With a ding, Kaede and Shuichi exited the café and stepped onto the street. Laughing, Shuichi patted his stomach. "Man, that donut glaze is so fantastic! Really hits the spot. No matter how many times we go, it always amazes me."

Frowning, Kaede tucked back a strand of hair. Looked around. Passerby walked the streets, heads down. Cars honked. The smell of car exhaust hung in the air. "Yeah, it tastes good."

Shuichi squeezed her hand. "Well, what should we do now? Should we head off to karaoke?"

Oh yeah, Kaede thought. We haven't been there in like forever. It's been ages since I had to break up Kaito and Kokichi wrestling over the mic or their stupid arguments over who had the most points. "I don't know, Shuichi. Maybe we should just head back."

"And waste a good Saturday night like this staying inside? What about hitting the arcade then? Should be fun. I'll even try to get you a stuffed animal from the crane game."

At the arcade Maki always won the shooting games. Guess now I know why. Kaede shuddered. "Sorry, I have a bit of a headache. It'll be too noisy."

"You need some medicine? I think I have some on me." Kaede shook her head. "Then how about just a walk in the park? It's not dark yet. And maybe they'll have another band playing in the gazebo."

"Like last time, yeah…" The memory replayed in Kaede's mind. Kokichi had wheedled and coaxed Himiko in dancing with him. And soon enough Kaede and Shuichi joined in, and Kaito had asked Maki. All three couples spent the night slow dancing in public. Kaede could remember them swaying to the music, laughing.

Kaede sniffed. She looked up at her boyfriend. Dark circles hung below Shuichi's eyes, but, hatless, he held her gaze and smiled. Kaede wiped away a tear. "You're so strong, Shuichi. You must be so tired, too."

Shuichi laughed. "What are you talking about? If I'm not getting enough sleep, it's only because I'm worried about our upcoming tests. That's all."

Kaede narrowed her eyes. "Wait, didn't you just have that psych test yesterday?"

"Ah. So, you're right. I just haven't caught up on the sleep yet. Now, come on. Let's go walk through the park."

Kaede squeezed his hand back. "All right."

Maki drummed her fingers on the desk. She straightened her notebook for the third time. Her classmates' voices, footsteps, and zipping backpacks swirled around her. Maki glanced at the clock. Another three minutes. Maki sighed.

"Did you hear? Kokichi had a relapse and is back in the infirmary. Degenerate he may be, but no one deserves to go through that."

"Indeed. I have said prayers every day for his swift recovery, but Atua must be hibernating."

Maki looked up. Tenko and Angie were sitting at their desks by the door, conversing. Tenko hung her head. "And Himiko hasn't come to class once this semester. She's always shooed me away when I visited. Now she doesn't even answer when I knock or reply to my texts. I just wish there was something we could do."

Maki scoffed. There's nothing. She glanced over her shoulder at Kaito sitting two desks behind her. He was absently flicking his pencil, spinning it on his desk. Nothing can help after what he revealed. Tsking, Maki turned around. Elbow on her desk, Maki rested her cheek on a hand. Closed her eyes. Let the next year and a half go by quickly, please. So I don't have to deal with this anymore.

The classroom door opened. All talking ceased. Maki looked up.

Himiko was standing in the doorway. Panting heavily, she rested a hand on the doorframe. Then, hefting her backpack, she stepped inside.

"Himikooo!" Tenko tackled the girl in a fierce hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you! How are you? Have you been eating properly? Sleeping properly? Come on, hurry up and tell me!"

Himiko patted Tenko's back. Once released, the mage explained, "I'm… fine. I just accidently overslept and had to run all the way here. But it was good exercise to start the day so I can't complain."

Tenko stared blankly at the mage. Angie folded her hands. "Atua has let us behold Himiko's passed on spirit. I shall pray for her soul."

"Nyeh! I'm not dead! I just…" Frowning, Himiko played with her skirt. Then she held up her fists and declared, "I decided to live life facing forward! To be positive and not say anything's a pain anymore. Because… there's other people who are in more pain than me. For their sake, I'm gonna give every day my all. So, uh, t-take care of the new me please…"

Tenko wiped a tear from her eye. Angie smiled. "Praise be to Atua."

The door opened again, showing Koichi-sensei, five minutes late for his own class. He shooed the trio away. As Himiko passed, she waved at Maki. The assassin didn't make eye contact. Himiko sat at her desk, pulled out a square piece of paper, and began folding it. Brow raised, Maki watched Himiko in the corner of her eye. The mage folded an origami sawn. She immediately starting making another.

Maki scowled. A memory from her time at the orphanage resurfaced in her mind. A small girl of five years had tugged on her skirt. "Onee-chan, onee-chan! Is it true that if you make a thousand paper cranes you can make a wish? I wanna wish to get a family! Or have more good food and toys… If I do it, will it work? Will it work?"

"No." With a yank, Maki reclaimed her skirt. "You'll only get those things if you're lucky enough. Folding paper is a waste of time."

Maki watched the mage. Throughout all of class, Himiko never stopped making cranes. The moment the bell rang, Tenko raced over to the mage's desk. "Hey, Himiko! You're making cranes for him, right?"

Himiko massaged her aching hands. "Yeah. Well, for everyone, really."

"Let me help! Teach me and I'll help you reach a thousand in a week! I promise."

Angie gracefully walked over, her smock billowing. "And with Atua's blessing on these crafts, I'm sure your wish will be granted. That is, only if you give me one of every color origami paper."

"Nii hee hee! There's plenty to go around." Laughing, Himiko divided the paper. She began teaching them.

"Hmph." Maki snatched up her backpack and headed towards the door. "So stupid."

Humming, Keebo laid the bread on top of the lettuce. Then he opened a bag of chips and poured a small amount on the bowl. A turkey sandwich for protein, but still light on the stomach. And his favorite ripple cut BBQ chips as a treat.

Behind him, Shuichi was sitting at the dorm kitchen table, reading. He scowled. "Why are you helping him? He's so ungrateful and insulting. I know he's been through a lot, but at this stage, that's no longer an excuse."

Kokichi emerged from the bathroom, rubbing an eye. "Oh. Thanks."

Keebo smirked. Face burning, Shuichi lowered his head. The detective cleared his throat. "H-how are you feeling?"

Kokichi stared off into the distance.

Walking over, Keebo chided, "Kokichi, Kokichi. When are you going to use your walker?" He grunted. Smiling, Keebo assisted Kokichi into his desk chair in his room. "Do you need anything else?"

Kokichi flopped a hand in a half-hearted attempt to gesture. "That."

The robot retrieved the electronic handbook off the bed. A web of cracks covered the screen. Keebo also grabbed a pillow to be placed behind Kokichi's back as he sat.

"No, don't." Kokichi ran a hand down the new chair's leather armrests. "This is… comfortable."

"Glad to hear it! I will be right back." Keebo reclaimed the tray of food from the kitchen and returned. As he unloaded the dishes, he said, "If you need anything, let me know."

Kokichi booted up the device. He gave the barest of nods.

Keebo exited Kokichi's room. Shuichi had opened the door for Himiko. The mage held a wrapped bento lunchbox. Upon seeing Keebo leave, tray in hand, Himiko pouted. "Aw, you already got him lunch…"

Keebo apologized. Shuichi offered, "You could leave it here as a snack for later on. He really has lost a lot of weight."

Himiko bit her lip, humming. "For this appear magically out of thin air for him… No, yeah, never mind. I should give it in person, and I'm not…" She dipped her head, hat covering her eyes. "I'm not ready for that yet. Here. You can have it, Shuichi."

"Me? What is it? Oh, sushi! Sure, I'll eat it. Thanks."

Himiko scoffed. "Shuichi, you're supposed to refuse. You already got a girlfriend. Then again, I don't blame you for falling for my irresistible beauty."

"U-um what? So you're not giving it to me?"

Sighing, Himiko pushed the bento onto him. She headed towards the table. "Now I see why Tenko calls males degenerates."

Shuichi reclaimed his seat at the table. He began eating the sushi seaweed wraps. "Well, it was good to see you back in class yesterday."

Himiko shrugged. "It's the very least I shoulda been doing. How's Kokichi?"

Sighing, Keebo sank into the chair at the other end. "He's… I don't know. Aside from me, he doesn't talk to anyone. He stares off into space, has little energy, and barely says two words." Keebo clasped his hands, frowning. "He really is like an empty husk…"

Both Himiko and Shuichi gazed at the ground. "Oh, don't be sad!" exclaimed the robot. "See, I wanted to thank you, Himiko. For buying all that you did. You should have seen his face! He was stunned. Floored."

"Yeah," Shuichi echoed. "Kaede and I couldn't afford everything, so thank you."

Himiko held a hand to her chest. "So he wasn't mad… good. And I just bought things. I haven't been taking care of him all along like you guys have. Especially you, Keebo. Thank you."

Shuichi pointed a chopstick at the robot. "Kokichi flat out refused my offer to help. You're the only one he felt comfortable with."

Keebo shook his head. "Yes, but that's only because I'm a robot."

"And what's wrong with that?" asked Himiko. "Aren't you proud of what your Professor built?"

"Most certainly. But…" Keebo gazed down at his hand. The memory of him picking out the shards of glass from Kokichi's hand arose in his mind. "A robot gaining a heart… That's just a fairy tale."

"Yeah, you many never understand human emotion." Keebo felt a warm hand covering his metal one. He looked up. Himiko was smiling at him. "But that doesn't mean being a robot is bad. At a time when Kokichi was ignoring everyone else, he chose you, because of who you are. By being a robot, you helped out your friends. Just think." Himiko held Keebo's hand with both of hers. Her warm, honey-brown eyes gazed softly at him. "There's seven billion people on the planet, but only one of you. And there's a special way only you, as the sole robot, can touch the world."

Lips parted, Keebo stared at her. He leaned back against the chair, exhaling quietly. "Wow… I never… I never thought of that." Keebo gazed down at his hands. "A way only I can help because I'm a robot… I, I have to think about this! To talk to the professor and to Miu and, and…!" Keebo bolted from his chair. "Excuse me!" He slammed his bedroom door closed behind him.

Shuichi leaned back in the kitchen chair, gaping at Himiko. "Wow… Himiko, that was amazing."

Himiko flashed a smile. "Nii hee hee. Well, I am the amazing Himiko, after all. I perform magic on and off stage for people's smiles. But sometimes you don't need a magic trick or spell, just the truth." Shuichi tensed. Himiko narrowed her eyes. "I know I'm not one to talk, but how could you throw away Kaito for owing up to the truth about himself? Isn't that when a friend is most in need of support?"

Shuichi gazed down at his sushi bento. He set the chopsticks down. "I… I guess you're right. But what he said, what he did to Kokichi was so awful."

"Hey, Shuichi." The mage was gripping the table's edge so hard her knuckles went white. "Which do you think is worse? The friend who does something bad? Or the friend who didn't do anything at all to help, even when they could?"

Shuichi murmured, "Himiko…"

She swallowed. Sighed. Stood up. "Enjoy the bento. Just don't tell Kokichi you got it from me. I'm saving him for last."

Saving him? Shuichi thought. But before he could ask, Himiko had slipped out the door.

Maki closed the dorm door behind her. Her red eyes scanned the area. No one else present, no noise. Hefting her backpack, she headed towards her bedroom on the right. Something colorful caught her eye. A few hundred cranes were hanging off of Himiko's door. That's even more than yesterday… Shaking her head, Maki entered her room.

She flung her backpack onto her bed. Exhaling, Maki stretched. Rolled her neck. Then she dug out her textbook and notebook and turned to the desk. She gasped.

A half dozen balloon animals covered her desktop. In the center was a how-to create balloon animal books. An attached post it note read, "I think the kids at your orphanage will like these. If you need help making them, come ask me."

Growling, Maki popped each and every balloon and threw the book in the trash.

Maki wiped her forehead. Nothing; no sweat. She scoffed. What am I doing here at gym class wasting my time? I should just ditch and go train in secret like I have been.

Sighing, Maki leaned back on the bleacher. She gazed across the track field. In the near distance the other ultimates were milling around the finish line, listening to the gym teacher. Their gym uniform of white t-shirts and red shorts stood out against the blue track grounds. A cool October breeze blew through, keeping the temperature down. No one else was occupying the bleachers where Maki sat.

All those ultimates who dream of being a pop idol or nurse while I'm… Elbows on her knees, Maki hung her head. What am I even doing here at Hope's Peak?

"Need some?"

Maki snapped her head up. Himiko, one water bottle to her chest, was offering a second one to her. Snarling, Maki wrenched the water bottle and hurled it at Himiko. "Knock it off!"

Himiko gasped in pain. Tears forming, Himiko held her aching wrist. It was already swelling.

Maki glared. "What do you want from me?"

"N-nothing…"

"Getting me water, doing the stupid balloons and cranes – none of those things will fix anything!"

"Neither will running away."

Maki winced. Scowling, she tossed a ponytail over her shoulder. "Bothering me won't help you get Kokichi back. So leave me alone."

Biting her lip, Himiko gazed at the ground. Discarded paper wrappers and cans blew in the wind. Then she lifted her head. The sun shone over her shoulder. Himiko offered her water bottle, eyes smoldering. "Everything Kokichi has broken, I will fix."

Lips parted, Maki gazed at her. Then, frowning, she crossed her arms. "So what? You're going to be his caregiver now? You shouldn't clean up after his messes. Kokichi needs to grow up and stop throwing temper tantrums."

"And you aren't?"

Maki seethed. "You…!"

Himiko gripped the water bottle at her side. "Who cares if you're an assassin? You're still my friend. And since we're friends, I'll tell you that I played with My Little Pony until I was nine."

Maki spluttered, "S-so? How does that possibly compare to what I have done –?"

"You didn't know that before about me, but even though you know now, you're still friends with me. I didn't know that you were an assassin before, but even after I know, we're still friends. But if there's something you don't like about yourself, then change it."

Kokichi's words resurfaced in Maki's mind. "Yeah, the world is too shitty to ever be a paradise. But if you can make their job harder, if you could leak their headquarters, expose their financial backers' scandals, destroy their supplies and methods of communication… then that's good enough."

Exhaling, Himiko held the water bottle to her chest with both hands. "I lost my master. And I don't know how to get Kokichi back, but I swear I won't lose anyone else I love." Hand to her chest, Himiko leaned forward. Her eyes shone. "So I'll fight! I'll fight with every fiber of my being to keep him by my side."

Maki gazed into the distance, searching her memories. I've fought so hard, for so long… for what? To be a killer? Could I work towards something else…?

A shrill whistle blew. The gym teacher called, "All right, line up! We're doing hurdles now." A collective groan arose.

Maki swiftly rose and headed towards the track.

"Hey, Maki!"

She turned. Himiko's water bottle came flying at her. Maki caught it.

Himiko, arms crossed, smiled at her.

Maki studied the mage, her poise. Then, smirking, Maki headed to join the others, water bottle in hand.

Himiko walked through the cool night air, heading up a slight incline. The central plaza's pavilion arose in the distance. Classroom buildings and trees filled the horizon. Kaito sat on the ground, gazing up at the stars. Himiko came to a stop. The wind played with her red hair.

Kaito stiffened. "Himiko… I heard about all you've done."

"Good. Then you won't be surprised." She looked behind her. "I've brought someone."

Tightlipped, Shuichi made his way up the knoll. He nodded curtly at the astronaut. "Kaito."

Gasping, Kaito rose to his feet. "Shuichi… and is that?"

Himiko turned around. In the distance a dark figure watched them. Maki. Her twin ponytails blew in the breeze. Frowning, she took a step back. She met Kaito's steady gaze. Exhaling, Maki approached, joining the semi-circle before Kaito. The caregiver looked to Himiko. "You first."

Himiko blinked. "Nyeh? Really?" Shuichi nodded. "Okay." Jaw clenched, Himiko faced the astronaut. "I was outside the hospital door. I heard everything you said to Kokichi." Her voice thickened. "Saw the state you left him in. And ever since, Kokichi has barely spoken to anyone."

Kaito hung his head.

"You did tell Kokichi some things he needed to hear. Things no one else had the had the courage to say." Himiko balled her fists. "But if you think for one second that you don't have problems of your own, you're lying to yourself. You put in all this effort into getting Maki to train with you, but you, no, none of you!" Himiko cried, raising her voice, "None of you try to understand Kokichi! He is the one hurting most of all! He saved you all! He…" Himiko screwed her eyes shut, a tear rolling down her cheek. "He saved me. And we just abandoned him."

Silence. Just the sound of leaves rustling on the trees and Himiko's shaky breathing.

Head bowed, Kaito ran a hand through his hair. "No, I did worse. I… I broke him. And no apology could ever be enough or convey how sorry I am to you. I got so mad, so defensive, that I just said whatever mean shit that came to mind because I wanted to hurt him. Yeah. I wanted to hurt him." Inhaling deeply, Kaito rubbed a hand below his nose. His eyes misted with tears. "Some hero, huh?

"I'm not the Luminaries of the Stars." Kaito smashed his fist into his other palm. His teary eyes blazed. "I'm a goddamn black hole seeking everyone's attention. So I'm not gonna call myself Luminaries of the Stars anymore until I really know how to shine. And to start shining, I need to do three things." Kaito turned to Shuichi. "Can I be your sidekick?"

"W-what?!"

"You've looked at your fears and insecurities as a detective square in the face and overcame them. I want to learn from you, not the other way around."

Looking at the ground, Shuichi fingered his bangs. "I couldn't have done it without you, Kaito. After everything that's happened, I see now… I respected you so much that you felt you couldn't come to me with your problems." Arm falling, Shuichi closed his eyes. "And then when you were struggling, I turned my back on you. So I'm sorry, Kaito, but you can't be sidekick."

Kaito's face fell. But he nodded slowly.

Teary-eyed, Shuichi offered his hand. Smiled. "Let's start over as equals, bro."

Kaito sniffed. He clasped Shuichi's hand tight. Then he pulled the detective into a crushing bear hug. "I love you, man."

Shuichi exhaled a laugh, causing two tears to fall. He patted Kaito's back. "Love you, too."

Maki watched them, smiling. Himiko pressed a hand to her heart.

After a while, Kaito pulled away and wiped his eyes. He faced Maki. "Would you consider training with me, Maki?"

The caregiver played with a strand of her hair. "You said training is to meant to help you overcome your enemy, right?" Maki met Kaito's eyes. Raised her chin. "Well, I have one now. It'll be the most dangerous foe I've ever faced but…" She glanced at Himiko. "I'll fight them with every fiber of my being. So I can be by your side a little longer."

Kaito flashed a crooked grin. "I don't know what you're going through, but I hope working side by side will help. Because I have my own worst enemy to face: myself."

Maki and Kaito gazed into each other eyes for a long moment, smiling. Then Kaito nodded.

Before Himiko, Kaito dropped to his knees and bowed his head. He shouted, "I'll do my best to make up with Kokichi!"

Gasping, Himiko stepped back.

Kaito raised his head to look at the mage. "Whatever you need, you got it, no questions asked! Need to buy him more stuff? I'll pay! Want me be his caretaker? You got it. Have something you want to tell him but can't? I'm your man!"

"Nyeh, get up," Himiko gently admonished. Kaito obeyed. "Thank you," continued Himiko. "I'll need all the help I can get. Cuz I'm still not sure how to… how to talk to him."

Frowning, Kaito scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, me too. Like, if I just went up and apologized to him, he'd think I was mocking him. It'll make him feel worse." Exhaling, he let his arm fall. "Kokichi and I used to go the batting cages every other week and watch funny, dirty videos in English and now… I dunno, man. I've been looking back at everything that's happened. I just don't know why he's acting like this. What set him off."

"We all have to work together to determine the cause of his behavior. If we don't, no apology or party will work." Eyes wide, everyone turned to Maki. Face reddening, Maki played with a ponytail. "L-look, he just gave me some… good advice in between his insults. I won't be indebted to him."

"You're right." Kaito looked to Shuichi. "Bro, you got any ideas?"

Shuichi stood apart from the rest, shaking his head slightly. He muttered, "You guys really are blind, huh?" He closed his eyes briefly. "I think we all have to figure it out for ourselves what we can do for him. Something specific and different for all of us."

As they thought, a quiet settled over them. The cool night air set goosebumps down Himiko's arms. The wind carried the sweet scent of grass.

Grinning, Kaito raised a fist. "Well, standing around here lost won't help. How about we get our bodies moving so the brain juices can flow? Sound good? Okay, let's do it!" General chatter broke out among the roommates as assumed their places beneath the pavilion.

"Uh, Himiko?" Shuichi had shed his pinstripe outerwear, leaving him in a white undershirt. "I don't think that's how you do push-ups."

Kaito volunteered, "Here, lemme show ya. Knees bent, elbows more at your side, and lower yourself to the ground. What are you doing? Don't just push in your hips. Lower your whole body. Like this!"

"Doing push-ups is… such a pain – No, it's annoy– Nyeeeeh!" Himiko flopped onto the ground like a dead fish.

Next to her, Maki finished her 50 push-ups in a flash. She began crunches. "Geez, Maki!" Shuichi exclaimed. "We're not training for the Olympics here."

"I was serious when I said I have a dangerous enemy to face."

Kaito stopped doing push-ups to look at their group. "We can't be the training trio… so how about the fantastic four!"

Shuichi also paused. "Isn't that one of the American superhero groups?"

"Yeah, the ones Kokichi read the comics of…"

Himiko climbed to her feet. "Nyeh, this is my first and last session now that you guys are together."

"Wait, what?" cried Kaito, standing up. Shuichi also rose. "You can't just bail!"

"In fact, I'm done with tonight's training, too. Kaito, give me a piggyback ride to the dorm. And oh!" Smiling broadly, Himiko put her hands on her hips. "Shuichi, you take a picture of Kaito carrying me and send it to Kokichi! Then Shuichi, I'll let you pet me and we can send that to him, too. Let's make Kokichi wildly jealous!"

Shuichi stammered, "S-sorry, I'll pass, thanks."

Everyone laughed.

Shuichi stretched overhead. "After the push-ups, what are we doing?"

Kaito shrugged. "Well, Maki started doing 50 crunches so I don't see why not –"

Maki stood up, tossing her hair. "Done. What's next?"

"Holy crap, Maki Roll! I haven't even done 10 push-ups yet!"

Himiko stepped back. Watched the trio smile, laugh, and bicker beneath the pavilion. Smiling, Himiko brushed her eye. You're next, Kokichi. We'll save you. Just hang on a little longer.

Squinting in the dark, Kaede trudged through the underbrush. A twig snapped beneath her foot. She pushed aside a branch from her face. She gasped. "Shuichi! I knew you were hiding something from me. And Keebo, too?"

"A-ah… Greetings, Kaede."

Face stern, Shuichi approached. "Kaede, this is dangerous. If we're discovered, they could kick us out. Go back to your dorm and pretend you didn't see anything."

"No way! I don't care what happens, let me in on this."

"But –!"

"No buts!" Sighing, Kaede gripped her other arm. "I heard about how you and the others got back to training again last night. And it got me thinking. I'm so sorry I haven't helped out more. I encourage you guys all the time but when push came to shove, I thought it was impossible for you guys to get along and work together. I gave up. I didn't…" Kaede hung her head, tears in her eyes. "I didn't believe in you. So please. Let me support you now."

Shuichi enveloped her in a hug. "There's always hope, Kaede. At least, that's what I learned." He drew back to look her in the eye. He squeezed Kaede's hands. "Let's find out the truth of this together. And whether we have to tell the truth or lie about this, let's find a way forward. For Kokichi. No, for all of us."

Smiling, Kaede nodded.

Exhaling, Kokichi swirled a spoon through his chicken noodle soup. The spoon fell from his hand with a clatter. Kokichi gazed off into the distance, unaware. With everyone else finished and gone, Shuichi was loading the dishes at the dorm's dishwasher. Shuichi glanced back at the leader. He approached. "Want me to reheat that for you?"

Kokichi continued his blank stare.

Shuichi leaned forward slightly, coming more level with him. "Hey, you all right?'

After a long moment, Kokichi sighed. "I'm just… so tired of being tired."

Frowning, Shuichi patted his shoulder. "Don't fight it, just get some sleep. When you wake up, I can help you with the math homework. And I'll get you some more food, too."

Using his feet, Kokichi pushed out his chair. Hauled himself into standing. Shuichi offered a hand, but Kokichi waved him off. The leader trudged into his room and shut the door. The smell of new leather from his desk chair filled the room. Kokichi shuffled to his bed. Fell onto it. Threw the covers over his head.

Kokichi pulled out the small whiteboard hidden between the bed and the wall. He clicked on a flashlight. Writing and pictures of students filled the board. Kokichi's grin stretched across his face. I think it's about time…

Kokichi curled up in a ball beneath the desk. His kept his face pressed against the back wall, so no one could glimpse a bit of pale white in the otherwise darkness. Muffled sounds of people chattering and footsteps buzzed around him.

Smiling faintly, Kokichi laid a hand on the desk's wall. Onii-chan…

A memory flashed through his mind. Kokichi, as a young boy, curled up beneath his brother's desk as he worked. Staying underneath the desk meant being close to his brother and hiding from their father. Smiling, the boy pulled on his brother's pant leg. The elder Oma pushed back his chair to look down. Kokichi, grinning, showed off the DS. "Lookie! I beat another chess game!"

His brother smirked. "A win against a computer doesn't mean anything. Do you want to challenge me?"

"Oh yeah! And I'm gonna win!"

He chuckled. "We'll see about that, Cheeky Kichi. We'll see."

Closing his eyes, Kokichi relieved the last impressions of the memory before it dissipated. Onii-chan, you taught me true pain. Showed me the power your strength, the strength to never rely on others. Grinning, Kokichi held up a sharp object. It gleamed in the faint light. And now I'll show you that I have a strength that surpasses your own!

Sighing, Hajime sat at his desk, looking out the window. From the Reserve course building in the western quarter, Hajime could see the ultimates' classroom buildings in the eastern district. Around him droned the dragging feet, the muted voices of students greeting each other, and sighs as students sat in their desks.

Hajime's head throbbed. Dark circles beneath his eyes stood out against his pale face. I've sat waiting for class to start a thousand times before. He closed his eyes. And I'll wait a thousand times more.

At the sound of a chair scraping, Hajime looked up. A mousy student dressed in a white polo and black pants sat down at a desk. Wait, white polo? That's not Kodaka High School's uniform…

A nearby student laughed, "Another dull day for us Reserve course flunkies…"

Hajime froze. That's right, this is… "Rrrgh!" Growling, Hajime raked his hands through his hair. How is this any different from my old school?! His bloodshot eyes ached. I thought being in the Reserve course will get me into being an Ultimate, but everything is same as before!

Sato, a girl with long green-black hair, showed off her phone to a friend. "Look at the latest batch of photos Mahiru took. She's so amazing. I just know her photos will be shared around the world."

"Tsk." The blond beauty, Natsumi Kuzuryu, was watching on, biting her thumb nail. "Stupid, useless Reserve course trash. One day I'll be the Ultimate Little Sister to Fuyuhiko…" She tore the nail off. "Then I'll finally be equal to him!"

Rumors say that if a reserve course student tries hard enough, they'll be let in the main course, but that's a lie. No one has. Not even someone from here in the accelerated class. And no one ever will. Hajime balled his fists. We're destined to be the ultimates' footstools.

A graying, balding man in a tweed jacket entered the classroom. "Shut up. Sit down." Muttering under their breath, students obeyed. Sighing wearily, the teacher set his suitcase on the desk. "I have yesterday's tests. The majority of you fail– Urgk!"

A dark figure lunged from beneath the desk. Seized the teacher's mouth with a hand. Jabbed a needle in his neck. Foaming at the mouth, the teacher collapsed to the ground.

Students screamed.

The attacker lowered the black jacket's hood. Messy purple hair sprang up. "Nee-heeheeheehee… Now that's how you do an execution."

He looked over his shoulder.

Hajime went cold. Kokichi Oma.

"School's out, plebs." Kokichi's grin unnaturally stretched across his face. "It's Killing Game time."

aRe yoU reADy To pLAY? beCAUSe it'S tIMe fOr reVENGe…