The figures that Hana'd just sketched looked like those two.

The boy from the Reserve Course and the girl from the Main Course that had been standing by the willow tree when she'd gone past it to sit by the rose bushes. She hadn't caught exactly what they'd been talking about, but her drawing had managed to capture the exasperation on the girl's face, the remorse she'd seen for a moment on the boy's as she'd walked past. Neither of them had noticed her, and the girl had continued towards the West Building and the boy to another part of the courtyard by the time she had sat down to draw. All in all, she'd only seen them for a moment, but somehow, they'd managed to sneak onto her page.

Who were they? She wondered, what were they doing? She thought she recognised the boy-she'd seen a boy similarly blond and slim amongst the third years-but the girl was completely new to her. A first year, possibly. But why does it matter? Hana sighed, tapped her pencil against the drawn version of the girl's head before frowning, rubbing out a section of her curled hair and redrawing it again. She frowned at again, then retucked a lock of her own curly hair behind her ear again-making sure it didn't get caught in her earring-before looking back up at the courtyard.

There were a few Reserve Course students here and there, a small group of which were sitting by the willow tree the boy and the girl had been by. There were no Main Course students anywhere near the building. Now Hana thought about it, they never really did come near this way, and that made the girl unusual, even more so than the fact she'd been talking to another Reserve Course student in the first place. If the girl's classmates were to get wind of her doing such a thing, she'd never live it down. Or maybe the boy would get the blame, considering that she was Main Course and he was the lowly Reserve Course student.

Oh. Maybe…maybe they're together?

Hana looked down at her picture with new eyes. She sketched in the tree between them, trying to make it look like something that brought them together despite the differences pushing them apart, and considered it. Could I really have something in common with her? Hana thought of Riku, and the good-luck voicemail he'd left for her that morning. Well, I suppose I have the opposite problem. If Riku was in this school as a Main Course student, it'd be easier for me. But…Hana kept on drawing, until the scene was fully sketched out, and then she regarded it from all angles.

Satisfied with the result, Hana put the sketchbook and her pencil down for a moment, then hugged her knees to her chest and stared out at the courtyard. If the girl and boy she had seen had been lovers….or at least incredibly close friends, then what did that mean? Could it be really be true, that this year was meant to be special? Even though she hadn't thrown the badge away (how she'd wanted to though), she didn't think that Hope's Peak reaching a century of existence was meaningful, not if everything would be exactly the same. But now-

Hana froze as she saw a flash of brown, and her gaze whipped over to see the girl coming back from the West Building. For a moment, she could only stare as the girl strode, deep in thought, hair tousled slightly by the breeze, but then she picked up her sketchbook and tried to pretend she was still drawing, not wanting to be caught staring. But the girl was deep enough in thought that Hana went unnoticed, and soon she had disappeared from view. Almost as if she had never been in the first place. Hana sighed again, and was about to put her sketchbook down again when she heard the familiar shriek of the West Building bell.

I really don't want to go. But it was the first day, it wouldn't do to ditch. I have to at least look like I'm making an effort. Otherwise…Hana shivered at the thought. Slowly, she put her things into her bag, stood up, and dusted herself down. Then, with each step feeling heavier than the last, she walked back to the West Building.

Even though everyone around him had more or less abandoned their classwork, Mokomichi continued, for no other reason than there wasn't anything better to do. He didn't have a good book with him, he didn't particularly feel like using his phone or his ID to surf the internet, nor did he particularly want to chat with his classmates about the events of the day so far. For the most part, he'd either been there, or heard it all before.

That, and even if he was 'just' a Reserve Course student, he did actually want to do well with school. I have plans beyond all this, after all. Whether I'll actually be able to make it there is another matter, he thought as he flicked a dark glance at his teacher-who was oblivious as she surfed social media on her tablet-but I may as well try. So he played the dutiful student, working through the questions in the textbook page they had been instructed to look through, marking each question, scribbling notes to help him remember what to do with other similar questions. But there was only so much he could do like this, and soon he grew bored.

With a slight huff of annoyance, he shut his textbook and put his pen down, and propping his chin on his hand, he turned to stare out of the window. Far off in the distance, he could see some people in brown uniforms scurrying around, but apart from that, the grounds were empty. It seemed the quietest the school had been all day, though with everyone yakking around him it didn't feel like that.

Huh? What?

Mokomichi sat up straight. Did I just hear someone mention Teranaga's name? He turned around to the classmates he'd heard the conversation come from.

"Who is that you're talking about?" he asked them.

"Huh? Oh, Mizuki Teranaga, one of the newbies over on the Main Course," one of them said. "For some reason she was over here at lunchtime chatting to some of the younger years and the teachers. She said hi to me as if I was supposed to know her."

"And she said she came here before?" the other one said. "Which is mad, right-that doesn't happen!"

"She did." Mokomichi said simply.

His two classmates stared at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"What?" the first classmate asked.

"Yeah, she'd have been in our year." Mokomichi explained. "She was in 1B with me-and you, actually."

"Oh shit, really?"

"You don't remember the girl who had to leave last year after her parents died?" Mokomichi asked.

I remember. I was there, when Principal Hinata came to collect her. In a completely different area of the grass, talking to a completely different group of friends, but he'd never seen anyone go that pale before. If he hadn't known what it was for the world to grow shaky beneath someone's feet before, he'd learnt it that day.

And….yet, the insinuation I made. She may be Main Course now, but that still happened.

"No….oh, wait!"

"Ohhh. Her! I think I remember…..the dad was some corporation dude, right?"

"Right, right. Yeah, she came around here during lunch. Apparently she's a philanthropist, she gave the money that they used to re-do the classrooms down on the ground floor and some other things!"

"Oh, who is that you're talking about?"

Another few classmates turned to join the conversation, and while Mokomichi let the other two fill them in, he offered the occasional remark, and then sat back and watched as they speculated fiercely about Mizuki and her intentions. Apparently she'd pep-talked a bunch of first-years, inspected the building, and confirmed the message their teachers had said about Main Course clubs being open to Reserve Course students-she'd even named a student and club that were specifically going to be welcoming. Most likely that student was a blip, if the way things usually were anything to go by, but still, the message was notable.

Eventually, Mokomichi tired of the conversation, and returned to broodingly staring out of the window. But he could not take his mind off of Mizuki.

She's Main Course. But once she wasn't. And she came back.

There were not many Reserve Course students who actually got elevated to Main Course. Those who did, they became legends in some ways, a new lure to reel people into the abyss the Reserve Course really was. A glimmer of a hope that did not really exist. And like legends that talked of people venturing somewhere awesome and unknown, those rare students never returned.

Mizuki Teranaga was the only one who had.

And, if she is to be believed, the only one who will. But do I believe that? Mokomichi didn't really know. But, more pressingly, what do I want to believe? He did not know that, either. Idly, he picked up his pen, flicked the next page of his textbook and scanned it, but couldn't find the wherewithal to give the questions a go. They were technically of a topic that was to be covered next lesson, but if that lesson was going to go the way this one had been, it wouldn't even be a lesson.

"Right, I'm off to get coffee. "

Their teacher stood up suddenly, and the room hushed-though not into complete silence-as the class turned towards her, Mokomichi included.

"Don't trash the room now." She added needlessly. "I'll be back."

The teacher gave a half-hearted wave, and then scurried out of the classroom. The volume of the class instantly shot back up again, and Mokomichi stretched, leaning back in his seat for a moment.

I wonder what Teranaga would make of that, he thought as he sat properly again. And as soon as he thought that thought, he caught sight of the folder the teacher had left behind on her desk. A folder that had a tiny sheaf of green papers poking out of it. Green papers exactly like the ones that had been handed out that morning, identical to the one he'd crumpled and thrown in the bin on the way out to morning break. He stared at those papers for what felt like an eternity, holding his breath, wondering.

"How, exactly, do you want me to prove myself to you?"

Mokomichi had lied, somewhat, when he'd answered that, but only because he hadn't known. But now, he at least had an idea. So, after glancing around at the rest of the class, he got up, loped over to the folder, slipped a sheet out, and scooted back to his chair. Nobody called him out, and he let out a sigh of relief at that.

Carefully, he straightened out the green sheet of paper against the page of his textbook, and read through the questions.

Why do you want to join the Talent Exchange Plan?

What skills do you wish to gain?

How would you plan on making the best use of the skills you learn?

When are you available for Talent Exchange Meetings?

Anything else you wish to tell us about your application for the Talent Exchange Plan?

He smirked at them. They're probably not going to be expecting someone like me. Still, there's nothing to lose, is there? He picked up his pen, and started to write.

Yuna was almost spinning as she left Naegi's office. This Talent Exchange Plan was a most splendid idea, she thought. It had always seemed such a shame that the Reserve Course was a little apart from the rest of the school, when they were technically part of the same school. But most importantly to Yuna, perhaps this would be the chance for her to meet a young person whose views on romance were more…well, romantic. This was going to be a big year, and she had big plans.

What a honour it is, being able to be at this school during its most important year. Hopefully my consultation service will take off really well….oh, what if I was able to match Principal Naegi to a life partner? How wonderful would that be? Such a good man deserves a proper romance…

She was still near-spinning when she almost bumped into someone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and jumped back.

"Oh my goodness, I almost didn't see you there! Are you alright, Yorokobi-Chan?"

Quickly straightening out her purple blazer, Yuna looked up at the larger girl in surprise, and beamed.

"Usui-sempai!"

"How are you, Yorokobi-Chan?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

The year before, when Yuna had just started at Hope's Peak Academy, she'd got lost when trying to visit the library for the first time, and it had been kind Keiko Usui who had helped her get there. And from there on, the older girl had been…not a friend, exactly, but someone she could turn to if she needed. She'd mostly been able to get on with things herself, but all the same, knowing she could count on Keiko if she needed to had made such a difference.

"Are you going off to the library then?" Keiko asked her.

"Yes, I am," Yuna told her. "I'm going to do some research into what makes a good consultation business."

"May I ask why?" Keiko asked after a beat, tilting her head slightly.

Yuna smiled again.

"Yes. I've joined the Talent Exchange Plan, and I'm hoping that along with the student I am paired with, I'll be able to create a tailor-made consultation service to help people with all their romantic needs, whether that is finding their 'one' or relationship troubles, or how best to conduct oneself properly in matters of romance-believe me, I think there are many people in need of that."

"That sounds very interesting." Keiko nodded.

"I'm pleased you think so." Yuna said. "Are you joining the Talent Exchange Plan?"

Keiko's usual soft smile seemed to waver for a moment, and Yuna looked at her quizzically. Keiko sighed, and then shook her head, making her dark blue coiled plaits wobble slightly as the smile returned.

"No, I won't be."

"Oh, but why not? You're so lovely and kind and helpful."

"Aww, bless. That's very kind of you to say, but I don't think it's for me." Keiko responded fondly. "I don't imagine there are hordes of teenagers who want to become laundry experts."

"No, but laundry is a really good skill to have, especially once you're married. Oh!"

Suddenly, something occurred to Yuna.

"When I get my service up and running, perhaps I could help you find a partner?" Yuna offered. "I'm sure I'd be able to find someone from a good enough family who will love your good nature and treat you right. It's the least I could do for you, since you've always been so kind to me."

Yuna wasn't sure if she imagined it, but at that, Keiko seemed to stiffen. But just as quickly, she was soft again, and smiling politely as ever.

"No, thank you, Yorokobi-chan.I think I'd rather focus on this year first, and then consider….other things after I graduate."

"Oh yes, of course, that too is a very good approach to take." Yuna nodded vigorously.

Yes, I'm sure I imagined it. Usui-sempai is like me, after all, from families that appreciate traditional values. Why wouldn't she want to find the perfect partner?

There was a moment as the two girls regarded each other in the corridor. Then, Keiko patted Yuna's shoulder

"Well then," Keiko said. "I'll let you head off. I'll see you later."

"Ah yes, of course. Goodbye, Usui-sempai."

With a wave, Yuna continued walking down, this time in a more restrained manner, though she was no less joyful.

Yes, this is going to be a wonderful year.


Characters introduced this chapter:

Hana Otsuki, class 2A (created by: Abitat Eco)
Yuna Yorokobi, SHSL Sexologist (created by:
liammarklh88)

I hadn't been setting out to introduce exactly two characters per chapter, but that seems to be what's happening so far. Though next chapter might introduce three, but I guess I'll have to wait and see how it unfolds when I start to write it.

Anyway, I wanted to mention that I've taken inspiration from irwegwert and their story 'Society of Talent' when I have characters ask each other for pronouns when they first meet. I thought it was a cool idea when Weg used it, but when I came up with this idea, it occured to me that norms would be somewhat different in 2032, and wouldn't that convention be a nice example of that? It's not going to come easily to everyone for all sorts of reasons, but yeah, in this universe, asking for gender and pronouns is more or less as normal as asking for one's name when meeting them. So yeah, thank you for that Weg :)

Another important thing is that I am going to extend the deadline, by one week, so the new final deadline is 4th November at 10pm UK time. The specificness is more for me and my time management for this story, mind you, but still, that's the deadline. I don't have that many spots to fill but I do need the submissions, hence the extension. And as always the general requirements of what I'm looking for as well as the demographics of the accepted characters are on my profile.

But speaking of profiles, you may or may not know of the spam thing that's been going on with those, but while my understanding via Reddit is that it should be safe now, if you are still concerned, then either use a review I may have left somewhere recently to send me a PM, or if I've ever messaged you or vice versa before then use that thread. Both of those will mean you don't have to click on my profile while logged in. And you can always grab the form and save it somewhere if you view my profile while being logged off, so yeah.

Anyway, that's all from me for now. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you can, do leave feedback.