Authors note: Like the beautiful Pheonex, I have come back from the dead. First off, I would like to thank the massive amount of support you guys have given the story. It's thanks to you that I continue to write this story (other than the fact I love writing). The reason this chapter was delayed is due to home life and school, so I apologize in advance. Also, the next chapter will not come out until June, once I finish school. Lastly, this chapter strays far away from the anime, seeing as this story is an AU. Now, review and enjoy :-).
'So…bored' Hinata thought to himself as his new math teacher began to ramble on about finding the arc length of a circle. It's been a week since Souda broke his leg and thanks to Tsumiki, he'll be able to walk in five weeks, sooner than the nurse had predicted when she first saw the leg.
Since then, the week has been uneventful to Hinata. His classmates have been surprisingly quite and inactive throughout the week. Hell, Owari only challenged him to two fights this week, which was only a fifth of the amount she challenged him to before Souda broke his leg. Saionji was also awfully quiet, not having played a prank on anyone, and so was Mioda, the one who caused a good chunk of the antics developed by the class.
Though a bit boring, the week wasn't awful. It certainly still beat attending classes at the reserve course. In the main course, all his classes, the lessons taught, and the activities done were enough to keep him mildly entertained. For example, during biology class he was able to dissect a frog, and in literature the class was assigned to write short stories, material which managed to grasp the boy's attention. Sadly, math class didn't do the same. Most of math was utilizing various patterns and rules to solve for a value. While some individuals would get pleasure out of doing so, Hinata's ability to predict, memorize, and solve problems just by looking at them took all the joy and challenge out of it. Then again, he hated math even before the operation...
Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, the bell rang, signifying the end of math class and the beginning of home room. Once everyone took their seats, Yukizome began to give a speech about how glad she was that everyone chose to attend classes today. This was something she did everyday and despite being a creative person, she often used the same lines over and over again. As such, Hinata often drifted off to space. However, today would be different, seeing as Yukizome said something completely out of the ordinary, causing the boy to snap back to reality.
"Also, if any of you can spare some time to help out at Hopes Peak Elementary tomorrow during your free time, that would be greatly appreciated," Yukizome said with a strong smile.
"There's a Hopes Peak Elementary?" Hinata asked. This came as a surprise to Hinata, seeing as the boy has researched the school multiple times, not finding any trace of the school's existence during each search. It wasn't like he casually searched the school either. The boy could easily tell the entire known history of Hopes Peak without missing a fact. After all, how else would he had found out about the reserve course, something relatively hidden to the public?
"Oh, you didn't know? While not officially part of the Hopes Peak program, the school helps those in elementary school discover any talent they may have," Yukizome responded. "In fact, a good chunk of graduates end up attending Hopes Peak in the future. Sadly, the only way to attend the school is if your parents have a lot of money or connections. It actually costs more than the reserve course."
"Reserve course?" Nanami questioned. Judging by the vast amount of confused faces in the class, it was easy for tell no one but Hinata knew of the other program.
"The reserve course was established for two reasons, to offer ordinary students a chance of achieving a great education and to help pay for the main course's facilities," Yukizome informed the class, only to cause several more hands to go up. Unfortunately, the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day.
"Remember to tell me by tomorrow if any of you would be interested in helping out in Hopes Peak Elementary," Yukizome reminded the class before everyone began flooding out of the room.
0000
"They have no right to be here. None of them have any talents. They're existence is even more unimportant than trash such as myself" Komaeda told himself as he bounced a ball off a wall in his room. Catching it, he gave it a little squeeze of frustration before tossing it at the wall. Upon finding out about the existence of the reserve course, the normally calm boy began to anger. To him, individuals didn't deserve to attend a school for the talented, no matter their wealth or background. They needed to earn it.
"Granted, I shouldn't be here anyways" the boy said, continuing to bounce the ball at a simple pace. "After all, my talent is only luck, one which shouldn't even deserve to be recognized."
Eventually getting bored of the ball, Komaeda attempted to catch the ball and put it away, only for it to bounce off his hand due to his delayed reaction. The deflected ball went towards one of the lamps in the room, knocking it down. However, when Komaeda went to pick up both the ball and the lamp, he noticed there was a lottery ticket which displayed the winning numbers of this week's lottery. How did he know they were the winning numbers? The boy often watched game shows and the displacement of lottery numbers to see how vastly his luck was from others. It was a nice form of entertainment for him. Stuffing the ticket in his pocket, a sinister smile formed on the luckster's face.
"But it's more than they can claim."
0000
"U-um Hinata? Are you okay?" Tsumiki asked Hinata as the two began to walk home together. The walk home was something Tsumiki enjoyed dearly, seeing as she had her best friend all to herself. Normally the girl was willing to share her possessions, but Hinata was something she didn't like to share. Ever since he came into her life, she was always thinking about him. After all, how could she not? This was the boy who defended her from several of her tormentors, the one who had befriended her without hesitation, the one who made her feel like she was someone special. However, today Hinata was awfully quiet, his face unreadable. He was clearly in thought, but that's all she could get from his face.
"Hm? Oh, I'm okay," Hinata stated. "I'm just thinking."
"A-about what?"
"About Hopes Peak," Hinata answered, surprised that she didn't begin to apologize for no reason like she normally did after asking a question. "I'm just wondering what caused the government to reduce their funding for the school."
"The government r-reduced their fundings?"
"Yea. They actually did three years ago, causing the creation of the reserve course. However, it seems they may have done so again. After all, the establishment of Hopes Peak Elementary seems relatively new, seeing as it's nearly completely unknown to the public. This was the case with the reserve course when it was first established, gaining attention only after a few years went by. Part of me wants to check it out solely for the reason to see what the school is about."
"Really? I-I was actually going to volunteer. A-as nurse, it's my job to help out those in need and small children tend to get themselves injured a lot. I would l-love it if you could join me."
"Well, I did say I want to check out the school and I do enjoy spending time with you," Hinata said, not noticing the small blush forming on his friend's face. "Meh. I'll volunteer. I've got nothing better to do."
The rest of the walk was spent discussing the possible activities they would be required to do at Hopes Peak Elementary.
0000
"Huh. Seems like this school takes decorating seriously," Hinata noted as he and Tsumiki entered Hopes Peak Elementary the next day. Having informed Yukizome before the start of homeroom about their interest in volunteering at the elementary school, the teacher gave them a bright smile before listing a range of times they could pick to go to the school. Each slot required them to stay at the school for forty minutes, the equivalent of an entire class period, and depending on the time they picked, they would either be helping the teacher with grading or they would keep the students of their designated class entertained. Seeing as the only time the two would be able to volunteer without missing a class was during their lunch period (which started at 11:30 am), Hinata and Tsumiki decided to visit the school then, seeing as the nurse didn't want to skip any classes.
"It's nice isn't it?" Tsumiki said, glancing around at the various decorations. The decorations consisted of several trophy cases, awards, and the displacement of several student projects. Despite being an elementary school, all the projects shown off were outstandingly beautiful. Just based on some of the drawings, test scores, and books, Hinata had a feeling some of these kids would eventually find their way into the actual Hopes Peak Academy.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" A tall, black haired woman asked, causing Hinata and Tsumiki to look at her. Remembering what they were at the school for, Hinata spoke up.
"Uh, I'm Hajime Hinata and this is Mikan Tsumiki. We're, um, here to volunteer. We're from Hopes Peak."
"Oh. I do remember being told that there will be two kids coming to our school. Come, I'll lead you to the classroom you've been assigned to," the woman said before making her way down the hall, the two teens following behind her. Eventually, they reached a classroom decorated with several drawings of simple items children tend to use, such as sporting equipment and books.
"All you have to do is keep them entertained for forty minutes. However, I must warn you, the kids in this class are quite mischievous. There's only five of them, but this class is already known as the 'troubled' class. Well, if you need anything, just come and get me." With that, the woman began to walk away, leaving behind two confused teenagers. What on earth did they sign up for?
0000
Hinata thought he would see chaos once he opened the door. After all, their guide did mention that this was the 'troubled' class. However, when he opened the door, he saw the opposite. All five children were sitting at their desks, talking to one another. Granted, they were being loud, but they immediately stopped speaking upon seeing the two teenagers walk into the room. Quickly glancing around the room, Hinata began analyzing each student one by one. The first kid that caught his attention was a boy with a strange mask. Judging by the way it was made, it was supposed to completely cover his face while intending to scare people away. However, it only made him look strange. The boy was also dressed in all brown, a tool belt strapped around his waist. Thankfully, the tools were rather blunt, making them only useful for small crafts. The next boy which caught his attention had red, spiky hair, as well as a large set of headphones. However, what caught Hinata's attention was the fact the boy was covered in dirt, bruises, and band-aids. The third student Hinata glanced at was on a wheelchair and had a face which screamed 'pity me.' The girl had short, green hair and was wearing all navy blue clothing. Next to her was a girl who's attire consisted of all pink, including her long pink hair. Unlike her friend, her attire screamed 'adorable.' In addition, she had a pink headband which looked like demon horns. The last kid he glanced at was all the way in the back, engrossed in the book he was reading. He had blue hair which spiked up on two sides, a hairstyle Hinata thought as strange. In addition, he had a white blazer with gold strips and a pair of dress shorts with the exact same color scheme. Based on his posture, Hinata could easily tell he was the most mature of the group.
"Huh? Who are you? Monaca doesn't remember seeing you around…" the girl in the wheelchair asked after Hinata and Tsumiki entered the room.
"I'm Hinata and the girl next to me is Tsumiki," Hinata stated. "We've volunteered to watch over you for a period."
"Is she your girlfriend?" The pink haired girl asked, a mischievous smile forming on her face. "If so, you've easily snagged one of the most adorbs girl I've ever seen."
"What?! No! We're just friends" Hinata said, getting flustered from such a question. "Right Tsumiki?"
"A-adorable?!" Tsumiki shouted in surprise at the comment. It seemed like she only focused on the compliment, not that Hinata could blame her. "Y-you think I-I'm cute?"
"Of course!" The girl gushed. "I've seen many people I consider adorbs, and you easily beat most of them."
"T-thank you," Tsumiki flushed. It was easy to tell she was enjoying the attention.
"Kotoko. Leave the poor girl alone" the boy in the back told his classmate. "At this rate, you'll give her a heart attack."
"Why do you always ruin my fun Nagisa?" Kotoko pouted. "Are you jealous that you're not as adorbs as her?"
"I wish I was adorable" the boy with the mask sighed. "But instead I'm cursed with being hideous."
"Maybe if you take off your creepy mask, people won't think you're ugly," Kotoko said. Next to her, Monaca nodded in agreement.
"The mask honestly creeps Monaca out Jataro."
"N-no! I can't take off this mask" the boy, Jataro whimpered. "My face is so ugly, you'll die from the ugliness."
"Take the mask off. That's an order from your leader," the boy with red hair said while giving a sly smile.
"N-no!"
"Hey, can you five introduce yourselves?" Hinata asked, trying to prevent the situation from growing.
"As leader, I'll go first," the boy with red hair stated. "I'm Masaru Daimon, the Li'l ultimate P.E. I can easily complete an entire year long race in only a day."
"I've told you multiple times that it's impossible for you to do" Nagisa told him, causing the 'leader' to pout. "Anyways, I'm Nagisa Shingetsu, Li'l ultimate social studies. Nice to make your acquaintance."
"Ooh! Ooh! Me next" Kotoko shouted in excitement. "I'm Kotoko Utsugi, li'l ultimate drama, but that's in the past. I love all things that are adorbs." At this point, both Hinata and Tsumiki noticed how each of the students who introduced themselves had a title similar to those who attended Hopes Peak. Seemed like the two schools were truly related.
"I'm Monaca Towa" Monaca said, introducing herself in a cutesy voice. "I'm the li'l ultimate home room. I enjoy telling stories."
"I guess I'm last…fitting for someone as u-ugly as me," Jataro stated. "I'm Jataro Kemuri, the li'l ultimate art. I like arts and crafts, since I'm able to make pretty things to compensate for my hideousness."
"U-um. It's nice to meet you," Tsumiki stated. "I'm T-Tsumiki, the ultimate nurse," Tsumiki informed the class of her title. "A-and this is Hinata."
"Yea, as for my title, well that's something I wish not to share. So, is there anything you five want to do?"
"Wait?! You two actually want to do something with us?" Kotoko asked, surprised.
"Yea. I don't see why I won't. After all, we have forty minutes to kill and I understand the pain of spending so much time doing nothing," Hinata answered. "So I thought we might have some fun."
"Our last supervisor didn't even bother to interact with us," Kotoko informed him. "He just sat in the corner like a total creep."
"Ooh! Monaca has an idea. How about we play Monopoly" Monaca suggested.
"Aw, but I never win in that game," Masaru pouted. In response, Monaca gave him a depressed look, causing the boy to become uncomfortable.
"Fine, I'll play," he said as Nagisa grabbed the board game from one of the room's closets and began to set up the pieces.
"I must warn you though, Nagisa is really good at Monopoly," Monaca informed the two teens, causing Nagisa to turn a bright red.
"U-uh, I'm not that good," Nagisa stated as the seven of them began to play. As they did so, Hinata found that what was said about Masaru and Nagisa was correct. Masaru was the first to go bankrupt, followed by Kotoko. Tsumiki was next, seeing as even though she was extremely intelligent, this was her first time playing the game. Jataro followed shortly after Tsumiki, causing an impressive showdown between Nagisa, Monaca, and Hinata. While the two children were masters of Monopoly, Hinata's ability to analyze their playing styles allowed him to be the sole victor in the end, knocking out Monaca, followed by Nagisa a few minutes later. However, their playing styles weren't the only thing he analyzed. As he watched the children interact with one another, he noticed a familiar look in their eyes. He's seen this look countless times from both Tsumiki and Komaeda, it was the look of someone who's been pushed down more than they could get up, someone who has been broken for a long time. Someone who needed to be saved. And apparently, he wasn't the only one to notice this.
"Y-you noticed it as well?" Tsumiki whispered to him as the seven continued to play.
"Yea. They're not troubling kids at all. But they are troubled."
