Makoto, Byakuya, Hiro, Hajime, Chiaki and Nagito sat around a large table in the Academy dining hall. They were watching a very intense shogi match between Taka and Celeste.
"A draw?" Taka's voice was hushed with awe and disbelief. "Until this match, I've only managed to lose pathetically against Celeste…"
"Luck comes in waves," Celeste interrupted with a calm shrug. "If you continue to challenge me, it's possible you'll have a draw at least once."
"That's not it, Celeste! It is all my studying, all of my practicing, all of my effort that finally reached you!" Taka argued.
"If you'd like to think that way, go ahead. Everyone wants to believe in their fantasies," Celeste replied, her tone as calm and serene as ever, but she covered her mouth with her hand. Clearly, she enjoyed riling Taka up, and he was such a fiery student that it wasn't very hard to do.
"It's no fantasy! Perhaps, in the near future, I will actually manage to win!" he cried, predictably taking her bait, just like always.
The two continued to argue for a bit longer, Taka insisting that he was going to beat Celeste one day. But as she pointed out, he only had until graduation to do so before they would both go their separate ways forever.
"Then I am going to build a true meritocracy. A society that rewards valiant effort!" Taka cried. Even if he never managed to beat Celeste at shogi, he would defeat her in other ways. "Yes! Watch, as I change society for the better! In that way, I will have truly won against you!"
ooo
It was then that the conversation turned towards luck. To no one's surprise, Celeste's stance was that luck was the most important trait a person could have. As she put it, luck was already a mysterious and dangerous force all on its own. But it only became that much stronger if it was in the hands of an Ultimate. And it became even stronger still if said Ultimate already specialized in luck (like she, Makoto and Nagito did). But Taka, of course, completely disagreed. In his mind, a strong work ethic was the most important trait.
Before long, everyone else at the table got dragged into the debate too.
"Idiots, all of you," Byakuya scoffed at one point. Celeste gave him an unreadable smile.
"Well then, Ultimate Trust Fund Baby," it was rare for her to be so overt in her insults, but the sickly sweet smile on her face was much more customary, "do tell, which side of the scale do you fall on? This should be interesting to hear, should it not? Coming from an Ultimate whose Talent was handed to him on a silver platter, I am keen to know what you think of Lady Luck and Miss Fortune."
"Silver platter?" Though Byakuya's voice was as cold and flat as ever, his tone took on a new edge that let everyone know just how much Celeste's little barb had irked him. But that was because, contrary to popular belief, his Talent hadn't been handed to him on a silver platter. He'd needed to put his blood, sweat and tears into earning the title of Ultimate Affluent Progeny, locked in brutal competition with all his siblings since the second he was born. In fact, his story was actually very similar to Celeste's, each of them using their strongest abilities to climb to the top of the heap. The only difference was that Celeste's skill was in luck while Byakuya's was in sheer willpower, work ethic and cunning.
"Yes! See? It's just as I said, Celeste! Hard work is the most important thing!" Taka cried triumphantly as he gestured to Byakuya. It was a rare day for him to agree with Byakuya on anything (their personalities were usually so different that it made it hard for them to get along easily), but when it came to matters of luck vs. work, Taka was very passionate and opinionated, and he wanted everyone else to be that way too.
"Makoto, Hiro, what about you two?" he demanded.
"Huh? Me?!" Makoto squeaked.
"Wait a minute, what's happening again?" Hiro asked. Taka's nostrils flared, but he chose just to answer the question instead.
"Between luck and work, tenacity and Talent, which do you think is more important, meaningful and successful in the long run?" he asked.
"Oh, well, luck and Talent, obviously," Hiro shrugged.
"What?!" Taka narrowed his eyes at the clairvoyant.
"I mean yeah! Right? Isn't luck supposed to be like… super cool and useful and unpredictable and stuff? That stuff is always super OP, right?"
"Honestly, I don't really think you can talk about luck so highly, given how often your predications are wrong," Byakuya sneered.
"Hey! I'm at least 30% right!" Hiro insisted. "And that actually reminds me, if anyone here wants a reading, just hit me up at-"
"Anyway, I suppose we should get our Ultimate Lucky Student's opinion on the matter as well, shouldn't we?" Byakuya turned his disdainful gaze onto Makoto. "Tell them, Naegi."
"Uhhh, well, ummm, I guess I'd have to say… It really just depends."
"It depends? What a cowardly answer," Celeste snorted. "I am wounded that a fellow Lucky Ultimate was not quicker to rush to my aid!" she put a hand over her heart, as though she was genuinely hurt by what Makoto had said, but they all knew it was a lie.
"It's not that!" Makoto insisted. "It's just… Sometimes hard work wins out, but other times, luck wins out!" his gave a glance to the shogi board. "And I say this as an Ultimate Lucky Student, luck is incredibly unpredictable, so I don't mean to offend anyone!" he added, raising his hands.
Besides, if there's anyone here who had their Talent handed to them on a silver platter, it was me, all I did was get my name pulled out of a hat…
"I'm not talking about that," Taka said dismissively. "I know luck ebbs and flows, but that's why I believe that hard work is superior! Luck is inconsistent! Even the best of it will go bad eventually. But toil? That is much more fair, honest, reliable and stable! You reap what you sow!"
"Do you now?" Celeste teased, gesturing to the shogi board. "Besides, with luck, all it takes is one single turn, and that can be enough to topple an empire, or send it into perpetuity," she declared. "How can you look at a beast as wild and powerful as luck and say that something as trivial and mundane as "hard work" is superior? All the hard work in the world means nothing in the face of fate!"
"But between the two, hard work is obviously the healthier and more moral option!" Taka protested. "Hard work is what makes the world go round, what keeps us together as a society! It's what makes us Ultimates, we're the hardest workers in our fields! And we don't-"
"You're wrong about that, Taka," the other Ultimate Lucky Student interrupted the Ultimate Moral Compass with an almost teasing tone.
"Wh-what?!" Taka was caught off guard by the sudden dissent. Nagito was more than happy to clarify.
"What truly makes an Ultimate stand out over the rest of his peers is the very fact that his Talent isn't something thatbe achieved through mere hard work alone! That's what makes him an Ultimate! Of course, that's not to say hard work is meaningless. On the contrary, I believe that it is our duty as students of Hope's Peak Academy to do our best every single day so that our Hope may shine even brighter!
"We must take our Hope and test and refine it, we must never stop pushing ourselves and moving forward together! That's why we're all here! With all of our Hopes combined, nothing can stop us! And just as iron sharpens iron, our Hopes will strengthen and support each other. We will come together until we find a Hope so pure, so sublime that it can dispel any Despair, no matter how-!"
"Ahem," Chiaki cleared her throat politely before cocking her head towards everyone else at the table. All the non-77B students looked… stunned, to say the least. None of them seemed to know quite what to make of Nagito, or how to respond. Makoto looked concerned, Taka looked confused and wary, even Celeste and Byakuya were making faces! But only Hiro was stupid and insensitive enough to say what they were thinking.
"Geez, what is up with this guy? He's acting, like, totally weird and crazy, y'know?" he asked shamelessly.
"I suppose it takes one to know one, does it not?" Celeste asked serenely, but she was also intrigued by the other Ultimate Lucky Student of Hope's Peak Academy. Not only was she keen to know how his Luck worked, but he was shaping up to be quite the character indeed!
"Oh! I can't believe I got sidetracked like that!" Nagito slapped his forehead, suddenly looking horrified. "I'm such a stupid idiot! Inconveniencing you guys like that and wasting your precious time with my worthless blather! The shame could just kill me! And honestly, I wish it would!"
"Hey, Nagito, are you ok?" Makoto asked worriedly. It was a little unsettling to think this was Hope's Peak's other Lucky Student…
"Just the ramblings of a madman," Byakuya answered instead, narrowing his eyes at Nagito. Although it was clear that he, too, found Nagito rather… odd, he was the least visibly shaken. Instead, he gave Nagito the same look he gave everyone else, which seemed to say that he hoped the shame would kill Nagito, just so Byakuya wouldn't have to listen to him ramble anymore.
Nagito's face suddenly filled with an intense self-loathing that, once again, caught the students of Class 78, off guard. But then, only a second later, the self-loathing was completely gone, and Nagito's relaxed, friendly smile returned, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is… all the hard work in the world is meaningless… if you don't already have a Talent. Because no matter how hard you work, the Talentless can never become Talented. You're either born with it… or you're not, and that's all there is to it." And even though Nagito was still grinning, the subtle look he gave Hajime was anything but friendly.
Hajime, meanwhile, only gave an imperceptible sigh. As a reserve course student, he was all too used to be being bullied by the Ultimates. Chiaki was actually the only Ultimate he'd met so far who didn't seem to think of him as inferior just because he didn't have a Talent. In fact, the only reason he was here at all was because Chiaki had asked him to get lunch with her. Watching the shogi match and running into Nagito had been entirely impromptu. Perhaps one could call it fate? Or luck? (Or perhaps, unluck, given the current state of things).
"Now, now, Nagito," Chiaki's voice was gentle, but firm, "Everyone, no matter who they are, deserves help and Hope, cuz, that's what it means to have Hope, right? To spread it to everyone and not just hoard it for yourself."
"Hmph, I guess," Nagito didn't look very convinced, but a second later, his face softened. "Oh, Chiaki, you truly are the worthiest one among us to be the class representative! No one's compassion and understanding can outshine your own! You are like a warm, radiant sun piercing through the cold, dark depths of Despair! I'm hardly even worthy to sit near the same table as you, let alone at!"
"I'm lost, you guys, anyone know what's going on?" Hiro whispered.
"Don't worry about it," Hajime whispered back, heaving another world-weary sigh. Hiro still looked confused, but for once, he kept his mouth shut.
"Class representative?" Taka asked at the same time, much more interested in Chiaki than Nagito. He also hoped to be a class rep one day!
"Mmhmm," Chiaki nodded shyly. "It wasn't really my choice but…" she gave him a humble smile. Even though she didn't say it, the secret behind why she was such a great class representative was simple: she was kind and accepting of everyone.
Her open heart and mind were what drew others to her, what made her such a "warm, radiant sun", and it was all because she treated everyone as an equal, regardless of Talent, or lack thereof. In her opinion, Talent wasn't what defined the worth or potential of a person. Anyone had the power to build their own future, if they so chose, it was not something exclusive to Ultimates, so why give them special treatment?
These were all feelings Taka shared, he was another one of the precious few Ultimates to treat reserve course students with respect and fairness. And even though Chiaki said no more about herself, he could sense that she was a kindred spirit. Perhaps she wasn't as rules-oriented, but they both placed value on hard work, and they both believed that everyone deserved to be supported in creating their Hopes and futures.
ooo
The debate carried on for a little while longer, Nagito and Taka the most passionate participants, but they were halfway through yet another discussion about the concept of inborn Talents vs earned ones when the timely arrival of yet another student put it on hold. It was Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid, and the only one in the dining hall who wasn't part of either Class 78 or Class 77B.
"Forgive me, I was not aware there was such a large party in the dining hall. Had I known, I would've arrived earlier," she said politely as she glided over to the table everyone was squeezed at. "If you would like, I can help rearrange the tables into a more convenient layout."
"Oh, no, no worries, Kirumi," Makoto was the first to speak up, waving a hand casually, trying to put the maid at ease. "We were just watching Taka and Celeste play shogi, nothing too serious. You don't have to worry about us! But thank you!"
"Nothing too serious?!" the table was deafened by Taka's sudden outburst. As if his voice wasn't naturally loud enough already! "This was an intense battle of wits and skill! A symbolic confrontation of the power of hard and honest toil against the privilege of "natural" Talent and luck!"
So impassioned was Taka that he turned to Kirumi and pointed his finger at her.
"You! I know we are very similar and we get along splendidly, so I am sure you must understand the importance and value of ambition, drive, determination, resourcefulness and perseverance, yes? Then you, of all people, surely must understand what's at stake here!"
"Of course," Kirumi replied with a gracious smile. Just like he'd said, she and him were very similar, and they got along very well (sometimes, they even exercised together in the early morning, before the rest of the Academy woke up). As such, she was not at all bothered by his intensity. On the contrary, she considered it one of his best qualities, and the source of most of his greatest potential. It would only become a problem if it became an annoyance to others, but until then, there was no reason to put a damper on things.
"Why don't you join us, Kirumi?" Chiaki offered. "We can make room for one more!"
"Ah, did you have a request?" Kirumi suddenly looked very interested.
"Oh, no, sorry, I meant-"
"She means, Kirumi, that you are welcome to observe another game," Celeste interrupted. Chiaki gave Celeste a look, but said nothing.
"Ah, do you need someone to act as an overseer?" once again, Kirumi managed to misunderstand the message.
"Nah, man, just come chill and play with us!" Hiro encouraged. Kirumi gave him a confused look. That was not a request she received every day…
It took a while, but eventually, the group managed to get Kirumi to understand (sort of). They got her to agree to watch them play a round of shogi, but they framed it as her acting as Taka's advisor for the next match.
"Maybe, with your guidance, I will finally triumph!" Taka declared.
"Would such assistance not be considered cheating?" Kirumi asked, frowning just a little. At the mere word "cheating", Taka suddenly went deathly pale and the horror on his face matched the horror on Nagito's earlier.
"I would never-!" he began, but before that tirade could start, Celeste interjected.
"No, I grant you both my full permission. I agree to these terms that you will help him try to win against me," the gambler said quickly. "As he said, this is a battle of work and luck, is it not? If anything, perhaps, we should all try to play shogi together," she gestured to her companions with a knowing smile. Even if they wouldn't literally each help move pieces around the board, it was clear that sides were already being taken…
ooo
Makoto, Nagito and Hiro sided with Celeste, although only Nagito had done so willingly.
"For a pathetic piece of scum like me to be allowed to play alongside powerful Ultimates like you all? Oh! It's more than I could ever deserve! To use myself to help all of you achieve new excellence! Just imagine how much Hope this game will help us cultivate! I know I'll probably lose spectacularly and fail at every single move, but… I'm still so touched, from the very bottom of my heart, to be included by you chosen Ultimates!"
The others on Celeste's side hadn't been as quick to join up.
"Awww man, do I have to pick a side? That sounds like wayyyy to much work!" Hiro complained.
"Get on Celeste's side. Now," Byakuya jerked a thumb to the other side of the table.
"I don't want him!" Celeste scoffed in disgust.
"I don't want him either," Byakuya shot back in the same tone.
"Ouch," Hiro said in deadpan. But eventually, they shoved him onto Celeste's "team" anyway, just because of his own reliance on "probability", not that his was usually very good. But he was even worse at hard working than he was at good luck, so over to Celeste he went.
Celeste's pout was fearsome, but it faded somewhat when Makoto joined her side as well. Although she wouldn't say that she necessarily liked him (because she didn't, he was a D-rank in her book), he was still better than… Hiro. The only reason he wasn't an F was because enough people had convinced her to never use that rank on a fellow classmate.
Makoto, meanwhile, looked awkward and uncomfortable, sandwiched between Celeste, Nagito and Hiro. He would've much preferred being a neutral party, but being an Ultimate Lucky Student meant he was default sent over to Celeste's team.
Then, on Taka's side, there was Byakuya, Kirumi, Hajime and Chiaki. But Byakuya made it all too clear that he had no intention of so much as even lifting a single finger to help out. He just found the other team even more reprehensible than Taka's. For one, the other team had Celeste. For another, it also had Hiro. At least this team had Kirumi and Taka, who were… decent. As for Hajime and Chiaki? Well, what did Byakuya care for a lowly reserve course and a shy, quiet girl who did nothing but stay inside and play video games all day? It was no skin off his nose that she had such a useless, dead-end Talent.
But though his views of his team were very cynical, the others were much kinder. Kirumi had joined Taka's team not just to support him, but because although she claimed to have no opinions of her own, her beliefs definitely aligned more with his than Celeste's. She was another strong believer in hard work and due diligence over luck, that anyone could learn to do or be anything if they were just willing to work really hard for it.
She also did not discriminate against non-Ultimate students. After all, all of her masters so far had been non-Ultimates, and some of them managed to go on to do incredible things!
"Kirumi, I know you are a most capable and valuable ally!" Taka grinned proudly as he shook Kirumi's hand firmly. "With you on our side, I have no doubt we will triumph in this battle and finally taste victory! I am honored to work by your side and I will do my best to succeed! I will not fail!"
"I taught one of my old masters how to play Mahjong, he never lost a single match after that," Kirumi said, shaking Taka's hand with the same intensity and formality. "I am confident that I will be able to do the same for all of you today, with shogi!"
"Well, this may not be a video game, but… I'm willing to do my best, too!" Chiaki decided. "This should be fun! I think… All of us spending time together like this… We should make sure we don't get too carried away, though, and we should all remember to enjoy ourselves!" she added, looking at Hajime in particular as she said this.
She'd joined this team because she, like the others, was a firm believer in the inherent worth and value of every student, not just Ultimates. She even looked at Hajime as she said this. He'd scarcely said a word since they first joined the shogi watch-party. It was clear that he felt super out of place, and it was only because of Chiaki that he didn't just leave. Chiaki knew this and was grateful, but she wanted him to stay for himself as well, not just for her. She knew he was insecure, but she wanted so badly for it not to get in the way of him making genuine friends.
It was all rather silly, wasn't it? Realizing just how much control the allure of a Talent had over its students, Talented or not. She was taken back to a time when another one of her classmates, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, mentioned something about always relying on his Talent. Someone else had accused him of being too reliant, but in his defense, they were Ultimates, of course they were going to rely heavily on their Talents!
But there was still great danger in that, because then Chiaki was taken back to another memory, this time about Fuyuhiko's little sister. Even though Chiaki never met her, she'd heard through gossip that the younger Kuzuryu was secretly embarrassed that her big brother had a Talent while she didn't. In that way, she was just like Hajime… Was it truly impossible to avoid the jealousy that having Talent caused?
And though Chiaki didn't know it, even Makoto had a similar story. He was the Talented older brother to a Talentless younger sister, Komaru Naegi, and even she had had moments of wondering what it might be like to be an Ultimate. Komaru's jealousy was definitely the least intense between herself, Hajime and Natsumi Kuzuryu, but even she was not immune…
But although Chiaki was correct that Hajime felt uncomfortable, he actually was staying for himself. Even if a part of him wanted to run and hide, the other part was more than willing to do whatever it took to stay here among the Ultimates. He wasn't a huge fan of Nagito, but he could definitely relate to Nagito's feverish obsession with Talent. Even if Hajime was in the opposite camp, wanting to believe that Talent could be acquired after birth, they both felt the same reverence towards the Academy and its Ultimate students. Now, he'd gotten swept up in the debate and, like Taka, he wanted to win this symbolic shogi match to prove that he was just as worthy of a student as anyone else in that dining hall.
"But don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're a reserve course," Nagito drawled.
"I wouldn't want you to," Hajime replied grimly.
"I mean, I'm willing to play with you, too, if that's what the others want," Nagito continued, "but don't be too surprised if you lose."
"It's not about winning or losing," Chiaki said quickly. "It's about having fun!"
"Besides," Kirumi agreed, "I am more than confident in my capabilities to teach Hajime, and the others, how to play shogi."
"Wha-? Me?" For the first time that day, something other than weary irritation flickered across Hajime's face.
"Of course," Kirumi nodded. "Because I promised to fulfill Taka's request to help him win shogi, I will do my best to teach everyone how to play."
"Even a reserve course?" Hajime couldn't help but ask dryly.
"Of course," Kirumi replied with a simple, frank nod. "You are still a student here, correct? And you wish to play shogi as well, yes?"
"Well, yeah… and yes, I guess…"
"Then that is all that matters!"
"… Well, then… Thank you, Kirumi…"
"Wow, Kirumi, that's amazing!" Nagito finally butted in. "You have such a wide variety of skills! From Mahjong to shogi to maidship! You are truly a most wonderful Ultimate! And how beautiful it is to watch you offering to teach Hajime, too. I just can't stay silent anymore! It's too perfect! You see? This is what Hope's Peak is all about! Watching unique Talents coming together to raise each other up to the light of Hope!"
"It is nothing," Kirumi seemed talented even in handling Nagito. She gave him a gracious smile. "I do this for everyone, and because I have sworn to adhere to a strict code of selfless devotion, I am here to serve everyone. I wish only to support my classmates and help them reach their fullest potential, for it is my pride as a maid to fulfill every request that I receive, and if that request is to help them grow, then I promise to do my best in all that is required of me!"
"Oh, Kirumi, you're so wonderfully selfless and kind!" Nagito seemed to be getting more and more excited by the second. Makoto and Hiro both scooted away from him while Celeste only rolled her eyes. Nagito was also a D rank, but he was also edging closer and closer to F territory just because of how annoying he was being. It was only Celeste's promise about not ranking classmates as F, and her lingering interest in how Nagito's Talent actually worked, that kept her from striking him down right then and there.
"You use yourself as a steppingstone to help your classmates shine even brighter, how truly admirable of you!" he continued. "I mean, I know I have no right to compare my sorry, lowly, pathetic, stupid self to someone as grand and glorious as you!"
"Jesus, dude, you better not do this the whole game," Hiro sighed and rolled his eyes. Makoto, meanwhile, looked worried again.
"He probably will, so we apologize in advance," Hajime deadpanned with a dry smirk. Chiaki nodded in agreement, looking equally apologetic.
"Well, I'm sure once we all settled in, it'll go smoother from there!" Makoto tried to sound optimistic.
"Want me to just do a reading and see who'll win that way? It would save us a lot of trouble," Hiro muttered.
"Wait, let's not give up that easily!" Makoto cried. "The game hasn't even started yet, so it's too soon to tell how it will turn out!"
And, Hiro, your predictions aren't usually correct, so even if you managed to do a fortune-telling right now, I don't think I would trust it…
But while those four were having their own chatter, Nagito and Kirumi were still going back and forth about service and steppingstones.
"Oh! Enough with the cheap sentimentality!" Byakuya finally interrupted the two pale-haired Ultimates. "Just start the game already!"
"Very well, then," Kirumi was the first to nod her assent. "Taka, Celeste, who makes the first move?"
"Well, I would say the winner of the previous match does," Celeste gave Taka a teasing look, "But since it ended in a draw… Perhaps I shall be kind just this once and allow Taka to begin the game."
"Grrr! Don't act so patronizing! One day, I swear to you that I will defeat you! I will prevail!"
"Well, I do not think that that day will be today," Celeste smiled sweetly.
"Well, we won't find out until we play, right?" Taka asked back with a grim smile, and despite herself, Celeste returned the smile. If nothing else, at least Taka was determined. It made him a most enjoyable opponent!
And with that, the battle between luck and work, tenacity and Talent, began!
AN: We were honestly robbed of so much potential because Taka died. He's such an "anti-Nagito" that I would've loved to see them interact. Like, color wise they've got contrast, and personality/belief-wise, they also have contrast, but they aren't just black/white opposites either. It feels like a "two sides of the same coin" thing, and I'm so sad that half the coin died before it got to meet the other half!
I'd also love to see Kirumi and Nagito interact more, too, bc tbh, Kirumi sometimes just feels like a slightly saner Nagito (at least from the service/steppingstone angle. Kirumi obviously isn't very obsessed with Hope or Talent)
Oh and, obviously, this whole fic was VERY inspired off of UTDP (and not just the event that was reference in the opening section)