"Ben...?"

Ben was sitting in the courtyard, reading some comic books when he noticed Mahiru approach him, a timid look on her face.

"Oh, Mahiru, what's up?"

"I-I just want to tell you that I'm really grateful for what you did."

Ben checked his arm, which was still in a cast but he was due to take it off in another week or so. He sighed but turned to the Ultimate Photographer with a smile.

"Well, that's just the kind of guy I am. And all without needing that damn mask to help me out."

"Still, I still can't believe she would do something that crazy… I should have seen this coming! I should have done something!" Mahiru said, looking away with guilt gnawing away at her.

Ben saw the distress on the redhead's face and stood up to console her. "H-Hey, it's okay. The crisis has been averted, okay?"

"But what now?!" Mahiru snapped, making Ben flinch slightly. "Sato's life is OVER! Her parents disowned her, she's been expelled from school, she's got attempted murder on her record...I don't know if I can face her after all this!"

"Look, Hajime and I are going to see Sato later to make sure she's holding up alright. You should come with us too. Your the closest to her out of all of us."

"Look… Things are a bit more complicated than that." Mahiru said, in a calmer tone as she was finally pulling herself together.

"Do you...have feelings for Sato? I mean, that's okay with me. I've NEVER been one to judge."

"The thing is...I didn't know what my feelings for Sato were back in middle school...But I was a coward, I exploited her feelings for me. Before she came into my life, I was picked on and bullied by the other girls. They were so cruel and I was so weak. But Sato was strong and fearless. She stood up for me when no one else would. So of course I wanted her around. And It didn't take me long to realize that she wanted something more out of our relationship."

"And what do you feel for her now?"

"W-Well...I like boys...but I also like girls. I-I care a great deal about Sato, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Mikan, Hajime...Y-You."

"M-Me?" Ben asked, his cheeks going pink as Mahiru huffed.

"Geez! Are you THIS dense? You're the kind of guy every girl looks for and maybe even boys too! You're humble, your open-minded, you acknowledge our flaws while still accepting us and seeing our positives as well, your goofy, you're...you're just a good person all around."

As Mahiru listed these things off, her freckled cheeks became redder and redder before she sighed as she realized she was droning on. She looked at Ben as he coughed into his fist in embarrassment, feeling flattered that people thought of him that way.

"The thing is...Sato would've been better off without a coward like me...she respected me and never tried to force anything on me. She just stayed by my side all these years, when she could have been happier with someone else. I was just leading her on, for my own selfish reasons..."

Mahiru covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes as she looked away as if embarrassed at Ben seeing her like this. However, the Reserve Course boy moved to her and wrapped his still-functioning arm around her, much to her surprise.

"Mahiru, I'm not good at these things. I know for a fact I'm not making it as an Ultimate Therapist or anything...but I think you need to come with me and Hajime and tell Sato the truth. It may be rough on you. You may feel like a terrible person for it, but you don't have a choice. If you're actually her friend, then you don't have the right to just move along and let Sato spend the rest of her life full of doubt and regret. She deserves to know the truth. She deserves closure."

Mahiru looked shocked at Ben's words before sniffling and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in the nape of his neck as he smiled, leaning further into the hug as well.

"Ben...T-Thank you..."

Yoshigahara Medical Treatment Center. Sato was currently there undergoing psychological evaluations and therapy after the incident with Natsumi. Ben, Hajime, and Mahiru entered the room.

"Sato?" Ben asked as he opened the door to Sato's room. The girl was currently dressed in loose pants and a white flowery tank top. She was staring out the window before she noticed the three coming in.

"Oh, hey..."

"Sato..." Mahiru rushed forward and hugged her friend. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault...!"

"How are you holding up?" Hajime asked as he and Ben sat down, Sato hung her head down.

"It's been alright. They've been watching over me, making sure I didn't relapse..."

"Natsumi herself is doing okay. I'm sure you've cleared your head now. She feels terrible for how far she pushed you." Hajime said. "The guilt is eating away at her, I'm not lying."

"I find that hard to believe..." Sato said flatly, her eyes narrowing. "I-I just didn't want her to hurt Mahiru...she told me herself."

"Natsumi wasn't trying to hurt Mahiru, Sato," Hajime explained. "She actually wanted to make peace with you. She'd recently taken up shogi and was going to try and get acknowledged for her talent in that instead."

"H-How can you say for sure what Natsumi would've been thinking?" Sato asked, still not fully believing the story.

"Because I talked with her myself after that fight you two had. She was not in a good state, she felt like she had nobody to turn to until I came and talked with her." Ben said. "Look, after you get discharged, maybe you and Natsumi can talk things out for real this time."

Sato hung her head down, a choked sob escaping her mouth. "That idiot...She should have just said what she wanted in the first place..."

"Sato, I'm sorry...I'm to blame too...I shouldn't have hid behind you..." Mahiru said as Sato hugged her back.

"Mahiru, you were my first real friend, I'd do anything for you..." Sato then looked troubled. "But...but I've tried to come in contact with my parents...The faculty has as well and...they aren't responding. I think...the Kuzuryuus may have gone after them."

"No, Sato, the Kuzuryuus didn't go after them. They left on their own accord. As soon as they found out about the incident...they disowned you and left the country."

"What...?" Sato asked, her eyes slowly widening as she processed this information before shaking her head. "Don't fuck with me, Hinata. Tell me that's a fucking joke. There's no way my parents would just abandon me like this! Tell me it's not true...tell me it's not fucking true!"

Ben and Hajime looked away, unable to say anything at that moment. Mahiru felt a few tears running down her cheeks as she hugged Sato tighter.

"T-This is a nightmare...this has to be...N-No...No...Nonononononononononono..." Sato muttered, clutching her skull tightly as her eyes dilated.

"S-Sato?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sato broke away from Mahiru and screeched as loud as she could, tears running down her face as she slammed her head into the side of the wall. Some orderly came in and immediately moved to detain her and stop her from harming herself. Mahiru covered her mouth as tears fell down her face freely while Ben and Hajime both bowed their heads.

"LET ME GO! JUST LET ME DIE! I DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE! I DON'T WANT TO LIVE!"

An orderly quickly took out a sedative and injected it into Sato, knocking her out as her body relaxed and she fell into blissful slumber. After being helped back into her bed, the orderly turned to Ben, Hajime, and Mahiru.

"You three should probably leave. We'll keep an eye on her from here."

With that, the trio left the facility, now feeling much worse than they had felt when they first went in...

Next Time: Hope's Peak Community!

The 48 Hopes come together not as just a class, but as a family and a community.