Yeah, they talk, though most of the time Hajime was too stunned to interact thanks to Komaeda's bizarre comment (something about hope?) and Nanami's incredible ability to sleep in the middle of a conversation. But are they friends? Hajime was not sure. He didn't even know half the things his ex-classmates were telling him about those two. The only thing Hajime know is that they don't mind Hajime's company and vice versa.
Secondly, he never thought of the possibility of those two dating. He should have, with their constant skinship, but Hajime didn't expect a dating couple to drag along a third person into their relationship (which is exactly what Nanami and Komaeda had been doing all along with Hajime). If he knew, he would probably consider giving them more space to their selves.
And last but not least, Hajime concluded that there is nothing weird, unique, or even special about his relationship with Komaeda and Nanami. As strange as it was to interact with those two, it was to be expected when one communicate with an Ultimate. So Hajime shrugged and decided to say, "Look, I don't have the answers to all your questions, but I think you guys are looking too far into it".
Tachibana took a second longer to squint at his friend. Hajime almost though that his ex-classmate finally gets it, but then he gave an exasperated sigh, "... dude, I've known since long ago that you're oblivious, but not this bad". Yurika had her mouth opened to add her own opinion, but the conversation met an abrupt end when the door to the library was opened by a handsome teen with pale complexion.
Speak of the devil! Komaeda made his appearance inside the regular course's library with his usual relaxed composure. He walked to the direction of the front desk. A bit excited from seeing the talented student in their library, Yurika squealed, "Hello Komaeda-san!"
The pale teen gave the two regular students an offhanded glance, but then forced a short smile. "Hey," he responded with his usual charming facade before turning to Hajime. The pale teen's bored eyes flickered for a moment there and he smiled – for real this time. "Hinata-kun," he started half-laughingly, "Mind to keep me company? Nanami will be busy for a while and I'm kind of bored".
Hajime shrugged. He didn't really mind, "Sure, but I cant be away from the library, so make yourself comfortable".
"I see," the pale teen looked around the vicinity before he decided, "Is it okay if I sit there?" His chin was pointed to the chair beside Hajime's. Hajime briefly nodded and Komaeda immediately walked pass Yurika and Tachibana without further words. The pale teen threw himself to the swivel chair. He spun on said chair, eyes wandering around as though entertaining his own curiosity. "Your library is surprisingly boring and plain, don't you know that?"
Hajime sighed. The people who hadn't known better about Komaeda would be disappointed. He was quite known as friendly and humorous throughout the school – even among the students who had never met him. But that was a facade. This – the straightforward and condescending attitude – is Komaeda's true face. Hajime was quite used to his bluntness, but a quick look at his reserve course friends told him that it shook them to the core. He realized, most people wouldn't be able to handle Komaeda's real character after all.
"Yeah. The school is quite honest about their favoritism," Hajime grunted; a bit disappointed.
Komaeda hummed, but scooted closer to Hajime. The pale teen put his long legs on top of the front desk and let his head rest on Hajime's shoulder. He looked up to reach Hajime's vision; his expression playful, but in no way remorseful, "I think that's because you talentless people should have done better".
Yurika and Tachibana flinched so hard. Not only the topic was sensitive, but the two people behind the front desk became unapproachable somehow. The two reserve student squirmed in their seats until Yurika excused herself, followed by Tachibana.
After the regular students left, Hajime visibly frowned at his fellow talented course student, "You were being really mean, you know that? Even more than usual".
Komaeda sat up straight. He showed Hajime an annoyed expression. "I was just being honest. Is it wrong to do that?" he complained, "'Sides, I don't have any interest toward boring non-beautiful things. Most people like them bore me".
Hajime rolled his eyes, "Too bad, I'm one of those boring non-beautiful things you hate so much".
"What are you talking about, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda snickered as he leaned his head to Hajime's shoulder again, "Of course you're different".
"... are you saying I'm beautiful?" Hajime mumbled, "Cuz, you know, I'm not."
Komaeda smirked, "and that's what makes you beautiful".
Hajime just hoped Komaeda was only repeating a cheesy lyric and not being serious.
Strangely enough, after that first break both Komaeda and Nanami, along with a number of other 77th generation Ultimates, didn't show their faces in class or anywhere. They might be busy – as Komaeda called it – but Hajime had no idea of what. It happens sometimes. A few Ultimates tend to skip classes and don't show up after the first break for some reason. Nobody bothered to explain to Hajime where they went.
So he spent that second break in the regular course's library as scheduled. This time, he expected no one to pay a visit to him(Komaeda and Nanami were 'busy' while Yurika and Tachibana might be too traumatized by earlier event to come). Hajime did his usual routine; arranging the books, listing the borrowed books, checking the guest book – all of it, until he felt somebody watching him.
He looked up to find a face. A very pretty face. A familiar pretty face. "Aren't you Saya-chan?" Hajime blurted. Who doesn't know her? She is a very popular idol.
The girl eyes widened in faked surprise before she smiled. "Busted!" she giggled, "Are you a Sayakers?"
"Uhh, no. No really, but every boy would know you," Hajime answered good-naturedly, "I didn't know you go to this school".
"I do," she said, "I'm in the talented course".
"Makes sense," Hajime felt wary all of a sudden. He was careful of the Ultimates he hadn't recognized for obvious reasons. And the fact that she was here in front of him, in the reserve course's library out of all places, was quite a warning. It was the first time Hajime hoped one of his 'bodyguards' are around. "Umm," Hajime said after a long awkward moment of silence (with the idol obviously staying there to watch him), "What are you doing here exactly, Saya-chan? I'm sure the talented course's library is better".
The idol turned her head around, but playing oblivious to the whispers around her. The library had been blessed with sights of celebrity and popular students lately (thanks for Hajime Hinata). "I never heard of a rule saying that the talented course's students are prohibited from visiting the regular course's facilities," she answered. It was true though, so Hajime couldn't say anymore.
She stayed there until the break was over, even tailed Hajime when he made his way to leave the library. The thing was, Hajime started thinking that she may not have any ill intention. They actually held a normal conversation; which was a first to Hajime when it comes to interacting with an Ultimate (his previous experiences are too bizarre to compare). She asked him normal questions (Whats your favorite book, Hinata-kun? Is it boring having to stay in the library all the time?) and responded normally (That's interesting! You're so funny). It's probably her idol charm or the fact that she was generally a sweet girl, but by the time they arrived at the talented course's building, Hajime already felt comfortable talking to her.
That was until she suddenly insisted on dragging him somewhere. "I really want to introduce you to my friends!" she said. Her hands gripping on Hajime's arm.
"Uhmm, the breaks over, Saya-chan. Maybe after –"
"Oh, its fine! No one is in your class anyway. And the teachers will be busy watching over them," she waved her hand playfully. Hajime hardly understood what she was talking about. "Come on! No one will notice you're gone, it's a free period". She was really hellbent on getting him to follow her. Boy was this girl strong when she wanted to be. She successfully dragged Hajime to a foreign hallway until they stopped in front of a door. Saya-chan opened it with high spirit, saying, "Look who is here with me, guys!" to the whole room.
Inside the room were unfamiliar faces. They were staring at Hajime with surprise and curiosity from behind elegant armchairs arranged beautifully in the Victorian themed room. Tea cups were halfway going to their mouths as they froze to watch Hajime Hinata, the so-called new student of the 77th generation class.
Hajime himself was too stunned to do anything. He guessed they were the 78th gen Ultimates, seeing that the school made sure to have only two batches of Ultimate generation at one time. The spiky haired teen didn't know what to expect but the sudden attention made him nervous somehow. They were whispering among their selves now; fingers were pointed and eyes glinted with curiosity. Hajime could pick out Ishimaru from the crowd of new faces. The disciplinary committee leader briskly stood up and approached them. He grabbed Hajime's arm to pull him further inside the room then shut the door. He then glared at Saya-chan, "What do you think you're doing?"
"What?" she opened her hands in an oh-well manner, "It's not like anyone here don't want this to happen!"
As she explained, everybody in the room looked like they wanted to approach, but decided not to. Hajime noted how a group of girls giggled as they pointed at his head – or his ahoge – while the guys observed him dumbly. A guy, the one with red hair, even had his mouth wide open.
"That's not the case, lady!" Hajime could hear Ishimaru hissing at the idol. The Moral Compass was practically grinding his teeth; annoyed and ticked, "Do you know who he's with?" When the girl only crossed her arms and pouted, Ishimaru pointed a finger, "It's Komaeda and Nanami!"
The gasp that came after was more of a chorus rather than a single reaction. The group of Ultimates who were watching from their spot further behind Saya-chan and Ishimaru didn't even bother to hide their comments. One girl dressing like a Gothic Lolita chirped loudly, "This guy? With Komaeda-kun and Nanami-chan? How unexpected!". Another guy with crazy curly hair added, "The stars never expected this!".
"We have to return him," Ishimaru exclaimed. He turned to Hajime, trying to be less loud as he addressed the spiky haired teen, "Urr, you wont tell this to Komaeda, right? We weren't trying to be mean or bully you. O-or do you want tea? Tea is good, right? Where is Hifumi Yamada!? WE NEED A SERVING OF TEA FOR HAJIME HINATA OVER HERE!"
Hajime tried to say that he didn't need that, but wasn't able to when a fat guy rose to scream, "ONE CUP OF ROYAL MILK TEA IS ON ITS WAY!". Meanwhile, Saya-chan was stepping slowly away from Hajime. She was so pale and out of it that she didn't even notice the fat guy running to her way. They hit each other hard enough that they toppled down to the floor, resulting to a series of shriek among the girls.
"Eww, they kissed!" a tan girl shouted while pointing at the two falling teenagers. The room got even noisier and Hajime found himself being bombarded by Ishimaru ("D-dont panic, Hajime Hinata! Your tea is on it's way! I-I'll ask my bro to make them for you!"). The situation was starting confuse Hajime more and more until a door at the furthest corner of the room opened to reveal a girl with long lavender hair.
Her face was flat of emotion, but it's presence was enough to put everything to complete silence. "What do we have here?" she asked quietly. No one dared to answer, not even make a move. Her eyes reached Hajime and her eyebrows instantly rose.
"Report!" Ishimaru made a salute, "It's Sayaka Maizono!"
Saya-chan jumped to her feet, quickly defending herself, "I did not!"
Whatever it was they were debating about, the lavender haired girl ignored them. She made her way to Hajime and, without further words, dragged him along with her. The rest of the room could only watch as she took the new student of the 77th gen to the room she previously appeared from.
He took Hajime to a smaller room of similar design. It has the same lavish carpeting and sleek wooden walls, but fewer seats and smaller minibar. The armchairs were arranged in the center of the room, surrounding a round coffee table.
"Those mongrels really can't learn some proper behavior," a voice came from the chair facing away from the door. The lavender haired girl threw a smile to Hajime as she took him to the farthest chair. After settling down on the chair, Hajime noticed a familiar face from the chair across from him.
The blond guy stared back, but his face emotionless. "This isn't Makoto," the guy muttered.
The lavender haired girl didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she told Hajime to relax as she prepares his tea. Only after she stepped to the mini bar did she answer the guy's question. "You know, there is now another person who could trigger the same reaction as Makoto," she said with a hint of humor, "And you know Makoto wont be back until later. He is helping with the 77th gen".
Hajime observed the blond guy from his spot. The blond guy didn't move an inch from his calculating posture; one leg over another, an arm on his lap and the other on the armrest, chin propped on a fist. There was something strangely familiar about that posture and that stare, yet at the same time felt different. Hajime hesitated, "...T-togami-kun?"
"Speaking," the blond guy affirmed. Yet, there was something wrong about him. He was now more regal - thinner. "You're in no way a resemblance to Makoto. Do you even know the kinds of things Makoto is capable of, as average as he is?" Togami added.
Hajime glanced sideways uncomfortably.
"Don't be ignorant," the lavender haired girl came back with a cup of tea. She put it right in front of Hajime before taking a seat herself, "Father has been talking about this new student non-stop. I believe he is something more than what meets the eyes".
Hajime coughed, "Um, shouldn't I be in class right now?"
"There is no class," the girl answered, "It's free period until the next hour. Your classmates and the teachers will be busy for a while," she then smiled, "Sorry, you must be confused. I'm Kyoko Kirigiri. And this Byakuya Togami is different to the one in 77th gen. Who you're looking at right now is the real one."
Hajime glanced at the real Togami. Now that she mentioned it, Nanami hinted to him before that there was another Togami. The handsome Togami, she dubbed it. "I-I see," Hajime responded, "I'm Hajime Hinata".
"We know," Kirigiri sipped her tea, "We have been curious about you. Such a coincidence to have you here while Makoto is away".
Hajime could see it in their eyes. While these two reacted with less vigor toward him, their stares were quite bold and intense. They were judging him, and it made Hajime feel improper.
"Average," Togami suddenly commented, "Plain. Boring".
"You said the same thing when Makoto just arrived," Kirigiri rolled her eyes, "He seemed to do every wrong in your eyes".
"For making ruckus in school? Yes," Togami turned to Hajime, "Please tell me you don't make the same mistake as that fool".
Hajime may not understand fully what they were talking about, but he gets the main idea. He guiltily looked away. "He does," Kirigiri was the one who answered, "Father said so".
"You mean your father didn't directly assign him a handler?" Togami's eyebrows met, "After what happened with Makoto".
"He did," Kirigiri squinted at Hajime, "In fact, he did so by request from the handler. I don't know who though. Mind telling us, Hinata-kun?"
"What?"
"Your handler".
"Hand...ler?"
Kirigiri leaned closer from her seat, "Is there...," she started, "A fellow student who helps you often? Who stays around close enough?"
Hajime scratched his chin. "W-well, there are two actually," he saw Togami and Kirigiri exchanging a glance, "I think... Nanami and Komaeda help me a lot".
For the first time, the two showed another expression aside from scrutiny. Their eyes widened in surprise. "Wow," Togami clasped his fingers together, "That was... unexpected. Very surprising".
"For those two to... Wow," Kirigiri half whispered in awe.
"I might have to take my words back," Togami addressed Hajime, "You're really something. Though with those two, you're bound to be in more trouble rather than not".
Hajime drank from his tea cup with a nervous stutter. He asked himself if he missed an important detail between himself, Nanami, and Komaeda because apparently everybody was seeing something he wasn't.
Kirigiri and Togami was not a bad company. They kept him occupied till the next hour. As strange as it was to interact with them, Kirigiri and Togami actually made sure he was comfortable. Conversing with them was nice. They reminded him of another two people who had been doing exactly that since his transfer, though Kirigiri and Togami had this cool and collected air about them, while the two people Hajime hang out with had a laid back but eccentric attitude.
Said two people returned to class, along with the rest of 77th gen, shortly after Hajime himself returned from the 7bth gen's lounge room. They looked like they had just gone through a rigorous exercise. Nanami, however, instantly froze on her spot when she saw Hajime. She frowned, but tried to act natural as she brushed Hajime's bangs with her fingers.
"Maybe we shouldn't leave you alone after all," she mumbled, more to herself rather than to anyone else. Hajime realized how careful everyone was from making his two seatmates angry, so he didn't feel like clarifying her guess. Yet, Nanami is a very intuitive person. Her eyes would see right through Hajime's lies if he dared to. Meanwhile, Komaeda slumped to his own seat on Hajime's other side. He was surprisingly silent as he put a hand on the backrest of Hajime's seat. His eyes stayed on Hajime's head.
The two's moods seemed to plummeted deeper and, for the goods of him, Hajime couldn't understand why. Komaeda was practically slamming his notebooks on the table as if pissed off while Nanami ignored her PSP Vita. Hajime was hoping for anything to help him lift their moods back. Thankfully, Koizumi came running into class right at that moment. She was beaming, which means everybody was bound to get a hot gossip on someone. "Hot gossip!" as expected, "Maizono and Yamada kissed! In front of everyone!"
Hajime could feel Komaeda perking up next to him. While everybody started getting busy talking about this latest discovery, the pale teen snickered to himself. Nanami turned to the pale teen, "What do you know. You got it right again".
"That wannabe deserves it," Komaeda grunted, "Whatever bad she was up to, I hope it has nothing to do with you Hinata-kun".
The pale teen's voice was flat, but his eyes glinted with annoyance. He knows! Hajime flinched, he knows I got into trouble with the 78th gen!
"Nagito-kun really hates her," Nanami explained, "Sayaka Maizono that is. She's a popular idol, Hinata-kun. You know? Saya-chan?"
Hajime flinched even harder. But wait a minute, Komaeda did say earlier this morning Maizono would be up to something and ended up kissing a person named Yamada.
Yurika's voice returned to Hajime's memory like a broken record.
"And Komaeda has the ability to hurt someone without even having to lift a finger, something about his miraculous luck –"
Could sheer luck be this powerful?
Hajime Hinata realized just then why everybody was so afraid of the Komaeda and Nanami combo.
Tbc