A Tuesday morning arrived, with one student from class 77-B missing. Everyone who was present in the class was silent, contemplating about the events from the day before. Multiple questions and assumptions regarding the fate of their differently aligned classmate went through their heads. Each of them had their own feelings on the subject, some had no remorse about it and saw it as a massive relief, some saw it as a warning sign that their lives could go downhill. The sole exception seemed to be Hiyoko, who was unaware of the whole incident, since she was the only one out of class 77-B that has yet to participate in their activities as the Fellowship of Darkness. She remained confused, wondering on why everyone was silent, gloomy even.
Their class begun when the door opened. Chisa went inside, completely devoid of her usual cheerfulness. She was rather tired looking, sorrowful even. That was immediately picked on by Chiaki, which made her mood even worse. She still feeling guilt and anxiety from earlier, but seeing her beloved teacher in such state just spiraled it. Chisa then faced forward as she attempted to start their day with revealing the truth.
"...Good morning, class." solemnly greeted Chisa, which caught off some of the students, but they did understand it why she was like that. However, they did not know what exactly happened to their classmate.
"Morning, Instructor. Do you know why everyone here has such long faces?" asked Hiyoko, being the only one who was unaffected by the whole ordeal. Majority of the class remained silent about it.
"...You'll hear soon enough, Hiyoko." Mahiru cautioned her of the incoming news.
"Well….how do I begin this?" Chisa cleared her throat before she began recollecting memories on how difficult was her choice not just from even thinking about it, but getting it through as well. Bureaucracy of the school made it extremely tough for her, but after hours of fighting on, she did manage to convince them. "Yesterday was a day where I had to take a tough decision. It was quite a fight too, since...it was hard to convince them.".
"What's this all about?" Hiyoko further asked before she noticed that there were only fifteen of students, not sixteen of them. "Hey, I just noticed that he's missing. He's probably late or whatever. Not that I care.".
Then, after so much hesitation, the truth was revealed.
"Nagito Komaeda….has been expelled from Hope's peak academy.".
Some of them anticipated the outcome, yet still winced at it, but some took a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. The menace was finally gone for good, but so was their classmate.
"Wait, really? That's the thing we should be sad about?" questioned Hiyoko, who was sort of surprised to hear that expelling Nagito was something that made some of her classmates hesitant and silent. She thought it was something worthy of celebrating.
"In a way, we shouldn't but…" hesitated Sonia, feeling that while it was for the better than Nagito was gone, it represented a problem for the group. It shouldn't have been a thing to celebrate.
"Frankly, I feel tranquility return within me, now that I wouldn't have to see him again." Gundham bluntly yet boldly stated his opinion on the matter. After every spiel Nagito pulled off, he was more than happy to have him out of the system.
"That's rather cold of you, isn't it?" Mahiru called him out on just how utterly unrestrained Gundham was in terms of expressing his opinion.
"No, it's perfectly valid. Good riddance that he's no more." Hajime defended him, feeling the same amount of distaste for Nagito as his wizard colleague did. The words of a talent worshiper still rang inside his head, possibly enabling his insecurities more, but now that he was gone, he can at the very least be free of his elitism.
"I mean, he's or rather a was weirdo, but some of you are awfully satisfied that he's gone. What's up with that?" Hiyoko raised her eyebrow, noticing the reaction of the half that felt relief regarding expulsion of Komaeda.
"Just a weirdo? Man, you dodged a bullet there." Ibuki heeded the warning that it was possibly for the better that, unlike the rest of the class, she wasn't aware to true extent of Nagito's personality. Despite those words coming from someone who's seldom serious, the dancer noticed that the fact she said it was incredibly off.
"What do you mean by more than a weirdo? Don't tell me that he's some kind of psycho or something." piqued Hiyoko as she assumed that there has to be more the full story.
"Um...perhaps I should explain…" Mahiru hesitated a bit, but she told the whole spiel of the previous day as much as she could remember. Once she was finished with it, all Hiyoko could do was to have a grimace of sheer disgust on her face for a whole minute. It was so fierce, that wrinkles started to pop up.
"….What the hell?! If he was still there, I would spit right in his face!" Hiyoko held no hesitation as she joined the "I am very glad he's gone" side of the class. Her opinion on Komaeda went from "weirdo" to a "menace of society" in a span of a second after she heard Mahiru's story about it.
"Only spit? Should have punched him right in the face." suggested Akane that physical violence was more appropriate in terms of dealing with such individuals.
"I-is it even alright to say such stuff?" Mikan, who was on the "I understand why but I'm really worried" side of the class, spoke up to counter the other side for a bit, since she felt like they were a bit too harsh all things considered. Hiyoko was about to verbally assault her for just speaking up, but someone preemptively rose for the defense of the nurse.
"Not now, Hiyoko. Just, not the time for it." advised Peko, whom felt like that the situation did not warrant any more arguing. One split was enough, further more would have been tougher to swallow.
"Why it shouldn't be? He was a goddamn threat and we're no longer dealing with him." questioned Fuyuhiko as he suggested that no one should really feel bad for the white haired menace.
"...I can understand that and, to an extent….I do…" Chiaki "But...I feel like that has brought us a rather big problem." quietly spoke up Chiaki about the concern that side of the class had regarding implications of the incident.
"And what would that problem we? Rouge bastards aren't one, that's for sure." asked Fuyuhiko, not sure exactly what Chiaki was thinking about.
"I'd say the problem is...more internal...like, this could be a sign that we could fall apart...maybe." Chiaki attempted to explain that expulsion of Nagito and similar incidents would lead to the class splintering up, perhaps becoming even more hostile to each other in the process. The argument did make the other side contemplate for a bit, taking it as a warning sign that further incidents could be damaging to class or maybe even to school itself. However, their stance on Nagito getting expelled have not changed at all.
"Hm, I see where you are getting at. Perhaps one of us could also have hidden agendas, perhaps even ones that would subvert our efforts." theorized Ryota about Daft Capo utilizing such tactic to a greater scale than they have imagined. For him, it seemed to easy to believe that they only had one spy on their end.
"Huh? Us? Hidden agendas? Only agenda we have is getting Daft Capo out of the picture and chill!" argued Kazuichi, distrusting Ryota's doubt regarding them. The mechanic thought that his animator classmate (or was he?) was getting way too paranoid, since everyone seemed to be so tightly united against Daft Capo.
"Don't be sopresumptuous. You must ask yourself how much do you truly know about us." cautioned Ryota with a scornful look.
"That's quite a fair point you speak of, Ryota Mitarai." concurred Gundham with a raised finger, speaking in a much more calmer tone than usual. Nearly entire class was off put by him toning down his chunni.
"D-did you just drop the nicknames completely?!" Ibuki's jaw dropped as she was completely bewildered by the lack of overly bombastic speeches and ham.
"It is not appropriate in such dark times." elaborated Gundham rather concisely, in a tone that seemed almost solemn. Perhaps it was due precaution he has taken ever since Ultimate Scammer was found out as a spy or it was due to a fear of one of them being a spy for their enemy.
"Even if we have our own agendas….I don't think we should let the group fall apart cuz of it...all of our efforts would have gone to waste." suggested Chiaki while expressing her fear out loud. A fear that did resonate with some of her classmates, including some on the other side of the argument.
"Not that we're gonna let it happen in the first place!" reassured Nekomaru while, unlike the wizard colleague, still remained his over the topness as a team manager. Then he expressed an idea he had ever since the incident was over. "I do know that it's unfortunate that it happened, but here's a thing!".
"And what exactly would that be?" asked Peko, crossing her arms while wanting to know exactly what did her team manager classmate have in his mind.
"The reason why Nagito has failed is because he put ideals before the people, which is something we're not gonna do!" Nekomaru explained his view on Nagito's downfall and how valuing concepts over people as people made the incident inevitable. It dawned upon the classmates that even if one of the classmates is gone forever, at the very least they could all stick it until the end.
"Or else I'm gonna hafta beat you up!" threatened Akane in the case of anyone thinking about betraying their own class for personal purposes.
"I mean, true but that's what I was saying in the first place." noted Kazuichi that "their only agenda is wanting to chill" was something he brought up way earlier than anyone else.
"Hmm, I see...it was always that we protected each other, like friends. We should keep doing that, even if days darken." advised Chiaki, feeling like it would be best for the class to remain as close as they can be. Secretly, she made a promise to herself that she will keep her classmates happy and safe.
"Exactly! It is only together that we can overcome struggle." approved Sonia as she pumped her fists.
"HELL YEAH, NOW WE ARE TALKING! THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!" Nekomaru cheered for them, with the mood of the class becoming slightly better. They finally acknowledged that they had to let go from the incident and move forward.
"I g-guess this is true to an extent…" Fuyuhiko, even though he was starting to agree, was a bit too embarrassed to fully say it. Peko silently nodded, with a tiny smile on her face. She wasn't the only one who had a smile return to them.
"...This is why I believe in you guys." Chisa suddenly, yet quietly spoke as the entire attention of the class redirected towards her. Those who were close to her, particularly Chiaki, felt a bit lighter in their hearts, finally glad to see her smile return.
"Stuff like this has proven that no matter what, you will always overcome any challenge. To be honest, I do wish things went for the better...Like, how you all have different backgrounds yet you still get along mostly really well, even if an argument pops up here and there. You all can do it and no one will stop you." Chisa continued to praise her students, speaking in an incredibly warm voice. She couldn't help but to reveal just how proud of them she was.
"Yep, we will do our best to do so. Incidents like before won't happen anymore. That's our promise." Chiaki smiled as well as she placed her hand in her chest. Another promise to the pile, but she was at the very least dedicated to it.
"In fact, we should all promise each other that we won't betray each other. Everyone, gather around!" ordered Sonia as they all gathered around in a circle. It was rather sudden and many of them were confused about Sonia's intentions.
"….Are you seriously doing that?" grumbled Hiyoko, thinking that the whole thing was getting ridiculous.
"I shall pledge that I, Sonia Nevermind, will never betray anyone that I consider a friend!" promised Sonia as she extended her arm to the middle. At that point, her classmates got the vague idea on what was she planning.
"I will promise that I'll always be on the side of my friends….for sure." Chiaki offered her help as she placed her hand on her classmate.
"...You got me on your side and I'll never go anywhere else." Hajime joined it as well, placing his own right on Chiaki's.
"I-I mean, as long as we get Daft Capo out of our system, we're gonna be good for a while." Fuyuhiko, even though he hesitated, he placed his hand as well.
"To protect, that shall be my purpose." declared Peko with her look oozing pure commitment to her cause.
"Remember my words well: together or bust!" Nekomaru placed his massive hand in the middle, overshadowing those who already had their hands there.
"What coach basically said, plus no one better think about betrayal!" Akane quickly put her hand on Nekomaru's gargantuan hand.
"Kehehe….as the de facto leader of Fellowship of Darkness, fate has brought you mercy that the Supreme Overlord of Ice swore an allegiance with this institution." chuckled Gundham as he gave them approval, but refused to put his hand in the middle.
"Oh, nicknames again? And why aren't you giving out your arm?" asked Ibuki, wondering about how did a trace of his chunni return.
"My skin is poisonous, it shall leave those who touch it with death." cautioned Gundham, although it might be because he wasn't really comfortable with touching, but he covered it up with more outlandish explanation.
"….Oooookaaay theeeen, so…" Ibuki decided to just roll with it before she did her own promise as well, placing the hand in the middle. "Oh, that's right! If I ain't on your side, then I'm not Ibuki Mioda!".
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Kazuichi rushed in, just in case that he would be left out.
"I swear on my Mama!" Teruteru gave him own promise, although he was both too small and his arms too short to reach the middle, so he sneaked inside to place his hand on them.
"Well, I do owe you guys a promise." Mahiru calmly placed her hand in the middle before she glanced at her dancer classmate, who just had crossed arms and was pouting. However, her face was covered in blush.
"….My god, you guys are corny." jeered Hiyoko at them, being too embarrassed to make a promise to them.
"Well, it's not too bad to have a little reassurance, Hiyoko. Especially in such times." Mahiru attempted to persuade her, just so that she knew that Hiyoko wouldn't join Daft Capo or perform similar dangerous stunts. Mahiru was the one person the traditional dancer couldn't turn down.
"….Alright, you corny bastards don't deserve to be tortured by those criminal punks. That, unfortunately, includes pig barf." Hiyoko looked away as she placed her hand in the middle, but not before she did a little dunk on the nurse. At the very least, not even she deserved to suffer under Daft Capo.
"P-pig barf?! I-I'm not a pig barf!" stuttered Mikan as she tried to defend herself for not being a remark before she realized that there were other priorities much more important than panicking over an insult. "...O-oh, right. It's my cue now. Erm….a slowpoke like me wouldn't ever betray you...not that I'm capable of it….Sorry, that was bad.".
"I disagree, I think you did just good." reassured Sonia, accidentally startling Mikan in the process. It wasn't her intention, but for Mikan it was a rarity that she was given praise in general.
"O-oh, a compliment? Hehe, thank you, Sonia….You are so nice…" giggled Mikan as her usual anxious expression with a happy smile. Only one person remained to join in their promise.
"...Hm." greatly hesitated Ryota, unsure if he would take a leap in faith to trust the incoming events from not repeating themselves.
"What's wrong, Ryota?" asked Chiaki out of concern, since he still had a doubtful frown on his face.
"Something tells me that this will be short lived." Ryota revealed his thoughts on the matter. Although it was something they did not want to hear at the time, it was also an argument which was not impossible to come into fruition.
"Hey, are you suspecting us of betrayal?! Man, you cannot even chill!" Kazuichi condemned him for planting the seeds of doubt in what was supposed to be a moment of everyone believing in each other.
"It's not that. Your bonds seem to be strong enough for be to believe your words. However, we must take in account other classes. They might not be as united as we are or perhaps even have their own agendas." elaborated Ryota that it was not about them, but rather about others. They couldn't really argue with that, but some of them, including Ryota himself, started to think about it.
"That is a good point and we should be cautious of that as well….but at the very least, we have class 78th on our side, right?" Chiaki agreed with him, but reminded that they're not alone in their fight, at the very least if they counted Hope's peak only folk.
"So far, we do...and I do believe it as well." Ryota reassured them that at the very least, he had faith in them. For someone who seemed to think that trust is a fickle concept, his words had quite an impact on them. "It is kind of strange that class 77-B and class 78th are only ones fighting Daft Capo.".
"Perhaps we should obtain new minions?" suggested Gundham, imagining that the Fellowship might become even bigger than before.
"Hm, it would definitely be harder to convince others about our fight, since you know….how the fuck are we supposed to explain that a gangster octopus not only attacked us, but is the part of a mafia in the first place." Fuyuhiko raised a point on just how utterly hard to believe the whole conflict seemed to be.
"Perhaps we should worry about that later. Now it's more important on what we have." advised Sonia to focus more on the conflict itself rather than drafting more students in such fight.
"I suppose so. Our relations with class 78th are pretty close. I guess a little encouragement wouldn't hurt." Ryota finally joined in, being the last student to place their hand there but not the last person to do so.
"Now don't forget about your teach as well! You guys have to know that your teacher will forever be on your side, no alternative allowed!" Chisa suddenly placed her hand to join in, acknowledging that their teacher won't be a passive force, instead of an active one. After they all put their hands together...they just stuck there, unsure what exactly to do afterwards.
"...Okay, now we do what?" Kazuichi was the first one to ask.
"Don't we usually raised our hands in union here?" Hajime reminded them on why those things happen, usually around when a team was about to begin their game of sport. The ahoge boy wasn't a sports person, but he knew that due general knowledge and observation.
"Oooh, right." noted Kazuichi before all of them (except Gundham) raised their arms, letting out one "Hurrah" for themselves. As silly as that gesture was, at the very least it gave them hope that they will come on top with their fight against the adversary criminal syndicate.
"Yaaaay! Now that's the spirit! We still have some time before the lunch break, so we should make that time as best as possible!" Chisa complimented them all before they all returned to having a normal class time before lunch break. Things seemed to go back on track as they should, as they all felt some kind of relief about it.
After a normal class, it was time for lunch break. Everyone (but most noticeably Akane) rushed for it, since all the worries they had made them all hungry. Sole exception seemed to be Chiaki, who remained in the class. She had a task do to, a task she gave to herself. The regretful gal slowly stepped towards her teacher, who did notice that she needed her.
"….Hey, Miss Yukizome?" quietly asked Chiaki, looking at her teacher like a guilty puppy.
"Oh, Chiaki? Is there something bothering you, my dear?" Chisa wanted to know what was bothering her. She picked on that if her student had something on her mind, she will always wait.
"I just wanna say….I'm sorry for yesterday...I'm sorry for acting such a way….I'm sorry for failing-" Chiaki started to apologize for the outburst, but it was slowly descending into her tearing herself apart. Her self bashing was quickly interrupted by Chisa placing her arms on the shoulder, seeming like she would shake her. But Chisa wasn't that kind of a woman, instead she opted for a more close approach.
"Chiaki, don't be too hard on yourself for it. I understand why it happened….and it did tell me a thing I always assumed." Chisa started reassuring her while also revealing that she noticed a certain pattern in her.
"What kind of thing?" asked Chiaki, unsure of what her teacher meant.
"You hide a lot in yourself because you don't want your friends to worry about you, right?" Chisa revealed her assumption to her. Chiaki's face became completely red as her irises shrunk. She did not expect that Chisa would guess it right on the nose-
"...H-huh? Um…" stammered Chiaki, trying to hide it, but the truth was, she couldn't, especially in front of her teacher.
"You have to know that if people worry about you, that means they really care about you. Even though it's not a pleasant feeling, it shouldn't be shamed. It just means that we want best for you too. To be honest, I do worry about you a lot, ever since I got to know that this school is being targeted by mafia…" continued Chisa as she kept revealing her true feelings, fully trusting Chiaki that she will take her word.
"B-but there...there is no need to worry, Miss Yukizome." Chiaki attempted to downplay herself, implying that no one should worry for her ever.
"Even if I was forced not to, I still couldn't help myself, but worry. Don't try to avoid that feeling, my dear, it's really nothing to be ashamed of. But there is something I do want to try out, just for you." Chisa kept reassuring her, knowing that Chiaki sort of refuses to open up. Instead, she opted for a promise, the one that she hoped that Chiaki would take it.
"What would that be, Miss Yukizome?" asked Chiaki.
"I want you to tell me about your true feelings. Don't force yourself upon doing it immediately, but once you're ready, please feel free to talk to me about it. It would make me very happy to see you open up, but remember, no rush." Chisa gave her an offer, which caused Chiaki to blush even harder. The gamer gal's brain took a while to process it, since it was the first time for anyone to not only accept her if she opens up, but also looked forward to it.
"...Y-you'd be happy...even if I reveal my true side?" stuttered Chiaki as she fidgeted in one place. She was still in shock for how open minded Chisa was about her.
"Of course I would! I'm pretty sure your friends would too, as well. They would love to see your at most comfortable. Now, will you promise me to do so? Pinky promise?" Chisa promised on her end as she gave her a pinky finger to hold. Chiaki hesitated for some time before she finally decided that at the very least, she can do it for her teacher.
"….uhm, pinky promise." Chiaki gave another promise to her as she touched her pinky finger with her own. Both of them shook hands, promising that they would be open to each other all the time, no more hiding.
"That's my girl! Do you need me for anything else?" Chisa complimented her before asking her if there's a thing that's on her mind.
"Well, I think that should be it for now, heh…but...I will do it. I'll do anything for you. Now, I have to go….See ya." said Chiaki to her, with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face before she went off to the dining hall.
"See ya soon, you cinnamon roll!" Chisa waved at her as she remained there to clean up the classroom all by herself.
However, just as she got outside of the classroom, Chiaki stopped and remained there like a statue.
"…..Heck." she quietly muttered to herself, realizing in how much of a big step she took. Before Hope's peak, she wouldn't even have considered it.
"This is confusing….I don't want them to worry, but they want me to...um...open up? I mean, why would they want to know the true me, who is an utter mess-" Chiaki's mind became overflooded with a lot of thoughts, but the commitment to keep promise to her teacher reigned above all thoughts, including insecurities. "….No, I will live up to my promise. I've made so many at that point, I have to live up to them. Especially for my group and Miss Yukizome...Yeah, I have to do it…."
Suddenly, her thought process was halted when not did she hear a familiar voice, but saw a familiar person right in front of her eyes.
"Hey, um...Chiaki?" Chihiro quietly said it to her, feeling a bit relaxed that she was just there and not lost somewhere completely else.
"Oh, Chihiro. Sorry for waiting, just had a thing to do with Miss Yukizome." apologized Chiaki before she elaborated on why she took a bit of time.
"Ah, that's nothing to worry about. I just went in to check to see if you're doing okay. So, wanna come with us?" reassured the programmer before inviting her to go to the dining room together. Chiaki happily nodded as both of them went together for a brief stroll. Once they arrived, they sat near a table where Hajime and Ibuki were. They were also accompanied by Makoto and Sayaka, who, like the rest of the class 78th, were worried about the well being of class 77-B after the most infamous student got expelled. It was all clarified that they went through that and it was alright at that moment.
"Ah, here you are, Chiaki. We've been waiting for you." greeted Makoto once she sat down.
"Our class has also heard what happened to you guys...You guys seem to take it rather well." Sayaka began about the expulsion.
"Well...not really. We took a while to accept it, there were still some worries about it. Still, it still sucks that our classmate got expelled…" admitted Chiaki while expressing her thoughts on it.
"Yeah, it's really not a good feeling to have a friend expelled…." Makoto sympathized with her regarding expulsion, since it was also something he didn't want for his class to suffer. At the very least, no one seemed to be like Nagito in his class.
"He honestly wasn't a friend in the first place, but considering that he's out now, I do hope days are more relaxing now. I am aware that's cold to say, but what he said…" bluntly said Hajime while hinting at why exactly Nagito's words caused him anxieties for quite some time.
"I don't think it's too cold, but yeah….You're pretty justified in what you're feeling as well." Chiaki assured him that he wasn't really wrong for it, since she knew the truth.
"Well,...I've felt it too. Something about his words just irked me off…" Makoto admitted to them that Nagito's words did strike him, just that he hid it in himself about it.
"You too? Mind if I ask why?" asked Hajime, genuinely surprised that he was startled by such. Perhaps he was also secretly without talent, but it didn't seem likely.
"It's less about me and more about my sister. She doesn't really have a talent and for him to call her "worthless trash" indirectly…" Makoto revealed the reason why that student's words stuck with him. Everyone that heard it was surprised that he had relatives.
"...That's really awful of him. More I hear about it, worse it gets...it seems." lamented Chiaki, while sliding more that Nagito's expulsion was unanimously a good thing for the school. He really screwed up big time the moment he dismissed non talented people as trash.
"I'm now even more glad that he's gone." bluntly said Hajime while also relating to the feeling Makoto had. But, since Nagito was gone, another topic came into play.
"...Also, you have a sister?" Chiaki, Hajime and Sayaka were first one to ask, curious about Mrs. Naegi. Even Fuyuhiko and Peko heard it, who were just passing by.
"Oh shit, did you just hear him? He too?" Fuyuhiko whispered to Peko, startled by the revelation.
"It seems so." confirmed Peko while both of them pretended that the group didn't hear them. Unfortunately for them, they all did.
"Fuyuhiko and Peko?" Makoto noticed them and asked, since usually those two would keep it at themselves.
"Eh, don't mind us. We're just doing our business." Fuyuhiko attempted to dismiss their presence as a coincidence, but considering what his face was like, it was clear as day he had relatives too.
"So, what's she like?" Sayaka was the first one to fire a question. She seemed to be quite interested in her, especially with a huge smile on her face and sparks in her eyes.
"W-well, um, she's pretty cheerful and optimistic and we read manga together. She really loves it." Makoto began talking about her sister, telling them about what sort of stuff they do together.
"Gosh, you two read manga together? That's adorable!" Sayaka complimented, which caused Makoto to become even more flustered.
"I-It's really not that much…" Makoto tried to downplay himself, but continued to tell stories about his sister and her adventures. They all loved to listen to it, just happy to hear his rather silly stories with her.
Meanwhile, in the "bar" section of the dining hall, two more stern looking individuals had a conversation.
"Figottoni, there's something I must tell you." Ryota began it, prepared to tell the events of the day and one before.
"What would that be, Ryota Mitarai?" asked Figottoni as he was busy with cleaning glasses.
"One of our classmates has been expelled due to him threatening my classmates. Nagito was his name, do you perhaps remember him?" Ryota told him about Nagito's expulsion and even prompted him to tell his opinion on it.
"You also had someone expelled?" Figottoni raised his eyebrow, revealing that, as a part of class 69, they also received an expulsion. However, Ryota was aware of it even before. At the very least, he assumed so.
"Correct, although I do think I am aware who got expelled on your end. Ultimate Scammer, wasn't it?" said Ryota while giving out his guess to the bartender colleague.
"How did you find out, if I may ask?" asked Figottoni once more, surprised that he knew the exact person that was expelled.
"Our instructor has told us about in the morning." answered Ryota, clearing up confusion for a bit.
"Ah, that clears it up. Our classmate got expelled for, from what I've heard, criminal activity in the school and being a rather unpleasant individual." said Figottoni about the reason why Ultimate Scammer was expelled in the first place.
"Criminal activity?" Ryota raised his eyebrow, curious upon the wording of Figottoni. Perhaps the bartender knew more than it seemed, especially regarding Daft Capo.
"Scamming. Even though he was the Ultimate Scammer, he crossed the line too much, especially when he attempted to scam teachers and, from what I've heard, headmaster himself." Figottoni further elaborated, gaining Kyoko's attention when he mentioned headmaster. Kyoko silently walked towards their place, without them even noticing.
"Hm, how odd, for him to be expelled over that." noted Ryota, considering that he assumed that the reason had to do with Scammer's link with the criminal syndicate.
"I would like to hear more about his activities regarding headmaster." Kyoko suddenly interrupted their discussion with a demand. Both of them didn't mind much, but they began to be curious about what caught her attention.
"Ah, greetings, Kyoko Kirigiri. It was merely a hearsay, but I've heard it from my classmate, Ultimate Punk Enthusiast, that he attempted to scam the headmaster. It was on the first week of school, where he was actually there." explained Figottoni.
"Do you perhaps know anything more?" Kyoko asked for more information regarding the headmaster. It was starting to become suspicious for them that Kyoko had something to do with him.
"I am afraid not. I apologize." Figottoni shook his head. Kyoko left the conversation, seeing that the bartender did not know much about the headmaster. Both of them thought about her for a bit.
"I do wonder what did your class feel about him getting expelled." Ryota suddenly asked as he switched the topic.
"About that…" Figottoni began to explain the feelings of class 69 regarding Scammer's expulsion.
Meanwhile, in the classroom of class 69, Dream a Dream by Captain Jack was playing on high volume. Inside the class, there were strobe lights on the ceiling. All of the students, with exception of one, who was just confused, were dancing like there was no tomorrow. Some of them were even break dancing, on the tables even. The blackboard had a drawn caricature of the Ultimate Scammer, which was accompanied by two sentences, consisting of "THE SCAM ASSHOLE IS GONE" and "gib mone pls".
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" one of the students, the so called Ultimate Stock Trader, jumped off the table to do a somersault midair. She landed on her feet before she broke into break dancing again. Not that she would be relevant in the future.
"Mwahahaha, now I have monopoly over this school!" boastfully laughed Ultimate Telemarketer as he started typing on the keyboard with such pace, that it would make regular world wide web browsers blush. The reign of his apex scamming began. Not that he would be relevant in the future.
"THE EVIL HAS BEEN DEFEATED! YES! YES! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" cheered one of the more intriguing students, the Ultimate Bootlegger, who seemed to go with the name of . He was quite lanky, looked like a scientist imitation and most importantly, had a giant N on his forehead. For him to cheer for the defeat of evil, he resembled a supervillain more and he was pelvic thrusting the air. Not that he would be relevant in the future, maybe.
"Yo, I actually can't believe he's out." even though she was jamming, Suifta seemed to be surprised that Ultimate Scammer was expelled. For all the leniency the school gave to Ultimates, he seemed to be the sole exception to it.
"Who cares? Let's PARTYYYYYYYYYYY!" shouted Zapatta as he was rocking the hell out of his guitar, even though it was dwarfed by the song itself.
Suddenly, their teacher, an ordinary looking saleswoman, kicked the door and barged inside, with a scowl on her face. She fixed her glasses to get a clear vision on what was going on.
"What the fuck are y'all celebrating for?" the teacher demanded to know, talking like she was rightfully fit for the class. All of the class turned their heads towards their teacher as they stopped partying for a moment.
"The scam guy has been expelled!" announced one of the students, the so called Ultimate Tax Collector, another irrelevant one. It came off as a genuine surprise for the teacher that one of her students got expelled, but that could be due to her, lets say, contrasting personality of Miss Yukizome.
"Oh, I see." the teacher shrugged off before she joined in the party, glad that the scam fella was gone for good.
Back in the dining hall, Figottoni completed his story about class 69's reaction to expulsion of the Ultimate Scammer: "So indeed, that's how it was received.".
"I'll take it that this Ultimate Scammer person has not been welcomed in your class." noted Ryota, feeling rather intrigued by the whole tale.
"I suppose so, but it is no surprise." said Figottoni as they continued the their time in the dining hall discussing other topics. Meanwhile, the gang near Chiaki was talking about the fun stuff and all of that jazz, just having a good time. Unfortunately for them, their fun times ended when the least fun person in the class 78th. The lanky man with glasses towered above them, adding a piercing glare to the mix.
"...Oh no…" sighed Makoto and Sayaka upon seeing the man himself, Byakuya Togami, right near them. However, he turned his head towards Chiaki, looking like he has business with her.
"Tell me more about this whole "Fellowship" thing you and your accomplices have cooked up." demanded Byakuya in his cold, scornful voice, gaining Chiaki's attention almost immediately. She got startled a bit, since Byakuya wasn't really a person that ever spoke to her.
"...I'm...not the person to talk about that. Gundham is." admitted Chiaki, knowing her place as just a mere member, despite influencing some of the decisions of the Fellowship. Her response warranted her a squint from Byakuya, which made her confused on what she did wrong.
"Are you having a laugh now?" Byakuya asked her in a rather sharp tone.
"No, I mean it. It's best to discuss with him." Chiaki defended her point that she was genuine about it. Byakuya still doubted her, but considering how serious she sounded, he gave it a try.
"I will see about that. Your words better be true." warned Byakuya before he walked away, leaving a not so positive impression on that group before he focused his attention on the wizard man. Once he arrived, he immediately fired a demand for him: "From what I've heard, you must be the instigator of this whole group, aren't you?".
"Kehehe, indeed I am. What is it that you seek?" chuckled Gundham, enjoying the fact he was acknowledged as the leader, albeit indirectly.
"I would like to join it. Consider it an honor among you commoners. It seems like things have become a lot more interesting." Byakuya gave an offer, but not before he asserted himself as someone who had superiority over them.
"Hmmm, that's quite a surprise, but a welcome one for sure. For more information, we should discuss it elsewhere." Gundham opted to ignore his obvious arrogance, instead welcoming him as another person to fight for their cause.
"I already know about penguins, since someone couldn't keep his mouth shut. For being a secret, you commoners are terrible at keeping at it." criticized Byakuya for their inability for what he assumed were hiding while he also glanced at Yasuhiro, who was eating a burger. The afro man noticed that the Affluent Prodigy was glaring right at him.
"What?" asked Yasuhiro, confused on what he did wrong.
"That aspect is minor in grand scheme of things. Considering what events of the day past have proven, it's best to keep our plans there." clarified Gundham that it's not presence of penguins that was a secret, but their operations against Daft Capo.
"I'm surprised you even considered taking precautions. Now then, I shall see what you peasants have. You better live up to it." smirked Byakuya, in a sense that at the very least they were not dumb enough to go without any plans, though he couldn't bother just not be condescending to everyone. At the very least, The Fellowship of Darkness gained a new member that day.
After much time passed, it was time when students were supposed to go home. However, for the Fellowship of Darkness, it was the time for another meeting with penguins. Compared to the early days, nearly every single student of both class 77-B and class 78th joined in, with only Celestia Ludenberg being a sole exception. However, two newcomers were a slight surprise for their leader.
"...When did you two come into play?" asked Gundham with a suspicious look when he saw that Hiyoko and Toko were joining them.
"What? Didn't you morons want more people on your team? I'm only here because Mahiru…." barged Hiyoko while also revealing that Mahiru managed to convinced her. She was all huffy and puffy, but at the very least if it meant protecting Mahiru from Daft Capo, she was on board, reluctantly.
"W-what, are you going to judge me for joining?! A-are you gonna kick me out on day one as well?!" Toko shouted at him as she pointed at him, accusing him of bias against her.
"Bah, the only reason why you're here is because you just can't control yourself over Byakuya, you sardine barf!" jabbed Hiyoko right at her, already hating her from the first sight alone. She expected her to start crying, just like a certain nurse would do.
"Oh, y-you're calling me a sardine barf, you foul odored gremlin?!" Toko, whom defied Hiyoko's expectations, retaliated with arguably an even worse insult. The dancer was taken a back for a moment, seemingly genuinely offended by her remark.
"Y-you have ZERO rights on judging someone who smells, you hypocritical dumpster fire!" countered Hiyoko, although it was rather clear that it stung for her. No one paid attention to these two girls bickering for inane reasons.
"Silence, both of you." commanded Byakuya as he stepped in their little debacle. Withing a millisecond, Toko closed her mouth, blushing happily. Hiyoko was not silenced by Byakuya himself, but from sheer disgust of seeing Toko getting off of Byakuya ordering her to shut up. The cringe was so strong, that she had wrinkles again. Such face was there for five whole minutes.
"I will bop you on the head so hard for this, hoe." Hiyoko thought to herself, contemplating a plan to smack Toko's head any time she got excited over Byakuya. An inflatable mallet would do its job.
"The newcomers will be monitored greatly. They might cause inconveniences." Gundham placed his palm right on his face from seeing them in action before he decided that it was time for them to already meet the penguins. "Alright then, let us go forth.".
The usual procedure of traveling through the park followed. Of course, Hiyoko and Toko complained through it all the way until they reached the door of the garage, which was also known as their hideout. Penguins let them in, allowing for nearly all students inside to go in.
"Avians of the Faraway Blizzard, we have gained new members." Gundham announced the inclusion of further three members of various yet noticeable personalities.
"Good work, wizard man! Now lets see who is it!" approved Skipper as he let the new ones to introduce themselves to them. Byakuya, Toko and Hiyoko all took a look at their newly made penguin amigos. Only Byakuya was the one that didn't do a spit take upon seeing the lads.
"...W-what the fuck? Is this for real?" sputtered out Toko as she nearly jumped like a startled cat upon seeing them. Hiyoko had a shocked face for a minute before she turned towards her wizard colleague.
"Is this your work, you wizard lunatic?!" Hiyoko called him out for messing with her, but the truth was, penguins were technically speaking independent from Gundham. He didn't tame them, only the adventures and themselves did. However, from the looks alone, penguins did not anticipate good things from them.
"...Kowalski, I can already tell that these are gonna be a workload." said Skipper to his tall penguin colleague as he rolled with his eyes.
"Oh, you better be prepared for them, Skipper." warned Kowalski, already anticipating a lot of arguments with them.
"Hold up!" Rico suddenly spoke up, raising his flipper as he focused his look on Toko's head. He spotted something that no one else, including his target didn't.
"W-what now?" stuttered Toko before Rico, without any warning, jumped right on her shoulder, making her react like a startled cat, the scream included. With a single swipe, Rico managed to snatch the object of his desire that used to reside on Toko's head: a full sardine.
"Fish!" proudly announced Rico as he returned to his penguin colleagues, flexing with his newly snatched item. A realization hit Toko, that she had a fish in her hair for the entire day.
"Wait, what? When the hell did a sardine land on my head?!" panicked Toko as she rubbed her head to get rid of all traces of it.
"HAHAHAHAHA! FISH! I WIN! GIVE!" cackled Rico as he demanded all coins that they gathered to be handed over to him. Skipper, knowing the outcome, reluctantly opened all jars as he started to fill Rico's jar with dosh.
"Skipper, don't we just put only new coins in our jars?" asked Private, who was confused upon why would they have to give all of their money to him and not just new coins of the day.
"Well, Private….I made a bet with him." revealed Skipper that he made a bet if Rico will ever get a fish. It turned out, despite his expectations, the fish was obtained and now Rico was the richest among the penguins. He didn't even hold back posturing about it.
"YA YA! WIN!" boasted Rico as he put on sunglasses and posed dramatically, yet pridefully. All of those shenanigans were starting to get on Togami's nerves.
"Cut the nonsense and get to the important part." ordered Byakuya for penguins to start explaining.
"Oh, you're that type, aren't ya? Anyway, so…" Skipper jeered at him, just from his owl like scowl alone, before he started info dumping all about their experiences with Daft Capo, their means to deal with them and their former operations in Japan, including the defeat of Herman Emperor of Italia in Hope's peak academy. Denmark had to be mentioned, or else they would get glares from Hajime.
"I cannot even tell from what genre would such bullshit be found." commented Toko, being completely baffled by the whole story.
"Hm...I see. Your tales with them are quite extravagant and your tactics regarding them relied upon your folly, which is why is there little to wonder why Denmark was Daft Capo's decisive victory." Byakuya didn't even bother to mince his words about it. He even had a smirk when he told them that.
"Did you really have to rub it in our face?" Skipper squinted right at him, considering that he considered Byakuya to be "that guy" in his wording.
"You cannot hide from the truth. However, I do have a question for you. What's the chance of Togami corporation being attacked by those criminal scoundrels?" insisted Byakuya before he laid out a question for them. Togami showed a rare instance of actual concern, even if it was just for him. A rather strange occurrence for everyone, considering how Byakuya was to literally everyone in Hope's peak everyone.
"Considering that Togami Corporation deals with finances, it's safe to say that it's very high." answered Kowalski in his own way.
"Heh..I do welcome a challenger, but the name of Togami won't be stained by some mere mobsters. So rejoice, for I have fully committed to this group of commoners." Byakuya smirked once again before he declared that he has officially entered their side of the conflict. Mixed feeling spawned from his declaration seconds after.
"Welcome to the Fellowship, ." Ryota welcomed him to the team without hesitation, possibly due to respect he had for Byakuya. Meanwhile, the less enthusiastic people spoke.
"….This is gonna be pain in the butt." sighed Aoi as she pouted.
"I already feel it there." added Ibuki while feeling physical pain in her ass. No one, including herself, didn't even slap it, just the concept of having someone as stuck up as Byakuya caused her posterior to feel pain by itself.
"So, anyone else have something to say? Even though yesterday was...hoo boy, today we didn't have anything eventful." asked Skipper about the possible information regarding Daft Capo. Then, those who saw punksters on Saturday realized it was their cue to speak up.
"Yeah, actually. Last Saturday was wild for some of us." Hajime started talking about the incident right away, gaining Skipper's attention in the process.
"Speak, Ahoge!" ordered Skipper as he pointed his flipper at him.
"On that Saturday, me, Chiaki, Chihiro and Ibuki just wanted to go to the arcade. On our way, we managed to find Fuyuhiko and Peko on the way and they dragged us in an alleyway." began Hajime, recalling every single moment that he managed to remember.
"We did that because we have found out by complete accident that the clothing store was attacked by Daft Capo punksters." Peko continued their story in order to confirm her and Fuyuhiko's presence there.
"Well now! How many of them were?" Skipper's interest rose up as he demanded them to spill out everything they could.
"Initially, we thought there were around three of them, but it turned out that there were about three more of them. Those three have found us out and chased us." added Chiaki, speaking in a serious tone.
"We had to evade because we couldn't pick a fight with them, even with Peko on our side. Luckily, none of us got harmed by those bastards, but yeah…." concluded Fuyuhiko while revealing that they got unharmed, despite having the close encounter with their adversary. Everyone, including Private, felt sympathy for them, to have to deal with enemies right during the weekend.
"Oh lord, that has to be a terrible Saturday….If we knew, we would all come into help." lamented Sonia as she made a promise that if such incidents repeat, all of them would come to help.
"Is attacking clothing stores something they have always done?" suddenly asked Kyoko, curious about their tactics and strategies.
"Yeah, that's in line with their MO." confirmed Skipper, recalling a common occurrence during their adventures in Europe.
"But...why exactly would they attack a clothing store? I assume because they had a grudge?" questioned Makoto.
"The reason is actually pretty simple. To quote them, "to get the freshest drip". This was, in fact, a word-to-word quotation." Kowalski answered the entire thing, including quotation, with a straight face.
"...What the hell kind of mafia is that? Don't they do usual things, like tax evasion or something? I sometimes wonder if this is all just made up." Hiyoko started to doubt their claims, despite seeing all the evidence by herself. For a mafia, they seemed to lack a lot of trademark activities, or so she thought.
"Nope, it's all real. All of it and you better believe it." confirmed Skipper that none of the stuff they said about Daft Capo was made up.
"There's also one thing we've heard." Fuyuhiko further added to their conversation, gaining more attention from penguins.
"Apparently, they have territory that they call Zona Daft Capo." revealed Peko to them, causing a rise of curiosity among the Fellowship. The way it was written sounded like Daft Capo already had a settlement in Japan.
"This is what I've heard too! The Ultimate Scammer, their spy, has mentioned it to the Kraken of The Land." recalled Gundham that one time he went on an espionage mission during the night. Penguins remembered it too.
"Oh, you knew? Then why the fuck didn't you say it?" Fuyuhiko condemned him for not telling them in the first place. Some of them experienced similar frustration as well.
"A mere name would help us nothing if we don't know the location of it." reasoned Gundham that, even if they knew, it was more or less useless if they didn't know exact place of it.
"Zona Daft Capo, we've heard that name too. Considering that we have officially revealed the name of their territory...we got ourselves a new task, boys and girls." contemplated Skipper before he announced a new operation that will include the full scale Fellowship of Darkness. "With that, widespread campaign of searching that Zona Daft Capo has begun. I shall call it Operation Metropolitan Hunt!".
"How can we help?" asked Chiaki, wanting to know ways they could deal with their newly assigned mission.
"This will be a job mostly for us and out laboratory friends, but you can assist too. Search every corner of this city to find it." answered Skipper.
"Hold on, that's basically sending us directly to their territory! You're not allowed to do it!" objected Mahiru, thinking about the prospect of anyone in the Fellowship being harmed by those punksters.
"We've never said that you're gonna go directly into the hive of those criminals, just that we need to find an approximate location of it. You can even do it from home, if you wanna." reassured Skipper that no one needs to leap right into their territory.
"Ah, that makes it a little better." Mahiru smiled a bit, knowing that Skipper isn't sending students into grave danger.
"Alright, that should be all for today, right?" asked Skipper one more time before they concluded the day.
"Hmmm...it appears so. We shall call it a day, to get energy for the impending day. The fate smiles upon the most prepared." Gundham saw no reason to continue the meeting, since they got covered most of the things they wanted.
"Alright then, meeting dismissed!" announced Skipper as he opened up the door for them, letting them out. Once the last student went outside, Rico closed the door as they all gathered around the laptop.
"Hmm...now that Operation Metropolitan Hunt has officially begun, do you fellas have any idea on making it as efficient as possible? All means would be suited for this operation." requested Skipper for some assistance regarding their new operation.
"If we want to keep distance, it would be best to utilize satellite imagery. Perhaps we could identify already known elements and use them to recognize patterns." advised Kowalski about usage of tools that would sometimes require out of the box thinking.
"Good idea, Kowalski! We still need more physical approach as well-" praised Skipper, but any sort of relief was quickly shot down when Rico noticed what was happening on screen.
"Uh, red red!" alerted Rico as all of them had their looks centered right on the monitor. A sole red triangle appeared, right in front of entrance. Such symbol meant only one thing: Daft Capo has returned to the grounds of Hope's peak academy.
"What?! They're back at school again?!" denounced Skipper, thinking that their previous encounter with them didn't give them a lesson. However, the observation took a turn for unexpected: three green circles approached the red triangle and stood there.
"There's green circles as well! Three of them!" Private stated what was going on.
"I'm not sure if I have a good feeling or bad feeling about this. Kowalski, identify!" ordered Skipper as he pointed at his tall colleague.
"Switching to channel ten." said Kowalski as he pressed on a PELN that was nearby entrance. Soon, they managed to hear what was happening there.
"...Ayy there, my friends…."
The first voice, the one of red triangle, was recognized immediately.
"Scammer, that scoundrel! Now lets see who's the rest of them." condemned Skipper before he ordered Kowalski to identify green circles. However, those three were people that none of penguins expected.
"...hey, asshole. Apparently, you've been needing us…"
A rather bombastic voice, worthy of a someone being on stage. It felt familiar, but not too much. Then they switched to another one.
"Yo, what's up? Seems like they want us for somethin'…"
A more relaxed voice, with a shade of slang. Perfect for someone who would sing in the streets. It was less familiar, but still familiar enough. Then they identified the final one.
"….Greetings, colleague. What's the situation?"
A warm familiar voice, that always accompanied those who needed a refresher. He was more on the recognized side. Penguins were a bit silent due to shock, they didn't expect them to work for Daft Capo at all.
"Those are…Private, call Kirigiri right now!" ordered Skipper after a sense of urgency overcame the shock. There was no more time to waste, more spies have been found.
"Will do, Skipper!" saluted Private as he found her number on the phone and pressed the call button as quickly as possible.
"What is it?" asked Kyoko, wondering on why exactly did they need her.
"There's an emergency in the hideout! Come quickly! It's about Daft Capo and spies!" Private called out for her, alarming her of what they've found.
"...I will come soon." said Kyoko, promising them that she would arrive rather quickly. The promise, just as quickly it began, it was also fulfilled in a short amount of time. Once the knocking was heard, penguins let Kyoko in to assist them.
"So, who are spies for Daft Capo now?" piqued Kyoko, having assumptions on who could it be.
"Take a listen." Kowalski gave her headphones to listen to the whole conversation. The moment she recognized voices, she was taken a back for a bit, signified by shrunken irises. However, she regained her composure quickly and knew exactly what to do.
"Does this application allow exporting recorded voices?" questioned Kyoko as she pointed at the screen, specifically the application.
"Allow me to check." Kowalski inspected the application for a moment before he found out that not only it had an internal editor, but allowed exporting as well. "Phew, it does. Now, no more words are needed. I'll do it as imagined.".
Thus, they went with the procedure. Once Daft Capo spies disappeared from the screen, they concluded the recording and sent it to editor, where they would export it in a compatible file. After some time, the program finished exporting the file. Then penguins sent the file through e-mail. The process was done when Kyoko received the mail.
"Thank you. I will report to them as soon as possible." said Kyoko as she placed the file on her phone where would it be easiest to access.
"Oh, you're a blessing, Kyoko! Now, that's all we needed you for." thanked Skipper, but only received a nod in return. She was let out, and as soon as she went home, she started sending messages to everyone she had in contact. The file was included as an attachment. Once they departed, penguins closed the door and started thinking about implications of more unexpected spies.
"You're just being relentless right now, aren't you, Daft Capo?" realized Skipper that Daft Capo was not only taking things more serious, but they did before classes even knew about it. It was only a matter of time until the rest of Fellowship of Darkness finds out the truth.