"Hey, Koizumi-San!" Hajime called out as Mahiru turned and smiled when she recognized Hajime approaching to catch up with her and Mikan on their way to Hope's Peak's main auditorium. However, she also recognized a skittish young man with curly ebony black hair, glasses, and eyes the color of rich hazelnut.
"Hinata-Kun, glad to see you could catch up with us!"
"Have I introduced you to Ben yet?" Hajime asked as he introduced his friend, who looked nervous while trying to avoid eye contact.
"U-Um, I've met him once..." Mikan said, blushing as she remembered the awkward first meeting with him while she was with Mukuro.
"Oh yeah!" Mahiru perked up. "Sato told me about a friend in the Reserve Course who was kinda shy and a bit of a self-deprecate."
"Yup, that's me..." Ben awkwardly said. "Hajime invited me to meet the rest of the Ultimates during the entrance ceremony."
"Well, thank goodness Hope's Peak lifted the rule that the Main Course and Reserve Course students couldn't interact. The new Headmaster is certainly an understanding individual isn't he?"
"Yeah, I even heard one of our classmates is his daughter!" Hajime said. "I wonder what she's like."
As Mahiru and Hajime were talking, Ben and Mikan shyly looked at each other before looking away, still rather embarrassed about the other day. Soon, the bell chimed as the four took that as their cue to head to the auditorium before it was too late.
"Phew, we made it!" Ben sighed as he wiped some sweat from his forehead at how fast he had to run. He was not exactly the most athletic individual and it showed.
"Ah! You've made it right on time!" Came a loud voice as the four looked to see a boy with spiky black hair, wide red eyes, and large eyebrows. He was wearing a pure white school uniform, likely from his previous high school, with a red band around his left arm, indicating a hall monitor.
"Sorry Ishimaru-Kun, Hajime wanted to bring one of his former classmates from the Reserve Course with him," Mahiru said as she gestured to Ben, who awkwardly waved.
"Ah yes, it is a pleasure to meet you," Ishimaru said with a nod of his head as he turned to Ben. "You can call me Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Prefect! Let us all endeavor to do our best in this new school environment!"
"Oh, it's that boy again..." Spoke a familiar voice as Mukuro came in. Alongside her was a girl with strawberry blonde hair tied into pigtails and dressed in a black cardigan over a white dress shirt that was open enough to expose some of her lacy bra. She also wore a loose white tie with a red bow clipped over her left breast, as well as black laced-up boots.
"O-Oh! Ikusaba-Chan! Enoshima-Chan!" Mikan blushed shyly at the sight of the two. The girl known as Enoshima grinned when she noticed Ben.
"Who's this? A Reserve Course student? Oooh~! Think of the scandal~!"
Ben was a bit uncomfortable as Enoshima suddenly got into his personal space, her clear blue eyes boring into him.
"Hey, cutie~! Call me Junko Enoshima~! The Ultimate Fashionista~!"
"N-Nice to meet you, Junko..."
Junko then slid back to Mukuro and slung her arm around her shoulder. "I'm Muku-Chan's Baby Sister~! I know we have different last names but our parents never exactly got married, so that's why."
"I'm sure you already know me. Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier." Mukuro said in a normal calm tone as Ben rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Y-Yeah, nice to meet you too..."
"Oh geez, am I late?" Came a boy's voice as everyone turned to see a young man with simple brown hair, an ahoge similar to Hajime, green-grey eyes, and was wearing a brown-green hoodie with black jeans and red sneakers.
"Oh, Naegki-Kun. Nope, I think you're just in time." Hajime said as he greeted the boy, who also noticed Ben.
"Oh, is this that friend you've been telling me about, Hinata-Kun?" Naegi asked as Hajime nodded, allowing him to introduce himself to Ben. "I'm Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Optimist. I know it doesn't seem like much of a talent, but I'm always willing to lend a hand to those who need it."
"Glad you could make it, Naegi-Kun! I think the entrance ceremony is about to start!" Kiyotaka said as the lights soon dimmed and a spotlight came on the center stage, a man with short messy black hair and a fine-pressed black business suit approached.
"Good morning, everyone. As you might already know, I am Jin Kirigiri, the current acting Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. As you should know, you are all a very special class for you are the most talented individuals we have seen from any Main Course students to date. Ordinarily, you'd all be in two separate classes but we have decided to mend you together into one class. A class we are calling 'The 48 Hopes'."
Ben was tempted to raise his hand since he was actually a Reserve Course student but Kiyotaka put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, silently telling him to wait until the ceremony was over. Soon, Jin went over the list of students attending and asked them to stand up.
"First up, our annual Ultimate Lucky Student; Hajime Hinata, would you please stand up along with Benio Shigura?"
Hajime turned to Ben, who looked surprised that the Headmaster had already figured him out, and nodded as both boys stood up.
"Originally, it would be frowned upon that a Reserve Course student would be interacting with the Main Course, but I've seen fit to dispose of that illogical rule. Many Main Course students and Reserve Course students are actually friends and there are many in the Reserve Course who have hidden talents of their own, just waiting to be revealed." Jin explained before gesturing for Ben and Hajime to sit back down.
"Alright then. Next, the Ultimate Optimist, Makoto Naegi, please stand." Makoto did just that as Jin addressed him. "Naegi, while you'd normally be an average high schooler anywhere else, you're boundless levels of kindness and optimism have helped many people in need, thus granting you access to our halls."
Makoto nodded as he sat back down as Jin proceeded to address Junko and Mukuro together followed by Kiyotaka, who stood at attention the second he was first called. Finally, Jin followed with those that Ben hadn't seen yet.
Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Scion. Byakuya was a young man with short dirty blonde hair and clear blue eyes behind white-framed glasses. He wore a black business suit with a white shirt and a green criss-cross tie.
Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Author. Toko was a skittish-looking girl with aubergine hair tied in two twin braids and smokey grey eyes behind large round glasses. She wore a black and red sailor uniform with a very long skirt.
Kyoko Kirigir, the Headmaster's daughter and the Ultimate Detective. Kyoko was a beautiful girl with a pale complexion, deep purple eyes, and waist-length lavender hair tied on one side with a black ribbon. She wore a dark purple collared jacket over a white blouse and brown tie. She also had a short skirt and heeled knee-high boots. Her gloves seemed custom fit to her hands and seemed to be made of breathable material.
Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimmer. Aoi was a cute girl with tanned skin, chocolate brown hair done in an ice cream swirl ponytail, and ocean blue eyes. She wore athletic shorts and a red tracksuit jacket over a white tank top.
Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Shaman. Yasuhiro was actually 20-years old but had been held back due to circumstances he refused to disclose and that the Headmaster was respectful enough not to delve into. His brown hair was spread out in an extravagant style, and his eyes were a matching color. He wore three layers of shirts, the top one an old green uniform jacket, the second being a rough white, and the third being a small yellow short sleeve shirt. His pants seemed to match his jacket and he was using a yellow rope as a belt.
Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Idol. Sayaka was a beautiful girl with long ocean blue hair held in place by several hair clips and her eyes were a brighter blue. She also wore a simple sailor uniform.
Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate All-Star. Leon was a punkish-looking young man with spikey bright red hair piercings on his lip, tongue, and ears, and a goatee. His eyes were pale blue and he had a white jacket and shirt, black jeans, and heavy accessories such as chains, belts, and other gear. His shirt had a red grunge skull on it and seemed to be wearing white platform shoes.
Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. Chihiro was a petite girl with short, light-brown hair and matching eyes. Her school uniform consisted of a dark green jacket, a white dress shirt, a brown skirt with matching suspenders, black socks, and white shoes.
Mondo Oowada, the Ultimate Biker. Mondo had a classic Japanese Delinquent style to him as he wore his hair in a rather unique pompadour, his eyes had purple irises, and his clothes consisted of a long black coat with a white shirt underneath, and loose black pants with a bulky silver belt buckle in the center.
Hifumi Yamada, the Ultimate Otaku. Hifumi was a round boy with black hair in a pointed ahoge, squinty eyes behind thick nerdy glasses, and was wearing a grey, unbuttoned cardigan over his white shirt with black trousers and white trainers. He was also carrying an orange backpack.
Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler. Celestia was a pretty girl with porcelain pale white skin, ruby-red eyes, and black hair tied in twin drill pigtails. Her outfit consisted of a white blouse with a peter-pan collar, a black jacket with a simple white ribbon lacing down the sleeves fastened across her chest, a red tie with a butterfly pattern on it, a multi-tiered, white laced skirt, knee-high black stockings, red mary jane shoes, a white lace headpiece, and silver, almost weapon-like ring.
Sakura Oogami, the Ultimate Fighter. Sakura was a tall, buff, masculine young woman with wild silvery hair, tanned red skin, and a scar running diagonally across her face. She wore a large sailor uniform with no sleeves and a tattered blue skirt that barely covered her thighs. There were also training bandages wrapped around her lower legs, going down into her shoes and her eyes were a piercing bright blue.
After those 16 came the next with Mikan and Mahiru being called out before sitting back down, Mikan had a very nervous expression as she hoped she didn't make herself look bad in front of her new classmates. Jin soon followed with the following 13 students.
Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Luckster. Nagito had messy white hair and light grey eyes and wore a green coat with red squares on the right shoulder and a red number "55". His shirt was a regular white one with an unusual symbol on it. His pants were typical black jeans held up by a long chain with a skull charm attached. His shoes seemed to use zippers instead of more typical laces or velcro.
Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. Chiaki was a cute girl with short, light pink hair that was slightly curled, with a Galaga hair clip tying it back. Her eyes were a matching color and she wore an unzipped dark green hoodie with cat ears on the hood, with a white buttoned shirt and pink ribbon underneath. She also had on a pale brown skirt with black thigh highs and white shoes.
Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician. Ibuki was a punk rocker-esque girl wearing a dirty female sailor uniform, ripped thigh highs, several piercings, and a number of accessories. Tora could see what looked like a stitched scar through some of the rips in her leggings. Ibuki's hair was multi-colored, with stripes of black, pink, blue, and white, and styled up like two horns.
Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza and who Ben recognized as his classmate Natsumi's older brother. Fuyuhiko was rather short and had a baby face but he had a tough aura about him. He wore a black pinstripe suit with a tie that had an animal skull on it. He had dusty blonde hair with distinctive curved lines shaved on either side.
Peko Pekoyama, Fuyuhiko's right-hand woman and the Ultimate Swordswoman. Peko was a pretty young woman with pale skin and wearing a dark turquoise schoolgirl uniform with an ascot tied around her neck. Her skirt was rather short, and she wore dark tights underneath them with white shoes. Her hair was long and silver and was tied in two braids. Her eyes were bright red and she wore glasses. Over her shoulder was slung a bamboo training sword.
Gundam Tanaka, the Ultimate Breeder. Gundam wore a long, black jacket, the left sleeve of which was rolled up and held in place by pins, a purple scarf around his neck. His left seemed to be heavily bandaged. Tora also saw an interesting earring hanging from Tanaka's right ear, which upon closer inspection appeared to be the famous "Devil Dog Earring". Under Tanaka's jacket was a white button-up shirt that was left open, and under that was a slightly darker shirt with a strange symbol on it. His black pants were held up with a belt with a silver buckle and had numerous straps. His hair was black with a few grey streaks, and he had one grey eye and one red eye, and there was a scar over his left eye.
Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic. Kazuichi had hot pink hair under a grey beanie and wore a bright yellow jumpsuit with hot pink stripes going down to his ankles. His eyes seemed to be the same color as his hair, and his eyebrows reached up to his hairline. He also had unnatural shark-like teeth.
Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess and crown heir of the kingdom of Novoselic. Sonia was a lovely girl with knee-length blonde hair and pale skin. Her eyes were bright green. She wore a green and white dress with a large red ribbon on the chest, with a black ribbon in her hair.
Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast. Akane was a tomboyish-looking girl with tanned skin, shoulder-length chestnut brown hair that was very unkempt, brown eyes, and was wearing a short-sleeved white blouse with the top buttons undone due to her large bust and there was what looked like a black tank-top beneath her blouse. She also wore a plaid miniskirt and sockless loafers.
Nekomaru Nidai, the Ultimate Coach. Nekomaru was a tall and buff young man who looked much older than he actually was. His hair was jet black and his eyes seemed to emit a blue electric aura. He was wearing a white tank top under a black jacket, as well as blue pants and sandals. There were chains around his neck with a whistle hanging in the middle of it.
Teruteru Hanamura, the Ultimate Chef. Teruteru was a short and slightly plump boy wearing a classic chef's coat with a red undershirt, a red scarf around his neck, and a half-apron around his waist. There was a small chef's hat on his head. His dark brown hair was styled in a pompadour that seemed to lean to the left and his eyes seemed to be too narrow to determine the color.
Hiyoko Saionji, the Ultimate Dancer. Hiyoko was a short and childish-looking girl with long blonde hair tied into curved twin tails. Her eyes looked like bright gold. She was dressed in an orange traditional furisode kimono with a white floral pattern, tied with a green obi sash, as well as zori sandals.
Rounding out Hajime, Mikan, and Mahiru's group was Mayuri Ooshida, the Ultimate Imposter. Mayuri was a heavyset individual with long, black hair and green eyes. He wore a white dinner jacket over a white dress shirt, white slacks, and white dress shoes.
Finally came the last 16 students consisting of the 48 Hopes and Ben could see they were quite the colorful cast.
First was Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Investigator. Shuichi had short dark blue hair covered by a black cap with three white stripes lining the back of it, and a silver star pinned near the front. His skin was pale and he had gambogeish grey eyes. He wore a black double-breasted and pinstripe uniform with thin, grey stripes and matching pants. His former school's emblem was on the breast pocket of his uniform, the pocket accentuated with a dull golden color to stand out from his generally dark, monotone uniform. He also wore comfortable dark blue loafers.
Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. Kaede was a cute girl with smooth ash blonde hair, reaching just below her shoulders and parted to the far right, her bangs hanging low over her eyes before they're swept behind her ears, with a single arcing ahoge poking out from the back of her parting and two thin clumps of hair sitting over each shoulder, which curve outwards at the ends. She wore a pinkish off-white dress shirt with an orange tie at her neck, over which she wore a sleeveless pale pink sweater with a darker pink hem and v-neck collar, her school's insignia adorned on the left side of her chest. She also wore a short, dark purple skirt, which is patterned with 5 thin black lines with musical notes decorating them, and in her bangs, she wore five hair-slides of a similar design. Her knee-high socks were a much colder purple color than her skirt, bearing the same crest as her sweater on their outer sides, and on her feet, she wore tan lace-up shoes with thick brown soles.
Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Child Caregiver. Maki was a mysterious young woman with fair skin and a slender but somewhat muscled physique. She had extensively long, ankle-length, dark brown hair tied into two low twintails with large, red, puffy scrunchies. Her bangs were cut straight across in an even fringe, with two thin locks of hair left loose in front of her ears to frame her face. Her head accessories included a small, two-piece silver hairpin looped into an infinity symbol found pinned at the right side of her face, and two, small, silver stud earrings. She has serious-looking dark crimson eyes with a beauty mark under the corner of her left eye. She also wore a dark red sailor uniform.
Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Prankster. Kokichi was a short boyish-looking young man with pale skin, purple eyes, and moderately long, wavy blackish-purple hair, with the tips dyed a brighter purple. He wore a white suit with multiple straps wrapped around his arms, and two straps hanging loosely around his legs. His shirt was ripped at the hem and the collar part of it was completely gone, and big parts of the uniform were fixed with metal clips. He had multi-colored buttons running down the middle of his shirt, with a few usually hidden under his scarf, and he has military badges on his right. His scarf had black and white spaces alternating exactly like a chessboard. He also wore two-colored black and purple slip flats.
Kaito Momota, the Ultimate Astronaut. Kaito was a young man with spiked purple hair and a goatee. He had warm lilac eyes and a slightly tanned complexion. He wore a white t-shirt under a long-sleeved dress shirt with a breast pocket. On top of that, he wore a long, purple blazer with a galaxy design on the inside of it. He also wore purple pants matching the color of his blazer that were rolled up over his ankles and galaxy-colored slippers.
Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Magician. Himiko was a small and cute young girl with pale skin, reddish-brown eyes, and chin-length red hair with a witch hat on top. She wore brown medieval boots with white ribbons tied around her ankles, dark brown tights, and a red pleated bubble skirt. Around her shoulders was a black blazer with grey accents, with a grey blouse underneath a brown sweater vest. On the pocket of her blazer was an insignia of her previous high school, and gold buttons adorn her blazer.
Rantaro Amai, the Ultimate Adventurer. Rantaro was a rather charming-looking young man with curly avocado-colored hair and green eyes. He wore a dark blue striped sweater with wide, elbow-length sleeves, a small chain accessory pinned on just beside his right shoulder. Underneath this, he wore a darker shirt that pokes out from below the hem of his sweater and from above its low-dip collar, still leaving his collarbone exposed and another white garment that hangs out of the bottom. He also wore baggy, light-brown sarouel pants, and navy-blue slip-on shoes with white soles. He also had a necklace, finger rings, and bracelets.
Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer. Tsumugi was a plain but cute-looking girl with long teal blue hair, teal green eyes, and round rimless glasses. She wore a white blouse with an orange bow tied at her collar underneath a two-button, pocketed, teal-black school blazer adorned with two silver buttons on each lapel and a single button on each gorge. She also wore a knee-length pleated skirt the same color as her blazer with two dark teal stripes lining the hem held by dark gray suspenders. Her legwear consisted of dark navy knee-length socks and teal-gray loafers.
Kiibo Idabashi, the Ultimate Robot. Kiibo was an actual sentient android with a masculine build and appearance with a pale face, sharp white hair with an ahoge on top, and his eyes were mechanical blue with thick black lines running from around his eyes and down his cheeks to reach his chin.
Gonta Gokuhara, the Ultimate Entomologist. Gonta was a tall young man around the same height as Sakura and Nekomaru with tanned skin and unkempt brown hair with a tint of sap green. He had red eyes and round glasses and wore a brown school blazer and matching brown pants, a dark, lime-green tie, and was barefoot. He carried a bug box strapped over his shoulder which rested at his hip. The strap was a light green, nearly matching the color of his tie and he had a silver button on the lapel of his blazer.
Ryoma Hoshi, the Ultimate Tennis Pro. Ryoma was a short dwarfish young man with black eyes and rosy cheeks. He wore a black hat with two points that had a picture of two blue tennis rackets on it, a black leather jacket, and a black and dark blue striped jumpsuit underneath. He wore black shoes with red soles and had a metal cuff attached to his left leg with a bit of a chain attached to it. He also had a single silver ring cartilage on his right ear.
Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Anthropologist. Korekiyo was a tall and slim young man with a feminine appearance. His skin was pale and his long hair was ocean green in color. His eyes were an unnatural yellow and his mouth was covered by a sage green mask with a zipper over the mouth area. He wore a dark green military-style uniform with knee-high black boots, a zipper lining the front, and two straps over it. The uniform consists of a white button-up underneath it, a dark green button-up, a red armband around his left arm, a green military regulation cap atop his head, and a decorative chain with revolver chamber and bullet-looking charms dangling from it. Both his hands were completely covered in bandages.
Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Kirumi was a beautiful young woman with pale, ashy, sage-colored hair and long bangs that obscure her left eye. Her skin was fairly pale, and her eyes were of a pale, warm green color. She was dressed as a maid, her uniform consisting of a long black apron dress in a pinafore style with a spiderweb motif, four white buttons along the middle of the torso of her dress. A white dress was donned underneath her apron dress with a black collar and a purple tie around her neck. The sleeves of her shirt had elegant frills at the end, which went along with the bubble skirt appearance of her dress.
Miu Iruma, the Ultimate Inventor. Miu was a rather gorgeous girl with waist-length strawberry blonde hair, shaky ice-blue eyes, and a pair of goggles resting on her forehead. She wore a modified long-sleeved, dark pink sailor uniform with a white sailor collar and sleeve cuffs, both striped with a single faded pale blue line, a faded pale blue bow tied at her collar. Her chest cover was noticeably missing, her cleavage exposed. She wore a short, dark pink pleated skirt the same color as her uniform, vertically striped, off-white, knee-high socks, and black heeled boots accented with gold buckles, studs, and buttons. Her accessories included a black choker, two rubber collars that resembled barbed wire, black fingerless gloves studded with silver, a pin of the mouse mascot from Niko Niko Happy on her collar, black straps connected with gold studs wrapping her left upper arm, and black straps studded with gold-linked with gold rings around her torso and legs.
Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Aikido Master. Tenko was a young woman with fair skin, somewhat broad shoulders, and an athletic muscular build. She had dark olive-grey hair with a tint of green styled in low twintails and held by a large, wasabi-green bow with a white floral print resembling a four-pointed pinwheel clipped to the back of her head, and a lilac-purple-pink headband decorated with a paler colored six-pointed star at the left. She had warm green eyes and a birthmark below the left of her bottom lip. She wore a faded blue, cropped, long-sleeved, double-breasted seifuku uniform with two pockets and six white buttons. Her sailor collar and sleeve cuffs are both white striped with a single blue line the same color as her uniform, a white bow tied at her collar.
Finally, Angie Yonaga, the Ultimate Artist. Angie was a dark-skinned girl with silver hair and ocean blue eyes. She wore a white, frilly bikini top, the frills a very pale blue, presumably matching bikini bottoms under the blue skirt with white frills sewn to the bottom of it and a blue bow at the waistband. On top of her skirt, she wore a pink utility belt and a yellow smock that reaches below her knees, sleeves loose and wide as they stop before her wrists, and black symbols on the shoulders. Her shoes were simple white slip-on shoes with light grey soles. She had a white beaded bracelet on her left wrist, as well as another one on her right ankle. She also wore a white pearled necklace with a seashell in the middle of it.
"Man, so many Ultimates all in one place..." Ben said to himself as Hajime nudged his shoulder gently.
"Wish me luck with these guys. Something tells me they're quite the cast."
"Hey, you've known some of us for a while now. I think you'll be okay." Mahiru said with a smirk as Hajime merely laughed. Soon, the entrance ceremony had been finished and the 48 Hopes were left to their own devices for the time being until the next day.
As Ben was heading back to the dorm building, he noticed Himiko sleeping on a bench, cute little snores emitting from her. He smiled at just how adorable she looked and made sure nobody was watching to get the wrong idea as he gently picked her up and carried her on his shoulders, heading to the dorm. After some searching, he found her dorm room, and thankfully, it was unlocked.
Heading inside, Ben was impressed by the room which looked like the perfect bachelor pad for a magician. Finding a circular queen-sized bed with fluffy blankets with magic patterns on them, Ben placed Himiko on the bed and draped the covers over her before placing her hat on the nightstand. He then headed to his own dorm room and sighed, sitting down at his desk and looking out the window.
"Man, what a day..."
A shimmering sound caught his attention as he turned to see the mask on his nightstand. Feeling nervous, especially after what it made him do last night, he shuddered before turning his attention to the homework he needed to get done by tomorrow.
Jeez, this chapter was pretty much overtaken by character introduction descriptions and such little character interactions. Don't worry, Ben will be getting to know the Ultimates better in the future, and don't worry about The Mask, in the next chapter, we'll get back into the colorfully gruesome slapstick action!
Next Chapter: Let The Good Times Roll!