Story 1: The Outcasts

Luck wasn't exactly a talent, and Makoto Naegi knew that. However, his luck had gotten him into Hope's Peak Academy, so he was definitely grateful for it. Though, he secretly hoped that he would develop a talent while studying there, just so he'd be an equal in the eyes of the fellow students. A week into his first semester there and he was already feeling slightly inferior. The other students in his class seemed so much more sure of themselves, as they already knew what kinds of careers they would pursue because they had actual talent. Meanwhile, Makoto had no clue what he wanted to do with his future.

Did he even have a future?

"Makoto, whatcha thinking about?" asked a voice from next to him, which snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Oh, Komaru," Makoto said, sighing as he saw the voice belonged to his little sister. "Nothing. It's nothing."

Makoto was also lucky that his sister had the opportunity to attend Hope's Peak alongside him, though she was accepted into the Reserve Course rather than the Ultimate Talent Development Plan, or colloquially, the Talented Course. Having Komaru as a support system was good, and he could give Komaru a boost whenever she was feeling down. It was also lucky that they had the same lunch period.

Komaru frowned. "You've been zoning out a lot lately," she said. "Ever since we got here, in fact." She took a sip of her milk and nudged Makoto's lunch tray closer to him. "You also need to eat."

Makoto obliged, picking up one of the sour plum onigiri from his tray and taking a bite. "I've been eating just fine, Komaru."

"Just fine? You passed out during chemistry yesterday."

"Th-that had nothing to do with my diet!" Makoto replied, his cheeks growing warm.

"Oh yeah? Then what was it?"

Makoto didn't answer. He didn't want to admit to her that he hadn't been sleeping well. It was hard for him to fall asleep in new, unfamiliar places. It also didn't help that his dormitory floor had multiple musicians, martial artists, and other loud athletes and students in general. Those, as well as general anxiety about his studies, all culminated in a lack of sleep.

"Alright, Komaru, who are you bothering now?" a tall, yet not at all intimidating, guy asked, sitting down at the table Makoto and Komaru were at. Makoto exhaled. His sister was distracted. Komaru slid over to accommodate him.

"Good morning Hajime!" Komaru said sweetly. "This is my brother Makoto. Have you two met?"

"I don't think we have," Hajime replied. He stuck out his hand, and Makoto grabbed it and shook it firmly. A sudden chill went down Makoto's spine; despite Hajime's calm and amiable air, there seemed to be a sort of… darkness lurking just beneath the surface. "I'm Hajime Hinata, class president of the Reserve Course. Komaru and I are classmates."

"Komaru, you didn't tell me you had a friend!" Makoto teased, pinching his sister on the cheek.

"We're classmates, it's different!" Komaru retorted, pulling away. Hajime looked slightly disappointed at that remark. "B-but you could consider us friends!" she added hastily.

"Have you made many friends yet, Makoto? You have the Talented Course uniform on, so I bet you've met a lot of talented people here." A sting of jealousy spiked Hajime's words—a sentiment Makoto could sympathize with.

"Actually… I don't have a real talent," Makoto replied sheepishly. "I'm considered the Ultimate Lucky Student, though I don't consider luck a talent."

"But Headmaster Kirigiri did, so you've got to have something he's looking for!" Hajime said.

"I guess…"

"Come on, Makoto, you've got to stop being so stubborn!" Komaru yelled. She paused, and her lips curled into that devilish smile she always got when she had an idea. Makoto groaned as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table, getting the whole lunch room's attention, then stood on top of it, unhooking a megaphone from her belt. "Listen up, everyone! My brother is the best, most talented brother in the world! I'm proud to call him my brother and friend!"

"K-Komaru, stop… you're making a scene…" Makoto whispered, pulling his hood over his eyes to avert the multitude of gazes that were now on him.

"Makoto may just be considered lucky, but if he was accepted into the Talented Course, then he deserves to be there!" Hajime yelled through Komaru's megaphone.

Makoto peeked through his hood, and two more students approached the table. One, a boy in all black wearing a hat, took the megaphone from Komaru, who had offered it to him. He looked at Makoto and smiled shyly. "I'm n-not proud of my talent either, Makoto," he said. "But I look up to you for being brave enough to continue with the course you're in."

The blonde girl next to the boy in black took the megaphone from him. "I'll be cheering for both you and Shuichi!" she said happily. "My name is Kaede Akamatsu, and this is Shuichi Saihara! We hope we can be friends with you!"

Hajime yoinked the megaphone out of Kaede's hand. "I think he gets it." He pointed at Makoto, who was blushing furiously under his hood.

"Omigosh, was that too corny?" Kaede asked, pushing the hood out of Makoto's face. "I'm super sorry!"

"No problem," Makoto wheezed, pulling his hood back off of his head.

Kaede giggled. "You remind me of Shuichi." She stuck out her hand and shook Makoto's. "As I said earlier, I'm Kaede Akamatsu. I'm the Ultimate Pianist!"

"And I'm Shuichi Saihara," the boy in black mumbled. "I'm the Ultimate Detective."

"M-Makoto Naegi," Makoto replied. He was now grinning ear to ear, despite nerves still infiltrating his voice. "Ultimate Lucky Student."

The group of five then realized that the entire cafeteria had grown silent. All of the students, Talented and Reserve Course alike, were staring blankly at them. They then erupted into a fit of laughter that rang out across the room. All five blushed and returned to their respective seats, except for Shuichi and Kaede, who quickly moved their trays to Makoto's table. Insults and names, as well as food, were flung at the table, and the occasional snigger and cackle slipped through the cracks of silence.

"I didn't realize I caused that big a scene…" Komaru whispered.

"Aggh, it's my fault…" Kaede replied, clasping her hands together in a plea for forgiveness. "I get really cheesy when I'm excited…"

"Guys, it's okay, really," Makoto said, smiling. "We're all outcasts, yeah? Why don't we be outcasts together?"

"Outcasts?" Hajime said, laughing. "Are you sure?"

"You're the class president of the Reserve Course, doofus," Komaru teased. "Only nerds get that position. And nerds are outcasts." She blew a raspberry at him, and Makoto and Shuichi chuckled.

"She's not wrong, Hajime," Shuichi added through his giggling fit. Makoto saw Kaede smile from out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious from her reaction that Shuichi didn't often do this; he could tell the two of them had been friends for a while now.

Hajime immediately stopped laughing as his cheeks glowed a bright red. "Ah… I suppose…" He took a large swig of his orange juice to avoid further conversation. Slowly but surely, the onslaught of food and insults stopped, and the lunch room returned to its natural idle chattering.

"Hey, you all!" a voice said. All five turned at once to see a red-headed girl, her face dotted with freckles. Hanging from her neck was a camera, and she brought it up to her face. "Your speeches earlier were really inspiring. Could I get a picture for the yearbook?"

"A picture? What for?" Makoto asked.

"Your friendship is super noteworthy!" the girl said. "I've never seen anyone make friends like that before. Sure, everyone laughed, but I thought it was touching."

"Come on, you guys, we should totally take this opportunity!" Komaru said. "It's not every day that the yearbook committee asks to take your picture!"

"O-oh, I'm not… a huge fan of…" Shuichi trailed off, pulling his hat over his face.

"Don't worry, Shuichi, I'll hold your hand," Kaede said.

Shuichi smiled. "S-sure."

Hajime nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. A picture to remember this group by."

"Agreed," Makoto said. "Could we all get copies of it?"

"Of course!" the camera girl replied. "Come down to my dorm room in a couple days. I'll admit, I still haven't set up a black room anywhere, but the film should be developed by Saturday or Sunday." She then poised the camera in front of her eye and squeezed the other shut. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese!" the group of newfound friends said, and the shutter clicked. The camera spit out a black paper with white borders.

"Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it!" she shook their hands. "My name is Mahiru, by the way. Just letting you know so you can find my room easier!"

"Good to know. Thank you, Mahiru," Makoto said. Mahiru giggled and ran out of the lunch room excitedly, presumably back to her dorm.

.

"Hey, guys! The pictures are ready!"

Just like Mahiru had promised, the pictures were ready early Saturday evening. Makoto, Hajime, Komaru, Kaede and Shuichi were all studying in the student lounge when they were approached by the Ultimate Photographer, who was waving five little pieces of paper in her hands. She handed one copy to each of the friends, who took them gratefully.

"Hope you like them," she continued. "I think they turned out pretty well."

"They did," Makoto breathed, taking in the details in the photo. Sure, him and his friends were completely covered in food and blushing like crazy, but they all looked… happy. Something Makoto had rarely felt since he arrived at Hope's Peak Academy. Now that he had friends—friends from both courses at the school—life here would be a lot better. He looked up at Mahiru and smiled. "They're perfect."