Chapter 23: Akane's Accessibility, Nekomaru's Nindo

Hope's Peak Academy

Main Course Outside Track

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Early Morning

Akane had never expected to be an elder sibling in all of her life, but the role came to her when her family began to expand. Through constant shifts in parents, she had acquired numerous little brothers and sisters. In all of these family changeups, she was the oldest one, so naturally it fell to her to care for the lil ones as she was fond of calling them.

Never in her life had the Ultimate Gymnast ever questioned nor complained about her role as the sister that took care of her family. She just did it, took to the job like a fish to water. In fact, there was a sort of satisfaction and joy that she got out of taking care of her family. It made her world a little brighter. She liked the feeling of being relied upon, being seen as strong and dependable by others.

But that was hardly unique, especially for the brunette's situation in life. It wasn't all that long ago that she was living on the streets, living practically from paycheck to paycheck. On top of that, death and violence were a commonplace event in her neighborhood. There were only two ways things could play out: endure and get strong, or break and die. She had chosen the former and here she was today, alive and well.

Akane honestly hated school; it always told her to do things a certain way, participate in things she didn't care about, and waste her time with stuff that didn't matter to her or her talent. The only teacher she had any respect for was Miss Yukizome. The woman was deceptively strong, which didn't make sense considering her talent. But more than anything, the athlete respected strength and guts and 77-B's homeroom teacher had both in spades, so she could get behind the orange-haired woman.

Then there was Chiaki, the gamer girl who had lots of spirit despite her appearance suggesting the opposite. Plus, she had her moments of strength when people least expected it, being able to surprise anyone at any given time. Chiaki wasn't a fighter, but she usually didn't back down without a fight. Mad respect for the gamer.

There was Nekomaru and what he represented: the ultimate challenge. The man was so incredible that he was what Akane strived to be every single day. He represented what all people could be if they put their hearts and souls into training. Losing to him wasn't something to be ashamed of; it was a chance to learn and get better. She might not beat him today, or even tomorrow, or maybe not even in a month, but she would one day.

But perhaps her strangest relationship was with… Hajime… that was his name, right?

Anyway, the skinny-looking boy with brown hair and olive-green eyes. She could remember what he looked like better than his name.

He wasn't strong like Nekomaru.

Nor was he strong like Chiaki.

Or even Miss Yukizome.

Yet there was something about him that made her want to do stuff with him.

Take care of him.

"No no no, stop!" Akane shouted. "You're doing it wrong. You're gonna cause an injury doing it like that!"

"Huh? What? What am I doing wrong?" Hajime instantly stopped what he was doing. "Show me."

Currently, she was having him do some simple benching in order to get a more concrete idea of his current strength and so far, she was a bit surprised. His skinny body didn't seem all that tough, but he was proving to be a bit stronger than she thought. He was nowhere near her level, but he wasn't weak.

"You need to hold the bar right here." Akane pointed to his sternum. "That's where you'll be getting the best workout. Higher up or lower down and you're straining for no reason."

"Got it." Hajime struggled to hold the bar up. "Like this?"

He slowly lowered the bar, a stupid thing to do. It was just needlessly wasting more energy for when he needed to come back up.

"C'mon, get it up." Akane gave him a verbal push. "The faster you do this, the faster it'll be over."

Hajime gritted his teeth as he pushed his back and butt against the bench and began to slowly but surely push the bar up. Akane watched him for any signs of muscle failure. In five seconds, he locked out his arms.

He then moved to rack the bar, her hands helping secure it in place before he finally released all the tension from his body. He sat up, breathing hard, his face a little red from the exertion.

"Not bad." Akane nodded her head. "You're getting better, but you need to be consistent. You only get better if you keep doing it."

"Yeah, I know." Hajime got up, stretching out in order to ease the stiffness in his body. "You make it look so easy."

"Of course I do!" Akane grinned. "I'm the Ultimate Gymnast! I've been doing stuff like this for years! You literally just got started like less than a month ago!"

"Right, stupid me." Hajime said with a small laugh. "Well, at least I'm not feeling sore every single day."

"Your muscles are just getting used to being pushed." Akane took a moment to note the weight that he was benching. "But you're doing good for a rookie."

"I know that I'm getting stronger." Hajime took a moment to inspect himself. "At least, I feel it when I work out."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself." Akane warned him. "You're gonna see the biggest changes in the first two years. After that, you're gonna get gains much slower. It all comes down to discipline and dedication."

Hajime groaned a bit. "Ugh, I don't know if I can picture that. Hell, I can't even wait till next month."

"It's as simple as wanting to push yourself." Akane decided to shut down his train of thought. "You wanna get stronger? You gotta want to get stronger. Even when you're tired and feeling down, work out. The feeling you get afterwards makes you feel better than choosing to skip out."

Although his reception was far from positive, Hajime didn't outright shut down her idea, which she guessed to mean that he was at least thinking about her words. That was a start and it was more than she could say for a lot of people who went to the gym a few times and then never went back again.

Akane then had another idea. "Look at Coach Nekomaru. He trains every single day to stay strong, to get stronger. He's been doing it most of his life, I'll bet he's got a strict schedule down and everything. Guy's got down to a science."

Hajime had to agree with that. "Yeah, he does. It's weird, everytime I see him doing his thing, I can't help but cheer him on."

"That's good! That's great! That's what you want in a training partner." Akane flashed him a smile. "That means that you care about the people you're working with and you want to succeed. You'll encourage them and then they'll do the same for you."

That was what Coach Nekomaru did: push people above and beyond. To him, there was no end to pushing oneself. Everyone had limits to overcome and it took an insane amount of spirit to do so. She admired that kind of spirit.

Maybe Hajime had that sort of spirit dormant within himself. Akane didn't do all that much mental stuff. It didn't appeal to her nor was it relevant to her own life experiences. What she did have was a keen instinct that told her things about people; what it told about her current companion was that he was far from the best version of himself.

Now that she thought about it, didn't Coach Nekomaru share the same feeling with her? She'd have to ask the Ultimate Team Manager. He might be able to explain it to her in a way she could digest.

And speaking of digesting, food suddenly came to Akane's mind. Just as important as training the body was feeding it. Some people might take food for granted, but her tough origins taught her to respect food to a high degree.

And… Hajime needed more food than her if he was to grow as strong as she thought he would become.

Maybe once he could achieve his peak form, they would fight and who knew what that would result in?

Having another strong opponent to fight along with Coach Nekomaru sounded like an awesome idea. All she had to do was contribute her part to developing this lanky boy and her life would be all the better.

The idea that the one she was training would surpass her didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting stronger and what better to do that than to keep fighting people equal or better than her?

The anticipation made Akane grin.

Hajime was going to be a monster.

… and his name was sticking.


Hope - - - Despair


Afternoon

Nekomaru was always on the lookout for people with great potential. He saw potential as the greatest measure of anyone. Talent and hardwork were complementary factors to a person's overall potential. If two people had the same potential, but one was talented while the other was hard-working, they would both inevitably reach a similar endgame. One approach was potentially longer than the other.

Recently, the Ultimate Team Manager had been considering his newest trainee. Hajime, in his eyes, showed vast potential that had yet to be tapped. It was such a shame that all of that potential was discovered now. With years of dedicated training, the Reserve Course student could have become someone truly spectacular. Indubitably.

But better late than never. One thing that Nekomaru found fortunate was that despite time being a setback, Hajime was yet to reach his peak physical condition. There was plenty of time for training. Provided that it was done right and in a timely manner, more than excellent results could be produced.

The challenge was now giving the newbie a focus. Akane was giving the kid tips and trips in regards to working out. Not only was it good for Hajime, but it was also good for the gymnast. The girl was so focused on being stronger than everyone that she often seemed to forget the people around her.

Nekomaru was fully aware that his female counterpart viewed him as something to surpass in all ways. It was admirable of her to want to push herself and he found his own pride swell. However, he was wise enough to recognize that her singular devotion to strength made her somewhat blind to their friends.

Which was a shame in his opinion. The best part about being the Ultimate Team Manager was watching the people he trained succeed and share in that success with others. Sports brought people together in ways that made connections, especially when the ultimate goal was not to win, but to have fun. Winning was simply an added bonus.

Nekomaru had a secret hope that maybe with someone other than himself working with Akane, she might have a breakthrough and come to appreciate what she did have more often. He didn't expect this to be an easy task; she was nothing if not a bit blockheaded. Honestly, he believed it would take something drastic to make her see things in a different light.

As much as he hated to say it, it would likely take a really tragic event for Aaken to start seeing all sides of a person rather than simply how they could challenge her. He couldn't see any other way.

Truly, the role of a team manager was one that Nekomaru felt many things for. Regardless, he felt it his duty to give all that he had to offer for both of his players. They were incomplete, but maybe he could help put some pieces together.

Today was cardio training and that meant 100 meter sprints and his trainee was going to do ten sets.

"PUSH IT!" Nekomaru shouted with all of his might. "SHOW MORE SPIRIT!"

Hajime increased his speed incrementally while letting out his breath in an erratic fashion.

"CONTROL YOUR BREATHING!" Nekomaru reminded him. "YOU'LL LAST A LOT LONGER!"

Whether or not people realized it or not, even the smallest factors could contribute to overall physical performance. Even something as simple as changing how to breathe could drastically alter the outcome.

"LAST TEN METERS! Nekomaru was feeling extra motivated today. "GO, GO, GO!"

Hajime let out another cry of anger as he began to push himself for those precious few steps. For a moment, he was a blur and his body overrode the limits of what his brain dictated was possible.

"Twelve seconds!" Nekomaru looked at his timer. "Undoubtedly spectacular!"

The brunette was no doubt gassed from putting in his absolute best and then giving just a little bit more to success. That was an outstanding mentality to have while working out.

Hajime appeared on the verge of vomiting, but he was struggling to keep it in, bending down and taking long breaths along with his rapid ones in an attempt to replenish his body with the oxygen it lacked.

"You've done well." Nekomaru shook him. "Drink some water and do it in moderation."

Hajime managed to take the bottled water. "Thanks."

The smaller male regarded the cold water with much enthusiasm but did as he was told and took a few sparing sips, making sure to give himself at least five to ten seconds between sips.

"We'll take about a minute before we do a kilo jog for a cooldown." Nekomaru informed his student. "Pace yourself when we do."

Hajime flashed a thumbs-up while getting some control over his breath. "Gotcha."

"After that, you'll be done for the day." Nekomaru nodded his head in satisfaction, then another thought came to him. "Oh, before I forget, do you want to do 'it?'"

"...what?" Hajime managed a confused expression.

"I may have said this before, but with enough time, training, and proper nutrition, you will become an outstanding athlete." Nekomaru appraised him. "But you don't seem to realize just how much potential you have. That's why I asked if you want to do 'it?'"

Hajime resumed talking normally. "No, I get that, but what I don't get is what… 'it' is."

"You don't need to question what 'it' is." Nekomaru had heard similar things from previous athletes he had trained. "All you need to do is let things happen. Seriously man, you need to stop overthinking things and just let things happen."

The Reserve Course student didn't say anything immediately following his coach's words, but there was something in Hajime's eyes that indicated he had absorbed the simple words of advice.

So the Ultimate Team Manager capitalized on that. "You'd be amazed at what you can do once you become less of a thinker and more of a doer. Sometimes, you don't have time to think about all the possible outcomes, good or bad. Sometimes, you just have to go for it and own up to whatever happens."

"Yeah, I know. I know that I think a lot." Hajime sighed as he expressed his weakness. "But that's just how I've always worked. I've never had many friends in my life and if I'm being honest, my parents didn't really teach me things like I wish they would have, so it's just been me figuring things out."

Nekomaru put some pieces together. "You have friends here, don't you? Lean on them whenever you don't know what to do. Of course it's important to give it your all first, but remember, most sports rely on teamwork to achieve victory. Do what's possible for you and do it to the best of your ability, then fall back to others who have strength in other skills."

The more serious atmosphere that had descended upon the two of them was palpable. Although it wasn't to the point of being deadly serious, it was serious enough that the silence between them was filled with much pondering.

"I'll work on it." Hajime brought the water bottle to his lips and took a long drink.

Nekomaru smiled. "That's all we can ever do: give it our best. Our lives are short enough as it is. You shouldn't ever stop thinking about things, but you should lighten up a bit. Trust me when I say this: you will notice improvements in your life once you take more decisive action rather than think about what to do."

"Because once you go down that hole, it gets harder to climb out." Hajime could perfectly explain that feeling. "You get paralyzed with indecision and then you lose momentum. I really do get it, but I feel like I only can surpass limits when I'm really angry or when I can see the end goal in sight."

Nekomaru followed up. "You just need to find different training regiments that will push you to that point. Then you can start to feel that rush of power more often. Think of it like working a muscle. The more you work at it, the more you're familiar with the feeling and the less sore you become over time."

For the muscular man who had spent so many years of his life training himself and others, he had learned a great deal about how adversity affected people. He wanted other people to overcome adversity by pushing themselves to their limits and beyond that. It inspired confidence like very few things did.

And Hajime just might be his greatest accomplishment yet. Nekomaru wasn't sure where life would take his peer, but these were small and humble beginnings for the fledgling athlete. One day, he would take the world by storm.

He just had to make sure that Akane never heard his own thoughts on the matter because then her intensity would ramp up to new extremes, not that he would mind if such a thing were to occur.


Despair - - - Hope


Early Evening

As exhausted as Hajime was physically, he didn't regret working out with either Akane or Nekomaru and today, he was doubly tired. Working with both of them today had rendered him barely able to do the most basic movements that the human body was accustomed to in this day and age.

The brunette, while resting on the bench that he was intimately familiar with, contemplated the advice of both the Ultimate Athlete and the Ultimate Team Manager. They knew about physicality much more than he did and no doubt, their experiences were valuable to someone like him.

What did surprise him was that despite what they appeared to be, both Akane and Nekomaru were wise. Yes, the former wasn't one for putting her wisdom into words, but it was there to be sure. She just spoke more casually about it. The latter could almost sound like a warrior philosopher. Then again, wasn't wisdom simply being able to explain prior experiences, be they difficult or otherwise?

Hajime couldn't call his life hard by any stretch of the imagination and that was exactly why he wanted to be here. If he continued going on in life as he had done prior to enrolling at Hope's Peak Academy, he would probably graduate from high school, go to college, and get a job as a salaryman or some other office job and do that for the rest of his life. It was what was expected, but he couldn't bring himself to accept it.

He was lucky that his parents were willing to give him a chance to find his own path in life. Granted, it had taken his mother a bit of time to come around, but she knew that her son was his own person and she couldn't dictate his life forever. His father had been far more relaxed about this. The man's philosophy was pretty much live life and do whatever.

Usually, Hajime would have a hard time falling asleep with so much on his mind, but the exhaustion of the day got to him and he found his eyelids closed and his breathing slowed down, becoming silent.

The dreams he had were strange. Playing an instrument, fighting with a sword, playing video games, petting a cat, but they all related to the people he had met with the related talents. The details were fleeting as he could only recall them in the moment that they were happening. After that, they just disappeared.

While in his dreamscape, he couldn't help but think that his body felt really comfortable or at least it felt far less stiff. He wanted to get closer to the warmth; whatever mental faculties were in the real world shifted his body so that he could get more comfortable.

Hajime could then swear he heard Miss Yukizome laugh quietly before she spoke hushed words. "You've had a long day."

That made him open his eyes slowly, taking a moment to adjust to the dim light. He was still positioned with his back against the bench surface, but instead of the orange sky filling his vision, there were strands of carrot-orange hair, a pair of green eyes that were brighter than his own, and a face he was familiar with.

One thought crossed the boy's mind. Beautiful.

And he felt no shame in thinking that because that aptly described her.

But then he realized the position both of them were in.

"It's okay." Miss Yukizome ran a hand through his hair. "Nobody's around. Just relax."

Her voice was so sweet and her tone was gentle. These things combined with the way her hand softly ran against his head made any form of resistance all but useless. He liked the feeling and he didn't want it to stop.

Hajime felt his eyes close and his posture relax. "Was I that out of it?"

"You were out like a light." Chisa giggled. "Such a peaceful face."

"Please don't tell me." Hajime made a face.

He was perfectly aware that what she was doing more than crossed the line in terms of the student-teacher relationship. There were clear boundaries that were to be respected at all times no matter what. To break any of these rules and be caught in the process was tantamount to social suicide.

But things at Hope's Peak Academy were much different. Honestly, he was doing things here that would probably be shunned by other schools in Japan. Also, given the amount of talent concentrated in this institution, it was hard to believe that nobody had spotted them at one point or another or at least wasn't aware of what was going on.

"Five yen for your thoughts?" Chisa seemed amused, staring at him.

Hajime scoffed and sighed at the same time. "Just realizing how much I really don't care about a lot of things that I used to care about."

"When you become part of a place that values raw ability above all else, your perspective changes." Miss Yukizome touched her other hand to his face. "The Reserve Course might be a part of Hope's Peak, but it more or less operates like any conventional high school in the country."

Hajime was more or less resigned when it came to his classes. "It is what it is at this point. I'm just doing what I can outside. That's about all I can do."

"It's good that you're finding new avenues." Chisa said. "And who knows? Maybe things will turn around for you. You just need to keep at it."

"... I really hope things do get better. Good things are supposed to happen to good people, right?" Hajime really was a hopeless fool.

The homeroom teacher shook her head with a sad look. "If only the world was that simple; we wouldn't have nearly as many problems as we do."

"... is that what this academy's all about, Miss Yukizome? Taking talent to the Nth degree and then sending them off into the world to solve problems?"

"You could think about it like that, but they're doing good, all of our students. You can too, Hajime. You're already doing good for yourself and for others. You just need to do a little more. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day."

It was a true enough statement; nothing truly worthwhile could be built quickly and he was beginning to see that in himself. Still, for all of the wisdom telling him to press forward, he still did desire a more rapid means of progress.

Hajime felt her hands in his hair and a thought came to him. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Pampering a student?" Chisa's cheeky response was to be expected. "You probably already know, but I like you a lot. It's not just the fact that-"

"No, not that. I know that you've got a soft spot for me. Me being friends with your homeroom class is probably only helping. What I mean is why do you care about me specifically at all? Why bother coming back to me after meeting me the first time?" Hajime had just realized that his continued involvement with her was unusual.

And it appeared that Miss Yukizome was conflicted about the answer as much as he was. "Well… call it a woman's intuition. Even before you became friends with my rowdy bunch of students, I had a feeling about you."

"What does that mean?" Hajime questioned.

Chisa's face became unreadable. "I can't explain why I feel this way, but I know that you're destined for greatness. You're not recognized by Hope's Peak Academy as a student of any particular talent, but that doesn't matter. I know that you will leave this place one day and accomplish great things, maybe even change the world."

He didn't understand at all how she could proclaim such an outrageous statement. Certainly he was better than he was when he first arrived at this prestigious institution of learning, but he wasn't confident enough to think he could make waves across the globe. He was one guy in a population of billions.

But Hajime felt it wise not to voice his true opinion on the matter. "I see."

"I know you don't believe me." Chisa framed his face between her hands and lowered her head so that their heads were closer. "But it's not about me. You're the protagonist of your own story. You have more power to choose in your life than you think. It all starts with the small things."

Hajime didn't know where she was going with this. "Like what?"

"Like getting out of your bed despite being comfortable." Miss Yukizome smiled once again. "You either choose to fight the sleep monster and get up and make something of yourself or you choose to waste your day."

She made a lot of sense and when he thought about it, he did feel good about getting things done when he least wanted to do anything.

"Then I'd better not drag my feet in the morning." Hajime felt more chipper.

And Chisa couldn't be more proud. "That's what I like to hear from my student."


Hope - - - Despair


Evening

At times, Jin couldn't help but laugh lightly to himself at the sheer naivety and stupidity of his newest hiree. Chisa Yukizome was a bright young woman, but when it came to people she cared about, her intelligence more often than not went out the window. Her pitfall was to his advantage, however.

She was seeking information about the unknown side of Hope's Peak Academy. She hadn't managed anything of importance yet. The only truly compromising secret was the Hope Cultivation Project and all efforts were being made to conceal its existence from anyone outside of himself, the board, and a select few trusted individuals.

Yukizome's desire to protect her students and Hajime Hinata were the key to keeping her in line. Although he wouldn't issue any threats to physical or mental safety, the headmaster would steer her onto the path of his own choosing. Sooner or later, she would find out about the project, so he would drip-feed her hints here and there, enough to give her hope of a breakthrough, but not enough for a smoking gun.

"You really ought to settle down for a change." Kazuo opened the door to the office he once occupied on a daily basis. "Otherwise things won't go according to the plan we've set."

"You're right, of course." Jin settled into his chair, leaning back with a sigh. "We should always assume that a plan will go awry. We must be adaptable and that's why I'm critiquing every single aspect of what we've laid out."

"And what about the new additions you've made?" Mister Tengan seemed amused. "I've heard that our resident Reserve Course Student has found some company amongst not just peers of his age, but of a younger age."

"A means of testing him." Jin could explain this one easily. "I have reason to believe that Hajime Hinata might possess a talent that will possibly be of great importance."

Kazuo lifted an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"Mister Hinata has this uncanny ability to connect with different characters with an almost inhuman level of fluidity." Jin removed himself from his seat to stare out the window. "Not only has this allowed him friendship, but it has also given him room to improve his own skills. Our little birdies are saying that he's picked up numerous things from the talents of class 77-B."

"I think I see where this is going." The senior-aged man said.

Jin placed his hands in his pocket. "Further tests will be conducted, but if Hajime Hinata proves that this is not just a fluke, but an actual ability that he can control knowingly or otherwise, then we can formally invite him into the Main Course."

"Which might in turn further distract young Chisa and her allies from our true goal." Kazuo made his own judgement. "Very clever."

"It wouldn't be much of a distraction, sir." Jin corrected his predecessor. "Chisa Yukizome already suspects our subject to be connected to something important. No, the boy's presence amongst Ultimates won't be the distraction. Rather, it will be his supposed talent that captures their attention."

The old man narrowed his eyes. "And pray tell, what is this talent that our newest potential student possesses?"

Jin Kirigiri had no concrete evidence, merely a gut instinct that he trusted to a high degree, one that he had full confidence in.

"What else? The Ultimate Hope."


It's been a good minute since I last updated this story, so here we are. As this story grows and more characters are elaborated upon, I realize just how hard it is to balance between them all. This story's entire premise revolves around Hajime and his interactions with the Ultimates and other important people. In real life, you can only have so many people be friends in your life. The rest are just acquaintances that you a little bit about.

There is also the overarching plot in the background as well. Jin Kirigiri thinking that Hajime is an Ultimate Hope is not without reason and I personally believe that the title is rightly justified. Hope isn't just something you give to people; it's something you find yourself. It also takes on a different meaning for everyone. I think that as long as you're alive, hope always exists. You just have to want it enough to find it.

For the sake of not spoiling anything, I'll leave it at that, but if you want to talk more about this with me, send me a PM.

Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews and feedback are always appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mahatma Gandhi