Ben snorted as he woke up to find himself asleep at his desk. Looking down, he saw his homework mostly finished and sighed as he got up, took off his clothes, and went to take a shower to freshen up.

After putting on some new clothes, combing his hair, and brushing his teeth, Ben began to head to class when he noticed the mask still on his nightstand. Walking over to it cautiously, he picked it up and inspected it, remembering what had happened a few nights ago. Not wanting to risk any potential future dangers, he threw the mask out the window and left his room.

Unbeknownst to the bespectacled young man, the mask boomeranged back into his room as if by magic and landed snuggly on his bed. The 'mouth' seemingly stretched into a more shit-eating grin as it landed...

Himiko Yumeno yawned as she opened her eyes to find herself in her room. That seemed rather strange, she had taken a nap on a bench to regenerate her mana reserves and now here she was, in her bed and personal room in the dorms.

"Nyeh...how did I get here?"

Getting up, Himiko found she was still in her outfit. Groaning, she went to take a shower to freshen up and put on a new uniform. Thankfully, she had plenty of spare outfits on hand in case one got ruined or dirty.

"Who brought me to my room? Could a seer have come to take me back so I could recover my MP?

Sitting in the Reserve Course classroom, Ben sighed as he listened to the teacher droning on about physics. If he was being honest, he'd prefer Math over this and he sucked at that.

It was then he noticed his desk neighbor, Natsumi Kuzuryuu, the younger sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu the Ultimate Yakuza. She had blonde hair and a nice figure. Her cheeks had a subtle natural blush to them and she had an aura around her that was unmistakable. The way she carried herself and the look she had in her eyes brought one word to Ben's mind; Trouble.

Thankfully, he had Sato sitting behind him, so he knew she'd come to his defense in case she tried anything. However, more often than not, he and Hajime had to break up the two of them before things escalated into serious violence.

But now, Hajime was in the Main Course as the Ultimate Lucky Student and Ben found himself trapped between a rock and a hard place. He just hoped Sato and Natsumi didn't end up killing each other, that would not do well on his conscience.

While Sato didn't particularly care about getting a talent herself, Natsumi was all about talent. She had even described herself as the Ultimate Little Sister, though Sato had once sawn fit to call her 'The Ultimate Bullshitter'. Things escalated from there and Ben instinctively rubbed his cheek where he had taken a punch meant for Sato from Natsumi.

"For such a shorty, she can really hit like a brick..." The bespectacled young man thought with a sigh before feeling Sato tug on the back of his shirt.

"Hey, Ben, the teacher's calling you."

"Oh, yes, Sensei?"

"Glad you could join us, Mr. Shigura. I hope you aren't daydreaming."

"No, Sensei."

"Good, could you please help tell the class about the Electromagnetic Spectrum?"

"Yes, Sensei..."

"Good luck." Sato mouthed as Ben nodded and headed up to the front of the class. Thankfully he had read enough to give a decent enough explanation but as he was walking, he somehow felt Natsumi giving him a calculating look that made him feel a little nervous.

Meanwhile, in the Main Course, Hajime was getting to know his new classmates. Of course, he already personally knew Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, and Mikan as well as Makoto before moving up but this was the first time getting to know the rest of the Main Course as well.

"Say, Kirigiri, I gotta question," Nagito spoke up. "Why the gloves? Are you trying to emulate a typical movie detective?"

"Actually my gloves serve a more practical purpose," Kyoko said as she carefully removed them. The others cringed at the sight of her scarred hands. "It's a little embarrassing. A mistake I made when I was still an amateur."

"There's no need to feel embarrassed," Makoto said. "Everyone makes mistakes early in life. It's all part of the growing experience."

Kyoko looked surprised before smiling, a small tinge of pink on her pale cheeks. Junko, who was watching this, couldn't help but fake gag while Mukuro was playing with her combat knife that she always kept on her person.

"Ikusaba-San, do you carry a knife everywhere?" Chihiro nervously asked as Mukuro stopped fiddling with her blade to look at the small Programmer.

"My time in Fenrir has made me a bit...paranoid. I don't feel comfortable if I don't have a weapon for self-defense purposes on my person at all times."

"Self-defense is rather important," Kiyotaka said with a nod. "But you should probably be aware that you are in a safe school environment. You are no longer on the battlefield."

"You never really leave the battlefield when you first get on it, Ishimaru-Kun." Mukuro quietly said. "I should know that more than anyone."

"Geez, Fenrir must have been tough on her..." Hajime thought as he had been conversing with Mahiru, Hiyoko, Kaede, and Sayaka while listening in to Mukuro's conversation with Chihiro and Kiyotaka.

"That reminds me," Mahiru said as she turned to Sayaka. "I remember seeing you and Naegi together before orientation. Did you know each other before today?"

Sayaka nodded. "We've known each other since middle school. But until yesterday we had only seen each other in passing. However, one time, I saw him rescue an injured crane in the school pond, and well...I guess I sort of fell for him after seeing just how selfless he was."

"Awww, that's so sweet," Kaede said with a smile before turning to Hajime. "What about you, Hinata-Kun? Do you have anybody important in your life?"

Hajime blushed as he awkwardly scratched his chin. "Well, while I was still in the Reserve Course, I kinda knew Fuyuhiko's little sister, Natsumi. She was kind of bossy and rude when I first met her but we warmed up to each other. She was pretty upset that I was the one pushed up to the Main Course."

"Oh, what about that nerdy friend of yours who joined you at the entrance ceremony?" Hiyoko chimed in.

"Ben? Well, he's been my best friend since first coming to this school. We kinda had similar interests and things hit off from there."

"I think I saw him carrying Yumeno-Chan to the dorms after orientation," Sayaka said. "He was carrying her on his back while she was asleep."

"WHAT?!" Tenko screeched as she bolted over after hearing this. "DID THAT DEGENERATE MALE DO ANYTHING TO HER?!"

"No, I noticed him carrying Yumeno as well and followed after him," Maki spoke as she also came over to quell the storm. "He put her to bed in her dorm room and left her alone after that."

"Gonta impressed by such gentlemanliness!" Gonta said with a smile. "Gonta must strive to follow Ben's example!"

Gundam chuckled. "It seems Hinata-Dono is not the only one who has the potential to rise above his station. I dare say that Shigura-Dono will surely join us soon as a fellow Ultimate!"

That got him a few funny looks, except Sonia who seemed moved by his words.

Back in the Reserve Course, Ben was just staring out the window and gazing at Hope's Peak's main building, wondering how Hajime was doing with his new classmates.

"I hope he hasn't forgotten about me..."

"Why do you always do that? Every day you stare out that window like you're in a fucking prison or something." Ben looked up and saw Natsumi standing over him, with crossed arms.

"It's none of your business."

"Oh, come on. It's pretty obvious. You wanna get out of this dump and be with Hajime, don't you? It's pretty friggin' sad, to be honest"

"What? Are you a mind reader now, Natsumi?" Ben asked as he turned to the Yakuza Princess.

"Hey, for what it's worth, I get it. You and I aren't so different, ya know? We both aren't satisfied with being average, like all these other plebs. And we both wanna get into the Hope's Peak Main Course to be with the only friend we ever really had in this crummy world."

"The only problem is, I think the Main Course students are filled for this year. Class 77-B AKA The 48 Hopes, as they are being dubbed. I don't know if they'll make room for us." Ben sighed.

Natsumi smirked, which Ben didn't really like the look of. "Oh, I've got a plan. Don't you worry, It's pretty simple. We're the Reserve Course, remember? Meaning, if one of the students at Hope's Peak drops out, one of us steps in to replace them. So, that's how I'm gonna get in."

"Natsumi, I don't know what you're planning with this, but I want no part of it. I'm not even all that into getting into the Main Course. The only reason I'd like to get in is so I can be with Hajime again but that's about it."

"Ben's right," Sato said, angrily standing up from her desk, having heard everything. "If you are scheming anything that will hurt Mahiru, I swear I will make you pay. Stay away from her, or you'll regret it!"

"Oh? What's that? Are you threatening me, you gangly-haired carpet muncher?" Natsumi sneered through her teeth, as her smug smile began to crack, giving glimpses of the anger that boiled beneath it.

"Oh fuck, Hajime, why can't you be here right now?!" Ben thought in panic. Thankfully, as if God was smiling upon him, Hajime came into the Reserve Course along with Mahiru.

"Is everything okay?" Mahiru asked before noticing Natsumi and felt a shiver run up her spine as the blonde smirked at her.

"I take it a fight was about to break out, huh?" Hajime sighed. "How are you holding up, Ben?"

"I'm surviving. It's been lonely without you here." Ben said. "Thank God you came when you did."

"Well, Mahiru wanted to see how Sato was holding up and she also wanted to get to properly meet you too." Hajime said as Mahiru turned to Ben with a smile, Natsumi letting out an indignant "Hey!" at the freckled redhead's attention being turned to someone else.

"It's nice to properly meet you this time, Shigura-San. I'm Mahiru Koizumi, the Ultimate Photographer. Though I guess you already knew that, huh?"

Ben blushed as Mahiru offered her hand for a shake, which he nervously accepted. Natsumi scoffed as she sat back in her seat, Sato giving her a nasty look as she sat back at her desk as well.

"Oh, Ben, I was telling Mahiru and the others about you, and Enoshima-San came and asked me to give this to you," Hajime said as he pulled out a ticket of some kind and handed it to Ben.

"What's this?"

"A ticket to the new joint in Towa City; The Coco Bongo. We're all going to be there and Enoshima-San is gonna be doing a live shoot there. She's really excited about it."

"Do you want to come too, Sato? I'm sure I can get you a ticket too." Mahiru said to her best friend, who blushed slightly.

"S-Sure..."

Natsumi sneered and was about to speak up before Hajime handed her a ticket as well.

"What's this?"

"Your brother asked me to give this to you. He said he doesn't want you stewing at home all by yourself."

Natsumi let out a hmph but accepted the ticket anyway. Ben noticed something different about his ticket and saw a message written carefully and precisely on the back. He needed to squint in order to make out the words.

Hey Cutie, it's yer girl, Junko motherfuckin' Enoshima! I asked Ahoge Boy to give you this ticket because I'm inviting you personally to come to the Coco Bongo in order to watch me sing for all the horny losers coming into attendance! The rest of the class is coming as well, so if you want to meet them, this is your perfect chance!

Ben also noticed a lipstick mark placed on it and blushed when he realized that Junko had kissed the ticket, indirectly sending him a kiss.

"What the fuck is up with her? I only talked with her for, like, five seconds back at the orientation!"

"You doing okay, Ben?" Mahiru asked as Ben immediately stood up straight and bolted out the door of the classroom.

"I-I GOTTA GET DRESSED!"

"Dumbass, you're already wearing clothes!" Natsumi called out but Ben had gone out of earshot. "What a dumbass..."

Ben was pacing back and forth, biting his fingers nervously as he saw the ticket to the Coco Bongo, still on his desk. He was internally battling with himself on whether or not to go to the lounge.

"Calm down, Ben, it's not like it's a big deal. I mean, this is just JUNKO GODDAMN ENOSHIMA, one of the top fucking models in all of Japan! Goddammit, I'm so underdressed!"

Suddenly, Ben stopped when the corner of his eye caught the mask laying on his bed. Running over to it, he began internally panicking, thinking he had just thrown it out the window earlier. How did it come back?!

"No, don't put it on, Ben. Remember what happened last time!" Ben said to himself before looking at the ticket on his desk and then back at the mask and then looked at himself.

"She's the Ultimate Fashionista, the top model in the country...and I'm just a boring loser..."

"Yeah, she's a real bombshell, huh? COME ON, PUT ME ON, AND LET'S SWEEP THAT BOMBSHELL OFF HER FEET!" An all-too-familiar voice manifested in his head.

"Oh god, not you again..." Ben groaned, feeling the pit in his stomach growing deeper.

"Don't be such a goddamn pussy! You know you wanna put me on! How else are you gonna smash that cu-!"

"Finish that sentence and I am sending you through a fucking wood chipper!" Ben said angrily as he picked up the mask. Looking at it, he knew that he had no other choice. He had no good clothes to wear, no style, no class...this was a risky gamble but he would have to take it.

"Alright, here we go..."

Slamming the mask on his face, Ben was engulfed in another green tornado and was soon transformed into the same green-faced gangster he had become before. He took out a framed picture of Junko from out of his suit and smiled at it, his teeth grinning wildly.

"HOLD ON, SUGAR! DADDY'S GOT A SWEET TOOTH TONIGHT!"

Laughing as he zipped into his room, Ben rapidly brushed his tooth, combed his hair while using a blow dryer to straighten it out, polished his belt, sprayed shaving cream on his face before wiping it off with a butter knife, and then taking out a body pillow of the school mascot, Monokuma, and wiping his face off on it. For the finishing touch, he put on his wide-brimmed fedora and admired himself in the mirror.

"OOOOH~! SOMEBODY STOP ME!"

Turning around, Ben checked his pockets, only for moths to flutter out, signifying that he had no money on him.

"Uh-oh! Can't make the scene if you don't have the green! I better make a little STOP~."

Ben took a start and then zipped off, his arm stretching while holding his hat before snapping after him, the feather coming off and doing a little loop-de-loop before zipping off after its owner.

Tokuichi Towa, the founder of Towa City and CEO of the Towa Group. Currently working on some files for new android prototypes that had been made by his illegitimate daughter Monaca, Tokuichi couldn't help but admire the design work, even if he believed that the child did not belong. Thankfully, Monaca was currently attending the grand opening of the Coco Bongo with her little friends, so she wouldn't be too much of a bother today.

However, a crashing sound was heard, alerting Tokuichi as he ran over to find his son, Haiji, looking rather panicked about something.

"Haiji, is everything alright?"

"Dad! S-Something's gone wrong! The vault's been robbed!"

"What?! Who could do this?!" Tokuichi angrily asked but immediately got his answer when a green and yellow blur zipped up to him and Haiji, revealing a green-faced young man with spikey black hair, a yellow zoot suit, a wide-brimmed hat with a feather in the brim, and a goofy grin full of shiny white teeth.

"Sorry fellas...Waste Not, Want Not."

Giggling like a Looney Tunes character, the mysterious green-faced man then spun in a tornado and drilled through the floor before zipping the hole up with a zipper that manifested from nowhere.

"What the hell was that?!" Tokuichi asked as Haiji growled, angry that his father had been stolen from.

"Fucking bastard. Don't worry, Dad. I'll get the security forces and track that deadbeat down!"

Little did the Towa Father and Son know that this man would not be an easy target. And Haiji would learn it the hard way himself.

Next Time: Hey Pacuchou!

Oh yeah, it's definitely gonna be a bad day for Haiji and his dad. Monaca may be Pickle Satan but she wouldn't have ended up the way she was if she hadn't been treated so horribly her 'father' and 'brother'.